Schoolnet: A tool that helps build capacity in students

Schoolnet is an Edtech company that focuses on improving education in India's most impoverished schools. They launched KYAN (K for Knowledge, YAN for vehicle in Sanskrit), a four-in-one device that is simply a projector, several speakers, and a laptop all in one box. This device has made it much easier for schools to convert their classrooms to smart classes, which helps improve the learning outcomes of the students. This is especially because KYAN only requires an electrical connection and not even an internet connection.

Schoolnet is very important in today's day and age as even though school enrollment increased from 97.2% to 98.4% between 2022 and 2023, learning outcomes remained substandard - only a bit more than one-fifth of Grade 3 students could read a Grade 2 text. Schoolnet is trying its best to better these parameters by focusing on the 3Es - Education Employability and Employment. Most of its work is currently in Education. It has partnered up with various other companies such as OIL India to teach students computer literacy, and with the Government to track students learning outcomes on apps such as G Shala which have been launched by the Government. It has worked on the other two fronts too by providing teachers with vocational training in many fields such as textiles etc.

It is great to see companies such as Schoolnet doing work in this field to improve India's status on SDG 4. I hope that this work reaps large benefits and helps India educate its population so that it can use its large youth as an asset.

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/take-one-big-story-of-the-day/how-schoolnet-is-ensuring-indias-poorest-children-dont-fall-further-behind/85293/1

Climate Change is worsening: Cooperation between countries is necessary to solve this global challenge!

Did you know that the recent devastating heatwave that South Asia recently experienced has caused temperatures to be as high as 2 degrees above normal? In the past 2 months India (the country where I live), Thailand, and Bangladesh have recorded temperatures going up to 45°C.

Such high temperatures have had devastating effects causing forest fires in Thailand and leading to a large number of deaths in India and Bangladesh. The large number of deaths have mostly been of economically disadvantaged people, this is as they are having to bear the brunt of the heatwave.

I find it very disappointing to see that despite countries promising to collaborate and work towards reducing climate change it is expected that the 1.5°C threshold decided by the Paris Agreement. It said that there is a 66% chance that the world is set to pass this threshold. Many scientists have also said that extreme events like these will become more frequent if emissions are not reduced. I hope that countries now start taking climate change more seriously, as there is not much time left.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65631464

‘Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi: The importance of Anganwadis in Early Childhood Education!

Since Smriti Irani, the Minister for Women and Childhood Development's announcement last year the central government has been on a mission to reimagine Anganwadi centres to focus not only on the nutritional aspect of children but also on Early Childhood Education. The Anganwadi centers are government-run rural daycare centers for young children. They provide basic healthcare, supplementary nutrition, non-formal preschool education, health checkups, etc in villages across India.

The government has recently tried to shift the focus of Anganwadi centers more towards Early Childhood Education for children under 6 years of age, especially those from the ages of 0 to 3. This is because the government has now realized that these first few years are fundamental to the child's development. Despite Early Childhood Education being a part of the government's Integrated Childhood Development Scheme (ICDS) it has been largely ignored till now. Hence to combat this the government wants to change the notion of Anganwadis being daycare centres to Anganwadis preschools as well.

This repositioning of Anganwadis as preschools is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP has highlighted how children currently don't have access to high-quality Early Childhood Education, hence the government has rebranded Anganwadis by providing them with upgraded infrastructure, ECCE materials, play equipment, etc.

I believe this is necessary as it will help these children have access to good quality "Poshan and Padhai! (Nutrition and Studies)"

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/centre-early-childhood-care-education-anganwadi-8584549/