Educational Initiatives, India

About Educational Initiatives (Ei)

Mona Partner Since 2021

Educational Initiatives (Ei) is pioneering the use of AI-driven adaptive learning software to revolutionize how teachers teach and how students learn. Mindspark, their premier tool, helps students across different economic and demographic backgrounds to learn with understanding and at their own pace. Based on cutting-edge research, a vast pool of student data, and over two decades of experience, Mindspark determines each student’s learning style and addresses gaps in understanding with tailored questions, activities, games, and challenges.

Through Ei Shiksha, the company’s social impact initiative, Ei collaborates with governments, nonprofits, and corporate sponsors to bring Mindspark to low-income schools across four countries, reaching more than 10 million students. In partnership with Mona, Ei provides Mindspark to students in four states of India: Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The Challenge

In 2019, the World Bank estimated that 50-80% of children finishing primary school in low- and middle-income countries suffered from "learning poverty" and could not read or understand a simple text.

In India, student learning levels have remained low for the past 10 years, with more than half lacking foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Only 50% of Class 5 students in rural India could read a Class 2-level text, and only 28% could solve a division problem.

The Solution: Mindspark by Educational Initiatives

Educational Initiatives (Ei) developed a personalized adaptive learning software, Mindspark, that when deployed in after-school centers in lower economic communities showed large gains in Math and Language.

Mindspark draws on a database of over 45,000 questions to finely benchmark the initial learning level of every student and dynamically customize the material being delivered to match the level and rate of progress made by each individual student. It is currently available in 10 languages, with plans for more underway.

A pilot program in South Africa collaborates with a local non-profit to implement the program in schools in 3 provinces - Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It is actively growing its presence in the country and seeking support for the same.

To help students continue learning during COVID-19, Ei made Mindspark remotely accessible via smartphones, tablets and computers.

Mindspark's impact in India and South Africa

In this video, Pranav Kothari, CEO of Mona partner Educational Initiatives (India), describes the company's vision and technology-based solutions to revolutionize how children learn, offering Lalita's story as an example. The video is introduced by Paul Flowerman, Social entrepreneur and Chairman of PLT Health Solutions.

How we help

We have always believed that alone, we are a drop. Together a surging sea. We aim to collaborate with likeminded organizations, institutions, corporations and foundations to collectively level the playing field, scale our reach and impact, and improve quality of teaching and learning for more students.

To this end, in 2021 we welcomed a collaborative partnership with the philanthropist, Paul Flowerman, the Chairman of PLT Health Solutions and Educational Initiatives to provide access to Mindspark to disadvantaged students in both India and South Africa. The results speak for themselves. See 2023 achievements below.

Mitigating the COVID19 "Learning Loss"

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant loss of learning for students across the world.

Mona Foundation is committed to leveraging every proven approach including the use of technologies such as Mindspark to enable capacity building at the grassroots to improve the quality of teaching and learning at scale. This includes the August 2023 collaborative initiative with PLT, Ei in India and South Africa (SA), and ACORN Foundation of Capetown, to address the COVID19 "learning loss" for students in Apex high school in SA, and Prerna School in India.

This initiative, funded through partnership with ACORN (50%), PLT (25%), and Mona Foundation (25%) will provide access to device and Mindspark to 377 Apex high school students and 140 Prerna Girls School students at the cost of $50/year/student to improve learning outcomes. With evidence of demonstrated results the initiative aims for large scale implementation of the program. Read our blog for full details.

DONATE TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LEARNING

The COVID-19 crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt,” said Jaime Saavedra, World Bank Global Director for Education. The loss of learning that many children are experiencing is morally unacceptable. And the potential increase of Learning Poverty might have a devastating impact on future productivity, earnings, and well-being for this generation of children and youth, their families, and the world’s economies. -- World Bank 2021

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

2023 Achievements

76,270 students were provided access to Mindspark in 1,423 schools.
296 teachers and 20,000 parents were trained or engaged in support of their children’s education.

Founded in 2001, Educational Initiatives collaborates with governments, schools, philanthropists, multilateral organizations and communities. Through this network, Ei is able to bring local expertise and community involvement to effectively implement its programs, reaching students across different strata of society in India and South Africa and holistically impacting educational systems.

Ei Shiksha, the company's dedicated wing for social impact initiatives, was introduced in 2004 to take the company's expertise in assessments, educational research, and technology-based personalized adaptive learning to children in low income government schools. In one example, Ei partnered with the Government of Rajasthan to collectively support government school teachers to leverage Mindspark to improve students' learning outcomes. This programme is currently reaching 10,000+ students in 70 government schools across the state, with the potential to reach more schools across the country.

Past projects have been supported by World Bank, Mac Arthur Foundation, Google, Wipro, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Department of International Development (DfID), Global Innovation Fund, and several international and Indian state government agencies. Current corporate philanthropy funders include National Stock Exchange Foundation, Hindustan Zinc Limited, Procter & Gamble, PLT Healthcare Solutions, and Mahindra Foundation.

A part of Ei's work is also supported by individual philanthropists, who are deeply invested in EI’s social mission and continue to support the growth of the work through guidance, personal and professional networks, and donations.

Mona Foundation's partnership with Ei, in collaboration with one such philanthropist and PLT Healthcare, is working towards the shared goal of empowering 10 million children in India and South Africa by 2030 to improve their lives through digital learning that works.

2024 Needs, $125,000*

Continue to provide Mindspark online to students (ages 8 to 14) in the states of Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan to improve their learning outcomes in Language, Math, and English*

* Designated funds have been received.

Case Study

Lakshika Kaswan case study

Lakshika is in Grade 3 but her learning levels were much lower. She often failed to understand classroom instruction, and was falling behind.

When a Mindspark lab was set up in her school, Lakshika used it regularly and gained greater conceptual understanding of her lessons. In time, she went beyond her third-grade level and her teachers noticed improvements in her classroom performance. Now Lakshika is among the top students in her class.