Dr. Rashmi Mantri is the Founder and President at UK-based British Youth International College, which aims to teach invaluable skills in Abacus, English, and Coding to students through online classes promoting e-learning in these challenging times.
A Ph.D. holder in Computer Science, Mantri, has had a dynamic teaching experience and received special recognition from LOANI World Summit, UK for her immense dedication in bringing a difference in the lives of the youth.
She wishes to bring revolution in the education sector by making theoretical mathematics fun and easy to learn with the simple tool of Abacus leading to faster calculation and also improve English skills of students across the globe. She believes that the core value of BYITC lies in nurturing students to exceed their full learning potential.
What is the inspiration that led to the founding of British Youth International College?
Education is without a doubt my passion, and it has the power to transform the world. I began my career as a software engineer, but academics was my calling. My son, Dhruv Maheshwari, struggled with calculations so I decided to change his attitude towards numbers with Abacus, a simple yet fascinating way to conquer difficult equations.
Dhruv speedily grasped the concepts of Abacus Mental Theory, and was invited by big TV shows like Little Big Shots & ITV to perform & demonstrate faster calculations. There was significant response from the serialization and there was a demand from parents who wanted their children to learn Abacus as well. This marked the beginning of BYITC.
Please shed some light on BYITC’s unique offerings. What makes you different from other big players in the market?
BYITC offers Abacus Mental Math and English language courses for children aged 4-14 years old aiming to develop mental ability and arithmetic skills as well different levels of English.
We also offer Coding classes for children aged 9-17 years old, for its immense importance as a tool in the world market and job opportunities. We have set up full scholarships for students in India who wish to pursue their careers in IT.
The aim of our creative learning methods is to make students fall in love with learning, for them to move past the pressure of theoretical learning but engage and understand conceptually.
The pandemic has led to home teaching of millions of kids around the globe and EdTech platforms are playing a major role in this. What is the future of these platforms especially in a developing country like India?
The pandemic has resulted in a global shift to online learning and about 1.2 billion children are studying from home. As a result of this, the education system was compelled to change drastically, moving mainly to digital platforms.
In my opinion, even before the pandemic, the EdTech sector was steadily gaining pace and the pandemic gave momentum to the movement. The EdTech sector has a lot of scope to grow, especially in a developing country like India. We have all realised that education can happen beyond classroom teaching. In the coming years, India's investment, innovation, and adoption in the EdTech sector will skyrocket.
What are your views on the current Indian education system and how can we improve taking note from our foreign counterparts?
With over a million schools teaching more than 200 million students, India has one of the largest education systems in the world. Education is organic, as it keeps growing and evolves with time and society. There are many ways in which India can take note and improve vis-a-vis its foreign parts.
Indian education should move towards practical-based learning as it allows creativity in education. There needs to be a greater focus on extracurricular activities. The curriculum also needs to be upgraded regularly according to the changing times. To sum it up, effort should be on acquiring skills and not just acquiring degrees to get a good job.
What are BYITC’s upcoming plans for the Indian market?
We plan to introduce more skill development courses for Indian students related to language & mental development. We will also help the education community by providing digital & subject-specific training to teachers & individuals via our teachers’ training program.
Please share your take on Digital India & Make in India campaign.
Digital India & Make in India campaigns have proved beneficial to the lives of Indian citizens and has bought better interconnectivity with the rest of the world. They have given greater scope to innovative ventures and digital based businesses as part of the economy.
