CTD-LTI -Final_Report.pdf

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“The highest education is that which does not merely gives
us information but makes our life in harmony with all
existence” – Rabindranath Tagore.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Impact Assessment Report 2018 - 2021 .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Impact Assessment ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Background ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
CTD Organogram: .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Vision, Mission, Values, Organisational Objectives and Activities .......................................................................................... 9
Stakeholder Analysis for the Impact Assessment study ...................................................................................................... 11
Scope of the Impact Assessment ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Methodology .................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Report On Performance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
A. Performance on Values ............................................................................................................................................................ 14
B. Report on Performance of Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 14
Objective 1: To identify the schools that require support for its academic upgradation...................................... 15
Key Findings: ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Objective 2: To reach out to students on Science, English and Mathematics in an engaging way ..................... 19
Outcomes ................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Key findings: ............................................................................................................................................................................ 32
Pandemic related intervention by CTD ......................................................................................................................................... 35
Key Findings: ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Objective 3: To strengthen the core concepts of the teachers and support the teacher community in the
selected schools .......................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Outcomes ................................................................................................................................................................................. 41
Objective 4: To eradicate the fear of Math and Science through continuous interaction .................................... 43
Outcomes ................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
Key Findings ............................................................................................................................................................................. 46
Objective 5: To build the Internal Capacity of CTD teachers ......................................................................................... 47
Outcomes: ................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
Key Findings: ........................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Recommendations:.......................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Other stakeholder views .............................................................................................................................................................. 51

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Plans for future ................................................................................................................................................................................. 51
REES structure: ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Sustainable Development Goals Alignment ................................................................................................................................ 54
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 56
Annexures .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 57
Questionnaires................................................................................................................................................................................. 57
Memorandum of Understanding................................................................................................................................................ 57
Index of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Index of tables ................................................................................................................................................................................. 59
Appreciation letter from an Alumni Student .......................................................................................................................... 60

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The education scenario in India is going through a transformative phase, right from the policy
perspective to the implementation strategy on the ground. Blended learning mechanism such as
using technology has been prevalent mostly in the urban areas. With the penetration of internet
services in rural areas, opportunity to reach out to the rural masses has been possible. Connecting
the Dots (CTD) Pvt Ltd., a Bangalore-based Ed-tech company, has been operating in rural as well
as urban Karnataka since 2016. Born out of a deep faith that teaching disciplines like Science and
Mathematics should be made more practical, hands-on, and fun, CTD has been working with
teachers and students across the state.
This impact assessment has been undertaken to by Social audit Network (SAN), India, (technical
partner of Hands-on-CSR) for the period 2018-2021. By subjecting the intervention to a third-
party audit and assessment, CTD seeks to determine the outcome of its initiative and
demonstrate its impact to its sponsors. The schools under the study have been supported by
Larsen and Tubro Infotech (LTI) Services Pvt Ltd.
In this study for the impact assessment, 9 schools were included as sample from Bangalore and
Hubli districts. 125 students from these schools were reached out to, besides consulting with
other stakeholders. Since the entire assessment was done during the pandemic period, and the
schools were closed, the students could not be reached out in-person. All the stakeholder
consultations were done remotely through telephonic conversations and Google forms.
Key Findings:
CTD’s intervention aligns with 3 of the 17 Sustainable Development goals set up by the United
Nations:
Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
Goal 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
Goal 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries.
During the assessment period, CTD had met the set target of schools for the intervention. During
this period 3829 school children were reached out and ~1000 hours of learning have been
provided. Besides providing the hardware support to the schools, it ensured its smooth
functioning. In many schools, solar panels were installed.
School teachers and headmasters have reported an increase in the attendance in the school with
children looking forward to the CTD classes. 80% of the schoolteachers have reported an
improved overall performance of the students. There has been an increased engagement in the
classes. 94% of the children have said that the demos and experiments have helped them
understand the concept. More than 50% of the students had used the worksheets provided

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which has helped in further building their clarity. The schoolteachers and the headmaster were
impressed with the methodology adopted by CTD and appreciated it. The state-of-the-art
facilities and quality of resources provided, is a privilege for government school students, who
otherwise may not be able to afford these.
During the pandemic, the strategy to reach out to the students had to be revised. CTD continued
to provide support by creating a helpline. WhatsApp and Telegram apps were used to reach out
to the students in the form of clearing their doubts as well as providing worksheets for practice.
By creating individual logins for approximately 1600 students, CTD tried to reach out to as many
students as possible. However, due to bandwidth problems, in accessibility of phones and tablets,
many students could not attend to the classes on a regular basis.
Besides providing coaching support to the students, CTD provides training to the teachers to help
strengthen the teaching ecosystem. During the pandemic, teacher training program for the
government teachers was conducted in which 83 participants participated and got certified.
To help the students, overcome the fear of the subjects especially in Science and Math, CTD has
ensured that it adopts a methodology which is learner friendly. By adopting new tools to simulate
the concepts, using animation, live demonstrations etc, CTD teachers have tried to make the
learning engaging. 52% of the students said that the CTD teachers explain the Science and Math
steps in quite simple manner. They are now less intimidated and feel good about participating in
quiz. CTD has encouraged the student in pursuing Science and Math by providing career
counselling guidance, scholarship support and alumni support in their PUC.
Quality of teachers recruited by the CTD is of superior standard. They undergo rigorous training
program before they start taking the classes. The content used to deliver the program is created
after intensive research and discussion with the experts and team members.
Using the REES Framework, a score of 8.5 has been arrived which was based on the overall
performance of the organization for the project.

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IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT 2018 - 2021
INTRODUCTION
The education scenario in the Indian diaspora has undergone many transformative in the recent
past. The need for the change has been simmering for long due to the inequity in access to good
quality education. The widening gaps are more evident among rural areas, which includes
inadequate number of schools, poor infrastructure, lack of good quality teaching material and
non-availability of a systemic approach for universal education. With approximately 43 crores
children in the age-group of zero to 18 years with at least 74% 1
of them residing in rural areas, it
has become imperative that these gaps are plugged.
The traditional classroom model is gradually metamorphosing into multimedia and virtual
sessions. While these changes are visible in urban schools, the rural parts of the country are
struggling with many shortcomings. One of the crucial findings of the Annual Status of
Education Report (ASER), 2018 is that more than 50% of the students in 5th standard attending
rural schools were not capable of reading a second standard textbook and could not solve basic
mathematical questions. The need for strengthening the foundation and ensuring strong
understanding of subject concepts becomes critical for children to pursue higher education.
With the pandemic having severely affected the education of the children, it is going to be a
humongous task to bring children back into the learning space and speed up their learning
abilities. The positive side of the pandemic, however, is that it has necessitated a shift towards
online education at a faster pace but the same needs to be complemented with infrastructure
reforms, support, and training by the government, aided by civil-society groups.
Addressing some of the above concerns, Connecting the Dots Pvt ltd, (CTD) an Edu-tech company
based out of Bangalore, has been operating in rural as well as urban Karnataka since 2016. Born
out of a deep faith that teaching disciplines like Science and Mathematics should be made more
practical, hands-on, and fun, CTD has been working with teachers and students across the state.
Their philosophy is built around the fact that children and teachers should be made more aware
and be appreciative of “Science all around us” and that the only way to learn these subjects is by
improving conceptual understanding of these subjects among teachers and students. Their
approach is to connect a central concept to everyday experiences and to the functioning of the
world around them. When children connect these dots in their minds, it helps in building a lasting
impression. CTD offers high quality education to students and teachers of K12 in Science, Math
and Language leveraging technology to achieve scale and create new operating models.

