We do abuse, criticise and mock our policemen, but then all are not the same. There are several men in uniform who are going beyond the call of duty and giving back to society in their own little way. A policeman has become the hero of Rajasthan’s Churu district with his ‘Apni Pathshala’ (Our School), the school he runs for homeless children near the women’s police station at the district headquarters.
His Story
- Dharamveer Jakhar completed his education in Hindi Literature, and attempted to acquire a B.Ed. degree to kickstart his career in teaching
- Unfortunately, he couldn’t clear the final exam, and financial strain in the family pushed him to look for a job
- Apni Pathshala was started on January 1, 2016, with a mission to make children hold pencils instead of begging bowls
- The 35-year-old requested his seniors to allocate space in a police-owned building close to the police station, and it was granted with full unanimity
- He wants these children to reach the mainstream and contribute to nation-building someday
- Initially when the young policeman had noticed the children during his duty hours, he felt bad for them as they were begging
- When he struck a conversation with the kids, he was told that they did not have parents or any other relatives
- At first, Dharamveer thought they may be lying, but when he himself went to their slums it was confirmed that the children were telling the truth
- This is when Jakhar decided that he will not let them waste their entire life begging
- The police official took it up on him to teach these children for an hour every day
- Dharamveer is assisted by two women constables and some young volunteers who take lessons at the school
- The school has about 450 children today
- A van has been arranged to take the kids to the school and later return them to the slums
- Apart from this, the dress, food, shoes and all other study materials are also provided free of cost
- Dharamveer says it was difficult in the beginning to make the kids agree to show up
- But when he found out the reasons pushing them to beg, it was clear they’d come to study if basic needs were met
All of this was not an overnight achievement, it took us 4-years to reach so far and now we have had more than 450 children study at the school.
We got 200 students admitted to government schools and around 90 are studying in classes VI-VIII. We maintain constant communication with them so that they can continue their studies uninterrupted.
It doesn’t end here. Dharamveer also motivates children of workers not to return to their homeland and discontinue studies. He urges them,
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 lands.
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.
However, the journey has not been so smooth as it sounds! ‘Apni Pathshala’ and Dharamveer have got some complaints as well.
Expenses
- The monthly expenses at the school come to around Rs 1.5 lakh and the state government is not doing much to help
- The venture depends on donations made by people from different parts and campaigns organised by Facebook groups and other social media portals
The cop believes government machinery can do a lot to help the needy and helpless in the country. He asserts,
With the help of the police, society and education department, we can change their lives. These children should have special schools and separate staff to take care of them.
They will never come to school on their own and there should be people dedicated to bringing them out of their miseries.
We can all sit back, crib and taunt our governments of the day, or we can pick up small initiatives such as these and start developing a progressive, educated and a hopeful society around us.
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