On the shelf

Grey Sunshine: Stories from Teach for India

Author: Sandeep Rai

Price: ₹399

India has been battling a serious educational crisis for a while now. Over half the country’s class V students cannot read a class II textbook, in their native language. Around 76% of Indian students don’t make it to college. These are all statistics, but how many of the faces behind these numbers do we know?

Sandeep Rai, the Chief of City Operations, Teach for India (TFI) , through Grey Sunshine, has taken it upon himself to narrate some of the most human stories that form a part of the national crisis. In easy-to-read, yet riveting style, he recounts his TFI journey where he spent time and effort trying to persuade people to let their kids study. Whether it is trying to convince Tasmin’s father to let her finish her studies and not send her away to the Madrasa against her wishes, or getting to know why Asif dropped out of school after class VI, the author attempts to take us into the worlds of the less privileged, who battle several social injustices. However, they have the complete support of over 4,000 unlikely leaders from TFI, a two-year-fellowship programme that places youngsters as full-time teachers in government classrooms across India. The stories of the struggle of these teachers and students, to reform a failing education system, makes for an inspiring read.

Source: Read Full Article