Support Classes are being conducted under Samruddhi project since 2015 for the students of 1^st to 7^th standard and 10^th Standard Students in Six slums namely Shinde Vasti, Lohiya Vasti, Gosavi Vasti, Sainath Vasti, Tarvade Vasti and Mahatma Phule Vasti.

The major objectives of this initiative are to provide tuition support for the students in the slums, those who are weak in their studies and can’t afford private tuition and to encourage the students to continue their education. More than anything else, the class aims at overall personality development and character building of the students. As all the support class students are from slums, they face multiple challenges to continue their education, like lack of attention from parents at home, peer pressure to give up education, vulnerability to get involved in anti-social activities etc. 

In this scenario, support classes are playing a significant role in fulfilling one of the major objectives of the Samruddhi Program i.e., the number of students from government schools pursuing higher education. Selection of support class students are done through house visits and a pre-test to understand the learning level of the students. After selecting the students, parents’ meetings are organised to inform them about the functioning of support classes.

The major focus of the support class for 1-7^th standard is to provide quality education to students with the help of well-qualified teachers. Maths, English and Marathi are taught in support classes. In support classes for 10^th students, both regular and dropout students are enrolled. In these classes, subjects such as language, maths and science are covered.

Till March 2018, these support classes were conducted by part-time teachers in all slums. There were different teachers responsible for support classes for 1st to 7th standard and support classes for 10th standard. After assessing the intervention, a major change was introduced in April 2018 by appointing well-qualified full-time staff devoted specifically to the task. Now both the support classes are conducted by the same teachers. Working full time, they can spend quality time with the students, apart from developing a good rapport with the community. Another major change was the introduction of extracurricular activities in support classes. In the support classes, teachers teach the students using interactive methods wherever it is possible. They also assess the learning level of students in regular intervals through assessment tests. There are many students who are lacking basic knowledge of language and maths. 

Special attention is given to such students to help them to achieve the learning level of their present class.

Apart from study, several programs are being conducted to develop the personality of the students. Every Saturday, the children engage in activities such as painting, singing, dancing, yoga classes, clay modelling, crafts and reading. Campaigns like “Financial Literacy” are also organised where students have visited ATMs and banks. Sessions are conducted for students on topics such as the importance of saving, avoiding unnecessary expenses, understanding the currency etc. A total of 115 students of the support class attended the session. Out of them, 30 students have started saving. In the last month, their net savings were Rs. 9879.

Also, several sessions were organised on topics like hand washing, personal hygiene, responsibilities of students at school and at home, etc. Exposure trips are being organised for 10th std students every year to help them have practical exposure on various topics.

The following are the details of the increased enrollment of support class students in the past 4 years.

Because of Extracurricular activities conducted in support classes, the interest level is increased in education. Meanwhile the appointments of well qualified teachers, students’ learning level improved. Since 2015 to till date student’s enrolment increased in support classes also, they are continuing their education in schools.

As per the pre and post-test analysis more than 70% students are showing significant improvement in their studies and the average attendance percentage is more than 80%. Support classes for the 10th standard students are also showing significant results. 83% 10thclass students passed their board final exam, following are the details.

Regular parents’ meetings are organized to update the parents about the progress of their children. Also, the teachers and community coordinators maintain a good system for addressing the issue of absenteeism. If a student is absent for more than 2 days, staff visit their house to know the reason. This helped the teachers to improve the attendance. For example, in May 2019 the average attendance percentage of 10th class was 80%. And the average attendance percentage of 10thclass in November month is 90% of all slums.

As most of the students are coming from poor financial background and they cannot afford stationeries and guides, educational kits are being provided to all support class students. Presently 270 students are studying in support classes, 200 students in support class for 1st to 7th std, and 70 students in 10th std support classes. This initiative is helping the students to improve their learning level and to maintain continuity in education.