Lakhwinder is a Young Leader working in Chunni Kalana, Fatehgarh Sahib, a small yet historically sacred district of Punjab. Right from the beginning, he was determined to transform the public education system and make a difference in the lives of children. Why? Because having studied in a government school himself, he knew the challenges students and schools face.
He has been responsible for implementing the Cluster Transformation Program (CTP) across nine schools. During one of his visits to a school in Khanpur Behlan village, a student, Harsh, caught Lakhwinder’s eye. Harsh was struggling to read basic words like ‘bag,’ ‘tag,’ and ‘bad.’ On checking with the teacher, Mrs. Amritpal, he discovered that the child was struggling to read simple words. But Lakhwinder knew the problem was deeper.
With due permissions from the teacher, he introduced himself to Harsh, a 3rd grader. Lakhwinder engaged Harsh in conversation while subtly assessing his needs, encouraging him to read aloud the letters from A to Z. He found that Harsh was having difficulties reading certain letters, confusing ‘b’ for ‘d,’ ‘p’ for ‘q,’ and so on.
Lakhwinder was determined to change this situation. He persuaded the teacher to help him pay special attention to Harsh for a few days. Seeing Lakhwinder’s enthusiasm, the teacher happily agreed.
Lakhwinder devised a simple yet innovative strategy to deal with this. Who knew that by simply relating letters with the direction of roads in the village and hand gestures, one could explain shapes? He asked Harsh to imagine the images that formed in his mind when he said these letters. In just 30 minutes, Harsh was able to read and write previously incomprehensible letters.
To help Harsh retain and practice this exercise further, a plan was created by the teacher, and she ensured overseeing his assignments daily. It was a small win for the teacher but brought significant impact in Harsh’s life.
For Lakhwinder, it further strengthened his determination to transform the educational landscape of Punjab.
These little wins every day leave a deep impact on our young leaders, solidifying their decisions to pursue this path and renewing clarity of purpose.
