Education can change people’s lives. It can empower people and lift them out of poverty and open new doors of opportunities for them. Education changes a society and builds a strong foundation of a nation. Yet, every year, many children from underprivileged families give up studies because of family problems. Those who somehow manage to continue their studies also have to face a lot of problems.
Getting proper guidance or coaching has been a major problem for most of them. This is the reason many of them cannot do well in studies and cannot get the best benefit out of education in schools and colleges. This has been a major problem for the children from underprivileged sections of the society in many parts of India. Many states including Chhattisgarh have been trying very hard to fight this problem for a long time. Surajpur district in Chhattisgarh has shown a unique model which can be effectively implemented in other parts of India too.
The district administration in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh has come up with a unique solution to the problem of making education accessible to students of underprivileged sections. The district administration has arranged coaching classes for the underprivileged children. The study materials, food and accommodation during the coaching are all provided free of cost. The students who cannot afford to take up coaching elsewhere are trained here. There are two types of coaching classes- Arunima Coaching and Arunoday Coaching.
For the students of 5th standard, the administration has set up Arunima Coaching classes where the children are given coaching so as to enable them to clear the entrance examinations at Navoday Vidyalayas. The coaching classes are residential classes and the students from various parts of the district are provided accommodation by the administration. These classes were initiated keeping in mind the fact that children from well-to-do families usually succeed in getting admission into Navodaya Vidyalayas. The coaching classes have been very successful in achieving the objective. This year thirty to forty children have succeeded in getting admission into Navoday Vidyalayas with the help of Arunima Coaching classes.
For the 11th and 12th standard students, Arunoday Coaching Classes have been set up to help them prepare for board examinations as well as medical and engineering entrance examinations. These classes are also for underprivileged sections of the society. Students at that crucial time of life need proper guidance to crack various significant examinations.
The idea of setting up coaching classes for the underprivileged people was the brainchild of Surajpur Collector KC Devasenapathi. The initiative was started in the earlier part of 2018 and has been very effective. The Arunoday Coaching and Arunima Coaching Classes have helped a hundreds of students from the underprivileged families to build a better future for themselves. Many people in Surajpur are now looking forward to the coaching classes as a means to ensure better education for their children as well as to secure their futures. The parents and students alike are enthusiastic about the coaching classes and the district administration is also keep on continuing the classes and to expand them.
