How a tweak in education can create a global impact! | Ram Kumar | TEDxSKCET
## Speaker Context * Role/Profession: Speaker (Implied educator/speaker giving a talk). * Setting: A talk/presentation, transitioning from morning to afternoon. * Framing: To discuss "what is it week which we can make in this education system which can create a global impact." ## People * Speaker: Speaker (Used own experiences to talk about the journey). * Sister: Sister (Asked the speaker questions on a Sunday afternoon). * Friends: Friend (Sponsored money for the conference). * Students: Students (Group of students involved in solving social problems). ## Organizations * United Nations: Partner organization for the social enterprise. * University of Leicester: University where the speaker did their MBA. * UN: Entity mentioned in relation to the conference and program for youth. ## Places * India: Location of the speaker's background and where they want to scale the project. * UK: Location where the speaker did their MBA and where the initial project developed. * London: Location of the International Quality Circle conference. * Madurai: One of the management schools in India where the pilot was run. ## Tools, Tech & Products * MBA: Educational program pursued by the speaker (from UK). * Software training and development center: Facility managed by the speaker. ## Concepts & Definitions * Middle bench activists: Students who don't fit into the "first bench" (very studious) or the "last ventures" (notorious and mischievous). * Social enterprise: A type of venture developed by the speaker that partners with the UN. * Corporate social responsibility laws: Laws related to social responsibility that the speaker noticed a profitable link with. * Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): UN program that existed until 2015. * Sustainable Development Goals: Current goals succeeding the MDGs. * Problem solvers: Individuals/educational output that the speaker believes education should create. * Livelihood: Earning a living. ## Numbers & Data * 2012: Year when the speaker got selected for a UN conference. * 2015: Year mark for the end of the MDGs. * Four: Number of options traditionally given to children in India (doctor, engineer, etc.). * Seven: Percentage of people who are employable (according to statistics mentioned). ## Claims & Theses * The small things done can go on to a bigger impact. * Doing something back to society brings back at a greater level (of profit/benefit). * If we want to achieve global impact, action should happen locally. * The motive of education is not just to solve problems; it's to create problem solvers. * Business solves problems, but education creates problem solvers. * If we provide a platform for students to implement in a very small scale, they will understand they can solve problems and can do it at a larger level. * If your thought is Noble and when there is a good vision, nature will take care and nature will nurture things. * If we focus it on the right way, it will expand in all directions and we will be able to achieve what we want and it will produce miraculous results. * We can either be a history reader or history creator. * The academy wants us to learn the real world want us wants us to do. * We lose out on life in the making of livelihood. * We must bring life as a focus alongside earning a livelihood. * We need to make the world glorious by identifying the diamonds in every student. ## Mechanisms & Processes * The process of the social enterprise: Helping students get involved in social impact projects and develop their skills. * Developing a social business process model: Adapting the Toyota business process model for social impact. * The process of achieving global impact: Local action leads to global impact. * The process of scaling: Solving a problem for ten people implies you can solve it for a thousand people. * The process of creating harmony: Uniting and becoming in harmony. ## Timeline & Events * Sunday afternoon: When the girl asked the speaker questions. * Before the conference: The venue was canceled two days before the conference, forcing the team to organize it themselves. ## Examples & Cases * The speaker's early life struggle: Being a "middle bench activist," losing placement despite being an outstanding student outside class. * The sister's questions: The sister asked the speaker questions that could not be answered with a simple yes or no. * The social impact project: Students going out on Sundays to visit a place, clean the place, and plant saplings. * Initial funding stage: A small team with almost zero funds. * The conference rescue: The team decided to organize the conference by spending their own money and getting sponsors. * The comparison of diamonds: Graphite and coal are the same components as diamond, but diamond underwent extreme pressure and process. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives * Option 1 (Implied): Following traditional career paths (the four options: doctor, engineer, etc.). * Option 2: Becoming a social entrepreneur. * Trade-off (MBA vs. Entrepreneurship): Getting a job (happy) versus being a social entrepreneur (still happy, but uncertain income stream). * Focus on goal: Choosing between being a history reader or history creator. * Livelihood vs. Life: The trade-off of focusing only on earning a livelihood versus focusing on life itself. ## Counterarguments & Caveats * (Caveat) Initial status: People thought the speaker was only working with the UN on a few projects/initiatives, but the reality is more complex. * (Caveat) Current state: Becoming a social entrepreneur is a real challenge because one might not know when they are going to get their next penny. * (Caveat) The education system: It should not be demanding. * (Caveat) The academia: It is not sufficient because only seven percentage of people are employable due to the gap between academia and the real world. ## Methodology * Analysis of the personal pain point: Starting the journey from personal difficulties. * Conference action planning: Making an action plan for Millennium Development Goals. * Development of a structured training program: To help students get involved in projects and replicate/scale. * Comparison to external models: Using Toyota business process model as a conceptual model. ## References Cited * United Nations: Mentioned as a partner organization. * Porter's five forces: Theory learned in the MBA. * International Quality Circle conference in London: Conference where the speaker gave a presentation. ## Conclusions & Recommendations * Start small: We can start very small if alone we can make students think analytically. * The academy: Wants us to learn the real world, wants us to do. * Focus on life: It is important that we bring life as a focus alongside our livelihood. * Embrace the passion/purpose: To chase your passion, you can be in the next area. * The speaker's final goal: To identify those diamonds and make a glorious great world. ## Implications & Consequences * If the current system remains untouched: Students may not realize their full potential outside academics. * If the educational system changes: The future is going to be great. * If we ignore life in the pursuit of livelihood: We lose out on life. ## Open Questions * What is the week that can be made in the education system to create a global impact? ## Verbatim Moments * "what is it week which we can make in this education system which can create a global impact" * "Middle bench activists who don't belong to the first bench... and who does also doesn't belong to the last" * "the four options which people give to the children... doctor... engineer" * "I am NOT a dead fish to sail along the way I am a live fish I will reach the destiny however" * "I found if we are doing something back to the society it is coming back at a greater level" * "education is not just to solve problems it's to create problem solvers" * "If a load makes students work on what they want then the future is going to be great" * "we lose out on life" * "We can either be a history reader or history creator" * "it is the righteousness in heart that is beauty in character that is harmony in home" * "Lotus lotus is attached to the pond it isn't dirty water but it is always detached and it has a purpose" * "let's unite for a glorious world and let's realize the diamonds which are hidden in every student coal and diamond and graphite are all the same components but diamond underwent the extreme pressure and it underwent the extreme process so that is why diamond is great"