Zoho University - A Meaningful Alternative to conventional College Education

What is Zoho University? What makes it tick?
A parallel between a decade-old experiment at Zoho Corporation and Dr. Abdul Kalam's latest book "Advantage India".

1. Good Afternoon,
My name is Rajendran Dandapani, and I am from Zoho Corporation, a software powerhouse from Chennai that offers best-in-class solutions in network
management and online business productivity.

2. We are a privately held company, with customers and partners from all over the world.
We’ve been around for a long time.
Stable, profitable.
We recently crossed 15 million active users for our two-dozen-and-more online services - like Zoho CRM, Zoho Mail, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Support.
Zoho is perhaps the only comprehensive Operating System for your business on the cloud.

3. I am not here to talk to you about Zoho Corporation, but an interesting little experiment that we ran ten years ago, and the benefits we are finding from it today.
It is called Zoho University, and one could call it our own personal crusade against academic credentialism.
This is a story I have had a part to play in.
I have interviewed the applicants to this place.
I have taught at this University.
And, I have had the good fortune of telling this story to different audiences around the country in the past few years.
But this is the first time I am doing it after reading a book by Dr. Kalam.But this is the first time I am doing it after reading a book by Dr. Kalam.

4. Yes, the past fifteen days, I spent time reading the “Advantage India” book and was amazed at the vision this man had for India.
There was one more thing I was thrilled about.
In many occasions through the book, I realized that it wasn’t just an inspirational book for Young Indians. There was a lot to take home - for Young
Indian Companies too.
So, during this talk today, I am going to bring out the book at three different occasions, and share with you some golden words from the Man himself.
Hang on!

5. Three things. Three important things led us to founding Zoho University.
A philosophy. A necessity. And a realization.

6. Let me tell you about the philosophy first.

7. Way back in 2004, we ran a company-wide poll.
We asked this question, on our intranet.
How useful do you find your college education, for your current role in the company?

8. More than a thousand employees gave their opinions.
And, this was their verdict.
As you can see, more than 75 percent of them thought they could have spent their time and money better elsewhere.
That was the philosophy that gave birth to Zoho University.

9. Then, the necessity. You see, we weren’t a big brand then, and couldn’t really attract the “top tier” talent on first-day placements.

10. Much of our recruitment was “word-of-mouth”. We couldn’t get any IIT-IIM graduates to consider joining us!
So, that was the necessity that drove us towards Zoho University.

14. What about the realization?

15. As students from various colleges started joining us, our managers started realizing one bitter truth.
The new recruits just weren’t equipped.
What did they even learn at college? How long before they become productive?
We basically realized that we had a lot of training to do.
You could call it starting trouble.
This was in 2004.

16. But guess what? In 2015, in Dr. Kalam’s most recent book, we hear these words. Same sorry story.
This is what he says:-

18. So, the three things.
A philosophy.
A necessity.
And a realization.

19. What did we do about it then?
Two people with very “popular” hair-styles gave us some important advice.
We can’t keep doing the same thing.
Nor could we WAIT for somebody else to fix it for us.

20. So, we decided to start an experiment.
We dreamt big. But, we started small.

21. We went to a nearby school.
Administered a test of basic aptitude to students of Class XII.
(Didn’t bother if they were computer science students or Commerce Group students. Nor about their medium of learning).
They were basically from a economically backward background - with not many other options - Engineering or Medical Seats were distant dreams for them.
We identified six such students, assigned two faculty on the job, and focused on just three subjects.
Elementary Mathematics.
Conversational English.Conversational English.

22. Fast Forward ten years. And, what do we find?

27. Let's watch the story of Srilatha, a student of Zoho University.

28. Name changed for obvious reasons, but this is her!

29. And this is her family, her pet cow and her house in the background. She hails from a nearby village.

30. This is her school, you see her standing in the second row. Typically these are govt funded schools. Medium of instruction is often Tamil.

31. Which is why our question papers are bilingual. A typical question goes : if two thirds of a number is 96, what is half of that same number?

32. We follow it up with a series of face to face interviews. More than raw ability, we keenly watch out for attitude, aptitude and what people call 'fire in
the belly' - the drive and motivation to perform.

33. Classes start. The split is usually  about 25 percent theory, 75 percent practicals!

34. The key twist here is that she's already a tutor and assistant to the next batch of students that we consciously overlap with the previous batch for a
period of six months. Teaching, we've seen, is one of the best ways to learn!

35. A manager comes along, scouts for talent, conducts his own tests and interviews, and selects an intern for his product/team.
This internship lasts for nine months.

36. Along the way, counselling and guidance continues whenever needed. We also provide assistance and advice in managing money, working through
relationships and plannnnf careers.

37. At the end of 18 months, HR meets with the student and closely following the graduation ceremony, we have induction into employment at zoho
corp!

38. It's not all work and slog either - there's a lot of fun and games..

39. The faculty is joining in too, you see th dean in this picture

40. The CEO shakes a leg in the annual cultural festival

41. And this is turning out to be a regular disappointment for the seniors at Zoho.. The Zoho University team lifts the interdepartmental cricket trophy
every year!
(No wonder! They have an unfair age advantage!)

42. Reading the book, I was thrilled to see that Dr. Kalam has touched upon a very similar approach.
This is the kind of “boot-strapping” that he calls the A-Model of National Production.
A stands for Agni, of course.

44. Let us run through some “statistics” now, so you get a feel for the scope and impact of Zoho University.

45. Let us run through some “statistics” now, so you get a feel for the scope and impact of Zoho University.

46. Name changed for obvious reasons, but this is her!

47. And this is her family, her pet cow and her house in the background. She hails from a nearby village.

64. So, what makes it tick? How does this system work?
Let me give you eighteen reasons!

65. When there are exams, it implies a system.
When there is a system, there will be loopholes.
And, when there are loopholes, people will only focus on how to game the system, exploit the loopholes.
So, instead of having term exams, we focus on continuous evaluation and personal attention.

