Robert Slattery with the students on the NGO’s campus in Ranchi. Telegraph picture

Ranchi, July 24: Three years ago, 39 girls from rebel-hit and poverty-stricken Rania block in Khunti district were school dropouts vulnerable to trafficking. Today, they all study in reputable cradles and dream to make it big in life.

“I never thought I would study in a college. It is a reality that I still find difficult to believe,” said Nisharani Kandulna, a resident of Jaipur village who is studying intermediate arts at St Joseph’s College in Torpa.

Her elder brother Som, a farmer by profession, wants to support his sister’s education till she becomes a graduate.

While Nisharani notched 63.4 per cent in her Class X examination conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling, the other girls too cleared the test and are now first-year intermediate students at cradles like Birsa College, Rania Plus Two High School and Karra Plus Two High School — all in Khunti.

The girls had appeared for the open school examination in April this year and results were declared in the last week of June. Eight secured first division and 25 managed second division. The rest cleared the test. In fact, one among the 39 candidates, Mariyam Topno, secured a commendable 72.6 per cent, showing how an environment conducive to education can bring about change.

The novel way of educating dropouts from poor families in areas vulnerable to trafficking has been drawn up by Navaj Bhai Ratan Tata Trust (NRTT) and its Ranchi-based partner NGO Vikas Bharati Bishunpur.

To protect the girls, NRTT started its ambitious programme with tailored residential schooling. Vikas Bharati christened the programme ‘Kishorika’ and implemented it at its centre in the capital.

The study model envisaged residential schooling in regular subjects such as economics, business studies, Hindi, home science and social studies, as well as vocational courses in sewing, beauty, computers, et al. For three years, teachers at Kishorika helped the girls prepare for the National Institute of Open Schooling exam.

“The programme was launched to set an example on how dropout girls could be given good education with negligible investment. Now, the model is a roaring success. However, our initiative is just a drop in the ocean, if not emulated by others,” said an NRTT official. Robert Slattery, a Roman Catholic priest from Hazaribagh who evaluated the programme, has lauded it as a big achievement.

Ashok Bhagat, secretary of Vikas Bharati Bishunpur, added: “We, along with NRTT, have set an example. We have shown what dropouts can do if guided in the right direction. Such programmes should now be replicated.”