Invests `6.5 crores over 2 years in improvement of English proficiency of 3600 students
Bengaluru, August 04, 2016
§ Mphasis sponsored Arivu–Disha’s Phase I (Program of 2015) improved English proficiency of students in Class 6 by 20% over the state as per Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) data.
§ Transforms English language learning from ‘least liked’ to ‘most liked’ for over 1800 students from 35 government schools across three districts in Karnataka - Bengaluru Urban, Rural and Kolar in a short span of one year
§ In year 2, Mphasis sponsored Arivu–Disha’s Phase II doubles impact with outreach for over 3600 students in government schools
§ Implements key needs and learnings of Phase I to customize an innovative android application aimed at encouraging ‘learning through play’ of the curious minds.
§ Access to digital tools that enhance students English language proficiency
True to its brand promise of ‘Unleashing the Next’, Mphasis, a leading IT services and solutions provider, today announced unique initiatives for the second year of Arivu–Disha, a flagship programme enabling digital learning in government schools of Karnataka. Arivu–Disha by Headstreams, a not for profit organization based in Bengaluru, supported by Mphasis is an innovative programme conceptualized to make a difference in the lives of students in Government schools in Karnataka.
At an event organized in Bengaluru, Arivu–Disha launched a host of initiatives including an advanced digital learning app, activity content and comic book, Arivu-missed call service along with the distribution of tablets to school authorities. The event witnessed the participation from hundreds of students and teachers from 35 Government Schools from Kolar, Urban and Rural Bengaluru. At a time where parents are apprehensive about their children attending government schools, Arivu–Disha has been life changing for thousands of students, enabling them to excel in English and equip with critical life skills through the medium of play and digital learning.
“High quality of education should not be limited to students from higher end of society only, but also accessible for children from all walks of life. Technology is the leveler here. Based on our learning from the past year, we have invested maximum effort and resources to hyper-customise the modules making learning fun and impactful. This app eliminates fear of embracing a new language and hightens fluency. Hopefuly, our initiative will provide better future opportunities for these young minds. .”, said Puneet Bhirani, Chief People and Administrative Officer, Mphasis.
“Mphasis is committed to bring a difference in the lives of those who are underprivileged and create an impact in their future. Arivu–Disha is a humble endeavor in that direction, addressing the root problem of thousands of students. Together with Headstreams, I would like to reiterate our promise to uplift the education facilities in Karnataka’s government schools and assure a bright future to our children,” he added.
“Headstreams has been inspiring students to learn through context-relevant content and playful interactions which makes learning fun and meaningful. We are excited to bring this learning approach to Government schools in Karnataka which creates curiosity and interest in learning”, said Dr. Naveen I. Thomas, Secretary of Headstreams.
Arivu-Disha is a two-pronged programme that works towards helping higher primary and high school students from government schools to learn better, thereby resulting in improved career prospects.
About Headstreams
Headstreams, a pioneer in play and learning, employs innovative methodologies to enable students to learn English. This particular program is currently entering its second year and aims to impact over 3500 students from government schools across three districts in Karnataka. Customised ‘learning through play’ digital applications are being developed for the program by bringing in specialized international talent in serious gaming and game-based learning.
About Mphasis
Mphasis enables chosen customers to meet the demands of an evolving market place. Recently named by American Banker and BAI as one of the top companies in FinTech and as the “Most Distinguished Digital Company in 2015” by The Economic Times, Mphasis fuels this by combining superior human capital with cutting edge solutions in hyper-specialized areas. Contact Mphasis on www.mphasis.com
About Arivu- Disha
Arivu is a 3 year English learning and digital literacy programme. The focus of this programme is on English reading, listening, speaking and comprehension; digital literacy and life skills. Disha is a 2-year career guidance and life skills programme for high school students. This programme focuses on opening up a range of vocational and academic opportunities. Building on their life skills, this initiative looks at preparing the students for life after school.
Arivu-Disha Fast facts:
§ In less than a year, since the launch of the programme, Arivu-Disha has reached out to more than 1800 students across 35 schools in Bengaluru Urban, Rural and Kolar districts of Karnataka.
§ Arivu has played a prominent role in making English learning interesting and simple for ‘middle‐school’ students of the targeted schools under the programme.
§ Tackle Fest 2015 (part of the Disha programme) provided exposure to academic and career opportunities to over 380 students
§ From the pre and post Tackle Fest survey conducted with a random sample, 52% students corrected their choice of subjects they wanted to pursue after their schooling or were sure of the subjects
§ This particular program is in its second year and is aiming to impact over 3600 students from government schools across 3 districts in Karnataka in its first phase.
Arivu-Disha digital learning apps: Learning through play and use of digital mediums is the key USP of the Arivu-Disha programme. The programme leverages digital technology in the form of customised tablet based modules to spark interest and curiosity among students and to empower them digitally through playing with the applications. The applications which are being launched, support specially developed ‘learning through play’ English language content which helps in enhancing English language acquisition.
Arivu-Disha activity content: Arivu is a 3 year English learning and digital literacy programme. The focus of this programme is on English reading, listening, speaking and comprehension, digital literacy and life skills. Disha is a 2-year career guidance and life skills programme for high school students. This programme focuses on opening up a range of vocational and academic opportunities. Building on their life skills, this initiative looks at preparing the students for life after school. The learning modules of Arivu-Disha has been released at the event.
Arivu-Disha comic book: Comics have a special place in children’s literature. They connect to children in ways that helps bring out creativity and imagination while aiding learning through play. Through the adventures of Balu and Chinnu, the Arivu comic familiarizes the children with the English language. The comic helps the children to virtually travel and visit places beyond their towns and villages while experiencing life and culture in different places across the state, country and the world.
Arivu Missed Call Service: Based on past experience, Arivu-Disha team has identified that the children want to stay connected with them even after school hours. They want to talk to the facilitators and share what they feel or listen to the content covered in the class. To address this, the programme introduced the Arivu Missed Call Service (09243777966, 080-39591098). In this service, the child just needs to dial the number provided and the line gets cut automatically, generating a call back to the same number. The Arivu Missed Call Service has a series of options which the child can choose upon which they can listen to stories, songs or leave messages for the facilitators. This service is updated regularly according to the activity session planned in the school so that when the child wants to listen to the song after school hours, they have access to that service.