India’s education system is at a critical juncture. While access to schooling has improved, a vast number of students still struggle with fundamental literacy and numeracy skills. Traditional blackboard teaching often limits engagement, leaving students as passive learners rather than active participants in their education.
Vikalp India Pvt. Ltd is transforming this landscape with an experiential learning approach that prioritizes discovery, critical thinking, and personalized attention. From online classrooms with small student groups to government school interventions across multiple states, Vikalp is reshaping the way students learn. By integrating digital tools and AI-driven teaching methods, the organization is addressing learning disparities and preparing students for the future job market.
In an exclusive interview with TheCSRUniverse, Mr. Dinesh Gupta, Founder & CEO of Vikalp India Pvt. Ltd, discusses how his organization is driving change in K-12 education through innovative teaching models, government school initiatives, and future expansion plans.
Read below to explore how experiential learning is revolutionizing education and shaping the next generation of learners:
Q. Vikalp Online School emphasizes experiential learning over blackboard teaching. How does this approach enhance student engagement and critical thinking skills compared to traditional teaching methods?
A. The traditional classroom setting, with its lectures and blackboard explanations, often results in passive learning. Experiential learning, on the other hand, actively engages students by encouraging them to discover concepts independently through hands-on activities. This approach fosters a dynamic and captivating learning environment, replacing monotonous lectures with thought-provoking interactions.
This approach eliminates monotonous lectures, resulting in dynamic and captivating classroom interactions. Vikalp Online Schools embraces this philosophy by facilitating learning experiences where students uncover new concepts through self-exploration. Teachers guide this process, posing thought-provoking questions that encourage reflection and critical thinking.
Q. Small class sizes are a key feature of Vikalp’s online school. How does this model ensure personalized attention and holistic development for students?
A. In a typical traditional physical school, there is one teacher and 45 to 50 students in a class. Each student has a diverse way of learning. No matter how good the teacher is, the standard style of teaching may not suit the different ways of learning of most of the students. Consequently, there is a mismatch between styles of teaching and ways of learning.
This mismatch is addressed by Vikalp Online School by implementing experiential learning. Each student can do and Learn in their own unique way. Class size is small so teachers can see what each student is doing and facilitate the class in the manner that each student is able to discover the concept at their own pace.
Once a student starts understanding, Vikalp facilitators ask probing questions so that students can reflect and think critically about the concept being taught. This kind of Socratic dialogue and Learning by Doing is possible only if the class size is small.
It’s not possible in a traditional school which has big infrastructure. School is divided into compartments called classrooms suitable for blackboard teaching. They cannot have class size of 4 or 5 students. Their economics will not work. Since we are an online school, we can do all this. Our focus is not in creating infrastructure. Our focus is personalized attention and holistic development of each student.
Q. Vikalp is actively involved in government school initiatives across Karnataka, Delhi, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. How are these programs addressing learning gaps in public education?
A. The landscape of education has made remarkable strides in school enrollment and access. However, the challenge now lies in ensuring quality education for all. A staggering number of children and adolescents are unable to achieve basic proficiency in reading and mathematics, despite being enrolled in school. Our organization is committed to addressing this issue by enhancing the quality of education within schools.
We achieve this by facilitating a shift from traditional teaching methods to experiential learning in everyday teaching-learning practices. This includes establishing mathematics and language laboratories and integrating practical applications with the theory taught in the classroom. Our objective is to make learning more meaningful, engaging, and enjoyable through the use of our "PHYSITAL" (Physical + Digital) tools. Capacity building for stakeholders is an integral component of our approach.
Our intervention has significantly reduced the dropout rate in government schools of Jharkhand. Previously known as "khichdi schools" due to students primarily attending for the mid-day meal, these schools are now centers of learning. An impact survey conducted by Grey Matters indicated an approximately 30% improvement in Math scores after one year of implementation. Additionally, a Learn data study by Acumen has shown significant improvements in parameters such as "ability to grasp concepts," "ability to do homework," and "interest in studies."
Q. With the increasing role of digital tools in education, how does Vikalp integrate technology into experiential learning to make concepts more interactive and accessible?
A. Concepts are introduced using learning tools, and students discover these concepts through activities with these tools. Once students begin to understand, they are encouraged to play games on the mobile app. Both the activities and games are complementary and well-integrated with each other. This digital tool aids in the practice and reinforcement of concepts.
Since classes are conducted online, AI can curate learning content. In Vikalp, world-class presentations used in class are developed by AI. Study materials are developed according to the level of study and personalized needs of each student in class. AI-based tools monitor students’ attention in class. The aim is to help teachers identify where students are getting confused or not taking interest. This data-based analytics helps teachers in teaching according to the needs of each student.
