One in five students fail their English board exam in Karnataka, leading to drop-outs. A lack of English speaking skills also acts as a major hindrance when looking for gainful employment in the current context. It has been proven that learning through digital mediums enhances language learning, especially in non-English speaking populations as it makes content more engaging and interesting. However, finding context-relevant digital learning materials remains a challenge. The digital materials available are most often supplemental materials, which follow the traditional didactic learning methods. This has led to the under-utilisation of the immense potential of the digital medium to revolutionise learning through its user-centric, interactive format.

The Arivu-Disha program run by Headstreams aims to make English learning fun for student from Government Schools. It does this through the Arivu-Disha digital application where students are able to listen to bi-lingual stories and play different games, which comes naturally to every child. The digital application is loaded on android tablets by Arivu facilitators so that it can be used offline or in schools with limited internet connectivity. The organisation ensures that every student is given their own device, with facilitators moving from school to school rotating on a weekly basis.

Till date the innovation has impacted over 3,500 students from 6th-7th Standard in 30 Government schools across Karnataka. Two teachers from each school have been trained in the ‘Arivu approach to learning’ thereby empowering them as well.