2 days ago
From Bihar to Bengaluru: Rural Dalit women break barriers through alternative education
Phula Kumari, a woman in her early twenties, is a curriculum associate at Sajhe Sapne, a non-profit based in Kandbari, Himachal Pradesh. She's from Jehanabad, Bihar, and belongs to the Musahar community, one of the most socially deprived Dalit communities in India.
'If not for the opportunities I have now, I'd probably be married, says Phula. 'Marriage is not bad, but I wanted to work and build a career first.'
After schooling, she enrolled in Magadh University, but classes weren't held due to COVID-19. 'Even otherwise, it's a known fact that the colleges here rarely conduct regular classes due to teacher shortages. Students only attend exams and get their degrees; no real learning happens,' she notes.
This led her to join Sajhe Sapne, a non-profit organisation that runs year-long residential programmes for young rural women and offers courses in Project Management, Coding, and Primary Math Teaching. Women from some of the most underpriveleged communities across India who have finished basic schooling come to Sajhe Sapne's center in Himachal Pradesh to do these courses so they become working women when they leave.
At the programme, the learning is not just a few skills, but also about being professional and interacting with others as one. The graduates of this programme have gone on to work in a range of sectors including startups in Bengaluru that are progressive enough to value these women bring to the table.
Phula's story shines a light on the lack of accessibility, inclusivity, and the absence of skill-building in higher educational institutions in tier two and three cities and rural areas. The recent Economic Survey 2023-24 revealed that only 51.25% of India's graduates are deemed employable, highlighting a significant skills gap.
This also raises the relevance of alternative educational spaces that cater to the ground realities of rural India. 'Phula was in our first cohort that began in 2020,' says Surabhi Yadav, Sajhe Sapne's CEO. Over four cohorts, 130 students have graduated. 'We aim to reinvent rural education and build agency,' she explains. Their demographic data shows 11% ST, 43% SC, 30% OBC, and 16% General/Savarna students.
Access to education after school
'In villages, the concept of having or pursuing a career is almost non-existent; it's not careers but livelihoods that gain focus,' says Ms. Surabhi. After Class 12, professional growth options shrink, especially for rural women.
Young women are usually presented with three options: marriage, a degree course that often fails to translate into skills and immediate employment opportunities, like factory work.
The latter option can lead them into a livelihood trap, because the opportunity to grow is nil, highlights Ms. Surabhi. Some government programmes and NGOs inadvertently push rural women into low-paying manual jobs, while these help financially, they reinforce stereotypes without building agency, she adds.
Navigating hurdles
Most students who come to the centre face resistance at home. Surabhi explains, 'There's a lot of coercion, blackmail, and pressure from their families before they even reach us.'
Sapna, a 19-year-old from Katihar, Bihar, recalls how difficult it was to convince her parents to let her go to Sajhe. 'Our family depends on farming, and so my father wanted me to work in the fields and get married.'
She says that it was a difficult choice to leave, but she wanted to see the world out there.
Over the last four years of running the program, she has observed that brothers are often the biggest obstacle, not just the student's brother, but also uncles, cousins, and brothers-in-law. 'They create a lot of ruckus to stop these women from leaving,' Surabhi notes.
She adds, 'Patriarchy has taught brothers to protect the 'honour' of the women in the family. In their minds, they're doing just that, keeping their sisters and nieces from stepping out.' But she notes that having even one supportive family member can change everything.
'It was my bua, who is a part of the trade union, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, who booked my ticket and encouraged me to go. She said she would handle convincing my parents,' Sapna said.
She now interns at Tonbo Imaging and stays in PG in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
To reach more students, Sajhe collaborates with grassroots NGOs across multiple states - including Nari Gunjan in Bihar, Yuwa in Jharkhand, Pradan and Synergy in Madhya Pradesh, Milaan in Uttar Pradesh, Har Haath Kalam in Punjab, Karma Marg in Haryana, Ibdata and Ujala Foundation in Rajasthan, and Atmavishwas Foundation in Himachal Pradesh - along with several other partner organisations. These NGOs help negotiate with parents, often emphasising that the program is just a year long, unlike traditional degree courses.
Once students arrive, the centre's feminist leadership pedagogy helps them build confidence through peer and community support. The program equips them to challenge restrictive family narratives and broaden their worldview.
Another key factor in breaking resistance, Surabhi points out, is the domino effect when an elder sister joins. Younger siblings, both in the family and the wider community, often follow.
Phula's younger sibling, Sonmati, followed in her footsteps and joined Sajhe. She now works as a primary school teacher with Har Haath Kalam, an NGO based in Punjab. 'The fight doesn't disappear,' Surabhi says, 'but these small victories help young women build agency and pave the way for others.'
Launching careers
The organisation assists students and their hiring partners with recruitment processes. So far, it has achieved 100% internship and job placement rates along with a 75% retention rate. 'There is hiring interest from a lot of NGOs from across the regions, as well as some social enterprises and tech start-ups,' says Ms Surabhi.
