As schools debate reopening, Delhi Police constable resumes classes for the deprived

New Delhi: Sitting on the mats laid inside the Sai Temple located in quaint corner adjacent to the Red Fort, children as young as five, all from impoverished families, apply sanitizer on their palms before entering through the gates, don their masks and are ready to recite pahadas or tables to their headmaster, also known as Police Constable Thana Singh.

Singh started his makeshift school back in 2016 and saw as many as 30 students flock from nearby juggi-jhopri clusters to attend his lessons in the evening between 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. But after the Covid-induced lockdown, Singh says most of his students went back to their villages along with their families and while some of them have returned, he is still waiting for other students.

It's been only a week since Singh has resumed classes for which he, along with his assistant one Ankit, has arranged ample safety precautions to prevent the spread of infection. "We have marked out circles across the mats where students will sit at a distance while all of them have been provided N95 masks and sanitizers," Singh says while scolding one of his students for leaving his mask at home.

The constable says he knew that his students would have forgotten all the lessons he taught them before the lockdown like alphabets, spelling their name, identifying fruits and basic math, as they don't have proper teaching facility back in their villages, so the first thing he decided as the unlock phase began was to start his classes as soon as possible. "The parents of most of my students work as staff members inside the Red Fort and are barely making ends meet and to ensure that their kids don't fall into any bad influence makes it all the more imperative that they aren't victims of the digital

divide".

"I don't even need to call them back once they are in town as students come at their own will and their numbers keep increasing every day and I hope it is back to its full strength," the constable said. He recollects how he and his students celebrate every festival on the calendar from Holi to Diwali, where they hold performances inside the temple premises and distribute gifts amongst each other. "I have bought a TV where students watch cartoons and also give them time to play for their leisure".

"During the winter months, I will provide them with warm clothes and blankets to brave Delhi's biting cold," Singh says.

Asked whether he has received help from any NGO, he says that most of his seniors have given him their full backing and provided financial help in buying stationeries for the children.

Himself a victim of poverty, Singh says growing up in a slum in Meera Bagh while aiming to get into the police service was difficult but not unachievable, which further reinforces his belief to pull out all the stops to help these young children realize their goals.