1. It’s only been two years — how come so many people already know about ApniPathshala?
Because we do something most education projects shy away from — we build in public.
We treat our work like an open book. Every success, every failure, every experiment is shared openly. This transparency makes people curious. When they see a system evolving in real time, their trust grows.
More importantly, in a world full of stale schooling models, ApniPathshala stands out because it’s genuinely new — simple, community-owned, technology-enabled, and designed for kids, not bureaucrats.
2. What exactly makes ApniPathshala “novel”?
The novelty is not in fancy jargon, but in our core philosophy:
Put students first. Give them autonomy. Trust them.
Most schools treat students like passengers on a fixed train. We prefer to give them a steering wheel and let them drive.
Here’s what’s different:
- No rigid curriculum that suffocates curiosity
- Mixed-age pods that mimic real-world learning
- Self-paced digital learning instead of herd-driven teaching
- Real skills, real curiosity, and real agency
- Adults who guide — not lecture
When children discover they can learn anything on their own, you don’t need to motivate them. The system becomes self-fueling.
3. What educational approach do you follow?
We combine the best of proven learning science with practical common sense.
This includes:
- Self-directed education principles
- Mastery-based progression instead of class-based promotion
- Project-based learning
- Mixed-age peer learning, which is how children naturally learn outside school
- Metacognition — learning how to learn
We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re simply refusing to use a square wheel when a round one exists.
4. How does technology fit into your model? Won’t tech replace teachers?
Technology is not here to replace humans; it’s here to remove their limitations.
We use tech for one simple purpose:
To make personalised learning accessible to every child, regardless of their zip code.
Our secret sauce:
The free AI Tutor at Eklavya.io — India’s first fully free JEE learning platform
ApnaPC — an affordable educational computer for every child
Learning dashboards that show real progress, not imaginary report cards
AI tools that help students learn independently
Digital content that updates as fast as the world does
Tech gives every child a private tutor that never gets tired, never gets irritated, and never judges.
5. If you don’t charge fees, how do you sustain ApniPathshala?
Simple: I fund it. This gives us a rare luxury — we can experiment without being trapped by commercial pressures.
Because we run frugally, every rupee is spent on learning, not on admin layers or air-conditioned offices.
This means we can pilot bold ideas, iterate quickly, and scrap what doesn’t work — without fear of losing customers or upsetting shareholders.
Very few education organisations enjoy this freedom. We use it responsibly.
6. What do you mean by “experiments”? Aren’t children guinea pigs?
No.
The real guinea pigs are the millions of children stuck in an outdated 100-year-old schooling system.
Our “experiments” are simply better ways of learning, tested gently and responsibly:
What happens when children choose their own learning path?
- How does AI tutoring improve mastery?
- Does mixed-age learning help confidence?
- Does a personal website make a child more accountable?
- Can a child learn algebra through projects instead of fear?
Every change is measured, observed, and improved.
And importantly: we don’t experiment on children; we experiment with children.
They are co-creators, not subjects.
7. How do you ensure learning is actually happening without exams?
Because exams are a terrible proxy for learning.
Instead, we track:
- Skill mastery on learning dashboards
- Project outputs
- Real-world application
- Improvement in problem-solving
- Ability to explain concepts clearly
- The child’s curiosity engine — the strongest indicator of long-term success
- Parents don’t ask for report cards once they see the transformation in their own living room.
8. What outcomes have you seen so far?
The results speak louder than any “Topper’s Photo”:
- Children who hated maths now teach it to peers
- Quiet students have become pod leaders
- Kids create digital portfolios showcasing actual learning
- Parents report renewed confidence and joy at home
- Attendance is voluntary — and yet 100%
Most importantly: Children rediscover what most schools stole from them — the joy of learning.
9. How do you see ApniPathshala evolving in the next few years?
Our dream is simple but ambitious:
Every child should have autonomy, a safe space to learn, an ApnaPC, and their own website to showcase their learning to the world.
As technology evolves, learning will become:
- More personalised
- More measurable
- More joyful
- More child-led
- More community-driven
And every pod will continue to adapt — because rigidity is the enemy of learning.
10. What is the end goal of all this?
To help India’s children become:
- Independent
- Self-directed
- Lifelong learners
If a child learns how to learn, they will never depend on a teacher, coach, tuition, or institution again.
They become unstoppable and this is what ApniPathshala Stands for.