Ensuring no child is left behind

Teams from across our organisation came together and met with FICCI Alliance for Re-Imagining School Education (ARISE) delegates, the first large contingent to visit since the pandemic. Held in our Triangle Building in Cambridge, the event focussed on sharing knowledge and expertise to improve teaching and learning in India.

Each session showcased Cambridge’s commitment to India and how we are leading in innovating and finding ways to maximise the impact of education in different regions. 

Education Global Managing Director, Rod Smith, stressed the significance of the event:

Collaboration and partnership are our core principles, so meetings like this are so important. Innovation is also more important than ever as we come out of the pandemic and improve teaching and learning around the world.

The delegates participated in a SHAPE Education workshop looking at education challenges in India, their potential causes, as well as proposed solutions. Early childhood education, discrepancies in teaching with digital products and mixed media, the broader purpose of education and employability were amongst the topics that arose from the discussions.

Lynne McClure, Director of Cambridge Mathematics, recently awarded an OBE for her services to education, emphasised the importance of maths as a life chances enabler, bringing “an even greater impact” than literacy in helping learners contribute to society.

In his talk, Paul Colbert, Deputy Managing Director for Cambridge English, highlighted trends in English language teaching, citing how kindergarten and pre-primary are now a growing area, with English moving from a classroom subject to a functional skill. He also observed a growth in English medium instruction for non-English speaking countries, a welcome development in English teaching. 

Tim Oates CBE, Assessment Research and Development Group Director joined Preeti Hingorani and Jane Mann, Cambridge Partnership for Education Vice President and Managing Director, respectively, in exploring the Cambridge perspective on the future of education, as well as the significance of using data in bringing about positive change.

The event, which was held on 21 March, ended with parallel sessions on digital transformation and the future of assessment with Sanjay Mistry, Head of Research for Digital Assessment & Evaluation; Stuart Briner, Digital Products and Services Innovation Deputy Director and Sarah Hughes, Research and Thought Leadership Lead on developing the quality of classroom practice to improve student outcomes with Jo Scott and Nivedita Bose, Sr Education Manager; and a roundtable discussion for policymakers led by our Cambridge Partnership for Education team.

Peter Phillips, Chief Executive, said:

Our mission has always been the same as the University: to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, and research at the highest international levels of excellence, and that is now even stronger. We share the same values and desires to improve education and make a real difference to the learners and teachers we both exist to serve.

As leading experts in international education, Cambridge will use the insights from this event to help its work in India and to strengthen further its education partnerships across the South Asian region. 

Read more about how Cambridge Partnership for Education is transforming societies through education.