Aksharadaan intends to build and maintain web based digital platform facilitating self-interested schools to register school and individual student level needs, and prospective donors and volunteers to provide financial and non-financial services using the platform to such registered schools and disadvantaged students..
A team of self-motivated experts from different parts of the world belonging to different disciplines of science, technology and education with an intent to provide voluntary service in education.
Aksharadaan is not an institution which receives funds/donations and expend for the cause of education on non-profit basis. It is a digital platform developed and maintained by a group of voluntary experts which promotes different stakeholders to use for the cause of education. It facilitates direct one to one connection between beneficiary and benefactor. It receives donations only to conduct limited thematic campaigns on annual basis, maintain and upgrade the platform and publicity of the platform for greater outreach.
Aksharadaan adopts state of art information technology, geospatial systems and security protocols and provides two-way interactive online platform at free of cost. The schools at their self-initiation can register school or individual student level needs on the platform. Similarly, self-interested donors and volunteers can register, choose particular school or student of his/her choice, interact with them as needed and provide services of his /her choice for such registered schools and students. Hence the entire concept is also called Self Initiative Citizens Model
This interface involves extending knowledge access and sharing using open access information and contributions from volunteers respectively. Currently providing free accessible quality online learning for 10th class students as a compliment to school based learning. Extends open source curriculum and other knowledge based videos and books, free online coaching and doubts clearance by bright volunteers (Connect with GEMs), online question banks and self-assessment, competitive exams and awards, online motivation and career guidance by persons of eminence.
A cost free digital interface helps to connect dots of needs (thousands of aspiring schools and students) and drops of charities (donors) and render direct transfer of services (no cash transfers) involving easy functional, transparent, cost and time effective, robust monitoring and evaluation tools. Aksharadaan do not receive donations to render services but connects concerned schools with donors through Akshara Sahaya for direct transfer of services. It helps to serve academic, cultural and infrastructural needs of schools and students.
It is a model being tested involving digital network of schools, individuals, academic institutions, charities, and corporates over an optimal rural working unit to render need based holistic online and onsite services using Akshara sahaya and Aksharamaala interfaces for creating digital islands of rural academic excellence. Currently being piloted involving IIT(H),GITAM(H) and MNR group of institutions.
These services include two types viz financial and non-financial. The financial services include notional motivational scholarships (birthday gift), award/reward money, school fee, examination fee, coaching or tuition fee etc. The nonfinancial services include providing clothes, school bags, footwear, instruments, birthday gifts, extending coaching and mentoring services for academic and non-academic nature (Cultural, Sports, Competitive exams, and Medical).
These services include financial support for augmenting school infrastructure facility in terms of toilets, classroom facility, digital class rooms, PT facility. In addition, the principal could pool up individual student financial needs and could seek aid for either academic or non-academic needs. At school level, the coaching and mentoring service could be made by interested volunteers either at school or through online facility.
These services include registration and information collection of schools /students, undertaking registration campaigns of donors and volunteers, participation/conducting awareness and thematic campaigns of Aksharadaan.
The individual persons or institution interested in extending financial aid or providing material incurring cost at their end are called as individual and institutional donors respectively. Any interested person or institution can register and extend the service. The donor can provide services at individual student, school and Aksharadaan level.
The individual persons interested to spend their time for giving coaching, mentoring at individual student/school level, for participation in registration campaigns, publicity campaigns and thematic Recognition of Services
In the working framework of Aksharadaan, the teacher and principal play vital voluntary role in realising the services. The teachers/principals who gets more services to students will be rewarded with cash awards and appreciation certificate during specially organised occasion..
The donors/volunteers who contributes will be acknowledged on the site, our annual report and also will be felicitated in certain cases during specially organised occasion.