How to fix a broken education system ... without any more money | Seema Bansal

Summary

The speaker challenges the notion that government systems, like India's public schools, are incapable of reform. Despite widespread educational failure, with 50% of 11-year-olds lagging significantly, a large-scale transformation in Haryana state achieved remarkable results in under three years. By setting clear goals, identifying core issues, and leveraging existing resources and technology, Haryana improved educational outcomes, increasing learning levels and demonstrating that with the right approach, government systems can indeed transform.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker challenges the bias that government systems, particularly in education, are too entrenched to change.
• 🏫 In India, despite 1 million public schools offering free education and resources, 50% of 11-year-olds are significantly behind in their education.
• 📉 By age 13 or 14, many students in India drop out of school, with 40% of parents opting for private schools despite the costs.
• 📞 The speaker received a call from Surina Rajan, head of the Department of School Education in Haryana, seeking help to reform the education system.
• 🎯 Haryana set a specific goal: to have 80% of children at grade-level knowledge by 2020, guiding the selection of reform initiatives.
• 🔍 Upon investigation, it was found that teachers were not lazy or incapable; they were overburdened with non-teaching tasks due to past government programs.
• 🌱 The reform focused on addressing core issues like redirecting teachers' roles back to the classroom and measuring their performance based on teaching quality.
• 🌐 The team looked for scalable solutions that could be implemented within existing budgets and resources, without relying on external funding.
• 📲 Leveraging technology, specifically WhatsApp, revolutionized communication and implementation across the vast network of schools and teachers.
• 📈 Haryana has shown remarkable improvement in student learning outcomes in a short time, demonstrating that systemic change in government is possible.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial perception of government systems?

The speaker initially perceived government systems as archaic, set in their ways, and with leadership that was too bureaucratic to facilitate change.

How many public schools are there in India, and what was the educational situation like for 11-year-olds?

There are 1 million public schools in India. By the time children reach 11 years old, 50 percent of them have fallen so far behind in their education that they have no hope of recovery, unable to do simple addition or construct grammatically correct sentences.

Why are parents in India choosing to send their children to private schools despite free education in public schools?

Parents are choosing to send their children to private schools because 40 percent of them believe the public education system is broken, as evidenced by the poor educational outcomes despite the availability of free education, textbooks, workbooks, meals, and sometimes even cash scholarships.

Who contacted the speaker for help in transforming the education system, and what was her position?

Surina Rajan, who was the head of the Department of School Education in the Indian state of Haryana, contacted the speaker for help in transforming the education system.

What was the goal set by Haryana for its education system by 2020?

Haryana set a goal to have 80 percent of its children at grade-level knowledge by 2020.

What were the common misconceptions about the reasons behind poor education quality in India?

The common misconceptions were that teachers were lazy, did not come to schools, or were incapable of teaching effectively.

What did the speaker discover as the core issues affecting the education system when they visited schools?

The core issues discovered were that teachers were not teaching because they were occupied with non-teaching tasks such as supervising construction, managing finances, and serving meals, which were the focus of government programs and supervisory checks.

How did the speaker's team ensure that the solutions they found were scalable across all schools in Haryana?

The team ensured scalability by focusing on solutions that could be implemented within the existing budgets and resources of the state, such as using locally available materials for teaching aids instead of expensive ones.

What innovative method was adopted for communication and implementation across the schools in Haryana?

Haryana adopted the use of WhatsApp groups for communication, where all principals and teachers were divided into groups for instant dissemination of information, clarification, and peer support.

What were the early signs of improvement in Haryana's education system after the reforms?

The early signs of improvement included a halt in the decline of learning levels, an increase in student learning outcomes, and Haryana becoming one of the fastest-improving states in India according to three independent studies.

What was the anecdote about Parvati, and what does it signify?

Parvati, a mother, was smiling because she noticed her children were learning and enjoying school, leading her to stop searching for a private school to send them to. This anecdote signifies a positive change in the public perception and experience of the education system in Haryana.