1 source: Central Statistics Office (CSO)

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IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Among the many sets of beneficiaries serviced by CTD, it offers online educational support
services to government high schools across rural Karnataka. With the realization that one in six
teaching positions in government schools is vacant, CTD leverages technology extensively by way
of delivering coaching to students in these schools using virtual classrooms. This initiative of CTD
is supported by Larsen and Tubro Infotech (LTI) Services Pvt Ltd
Social Audit Network, India (a technical partner of Hands-on-CSR), has been assigned to conduct
the third-party impact assessment for the CTD-LTI program. By subjecting the intervention to a
third party assessment, CTD seeks to determine the outcome of this assessment, to understand
if the students and the teachers have benefitted by the support provided by CTD and if there are
any operational gaps that could be plugged in for better and efficient delivery of the program.
The study will also help in understanding if the beneficiary perceives the value obtained as
envisioned by the organization. Through this impact assessment, CTD wants to demonstrate its
impact to its sponsors.
The study also will ensure if the goals of the program as agreed with the sponsors have been
fulfilled which includes –
● To promote education, retainment of children in Government schools by encouraging
them to attend school regularly and increase their pass percentage.
● To reduce the dropout percentage due to lack of teachers in the school
● The online education program supports Sustainable Development Goals mainly
#SDG4 Quality education and #SDG10 Reduced Inequalities
This report has been prepared by Vatsala Ravikrishnan and Jayashree Govind from SAN, India ,
who have designed and executed the impact study and, drafted this report.
BACKGROUND
Connecting the Dots (CTD) Pvt Ltd is an Ed-tech company established with the mission to improve
the quality of education in the schools. With an approach of connecting the central concepts with
everyday experiences and the world around us, CTD aims to help increase the conceptual learning
of students in Science and Mathematics. CTD works with two central entities of the education
system – teachers and the students.
CTD has leveraged the technology-based solution, Cloudtutor which allows beaming of live
sessions across geographies and provides a host of other teaching and learning solutions. From
a live studio based out of their office in Bangalore, the classes conducted are beamed to schools
across Karnataka at the same time. Live classes are screened according to a predetermined

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schedule. Schools log in to the portal and project these sessions on screens in classrooms. The
classes allow two-way interaction, and this ensures immediate clarification of questions. These
classes are recorded and stored in cloud space by schools for later viewing. The platform allows
students to participate, ask questions, observe experiments and demonstrations, and access
worksheets.
Besides conducting classes for the children, CTD offers teacher training programs focusing on
primary, secondary and high school teachers. The training modules are multi-level and easy-to-
complete for teachers to gain command over science and mathematics. Apart from subject
matter expertise, the training offers skills on topics like using the internet in teaching, soft skills,
presentation skills, peer collaboration in schools, and others.
CTD has so far delivered approximately 80 lakhs coaching hours to students, touching
approximately 50, 000 students and 5 lakh teachers.
CTD ORGANOGRAM:

Figure 1 - CTD Organization

Management
Rajesh Rao – CEO
Pranav Rao - COO
Board Of
Directors
Advisory Team
Lead Faculty &
Content
Development
Faculty
Associate Faculty
Project Managers
Program Co-
ordinators
Technology &
Platform Team
Partner
Development
Admin / HR/
Finance
CTD Organization and Focus Areas

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VISION, MISSION, VALUES, ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
VISION
Making quality education affordable across geographies
MISSION
To strengthen the education systems in government high schools using technology and
enable in building of strong subject concepts among the student community
VALUES (Intrinsic to the current program)
Learning – as an organization, the spirit of learning inculcated at all levels.
Innovation – to inculcate the spirit of innovation among all its stakeholders.
Accountability – be responsible for its deliverables and outcomes.
Collaboration and Partnership – to engage with partners, government and other
stakeholders and create an ecosystem for sustainable solutions.
Discipline – be prompt and execute the planned action on time.

OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES
Objective 1:
To identify the schools that need the
intervention by
Activity 1A: identifying the place which require
the intervention.
Activity 1B: signing-up with the school with a
formal MOU.
Activity 1C: installing equipment and other
resources.
Objective 2:
To reach out to students on Science,
English and Mathematics in an engaging
way by
Activity 2A: Designing and developing of lesson
plan using multiple tools.
Activity 2B: Designing and developing
experimental kits for demonstration of concepts.
Activity 2C: Creating avenues for higher order
thinking through multiple mechanism.
Activity 2D: Reaching out to a wider audience
through television broadcast during Covid times

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OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES
Objective 3:
To strengthen the core concepts of the
teachers and support the teaching
community in the selected schools by
Activity 3A: designing and developing the teacher
training module.
Activity 3B: imparting the training to the teachers
on the subject matters.
Activity 3C: imparting training to the teachers on
online teaching and etiquettes.
Activity 3D: providing helpline service for
clarifications and queries.
Objective 4:
To eradicate the fear of Math and Science
through continuous interaction by
Activity 4A: using language that the students can
relate with and can understand easily.
Activity 4B: Conducting quizzes among the CTD
schools.
Activity 4C: providing scholarship for successful
students.
Activity 4D: identifying private donors to help
needy students for further studies.
Activity 4E: continue to coach and support the
alumni students.
Objective 5:
To build internal capacity of CTD by
Activity 5A: Identifying the suitable teachers
through rigorous screening.
Activity 5B: training the selected candidate with
subject and soft skills
Activity 5C: conducting frequent workshops on
specific subject- matter by experts
Table 1 - Objectives and Activities

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STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS FOR THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY

Figure 2 - All stakeholders of the CTD-LTI program
Stakeholder consultations details:
# Stakeholder Mode of
Consultation
Total number
of stakeholders
targeted
Total number
of stakeholder
consulted
Sample Size
(%)
1 Government School
Students
Telephonic
interview
16 16 100%
(the students
consulted belong to
the 2021-22 10th
grade)
Survey
(Questionnaires
administered in
schools)
1482 125 9.5%
2
School Principals Telephonic
Interview
5 4 80%

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# Stakeholder Mode of
Consultation
Total number
of stakeholders
targeted
Total number
of stakeholder
consulted
Sample Size
(%)
3 School teachers Telephonic
Interview
9 8 88%
4 Alumni Telephonic
Interview
3 2
5 CTD teachers Telephonic
Interview
7 (including one
ex-teacher)
7 100%
6 Teachers attending
teachers training
program
Telephonic
interviews
9 8 88%
7 Donors Telephonic
interviews (with
CSR head of LTI)
1 1 100%
8 Program co-ordinators Personal
Interviews
2 2 100%
Table 2 - Stakeholder consultations
SCOPE OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The impact assessment has been done for the period 2018-21 for all the objectives mentioned in
the above section.
METHODOLOGY
The Social Accounting and Audit (SAA) framework of Impact Measurement and the Impact Map
were jointly developed by the program managers of CTD and SAN consultants. Thereafter, the
SAN team designed the consultation tools, conducted the stakeholder consultations, reviewed
the internal documents of CTD to arrive at the findings of the study. Based on random sampling,
the stakeholder sample size was arrived for each group.
This study is focused on the CTD-LTI program executed for the government school children in
rural & urban Karnataka. The sample consisted of 9 schools that were considered for the study
and the primary and a few secondary stakeholders from these schools were consulted.
# School Name
Teachers / HMs
consulted
Students consulted
1 GHS, Nigadi - Yes
2 GHS, Thaluvegera - Yes

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# School Name
Teachers / HMs
consulted
Students consulted
3 GHS, Yentaganahalli, Nelamangala Yes Yes
5
GHS, Baradimandigere,
Nelamangala
Yes Yes
6
GHS, Soladevanahalli,
Nelamangala
Yes Yes
7 GHS, Bettahalasuru, Yelahanka Yes -
8 GHS, Adaragunchi, Hubli Yes Yes
9 GHS, Vishweshanagara, Hubbali Yes Yes
Table 3 - List of school where stakeholders were consulted
Limitations of the study
Since the entire assessment was done during the pandemic period, all the schools were closed
and hence the stakeholder consultation was done remotely. The site visit of the program activity
could not be undertaken. For any learning intervention, the outcomes are measured using the
Knowledge, Attitude and Skill sets / Practice developed. As the pandemic deterred any in-person
interaction, such an exercise could not be carried out.

Figure 3 - Government School

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REPORT ON PERFORMANCE
A. PERFORMANCE ON VALUES
Values are the key principles that underpin the way an organization operates, and which
influences the way it behaves. Based on the nature of the program and discussion with the
management of CTD, values intrinsic to the program under study were arrived at. The values
were further tested for validation by the stakeholders consulted.
All the values were discussed with the primary stakeholders, except the students. The
stakeholder analysis on these values reflects the following result:

Figure 4 - Rating on Values by CTD teachers, schoolteachers & Donor
The above values were validated by the both the schoolteachers as well as the CTD teachers.

