Dear Friends,

Government schools come under a lot of flak for underperforming, and in most cases, rightfully so. Some time ago, we had spoken about how government school teachers are not under-qualified, but what is missing is a ‘tadka’ of motivation, pushing them to transact better in the classroom.

One project shattering the stereotype of the disinterested teacher is the In-Service Teacher Education Institute (ITEI), the result of a successful public-private partnership between Tech Mahindra Foundation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). EDMC directly runs 365 primary schools. It employs nearly 5,500 teachers to teach 2.15 lakh children. That many of these children come from poor, marginalised families and some are migrants and refugees, pose additional challenges in the classrooms. This year, ITEI will complete five years. From starting out in two rooms, it now has a dedicated building, with training rooms, a conference room and crucially, a Teacher Resource Centre, from where teachers can borrow not only books but also teaching aids. Perhaps one of the most significant changes we have managed to bring about has been in the attitude of the teachers – where they now look forward to workshops with our trainers, rather than viewing it as yet another duty to discharge. Here’s a short video on what ITEI has accomplished over the past few years.

We are pleased to share that EDMC is keen to extend this partnership beyond the original five years, and other municipal corporations have expressed interest in a similar program being created for their schools.

We hope that in the coming years, ITEI will show that government schools can deliver value to their students.

Warm Regards,
Tech Mahindra Foundation