ProGame - Coding WITHOUT Computers!
Enabling students to learn to code with a low-cost paper computer
Solution Pitch
The Problem
In India, 87 percent of schools do not have computers. An estimated 140 million students go to low- and middle-income private schools, which have an extremely low number of computers or oftentimes, none. With this skewed student-computer ratio, there is a lack of computer skill development in schools across India.
The Solution
ProGame is a paper computer that enables students to learn to program and code without computers. ProGame doesn’t need electricity or internet connection to work and is very inexpensive to implement, leaving little-to-no cost barriers. The program has a repository of India National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)-based questions available for teachers to refer to and assign to students to solve via coding, helping to reinforce concepts learned in other subjects’ classes. The gamified format of ProGame also uses features like leaderboards to motivate students and introduce interactive learning with their peers.
Stats
30,000 students have learned valuable computer skills with ProGame.
After using ProGame to learn to code without a computer, it takes students on average just 15 minutes to apply their skills on a computer using their newfound skills.
Market Opportunity
Many NGOs and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) teams of major corporations within India are willing to spend an estimated amount of ₹1000 (roughly $14 USD) per child per year on 21st Century skills training. A 2017 McKinsey report also predicts that 14 percent of the global workforce by 2030 will need to retrain and adapt to new jobs as work becomes increasingly digital.
Partnership Goals
ProGame seeks:
Strategic connections with CSR departments of large organizations to build coalitions and provide 21st century skills training to Indian youth.
Connections to cross-sector global leaders with experience in technology and business development to serve as advisors and board members.
Expert recommendations for tools and systems to improve monitoring and evaluation processes.
Strategic marketing support to increase media exposure and build brand recognition.
Opportunities to help promote ProGame’s expansion outside of India, particularly in the US and Latin America.
Technical expertise and resources to improve product interface design.
87% of Schools in India DO NOT have Computers!! Extremely low number of Computers in Low and Mid-income private Schools. In most cases, zero Computers as well. The Student-Computer ratio in private schools is skewed. End Result – Computer Skill Development at the School level in India and other developing countries is struggling.
Our product, ProGame, enables students to learn to code WITHOUT Computers! For Government school students, it’s a Cardboard Computer (with built-in Analytics) and for Home users, it’s a Fun Subscription Box! Government School Students, after using our product, are able to write programs on a computer within 15 minutes of gaining access to one. ProGame has won several awards and is currently being pursued by State Education Departments, reputed NGOs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Teams of IT MNCs in India. Our goal is to teach One Million Underserved students by 2023
1) 87% of Schools in India DO NOT have Computers!!
2) Extremely low number of Computers in Low and Mid-income private Schools. In most cases, zero Computers as well. An estimated 140 million students in India go to such schools.
3) Student-Computer ratio in private schools is skewed.
4) End Result – Computer Skill Development at the School level is struggling.
Our invention, ProGame, can enable learners to learn to program/code WITHOUT computers.
Optionally, but definitely a part of the invention, is the use of a mobile device to augment the learning process. Here, the Mobile phone is not needed for all the students in a classroom. The trainer/teacher can use his or her mobile to help the students in their learning process.
USPs:
1) Most Government Schools in India do not have stable Electricity or Internet Connections, ProGame doesn’t need either to work and is very inexpensive to implement - Little-to-no cost barriers.
2) A huge repository (Question Bank) of NCERT based questions available for teachers to refer to and assign them to students to solve via coding. Great way to reinforce concepts learnt in other subjects’ classes.
3) Gamified and Interactive Learning - Gamified Learning via Leaderboards within ProGame is a great way to motivate students to do well amongst peers.
4) Analytics Engine - Impact and Skills Assessment can be conducted without investing in costly resources.
5) Make them Future Ready - We are not teaching them anything new, ProGame leads them to learning a very popular programming tool recommended by CBSE (other state boards are following suit)
An estimated 87% of schools in India DO NOT have computers. Coding skill is fast becoming a must-have literacy skill from being a nice-to-have co-curricular activity. Coding skills should not be thrust upon a child; on the contrary, every child should have access to learn coding skills. The interested ones can be encouraged to learn further. As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and their government-school counterparts in countries like India, we don’t want the lack of access to coding skills to widen the divide!
Our Mission and Vision:
- Impart programming knowledge to students across the country irrespective of their socio-economic background.
