The Give Initiative: Making Education for All a Reality

Raising children is all about empowering them to be self-sufficient, balanced individuals who dream fearlessly. And the catalyst to make this happen, almost always is equal access to quality education. Sadly, the ongoing pandemic has set us back decades and undone progress made over the years. In fact, UNESCO’s worrying projection made in August 2020 stated that over 24 million children across 180 countries risk never returning to schools owing to the pandemic^[1]. And while several schools have taken to e-learning, it must be noted that 56% of students^[2] in India have no access to smartphones ^[3] and only a scarce 8% of students have computers ^[4] .  This therefore rules out e-learning to be a feasible means of continuing learning during the pandemic for a vast section of students in India. 

However, with BYJU’S Give, an initiative that enables children in need to access online learning through donated refurbished gadgets, the situation can be different .

Because when a community comes together with every individual’s mind set on becoming a changemaker — the impossible is often achieved. To this effect, BYJU’S Give Initiative was launched on November, 20, 2020. At its very heart, it is a community-driven initiative that’s part of BYJU’S larger social movement — Education for All.  

Steered by good-willed citizens much like you, BYJU’S Give Initiative aims to take digital learning to as many children as possible, giving them a chance at remote learning. The idea is to inspire people to donate their unused and old devices. These devices will then be refurbished, powered by BYJU’S learning programs, and made available to children with no access to online learning. 

Moreover the initiative will also tackle the growing concern around e-waste by upcycling unused devices into a child’s learning companion, that otherwise would have ended up obsolete in landfills. To achieve this, BYJU’S is partnering with Cashify (an e-marketplace) to collect, evaluate, and refurbish these old devices. 

Here’s what Mrinal Mohit, Chief Operating Officer, BYJU’S, has to say about this initiative, “With BYJU’S Give, we want to take the transformative power of education to students in every corner of the country. We want to encourage everyone to come forward and be a change-maker by donating their extra or old smart devices for children who genuinely need it. This simple gesture can give a new start to a child’s education, especially in challenging times like these. At the heart of this initiative, lies a humble dream of every member of the BYJU’S family — to empower children with an equal opportunity to learn and thrive in life.”

BYJU’S endeavours to democratise learning for 5 million children by 2025 through robust initiatives like Give, all while leveraging technology and active community participation to make Education for All a reality! 

References
[1] Out-of-school children likely to double in India due to coronavirus, Live Mint

[2] Just 24% of Indian households have internet facility to access e-education: UNICEF, Hindustan Times 

[3] About 56% of children have no access to smartphones for e-learning: study, Indian Express 

[4] Indian education can’t go online – only 8% of homes with young members have computer with net link, Scroll