Pathways out of Adversity: Saketh Gayam’s Journey to Advancing Equity in Education
At the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC), our work is rooted in the belief that every child deserves to grow in an environment that nurtures their full potential. In India, the GC-DWC’s Project Sampoorna is helping make that vision a reality by supporting schools, training educators, and, most importantly, by listening to those doing the work on the ground.
Every story begins with people: educators, trainers, and leaders who carry both personal history and professional commitment into the work of transforming schools. In this installment of the Pathways out of Adversity series, we highlight the story of Saketh Gayam, Senior Program Coordinator for the GC-DWC in India, whose journey—from a small-town student to educator, policy fellow, edtech practitioner, and now a driving force in Project Sampoorna—illustrates how curiosity, courage, and persistence can shape a career devoted to equity in education.
“I was always curious about how the world worked—not so much about machines and technology, but about people.”
Saketh’s fascination with learning began early. Growing up in a small town, he found himself drawn to social studies and the dynamics of human behavior.
His curiosity about the world began by imitating his father’s habit of never missing the morning newspaper or the nightly news. His mother’s gentle challenge: Vallu em antunnaro vadiley, niku em anipistundi? (“Forget what others are saying, what do you think?”)—left a lasting mark, encouraging him to have his own voice and think independently.
Later, when he took up engineering, the common path among his peers and community, something didn't feel right. "It just didn’t feel like engineering is what I wanted to do," he reflects. “I realized that I should be more honest with myself. I think that gave me real courage—the courage to follow my own path, rather than just go along with the crowd."
This decision led Saketh to study political science at Delhi University. "I wanted to explore how people and societies work, and political science seemed like the perfect way to do that," he says. This academic shift marked the beginning of a journey that would weave together education, policy, and social impact.
“That was my first exposure to the education sector.”
Saketh’s time at Delhi University was about more than academics. He joined student-led clubs and organizations, discovering how much he enjoyed working with people and telling their stories. This led him to volunteer with an NGO called Make a Difference, where he mentored and provided academic support to children living in shelter homes, also taking on a communications role.
“I was covering their activities—writing stories, taking pictures, raising funds,” he recalls. “They had a three-day outdoor camp for the kids from the shelters, and I would document it. That was my first exposure to the education sector.” This experience deepened his commitment to education and social equity, while showing him how storytelling, policy, and hands-on work could intersect.
“How do you ensure representation and equal opportunity for everyone?”
After graduation, Saketh joined the Teach for India fellowship, a two-year program that places young graduates and working professionals as full-time teachers in under-resourced schools to address educational inequity. He taught fifth graders in a low-income school and worked on multiple community development projects. Stepping into a classroom of his own, Saketh was eager to make a difference.
“It was very exciting that I could get to see the impact of my work on a day-to-day basis with the kids,” he says. “I was 20 or 21. Being in charge of a classroom at that age was a huge responsibility, but it was also a very rewarding experience.”
From there, his path took him into the world of policy. As a legislative assistant to a Member of Parliament in India, Saketh led research efforts on various government bills and policy issues.
“To create change on a large scale, engaging with the government is often essential—especially in India,” he reflects. “Development challenges are complex: addressing poverty, climate, or educational equity requires systemic solutions.”
He continues, “Equity has been important to me since my Teach for India days. How do you ensure representation and equal opportunity for everyone?”
Saketh’s next chapter was in educational technology. First, he was part of a founding team for a startup that partnered with governments to bring data insights and stronger monitoring and evaluation to education systems. Then, he joined an edtech company, focusing on curriculum development for social studies, a subject he felt was often undervalued. In this role, he worked with more than 2,000 schools across the country, most serving low-income communities, gaining firsthand experience in scaling educational interventions. Yet, after several years, he felt a pull back to the development sector.
Building Relationships, Building Trust
That’s when Saketh found the role with the GC-DWC’s Project Sampoorna. “One of the many things I enjoy about working with Project Sampoorna is that I like the people that I work with,” he says. “It’s a very kind, safe work environment.”
