Couple Starts Free Elementary School For Underprivileged Children On Their Fourth Marriage Anniversary

Education is an integral part of our life. To provide this to underprivileged children, Yogesh Gupta and his wife Maya Gupta has started teaching them. Come at around 4 pm to a temple located near Sanjay Chowk in Panipat area, and you will see children trying to grasp the knowledge shed upon them.

Gupta, a 30-years-old who hails from Panipat, Haryana took the initiative to teach underprivileged children around Model Town area in the city. Gupta belongs from a family which runs a famous sweet chain in Panipat. He wanted to study without any parental pressure but ended up joining the family business at an early age of 17. He, however, managed to finish his masters in political science. While talking to The Logical Indian, he said, “I had to rent a flat to study during my graduation days due to the boisterous environment at my residence.” He said that education is the voice of a nation and everybody should have access to it”.

Conditions of Govt schools impelled him to take up the initiative

What made Yogesh question and worry about these children was when he paid a visit to a government school on a request by his friend who was teaching there. He was stunned to see the conditions of the schools. Gupta, who went to check his friend’s teaching in the school, was confronted with a bigger issue. More than the school itself, he was perplexed to see how the students from class sixth or seventh were unable to write their names. They lacked basic knowledge of grammar and mathematics. His friend told him this is the condition of most of the government schools in the state.

To check it for himself, he visited another government school in Panipat and found an identical image. He also realised that the number of boys was always more than girls. This new picture of the government schools bothered Yogesh who was a student at a renowned private school in Panipat. While recalling the past, he said, “ My friend did warn me about the condition, but I did not anticipate it to be this bad.”

Encouraging female education

He came up with an idea to teach children from the locality. Children who never went to school or were enrolled in a government school started showing up. He chose a temple to be an ideal location for this noble task. The temple, which is near Sanjay Chowk, and is 3-4 km away from Model Town, became his place to share knowledge with these kids. On asking the choice of location, Yogesh said, “I feel girls will feel safe when they come to a temple to learn. The temple is quite famous in the area and is known by the most. It will be an easy address to follow.”

Self-funded initiative

As of now, Yogesh, himself funds the entire project of teaching over 25 students but has a plan to collaborate in future when the number of students increases. His wife Maya Gupta, and his sister Naina Gupta are helping him to teach these kids basic grammar and mathematics. Children are also engaged in extracurricular activities such as rangoli making and drawing. Though Yogesh has started teaching kids from December 2, 2018, on the eve of their fourth marriage anniversary, he wants students from other towns to participate and volunteers to devote their time to this cause.

On asking his life motto, he quickly pointed out a saying by Swami Vivekananda, which stated, “ Jeetein wahi hai jo durso ke liye jeetein hain” (A life lived for others is a life lived well)

The Logical Indian appreciates such noble tasks and hopes more children and volunteers show up and help the school to expand.

Also Read: Delhi Mohalla Playschools: “Earlier Children Didn’t Want To Come, Now They Don’t Want To Go Back”