The Circle India’s Post

I spent my Thursday evening at a bustling community centre of Gosawi basti at Kothrud. Micro Leaps (Previously SeekhShala) is a happy place for 30+ students (62% coming from Marathi medium schools, 17% from semi-English medium schools and 21% from English medium schools) who otherwise have limited access to quality education. While speaking to these little ones, I heard them say how they wait for the entire day to come to the centre, how nothing is taught in the schools they go to, the projects they are working on at the centre, and how they are planning for Prince Jebastin bhaiya's birthday! In the two hours, I witnessed an exemplar learning environment with tech being used for self-directed learning through Khan Academy and Read Along, I saw peer learning happening throughout with kids of different levels helping each other, a gamified way of learning vocabulary, a lot of learning happening through examples and organic conversations, learning numeracy through games, the warmth that teachers had towards the kids and their love for teaching! The best part was that kids were just being themselves, having fun and were completely engaged in class. The joy of learning came alive in every student and in the four tin walls of the centre because of the personalized experience created by the team Micro Leaps. In a community with 4 diverse ideologies and their own inhibitions about each other, Prince Jebastin and Maulika Kulkarni 's centre is the only place where everyone comes together to learn, laugh and collaborate. Prince and Maulika are not just shifting learning outcomes for these kids, they are also shifting their life outcomes! If you'd like to volunteer, contribute or support Micro Leaps, reach out to Prince Jebastin or Maulika Kulkarni! The Circle India