- Create a “problem of plenty” in the next 7-10 years (by increasing the awareness levels in programming amongst students) especially amongst the underserved ones.
- Enable students to choose IT as a vocation or otherwise based on their own practical knowledge and make an informed decision
- Improve communication skills, logical thinking skills and problem-solving skills amongst students
Beneficiaries of our product/solution:
- Underserved school students of Government, Low and Mid Incomes schools in countries like India.
- Children at Home who do have access to Computers.
- Enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments.
India with a population of over 1.3 billion has an estimated 250-300 million school-going students out of which a whopping 65% go to government (public) schools. Further, a significant % of the remaining student population go to low and mid-income private schools. An estimated 87% of schools in India DO NOT have computers.
In countries like India, where public schools are unable to provide equitable quality education to their students, a great divide has been created between these students and a relatively small population of students that go to private schools.
Coding skill is fast becoming a must-have literacy skill from being a nice-to-have co-curricular activity. Coding skills should not be thrust upon a child; on the contrary, every child should have quality, equal and safe access to learn coding skills. The interested ones can be encouraged to learn further.
As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and their government-school counterparts in countries like India, we don’t want the lack of access to coding skills to widen the divide!
- Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.
A) Successful Projects conducted in Telangana, India.
a) Government Schools in Telangana https://youtu.be/PNQ9dNy7Kz8
b) Summer Camps in Government Schools in Telangana
c) Successfully Piloted in 18 schools in Telangana. Glowing recommendations from the District Education Officer (DEO) and Principal Secretary to implement in all (4000) Government schools in Telangana.
B) Partnered with reputed Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) for implementation in
a) Maharashtra, India
b) Madhya Pradesh, India
c) Tamil Nadu, India
d) Karnataka, India
e) Andhra Pradesh, India
f) Telangana, India
g) Assam, India
h) Kathmandu, Nepal
- A new application of an existing technology
There are many solutions available in the market to teach coding to students. However, all solutions would require a laptop, desktop or tablet for students to learn to code. This constraint makes it very difficult for students especially the ones residing in rural and semi-urban communities of India to learn. As such a great divide exists between private-school going students and government-school going students in India. The unavailability of computers to underprivileged students to learn 21st-century skills such as coding will only widen the gap. This makes our solution that much more relevant. Without expensive hardware and software, our solution uses the best of technology available (AI Techniques) and Cardboard to teach coding to students especially the underprivileged ones.
- Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
- Software and Mobile Applications
- Women & Girls
- LGBTQ+
- Children & Adolescents
- Rural
- Peri-Urban
- Urban
- Poor
- Low-Income
- Middle-Income
- Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons
- Minorities & Previously Excluded Populations
- 4. Quality Education
- India
- Nepal
- France
- United Kingdom
- For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
7 Full-time staff
3 Part-time staff
The founders have previous experience in working with underprivileged students studying in remote schools of Telangana, India. They have reached out to over 120,000 students studying in various schools across India, both private and government-run schools. The technical team has been together right from the beginning and are trained in the latest AI techniques. They are also empathetic to the cause and are highly motivated towards serving the underprivileged.
There is 50% Gender diversity amongst the founders. It has always been the highest priority of the founders to be sensitive to the needs of the team. Also, special care was taken during the recruitment process in conducting a free and fair screening and selection of candidates. As the continues to grow, the founders would like to keep the selection process intact and ensure the startup is diverse, equitable and inclusive in every possible way.
- Organizations (B2B)
We would like to partner with MIT and also demonstrate our product to the world. Also, we would like to win prizes that can bring money and recognition to the startup.
- Financial (e.g. improving accounting practices, pitching to investors)
- Public Relations (e.g. branding/marketing strategy, social and global media)
Would be exciting to be able to pitch to international investors.
This is a great platform to be present our product to international audience.
MIT Scratch Team
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
- Yes, I wish to apply for this prize
- No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Our product aims at providing equal opportunities to students to learn important 21st-century skills such as coding. It fits right into the Equitable Classrooms objective and would be a great solution to the problem.
Solver Team
Organization Type:
For-Profit
Headquarters:
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Stage:
Growth
Working In:
India
Current Employees:
7
Solution Website:
www.nextskills360.in
Founder - CEO - CTO
Co-Founder