Dell Aarambh: The Why, What & How - The Journey So Far

The day was June 6, 2016 - this was the day when we launched Dell Aarambh across India, to provide PC education in cities across the country, specifically targeting Tier 2 to Tier 4 cities such as Meerut, Ranchi and Nashik.

Back in 2016, teledensity in India had increased to 50.63% ¹ but people in rural areas were still apprehensive about technology. And that’s when we came into the picture.

To do so, we had to step away from conventional forms of rote learning and had to move towards a form of learning that was both engaging and impactful. We developed a network with a pool of educators to teach PC skills to mothers, teachers and students in a fun, engaging and hands-on manner.

So what has our journey been like?

Our journey has focused on empowering students, teachers and mothers with the knowledge they need to use a PC, to enhance their skills through learning. We partnered with the Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) to maximize training value for teachers, and also launched a fun and competitive Teaching Professionals’ Olympiad.

Through Policy Hack, we have challenged educators to come up with innovative solutions for problems faced by teachers, in as well as outside the classroom. Additionally, our partnership with Tata ClassEdge allows us to take digital training to schools, so that we can provide teachers with the knowledge needed to implement technology in classrooms.

So what does the future look like?

Three years on, we have facilitated a partnership with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO-MGIEP), to train teachers through Framerspace platform with training content developed by UNESCO MGIEP. This will be a three day workshop followed up by 200 hrs on online training.

And that’s not all…

With 4,507 schools that have benefitted, 83,501 teachers trained and certified, and 1,13,708 mothers trained, these trainings have created a widespread impact across our country. Looking ahead at the future, 2020 is going to be a defining year for Aarambh, as these trained teachers will now be able to impart training to more people – creating a chain of individuals who are equipped and confident in using PCs not just for academics, but life.