Veerabhadrappa akanksha-program-(education-and-training)-alumnus-2016

1. BeyondSkilling:CatalyzingTalent
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WHAT WORKED FOR VEERA
Aakanksha
“I have always dreamt that my son would
teach children in the village and be a
catalyst for their bright future. I am really
happy to see him working so hard running
his own tuition center.”
- Veerabhadrappa’s mother
• Educational technology
• Best teaching practices
• Time mangement
• Work culture
EFFECTIVE COURSES THAT
FUEL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The learning experience at DET gives one
teacher-turned-student much needed
support to become a successful education
entrepreneur.
With 260 million enrolments and 1.5 million schools, India
has the largest and most complex education system in the
world. Yet, the poor quality of learning outcomes across
the country merits a deeper look and systemic changes in
the system, starting with the core — teachers.(1)
DET has
an answer here in the form of the Akanksha course, that
transformed Veerabhadrappa’s journey in education.
Veerabhadrappa is an entrepreneur at heart. After
completing a Diploma in Education, he set up a tuition
center in his village in Raichur district, Karnataka, having
recognized the need for additional academic support for
the government school children in his village.
But a full-time teaching job in a school came with its own
set of demands, and he realized he needed help on that
front if he wished to further his foray into teaching. A
newspaper listing led him to DET’s Aakanksha Program,
which he enroled into with some money his mother
had managed to raise through a self-help group. “I owe
my mother a lot. She has been my biggest supporter,”
Veerabhadrappa admits.
The DET Value: Learning through collaboration
Designed specifically for teachers, the Akanksha
program aims to help students improve their chances
of employability by training them on soft skills and
advanced teaching methodologies. Veerabhadrappa
found the program to be the perfect mix of theoretical
knowledge and practical skills, helping him build a more
nuanced understanding of the field. Through the course
of the program, Veera interacted with professionals and
Veerabhadrappa had been supporting
his mother and sister with the income
generated through the tuition center for
many years. He was looking for ways to
supplement it to ease the pressure on his
ageing mother to contribute too.
1) Sattva-AVPN: Funding Education With Impact
,
VEERABHADRAPPA Akanksha Program (Education and Training)
Alumnus, 2016
Educational qualification
First generation learner
Pre-DET monthly household income
Sector of employment
Hailing from
Working in
D.Ed
Yes
Rs. 5,000
Raichur
Before DET After DET
9,000
5,000
Salary Increment (INR):
Teaching
Galag
The environment at DET
motivates students to work hard
and gather as much knowledge
as possible. I will always value
the time I spent there.
STUDENT PROFILE AND IMPACT POST-DET
learnt from their experiences. “A debate competition on
the education system in India gave me a chance to speak
in front of a lot of people. After the debate, I was given
feedback on my presentation skills and content. The
exercise helped me better my communication skills,” he
notes.
While English was a priority forVeera, the program helped
him develop a number of other key skills that he considers
invaluable. “Since I work independently, I found the soft
skills training to be useful in understanding workspace
ethics and professional behavior. Incorporating these
into my enterprise has helped me.” Veerabhadrappa was
used to doing things his way, given his entrepreneurial
background. But at DET, he picked up strategies for group
work and collaborated with his peers in a meaningful and
mutually beneficial manner. The program emphasizes a
collaborative approach to most of its activities.
Productive Careers: Exciting beginnings into
entrepreneurship
At DET, he delved deep into subjects like the Indian
education system and its macro-level problems. Through
numerous visits to government schools and meetings
with students and faculty members, Veerabhadrappa
received first-hand experience of the subjects he was
studying in the classroom.
On completing the course, Veera went back to his
hometown, ready to spruce things up. “I wanted to focus
on the teaching processes,” he says. Dedicating his efforts
to this goal, he brought up the number of enrolments.
His increased earnings have now enabled him to take a
brief break from running the coaching center and pursue
a Bachelor’s degree in Education. He continues to stay
in touch with the DET faculty, and hopes to encourage
more people from his community to enrol for short-term
courses.
Entrepreneurs in India have achieved a great deal on
their own and with the support of the private players,
but to unleash the full potential within this sector, the
government needs to do more to remove any remaining
obstacles.(2)
Until that happens, short-term courses like
the Aakanksha program work as an agency of impactful
change, fixing and filling gaps at low cost with maximized
returns. As for Veerabhadrappa, the learning curve
continues to grow. It is a slow process of change but he
feels up to the task, thanks to the much-needed skills and
boost in self-confidence he received through the DET
experience.
2) Unleashing India’s innovation, World Bank