Anoop Bishnoi - Entrepreneur - Promoter at Bisco Ltd

What matters most when looking for work’ is a debate as old as higher education itself. Higher education is caught in a perplexing quandary. On the one hand, employers have expressed growing concern about the gap between education and employability. On the other hand, the cost of higher education is rapidly rising. It should come as no surprise that public perception of higher education in India has deteriorated in recent years, and academic institutions are embroiled in an increasingly polarized debate. The health of many academic institutions in India is precarious, indicating that structural issues are deeply ingrained. “One thing is certain: we are entering an era in which education is a lifelong endeavor. With today’s rapid pace of change, there are fewer and fewer jobs where you can expect the knowledge you gain in school or university to last you until retirement.” Says Anoop Singh Bishnoi, Chairman of The Doon School, Dehradun. “The point I want to make is that the people w

  The fight for women’s rights dates back centuries, with movements of various sizes and shapes spanning generations of activists from every country around the world. One constant, however, has been the importance of education in driving progress for women’s and girls’ rights. Today, nearly two out of every three girls attend secondary school, compared to one out of every two in 1998, and two out of every three countries worldwide have achieved gender parity in primary education. Despite these gains, over 130 million girls worldwide are currently out of school. When girls do make it through the school gates, they are far too often the first to drop out, the first to be let down by the system. “To advance gender equality, a radically new and gender transformative approach to education is required. Gender equality in education is about more than just getting girls into school and keeping them there for a certain amount of time; it’s about what happens once they’re there, allowing the

Education has been recognised as a fundamental human right in a number of international conventions – A powerful tool for individual freedom and socioeconomic development. Despite a number of initiatives and significant progress over the years, many girls around the world continue to be denied the right to education. Globally, nine out of ten girls complete primary school, but only three out of four complete lower secondary school (roughly 9 years of education). Less than two-thirds of girls complete primary school in low-income countries, and only one-third complete lower secondary school. No country can advance without equal participation of women in social, political, economic, and other development initiatives. Female labour force participation rises as a result of education, resulting in faster economic growth. When women have equal access to quality education, they actively participate in business and economic activities, which helps to close the long-standing gender pay gap. “

Asia dominates the global market for private student coaching. Private tuitions account for more than 12% of annual household income in India. After-school private tuition is now as much a desi thing in India as chai. More and more people are choosing to do that extra bit of academic work in order to earn six-figure salaries, for the same reason children are being pushed into a system that emphasizes on grades and competition. The pressure to perform better, the skyrocketing cut-off marks for universities, and the overall increase in the number of people doing the same thing provide parents with an impetus to push their children harder to excel, to stay ahead of the pack. In a recent conversation with The Chairman of The Doon School, Dehradun, Anoop Singh Bishnoi , he shared his thoughts about why he thinks private tuition is a necessity in our country. He said, “We all know that 30 students in each class is the ideal number for a good academic experience, however, with classroom siz

In India, girls face significant educational disparities. Inequalities in this demographic include low literacy rates and a lack of education. Many of these girls are raised with no expectation regarding education, they are conditioned to think that as they are most likely to become mothers if they chose so, education is not something they need. Educational disparities will become a cyclical, intergenerational issue. Cultural values, child marriage, a scarcity of feminine hygiene products, and child labor are all factors that contribute to a lack of education. Poverty, decreased child well-being, health issues, and increased domestic violence stem from many reasons but one of them being the continued lack of formal education among young females. “If she’s a girl, she is far more likely to be barred from attending school, forced to marry, forced to have children, and likely subjected to violence, with her voice undervalued, if heard at all and sadly that’s still the situation in many

We must reconsider our approach to education. Millions of children were already behind in their learning, even before the pandemic, whether they attended school or not. And we are now dealing with a growing learning crisis. “What inspires children to learn? If we want every student to reach their full potential, we must make them feel welcome and supported at school. That means inclusive classrooms and a collaborative approach from teachers, parents, and communities are required.” says Anoop Singh Bishnoi , Chairman of The Doon School, Dehradun. While millions of students turned to online learning during the pandemic, millions more were denied access. We must close these gaps as soon as possible by investing in hardware, connectivity, learning technologies, teacher training, and parent support. “We owe it to each and every student to ensure that they are learning and learning well. Nothing is more important than equitable, accessible, high-quality education for all as the world trans

Consider your high school years for a moment. Which subjects do you find yourself returning to now that you’re an adult in the real world? You probably don’t use trigonometry, algebra, or calculus in your daily life. In all seriousness, it’s surprising that kids don’t learn about personal finance in school. Our children spend hours learning complex math to solve problems that do not exist in the real world, but they do not learn real-world skills like budgeting or avoiding consumer debt. “Schools must teach students real-world financial literacy in order to prepare them for better spending and borrowing in an escalating cost-of-living crisis,” says Anoop Singh Bishnoi . Many experts argue that the school education system does not need to teach pupils about real-world lessons because the system is designed to develop transferable skills. While there may be an argument within that (and the need for children to be able to figure things out on their own), as a society we have a respons

Who is in charge of keeping our children safe online? Yes, schools must play a role. They must back their anti-bullying policies with concrete procedures for dealing with incidents as they arise. Parents must have confidence that if something is brought to the attention of a school, they will be able to handle it and reach a resolution that benefits everyone involved. However, punishing the bully and appeasing the victim does little to address the core problem. Bringing a group of people to talk to our kids once a year about changing passwords and saying nice things online does little to quell their curiosity, ’selfie’ mindset, and often ‘act now, think later’ mentality. Yes, we must continue to make tech sites and creators aware of the dangers their sites pose and demand improved settings and safety measures. But we also know that these measures alone are insufficient to teach our children about how they interact online. More often, by the time the site comes to the knowledge of the

Everyone would want to invest in education if it were like a stock market. In today’s market, investors are content if their stocks return 5-10% per year…the return on investment in public education is more than anyone can imagine and probably cannot be put into numbers! For some reason, we have no problem understanding the long-term benefits of investing in bridges, roads, and other infrastructure, but we balk at the cost of investing in the next generation. The current positive trend in education financing is the result of decades of efforts by government bodies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, donors, civil society, and the private sector to improve access and quality of teaching and learning, allowing children and the youth to thrive in work and life. “Education must be seen as part of the solution to the economy’s rebuilding. Countries with more highly skilled workers fare better in tech-based, knowledge economies. The challenge is to help schools with the transformation