Shikshagraha partners with Teach For India to strengthen public education

On Monday, Bengaluru-based Shikshagraha announced a partnership with Teach For India, combining the latter's 17 years of experience in nurturing teachers, young leaders, and alumni. This collaboration will bolster the movement that has already enlisted over 3.9 lakh leaders across 2.1 lakh public schools. Shikshagraha, a grassroots movement aiming to enhance one million public schools in India, stated that this partnership merges the two complementary approaches to public education.

Teach For India brings its expertise in developing classroom leaders, while Shikshagraha offers its extensive network of over 40 civil society organizations working alongside communities, governments, and schools to foster collective action.

Shikshagraha has invested years in transforming this collective effort into tangible action, implementing more than 15.6 lakh micro-improvements across public schools, led by over 3.9 lakh leaders, and reaching over 2.1 lakh schools. Of these, approximately 45,000 changes were initiated directly by communities. Over 40 civil society organizations are already part of the Shikshagraha network, operating in 16 states.

Khushboo Awasthi, Chief Curator of Shikshagraha, expressed delight at welcoming Teach For India into the network, emphasizing their shared goal of connecting and amplifying the agency of teachers, parents, young leaders, communities, and institutions to ensure every child experiences a school that fosters growth and future-readiness.

Teach For India CEO Shaheen Mistri commended Shikshagraha's vision of a movement of one million schools, led by millions of people taking action. She highlighted the importance of deep nurturing of leadership and the vast network required to connect this leadership to a national movement. The partnership will focus on fellowship and leadership design, the Fellows and alumni network, and the development of a shared narrative around leadership, student voice, and agency.

Over the next year, the collaboration aims to connect more stakeholders already working to improve public schools, provide stronger leadership pathways, and enhance the impact of collective action. Teach For India, a nationwide movement of leaders dedicated to providing quality education to all children, includes Fellows who teach in low-income classrooms for two years and staff who support these Fellows through strategic and organizational efforts.