There is much to ponder as we commemorate the fourth International Day of Education with the theme ‘Changing Course, Transforming Education’ to welcome the revival of education as the world gradually recovers from the pandemic. Proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the theme highlights the visible gap set in by the pandemic, especially in the field of education. With most educational institutions being shut and academia being caged at home, the teaching-learning process has taken a massive hit. But as Peter Hilton puts it, “Adaptability to change is itself a hallmark of successful education.”, and when it came to combating the pandemic-led jolt faced by the academic community, the agility to adapt to the new normal, indeed, pulled through. The learners made the shift to new ways of learning, and formal education went through a transformation to bridge the gap.

Besides, there seems to be another gap, which is far more pervasive and battling longer than the lethal virus is of inclusive and equitable education. At Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), inclusivity has been at the core of its functioning. The philosophy also extends to addressing issues in varied spheres of life, and inclusive and equitable education is no different. Also, recent global surveys show how accessibility to basic – primary education is often more elusive than it appears, and the underlying factors continue to revolve around the socio-economic context. Statistics point towards conditions as pronounced as the rate of poverty is equal to the rate of illiteracy. These aren’t figures confined to far off Sub-Saharan Africa or limited to third world countries but goes much beyond.

So, how do organizations like SPNI take on championing a cause so closely intertwined with multiple facets of the social infrastructure that are at play? How do organizations with innate motivation begin to make a fundamental human right like education more accessible?

The answer lies in understanding that any initiative that aims to benefit as many people as possible needs to begin bottom up. The key is to identify the communities, understand their specific needs and then begin the process to meet those requirements, eventually extending the benefits to a more extensive set with meaningful partners who help the organisation better translate their aids. For instance, in December 2017, SPNI engaged ConnectEd Technologies to digitize 260 classrooms across 54 BMC schools, spread throughout Mumbai. Initially, the project benefitted 12,000 school students and has now been able to aid 64,000 students spread over 330 municipal corporation and government schools in Mumbai, Panvel and Raigad regions of Western Maharashtra and Gurugram in Haryana. The initiative is a part of SPNI’s ‘YAY! Vidya campaign, and is one of the largest, independent EdTech efforts in Maharashtra and Haryana, aimed at digitising government schools.

One of the primary reasons behind the successful running of the initiative and the sustenance of the campaign came from the tangible difference witnessed in the impact assessment phase, which further encouraged SPNI to take up the cause and nurture it completely. The percentage improvement in understanding levels across the student beneficiaries by grades or the roll-out and participation in the projects and activities conducted were possible simply because the efforts catered to the very specific need of this set of audience. For example, the project deployed 510 ‘Smart Classroom Systems’, which came with educational content that adheres to the Maharashtra State Board, tailor-made and specially adapted for the understanding/exposure levels of the school students that study in government schools. This is where the essence of carrying out this initiative lies, getting deep into the cause, providing a solution, and serving society at large through goodwill initiatives.

The pandemic may have vacant educational institutions, but it couldn’t empty the minds of the young and curious to learn. With this as the premise of the Indian educational landscape in the last couple of years, SPNI banked on the initiative’s agility to adapt to the online mode and ensure accessibility. Keeping the pace of this transformation intact, the Marathi curriculum was moved online, benefitting more students beyond the classrooms. Meanwhile, in collaboration with ConnectED Technologies, SPNI extended the online offering to the state of Haryana as well, where online educational content is benefitting students of government schools. With these immediate transformations, the initiative at large has impacted over 64,000 children who now have access to the content online and the numbers are only expected to grow moving forward.

The quest to make education accessible to many young minds is still a journey worth a thousand miles and more, but it indeed begins with a single step. What keeps us at SPNI motivated are the governing principles of the UN - Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility .

Disclaimer: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the blog are solely that of the author, and not necessarily of Sony Pictures Networks India and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates.