Angels Of Nashik: Assistant Teacher Kunda Bacchav Taking Dreams Of Municipal School Children To ISRO

Nashik: "A teacher should not merely impart bookish knowledge; rather, they should be the one who empowers students' wings to soar high into the sky." This very sentiment has been proven absolutely true by Kunda Jaywant Bacchav, an assistant teacher at School No. 18 (Anandwali) of the Nashik Municipal Corporation.

For many years, Kunda Bacchav has been striving tirelessly to ensure that children from poor and underprivileged backgrounds who study in municipal schools do not remain trapped solely within the confines of poverty but instead learn to think and aspire on a global scale.

From organising educational excursions by air travel to directly teaching German and Spanish languages, she has completely transformed the face of the municipal school. Under The Free Press Journal’s 'Angels of Nashik' initiative, here is a brief overview of the astounding educational revolution she has spearheaded.

To ensure that students do not merely resort to rote learning but instead develop their innate talents, skills, and scientific temper through the process of 'self-study,' Kunda Bacchav established a 'Joyful STEM Class' within the school. Thanks to these classes, the municipal school students mastered complex scientific experiments in a fun and engaging manner, achieving resounding success in various science competitions.

​This innovative initiative garnered recognition at the state level. The project secured the second-place prize in the 'Innovation Competition' organised by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) across the state of Maharashtra. Furthermore, Kunda Bachhav was honoured with the highly prestigious 'Sharad Pawar Fellowship', carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 Lakh, awarded by the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan. She subsequently reinvested these funds entirely into the educational advancement of her students.

​Children attending municipal schools often harbour an inferiority complex. To help them regain their self-confidence, Kunda Bachhav introduced a unique experiment at the school: the 'Poetry Hour'. The objective behind this initiative was to empower students to express themselves freely and to channel their inner emotions onto paper.

​Thanks to her persistent efforts, the children began writing their own poetry. Compiling the 75 finest poems penned by these young poets, Kunda Bacchav edited and published a beautiful anthology titled 'Kavita Umaltya Kalyanchya' (Poems of Blossoming Buds). The publication of an official book authored by students of a municipal school proved to be a truly commendable milestone in Nashik's educational landscape.

​Children from ordinary families often harbour a deep fascination with aeroplanes. However, due to financial constraints, they are typically limited to merely gazing at them in the sky. Kunda Bachhav resolved to provide her students with the firsthand experience of flying in an aircraft. Without seeking any government assistance, she raised the necessary funds entirely through 'Jan Sahabhag' (Community Contribution).

In 2020, she took the students on a flight to Mumbai, where she provided them with a firsthand glimpse of the ongoing Budget Session at the 'Vidhan Bhavan' (State Legislature).  In 2025, taking an even greater leap forward, she took the students on an educational tour, travelling by air directly to the 'ISRO Centre' in Bengaluru.

​Both these excursions sparked immense curiosity among the municipal school students regarding space science and the nation's economy.

​Kunda Bacchav holds a deep-seated belief that "when a girl is educated, the entire household becomes educated." Many girls are unable to pursue further studies after their primary education due to poverty or parental difficulties. To address this issue, she launched a deeply compassionate initiative titled 'Educational Guardianship: A Helping Hand.

Through this initiative, she reached out to philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and organisations within the community. To date, she has successfully secured educational guardians for a remarkable 130 needy girls. These guardians now shoulder the entire financial responsibility for these girls' higher education; thanks to Kunda Bachhav, the future of these 130 girls has been secured.

​Kunda Bachhav possesses a truly visionary outlook. While she firmly believes that municipal school students should take pride in their mother tongue, she also recognises that they require knowledge of foreign languages ​​to remain competitive in the global arena; with this objective in mind, she introduced the concept of 'Our Global Classroom' at the school.

​Through dedicated efforts, she initiated the teaching of German and Spanish to the students. Remarkably, the students of this municipal school have successfully cleared the first international proficiency level (Level 1) in German and are currently pursuing their studies for the second level.

A Confluence of Art, Reading & Competitive Exams

Kunda Bachhav's work is not limited to these endeavours alone. They have implemented the following key initiatives for the holistic development of students. For students... To cultivate a love for reading among students, she established the 'Tarang Library' at the school, boasting an impressive collection of 1,000 books.

Today, through community participation, this library has grown to house over 2,500 books for supplementary reading. For three consecutive years, she has been registering plays from the municipal school in the 'State Children's Theatre Competition' organised by the Government of Maharashtra, as well as in the 'SAVNA State Children's Theatre Competition'. She personally directs these plays and imparts acting lessons to the students. Her plays have even won awards at the state level.

Consistency in Scholarship Achievements (NMMS): For five consecutive years, her students have consistently secured positions in the merit lists for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) examination and various government scholarship examinations.

To keep herself abreast of the latest developments, Kunda Bachhav has successfully completed all rigorous training programmes at both the state and national levels related to 'PM e-Vidya', 'DIKSHA', and the creation and development of 'Bridge Courses' (Setu Abhyaskram), organised by the SCERT and NCERT. She also makes significant contributions as an expert guide at the state level.

​Why 'Angels of Nashik'?

​Rather than merely fulfilling her duties within the confines of government or municipal bureaucracy, Kunda Jaywant Bachhav stepped beyond those boundaries to elevate Nashik Municipal School No. 18 to a standard that would put even a corporate-run school to shame. She serves as a living encyclopedia on how to garner public participation and effectively channel it toward ensuring a bright future for children.

As an assistant teacher who has provided the right direction to the lives of hundreds of students, Kunda Bachhav has truly emerged as a 'True Angel' in the educational landscape of Nashik. A resounding salute from all the citizens of Nashik to her unparalleled work!

Dr Mita Chaudhary, Education Officer of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, said, “We had recommended Kunda Bacchav's name, as she is really a deserving candidate for these special features. We have admired her work for a very long time, and she's doing her work very sincerely without expecting anything. The bond between her and her students is now very rare to see.”