Tata Steel’s pre-matric coaching classes gears up students for matric victory

India CSR News Network

RANCHI: Anant Kumar, a student of Pre-Matric Coaching centre at Jai Bharat Vidya Kendra, Bargaon Mandu – Ramgarh in Jharkhand scored 89.6 percent (448/500) and has topped in the district this academic year! The immediate question that we ask, what propelled his performance? How did he crack it? Well, it’s a mix of hard work, a bit of luck and of course the dedicated pre-matric coaching classes run by Tata Steel as part of its endeavour to promote education in society.

Pre-matric coaching is one of the key educational interventions of Tata Steel’s social responsibility to ensure that quality education is made accessible to the deserving students from marginalised communities. The coaching is provided to strengthen the basic concept of subjects, which then reflects their performance during matriculation.

In the year 2012-2013, an initiative was taken by the Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), West Bokaro Division to initiate pre-matric coaching classes. Of the first batch of 334 students who underwent the coaching and appeared in Annual Secondary Board Examination, a total of 327 students emerged with flying colours. It provided the impetus for the classes to continue through three consecutive years at four centres (1 in Kotre Basantpur, 2 in Chainpur and 1 in West Bokaro).

In 2015-16, pre-matric coaching classes were conducted for 564 students of operational villages across five different centres for six months for students of class VIII-X. A total of 15 part-time (selected) teachers provided coaching for subjects including Mathematics, English and Science.

Following analysis shows the improvement in result of pre-matric coaching students in Annual Secondary Board Exam:

Out of 564 students, 356 students appeared for Annual Secondary Board Exam. (Matric Exam) conducted by Jharkhand Academic Council. All of them cleared the examination wherein 49 students (about 15 per cent) got distinction (more than 75per cent marks) and 211 students (about 60 per cent of the students) passed the examination in first division.

 This has created a conviction for the students and their families, such that guardians, teachers, Panchayati Raj Institutions members and opinion leaders from the community have approached Tata Steel to extend the pre-matric coaching classes in 2016-17 as well. Therefore, pre-matric classes will continue for 1457 students from now until mid-February, 2017 across eight identified centres. All teachers will be selected based on their merit and qualification followed by an interview.

Regular meets between parents, teachers and students are organised at each center and the updates are recorded Tata Steel and officials meet once in a month to discuss issues related to progress of pre-matric coaching and students who needs attention. Students are subject to bi-weekly tests and the performance in regularly monitored.