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they are designing child-centric private edupreneurs have lost interest education across the country.
environments for diverse age in promoting new, greenfield schools. To Architecture education needs to
groups ranging from 3-18 years. what extent, if any, has AGA suffered a evolve constantly. Therefore, the
Moreover, they need to remember decline in business? country’s 463 schools of architecture
that designing a campus is like In K-12 education, the burden need to keep abreast with latest
creating a self-sustaining micro city of making up for the woeful innovations in construction and
that requires detailed planning to shortcomings of government schools materials technology. Bridging the
include a wide range of services from has devolved on the country’s private gap between academia and practice
transportation, meals provision to schools. The government doesn’t has been a struggle for most schools
co-curricular and sports services. offer any rebates or subsidies to of architecture in India.
Enhanced institutional edupreneurs who promote schools. As an employer of young
architecture has the power to instill a Therefore government interference architects, we expend considerable
sense of awe in children and teachers with private unaided schools — time, money and effort to train our
alike. Education institutions need some of which are world-class — is recruits to become acquainted with
to reflect the culture, idealism unwarranted and against the public contemporary design principles and
and ethics of promoters, and local interest. processes in our diverse projects.
communities in government schools. The Covid pandemic is
Such schools and colleges remain undoubtedly a major setback for Despite India having excellent
etched in the minds of students. private schools. Since they have architecture and design traditions, its
Children will carry learning and high been closed for more than a year, cities and urban spaces compare very
values of their alma maters into their most of them have suffered loss of unfavourably with their counterparts in
adult working lives to build strong, fees income while having to pay Western countries. How do you explain
durable and socially responsible teachers and staff salaries, campus this phenomenon?
business and government maintenance and overhead expenses. The prime cause is the apathy of
institutions. Dozens of new academic institutions, state governments and municipal
Let me share an example. We scheduled to start in 2020, have corporations that control urban
were invited to design the 12 acre experienced loss of admissions spaces in India. Unfortunately, all
Klorofeel School in Brahmapur, and have cancelled expansion and their time and public resources
Odisha on the theme of ‘Beyond promotion plans. The most well- are spent in redoing and undoing,
Green’. Therefore, the Klorofeel managed top-ranked schools and without any awareness of integrated
School campus has a rainwater- colleges are making use of the time town and civic planning. Mayors
harvesting pond surrounded by trees available to renovate and upgrade and commissioners who head
and greenery. Every student is given their infrastructure and facilities. municipal corporations have very
an 8x10 ft space around this pond Despite these gloomy conditions, limited tenure and draw up hasty
to plant a tree, shrub of choice and AGA has not suffered loss of and unsustainable plans. They have
nurture its growth. The pond also business. During the past two years, little understanding of town planning
overlooks an academic space known we have signed contracts to design, and design which they tend to equate
as the Curiosity Centre, which by build and commission 13 greenfield with ‘beautification’ of chosen
design is an open environment campuses in eight cities across the locations. Until our society demands
for students to visit, explore and country. This is an improvement on integrated town planning, urban
conduct science, arts, music and our average of five new projects per spaces will remain compromised.
literary experiments according to year.
their inclination and choice. Given your considerable experience of the
Feedback from the Klorofeel As a major employer of young, newly- education sector, how long will it take for
School, promoted by visionary qualified architects, how satisfied are you India to become a well-educated, clean
edupreneurs Dr. Haribandhu Panda, with the education and training provided and green middle class country?
Anand Rao Ladi, Kalyan Banerjee & by the country’s architecture schools and There’s a strong urge in Indian
Dr Adarsh Rath, is very encouraging. higher education institutions? society across the spectrum for
The school’s environment brings In India, the Council of Architecture, high quality education. The rising
textbooks out of enclosed classrooms Delhi regulates and provides number of schools and higher
to open and exploratory areas where syllabus guidelines for architecture education institutions even in rural
learning is an adventure for children. India, is proof of the demand for
Provision of various child-centric good education. However, high
spaces in which children can learn Education institutions quality education is dependent
creatively has witnessed a flowering upon well-qualified and experienced
of art and expression. need to reflect the professionals entering the teaching
culture, idealism and profession at all levels.
Some reports indicate that as a result Once our education system
of the pandemic induced shutdown of ethics of promoters, and attracts the best minds, India’s
all education institutions, interference future will become bright because
of state governments with the fees local communities in we have the world’s largest child and
structure of private schools, and parents government schools youth population which is eager to
demanding fees concession and waivers, learn and succeed.

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