Some of the organisations that Sajhe alumni work for include Kochi-based Aikyam, Bangalore-based Tonbo Imaging, Gurgram-based Milaan Foundation and Delhi-based social enterprise Takachar, among others.
Surabhi acknowledges that most companies require degrees for hiring, but she says, 'Hiring practices must test for skills rather than always requiring a degree. Having a degree does not guarantee that the candidate has the required skills.'
The Sajhe team explains that over the past four years, they have noticed a slight increase in tech start-ups valuing diversity and hiring potential graduates.
An alternative pedagogy
Surabhi emphasises that true inclusivity for young rural women only happens when the curriculum, language, and teaching tools are deliberately shaped for them.
So far, students have come from seven states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, regions where poverty, gender, and caste create multiple layers of marginalisation.
According to the NITI Aayog SDG Report (2023-24), Bihar ranks among India's poorest states with an index score of 39, far below the national average of 72. Uttar Pradesh scores 57. The Multidimensional Poverty Index further highlights the struggle: 33% of Bihar's population lives in poverty, followed by UP (23%) and MP (22%)—all above the national average of 14%. The Education metrics are also equally stark, with Bihar scoring just 32 on SDG 4 (Quality Education), UP 54, and MP 49, compared to India's average of 61.
'Even though we conduct an initial screening test,' Surabhi says, 'the first two months focus on foundational skills—reading, writing, and bridging the gap in Hindi and English.' Many students are intimidated by English, so the program eases them in. Traditional schooling rarely encouraged questioning, so Sajhe deliberately cultivates curiosity as a core part of learning.
Language barriers extend beyond English. 'Take the Hindi word for 'entrepreneurship'—udyamasheelata,' says Surabhi. 'It's textbook Hindi, alien to daily speech. Here, we call it pehalwani, a term that embodies initiative and action.'
Learning happens in circles, in groups, and through activity-based assessments instead of exams. Weekly 'pehalwani matches' let students showcase their progress. The program also reimagines professional vocabulary, like translating 'professionalism' to bharose ki kua (a well of trust) or simplifying 'deadline' into relatable terms. 'It's about crafting a language that doesn't exclude,' Surabhi adds. 'If they can't see themselves in the words, how will they see themselves in the opportunities?'
Trauma-informed learning
When young women from diverse backgrounds come together, conflict often erupts before bonding begins. 'The girls are great at fighting, physically,' says Surabhi.
She recalls three students who came from slums, one addicted to tobacco, the others quick to throw punches. 'If we expelled students for every outburst, this program would lose its purpose.'
For these women, mental health and anger management are distant concepts. 'They're already burdened by poverty, gender, and caste,' Surabhi explains. 'Punishment isn't the answer.'
Instead, restorative justice guides resolutions. After fights, students discuss openly: the aggressor explains their actions, and the group collectively decides the consequences. Once, they mandated that the hitter take walks with each classmate to rebuild trust. 'Methods like this transform friction into resilience,' she says. A trauma-informed therapist, Colleen West, supports the program's curriculum and implementation.
When asked how urban class and caste privilege shape experiences, Surabhi acknowledges, 'Yes, we're addressing cultural capital through our frameworks.'
The Sapna Centre's mission extends beyond skills; it's also about agency. The course builds confidence and community, empowering women to claim spaces that exclude them. Internships are a key component: students secure placements independently, facing rejections and overcoming inhibitions. 'They talk to 20 people, endure 10 'nos,' then land opportunities nearby,' Surabhi notes. Mentorship also plays a role in expanding their networks.
Cultural capital manifests differently across contexts. Saloni, a Dalit student from Rajasthan in the first cohort, recently built her family a pucca house, says Surabhi, 'These are some kinds of capital we are trying to build.'
The percentage of people living in pucca versus kacha houses is one indicator used to measure progress on SDG 1 (No Poverty).
Scaling across
The Sajhe team envisions grassroots NGOs adopting their model across villages. 'The idea is to be able to host Sapna centres, where at least 20 young women are willing to gather and want to learn,' says Surabhi.
A new Sapna Centre, a non-residential model, is being opened at Nadwan, Patna and will be run by a local NGO, Gram Jagat, with Sajhe acting as their learning partner, says Ms. Surabhi.
The organisation now plans to move their base from Himachal to Madhya Pradesh. ' We aim to work at a district level in MP,' explains the Sajhe team. Their focus will be on the upcoming Kabil Kamao Kamia District campaign, which aims to ensure that at least 20% of young women enter the formal workforce with a steady income.
'We want to support local administration to implement schemes meant for skilling and employment of youth, and bring rural women into it,' says Ms. Surabhi. This includes providing technical advice and improving implementation efficiency for state and national skilling schemes, i.e District Skill Mission.