Mr. Sachidanand, Head Master, Baradimandikere, Nelamangala –“The learning has enhanced, the
children in rural areas do not have access to quality education, which they are getting through
these CTD classes”.
Mrs Roopa, Teacher, Bettahalasuri, Yehlanka –“The discipline with which CTD is running the
classes has made the children more regular and their curiosity to learn has increased”.
Mr. Vinodh Kumar, Head, CSR, LTI –“CTD has innovated in many ways for this program, but the
best innovation was in the way they reached out to the students and continued the learning
program during the pandemic”

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B. REPORT ON PERFORMANCE OF OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE 1: TO IDENTIFY THE SCHOOLS THAT REQUIRE SUPPORT FOR ITS
ACADEMIC UPGRADATION
For the period 2018-2021 the program was planned to be rolled out in 17 government schools
identified across Karnataka. A rigorous process was put in place and specific criteria were set to
identify the schools and onboard them onto the program. The regions for the program to be
included are – Dharwar, Koppal and Bangalore Rural with a few urban Bangalore schools
included.
The criteria for selection included the following –
• The schools should be a mix of Kannada and English medium.
• The schools should have Class VIII, IX and X.
• The size of each class should range between 60-80 students.
• The overall performance of the schools and if the support was critical for them.
• The strength of teachers in the school.
• The readiness of the principal and in-charge teachers to accept the program and
provide the necessary support for the program to run.
• Provision to install the infrastructure which includes a separate room and a school to
take the responsibility for the equipment.
• Availability of internet service providers in the area (at least 2 for each school).
As a first step, the coordinator has connected with the respective BEOs of each region and
identified the schools that require the support based on the performance of the school, the
number of the teachers and the strength of the school. In consultation with the local
stakeholders, the recommended schools were studied and ensured that the above criteria were
fulfilled to take the program forward. An MoU with the schools were signed and the program
initiated in the schools. (Sample of MoU is annexed).
From a list of 20 schools, 17 schools were onboarded and support for Science, Mathematics and
English was delivered through virtual mode.
List of schools:
# School Name Village / District # of Students Start Date
1 GHS, Nigadi Dharwar district 241 21-Aug-18
2 GHS Boys, Thoppalakatti Koppal district 151 21-Aug-18
3 GHS, Thaluvegera Koppal district 147 21-Aug-18
4 GHS, Gollahalli Bangalore urban 303 21-Aug-18

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# School Name Village / District # of Students Start Date
5 GHS, Byatarayanapura Bangalore urban 198 21-Aug-18
6 GHS, Yentaganahalli,
Nelamangala
Bangalore rural 196 12-Nov-18
7 GHS, Baradimandigere,
Nelamangala
Bangalore rural 425 21-Aug-18
8 GHS, Soladevanahalli,
Nelamangala
Bangalore rural 115 12-Nov-18
9 GHS, Bettahalasuru, Yelahanka Bangalore rural 226 12-Nov-18
10 GHS, Vidyanagara, Yelahanka Bangalore rural 155 12-Nov-18
11 GHS, Amrutahalli, Yelahanka Bangalore rural 164 12-Nov-18
12 GHS, Kengeri Bangalore urban 247 12-Nov-18
13 GHS, Doddakallasandra Bangalore urban 142 12-Nov-18
14 GHS, Sanegoravanahalli Bangalore urban 279 12-Nov-18
15 GHS, Kaggalipura Bangalore urban 356 12-Nov-18
16 GHS, Adaraguncjhi, Hubli Dharwar district 345 12-Nov-18
17 GHS, Vishweshanagara, Hubli Dharwar District 139 12-Nov-18
Table 4 - List of CTD supported schools2
Out of the 17 schools, two schools had to be dropped in the year 2020-2021 for the following
reasons –
1. GHS Gollahalli, Bangalore Urban - due to network issues, classes could not be conducted.
Initially, Jio services were used, which worked for some time and soon had issues.
2. GHS Tholapakatti, Koppal district - the principal was transferred, and the subsequent in-
charge persons were not very forthcoming to support the program.
In both the schools the support for Learn from Home (LFH) was not forthcoming and adequate.

2 (Source CTD internal data)

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The total number of students reached during the assessment period –
Year # of students # of hours
2018-19 3829 672
2019-20 3829 1086
2020-21 1600 (email
ids created)
521
Table 5 - Year wise classes conducted
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Infrastructural Support - In each of the schools, hardware equipment was installed and all
technical support for its functioning was provided by CTD.
The following were the hardware installed in the schools:
Desktop computer
Webcam
UPS power back up
Projector
Projector screen
Speakers
Power cable and VGA Cable
Ceiling mount
Table 6 - list of hardware installed.
The stakeholder, especially the teachers and principals were posed with questions of the working
condition of the equipment, 100% of the teachers and the principals responded that they are
kept in very good working condition. More particularly, they reported that whenever there are
technical glitches, CTD resolves them in a maximum of 24 hours.

3 (Source CTD Annual report)
When asked about the infrastructure & equipment in school premises, Arun Kumar, a teacher
from Baradimandigere, GHS said – “They are in a perfect condition – wall mounted projector and
a UPS is also installed, which gives us a continuous support”
Mrs D.G Kammar from Vishveshwaranagar, GDS, Hubli – “ If there is any issue or any problem
with any of the equipment, they send a person within 1 hour to attend to it”

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In some of the schools, CTD has enabled the installation of solar panels with the help of the
sponsors. This has been of great relief to the schools as they are not affected by the frequent
electricity fluctuations and also resulted in reduced electricity bills. It has helped in the smooth
conducting of the CTD sessions too. This has been endorsed by the schoolteachers and principals
too.
The schools with solar Installation include the following -
• Adaragunchi, Dharwad
• Bettahalasuru, Bangalore
• Nigadi, Dharwad
• Soladevanahalli, Bangalore
• Vishveshwarnagar, Hubli
• Baradimandigere, Bangalore
The AMC for the equipment was provided for the first year. In the subsequent years it has been
supported by CTD staff. In most cases, the equipment has been functioning smoothly. A
maximum of 4-5% of downtime was absorbed due to wi-fi being down or due to the need for
equipment/spare part replacement.
KEY FINDINGS:
● The set targets of schools had been met during the assessment period, except for two
schools dropping off, based on the agreed criteria.
● The number of beneficiaries reached out during this period were 3829 and the school
hours approximately 1000 hours.
● The hardware support has been provided by CTD and has enabled smooth functioning of
it during engagement with the school.
● Installation of solar panels in the schools have added more value to the program which
was well appreciated by all.

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OBJECTIVE 2: TO REACH OUT TO STUDENTS ON SCIENCE, ENGLISH AND
MATHEMATICS IN AN ENGAGING WAY
CTD reaches out to the classrooms in different parts of Karnataka from the central studio
classroom. Students from 17 schools connect through the equipment installed in their schools to
this studio, from where the CTD teacher conducts the class. The schedule for each class is
predetermined in consultation with the school management. The class starts each morning
before the actual school timings. For the 8th and the 9th grade the duration of the class is 45
mins each and for the 10th grade it is 1 hour. 25 hours per week (8th
, 9th
, 10th
-Kannada and English
Medium) on an average / week is integrated in the school timetable on a regular basis. Depending
on the requests from the students, extra classes are conducted, year-wise:

Figure 5 - CTD Operating model
The value proposition that CTD bring to the students is that the classes are conducted in
vernacular language. Irrespective of government school being in Kannada or English medium,
different types of efforts are taken to blend English and Kannada language for easy
understanding. Science and Math is taught in “Kanglish” (explanation in Kannada and
terminologies usages in English / Kannada).

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Intensive effort is taken for devising the content for each module of the respective subject. The
content is developed using various sources like reference books, books by eminent authors,
guides, question paper booklets, encyclopaedia, textbooks by multiple boards, lesson plans
(school syllabus). The commonly available online content like Diksha (Government portal) is used
for enriching the content. Various other leading educational portals such as Khan academy are
also referred to. The YouTube channels like fermi lab / veritasium channel etc. are also used to
augment the content.
The content thus developed is then delivered using various tools to make it more effective for
the students. The concepts are explained using CTD’s methodology inventory that has over 3000
ideas and references for teaching. Advanced computer simulations like phet simulations,
geogebra graphing calculator, oPhysics simulators are also used by the CTD teacher to prepare
the class. Additionally, YouTube videos of the experiments are also relayed in the class. Topics
from recent development in the field are also incorporated in the lesson plan. When publicly
available (non Kannada) videos are used, the CTD teachers do a Kannada voice over. Explanation
is done in both English and Kannada.
When asked the students to select their favourite subject 38% of the students said they liked
Science, followed by 26% who said they liked mathematics.

