India’s education system has made big progress in giving more children access to schools, but the quality of learning still varies widely between cities and villages. While urban schools are moving fast towards modern, English-medium and tech-based education, many rural students still face challenges in basic reading and math skills.
Experts in the industry believe that the most pressing learning gap between urban and rural classrooms today are foundational literacy and numeracy, especially for parents aspiring for good English medium education. There is no English skills availability, especially because there is no English at home or in the community, Sumeet Mehta, CEO and Co-Founder of LEAD Group, told FE Education. “For students in smaller towns to improve learning outcomes at par with urban peers, teaching quality has to improve. This can be done by implementing whole school systems which not only take care of teacher training, but also provide the enabling tools and resources to teachers to be able to teach well,” he said.
Improving teaching quality through whole-school systems
He noted that to help students in smaller towns catch up with their urban peers, teaching quality must improve. “This can happen only when schools adopt a full system approach that includes regular teacher training and provides teachers with the right tools and resources to teach effectively,” he explained.
According to Mehta, along with this, schools need strong monitoring systems and timely remedial support to make sure students are learning at the right pace. But academics alone aren’t enough. “Students from small towns also need wider exposure and holistic growth. Schools should follow progressive curriculums that focus on overall development,” he said.
Exam reforms encouraging independent thinking
He added that recent exam reforms aim to make students think for themselves rather than memorise answers. “LEAD Group is already focusing on building conceptual understanding so that students can think critically and express ideas in their own words,” he said.
As exams increasingly shift to a competency-based format, Mehta believes schools and teachers will realise that rote learning no longer works – paving the way for broader adoption of innovative learning systems like those developed by LEAD Group.