Ask a Class 12 student what they want to be and the answer is almost always one of four things: doctor, engineer, army officer or government job. That’s not because these are the only options. They’re the only ones anyone has ever shown them.
Students choose a stream in Class 10, one of the most important decisions of their lives, based on family habit or peer pressure rather than information. Girls in particular are steered toward teaching or nursing, whatever their interests.
What Disha does
Real working professionals from four streams spend a day in the school. Students talk with them, ask questions and leave with a career handout, a workbook and a counsellor they can contact any time of the year.
| Science | Arts | Commerce | Vocational |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor, engineer, pharmacist, drone technician, data analyst, lab scientist | Journalist, lawyer, social worker, designer, psychologist, civil services | CA, banker, GST consultant, entrepreneur, stock analyst, retail manager | Electrician, solar installer, beautician, chef, fashion designer, IT support |
On the day
- Guest professionals for each stream, in real conversations
- A career-ladder handout per stream: qualification, exam and salary
- An interest-mapping activity where students rate 20 careers
- An open cross-stream panel in the afternoon
- An introduction to the counsellor students can call later
After the day
- A personal 30-minute one-on-one session for every interested student
- WhatsApp and phone counselling all year, with no cut-off
- Guidance on colleges, ITIs and entrance exams
What makes Disha different
| Typical career fair | Disha | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | One-day event, forgotten within a week | One day plus year-round personal counselling |
| Stream coverage | Generic, all students together | Four dedicated streams |
| Who delivers | Teachers or outsourced agencies | Real professionals |
| Follow-up | None | Personal counselling for every interested student |
| Girls | Rarely addressed | Women professionals in every stream |
| Vocational | Almost always ignored | Equal stage, equal speakers |
Budget, per school (one programme day plus counselling)
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Guest speaker honorarium (4 × ₹5 | ₹20,000 | |
| Speaker travel reimbursement | ₹12,000 | Local travel; outstation at actuals |
| Disha workbook and career handout (100 students) | ₹15,000 | ₹100 per student; all four streams |
| Venue setup and AV | ₹5,000 | Hall |
| Banners, stream charts, posters | ₹10,000 | |
| Refreshments (speakers and students) | ₹7,000 | |
| Personal counselling sessions (post-programme) | ₹8,000 | |
| Coordinator travel and field cost | ₹12,000 | |
| Documentation and photography | ₹5,000 | |
| Miscellaneous | ₹6,000 | |
| Total | ₹1,00,000 | All-inclusive |