Figure 6 - Which subject students like the best Figure 7 - Most difficult subject to learn as per the students
(125 respondents)
To assess the level of understanding of the concepts, a repository of the question bank
(worksheets) has been developed. To familiarize the students with the exam patterns, previous
years exam papers from board exams, model exam papers created at the district level by district
officials are referred.

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Subject modules prepared by the CTD teachers for class IX and X
Physics Chemistry Biology Mathematics
No. of Modules /
topics prepared for
class X
5 6 6 15
N. of Modules /
topics prepare for
class IX
5 5 6 16
Table 7 - CTD subject modules for class IX & X
The teaching methodology includes live experimentation to explain the science concepts to the
students. The teachers also inculcate the practical skills in the students by encouraging them to
replicate simple experiments at home.

Figure 8 - Students' rating of CTD classes (125 respondents)
CTD have done extensive research and developed in-house demonstration kits, to be dispersed
to the schools. The CTD teachers use these kits to explain concepts in the live session. CTD plans
to distribute these kits to the schools such that the schoolteachers too can use these kits to
demonstrate simple experiments in the class, to reiterate the theory. Single integrated kit for all
science subjects with over 100 experiments /demos is packaged for 9th and 10 grades,
respectively. A training module on the usage of these kits and videos explaining the experiment
is also developed.
The distribution of the kits has been delayed due to the pandemic.

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Experimentation
a. Class X
No. of
Experiments
identified
38 21 6 11
No. of
Experiments
designed to be
included in kits
21 14 4 8
No. of kits
ordered per
year
17 Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
No. of topics
with
Demonstration
in live class
4 4 3 5
Table 8 - CTD - experiments prepared for class X
b. Class IX
No. of
Experiments
identified
14 13 6 9
No. of
Experiments
designed to be
included in kits
10 11 2 8
No. of kits
ordered per
year
17 Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
Single, integrated
kit for all
subjects
No. of topics
with
Demonstration
in live class
4 4 3 5
Table 9 - CTD - experiments prepared for class IX
Higher order of thinking is instilled in the students by conducting various experiments, real-life
examples and quizzes related to the subject.

23

To break the monotony of the regular class the CTD teachers take special sessions about the
recent developments in the field of science and technology. They screen the videos on various to
invoke interest in the students to learn more about the topic. Some of the special sessions held
are listed below:
Chemistry topics:
1. Topic: G10, Redox: Use of hypochlorite in our daily homes for sanitation purposes with present
Covid-19 situation in mind was highlighted.
2. Carbon and its compounds: Use of ethanol/isopropyl alcohol in sanitizers was emphasized during
grade X chapter 4 class.
3. G9, Chapter 2: Used the context of covid 19 being transmitted in the form of aerosols while
teaching types of colloids.
4. Chapter 3: Helped learners to relate law of definite proportions’ role in mass production of
medicines especially COVAXIN.
5. Chapter 4: Use of isotopes in our daily life – americium in smoke detectors.
Physics topics:
6. Trip to Mars, Discovery of Higgsboson particle, black holes (not recent-but based on students
curiosity)
Biology topics:
7. Topics mostly related to COVID-virus, bacteria, vaccination, immunity,
Support in English language and grammar has been extended to class X students, at the end of
their academic year on Saturdays after school. This is to help the children cope with their PU
classes after they pass out of school.

Figure 9 - CTD teacher doing a live demo.

24

Answering the survey questions, most of the students said they liked CTD online sessions. (They
were asked to tick more than one options)

Figure 10 - What students like about CTD class? (125 respondents)
The students were also asked about what they DO NOT like about the class. Below was the
answer (They were asked to tick more than one answer):

Figure 11 - What is it you DO NOT like about the classes (125 Respondents)

25

OUTCOMES
1. School Attendance: Children are now more regular in attending school, as stated by the
teachers and principals. The classes have been thoughtfully plugged into the regular timetable
as well as scheduled before or after the school hours.

Figure 12 - Are the timings convenient for the online class? (125 respondents)
2. Drop-out rate: Drop-out rate have also reduced. 50% of the teachers have said that the
dropout rates have reduced and for the remaining 50% it has been normal. Some schools have
reported an increase in admission in the last few years. One of the incentives for the students
to get into these school was the added attraction of CTD classes being held.

Figure 13 - CTD class in progress
Mr. Arun Kumar, schoolteacher, GHS-Baradimandigere – “CTD teachers do not default, they
follow the timetable very sincerely. Once there was strike in the area and only one school could
join, They continued to hold the class. Recording was played to the students who could not
attend the class that day”

26

3. Increased performance levels in mathematics and science: 4

Figure 14 - Increased first class % in mathematics.

Figure 15 - Increased first class % in science.

4 Source CTD annual reports

27

- There was a significant jump in performance of the students in mathematics and science
– students who were barely passing in mathematics and science were now getting first
class %. Some highlights:
o GHS, Soladevanahalli – mathematics – only 4% students were in first class % in
2017-18; and 81% students got first class % in 2018-19.
o GHS Tuluvagere – mathematics - only 4% students were in first class % in 2018-19;
and 64% students got first class % in 2019-20.
- In some schools like GHS, Adaragunchi and GHS, Nigadi the performance has come down
– the reasons for the drop in performance need to be studied.
- In some schools like GHS Baradimandigere, GHS Adargunchi etc. performance has gone
down in 2019-20 as compared to 2018-19 – this could be because of disruptions in classes
due to pandemic.

Figure 16 - Overall performance of students
- Overall performance in most schools have increased. 5
These are some of the responses given by the teachers at the school with respect to the
performance of the student:

5 Source CTD annual reports
Mr. RV Sankannanavar, GHS-Vishveshwanagar – “The students hear the concepts twice, once in
CTD class and again in my class, hence it is very effective… The tools used by CTD teachers are
liked by the students and they understand the concepts well”

28

- Below graph shows the self-response of the students on how they fared in the school
before CTD classes started in their schools:

Figure 17 - Performance after CTD classes started (125 respondents)

Figure 18 – Self-evaluation of Students performance before CTD classes (125 Respondents)
4. Level of interest developed & engagement of the students in the class:
- School teachers has explicitly acknowledged that the students are more engaged in the
class. They express curiosity to learn as the methods and techniques deployed by the CTD
teachers to make the concepts has made it simpler for them to understand.
Mrs. Francis. GHS-Adaragunchi – “There has been a vast improvement in the students - We did
not have so much infrastructure, it was a big change for the children. They could visualize the
experiment. See and learn was much better for children”

29

- 100% of the schoolteachers confirmed that the tools and methods used by the CTD
teachers are highly effective. The students enjoy and understand the concepts in a much
better manner. The government school children are now exposed to the teaching aids
such as simulation, animation, and audio-video resources.
- The experiments conducted during the class have a good impact on the students, who are
encouraged to carry out the experiments at home - to understand the real-life usages of
the science concepts.

Figure 19 - How does the demos shown in CTD class help you? (125 respondents)
5. Improved engagement of the students with the CTD teachers
- Even though it is a virtual class, the CTD teachers make the environment extremely
comfortable for the students. They know their students by name and ask them questions
and encourage the students to ask their doubts by raising their hand. This gives the
confidence to the students and the class is less intimidating. The students are also like the
CTD teacher and know them by name.
Mrs. Roopa, GHS-Bettahalasuru, Yelahanka – “The Physics classes are excellent, students are
very excited to attend those sessions. Students are now confident about the concepts. Earlier
students were scared as the subjects were difficult. Students are now ready to take
mathematics, science in PUC, going forward”
Mrs. Sumangala, GHS-Yetaganahalli – “The children are now more interested in learning and
their curiosity has increased. They think and ask questions in our class too!”

30

- When the CTD teachers visit the schools - they are always given a Hero’s welcome, which
speaks about the popularity of the program.
6. Increased access to additional resources for practice, learning and examinations:
- School teachers and the CTD teachers have confirmed that they use the worksheets
after they compete the lessons.
- One of the teachers said that the worksheets came in very handy during the pandemic,
as they were able to use them to assess their knowledge levels – it is easier to share
through the WhatsApp after the online class.

