London: Asha Khemka is one of the most respected names in the Education Sector of United Kingdom. She has been awarded a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the Queen’s annual New Year’s honours list released on Dec 31.
Asha Khemka, OBE is the Principal of West Nottinghamshire College UK. (Image: Twitter/@AshaKhemkaOBE)
Very soon she would be going to Buckingham Palace to receive the DBE award.  Earlier, she was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2008. She would be the first Indian-born woman in 83 years to be awarded the DBE. She has went on to change the lives of thousands of British students.
Her husband  Shankar Lal Khemka hails from Patna Bihar and is an alumnus of Patna Medical College and Hospital . He is  is a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Staffordshire, and has been working with British National Health Service since 1975. The couple has three children, daughter Shalini and sons Sheel and Sneh.
Asha Khemka, who hails from a family of judges, was forced to drop out of school at the age of 13 due to marriage. She left for England with her family at the age of 25 without any formal education.
She taught herself by  watching children’s television and later resumed her further education and gained a business degree from Cardiff University. before opting for a full fledged teaching career.
She then became a lecturer at Oswestry College and rose through the ranks to become deputy principal at New College Nottingham before taking her current job as the principal of West Nottinghamshire College in May 2006. She would be the first Indian-born woman for 83 years to be awarded the DBE. The first Indian-origin Dame since Maharani Lakshmi Devi Bai Sahiba of Dhar State in 1931.
Talking about her Family support she says, Â “My first child was born when I was 21 and I had two more children within three years. The difference is that I had support from my family and it was part of my culture. Often, teenage pregnancy here is the result of low self-esteem among our young people.”
Upon announcement DBE Honor she says: “To receive such recognition is deeply humbling. This is a shared honour; shared with everyone who I have worked with over the years”, according to a report in FE Week.
“I am indebted to my husband and my three children; throughout this journey, they have been my rock and my inspiration”
Announcing the Honor, a UK Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Under Asha Khemka’s leadership, West Nottinghamshire College has become one of the most eminent FE colleges in the UK.
“She has embraced the apprenticeship agenda, leading the college to become the largest 16 to 18 provider in the UK and finding jobs for 700 young people in the first year.
“Her charitable trust, The Inspire and Achieve Foundation, is especially focused on those not in education, employment or training. She is in the process of opening a skills centre in India.â€
Talking about her Foundation in 2009, she said, it has  setup a vocational workshop which this year has 120 students. “Most of these youngsters have not been near any form of learning since they were 12,” she says. “We offer them a free cooked breakfast, which for many is their main meal of the day. They do hands-on vocational courses in hair and beauty, motorbike repair and fashion design, and the majority progress to full level 2 courses and apprenticeships.”