Story of BeyondSkool – Creating New-Age Problem Solvers

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When you pause to think of our education system, you would find that despite the advances in technology, our education system has not kept in pace with the times, and there is not much of a difference when you compare the resulting knowledge gained between now and in the 1960’s or 1970’s. Most of our schools still move students along in same age-groups and in fixed blocks of time, much resembling an industrial factory model. With jobs in the current economy demanding creative skills, most of the lesser-skilled people are destined to a lifetime of lower income earnings. The new world requires newer skills of creativity, critical thinking, technology, digital literacy, communication. There is the need to bridge the gap between traditional schooling based on knowledge, concepts and theories and the new-age skills.

Founded in August 2020 by Payal Gaba and Atul Chugh, BeyondSkool helps to bridge this gap left by traditional schooling and complete each child’s education. Their vision is to create new-age innovators, influencers, and problem solvers, through ingenious programs that complement the current education system and equip kids to grow beyond the curriculum. The startup helps with making children’s learning stronger with new application-based subjects building skills of creativity, logic, critical thinking and communication. This, in turn, boosts their IQ (Intelligence Quotient), CQ (Creative Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient) which is essential for success in today’s world and tomorrow’s careers.

BeyondSkool prides itself in coming up with the world’s first Integrated IQ+CQ+EQ Program. It aims to facilitate Holistic Cognitive Development of children’s IQ, EQ, and CQ simultaneously. Focusing on improving IQ, CQ, and EQ at an early age in school will mean creating well-rounded individuals who are not only good at their work but also have the ability to be great leaders and innovate. The startup provides the following courses that build an application mindset:

• STEM Innovation (6-13 years)
• LogiMath (6-10 years)
• Leadership Communication (6-13 years)
• Applied Math (10-13 years)
• Stream (4-6 years)

At BeyondSkool, the tutors teach children using the 5E framework: Engage-Explore-Explain-Elaborate-Evaluate. BeyondSkool’s World Languages course introduces the children to new worlds with diverse cultures and norms.

BeyondSkool has a team of expert curriculum designers who work very closely with national and international experts to design the learning content and pedagogy. With small group sessions, the pedagogy is based on inquiry-based learning with high educator-to-child and child-to-child engagement. BeyondSkool’s passionate educators are selected through a rigorous 5-step selection process and mandatory training of 30 hours before they take up any sessions. The platform’s founding team brings rich experience and expertise in various domains to the table, having served in leadership roles in notable organizations including Jio, Vodafone, Samsung, Maruti, Teach For India, and are alumni of prestigious educational institutions such as Kellogg School of Management, MDI and IIM.

“BeyondSkool as an UpSkilling Online Learning solution comes ‘From A Parent, For All Parents’. The thought of UpSkilling a child with Higher Order Thinking skills came to me first as a parent and then as a Business Leader. As a parent, I realize that the current education system has limitations as it imparts great subject knowledge but lacks in helping children build skills of using this knowledge to create, innovate, and solve real-world problems. We, at BeyondSkool, strongly believe that while school education is important, ‘beyond-school UpSkilling should be Mandatory’. Our ‘Primary Years Enrichment Programme’ has been curated in synergy with National & International Curriculum experts, which features 4 Semesters and 8 assessment levels, which would enable in transforming the child to becoming a Problem Solver, Innovator, and Influencer.”

– Payal Gaba, Founder and CEO

The programs on the platform are progressive, building higher-order skills as the child moves from one module to another through the BeyondSkool Certification Plan. During the course of the program, the child will be involved in creating 24 projects and 2 capstones.

BeyondSkool recently raised $2 million in seed round from Tomorrow Capital, an early-stage strategic investment fund focused on helping early-stage businesses with capital, access to blue-chip talent, industry networks, and other resources.

The startup plans to utilize the funding for expanding its product offering, maximizing technology integration for enhanced learning and scaling up business operations. It also plans to create high impact marketing, expand its team across verticals, and build a state-of-the-art ‘LIVE Online Learning’ platform.

“We are thrilled to have Tomorrow Capital as a partner in building BeyondSkool. Their experience of working with entrepreneurs to build strong organizations and brands with rapid scale-up is a very apt fit for us at this stage in our growth journey.

At BeyondSkool, we believe ‘Knowledge Without Skills Is Education Half Given’, and hence follow a learning approach of ‘UpSkilling’ and ‘Not Tutoring’. We will leverage this capital infusion to fortify our technological capabilities, enhance our product offerings, and expand our business operations across nationally and internationally.”

– Payal Gaba, Founder and CEO

The global K12 Education Technology market size is projected to reach $45,190 Million by 2026, from $11,850 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 25.0% during 2021-2026. BeyondSkool is all set to transform the manner in which K12 education is looked at in India.