Mumbai, April 20, 2023. P&G Shiksha, the flagship CSR program of P&G India, launched a nationwide movement to highlight the problem of ‘Invisible Gap’ through a panel deliberation. The discussion brought together National Award winning actress Shefali Shah, Girish Kalyanaraman, VP- Brand Operations, P&G India; Ritesh Agarwal, AVP- Educational Initiatives and Sagar Singh- an accomplished mathematics faculty at a Government High School in Himachal Pradesh. The discussion was moderated by author and former journalist Priyanka Khanna. P&G Shiksha also unveiled its new first-of-its kind campaign film which highlights the issue through the thought-provoking story of Bindiya, a young girl impacted by the invisible gap and struggling to cope in the classroom.
P&G Shiksha, through the insightful discussion and the new film, aims to make this ‘Invisible Gap’ visible. This would be done by creating awareness and urging meaningful action to bridge the gap which is impacting over six crore children in the country as indicated by the National Achievement Survey, 2021.
Speaking on the occasion, actor Shefali Shah remarked, “I believe that education is the key to unlocking a child's full potential. I knew of how challenging education be for children, from my own personal experience and that with my kids, but this partnership with P&G Shiksha has made me cognizant of #InvisibleGaps in learning that impact a vast number of children, when they fall behind expected learning levels. It's heartening to see P&G Shiksha is working towards not just making this invisible gap visible, but also bridging it with relevant on-ground interventions. Actions start with awareness, and I am glad that I can be a part of this journey with P&G Shiksha. When all of us play our part, we can help create an environment where every child is encouraged to achieve their full potential through holistic education.”
Speaking about the new film, Girish Kalyanaraman, Vice President – Marketing Operations, P&G India said, “P&G Shiksha has continued to work tirelessly to provide access to education to millions of underprivileged children since its inception 18 years ago. We are taking this journey forward through the first-of-its-kind campaign and story of Bindiya, with the objective of driving nationwide awareness and urging meaningful action around invisible gaps which are impacting crores of children in our country. Our aim is to highlight that what is often misunderstood as the child being naughty or disinterested in learning, may instead be a sign of the invisible gap that arises when children fall behind and their current learning level is not in line with the expected learning level.
To bridge this gap, P&G has been working with its partners through various programs – from leveraging advanced Machine-learning based tools to community-level learning camps. While we are working to tackle the issue on ground, we hope that this movement inspires everyone to identify this gap in children around them and take necessary corrective measures to bridge it.”
Mr. Ritesh Agarwal, Assistant Vice President, Educational Initiatives added, “We believe that every child has the right to quality education, and through our association with P&G Shiksha we have been committed to making this aspiration a reality in communities that are strained on resources. This initiative is a powerful reminder of the impact that education can have on a child's life, and we hope that it will inspire more people to support our cause. With the Mindspark tool developed by EI, we can identify the children lagging in schools and creating a personalized learning path that enable them to learn at a pace, on topics and at times that are convenient for them. We have seen this approach to be very effective in improving the learning levels amongst children and bridging this #InvisibleGap.”
In order to improve learning outcomes, P&G Shiksha leverages AI-backed technology with 'Mindspark', a computer-based adaptive learning tool, in partnership with Educational Initiatives. The program also implements on-ground remedial learning interventions in partnership with Pratham Education Foundation, using both community-based and in-school models supported by trained volunteers and teachers. It also focuses on early childhood education through Pratham Education Foundation, developing motor, cognitive, social-emotional, language and creative skills in children for a strong foundation as they begin school.
P&G Shiksha has been working to provide access to education to underprivileged children since 2005. It has built and supported over 2,000 schools across India, impacting the lives of over 1.5 million children.
