Nagpur: The Nagpur Zilla Parishad is helping women turn the proverbial mid-life crisis into an opportunity with their ‘Shikshanacha Punarprayas’ (second chance at education). Over 150 women cleared their Std X board (SSC) exams this summer. From deserted wives to those struggling to make ends meet, women from all walks of life got their second shot at completing school education thanks to the ZP and NGO Pratham’s joint efforts.
ZP Nagpur CEO Saumya Sharma said, “This project was implemented in four talukas, Katol, Kalmeshwar, Narkhed and Saoner. We have women who, due to adversities in life, could not complete their education and that in turn hampered their professional growth.”
Somraj Giradkar, state head for Pratham in Maharashtra, said, “We enrolled 203 women in the programme, of which 164 cleared the state board exams. The success rate of 81% is highly encouraging considering that this was the first time we attempted it.”
For the women, this was a life-altering experience. For 47-year-old Mina Sorose, life had changed years ago when her husband brought in another woman to live in their house. “Though we had a child, my husband married again and I left that house with my kid,” said Sorose.
Living with her farm labourer parents, life wasn’t easy but odd jobs and finally getting employed as anganwadi (kids daycare) helper ensured Sorose had some sort of stability.
District education officer Ravindra Katolkar said, “Our CEO madam said it was an irony that women associated with schools as cooks, helpers were themselves not having Std X certificate. That gave us encouragement to enrol as many of them, apart from others, as possible in this project.”
Pratham, with its experience in the field of education across the country, brought in the expertise. Giradkar said, “We prepared the teaching material needed, and our team taught all of them how to approach the exams.”
For 37-year-old Sanghamitra Dahat too separation from her husband had brought upon difficulties. “I had studied till Std VII, but then there was no school nearby for further education and commuting to another village was not safe. After marriage, I did not have time and education stopped completely,” said Dahat.
Separation from her husband a decade ago, with the responsibility of a child, made education a non-priority. But now with ZP Nagpur and Pratham’s initiative, Dahat sees a whole new life ahead of her. “Clearing Std X has given me the confidence, and now I want to complete my graduation as well,” said Dahat.
Now, the ZP wants to scale up the programme by expanding its scope, a goal it may achieve if ample CSR funds come in. Sharma said, “We are now going to include the entire district through a new campaign called ‘Nayi Kiran’.”
(With inputs by Sumukh Kulkarni)
Discovered on: 2023-06-21 22:36:00
Source: Nagpur ZP helps women complete Std X & XII decades after giving up edu | Na…
