By IANS
Patna : Going to school in the morning and pulling rickshaws in the evening is all in a day's job for 16-year-old Rajiv Ranjan in Bihar.
Ranjan, a Class 10 student of a school in Ara town of Bhojpur district, about 60 km from here, has been working as a rickshaw puller for the last four years.
"I work as a rickshaw puller after school not only to earn money to feed my family but also to complete my education," he said. Ranjan is the only earning member of his family. His father, Binod Kumar, used to work as a labourer but has been bed-ridden for over a year.
The boy said his appeal to the school authorities to waive his fees has fallen on deaf ears. "I pull the rickshaw everyday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Most people generally offer to pay more than the normal fares after they come to know that I am a school student," he said.
Ranjan is due to appear for the Class 10 board examination early next year but he does not have the money to pay the registration fee for the examination. "I am trying hard to save some money but I think I will have to approach the local moneylender again," he said.
"I don't think my wish to complete my school education will be fulfilled," he added. Ranjan also has to pay the school fees of his younger sisters Neetu, 12, and Priyanka, 7.