Pratibha Poshak
Connecting talented students with caring mentors and passionate teachers
Many children having talent, tenacity and interest necessary to pursue studies in the fields of Mathematics, Science, Engineering or Medicine are deprived of good quality education, guidance and financial support. The goal of Pratibha Poshak is to identify highly talented students, even from remote rural areas and urban slums, and enable them to obtain high quality online education by digitally connecting them with mentors and teachers. We are embarking on this project encouraged by our experience with the Sharada Pratibha Poshan Upakram, which we have been running since 2017.
What is the age-group of students admitted into programme?
Students having completed 8th grade (age 14-15) are enrolled in this programme. They remain in the programme until they complete 12th grade and enter university education.
How are the students selected?
At the first level, we use data from National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Examination (NMMS) conducted every year by DSERT, Government of Karnataka. Students having family income of less than INR 3.5 lacs ($4,200) per year and studying in Government, Government-aided or community schools are eligible to write the NMMS Examination. At the next level, we conduct an independent test where we teach them a small new topic and assess their ability to understand and apply the concept to solve non-trivial and practical problems. We also interact with the parents of selected students.
Where do these students live and study?
Most of these students live in villages, small towns or in urban slums and obtain completely free or very low-cost education in Government or Government-aided, vernacular medium (Kannada) schools. We plan to begin with students from Belagavi and Dharwad districts and gradually extend it to students all over the state of Karnataka. Most of these students speak Kannada, but they can understand Hindi.
How are the students enabled for online learning?
Every student selected for this programme is given a tablet PC (a tab) with Wi-Fi and LTE support. Students are also given network data packs. A workshop is conducted on using the device effectively for online learning. A local coordinator is assigned to resolve any difficulties they may face.
What happens after these students complete their 12th grade?
After the students complete their 12th grade (two years of pre-university education) in Science, we ensure that they enroll for an undergraduate programme in pure sciences, engineering or medicine as per their inclination and merit. We help these students obtain education loan from banks. Students will continue to be in touch with the respective mentors even during their undergraduate studies.
If you are interested to join as a teacher, mentor or sponsor please click here.