Equitable Classrooms
ProGame - Coding WITHOUT Computers!
Enabling students to learn to code with a low-cost paper computer
One-line solution summary:
Our invention is primarily a kit containing Cardboard blocks – A paper computer that costs a little over $3.
Pitch your solution.
87% of Schools in India DO NOT have Computers!! Extremely low number of Computers in Low and Mid-income private Schools. In most cases, zero Computers as well. The Student-Computer ratio in private schools is skewed. End Result – Computer Skill Development at the School level in India and other developing countries is struggling.
Our product, ProGame, enables students to learn to code WITHOUT Computers! For Government school students, it’s a Cardboard Computer (with built-in Analytics) and for Home users, it’s a Fun Subscription Box! Government School Students, after using our product, are able to write programs on a computer within 15 minutes of gaining access to one. ProGame has won several awards and is currently being pursued by State Education Departments, reputed NGOs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Teams of IT MNCs in India. Our goal is to teach One Million Underserved students by 2023
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
1) 87% of Schools in India DO NOT have Computers!!
2) Extremely low number of Computers in Low and Mid-income private Schools. In most cases, zero Computers as well. An estimated 140 million students in India go to such schools.
3) Student-Computer ratio in private schools is skewed.
4) End Result – Computer Skill Development at the School level is struggling.
What is your solution?
Our invention, ProGame, can enable learners to learn to program/code WITHOUT computers.
Optionally, but definitely a part of the invention, is the use of a mobile device to augment the learning process. Here, the Mobile phone is not needed for all the students in a classroom. The trainer/teacher can use his or her mobile to help the students in their learning process.
USPs:
1) Most Government Schools in India do not have stable Electricity or Internet Connections, ProGame doesn’t need either to work and is very inexpensive to implement - Little-to-no cost barriers.
2) A huge repository (Question Bank) of NCERT based questions available for teachers to refer to and assign them to students to solve via coding. Great way to reinforce concepts learnt in other subjects’ classes.
3) Gamified and Interactive Learning - Gamified Learning via Leaderboards within ProGame is a great way to motivate students to do well amongst peers.
4) Analytics Engine - Impact and Skills Assessment can be conducted without investing in costly resources.
5) Make them Future Ready - We are not teaching them anything new, ProGame leads them to learning a very popular programming tool recommended by CBSE (other state boards are following suit)
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
An estimated 87% of schools in India DO NOT have computers. Coding skill is fast becoming a must-have literacy skill from being a nice-to-have co-curricular activity. Coding skills should not be thrust upon a child; on the contrary, every child should have access to learn coding skills. The interested ones can be encouraged to learn further. As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and their government-school counterparts in countries like India, we don’t want the lack of access to coding skills to widen the divide!
Our Mission and Vision:
- Impart programming knowledge to students across the country irrespective of their socio-economic background.
- Create a “problem of plenty” in the next 7-10 years (by increasing the awareness levels in programming amongst students) especially amongst the underserved ones.
- Enable students to choose IT as a vocation or otherwise based on their own practical knowledge and make an informed decision
- Improve communication skills, logical thinking skills and problem-solving skills amongst students
Beneficiaries of our product/solution:
- Underserved school students of Government, Low and Mid Incomes schools in countries like India.
- Children at Home who do have access to Computers.
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments.Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.
India with a population of over 1.3 billion has an estimated 250-300 million school-going students out of which a whopping 65% go to government (public) schools. Further, a significant % of the remaining student population go to low and mid-income private schools. An estimated 87% of schools in India DO NOT have computers.
In countries like India, where public schools are unable to provide equitable quality education to their students, a great divide has been created between these students and a relatively small population of students that go to private schools.
Coding skill is fast becoming a must-have literacy skill from being a nice-to-have co-curricular activity. Coding skills should not be thrust upon a child; on the contrary, every child should have quality, equal and safe access to learn coding skills. The interested ones can be encouraged to learn further.
As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and their government-school counterparts in countries like India, we don’t want the lack of access to coding skills to widen the divide!
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Hyderabad, Telangana, IndiaWhat is your solution’s stage of development?
Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.
A) Successful Projects conducted in Telangana, India.
a) Government Schools in Telangana https://youtu.be/PNQ9dNy7Kz8
b) Summer Camps in Government Schools in Telangana
c) Successfully Piloted in 18 schools in Telangana. Glowing recommendations from the District Education Officer (DEO) and Principal Secretary to implement in all (4000) Government schools in Telangana.
B) Partnered with reputed Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) for implementation in
a) Maharashtra, India
b) Madhya Pradesh, India
c) Tamil Nadu, India
d) Karnataka, India
e) Andhra Pradesh, India
f) Telangana, India
g) Assam, India
h) Kathmandu, Nepal
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Suraj V Meiyur - www.linkedin.com/surajmeiyur
If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technologyWhat makes your solution innovative?
There are many solutions available in the market to teach coding to students. However, all solutions would require a laptop, desktop or tablet for students to learn to code. This constraint makes it very difficult for students especially the ones residing in rural and semi-urban communities of India to learn. As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and government-school going students in India. The unavailability of computers to underprivileged students to learn 21st-century skills such as coding will only widen the gap. This makes our solution that much more relevant. Without expensive hardware and software, our solution uses the best of technology available (AI Techniques) and Cardboard to teach coding to students especially the underprivileged ones.
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Select the key characteristics of your target population.
Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
How many people work on your solution team?
7 Full-time staff
3 Part-time staff
How long have you been working on your solution?
Since 2018, little over three years
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
The founders have previous experience in working with underprivileged students studying in remote schools of Telangana, India. They have reached out to over 120,000 students studying in various schools across India, both private and government-run schools. The technical team has been together right from the beginning and are trained in the latest AI techniques. They are also empathetic to the cause and are highly motivated towards serving the underprivileged.
What is your approach to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive leadership team?
There is 50% Gender diversity amongst the founders. It has always been the highest priority of the founders to be sensitive to the needs of the team. Also, special care was taken during the recruitment process in conducting a free and fair screening and selection of candidates. As the continues to grow, the founders would like to keep the selection process intact and ensure the startup is diverse, equitable and inclusive in every possible way.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Organizations (B2B)Why are you applying to Solve?
We would like to partner with MIT and also demonstrate our product to the world. Also, we would like to win prizes that can bring money and recognition to the startup.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Please explain in more detail here.
Would be exciting to be able to pitch to international investors.
This is a great platform to be present our product to international audience.
What organizations would you like to partner with, and how would you like to partner with them?
MIT Scratch Team
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The ASA Prize for Equitable Education? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The ASA Prize for Equitable Education to advance your solution?
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The GM Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The GM Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion to advance your solution?
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for the Innovation for Women Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use the Innovation for Women Prize to advance your solution?
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The AI for Humanity Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The AI for Humanity Prize to advance your solution?
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The AI for Humanity Prize to advance your solution?
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The GSR Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The GSR Prize Prize to advance your solution?
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Solution Team
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Mr. Suraj Meiyur Founder - CEO - CTO, Next Skills 360 EdTech Private Limited
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Mrs. Sowjanya Suraj Co-Founder, Next Skills 360 Edtech Private Limited
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Solution Name:
ProGame - Coding WITHOUT Computers!