Sowing seeds of Viksit Bharat

Chocko Valliappa urges skilling and training of teachers in rural India so that they become trailblazers of change in the primary education system.

Chocko Valliappa is founder and CEO, Vee Technologies and Vice Chairman, Sona Group of Education Institutions, Salem

On a recent cycling trip, a 12-year-old boy who was helping at his father’s coffee and refreshment kiosk handed me a bottle of water and coffee. As we chatted, I learned that in the mornings, he attended 4th standard classes at a neighborhood school and helped his father in the evenings. It was a simple exchange, but one that spoke of a child’s quiet responsibility, balancing school and work at such a young age.

After handing him a Rs 100 note to pay for Rs 35, I casually asked him how much change he would give back. He paused for a few moments, visibly thinking, before softly saying that he would ask his Appa. His inability to subtract Rs 35 from Rs 100 left me uneasy. It stirred a deeper worry, especially since I’ve been reflecting on the ‘Pillars of Viksit Bharat 2047’ piece for this publication.