Students at a town school in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, were very upset when they found that their favourite teacher was moving to another city. This teacher is actually a policeman, who used to teach students after his duty hours. During the time he taught at the school, he was able to establish a deep, charming bond with the students.
About him
The teacher is Rohit Kumar Yadav, a head constable in the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Unnao. He joined the Uttar Pradesh Police force in 2005. And he has been teaching about 125 children in the Sikandrapur Karn block since September 2018. Rohit is 38 years old and is a father to three children.
His journey
"I am following in the footsteps of my father Chandra Prakash Yadav, who had opened a school in our native village Mudaina in Etawah in 1986 for the children of poor farmers. When I joined GRP, Unnao, in 2018, I would often watch children from underprivileged families begging in trains near Korari railway station," Rohit said, as per an IANS report.
"After speaking to their guardians, I started an open-air school — Har Haath Mein Kalam Pathashala, adjacent to the railway station. I spent Rs 8,000 per month out of my salary to arrange for books, stationery and even clothes for children. Since it was a voluntary effort, I would conduct classes after my duty hours," he added.
"The then district probation officer of Unnao, Rajendra Kumar, came to know about the initiative and offered me a panchayat office in Korari Kalan village to conduct classes. Later, a few more people joined me to teach the students," he said further.
Raj Bahadur, SHO of Unnao Government Railway Police, under whom Rohit was posted, said, "I have never seen a cop who is so dedicated towards the welfare of marginalised children. He also continues to perform his regular police duty. He is a role model for all of us," as mentioned in the IANS report.
The report also states that when Rohit met his students to bid them farewell, they burst into tears, hugged him and urged him not to leave. He promised them that he would continue to visit whenever he gets time and teach the children. However, he informed that he has no plans to open another school in Jhansi where he has now been posted.
