LOS ANGELES,CA-The Pratham India team on Aug 29 in Delhi launched an exciting new initiative in digital learning. Called PraDigi, it is Pratham’s response to adapting EdTech solutions to the ground realities in India. Our objective is to put 18,000 tablets in the hands of 350,000 children over the next year. At the same time, we will be testing and documenting data on the outcomes of the digital learning approach compared to more...
traditional approaches to learning—information that will help anyone interested in children’s education. PraDigi is likely to be a game changer for how India’s underprivileged children learn. Our challenge is to figure out what might work for 100 million children year after year, and be cost effective. We know our destination, and are figuring out the best path to get us there.
Two years ago, Pratham began to grapple with the issue of finding an edtech intervention that would accelerate children’s learning. Our initial pilot provided children tablets pre-loaded with interactive games and videos, and clearly demonstrated a boost in students’ literacy, numeracy, and science knowledge. It also attracted the attention of Google.org and a US-based family trust, who have provided significant support to launch PraDigi.
While India has made significant progress in enrolling almost all children in primary school, nearly 50% of them will not be reading at grade level by 5th grade, and 70% will have no meaningful education by age 16 even if they finish school. Many entities including the Indian government are now focused on learning outcomes. However, with outmoded teaching practices, progress is slow to nil. Many are turning to technology as the means to motivate children to learn and thus improve school performance. Edtech has gained currency across the world, but faces several high hurdles in India: the absence of useful, engaging, relevant and contextual local language content; high cost of internet access and hardware in many parts of the country; and the fact that the current government school system is not equipped to deliver fast, innovative, tech-based learning.
Two years ago, Pratham began to grapple with the issue of finding an edtech intervention that would accelerate children’s learning. Our initial pilot provided children tablets pre-loaded with interactive games and videos, and clearly demonstrated a boost in students’ literacy, numeracy, and science knowledge. It also attracted the attention of Google.org and a US-based family trust, who have provided significant support to launch PraDigi.
While India has made significant progress in enrolling almost all children in primary school, nearly 50% of them will not be reading at grade level by 5th grade, and 70% will have no meaningful education by age 16 even if they finish school. Many entities including the Indian government are now focused on learning outcomes. However, with outmoded teaching practices, progress is slow to nil. Many are turning to technology as the means to motivate children to learn and thus improve school performance. Edtech has gained currency across the world, but faces several high hurdles in India: the absence of useful, engaging, relevant and contextual local language content; high cost of internet access and hardware in many parts of the country; and the fact that the current government school system is not equipped to deliver fast, innovative, tech-based learning.
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