Dropout to Distinction

Two aided rural schools – Kanya Uchha Madyamik Vidayalaya (Nimbodi Phata) and Vaijavnath Madhyamik Vidyalaya (Vaiju Babhulgaon) – at Pathardi in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district reported 100% success rate in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam.

While for schools in cities such a success rate is not rare, for the two rural schools it was astonishing indeed. This is because like many rural schools across India, these schools at Pathardi were also plagued by a high dropout rate until three-four years ago. But something changed subsequently, leading to the excellent result!

In partnership with an NGO named Light of Life Trust, L&T in 2018-19 kickstarted a multi-year education intervention at Pathardi to arrest the high rate of dropouts in schools. In particular, the initiative was targeted at the students of VIII-X, wherein the dropout rates were higher.

The intervention was two-pronged: a School Based Programme at the two identified schools, and an Empowerment Programme across three learning centres at Karanji, Lohasar and Chichondi.

In the three years between 2018-19 and 2021-22, as many as 968 students and 60 teachers were covered under this education intervention that L&T undertook as part of its CSR mandate.

The L&T-supported NGO team distributed education materials among the target group. It also conducted several student-friendly supplementary academic classes in maths and English, summer schools, weekend empowerment workshops, career guidance and events to help the children showcase their talent.

This apart, it facilitated training for schoolteachers on ways to make classes enriching and interesting. And to ensure that parents are receptive to these interventions, the team visited their residences and counselled them.

The impact of the interventions was assessed through ‘High School Personality Quotient’ and ‘2R’ (Writing, Arithmetic) tests. The findings, over the three years, revealed a gradual growth of the students in all the traits that were measured.

In specific, notable improvement was recorded in the traits pertaining to teamwork, socialisation, discipline, and self-sufficiency. There was also a significant increase in leadership and creativity quotients of the students.

And then came the biggest validation: 100% of the students from the two targeted schools passed SSC. Once on the verge of dropping out, they went on to acquire distinctions in this vital exam, and now want to continue studying even further!

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