Archana Nooguri has been a instructor on the Mandal Parishad major college in Rebbenapally, Mancherial in Telangana for greater than 20 years. Instructing Telugu, English, and Arithmetic, she says that ever since she was just a little lady, she had a single objective in life – to be a instructor.
“I grew to become a authorities college instructor after I was 19. I didn’t even do my commencement then as I wished to begin educating as quickly as I might. All I did was full the academics’ coaching programme and seem for its qualifying examination,” Archana tells The Higher India.
On 5 September 2023, she obtained the Nationwide Lecturers Award from President Droupadi Murmu on the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. These awards are conferred by the Ministry of Training to the best college academics within the nation who’ve improved the standard of schooling and caused change within the lives of their college students. This award was the fruits of her laborious work and dedication in direction of the educating career.
The 42-year-old headmistress first began as a major college class instructor right here in Telangana. From a non-descript centre of studying with just some college students, this educator has reworked the varsity right into a mecca of studying, providing holistic development by means of quite a lot of extra-curricular actions.
The seeds of change have been sown in Archana’s thoughts at residence. She noticed her grandfather, a instructor, serve college students. “My grandfather would educate loads of tribal college students. He used to show them at our home and helped them of their greater research. I aspired to be like him and assist college students,” provides the instructor.
The place all of it started
Rebbenapally, the place the varsity is positioned, faces loads of challenges by way of infrastructure, entry to schooling, and healthcare to call a number of. When Archana joined the varsity in November 2000, it had simply 34 college students.
Hailing from Mancherial district, she was acquainted with the troubles confronted by the locals and why they weren’t sending their kids to the varsity. She wished to make use of the transformative energy of schooling to assist these college students attend college every day.
“There are a number of tribal hamlets on this village. The occupation of the residents is to gather uncooked supplies from the forest. There aren’t any transport services to those hamlets as they don’t also have a pucca highway. Once I joined, my first mission was to make sure that these kids come to highschool,” says Archana to The Higher India.
Archana launched into a mission to get these kids to highschool. She began visiting these tribal hamlets and spoke to the dad and mom.
“They don’t have correct homes and even garments to put on. They weren’t conscious of the varsity as nobody from there was enrolled. I visited them every day for 15 days to persuade them. I informed them how important schooling is and the way it can assist their kids lead a greater life,” provides Archana.
She exalted the advantages of schooling and the change it allows.
“I might present them movies of people that got here from related backgrounds and are in a very good place as we speak. By schooling, they have been capable of rework their lives. I urged these dad and mom to present their kids the identical alternative to progress,” she provides.
Many Issues Laced The Journey to Success
Archana was capable of persuade the dad and mom and the youngsters quickly began coming to highschool. Nevertheless, she quickly began seeing college students drop out. On enquiry, she realised that transportation was a serious problem. How would these kids come to the varsity which was over 5 km away with only a kaccha highway resulting in it?
To resolve this downside, Archana organized an auto to select up and drop off the scholars every day, at her personal expense. By her tireless efforts to make sure that the tribal college students within the village are educated, she has elevated the power to 275 college students as we speak, with 103 being women.
Other than this, she additionally labored on growing the varsity infrastructure. For this, she enlisted the assistance of a former scholar of her college, Rajendra Prasad, who now lives overseas. NGOs like Convey a Smile Basis, Padmavati Charitable Belief and native politicians additionally joined fingers to help her.
She was capable of procure a borewell, purified water plant, furnishings, and most significantly, constructed a ravishing library with 1000 books, by means of their assist.
“Rajendra has helped tremendously within the development of the varsity. He’s the individual by means of whom we bought many of the donations. The Washington Telangana Affiliation (WATA) helped us get 40 benches for the varsity due to his efforts. A neighborhood MLA put in the borewell and an RO plant within the college,” she provides.
To make studying extra enjoyable, by means of digital know-how and the central authorities’s Data and Communication Expertise (ICT) initiative, she procured 5 computer systems, two LED projectors and two further lecture rooms.