The integration of AI technologies in education offers significant benefits to teachers by automating administrative tasks. This shift allows educators to prioritize the core aspects of their role: teaching, learning, and fostering a positive social environment within the classroom. AI-driven systems excel in managing and delivering educational services, streamlining processes that were once time-consuming for human administrators. At Vikalp Online School, we have implemented AI to handle various administrative functions, including admissions, timetabling, attendance tracking, homework monitoring, and school inspections.
Q. Currently, Vikalp follows the Indian curriculum. What are the key challenges and opportunities in expanding to American and British curricula in the coming years?
A. The potential for online education is vast. If we start American or British curricula, our reach will extend to all English-speaking countries. While obtaining affiliation and recognition can be time-consuming, the more pertinent question is whether developed nations will readily accept education from developing countries like India. However, the global success of several Indian education companies suggests that this should not be a significant barrier.
Q. With Series A funding from Acumen Fund and financial support from Canara Bank and Grameen Impact, what are Vikalp’s key growth priorities in the evolving edtech landscape?
A. The lack of quality education in many private and government schools due to a shortage of good teachers is a pressing issue and our priority right now. We believe that a potential solution lies in installing monitors in each classroom and conducting classes remotely by world-class teachers. The role of school teachers would then shift to maintaining discipline and ensuring that students complete their assigned tasks.
This model is adaptable to all types of schools and offers an affordable and effective solution. While it is a new approach and its impact is yet to be fully demonstrated, but it can be implemented at scale. We already have a pool of qualified teachers ready to participate, but we need partners to help us reach schools that would benefit from this intervention.
Q. Beyond academics, how does Vikalp’s approach equip students with essential life skills and prepare them for real-world challenges?
A. Vikalp's approach goes beyond academics to equip students with essential life skills, preparing them for real-world challenges. Our experiential teaching method focuses on real-life application. As students grasp new concepts, teachers guide them with probing questions, fostering analytical, evaluative, and creative thinking. This process inherently develops crucial life skills and prepares them for future challenges. Additionally, Vikalp offers diverse skill development courses, including foreign language, classical dance, music, coding, and public speaking. These opportunities allow students to further enhance their abilities and confidence in navigating real-world situations.
Q. Vikalp has received multiple awards, including the Best Educational Supplier Award. How do such recognitions impact your mission and further innovation in K12 education?
A. Recognition plays a vital role in motivating us to keep moving forward. In our entrepreneurial journey, we experience both successes and failures. Some decisions may seem disastrous in the short term, yet prove to be groundbreaking in the long term. While these decisions can be daunting, awards and recognition provide us with the encouragement to continue our mission of unleashing the full potential of school-going children.
Q. India’s education system faces significant learning disparities. How does Vikalp’s experiential model contribute to solving the country’s learning crisis?
A. India's education system is grappling with a significant learning crisis. While access to school has improved, a large number of students are leaving school without foundational literacy and numeracy skills. This is highlighted by the ASER 2019 report, which found that only half of fifth-grade students in rural India could read a second-grade level text, and less than a third could perform basic division.
At Vikalp, we believe our experiential learning model can help address this crisis. We're working to implement experiential learning in government schools by setting up Language and Mathematics Laboratories. In these labs, students engage in hands-on learning experiences, reinforcing theoretical concepts taught in the classroom. Our integrated approach, coupled with teacher training, makes learning fun and effective, leading to a significant improvement in learning outcomes.
Q. With rapid advancements in online and hybrid education, how do you envision the future of K12 learning, and what role will Vikalp play in shaping it?
A. The rapid advancements in online and hybrid education raise important questions about the future of K-12 learning. As we witness the emergence of online schools and the integration of technology in traditional classrooms, it is crucial to examine the evolving role of education.
While the medium of instruction has undoubtedly changed, the traditional methods of teaching often persist. Students frequently remain passive recipients of knowledge rather than active learners. Public schools often prioritize memorization and comprehension, potentially overlooking crucial skills for the future.
At Vikalp, we take a different approach. Our focus lies in fostering skills such as application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. We recognize that the job market our students will enter in ten years will demand these skills. Jobs that rely solely on memory and understanding are increasingly being automated.
To thrive in the future, students will need the ability to apply knowledge creatively and critically. Many public schools may not adequately develop these skills, leaving their students at a disadvantage in the evolving job market.
In ten years, the jobs that remain will likely be those that require uniquely human skills – those that cannot be replicated by machines. Vikalp Online School is preparing students for this future by emphasizing discovery and knowledge construction throughout their school education.
x