Figure 20 - Students asking doubts / answering questions in the online session.
-
-
-
Mr. Arun Kumar, schoolteacher, GHS-Baradimandigere – “Math lessons are taught using logical
steps. The science is taught by demonstrating various experiments , explaining the concepts.
Their interactions are immediate hence the doubts are cleared then and there.”
Mrs. Bhuvaneshwari, schoolteacher, GHS-Yetaganahalli – “We have made it a regular practice -
after every unit is over, we use it for revisions, we also follow it up with the students. Also since
the worksheets have 1-2 marks questions, students feel less stress ”

31

- School students said they extensively use the worksheets. 50% of the students said that
they are able to about 80% of the questions:

Figure 21 - How many questions are the students able to answer in worksheet (125 respondents)
- When asked about when do they use the worksheet more frequently – below graph
shows their answers:

Figure 22 - how regularly you use the worksheet provided by CTD? (125 respondents)
- While the CTD has taken extra effort to include many of the recent developments some
related to the topics mentioned in the syllabus and some out-of-syllabus topics, e.g.

32

Blackholes in astronomy or use of ethanol in sanitizers, the schoolteachers and the
students have not registered these as a special session and are not able to recall during
stakeholder consultations.
7. Increased support for English language:
- The schoolteachers have expressed that the English Language support can be
strengthened. Since the class is held on Saturday, the students get delayed for their lunch
as they miss their transport back home. The students also expressed that they would be
happy to get more support in English language as the PU classes are in English.
8. Additional support for Schoolteachers:
- The schoolteachers also attend the CTD sessions along with their class students. They
have been benefitted by this additional support as it complements their class and also
reiterates the concepts in the students’ mind. In some schools when the teachers are
absent, the videos of the lesson are shown to the students.
Note: The above outcomes are recorded for the period before the pandemic, when a regular
CTD program was delivered.
KEY FINDINGS:
1. The schoolteachers and principals are highly appreciative of the program as the overall
performance of the students have improved.
2. Improved attendance and new admissions in the school have observed in CTD schools.
3. 94% of the students replied “Yes” to the survey Question – is the timing for the CTD
class convenient.
4. The teachers are acknowledging in the increased engagement of the students in their
regular classes.
Mrs. Kammar, Head Mistress, GHS-Vishveshwarnagar-Hubli – “Teacher is taking more interest
in preparing for the class. Since the CTD classes are held in our school the teachers feel good
about it, even though they have to come much earlier to the school.”
Mr. Sachidananda murthy, Head Master, GHS-Baradimandigere-Nelamangala – “Our Teacher's
are qualified. They have to follow the DSERT methodology provided by Government. Hence we
cannot adapt the same concept for regular classes”

33

5. The state-of-the-art facilities that CTD and quality of resources provided, is a privilege
for government school students, who otherwise may not be able to afford.
6. Overall performance of the students has increase - 76% students confirmed that their
performance in science has improved and 68% said that their performance in
mathematics has improved. 80% schoolteachers said that overall performance has
improved.
7. The extra effort put in by CTD for covering some of the out of syllabus topics have not
registered specifically.
8. 50% of the students said they liked the class and can understand the concepts better.
94% of the students said that the demos and experiments shown in the class help them.
9. Some of the other observations:
- 13% of the students mentioned that the lesson is too fast and they find it difficult to
follow.
- 23% of the students said that their schoolteacher also teaches the concepts well.
- 74% of the students said they need teacher’s help to solve the worksheets.

Figure 23 - Teacher conducting a science demo in the class

34

Setting to fly high
Namith* is an alumnus of Government High School, Bagalkunte. He has studied in the school from VIII
to X between 2017-2020. During his schooling, he has the opportunity to attend the CTD classes, as his
school was one of the selected CTD-LTI sponsor schools.
Attending the CTD classes was like an eye-opener for him. The visual demonstrations, the simulations,
the construct of the concepts in science and the methodology of delivering it during the classes helped
him immensely to build clarity. Many of the doubts that he carried from his regular classes were cleared
during the CTD sessions.
“ The classes were very helpful. It helped in clearing my doubts, concepts were connected to real life
applications. The classes helped in the preparation of the exams by identifying the important questions
and help us construct the right answers.”
Today, Namith* is pursuing his higher education with major in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and
Mathematics in KMWA PU College in Mahalakshmi Layout.
He is aware of the PU coaching classed supported by CTD, but is unable to attend it as he is preparing
for JEE and is taking specific coaching for it!! He is also a receipt of the scholarship support given by CTD
donors.
This case study is a classic example of how aspirations and achievements can be groomed among the
youth and help them fly high with the right guidance and direction.
*Name changed to keep confidentiality.

2. Going behind my passion

35

PANDEMIC RELATED INTERVENTION BY CTD
While this assessment is for the 3 years period from 2018-21, last one and half years due to the
pandemic the regular planned mechanism of delivering the program has been affected.
To cope with the uncertainties due to pandemic conditions, CTD pivoted their strategy and
redesigned their plan:
1. Educate - Continue to reach the children at home, train the teachers on online teachings
and subject matter, exam preparation for X class students etc.
2. Evaluate - academic evaluation through bridge program, worksheets and program
evaluation through feedbacks, online surveys etc.
3. Engage - conducting state wise online quiz and organizing hygiene session in some of the
CTD schools.
Sl. No. Programme Beneficiaries Hours
1 SSLC Helpline 252 227
2 LFH + Virtual Classroom 2800 716
3 Teacher Training-webinar 350 4
4 Teacher Training 82 21
5 Alumni Support 48 252
6 TV Broadcast ** 182
7 Online Quiz 371
8 Mask/Sanitizer distribution 500
9 Career Counselling 264
Table 10 Various sessions held by CTD in the year 20-216
CTD has endeavoured to continue the support during the pandemic and has made a special effort
to connect with the students, by creating individual logins for them, as the schools were closed
during this period. They have ensured continuation of the learnings, especially for the X class
students.

6 Source: Data from CTD internal records

36

- They had set-up a special helpline - SSLC helpline - and created a WhatsApp group for the
students - the students were able to reach out to the CTD teachers through this anytime
during the pandemic. WhatsApp has a limited number of user (250) – hence CTD extended
the support using Telegram which can accommodate more numbers. The students now
use both WhatsApp as well as Telegram. 252 students have accessed the helpline.
- CTD create 1600 individual login to access the online session from home.
- CTD has held a special Training session for government schoolteachers on how to conduct
online classes for the students - this was helpful for the schools to run their online classes
seamlessly (more details in Objective 3).
- CTD also prepared programs to be broadcast through Express TV channel - this was done
specifically to cover wider section of students, as in rural area the phone / tablet
bandwidth is not adequate for the students to attend the online classes.
- Express TV channel was chosen to broadcast the lesson as this channel was carried by 46
or the 47 cable operators.
- 182 hours of broadcast was done through express TV.

Figure 24 - Session in progress during pandemic

37

Responses from the stakeholders:
School student’s response to the questions related to pandemic online classes and methods was
quite positive. Below graph shows the responses:

Figure 25 - Students responses to the pandemic related questions (125 respondents)
The students said that the broadcasts helped them to cope with the lessons from home during
the pandemic. When asked how they find it useful, their response were:

Figure 26 - How did the TV broadcasts help you? (125 respondents)

38

- Mixed response for the broadcast has been noted from the student responses, for
some it has been effective, and they found it useful. Some of them could not follow as
the pace was fast and it is not interactive, their doubts were not cleared. A few could
not access the broadcast due to lack of cable or TV sets etc. The teachers expressed
that they followed up with the students after the broadcast and cleared their doubts
if any. They also gave them homework based on the topics that were telecasted.
- There was mixed response from the teachers with respect to the TV broadcasts – most of
them were not aware of Express TV broadcasts, but said some children did watch
Chandana TV broadcasts. A few teachers said that it was useful

KEY FINDINGS:
1. The students were able to transition to the online classes as they were already
familiarized with the virtual session of CTD class.
2. The webinar has been extremely helpful for the schoolteachers.
3. 42% of the CTD supported school students were given the access - not all able to attend
the CTD online classes as the parents take the phone to work – CTD teachers confirmed
that about 10%-15% were able to attend the sessions.7
4. The helpline was extensively used by the students to clarify their doubts.
5. Though the lessons were continued - the assessment were not done, hence the
performance of the students will be difficult to gauge during this period.
6. The Chandana TV program was more popular among the broadcast of the TV lessons.
7. 77% of the students mentioned that they watched Chandana TV and 2% watched
express TV broadcast.

Mrs. Savitha, GHS-Soledevanhalli – “The TV broadcasts are good… students are watching them.
They have also downloaded “BRD gyandeep” – an app which has links to the past shows, they
play the recordings again, if they do not understand while it is broadcasted. The teachers asked
them questions based on the program lesson.. some students use them for personal evaluation.
Students who missed would go and see it again when they have time.”

