In an enlightening conversation with Priyadarshini Nigam, Director and Head of CSR at Newgen Software, we delve into the company's comprehensive approach to social responsibility. Newgen's flagship initiative, the Newgen Digital Discovery Paathshala (NDDP), launched in 2016, focuses on enhancing the Human Development Index (HDI) through education, income generation, and health and well-being. The program primarily targets female students in government schools in Delhi, aiming to bridge the digital divide and foster a culture of self-learning and ambition. With a multi-faceted curriculum that includes digital literacy, career counselling, and mental health support, NDDP strives to uplift underprivileged communities. Newgen's initiatives extend beyond students, also empowering women through digital literacy and skill development programs. The company's holistic approach, which integrates both online and offline methods, ensures scalability and sustainability, reflecting a strong commitment to making a long-lasting impact.
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Q. Newgen emphasizes the Human Development Index (HDI) as a goal. Does the company measure the program's impact on specific HDI metrics like education or income levels in target communities?
A. Newgen’s flagship philanthropic program—Newgen Digital Discovery Paathshala (NDDP) —was founded in 2016 to promote quality education to the less privileged. The initiative aims to foster a lasting social impact on the lives of female students in government schools of Harkesh Nagar and Tekhand, Delhi,by imparting digital literacy and bridging the technological divide. The whole idea stems from the belief – that when the future generation is well-read, aware, and ambitious, they can improve their quality of life and further aid the nation’s HDI.
NDDP’s relation with HDI is measured regularly through the following indicators:
- Education – Newgen’s philanthropic arm provides educational resources such as tablets and data cards with free Internet connection to enable the students to a culture of self-learning, further aiding their interest and growth.
- Income – NDDP offers the right guidance to senior students for higher education and focuses on creating their career paths. Additionally, the skill development program under NDDP empowers women to find income-generating opportunities that financially support families after completing the course.
- Health & Well-being – NDDP creates a safe space for the psychological, social, and physical well-being of the beneficiaries through monthly sessions with trained counselors. By managing sound mental and emotional space, the students have performed well in their studies, leading to a healthier and happier life.
The above parameters help us monitor our impact on the HDI through surveys, internal/external assessments, and feedback mechanisms.
Q. The NDDP program transitions students from basic to digital proficiency. Can you elaborate on the specific curriculum, tools, and resources used to achieve this transformation?
A. The USP of the NDDP is that the program has been customized based on the feedback of the beneficiaries and associated stakeholders. Here’s a look at the methodology of the program:
NDDP Labs – To enable digital proficiency, we have worked towards state-of-the-art digital labs at our adopted government schools with updated facilities. The audio-visual sessions enhance the learning experience of the students. Regular iPad sessions provide the students with a real-time experience of using the digital medium for research.
NDDP Tabs – Selected students are provided with tabs and data cards with free Internet connection to inculcate a habit of self-learning. The digital tools help students with in-depth research on various topics and enhance their knowledge.
Curriculum& Sessions – The NDDP sessions, both online and offline, cover topics in science, social, personality development, and career counseling. These sessions take the students a step beyond their school curriculum and offer them information on contemporary topics. The sessions also include one-to-one interactions with role models and working professionals who provide a better understanding to the students on offbeat topics.
Q. The program mentions an alumni club. How does Newgen leverage this network to support graduates transitioning into the workforce or higher education?
A. The NDDP alumni club consists of NDDP beneficiaries who have been promoted to Class 9. The alumni group focuses on personality development and career guidance for the younger crowd.To achieve a stable psychological, social, and physical environment, Newgen partnered with IAm, a mental health organization. IAm facilitates sessions to help students understand the importance of creating a safe mental space. A thorough counseling session urges students to consider unique career options. Interacting with working professionals and senior students helps them understand the real-world requirements of different work profiles.The first batch of Class 12 passed with flying colors in 2022. Currently, we have 100+ alumni students pursuing higher education and working hard towards creating a career aligning with their skills and interests. Our NDDP students are currently in the fields of physiotherapy, nursing, language skills, transportation industry, computer applications, elementary education, hotel management, and paramedical services.
Q. The NDDP program utilizes a hybrid model. Can you provide more details on the online and offline components of this approach and how they complement each other?
A. The hybrid model was implemented into the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The offline sessions, conducted in the NDDP labs of the adopted schools, helped the students build a connection and understand the importance of digital literacy in today’s world. The AV sessions gave a profound experience of the topics as visual mode has proven to be an effective method of learning. Regular iPad sessions in these labs further gave students a chance to adopt the digital medium for self-learning.
