“Without a reliable, motivated and driven team, you are just a daydreamer, not an entrepreneur” - Aishwarya Mishra
Aishwarya Mishra is a full time MBA student at ISB and the Founder and Trustee at Vidyakansha. The organisation strives to create a difference by imparting quality digital education to the students sitting in the farthest corners of the country.
In an exclusive interview with us, Aishwarya Mishra shares some of the inspiring facets of her journey at Vidyakansha.
Give us a brief overview of Vidyakansha. What are some important features about your expertise as a social change agent that you want us to highlight through the article?
Vidyakansha is a registered Non-Profit organization founded by graduates from ISB, IIMB and IIMA to ensure that online, quality education reaches the most remote villages of the country. We have a volunteer base of 380+ volunteers from the leading institutes of the country (IITs, NITs, IIMs, BITS) enabling a digital knowledge transfer of academic mentoring along with personality development, mental health, career counselling and skilling trainings to 1240+ students across 5 states and 47 villages in rural India.
Vidyakansha aims to bridge the educational inequities that exist in society. We are providing quality education to students living in the remotest parts of the country, completely free of cost. We are providing free of cost devices and data packs to students to help them access world-class education virtually, from their villages.
Vidyakansha has established 8 operational virtual classrooms in the government schools in Mulugu District in Telangana. We are working in collaboration with Government of Telangana through the District Collector to set up more smart classrooms in the government schools in Mulugu. We have also started and incorporated another start-up named Tutor4India Edutech Solutions Private Limited which is working on the creation of interactive digital educational content which makes learning fun for students.
What motivated you to venture into the social sector and what sort of an impact are you looking to create through the company’s interventions?
I graduated in Electronic and Communications Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering. During my undergrad, I had the inclination to explore the education space in the social sector. Following this inclination, I pursued exciting opportunities with several social enterprises and non-profits such as Teach for India, CRY and UNICEF, which gave me a profound understanding of the sector.
The pandemic led to a complete standstill for the education sector, especially the rural sector. This motivated me to work towards finding a sustainable solution to solve the problem of quality, online rural education.
“Vidyakansha’s curriculum and testing mechanism is driven by data-analytics and we adopt a constructivist and practical approach of teaching to ensure the holistic growth and development of the student”
How does Vidyakansha help students in rural India gain quality education? What sort of an impact are you looking to create through the company’s interventions?
Vidyakansha is working to create a world class education platform for the marginalized rural communities with minimal expenditure.
Vidyakansha’s curriculum and testing mechanism is driven by data-analytics and we adopt a constructivist and practical approach of teaching to ensure the holistic growth and development of the student. We firmly believe that each child is different and unique in their talents, and therefore have restructured examinations to accommodate the testing of various skillsets and promote an interactive learning environment which kindles curiosity. With a strict teacher to student ratio of 10:1, we at Vidyakansha ensure that each student is getting the time and attention, he or she deserves.
How has your journey as a business leader in the social sector been so far? What are some important leadership mantras that have helped you in the journey?
I have relished and enjoyed my journey of touching the life of more than 1240+ student from various parts of the country at the time they needed us most. As a social entrepreneur, some days might have been extremely challenging but it is the satisfaction, gratification and goodwill that keeps one going
My leadership mantra- both as a corporate young leader or as a social entrepreneur, is the same- Never give up. Even the smallest wins need to be celebrated because they lead to larger scale success. Secondly, in order to become successful, it is important to be patient and optimistic and most importantly, to have unshakeable belief in yourself, your venture and your team.
As the Global Program manager at Airtel, I had the responsibilities to analyze and address key contributors of revenue churn of international customers across fifty countries, by coordinating with key decision makers in cross-functional teams. Leveraging my learnings in the corporate sector, I was able to drive maximum impact as a business leader in the social space as well.
As a successful business leader what would your advice be to young women who aspire to become change agents in the future?
Women are more poised and capable to handle difficult situations and be calm in the face of adversity. Social sector projects are undoubtedly spearheaded better by women leaders as they are more compassionate and sensitive to the needs of the under privileged. My advice to young women who aspire to drive change is to be fearless. Have a strong support system which believes in you and motivates you to push your boundaries every single day.
Aishwarya Mishra, Founder, Vidyakansha
Aishwarya Mishra is a young entrepreneur dedicating her life to provide education to the remotest corners of the country.
