Pre-Placement Seminar for Teach for India Fellowship

The Department of Psychology in partnership with Teach For India, conducted an introductory pre-placement seminar on 22^nd November, 2024. The interactive and intellectually stimulating session oriented the students to Teach For India Fellowship opportunity. The session was graced by the presence of the Facilitator, Ms. Mrigya Mishra, Recruitment Manager of Teach for India, with an educational qualification of PGDM – Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai and the convener of the seminar, Dr. Nilesh Thakre, Head of the Department of Psychology, SNDT Women’s University, Churchgate. The seminar attracted students eager to discover how they might contribute toward bridging educational inequalities within the nation.

The seminar commenced at 3:15 PM, initiated with a thought-provoking opening by the facilitator of the session, Ms. Mrigya Mishra. Following her speech, students were asked to register online via QR code for attendance, requiring details such as email ID, name, qualifications, and phone number. Ms. Mishra engaged the audience with recitation of a very strong poem followed by an arithmetical computation exercise. This activity provided a great illustration about the alarming statistic that 30-50% of students in India have difficulties with basic literacy and numeracy, even as they progress to higher grades. This grim reality thus laid the foundation for a discussion regarding the urgent need for educational reform and the transformative potential embodied by the Teach for India initiative.

Drawing inspiration from iconic world figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, Ms. Mishra eloquently linked those epitomes of service and perseverance with the basic tenets of Teach for India. She explained that this fellowship emerged from Teach for America and now has become a global movement running in more than 62 countries, with Teach for Palestine being its latest addition. This narration highlighted the purposes of camaraderie, including nurturing leadership and equal treatment in school systems everywhere.

Ms. Mishra shared her experience of leaving a very successful corporate career and successfully entering a profoundly rewarding role with Teach for India, thus bringing out the transformative power of the fellowship. She described how two years’ commitment under the fellowship involves working in under-resourced government and low-income educational institutions.

Fellows are expected to make learning accessible, engaging, and meaningful for students marginalized by socio-economic barriers. Besides professional fulfillment, the fellowship also offers much better support by providing a monthly stipend of ₹20,000 to ₹25,000, health insurance, a provident fund, help in housing, and reimbursement for teaching material expenses.

Continuing the inspiration, the videos Ms. Mishra presented were truly impressive and featured alumni fellows who have done incredible work in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon, and Delhi in enhancing education. In their testimonials, it was clearly brought out how fellows have generated a sense of critical thinking, leadership, and hope among their students even after leaving the classroom.

The seminar also highlighted the founding members of Teach for India, acknowledging how great it has been and still is to have visionaries like Mr. Anurag Kundu, Ms. Merlyn Fernandes, Mr. Dhruv Gupta, Ms. Richa Gupta, Mr. Rahul Bhanot, and Mr. Aadi Rungta, who have strongly built upon this fellowship and transformed it into a movement that goes beyond ordinary educational models.

The seminar ended with a lively Q&A session, where attendees were distributed stickers as a token of appreciation. With this, the session ended at 4:25 PM inspiring students to broaden their horizons upon the challenge of shaping a new future through education.