"We reaffirm our dedication and commitment..."
.gif)
Dr. Augustine Pinto, the promoter-chairman of the Ryan International Group of Institutions (RIGI) which comprises 110 primary-cum-secondary schools in 15 states across India with an aggregate enrollment of 198,372 students instructed by 9,789 teachers was interviewed by Dilip Thakore in Mumbai. Excerpts from the three-hour interview:
From modest beginnings over the past 25 years rigi has grown into arguably the largest closely-held group of schools in India. What were the major factors behind the growth and development of RIGI?
When I began my career as a teacher in 1972 in a school in suburban Mumbai, it was inspiring how the principal worked tirelessly to educate the local community. She started this school in a single room with 12 children and grew it by visiting neighbouring farms and villages by bullock cart to bring children to school. When I landed a job in Mrs. Sequeira’s school, I felt inspired by God — I am religious and unapologetic about it — to follow her example. I believe that God put a seed in my heart to replicate the good work she was doing. My faith in God and strong ethics compelled me to work hard and build a good reputation for delivering my promises to parents committing their children to my care.
Despite the success of India’s private schools, in terms of real learning outcomes and problem solving skills, primary-secondary education in india is deficient by western standards. What’s the explanation?
Our examinations-oriented school education system which encourages bookish knowledge and rote learning is to blame. In RIGI schools we make great efforts to encourage real learning based on comprehension and understanding. Thus in junior school we teach by playway, activities-based pedagogies. Likewise our middle school learning is heavily project and group based so that problem solving skills of students are developed. Of course in senior school because of external board exams we have to fall in line with prescribed syllabuses, but nevertheless our curriculums include many innovations which make learning processes interesting and enjoyable.
However the solution to improving real learning outcomes of the school system is to confer autonomy on schools to assess their students by way of internal examinations and subjecting them to entrance testing at the college and university levels. Moreover after class VIII there should be greater vocational content in the curriculum with students being given the choice of opting for vocational or academic education after class X. That’s the answer to the current skills shortage in industry and the phenomenon of educated unemployed.
How good are India’s school teachers and teacher training institutions?
There’s no doubt that because of the multiplicity of well-paid career options offered by the fast-growth Indian economy, teaching is no longer a preferred profession. Consequently there has been a fall in quality. Moreover teacher training colleges mainly run by state governments are lumbered with obsolete syllabuses and are generally technophobic. Consequently teacher training and development is a major head of expense for private sector school managements. In particular there is a serious deficiency of programmes and facilities to train future principals and heads of education institutions. My recommendation is that all business schools should offer an MBA programme in education. This will go a long way in helping to raise standards in Indian education.
To what extent can public-private cooperation raise standards of school education in india? Is this a good prescription?
All 450 million of India’s children deserve — and are entitled to — quality education to make them employable. Currently 100 million children countrywide don’t see the inside of a classroom at all. Quite obviously this task is too big for the Central and/or state governments by themselves. Therefore as many players as possible — entrepreneurs, NGOs, corporate enterprises, trusts, charities etc — should be encouraged to establish and administer schools, colleges and other education institutions. In particular corporates — the largest employers of educated and skilled youth — need to become actively engaged in education provision. In higher education as well there’s more than enough room for private, foreign and corporate universities.
What are RIGI’s future growth and expansion plans?
In our silver jubilee year we reaffirm our dedication and commitment to offer high quality English medium education to as many children who aspire for it across the country. Subject to a facilitative government policy framework, we are ready, willing and able to take quality school education to rural India and establish RIGI primary-secondary schools and sports academies in all taluka headquarters across the country. Moreover as we will continue to promote feeder schools, we are also planning to enter tertiary education subject to necessary approvals. I believe these ambitious goals are attainable and must be attained, to give India’s 450 million children a chance to improve their lives. The current elitist bias in education needs to be ended with quality education brought within the reach of all. This calls for compassion, generosity and philanthropy not only from citizens, but from government as well.