Our Successful Remote Learning Programs
Our Education programs did not stop for the global pandemic, as it swept across every country regardless of class, culture or creed. Adapting to the crisis, our Barefoot Education Team tailored its curriculum to evolve into an accessible remote learning initiative, assembling multi-level techniques that would ensure the programs were kept available to as many young minds as possible.
Child education has been identified globally as “the next critical need” to keep communities informed, resilient and better defended during challenging times. The Alternative COVID Strategy’s 3 new Approaches to learning have enabled our students and teachers to remain engaged remotely from the safety of their homes, keeping education democratic and engaging from a safe distance.
Remote learning programs kept learning accessible to rural children
Smartphone and IVR communication between children and their teachers, digital e-stories and handwritten learning bundles comprise our remote learning strategy. Regular call-ins have kept teachers and their students connected so that confidence and comprehension continue to be instilled in every child, regardless of how remote their living situations are.
We could meet students by going to their homes to give them worksheets or talk through audio calls which made students feel that school work is still going on and education has not stopped, unlike government schools which are not doing this. Parents also feel good about this.
– Vikram Singh, DNS Boojarel and Mohan Singh, DNS Baghmal
Digital curriculums by phone were developed by the Barefoot Education Team
We currently have a team of 100 Digital Night School grassroots teachers. We recently reached out to 30 of the teachers from 20 schools, covering 5 states where we have schools, asking them for feedback on our remote learning programs. Unanimously, the teachers have testified that it is an effective and innovative learning-oriented program- a very gratifying response for our entire Education Team!
Children were eager to keep learning throughout the pandemic
Our Grassroots Teachers’ Testimonials
Here are a few out of the dozens of sincere and heartfelt testimonials our team received:
“What we did was actually outstanding! We also listen to the audio activities that are sent on the phone. In families where there was only one phone, sometimes working fathers would take the phone to their workplace, but the children would be very excited to learn and repeatedly ask me, ‘What activity came yesterday?’ A few children who would not get connected to the activity would find ways to adjust the next day. The children were able to complete the work and I loved that education continued (during Covid19 times). ”
– Kishan Singh, Jawaja, DNS Baghmal (Bheel Basti)
“When I joined the DNS and came for training, I learned how to teach children and talk to them. Recently during audio conference meetings, I also learned how we will prepare and teach children when schools reopen and how we will make children’s fears (of Corona) go away”.
–Deepak Kumar, DNS Naikena, Uttarakhand
Kishan Singh, Digital Night School teacher
“Audio and video call training made us feel like we are in the same hall able to see and talk to each other. The level of students has increased from last year. Teaching through the projector and iPad has made teaching interesting, takes less time to explain concepts and students are able to see and listen to new and more things.”
– Kishan Ram, DNS Bagariya ki Dhani, Kotdi
“From the very start, I thought that often girls and women do not get respect in society regardless of the work they do, and I had also faced this. So I had decided that I want to do this kind of work. And now I feel very good as a teacher while also taking care of family and household. I especially like studies on gender subjects. After training in January, the studies in school improved and I could enjoy teaching more. It became easier for me to teach and share ideas as I was better prepared. When I visit students at their homes, they very happily tell me about receiving audio calls. We give homework through worksheets so they keep learning. We were encouraged to bring out our suppressed curiosity and ideas through the audio training calls so that we can continue education through love and care for children.”
– Priyanka Devi, DNS Baikunthwa, Bihar
Priyanka Devi, Digital Night School teacher of Bihar
“I have been a teacher since 2016 and the thing I liked the most was that we can now take training on audio calls too. If in the future, a situation like this comes again, whether we are a part of this project or any other project, we can learn online – I liked that the most.”
–Munna Kumar Ram, Jamunia Kania Tola, Bihar
Munna Kumar, Digital Night School teacher of Bihar
You can make a direct one-time or monthly contribution to ensure our Digital Night Schools continue to provide rural children with quality remote education.
