Pune: Nawaj Shaikh, the son of a daily wage laborer, has set an example for many by winning the national logo design competition for the government's new education policy.
33-year-old Shaikh, who studied in a zilla parishad school in a village in Solapur district, is even expected to become the brand ambassador of the new education policy .
“I have always believed that education is the greatest leveler in India. A person can dream of becoming almost anything and can even achieve the dream, provided he gets proper education,” says Shaikh, who did his Masters in Medical Microbiology and is now pursuing PhD while working as a “technical officer” at the National AIDS Research Insitute (NARI) in Pune.
He further says that he had developed interest in logo design software and had sent logos for many competitions however; this was the first time that he received an award for the same.
Hailing from Shindewadi village in Solapur district, Shaikh told Indian Express, that his father, Najir Shaikh, works at a local garage for Rs 10 per day while his mother takes care of their home.
He expressed his gratitude towards “the school that gave students like him free education and parents who supported them rather then sending them off to work. Shaikh proudly mentions that his brother is in Mumbai Police.
His father is equally proud for his son for having won the competition.
Although Shaikh can now afford to send his son to a renowned English medium school, he wants to send him to the same zilla parishad government school where he had studied.
He strongly feels that educated people should not try to make out business out of education.
“The new education policy should concentrate on making the local schools better. Majority of India still lives in villages and they should benefit from the education policy, because rich people can always avail the best services… If the government has to truly become ‘meri sarkar', then it has to make sure that all its policies make the life of the poorest Indian in villages better,” said Shaikh.
