"She is so old. Why does she want to study now? What will she achieve?"
Vishnaben had to listen to all these comments from her neighbours and friends. Students from other schools would laugh at her. But she was determined, and she continued to attend Pratham's Second Chance centre at Mehsana in Gujarat.
Vishnaben dropped out of school in 7th grade. A mother of three children, she was sceptical about pursuing 10th grade. Hansaben, a tutor at the Mehsana centre persuaded her to attend a few classes before arriving at a decision. Her educated daughters who are now employed encouraged their mother to study.
Vishnaben felt some anxiety in the first few days of the foundation course. She had to juggle between class, household chores and the embroidery work she did for a living. She struggled with the English language as she did not even know the alphabets. With sheer hard work and dedication, she managed to pass 10th grade with 61%. She believes that regularly attending class helped her a lot. With this achievement, all women in Vishnaben's family are educated, and they have set an example for the rest of the community.
Vishnaben is a student of Pratham's 'Second Chance' Program in Gujarat. 424 girls appeared for the 10th-grade examination from Gujarat this year, and 389 of them passed the examination, thus making Gujarat's passing percentage an impressive 92%
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