Hillary Clinton says Teach For India a catalyst to bridge educational gap Hillary Clinton

The Teach For India initiative is the catalyst for a new movement to bridge the education gap in India, with its volunteers serving as the spark to inspire children to become successful, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared here Saturday.

She was participating in an interactive session at the 140-year-old St. Xavier's College here, with actor Aamir Khan and TV anchor Arnab Goswami sharing the dais with her.

Clinton also utilised the opportunity to raise the profile of Teach For India, an initiative that enables professionals and graduates across the country to associate themselves with government-run schools in their area. Teach For India is modelled on the Teach For America non-profit organisation that aims at building a movement to eliminate educational inequality.

Teach For India was conceived in 2006 when a group of enthusiastic youngsters met Wendy Copp, founder and CEO of Teach For America, to discuss the feasibility of such a programme in India. Following a study launched by global accounting firm McKinsey to determine its feasibility, Teach For India was formally established in 2008.

Under the programme, graduate applicants are chosen to be linked to a low income private or government-run English-medium school for two years. During this time, the programme's volunteers have to undertake projects that help in transforming the school in consultation with the school authorities, parents and the community.

In June 2009, Teach For India placed its first group of fellows in low-income municipal and private schools in Pune and Mumbai.