Other Fulbright Grants India: Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers

Priya Laxmi

Dr. Priya Laxmi teaches vocal music to grades six to 12 at an girls’ government school run by the Delhi Directorate of Education. She actively engages in all music related endeavors in her department. A graded artist of Aakasvani, Dr. Laxmi received a doctoral degree in vocal music from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in 2019. She received the JRF-SRF award during her Ph.D. She also qualified for the National Level of All India Civil Services music competition.

Through her Fulbright DAI Project, Dr. Laxmi is finding ways and means to transform perceptions about the scope of music as a subject, providing students with the opportunity to explore and enhance their learning and creativity. She aspires to make music education accessible to every child and emphasize on the aesthetic importance of music education for all.

After her return to India, she will share her Fulbright experience and learning with fellow music teachers by preparing a guideline for music education and through workshops, training programs, and publications.

Ashima Gupta

Ms. Ashima Gupta is a mentor teacher with the Delhi Directorate of Education. In her present role, she facilitates pre/in-service teacher trainings, develops content for secondary grade classes and observes classes in her mentee schools. She has been teaching English to the students of primary and secondary grades for fifteen years. She has a master’s degree in English from IGNOU and a certificate in TESOL core.

Ms. Gupta is actively involved in the planning of student development programs like student advisory board, sports meet at state level and spoken English project (Project Voices). During weekends, she provides career and spoken English counselling to students from disadvantaged families. She was honored with the Om Foundation’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017 for her efforts to provide students from underprivileged backgrounds with access to education.

During Ms. Gupta’s participation in the Fulbright DAI program, she plans to study the strategies to improve soft skills of students through co-scholastic activities. She believes, students’ interest in co-scholastic activities like sports, arts and crafts, and theatre, can be used for developing their overall personality, soft skills, and English communication skills. The findings and learnings from her project will help her transform the teaching learning scenario of government schools of Delhi. She intends to cascade her learnings to the fellow educators through workshops and training programs, hence benefitting her community.

Sumana Dutta

Ms. Sumana Dutta is an educationist with 21 years of experience. In the last 15 years, she has focused on supporting individuals dealing with autism and intellectual disabilities. She has a master’s degree in special education needs and inclusion from the University of Northampton, UK. She is also a certified autism consultant recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

As the Founder Executive Director of Akshadhaa Foundation, Ms. Dutta spearheads ‘Equip the Special Million’ community outreach project. Her initiatives include sensitization workshops for university students, capacity-building training for parents, mainstream teachers, and community health workers. She orchestrates inclusive education through early screening camps, policy advocacy and arts-based therapy, utilizing multi-sensorial modalities of learning.

Ms. Dutta received the topper award for diploma in special education (autism spectrum disorder) in 2010. Her decade-long service was honoured with the Dr. Amarnath Annual Award, and in 2022, she was recognized with the All India Women Achiever Award for excellence in social service. She has co-authored an article “Journey of Akshadhaa: Supporting Neuro-Developmental Disabilities in Bangalore, India” in Psychosocial Rehabilitation Mental Health Journal by Springer in 2023.

Through the Fulbright DAI project, Ms. Dutta is aiming to enhance her expertise in Universal Design of Learning and structured teaching approaches for special needs children. Upon her return to India, she would like to establish an online learning platform under the Akshadhaa Foundation, providing inclusive education methodologies for teachers and parent-caregivers. Her vision extends to sharing Fulbright experiences, preparing guidelines, and incorporating inclusive education pedagogy in state-run schools in Karnataka, contributing significantly to the education landscape in India.