39

8. 14% of the students did not watch any broadcast – 7% said that though they watched the
broadcast but were not able to follow that very well 8
(125 respondents).

8 Source: Data from survey conducted by SAN
Following her passion
Suniti* is studying in class X in Government High school, Yentaganahalli. She is a studious child and
academically very inclined. Her favorite subjects have been Math and Science and she is able to dabble in
both the subjects with ease. She has been attending the CTD classes from class IX. She finds the classes very
interesting and is fascinated by the demonstration conducted during the classes. She found the support given
to them during the pandemic very useful.
“Attending the CTD classes has been an experience for me. I rate them as excellent as they conduct the class
very well. The concepts are clearly explained. We are able to ask doubts and they immediately answer our
query. We are able to see the recorded version of the class which we find it very helpful. My performance in
both Science and Math has drastically improved after attending the classes. They give us worksheets after
the concepts are taught. I am able to solve 90% of them comfortably.
She does not have a TV set at home, but has access to WhatsApp and Telegram group which she uses
extensively to be in touch with her teachers and clear her doubts.
Suniti plans to pursue science going forward. She has already taken admission in a PU college and is aiming
to give the NEET exam. In case she doesn’t make it to the medical admission list, she is prepared with a plan
B of taking up veterinary science
*name changed to keep confidentiality

40

OBJECTIVE 3: TO STRENGTHEN THE CORE CONCEPTS OF THE TEACHERS AND
SUPPORT THE TEACHER COMMUNITY IN THE SELECTED SCHOOLS
Teachers are an integral part of the learning life cycle of the students. To enhance the skills of
the teaching community and upgrade their delivery of the pedagogy, CTD is providing training to
the students planning to enter the teaching profession / graduating from B.Ed colleges as well as
in-service school teachers. In this way, the teachers starting their career are equipped with the
wherewithal to build the strong foundation in the school children. The training programs focus
on training teachers on primary, secondary and high-school level Science and Mathematics using
CTD’s unique content and methodology. CTD follows the principle of learn through application
and instil the quality to learn, in the children, rather than simply acquire bookish knowledge. CTD
endeavours to deliver this principle to the teachers in their teachers training sessions.
Apart from the subject matter expertise, the teachers also learn the aspects of new age tools and
techniques to help them impart the knowledge in an effective manner. They also learn online
etiquettes and other soft skills, like using the internet, presentation skills, peer collaboration etc.
During the assessment period, there were two types of teachers-training conducted. One was
the face-to-face program in Sofia college and another online certificate program.
The trainees of the Sofia college could not be contacted due to the college being closed during
the pandemic. Hence not much details regarding the outcomes of the program could be
gathered.
For the online training, as a prelude, a webinar was conducted for the teachers to introduce the
effectiveness of online teaching to them, especially with the pandemic conditions. 500 teachers
participated in the webinars followed by a certified training program attended by 83 government
school teachers. They were introduced to the different delivery models prevalent in online
teaching, technologies involved and creative use of technology for content creation. The teachers
training program covered the academic, institutional, and online teaching methodologies.
Courses consist of, lectures, quizzes, demonstrations, practice sessions by participating teachers
and tests. Helpline has been set-up for the teachers to clarify any doubts they have in any of the
topics taught.
The teachers have acknowledged the online training session in the feedback collected by CTD,
this was also corroborated during the stakeholder consultations with the schoolteachers.

41

Trainings conducted during the assessment year-2018-2021:9
Year No. of training No. of participants
trained
Institution & place
2018-19 Not done
2019-20 1 108 Sofia’s Teacher
Training Institute
2020-21 3 Webinar (2 times)
Total 500 Teacher
Online teacher-
training - 83 certified
Online from CTD
studio
Table 11 - Trainings conducted for teachers by CTD during 2018-2021
OUTCOMES
- 100% of the teachers said that they benefited from the online teacher’s training that was
conducted by CTD.
- 20% of the teachers have reached out through the helpline - their queries are primarily
around subject concept presentation, teaching techniques and tools for communication.
- Almost all the schoolteachers confirmed that they are comfortable in teaching online,
using the tools that they learnt to use.
- Some of the teachers did say that it is not the same as teaching in a classroom, but in
these difficult circumstances, this was the best way to teach the children.

9 (Source: Data from CTD internal records)
Mrs. Roopa, GHS-Bettahalasuru – “Yes, attended the sessions, learnt how to conduct online
classes, create presentations (in PPT) and present during the class on the screen. They taught us
how to search the internet for topics. How to use animation images. Which websites are good for
colourful images to explain to the children”
Mr. RV Sankannanavar, GHS-Vishveshwaranagar – “Learnt how to use the tools for conducting
online classes”
Mrs. Savita, GHS- Soladevanahalli – “The online classes are not like being in a classroom. I am not
so comfortable. Some chapters are easy to explain online. some which has long steps, it is
difficult to explain”

42

The schoolteachers were immensely benefited from the online teacher’s training program as it
helped them to transition into an online learning environment from the regular classroom.

Figure 27 - Webinar in progress

43

OBJECTIVE 4: TO ERADICATE THE FEAR OF MATH AND SCIENCE THROUGH
CONTINUOUS INTERACTION
The subjects Mathematics or Science are thought to be difficult and scoring marks in these
subjects is not easy. Many children drop-out from school as they do not get enough marks
required for college admission. CTD aims to remove this fear from their minds and make Science
and Mathematics fun to learn. They have devised the lessons in such a manner that it explains
the concepts in a very simplified language and builds the theory step-by-step. CTD believes in
interconnecting the subjects like Chemistry with Physics, Physics with mathematics for easy grasp
of the concepts.
The schoolteachers said that the children are now interested in attending the Science and
Mathematics classes. They concentrate more and their curiosity to learn the subject has
increased.
The increased level of performance of the students in Science and Mathematics have built the
confidence and the fear is now certainly less - this was reiterated by the schoolteachers in the
stakeholder consultations. (The performance levels have been detailed in Objective 2).
CTD conducts quiz in the schools as well as inter school quizzes in Science and Mathematics, this
also encourages students to have fun while learning the subject. The students have reiterated
that they are eager to learn due to the competitive spirit and excitement of winning the prize for
the school. The winning students are awarded with the certificate and the prize amount is
dedicated to the school for any additional facility / equipment / gadgets to be acquired.
Year No. of schools
participated
No. of
teams
No. of Students
Participated
2018-19 8 8 24
2019-20 24 24 72
2020-21 24 24 371
Table 12 - Details of Quiz competition conducted by CTD.10
# Due to pandemic, quiz was conducted at home with individual students and not as a team of 3
students.


44

OUTCOMES
Increased student engagement: higher order thinking capacity in Mathematics and Science:
- 100% of the schoolteachers confirmed that their students are now more confident and
that fear of not understanding and comprehending mathematics and science concepts is
certainly reducing.
- CTD teachers too reiterated that the students are not scared to ask questions if they do
not understand anything as they are able to relate to the concepts / theories better.
- When asked about what they like the most about CTD classes here is what they had to
say:

Figure 28 - What the students like the most about CTD class? (125 respondents)

Figure 29 - How was the students experience of the quiz? (125 respondents)

45

- When asked about which stream, they would pursue 49% students said they want to
take science in their PUC:

Figure 30 - What stream would you pursue after 10th class? (125 respondents)
Effect of the bridge Course for class X:
- To help the children become confident as they approach higher classes, bridge courses
are conducted, especially for children moving from 9th to 10th.
- School children benefitted from the bridge classes. Below graph shows the responses of
the students when asked how it helped them:
Career counselling: help for the future of the students:
- An interactive career counselling session for Grade 10 students was held in Jul-Aug 2019
at Yentaganahalli and Baradimandigere and Jan-Mar 2021 in Soladevanahalli,
Byatarayanapura and Saneguruvanahalli. A total of 492 students have benefitted from
the program. This group of stakeholders could not be consulted to understand the clear
outcome as they had passed out from the school.
- Information on various topics like understanding career in terms of education, passion
and vocation, importance of career planning, various career choices, value
education, admission procedures in colleges and institutions, importance of networking
was shared.

