Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala’s English Literacy programme now live on the Diksha Portal by the Ministry of Education
Mumbai: In a development that strengthens its push for on-the-ground impact through government institutions, Marico Limited’s Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala program now has its English Literacy curriculum featured on Diksha, a national educational platform established by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The program content is currently live in the state of Jharkhand through the platform, where it is being used to develop the English Language Proficiency levels of teachers across the state to ensure more effective and impactful learning outcomes.
The development marks another major achievement for the Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala (NSPF) program which, since its launch in 2012, has furthered the cause of bettering children’s education in India through impact-oriented interventions and tech-enabled outreach. The curriculum available on Diksha covers the first two levels of the NSPF ELP program, Elementary Reading and Advanced Reading, and is tailored to benefit teachers educating students from Grade 2 to Grade 5. The course has been meticulously structured to ensure ease of comprehension and practical implementation for teachers and begins with a comprehensive training session that also requires teachers to complete a follow-on certification test. With Jharkhand becoming the pioneering state to grant permission for ELP curriculum upload on Diksha, NSPF now aims to extend the program to other key states, such as Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Speaking on the latest milestone, Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer & Group General Counsel and Secretary of the CSR Committee, Marico Limited, said, “With purpose at the heart of its existence, Nihar Naturals’ overall value proposition is focused on improving education and enabling skill empowerment. For us, the Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala initiative has been the flagbearer of the impact that focused interventions can create in the field of education, learning, and upskilling. With our English Literacy curriculum now live on the Diksha platform we are delighted to support the government’s efforts to improve the quality of learning with our comprehensive, innovative approach to learning and development that aligns with the specific needs of every student and teacher.”
With a view of upskilling teachers and increasing the reading and speaking proficiency of students from underserved areas, the NSPF program leverages a comprehensive learning and development approach to empower teachers with subject-matter knowledge, thus enabling them to engage better with their students. It also provides access to digital learning platforms and modules – such as WhatsApp Enterprise model-based learning programs – to enhance the learning environment for students, apart from utilizing other technologically-fortified solutions to upgrade the capability of teachers to impart proper training.