Bidar: Sujata Ramappa of Aurad passed her SSLC examination in May. Her father could not afford her further studies. She had no choice except to keep waiting to get married.

One day, some one told her about the educational entrepreneurship programme of the Sahakari Rural Development Academy (SAHARDA). She boarded a bus to Bidar and enrolled in the programme. That changed her life. After a month, she returned to her village and opened a nursery school. She is not the only one to have benefited that way. "The first phase of the programme has trained 27 such girls. The programme will continue to produce more such entrepreneurs, who will open schools in rural areas," SAHARDA director Subramanya Prabhu told The Hindu .

SAHARDA, an institution promoted by the District Central Co-operative Bank, in association with Bangalore based non-governmental organisation, Akshara Foundation, has launched the project in the educationally backward district of Bidar.

"Such a programme will achieve the twin objectives of tackling unemployment and promoting literacy. Pre-schooling still remains in the informal sector. Opportunities for pre-schooling in rural areas are fewer than in cities. This creates a need for education among people in rural areas. It helps the family and the community," Mr. Prabhu said.

As part of the first phase of the programme, educated women have been trained to run nursery schools, tutoring and managing rural libraries. "The foundation is assisting us with material and human resources. The foundation's teachers have camped in Bidar for over four weeks and trained the girls. They have also been supplied with free material to set up schools," Mr. Prabhu said.

DCC Bank managing director Ashok Kumar said the bank would support similar projects in the field of education development. The foundation's resource persons Manjula and Savitri said working in a backward district such as Bidar was a rewarding experience for them.

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