Explaining subtraction like Roshni

Teachers often say that learning is most effective when it is contextualised for students. I saw this firsthand in a remote village in Mirzapur recently. Dawn was breaking on a hot summer morning when I reached the rock-strewn landscape of Tanda Falls. There was little activity in the cluster of mud and thatch houses that constitutes Turkahan village. However, the unmistakable sounds of a rural class in progress wafted through the gates of the local NGO-run Project Mala School.

“Imagine you have five mangos,” said a young but firm voice, “and you give two to your younger brother… How many will