Impacting Adolescent Learning in India through low-tech solutions amid widespread digital inequity during COVID-19

• In Event: Experiences and lessons learned in response to COVID-19 restrictions

Proposal

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with itself unprecedented repercussions in the field of education in India, forcing students to adapt to a virtual learning environment completely dependent on digital accessibility in a country that had always relied on traditional methods of teaching within classrooms. An added layer of complication arose from India’s low digital penetration, with only 10% of students from the poorest income groups having access to the internet through any digital devices. This digital divide exacerbated educational inequalities, significantly increasing dropout rates, particularly among girls, who faced a surge to 17% during the pandemic, as compared to 10% among boys, largely due to the increased burden of household responsibilities and lack of access to digital devices.

Girl Rising is an international nonprofit organization that uses the power of storytelling to change the way the world values girls and their education. Using stories in interactive curricula with adolescents, teachers, and parents, we inspire newer perspectives and shift behaviors. In response to these complex challenges faced by adolescents in online education during the pandemic, Girl Rising sought a holistic solution that could contribute towards shifting the needle in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Reduced Inequalities) in partnership with Slam Out Loud, our local implementation partner. As part of this, we led an initiative called “Meri Awaaz” (My Voice) where we adapted stories from Girl Rising’s flagship film of the same name into byte-sized audio capsules optimized to be delivered over low-technology modes of WhatsApp and text messages. The initiative’s goal was to empower adolescents between the ages of 10 to 17 years - especially girls - to realize the importance of continuing education in a time where going back to school seemed increasingly difficult. The audio capsules, available in 4 local languages, spotlighted issues of gender-based violence, child marriage, early pregnancies and menstrual health, and included activities that helped adolescents reflect on and challenge gender stereotypes.

To effectively disseminate these low-tech resources, we identified and partnered with 13 Community-based organizations (CBOs) reaching over 44,000 adolescents through almost 500 facilitators in 10 Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh). These organizations, working in vulnerable communities with widespread digital inequity, helped deliver audio-based gender sensitization sessions. As a result, we observed positive shifts in children’s gender awareness and their ability to express themselves.

Baseline and endline evaluations, conducted with over 5800 adolescents, revealed significant shifts in gender awareness and self-efficacy, especially among girls who made up the majority of the participants in both the baseline and the endline. Monitoring and evaluation was carried out through a combination of surveys, interviews, and field visits, complemented by regular feedback loops with the CBOs. Low-tech tools like WhatsApp, Voice calls, text messages were leveraged for virtual monitoring, supplemented by limited field visits during the pandemic. We also developed a rubric to assess six key areas of development, including an understanding of gender norms, and personal and professional development. Notable improvements were observed in gender awareness, with shifts in attitudes towards child marriage, domestic violence, personal goals and aspirations.

This presentation will discuss how digital technology was leveraged to bring content to adolescents from vulnerable populations, the successes we experienced, and the challenges we encountered. We discuss how the pandemic led to the evolution of this project that leveraged byte-sized content among adolescents to reiterate the importance of classroom learning in schools. Through a discussion around program design, implementation, and evaluation, we will outline how low-technology resources have the potential to demonstrate positive shifts in awareness and attitudes towards gender equity.

References

COVID-19: Examining the Impact of Lockdown in India after One Year. (2021, March 24). Economic and Political Weekly. https://www.epw.in/engage/article/covid-19-examining-impact-lockdown-india-after-one
Education: From COVID-19 school closures to recovery. (2023, October 24). UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/covid-19/education-response
Mathivanan, S. K., Jayagopal, P., Ahmed, S., Manivannan, S. S., Kumar, P. J., Raja, K. T., Dharinya, S. S., & Prasad, R. G. (2021). RETRACTED ARTICLE: Adoption of E-Learning during Lockdown in India. International Journal of Systems Assurance Engineering and Management, 14(S1), 575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13198-021-01072-4

Authors

• Nidhi Shukla, Girl Rising

• Richa Hingorani, GIRL RISING

• Apurva Vurity, GIRL RISING