In the bustling corridors of a typical Indian school, the monotonous humdrum of rote memorisation still echoes.
With its one-size-fits-all model, the mainstream education system is increasingly unable to meet the changing needs of our rapidly globalising world.
As we face the 21st century with immediate access to information, our schools continue emphasising content more suited to the last century. It creates a void so big that students are not prepared for what lies ahead outside their classrooms.
But beyond these walls, a quiet change is brewing. Across the country, educators and schools are proving that innovation doesn't always require a complete overhaul of the system.
Sometimes, it's the small tweaks that create the most significant ripples in the state of our education.
Envision a classroom where real-life experiences replace textbooks, where nature takes on the role of the greatest teacher, or where students are allowed to control their learning journeys.
These aren’t some far-flung dream but pockets of reality in India.
These approaches do not necessarily call for huge budgets or total systemic overhaul. Instead, they illustrate how through minor yet deliberate alterations can truly transform learning and teaching in our country.
Let’s have a look at these practices in action and how these pockets of change acts at testaments of progress:
1) Tridha School is located in the heart of Mumbai and it follows the Waldorf approach by Rudolf Steiner. The school sees education as an artistic process that enhances a child’s imagination and creativity besides enhancing their academic potential.
It is its goal to enable children through arts, movement and practical skills at every stage of development.
Early years at Tridha do not follow traditional textbooks. Instead, they let children make their own “lesson books” with drawings and writings in them.
By this simple deviation from being passive consumers into being active creators, students are able to form deeper connections with what they learn.
2) Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE) at Puducherry practices integral education which focuses on holistic growth of physical, vital, mental and spiritual aspects of the child.
This method is based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother seeking to manifest individuality in each student.
A unique feature of SAICE is the “Free Progress” system where learners can decide on their subjects and pace. The emergence that gives leeway for students to control their own schooling may seem like a minor alteration; however, it results in enhanced motivation
3) Nestled at the foot of the sacred Arunachala Hill in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, Marudam Farm School takes the concept of environmental education to heart.
Here, nature isn't just a subject — it's the classroom itself. Students learn Math by measuring tree growth, understand Science through organic farming, and develop language skills by describing the world around them. When learning about rivers and channels, they will physically follow the route to truly understand its structure and flow.
By simply stepping outside the traditional classroom, Marudam demonstrates how the environment can be seamlessly integrated into every aspect of learning, fostering a deep connection with nature and sustainable living practices.
The school's location near the spiritual center of Tiruvannamalai adds another dimension to its holistic approach, blending environmental awareness with cultural and spiritual understanding.
4) The state of Goa in India is well known for its fantastic beaches, and this is exactly where The Learning Centre (TLC) is changing what personalised education means.
TLC acknowledges that all children are different and that they have individual learning interests, strengths, and areas they need to improve on.
This personalisation incorporates flexible scheduling at the school. Students can allocate their time to distinct subjects based on their energy levels throughout the day making them more productive.
This simple change in scheduling accommodates different student learning styles towards better learning experiences.
5) In Ahmedabad, The Riverside School believes in students taking charge of their own education. The learners take an active role in shaping their educational journey rather than being passive recipients of knowledge. Its “I CAN” approach encourages students to find problems affecting them today and work on solutions for tomorrow’s world.
The focus is on building student agency so that children can become active participants in the world rather than passive recipients of knowledge.
One creative practice at Riverside entails the “Design for Change” challenge in which children are urged to appraise problems within their communities and design corresponding answers.
By shifting from hypothetical problem-solving to real-world application, the children begin to look at learning as part of the real world rather than something that is in isolation.
What do they teach us?
These examples from across India demonstrate that innovation in education doesn't always require a complete system overhaul.
Often, it's the small tweaks — giving students more choice, integrating nature into lessons, or connecting learning to real-world problems — that can have the most profound impact.
Large changes take time and require a mindset shift thus for a change in education to be long lasting, we need to start small.
So, what can mainstream schools learn from these innovative approaches? The key lies in flexibility and a willingness to experiment. Schools can start by:
Incorporating more project-based learning to connect academic concepts with real-world applications.
Allowing for more student choice in subjects or projects to boost engagement and motivation.
Integrating arts and creativity across all subjects to foster holistic development.
Using the local environment as a learning resource to make education more relevant and engaging.
Encouraging student-led initiatives to develop leadership and problem-solving skills.
These changes don't require massive budgets or complete restructuring. They simply need educators who are willing to think creatively and adapt their teaching methods to the needs of their students and the demands of our changing world.
As we look to the future of education in India, it's clear that the path forward isn't about discarding everything we know. Instead, it's about building on our strengths, learning from innovative practices, and making small but impactful changes in our approach to teaching and learning.
(The writer Sanjana Samraj is a strong advocate of alternative approaches to the Indian education system. She is a Teach For India Fellow and in her own words a "professional optimist". Views expressed are her own)
