P. Agastin from Nagapattinam came to Tirupur after tsunami. He had no option but to stop studying and start working when he was studying Standard III. He went for work in a textile company as a helper and worked in shifts, to support his family.
He was rescued by the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), and was enrolled in a special school at Tirupur. He completed his tenth grade scoring 390. “I expected above 400, but still I am happy with my grades. I studied normally and did not stress myself out,” he said. He plans to chose computer science group and wants to become an engineer.
S. Vennilla, also from Tirupur, used to work in a tailoring shop and earned ₹ 300 per month. She along with her family left her home town Tiruchendur in search of job. After completing her Standard VIII she worked for a year, before she was rescued by the NCLP and was enrolled in a special school in Tirupur. She completed her tenth grade, scoring 388. She plans to choose science stream and wants to become a nurse.
Agastin and Venilla are among the 17 students who were rescued and rehabilitated by the NCLP in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts and have completed their tenth grade this year. While five of them are from Coimbatore, 11 are from Tirupur district.
“A teacher from NCLP was sent every month regularly to track their marks and results. If there is financial support from other organisations, it will help the students,” said D. Vijaya Kumar, project director of NCLP-Coimbatore.
Prisoners do well
Of the 51 undertrials and convicts who appeared for the SSLC exam, 48 of them, including two women have cleared the exam, Superintendent of Central Prison, Coimbatore, said. One of the prisoners scored the highest of 389 out of 500.
