With complete disregard of the searing heat, 40 students in a small room in Sir Syed School in Tando Jam came together from nearby Union Councils to be a part of RETO (Reach, Engage & Transform the Outreach) Foundation's Smart Study Program.

With a 50-50% boy-girl participation, the program aimed to prepare students from rural areas to be able to compete with their urban counterparts in gaining university placements and scholarships. Moreover, it also aimed to help students prepare for university academics by inculcating in them an appreciation of a 'theoretical' approach towards learning, as opposed to the traditional rote-learning formula.

The Smart Study Program wasthen in its third-installment, with teachers from LUMS, IBA, CSS, Mehran and SAUThelping students by training and teaching them to enter universities as diverse as IBA, NUST, COMSATS & NCA and many others across the Pakistan.

With the help of RETO's elected student body, SHADES, the program this year garnered the attention of almost 300 students from Tando Qaiser, Tando Jam, Hyderabad, Aabri, Sawan Khan Gopang and Moosa Khatyan. However, due to limited capacity, the program had to be limited to 50 students who were selected through an entry test and interview.

During the weekdays, the program covered the Matriculation curriculum of Physics, Chemistry and Biology taught by local students,Kapil Maharaj, Asif Munawwar and Rajwanti Kumari. Rajwanti is an alumnus of the first Smart Study Program with the help of which she was able to enroll at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences.

Acknowledging that no education is worthwhile without application, the program also aimed to inculcate an understanding of the student's role in society and how he can use the knowledge gained towards making a positive impact for himself and society. This is achieved during the weekends, when young professionals, in addition to providing workshops on University Entry Tests and Scholarships, conducted workshops on critical thinking, inter-personal skills and an awareness of the country's job market.

Various teachers who led the workshop on the weekend, aimed to push the students towards gaining skills which would help them in jobs which do not currently exist. While in class, Ajay, Director at RETO, asked the students to imagine that the job they will desire to have after 4 years does not exist now. He asked them how they will prepare for something they don't know. The question was met with innovative responses and curious remarks. Ajay was particularly touched when a female student the end of the class shared, "Sir, I have never thought as much as I have today."

The program ran for two months; RETO is still mentoring the students till they reach the universities and beyond to ensure that any further challenges which the students meet with are addressed. The program will be held every year and RETO hopes that five years down the road, there are more locals like Kapil Maharaj, Asif Munawwar and Rajwanti Kumari, who come up with other initiatives like the Smart Study program to transform the landscape of their community, locality, province and eventually the entire country.