Like most girls who drop out of school in India, Poonam’s family did not see the point in educating a girl. Poonam had to fight to get into the same school as her brother and even after being admitted, she was pulled out at least twice but kept fighting for her education. Her father passed away when she was ten and it became difficult for her mother to manage her education. Owing to Poonam’s curiosity and keeness to learn, her mother looked around and enrolled Poonam in the government-run free residential girls’ school, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV). Girls who had dropped out of school were given preference when it came to admissions to KGBV in grades 6, 7, and 8. Poonam always had the highest grades, but her time at the KGBV was coming to an end.
When she returned to home hamlet of Shankarpur, she discovered that her mother and brother were unable to claim her father’s land since it was under dispute. To assert her land, Poonam marched to the Sarpanch. Poonam was able to come to an agreement on the land following several weeks of unrest and contentious debates. Poonam’s family built two rooms on the property to store the crop with some assistance. Wanting to study further without money, Poonam had no choice but to seek assistance from her school’s warden, Neelima, who promised to secure funds for Poonam. She was enrolled for graduating 12th grade with help of Neelima, and her excellent performance gave her an opportunity as Non-formal Education Center (NEC) teacher in Digital Study Hall (DSH). Poonam’s B.A. is now complete and she started a ‘Digital Literacy’ programmes for the children in her village (Shankarpur), where she also manages a GyanSetu center and is working towards her Diploma in Elementary Education. Read full story in the source link below –