Railways Constable Runs Free School For The Poor By Spending Rs 10,000 A Month
35-year-old Rohit Kumar Yadav’s encounter with a street urchin in June 2018, while travelling from Unnao to Rae Bareli section for work, is what sparked his philanthropic venture. “A kid came to me asking for money to buy food. I was hurt seeing begging bowls in the child’s hands that should have otherwise been carrying pens and books at that age,” said Rohit, a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable.
“Years ago, my father had opened a school in Etawah district [Uttar Pradesh] to educate underprivileged children but had to shut it down due to family problems. However, now I am living my father’s dream of teaching economically backward children for free,” he said. He managed to find and speak to the parents of the kids who were begging in the train and urged them to send their children to school. “I thought if I was able to convince the parents of the kids then I could show them the path to a bright future, as my father would’ve wanted.”
He went on to share his experience of teaching underprivileged children for free in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao for the past two years.
“Most of the parents were not ready to send the children to school thinking that it would result in loss of earnings at home. Some were not ready to go through the admission process and pay money for admission as the parents don’t earn much to begin with. I was not ready to let go of my dream. With the slogan ‘Har Hath Mein Kalam’ (A pen in every hand), I thought of bringing the school to the children.”
Seeing Rohit’s dedication to teach the students in an open ground near the railway stations, several NGOs approached him to help him shift to a nearby rented accommodation. “Initially, I was the only teacher for these students. As I have night shifts at work, I go to teach the kids from 2.30 pm till 5.30 pm from Monday to Saturday,” says the railway constable.
Rohit reveals that at first the kids had no particular ambition but now some of them want to become doctors, engineers, and others, government officials. These students are also interested in singing, dancing and drawing, he shares.
Speaking about running the school, he says, “My monthly take home salary is Rs 40,000 and I spend Rs 10,000 for the school, including the teachers salary.”
Railways Constable Runs Free School For The Poor By Spending Rs 10,000 A Month
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