Working towards an enlightened India

The Teach For India initiative, now in its third year, is broadening its horizons to spread the light of knowledge in more cities across the country

Working towards an enlightened India

The Teach For India initiative, now in its third year, is broadening its horizons to spread the light of knowledge in more cities across the country
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As I stepped into the municipal school class being conducted by a Teach For India fellow, I was instantly reminded of a scene from the popular movie Taare Zameen Par where the kids are excited and full of life.
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While some in this particular class looked alert and curious, others looked lost in an imaginary world while they drew and coloured their favourite animals.

Anchal Taatya of Teach for India, a non-profit organisation, teaches Std II kids at the Shivner Vidya Mandir English Medium School in Sakinaka

Myriad pairs of wondrous eyes stared at 23-year-old Anchal Taatya in disbelief when he said, "Ask the gold fish for one thing and your wish will be granted."

"Teacher, anything?" asked a wide-eyed student. "I want chocolate and ice-cream," shouted another in excitement.

As the wishes kept pouring in, I stepped forward and asked Taatya what he would have wished for.
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"More knowledge and education for kids in our country," pat came the reply. Taatya is one of many young teachers, or fellows, recruited by the non-profit organisation, which is part of the global Teach For All network.
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He turned down many attractive job offers to settle for something simpler "but more gratifying".

"I had even received an offer from ONGC when I completed my engineering, but I was more keen to work in the social sector," he said proudly.

Taatya now teaches Std II kids at the Shivner Vidya Mandir English Medium School, which is located in a crowded slum cluster in Sakinaka.

Begun in 2009, the TFI initiative aims to teach children between Stds II and IV from low-income families in government and private schools in poor neighbourhoods across the country.
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The organisation started off with schools in Mumbai and Pune and it will, this year, cover many government schools in Delhi too.

"We have placed several fellows in BMC schools and are working with the municipal body to transform all of its 1,400 schools in Mumbai," said Shveta Raina, director (recruitment and marketing), TFI.

And, the improvement among the children is indeed impressive. Talk to a few students from these BMC schools and some of them might surprise you with their skills in theu00a0English language.

"My favourite subject is English and I want to become an airhostess," says an enthusiastic and confident Sheikh Siddiqui.

The petite nine-year-old, who lives in a nearby slum, doesn't know what her parents do for a living but emphasises that her parents have high hopes from her and she has to live up to their expectations.

Criteria

TFI trains and hires young professionals and recent graduates, such as Taatya, to teach in these schools.
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"Leadership, commitment, resourcefulness, integrity and personal achievement is what we look for in candidates," said Raina.

On Tuesday, TFI kicked off a weeklong global workshop called Synergies 2011 in the city which is seeing participation from fellows of 14 countries.
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"The aim of Synergies 2011 is to showcase innovations and experiences in classrooms from movements all over the world which share our vision of educational equity," explained Raina. 300 fellows will also be enrolled this month to teach as part of the programme.

The children have high ambitions, even though they live in squalor, with little hope of breaking out of the cycle of poverty. But initiatives like Teach for India may possibly equip them to fulfil their dreams. After all, rags to riches stories are not unheard of in India.

Enrolment
For details, visit www.teachforindia.org
The deadline for applying is January 23