[Assam] Parijat: Meeting ASHA 's Sandeep Pandey : IITian, Berkeley - Indian Educator

[Ankur Bora]

  Umesh,
  Your dedication for espousing the cause of these underprivileged children is noteworthy . You showed that someone born and raised in one part of our country can work selflessly for people of another part of country , which is remarkable . This also shows that language is not a barrier if one has the determination and will power.
  I was eager to know about the founders of Asha for education. Thanks for enlighting us about Sandeep Pandey. Pandey is the youngest Indian to win the Magsaysay award - Asia's Nobel Prize.
  Thanks,
  Ankur
  Austin , Texas
  

umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:
  Hi,

In a major surprise of sorts I had the opportuntity to present a project prooposal for www.parijatacademy.org for calssrooms and teacher salaries - in the company of Sandeep Pandey the co-founder of ASHA for Education - while a student at www.berkeley.edu in 1992. He does know a few NGOs in Assam and also some ASHA volunteers at IIT-G and a tea-entrepreneurial social venture  at Guwahati called Atma Nirbhar. http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=751

As he said the initial plan was a bit different - to enable technology transfer to India - but that was not feasible - focus on education was somewhat his idea - which found support among only 3 students who together sought support of the local Indian community in SanFracisco Bay area - by distributing leaflets at Indian gatherings etc. Also - similar to AssamNet - they started a mailing list - precursor of Yahoogroups etc - which Indians in USA used to read - hopefully like AssamNet. They identified 4-5 projects in India and funded them while they were students.

After completing his PhD at Berkeley he decided to go back to India and for some time joined IIT Kanpur and later left it to teach at a village school started by his grandparents.  The co-founders had remained in US and supported from here. Initially the idea of opening so many chapters was not at all there - but when someone came forward and and that they wanted to start exactly the same thing at another city - he said okay - but then they said they want to call it ASHA also -- then he/co-founders said - wait a minute - go ahead but don't expect anything from us -- thats how each chapter is totally independent except for common goals.

Right now he is focused on Right to Info and its role in removing corruption and improving effeciency. 

He has now slowly become agreed to the idea that internet can help improve rural effeciency after seeing http://www.sitapur.nic.in/lokvani/default.htm where even illiterate villagers can file complaints from remote regions using private kiosks help and pay Rs10 per complaint to the kiosk owner. At night he collects all the complaints and types them on this site - while using electric generator to power his computer etc.


WORLD BANK: I mentioned a study by Harvard and World Bank showing the 25% of teacher don't to school- and that World Bank was right behind where we were sitting. He mentioned surprisingly that his sister was one of the persons who did the study and that we at DC  chapter should involve her more. Village Action Committies seem to have a made just a slight improvement in making sure teachers teach -atleast in UP etc  

He is also an advisor to Indian govt's CABE Central Advisory Board for Education


any comments/



Umesh



Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )




http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/    
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