The online sessions have been a boon for the program and helped reach a larger number of students and cover curriculum topics at a faster pace. Online sessions have been impactful on the academic performance of the students, supporting the completion of term-wise topics and conducting repeated revision sessions. The online sessions also provide a platform for students to connect with professionals and their role models to get relevant exposure. Fun extra-curricular online sessions on debates, declamations, quizzes, and news-reading helped the students hone their skills in researching, communicating, public speaking, and imbibing a habit of self-learning.
Overall, the hybrid model has been beneficial to the holistic development of the students.
Q. The mothers' program focuses on digital literacy and skill development. How does Newgen ensure this program is scalable and sustainable in reaching a wider range of women in the community?
A. The NDDP Mothers’ program empowers women to identify and hone their skills. With the support of implementation partners, Newgen has trained team members to achieve this goal.Monitoring and customizing the requirements of the beneficiaries has ensured the scalability of the mothers’ program. This method helps us sync the program activities, such as skill development and market requirements, with the real-time scenario.
Since the inception of the mothers’ program in 2022, Newgen has been actively participating in community visits, which helped us identify the need for digital awareness sessions. We were able to help the mothers with identifying their skills and introduced skill development sessions. Parallelly, the mothers were offered regular mental health and well-being sessions. In the current financial year, our social impact arm has set up a skill development center to teach the skill of creating and selling handcrafted products in the market. The current batch consist of a total of 40 women being trained in the skill centre. The program is aimed at helping mothers find a sustainable source of income for themselves and their families.
Q. The program offers remedial education for struggling students. What metrics does Newgen use to measure the effectiveness of these interventions in improving academic performance?
A. To measure effectiveness, we track the academic performance of our students across various parameters, such as attendance, session participation, knowledge of digital tools, ability to use platforms for research, completion of the syllabus, engagement in extracurricular activities, and improvement graphs of test scores.Monitoring the engagement of students in these sessions also reflects the inclination of the students toward the program. Each year, we notice a growing number of NDDP students opting for higher education after receiving career guidance. Regular feedback from the students, parents, and teachers about the program also helps us track its efficacy and identify areas for improvement.
Q. The program focuses on soft skills and career counseling for NDDP alumni. Does Newgen offer any long-term support or mentorship opportunities for these students as they enter their careers?
A. For the alumni group, comprising students until Class 12, Newgen offers guidance on different aspects of career planning, such as identifying skills and interests, stream selection, and helping pick courses in college. Through detailed discussions of each career and interaction with professionals, the students are provided with vivid information.College scholarships are also organized for meritorious students. At present, 100+ alumni students are pursuing their higher education with fully-funded scholarships. Selected students are enrolled in offline personality development sessions that offer a whole new perspective on understanding oneself and leading life. The honed students further become peer role models for the junior batches.
Q. Newgen partners with Akshaya Patra for the midday meal program. Does Newgen have any data on the program's reach (number of students fed) or impact on student attendance and health?
A. Newgen’s collaboration with Akshaya Patra has been significant in helping us reach remote areas of the country over the past many years. Periodically audited reports—managed and provided by the partner organization—of meals fed and students enrolled at various locations help track the program’s goal. The project reports also record the impact of nutritious food on the attendance and health of the students.
Q. The annual CSR week fosters employee volunteerism. Can you share details on how this program is structured to maximize volunteer engagement and impact?
A. Volunteer engagement is vital for any organization as it connects its employees with the beneficiaries to amplify societal development.Newgen employees volunteer in offline and online NDDP sessions as professional role models, debate and declamation competition judges, attendees of special workshops like STEM and digital camps, and other celebrations/events throughout the year. Our annual CSR week is dedicated to engaging the beneficiaries with the volunteers through different activities like robotics workshops, online special counseling sessions, public speaking competitions, virtual tours of partner projects, etc.These engagements have a substantial two-way impact. The students get feedback and guidance toward a productive direction and find these interactions informative and encouraging. Furthermore, the employees get a fresh outlook on today’s societal scenario and help the students grow through their life lessons. The two-way communication enhances the cycle of development and improvement.
Q. Throughout the CSR initiatives, Newgen mentions various programs targeting students, women, and underprivileged communities. Can you share some data on the total number of beneficiaries reached across these initiatives?
A. In FY24, NDDP had over 3500 students enrolled in the digital education program in Delhi NCR. The life skills and personality development programs, implemented by IAm, covered 1700+ students of NDDP alumni.Under the mothers’ program, 40 women are being trained at the skill development center, and over 200 women are in our digital literacy and mental health well-being initiatives. Our partner organizations, KHUSHII and KK Academy, reached 6700+ students through remedial and digital education programs in Delhi, Chennai, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
Akshaya Patra through the mid-day meal program served over 11 lakh mid-day meals to 5200+ students in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
