The next time your kid complains about school…

If your kids subject you to Monday morning grumbling when it’s time to wake up for school, you may want to take them to see this film.

Even if they wake up eager for class, you should still see this excellent documentary film by French filmmaker Pascal Plisson, originally entitled Sur le chemin de l’école (On the way to school, in Italian as Vado a scuola).

This film follows four children as they undertake daily arduous journeys from their rural homes to reach their schools.

Jackson, a Kenyan ten-year-old,  walks 15 kilometers (two hours) each day – and in each direction- through the savannah with his young sister. In his region, about five children are killed by elephants each year as they attempt the journey.

In the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, eleven-year-old Zahira travels from her Berber village each Monday morning on a four-hour walk through mountain paths to reach her school, where she boards for the week. She works in her village to encourage other families to send their girls to school.

Carlito and his little sister journey 25-kilometers each morning and evening on horseback through Argentina’s remote Patagonia  region to reach their school. Carlito dreams of becoming a veterinarian in his region.

Twelve-year-old Samuel, living in India’s Bay of Bengal, is in a wheelchair, unable to walk following a childhood illness. Yet, each morning, his two younger brothers push him eight kilometers to school, across sand, rivers, poorly paved roads and chaotic traffic.

These extraordinary children from four diverse corners of the globe share a passion for learning, and a deep understanding that education is the only way to improve their lives and those of their families. Don’t miss this wonderful film.