Manbir Bedi
Manbir Bedi (born 27 October 1972) is an Indian education innovator, visionary entrepreneur, and founder of the Primary Plus Group, an EdMedia company redefining how children learn and read. Based in India, he has dedicated over two decades to transforming traditional education into an engaging, creative, and experiential process for students and teachers alike.
Bedi’s initiatives such as Primary Plus, Festival of Multiple Intelligences (FOMI), Screen-Free Coding Labs, and the Reading Torch Awards have reshaped classroom learning, reaching thousands of schools across India and inspiring a nationwide reading movement.
Early Life and Education
Manbir Bedi was born on 27 October 1972 in Rourkela, Odisha, India. He earned his Bachelor of Technology in Electronics Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College (JNEC), Aurangabad. Though trained as an engineer, his passion for creativity and learning led him toward the education sector, where he combined his technical acumen with educational innovation.
Career and Vision
In 2004, Manbir Bedi founded Primary Plus, a classroom magazine and EdMedia initiative designed to make reading joyful for children. Starting with a few schools, it now reaches over 2,000 schools across India with a readership of over 1 million students monthly.
Bedi’s guiding principle is to inspire **curiosity, creativity, and confidence** in young learners while minimizing screen dependency. His leadership has helped shape modern classroom learning into an immersive, student-centered experience.
Key Innovations and Creations
- Primary Plus — A pioneering classroom magazine that promotes reading, creativity, and experiential learning for various age groups.
- FOMI (Festival of Multiple Intelligences) — An annual experiential learning event launched in 2010 after five years of research. FOMI celebrates children’s diverse talents and intelligence types.
- Screen-Free Coding Labs — A revolutionary concept where children aged 4–10 learn computational thinking through unplugged, experiential activities. Over 6 labs established across India with 12,000+ teachers trained.
- Reading Torch Conference and Awards — Launched in 2024, this initiative recognizes educators who promote joyful reading and literary engagement among children.
Educational Philosophy
Manbir Bedi believes that education must move beyond rote learning. His famous motto encapsulates his vision:
If we align coding basics, the computational thinking skills of children can improve drastically. We don’t want to make every child a coder but want to improve their speed thinking through experiential learning.
He advocates for creative classrooms, creative lesson plans, and creative teaching, echoing the sentiments of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who once stated that these elements are what’s missing in our education system — a gap Bedi’s initiatives aim to bridge.
Achievements and Recognition
Manbir Bedi’s contributions to education and innovation have earned him several prestigious awards:
- G-20 Business Summit Award (2023) – For leadership and innovation in education.
- Parents’ Choice Award (2023) – By My FM and 91.5 FM for Primary Plus magazine’s impact on children’s education.
- Recognized nationally for integrating creative learning, screen-free innovation, and teacher empowerment in India’s education ecosystem.
Impact and Outreach
Under his leadership, Primary Plus Group has:
- Partnered with 800+ schools pan-India, growing to 2000+ schools by 2025.
- Built a readership of over one million students.
- Trained over 12,000 teachers in experiential learning.
- Organized national events celebrating creativity, reading, and innovation.
Quotes
- Creative classrooms, creative lesson plans, and creative teaching is what is missing in our education system — and that is what Primary Plus is trying to bring in. — Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- We don’t want to make every child a coder, but we want to make every child a fast thinker.
Vision
To build a nation of confident, compassionate, and creative readers — where learning is not memorized, but experienced.
Personal Life
When not leading educational initiatives, Bedi spends his free time reading, researching, and exploring new methods to make learning more engaging and joyful. His personal mission aligns with his life’s work — to bring the joy of curiosity and imagination into every classroom.