Sun Jul 20 2025 07:08:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Fact Check: Viral Video of Girl Ziplining Across River to Reach School is from Colombia, Not India
India's education system is a complex structure with multiple levels, including primary, secondary, and higher education
Claim :
Indian girl crossing a water stream dangerously, because the Indian Government is ignoring educationFact :
The viral video is not related to India, it is from Colombia and was shot in the year 2022
India's education system is a complex structure with multiple levels, including primary, secondary, and higher education. The modern Indian education system is undergoing a significant transformation, moving towards a more holistic and skill-based approach. Key changes include the integration of technology, a shift from rote learning to experiential learning, and a greater emphasis on critical thinking and practical skills.
The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to further modernize the system by restructuring the curriculum, introducing Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), and promoting vocational training.
Meanwhile, a video showing a young girl crossing a stream of water very dangerously using a rope hanging from a pulley to attend school is going viral on social media with the claim that an Indian girl is crossing a river in a dangerous manner. This is being used to highlight that the most critical issue of the country is being suppressed by the Sanghi-BJP government. The government, it claims, has time only to fuel Hindu-Muslim tensions and nothing more.
The caption in Hindi goes as: “देश की सबसे जरूरी मुद्दा शिक्षा को दबाने के लिए संघी–भाजपा मिलकर रात दिन हिंदू मुस्लिम करते हैं।” When translated, it claims that “The most critical issue of the country, education, is being suppressed as Sanghi-BJP work together day and night to fuel Hindu-Muslim tensions.”
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact check:
The claim is misleading. The video is not related to India; it is a video from Colombia.
When we extracted keyframes from the video and performed a Google reverse image search, we found that the video is from the year 2022 and was shot in Colombia.
We found a news article published on Navbharat Times. In the viral video, a girl is seen risking her life to go to school. You will be scared to see the way she crossed the river. Everyone is surprised to see the children's passion for studies. Most people say that they should get good facilities.
In the 26-second video, the girl crosses a water stream using a rope tied to a pulley. This scene is shocking because the slightest mistake could have proved fatal. The flow of water in the river was very fast; there is no question of survival after falling into it. Still, the students have not backed down from taking risks for their studies. Just imagine, if they have to do this daily, what would they be going through?
Videos recorded by parents and teachers in the Puerto Mosquito neighborhood of rural Santa Marta show the grave danger students face every day while getting to school. These are children who must cross the Gaira River hanging from a pulley to attend school. This takes place in the Puerto Mosquito area. The footage shows a group of children jumping off a rock with the help of a woven rope to cross the Gaira River. Erika Mendoza, a local leader and one of the people who recorded the videos, said: "That's the situation. I'm sending you a report about what my children have to go through every day to get to school in that danger."
The viral videos prompted the Santa Marta mayor's office to visit the site with the goal of beginning to structure initiatives to address student traffic in this area and ensure children don't have to risk their lives again by taking the pulley to cross the river.
X account named Las Noticias de Telecaribe shared the same video with the caption in Spanish: “#Magdalena Arriesgando sus vidas, niños y niñas de la vereda Puerto Mosquito en la ciudad de #SantaMarta, atraviesan colgados de una polea el río Gaira para asistir a clases. Líderes indígenas solicitan la construcción de un puente antes que ocurra una tragedia.”
When translated, it states: “#Magdalena Risking their lives, boys and girls from the village of Puerto Mosquito in the city of #SantaMarta, cross the Gaira River hanging from a pulley to attend classes. Indigenous leaders are calling for the construction of a bridge before tragedy strikes.”
The claim has also been debunked by other fact-checking organizations.
Hence, the claim is misleading. The video is not from India. It is from Colombia and was shot in the year 2022.
Claim : Indian girl crossing a water stream dangerously, because the Indian Government is ignoring education
Claimed By : Social media users
Claim Reviewed By : Unknown
Claim Source : Social Media
Fact Check : Misleading
Next Story