FOR GOVERNMENT SCHOOL teachers like 36-year-old Hidayatulla Barkatulla Khatik, from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, the shift to digital learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic added another set of challenges to an already difficult job. "Many government school students come from homes deprived of basic resources. For these children, access to a device with enough internet data to attend live online classes was impossible. Of 50 students from my class, only four or five of them were able to be online for classes over Zoom. We needed a solution that could reach kids who were being left behind."
Khatik is among 2,000 Zilla Parishad teachers in Maharashtra, who are part of VSchool-a website and later an app created by Vowels of the People Association (VOPA), an organization working to provide accessible, free and high-quality ed-tech interventions, to children from low-income households.
VSchool and VOPA, according to 33-year-old founder Prafulla Shashikant, "were both born out of need." A mechanical engineer by training, Shashikant was spearheading Kumar Nirman, an initiative involving value education of school children and young adults under the aegis of NIRMAN (founded by Padma Shri Dr Abhay Bang) when he realized that the young adults he worked with very often came from elite institutions or homes with a certain measure of social and cultural capital. "I wanted to work with adults with the same zeal but lacking similar opportunities." With that design in mind, Shashikant quit NIRMAN and started VOPA in 2018 with support from, now executive director, Rutuja Jeve, and his wife, Shilpa Hulsurkar.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2022-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2022-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
READER'S DIGEST-BOOKS
These book summaries highlight Siddharthya Roy's exploration of conflict and violence, Michael Castleman's deep dive into the history of publishing, and Swadesh Deepak's examination of social issues and masculinity through Hindi literature.
Man with printed sarong
A lawyer, pianist, critic, and mentor to artists, Lionel Wendt is best known for his photographs of Sri Lanka, especially those of people indigenous to the island, captured amidst the lush landscape or posing in his studio.
Too Much?
New studies show that even moderate drinking is a health hazard. Here’s a frank look at the toll alcohol takes on the body
ME & MY SHELF
Coimbatore-born Prashanth Srivatsa is a science fiction/fantasy writer whose stories have appeared in magazines such as Asimov’s, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance. magazines such as Asimov's, Magazine of Fantasy Science Fiction and Three-Lobed Burning Eye, among others. Prashanth’s debut fantasy novel, The Spice Gate chronicles the journey of Amir, a young man born with special abilities who unravels the power that keeps the world in balance.
Small Business, Big Heart
Caring for people is part of the deal at family-run shops
Spill the Beans
Everyone has secrets. Here's why you should share yours
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
Angry lovers are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
FULL STEAM AHEAD!
I GOT THE CHANCE TO DRIVE THE WORLD'S LAST SCHEDULED STEAM TRAIN
Stressed and Worn Down
More and more people are clenching and grinding their teeth. Here's what to do about it
THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP
I was recently given bacon-flavoured dental floss for my birthday.