The Bharat EdTech Initiative (BEI) has successfully onboarded 117,000 students from underprivileged families on its EdTech platform as part of its mission to bridge the learning loss.
Through effective, equitable access to EdTech, the initiative is supporting students with the necessary tools to bridge the learning losses of the last two years as they go back to school in April 2022. These results have been achieved across ten states within the five months of initiating on-ground efforts. Students have the flexibility to learn anytime and anywhere in a language of their choice (9 languages).
As per World Bank, 70% of children are living in learning poverty globally post the COVID pandemic. The prolonged school closures and poor results in learning have largely contributed to this rise. Bharat EdTech Initiative aims to bridge these learning losses by making digital learning accessible to all students across India through proven EdTech solutions.
This nationwide initiative is steered by four organisations that offer strategic guidance on the overall management and execution of the Initiative. Sattva Consulting is the lead anchor of the initiative. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and British Asian Trust are lead donors, while GiveIndia supports with donor relationships and fund management.
Speaking about the achievement of this milestone, Rathish Balakrishnan, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Sattva Consulting, said,
“Our efforts towards improving learning outcomes for students in India have made significant progress over the last couple of months. And, we are delighted to be able to reach this milestone in such a short period. Through proven EdTech solutions, we aim to continue working towards bridging the digital learning divide and unlock the potential of every student.”
BEI is focusing on bridging the learning losses for students aged 9-17 (Grade 1-12) from low-income households with monthly incomes up to INR 25,000. Through various initiatives like the HardWare Pilot that provides dedicated learning devices to students, BEI is ensuring students have the tools to improve learning levels.
Speaking about BEI’s impact, Prachi Jain Windlass, Director, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation India, said,
“BEI’s intends to provide a platform to learn anytime and anywhere beyond and in addition to school-based learning. Our EdTech partners have been selected based on their track record and suitability to the target population. We believe that as the world enters a unique phase of blended learning, resilience and reflection can help EdTech become a catalyst for high-quality, universal education.”
BEI’s approach to bridging the digital divide is uniquely positioned to impact results at scale across India. The approach uses a unique blend of access, engagement, measurement, and learning.
The initiative is a collaborative of 36 partner organisations across philanthropy, social impact, EdTech, finance, and monitoring & evaluation. These organisations support the Bharat EdTech Initiative (BEI) in several capacities and categories, such as fundraising, educational technologies, nonprofit organisations, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, marketing communications, and program management.
