P&G Shiksha, the flagship CSR program of P&G India, today launched a first-of-its-kind
nationwide movement to throw spotlight on a hidden issue called ‘Invisible Gap’, through a power packed panel deliberation in Mumbai. Studies indicate that students in schools often fall behind in keeping pace with their classes. One concept, one subject, one class, can give way to a larger issue where the child develops a gap in the fundamental conceptual understanding. When the child falls behind and the current learning level is not in line with the expected learning level as per the defined curriculum, an invisible learning gap is formed.
The discussion, centered around the theme of ‘Bridging Invisible Gaps’ and moderated by Priyanka Khanna, Author and Former Journalist, brought together Shefali Shah, National Award-Winning Actress, Girish Kalyanaraman, Vice President – Brand Operations, P&G India; Ritesh Agarwal, Assistant Vice President, Educational Initiatives; and Sagar Singh, Faculty Mathematics, Gov. High School Banah Ki Ser, Sirmour (HP). The panelists shared thought provoking insights to explain #invisibleGap, and how it significantly impacts children who perpetually keep trying to cope, and without the right support system drop out of school or face challenges in subsequent phases of life.
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.”