With India facing a shortage of about 1.2 million teachers, education players see this as the next big education employment opportunity. The advisory firm Parthenon Group suggests that approximately eight million higher education professionals are needed over the next three years in order for education in India to sustain its growth. Plans to train and introduce new teachers are underway.

Dileep Ranjekar, CEO of Bangalore-based Azim Premji Foundation said “The aim is to shape thinking on leadership, policy and technology issues, all dealing with education. We will start with 150 students and as we bring in more faculty, the numbers would keep increasing.”

The former vice-chancellor of Mumbai University, Snehalata Deshmukh said “Right from those working in the pre-school domain to higher education levels in different capacities, training is crucial to bring some quality in our system. Professionals have to acquaint themselves with the latest tools and that can come only through training modules.”

“People who will work in education sector as policy makers, teachers, programme planners, etc, all need to develop an ability to set a measurable goal, have a right mindset and ability to involve other stakeholders in their jobs. All these skills can be built through training,” said Garima Gupta Kapila, city director (Mumbai), Teach For India (TFI), a not-for-profit organisation working in education.