IIM grad turns to improving education

From the Times of India, September 30th

Ranchi: A fancy office, a hefty salary and an impressive designation on the business card are usually what most IIM students step into after passing out from the prestigious institutes.
When 24-year-old Gargi Agarwal De passed out from IIM-A in April 2007, she too had all these at her disposal. Only, she chose to trudge a different path. Gargi, who had herself gone through the grind of Indian education, wanted to bring a radical change in the system.
She was convinced that learning needed to be more interactive, growth-oriented and application-based rather than the centuries-old mugging-up for it to make a difference in the students’ intake. And that is exactly what she began working on.
“While pursuing my degree at Ahmedabad, I realised that the way we are taught in schools hardly helps in proper growth of a child. Kids are instructed to merely mug up things without understanding it,’’ said Gargi.
So, the young manager decided to set up a chain of preparatory schools —- De’s elementary school — with its first two branches in Jamshedpur, her hometown, and then expand to other cities and states in the country.
“Just because the child has to get into a reputed school, parents allow the teachers to do whatever is necessary to get the admission without putting their own mind to it. Therefore, after completing my degree I returned to Jamshedpur and decided to open preparatory schools where kids will be taught through interaction rather than being made to memorise the text book.’’
She will be helped by her husband Alokendra De, who has been teaching since he was 17.
A unique feature of the school will be that parents will be required to spend at least two hours a week in the school with their wards, compulsorily. “In today’s hectic life parents think their child’s growth as an understanding and intelligent human being is solely the school’s responsibility. But this is a wrong notion. I have intentionally included parents’ attendance to make them realise their responsibility towards their child’s learning,’’ said Gargi.
Another innovative concept is that teachers will be partners in the institution — 50% of the earning will be divided among them. This has been done with an objective to give them a handsome earning as opposed to the usual trend.
“I want my teachers to be the best and for this they definitely require a decent earning. The best way is by making them partners rather than employing them at a fixed salary,’’ said she