‘Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again; this time more intelligently’ ~ Henry Ford. This precisely summarizes the story of Mohammed Azhar. Despite being a bright student during matriculation, Azhar failed in class 12th. Surprised, he went on to perform a deep assessment on the reasons leading to this failure. “The prevailing education system that is too complex sometimes for some students, usually leads to such failure. The value system and the overall system of education in itself required an overhaul,” asserts Azhar. But who could have predicted that this boy will travel a long journey – from failure to success – to start a school called Knowledge Academy School.

Instead of giving up to his failures, Azhar transformed them as the stepping stone to success; all thanks to his futuristic vision that predicted that STEM education is going to be the next big thing. Today under his aegis, Chennai-based Knowledge Academy provides relevant and updated knowledge and skills in Language (English, Arabic, Tamil & Hindi), STEM and Islamic Study, to make students independent and good analytical thinkers. So what turned that young kid into an education leader? Let us read the journey.

Knowing Azhar
Azhar has always been a revolutionist who wanted to make a positive dent in the society. Hence, post comprehending that he was one of the victims of rote learning and peer and family-pressure, he decided to make a shift in the entire education system that not just prepares students academically but also culturally. It all started with a weekend school he established in his area. “There, I got to know more about the existing predicaments and hence converted the school into a regular school. The whole idea was to make sure to create leaders for each and every domain for our nation who are responsible and contribute towards nation building,” explains Azhar.

“But it wasn’t easy for a class 12th failed student to start a school. People weren’t able to digest this fact and questioned the genuineness,” further divulges Azhar. Despite people’s and father’s rejection, Azar had full support of his few friends and his mother, who always had his back. Today, Azhar is

creating the next-gen tech-kids through his transformative curriculum. While the professionals are still learning robotics, Knowledge Academy introduces the term to the kids as early as UKG.

Walking on a completely unique pedagogy, the school involves parents in every step of their child’s education. “Parent’s role doesn’t stop with just admission. They have to come every month for PTM and involve in the whole education process. We also conduct events every month to further engage them and send them newsletters,” adds Azhar. Knowledge Academy also has a separate portal for the parents to know every step of the progress, apart from the other seven forms of communication channels.

Azhar is creating next-gen tech-kids through his transformative curriculum

While India is becoming one of the major tuition hubs, Azhar completely differs on this aspect. A complete no to the tuition concept, he has created a concept of study train where instead of going to tuition, students have to complete one-two hours of study time engaging their parents. “Parents have to sign the document stating the time they spend with the kids in learning. This helps all of us be on the same page and align our vision and mission,” he asserts.

The Struggle
Achieving what Azhar has achieved is no easy feat. It is his struggle that makes the journey more beautiful. He was already working part time before his 12th results were out. Shocked and perturbed, he decided to re-attempt his class 12th exams. While we wanted to pursue BCA, destiny had other plans for him. Due to low marks, he had to opt for BA in English and worked in a publication house with the aim to become an editor in the near future and even edited few books. However, the unwanted events at home turned his life forever.

Eventually, he started his new job at an NGO as an Admin Executive where he got the opportunity to teach English and Islamic study. The journey further taught him about the existing gaps in the education system, and he decided to turn the table and created a school that will leave impactful marks on the society. And hence Knowledge Academy was born eight years ago. Today, the school is working on the Principal of self-sustainability through process-oriented practices, where each practice and change is implemented only post a detailed research.

Walking hand-in-hand with his wife across personal and professional lives, Azhar now plans to expand the school to have a four-acre gated campus, which will include hostel facility. “It will be like a home schooling concept, but with the current model of education,” he clarifies.

Mohammed Azhar, Founder & Principal, Knowledge Academy School
Management, administration and research being his core strengths, Azhar is a new-gen education leader who wants to make positive impacts in the lives of students and through them, to the society.

Hobbies: Book reading, swimming, & voluntary works

Passion: Travelling to destinations like UK, Finland, Gulf and South Arabian countries

Favourite Cuisine: Any South Indian food