Page 92 - EducationWorld May 2021

People

developed OECD countries govern- and appreciated by the teachers. more than 15,000 student subscrib-
ments and school managements en- Therefore, the future is bright for us ers from ten countries.
sured that teachers received 100-150 and India’s teachers to dramatically History. An engineering and business
hours of training per year to acquaint improve learning outcomes in K-12 management postgrad of Punjab
them with new teaching-learning education,” says Khanna. Engineering College, Chandigarh and
technologies and pedagogies, in Fair winds! IIM-Calcutta, Gupta accumulated
India teachers averaged a mere 6-10 Autar Nehru (Delhi) valuable professional experience
hours of formal training annually. In over 12 years rising to leadership
2018, after working with over 1,200 positions in blue-chip companies
schools in India, we discerned an Extra-curricular including Amazon and Cure.Fit
opportunity in Dubai where early before deciding go solo. “Last Janu-
acceptance of our teacher educa- educator ary (2020), I invested my personal
tion programs by school manage- savings of Rs.40 lakh to promote
ments, teachers and the Knowledge Bambinos and in June, our online
& Human Development Authority Bambinos.live academy began opera-
(KHDA) prompted us to shift our tions,” he says.
training delivery operations to Direct talk. “When my daughter
Dubai. Later we forayed into the UK turned three, I wanted her to have
market and initiated our operations a broader education beyond acquir-
in London. However, our interest ing mere academic competencies. I
in the huge, high-potential Indian believe that all human beings need
market for professional development to learn vital life skills including
of educators has been re-ignited inter-personal, communication,
after release of the new National problem solving, critical and creative
Education Policy (NEP), 2020 which thinking. Children best learn these
accords high importance to teacher skills through extra and co-curricular
training,” says Khanna. activities. BLS is the outcome of
Currently, Les Transformations these reflections conceptualised to
employs 50 full-time and an equal integrate extra-curricular subjects
number of gig employees and faculty into mainstream education and pre-
on its muster rolls and has trained Gupta: beyond academic competencies pare children to make aptitudinally
over 100,000 teachers around the suitable career choices. Therefore
world. Prices range from Rs.10,000 engaluru-based ASHISH in BLS, we offer a wide choice of
for short-term two-weeks pro- GUPTA is founder-director of courses for children to explore and
grammes to Rs.3 lakh for annual BBambinos Learning Solutions experiment with. We believe it takes
courses. Pvt. Ltd (BLS, estb.2020, headcount: experimentation with at least four
Future plans. Having acquired 20), a digital learning academy of- co-curricular/extra-curricular ac-
valuable expertise and experience fering 40 specially curated extra- tivities before they can focus on any
in quality-conscious and demand- curricular programmes ranging from one,” says Gupta.
ing markets abroad, Khanna has teachings of the Bhagawad Gita, Business model. Subscriptions
refocused his attention on India’s learning musical instruments to for an unlimited courses package
9.8 million K-12 teachers who in his robotics and coding. These pro- range from Rs.15,999 per quarter to
opinion urgently need to update and grammes focus on the “physical, Rs.59,999 per year.
upgrade their professional skills. mental, spiritual and intellectual Future plans. Encouraged by enthu-
“Two important developments in development” of children in the 4-15 siastic public response to Bambinos’
Indian education are finalisation of years age group through small, live enriching online co-curricular and
NEP 2020 and a renewed interest interactive online classes. extra-curricular menu in India and
within the teachers’ community to Newspeg. Encouraged by enthusi- abroad, Gupta has drawn up ambi-
develop their skills and competencies astic public response to this edtech tious expansion plans. “My team has
during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our company’s eclectic menu, last recently finalised a blueprint to take
teacher-growth focussed professional December, Gupta launched opera- 500 educators on board and offer
development programmes, designed tions in Singapore, Canada, South more than 50 extra-curricular learn-
to help them shed fear of online Korea and Japan. Short of its first ing programmes,” he says.
education and new pedagogies, are anniversary, the company claims Wind beneath your wings!
perfectly positioned to be accepted to have signed up 70 educators and Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)

92 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2021