The link between education and sustainable livelihoods in this research gains importance specifically in the context of teachers and teacher education. This research captures the multiple journeys of Bachelor’s in Elementary Education (BElEd) alumni in an evolving socio-historical- educational context and policy frameworks. It collates individual narratives of the alumni to examine the curricular and pedagogic elements
that characterise the BElEd programme. Specifically, it examines how students negotiate their professional and personal agency while doing the programme and its manifestations in their later career trajectories. The research offers both quantitative and qualitative insights into the successes and struggles of developing teachers as they navigate hierarchical school structures and contend with their increasingly marginalised role, status and identity within the larger policy discourse. Yet, there is a sense of hopefulness as they nurture self-reflexivity, experiment with new ideas and continue to work for social justice.