PEDDAPALLI : All through their lives, children are told that the world is their oyster and that the future belongs to them. However, owing to several disparities — gender, sexual orientation, caste, class, family income, religion and access to education, among other things — some end up having more say in how their future turns out. Education has, by several studies, been proven to break cycles of poverty and this is what the Ramagundam Police Commissionerate has pinned its hopes on.
A number of brick kilns operate on the outskirts of Peddapalli, which has meant that a number of migrant labourers from States such as Odisha have come to the town to earn livelihood.
Owing to their poor financial condition, most of the labourers can’t afford to send their wards to school, and instead, try to rope in their children to extend a helping hand at work. However, Peddapalli Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ch Rupesh couldn’t bear to see that these children were treading the same path that their parents walked on and resort to a life of poverty. For this reason, he came up with the idea of Dhruva school to provide basic education to these children so that they can live up to their potential.
While one would assume that a school for the children of labourers would only have the most rudimentary facilities, the DCP has ensured that there is adequate infrastructure for the children to go out and compete with the world. Digital classroom infrastructure to teach the students in Odia and English with visual and audio aids was also installed. A Dhruva school in Gourdeddipet, situated on the outskirts of the district headquarters, was started on Tuesday on a pilot basis.
With the help of brick kiln owners, the Police Department has also appointed an instructor. DCP Rupesh monitors the condition of the school and the needs of the students on a frequent basis.
Unlike other work-site schools, Dhruva is different as it has better facilities to motivate the children towards learning. “We have set up an audio and video system to play rhymes and other visual teaching methods to attract the children to spend more time at the school,” Rupesh tells TNIE.
The school also enjoys great support from Ramagundam Commissioner of Police K Chandrashekar Reddy, who gave directions to set up the school. He has even suggested the owners of brick kilns in other areas come forward and set up Dhruva schools near their respective sites.
The Police Department will continue to monitor the functioning of Dhurva school, he said, expressing the hope that the idea would transform the lives of the children. The department distributed slates, pencils, books and education kits and uniforms to the children.