WB: Nabadisha provides new horizons to toddlers

Police have started an initiative to educate children in West Bengal's Gazoldoba by taking regular classes in a small police barracks. All expenses are coming from a fund set up by the officers of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police.

Siliguri (West Bengal): Every morning around 50 toddlers queue up outside the police barracks of Gazoldoba near Siliguri in West Bengal, not for any law and order situation, but to attend their school.

Every morning in the police barracks, which normally comes to life with the tune of police boots, wears a different hue.

Known as Nabadisha (new horizon), a pre-primary school at Gazoldoba, where civic volunteers, who are engaged in maintaining traffic and other police jobs across the day, are the teachers.

The move was first initiated back in 2012 by the then District Superintendent of Police K Jayaraman in a makeshift arrangement in the Milanpally police outpost under the jurisdiction of New Jalpaiguri police station.

In the beginning, it was only 30 students who had enrolled to get an education at Nabadisha, but later the number increased to 50.

The journey was never smooth for the three civic police volunteers who have engaged in teaching the toddlers.

Initially, the teachers had to go to interact with every family of the village to convince them for their children's skill development, before they will join a formal school.

Gradually the need sunk in and things changed during this period of time.

Moreover, the expanses regarding the initiative are coming from a fund set up by the officers of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police.

However, kids get their school uniforms for free-of-cost from the school authorities.

Besides this, nutritious meal is also provided to the kids at times and raincoats once in every year.

Officer-in-charge of Milanpally outpost Amartya Chakraborty said that extra care has been taken for every kid here. Besides, police personnel are providing study material and required items to the children from their own salaries.

Indira Mukherjee, DCP, East of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police said, “There is a paucity of space and that is the reason why we have to run Nabadisha from the police barracks. We have some plans in the future to expand this facility. Meanwhile, education for all is not just a slogan but a truth."