Class 12 student Prakhar Shrivastav is eagerly awaiting the first class of the day on Monday to ask his role model — Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar Pithode — a nagging question.
How do civil services aspirants keep calm despite gruelling study hours and pressure?
Not just him, nine other aspirants among the 48 science stream students are yearning, almost impatiently, for their weekly dose of motivation from 10-15 district officials to begin.
The Deputy Collector and the Sub Collector too have volunteered to teach English, science and mathematics to classes 10 and 12 at five government schools in different zones of the district. Besides, they’ll monitor and train teachers.
“It’s a win-win situation,” says Mr. Pithode. “The extra classes for those facing board examinations will begin at 9 a.m. every day and end at 10.15. Students can attend regular classes from 10.30 a.m., when the school begins and officials can reach office by 10.30 a.m., when it opens.”
S.K. Reniwal, Principal of the Model Higher Secondary School where the extra classes will begin from Monday, said several former students, inspired by interactions with civil servants at the school last year, had moved to New Delhi to prepare for the examination immediately after completing school.
For Prakhar’s classmate at the school Khyati Shastri, who planned to pursue engineering, the mere presence of the officials would motivate her to work harder to achieve her goals.
“I have tried the model earlier in Rajgarh district where board results had improved,” said Mr. Pithode, who’ll teach mathematics and physics. “Our aim is to complement the efforts of the teachers and not replace them. Most students in government schools come from economically weaker sections. They usually don’t get proper teaching.”
Several educationists had come on board voluntarily to train government school teachers. And those interested in doing so or teaching at schools free could contact the district administration, he said.
