A quiet excitement wafts out of a classroom at the Government Nursing College in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh. The students have their eyes glued firmly on the face of their teacher as she prepares a question. “Tell me what you’ve learnt so far in Deutsch (German).”

A symphony of voices emerges from the other side. With their eyes rolling in uncertainty and lips breaking into shy smiles, the students, many from poor families in the State’s hinterland, shape simple German sentences with visible effort. Laughter occasionally ripples through the room, as they share relief, pride and the joy of learning something profoundly new.

The young trainees are nursing graduates drawn from districts across Andhra Pradesh, learning German under the International Skilling programme rolled out by th

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