KOZHIKODE: It seems Ressi Mathew’s childhood dream of becoming a lawyer will finally be fulfilled. It was the very dream that prompted the 52-year-old to pursue the Class XII equivalency programme of the State Literacy Mission and come out with flying colours. With the government declaring equivalency course certificate holders eligible for higher education, Ressi is all set to pursue an undergraduate course at a regular college.
Like Ressi, as many as 7,815 candidates who have successfully completed the Class XII equivalency programme will benefit from the recent government decision. It has rekindled the academic dreams of hundreds of others who had to quit formal education during their early years due to various hardships.
When the Class XII equivalency course was launched in 2015, there were few takers as many were apprehensive of the prospects for higher studies. However, through proper awareness and a sustained campaign, the course witnessed a three-fold rise in enrolment in the third batch (2017-19) compared to the previous batch (2016-18), said Literacy Mission director P S Sreekala.
Currently, the Class XII equivalency course is being offered in the humanities and commerce streams. There are 373 study centres across the state for the Class XII equivalency programme. Malappuram district has the maximum number of study centres (47), followed by Thiruvananthapuram (45) and Thrissur (44).The study materials for the programme have been designed with the SCERT curriculum committee’s approval. The fact that the exam, valuation and certificate distribution is done by the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education adds to the credibility of the course.
There are 1,922 instructors for the programme and a majority of them are retired school and college teachers. BEd students and educated youth have also donned the role of instructors for the programme.
The registration for the fourth batch is slated to begin on July 10. This year, the registration process has been made online. The fee for the 20-month course is Rs 2,500.
MANY TAKERS
Class XII equivalency enrolment 2017-19
T’Puram 4,131
Kollam 3,150
P’thitta 1,131
Kottayam 948
Alappuzha 2,594
Idukki 791
Ernakulam 3,033
Thrissur 3,031
Wayanad 1,293
Malappuram 4,327
Palakkad 3,195
Kozhikode 2,750
Kannur 1,546
Kasargod 874
Total 32,794