Rajasthan's classroom on wheels initiative to bridge digital divide

The digital revolution in Rajasthan is delivering a doorstep education model, ushering in a new wave of productivity both for students as well as professionals.

As digitalisation remains the single most talked-about topic among business leaders, this digital revolution is shattering old business models, creating innovative thinking to resolve problems, and bringing in new solutions.

One such example is Classroom on Wheels, a new concept launched in Rajasthan to deliver doorstep education to rural kids.

This Digital Classroom on Wheels, also known as the 'Shiksha Rath' aims to provide affordable education to 5 million students living in villages and remote areas.

This 'Shiksha Rath' is the first-of-its-kind initiative rolled out to promote innovative learning in north India by providing a live digital learning experience to students in Rajasthan in the first phase.

As quality teachers are scarce in many cities and villages, parents will now be able to see the working of a digital studio and experience how their children can have a better learning experience from top educators helping 'Shiksha Rath' to act as an enabler to spread awareness of the benefits of digital education.

The 'Shiksha Rath' started its journey on April 13. In the pilot phase, it will cover small towns and villages in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts.

Dr Nirmal Gehlot, who conceptualised this project says, "Through this initiative, we aim to reach out to more than 5 million students in the next 2 years. Our Shiksha Rath will initially travel to the Hindi heartland of the country -- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. We will be launching 10 more Shiksha Raths across India in the next 5 years."

The digital classroom in the Shiksha Rath has high-speed internet connectivity, through which live classes will be conducted on various social media platforms. Just like the vanity van of a celebrity, the Shiksha Rath has all the facilities like bedroom, kitchen, dining area and washroom.

Besides educationists, the professionals from the state are also riding the digital wave and spreading their knowledge across the world.

Rishabh Jain, a Bombay IIT graduate recently envisioned simplifying the labour laws for people after seeing a professional who was unaware about managing payrolls despite being hired as a payroll manager.

"We came across a case where a professional being hired as a Payroll Manager didn't know how to manage a payroll as this was not taught to them in the educational institutes. Similar challenges were faced by professionals in taxation and legal fields. This was a pain point which triggered the idea to roll out payroll, HR, taxation and legal world courses on digital media where professionals teach short capsule courses which have practical aspects of the job."

This YouTube channel ranked No.1 as the most viewed finance channel in India in 2021. It crossed 3 million subscribers.

"Our vision was to simplify labour laws for the common man. Now, with over 3 million subscribers, our channel has evolved into a one-stop solution for labour laws, finance, investing, and business related content," says Rishabh.

The best part is that the innovations are helping those residing in remote areas and facing financial constraints.

Says Sourav Sharma, "I took up this course when I was facing the worst financial constraints during the pandemic. However, the concepts helped me to learn new facts which helped me progress in my career." He thanked the team.

Speaking on the current education trends, Abhishek Maheshwari, CEO, Aakash+BYJU's said, "Education is an evolving system and we can see things evolving fast in India. There are positive changes being seen across, internet penetration has gone strong and hence the rural side of the country will benefit as they can now enjoy learning from professionals who can be far off from their location but they stay within their reach while learning newer lessons."