The Oracle-Anandshala Project Forges Ahead to Integrate Technology in Bihar Govt. Schools

BANGALORE, August 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

To Spread the Message of Joyful Learning

Oracle's partnership with Quest Alliance, second year in a row, has helped the non-profit organization take its Anandshala program deeper into the schools of Samastipur, Bihar. Anandshala has enabled an enhanced teaching-learning experience through a blended learning model that integrates the skills of school coaches with technology platforms for enriching teaching processes. The program aims to increase student attendance and engagement of 90,000 students between standard 5 to 8 in government schools of Bihar.

In partnership with the Bihar State Government, Quest Alliance is running the Anandshala programme as a part of its district-wide school transformation efforts, with a current focus on Samastipur district. Oracle has provided unprecedented support to Quest Alliance in this endeavour since April 2017 and has also supported with INR 68 lakhs (USD 100,000) in funding.

Introducing technology in education system can bring a huge impact on not just the way students learn but also on how they apply this knowledge. The partnership with Oracle is a significant step towards accomplishing this endeavour.

Oracle's support is like a shot in the arm for the program. Technology has the potential to accelerate change within the education ecosystem and Oracle is spearheading this change through their contribution to Anandshala in the state of Bihar. This partnership has assisted the Anandshala programme to reach out to 52 cluster resource centres with tablets, projectors, and bluetooth speakers, making teacher workshops more engaging and insightful by enabling access to learning resources that are otherwise not available to them. Technology availability allows the teachers to experiment and innovate the way they transfer knowledge to students. The teachers have now started looking at different media and methods to make sessions more interactive and encourage student participation in class. A network of Anandshala Change Leaders and teacher educators who are government functionaries at the cluster level has been trained and equipped to support teachers as they adopt digital tools for teaching and learning.

These teacher educators have cascaded their learning to 900 teachers and 300 head teachers, impacting the lives of more than 90,000 students in government school of Samastipur district, Bihar. Going forward, these improvements in schools will have a significant impact on the learning outcomes of the students and will ensure participation and retention of students in schools. There is an observed increase in attendance and completion of full school hours in schools, improved performance in language scores (Hindi) and positive perception of students about teaching learning practices. Various methods like Focus Child Identification Process, Tracking and Response Strategies, Enrichment activities with the focus on language development, and activation of student bodies and parents-teacher meetings in school have enabled this change in student behaviour and learning. The headmasters are creating their own vision for tech-enabled learning environment and driving this change by supporting the execution for building a tech supported environment in school.

Aakash Sethi, Chief Executive Officer, Quest Alliance says, "Quest's partnership with Oracle acts as a medium to focus and implement the power of technology for better teaching and learning experiences in schools. And to achieve this we have already started developing interesting digital content and procured tablets and projectors. This consolidated effort with Oracle is directed towards accomplishing the objective of the Anandshala program - to ensure that every child stays, engages, and learns in school. We are also creating a platform for the CRCCs (Cluster Resource Coordinators) to nominate their school to showcase their respective best practices."

About QUEST Alliance 

Founded in 2005, Quest Alliance is uniquely positioned to address the challenges of 21st century learning and jobs. Quest is fuelled by research, strengthened by partnerships, and driven by innovation and technology. We enable learners with the freedom to drive lifelong learning experience in a fun and impactful manner using our signature blended learning curriculum that develops 21st century life, work and digital skills for children & youth. We work closely with teachers and educators to bring about a mind-shift from teaching to facilitation through peer learning & data driven decision-making systems. We bring together diverse stakeholders. Over the last 10 years, our work has demonstrated significant improvements in learning outcomes leveraging strengths of the non-profit organization, corporate sector and development agencies. http://www.questalliance.net .

Media Contact :
Prajakta Patil
[email protected]
+91-9916920259
Marketing and Communications Manager
Quest Alliance