Pandu havaldar is passe, postgrads among constables

Although police constables are required to be qualified only till standard XII, a 30-year-old constable, Ganesh Aatwe, is not only a graduate but has also cleared the tough National

Eligibility Test (NET). It sounds incredible, but it’s true. Although police constables are required to be qualified only till standard XII, a 30-year-old constable, Ganesh Aatwe, is not

only a graduate but has also cleared the tough National Eligibility Test (NET). The NET conducted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) determines the eligibility for the lectureship and

for awarding the junior research fellowship. It is the minimum qualification required for entrants in the teaching profession and research. While Aatwe’s achievement is noteworthy

considering that his parents were daily wagers in Marathwada, nearly 60 constables with the Pune police commissionerate are postgraduates. Aatwe’s colleague, constable RN Nagre, holds MA

(economics) and BEd degrees. He wants to become a police sub-inspector and is preparing to clear the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exam. Aatwe, who is attached to the police

headquarters branch at the Pune commissionerate, said, “My parents were migrants before settling at Dhanegaon in Beed district. I cleared by matriculation exam while staying with my uncle in

Thergaon (Pune).” Aatwe cleared his higher secondary exam from the SRT College in Beed’s Ambejogai taluka with 67 %. Financial constraints did not allow him to study further and he took up

the job of a mason. He later completed his BA with 53% and MA (public administration) from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad. Having cleared the NET during his

fourth semester in MA, Aatwe was unsuccessful in getting a job as a college lecturer. He joined the police force as a constable in 2009. “I am quite happy with my job and want to use my

knowledge for the benefit of police force,” he said.