In Sharat's view, power is "access, utility and control." His schools are accessible to and utilized by people who feel empowered to control them. In 170 schools servicing over 100 slums in and near the South Indian city of Hyderabad, he has demonstrated that community-managed schools work as effective agents for change in society. Not only does it make practical sense to ask slum residents to identify their unique educational needs, but there are also compelling psychological reasons to put administrative control in their hands. When people accustomed to rejection and alienation are empowered to make decisions for themselves, they generate a powerful energy directed towards social ends. Furthermore, there is a transformation in a community's culture when the majority of children shift from being wage-earners to students.

Central to Sharat's work is his conviction that if school is firmly grounded in the community, it is likely to be effective long term. For that reason, he encourages the schools and communities to be mutually dependent and welcomes new types of interaction between them. For example, mothers in the slums take an active role in selecting local girls to be trained as teachers.

The government oversees the building of schools, teacher training, curriculum development, choice of textbooks, monitoring, accountability, and decision-making. Central control saps local initiative, restrains interaction between school and community, excludes teachers from curriculum development and textbook preparation, and prevents teachers from developing a broader role in and accountability to the community. This bureaucratic culture undermines teachers' dedication and leaves a theory rather than thinking-oriented curriculum and archaic teaching methods undisturbed.

• Read this month's feature story about Sharat Babu Vasireddy's community-managed schools