India, Sept. 6 -- For 22-year-old Bushra, going back to school is not about returning to something she once had.

It is about finally getting a chance at something she barely had time to know.

A native of Kottakkal in Malappuram district, Bushra left formal education in LKG, when the hardships faced by her family made continuing school impossible. But the classroom never quite left her imagination.

Years later, she found her way back.

Today, Bushra is the youngest equivalency learner enrolled with the Literacy Mission in Malappuram district and is preparing for the Class 10 equivalency examination at Kottappadi Government Boys Higher Secondary School.

The journey to this classroom has come in stages.

In 2018, she cleared the Class 4 ...