Abhijit is the creator of Project DEFY, that enables underserved communities to create an education for themselves, through self-learning spaces called Nooks. At Nooks, individuals (children and adults) learn what makes them curious, and caters to their needs and interests. Nooks are Schools without Teachers, Exams or even any curricula. They are controlled and managed by the learners themselves, who take complete charge of their own learning. Here is the summary of our conversation.
- People self organise
- Age no bar – Kids and adults work together at Nooks
- Our conventional education system creates people who are order takers
- At Nooks we try experimentation in education. We have no teachers, no exams, no curriculum. Individuals decides what, when and how they learn and then take help from others.
- We had to say ‘NO’ many times when it did not align with our purpose and that made it hard to find partners
- Parents may have too much expectation, instead they need to help the kids explore.
- Teachers must turn into facilitators
- Intention is important
- Find your own insights
- We build our lives, by making our own mistakes
- If one’s motivation is strong enough, we can break all barriers.
- I had to let go of everything I had, to achieve what I have now. What I have now is better than what I had earlier.
