Aarti Thakur, who passed her 10th-grade examinations in 2015 has an interesting story to share. A confident girl since her childhood, she performed well in her school and had pinned her dreams of becoming a graduate and enter the police force.
"I was enrolled in modern high school, and I studied there till the 9th grade", she begins her story. "But I had to drop out of school because of my mother's illness." It not only applied brakes to her goals but also resulted in her deviation from studies to household chores and domestic responsibilities. As there was no other option and as her services were required at home, Aarti accepted this new role in her life. However, she became worried as her gap after dropping out of school now included one more year. She was now out of school for two years!
"I was worried and constantly thought about this two years gap. Will it never allow me to get back to studies?" It was very natural for Aarti to think this way, as she did not know of any option of getting back to studies. And hence when two girls in her village updated her about Pratham's Second Chance program, she was delighted!
"It was not that I was scared. I am a confident person, and I can present myself with ease. But the gap of two years weighed on my mind", she admits. She immediately enrolled herself in the program and thus began her journey with Pratham. But some thoughts continued to linger in her mind. Will I be able to cope up with my studies? What if I fail? Will I understand concepts after a two years gap? However, she admits that there were two things in the program that inspired her the most.
"I noticed that many women had a gap of more than ten years but still wanted to continue their education. If they could get back to studies, why couldn't I? And then there was the way of teaching", she elaborates.
Aarti felt that the syllabus being taught was very easy to understand, and she credits it to the way of teaching at the centre, and also to learning in the group. The latter, she feels, made her more confident and also made her understand the concept better. "When I clear someone's doubt, I end up understanding the thing even better", she says.
This confidence helped her clear the 10th-grade exam, after which she worked at Abhishek Trident for a year. She followed it by working for Lumax, a car accessories company at Delhi for one and half years. Though she came back to Jabalpur to honour some family commitments, she is eager to start working. She is also keen to start preparing for the next step in life - clearing the 12th-grade exams.
"My parents are labourers, and I now want them to rest at home. The time is ripe for me to run the house and serve them", she ends our conversation with a smile.
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