Why Traditional Education No Longer Inspires Many Students
For many students, education has become closely tied to examinations and scores, leaving little room for creativity or genuine excitement. Instead of enjoying the learning process, many simply aim to complete lessons and secure marks. While working as a school teacher, Shannon Nogueira witnessed this reality every day. He believed learning should build confident thinkers and communicators rather than only producing results on report cards. That belief eventually became the foundation of Shannon's English Academy, a new-age English education brand for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Shannon grew up in Mumbai and studied at Don Bosco High School, where education went beyond academics through theatre, music, and sports. After completing his Bachelor's in Education, he realised these experiences had stayed with him longer than classroom memorisation. That observation made him question why enjoyable learning was missing from many schools. The answer slowly emerged while he began teaching professionally.
From School Teacher to Startup Founder
Teaching gave Shannon a close understanding of how students experienced education. The classroom became the place where he recognised the need for a learning environment that encouraged curiosity instead of simply preparing students for examinations.
As a school teacher, Shannon noticed that many students looked tired and disconnected from learning. Education had become heavily focused on marks, while curiosity and confidence often received less attention. He wanted to create an environment where students genuinely looked forward to learning. Turning that idea into reality, however, meant convincing others to believe in a different approach.
Introducing a new education philosophy required patience. Before the academy could grow, Shannon had to earn parents' trust and find teachers who genuinely believed that enjoyable learning could also produce meaningful academic outcomes.
Since most families naturally associated success with marks, changing that mindset took time. Gradually, those efforts began attracting attention beyond the classroom.
Support from family gave Shannon the confidence to continue.
Shannon says his parents were the first people to believe in his journey. Later, creative partners from made by Tango, the creative agency behind the strategy and brand, approached him and shared that they could see the idea becoming something significant. Their confidence carried special meaning because he had previously experienced failure after an ed-tech venture during COVID ended when restrictions were lifted. Even after returning to teaching, the idea never left him, leading to his comeback in 2026.
Learning Should Be Something Students Enjoy
Early growth strengthened Shannon's belief that education can be both enjoyable and effective. His vision now extends beyond one academy toward encouraging schools across India to rethink how students experience learning.
Shannon's English Academy generated ₹50 lakh in revenue during its first year and received recognition from multiple newspapers and online magazines. Shannon now hopes to introduce this style of education in schools across India so students enjoy learning instead of fearing it. His advice to future founders reflects the same mindset:
Ideas are everywhere around you, you just need to look at what the world needs and find solutions.
He also hopes more teachers realise they can create meaningful change by believing in their own ideas.