In a small forgotten village of Bada Govindpur, where opportunities often feel as distant as the stars, a young woman named Surmila Kisku is quietly rewriting the story of education. Born into a Santhal family, where poverty was an ever-present shadow, Surmila knew the sting of missed chances. Yet, against all odds, she made it to university and found her calling—not in some grand profession but in a humble primary school, where her heart led her back to her roots.
As a Community Fellow with People for Change, Surmila stepped into Bada Govindpur’s primary school, a place where the student-teacher ratio was an uphill battle. But Surmila wasn’t deterred. She saw potential where others saw problems. With a spark of creativity, she began transforming her classroom into a world of wonder. The blackboard became a canvas, the dusty floor a space for learning games, and the stones outside tools for maths. Her lessons were unlike anything the students had seen before. She spoke to them in their own language, danced with them, laughed with them, and in return, they began to love learning. Attendance soared, literacy and numeracy improved, and the children—once shy and withdrawn—now raised their hands with confidence.Parents noticed the change too. “My child comes home excited to share what they have learned,” one mother said. In Surmila’s classroom, school isn’t just a place to learn. It’s a place to grow, to dream, and to believe in possibilities far beyond the village’s borders.
