Archana Nooguri has been a instructor on the Mandal Parishad major faculty in Rebbenapally, Mancherial in Telangana for greater than 20 years. Educating Telugu, English, and Arithmetic, she says that ever since she was a bit of woman, she had a single objective in life – to be a instructor.
“I grew to become a authorities faculty instructor after I was 19. I didn’t even do my commencement then as I needed to start out educating as quickly as I may. 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 acquired the Nationwide Academics Award from President Droupadi Murmu on the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. These awards are conferred by the Ministry of Schooling to the best faculty academics within the nation who’ve improved the standard of training and led to change within the lives of their college students. This award was the end result of her arduous work and dedication in the direction of the educating occupation.
The 42-year-old headmistress first began as a major faculty class instructor right here in Telangana. From a non-descript centre of studying with only a few college students, this educator has remodeled the college right into a mecca of studying, providing holistic progress by way of a wide range of extra-curricular actions.
The seeds of change had been sown in Archana’s thoughts at dwelling. She noticed her grandfather, a instructor, serve college students. “My grandfather would educate numerous tribal college students. He used to show them at our home and helped them of their larger research. I aspired to be like him and assist college students,” provides the instructor.
The place all of it started
Rebbenapally, the place the college is situated, faces numerous challenges when it comes to infrastructure, entry to training, and healthcare to call just a few. When Archana joined the college 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 youngsters to the college. She needed to make use of the transformative energy of training to assist these college students attend faculty day by day.
“There are just a few tribal hamlets on this village. The occupation of the residents is to gather uncooked supplies from the forest. There aren’t any transport amenities to those hamlets as they don’t actually have a pucca street. After I joined, my first mission was to make sure that these youngsters come to high school,” says Archana to The Higher India.
Archana launched into a mission to get these youngsters to high school. 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 college as nobody from there was enrolled. I visited them day by day for 15 days to persuade them. I advised them how important training is and the way it may also help their youngsters lead a greater life,” provides Archana.
She exalted the advantages of training and the change it allows.
“I might present them movies of people that got here from related backgrounds and are in an excellent place right this moment. By way of training, they had been capable of remodel their lives. I urged these dad and mom to provide their youngsters 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 high school. Nevertheless, she quickly began seeing college students drop out. On enquiry, she realised that transportation was a serious problem. How would these youngsters come to the college which was over 5 km away with only a kaccha street resulting in it?
To resolve this drawback, Archana organized an auto to select up and drop off the scholars day by day, at her personal expense. By way of her tireless efforts to make sure that the tribal college students within the village are educated, she has elevated the energy to 275 college students right this moment, with 103 being ladies.
Aside from this, she additionally labored on growing the college infrastructure. For this, she enlisted the assistance of a former pupil of her faculty, Rajendra Prasad, who now lives overseas. NGOs like Carry a Smile Basis, Padmavati Charitable Belief and native politicians additionally joined palms to help her.
She was capable of procure a borewell, purified water plant, furnishings, and most significantly, constructed a fantastic library with 1000 books, by way of their assist.
“Rajendra has helped tremendously within the progress of the college. He’s the individual by way of whom we bought many of the donations. The Washington Telangana Affiliation (WATA) helped us get 40 benches for the college due to his efforts. An area MLA put in the borewell and an RO plant within the faculty,” she provides.
To make studying extra enjoyable, by way of digital expertise and the central authorities’s Data and Communication Know-how (ICT) initiative, she procured 5 computer systems, two LED projectors and two extra lecture rooms.
The ICT Data and Communication Know-how College Scheme was launched in December 2004 to supply alternatives to secondary stage college students to primarily construct their capability on ICT expertise and make them be taught by way 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 training is a should. I would like my college students to know tips on how to function computer systems effectively and due to this fact, am exposing them to the expertise on the grassroots degree,” provides the headmistress.
Giving holistic training a should for this faculty
Smt. Archana Nooguri, a Nationwide Awardee Instructor 2023 from Telangana, works on enhancing enrolment charges & lowering 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 Schooling (@EduMinOfIndia) September 5, 2023
With greater than 100 woman college students, Archana needed them to be taught self-defence. She organized for karate lessons twice per week by way of a non-public teacher.
“Simply having bookish data isn’t sufficient. I would like the scholars to excel in all features of life. Sports activities ought to play an vital function in pupil’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 pupil even secured admission at a sports activities faculty in Hyderabad,” she provides.
On the dad and mom’ request, Archana additionally launched English because the medium of training on the faculty in 2016. She says that that is the primary English medium authorities major faculty of their district.
“Many dad and mom had been beginning to enrol their youngsters in non-public English faculties. They needed their wards to get educated in that language. So, we reached out to the federal government and bought approval to start out educating within the medium then. This helped enhance our enrollment numbers tremendously,” provides the educator.
Girija, a mother or father whose daughter is a first-generation pupil in the identical district, feels that English is a should to achieve life.
“After faculty, everybody has to review additional in English. They’ve to aim entrance exams in English. In addition they must know the language to work anyplace 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 supplies two academics, Archana has enlisted the companies of 4 non-public 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 further lessons.
“I do know the significance of training, it’s the solely software supporting me in life. The one manner forward for these college students is training. I would like each pupil to earn an excellent livelihood,” she provides.
Marking a Proud Legacy
A lot of her college students are right this moment engineers, working within the non-public sector, and one is even within the military, she states with pleasure.
She additionally mentors academics and helps them to embrace modern pedagogical approaches and keep abreast of the most recent developments. She has revealed two papers in worldwide journals, primarily based on her learnings as a instructor in Mancherial 2017 and 2018. She has additionally authored a e-book known as ‘Reworking India by way of Nationwide Schooling Coverage 2020’.
The instructor is continuous her training right this moment by pursuing a PhD within the ‘Position of training performed for the socio-cultural, political and financial growth 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 needed to finish it. I’ve all the time been a curious individual, eager to be taught new issues. If I don’t preserve updating and educating myself, how can I educate my youngsters? To replace my data, I completed my commencement and am pursuing this PhD now,” she provides.
In the meantime, she desires to open a faculty for orphans submit her retirement.
“My father was so joyful after I acquired this award. I would like the dad and mom of my college students to really feel the identical happiness and pleasure of their youngsters. That’s what I’m working tirelessly in the direction of. Schooling is the one means to a greater tomorrow,” says Archana.
Edited by Padmashree Pande
