A jawan teaches at Sarjamdih Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Bundu sub-division under Ranchi district. (Prashant Mitra)

Ranchi, July 10: In red-infested Sarjamdih, the blackboard is proving to be CRPF’s secret weapon against the Maoists. It’s a weapon which human rights activists will also heartily endorse.

In the past, the CRPF have come under sharp criticism for camping in schools, depriving rural children of their right to education.

In Sarjamdih, it is a different story altogether. This Maoist den, about 40km from district headquarters under Bundu police station where CRPF is camping, has a school that owes its very resurgence to the central force.

The 11th CRPF battalion’s 104-member strong ‘D Company’— comprising 100 jawans and four officers — has given a complete makeover to Sarjamdih Madhyamik Vidyalaya, the area’s only government-run school, where it has been camping since November.

Before the CRPF camp, only 40 students turned up everyday for classes. The number has shot up to more than 225.

The school had been languishing due to paucity of staff, both teaching and non-teaching. Now, the CRPF cook prepares the midday meal every afternoon on time.

This apart, CRPF personnel have proved better teachers with their up-to-date knowledge and enthusiasm. Endorsing this, school headmaster Shivshankar Mahto said: “CRPF camp has given a new lease of life to the dying school.”

He credited CRPF personnel with the establishment of discipline and high academic standards up to Class VII in subjects such as English, Hindi, mathematics, general sciences and social sciences besides physical training.

“The state has provided only four teachers, including me, for the school. Two are on medical leave since the past one year, while another teacher has been deputed at another government school for the last eight months. The school was on the brink of closure. Thanks to CRPF personnel, it is thriving now,” Mahto said.

He said that their presence helped the school run smoothly without fear. In addition, CRPF personnel repaired classrooms with their available funds and provided school uniforms. “Their presence created visibility for the school. Now block education officers have started visiting with us with books and other development funds,” Mahto added.

Villagers have noticed the change. As recent dramatic events in nearby Lagba suggest, villagers are ready to take on Maoists. Neta Munda, president of Gram Siksha Samiti, said that CRPF personnel have won people’s hearts.

“Instead of talking about killing Maoists, they talk about bringing complete peace to the area. They have hit the right chord to bring Maoists under control,” he said.

Mrityunjaya Kumar, an inspector of the battalion who graduated from the local St. Xavier’s College, and a volunteer-teacher at the school, said: “I never thought I’d get the chance to teach children after joining the armed forces. I am glad that I got the opportunity.”

His colleague, assistant commandant Nihal Singh Gujjar, said it took many days to build confidence among parents who were biased against the armed forces and thus unwilling to send their children to a CRPF-occupied school.

“I went from door-to-door across more than 25 villages to convince villagers that we are not their enemies .The villagers relied on us only after we convinced some prominent local leaders,” he said.

Ladu Munda, a class VI student who walks two kilometres to school from Tirildih, said that CRPF people have become their friends. “We play with them and talk to them on many topics.”