Class teachers

The face of the nationwide movement that has picked up significant momentum,Gupta is one of the 87 graduates and young professionals imparting education through the much-advertised programme of Teach for India.

Churning out its first batch of full-time teachers for the next two years,from 33 low-income,English medium primary schools in Mumbai and Pune,for these new teachers,the country is watching. “It was a big decision for me but the problem is huge and being part of such a noble cause has given me a lot of satisfaction in life. My children are brilliant and I am preparing some of them for scholarship exams as well. There are multiple problems in our country and education is the strongest weapon to tackle them with,” adds Gupta,who teaches at the Nikos Primary School in Kondhwa.

Trained at Symbiosis Institute and Flame University ,the fellows also had interactions with Hillary Clinton,Aamir Khan and Nandita Das,among others and also have regular training sessions post classes. For Aparna Achuthan,it was going back to school from college. A fresh graduate in Political Science,she is now teaching the Std II students of Juhu Gandhi Gram (MPS). “I am having such a good time teaching them; in fact,the questions they pose and the enthusiasm they display makes me a better teacher. Social work is a broad spectrum and one can contribute in numerous ways. I chose this one because in a world that is so driven by sensationalising,to be a good citizen and choose between right and wrong,it is education that comes foremost. Moreover,the whole process of this campaign is impeccably organised,” says the 21-year-old from Mumbai,who had also volunteered earlier in her college.

Friends and acquaintances who were shocked when Sana Gabula declared her decision to join the campaign now derive inspiration from her. An IT Engineer,who has been working for the past three years,she says,“I have always been exposed to the better-off class of people in Mumbai,but we often fail to see the other side. Each and every child in my class has the potential to do well in life. Two years is something one can minimally dedicate to repay what you have been given and this is the perfect platform targeting the root cause of the challenge. I am loving the work.”

Manu Jindal from Chandigarh was always looking for an opportunity to fall back on the social and community work he had been doing during his college days. A metallurgical engineer with 18 months of experience,he is currently teaching around 48 students at the Valley View High School. “There are going to be 48 individuals tomorrow and that’s why when I teach them,it is everything from the lessons to random talks to why water should not be wasted. For instance,there is a boy in my class who was disinterested and lost all the time. Later,I started interacting with him more and more and today,his parents tell me he desires to go to school. That is the kind of change we are striving for,” says Jindal.