Thousands of Govt School Children send heartfelt #MissYouTeacher Letters to reconnect with their teachers on Teacher’s Day

New Delhi: The Coronavirus pandemic has played a significant role in changing the course of how education is imparted over the last 18 months. From learning while playing games with teachers at school to learning via online classes, the students have never felt any more distant from education and teachers than ever before. To re-build the connection between students and their Gurus and keep the spark alive, Sampark Foundation has introduced a unique campaign encouraging thousands of students across the country to write a heartfelt letter to make their favourite teacher feel even more special on Teacher’s Day.

Sampark Foundation’s “#MissYouTeacher” campaign aims at reviving the teacher-student bond and infuse new energy and life into the age-old guru-shishya tradition of India. The campaign intends to salute the never-dying spirit of teachers and their efforts and sacrifices in offering seamless learning to their students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, more than 5,000 Students have participated in the campaign writing heartfelt letters to their teachers.

Sampark Foundation was founded by Anupama Nayar and Vineet Nayar (Former Vice Chairman and CEO of HCL Technologies and author of Harvard Business Press bestseller “Employees First, Customer Second”) with a committed investment of INR 700 Cr with a belief that “frugal innovation” and its effective implementation in partnership with the government can drive large-scale improvement in learning outcomes.

Sharing his thoughts on the idea of “#MissYouTeacher” campaign, Mr. Vineet Nayar, Founder-Chairman Sampark Foundation and former CEO of HCL Technologies, said, “I have always had a people-first philosophy, at HCL we called it ‘Employees First’, and at Sampark we call it ‘Teachers First’. Now more than ever, teachers, who have been running a marathon for over a year, need a greater appreciation for their efforts to provide continuous learning amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Our campaign is a small effort in this direction to revive the age-old guru-shishya parampara and strengthen the student-teacher bond in these unprecedented times.”

The students miss their teachers and the connection that went beyond Guru and Shishya; to engage students in a way where they not just learn but also grow to become the best versions of themselves. Hence, Sampark Foundation has launched a social media campaign, “#MissYouTeacher”, and invited students from all across the country to participate and share their most heartfelt experiences with their teachers.

In very short span of time, Sampark Foundation has garnered thousands of responses from students, who have poured their hearts out in beautiful letters to their teachers. Neelam Kumari, a student from Sinoli, Uttar Pradesh, wrote to her teacher, “I miss going to school and meeting with my favourite teacher, Mukesh Sir. He is a very calm, happy and humble human being, who teaches us Hindi in school. There are several reasons why he is the best teacher, but one thing that makes him stand out is his constant dedication towards encouraging us to participate in every activity.”

Talking about the campaign, Shivam Dabas, a teacher from Hansi, Haryana, said, “The school feels empty without the students and all the hustle-bustle. It has been a long time since I met my students, and reading these letters just brings back a lot of happy memories. We are waiting for the schools to re-open soon so that we can sit together and discuss how life has been or participate in games and activities.”

Sampark Foundation wants to engage and encourage maximum students from all across the country. Hence, it will give away special gifts to students who’ll share their most genuine feelings/experiences about their favourite teacher and how much they miss learning with them in school.