Efforts Needed To Create Schools Where Girls Truly Thrive

What was the driving force behind starting Teach for India? And how was the idea developed and executed? 

I was born in Mumbai, grew up in five different countries and at the age of eighteen, returned to Mumbai, feeling the need to do something about the unequal opportunities that children have in India. As a student at St Xavier’s College, I was inspired by the desire to shift the needle on inequity in education in India and founded the first Akanksha centre in 1989 with 15 children, which was at that time rooted in the idea of using vacant classrooms in big schools, colleges and offices as learning centres for underprivileged children.  

I also realised that it was important for change to happen at a large scale so that many people come on board, helping in educating the underprivileged. And so, the concept of Teach For India emerged. This idea manifested more strongly when I met Wendy Kopp, CEO and Founder, Teach for America, to discuss if it was a viable decision to start something similar back home. And this idea was also inspired by one of my mentors, Jayesh Patel or Jayeshbhai, co-founder and director of Manav Sadhna, an NGO based out of the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India.  

In the summer of 2008, I started Teach For India, with the vision of providing an excellent education to all children across India through building a pipeline of leaders committed to ending educational inequity in India. The Teach For India Fellowship enlists India's most promising college graduates and young professionals to spend two years teaching in low-income schools, attempting to bridge the educational gap in the country. We started small, with just our Pune and Mumbai sites and now, fifteen years later, we have over 4,500 Alumni, 1,000 Fellows and 250 staff members, impacting over 34,000 children across our eight cities.  

How did you develop a team of experts who could resonate with your philosophy? 

I believe that the work of teaching in India’s classrooms, at the grassroots level, is truly the most important, urgent and transformational work that one can choose to do in today’s world. Because today, the work of a teacher is not just to teach, but to build our nation’s leaders in our classrooms. And any individual who believes in this idea, who truly cares about the kind of schools and classrooms that are shaping our children, would naturally also share Teach For India’s philosophy - this belief in the limitless potential of our children and the need for compassionate leaders who are capable of driving change at all levels of the system.  

We have always held a high bar for our team and for each other, from the fellows in our classrooms, to the members of our staff who continue to support and amplify our work with children. Some values that we hold very close as we do this work are love, empathy, integrity and excellence. We embody a sense of possibility that fuels our passion even in the face of overwhelming odds and we try to create a culture of achievement, support & growth for every individual that we work with - from students, to fellows, to all staff members.  

We also really value expertise, experience and commitment to the work. It’s important to recognise that the work of the social sector is challenging and demanding (even more so, when it comes to children and education) and it’s crucial to develop a team that is able to find inspiration, energy, joy and hope in working towards a vision like ours.  

What is the impact that your organisation has created? 

Today, Teach For India impacts over 34,000 children through the direct work of over 1,000 fellows and 250 staff members across eight cities and has produced over 13,500 student alumni. Additionally, the Teach For India Alumni community is over 4500 members strong, impacting 1 million children directly and reaching 50 million children indirectly.  

Teach For India is an advocate for student voice and partnership and has launched high-impact initiatives like the Maya Musical, the Kids Education Revolution and The Greatest Show on Earth which explore student leadership. Knowing the power of teachers as leaders, Shaheen conceptualised Firki, a Teacher Training Portal which is a highly curated, one-stop platform for teachers to learn and grow together. Firki currently reaches 142,000 users. And driven by the need to reach the last child in India, we started TFIx, which is an incubator for passionate education entrepreneurs who are willing to adapt Teach For India’s model to their context and region in rural areas. TFIx entrepreneurs currently reach over 200,000 children across India. 

How are you ensuring the right skills, including computer literacy for those you reach out to? 

Ensuring that our students are learning skills that are relevant, current, integrated and aligned with the demands of the 21st century workforce is a top priority for us, especially as we design curriculum, equip fellows with pedagogical tools and think about different assessment formats. Particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic, the entire education system has felt the need for digital literacy more urgently than ever before and ensuring that we are capitalising on this opportunity to bridge the digital divide to some extent is crucial.  

