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.”
Discovered on: 2023-06-22 02:39:00
Source: Std X: Nagpur Zp Helps Women Clear Std X & Xii Decades After Giving Up Edu …
