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.

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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.