Vidya Tupe is one of the many women who has benefited from Pratham's Second Chance Program at Satara in Maharashtra. "I was a housewife and did not work anywhere for the first eight years after my marriage. People from Pratham came to our house and asked if my cousin sister wanted to get back to school and complete 10th grade. She had dropped out as well", she recalls. When she heard about the program while it was explained to her sister, she gathered interest and decided to enrol herself for classes.
There are many reasons why girls drop out of school. In some villages, the distance to reach school (for higher grades) is high, and families do not risk sending their daughter for safety reasons. Early marriage is another reason that forces girls to leave school and migrate to a different place. Pratham's classroom in Satara consist of many such women - poverty, failure in 9th grade, early marriage, lack of attention in school, fear of subjects like Math and English, the reasons are many! Owing to a rise in the construction activities in Satara, many labourer families migrate to the city, and girls and elderly women from these families also enrol themselves in this program and complete their education till 10th grade. Like all of them, Vidya has her story to share.
"I was scared of English and Math. English was still ok, but Math was horrible", she laughs as she recalls her school days. "My family sensed that I was not showing any interest in studies and decided that I should get married. I got married in 2005, and this became my city", she says. Vidya hails from Panvel, a city in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. She became a student at the Second Chance program in 2014, eleven years after leaving school. "Satara was a new city for me. I did not interact much with people, and hence I was not confident of speaking in public. I did not talk to anyone in my class for the first couple of months. But I was able to realise that the teaching method here was different, and I soon developed a liking for it. It was point-wise and covered basic principles. I understood that I was solving the practice papers easily. Moreover, the teachers here paid attention, and it was not like school where only the first few benches were attended."
Vidya admits that she did not have a clear goal of what she would do after passing 10th grade. Women like her join the program so that they can start working. For some girls, private tuitions demand fees that are unaffordable. Some women who work in Anganwadis eye a promotion at their workplace after completing 10th grade. "I cleared my 10th grade in 2015, and I decided to give the MS-CIT examination. While interacting with people, I realised that I was speaking comfortably. I realised that I had changed! One year at the Second Chance program had transformed me, and the change happened unknowingly", she says, with a twinkle in her eyes.
After completing the course, Vidya gave an interview for Maharashtra Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) for the district of Satara, and she currently heads all the four blocks of the region. "I later came to know that my co-applicants were women who had passed 12th grade or even MSW graduates. But my confidence enabled my selection! How can I not thank Pratham for this transformation in me?" Vidya works from the Satara office for the first ten days of the month, and she has to travel to the Mahabaleshwar office daily for the remaining days. She thanks her husband who stood by her when she took the decision of becoming a student again. Her mother-in-law was opposed to the decision, but she has now happily accepted a changed and transformed Vidya.
Vidya's next goal is to apply for a job at Satara Municipal Corporation and work in the administration department. And with the experience gained in these years, she is confident of a positive outcome.
There are many reasons why girls drop out of school. In some villages, the distance to reach school (for higher grades) is high, and families do not risk sending their daughter for safety reasons. Early marriage is another reason that forces girls to leave school and migrate to a different place. Pratham's classroom in Satara consist of many such women - poverty, failure in 9th grade, early marriage, lack of attention in school, fear of subjects like Math and English, the reasons are many! Owing to a rise in the construction activities in Satara, many labourer families migrate to the city, and girls and elderly women from these families also enrol themselves in this program and complete their education till 10th grade. Like all of them, Vidya has her story to share.
"I was scared of English and Math. English was still ok, but Math was horrible", she laughs as she recalls her school days. "My family sensed that I was not showing any interest in studies and decided that I should get married. I got married in 2005, and this became my city", she says. Vidya hails from Panvel, a city in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. She became a student at the Second Chance program in 2014, eleven years after leaving school. "Satara was a new city for me. I did not interact much with people, and hence I was not confident of speaking in public. I did not talk to anyone in my class for the first couple of months. But I was able to realise that the teaching method here was different, and I soon developed a liking for it. It was point-wise and covered basic principles. I understood that I was solving the practice papers easily. Moreover, the teachers here paid attention, and it was not like school where only the first few benches were attended."
Vidya admits that she did not have a clear goal of what she would do after passing 10th grade. Women like her join the program so that they can start working. For some girls, private tuitions demand fees that are unaffordable. Some women who work in Anganwadis eye a promotion at their workplace after completing 10th grade. "I cleared my 10th grade in 2015, and I decided to give the MS-CIT examination. While interacting with people, I realised that I was speaking comfortably. I realised that I had changed! One year at the Second Chance program had transformed me, and the change happened unknowingly", she says, with a twinkle in her eyes.
After completing the course, Vidya gave an interview for Maharashtra Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) for the district of Satara, and she currently heads all the four blocks of the region. "I later came to know that my co-applicants were women who had passed 12th grade or even MSW graduates. But my confidence enabled my selection! How can I not thank Pratham for this transformation in me?" Vidya works from the Satara office for the first ten days of the month, and she has to travel to the Mahabaleshwar office daily for the remaining days. She thanks her husband who stood by her when she took the decision of becoming a student again. Her mother-in-law was opposed to the decision, but she has now happily accepted a changed and transformed Vidya.
Vidya's next goal is to apply for a job at Satara Municipal Corporation and work in the administration department. And with the experience gained in these years, she is confident of a positive outcome.
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