Latest news with #Debsie
Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Business Standard
This Indian Startup Wants to End the Factory School System - Here's How
PNN New Delhi [India], July 15: In a world where education increasingly resembles an assembly line, one Indian startup is quietly but fundamentally challenging the system. Debsie, founded by Adhip Ray, who is also the founder of a digital consultancy called WinSavvy, is on a mission to dismantle the outdated, test-centric, memorization-driven approach that defines most schooling -- and replace it with a learning model rooted in curiosity, critical thinking, and joy. "Children aren't machines. You can't just input textbook content and expect brilliance. That's not how creativity or intelligence works," says Adhip Ray, founder of Debsie. "We're done trying to make kids obedient. Debsie exists to help them become thinkers." The Indian education system, despite producing some of the brightest minds in the world, is still widely criticized for prioritizing scores over skills, compliance over curiosity, and conformity over independent thought. Debsie aims to flip that script. The Problem: Schools Aren't Broken. They Were Built This Way. For decades, education in India -- and much of the world -- has followed a linear model: * Rigid syllabi * Passive lectures * Tests that reward memorization over understanding * Students judged by speed, not depth * "Success" measured by exam marks, not mental models But the world has changed. Grok-4 can write code, Google can answer any fact, and corporate jobs demand creative thinking, problem-solving, adaptability, and leadership. And yet... schools haven't evolved. Debsie sees this firsthand. "When we looked at the top kids in conventional schools, we saw something strange. They were good at tests -- but struggled when asked to build, debate, or explore. That's when I realized the system wasn't helping them think -- it was just helping them comply," says Ray. This realization led to the birth of Debsie -- an experiment in flipping the classroom without throwing away structure entirely. Using Chess as the First Step Towards a Thinking-First Learning Platform Debsie is a learning platform for children that helps them break free from rote memorization and embrace independent thought. Its first course is chess -- not because of tradition, but because of its power to shape young minds. Through chess, children begin developing the habits that traditional education forgets: * Planning ahead * Dealing with uncertainty * Understanding cause and effect * Staying calm under pressure * And most importantly, learning to think before they act Debsie's classes are live, coach-led but peer centric, and centered on the child's cognitive growth rather than performance metrics. Group sessions are designed for healthy peer learning. One-on-one coaching is tailored to the student's pace and mindset. Classes are global, with students from Singapore, London, Abu Dhabi and Florida - enabling students to actually understand how multi-cultural thinking occurs. This is definitely about becoming a chess champion. But, in the process, it's also about becoming a sharper, more thoughtful human being. A Method That Challenges Everything Unlike conventional education models that fixate on curriculum coverage and exam scores, Debsie focuses on building thinking skills that cut across subjects and are especially crucial for future entrepreneurs and startup founders. Classes are designed around open-ended questions, scenario-based decision-making, mistake-friendly exploration, strategy and reflection. Every interaction is meant to trigger deeper thinking. Kids are encouraged to speak their mind, defend their reasoning, and stretch their imagination. There are no boring slides, no droning lectures. Just guided thinking, playing chess and competing against peers. How It Works Debsie sessions are delivered live via Microsoft Teams. Students can choose from a range of pricing plans to tailor it for their needs: * Group Chess Classes * 2 sessions per week in small groups * Pricing: ₹2,499 to ₹3,999/month * One-on-One Chess Track * Weekly tailored coaching * Pricing: ₹4,999 to ₹6,999/month * Advanced Chess Track * Intensive one-on-one coaching for ambitious learners * Pricing: ₹7,999 to ₹12,999/month Every student is onboarded through a free trial class, no strings attached. If the parent and child feel it's a fit, they can choose a plan. Otherwise, no obligation. What's Next? Debsie isn't building the next school. It's building the next generation of thinkers -- one move at a time. The startup will continue to refine its thinking-based model, build deeper personalization tools, keeping its focus on quality over quantity.
