After quitting a high-paying job in US, this IPS officer is teaching underprivileged kids

Tuesday January 16, 2018 , 3 min Read

Nishant Tiwari is an IPS officer posted in Purnia district of Bihar who gave up a job in the United States to become Superintendent of Police. Apart from being a dedicated police officer determined to serve the society, he also founded 'Meri Pathsala' — a school to teach underprivileged people in Bihar.

Nishant was working in the US as a software engineer for sometime before realising he wanted to give back to the society he grew up in. So, he came back to India, cleared the UPSC exam and became an SP. Working as a police officer made him understand the ground realities better.

He learnt that children of migrants are missing out on education largely and that channelising their potential is important for uplifting the society. With this objective, Nishant started Meri Pathshala (My School). Talking about the need behind the school in an interview with The Logical Indian, he said,

They (migrants) need to be literate because it is important for them to read any document before putting a thumb impression on it. And we want that they know how to sign their names, not just use their thumb impression. They should be upfront and be able to understand what schemes government has for them.

As Nishant made them understand the importance of education, migrant people were more than happy to send their children to school. Along with children, youngsters and women too attend Meri Pathshala.

Nishant not only teaches in the schools but also motivates other police officers to join him in this mission and teach both children and adults. Though initially it was just one school in Purnia, heeding requests from other parts of the district, Nishant has also helped open Meri Pathshala in other villages.

“Many adults after shunning liquor devote time in these schools as pupils while some others contribute in teaching too. Positive impact of prohibition is visible in these evening schools. After leaving drinking habits, many adults engage themselves in the noble work of teaching while many others join the schools as pupils,”, Nishant told PTI while talking about the response for the school.