Education is Fundamental Need for More Just, Prosperous & Competitive Society'
Professor John Kim, senior lecturer of business ad ministration at Harvard Business School, teaches second-year course, Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovations in Education, which tries to tackle the root causes of performance problem in urban education, and the entrepreneurial behaviour of leaders and managers trying to affect systemic change in both traditional and new types of public schools. Kim, who was in India recently, spoke to ET's Varuni Khosla about the scope of educational entrepreneurs in India.Edited excerpts:What's the scope of entrepreneurs to get into the education space?
For most of the world, education is a service, or a public good, that the government provides. The idea that entrepreneurs should even be part of that conversation reflects the desire for society to improve performance around education. Education is a fundamental need for a more just, prosperous and competitive society.
In the US, even after 30-40 years of investment in education, the gap really hasn't narrowed. But in the last 20 years, there has been more interest in the area and the question -should we allow entrepreneurs or innovator to come in this field -has cropped up. We now have `charter' schools or public schools that are privately run, free for students, but they have less regulations, no unions, etc.
Are charter schools popular?
Yes, 5% of the entire schooling is now charter schools, and in some states, nearly 20% of the students go to such schools. Other ventures like in Teach for America by Wendy Kopp -which is more of a social entrepreneurial venture -measure performance of education of students of colour. While they've made some changes, they're not large, scalable changes.
Do you think technology can be used to create a better future in education?
There are three kinds of technology: the first is `personalisation', or personalised apps, that can be used to teach children the ways that are best for them. There are companies such as Newton Education Services that are doing `personalisation' for students.
The second is `distance'. A good example of this is the Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organisation created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, which uses videos to provide information to all sorts of people, anytime, anywhere.
The third is which gets very little attention -`productivity'. Teaching is very labour-intensive and there aren't many tools to help teachers make their work more productive. Tools such as staffing, scheduling, helping teacher can be more effective in a cost effective way.
Are there any interesting scalable models in the world which are doing well?
There are companies in the assessment space that are doing well. There are more international standards such as the Common Core (an educational initiative in the US that details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade). There is a notion that you need to teach students in a more personalised way and I think that idea can be applied in India too.
What is your advice to entrepreneurs getting into this space?
Solve real problems. Everyone went to school, so they think they know a bit about the issues. But they must go and talk to people and understand the real issues. And also be patient. Unlike other businesses that have 100% quarter on quarter growth, this may take a little time. But once you get in, it is a very defensible business. Another would be, if people ask me, where they should start -I would say it's a people intensive business, so they must look for ways to make people more efficient.
For most of the world, education is a service, or a public good, that the government provides. The idea that entrepreneurs should even be part of that conversation reflects the desire for society to improve performance around education. Education is a fundamental need for a more just, prosperous and competitive society.
In the US, even after 30-40 years of investment in education, the gap really hasn't narrowed. But in the last 20 years, there has been more interest in the area and the question -should we allow entrepreneurs or innovator to come in this field -has cropped up. We now have `charter' schools or public schools that are privately run, free for students, but they have less regulations, no unions, etc.
Are charter schools popular?
Yes, 5% of the entire schooling is now charter schools, and in some states, nearly 20% of the students go to such schools. Other ventures like in Teach for America by Wendy Kopp -which is more of a social entrepreneurial venture -measure performance of education of students of colour. While they've made some changes, they're not large, scalable changes.
Do you think technology can be used to create a better future in education?
There are three kinds of technology: the first is `personalisation', or personalised apps, that can be used to teach children the ways that are best for them. There are companies such as Newton Education Services that are doing `personalisation' for students.
The second is `distance'. A good example of this is the Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organisation created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, which uses videos to provide information to all sorts of people, anytime, anywhere.
The third is which gets very little attention -`productivity'. Teaching is very labour-intensive and there aren't many tools to help teachers make their work more productive. Tools such as staffing, scheduling, helping teacher can be more effective in a cost effective way.
Are there any interesting scalable models in the world which are doing well?
There are companies in the assessment space that are doing well. There are more international standards such as the Common Core (an educational initiative in the US that details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade). There is a notion that you need to teach students in a more personalised way and I think that idea can be applied in India too.
What is your advice to entrepreneurs getting into this space?
Solve real problems. Everyone went to school, so they think they know a bit about the issues. But they must go and talk to people and understand the real issues. And also be patient. Unlike other businesses that have 100% quarter on quarter growth, this may take a little time. But once you get in, it is a very defensible business. Another would be, if people ask me, where they should start -I would say it's a people intensive business, so they must look for ways to make people more efficient.
Source: Economic Times, 15-12-2015
