Pratham-Jameel Second Chance

As they grow older, girls in particular are less likely to remain enrolled in school education. Almost one third of Indian girls drop out of school in or before grade 10, which is a necessary certification for pursuing higher education and accessing a wide range of employment opportunities. Girls and young women go on to face immense challenges in completing their education or realising their full career potential.

Initially launched in 2011 by Pratham Education Foundation, one of India’s leading non-governmental organisations working to improve the quality of education, Pratham’s Second Chance programme has provided academic support to 4,000 girls annually who have dropped out of education to reintegrate into the school education system and complete their secondary education.

Building on these foundations, the new Pratham-Jameel Second Chance programme, launched in August 2023 in partnership with Community Jameel, aims to mobilise 10,000 girls and young women across India who have dropped out of school, and to provide them with academic support in order to appear for and pass their grade 10 examination.

As part of this effort, the programme will support 5,000 girls to become Pratham-Jameel Second Chance Fellows and reach grade 12, receiving additional support to pursue higher education and vocational training opportunities. Additionally, the programme includes non-academic support through life skills modules that aim to enable girls to pursue future pathways beyond grade 10.