Walk into the Class 3 English class taught by Annapurna Mohan at this school in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram, and you’ll have trouble believing that you’re standing in a government school.

From an interactive smartboard to colourful and comfortable furniture to the stacks of English-language books, this classroom in the Panchayat Union Primary School (PUPS), Kandhadu seems as fine as any in a well-funded international school. And what’s more, the students speak crisp and clear English, as fluently and comfortably as if they’ve been speaking it all their lives.

But the students of this classroom are fortunate to have had Annapurna Mohan for a teacher, She has not only struggled hard to build her students’ language skills, but has even sold her own jewellery to create the kind of classroom she feels her pupils deserve.