M.K. Rajani, a resident of Bovikanam, was barely 19 when she was forced to end her education and get married. The next 23 years of her life was committed to her family.
However, Dharpanam, a first-of-its-kind programme introduced by the Kasaragod district panchayat, has helped dropouts like her turn a new leaf. The initiative will not only help them develop their skills through certification courses offered by the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) but also acquire a degree from Sreenarayanaguru Open University (SGOU).
Launched a year ago, the initiative has received good acceptance among women in the district.
Of the 217 women who completed the skill development courses, including Certified Accounting Technicians, certification course in Artisanal Bakery, and APTIS, a test provided by the British Council, 97 have registered for degree courses offered by the SGOU this year, including sociology, economics, and history.
Ms. Rajani, who has joined for sociology, says she had to discontinue studies and start working to support her three siblings. After marriage, her family life kept her busy and doing graduation remained a distant dream.
“Most of the women who joined the programme are like Rajani, who were forced to discontinue studies early for various reasons,” says Baby Balakrishnan, president, district panchayat.
“Providing education is one of the important initiatives to achieve the goal of women empowerment,” she says.
Ms. Balakrishnan says, initially, the proposal for Dharpanam was rejected as there is no provision to provide Plan funds for individuals for completing graduation programmes. Hence, ASAP was included to provide skill development and certification programme for which funds have been allotted.
The district panchayat has decided to use own funds to pay the fees of ₹3,74,000 of 97 women who have decided to pursue graduation. At a recent meeting of district panchayat secretaries at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration, the SGOU highlighted the programme and made clear its intention to propose to the government to implement it across the State. It was also decided to initiate measures to allow use of Plan funds to implement the programme, she says.
SGOU Vice-Chancellor P.M. Mubarak Pasha says Dharpanam is a model project that will empower women. A project report jointly formulated by KILA, ASAP, and the Industries department will be submitted to the government to implement Dharpanam across the State, he says.