The ICT Data and Communication Expertise College Scheme was launched in December 2004 to offer alternatives to secondary stage college students to primarily construct their capability on ICT expertise and make them study by means of the computer-aided studying course of. She proudly states that her college students are actually ready to make use of computer systems proficiently.
“We live in an period of globalisation. To be a world citizen, digital schooling is a should. I would like my college students to know tips on how to function computer systems effectively and subsequently, am exposing them to the know-how on the grassroots stage,” provides the headmistress.
Giving holistic schooling a should for this college
Smt. Archana Nooguri, a Nationwide Awardee Trainer 2023 from Telangana, works on enhancing enrolment charges & decreasing dropouts. She develops low-cost teaching-learning materials. She concerned the neighborhood in establishing water purification plant, library and many others.#OurTeachersOurPrerna… pic.twitter.com/eU7InH6xFN
— Ministry of Training (@EduMinOfIndia) September 5, 2023
With greater than 100 lady college students, Archana wished them to study self-defence. She organized for karate lessons twice every week by means of a non-public teacher.
“Simply having bookish information shouldn’t be sufficient. I would like the scholars to excel in all points of life. Sports activities ought to play an essential position in scholar’s lives. I organized for a karate and dance class for college kids. The scholars have excelled in karate competitions at each state and nationwide ranges and one scholar even secured admission at a sports activities college in Hyderabad,” she provides.
On the dad and mom’ request, Archana additionally launched English because the medium of schooling on the college in 2016. She says that that is the primary English medium authorities major college of their district.
“Many dad and mom have been beginning to enrol their kids in personal English faculties. They wished their wards to get educated in that language. So, we reached out to the federal government and bought approval to begin educating within the medium then. This helped enhance our enrollment numbers tremendously,” provides the educator.
Girija, a father or mother whose daughter is a first-generation scholar in the identical district, feels that English is a should to reach life.
“After college, everybody has to review additional in English. They’ve to try entrance exams in English. In addition they must know the language to work wherever and be equal to college students who come from extra privileged backgrounds. We don’t need our kids to lose out on any alternative simply because they don’t know English. It opens doorways to a greater future,” provides Girija.
Whereas the federal government gives two academics, Archana has enlisted the providers of 4 personal academics. She says that she pays salaries for 2 of them with the assistance of the NGOs and two from her personal pocket. She spends greater than Rs 20,000 from her personal pocket for this, the transportation of scholars and additional lessons.
“I do know the significance of schooling, it’s the solely device supporting me in life. The one manner forward for these college students is schooling. I would like each scholar to earn a very good livelihood,” she provides.
Marking a Proud Legacy
Lots of her college students are as we speak engineers, working within the personal sector, and one is even within the military, she states with delight.
She additionally mentors academics and helps them to embrace revolutionary pedagogical approaches and keep abreast of the newest developments. She has printed two papers in worldwide journals, primarily based on her learnings as a instructor in Mancherial 2017 and 2018. She has additionally authored a ebook known as ‘Remodeling India via Nationwide Training Coverage 2020’.
The instructor is continuous her schooling as we speak by pursuing a PhD within the ‘Position of schooling performed for the socio-cultural, political and financial improvement of ladies’ from Shridhar College, Pilani, Rajasthan.
“As I used to be not capable of end my commencement as I began educating at 19, I wished to finish it. I’ve at all times been a curious individual, eager to study new issues. If I don’t preserve updating and educating myself, how can I educate my kids? To replace my information, I completed my commencement and am pursuing this PhD now,” she provides.
In the meantime, she desires to open a college for orphans put up her retirement.
“My father was so glad after I obtained this award. I would like the dad and mom of my college students to really feel the identical happiness and delight of their kids. That’s what I’m working tirelessly in direction of. Training is the one means to a greater tomorrow,” says Archana.
Edited by Padmashree Pande
