When a City’s Protectors Turn Educators

Cops in Bhopal have taken the responsibility of teaching slum kids in a bid to steer them away from a life of crime.

Cops in Madhya Pradesh, India, have taken up the responsibility of educating slum kids in a bid to steer them away from a life of crime. (Photo Courtesy: AP/Caters News/The Hindustan Times screengrab)

These cops do not just man the city’s streets, but also double as teachers. Cops in Madhya Pradesh, India, have taken up the responsibility of teaching slum kids in a bid to steer them away from a life of crime.

The first-of-its-kind school opened on the premises of a local police station. The initiative – engineered by the city’s police force – teaches children from the ages of 4-12. Each morning, children are picked up from their slums in red-beaconed police vehicles and brought to the school. Initially children were hesitant to join, but now kids are flocking to the classes.

An innovation of Bhopal senior superintendent of police, Raman Singh Sikarwar, the Bal Sanjeevani Paramarsh Kendra school is funded by the city’s police department.

Raman Singh said: “Under this initiative, we are trying to save these children from the world of crime by educating them. The aim is to make them realise the importance of education, so that they can materialise their dreams.” The senior superintendent of police also hopes these children will help police fight the anti-social activities rife in slum areas once they grow up.