Priya Dutt to the rescue of wonder kid

After MiD DAY reported three days ago that boy genius Rizwan Shaikh's German sponsor had suddenly backed out after promising to fund his education till Std XII, leaving the child and his parents in a dilemma, Member of Parliament Priya Dutt steps in to do the needful through the Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Fund

Priya Dutt to the rescue of wonder kid

Just three days after MiD DAY published a report on how the future of wonderkid Rizwan Shaikh appeared uncertain after his German sponsor decided to back out from fundingu00a0his education, Member of Parliment (Lok Sabha) Priya Dutt from Mumbai assured that she will take care of Rizwan’s educational needs till Std XII.

Stepping in: Priya Dutt meeting members of administration department of RIMS International at her office in Bandra, Mumbai, as Additional Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre Patil and Rizwan’s father (third from left) Mohammed Shaikh looks on; (Inset) Rizwan Sheikh, who now has a new sponsor. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

Dutt, who represents Mumbai North Central constituency, met Rizwan’s father Mohammed and a couple of school officials from RIMS International School and Junior College at her Mumbai office yesterday and assured them that she was ready to sponsor the boy’s education through Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Trust.

At present, 10-year-old Rizwan is a student of Std VI at RIMS and has an incredible IQ. He aspires to become a missile scientist.u00a0Speaking to MiD DAY over the phone from Mumbai, Dutt said, “I read Rizwan’s story and it touched my heart so much that I decided to take responsibility of his education till Class XII. I also read how Addl CP (West Region) Vishwas Nangre Patil’s intervention in 2007 helped the boy find a sponsor.

I called him and expressed my desire to offer sponsorship for the wonder child.” u00a0Patil said after meeting Dutt, he immediately contacted Rizwan’s father and the school authorities and asked them to come to Mumbai yesterday and meet Dutt to discuss the issue further. u00a0Mohammed along with RIMS administrator and account manager Asif Patel and administrator counsellor Monica Barne met Dutt in her Bandra office.

MiD DAY’s report on October 26 which highlighted that Rizwan’s German sponsor had decided to pull the plug on monetary aidu00a0

“I am going to sponsor education now. His parents need not worry about his future anymore,” said Dutt. u00a0During the meeting, Dutt asked the school authorities to send her the details of the school’s fee structure so that she could write a cheque accordingly and the money would be used to take care of Rizwan’s education till Std XII.

“We told her about Rizwan’s progress chart and his outstanding performance in academics. She was amazed by his progress and immediately offered her help,” said Barne. u00a0Overwhelmed by Dutt’s offer, Mohammed said he still couldn’t believe that such a big person has decided to fund his son’s education. “I thank Priya Dutt madam and Vishwas Patil sir for everything they have done for my son,” said Mohammed.

Managing Director of RIMS, Museeb Rais, said the school would keep the amount given by Dutt in a special account and would use it only for Rizwan’s education. u00a0“We’ll ensure that the money is not misused,” said Rais.u00a0

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