A pioneer for equality of education, SHAHEEN MISTRY tells PRAKRITI ROY about the Teach For India initiative and the importance of education in India
You founded the Akanksha Foundation. How did that happenIJ
I had a blessed upbringing, growing up in more than 10 countries. In 1989, I was enrolled at Tufts University. In my second year summer break in Mumbai, I walked into one of the city’s sprawling slums and was greatly moved by the neglected plight of children. I decided then that I had to do something about it. So I enrolled in a sociology bachelor’s degree programme at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and began educating underprivileged children in a low-income community after college hours. Two months later, I started the Akanksha Foundation which pioneered the idea of bringing together available resources: vacant classrooms of mainstream schools, colleges and offices after work hours, children eager to learn, and the skills of college students who wanted to teach.
How did you end up with Teach For IndiaIJ
Teach For India happened in 2007 when I realised that something on a much larger scale was required. In 2006, I met Wendy Kopp, CEO-founder of Teach For America, to discuss the feasibility of adapting Teach For America’s model to the Indian context. A few months later, the plan to place the first cohort of Teach For India Fellows was put in place.
What is the aimIJ
It is a nationwide movement of the country’s most promising college graduates and young professionals who commit two-years to teaching full-time in low-income and under-resourced schools and go on to become a powerful and ever-growing leadership force of alumni. Informed by their experiences and insights, these alumni strive to work from inside and outside the educational system to effect fundamental, long-term changes necessary to ultimately realise educational opportunity for all — ensuring that one day, all children in India will attain an excellent education!
How important is it to educate the children in India todayIJ
Our vision is that one day, all children in India attain an excellent education. This lies in stark contrast to the situation today, where every child does not even enroll in school, and less than 10 per cent graduate from school and enter college. Most of those who are in school do not get an excellent education — one that truly maximises their potential, and gives them opportunities to do what they want to do, and be who they want to be.
Is literacy enough to provide them a better futureIJ
We believe that an excellent education is one that combines academics, values, mindsets, access and exposure — when you integrate these areas, we believe that a child can be put on a fundamentally different life path.
What do you think about the current education system in IndiaIJ
Our present education system places more emphasis on schooling rather than on learning. Recent reports like the ASER have shown limited growth in students’ learning in spite of several years of schooling. Students need multiple levels of engagement and support in order to really expose them to the opportunities available. This doesn’t even need to happen outside the classroom. We take advantage of various different options to engage their students within the classroom itself by teaching them values through academics, introducing them to industry leaders in order to understand the opportunities available to them and engaging with their immediate community and school through service projects. All of these contribute to providing our students with a balanced and informed perspective about the world around them.