At a curriculum level, we emphasise foundational literacy & numeracy and integrate 21st century skills like communication, creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and more into our teaching resources. We design and implement lesson plans that integrate technology, ensuring that students have exposure to computers and digital tools from an early age. This integration is not only aimed at teaching technical skills but also at fostering critical thinking, innovation, adaptability and creativity through the use of technology.  

Our fellows are equipped with teaching tools, resources and training that allows them to leverage technology at all levels, from asynchronous and self-paced learning, to diagnostic assessments and even providing exposure. By empowering our teachers, we ensure that they can effectively impart digital skills to their students or access opportunities that enable these skills to be practiced and prioritised in ways that are meaningful for children that we work with. By integrating technology into the curriculum, providing access to resources, training teachers and engaging the community wherever possible (through community impact projects, outreach and engagement), we aim to empower students to thrive in an increasingly digital world.  

Physical, mental and emotional wellbeing are important aspects of any education initiative. What has been your approach in this regard? 

At an organisational level, we recognise that physical, mental and emotional wellbeing are integral to a child's overall development, academic success and ability to cope with challenges and failures. We prioritise holistic education by incorporating social-emotional learning and value-based learning into our curriculum and providing personalised support services for students facing challenges that negatively impact their health and wellbeing. We also believe in leveraging artsand the performance arts in particular, as a medium of expression and an outlet for children to explore, express and discover their own feelings, abilities and interests.  

We also offer training and resources for teachers to create safe and inclusive learning environments that promote wellbeing. Every Fellow in our program receives guidance on creating safe spaces within and outside our classrooms - and many of them go above and beyond to tackle specific issues, needs and interests that come up for their students. By addressing the holistic needs of our students, we empower them to reach their full potential and become resilient, confident individuals. In addition to this, we offer counselling services for our fellows and staff members as well, acknowledging the impact of this kind of work on our own mental health and wellbeing as well.  

At a more personal level, I manage my own wellbeing by trying to live fully in the moment and have become better at accepting the things I choose not to do without feeling guilty or apologetic. I try to organise my time well, and simply have support to do the many things that I do. I also keep myself surrounded by people who keep me energised and continue to work directly with children to fuel my purpose.  

How can the cause of inclusive education, with equal opportunities for girls, be realised in our country? 

I think it’s important to recognise the fact that making our education system gender inclusive is about more than just the number of girls in our classrooms. Gender bias and exclusionary practices often pervade our system’s curriculum, our pedagogy, our classroom structures, our teacher training and even our school policies. It takes a lot to create a school ecosystem that girls don’t just attend, but actually thrive in - a system that keeps them in school, creates spaces designed intentionally to serve their interests & development and provides access to opportunities, platforms and resources that enable them to break through gender barriers and stereotypes that otherwise may be imposed by their circumstances.  

Leadership is a key aspect of inclusive education and in providing equal opportunities for girls. And this isn’t just leadership at a systemic or classroom level, but is also influenced by the leadership potential of our girls and what we are doing to nurture it. In our recruitment process, we actively seek out leaders and educators who can serve as role models and mentors for girls in underserved communities. We provide training and support to our fellows to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the specific needs and challenges faced by diverse groups in the classroom. This includes training on gender-sensitive teaching practices, strategies to foster confidence and leadership skills among girls and approaches to promote girls' participation and engagement in subjects that otherwise may seem out of reach.  

At a curriculum level, by simply providing a curriculum that is relevant, relatable and inclusive, we can inspire girls to pursue their interests and aspirations without limitations. Most girls are told at a very young age that they can or cannot be something, must or must not do something and should or should not say something - and schools can do a lot to help our girls unlearn this conditioning. More importantly, the actions, mindset and behaviours of a teacher can go a long way toward helping girls find their voice, their passion and their ambition.