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Rural girls hold their heads high

Madhur Tankha

NEW DELHI: It helps disadvantaged girls from rural areas to stand on their own feet with their heads held high. And now Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) that works at Anupshahr in Bulandshahr district has earned a unique distinction as ten of its girl students -- who come from a background where child marriage, child labour and exploitation of girls are part and parcel of daily life -- have got first division in the Class X Uttar Pradesh Board examinations this year.

At a press conference here on Wednesday, PPES founder president V. Sam Singh said: "Of the 196 villages at Anupshahr tehsil in Bulandshahr district, we are working in 42 villages. We started Pardada Pardadi Girls' Vocational School in 2000 to give academic skills to girl students so that they could pass their Class X Board exams. This year, 14 girls from our school have battled all obstacles to pass the Class X Board exams with flying colours. We want to educate girl students from economically and socially subordinate classes so that they can become self-reliant. Of course, there were family pressures against attending classes but we convinced the girl students' parents that it would be in their daughters' interest to come daily to our school."

While six of the girl students have opted for higher education, six have applied for a job with PPES. They have been kept under a probation period of six months during the time they will be trained to carry out their responsibilities.

From time to time, girl students are also taken for exposure trips at various places in the country and abroad. Asha Rani Pal, who recently visited the United States for five weeks, said: "I stayed with five different American families. This trip was an ideal learning experience for me as I got a first hand experience of the U.S. society. I will soon share my experiences with other girls in my school."

As part of an exchange programme, three students and one teacher will be heading for the U.S. in October. Taking forward the motto of "Village to the World", visitors from the country and abroad are invited to interact with the students. To train girl students on how to converse fluently in English, a communicator has come all the way from the U.S. for six weeks.

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