Gandhali Bhide

MA in CPRD program enabled me to recognize the intricacies of research. For me, the program sits at the intersection of culture and politics. I developed a holistic outlook of approaching a topic.

Learning and engaging with a variety of topics with classmates from all around the world gave me an opportunity to recognize the subjective realities each one carries with them. It made me realize that our perspectives are largely a result of ‘where we come from’. My course convener Dr. Carla Figueira was always encouraging, supportive and took various initiatives for us that ensured the best learning experience.

I am currently an intern for the international collaboration team at Pratham Education Foundation (NGO). The foundation predominantly works in the education sector and has developed an alternative educational model called ‘Teaching at Right Level’. Some of the eastern and southern African countries have shown interest in adopting this model in their school system. My work involves researching on the aspects on Zambian culture, history, geography, and refugees. This would be essential to understand, for developing the ‘Teaching at Right level’ model in Zambia.

My postgraduation year (2019-2020) coincided with the uncertain times of Covid-19 pandemic, that re-enforced the inevitable force of culture in the world, and I find my MA even more relevant. Goldsmiths, University of London is diverse, geographically well situated and a great place to learn. It hosts several extracurricular activities. I represented Goldsmiths at intercollege badminton. This gave me a chance to meet students from different departments and degrees that added to my overall experience. I had a wonderful year!