Back from coaching hubs, youths tutor village kids
MAKING A CHANGE Back during lockdown, the youth brigade is also telling village kids about career choices
LUCKNOW: Spreading knowledge is a sacred duty. True to this motto, Kota returnees and others, who came back from similar coaching hubs due to the Covid-19 lockdown, are earnestly imparting free education to village children in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Kuldeep Vishwakarma, 27, an engineering graduate and UPSC aspirant, is one of those at the forefront of this noble effort at Lakhesar village in Sikrara block, about 30 kilometres from the Jaunpur district headquarters.
Like him, other aspirants of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), JEE (joint entrance exam) and other competitive exams, are helping the children with their studies and giving them a pep talk or two about the career choices they would have to make in the years ahead.
During the lockdown, Kuldeep returned from Prayagraj, where he was tutoring JEE aspirants in a private coaching institute and simultaneously preparing for the UPSC exam.
“I am happy to engage with rural children. It is as an opportunity to give back to my village. I spend hours with these kids who study in a government primary school nearby. But as the school is closed for the summer vacation now, they only play games. I convinced their parents to let me help so they may continue with their studies as well,” Vishwakarma said.
Then, there is Himanshu Yadav, 18, an aspiring engineer who was studying at a coaching centre in Kota. After cracking the JEE Mains, he was preparing for JEE Advanced, but came back to the village due to the lockdown.
After two weeks in the village, he asked his father, Shiv Narain Yadav, an assistant professor in a Ballia college if he could teach the rural kids. Shiv Narain happily introduced his son to Shivam Singh, assistant teacher in government primary school of the village who helped him reach out to a group of students.
Gram pradhan (village head) Nisha Tiwari considers herself lucky that bright career-oriented youth of her village have kindled new hopes and aspirations among rural children who, otherwise, were not aware of professions other than farming and teaching.
Tiwari has studied only up to class 10 and was elected for her second term in 2015.
Her sons Apoorva Tiwari (23), an M Tech final year student from IIT-BHU and Satyam Tiwari (20), pursuing BBA from Doon Business School, Dehradun, too joined hands with other likeminded youngsters in shaping the future of these village children.
“Gaon ke naam ko roshan karna hai. Iss gaon ke kai bachche IAS or engineer ban sakten hai agar sahi disha mil jaaye (We want to bring fame to our village. Many of these kids have the potential to become IAS officers or engineers if they get the right guidance and opportunity),” says Apoorva who returned from IIT BHU to Jaunpur a few days before the lockdown.
“For close to two months, we have been happy to help rural village kids. I also talk to class 8 to 12 students on how to prepare for JEE,” he says.
His younger brother Satyam came back to Jaunpur on March 28 by hiring a private car.
After completing online classes till May 25, Satyam, like other bright students, spends hours with village children to learn about their problems.
The village head’s husband Shailendra Tewari is a teacher at a government primary school 25 km from the village. Like him, Shivam Singh, assistant teacher in government primary school of the village, feels these classes have enthused the village children, who don’t want to miss out on the learning experience now.
Aarvi Mishra, a class 3 student who goes to the village school, says the children love the way chhotey master teaches.
Apart from the curriculum, the young teachers of the village talks about the problems of increasing population, the significance of staying healthy and maintaining hygiene.
The children are delighted as they are allowed to use laptops, iPads and smartphones given by the young teachers.
Block education officer Rajiv Kumar Yadav has lauded the initiative of the youth to teach the village children.
› It is as an opportunity to give back to the village to which I belong. I spend hours with these kids who study at a government primary school nearby KULDEEP VISHWAKARMA,, UPSC aspirant