Embee Software’s Rural Bengal Initiative Uses Tech To Transform Education
This initiative is not about ticking CSR boxes; it is about creating meaningful change where it’s needed most,” said Embee Software’s Managing Director, Sudhir Kothari
Embee Software’s technology driven education programme, launched in 2018 in collaboration with Kolkata-based non-profit AHEAD Initiatives, has grown from a pilot in Kalchini, North Bengal, into a multi-district model reshaping rural learning.
Initially designed as an information and communications technology (ICT) training programme for government school teachers, the initiative adopted a ‘Training of Trainers’ model to enable educators to pass on digital skills to colleagues in their own and neighbouring schools. Embee worked with local panchayats and school authorities to ensure ownership and sustainability beyond project funding.
The impact has been notable teachers with no prior computer experience now use digital tools, create audio-visual content, and run YouTube channels. One teacher’s quick smartphone video alert helped stop a jungle fire, earning him local media coverage.
Following Kalchini’s success, similar programmes were implemented in Baghmundi (Purulia district) and Balurghat (South Dinajpur district). In 2023, Embee and Ahead turned their focus to the Sundarbans, opening Open Learning Centres (OLCs) in five villages to improve literacy, numeracy, cultural learning, and life skills in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
“This initiative is not about ticking CSR boxes; it’s about creating meaningful change where it’s needed most,” said Embee Software’s Managing Director, Sudhir Kothari. Ahead Initiatives’ Managing Director, Abeer Chakravarty, called the company’s approach “the true spirit of sewa.”
The OLC model has since been replicated in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, and Bankura, West Bengal, with ten new centres. Women, including many from adivasi communities, now use smartphones and the internet for training, curriculum development, and documentation. Computer training will be introduced for senior students in the next phase.
