According to the Quikvitt team, the project involves only an initial cost for buying the OTG which does not require monthly subscription and can be plugged into a mobile phone.ACCESS TO Education remains a major challenge for children from the economically weaker sections of society even in urban areas. To bridge this gap, students of MET Institute of Management (IOM), Bandra, have proposed a feasible model that uses easily available and inexpensive technology.During a competition organised by the Mumbai University, Team Quikvitt from MET had proposed to use Doordarshan’s On-The-Go (OTG) device to bring ‘education to the doorstep’ of the urban poor. Their project on the theme ‘Upliftment of the Urban Poor’ won the Mumbai University New Initiative for Joint Action Now (MUNIJAN) competition.According to the Quikvitt team, the project involves only an initial cost for buying the OTG which does not require monthly subscription and can be plugged into a mobile phone.
Akash Soni, a Quikvitt team member and a first-year student of MET IOM, said, “Today, most households, even those from EWS, own mobile phones. The idea is to provide them with OTG and collaborate with Doordarshan to have a dedicated educational channel.”The idea was hailed by judges and the students managed to find investors to start the project.“We now plan to start our own enterprise to take this project forward,” said Karan Shukla and Sayali Prabhu, team members.Nine teams were shortlisted for the competition, aimed at encouraging students to work on projects that help society. MUNIJAN was coordinated by the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) which received several applications from management colleges of the university. Other participants included teams from Welingkar Institute of Management, JBIMS and Sydenham Institute of Management, Research and Entrepreneurship Education.
A team from JBIMS suggested a food-service chain where slum dwellers would be trained in cooking, cleaning and delivering food at homes. “The ‘dabbas’ priced at Rs 30 and Rs 40 would provide a sustainable lifestyle. We had proposed a financial model taking into consideration inflation and losses,” said Ajit Singh, a second year student of JBIMS.“The objective of this initiative is to bring positive changes to society by involving students in a series of constructive and socially responsible activities,” said Chandrahauns Chavan, Director of JBIMS and the chief coordinator of MUNIJAN.He said the initiative, which started with participation of management colleges of Mumbai University, has now been extended to all universities in Maharashtra.
Source & Credit:http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-campus-buzz-students-come-up-with-model-to-bridge-education-gap-3079645/
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