Thane: Two HSC students make history in Maharashtra’s tribal hamlet

Two HSC students from Pisepada a tribal hamlet in rural Thanersquos district have created history and are now an inspiration to other studentsAvinash Waghe and Dipali Katkari belong to the first batch of students from their hamlet who continued their studies after Class 7 and have now cleared Higher Secondary Certificate HSC exam with flying coloursAfter facing various socioeconomic barriers Avinash Arts stream and Dipali Commerce stream have secured 465 per cent and 415 per cent respectively The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education MSBSHSE on Wednesday declared the Higher Secondary Certificate HSC result 2022 The overall pass percentage in the Maharashtra Class 12 board exam is recorded at 9422 per cent The Konkan division in the state registered the highest pass percentage with 9721 followed by Nagpur 9652 per cent Amaravati 9634 per cent Latur 9525 per cent Kolhapur 9507 per cent Nashik 9503 per cent Aurangabad 9497 per cent Pune 9361 per cent while the Mumbai division recorded the lowest pass percentage of 9091Poor connectivity to the higher secondary school and junior colleges is the main reason why most students from Pisepada hamlet drop out of school after Class 7 Students study in a zilla parishad school up to Class 7 but it is challenging for them to go to higher secondary school and junior college that is located over 8 km away in Padgha village from their hamletDreaming to make a career in sports Avinash Waghe says ldquoThere is a long way to go I am yet to decide on the graduation course I will enrol in I am also planning to join a sports club to learn cricket with the financial help of an NGOrdquoAlso Read Maharashtra Class 12 result declared 9422 per cent students pass girls outperform boysHe adds ldquoI am happy that my efforts of walking every day for 8 km to attend college lectures paid off During Covid19 pandemic attending online lectures was a challenge due to poor internet connection and power cut issues in our hamlet During the pandemic I also helped my parents on the rice farmrdquoWaghe along with other students will have to face more difficulties as there are no undergraduate colleges nearby The closest college is around 15 hour away by road These students belong to the Katkari community a scheduled tribe community spread in various districts of MaharashtraGroup of students with volunteers PicAniket SalviSpeaking about the issues faced Aniket Salvi a political science teacher and founder of Rajani Foundation India says ldquoConnectivity fees and transportation costs are the reasons why students in these tribal villages drop out of schools after Class 7 They prefer to work and help their family financially For seven years we have adopted students in these villages to meet their financial needs such as paying their fees looking after their transportation expenses and providing them with stationery items so that they donrsquot drop out of school and complete their education Our volunteers visit these villages every weekend to teach the students of all age groupsrdquoTransportation is a big challenge for the students that keeps them disconnected from educationDipali Katkari 18 says ldquoThere is no public transportation ST buses connecting our hamlet My dad usually drops me to college every day so that I can study further While a lot of girls in our community get married at an early age my parents motivated me to concentrate on my educationrdquoDipali had joined a computer class during the pandemic with the financial help of an NGO Now she works in the same class and earns around Rs 2000 per month Dipali says ldquoI teach computers to students It is a learning experience as well as an income opportunity for me It helps me secure some funds for my future education and support the family financiallyrdquoldquoWe are happy to see that these students have cleared the HSC exam and set an example for other students This will motivate other students to continue their studiesrdquo says Rupesh Ghosalkar a Mumbai resident who along with young volunteers extended support to over 50 students in the tribal hamlet of Avinash and Dipali