Introduction to the episode: Note special time 11 AM Eastern
This is the second of three episodes that we are devoting to education in India. As we had said in the introduction to the first of this series (#123), with 1.4 billion people, 27% of whom are under 15, India has significant educational needs. Its multilingual, multi-ethnic culture throw in further challenges. Scale, complexity and diversity — it is all here.
Today we will meet with representatives of two organizations focusing on student centered learning. Sandhya Gupta at Aavishkaar Foundation and Eshwar Bandi with Inqui-Lab Foundation.
Transforming math and science education for students and teachers is an important advance for all countries to achieve. STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) knowledge and skills are best acquired through various forms of active, experiential learning rather than passive assimilation. Exciting models for accomplishing this goal are in place in India. The Aavishkaar initiative, led by Sandhya Gupta, builds students’ and teachers’ engagement, achievement, and confidence in research and development through math & science camps as well as training workshops. The Inqui-Lab Foundation, co-founded by Eshwar Bandi, provides both Think & Make in-person programs and online School Innovation Challenges that are very effective in helping children and youth to innovate for problems around them and in supporting them in acting on their ideas. The episode will describe ways that parts of these transformational models can generalize to other settings across the world. More info on our guests below the video.
Sandhya Gupta
Sandhya is an electrical engineer, a math & science enthusiast, and a women’s education advocate. She has a PhD in Electrical Engineering (Semiconductor) from Iowa State University (Iowa, USA) with several publications and patents. She has been an academic achiever, with many awards. She also has a Masters in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. She has worked in Semiconductor Technology Research for 20 years in the US before moving to Himachal in 2009. She currently lives in a village near Palampur with husband Sarit, daughter Shamli and dog Belaa. Sandhya enjoys watching birds, reading books, morning walks, cooking and dreaming about watching movies. She can be reached by email at sandhya@aavishkaar-palampur.org
Eshwar Bandi
Eshwar Bandi is pursuing his Master’s in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the Co-founder of Inqui-Lab Foundation. Before co-founding Inqui-Lab, he worked as a Teach for India fellow teaching fifth and sixth graders in an affordable private school in the old city area of Hyderabad, Telangana. Post TFI fellowship, he worked as a Senior Product Manager at the education non-profit, Sikshana Foundation in Bangalore. He has an MPA in Development Practice from Columbia University and is currently a Cheng fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.