Business Standard
15-07-2025
- General
- Business Standard
Not a School. Not a Game. Debsie Builds Real-World Intelligence
PNN New Delhi [India], July 15: In a world evolving faster than ever before, the skills required to thrive are no longer confined to memorisation or textbook knowledge. The future demands thinkers--curious, resilient, and reflective individuals who can adapt, solve problems, and lead with clarity. But traditional education often falls short, relying heavily on rote learning and outdated methods that prepare children more for exams than for life. That's where Debsie comes in. Founded on a revolutionary idea--that thinking is a skill that can and must be trained--Debsie is not just another learning app or tuition class. It's a bold shift in the education paradigm, one that nurtures deep, independent thinking in children through an unexpected yet powerful medium: chess. A Quiet Shift in Learning There's a quiet shift happening in how children learn - and it didn't come from a school or a government policy. It came from a bold idea: what if we stopped making children memorize, and instead helped them think? That idea has a name now. It's called Debsie. What is Debsie? Debsie is a thinking platform. It uses chess, not as a game, but as a tool, to train children's minds to solve, reflect, and act. It's the opposite of factory education, where kids are told what to remember and how to repeat. In most schools, a child's ability is judged by how well they can recall something they were told. But Debsie doesn't care how fast a child memorizes. It cares how deeply a child can think. Because in the real world, it's not the child who remembers most that wins - it's the one who thinks better. A Simple Idea: Make Thinking a Habit Let's be honest - when you teach a child to just remember, you're not really preparing them for life. You're preparing them for exams. And when those are over, most of what they memorized is forgotten. But when you teach a child to think about a problem, about their decisions, about different ways something can work, they start building something no school textbook can give them: judgment. That's what Debsie trains. And no, it's not done with complex theories or lectures. Debsie trains thinking through simple daily experiences built around chess. The lessons aren't dry. They're alive. In each session, the child is nudged, prompted, and sometimes even confused - because that's when the real thinking starts. Why Chess? Because chess doesn't lie. In school, you can fake your way through a group project. You can score high by memorizing. You can repeat what a teacher said and still pass. But on a chessboard? You can't hide. Every move is a test of attention, logic, creativity, and patience. You either learn to think, or you lose. And that's why we use chess - to create champions and also to build thinkers. It's not about "learning the rules of the game." It's about learning: - How to think under pressure, - How to plan ahead, - How to bounce back from mistakes, - How to keep going when things look tough. Classes are global, with students from Dublin, Luxembourg, Tamil Nadu, and more, enabling students to actually understand how multi-cultural thinking occurs. How Debsie Works (And Why It's Different) Debsie's classes are live, one-on-one or in small groups. Every session is led by an experienced mentor trained to go beyond the game - to turn every lesson into a brain-building activity. There are no marks. No stress. Just constant nudges to think sharper. Parents often ask: "Will this help my child in school?" The answer is yes - but not in the usual way. Debsie doesn't chase school syllabi. It strengthens the core engine of learning itself: how the mind processes, questions, connects, and applies. We've seen kids go from struggling with attention to becoming focused and curious. Not because they were pushed harder - but because their minds were given something real to chew on. How It Works Debsie sessions are delivered live via Microsoft Teams. Students can choose from various Debsie pricing plans and curriculum options. Every student is onboarded through a free trial class, no strings attached. If the parent and child feel it's a fit, they can choose a plan. Otherwise, no obligation. Program: Group Chess Classes - Details: 2 sessions per week in small groups - Pricing: ₹2,499 to ₹3,999 per month Program: One-on-One Chess Track - Details: Weekly tailored coaching - Pricing: ₹4,999 to ₹6,999 per month Program: Advanced Chess Track - Details: Intensive one-on-one coaching for ambitious learners - Pricing: ₹7,999 to ₹12,999 per month For Parents Who Want More Than Just Marks Let's face it - most parents today are worried. School feels outdated. Tuitions feel robotic. Apps feel addictive. And the real world feels too fast. Debsie is the calm in that storm. It's the space where your child isn't judged, rushed, or compared. It's the space where they pause, reflect, and sharpen their mind - step by step, with every move on the board. Most parents don't want their kids to just pass. They want them to lead, to make good decisions, to not break under pressure, and to trust their own judgment. In fact, these skills are crucial for creating startups and running businesses. That's what Debsie builds. Quietly. Repeatedly. Thought by thought. "But My Child Doesn't Like Chess..." That's okay. While we're here to make them a chess champion, but aside from that, according to its founder Adhip Ray, Debsie isn't about making your child fall in love with chess - it's about helping them fall in love with thinking. Some kids join out of curiosity. Others because their parents nudged them. Some because a friend recommended it. But very quickly, most of them realize this isn't about winning a game. It's about figuring things out. We've seen kids who didn't care about chess, slowly start asking deep questions: - "Why does this move work here but not there?" - "Can I try something different?" - "What if I flip the idea?" That's when we know the shift has begun. The Bigger Picture Schools were built in the industrial era. The idea was to produce obedient workers who could follow orders and repeat tasks. That worked - for a while. But now? The world needs thinkers. Innovators. Doers. If your child wants to build, lead, explore, or create - memory won't help them much. But thinking will. And the earlier they start, the better. That's why Debsie exists.
