The impact of Home Mentoring during the pandemic

The long shutdown of schools has affected millions of students across India from pre-primary to secondary level of education. The rapid shift to e-learning from physical learning prompted by the pandemic has brought to light some long-standing issues of inequality and the digital divide. The learning gap is likely to widen between high and low-income families, as children from economically disadvantaged families lack access to resources for remote learning. As per the UNICEF report, only 32 percent of the rural population of 12+ years in India had internet access during the pandemic.*

Kartik Maurya, a class 10 student in Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya Delhi, is one of the many such examples. He is the son of an auto mechanic and has faced several financial struggles since his childhood. The past two years were more difficult as the pandemic had a significant impact on his family’s income. It was almost impossible for his parents to buy a smartphone for Kartik to continue his education.

Bharti Foundation and 79 partnered government schools in Delhi, had launched the Home Mentoring program to ensure uninterrupted learning of students during the lockdown. With the influence of a few neighbors and teachers, Kartik’s mother attended workshops to learn about Home Mentoring and how effectively she could help her son to study at home. She took the responsibility of supporting Kartik at home after the workshops. Regular interactions with the teachers made her confident to support her son in completing the assignments and day-to-day school activities at home. She used to involve Kartik in household chores as well to have a close discussion about his progress in study and challenges.

With the support of his mother, Kartik has overcome majority of the challenges and set an example by participating in many extra-curricular activities. He has also secured first position in the Satya Bharti Skill Fest 2021. His overall performance in academic and other extracurricular activities lends credence to the Bharti Foundation’s home mentoring program for increasing students’ involvement during the pandemic.

* https://www.unicef.org/media/88381/file/How-many-children-and-young-people-have-internet-access-at-h