Creativity in Education Should be Initiated from the Childhood Itself
With the revolutionary impact that the introduction of technology has caused in the educational realm, there was the inception of new modes of education. One of it is the K-12 education, which is an educational system involving more teacher-student communication. This educational concept has gained popularity in the United States, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, Philippines, Australia, and now in India as well.
Presence of K-12 Education sector in India
The K-12 Education sector in India has started gaining importance and recognition in the recent years. In a significant development, the government has made a simultaneous by taking an active interest in promoting K-12 education. In a simultaneous effort, the government has made primary education compulsory and free throughout the country. According to the 2009 Right to Education Act, every child between the ages of 6 and 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education.
Schools on the other hand too developed interest towards improving the education system in India. Needless to say, many schools are using creative methods of teaching using technology to facilitate effective learning among students. It not only improves the learning abilities in students but also enables them to remember the different aspects of different subjects.
An exclusive Interview with Nidhi Nijhawan
An Alumni of Jesus & Mary College, Delhi University, along with an hands on experience in the Education Industry for more than 25 years, Nidhi Nijhawan has worked with several big brands and is currently the Regional School Director with the Zee Group of Schools. Married to an Army Officer, she has explored the latitude and longitude of the country and she is passionate about teaching learning strategies and but now more into policy making.
In conversation with educationbiz.com at the Blubworld Action Education Consultation Series 2017, Nidhi Nijhawan talks about and her experience in the K-12 sector and the vision of the Essel Group which is not restricted to the metropolitan cities alone.
Talking about K-12 sector in particular, what is the present status of India in terms of K-12 Education?
There are lot many things happening and we are also putting them in practice. But we have to admit that somewhere, we still need a proper structure for the industry. There has been a shift from Rote learning to Progressive learning. The advent of application based learning has already started and there is considerable support being provided by the Government. We can also see the big players entering into the market which is indeed a very positive sign because funding has always been a requirement in the Education sector.
A lot of Innovations and improvements have been undertaken in the K-12 sector. Working with Essel Group, what are your plans for the future?
If we look at numbers, we are more than 115 operational schools with a constant expansion every year. It is not that we are restricting ourselves to the metro cities because our Essel Group Chairman, Dr. Subhash Chandra’s vision is to create human capital for India. So based on that, we are branching out the nooks and corners of the country because that is where we need to bring the Progressive Education there. So, as a group, we are expanding, In fact, we are Digitalising our curriculum. We have started with Digital Citizenship program which we are inculcating right from 4th grade classes. So, as a whole, there is a lot of progressive work happening in this sector.
Any collaborations or Investments that the Institution has ventured or planning to venture in the long run?
At this juncture, I can’t really say because we have to abide by few corporate policies but definitely we are into franchising with tie up hands in opening schools and few of them are big names in the Industry.
