For Savitri Ahuja, educating others was much more than a personal passion and rewarding career. Over the many decades she practiced in her birth country of India and adopted country of Canada, teaching was a compassionate act of service to humanity, her way to empower others to improve their circumstances and achieve their dreams.
As a teacher at an all-girls high school in New Delhi, Savitri was known for checking in on her students when they didn’t turn up for class, knocking on their doors at home and, when learning that the family’s financial struggles were the cause, paying for their daughter’s school fees out of her own pocket. On the side, she taught young women to sew as a way for them to become employable and independent — efforts that enabled at least one pupil to open her own sewing business.
“Her mantra was to help one student at a time to succeed. That is what drove her,” says her son, Samir Ahuja.
At age of 40, after immigrating to Toronto in 1974, Savitri attended York University’s Faculty of Education to upgrade her teaching credentials. Returning to school required balancing her studies with raising three school-aged children and working multiple side jobs to help her husband support their family. One of those jobs was at a garment factory, where she started off sweeping floors and organizing fabric rolls for $2 an hour. The work was likely not what the bachelor’s and master’s degree holder had imagined for herself, but she knew it was essential for her family’s well-being and her own betterment.
“She was a highly respected teacher in India, and she sacrificed a lot for her family coming to Toronto,” Samir says. “She put in a lot of time and effort and love into raising us, but also working and going back to school—that was not an easy journey for her.”
While Savitri’s path back to teaching was challenging, her York degree led to employment with the Toronto District School Board, where for several years, she worked as a supply teacher, waking up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to be on call for any opportunities, and navigating her way to jobs via local buses. Later, she taught kindergarten and Grade 1 students full time at Topcliff Public School in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, and was the person students in need could turn to for a granola bar or a hug.
So deeply did Savitri believe in the life-changing power of education that, after she passed away of cancer in June 2020 at age 86, she included a charitable gift in her Estate that inspired her family to establish the Savitri Ahuja Education Award at York. The annual $5,000 award, which is renewable for a student’s second year of study, prioritizes Bachelor of Education applicants with international teaching credentials who are new Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons seeking to further their education studies; or whose parents are newcomers to Canada and are the first in their family to attend university.
“She instilled the value of education in our family—not only its importance, but doing something meaningful with it afterwards,” says granddaughter Shyra Khosla, noting she is one of two engineers among Savitri’s three children and seven grandchildren, whose ranks also include three physicians and two lawyers. “We hope this award opens doors for recipients and makes it easier for them to start their teaching career.”
The award’s inaugural recipient, first-year Education student Saamia Hasan, shares Savitri’s strong belief in the value of education. An immigrant from Somalia who became a Canadian citizen in 2020, Saamia is the mother of a Black son in the public education system. She has observed how structures in the public education system discriminate against visible minority students. She sees education as a calling that will enable her to uproot systemic inequalities and foster more inclusive learning environments.
“I am so deeply honoured and grateful to be the first-person to receive this life-changing award, which allows me to pursue my life-long dream of being an educator, and to do so in a way with lesser debt and a greater ability to balance school with parenting,” Saamia says. “As a teacher, I hope to address the gaps in the system and transform learning spaces to be more nurturing and protective environments.”
Savitri’s passion and love of teaching will leave a lasting legacy while supporting students like Saamia for generations to come.