Gurugram man’s mission to teach children of construction workers

Roshan Kumar Rawat turned a hobby into Free Pathshaala, providing education for construction workers' children in Gurugram, now serving over 550 students.

What began as a simple hobby for 47-year-old Roshan Kumar Rawat has grown into a sustained education initiative for construction workers’ children in the city.

Roshan Kumar Rawat during his classes. (Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

After moving to Gurugram in 2014, Rawat started teaching two to three children of nearby construction workers in Sector 51 a year later. “Initially, we held classes in our colony’s parking area. As the number increased to 15, we shifted to a nearby temple. When it grew to 28, we decided to move to a park,” he said. “I had no idea that I would become so invested in what started as just a hobby.”

In 2016, Rawat expanded the effort to a second location in Sector 46 after seeing the response in Sector 51. He initially approached children and their families personally, encouraging them to attend classes. Within days, more children began turning up on their own.

Through conversations with families, Rawat realised that many children wanted to study but could not attend regular school due to financial constraints and the unstable nature of their parents’ work in the informal construction sector. Frequent relocation and irregular incomes often interrupted schooling, said Rawat

In April 2016, Rawat approached government schools seeking admission for the children he had been teaching. “However, the principals turned down the requests, citing concerns about instability. They said that if the children dropped out midway, it would affect the school’s overall results,” he said. “I realised that basic education for these children is crucial. If the government schools were not ready to accommodate them, then I would have to step in and bridge the gap,” he said.

In 2016, he established Free Pathshaala, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to providing free education to construction workers’ children.

Over the past decade, nearly 350 students mentored by the organisation have secured admission to formal schools, Rawat said. Currently, more than 550 children are enrolled across its learning centres. What began with one centre has expanded to 10 across Gurugram, including two in Sector 45 and one each in Sectors 46, 40 and 51, among others. Classes are held from 7am to 12pm, six days a week, said Rawat

“The organisation now operates with 18 paid teachers and 25 volunteers,” Rawat said.

Rawat said there is often no one to guide children who have never entered a classroom. “Some are naturally sharp and only need mentors and proper guidance. Others are hardworking and full of big dreams,” he said.

To sustain operations, Free Pathshaala runs two community-based initiatives, said Rawat. Under “Raddi se Tarakki”, residents and RWAs link up with the NGO to donate proceeds from the sale of household scrap. A designated scrap dealer collects the material, and the payment goes directly to support the children’s education.

In another initiative, residents donate reusable books, notebooks, pens and other materials. According to Rawat, 30 RWAs currently support the organisation through these efforts.

Looking ahead, Rawat said he aims to ensure that at least half of Gurugram’s construction workers’ children are educated within the next five years, and that Free Pathshaala reaches every child without access to schooling within the next decade.