What is the name of your organization?
ThinkZone
What is the name of your solution?
PRAKASHAK
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Integrating tech-enabled parental engagement into public primary schools to develop children's foundational skills.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Cuttack, Odisha, India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
India
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are essential for early learning, supporting children’s cognitive development, and forming the basis for future academic success. Yet, over 50 million primary-grade students in India lack foundational skills, as highlighted in the National Education Policy.
This challenge is more severe in states with lower human development indices, like Odisha. The ASER 2024 reveals that 60% of Grade 3 students in Odisha cannot read a Grade 2-level text, and 70% are unable to perform basic subtraction.
To address this crisis, the Government of India launched the NIPUN Bharat mission with several interventions. Recognizing that children spend most of their time at home, the mission stresses the role of parents and communities in their education.
However, apart from a few annual parent-teacher meetings, consistent efforts to involve parents remain limited.
A study by the ASER Center found that 91% of Indian parents worry when their children struggle with reading or numbers. While parents are eager to help, most lack the technical know-how to support learning at home.
Despite interest from parents and the education system, lack of policy focus on behavioral incentives and technology for parental engagement has hindered meaningful collaboration, leaving children at a continued disadvantage.
What is your solution?
Our solution, PRAKASHAK, integrates parental and community engagement elements into the public primary grade system in collaboration with the government. The solution engages all key stakeholders—government leaders, teachers, parents, and communities—to develop children's foundational skills.
The solution takes an inclusive approach to promote education equity by supporting parents with or without internet access, ensuring no child is left behind. It uses simple, low-cost tools like text messages, voice calls, and IVRS for parents without internet and a WhatsApp chatbot for those with internet, to provide parents with personalized, fun learning activities in the local language Odia, supporting children’s at-home learning for free.
To drive behavior change among parents and communities, we set up school-level discussion forums using automated WhatsApp groups that include all parents and teachers. Parents can ask questions or share pictures of doubts, most are resolved through automation, while unique queries are addressed by teachers. We also use digital nudges and social recognition, such as highlighting champion parents and active schools, to boost engagement.
Government senior leaders are given access to a real-time program tracking and monitoring dashboard, which they use to support parents and teachers when needed.
Demo (3-min video): https://bit.ly/3GernEn
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution directly benefits children in primary grades across low-resource settings in Odisha, India, by improving their foundational skills. While children are the end beneficiaries, the primary users of our solution are their parents (aged 27–45) mostly from rural and underserved urban communities. These parents typically work in agriculture or blue-collar jobs and are often first-generation learners with limited education.
This group is currently underserved. Traditional education systems and policies have made limited efforts to actively involve parents in their children's learning. Many parents have never been engaged due to competing responsibilities, unfamiliarity with learning tools, or lack of confidence. Most available digital tools are in English or Hindi, which are not accessible to Odia-speaking parents, and many struggle with internet access or complex apps.
Our inclusive solution addresses these barriers by using familiar, low-tech platforms like SMS, WhatsApp, and voice calls. Through these accessible channels, parents receive simple, curriculum-aligned content in Odia that takes just 15–20 minutes a day—helping them support their children’s learning at home.
To ensure sustained impact, the program integrates behavior-change strategies, regular engagement through automated school WhatsApp groups, and support from teachers and government education leaders, promoting long-term parental involvement in children’s learning.