46

Scholarships: Helping deserving students to continue their higher studies
- CTD has evolved a criterion to select the students for scholarship, motivating students
to take-up science for their higher studies. These are sponsored by private donors. In
2018-19, one student identified and awarded Rs. 10,000 and in 2019-20 two students
were awarded Rs.10,000 each.
Alumni support program: Handholding the students to cope with college environment
- CTD continues its support to the students who have passed out from the school. On the
request from the students, they have been provided with special coaching to cope with
the English language adaptability in their college. 48 Students were supported during the
assessment period, 252 hours of sessions were held for them. The colleges supported are
Bytarayanarpura (off Mysore road), Kodehalli PU college, Kanakapura , Magadi Pu college,
Magadi. All calleges are in Ramnagara taluk.
KEY FINDINGS
- 50% of the children said that now they understand the concepts in a much better manner.
- 63% of the students said that the method and techniques used by the CTD teachers help
them visualize the concepts and they can now comprehend the concepts.
- 52% of the students said that the CTD teachers explain the science and math steps in
very simple manner. They are now less intimidated and feel good about participating in
quiz.
- 49% of the students mentioned that they would continue science in higher classes too
- 46% of students say that they have learnt something new.
- 55% of the students who have attended the bridge course have reiterated that there
concepts were revived and strengthened during these sessions.

Figure 31 - group discussion during a career counselling session

47

OBJECTIVE 5: TO BUILD THE INTERNAL CAPACITY OF CTD TEACHERS
In line with their philosophy of bringing high quality education to rural children, CTD ensures that
they recruit the teachers who are aligned with this. Their recruitment process is after a very
rigorous and stringent. The selected candidate goes through multiple levels of interviews and
screening. They recruit people who are passionate about teaching and not look at it as a vocation
alone. CTD seeks their candidates from reputed recruitment agencies, who ensure the quality of
the candidates. They offers an attractive remuneration and a progressive career to these
candidates. This ensures the retention of the teachers and continuity for the program.
Having recruited the right candidates, they are made to go through a two-week intense induction
program. They simulate the classroom environment, provide training to face the camera and
other effective techniques to conduct a virtual class. The soft skills also include:
• Talking to the camera along with the white board and annotating.
• Annotating and showing a demo/ sharing a screen etc.
• Get thoroughly equipped before they take the online class.
The content that the teachers develop goes through rigorous quality checks. They also have
monthly meetings with the peers to discuss, review and revise the content. There is also a panel
of subject matter experts who come and take sessions on special topics for the teachers. The
below table has the details of the training conducted for the CTD teachers:
Year Workshops for
subject matter
No. of Participants
attended
Soft skills
training
No. of Participants
attended
2018-19 5 12 4 15
2019-20 3 10 4 13
2020 -21 7 16 4 11
Table 13 - Workshops conducted for their teachers by CTD.11
CTD has also put in place various effective processes to evaluate the CTD teacher, which
includes the following:
• Review of teachers PPTs by senior faculty.
• Review of teachers live classes by senior faculty.
• Presentations at regular intervals by the teachers on topics related to their subject
and new science/mathematics topics/discoveries/inventions.
• Feedback from school students and teachers.


48

OUTCOMES:
80% of the teachers have been with the organization for more than 3 years. During the
stakeholder meetings the teachers expressed their wish to continue with the organization as they
like the working environment.

KEY FINDINGS:
- Overall quality of teachers recruited by the CTD is of good standard and this has been
validated by the school’s students as well as the teachers.
- The training program conducted for the CTD teachers is highly effective as they can deliver
the lessons in a seamless manner from the virtual classroom.
- Unlike school syllabus, the content is kept dynamic ensuring inclusion of recent
developments in the subject and teaching techniques.
- The technology in the rural schools is not of high quality, hence there are interruptions in
the classes - the CTD teachers mentioned that they lose precious time, that could be used
for teaching rather than dealing with the glitches.

CTD Teacher – “CTD is a good program to work for and to work with - family atmosphere. Each
one cares for the other, sportive manner”
CTD Teacher – “Getting to learn myself in every instance - from students who are learning
without any pre-conceived notion, may approach the subject differently which I would not have
thought of .
Ex-CTD Teacher – “CTD is a good program to work for and to work with – has a family
atmosphere. Each one cares for the other in a sportive manner”

49

Figure 32 - CTD teacher conducting the class.
Anecdotes from CTD Teachers
a. During one of the online sessions, one CTD teacher had this unique experience. One child had the
question - Why is “Pi “called a “Pi” and what is the history behind it. The teacher was not prepared
with the exact details, and she committed to the class that she will take this topic as her “homework”
and will come back with the details very soon. When the next session was held, she came prepared
with all the details and explained to the class, dedicating more than half the time of class for giving
the explanation. Soon after the session, many of the children responded by saying that they never
liked Math as a subject but after this session, their perspective has changed.
b. After the screening of special session on Blackholes, many of the students started reaching out to the
CTD physics teacher, asking how they can build a career in Physics. what courses should they pursue
to take up physics, what kind of resources should be looked at for developing on the subjects etc.
c. “During my school days, I had to shift places due to my father’s job. I got to study in Bangalore as well
as in smaller towns in Karnataka. I had myself experienced the difference in the quality of education
between the urban and rural schools. The gaps were evident and resources scarce for smaller towns.
I have had this urge to help reduce the gap in some form. Joining CTD was a boon in disguise for me
being fulfilled. – experience shared by a CTD Teacher.
d. Students learn best when taught in their mother tongue. This was clear from the performances and
responses of the students in the class. I was surprised to see the ability of the rural students. Though
I had apprehension about how rural students would fair, it came as a surprise that these students are
equally competent as the urban students. They arehonest,punctual,humble, and faithful. It is equally
challenging to take their sessions. It is sad that not all rural schools get good quality teachers and
resources for the children – experience of a resource person.

50

RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. The internet connection is very crucial for the delivery of the program - CTD could
onboard the CSR wing of the service provider in that region to extend their support. This
will ensure reduction of the disruptions.
2. The program can be extended to the lower classes such as 6th and 7th - which are
foundations for the high school, and it will help the students geared to transition to the
higher classes with ease.
3. An assessment method to be considered by use technology - where each student can
submit the worksheets directly to CTD teachers - this will help CTD evaluate the program
effectiveness,
4. Incentivise the students to identify real-life applications of the concepts taught in the
classroom, this will enable to become more observant and curious.
5. CTD teacher and the schoolteachers can connect online once in a quarter - to discuss and
sync with each other with respect to the delivery of the content. This will help eradicate
any confusion in the child’s mind.
6. Schoolteachers can also provide the feedback from their classroom experience both from
the students as well as their own perspective. This will help designing the CTD class in a
better manner.
7. Before exiting from the school CTD can give an orientation to the Schoolteacher to take
the program forward in their respective schools.
8. Conduct exposure visits to science museums / educational tours for deeper connection
to the concepts.
9. Scope of career counselling can be extended to all the CTD schools.

51

OTHER STAKEHOLDER VIEWS
The CSR head of LTI expressed his satisfaction on the regular operation of the CTD project.
Moreover, he said that they were incredibly happy with the way CTD handled the pandemic and
scaled up to overcome the situation.
CTD should be able to identify the leads of the students and the school, so that the volunteers
can reach out to them. Apart from the curriculum-based teachings, other areas of soft skill
development can be taken up by the volunteer.
LTI is happy with the regular reporting of the program. The quality can be improved to include
more parameters like performance of the students, stories of change, experience of the students
and teachers on a more regular basis.
PLANS FOR FUTURE
Sustainability:
CTD has a clear exit plan from the school. They plan to support the school completely for the first
two years. During this period, the entire content is shared with the school. The third year
onwards, the support is gradually reduced, and the CTD teachers would do the handholding and
monitor the transition. They would capacitate the schoolteachers to take over the program. The
existing infrastructure can be used by the schoolteacher to replay the content when CTD exits
the program.
Donor has also mentioned that this program can sustained further if the engagement could be
converted into a public-private partnership – with school taking a portion of ownership.
Scalability:
From the donor’s perspective the model has a huge potential for scalability. This could be
achieved through franchise model or have local partner for implementation.

