Kabita lives in the Rajendrapur village in the Jajpur district of Orissa. She works as an ASHA worker and also cooks the mid-day meal for children in the nearby school. Her story is one of the fascinating stories that Pratham’s Second Chance Program has to offer. She not only got back to school after twenty-eight long years but also had her daughter Lily as her classmate!
Kabita was born in 1977 in a family of seven, her parents and four siblings. Her father worked at Kolkata, and he sent a fixed amount of money by monthly money order. Kabita being the eldest had to take up the responsibility of the house. As a consequence, she had to drop out of school when she was in 7th grade and despite having a keen interest to study further, could not pursue it further. She got married in 1994, at 17 years of age and thus began a new phase in her life. Lily, her daughter, was born three years later, in 1997. However, owing to the financial difficulties, she too had to drop out of school in 2012. She was in 9th grade then.
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| Kabita and Lily |
Hence, when Kabita came to know of Pratham’s Second Chance Program, she refused to believe that such a class would exist! She asked Lily to go and check the place from where the course was to become operational. In fact, her initial decision was to enrol Lily in the class so that she could complete education until the 10th grade. But she too had not completed her 10th grade and remained occupied with this thought for the next few days. In fact, as an ASHA worker in 2006, she had thought of completing her 10th grade to get a promotion in the workplace. But now, in 2016, the academic gap in her life was of 28 years!
Meanwhile, she convinced Lily, and the latter was enrolled in the program. Kabita started to accompany Lily to her classes and sat at the door for the first few days to witness the teaching. And in those days, she decided to be a part of this program and attend classes with Lily.
“It was a bit awkward for both of us to be a part of the same class”, she said. “Will people laugh at us?” “Will Lily’s friends laugh at her?” “What will our neighbours say?” “Will I be able to study after 28 years?” – a series of questions drew their attention. “But we overcame them. We decided to help each other and study together”, said Lily.
In the initial days, it was difficult for both of them to adjust to the new routine. Kabita had her job and also the daily household chores to look after. Lily also had her share of household chores, and now classes and homework had occupied a section in their day. Hence, both of them decided to start their day very early. This new routine enabled them to complete all their work before attending classes. The first few weeks in the class were spent in revising the basic concepts and building a strong foundation for the final exam. This phase was critical as both of them had got back to books after a long gap.
“Initially, we all were new. But we became friends because of the games, group activities and interactions. I used to forget that I was the eldest in class and was studying with my daughter. This group work helped us become friends”, said Kabita.
These activities also helped both of them to develop a liking for the subject and understand the concepts. The teachers at the program also played an essential role in this transformation. “They always answered our questions, no matter how many times we asked”, recalled Lily.
“How was this experience different from your school?” we asked, to which Kabita replied,” In school, we never got an opportunity to write on the board. It was always a one-way interaction. But here we were asked to come forward and write on the board. It increased our confidence, and it felt different!”
Kabita and Lily passed their 10th-grade examinations in 2017, and this milestone has helped them to plan their life ahead. While Kabita eyes her promotion at the workplace, Lily, on the other hand, wants to work and earn some money for her higher studies. Both of them thank the Second Chance Program as it was indeed a turning point in their life.
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