Our School Peon

"Hard work is the lot of a school peon. He works from morning till evening and knows no rest." 

A peon is a very common figure in almost all offices, hospitals, and educational institutions. He is a fourth-class servant. The peon is part and parcel of life. Everyone knows him and he knows almost everyone. The peon is must for a school. A peon wears a khaki uniform. He leads a hard life. His duty is very hard. He is the first to come and the last to go.

Bhai has a large number of duties to perform. He gets up early in the morning. He is putting up in the school hostel. He brings milk for the hostel boys from the village nearby. The hostel boys also sometimes give him clothes for getting them ironed. He brings ration and vegetables for use in the hostel. For the boys in the hostel, he is an elderly man. He is a very popular figure among hostel students.

In the school, he dusts the tables and chairs of the headmaster's office. Then he puts ink into the inkpots. He rings the school bell in time. His most important duty is to open and close the school in time. He looks after the school property also. The headmaster has ordered the school to be kept open till all the boys leave the school. So it is almost at 5 o’clock that the school is closed. So even when the others are free quite early Bhai has more working hours than them.

Bhai has a very hard life. During school hours, he is seen here and there and everywhere. He puts on a white dress. His uniform is always neat and clean. He circulates the headmaster's orders and notices among teachers and the students. He also deposits school money, in the post office. He makes the payments of all the local bills. He has to be on the move the whole day. During recess, he prepares tea for the staff member. He also brings eatables for the staff.

Everyone likes Bhai very much. He obeys the teachers. The teachers also like him. He is very careful and duty conscious. He knows no holidays. In spite of his hard work and dutifulness, he is not well paid. With the little money that he gets he can hardly make both ends meet, yet he seems to be contented with his lot. He never grumbles. He is very polite. He is in good books of all. By his loyalty, he has made himself indispensable to the school.