Education from eVidyaloka continues in rural India despite all odds.
The hard facts stare at us- COVID-19-induced school closures affected 25 crore Indian children
over the last year, reported a UNICEF study. With the closure of schools in March 2020, economic insecurity, and alternatives to classroom learning not accessible to students from rural areas, children of rural India are at great risk of dropping out of school. The repercussions of the school closure were felt even by us at eVidyaloka. Our Digital Classroom program which focuses on access to quality education for children in rural government schools came to a halt during the lockdown. Plagued by lack of infrastructure and know-how, teachers and students were struggling to cope with teaching and learning in the “new normal”.
With a vision to make learning accessible to all during a global shutdown, eVidyaloka launched the Digital School Program – VidyaGanga.
Initiated in 2020 with the mission to leverage technology to empower the learning ecosystem, eVidyaloka’s Digital School is an outside-school learning opportunity that is providing free education to the children of rural India, by providing them access to learning content and connecting them to volunteer teachers.
The model stemmed from the thought that if children cannot go to school to learn, then we need to bring the classroom to every child’s home. Piloted as the ‘Learn from Home’ program, the Digital School program took off nationally with huge the community’s backing.
The program rests on these basic tenets:
- Enable easy access to learning for students in rural and remote areas
- Provide learning content in regional languages in ready-to-consume format
- Mobilize local community to facilitate learning
- Connect students to volunteer teachers
A multi-modal approach was identified as the most suitable solution in the context of the issues in the rural setting. Making education accessible meant making the learning content available through different modes.
For the students who have access to smartphones and the internet, eVidyaloka’s Digital School employed the guided self-learning model – providing video lessons according to a personalized timetable on the eVidyaloka Learning App available in regional languages.
For students unable to access the internet, the Facilitated Learning Model is used, wherein the ready-to-consume learning content is broadcast on TV or other devices according to a predetermined lesson timetable. Worksheets and textbooks are provided to all students to practice their learning, and this is followed up by an offline or live session of doubt clarification to ensure sustainable learning.
Even though this is an online learning delivery platform, the program hinges on the enthusiasm and commitment of the Digital School Partners who have taken the ownership to register students, distribute the worksheets, assist the students with any queries, escalate the unresolved queries to the Volunteer Teachers, and share feedback accordingly with students.
At eVidyaloka, our partners have played a huge role in being constantly in touch with each other, the local communities, and parents to understand the on-ground reality. Month-on-month, they work together to help increase the intervention across villages to ensure that more children gain access to this opportunity and that Rural India continues to learn.
The Digital School pilot program, in its first year, has established 52 Digital Schools across the country. Passionate volunteers from around the world have delivered over 5000 learning sessions and empowered the lives of over 4500 children. Several residents and organizations have joined eVidyaloka in this journey as Digital School Partners and have championed the mission to provide quality education to the children of their communities.
Together, we have demonstrated with strong will-power backed with the potential of technology and the enthusiasm from the grassroots network that we leave no stone unturned to reach the last mile, and to ensure that no desiring learner in this country is left behind.