Shri Bahadur Singh: A Teacher, Guide, and Lifelong Learner

In the valley of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, one government centre primary school has become home to quiet but meaningful change.

At the heart of it is Shri Bahadur Singh (55), a teacher who has spent more than two decades serving the school and its children.

Over the years, his role has grown beyond the classroom. Today, he is not only a teacher, but also a centre head teacher, mentor, and a steady source of support for both children and fellow educators.

Like many committed teachers, Bahadur Singh spent years doing everything he could for his students. He taught lessons repeatedly, stayed back when needed, and remained a constant presence in the classroom. But despite these efforts, he noticed that some children in Grades 1 and 2 continued to struggle with recognising letters and numbers, and with basic writing skills.

Seeing these challenges first-hand made him realise that a different teaching approach was needed.

In 2024, in his role as centre head teacher, he attended a mentoring workshop organised by Samagra Shiksha Himachal Pradesh in collaboration with Pratham Education Foundation.

The workshop was part of NIPUN Himachal, an initiative launched in 2022 through a collaboration between the Government of Himachal Pradesh and Pratham. The programme aims to help children build strong foundations in literacy and numeracy by Grade 3. As an implementing partner, Pratham works directly with teachers and mentors across the state to strengthen Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).

During the workshop, Bahadur Singh was introduced to spot assessment, a tool designed to help teachers understand exactly where a child is in their learning journey, whether they can recognise a letter, read a word, or solve a basic maths problem.

He also learned about play-based activities that support foundational learning in engaging and practical ways.

Armed with new tools and ideas, he returned to his school with renewed confidence as a mentor. In classrooms, he began demonstrating hands-on maths activities and simple interactive exercises that made learning more engaging for children.

His school visits also began to change. Instead of formal check-ins, they became opportunities to listen to teachers, understand classroom challenges, and support learning more closely.

Over time, teachers began noticing small but important shifts. Children who had once hesitated to participate were now raising their hands in class.

For Bahadur Singh, these moments mattered deeply, not only because children were learning better, but because teachers were able to use these new approaches confidently in their classrooms.

With continued support from Pratham, he continues this work today, strengthening mentoring and learning side by side.

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