American educators visit Kolkata

Titled “Sustainable Development and Social Change in India” this dynamic exchange provided in-person opportunities for them to learn about Indian life, society, the education systems and resources available. 

The program was hosted and administered by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).

The program provided a unique opportunity to the American educators to explore issues, challenges and strategies related to India’s developmental goals and to better understand the impact of it on local communities and on Indian society at large.

Their Kolkata programs included a panel discussion on “Sustainable Development and Social Change in India” which exposed the educators to the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the country. 

Apart from this, the participants visited Kolkata Sanved where they interacted with NGO professionals and watched performance by rehabilitated girls through dance therapy. 

They had a glimpse of the work of NGO CINI on health, nutrition and education. 

They enjoyed participating in 19th century Calcutta Walk including Kumartuli. 

They also visited SAFE project sites at Bantala and Chingrighata.

The American educators were excited about the heritage walk and said that the walk was extremely insightful and gave them a glimpse into the architectural history of Kolkata.

They also found the innovative approach to therapy during Kolkata Sanved visit very interesting. 

“Traveling to India has been an eye-opening experience, providing a real-world context of learning that will directly influence my school curricula in the States,” said a participant.

Besides Kolkata they visited New Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune and Madurai over a period of five weeks.  They will also visit Varanasi after Kolkata trip.

USIEF regularly organizes programs for groups of U.S. educators as part of its mission to promote mutual understanding between the citizens of the U.S. and India through educational exchange.