Dasmantpur: At a time when teachers are demanding hefty fees for tuition and private classes, as many as 57 students of villages under Nandigaon panchayat under this block in Koraput district have the privilege of free coaching classes, thanks to the tireless effort of Purna Takri, a commoner and a self-proclaimed social activist.
The efforts to educate underprivileged and neglected children of Totaguda, Bagribeda and other villages of Nandigaon gram panchayat has earned Purna a good name in the locality.
He has been doing the good job for years now and claims it to be his source of satisfaction.
Students of all age attend his classes after school hours. They are so fond with his teaching style that they tend to refuse to go to any other tutors. The good work of Purna has also impressed the guardians of the students. The tribals make sure that their children do not miss a day of Purna’s class.
Purna believes that it is his penchant to see his village lads educated that keeps him going day in, day out. It’s not that he has not faced any problems, but everything gets diminished before his dedication and passion. As for him, it is a small step in giving back to the society.
Always in the greed to develop his locality and bring a change, it was a couple of years back, the idea of the good deed struck Purna. It was only through education, that change could be brought. Since then, he has never looked back. Purna makes sure that the students come to his classes and return back safe to their family as they have to cross a rivulet- Jorigada Beda rivulet to reach his tuition centre.
In a bid to develop a competitive spirit among the children, he conducts competitions twice in a month and also felicitates to encourage them to do well.
When asked why he takes such tuitions, he says that it is the time he spends with the children imparting education that brings him the inner satisfaction. He also largely owes his success to the love, affection and cooperation of the parents.
“We are highly indebted to Purna sir. If everyone teacher dedicates their life to the children, our village can also inevitably produce highly qualified boys and girls in future,” the parents observe.
PNN