"I now see a World full of Opportunities"

Kajal Senma lives in Palavasna village, which is 5 km from Mehsana in Gujarat. She discontinued her studies after passing the 8th-grade examination. Like many other villages in Gujarat, the school for the 9th and 10th grade was very far from her village, and with no public transport available, it was impossible to travel daily to school. Hence there was no other option, but to quit. This was two years back. 

However, Ms Vidya from Pratham's team came to her village last year and during a small meeting with the villagers asked if anyone wants to complete education till 10th grade. "This is how I came to know of the Second Chance program", she recalls. But that one year at home did not give her a pleasant experience. "People taunted me. They constantly asked my parents why I was not going to school. It was disturbing, and it affected my confidence levels as well!" Kajal began to doubt herself and despite the initial happiness after knowing about the Second Chance program, scepticism set in! 

"What if I fail...", she wondered. 

But Kajal was not the only one from her village to join the program. Some other girls also were inspired and expressed the desire to become a student again. Kajal joined the program with them but continued to remain underconfident and hence shy. She did not speak to anyone in the class and for at least a month kept things to herself. However, there was one thing in class that had begun to motivate her. "I observed that my teachers were working very hard and were helping us to clear the 10th-grade exam. It gave me a feeling of support, and that was my motivation to study. It changed me", she says. 

Kajal opened up, and slowly her participation in class increased. "The teachers were brilliant! They strengthened our basics, and that was very helpful. I was appearing for the 10th-grade exam only after two years. However, many women in my class had a gap of more than ten years", she exclaims."The way of teaching helped them immensely." Kajal also got good support from her immediate friends in class, her group-mates! "Yes, we learned in a group, and that is another thing that I liked about this class. It made me realise that one subject can have many aspects and everyone looks at it differently", she adds.

Kajal passed her 10th-grade examination this year, but she developed one good habit that gave her a new direction in life. She developed a habit of reading the newspaper every day. And one day she read about a job opening for a telephone operator at 'FTC Solution LLP', a placement agency in Mehsana. With the same confidence that she had gained at the centre, she cleared all the rounds of interviews and is currently exploring herself at this workplace. "Two years ago, I was convinced that there was no road ahead to pursue my dreams. However, I now see a world full of opportunities", she ends the conversation with a smile.