Written by Mekin Maheshwari, Co-Founder Udhyam Learning Foundation
Friends, we’ve got a huge problem with how we’re nurturing our nation’s greatest asset – our youth. For too long, our education system has been stuck in an outdated, assembly line model of sorting kids into “successes” and “failures” based on one or two make-or-break exams. The cruel reality? A whopping 99% get stamped as “failures” before their lives have even started!
This can’t go on. We simply cannot afford to discard 99 out of every 100 young minds as duds from the factory line. That vacant look of dejection and low self-worth I see on their faces after being rejected – it breaks my heart. Because I know firsthand how it feels, having been there myself after bombing the IIT entrance. But I also know the immense reservoirs of potential, creativity and entrepreneurial zeal lying untapped in these “failed” youth.
Believe me, I’ve witnessed the magic firsthand through my work with almost 3 million kids over the last 7 years. When you move education out of the textbooks and into the real world – when you give these supposed “failures” some seed capital, agency and opportunities to solve actual problems – the transformation is mind-blowing. Suddenly, the shackles of fear, obedience and societal conditioning are broken.
Their innate human urges for independent thinking, experimentation, perseverance and self-discovery are rekindled.
I’ve seen student teams build million-rupee e-logistics ventures from scratch. IX standard girls in rural Andhra invent working snake detectors to tackle local issues. Bright sparks like Ashish, who dropped out after XII but now employs 35 people at age 19 through his business.
These success stories are exceptions which should become the norm. By trusting young minds and ceding them control, we can unleash the transformative power of youth to innovate and solve problems..
So why are we still stuck in this rut of forcing kids to be miserable rote-learners? To define their self-worth through the prism of exams written by some babu in Delhi? It’s insanity to put our nation’s future through this soul-crushing, narrow funnel of “success.”
Instead, we need to radically overhaul our approach to learning itself:
- 1- Make it experiential and immersive, not theoretical
- 2- Nurture entrepreneurial mindsets: Independent thinking, risk-taking, grit, self-awareness
- 3- Give students agency over real-world projects and problems
- 4- Celebrate innovation, hard work and creativity, not just exam ranks
Only then can we unleash the true potential of our demographic dividend. Only then can we transform India’s perceived “burden” of youth into a fearsome army of problem-solvers, innovators, and corporate raiders who will power our economic rise.
The opportunity is right there, friends. The old, stifling model has run its course – it’s held us back long enough. Our youth deserve better.. India’s destiny demands better. So let’s get out of their way, give them the reins and watch them soar! The future belongs to the entrepreneurial, not the “failures.”
