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Long before school bells ring in the villages around Bijapur, over 50 children from six different schools gather at a modest coaching centre, drawn by ambition to clear exams such as the Navodaya Vidyalaya entrance exam and change the course of their lives.
Inspired by the widely known biographical "Super-30" film starring Hrithik Roshan, two local teachers, Pritam Kumar Baiga and Gajendra Pradhan, have spent the past two years running free coaching classes for underprivileged children well before their regular school hours begin. What makes the effort remarkable is where it is happening. Bijapur, which used to be a Naxal stronghold once, is now home to children who dream not of escaping their circumstances, but of transforming them through education. "I am in the fifth grade... I am preparing here for the Navodaya (entrance exam of Navodaya Vidyalaya)... I want to prepare further, study well, and become something," One young student told ANI. Another student expressed similar resolve. "I want to study well here and pursue what I aspire to become... I am preparing for Navodaya... I want to become a teacher," she said. The initiative did not begin as a formal programme, but as an informal act of dedication by two teachers who noticed something worth nurturing. Satyajeet Rana, Cluster Coordinator for Dhanaura, recalled how the children's interest in their studies pushed him to help them prepare for competitive exams for the last two years. "When I first arrived here, I noticed that the children showed a genuine interest in their studies. Teachers like Gajendra Yadav (Head Teacher) and Pritam Kumar Baiga were already supervising the children for a while and dedicating their own time to preparing them for exams like the Navodaya entrance test. Seeing this mutual interest from both the students and the teachers, I encouraged them to continue the effort. For the last two years, we have been working on preparing the children for these competitive exams," he told ANI. For Gajendra Pradhan, an assistant teacher posted in the area in March 2024, the thought behind coaching was the betterment of the students. "It (coaching) started just last year; there is a lot of interest here... children here are very active, and there is a huge craze for the Navodaya entrance exam," he said. "We thought that since we could provide them with a good education and help them prepare, we should start this initiative. There are approximately 53 students this year, and in total, children from six different schools come here." Over the past two years, the informal coaching effort has already yielded results, with numerous students from the programme securing admissions, which is a significant achievement for children from remote, underserved villages in the region. In a district long which was earlier defined by conflict and limited opportunity, the early-morning classrooms are quietly proving that access to a dedicated teacher and a little encouragement can be enough to turn a village child's dream into a real possibility. (ANI)
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