For most of us, the idea that education is a social good is something we hardly think about and much less doubt. Not so for Ekta Sodha. In her talk, she’ll try to convince us that, at least in rural India, market solutions yield better results than government education programmes. It is young, energetic entrepreneurs like her, she argues, who can transform the education system by competing against one another with their innovative business models and not only make education affordable to lowincome families in fishing villages, rural communities and market towns, but also improve educational quality, while adding billions to the economy in the process. Ekta Sodha has been associated with the field of lowcost private schools for many years. She is CEO of Cadmus Education, India and Sodha Schools, which is built on her family business of the last 30 years. Ekta completed her Master of Education in International Leadership and Management from Newcastle University, England. In 2012 Ekta was elected Vice President of the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), India, and reelected again in 2015. NISA has more than 55,400 lowcost private schools. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx