"Saam Daam Dand Bhed"-ing the education sector

Fixing India’s education system is not a matter of willpower. Everyone wants better schools. The problem is that the system is tangled. There isn’t one problem. There are dozens, and they vary depending on where we look.

One way to make sense of it all is to use a clear framework. Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed is an old idea, but it holds up. It breaks the world into four ways of getting things done: negotiate, spend, enforce, and divide. These are not just tactics. They are ways to frame problems so they can be solved.

Saam: When the Solution Is Alignment

Some problems don’t go away just because we throw money at them or write a rule. They involve people with different interests. The only way forward is through negotiation. Take teacher accountability. If the government imposes a top-down tracking system, unions will push back. But if we involve them early, and agree on what’s fair, we get better compliance and less resistance.

Or consider curriculum reform. In many parts of the country, parents want more say in what their children learn. This is especially true in places with distinct cultures or languages. Reform will only stick if parents are part of the conversation. Another case is the rollout of digital learning tools. If teachers feel the system is being imposed on them, they’ll ignore it. But if we bring them in, train them properly, and let them shape how it works, adoption improves.

These are not technical problems. They are coordination problems. Saam is the way through.

Daam: When the Problem Is Simply Money

Some problems are stuck because there isn’t enough funding. These are not abstract debates. They are cash flow problems. If a school has no toilets, no lights, and broken furniture, there is no substitute for investment. Negotiation won’t fix it. Enforcement won’t either. It just costs money.

Rural schools often can’t hire good teachers because the pay is too low or the incentives are weak. If we want qualified people in hard places, we need to pay more. Digital access is another example. We can’t tell students to learn online if they don’t have a device or a signal. Getting both in place costs money.

There are also learning gaps that opened up during the pandemic. Fixing them requires targeted remediation. That means hiring people, printing materials, and building programs. Again, that costs money. Where Daam applies, no other tool works as well.

Dand: When Rules Are Being Broken

Some problems persist because there are no consequences. This is where Dand comes in. Not everything can be solved with a carrot. Sometimes we need a stick. Take teacher absenteeism. The rules are clear, but they’re not enforced. If attendance data isn’t tied to pay, nothing changes.

In some areas, there are fake schools that exist on paper just to collect government funds. Others have ghost teachers who never show up. These are fraud problems. They require audits, investigations, and real penalties. Procurement is another black hole. Textbooks, uniforms, and midday meals often get siphoned off or delayed due to corruption. The rules are there. They’re just not enforced.

Child labor laws exist, but they’re unevenly applied. If a child is working instead of being in school, that’s a legal violation. The system needs to act on it. Dand solves problems where the law is already clear but not applied.

Bhed: When the Problem Is Too Big to Handle at Once

Sometimes a problem looks impossible because it’s too broad. Bhed is about slicing it into parts. Once we do that, solutions become easier. Start with stakeholders. Urban and rural schools face different challenges. Government and private schools work under different constraints. Parents in one district might want English-medium education. In another, they might want better transportation. When we group by who is affected, the problem becomes clearer.

We can also divide by function. Some issues are about what is taught. Others are about how it is taught. Still others are about how learning is measured. These are curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Each needs its own solution. Geography matters too. Some districts have dropout rates over 50 percent. Others are performing near global standards. We don’t need the same approach everywhere. Target the worst-performing regions first. Fix what’s broken. Then move to the rest.

Finally, break the system down by age. Early childhood education is about nutrition, play, and language exposure. Middle school is about foundational skills. High school is about preparation for work or college. Each stage has different needs. Each deserves a tailored response. Bhed is not about overcomplicating. It’s about getting specific so we can get moving.

Education reform is hard because there isn’t one solution. But we can make progress if we know what kind of problem we’re solving.

If it’s about getting people to agree, use Saam. If it’s about paying for what’s missing, use Daam. If it’s about enforcing the rules, use Dand. If the problem is too big, use Bhed to break it down.

This isn’t the only way to fix education. But it’s a start that treats the system like what it is -messy, human, and fixable. Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed doesn’t promise miracles. It offers something better: a way to think clearly, act deliberately, and move forward one real problem at a time. And that’s how change begins - not with slogans, but with strategy.