Nikita PatoleFirst <strong>VIDYA</strong> RTE beneficiaryThe Right to Education fought a long battlebefore it got passed. Next came itsimplementation -- upholding the fundamentalright of education for every child. And finallyits impact on the common man! This year<strong>VIDYA</strong> <strong>Mumbai</strong> aimed to help parents get theirchildren admission into schools under the RTEAct. Neelam and Vinod Patole, parents of fiveyear-oldNikita Patole, became the firstsuccessful RTE story for <strong>VIDYA</strong>. They waitedpatiently and did all it took to get admissionfor their girl child into a school under RTE.Finally, after a three-month long tediousprocess, success was achieved. Nikita nowenjoys free education for the next eight years.For the Patole family, which stays in an urbanslum community and has an annual income ofless than a lakh for 7 members, this comes as ahuge relief. <strong>VIDYA</strong> <strong>Mumbai</strong> aims to enrollmore and more children under RTE from thenext academic year.11 | P a g e
<strong>VIDYA</strong> Bhavishya-YaanBhavishya-Yaan by Rotary Club of Bombay inpartnership with <strong>VIDYA</strong> is a program inassociation with municipal schools in <strong>Mumbai</strong>wherein spoken English, computer skills andlife skills are taught to students who study inregional languages. This three-prongedapproach looks at fast-tracking the educationof these students and making them moreready for future education and employability.In addition these students also take part inspecially designed camps and go on field tripsconducted by <strong>VIDYA</strong> and Rotary Club.A select 120 students from Standards 6-9 arechosen and taught beyond school hours.Bhavishya-yaan is currently running in 8schools in different areas in <strong>Mumbai</strong> likeColaba, Walkeshwar, Worli, Lower Parel,Parel, Byculla, Vile Parle and Chembur.Major AchievementsThe last academic year saw many new highs.We conquered new geographies and enteredtwo new schools, taking our count ofbeneficiaries to almost a 1000. We also sawour third batch of students graduate withflying colours at the SSC Exams. OmkarSonavane, Raksheeta Jadhav and Neha Javalefrom the Worli Ambedkar Municipal Schoolgot 87.82%, 84.40% and 82% respectivelywhile Rajeshwari Naikude, ManoramaLokhande and Rupesh Avhad from ColabaMunicipal Secondary School secured 84%,83.60% and 80.20 % respectively. In thecoming years, we wish to see many more likethem across all BY centres.Durgesh KanoujiaHe has a younger brother, a mother who is thesole earning member and a father who is largelyunder the influence of alcohol. But DurgeshKanoujia decided to soar, and so he did. Hecompleted his schooling from Colaba MunicipalSchool where he was part of the Bhavishya-yaanprogram. As he attended the classes, his worldview changed; he learned something new everyday. He actively participated in all the eventsand even built a good rapport with the teachers.With the support of the program and his owndedication, Durgesh did well at the SSC examsand joined a reputed college. He simultaneouslybegan giving tuitions to help with the expensesat home.Through <strong>VIDYA</strong>, he got introduced to the TajGroup of Hotel’s Dual Certification HospitalityTraining Course and successfully completed it,achieving certification from Taj Lands’ End andthe Government of India. He is now workingpart-time at Taj Land’s End in the housekeepingdepartment. He attributes his success toBhavishya-yaan and says, “It is my secondfamily”. He is also currently pursuing his HSCand preparing for NDA entrance exams as heaspires to join the armed forces. In the futureDurgesh wishes to give back to Bhavishya-yaanby conducting workshops to equip students forthe outside world.Major EventsBhavishya-yaan had an exciting year. Inaddition to the usual event calendar, severalother activities took place like field trips to themuseum, planetarium, Christmas parties,World Literacy Day and nature trails.Volunteers from across the city’s colleges andcompanies added flavor to the schools’classes. Two new partnerships with TheatreProfessionals and Nrityanjali, teaching drama12 | P a g e
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