Masterclass With Fearless Educators | Session 5 | Pankaj Jain

Topic: "Enabling average teacher to deliver high quality curriculum transaction"

Pankaj comes from Uttar Pradesh. After completing his engineering degree at IIT Roorkee, he went to Ahmedabad to work at the Indian Space Research Organization, and then completed his PhD at IIM Ahmedabad. Here he spent time understanding the development sector. Upon graduation, although offered an attractive job at Tata Consultancy Services, he joined the advisory team of Dr. Kurien, who led the White Revolution. Dr. Kurien approached ministers and government officials to change policies to further Amul’s growth, and Pankaj prepared his briefs for meetings. These two and a half years were truly inspiring for Pankaj, who still considers Dr. Kurien his greatest mentor.

After seeing that rural development moved slowly due to a lack of trained professionals in the sector, Pankaj took what he learned from Dr. Kurien and started the Institute of Rural Management Ahmedabad (IRMA). He created the syllabi for and taught courses on strategic management for the rural areas at IRMA, adding specialized faculty members in rural education, rural health, and other sectors. Through his efforts, Pankaj trained a strong cadre of more than 500 students a year who would catalyze rural development. Born out of Pankaj’s insight on rural management and development, IRMA is at the forefront of professionalizing the development of India’s rural sector. Over the years it has provided management training, support, and research facilities to students committed to rural development. This effort has drawn co-operatives, COs, government development agencies, international development organizations, and funding agencies to IRMA.

Since IRMA focused on the cooperative model, Pankaj also introduced new topics, such as the role of COs in rural development. In 1994, he left IRMA to explore new areas and broaden his perspective. This led him to teach abroad in prestigious universities in the UK and US (MIT, NYU, and University of Leeds). Pankaj also consulted for Grameen Bank and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, advising them on their general management strategies. Later, he became a member of an evaluation committee sponsored by the government of Andhra Pradesh, and he participated in evaluating the education sector and identifying potential improvements.

Pankaj Jain is providing high-quality, low-cost education to children in slums and poor urban areas by re-engineering the role of the teacher. By dividing this role into three parts that require different skill levels, Pankaj has created new job opportunities and increased educational outcomes. Going forward, Pankaj’s plan is to enter government schools and influence policy through the Education Ministry to adopt the Gyan Shala model of education, because he believes it is a method for efficient expansion.