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Ashoka Fellow since 2003   |   India

Rama Rao

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Rama (left) and Padmanabha (right) Rao are providing a viable and attractive solution to multigrade and multilevel learning common in rural areas of India. By bringing together parents, teachers, and…
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This description of Rama Rao's work was prepared when Rama Rao was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2003.

Introduction

Rama (left) and Padmanabha (right) Rao are providing a viable and attractive solution to multigrade and multilevel learning common in rural areas of India. By bringing together parents, teachers, and children, they have developed a system for creating an effective learning environment supplementedRead more

The New Idea

Rama and Padmanabha Rao have developed a learner-guided method to teaching that not only increases learning but also reengages teachers in their responsibility as educators. They have proved the effectiveness of their comprehensive plan in over 40,000 schools across India. The curriculum isRead more

The Problem

Government-run rural primary schools lack resources and support for both teachers and students. Teaching in small, remote rural schools is an isolating experience for primary school teachers. Frustrations arise when a single teacher has to handle 25 to 40 students at five different grade levels,Read more

The Strategy

The Raos have a three-part strategy. First, they have developed a comprehensive curriculum that is appropriate for children at all grade levels. It not only gives them the freedom to learn at their own pace but also incorporates material that is pertinent to their everyday lives. Second, they haveRead more

The Person

Rama and Padmanabha Rao–both with master's and postgraduate degrees in English–joined Rishi Valley as teachers in 1987. By then they had experience in teaching children and wanted to work with communities to improve education for the underprivileged. Since 1988, they have beenRead more

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