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Teach For India is a nationwide movement that aims to eliminate inequity in education in India. Visit www.teachforindia.org to know more!

In the short-term, through our Fellowship program, we provide an opportunity to India’s brightest and most promising individuals, from the nation’s best universities and workplaces, to serve as full-time teachers to children from low-income communities in some of the nation’s most under-resourced schools. Through this experience of teaching in classrooms and working with key education stakeholders

like students, principals, and parents, our Fellows get exposed to the grassroots realities of India’s education system and begin to cultivate the knowledge, skills, and mindsets necessary to attain positions of leadership in the education system and identify their role in building a larger movement for equity in education. In the long-term, we engage these leaders, our Alumni, and support this growing community to advocate for change. Our Alumni work in diverse roles within the education sector, as teachers, teacher-trainers, school principals, curriculum designers, and education policy researchers, as well as in the ecosystem surrounding and supporting the education sector, as journalists, lawyers, health experts, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders, all with a shared purpose to build a broad people’s movement for educational equity that will accelerate progress towards that day when all children in India have the opportunity to attain an excellent education so that we, as a nation, can find our light and our true potential.

08/04/2026

“Every Wednesday, something powerful happens in our classrooms in Pune.

Employees of our long-term CSR partner Deutsche Bank walk in as volunteers, and with them, they bring something beyond a lesson plan; they bring hope and belief. Sparing time from their busy day, they come to teach our Students something very unique. Our self-curated “India and I” curriculum. Through ‘India & I Studies’, they are guiding our Students to self-discovery, empathy, and civic responsibility, nurturing leaders who will one day shape the nation they grow up in. From understanding who they are, to caring for the people around them, to imagining the India they want to build, our students are learning that leadership begins in the classroom.

A heartfelt thank you to every Deutsche Bank volunteer who has made this commitment. Your presence every week is a reminder that when good intentions meet consistent action, a nation truly can be built from its classrooms.

*India & I Studies is a set of lesson plans designed by Teach For India to build responsible future citizens from the classrooms of India. It intends to deepen the idea of democracy by sparking a sense of constitutional morality among young Indians. It helps Students understand their history, their rights, and their responsibilities, and what it truly means to live by the values our Constitution stands for.”

Deutsche Bank

06/03/2026

The first time Stefan noticed an error in a school textbook, it was small.
A word spelt incorrectly or a sentence missing punctuation.

Then he saw it again in a student’s notebook.
Copied exactly as it appeared in the textbook.

He began to think about what these small mistakes meant for students who were still building their relationship with language. When children trust their textbooks, they trust that what they are learning is correct. Even minor errors, repeated daily, can slowly shape understanding of the language and the contents of the textbook.

What troubled Stefan was not the existence of mistakes, but how invisible they often are. Textbooks are produced at scale, across languages and contexts. Imperfections slip through. In classrooms, those imperfections become part of how children learn.

Errata emerged from this realisation. The idea was simple and deeply collaborative. If many people each took responsibility for a small part, proofreading textbooks one page at a time, it could become possible to strengthen learning material at scale.

Through Errata, a crowdsourced and crowdfunded initiative, over 80 volunteers from across India came together to review language and factual errors in state-issued textbooks. What began in one classroom has since led to formal collaborations and conversations with state bodies and government officials, while remaining grounded in the everyday realities of teaching.

For Stefan, the work continues where it started.
In school.
Paying attention to what children see, read, and carry with them into the world.

[Fellowship, Students, Crowdfunded, Impact , Classrooms, Collaboration]

17/02/2026

Anushka joined the Fellowship knowing the education system was unequal because she had lived it. She had studied in under-resourced institutions, seen Students go unheard, and felt the weight of what was missing. What she hadn’t yet learned was to believe in her own agency.

Her first day in front of fifty children left her in tears. Her Students resisted her, questioned her presence, and rejected her authority. With time, reflection, and support, she learned that resistance wasn’t failure; it was an invitation to build trust.

The shift came when she chose honesty over control. By showing up as a human being, not just a teacher, relationships began to form. And with them, learning followed.

As the Fellowship continued, Anushka’s transformation went deeper. In a space that valued reflection, she stopped hiding her background and began owning her story. She learned to pause instead of react, to lead with empathy, and to trust herself in moments of uncertainty.

When a serious health crisis left her hospitalised far from home, the Fellowship’s support became tangible. Community, care, and systems stepped in when her family couldn’t. It reminded her that she wasn’t doing this work alone.

