Among many others that have been gravely hit by the Coronavirus induced pandemic, there is a section of people who are experiencing the loss of an asset before they were even able to enjoy it– first-generation school-goers and primary school students.
School Ki Ghanti is an initiative that uses phone technology to reach out to young students, aged 6-12. Keeping the idea of growth alive, they expand the world of learning that is traditionally limited to textbook material, by including storytelling routines in order to keep them engaged, and also think creatively.
“We are trying to reimagine learning through the age-old practice of storytelling to design inclusive and accessible learning systems so that every child gets equal opportunity,” says Team School Ki Ghanti. The target group are children with little or no access to the internet or new media and the idea is to introduce a new fun learning tool to them. Here, a Voice Broadcasting system is deployed which uses phone calls to connect and narrate stories.
Keeping the current unprecedented situation in mind, the team says, “This pandemic has brought with itself the urgent need to reimagine the teaching and learning landscape. Therefore, we aim to create a new narrative by responding to such situations both mindfully and empathetically.” They believe that it is important to understand how simple technology can carve learning paths to engage students and encourage adaptive learning.
Since the inception of this initiative, conversations and collaborations with NGOs and individuals have provided great insight and channelled growth. These collaborations aim at welcoming participatory efforts in order to drive change and reach diverse communities, partnering with and within new networks.
What started with phone calls reaching 30 kids in May, now has more than 350 kids listening in, diligently doing the activities as instructed at the end of each story. Many even maintain a notebook where they record the stories they heard and the lessons learnt, and also the ensuing activities they undertook.
The School Ki Ghanti team includes Vedika Lal, Founder and Creative Director; Uurja Bothra, Business Strategist; Pankhuri Sinha, Content Curator and Writer and Medha Kapoor, Sound Designer.
To find out more about how you can contribute, you can check out their Instagram or visit their website.
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