Students passing high school cross over to a territory with two related yet different scholastic goals – academic and competitive. Acknowledging this scenario, Deeksha a pioneering business organization decided to cater to  both simultaneously. Deeksha is the most defining offshoot of AceCreative Private ltd and Ace’s integrated model ensured that the children could study for competitive exams and board simultaneously with a reliable promise of success in both. The company’s model resonated well with children and their parents as it recognised the academic undercurrent, organised it, and streamlined it.Lalit Sridhar is the brains behind Deeksha and her domain expertise and passion for excellence have been the primary catalysts behind the company’s sustained success in the industry.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Lalit talks more about her professional journey and the unique business operations of Deeksha.

Could You Walk Us Through Deeksha’s Entrepreneurial Course – Its Genesis, Evolution, And Popular Reception?

At the outset, let me say that Deeksha’s trajectory is dotted with measures and initiatives aimed at reforming education. Reform—that’s the baseof our genesis, evolution, an exceptionally scalable business model, and expansion and diversification plans. Deeksha today stands not just as one of the most trusted and dependable education services companies preparing children for some of the toughest competitive exams, but also as one of the most rapidly diversifying education services and solutions provider. That shows that our model has a remarkable acceptance and is something to reckon with.

This eduprenurshipjourney began when we - I and the Co-Founder of Deeksha, DrSridhar - decided to establishan entity that can redefine the most pivotal and delicate juncture of a scholar’s life – the intermediate or classes 11 and 12.

How Have Your Entrepreneurial Ambitions Defined Deeksha’s Course?

As far as mirroring our own entrepreneurial outlook in our institutions is concerned, I don’t think pathbreaking educational movements are born out of individual entrepreneurial ambitions. Deeksha is rather the result of a group of academicians and thinkers identifying so closely with the interests of children as to make their interests indistinguishable from their own.

Finally, I believe that we define our brainchild up to a certain point, past which she begins to define us.

What Accounts For Deeksha’s Success With Several Successive Generations Of Learners? What Accounts For The Consistency Of Your Model?

There have been many progressive shifts in educational methodologies in the last two decades. The schools of thought like STEM, Project-Based Education, interdisciplinary instruction, personalisation of lessons and assessments, emphasis on the emotional quotient, and others have gained ground.

Naturally, we analysed and assimilated these progressive shifts in our institutions and empowered the teachers and leadership to seamlessly integrate the elements of modern education into our existing model. The gradient of change became very sharp in the wake of the digital revolution. Our ed-tech apparatus, headed by DigiLearn is highly efficient in diversifying our delivery model by adding personalisation, blended and hybrid learning to the array.

In addition to that, our uniquely deep-set care system -dCARE introduced wellness, that is practised not as an aspirational but a mainstream pedagogical concern, and in doing so we added another dimension to educational perception. In other words, we institutionalised care within the institution of education.

We also owe our success to our analytical understanding of the global trends in education. An ear to the ground makes us more prescient and predictive. For instance, much before ed-tech was mainstreamed, we began to optimally leverage digital technology for enhancing learning outcomes and expanding outreach. We pioneered hybrid learning with the eDUCATOR app much before Covid made it a necessity.

Finally, every generation has its unique set of promises and challenges. It’s my deep conviction that if we are true to our founding values and have an undying commitment to expanding the academic opportunities for the current and the coming generations, every challenge becomes an opportunity in context.

You Remarked About Deeksha’s Distinct Outlook On Education And “Institutionalising Wellness Within The Institution Of Education”. Could You Elaborate On That?

The need to integrate care into education was deeply felt by us when we analysed the Indian competitive exam scene. In fact, we introduced the integrated model to save precious academic years of children by pioneering it in Karnataka.

Up until class 10, the learning outcomes are benchmarked very differently and in absolute terms. However, once the child passes the 10th board, the syllabus gets very specialisedand one begins thinking about competitive exams for undergraduate seats in Engineering or Medical colleges through JEE, NEET, or any other equivalent exam - the parameters of success become relative.

Owing to this, we reckoned that ad-hoc and reactive measures will not do, and a more concerted approach is called for, hence the institutionalisation of care for students in the form of Deeksha for All Round Excellence(dCARE).

At Deeksha, care has an undeniable pedagogical component. Enhancing receptiveness and engagement underpins all pedagogical innovations and refinements of teaching methodology, and receptiveness is a function of care and mentorship. dCARE is not a part of the curricular design but it contributes directly to the curricular success.

"Deeksha judiciously embraces technology to make the entire learning process more engaging and impactful"

Among the dCARE initiatives that have a direct impact on the performance of the children is the dCARE Parent. The dP connects with the child to enable academic aspirations through a focused and supportive approach. Furthermore, another intervention in the form of a teacher acting as a dCAREparent prepares children for life challenges and imparts a value system. dLife programs integrate values in the personality of the children and are focused on children’s motivation providing them academic counseling and useful life skills like stress management.

There are other initiatives like Deeksha Talks that Inspire and Educate (dTIE) Programs, Deeksha Something to Think About (dSTA) that help children gain insights on different subjects and obtain a sense of direction. Initiatives like Open Door (OD) are aimed at giving a window to children to share their emotional and aspirational goals.

What Are The Other Spaces That Deeksha Has Ventured Into Recently And What Drove That Foray?

I am a Chartered Accountant by training, and I am aware that apart from a handful of niche career streams like CA, CS, etc. prospects in commerce remain obscured for the general population. We wanted to change the scenario as well as the popular perception about commerce as a stream, and although it’s a work in progress, we have made notable headways.

We have been running a +2-commerceprogram with remarkable success. The integrated model applies to the commerce stream as well as a result of which several students simultaneously cleared CA Foundational, and 12th board.

One can call it a natural progression that we have now ventured into the undergraduate segment with Deeksha B.Com.

With leading academicians from the fields of finance, accounting, and management on board, we have managed to attain an impressive bandwidth that enabled us to introduce B.Com. and CA integrated, concurrent corporate certifications, and industry readiness and entrepreneurship coursesto enhance the potential employability of the commerce students. And to widen our outreach, we have also collaborated with Trisha, a formidable name in commerce education in the Udupi-Mangalore region to launch Ace Trisha. With decades of prior experience catering to +2 students of the commerce stream, we have an ear to the ground when it comes to the aspirations of the commerce graduates.

A substantial section of these students aspire for a career in chartered accountancy, chartered secretaryship, and chartered management accounting. Then there are those who aspire to become civil servants or join other public services. And there is a considerable number of those who plan to advance in corporate careers, and last but not the least, there are those who would like to test their mettle in entrepreneurship and independent consultancy. We, at Deeksha, aim to empower our graduates with skills and training so that they could opt for any of these careers.

As A Successful Entrepreneur, What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women And Girls Who Aspire To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

Thankfully, the glass ceiling is fading across fields, and we hope to see a lot of women entrepreneurs in the coming decades. I believe that girls should capitalise on their capability to empathise with others’ perspectives, to comprehend the needs of their audience and leverage their imagination and resilience. If one works on one’s capability to lead by example, inspire and take everyone along towards a shared goal, one could become an exemplary business leader.

Lalit Sridhar, Founder, Deeksha

A pioneering business leader and passionate educator that strives to have a positive impact on the education space through their innovative offerings.