Mumbai: SBI Foundation introduced UpSchool, a digital learning program for students from class 1-10 in partnership with Khan Academy, an educational non-profit in India. This program will be available in English, Hindi and Kannada languages aiming to reduce learning gaps and build a solid foundation in math and reading for their current academic year.
In line with Khan Academy’s mission to provide free, world-class education, all the resources available to parents and learners are 100 per cent free and there is no cost to enrol in the program. The program focuses on revising important concepts from the previous year in Math and language comprehension, helping them narrow the knowledge gap and build a strong foundation for the new class.
Additionally, there are fun learning activities such as dance and yoga where the students can participate by visiting the learning links. Every week, the students will receive a math lesson, a short story, and a fun activity/exercise based on their grade and preferred language. They can learn at their own pace and time from home. This is one of the many initiatives by SBI Foundation (SBIF) towards improving last mile access to education in India.
Recently, SBI Foundation and Khan Academy partnered to localize high quality math learning content so that students can learn in their preferred language. The initiation of this partnership took place in Punjab, where SBI Foundation funded the localization project for creating new math lessons consisting of videos, articles and practice exercises in Punjabi aiming at all learners in Punjab's public schools.
With funding support from SBI Funds Management, Khan Academy’s team worked with over 6,000 public schools and trained over 11,000 teachers resulting in almost 4,00,000 students spending a total learning time of over 5.16 lakh hours. Fifty three per cent of total learning time was in Punjabi.
Talking about the initiative, Dinesh Khara, Chairman, State Bank Group, commented: “We are proud to support the UpSchool Foundations Program that makes a difference in making education accessible and helps to reduce learning gaps. With our partnerships, we aim to promote growth and equality among the underprivileged communities and this program facilitates the same.”
Vinay M Tonse, MD and CEO, SBI Funds Management Limited, added: “At the onset of the back-to-school season, our UpSchool Foundations Program will benefit students to be ready and better prepared. We are glad to extend this program to all students, equipping them with fun and interactive tools developed by experts, making high-quality localized educational content accessible to all. We are happy to be working with Khan Academy on making this happen.”
Commenting on this development, Sandeep Bapna, Head of Global Markets, Khan Academy, said, “SBI Funds Management Limited and SBI Foundation have helped us to achieve a scale in terms of reaching Indian households beyond metro cities which is hard to come by without their support. We are excited about the launch of this initiative which is specially curated so that students can learn essential math and language comprehension without spending a lot of time online.”
It is worth noting that SBIF is the CSR arm of the State Bank of India. True to its tradition of service beyond banking, the foundation currently works in over 28 states and union territories of India, on rural development, healthcare, education, livelihood and skill development, youth empowerment, promotion of sports, and more. SBI Foundation believes in reflecting the ethos of the SBI group, in running interventions that are ethical, promote growth and equality, and create a positive impact on the society.
Khan Academy India (KAI) is a not-for-profit organization, incorporated in India, with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for millions of learners in India. KAI is founded by Khan Academy Inc and Tata Trusts and also supported by Central Square Foundation and SBI Foundation. It offers quizzes, questions, instructional videos, and articles on a range of academic subjects, including math, biology, chemistry, physics, history, economics, finance, grammar, preschool learning, and more. Our mastery learning system allows students to learn at their own pace. /BI/
