Transforming lives of underprivileged children

In the heart of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, lies the story of Parag Diwan, who is dedicated to transforming the lives of underprivileged children. These children mostly work as boatmen and waiters in small eateries. Parag, a tutor by profession, runs a free open school on the banks of the Narmada river, Gaurighat, for these deprived children, which he fondly calls 'Angels'. He has shattered the old patterns of the traditional education system with his unique model of student-led education. Parag believes that every child should have access to quality learning opportunities, regardless of their background or circumstances

Fulfilling his mother's dream

Since his childhood, Parag’s mother, Preeti Diwan, had taught him the value of education and kindness. He said, “My biggest inspiration is my mother; she wanted to establish a school for the underprivileged kids. However, as fate would have it, she passed away and left behind her desire to educate these Angels, and I am on the path of fulfilling her dream.”

Transforming lives

The journey of teaching these Angels at Gaurighat began when Parag saw a kid consuming tobacco. He immediately went to him, gave him `20, and asked him to come to the ghat in the evening. When he arrived in the evening, he brought his four friends along with him—all were eager to get money. He said, “I started with five children in 2016, and now I teach 375 such Angels. These are the children who would collect coconuts from the river, some worked as boatman, as hawkers on the ghat, or who worked at small eateries. Initially, for two months, I paid them `120 per day to draw their interest in attending classes. Later, they began coming on their own when they realised the value of education. These children are now learning and growing day by day.”

Pepping up the Angels

Parag conducts a weekly prize distribution ceremony to encourage children to study harder. He said, “I distribute prizes amongst the children who perform well in studies. Recently, a girl from the Angels’ batch scored 90 per cent in the 10th std. state board, and as a reward, I gifted her a moped. I do all this because they need motivation in their lives; they must know that learning is essential.” He teaches all subjects to these children, including math, physics, chemistry, biology, current affairs, social studies, Sanskrit, and Vedanta scriptures.

Contribution of society

Students studying in Parag’s private tuition also contribute to this noble cause. He says, “Whatever I earn as a private tutor, I earn for my Angels. Some students from my private tuition celebrate their birthdays by distributing copies, stationery, etc., amongst these underprivileged children.”

Parag further added, “During the Covid-19 lockdown, I had to ensure regular classes for my children. So I asked the community if they could donate their old smartphones. Upon getting this information, Harsh Tiwari, one of my students, generously donated 48 new smart phones to these Angels.”

The spirit of patriotism

The primary objective of education is to transform individuals into wise and kind humans. Parag has always found a lack of emphasis on teaching patriotism in many prestigious educational institutes. Thus, he has come up with his own way of teaching patriotism to the children. He said, “My class starts with the slogan Jai Hind, Jai Bharat—the reason is that I want to teach these Angels that nation comes first and we should serve our country above our interests.”

Journey as a teacher

Parag has developed an interest in coaching school students since his college days. After his mother’s demise, he started his coaching institute. During the day, he takes private tuition, and in the evening, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., he teaches underprivileged children at the Narmada Ghat. He said, “I was good in academics and cleared the NDA exam, but I could not make it through the interview round. I also attempted IIT, but things didn't work out well. So, my mother suggested that I should start taking tuition, and that's how I began my journey as a teacher.” For the past seven years, Parag has been teaching, and the first batch of Angels is now ready for higher education and are aspiring for civil services, armed forces, police services, etc., to serve the nation.

"I started with five children in 2016, and now I teach 375 such Angels. These are the children who would collect coconuts from the river, some worked as boatman, as hawkers on the ghat, or who worked at small eateries"

-Parag Diwan

The right age for education

Children between the age of 3 to 7 years, says Parag, are capable of understanding complex concepts easily, compared to when they grow up as teenagers or adults. “I believe in developing the intellectual and mental strength of the children at a tender age. Children between the ages of 4 to 7 have genius brains. They are able to learn and grasp new ideas quickly at this age. Therefore, if we teach them higher-level subjects appropriately, they can learn with ease,” said Parag.

Youngest students

Among the 357 students, two girls, Vanshika (5yr old) and Harshita (6yr old), are the youngest students in the 'Angels’ batch. At this tender age, they both have completed Calculus, Differentiation and Integration (methods used in addressing maths and science problems). Parag said, “When they first came to me, I told them that I don’t teach alphabets, and what I am teaching is quite difficult. However, they insisted me to just teach them as they wanted to learn. Now they can beat a grown-up individual in calculation.”

The challenges of teaching

Parag also faces several challenges while teaching these children, primarily convincing parents to send their little ones to his open school. He says that some parents are hesitant to let their children attend school because they rely on them to earn money for the family. Thus, many children are forced to work alongside their parents instead of attending school. “This is quite challenging, as earning money becomes more important than getting an education,” said Parag.

To overcome the challenges faced by these underprivileged children, Parag personally visits their houses after taking classes at Gaurighat. He makes sure to dedicate some time each day, to do so. He also interacts with their parents and encourages them to send their children to his open school. Additionally, he has his evening meals at their houses as part of his tuition fees to build a better rapport with the parents and gain their trust.

Earn while you learn

The Angels who are studying under Parag at the ghat are now giving home tuition to other children. By doing so, they are able to earn around `6000 per month for their families. Parag expressed, “Upon learning about their financial struggle, I have guided them properly to earn while learning. It worked so well that the students are now learning with dedication and earning money by passing on their knowledge to other children. They have also stopped doing their previous jobs in order to focus on educating themselves.”

Promoting student-led education

Parag runs an open school for underprivileged children with the motto “Earn, Value, Learn." He believes in a student-led education system where students of higher classes teach students of lower classes. His future plan is to open a school for these children called “Narmada Preeti International School,” where students will teach other students instead of teachers. The fees collected will be given to the family of the student who teach. Parag and his team will train students in 12th class in such a way that they can easily teach junior students. For this dream to come true he is on lookout for funders and voluntary donors.