Highschoolers turned Bhaiyya-Didi Mentors
What is the “learning crisis”? Many platforms like Scroll, World Bank, Teach for India etc have extensively talked about the growing gap in the Indian education system. If we look at the statistics of enrollment, there is a significant improvement in the past two decades (World Bank). But the loophole here are other factors including the student- teacher ratio, quality of education, assessment and learning, exposure etc. Did you know that only 44.2% of all students in government schools in Class V in India are able to read a Class II text(as per Scroll)? What does this say about the current learning environment?
The traditional education system that India has seen over decades focuses only on classroom learning. In spite of the initial hesitance, teachers are also trying their hand to adapt to this new scenario. However, we cannot neglect a huge percentage of untrained teachers struggling to shift to the new mode of teaching. Although platforms like zoom and google meets are making basic level online classes possible, the potential of enhancing learning experience through digital means remains unexplored. This situation makes online learning incomparable to classroom learning for both teachers and students.
It is with the idea of bridging this gap that TribesforGood, a social enterprise based out of Mumbai came up with the “I have a Doubt” campaign. The campaign brought together bhaiyya-didi mentors to teach, support and co-learn from low- income communities.
But who are these bhaiyyas and didis? Why are they called mentors?
Bhaiyya- Didis are just high-schoolers, driven to better the education system. They help their corresponding peers from low- income communities to understand the school subjects better.
How are they doing this?
The solution to bridge the education gap isn’t an easy one. The pandemic has made it difficult for everyone to learn, especially the rural and urban poor. It was then that the Young Changemakers connected with low- income communities in New Delhi supported by PRATYeK. The community engagement team at PRATYeK reached out to 8-10 Grade students who required additional academic support. Apart from that, digital access and internet connectivity was ensured by Team PRATYeK to make learning uninterrupted. With the students onboard, the tasks of the mentors were to develop a rapport with the batch and to create relevant learning content. The mentors referred to visual teaching content and used the video platforms efficiently to create a better learning environment. Important theories and concepts in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English were practiced again and again over the course of the sessions. The motive of the initiative was clear throughout the journey. Quality Education should be accessible to ALL students irrespective of their socio-economic-cultural backgrounds.
Did you know that nearly 40 high school students have become bhaiyya-didi mentors in the last 6 months? Overcoming language- location- internet barriers, all of these Young Changemakers have contributed their time and energy to help during the time of need. This initiative is indeed a motivation to every individual who wants to do their bit to make a difference.
Team: Naisha Sahney, Dhruv Himatsingka, Ved Nair, Dhruv Mantri, Rishi Reddy, Anavi Kaul, Abhishek Roy, Mudit Gupta, Priyanka Kharbanda, Dhruv Roongta, Arnav Budhraja, Lekisha Gandhi, Aashna Seth, Misha Shah, Saumyaa Shah, Arnav Khetan, Rida Faiqa, Vaibhav Maloo, Dhruv Goyal, Aaryaman Rathi, Arush Gupta, Shreya Goyal, Siddhi Jena, Mansi Gupta, Aditya Jaitly, Siri Hegde, Schenelle Saldahna, Sabrisha Anand, Shreya Iyengar, Aaryan Patel, Raj Trivedi, Krishnav Saraf, Raj Pataskar