As Senior Program Coordinator, Saketh is responsible for program design, team capacity building, and monitoring implementation across Telangana schools. His work requires both precision and empathy.
“When I just started out, I had to spend time understanding the context we’re working in,” he explains. “Part of that was making sure our guidance was clear and accessible—breaking ideas into precise, bite-sized pieces so they could be easily used in classrooms.”
Another challenge lies in working with long-standing practices. “At times, you need to address ingrained norms—from corporal punishment to gender and caste biases,” Saketh says. “You do that by building relationships. You build trust. Nothing happens overnight.”
Over time, he has seen teachers themselves acknowledge progress. “Just one year after implementation, I began hearing teachers share their own stories,” Saketh recalls. “They spoke about how their approaches had shifted—and how those changes were influencing their classrooms.”
“It’s the small changes that make a big difference.”
For Saketh, the most rewarding moments are the quiet stories of transformation: a teacher trainer once seen as “distant” now inspires trust among colleagues; a teacher who initially missed trainings due to health issues sought out one-on-one calls, took ownership, and caught up with her peers.
“They do it because at times they feel this is the only way,” Saketh says of practices like shouting or punishment. “But slowly, realizing there are strategies we could employ and things we could do…that helps.”
“Whole child development gives kids a chance to see themselves in a new light.”
Reflecting on his own schooling, Saketh recalls the fear and rigid discipline he faced. “Looking back, I realize that I was scared of certain subjects because I was scared of the teacher. But one kind English teacher made a huge difference. She was kind to me. I think that is why I enjoyed that subject so much. If we had Project Sampoorna in my school, it would have helped kids like me feel supported and confident.”
For him, the framework’s holistic approach is key. “It doesn’t focus on silos. It emphasizes safe spaces, supports teachers, and addresses the child as a whole person.”
Even as he navigates challenges, Saketh finds joy in simple things, like the thematic assemblies where children perform skits and tell stories. “I’m a big theater person,” he says. “I absolutely enjoy thematic assemblies.”
Through these activities, and through the everyday work of shifting classroom practices and supporting teachers, Saketh sees the bigger picture: “We’re not just focusing on children’s well-being, but also teachers’ well-being. We try to put ourselves in their shoes, understand how they would feel. Change doesn’t happen in a day, but with trust and small steps, we’re moving toward a better culture in schools.”
This is Saketh’s pathway out of adversity: a journey defined by curiosity, courage, persistence, and a belief that every child deserves an equal opportunity to thrive.
Stay tuned for more stories from our Pathways out of Adversity series, where we spotlight the dedicated individuals behind Project Sampoorna who are working to transform education—one conversation, one classroom, and one child at a time.
Learn more about Project Sampoorna: https://iei.nd.edu/initiatives/gc-dwc/project-sampoorna
About the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC)
The Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC) at the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame collaborates with researchers and practitioners to ensure the well-being—physical, emotional, social, and cognitive—of children and adolescents in low-resource and conflict-affected settings. Established to serve as a coherent platform for the Institute for Educational Initiative’s growing portfolio of global child development and learning programs, the GC-DWC creates environments that foster resilience and encourage children and adolescents to thrive. Using an innovative Whole Child Development (WCD) approach tailored to context-specific needs, the GC-DWC translates research into timely and thoughtful action, adapts research tools to improve the development of learning programs and policies, and activates systems (families, schools, communities) to lift children and adolescents out of adversity.
Learn more about the GC-DWC’s work to transform child development globally: iei.nd.edu/gc-dwc
About the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI)
Founded in 1996, the Institute for Educational Initiatives consists of more than two dozen initiatives that strive to improve education for all youth, particularly the disadvantaged, paying special, though not exclusive, attention to Catholic schools. Through research, the formation of teachers and leaders, and direct service to educational systems, the IEI’s scholars and practitioners pursue interdisciplinary collaborations to better understand and improve PK-12 education in the United States and around the world.
For more information about the IEI and its initiatives, visit iei.nd.edu.
