Meet the Rajasthan cop who built a school to educate 450 children who used to beg on the streets
Churu-based Dharamveer Jakhar has started a free school, Apni Pathshala, for underprivileged kids in his neighbourhood. The cop provides learning and school supplies, and wants to ensure children don’t get bogged down by circumstances.
Change, they say, is the end result of education and learning. Aware that education may be one of the ways to uplift India’s poor and underprivileged, a cop from Rajasthan is helping children in his neighbourhood get a headstart.
Hailing from Rajasthan’s Churu district, Dharamveer Jakhar has started a free school, Apni Pathshala, for underprivileged kids in the area. Launched on January 1, 2016, the school, located near women’s police station at district headquarters, now educates 450 children who once used to beg on the streets.
Dharamveer Jakhar (Image: New Indian Express)
Apart from teaching, the school provides free supplies, including uniforms, books, bags, and others, to students.
But what motivated the policeman to start a school?
Dharamveer said, “When I talked to these kids, they told me they don't have parents or any other relatives. Initially, I thought they must be lying but I went to their slums and found out that they were telling the truth. I felt if I don't help them, they will waste their entire life begging and started teaching them for an hour every day,” reports New Indian Express.
The school currently runs classes from Classes I to VII. As many as 360 students are in the lower classes while 90 students are studying in Classes VI and VII.
A van ferries the kids from school to home and vice versa every day. A consistent channel of communication between the school and student’s parents is maintained to control absenteeism. Dharamveer is assisted by two female constables in this endeavour.
(Image: New Indian Express)
“There are many families who come from UP and Bihar to work here. We have motivated their children to study and not to stop once they go back to their native land. Some children have been allowed to collect garbage as their parents won't allow them to come otherwise. So, we decided to let them do it after school. This way, at least they get to come,” said Dharamveer, according to the New Indian Express.
It’s not easy for Dharamveer to run the school as the monthly expenses amount to Rs 1.5 lakh. He is managing this with donations channelled through Facebook campaigns, reports Storypick.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)
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