Total Education Solution for Vulnerable students

TOTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME – REVIEW (APRIL – OCT 2014)

This programme aims to reach socio economically deprived students in Bangalore (India) and support them from high school to a rewarding career in their chosen field. The objective is to make these students eligible for professional courses or other higher level studies (e.g. vocational and technical schools) and enable them to find rewarding job opportunities in their field of interest.  We facilitate mainstream education by providing school/college choice, financial assistance, regular academic coaching/mentoring at our centres & hone their skills at DSF Finishing School.

The objective of the proposed programme is

• To support and mentor socio economically vulnerable students and make them eligible for admissions in the topnotch colleges and institutions.
• To provide an opportunity to young graduates/undergraduates from socio economically vulnerable communities to increase their employability by developing their soft skills, communication, basic skills in computers, academic coaching and functional English.
• To guide and counsel underprivileged youth to take up career choices as per their interest, aptitude and attitude.
• To create initiative, confidence and leadership at the initial stages itself that eventually enables them in winning and retaining jobs in this job market.
• Parent community outreach and interface

HIGHLIGHTS (APRIL – OCT 2014)

• With over 500 students applying, the overwhelming numbers of applicants were put through a rigorous admission process. The students were put through two intensive rounds to profile their aptitude and attitudes. This was followed by counselling sessions, parent interface and final selection. 
• The programme strength increased with 135 students enrolled, taking the total number to 345students across different streams.
• Regular academic coaching in all the subjects of Science (Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Biology) and Commerce (accounts, business studies, economics), delivered by highly qualified professionals (volunteers & paid staff).
• The students underwent TWO modules of leadership development courses and SIX life skill sessions with special focus on teenage challenges.
• Regular communication skills sessions with special focus on spoken English was conducted on weekends
• The Mentor Programme was initiated and is in process of getting streamlined. The mentors spending a minimum of four hours a month with every student - these mentors have now become the support system for around forty students.
• Continued focus on parenting interface and weekly sessions with sections of parent community conducted in the reporting period by parenting expert resource person along with our staff. These engagements helped us establish a stronger connect with the parent community.
• House  visits done for all students during the reporting period

STUDENT VOICES

Student Name: Ashwini

10th STD: 90%

1st PUC: 93.10%

“I owe my marks to my teachers who taught me well and my friends in college, who have been very helpful. My parents have been supportive of my education and thanks to DSF, I now have this opportunity of pursuing my studies in a good college which has brought out my potential. My knowledge on the chapter of Final Accounts was a little poor; the special Accountancy bridge course conducted at DSF has strengthened my understanding. English is another area which I seek to improve in the coming year. I would be happy if DSF increased its support and I have the opportunity to study in premier institutes, going further, as I’m confident of living up to the faith DSF has shown in me.”

Student Name : Raquiba

10th STD: 74%

1st PUC:   92.16%

“I feel fortunate that I’m going to a good college and getting a good education. My teachers taught me well and I was told to help my classmates with their studies, which made me learn better. Economics was the only subject I found hard to understand, but the personal attention I got at the DSF RT Nagar center helped me overcome this difficulty. I’m determined to work hard this coming year and score much better in all subjects. I would be very happy if regular classes were held for Pre-University students, at the DSF RT Nagar center, as I find the supplementary classes and very useful.”

Student: Maunashree

10th STD: 72%

1st PUC:   74%

“My first year in college was a good learning experience. I have learnt to become more independent and take responsibility for my education. I faced many challenges due to frequently changing faculty in college. Coming from a Kannada medium school, subjects such as Business Studies were very hard for me to understand as I couldn’t follow English very well. The English classes conducted at DSF have helped me a lot. The Accounts classes strengthened my basics. I look forward to improve my language skills to score much higher next year. As I’m the first person in my family to go to college, it would be great to have someone to guide me. I would be happy if I was given a mentor under the DSF Mentor programme.”

Student :Husna

10th STD: 56%

1st PUC:  68%

“I’m happy with the way my first year in college was. I was confident right from the beginning as I knew DSF would support me in any way I needed. I enjoyed the Economic classes at DSF and it has now become my favourite subject. My English was very weak and the spoken English classes at DSF have helped me a lot. Even though I come from a Kannada medium school, my scores have gone up despite the change to English medium and that has made my family proud of me. I’m determined to work hard the coming year and improve my language. My aim is to score 85% in my second year pre-university exam”

Student :Hanumantha

10th STD: 89%

1st PUC:   62.50%

“My first year in college was as good as I had expected. I’m lucky that I was given the opportunity to enroll into one of the best colleges in the city. Initially I faced some difficulty in learning as I was weak in English but the spoken English classes at DSF helped me gain confidence. The cycle provided by DSF lessened my commuting problems and I was able to concentrate on my studies better. Chemistry was one subject I faced a lot of difficulty in and there was no one back home to help me with it, that’s when I was very grateful to have a mentor. He helped me through that tough period and gave me tips on how to study each subject and also coached me. Despite the challenges, all the support I’m getting has made me confident about the year ahead. I have been enrolled into a professional coaching center and I’m determined to make the most of this opportunity, work hard and study well. I’m also going to focus on improving my English. I would be happy if DSF included more copies of our textbooks in the library so I get more access to books as and when I need them.”

Sunil

10th STD: 84%

1st Yr. Diploma:  71%

“College has been a good experience so far. My parents and teachers have been very supportive. Mathematics was the subject I found the toughest so I worked harder and scored the highest in it. The standard in English is very high and it’s very difficult to score in it, the spoken English classes at DSF helped me. Less accessibility to the computer lab in college made it a challenging subject but as I could access the computers at the DSF center I was able to manage. I like attending classes in DSF as it provides a warm environment. It would be great if DSF conducted classes for diploma students as well.”

Thank you for friends - Donors/Supporters/Volunteers for helping us ensure a bright future fro these students!!