Education
The Virtual Classroom Learning Program (VC-LP) is a school education initiative for children in primary and secondary grades in government and government aided schools.
The objective is always to provide good teachers to multiple schools at remote locations through the Virtual Classroom Learning mode. The method of teaching is geared towards ensuring that the student has a much better understanding and grasp of the subjects.
The program provides ‘tuition classes’ in subjects of English, Mathematics and Sciences to students in grades 9 and 10, and is school curriculum based. A VC-LP is conducted amongst a cluster of schools, where teaching is done at one central school (Studio School) that is connected, through the internet system, to a network of other schools (Receiving Schools). Sessions of the teacher at the Studio School are watched live by the students in the Receiving Schools. An typical cluster consists of 1 Studio School and 10 Receiving Schools.
The software enables these sessions to be recorded and these recorded sessions can be watched, later, as ‘revision learning’.
The Foundation’s VC-LP covers 11 clusters of schools. These clusters have over 100 government schools and in excess of 10,000 students in grades 9 and 10 in the districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Tumkur, Mandya and Bengaluru. Typically, these class sessions are conducted an hour before and an hour after the regular classes held by the school.
Upgrading facilities and infrastructure including provision of laptops at Government schools and Anganwadis.
Smart Math Labs making Mathematics learning fun, Based on Karnataka State Syllabus, Algebra and Geometric concepts through working models developed indigenously have been set up in 10 schools for students studying in classes 5, 6 and 7 to approach Mathematics in a more interactive manner and hands-on experience to help students understand Mathematical concepts easily and retain them.
Supporting children with special needs
Darshan is a special school for the hearing and speech impaired located at Jaipur. This school not just concentrates on academics, but also trains them in craft, games and Yoga to ensure overall development. The older children are also trained in computer operations by which they can get data entry jobs and become financially independent.
Indian Red Cross Society Residential School for Speech-Hearing Impaired, Tumkur – By providing group hearing aids, the Foundation has inducted the students into the virtual classroom network in Tumkur.
Association of People with Disabilities (APD), India is an NGO that’s transforming the lives of underprivileged people with disability since 1959. Based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, they run extensive programs in rural and urban Karnataka to enable, equip and empower children and adults with a range of disabilities including locomotor, spinal cord injury, speech and hearing, cerebral palsy, and to some extent, mental issues. Till date, they have impacted 500,000+ lives of people with disability through early intervention, inclusive education, livelihood programs, rehabilitation programs etc