Serving the poor: Muktsar govt teacher sets example, gives free coaching to poor students
Five students of the village taught by Suresh Kumar, 44, have got a chance to study in meritorious schools for higher studies and two others have made it to the Jawahar Navodhya Vidyalaya, which provides free education.
At a time when government school teachers are being blamed for negligence and poor results, Suresh Kumar, a Punjabi teacher at the government middle school, Chak Gadha Singh Wala, in the district has become a torchbearer for the teaching community by giving free coaching to poor students.
Five students of the village taught by Suresh Kumar, 44, have got a chance to study in meritorious schools for higher studies and two others have made it to the Jawahar Navodhya Vidyalaya, which provides free education.
Suresh, who was posted at Chak Gadha Singh Wala school in 2008, started providing free coaching to village students in February this year. All his students scored above 80% marks in their Class 10 exams after which he began to coach them for meritorious school entrance exam. Despite being a Punjabi teacher, he coached his students successfully in maths, English and science.
When he decided to provide free coaching to students, Suresh put up posters all across the village inviting students for free classes. “Some people laughed at me and said I was wasting my time. I take coaching classes during evenings after school hours and never charged a single penny from my students.”
“I want to shatter the myth that government schools are inferior to private schools. Our students have the potential but they need proper guidance as most of the students in government schools belong to Dalit community and can’t afford expensive coaching,” he said.
Undeterred mission
Suresh is currently on medical leave as he suffered three heart attacks between May and July this year and got a stent inserted in his heart. But this has not hampered his mission as he plans to start his free coaching classes again after his recovery. Lakha Singh, father of Sandeep Kaur who secured a seat in a meritorious school, said, “He is a ray of hope for people like us. We are hardly able to make two ends meet. It is impossible for us to afford our children’s education. This man is doing a noble job by providing free education and guidance to our children.”
Sukhjinder Kaur, the village sarpanch, said, “Teachers like him are examples for others. We are proud of him.”
The gram panchayat of the village has also honoured Suresh for his social service.
