Akshara Foundation - The Face of Modern Education

Akshara Foundation, is a Bangalore-based charitable trust, well-recognized for its scalable and cost-effective solutions to improve the quality of education in government-owned schools in Karnataka, with an emphasis on joyful learning.

Set up in 2000 at Bangalore, at the request of the Government of Karnataka, Akshara's mission is to have 'Every child in school and learning well'. So far, Akshara's work has impacted over 1 million children in government primary schools in Karnataka.

The flagship initiatives of Akshara Foundation, among others, are:

● Akshara Ganitha - kits that use a fun activity-based method to explain basic and complex concepts of maths. The kits are aligned with the math textbooks that teachers follow in Karnataka.

Teachers are trained on the use of these kits, which they further use in classrooms with good impact. The success of these kits has led to a math movement named Ganitha Kalika Andolana.

● Ganitha Kalika Andolana - With the success of the Akshara Ganitha kits, Akshara Foundation has taken the lead to offer effective early math education to all children in grades 4 and 5 in the state of Karnataka.

It is significant to note here that the Karnataka Government has replicated the use of the math kits across the state, and while they invest to purchase the kits, Akshara continues to train the teachers in their use and monitor and evaluate the programme.

Down the years, Akshara Foundation has gained invaluable insights into what it takes to have a quality schooling system in Karnataka. Its insights and stories of change have the potential to actively shape discussions around education in India.