Every year, 24th January marks the International Day of Education as proclaimed by UNESCO.  This year's theme Changing Course, Transforming Education has been curated to recognise, strengthen and welcome the revival of education across the world. But education is not limited to the books we read and the degrees we hold. It’s much more than that. Education stands for learning, accruing knowledge and developing skills that one requires to not only be part of the real world but also sustain themselves and their livelihoods

So, here are some remarkably inspiring stories of individuals who are not just making a better future for themselves and their loved ones but also giving back to the society by building educational resources, preserving dying crafts and more.

Kiran Kamble, Upskilling: Kiran Kamble hails from Dapodi, Pune. His father works in housekeeping, his mother is a housewife and he has two siblings who were born with special needs .  In his first year while pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree, in an unfortunate turn of events, Kiran met with a road accident that left him in coma for 19 months and a lifelong disability of the right arm and leg. He was only 17 years old. This incident put his family into a dire financial situation leading them to sell their home. Determined nonetheless, at 24, Kiran resumed looking for a job but the task seemed uphill – one, for he wasn’t a graduate and two, the accident-led disability. Kiran soon found his way to Tata STRIVE – the skill development initiative of Tata Trusts. Due to the Pandemic, he was in a ‘Blended Batch’ – one that has a series of ‘learning events’ strung together cohesively on a well-defined learning path. Kiran maintained 90% attendance during the entire session, not missing even one. His efforts landed him a job as Retail Sales Associate at Tata Star Bazaar, Akurdi, PCMC and he will complete a year in March. Kiran believes that he is able to do any work – if he puts his heart and mind to it. More recently, his family bought a parcel of land – the EMIs of which – Kiran is gladly contributing to and soon will build a home there.

Prof. S Sivadas, Children’s Book Author: An award-winning author, Prof. S Sivadas has written over two hundred books over the last fifty years. Inspired by his childhood memories, love for nature and deep commitment to science, his work has stood out significantly in the children’s literature canon in Malayalam. He served as a Professor of Chemistry in CMS College, Kottayam till his retirement in 1995. S. Sivadas writes on popular science, contemporary ecology, short stories, novels and other fictional tales with an emphasis on scientific outlook. He is a recipient of multiple renowned accolades such as the Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards, Kairali Book Trust awards and lifetime achievement award from the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AIWC) and recently won the Big Little Book Awards 2021 for his work in children’s literature in Malayalam.

Deepa Balsavar, children’s book illustrator: Deepa Balsavar is a writer, illustrator and educationist, who has contributed significantly to the children’s literature space and has award-winning children’s books to her name such as ‘The Seed’, ‘The Lonely King and Queen’ among others. She has spent most of her professional life (almost 20 years) working on putting together material for a variety of educational programs including UNICEF’s empowerment series for children as well as the Avehi-Abacus Project, illustrating textbooks for NCERT and more. Deepa’s love for words and pictures started at the tender age of five when she could first make out what a stop sign said on a road trip with her family. Even as a kid, she would spend many nights wide awake, her nose glued to her book. Born in Mumbai and having cultivated a profound love for animals, books and drawing since her childhood days, Deepa Balsavar decided she would write and draw stories about them, and about people and the world. She lives amidst dogs and cats and will soon begin teaching at IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. Through her work, she now aims to invoke that love and passion for the written word in as many kids as possible.  She dreams of a future where all children are equal, safe, cherished, and free to pursue their dreams, where there are green forests, clean water and wide, open spaces to run. Deepa won the Big Little Book Awards in December 2021. The award is instituted by Parag to recognize and honour significant contribution of authors and illustrators to children's literature in Indian language

Vevozolu Phesao, Artisan: Vevozolu Phesao is 28 years old from Nagaland, residing at Naga United village Dimapur. She learnt weaving from her mother and though weaving is not her primary source of income, she is very fond of traditional loin loom and is one of the few young ones to preserve this dying craft. Recently, she started as an Antaran artisan entrepreneur to showcase her skills and challenge herself towards self-betterment and wishes to reach out to more people with determination to continue conserving traditional pride of the art of weaving and sustain its growth as a livelihoods lifeline for many.

Sirisha Jetti, Female Electrician: 19-year-old Sirisha Jetti from Hyderabad is a girl with big dreams and a resilient spirit. In 2016, her family suffered a financial setback and so she took charge, worked hard and completed her diploma eager to enter work-life and also more importantly, support her family. But, due to the lack of skills she needed to be employable, her options were limited, but she did not give up. In 2019, she joined the Tata STRIVE program and took up an AE course. Sirisha travelled around 70 kms to and fro daily by bus from Nagole and never missed a class. The skills she learnt has groomed her to become a female electrician. Sirisha received offer letters from two  companies Schneider Electric India and Taj Krishna and today, she works at Taj Krishna is Indian Hotels Company Limited’s in Hyderabad. Her decision to upskill is only a stepping stone in her 10 year plan. Sirisha is now not only able to support her family, but is now studying engineering in a reputable B. Tech college.