Empowering Educators Globally: Rishabh Khanna's Innovative Approach to Teacher Recruitment
Rishabh Khanna, founder of Suraasa, shared his journey and vision for revolutionizing education through international teacher recruitment and placement. Suraasa, based in Dubai, is dedicated to connecting exceptional teachers with schools worldwide, aiming to transform educational systems globally.
A Serendipitous Beginning
Khanna's entry into the world of education was unplanned. His passion for teaching ignited through a chance experience with students, leading him to recognize the transformative power of education. "It was love at first sight," Khanna recalls, emphasizing the profound impact education can have on transforming lives. This realization steered him towards teacher education, an area he believes holds immense potential for impact.
The Start of Suraasa
Founded over 13 years ago alongside his brother Ankit, Suraasa has been a pioneer in teacher education. The organization has developed a range of programs, including master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas, designed to enhance teachers' skills and employability. Suraasa's initiatives have enabled teachers to secure international teaching jobs, sometimes earning up to 20 times their original salary. "We've helped teachers in finding employment across the globe, making teachers literally travel from one part of the world to the other," Khanna highlights, showcasing the significant impact of economic and global mobility.
Global Teacher Standards
Suraasa's innovative approach involves studying teacher standards from various countries to identify commonalities and create the Suraasa Skills Framework. This framework equips teachers to meet the requirements of multiple countries simultaneously, making them truly international educators. "We identified what are the overlaps and created something called Suraasa Skills Framework," Khanna explains. Dubai's diverse educational landscape provided the ideal setting to launch this vision.
Expanding Reach and Impact
Today, Suraasa boasts over half a million teachers on its platform, with thousands of graduates annually completing year-long programs to become certified international teachers. These graduates have advanced to senior leadership roles, heads of schools, and nominees for state teacher prizes, demonstrating the effectiveness of Suraasa's programs. "Our graduates have gone within a couple of years, moved from becoming teachers to senior leaders to heads of schools," Khanna proudly shares.
Strategic Partnership with ETS Praxis
Suraasa's partnership with ETS Praxis aims to address the teacher shortage in the United States by providing J-1 visa-sponsored teachers in high-need areas such as special education, math, science, and dual language programs. This collaboration leverages the strengths of both organizations to bring high-quality international teachers to U.S. schools, enhancing educational outcomes for students. "We want high-quality teachers in every single school, and we want to make sure that we'll do everything that it takes to bring those teachers locally, nationally, or internationally," Khanna emphasizes.
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The Future of Teaching
Khanna emphasizes the importance of viewing teaching as a global profession. By making teaching aspirational and providing international opportunities, countries can address skilled teacher shortages and elevate the profession. "The moment we start looking at teaching as a global profession instead of a local profession or a national profession, what we're doing is we're creating avenues for growth, globalization, internationalization," Rishabh explains. Suraasa's vision aligns with this goal, aiming to create a world where teachers can thrive and make a significant impact wherever they go.
Conclusion
Rishabh Khanna underscores the transformative potential of international teacher recruitment and placement. Suraasa's innovative approach and partnership with ETS Praxis offer a promising solution to the teacher shortage in the United States, providing K-12 district leaders with access to high-quality educators from around the world. As we look to the future, the globalization of teaching holds the key to elevating education and shaping the next generation.
Using the Tomorrow’s Teacher blog, the writers, thought leaders, and researchers who comprise the Praxis Editorial Team focus on the pedagogical issues that matter most to educators. The goal: to create and sustain a constant dialogue, and to unite the interests of all those who value teaching and learning.
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