Government engagement
Working with Schools and Teachers
Reaching Students on the Ground
Remote orientations like these had limited effect. Therefore, when lockdowns lifted, field teams visited students in their localities. In situations where schoolteachers were visiting villages to distribute learning material, Ei’s field teams accompanied them to simultaneously spread awareness of Mindspark. Positioning Mindspark as an initiative supported by schools helped legitimise the programme in the eyes of students and parents. Ei also partnered NGOs and volunteers on the ground, hoping their human resources and familiarity in local networks would increase uptake. Though not always successful, in many places these partners could reach students faster than Ei’s team members.
Even when families did have smartphones, children were not always able to use them. As parents returned to work, their children lost access to phones. Often, parents were also hesitant to let children use devices, afraid that they may damage them. While only 20-30 minutes of daily Mindspark usage could help students learn effectively, since children also had to use phones for other schoolwork, parents worried that extended screen usage may be harmful. Where elder siblings had smartphones, they were unwilling to let their younger siblings use them, fearing they would access private files and messages.
Because of low access to devices at home, Ei’s field teams periodically set up community labs where students could use Mindspark. Field teams identified locations like community centres, panchayats offices, etc. where children could gather while maintaining social distancing. They then informed parents and students of these labs and convinced them to attend. Then, they would take laptops and tablets to these locations, supervising student usage.
Image 2: Students using Mindspark in a Community Lab in Lucknow
Such labs were easier to establish in urban areas where student density was greater and distances to travel shorter, than in rural and remote regions where students were spread out across large distances. In the rural district of Nandurbar, for example, community labs could only be set up occasionally. In the city of Lucknow, meanwhile, they were established daily. Between 5,000-6,000 students here used these labs for almost 10 hours each in language and mathematics, far exceeding usage in rural areas.
To incentivise enrolment and encourage usage, Ei rewarded high-performing students. Generally, top performers in each district received tablet computers to help them study. In some cases, students were also given stationery kits. These awards were presented in ceremonies by important local officials and frequently covered by local media. This added to Mindspark’s prestige and generated awareness regarding the programme.
From Crisis to Opportunity
Despite all the challenges faced in this period, Ei’s field teams were able to grow Mindspark’s reach in this period relative to the previous academic year. With expensive in-school labs no longer needed, far more students could be reached. Though reaching them was difficult, over 1,20,000 students were able to learn with Mindspark at home in this period.
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