An alumna of the prestigious National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and promoter-director of the Riverside School (estb.2001), Kiran Bir Sethi is also the founder of Design For Change (DFC), an extra-curricular experiential learning programme which encourages class III-X children worldwide to design and implement socio-economic development programmes in their school neighbourhoods. Since its launch in 2009, DFC has attracted participation from 2.2 million children in 65 countries around the world.

How satisfied are you with the Union Budget 2018-19 allocation of Rs.85,010 crore for education?

I am not a financial expert. For me, it is not so important whether the money allocated is adequate or not. I am interested in learning whether it will be spent effectively. Even though the allocations for education have increased year after year, the quality of public education has not improved. Therefore, the gap between allocation and outcomes is the real problem.

The national average pass percentage in the Teacher Eligibility Tests is between 4-7 percent. What’s your comment?

Most young people aren’t interested in teaching as a vocation. That’s the real worry. A teacher eligibility test doesn’t necessarily determine a teacher’s capability. I believe teaching is not adequately respected and valued by society. Until that doesn’t change, we will have people becoming teachers because they have no other option. Unless we value teachers as a community and teaching as a preferred profession, the quality of teachers won’t improve. 

What’s your solution to reforming the country’s failing teacher education system and crisis of lack of qualified teachers?

I don’t think there can be one solution. We need a multi-pronged approach that goes beyond reforming B.Ed colleges and creating an ecosystem that supports teacher education. We need to value, celebrate and honour our teachers and continuously provide them in-service training and support. 

What are your Top 5 suggestions for reforming K-12 education?

I believe we need to stop thinking of children as the future. They are the present, and hope is not a strategy. Understanding the potential of children and unlocking their power on a daily basis is the greatest strategy to ensure them a future worth having. So I don’t have five suggestions, only one.