Edupreneurs Incorporate Education with Business Acumen and Technical Expertise

chillibreeze writer — Neha Gureja

A young man in his early-thirties leaves a high-paying job in Paris to make a difference in the lives of Indian children. Another gentleman – an engineer working in a financial services company in the United States – buys a one-way ticket to India, to sit on a wooden bench in front of a principal’s office in a new school in Delhi.

It may seem hard to believe, but a new breed of change agents has now arrived. We call them ‘Edupreneurs’, or Education Entrepreneurs. Passion, compassion, ruthlessness, perseverance, along with business acumen and technical expertise – these edupreneurs have it all. They are bound by one common thread – a vision to make education more meaningful for children.

Education in India is witnessing a change. What has been achieved so far is nothing more than a tiny drop in the ocean. However, a little tweak here and there is the first step towards a revolution. A space is slowly being created where conventional people, with not-so-conventional dreams, are given a chance to touch the lives of children, teachers and parents. The task is not easy. Skepticism, suspicion, and a ‘What do YOU know about education?’ attitude are often encountered in a system that is generally unreceptive to innovation. What matters the most is the ability of these potential change agents to ‘hang in there’, be heard, and PROVE their worth. The rest will gradually follow.

How do Edupreneurs Work?

Edupreneurs work at various levels with the school management and owners, school heads, parents, teachers, and directly with students. Unless the management supports any kind of progressive education, implementation of change is extremely difficult. School principals can make a difference if they truly have the ability and the freedom to do so and some have been effective in bringing best practices to their schools. Parents have to learn to think beyond marks. Only then would teachers face minimal opposition while introducing innovative teaching techniques.

Entrepreneurs have the inherent ability to recognize an opportunity. They strike when they are hit with an idea whose time has come. If these edupreneurs are able to attract, and more importantly, retain the right kind of talent, only then would their organizations be in a position to scale up their efforts. Educational expertise with business acumen is a rare combination. Those who have the potential must be nurtured. That is the only way the breed of edupreneurs will continue to grow.

In a nutshell, the ability of edupreneurs to create sustainable change depends on the following key factors:

Ability to get the right people on board. Traditionally, in a majority of the cases, teaching has not been a profession of choice. Only by attracting broad-minded, high-quality people to the profession, would the edupreneurs be able to reach out to a large number of existing and new schools.
Ability to create reform by changing the attitudes of those involved in the system. Resistance to change is inevitable. Edupreneurs must be able to effectively advocate the need for change and help create an environment conducive to innovation.
Ability to create financially viable models. Unless an edupreneur is able to get the right kind of financial funding, whether through self-generation or external help, sustainability of the ‘good work’ will be difficult.

The education sector is witnessing successful incorporation of management practices in order to bring about education reform. The magnitude of change achieved so far is extremely small. However, the scope that lies ahead in this challenging field is vast. Some private players have already smelt an opportunity. Others are slowly following suit.

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—About our writer:

Neha says, "Civil engineer… wannabe writer…programmer analyst…wannabe pianist…change agent…wannabe potter…cryptic singer…amateur painter…big romantic…good food lover…In a nutshell, that's ME :-) "

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