66. Unlike typical computer-science teachers in colleges... where they teach only because they couldn't get a cushy software job in a multinational
corporation, here, our faculty are actually SOFTWARE ENGINEERS, with a yen to teach. And, they are paid like software engineers too!

67. In a college, once you are done, you are done. You hang around in alumni meets for a couple of years perhaps, and then everything is forgotten. But,
because Zoho Corp absorbs 100% of its university-alumni, and because Zoho University is nestled right in the middle of Zoho's Tech HQ, the alumni
strength just keeps growing and their involvement just keeps getting better and better.

68. We didn't go for an affiliation with any university. Or, any accreditation thing either.
For, in that direction lies OBSOLESCENCE.
We will have to prescribe a specific book, teach only a specified language, and so on.
Here, because we are fully autonomous, we get to choose what we teach, how we teach, and how often we change and revise what we teach.

69. We have cut away all the unnecessary matter from the curriculum (an enterprising student can learn all of that by herself, through the course of her
life anyway, thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web), and focus on the only stuff that matters for a career as a well-rounded software
professional.

70. We teach English, for example. But, not the typical Wren and Martin Grammar, filled with questions about reflexive verbs and gerunds.
We teach conversational English, pronunciation, and communication. Our favorite medium trick is to play movies, pause them and discuss the
dialogues!

71. As the students get to work in close quarters and see the interactions buzzing around in the real company, they get to understand the various
challenges and rewards of the different roles in the organisation, and over time, get naturally attracted to a particular role or stream. The course
allows for such flexibility, and lets students chart their own path through the course of 18 months.

72. And, remember! We treat them as responsible youth. We strongly believe that there is much more to be gained from unfettered internet access and
complementary wifi and restricting it is like choking the life air out of lungs, when it comes to learning on the job.

73. Unlike any other university and work environment, here, we have students, faculty and staff rubbing shoulders with one another, sharing lunch,
having fun together, and partaking in business and official conversations too. Nowhere else can you find such an invigorating environment to
stimulate the minds of young students!

74. For the first batch of students, way back in 2004, we didn't charge a rupee.
Later, we started paying them a stipend from day ONE.
Today, in ten years time, the stipend has risen to a sizable amount - 8500 rupees per month, from day one, for a fresh graduate out of Class XII, just
getting started on his career in software development.

75. As our courses are typically self-paced and based on video tutorials and workshops, the faculty are always available for individual mentoring and
guidance. A lot of face-time leads to in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of the subjects.

76. Recruitment into teams is not based on paper credentials or on short-duration interviews.
We firmly believe in letting a person's true potential show through by putting them in a comfortable and positive environment first.
So, the last quarter of their duration at Zoho University, we assign them to a real product team under the tutelage of the head of that team.
Their work on that project is their ticket into that team!

77. Flipped classrooms aren't just a fad.
They are the classrooms of the future, where the teacher becomes a co-learner, and assumes the key role of facilitator and accommodator.
Getting the students to work together, collaborate and cooperate instead of compete, that's the core aim of the classroom structure here.

78. As young kids already learning and earning fast, we realise that some of them will need guidance and counselling beyond the typical academic
subjects. Money management, relationships and career planning - are among the various topics that form extra-mural lectures and talks, informal
guided interactions and discussions involving external experts and seniors from inside the company.

79. One advantage of video-based instruction is that students can watch and listen, at their own pace. So, we allow students to “flit” around the
curriculum, doing their own thing at their own pace, as long as they stick to the overall broad layout of the course. This has helped us identify and
fast-track the unusually talented kids, while letting us spend more time strengthening the fundamentals for those slow in picking things up.

80. At Zoho, the University is NOT a corporate social responsibility. Not some charity or social-goodwill program that we are running.
And, it is so by design.
When we include Zoho Univ Alumni into the workforce, they don't come with a “Fragile: Handle with Care” label!
They are no different from any other employee, and will be expected to perform at the same levels of quality and ability.
Nor are these students with us “only till graduation”. They stay on as employees, forever!
And that means, the training that we impart to them better be good.
So, the environment, and the key actors in it, the family, the faculty, the alumni, the student himself - are all attuned - unlike in a college - for peak performance in practicalSo, the environment, and the key actors in it, the family, the faculty, the alumni, the student himself - are all attuned - unlike in a college - for peak performance in practical
scenarios.

81. We have noticed another interesting aspect to this too.
Even today, the best of the best from schools don't join Zoho Univ.
The glamour of the Engineering Seat and the Medical Seat are still too bright.
So, the ones that join us typically aren't very high on marks, but they are very high on “fire in the belly”.
The will to perform, to make good for earlier slacking, to finally pull up the socks and perform well in an environment better suited for their kind of
“intelligent” work, shines bright, and sees them through very well.

82. When we started the experiment in 2004, we had no idea we would sustain it so well, and grow it so big.
One tenth of our workforce is now a graduate of Zoho University.
Truly, there's no stopping an idea whose time has come!

83. Way back in 2006, a forward-thinking educationist by name Karl Fisch published a video called “Did You Know”.
It was a threatening message to all educational institutions. And, ten years later, it is still terrifyingly relevant.
I would like to play a small snippet from it, for you.

84. So, Shift Happens.
Two takeaways, particularly are

87. And, Zoho University is not a “static model”.
It is constantly changing.
Here are some changes we have implemented in the past ten years.

88. Before I end, I would like to share yet another snippet from the book.
From the preface actually.

90. That sentence, in essence, captures the spirit of Zoho University.
If you know where to look and how to train, India has enough resources for all its needs!
Thank you!