Most village schools are marked by slushy or bumpy roads and basic classrooms. For many children, the meal they get in school is the first of the day. And yet, after sitting through some sessions, you see what creating a space for learning means.

A chain of counting beads helps a child solve a problem on the board. No counting on his fingers. Addition, done. Self-confidence, increased. Then the “Sampark Didi” swings into action. A battery-operated Smart Class kitbelts out bilingual foot-tapping, rhyme-and song-filled lessons. These are typical activities at the schools covered by the Sampark Foundation, be they in Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand or Jammu and Kashmir. The foundation was founded by Vineet and Anupama Nayar from their personal funds of ₹650 crore. Begun in 2005, the organisation operates in 50,000 schools and impacts around three million children. Former Chief Executive of HCL Technologies Ltd, Nayar is now dedicated to the foundation with a focus on getting children to finish primary school. Nayar’s vision focuses on inclusiveness. Hence, the team has put together a set of practices that address some of the most intractable problems, of both economic and social exclusion. First, the foundation works in villages and only through governments. Children who attend government schools are usually among the economically and socially poorest, and most marginalised and disenfranchised. Second, through two years of effort in developing scalable kits, the cost of learning amounts to ₹65 per child. Third, teachers are regularly trained. Fourth, the bilingual kits build the confidence of teachers too.

Fifth and last, kits are completely battery-operated and need minimal recharging to overcome erratic power supply. Additionally, since many children can afford to come to school only for 120 days a year as they have to due to work in the fields, the syllabus has been accordingly structured. The foundation found the outcomes noteworthy. In one survey, children in the second grade were able to carry out mathematical operations which earlier cohorts could not do in the third grade. Children who underwent the programme had their abilities in basic mathematicsgo up by at least twice, and in some cases, over four times.

Archana Sharma, a teacher, says, “Confidence of the children is growing with English being taught.” Through 120 lessons, the English programme teaches 500 words and 100 sentences, and the mathematics programme teaches 23 concepts, all through rhymes, games, activities and aids. Add another teacher Meena Shukla, “Many students do not fear mathematics any more”. Rukmini Pappu from the Chennai-based Children's Garden School feels “Schools also need to try to blend subjects together and make them relevant”.

These ideas reflect well in Sampark’s work. For example, English words like star and rain are explained through rhyme and blend local geography and language.

Nayar summarises the foundation’s achievements of the foundation, which can be useful for companies in defining the scope of their CSR work : “Be clear about the problem you are solving, rather than carrying out your version of social good. Leverage partnerships, decentralise and democratise CSR activity, put your employees first so they can choose the activities that matter to them.”

Anu Oza has over 20 years of experience in HR, Diversity and CSR.

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