When Soumya Jain, Founder and CEO of iTeach Schools, returned to India after spending four years as an electrical engineer in the United States, he was searching for a way to contribute meaningfully to the country he called home. What began as a career shift soon evolved into a mission to transform educational opportunities for thousands of children from under-resourced communities.
Today, through iTeach Schools, Soumya is helping first-generation learners access quality education, navigate higher education, and build sustainable careers through a model that supports them well beyond the classroom.
Finding Purpose
Soumya’s journey into the social sector was not part of a carefully planned roadmap. While working in the home automation industry in the US, he increasingly felt the desire to contribute directly to India’s development. That opportunity arrived through the Teach For India Fellowship.
Interestingly, it was the phrase “for India” that attracted him before the teaching aspect itself. The Fellowship brought him to Pune, where he spent two years teaching English, Science, and History to Grade 6 students in a low-income school. The experience exposed him to challenges that many children face beyond the classroom.
While teaching, Soumya noticed a recurring problem. Many students completed primary school, but affordable and high-quality English-medium education became difficult to access after Grade 7. Families often struggled to continue their children’s education, and many students were forced to compromise on opportunities or drop out altogether.
The issue stayed with him. By the end of the Fellowship, he knew he wanted to dedicate himself to solving this gap in the education system.
Building Schools
In 2015, Soumya Jain founded iTeach Schools and currently serves as its Founder and CEO, running a network of schools that provide free, high-quality English-medium education to children from under-resourced communities across Pune and Mumbai.
Working closely with government partners, iTeach develops and operates school models designed to respond to the needs of different communities.
Over the years, Soumya has seen that educational inequity looks different across geographies. In Pune, the gap was access to secondary English-medium education. In Navi Mumbai, the challenge was access to quality English-medium education. In Panvel, it was access to English-medium education itself.
This shaped the belief that educational inequity takes different forms across communities. In response, iTeach has developed contextual school models that address local educational challenges while helping students build pathways from classrooms to careers.
As the schools grew, Soumya also came to recognise that quality education extends far beyond academics. For many students, factors such as nutrition, exposure to new experiences, and a strong sense of belonging can have a significant impact on learning and development.
Through partnerships, iTeach provides twice-daily meals, sports, arts programmes, extracurricular activities, and entrepreneurial learning opportunities. For many students, something as fundamental as receiving nutritious meals on time can influence their ability to focus, participate, and learn effectively in school. Equally important is exposure beyond academics, helping students build confidence, discover new interests, strengthen life skills, and expand their sense of what is possible for the future.
Beyond Education
As the first batch of iTeach alumni stepped into life after school, another gap became increasingly visible to Soumya. Even when students succeeded in school, many struggled to navigate the transition to college and careers.
Many first-generation learners find themselves overwhelmed by decisions around admissions, scholarships, finances, and career choices. Without guidance, even talented students can struggle to access opportunities that match their potential.
To address this challenge, iTeach launched its College-to-Career (C2C) programme. The initiative supports students for five years after Grade 10, helping them access higher education, secure financial assistance, remain enrolled in college, and make it to their first job.
The programme reflects a simple but powerful belief: education should not stop at the classroom door. Students need consistent support to convert learning into long-term opportunity.
Creating Impact
More than a decade into its journey, iTeach Schools has expanded into a network of 13 schools serving over 4,700 students and supporting more than 4,300 alumni. The outcomes highlight the effectiveness of its approach.
According to the organisation, 92 per cent of iTeach students continue into junior college after Grade 10, compared to a national average of around 28 per cent. Additionally, 85 per cent of alumni are either pursuing higher education or are already employed. Yet Soumya believes the organisation’s most important impact cannot be captured through statistics alone.
For many students, school becomes the first place where they encounter consistent mentorship, structured support, and encouragement to pursue ambitions that may once have felt out of reach. Having trusted adults who guide them through important decisions can fundamentally change their confidence, aspirations, and future trajectory. That sense of possibility remains central to iTeach’s mission.
Future Vision
Looking ahead, iTeach’s focus is on expanding impact while preparing students for a rapidly changing world. The organization plans to grow its network to 25 schools by 2030 while strengthening its presence in Pune and Navi Mumbai and exploring expansion into a third region. The organisation is also examining how technology and artificial intelligence can enhance learning and operational effectiveness.
For Soumya, however, the goal remains unchanged: ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to quality education and a clear pathway to opportunity.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that lasting social change often comes from people who identify gaps in the system and commit themselves to solving them. Soumya Jain’s work is a powerful example of that commitment. By creating pathways that connect classrooms to careers, he is addressing one of the most significant challenges faced by first-generation learners in India.
His journey demonstrates that education is not simply about access to schools; it is about ensuring that young people have the support, confidence, and opportunities needed to build meaningful futures. Through iTeach Schools, Soumya is helping thousands of students believe that their aspirations are not limited by their circumstances, but strengthened by them.
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