52

REES STRUCTURE:
The program objectives were evaluated on the basis of REES framework. The parameters in terms
of R-Relevance, E-Effectiveness, E- Efficiency and S – Sustainability were considered and scored.
Specific indicators for the consolidated activities under each objective were evaluated to arrive
at the composite score. Below table details the indicators under each parameter:
REES parameter Score Remarks Average
Relevance
1. Is there a need for a project like
this in the delivery area /
beneficiary’s segment?
9

8.75
2. Understanding of the community
and the structure
8
3. Uniqueness of the intervention 9
4. Alignment with SDG 9
Effectiveness
1. Delivery mechanism of the class 8

8
2. Students’ engagement with the
class
8
3. Continued interest in science and
mathematics
7 Data is
inadequate to
gauge student’s
interest in
continuing with
science in PUC
4. Performance levels of the
students
9
Efficiency
1. Consistency in delivery of the
program
9

9
2. Availability of skilled staff 9
3. Digitized data management 9
4. Monitoring and course correction 9

53

REES parameter Score Remarks Average
Sustainability
1. Community ownership of the
program
9
8.33
2. Capacity building in schools 7 Due to
pandemic this
object is
partially met
3. Strengthening local partnership
with government bodies
9
Total Score 8.5
Table 14 - REES structure for CTD

Figure 33 - REES parameter scores

54

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ALIGNMENT
The Sustainable Development Goals, laid out by the United Nations, are the blueprint to achieve
a better and more sustainable future for all through inclusion, economic growth, equal
opportunity, raised standards of living, sustainable use of natural resource etc. The goals are
expected to be achieved across the globe through multi-stakeholder partnerships between
governments, civil society and the private sector.
The intervention undertaken by CTD cover some of the important Sustainable Developmental
goals which is a part of the MoU with the sponsor. They include the following:

Intervention: With the goal of ensuring students overcome the fear of Math and
Science, CTD has been a proactive player in the Ed-tech sector in reaching out to the
K12 schools, especially in rural Karnataka - by providing high quality education
developed by a rigorous research and development on concepts of science and
mathematics. Their approach is to enable the student to develop interest in the
subject, inculcate higher order thinking and pursue the subject of their passion for
higher learning. The important USP of the program has been that it is delivered in
vernacular language, an important component that has been incorporated in the New
Education Policy 2020. Besides reaching out to the students, it also been providing
training and development support to the teaching fraternity to strengthen the
ecosystem by way of teacher training programs.
Impact: In a limited period of 3 years, with almost a year and a half being affected by
the pandemic, CTD has reached out to more than 4000 students across Karnataka.
The model of delivery was seamless, with multiple schools logging in at the same
prescribed time and students attending virtual session. The overall performance of
the students has improved. More importantly, rural children have access to high
quality resources for learning.

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all.

55

The SDG investor map India 2019-20 brought out by UNDP clearly show areas where our
country’s performance has been relatively low which included SDG 4. The study has clearly
identified investment opportunity areas for privatesector participation in improving the situation
which includes digitization of education and developing Ed-tech based business models and
supporting online supplementary K12 education. This should be a good grounding for CTD to
continue with its efforts and scale-up the model to newer geographies and scale out to a greater
number of students.12
Intervention: To ensure that classes do not get interrupted due to lack of
electricity and other issues, CTD along with its sponsor has identified specific
schools which require the support and installed solar panels. It has been installed
in 6 schools among the 17 schools.
Impact: The schools where the solar panels have been installed have reported
smooth functioning of the classes. They can log into the regular classes despite
local electricity outages. The children in the schools have hugely benefitted by
this effort.

12
(https://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/library/poverty/SDG_Investor_Map_For_In
dia.html)

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all.

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.

56

Intervention: The target of this goal is to empower and promote the social,
economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race,
ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status by 2030. CTD through its
intervention kindles the interest in education among the students. It helps in
building their concepts stronger to be able to pursue higher studies. It also
supports them through scholarship and other educational support.
Impact: The indirect effect of CTD’s intervention in the rural schools is to ensure
that the students develop their interest in education, get access to higher studies
through their performance and be able to take up skilled jobs. This will enable
them to move up in the economic and social scale in the society.
CONCLUSION
CTD’s vision of “Making quality education affordable across Geographies” has been realized to
a great extent. Commendable effort has gone to achieve this goal. While a very impressive start
has been made, there is a lot of scope for increasing their student base and scale out the program.
The present program, in its “as is” could not be delivered during the pandemic, but the effort CTD
has put in to continue to reach out to the students is laudable. There is room for improvement
in intensive engagement with the students. The infrastructure can also be upgraded in terms of
the bandwidth and uninterrupted internet services.

Figure 34 - CTD teacher interactions with the students during school visits

57

ANNEXURES
QUESTIONNAIRES
1. Questionnaire for the school students:
a) School Student’s Questionnaire in English <Click here for English>
b) School Student’s Questionnaire in Kannada <Click here for Kannada>

2. Questionnaire for the schoolteachers: <Click here>

3. Questionnaire for the school principals: <Click Here>

4. Questionnaire for the CTD teachers: <Click Here>

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
LTI has signed an MOU with NGO Prerna to execute the program: <Click here to view>

58

INDEX OF FIGURES
Figure 1 - CTD Organization.............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Figure 2 - All stakeholders of the CTD-LTI program .............................................................................................................. 11
Figure 3 - Government School ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Figure 4 - Rating on Values by CTD teachers, schoolteachers & Donor ........................................................................... 14
Figure 5 - CTD Operating model .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 6 - Which subject students like the best Figure 7 - Most difficult subject to learn as per
the students .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 8 - Students' rating of CTD classes (125 respondents) ............................................................................................ 21
Figure 9 - CTD teacher doing a live demo................................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 10 - What students like about CTD class? (125 respondents) ............................................................................... 24
Figure 11 - What is it you DO NOT like about the classes (125 Respondents) .............................................................. 24
Figure 12 - Are the timings convenient for the online class? (125 respondents)......................................................... 25
Figure 13 - CTD class in progress .................................................................................................................................................. 25
Figure 14 - Increased first class % in mathematics. ............................................................................................................... 26
Figure 15 - Increased first class % in science. .......................................................................................................................... 26
Figure 16 - Overall performance of students ............................................................................................................................ 27
Figure 17 - Performance after CTD classes started (125 respondents) ........................................................................... 28
Figure 18 – Self-evaluation of Students performance before CTD classes (125 Respondents) ............................... 28
Figure 19 - How does the demos shown in CTD class help you? (125 respondents) .................................................. 29
Figure 20 - Students asking doubts / answering questions in the online session ....................................................... 30
Figure 21 - How many questions are the students able to answer in worksheet (125 respondents) ................... 31
Figure 22 - how regularly you use the worksheet provided by CTD? (125 respondents) ........................................ 31
Figure 23 - Teacher conducting a science demo in the class ............................................................................................... 33
Figure 24 - Session in progress during pandemic ................................................................................................................... 36
Figure 25 - Students responses to the pandemic related questions (125 respondents) ........................................... 37
Figure 26 - How did the TV broadcasts help you? (125 respondents) ............................................................................. 37
Figure 27 - Webinar in progress .................................................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 28 - What the students like the most about CTD class? (125 respondents) ..................................................... 44
Figure 29 - How was the students experience of the quiz? (125 respondents) ............................................................ 44
Figure 30 - What stream would you pursue after 10th class? (125 respondents) ....................................................... 45
Figure 31 - group discussion during a career counselling session .................................................................................... 46
Figure 32 - CTD teacher conducting the class. .......................................................................................................................... 49

59

Figure 33 - REES parameter scores .............................................................................................................................................. 53
Figure 34 - CTD teacher interactions with the students during school visits ................................................................ 56
Figure 35 - Alumni Appreciation letter ....................................................................................................................................... 60

INDEX OF TABLES
Table 1 - Objectives and Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Table 2 - Stakeholder consultations ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Table 3 - List of school where stakeholders were consulted ............................................................................................... 13
Table 4 - List of CTD supported schools ..................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 5 - Year wise classes conducted ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Table 6 - list of hardware installed. .............................................................................................................................................. 17
Table 7 - CTD subject modules for class IX & X ........................................................................................................................ 21
Table 8 - CTD - experiments prepared for class X ................................................................................................................... 22
Table 9 - CTD - experiments prepared for class IX .................................................................................................................. 22
Table 10 Various sessions held by CTD in the year 20-21 .................................................................................................... 35
Table 11 - Trainings conducted for teachers by CTD during 2018-2021 ........................................................................ 41
Table 12 - Details of Quiz competition conducted by CTD. .................................................................................................. 43
Table 13 - Workshops conducted for their teachers by CTD. .............................................................................................. 47
Table 14 - REES structure for CTD ................................................................................................................................................ 53

60

APPRECIATION LETTER FROM AN ALUMNI STUDENT

Figure 35 - Alumni Appreciation letter

CTD-LTI -Final_Report.pdf

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