The Indian education system is based on numbers – score high on a test and you are granted the opportunity to a solid education. Score low on a test and the door is shut.
Hope Now is always focused on how to provide the best education for each child, balancing their skill set, aptitude and interests with what is available to them in the system. There are so many variables for our kids. Did they attend school before coming to us? Are they fully literate? What is their health status? Will a certain educational institution take a student who is HIV-positive? Unfortunately, even if a child is capable the answer will be no.
Our staff work miracles in the face of daunting odds as they pursue the best possible education options for every one of our kids. Sometimes this requires a visit to a principal or a call to a government official to move the dial. Most of the time, it requires a consistent after school tutoring session for months or years to get a child where they need to be to do well.
Hope Now was fortunate to find Mr. Solomon Raju and his wife Mrs. Sunjani Solomon a couple of years ago. They came on board as many of our teenagers were beginning to look at college prospects but did not have the test scores to make it happen.
Mr. Solomon Raju first joined us in Jan 2019 as a Tutor for the college students. While he continues to do the same now, he also oversees the liaison work with colleges which includes procuring admissions. This job includes screening each child for the interests and career path they wanted to take, counseling those who were unable to decide, then looking for the right colleges.
Mrs. Sujani Solomon joined us in March 2020 to tutor the K12 children. After being at the home with her husband, she saw the possibility of joining us as an additional tutor. Her area of expertise in the sciences is a needed addition to our staff. Now she teaches the K12 students and helps the students in vocational training as well.
Since their arrival, with each passing month the kids have done better and better not just with test scores but overall educational outcomes at every level. We are so grateful to have them as part of our staff. Together these two have transformed our educational outcomes and continue to be an added benefit to our home.