1. Can you tell us about your background, education, and career journey?

I have a background in Economics and Development Studies. Post my Masters from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), I was involved in various research projects pertaining to education including the impact of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) policy. I joined Azim Premji University in 2016 and my area of specialisation is educational assessment. Over the years I have worked in the areas of teacher evaluation, examination reforms, student socio-emotional learning etc.

I work closely with different state governments and national assessment boards on various projects. I also teach a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Assessment along with multiple short-term programmes in the space of continuing education.

2. What inspired you to focus on understanding and reforming education?

I have had a unique opportunity to witness both ends of the spectrum when it comes to education and schooling. My Masters research work was an ethnographic study of an international residential school. It exposed me to education experienced only by the crème-de-la-crème of the society. Conversely, I also worked extensively with the public schooling system. 

This inherent contradiction in different types of schooling; oversimplification of one being better than the other; and shifting notions of ​‘quality’ in education stuck with me and made me curious about understanding our education system more deeply.

3. Have any role models or mentors had a significant impact on your life and career?

I think my father has deeply impacted my educational and career choices. He inspired me to choose a career that was meaningful to me and gave me a purpose. I have also been very fortunate to interact and work with phenomenal individuals especially women who have impacted me positively.

4. From your perspective as an educator, where do you think our education system could improve or evolve?

Education is a dynamic area, constantly evolving with the changing needs and requirements of society. One very important stakeholder within the education system is the teacher. A teacher’s job description extends much beyond teaching and involves multiple roles including that of an assessor, administrator, emotional counsellor, etc. Strong pre-service teacher education programmes combined with quality recruitment processes should be in place to ensure the entry of capable individuals into the system. 

Continuing professional support to teachers in terms of quality in-service training programmes, a supportive school environment, competitive pay packages etc. is necessary. Strengthening the teacher community can directly impact the overall quality of the education system. 

5. You have been part of designing educational assessments. What according to you is the most essential thing to consider while designing these principles?

For any assessment design to be effective it needs to be well aligned to the key purpose. Assessments can be undertaken for various purposes including certification through board exams; selection into higher education; supporting learning through classroom-based formative assessments etc. Each of these requires a varied set of approaches. If the purpose is to promote learning, then your approach should be formative through classroom-based assessments such as questioning, discussions, debates etc. as opposed to a paper-pencil test. 

On the other hand, if the assessment is to understand the achievement level of prescribed learning outcomes by students, a summative assessment would make better sense. Very often there is a misalignment between the intended purpose of assessment and the choice of assessment used. This leads to a compromise in the quality of assessments. While there are multiple principles to ensure quality in assessments, having clarity in purpose is one of the primary factors in designing quality assessments.

6. Why is socio-emotional learning (SEL) so important in the development of students?

The purpose of education is to develop well-rounded individuals who can meaningfully contribute to society. In an increasingly complex world, emotional values, empathy, critical thinking etc. are of utmost importance. 

Education is no longer viewed within the confines of academic excellence. 

Providing equal importance to the child’s socio-emotional development is critical as reiterated by multiple educational policies including the — Mudaliar Commission, National Curriculum Framework 2005 and the National Education Policy 2020.

7. You​’ve worked on assessing socio-emotional skills in students — could you explain your approach and insights on this?

This was undertaken as part of a research study by the University. The idea was to understand how school children relate to constitutional values; and the dispositions they exhibit on matters of diversity, inclusion, collaboration etc. When it comes to assessments in the context of SEL, there is no one right response. Many times older kids, tend to exhibit something called as ​‘social desirability bias’ wherein you choose to opt for the most acceptable or politically correct response to a given situation. 

An effective way of capturing authentic responses from children is to situate your question in a context such as a case study or through projective techniques such as picture reading, role play etc. Placing events in a third-person perspective wherein, as a responder you are commenting on a situation rather than revealing your own opinion on it is an effective way to capture more authentic responses. Assessments in SEL are an evolving domain and holds great potential in understanding our learners holistically. 

8. What are your views on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020?

The NEP 2020 emphasises the importance of competency-based education. Not only is this a step in the right direction, it has the potential to completely change the way we look at education and schooling. 

The National Curriculum Frameworks for the foundational stage and school education released in 2022 and 2023 respectively lays down clear-cut learning standards for schooling. 

This is the first time an attempt is being made to clarify curricular goals and competencies for various disciplines. This helps in building a common understanding of the aims of education among multiple stakeholders including curriculum developers, teachers, education functionaries, parents, students etc. 

9. What kinds of professional development workshops do you believe are most beneficial for teachers?

Professional development programmes for teachers needs to be rooted in practice. While theoretical concepts and models are important, within the context of a classroom, what are their practical applications? How can a certain knowledge help inform their day-to-day pedagogy and assessment practices? How can they contribute to some kind of perspective-building and validation of their existing practices? These are certainly important questions to answer before planning and designing teacher professional development programmes. 

Such programmes should also serve as an effective platform for exchanging learnings between teachers across disciplines. To put it simply, the aim is to create an enabling environment for teachers to learn and exchange ideas.

10. What do you think are the essential qualities that an educator should possess?

I think an essential quality in any profession is the openness to learn and the willingness to unlearn when needed. 

While all of us are anchored in certain core beliefs and principles, having the flexibility and openness to learn new things can go a long way.