On June 10, 2023, four rented rooms in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar became the foundation of a larger vision. For Vikas Kumar, founder of Sankalp Shiksha, the modest space marked a significant step in a journey that began years earlier with personal hardship, a desire to support children in his village, and a volunteer effort that grew into a structured educational initiative. Today, Sankalp Shiksha works to provide quality education, skill development, and technology exposure to rural students, helping them access opportunities that are often difficult to find close to home.
Early Struggles Shaped a Lifelong Mission
Vikash grew up in a village in Kushinagar district. His father worked as a Group D government employee, and the family later moved to a town where he was posted. Even after moving away from the village, Vikas remained closely connected to it.
Whenever he visited, he noticed a stark difference between his own opportunities and those available to many local children.
“Whenever I returned to the village, I felt that many children couldn’t study. While I had the opportunity for a decent education, children in the village were wandering aimlessly without career guidance,” he recalled.
His own educational journey was far from easy. The family frequently struggled financially, and there were times when school fees could not be paid on time.
“We frequently had to drop out of exams because we didn’t have permission to sit for them without paying the fees,” he said. “This created a lifelong motivation: I wanted to ensure no child had to drop out because of fees.”
When Vikas was in Class 4, his father passed away after an illness. The loss brought further challenges for the family. They continued living in Kushinagar, sharing a single room and facing difficult living conditions.
“After that, we stayed in Kushinagar, living in a single room where we faced many hardships, including sharing a common washroom with 20 people,” he said.
Despite these circumstances, he remained determined to pursue higher education. After completing Class 10, he moved to Gorakhpur for JEE preparation, completed Classes 11 and 12, and eventually secured admission to NIT Hamirpur.
A Pandemic-Era Effort That Sparked Change
While studying at NIT Hamirpur, Vikas carried with him the desire to contribute to his village one day. The opportunity came unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In conversation, he shared that when the nationwide disruption began, he returned home and discussed ways to help with his college friends. Their initial idea was to manufacture hand sanitizer, but they were unable to procure the required alcohol.
As they assessed local needs, they realised that food assistance was far more urgent.
“We realized people needed rations more than sanitizer because everything was shut down,” he said.
The group reached out through college networks, and support poured in from alumni and seniors. Together, they distributed ration kits to around 400 to 500 families across 10 to 15 villages.
What began as relief work soon encouraged them to think about longer-term community development.
An Organisation Registered Almost by Accident
After graduating, Vikas secured a campus placement and joined a job in July 2021. At the time, he envisioned preparing for the Civil Services rather than running an organisation.
“I hadn’t planned on it; I wanted to prepare for the Civil Services,” he said.
However, a senior from college encouraged him to formally register the initiative. When the senior offered to cover the registration costs, the process moved ahead.
According to Vikas, the organisation was registered “accidentally” in 2020.
The initiative remained relatively small in its early stages. Later, when his job shifted to a work-from-home arrangement, he found more time to devote to community work. Encouraged by the response to their pandemic relief efforts, the team began focusing on education.
From Teaching in Huts to Building a Structured Model
The first educational efforts were simple. Vikas and his team entered Mushar settlements and built a hut where children could gather and study. Over time, classes expanded to multiple locations, including school grounds and spaces under trees. Around 40 to 50 volunteers became involved.
“I realized that instead of waiting until my 40s or 50s to give back when I had ‘enough money,’ I should start today,” he said.
A major turning point came when he shared the initiative’s work on LinkedIn. His company’s CEO noticed the posts and offered support. After assisting with a blanket distribution drive, the CEO invited Vikas to submit a funding proposal.
Although initially hesitant, he applied for ₹4 lakh in funding. The proposal was approved within ten days.
“With those 4 lakhs, we had to get serious,” he said.
The funding enabled Sankalp Siksha to rent four rooms and formally launch a skill development programme on June 10, 2023.
Learning from Challenges and Focusing on Impact
While speaking to The Logical Indian, Vikas reflected on the lessons learned from the organisation’s early work in marginalised communities.
He explained that building trust was not the primary challenge. The team involved local youth as volunteers and provided books, pens, snacks, and fruits to encourage participation.
“The real issue wasn’t trust; it was consistency,” he said.
Over time, he felt the model was not producing the educational outcomes he had hoped for.
“I eventually had to drop the Mushar settlement plan because it lacked impact. The children would attend one week and disappear for ten days, forgetting what they learned,” he said.
As a result, the organisation restructured its approach in 2023. Rather than working across multiple causes, it chose to focus specifically on technical and quality education. Sankalp Shiksha now conducts annual examinations to identify talented students from financially weaker backgrounds. Students pay a nominal fee of ₹200, which Vikas believes helps ensure commitment from both learners and their families.
Preparing Rural Youth for Future Opportunities
Today, Sankalp Shiksha runs three core programmes: skill development for graduates, Innovators of Tomorrow for students from Classes 6 to 12, and a digital library.
Through a partnership with Physics Wallah, students access educational content on digital boards while receiving guidance from offline teachers. The organisation also operates a robotics lab and an AI space to introduce students to emerging technologies.
In addition, Sankalp Shiksha works with four government schools, conducting weekly sessions on AI, robotics, and computer literacy.
The organisation currently serves around 250 regular beneficiaries and employs eight to nine teachers. Over the past five years, including its early relief efforts, it has reached approximately 2,000 to 2,200 students. Around 125 students are enrolled in skill development programmes, and 40 to 50 students have secured jobs with the organisation’s support.
Looking ahead, Vikas plans to leave his job and work on Sankalp Shiksha full-time. His goal remains closely tied to the struggles he experienced as a child.
“My goal is to ensure no child has to drop out due to money and that they receive high-quality education right in their village,” he said.
For now, he wants to strengthen the existing model in Kushinagar before considering expansion, believing that lasting impact comes from building something that works well where it began.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Vikas Kumar’s journey underscores that improving educational outcomes in rural India requires more than simply increasing access to schools. Many students, especially those from financially vulnerable backgrounds, also need quality learning resources, career guidance, skill development opportunities, and exposure to emerging technologies.
Through Sankalp Shiksha, Vikash has sought to address these gaps by bringing structured academic support, digital learning, and employability-focused training closer to students in their own communities. His experience also highlights the importance of adapting interventions based on what creates meaningful and lasting impact. As India works towards expanding educational opportunities.
Could locally driven models that combine quality education with mentorship and future-ready skills help create more equitable pathways for rural youth?
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