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The fact that you are reading this conveys that there is concern and compassion in you to do your bit for a social cause. This is an appeal to everyone who understands the state of public education in India. Also in particular to those living away from their own hometowns but wanting to make a difference in places where they grew up. I felt the same on a visit to a government school in Patna, Bihar. The students there are far far behind compared to their counterparts in private schools. The situation is not very different in most states of the country. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play a key role in bridging the foundational gap as is also envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Of course while the government is accountable and can have the scale to execute, shall we just show them a sample of how it is done! So read on..
Mission: Enhance student LO (Learning Outcomes), Improve school attendance and help provide FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) in accordance with NEP 2020
Project: Setup 1 ICT Lab with new desktops, used laptops, smartboard and supporting infrastructure
Whose life you are going to help change:
- Kanya/Balak Madhya Vidyalaya, Adalatganj, Patna 800001
- Students: 120, Grade 1 to VIII, Co-ed
Current state of the room to be transformed into ICT tab:
Where will your money will be utilized with full transparency:
- Computers: Desktops (5): Rs 1,00,000
- Donated laptops (8) refurbish: Rs 10,000
- Teaching aids: Whiteboard (2): Rs 8500; Projector (1): Rs 10,000; Markers: Rs 3000
- Software: Cybernetyx or similar technology to convert Whiteboard to Smartboard: Rs 50,000
- Internet: Broadband installation and 1 year rental: Rs 11,000
- Supporting infra: Power backup; Tables (4): Rs 50,000; Chairs (16): Rs 8000
- Room: Wall painting and civil work: Rs 30,000; Electrical work: Rs 10,000
- Whiteboards installed in 4 classrooms in a prior project
- Seed funding of 30,000 in place
- Sourced some used laptops and refurbished them to ready-to-use state. Will be shipped shortly.
Donors: Satyaprakash Dubey, Mayank Singh, Abhinav Shekhar, Deepika Dubey, Aravind, Surbhi Saxena, Dhiraj Kumar Gautam Whiteboard installation contributors: Abhinav Shekhar, Sridhar Chetan, Avishek Kumar, Kishore Ranjan, Dhiraj Kumar Gautam, Manoj Kumar Pankaj
Who will you be joining hands with, with your contribution:
People living in different parts of the country but not in their respective hometowns coming together to make an impact in the places they grew up. We are putting in our own funds as well to seed the project. The headmaster and teachers are providing their support with other school staff on the ground.
How do I know my money is not being mis-used:
Equipment details and line-by-line expenses are being logged into a google spreadsheet, available for sharing. Bank statements can be shared upon request. Given our own funds going in as well, we are conscious about costs and optimum utilization. You are welcome to join our whatsapp group.
What makes this effort unique:
In short - Personal involvement! It is not a raise-and-transfer exercise. We are sourcing used laptops, ordering desktops, coordinating carpenter/electrical work, replacing blackboards with whiteboards, smartboard installation and every other work.
After the lab is fully set up, teachers will be trained on how to leverage it for far more impactful teaching. The project will be demonstrated to the Additional Chief secretary of Education in the government of Bihar. It will also feature in social work websites like www.yourstory.com and others, with credit to all contributors and donors. Let's make this a model to replicate in the whole country!
