Inspiration
Indian Cop Turns Teacher For The Sake of Migrant Workers’ Children
Meet the Cop-Teacher Shantappa Jadammanavar from Bengaluru.
During the COVID-pandemic, when everybody is turning to online education, the common distress is about students who can’t afford online education. To solve the issue in his area, Shantappa Jadammanavar, a police sub-inspector in Bengaluru working at the Annapoorneshwari Nagar police station, took to teaching several low-income kids.
Even though his hands are full at the moment like any other frontline worker, he goes to teach the children of migrant workers every day.
Shantappa reached out to the migrant settlement in Nagarbhavi area as a majority of families there don’t own gadgets for online education of their kids. “I’ve decided that before my shift begins, I will come here and teach the children for an hour," he tells The News Minute.
According to the cop, he understands the plight of these children because he had witnessed a similar kind of life as a child. "Most migrant workers in this settlement and in Bengaluru are from north Karnataka districts like Ballari, Koppal, Raichur and Gadag. I know the living conditions since I am also from the same region. My uncle was a labourer for ten years and lived in a hut like this. So, I decided to help in any way I can with the education of the children," explains Shantappa.
Shantappa teaches several age groups at once (4-10). "Teaching academic subjects will not work since it will not apply to every child. I try and give value-oriented education and teach them what I know of Vedic mathematics, life skills and general knowledge," he adds.
The days he cannot visit these children, he assigns them homework and assignments, promising to get back with gifts like geometry boxes and bags for them.
Karnataka's Education Minister, S Suresh Kumar, visited Shantappa’s one of the classes after hearing the praises of the Cop-Teacher. "I am proud of the police officer. While police officials have made the news for the wrong reasons, this kind of example increases the pride of the police department," Kumar remarked.