15-05-2025
60 women become teachers, get back on career track
Saranya S., a homemaker, wanted to do something for herself. She had spent the last 10 years caring for her children, husband, and home. 'We have the degree, the knowledge but did not know how to re-enter the field. We wanted to do something for ourselves but didn't know how,' she said.
Thanks to the Upasana Programme, she has now been trained as a teacher and has started working at a play school. The six-month Upasana Programme, run by Shraddha Maanu Foundation, aims to train women to be part-time teachers and educators. The teacher training programme is a free hybrid course where prospective teachers are trained in functional English, teaching methodologies, primary math, science, and value education.
Ms. Saranya, part of the 2024 batch, graduate from the course on Thursday. Like her, 60 other women, who had to quit their career paths to look after their families, collected their course certificates at the convocation ceremony held in Chennai.
Speaking at the ceremony, Madhumati Narayanan, founder and CEO, Shraddha Maanu Foundation, said: 'Empowering women to work is not just about equality, it is an economic imperative. Every woman deserves the dignity of purpose and child deserves the joy of fundamental learning, and yet in rural and peri-urban India, many women remain home-bound, underestimated, and under utilised.'
Madras High Court Judge Justice G.R. Swaminathan credited his schoolteacher for his standing now in society. 'I believe that all of you graduating as teachers will also impact the lives of children positively and bring change,' he said.
Urging the graduates to continue on their career path, public speaker Bharathy Bhaskar said: 'Whatever step you take, whether it's teaching math or honing a student's talent, don't stop doing it. Keep doing something.'
