“What do you want to grow up to be?” Years ago, when Satyam Mishra posed the question to a young boy from Iraq, he expected the boy’s answer to mimic the most common aspiration of children who grow up in war-affected areas — ‘doctor’. But Woleed was different. He wanted to become an architect.

“And what will you build?” Satyam asked curiously.

“My city of Mosul,” the boy replied, referencing his home city, which had been reduced to rubble in 2016 in what history describes as the deadliest urban combat since World War II. “I will rebuild my city,” the boy affirmed, giving Satyam goosebumps that continue to reappear every time he retells the story. War and destruction, he realised, could uproot cities, but hope would continue to reverberate in the ruins.

That day, in Woleed’s eyes, Satyam glimpsed a reflection of his younger self — the part that was keen on changing the world. Today, at 34, he’s elated at having stumbled upon a possible catalyst — teacher training. The last decade has seen Satyam trot the globe, training teachers to innovate their approaches, build road maps for students, and encourage research-oriented strategies. “If we want to reach every child on the planet, teacher training is the way forward,” he emphasises.

In his chat with The Better India, this Harvard student chronicles the itinerant journey he’s had, spanning 18 countries including Nepal, South Africa, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Portugal, Slovakia, Austria, and Bulgaria.

Bringing a paradigm shift into classrooms and staffrooms

Worldwide, 69 million teachers are needed to reach universal basic education by 2030. As teacher numbers depreciate, children’s futures are caught in the crosshairs. A Forbes report suggests “making improvements to the attractiveness of the teaching profession to hire and retain teaching professionals”. It’s a multi-faceted conundrum, one could argue.

But, even as countries bend their heads over the drawing board attempting to work out a tangible solution, two packed bags in a Harvard dorm room are ready to play their part. Satyam Mishra will graduate in May 2025 and then embark on his next quest — training teachers in eastern India, typically in Bihar and Jharkhand.

The scenario here is grim. In Jharkhand, a third of primary schools are single-teacher ones; while in Bihar, attendance clocked for primary and middle school is an appalling 20 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Reports blame systemic apathy, burgeoning administrative tasks and biases towards marginalised children as the culprits.

Teacher training is seen as the non-negotiable game changer, providing these educators with a surer footing to meet academic goals while securing their spots on the same playing field as their global........

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