Since 2012, all my teaching experience has been in low-income, urban schools in India. Among the many issues that plague the education of our economically underprivileged, the most important is the fact that many students reach middle and high school practically illiterate.

Needless to say, a student who is in middle/high school and still cannot read will fall through the cracks of the system. Most low-income schools do not have the resources to find or fund the right teachers to support such students. Many of such students’ parents are also unable to afford private tutoring for their children.

A large part of my self-directed professional development in the last 10 years has been in the area of how to teach a (practically) illiterate student to read. I continue to study with many teachers in India and abroad and am now able to support students with difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling in English and Kannada.

Over the years, I have taught many economically disadvantaged students with learning difficulties/disabilities in various capacities. I continue to teach a small number of students for free. 

I currently support two students who do not pay fees:

• A 5th-standard student from a low-income private school in Mysore who was practically illiterate when we began in February 2023. I teach her reading, writing, and spelling in English and Kannada 3 times a week. 

• A 12th-grader who is preparing on her own for competitive exams. 

My engagement with them is fixed irrespective of whether or not I receive sponsorships. I have always met them every week and will continue to do so. 

Sponsorships help me sustain this work, to continue to reserve the requisite hours a week to ensure high-quality lessons for them. The sponsorship money also serves as an emergency fund in the rare case when the student is unable to buy stationery or afford the Internet to attend class, for example.

You can transfer an amount of your choosing - either just once or on a regular basis - using the payment options below. 

Once you transfer the amount, please fill out the Google Form at the bottom of this page so I can send you a receipt. 

Each sponsorship helps a big deal and means a lot to my students and me. 

A number of generous sponsors have trusted my work and sponsored my students over the years. 

Different sponsors prefer different kinds of engagement. Some want to leave the teaching and learning to me, and just send me the money; while some like to receive regular updates about the student. 

Once you begin to sponsor a student, you can choose to engage in any way you like.