Growing up in a Marathi-medium, community-run government school in Mumbai, Sushant Bhagwat experienced firsthand the stark difference in opportunities available to children from different educational backgrounds. While many students in private schools benefited from exposure, confidence and communication skills, government school students often struggled simply because they lacked access to the same resources. Rather than accepting this inequality, Sushant turned his own experiences into a lifelong mission.
Today, as a leader at Kotak Education Foundation, he has spent years designing programmes that use language, confidence-building and future-ready education to help children from underserved communities unlock opportunities that once seemed out of reach.
Early Roots
Born into a Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, Sushant completed both his schooling and junior college in Marathi-medium institutions before pursuing his graduation and master’s degree in English from the University of Mumbai. Interestingly, he initially wanted to specialise in Sanskrit, but his teachers encouraged him to choose English, believing it would help him reach a wider audience.
Even as a student, he was drawn towards teaching. He mentored classmates and students from non-English backgrounds, helping them improve their communication skills and prepare for competitive examinations such as CAT, MAT and JEE. Through these experiences, he realised that English was not merely another language but an enabling skill that allowed students to access higher education, employment and greater confidence.
“I realised English becomes an enabling language,” he recalls, a belief that continues to guide his work today.
Career Shift
Before entering the social sector, Sushant built a successful career in instructional design and content localisation with multinational companies working on global SAP implementation projects. His role involved simplifying complex technical content for people whose first language was not English.
Although professionally rewarding, corporate life left him searching for deeper purpose. Through CSR initiatives, he volunteered with children in underserved communities, documenting grassroots work and conducting educational activities. Watching students return after securing college admissions and hearing families credit education for changing their lives convinced him that creating social impact offered a far more meaningful measure of success.
This realisation eventually led him to Kotak Education Foundation, where he found an opportunity to combine his expertise in language, education and curriculum design with his passion for equitable learning.
Education Mission
At Kotak Education Foundation, Sushant played a central role in developing one of the organisation’s flagship communicative English programmes for government schools. Extensive field research revealed that many students, especially from Mumbai’s urban settlements, abandoned higher education because they lacked confidence in speaking English.
To address this challenge, he designed a curriculum based on the internationally recognised Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Rather than focusing on memorised conversations, the programme encouraged students to think, communicate and express themselves confidently in English while using local languages as a bridge to learning.
Over time, the initiative expanded significantly. Sushant trained nearly 100 educators who reached more than 129 community-owned and government-aided schools across Mumbai, serving children studying in Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil and Telugu-medium classrooms. The programme’s measurable outcomes later helped secure government approval for expansion across Maharashtra before reaching states including Goa, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.
Human Impact
While the programme’s scale is impressive, Sushant believes its greatest achievements are reflected in individual stories.
One such story comes from Goa, where a migrant girl from the Vadar community became the first member of her family to study beyond Class 5. Participating in an English-speaking competition organised through the programme, she developed enough confidence to top her school in English and discover new possibilities for her future.
Another unforgettable experience came while working with first-generation learners in Mumbai’s Gautam Nagar and Rafiq Nagar communities. During a theatre competition, a group of girls hesitated before running freely down a small hill because they had never experienced that kind of independence. Years later, one of those girls is pursuing medicine. For Sushant, these moments demonstrate that education often begins by giving children confidence before giving them knowledge.
Future Vision
As artificial intelligence transforms education and communication, Sushant believes English alone can no longer define future success. Translation tools have reduced language barriers, making curiosity, adaptability and critical thinking equally important.
Recognising this shift, Kotak Education Foundation is expanding beyond language instruction to include self-leadership, empathy, digital literacy and responsible AI education. In collaboration with IIT Bombay, the organisation is developing programmes that introduce students to artificial intelligence while teaching responsible technology use and cybersecurity awareness.
Its long-term goal is ambitious: reaching five million children over the next five years with programmes that prepare them not only for examinations but also for an increasingly technology-driven world.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Sushant’s journey highlights how lived experience can become the foundation for meaningful social change. By transforming his own educational challenges into solutions for millions of children, he has demonstrated that true leadership lies in creating opportunities for others. His work reminds us that education is not simply about mastering a language or passing examinations,
it is about building confidence, nurturing curiosity and empowering every child to imagine a future beyond the limitations of their circumstances. As India prepares young people for an evolving world, stories like Sushant’s reaffirm that lasting change begins when learning becomes inclusive, compassionate and deeply human.
How can we ensure every child, regardless of their background or medium of instruction, gets an equal chance to succeed?
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