Arpita Sur, CEO of Kido India, has over 20 years of experience in business leadership, machine learning & AI, marketing, and credit risk management. She started her career in the retail finance sector, and then moved to an analytics consulting firm, post which she forayed into the educational industry.
In a recent conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Arpita shares thoughts about the key role played by women in education and the need to identify their strengths and nurture them. She explains how preschools and parents can work together for a child’s mental and emotional growth. She also sheds light on strategies to inculcate Emotional Intelligence and logical thinking in children, who have to be capable of handling a flood of technological advances in their future.
How do you envision the archetype of a female leader evolving in the education sector? What characteristics or unconventional traits do you believe will define future women leaders, and how can we nurture these qualities?
After joining Kido India, I observed one difference between preschools in India and those abroad. In India, the majority of preschool and daycare employees are women. This is driven by the need from customers, as many parents raise concerns with having men as caregivers for little children in the classroom. However, as in many other industries, we continue to find that leadership positions in major national brand preschool chains are often held by men.
The capital-intensive nature of preschools necessitates leaders who have experience in finance, and raising capital. Also, raising capital is often done from friends and family and men have an easier pathway to raising capital in the Indian industry. Those who teach children, develop curriculum, care for the children and manager the preschools and centers are mostly women. But, the ones in charge of investors, business growth, etc, are often men. This is not due to lack of capability on the part of women to take up these roles. This has been shown amply by prior industry leaders like Priya Krishnan who founded and led Klay to success and also Sreedevi, who similarly was the founder and CEO of Amelio in its formative and growth years. These are just a few of the examples. However, we cannot take away from the fact that, as in other industries, here too, we have a prevalence of male leaders when it comes to the larger national chains. We need to make sure that women are given the necessary training to head and grow their businesses.
The lack of professional training in finance and professional development can be attributed to the education system's lack of training in this area. I believe that coming from an outside industry has helped me to understand the needs of this position and grow the business.
How have recent global challenges served as a unique opportunity for women in education to step into leadership roles?
The COVID pandemic has significantly impacted global industries and gender roles, leading to rethinking of traditional roles. Breaking cultural stereotypes, men and women have been able to balance their roles in household chores and at their jobs as well. Many companies have adopted hybrid working modes which has allowed for more time at home allowing both genders to step out of their traditional constraints.
This has led to a phenomenon where both husbands and wives can balance their work responsibilities in such a way that it allows the child to spend time at home. Parents ensure that one or the other is working from home and hence, they can save on daycare expenses. This has encouraged many women to step up and take on more roles in the industry. Digital tools like Zoom have provided flexibility, making it easier to reach out across geographies and reach out to more people. This has transformed the landscape of recruitment, investment, and customer outreach, removing barriers that might have been present before.
How can women in education harness the power of collective wisdom and collaboration to drive innovation? What unique frameworks or networks have you seen that effectively create spaces for shared learning and growth among women?
Initially, I used to work in the analytical and tech industry, where I was in the minority both in work and educational institutions. Despite being in minority group, my experiences encouraged me to create supportive systems for myself and others. I went to IIM Calcutta which has a pan India Women's Entrepreneur group, where we share advice and experiences about the difficulty one faces being a women entrepreneur. Digital media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp have enabled us to connect with other women in similar situations.
These digital media platforms and communities often lead to physical meets and forums in education, such as award ceremonies which help deepen bonds and build networks over time. Although formal movements for women in education are not as significant, informal groups are still formed to share ideas and support each other.
What are the key factors driving recent changes in the preschool education industry, and how are they shaping early childhood education?
The pandemic has led to increased stress for young children and highly affected their development skills and education. This also affected preschools, as one in every four children has special needs. KIDO India has been handling these children with special attention. However, the hybrid mode of working has led to parents questioning whether they should spend the cost of childcare and keep the child at home. While it might save on daycare costs, this practice does negatively impact the productivity of the employee working from home and most importantly, has a major negative impact on the child's development. The child needs to be provided with guided learning activities and an environment to learn social skills, empathy, and emotional ways of dealing with problems.
As a woman leader, I have noticed this concerning issue and we, at Kido, have come up with innovative ideas to deal with it. We work with corporations to educate them on the issues that we are noticing and offer solutions like hybrid daycare models, so that the parents can choose to stay home during certain days to provide their child with a proper daycare environment.
. Parents can still have the flexibility to attend school for a few days and receive the benefits of that education. KIDO works closely with parents and corporations to support this. We are also encouraging corporates to develop benefits packages that allow employees to use a creche near their home, which is a requirement under the latest amendment to the Maternity Benefits Act. Parents would prefer to send their child to a preschool or daycare close to home, as it allows them to avoid commuting with their child.
In an increasingly automated world, how can education systems prioritize the development of human-centric skills, such as empathy and creativity, alongside technological literacy? What unique pedagogical approaches can facilitate this balance?
The importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in children has been recognized for years, but traditional schools often do not focus on developing or nourishing it. At Kido, the curriculum emphasizes multiple intelligences, including numerical, literacy, physical development, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Teachers encourage children to recognize and express their feelings, allowing them to discuss and talk about their feelings. This allows them to deal with conflicts and problems creatively.
Providing a space of trust for teachers to the children allows them to come up with wonderful ideas and solutions. This approach helps them grow into human beings who can express themselves more effectively.While children get a lot of screen time, they also need to be taught basic logical thought processes required in the technological world. They have unique and innovative learning resources that help children understand how to interact with machines and ensure they follow instructions correctly.
Emotional intelligence and logical thinking are crucial for developing children's ability to interact with machines and ensure they do what they want them to do. However, these skills are not developed through screens, but rather through interaction between teachers and children. This approach should be gradually integrated into other pedagogies.
