SECOND CHANCE PROGRAM

Introduction

The Right to Education law in India guarantees free and compulsory schooling to all children up to Grade 8. However, for a variety of reasons (such as distance, cost, access, socio-economic constraints and cultural barriers) many students drop out of school or discontinue their education. This phenomenon is even more pronounced for girls and young women especially in rural areas.

The challenges of re-entering the education system and accessing further learning opportunities are huge, especially for young people who did not finish elementary or secondary school. While India has open schooling opportunities, there is lack of awareness and adequate motivation and support for a student to use open schooling as a way of continuing their education.

A JOURNEY OF EMPOWERMENT

Approach

Pratham's Second Chance program focuses on providing school drop-outs, especially women, another chance at education. Second Chance aims to support those who could not complete their secondary education. The program focuses on completion of Grade 10, in the hope that this academic certificate would prove useful for the learners and further their opportunities for educational growth and employability. The Second Chance program uses innovative teaching methods, to provide accessible and affordable learning opportunities very close to where the students live. Some of the Second Chance programs are residential and others are non-residential.

Currently, Pratham has Second Chance centres in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Delivery Models

The Second Chance program prepares and supports students to take the Grade 10 - Secondary Board/Open School examinations. The program runs in two phases. The first phase is called the Foundation Course (FC). When the students first enrol in the program, they go through a Foundation Course as a part of the preparation for the Secondary School exam curriculum. The Foundation course lasts for 3-4 months. It addresses the need to catch up with fundamentals, to enable the student to cope with the syllabus for Grade 10 exams. Subjects like English, Mathematics, Language (State specific), Science/Home Science and Life skills are covered. Assessment in form of a Pre-test, at the onset of FC and Post-test, at the end of FC are conducted to track the learnings levels of the students and their growth during the Course.

After the Foundation course, students move to the Main Course, where they study in an interactive environment that includes discussions, debates and presentations through group learning and peer learning activities.

As part of an effort to improve employability skills, exposure to personal development concepts is provided through vocational courses with modules such as health and hygiene, child care, development and nutrition and digital learning (in selected centres).

Measurement

Over the years, over 18,000 (27000) students have benefited from Pratham’s Second Chance program. The number of students who appeared for the Board examinations till now are 1,134. 17134 Overall, the pass percentage of students is 75%.

Year Total Number of centers Foundation course Enrollment Post Foundation course Enrollment Appeared for the grade 10 exam Number who passed % students passing
17,989 13748 11134 8321 75%
2011-12 10 390 226 90 40%
2012-13 30 4135 2838 2214 1129 51%
2014-15 31 4663 3338 2771 1995 72%
2015-16 31 4679 3642 2871 2433 85%
2016-17 33 4512 3540 3053 2674 88%
2017-18 32 4132 3650 3214 2517 79%

Contact

DOCUMENTS

LIFE SKILLS

Introduction

Life Skills refer to a large group of psychosocial and interpersonal skills that promote mental wellbeing that leads to a healthy and productive life. Life Skills are important as they enable individuals, including children and young people, to manage their lives well and stay confident and positive while serving as valuable resources to their friends, families and community.

Pratham’s Life Skills Program started in 2012-13 with its school-based interventions with adolescents and has since expanded across various program areas including Second Chance.

Life Skills Framework

At Pratham, Life Skills activities are offered in addition to the academic subjects like Language, Mathematics, English, etc. It is implemented as a separate module or integrated into teaching of academic subjects or both. There is a curriculum for Life Skills based on our Life Skills Framework. Sessions are designed to cover various competencies included in the framework.

The six main components of Pratham’s Life Skills Framework are as follows:

  • Self-Awareness
  • Self-Management
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Problem Solving
  • Leadership
  • Technical Skills

The framework works as an overall map of life skills; depending on the needs of the target group the module can evolve. The components are interrelated and operate simultaneously. ‘Leadership’ is a composite component and derives heavily from the other components. The last component ‘Technical Skills’ is closely linked with ‘Functional Literacy’.

Pratham’s Life Skills framework has been acknowledged by various National and International bodies and has been also published on the website of Harvard Graduate School. For more information, click http://exploresel.gse.harvard.edu/

Delivery Model

The Life Skills module has two components: Classroom Sessions and Community Project. A variety of methods such as group discussions, reflective activities, games, presentations, role-plays and field visits are used. The Community Project is a ‘Problem Solving Group Challenge’, in which the students try to solve a problem in their community by applying skills such as communication, team-work, critical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving and more.

The classes are conducted by Pratham Staff who are mostly local youth. They are trained by the National and/or State Resource group for Life Skills. The training typically consists of the following:

  • Effective delivery of life skills sessions
  • Effective teaching and training skills
  • Skills for first-aid counseling

Presently, the Life Skills module is offered in two programs:

  1. Second Chance Program: Through this program, Pratham helps students, mostly girls and women, who had to drop out of school to complete Grade 10. This program is offered in nine states namely; Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The classes are conducted in Pratham-run community centres. Through the Second Chance Program, Life Skills is offered to 4000 girls, women and boys at some places in a year.
  2. KGBV Program: In this program, Pratham collaborates with Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas to work with girls from grades 6-8. The program focuses on helping girls develop foundational skills and life skills; and transition to grade 10. This school based program is currently operational in three states; Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand and reaches out to 6000 students annually.

Measurement

Over the years, various assessment tools have been used for measuring Life Skills. These include written tests, self-assessments, and observation tools among others. The primary purpose of these assessments has been to track the changes in students’, work on other variables such as teacher behaviours and teaching-learning processes, and also help course corrections.

Reach and Scale

In the last 5 years or more, Life Skills intervention reached more than 52,000 students across 16 states. In 2020-21, approximately 4,000 girls from KGBVs and about 3,500 students from the Second Chance Program were part of the Life Skills interventions. 

Contact

lifeskills@pratham.org


	

	

					

				Pratham Education Foundation
				 
			

			

 17 hours ago 
			

	

		Pratham Education Foundation
	






	
		In May 2022, Pratham conducted an exploratory study on plastic waste in 700 villages across 15 states to better understand the facets of plastic problems in rural India. This study would aid in developing a contextualized educational curriculum for children on solid waste management. Visit plasticstudy.pratham.org/ to sign up for the report.Watch the video to know more about our journey!youtu.be/6DYlz8NW554			
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				Pratham Education Foundation
				 
			

			

 2 days ago 
			

	

		Pratham Education Foundation
	






	
		Volunteers in Madhya Pradesh have brought 'Kamaal ka improvement' (amazing improvements) in the learning levels of children through 'CAMaL ka Camp'!Such camps were conducted in more than 1,900 villages across the state to help children with their foundational reading and math skills. ..You can support children's learning in communities across the country too. Visit this link to contribute: bit.ly/donate-CAMaLkaCamp..For any queries, please write to summercamp@pratham.org.#camalkacamp #SummerCampaign2022 #summer #learning #volunteers #children			
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				Pratham Education Foundation
				 
			

			

 5 days ago 
			

	

		Pratham Education Foundation
	






	
		'CAMaL ka Camp' was conducted in more than 320 villages of Jharkhand with the support of community volunteers in order to help children learn during the summer vacations.Take a look at the happy faces of children and volunteers as they learn while having fun with the activities and games!..You can support children's learning in communities across the country too. Visit this link to contribute: bit.ly/donate-CAMaLkaCamp..For any queries, please write to summercamp@pratham.org.#camalkacamp #SummerCampaign2022 #summer #learning #volunteers #children			
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