Jalaun officials help poor students realise dreams

Jhansi: Even as the state government is all set to launch free coaching for competitive examinations for the poor from Basant Panchmi, the Jalaun administration is already conducting the same in the district since 2018 giving desirable results. Senior administrative officers, including DM Jalaun, SDM, DIOS along with a few teachers have been volunteering their services to shape up the career of these poor children who otherwise may not have thought of cracking the competitive exams.
Started in September 2018 with 30 students from a room in the district library, the strength of students has doubled in two years with over a dozen being able to crack some or the other competitive examinations, including lower PCS.
As per DM Jalaun, Dr Mannan Akhtar, who initiated the venture the idea clicked during one of his visits to a school where a girl asked him how students like her, who come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford coaching, qualify for government services. This led to a brainstorming session among the district administration and madhyamik shiksha department officials leading to the launch of ‘Jalaun career programme’. The aim was to provide free coaching and study materials to meritorious students from economically deprived families.
“The programme is run by volunteer teachers and government officials who take time out of their busy schedules to teach these students and also guide them for future endeavours. We even provide them with free course material,” said DM Jalaun.
With time to give better teaching, the classrooms have been converted into smart classes where the coaching continued even during lockdown due to pandemic through online classes with help of software. For this a local NGO, Bharat Vikas Parishad came forward to help.
So far, 15 students have qualified in lower PCS, police, railways, and government teachers from the coaching.
As per Rajnarayan Singh 26, son of a marginal farmer from village Aunta, and who has qualified for assistant teacher, the coaching came as a boon for him to get the job. He was one of the 30 students of the first batch who were selected out of 200 persons who sat for an entrance exam.
“I will always be indebted to DM Sir and other officers who regularly came and taught us apart from giving us counselling. No one used to come to the library earlier but today it is filled with students. I have promised myself that I too will be teaching free of cost to such needy children in future as this will be the only way to pay back,” he added.