A cop in Rajasthan’s Churu district was appalled at the sight of children begging in the vicinity of the police station. When he inquired about them, he realized that they had no parents or relatives. He even went to nearby slums to confirm if they were telling the truth. He felt sorry for the children and decided to help them.

The cop Dharamveer Jakhar soon opened a school called ‘Apni  Pathshala’ as he believed that education is the only way out for these neglected children. He hopes that someday these young children will join the mainstream and contribute to nation-building.

An Uphill Task

Dharamveer set up a school called ‘Apni Pathshala’ for homeless children. It was not easy for Dharamveer to convince the kids to come to school. He soon found that if the needs of the children are met, they would give up begging and come to school. He, therefore, provided them with dress, food, shoes and study materials free of cost. The cost of running the school is around 1.5 lakhs per month. While he didn’t get much help from the government, donations from people and campaigns organized by Facebook groups and other social media portals help him in running the school.

Apni Pathshala

The school ‘Apni Pathshala’ was set up in 2015. After four years of dedicated efforts, the school now has 450 children. Dharamveer got around 200 students admitted to government schools. He and his team are in constant touch with all students so that they continue their education uninterruptedly.

Dharamveer believes that the joint efforts of police, society and the education department can change the lives of countless kids who are out there begging as they don’t have a purpose in life. To give them a direction in life, he wishes that the government start special schools for them with separate staff to attend to them. His own efforts will go a long way in changing the lives of hundreds of kids for the better.