Chennai, Mar 7: Understanding that education is the key to a leading a quality life, a Chennai resident is making a change in the lives of students at a Corporation-run school here.

On the eve of International Women’s Day, News Today met Ramya Balakrishnan (44) of Shasthri Nagar, a Mathematics graduate, who has been serving the school though an NGO, Teach For Change.

”Since my college days, I used to take tuitions for children who stayed in my building, free of cost. Though I was not interested in teaching as a profession, my mother used to say I would be one.” she says.

However, as life turned out, teaching did end up being her calling in life. Whenever students approached her, she would help them out. Ramya’s stint in USA added value to her knowledge in training, it is said.

‘”I was on a dependent visa, so I could not work. But I was keen on learning. Instead of sending my two children to pre-school, I taught them myself. For this, I utilised the library to the core. I taught my children everything’,” she said. She also volunteered at a school for five years which proved to be useful.

”‘I learnt about the educational system thoroughly and did courses relevant to the reading programme,’ she states. In 2015, on getting a work permit, she worked at her daughter’s school as a substitute. I have read a lot about Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who inspired me to contribute to the society. I began giving home tuitions on weekends in Algebra and English’.” she says.

Once she was back in India, she preferred not to take a back seat. ”I volunteered at Teach For Change, a Hyderabad-based NGO and began helping out the students at a Shasthri Nagar school run by the civic body. Apart from using the workbook, I implement all the teaching methods I learnt in USA.” she says.

She contributes two hours every three days a week. ‘Though it is an English medium school, ”the children cannot read by themselves. So I teach them the fundamentals’.” she states. So why does a Corporation school need the help of an external teacher in coaching the students?

The student-teacher ratio is 2:40, and when the trainers need to travel for official purposes, I pitch in’, she says, adding that she is in talks with Avvai Illam and Cancer Institute to tutor the children there.