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Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

A Metro pillar pathshala puts lives of labourers’ kids on track -Dharvi Vaid & Sanjeev Rastogi
-The Times of India

Two sturdy, grey Metro pillars near the Yamuna Bank station are covered with graffiti of a different kind. The walls under the bridge have alphabets scribbled over them and the place echoes with the murmur of children reciting poems as if trying to compete with the rattling of the metro. This is where Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a shop owner, spends his mornings, teaching the 3Rs and more to children of migrant labourers.

Sharma did not study beyond Class XII as his family did not have the means. The memories came flooding back a few years ago as he visited the newly constructed Metro station and he saw children playing in the slum nearby as their parents went to work.

"When I saw these children I was reminded of the days when I had the desperation to study but no money," says Sharma, perched on a plastic chair and going through class assignments. "I didn't want them to have regrets like I do. I went and spoke to their parents. These people lived like nomads. I made them realize the importance of education. Without education, their children will also end up having an unstable life."

In 2006, he succeeded in collecting a few children from the slums and began teaching them under a tree. "I taught them only the basics but wanted them to have proper schooling. These kids had the will to study and had good grasping abilities. So I approached the nearest government school here and asked the principal if he could enrol these children."

In 2009, the jhuggis were demolished and Sharma stopped teaching here but the children continued to go to school. A few months on, some of the parents came to him, saying they needed help with school work but there was no place they could sit together and learn.

A year later, when the Metro pillars were erected, Sharma started his school again, with two-hour classes for boys and girls separately. Soon, word spread, the numbers increased and Sharma took in volunteers. While regular school continued, the children came back to Sharma's classes early in the morning to clear their doubts or ask for help with homework.

"He teaches me with so much attention. Even if I ask the same doubt twice, he will repeat the explanation with the same passion," says Jai Bajrangi, a Class IX student, who feels these classes are better than school. Bajrangi says he wants to become a doctor.

A few NGOs have now pitched in and a medical van also pulls up every Saturday, offering free checkups and medicine to the children. "I can't fund the school on my own. Individuals and organizations have heard about my initiative over the last few years and have donated stationery material," says Sharma.

With the years, the school has moved beyond textbooks too. Sharma, who always wanted to acquaint himself with new-age technology, ensures his students are up to date. Aditi Sharma, a software developer who heard about Sharma's classes drops in every weekend to teach the children about internet and mobile applications. "We have a half-hour session where we open Facebook and Gmail and send each other messages. It is fun," says Lalit, a fourth grader.

"These days, knowledge about innovations and technologies is a must. I want my students to be comfortable with anything new that comes their way when they go out into the world," says Sharma.

That's not all. Imparting values is also crucial, says Sharma. "I am not a qualified teacher. My aim is to prepare these kids for school and make sure they do well not just there but even later in life when they face competition," he says, picking up his bag for a long day ahead at the shop.