10 on 10 of iTeach Schools
A 10 point summary of the academic year 2023-24
Dear friend,
We’ve had a power-packed 2023-24 and wanted to share it with you in a simple 10-point format.
4 achievements, 3 innovations, 3 challenges. That’s it.
A more detailed annual impact report will be released soon, but we felt that this format gives you the headlines in a fun, bite-sized, way. Each story comes with a READ MORE link as well - do explore what piques your interest. We’d love to hear from you! Comments, wishes, feedback, disagreements: anything and everything is welcome. Just write to us at communications@iTeachSchools.org
Thank you for your precious mind space, and attention. Now, grab your favorite beverage, and let's dive in.
- Team iTeach.
P.S. It's our tenth birthday this year! Stay tuned for news about a week of celebration, conversation, and contribution happening in December!
What are our 4 Big Achievements?
2. Fostering growth in co-curriculars!
iTeach students travelled across the globe competing with the best of the best and have shown excellence in different spheres. From Kala Ghoda Art Festival in Mumbai to the FTC Robotics Challenge in Houston, USA - our students have made us proud everywhere they go!
3. The movement arrives in MUMBAI!
A new city. A new school. A new milestone. We started our 10th school - iTeach NMMC 91, in Airoli, Navi Mumbai in October 2023. It's a new model - where the government has asked us to adopt existing schools. In June 2024, we are already in 3 schools, serving nearly 1700 students across Navi Mumbai and Panvel!
4. Committed Donors and Partnerships
With growing students numbers and the need to strengthen existing programs, iTeach's annual budget increased by 63%! All our current champions stayed on, and six new partners joined us - thank you Bunge India, Citibank, Ernst & Young, Feeding India, Tide Water Oil Co. (India) Ltd and Parallel Wireless!
70%
students in First class or above in 2024 SSC Board Exams
97%
students from the last batch in higher education
85%
students from the first 2 batches are either working or pursuing their masters
Meet Afifa Patel: An Inspiring Alumna
Meet Afifa Patel, from starting a reading club in Grade 9, to now joining her alma mater (iTeach SGM, Kondhwa, Pune) - Afifa is exemplifying the iTeach vision of Owning India's Development!
Just come to one of her lessons - and you'll see rigor, relevance and relationships come alive.
College to Career: What are our alumni from the first 2 batches doing?
While 65% of our alum are already placed in stable, steady jobs, 18% have opted to pursue their Master's! They're everywhere from iTeach itself, to Indigo, from starting their own canteens to becoming football coaches! Our staff have started joking that there are now very few places one can visit in Pune where an iTeach alum doesn't work!
8 Alums (7%) have joined iTeach as staff members.
What are our 3 Big Innovations?
5. A New-age classroom for a new-age generation.
This year, we introduced two new curricula!
MSFC: Multi Skill Foundation Course: A learning-by-doing course that includes engineering, energy & environment, gardening & agriculture, and food processing!
BHP: Big History Project: Do you feel History is taught in isolation? The Big History Project integrates history, geography, and science, teaching students who we are and where we come from!
Want to know more?
6. Partnerships leading to 360° development of students.
Our students come from the most vulnerable families of the city. We added three interventions this year to help them further reach their potential.
Better Health: With Jehangir Hospital, Prayaas and Mudita Alliance, we ran free health checkups, eye checkups, and HPV vaccines to female students and community members.
Better Nutrition: With a partnership with Feeding India (a Zomato initiative), we were able to start excellent breakfast and lunch at three schools. Starting June 2024, this will scale to nine schools!
Better Reading: A gem of a partnership with Radio One and SVP Pune led to nearly 3500 library books being donated to all our schools this year!
7. Prioritizing our People
Five-day Work Week: To foster a balanced lifestyle, we became one of the first few schools to adopt a five-day work week for all members.
Great Place To Work: iTeach has been certified as a Great Place To Work for the 5th consecutive year.
Bigger every year: Our team reached a milestone of 300 staff members. In the Academic year 2023-24, we onboarded 120+ new staff members.
Stronger every year
2
CITIES
12
SCHOOLS
300
STAFF MEMBERS
4500
STUDENTS
3000
ALUMS
What are our 3 big challenges?
8. We need to bridge the learning gap, and take on 21st-century challenges
- Our students continue coming in 3+ years behind where they need to be: making their journey in grades 8 and 9 a massive uphill climb. Further, we need to address not just academic and co-curricular areas, but also equip students to take on the complex challenges of social media addiction, drug abuse, and religious polarization. This will take evolved curricula, refined staff development, and enhanced community partnerships.
9. Alumni need to crack better jobs
- While we're happy that 85% of our senior alum are placed, their median salary is at about Rs. 19000 per month. Yes, that does double their family income, but it is still far from what it can be. We've set an ambitious goal of median Rs. 25,000 this year.
10. Our staff still gets stretched
- Teaching in a low-income school is one of the hardest jobs there is. We need to continue supporting our staff members better to prevent them from getting stretched. We're prioritizing tech interventions, volunteers, pre-made curricular resources, and better mental health support.