Sakshi Paatle from Chicholi Village and Kajal Chaturvedi of Gaitera Village are among 80 students to secure admission in Class 6 of the Navodaya School in Raipur District this year.
These two girls were among a batch of 34 students who were preparing for the highly competitive Navodaya School entrance examination at the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF) run coaching Centre for students of villages surrounding the GMR Chhattisgarh Energy limited’s (GCEl’s) 1370 MW power plant coming up at Raikheda in Raipur District. GMRVF has been organising the Navodaya School entrance examination coaching since the last three years. So far, seven students – four girls and three boys – coached at the GMRVF coaching centre have been selected to study at the Navodaya School. GMRVF has been operating in three panchayats – Raikheda, Gaitera and Chicholi – that form a part of the Tilda Block of Raipur District since June 2009. Improving the quality of primary education is among key GMRVF initiatives undertaken in these villages.
While conducting a baseline survey of existing primary schools in the Tilda block, GMRVF found that school teachers and students were not fully aware of the Navodaya Schools entrance procedures. To address the problem, GMRVF piloted Navodaya coaching from Gaitera Village under the banner, “We shall overcome someday.”In 2010, GMRVF screened 20 potential students studying in Class 5. An eligibility test was conducted for wherein ten students qualified. The venue of the coaching Centre was finalized in consultation with the Headmaster, Government High School, Gaitra. An unused classroom was made available for conducting the coaching classes.
An enterprising teacher came forward and was provided an opportunity to conduct the coaching classes. Next, parents of the students were provided counselling. Coaching commenced in July 2010. Classes were held daily in the morning and evening, before and after school. Navodaya entrance examination books were distributed to all the 10 students to help them study at home also. In 2011, the GMRVF run coaching recorded 30 per cent success. Three students – Vaishali Katariya, Hemlata Chandrawanshi and Kaushal Kumar Tandon – cleared the entrance examination and were admitted to the Navodaya School. The overall probability of a student succeeding is just 0.004 per cent. In 2012, Chansekhar Dhruv and Daulat Dheevar got selected.