Working closely with teachers and students has always been the most fulfilling aspect of my work. I’m Rohit Prakash, co-founder of iDream Education, and in this story, I’ll take you through our journey of implementing digital learning solutions in the remote district of East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya.

Here comes, two visionary individuals of the district: Deputy Commissioner Shri Abhilash Baranwal and Addl. Deputy Commissioner Shri Jonathan Shylla envisioned “Ka Lawei” (The Future), an ambitious project aimed at introducing digital learning in schools. 

“One of the district’s major challenges was the low passing rate in Class X” 

To address this, initially, we planned to implement 20 smart classrooms across 20 schools. The Smart Class concept was chosen as a cost-effective and easy-to-implement solution. In phase 1 of our initiative, we implemented iPrep Digital Class with Smart TVs, a preinstalled learning management system, and digital English Medium Content for grades 8 to 10. All the content was aligned with the Meghalaya Board curriculum and included subjects such as Mathematics, Science, History, Civics, Geography, and Economics, along with Computers and English Grammar to ensure access to comprehensive educational content.

After two months of implementation, we observed low usage, adoption, and limited progress

Usage trends reflected that students were watching animated video lessons and engaging in practice questions, but their adoption and learning progress were minimal. 

Upon deeper study, we found two key challenges –

• Lower English comprehension: Although English is the medium of instruction, but, no one knows English. They speak a dialect of the local language, Khasi, known as Pnar. 
• Lack of understanding of the end game of education: East Jaintia Hills, known for its coal mining legacy. However, the ban on coal mining has left a generation grappling with many families lacking awareness of the opportunities that education can unlock. As a result, students attend school but often lack motivation, with many teachers feeling equally uninspired and constrained by outdated pedagogical methods.

To resolve the challenges first, we started with a baseline assessment to evaluate the student’s learning levels to ensure progress in learning outcomes

While planning a baseline assessment for 5,000 students, we knew manually analyzing such a large volume of data would be difficult and can lead to discrepancies. To address this, we digitized the process by using tablets loaded with offline assessment forms tailored to various grade levels. For instance, the class 10 assessment included questions from interconnected topics as early as class 6. This allowed us to accurately determine each student’s grade level based on their responses.

However, transporting and charging the tablets to East Jaintia Hills became a new challenge. The region’s poor road conditions and difficult travel, especially during rainy weather, necessitated an innovative solution. To simplify transportation, we designed a suitcase with compartments for the tablets and wheels for easy transport. This compact suitcase could fit in a hatchback car, making it easier for team members to carry the tablets to school. Additionally, a charging rack was installed in the homes of team members, enabling them to charge the tablets overnight. This straightforward yet effective approach streamlined the logistics of the assessment process, allowing our team to focus on evaluating the student’s performance in the baseline assessment.

The baseline assessment revealed a critical learning gap, with over 90% of students performing 3-4 grades below their current level, highlighting the shortcomings of phase 1 implementation. A best way to address it is to do personalized learning for every child. But we had to design a low budget solution

Enabling Finer Innovation

146 additional devices were procured and expanded the program to 146 more classrooms and 30 more schools in the district. In addition to these new devices and the extension to 30 more schools, we implemented various product-level innovations to improve ease of learning, enhance comprehension, clarify foundational concepts, and ensure continuous tracking of progress.

Brief Overview of Innovations

We’ve introduced several exciting features to enhance learning:

1. Speed Control in Video Player: Teachers could adjust video lesson speeds to match students’ comprehension levels, making lessons more accessible.
2. New English Content: We added reading, grammar, and career-related content to enhance English language skills and provide insights into career paths opened by education.
3. Khan Academy Explainer Videos: Students now have access to Khan Academy videos, offering recorded lectures that broaden their understanding and provide a wealth of learning resources.
4. Bridge Course for Teachers: We developed a bridge course to help teachers cover essential foundational topics from junior grades, ensuring students are well-prepared for grade-level material. A comprehensive Bridge Course has been designed for each school, in alignment with the academic plans of teachers. The course comprises interconnected videos for grades 6 through 10 and focused practice sections in Maths, Science, and Social Science. Initially, a bridge course sheet was shared which was referred to by teachers when teaching through iPrep on Smart TVs but to ensure time efficiency and a seamless teaching experience, we integrated the course directly into the iPrep platform. This allowed teachers to easily access content through a dedicated tab without the need to search for videos or change grades. 
5. Personalized Monthly Assessments: All students take monthly assessments on tablets to evaluate their understanding of previously taught concepts. Student wise reports shared with the teachers that help them keep a track of progress, identify gaps, and pinpoint areas for improvement.

Since then, usage of smart classrooms started improving significantly from March to August 2023, with an average of 56 hours of use across 166 classrooms.

Further, notable improvements is seen in academic performance

Monthly assessments from July to October highlighted improvement in student engagement and academic performance across various schools:

• For Class 8, in July, the highest scores were observed in SST (43%) and Science (40%). By August, the top score in SST had increased to 50%. In October, the Science score peaked at 57%. 
• For class 9, in July, the highest scores in SST (40%). In August, Science led with a 55% score, while SST reached 50%. By October, the highest scores were in Science (48%) and SST (42%).
• For class 10th, in July consistent improvement was observed, with Science scores at 50% and an impressive 80% in August.

These results underscore the effectiveness of integrating bridge courses and conducting monthly assessments in fostering an environment of learning and improvement, highlighting a significant upward trajectory in academic performance over the past three months. 

While the project remains ongoing, I am happy to share that we’ve been able to improve the Class X board exam pass rate from 25-28% to an impressive 60%. 

Beyond results, our ground team in Meghalaya who are in close communication with teachers, we have seen increased student engagement. As a result, attendance has improved, and students are becoming increasingly aware of the unlimited opportunities that education can enable to them.

Upon 1 year completion of the project, Meghalaya’s Education Minister credited the District Administration in East Jaintia Hills

In a Teacher Felicitation Programme, held on 7th August 2023, 

• Nine teachers from various schools in the East Jaiñtia Hills district were honored for their outstanding contributions to the implementation of the ‘Ka Lawei’ digital project during the felicitation program.
• Honourable Education Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Rakkam Sangma Ji, praised the visionary efforts behind ‘Ka Lawei’. Highlighting the program’s milestones, he revealed that a total of 50 schools in the region are equipped with smart TV digital content. The enthusiasm from students, teachers, as well as parents stands as a testament to its adoption and efficiency. 

We are happy to see the adoption and ongoing use of smart class usage, along with the positive outcomes it has enabled. We look forward to replicating similar innovations in other government and social sector education programs and initiatives.