World's loneliest schoolboy Bacho attends classes by himself in remote Georgian village of only 30 people



Bacho Tsiklauri, nine, is the only pupil at the primary school in Makarta

The village's three other children spend an hour travelling to high school

Lessons happen in a room with four desks inside a private house

When Bacho goes to high school, the primary school will close



At the start of the school day, teacher Lia Tsiklauri takes the register. But the morning task is over in a flash - because there's only one name to tick off.

Bacho Tsiklauri, nine, is the only pupil at the primary school in the remote mountain gorge village of Makarta, Georgia, 62 miles north of the capital Tbilisi.



He is one of only four children in the village, which is home to about 30 people. The older children, including his brother Dato, attend a high school in a nearby village two miles away.

Nine-year-old Bacho Tsiklauri listens to his teacher Lia Tsiklauri, 47, during a lesson at school in the village of Makarta, Georgia

Makarta has only four children among its 30 residents. Bacho's older brother Dato is among the three who attend high school in a neighbouring village

Before school Lela Machkhashvili, 39, helps her son Bacho do his homework Bacho waits at the window to see his teacher Lia Tsiklauri walking towards the school before setting off

Reuters photographer David Mdzinarishvili travelled along 12 miles of dirt track through the Gudamakari gorge, which separates Makarta from the rest of Georgia, to meet Bacho.

The journey through the gorge took as long as it did to cover 50 miles on the main road.



He found a village of abandoned houses left behind by those who have left Makarta for better opportunities in more developed areas of the country.

The young boy wakes early and prepares breakfast at about 7am before doing homework with the help of his mother Lela Machkhashvili, 39.

Dato has to leave earlier than his sibling to make the hour-long journey to high school.

'I used the remaining time before the beginning of the school day to try to get acquainted with Bacho,' said Mr Mdzinarishvili in a blogpost.



'I asked how he spent his spare time, but he was just interested in my photography equipment: “What do you do after school?” I asked.

'“Nothing special. Can your camera shoot pictures of the top of that mountain?” he replied.

Bacho packs his bag for the short journey to school. When he goes to high school, he will spend an hour getting there

Bacho's mother Lela watches as her son sets off for school down a winding path

Bacho walks to school, in the mountain gorge village Makarta, with his father Gia and the family's dog

Lessons take place in a room with four desks in a private home in Makarta

'“When you grow up, who do you want to be?” I continued.

'“I don’t know. And your camera can shoot at night?”

'I gave up. We discussed my camera and Bacho even took a few shots.'

Bacho knows it is time for lessons when he sees 47-year-old Ms Tsiklauri, who teaches Georgian and mathematics, walking past his house at about 10am each day.

His father Gia does the school run with the aid of the family dog.



Ms Tsiklauri also studied at the primary school, where lessons take place in a room with four desks and a wood stove on the second floor of a private house.



Bacho works at the board while Lia Tsiklauri marks his work. The room is decorated with learning materials - and a poster of Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi

The class register bears only one name: Bacho Tsiklauri

The classroom has a low chalkboard on the wall for Bacho to do his work, which includes lessons in Georgian, English and mathematics

There are no other students to help Bacho out with his teacher's tough questions

Mr Mdzinarishvili, who went to meet Bacho, said: 'At the beginning, I saw that the teacher and student didn’t feel comfortable with me being there: having a third person in the class, and one with a camera, was an unfamiliar situation.

'Lia began the lesson by taking the register, but then she laughed and with this the tension disappeared.

'They soon forgot about my presence, and the class went as usual: checking homework, going over previous lessons, being called to the board, and learning new material.

'Of course, it was always Bacho who performed all the tasks, Bacho who answered all the questions, and Bacho who came to the board.



Bacho is the only pupil at the school and will also be its last

Break time is a lonely affair, with a half-flat football to kick around in the courtyard

His two teachers praise Bacho but say they are sad that the school will no longer exist once he goes to high school

'He couldn’t get out of it, and there was no one to whisper the answer if he didn’t know – although I don’t think he needed the help.'

At break time, Bacho kicked a half-flat football around the courtyard by himself and did a few laps, Mr Mdzinarishvili said. Then the boy's other teacher, 40-year-old Inga Chokheli, arrived for his English lesson.



Both the teachers were full of praise for their only student. They just had one disappointment: when he goes to high school, the primary school in Makarta will close.

Bacho and his father Gia pictured at home in Makarta

After school hours, a local hill top becomes Bacho's playground