Arpit Shankar, a second-year student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU, Varanasi, and Richa Rani, another IIT (Guwahati) student, share one commonality – Chandan Kumar Jha, currently serving as Superintendent of Police (SP) at Bokaro steel city. Mr. Jha’s special classes, helped both of them pass one of India’s most difficult exams, the IIT-JEE.
The 2011-batch IPS officer of the Jharkhand cadre originally hails from the Madhubani district of Bihar. He always had a passion for teaching which led him to take special classes for those aspiring to become future engineers and doctors.
TEACHER BY PASSION
Mr. Jha, an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut – 2003-2007 batch in Electrical Engineering – worked as a software engineer in Bengaluru for one year before quitting to prepare for the Civil Services Examination. The officer primarily teaches students in classes 11th and 12th, with a special emphasis on mathematics and physics.
“Throughout my school years, I informally taught people, be it my peers or juniors. This helped me revise the material as well. I started teaching formally during my civil service preparation. I continued this practice after joining the civil service, but only on Sundays – my only free day,” Mr. Jha shared with Indian Masterminds, in an exclusive conversation.
SUNDAY CLASSES
Mr. Jha takes these special classes, in several schools in the district. He holds a discussion, beforehand, with the young kids, and once they are ready to devote their free time to studies and preparation, he visits their school, every Sunday, and mentors them in batches of 50 students, throughout the day. The officer also takes online classes, if a school requests so.
Arnav Kumar, the topper of his school says, “Mr. Jha taught us for six months. Every Sunday, he taught us for two to three hours, depending on the subject. It was all due to him that I finished first in my class with 95.6%.”
“I don’t have fixed schools or targets. Wherever I feel that the students have the will to achieve something big in life, I ensure to visit them and guide them in their studies. I’ll make sure to carry this forward in whichever district I get posted in,” Mr. Jha told Indian Masterminds.
TESTIMONIALS
Students have heaped praise on him. “In contrast to the other teachers who believe in the pin-drop silent study, Chandan sir’s teaching was completely different. He knew exactly what should be taught for us to pass the tests. I cleared the IIT-JEE because of him. He not only guided me but also provided study resources,” says Arpit Shankar.
Richa Rani, who cracked IIT-JEE in 2021, says, “Chandan sir used to share his personal experience of how he passed competitive exams like IIT-JEE, CAT, and UPSC while teaching. He is solely responsible for my admission to IIT.”
FUTURE PLANS
In 2021, all the 12th standard students of Ramrudra High School Bokaro, where he took his special classes, passed with first division from Jharkhand Board. He has successfully helped over 300 students in cracking tough competitive exams, till now. Many of his past students are now posted in top-notch multinational companies.
“I am not a formal teacher, and my first priority is policing. But if the opportunity arises, I take advantage of it and guarantee that my expertise benefits others as well. Being on SP rank would be stressful for the next two to three years. Of course, when I will be promoted, I will have more time for the students,” Mr. Jha claimed.