Today, Anushka believes change doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from showing up, staying honest, and growing through discomfort. The Fellowship didn’t transform her by making things easier, but by creating the conditions for courage, care, and sustained action.

[Fellowship, Empathy, Transformation, Students, Leadership]

12/02/2026

To mark National Girl Child Day, Teach For India classrooms in Hyderabad and Bangalore welcomed Oracle volunteers for conversations that went far beyond textbooks.

Across both cities, volunteers led Women in STEM sessions where they shared their own journeys, spoke honestly about navigating careers in science and technology, and opened up discussions on why representation matters. For many students, this was a chance to meet professionals, ask questions, and begin imagining careers built on skills they are learning today.

In 2026, with support from Oracle, Teach to Lead is implementing project in 5 cities directly impacting 2200+ Students. This engagement reached nearly 120 students across Hyderabad and Bangalore. Through interactive discussions, students gained clarity on STEM courses they can pursue after school, pathways to apply for them, and a deeper understanding of the challenges and progress around girls’ education. The sessions left students feeling informed, motivated, and hopeful, reinforcing education as a powerful driver of personal and societal change.

Thank you to Oracle volunteers for partnering with us to create learning experiences that inspire, affirm, and expand what young people believe is possible.
Oracle

11/02/2026

Ever imagine that gender divide can reach a classroom in India? We have a co-education school system which signifies diversity. But what happens when girls and boys sit separately in a classroom. Joshua found this culture in his classroom. “I was shocked to see this” said Joshua. After speaking to a few students and hearing their opinions, he understood that it was a mindset ingrained in these Students, and the cause of it was much deeper. Deeper into the community. Here, education was never a priority, the vicious cycle of poverty makes education a far-fetched thought.

During his first year into the Fellowship, facing challenges like these made Joshua realise that his Students need to develop a sense of equality and understand diversity better. After observing them, he also realised that they had a herd mentality towards education. No one knew why learning was important or integral to their lives.

From here on, Joshua decided to take baby steps to bring change. Creating co-ed study groups, playing games like cricket and football together, is helping Students to build camaraderie among one another. Contextualising education and reading material for them is helping them understand why education is important. In the past one year, Joshua has now started to see the ripple effect of his efforts. Students are now beginning to show empathy towards each other. They are now actively participating in discussions, showing interest in lessons and making significant steps towards their learning journey. They have now started to support one another, encouraging their classmates to try again, and taking ownership of classroom values. “These moments remind me that ‘belief’ is contagious, and when Students feel empowered, they rise together”, says Joshua. He hopes to work together with his Students and help them to become strong, empowered individuals.

[Fellowship, Empowerment, Empathy, Coeducation]

03/02/2026

Nakul didn’t fail his Students.
His teaching just wasn’t meeting them where they were.”

When Nakul stepped into his classroom as a Teach For India Fellow, everything felt out of control. Students didn’t listen to him, fights broke out, and children got hurt. Within a month, he felt defeated and wondered if he was meant to be here at all.

That doubt hurt deeply because Nakul had once been a Teach For India Student. He came from a humble background with little academic exposure until Deepanshu and Arunachal Bhaiya entered his life. For five years, his didis and bhaiyas showed him what learning could feel like. They handled difficult classrooms with patience, made academics exciting, and never stopped believing in their Students. Nakul once feared mathematics and felt weak in it, until Sanjana didi made him fall in love with the subject, leading him to pursue a degree in mathematics.

At his lowest point, Nakul looked back at those memories. He thought of how his own didis and bhaiyas kept showing up, even when things were hard. He remembered those who stayed for him. That memory gave him the courage to stay.

As he observed his class more closely, Nakul realised something important. His Students struggled to sit still, but they lit up when they could move, play, touch, and create. His teaching wasn’t meeting them where they were. That realisation became the turning point.

Nakul rebuilt his classroom through social-emotional learning and activity-based practices. By using one-on-one conversations and storytelling, he addressed anger, built empathy, and shifted student behaviour. He shared activities with parents on WhatsApp to encourage learning at home and foster Student leadership. Nakul created an active, independent, and community-supported space where children grow emotionally and academically.

The same belief that once transformed him as a student now guides him as a Fellow, proving that when teachers stay, hope finds a way back into the classroom.

[StudentAlumni, Impact, Fellowship, Belief, Transformation]

27/01/2026

Disclaimer: Names changed to maintain privacy.

In 2016, these Students had never imagined becoming microbiologists, lawyers, or chartered accountants. Their reality was one of survival, growing up in tough neighbourhoods amidst communal tensions, broken homes, and financial struggles.

