Pathanam is a new education technology developed by young techies to address the problems faced by the not-so-fortunate children living in places where the net connection is fragile and good school education is a challenge.

Rotary Club (Avyanna) approached them to do something to commemorate Literacy Day in September. A unique collaboration was thus forged where the idea of Each One Teach One came about. A pool of young students from classes 8 to final year college was identified by the Rotarians. Each student mentor was assigned a student learner from classes 1 to 3 from the Sundarbans district. The only criteria were that they had to have access to a phone for 1 hour each, 2 days a week. 

 

A program was designed for the pilot project by Pathanam where  12 lesson plans for spoken English were developed. A fixed goal of 6 weeks was decided upon and the student mentors were given training on how to teach the lessons and how to navigate the technology. Each mentor was given the liberty to set up the timings with his or her student at their mutual convenience.

 

The basic goal was threefold. One was obvious- teach children simple everyday English for every single parent wanted that. The second was to inculcate a sense of civic responsibility among urban children and get them to take responsibility for one child at least where English is concerned.  Later on, arithmetic and reading could be included. This would hopefully perhaps lead to them taking on more responsibility. If each child could teach the basic foundations of education to just one other child, it would go a long way in the eradication of illiteracy. It would teach them that it is not just someone else’s problem to solve. We too could take action. It would foster a connection between the urban and the rural and lead to a greater understanding of the challenges our rural children face.

 

Third is digital literacy and digital fluency. As business organizations have been complaining that poor quality courses in schools, colleges, and universities have led to a shortage of workers with programming skills, even these skills become more and more relevant for a wider variety of jobs.

Students from the rural parts of West Bengal are lagging far behind, regarding digital literacy and access to the different E-learning features. A majority of them are also exempted from enjoying the high-end recent blessings of technology, both in education and in other aspects. This points out the present shortfalls in the fields of E-learning in the rural parts of West Bengal when it is most required in this new normal education period. Pathanam is implementing digital literacy through the hands of Information Technology along with these young mentors so that the goal of ultimate digital literacy and the destiny of excellent education is achieved in the students residing in rural parts of West Bengal.

 

It has been a great success and Rotary along with Pathanam will now take this project to a greater audience like ripples Each One Teach One will touch the lives of all children – be they urban or rural.