A Mentor, Once a Fortnight, for Two Years
Praveen, 19
The cheapest thing we did for him was also the one he says made the difference: one adult outside the family who kept checking in.
- 2
- years of fortnightly contact
- 48
- students in the mentor scheme
- 86%
- completed their course
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Praveen was the first in his family to reach higher secondary, and by his own account came close to leaving twice in the first year.
What the money covered
Fees, materials and travel. All of it necessary, none of it sufficient on the two occasions he nearly stopped attending.
What actually held
A mentor who called every second week. Not a tutor, not a counsellor — someone who would notice and ask. It is the least expensive component of the programme by a wide margin.
The pattern across the cohort
Among supported students, having a regular mentor is the strongest single predictor of completion in our own records. It outperforms the size of the financial award.
Where he is now
He is in the second year of a diploma and mentors two students himself.
“Somebody was going to ask me how it went. That was mostly it.”