BENGALURU: While students of class X in the city have already started their revision exercises with their tutors to prepare for the board exams due next year, several in the slums are taking to enrolling in a coaching centre where teachers of over 30 years of experience take turns to teach the underprivileged for free. In its fourth year of running, the coaching classes have a pass percentage of 97.5.
“We just pay the teachers for the transport. They work on a nominal fee,” says Laxminarayana Damodar, organiser of Jnanagiri coaching classes hosted by Abhyuday in Konanakunte.
The coaching begins in November and runs until February. “As most of the students lack basics, we have classes over the weekends to cover basics from July thruough October,” says Vidyashankar, one of the teachers at the institute who teaches Maths. The visiting faculty of PESIT teaches advanced mathematics to MBA students. During the May-June period, the teachers also help students to clear their supplementary exams.
The initiative also funds up to 70% college education of deserving underprivileged students. The coaching classes have a limited seating of 280 students and teaches students every subject part of the Class X curriculum both in English and Kannada medium. “This year, we have received applications from around 300 students, but we will be accepting only 280, because we don’t have space to host 300 students,” says Laxminarayana. Teachers from several schools including St Joseph’s School finish their morning classes and rush to Jnanagiri to coach the students 4.30 pm to 6 pm on weekdays. On Saturdays and Sundays, there two classes each on different subjects.
“Since the teachers and students come directly from their classes to the coaching session, we usually offer snacks such as badaam milk and biscuits,” says Laxminarayan, who started this initiative in 2013.
Realising that there aren’t many government schools back then in Konanakunte, he set up the coaching classes for those preparing for their Class X exams, while living in the slums.
“Today we have several government schools, so the students get training from both ends,” he says, adding that, “The teachers almost work for free. We usually pay for the irtransport and offer snacks”.
The students are coached for 110 days. “Last year, from the 280 students part of the coaching classes, 156 SSLC students scored distinction and 80 kids scored over 95%,” says a proud Laxminarayana.
This year, the classes will start from November 1.