By Jaideep Singh
Having been a part of Model United Nations for 4 Golden Years of my life has transformed my persona for the better. I have learnt how small efforts with the strongest intentions can move mountains, and all this world needs are small actions with pure intentions. MUN taught me how youth truly has the power to bring change, and how community involvement in small initiatives are what bring such a change.
Having learnt such great ideas from this wonderful program, I was inspired to do something myself. My inclinations have always been towards the field of education and research, and being part of a rigorous study system of the Indian curricula exposed me to both sides of the coin. Though Indians may be world-renowned for their intellect and mathematical abilities, it’s a sad fact that the state of affairs of the education system within the nation are alarming. Several villages and small towns still do not have schools, many others do not have regular teachers and in several regions of the country, educational facilities are merely for namesake, with the absence of even a decent classroom in so called ‘schools’.
Looking at such a scenario often filled me with a sense of grief, but at the same time, it made me more determined to do something on my part as a young Indian and Global citizen. This determination turned into action when I finally took the step of beginning my YouTube channel 4 years ago: Jaideep Singh’s Interactive Education.
My journey with Interactive Education has been stirringly analogous to the story of Evolution. I started off as an amateur student-cum-educator, recording poor quality videos on my Samsung 2014 Edition Tablet. Gradually I learnt more about the technicalities, moving on from teaching on a Whiteboard to doing screencasts and screen-board videos. I started off teaching Biology, Chemistry with a passionate zeal for these subjects.
At first, dejection was all I got. No video crossed more than 50 views and 100 views was nothing short of a thousand to me. Efforts didn’t bear fruit until almost a year, and that’s when my videos came in prominence. Students appreciated my unique mission and motto: “From the Student, to the Student”, and on great demand I started teaching the Social Sciences and also adopted Hindi as a medium of teaching.
And then, there was no looking back. Each year, students would watch my lectures, and narrate some of their stories- of those coming from humble backgrounds to those who didn’t have teachers in their own schools- they all narrated stories of how my initiatives were difference in their lives. My joy would know no bounds when I would hear students share their scores with me, some of them scoring 100% to those scoring in the high 90s, especially when they had lost all expectations of even passing the grade. My dreams began turning into reality, and my mission was now beginning to come into form. And today, my small initiative with almost nil viewership, has grown to become a channel with more than 8400+ Active Subscribers. I now also have a team of 6 dedicated young individuals wanting to make a difference with this initiative with no monetary interest. We have now developed content for Grade 10 History, Science and Political Science, as well as Chemistry, Biology and Physics for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for joining University in India.
Coming a long way from an amateur student tutor with a tablet for recording to a much more experienced and aware online educator has seen its highs and lows, ups and downs. But the journey has given me the opportunity to contribute to the society in probably the best way I could. I’ve touched lives I never thought I could have, I’ve made difference to people I had never seen, and it was all made possible by my strong belief in the mission, idea and vision behind Free Education to all, regardless of affiliation: as promoted by the 4th Sustainable Goal(SDG 4)- Quality Education.
My Goal and mission were simple- anyone, from any corner of India or the world deserved a Right to Free Educational material, and that’s exactly what I tried to provide. Pre-requisites were simple: an internet connection with a connected device- not a penny more than that.
And my advice to all my future budding youth leaders is simple: Don’t wait for opportunities to come by to make a difference in this world. Opportunities are meant to be created by YOU and YOU alone!
If we really want this world to be a better place, we’ll have to make sure that happens with our own actions-actions that leave impact, impression and bring light to even the darkest corners of society.
To connect with Jaideep, he can be reached at jaideepsoodan@gmail.com.