After ten years, it’s time to redesign how we pursue school change
Change is imminent and unavoidable with time. If nothing else, everyone grows a year older when we turn the page from 2025 to 2026. Age affects health; time brings learning—real or perceived—and experiences gradually evolve into either cynicism or wisdom. Over the past year and the decade, I have experienced it all, and more.
In 2025, Vidya Gyan completed its tenth year—its Dynamic Decade. This milestone calls not only for institutional reflection but for personal integrity. As one of the co-founders, I began this journey with a clear and deeply held dream: to help transform rural government schools into places of genuine learning, pride, and possibility—schools that engaged not only children, but teachers, parents, and the wider community as active partners in education.
Ten years later, as we move into 2026, that dream remains intact. What has changed is my understanding of what transformation truly demands.
Acknowledging the Dynamic Decade
The Dynamic Decade celebration on December 19 meaningfully honored the effort and participation of the rural government schools in Vidya Gyan’s network. More than a hundred students and several dozen teachers participated, alongside community leaders, government officials, families, and friends of Vidya Gyan. The distinguished guests included two IAS officers, the District Magistrate Bansal, and the Chief Development Officer Mahajan.
Students expressed confidence and joy through cultural performances. A second-grade student mesmerized the audience with an English speech narrating Vidya Gyan’s ten-year journey; her confidence and clarity earned special recognition from the presiding District Magistrate.
An eleventh-grade student spoke about her long association with Vidya Gyan since 2016. At that time, a Sukanya Samriddhi savings account was opened in her name, with regular contributions made by her parents and Vidya Gyan. The account with considerable savings will help her realize the dream of becoming a doctor.
Teachers and schools showcased Teaching–Learning Materials (TLMs), explaining their use to visiting district officials, much to their appreciation. Select schools and teachers were recognized for various accomplishments. The unveiling of Vidyanjali, a special magazine dedicated to the founders’ parents, by the District Magistrate grounded the celebration in gratitude, legacy, and continuity.
Schools were also invited to reflect in Vidyanjali on how their relationship with Vidya Gyan had benefited them, particularly in student learning and leadership. Some used this space for thoughtful reflection and genuine acknowledgment. Others, however, used it primarily for self-promotion, often without corresponding evidence of sustained improvement, commitment, or learning outcomes. This divergence reflects a deeper pattern that must now be addressed.
My personal evolution as a co-founder
When we started Vidya Gyan, I believed that exposure, opportunity, and encouragement, combined with the moral authority of education, would naturally motivate change. I further expected that if schools, teachers, and communities were invited with respect and partnership, they would rise to the occasion.
What I have learned is more complex and sobering. While I long believed in FAIL as “First Attempt In Learning,” it took me more than one attempt to truly understand why some schools failed to perform or take the work seriously, despite repeated opportunities. Many failed in prompt communication and yet complained when delayed responses were not honored.
I now recognize that change does not happen simply because it is desirable or well-intentioned. Engagement does not deepen without clear expectations and consequences. Communities do not automatically mobilize unless responsibility is clearly assigned and ownership genuinely felt.
I have also learned that systems protect themselves. In the absence of accountability, comfort replaces curiosity. Explanations and excuses—such as administrative burden or competing duties—replace genuine effort. The desire for visibility replaces substance. This is not a failure of individuals alone, but a structural reality we must design for, not wish away.
The hard truths
- Transformation has been highly uneven, not systemic.
- Meaningful progress has been demonstrated by fewer schools; many have remained static.
- Teacher motivation remains limited where performance and student learning carry little or no consequence.
- Engagement with parents and communities has been more symbolic than substantive.
- Platforms intended for reflection are often used for presentation and promotion.
- Competition and comparison have diluted collective responsibility.
Vidya Gyan’s association is increasingly viewed as a credential, rather than a commitment.
What we will no longer do
- Assume that access automatically leads to accountability.
- Reward participation without progress.
- Conflate cultural activities, materials, or visibility with learning outcomes.
- Absorb stagnation under the language of constraint or context.
- Carry the emotional and operational burden of change on behalf of schools.
Vision for the future
We must now mark a clear shift—from aspiration to architecture.
- Redefining partnership: A partnership with Vidya Gyan will be conditional, explicit, and time-bound. Schools must demonstrate readiness to meaningfully engage teachers, parents, and leadership—not merely attend programs.
- Accountability anchored in learning: Student learning, teacher practice, and school leadership behavior will be the primary measures of progress, not artifacts or events.
- Selective depth over broad reach: We will work with fewer schools, more deeply, with clear criteria for continuation or exit.
- Community engagement with responsibility: Parent and community involvement must move beyond presence to participation, with defined roles, expectations, and feedback mechanisms.
- Recognition tied to sustained change: Recognition will reflect longitudinal progress, not episodic effort.
Designing for consequence: Where effort does not follow opportunity, Vidya Gyan must be willing to pause, redesign, or withdraw support.
Closing reflection
The dream that gave birth to Vidya Gyan—to create rural schools alive with learning, accountability, and community ownership—has not faded. What has changed is my clarity about what that dream requires.
The years ahead cannot be driven by belief alone. They must be driven by discernment, discipline, and difficult choices. If we are serious about honoring the children, families, and communities we set out to serve, we must be willing to evolve—not merely persist.
As a co-founder, I offer this reflection not as critique, but as commitment: to truth, to impact, and to acting on what the Dynamic Decade has taught me and what this moment now demands.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
3. The ChatGPT helped improve the language of the content.
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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