BIHAR: Education is the best tool to change society and transform the lives of the poor.” So believes Jameel Akhtar, a deputy general manager at NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation), Nabinagar, in Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
For him, life is more than just about having a cushy job. An engineering graduate from Kanpur’s Harcourt Butler Technical University, Jameel landed a job in NTPC in 2001 and got his first posting in New Delhi. But his life took a turn after he was transferred to Nabinagar in 2014. “It was close to my maternal uncle’s house at Dehri-on-Sone, a place I used to visit as a child. So, I was familiar with the town,” he smiles.
Not long after settling down there, he decided to open a school for students belonging to underprivileged families in 2015. Without wasting any time, he rented and appointed teachers to that end nursery to class VII. And the school was filled with the hustle and bustle of children not long after it opened as word spread about free education.
“The number of students grew sharply as we did not charge a tuition fee. In fact, at Noble Public School, we even provided the pupils with books and the necessary educational material free of charge.” Today, the school has a strength of more than 550 students.
“We have a co-education set. Both girls and boys study here,” he shares, adding, “I bear all the expenses. We have 14 teachers. I pay their salaries. I also take care of all other costs involved in running the school. For me, it is an opportunity to serve humanity.”
Ask him if he faces any financial problems because of the initiative, and he shrugs with a smile, saying, “I don’t have any monetary constraints. I am a bachelor. And all members of my family are well-settled.” However, he does take some steps to minimise the expenses. The school authorities have been asked to contact book publishing houses directly to supply the educational material for the students.
It makes the cost of books much cheaper as they don’t have to pay commission to agents or local suppliers.
“The money we save is spent on the students’ welfare,” he reveals. Despite having a full-time job, he has a very hands-on approach towards the school. “Though we have quality teachers and experts at the school, I take personal care of the students,” he shares.
Remarkably, students from Hindu, Muslim and Christian families alike study there. “The school has set an example of communal harmony in the small town of Dehri-on-Sone,” Jameel grins. At his school, education is not merely limited to the academics. His educators lay special focus on the personality development of the students.
Jameel says he wants to make sure that his students don’t lag behind others in any field. For the purpose, personal monitoring is required, he said. Since the quality of education imparted at government schools across the country remains under a cloud, schools like the one set up by Jameel is a perfect proposition for parents who can’t afford the high fees of a public school.
“It’s a boon for children belonging to economically backward sections of the society as education is imparted here free of charge,” notes Girija Devi, former councillor of Ward No. 36 (Dehri-on-Sone). Teachers at the school, such as Aarti Kumari and Tabassum, exude hope that students of the school have a bright future.
Quality teaching and proper guidance will shape the career of students studying here, they firmly believe.