Between the classroom and the street: The teacher as changemaker or activist

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava 

This long-pending essay on whether academicians should be changemakers and/or activists finally sees the light of day after a call on World Teachers’ Day (October 5) from my Urban Design teacher (1997–99). While congratulating me for my sustained motivation and dedication toward water issues, he also remarked that had my approach not been so “activist-like,” I might have found a more secure position and made a deeper impact in academia. 

This sentiment is not new to me. Many in academia see me as too much of an activist, lacking the “academic” mindset or publications, while many activists find me too methodical and research-oriented—too academic. Personally, I simply do what I do, guided by a concern for social justice and sustainability. Over the years, water has become the lens through which I pursue this purpose. As Franz Kafka wrote, “In a way, you’ve already chosen what you’ve become.”

In more than two decades of independent teaching and learning across universities, premier institutes, and schools in India, I have delivered hundreds of lectures, training programs, and talks. I often ask participants: “Who likes to be a changemaker?” and “Who likes to be an activist?” The responses are telling—over 90% identify as changemakers, less than 9% as activists, and barely 1% agree that changemakers are also activists, or vice versa.

This question deepened after attending the Nobel Prize Teacher Summit 2022 at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. My participation—nominated by the Swedish Embassy in India and supported by the Swedish Institute—was transformative. Engaging with over 300 educators from around the world, as well as Nobel laureates like Kailash Satyarthi, Esther Duflo, and Abhijit Banerjee, shaped my reflections on the summit’s theme, “One Earth – Teachers for Change.” The core question—“Should teachers be changemakers?”—soon evolved into “Should teachers be activists?” It resonated deeply with me and became a recurring theme in my subsequent talks and teaching.

Since the summit, I have rigorously explored this question. Most teachers, when asked, express concern that adding the role of changemaker or activist to their already full plates could stretch their capacities too thin. Yet, I found the responses consistent across events—from a Teachers’ Residential Camp organized by Youth for Seva in Ahmedabad, where some rejected “activism” as synonymous with protest, to an international exchange program at the Ahmedabad University Climate Institute, where students insisted that teachers must embrace activism to inspire social change. This essay reflects on those ongoing dialogues and a short sabbatical from both academia and activism.

What Is It to Be a Changemaker or an Activist?

A changemaker seeks solutions to societal problems, implementing ideas and actions that may involve innovation, entrepreneurship, community organizing, and system-level change. Activists, meanwhile, campaign for social transformation through public and vocal means—protests, advocacy, awareness, and demonstrations.

While the term “changemaker” is inclusive and may encompass activists, activism itself focuses sharply on mobilizing advocacy around specific social or political issues. Activists are known for their public passion and advocacy, whereas changemakers are recognized for their vision, long-term thinking, and systemic interventions. Their approaches often overlap, yet not all activists are changemakers, though every changemaker is, in some way, an activist. Both roles are essential; neither is superior to the other.

Should Teachers Be Changemakers and Activists?

Teachers are, by default, changemakers. Their primary role is to build environments that encourage active learning, self-belief, critical thinking, responsible action, and compassion—alongside subject mastery.

But when teachers themselves aim to address broader issues such as social justice or sustainability, the question becomes more complex. Should they also be activists? Are they willing to be seen and accepted as such by students, institutions, and society? The answer often leans toward no—teachers are expected to offer unbiased learning spaces, guiding students to form independent opinions.

Yet teachers are also social beings, carrying personal values, ethics, and worldviews. A measure of activism can empower them to advocate for the wellbeing of students and the integrity of education systems—something formal processes like committees and meetings often fail to achieve. If teachers are tasked with nurturing agents of change, they must not shy away from highlighting social problems or taking a position when necessary. Thoughtful activism, grounded in diverse perspectives, can stimulate critical inquiry without descending into indoctrination.

Why It Matters Whether Academicians Are Changemakers or Activists

Teachers matter. Nobel laureate and peace activist Leymah Gbowee recalls how a teacher once urged her to “use your voice” so that others would not decide or judge for her. In contrast, Tomas Lindahl, Chemistry Nobel laureate (2015), recalls failing chemistry in school because his teacher disliked him—yet he later became a Nobel laureate. Such stories underline how profoundly teachers shape destinies.

Teachers are entrusted with nurturing civilizational and constitutional values. They are nation builders—the architects of future generations. In this sense, being a changemaker aligns perfectly with their purpose. The hesitation toward activism arises largely from misunderstanding—not of teachers themselves, but of education and its role in society. As Brazilian educator Paulo Freire said, “Education is basically rebel. She gives manners to think, teaches to question power, and forces her society, life, and privileges to look at her anew.”

Way Forward

It is essential to bridge the gap by encouraging teachers who bring a degree of “activist aggression” in raising questions about justice and sustainability. If that spirit of engagement is activism, so be it. Teachers who challenge inequality and ecological distress embody the changemaker’s mission—wearing the activist’s hat when necessary to nurture a generation capable of building a better nation.

Teaching and learning are collaborative acts, from Dronacharya–Arjun to Ramakrishna–Vivekananda and Gokhale–Gandhi. A good teacher empowers students to change the world—that is the true pedagogy of education. Those who find great teachers are fortunate, for not all teaching is born of passion; yet the passionate ones shine amid the growing commercialization of education.

For such teachers, the urgency is real: to confront deepening injustice and environmental crises exacerbated by climate change and capitalism. Teachers now possess the tools to engage with these challenges—not necessarily to change everything, but to use teaching as an act of care that helps students break free from silence and passivity. History shows that teaching has always driven transformation during times of social distress.

It is time to re-engage, reimagine, and re-approach education—to push boundaries, question the status quo, and employ the classroom as a space for courage, compassion, and care. Difficult conversations and hard lessons are necessary if education is to serve democracy and humanity.

In an era when institutions increasingly resemble corporations and teachers’ voices are marginalized, one must ask: how can teachers empower the taught to speak if their own voices are silenced?

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Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava is an entrepreneur, researcher, educator, speaker, and mentor. More at www.mansee.in, www.edc.org.in, www.wforw.in, and www.woder.org