Acumen Increases Its Efforts to Improve India’s Private Education With New Investments

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Acumen announces its new investment in Ignis Careers andStandard of Excellence in Education and Development (SEED) to improve the current state of low-cost, private education in India. India has the largest kindergarten to 10th grade system in the world with more than 1.6 million schools. More than 96 percent of children, ranging from ages 6 to 14, are enrolled in school. However, the quality of education is poor, and half of the children in Grade 5 can only read at a Grade 2 level.

While private education offers an alternative to government schools in India, private schooling has not always equated with better quality education. Private schools, which serve more than 80 million students, are faced with the limited financial resources, substandard curriculum, and low teacher retention. Both Ignis Careers and SEED are committed to improving the quality and performance of low-cost private schools throughout the country.

“Supporting innovative solutions that improve the quality of education for children in affordable private schools is a priority for Acumen,“ said Siddharth Tata, Associate Director at Acumen. “Parents are increasingly demanding better education for their children and are anxious to see tangible improvements in learning outcomes. Both Ignis and SEED bring a unique combination of high-quality content, trained educators, and management experience to bring about improvements in their schools and throughout India.“

Ignis Careers has developed an English and LifeSkills Lab for primary and middle schools that provides high-quality teacher training and curriculum to help low-income students master English, improving their comprehension, logical thinking and opportunities for academic achievement. Since its launch, Ignis has already reached more than 28,000 students and 1,000 teachers.

Source: Acumen (link opens in a new window)

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Education
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impact investing