Page 51 - EducationWorld March 2022

My journey has been through all
stages of the company’s growth from
ground level to strategy,” says Ra-
man.
These achievements have been
duly recognised. Raman was
conferred Business Leader of the
Year Award 2021 of the World
Leadership Congress, Woman Icon
Awards (Leadership) 2020 by Times
Applaud and the Devang Mehta
Foundation’s Young Achiever Award,
2015 among other encomiums.
Direct talk. “As an essentially
executive education company,
our goal is to bridge the industry-
academia gap by upskilling working
professionals and entrepreneurs.
Recognised by all corporates, our
six-month to two-year programmes Nayak: creative pandemic response
offer immersive 360 degree
learning experiences through virtual Street corner April launch of centres in Bankura,
classrooms aka learning centres, Purulia and Midnapore districts.
in 30 cities countrywide. Highly teacher History. Since he was appointed
qualified faculty drawn from our teacher at the state government-
academic partners deliver live owned Tilka Maji Adibashi Free
lectures from on-campus studios EEP NARAYAN NAYAK, a Primary in 2018, Nayak has been
with the support of our robust teacher at the state govern- providing free-of-charge after-school
technology team. These virtual Dment promoted Tilka Maji tuition to tribal children. However,
classrooms are interactive and Adibashi Free Primary School, in after lockdown of schools in March
enable peer-to-peer learning and the Jamuria village (pop.1.5 lakh) 2020, he realised that most of his
group discussions — a combination in Paschim Bardhaman district of students couldn’t afford digital
which helps to retain student West Bengal, is popularly known devices and hence spent the day loi-
interest. We offer a range of skilling as ‘Raster Master’ (Teacher of the tering in the village or grazing cattle.
programmes such as postgrad Street). This enterprising 34-year- Fearing his students would drop out
certificate programmes in business old educator turned walls of village of the education system altogether,
analytics and applications, digital homes into blackboards and roads he began conducting informal classes
strategies and marketing analytics into classrooms to ensure learning under trees and on street corners.
and advanced management continuity of children during the As the number of children grew,
programmes of 10-12 months prolonged pandemic lockdown of he decided to use the mud walls of
duration at an average fee of schools. In May 2020, 45 days after village houses as blackboards and
Rs.2.5 lakh. We also provide career schools across the country were began providing books and mid-day
mentorship support,” says Raman. ordered closed to check the spread of meals. Thus far, this initiative is self-
Future plans. Raman is encouraged the novel Coronavirus, Nayak began funded with some help from his wife
by the positive public response to teaching village children under blue Jhuma Patra, a professor of Bengali
JE’s executive programmes despite skies. An enterprise that started with at Raniganj Girls College in Paschim
the pandemic and believes the future six children has now grown to 2,000 Bardhaman, and a handful of like-
is bright. “We recently finalised a students in 14 street study centres of minded individuals.
blueprint to establish global cohorts Paschim Bardhaman. Direct talk. “I have been getting a
of learners and plan to expand our Newspeg. After successfully imple- monthly salary from government
current academic portfolio to include menting his learning model in 14 vil- without working during the pandem-
executive development programmes lages of Paschim Bardhaman, Nayak ic. Therefore, I felt it was my duty to
of Ivy league universities and institu- is all set to launch similar street earn my keep. With many parents
tions,” she says. study centres in other districts of in the village having lost their jobs
Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru) Bengal. He has already finalised an during the pandemic, and schools

MARCH 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 51