Shanavas C, Neichute Doulo and others at the Changemaker Day event held in Kohima on May 11. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | May 11
A “Changemaker Day” celebrating Nagaland’s Changemaker Ambassador Teachers was held today at the Directorate of School Education, Kohima.
This event is part of the collaboration between Ashoka Innovators for the Public and Nagaland state government to build a change-making ecosystem in the state’s school education system.
This collaboration seeks to advance a culture of change-making, innovation and problem solving among the students in the state of Nagaland.
The partnership aims to train a group of 100 teachers in the state to become Changemaker Ambassadors who will then support students in their respective schools. These students will further receive opportunities to kick start their own learning journey to become Changemakers.
‘Make impact on lives of children’
Nagaland’s School Education Principal Director Shanavas C challenged the teachers to make the best use of this changemaker platform and make impact on the lives of many children whom they are teaching.
Delivering the keynote address, he hoped that Ashoka Innovators will take this programme forward to many more teachers in other districts as well in the coming days.
“We need a collective effort to bring a positive change,” he said.
He also stressed on the need to work together to take education to the higher heights.
It is high time to change the image of the school education department, he added.
“If we need our students to grow up differently, we need our teachers to be ambassador of change making,” said Dr Shruti Nair, Director of Youth Years, Ashoka South Asia.
She also stressed on the need to adequately spread the power of change-making to the students.
Nagaland 2030: Vision Forward
Talking on “Nagaland 2030: Vision Forward,” Neichute Doulo, founder and CEO of Entrepreneurs Associates and an Ashoka Fellow, said that the role of the teachers is very important as social changemaker.
In this, he called upon the teachers to change the mindset of the students and enable them to be an asset to the society.
“Our schools must prepare our children and students to face change. The best way to face it is to create change,”he said.
The future can be frightening like Alvin Toffler wrote in his Revolutionary Wealth: “The future is not for the faint hearted.” If we don't become fluid and become changemakers, we will be vanquished by the fast changing world, Doulo said.
He also urged the teachers to teach the students on 4Cs: Critical Thinking, Communication, Creativity and Collaboration.
Our schools must teach our students how to think and not be limited to teaching them what to think, he said
He said that the future of Nagaland is to drill students to become problem solvers and, “that is possible through developing the entrepreneurial spirit which our schools are not emphasizing currently.”
Also stating that the focus on government jobs has to change, he said “We must encourage big ambition for our students. Let them dream big to become billionaires and not be limited to government job seekers only. That way Nagaland will change.”
“Teachers are nation builders, and the teaching profession should not become job avenue sector, although sadly in Nagaland, this seems to be the trend because education department employs the maximum next to Police department in Nagaland. Sadly many government schools have more employees than students.”
When teachers become nation builders, they encourage students to become changemakers. And the society's progress is directly related to the velocity of change makers it nurtures, Doulo said.
The occasion was also marked by Changemaker workshop for teachers, panel discussion with young changemakers: Radhika Joshi of 'The Second Chance Project,’ Prajal Regmi of ‘Nepalglish Open Mic’ and Regina Chakrunuo of ’Regina Designer Clothing.’The programme concluded with felicitation ceremony of teachers as ‘Changemaker Ambassadors.’
Ashoka supports
innovators
As the world's largest network of changemakers and social innovators with more than 4,000+ social entrepreneurs in over 90 countries, Ashoka is paving the way for an 'Everyone a Changemaker’ world. Ashoka supports innovators to get started, grow their ideas, collaborate, reshape whole systems and influence societal transformation.
Founded in 1980 by Bill Drayton with the belief that the most powerful force in the world is a big idea in the hands of an entrepreneur, Ashoka applies insights from the world's leading social entrepreneurs to set in motion profound societal transformation.
Through this partnership, Ashoka, Mphasis, and the Department of School Education, Nagaland, want the youth to develop the right skills to deal with uncertainty and volatility in the new world and develop their inherent power to be Changemakers, a skill set that will help them thrive in the future.