But their story did not wait to be defined by their circumstances.

Jhalak stepped into a classroom full of energy and mischief, yet silently carrying loneliness, fear, and uncertainty.

Among them was Amit, an introverted child who struggled significantly with the English language. Due to his weak language skills, he found academics challenging.

Gagan was known more as “the mischievous one” than as a learner. His behaviour often hid the potential he had.

Priya was bright and confident until her father fell ill. Her mother had to stop working, the family struggled, and she needed more than just academic support.

Jhalak chose to expand their world. By working with Students, teachers, and parents, she created change alongside them and helped children grow in empathy, confidence, and a belief in a future they once couldn’t imagine.

Jhalak created spaces for creativity, leadership, and confidence. Through initiatives like Amaya, a quilling project, Students earned for the first time through their own work. With volunteer support, children grew in English fluency and self-belief.

By the next year, they were ready for more. Career readiness, goal setting, Student leadership, and entrepreneurship became part of who they were becoming.

And today their choices speak for themselves. Gagan is pursuing a degree in microbiology, Amit is preparing for the last level of CA and is currently interning at Deloitte, Priya has chosen a master’s program, and is determined to move forward. Others are studying law, cybersecurity, pursuing a Fellowship, and becoming entrepreneurs.

“I feel overjoyed to see how my thirty-five Students are choosing a future their younger selves could not even have dreamed of.”

23/01/2026

Being exposed to the harsh realities, violence, and conflict is not new to children living in low-income communities. Yet, very few wonder about their emotional well-being or mental health. After hearing from Raya, a TFI Alumna who taught in a low-income community in Delhi, about emotional awareness, it became evident that building stronger bonds inside and outside the classroom is an integral part of developing emotionally resilient children.

In her classroom, culture was deteriorating. Students were increasingly distracted, conflicts were more frequent, and learning time was being lost to behavioural issues. Raya’s relationship with the Students also started to weaken, as many of them struggled to express themselves or regulate their emotions. These signs made it clear that before focusing on academics, she needed to rebuild the social and emotional foundation of the classroom.

One day, she conducted an emotive dance class where Students were asked to perform and express on ‘what if we had no friends? The session closed with gratitude notes to friends, creating a moment of reflection and appreciation. Raya also introduced mandala art sessions with music, which allowed Students to reflect and enhance their self-expression. Over the course of the rest of the year, Raya continued to help the Students with these sessions and saw a visible transformation in classroom dynamics. Students became more reflective, identifying the root causes of conflicts, articulating their emotions clearly, and showing empathy toward their peers. They also demonstrated greater focus during learning hours and stronger peer relationships.

And so she decided to develop Project Bhawna, which was a Be The Change Project. The project was dedicated to developing socio-emotional learning (SEL) activities, which have helped Students in 30 Teach For India classrooms across multiple cities so far. SEL continues to be a key in shaping Student behaviour and can be an essential tool in building self-esteem and a foundation of strong individuals.

21/01/2026

Some children grow up with a safety net. Others grow up learning to survive without one. Shreya was one of the latter: quiet, unsure, often invisible in classrooms that celebrated the confident, the outspoken, and the academically strong. She carried more than any child should, convinced that her voice didn’t matter.

But year after year, classroom after classroom, she found something she never expected: people who truly saw her. People who stayed. People who showed her she mattered.

Preeti didi and Karu didi taught her to speak up and celebrate every small success. Nadiya didi taught her the power of kindness. Areen bhaiya and Suraj bhaiya showed her patience and empathy. Binoy bhaiya and Gautami didi offered safety on the hardest days. Pranjali didi and Anyotamo bhaiya taught her to dream boldly and claim her space in the world.

Each Fellow built a different part of her. Piece by piece, they rewrote the story she thought was already decided, teaching her confidence, courage, and the belief that her creativity and voice mattered.

This is what happens when a village shows up. Not with grand gestures, but with everyday consistency, listening, encouraging, guiding, and believing. They didn’t rescue her. They walked alongside her until she could stand on her own. They helped her see that failure didn’t define her, that curiosity was a strength, and that she had every right to take up space in the world.

Her story didn’t change in a single moment. It changed slowly, deliberately, because a village refused to let her grow up feeling invisible. And today, the quiet, unsure child has become a young woman carrying confidence, creativity, and courage, ready to write the next chapter of her own story.

[StudentAlumna, Alumni, Empathy, Leadership, Classroom]

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http://www.teachforindia.org/

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