Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait teaches children at Ghazipur protest site

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has been at the forefront of the nearly three-months long protest by farmers against the three contentious farm laws passed by the Centre last year. Now, he is also using his time to teach children at a makeshift school at the Ghazipur protest site in Delhi. 

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On Monday, Tikait was at the Savitri Bai Phule School, where he gave lessons on numbers and alphabets, news agency ANI reported.

He also took stock of what the children have learnt at the school – started by social activist Nirdesh Singh from the NGO Mata Savitri Bai Phule Mahasabha – has made since its inception in January, BKU leader Dharmendra Malik said at a presser. 

“I came here to look after what they are learning, even I taught them. They came here to study from nearby slum areas. I have also asked children to plant trees on their birthday, it will help clean up the environment,” ANI quoted Tikait as saying.

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He also slammed the government for not providing adequate educational facilities for poor children in the area. 

“The children of rich study in air-conditioned schools and those of poor do not even have ‘taat patti’ (basic facilities) schools,” Tikait said in a release.  

The makeshift school has been operating at one of the tents at Ghazipur from January 22 to educate children at the protest site and has also started teaching children of ragpickers and other slum dwellers from nearby areas. 

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“Nirdesh didi is running the school since January. Around 90 children from neighbouring colonies are registered in the school, which is run in two shifts,” Malik said.

While there are educational facilities at other protest sites, with the provision of free books and libraries, this school is the first of its kind with proper classes. 

Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting at the borders around the national capital since November 26, demanding a full repeal of the three central farm laws passed during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament last year.