Vinoba App: Quiet quest to transform rural classrooms
In an age where technology pervades every aspect of life, its application in the education sector remains critical, especially in schools catering to the underprivileged sections of the society. Sanjay Dalmia, a former CEO of a Fintech company, realised this potential at the age of 50 when he made a life-altering decision to pivot from corporate success to social entrepreneurship. His vision led to the establishment of the Open Links Foundation, which birthed the Acharya Vinoba Teacher Assistance programme, an innovative platform aimed at transforming education in government schools across Maharashtra.
Dalmia’s journey had begun with a simple yet profound idea. To harness technology to improve educational outcomes in rural areas.
And barely a couple of years later, through innovative technology, the Vinoba App has enhanced educational quality in many schools across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, significantly improving teacher support and student performance.
This initiative focuses on upgrading government schools, aiming for international standards and transforming the landscape of rural education. By tackling existing challenges, the app aspires to create a sustainable and effective educational system that empowers future generations.
“Dalmia decided that he should give back to the community. His vision was to use technology to do something for the education sector,” Rajeev Kumar Singh, one of the trustee tells Media India Group.
With years of experience in the social sector, Dalmia and Singh connected with various schools, experimenting with different educational models. However, the breakthrough came when they connected with Rajesh Kumar, a senior official of Rural Development Department in Maharashtra, which catalysed the app’s development.
The Vinoba App was launched in Pune in April 2022, specifically for Zila Parishad schools in the district. Ayush Prasad IAS launched theVinoba in all the 3600 schools in Pune Since its inception, the app has expanded rapidly, now covering 17 districts, ten in Maharashtra and
seven in Chhattisgarh.
This initiative has brought significant transformation to over 28,000 Zila Parishad schools, benefiting more than 1,05,000 teachers and impacting the education of over 2.3 million students. The app’s primary goal is to improve educational outcomes by harnessing technology to enhance learning environments, streamline communication and reduce administrative burdens for teachers. By integrating features such as automated assessments, performance analysis and innovative reporting mechanisms, the app allows teachers to focus more on student engagement and learning.
The app serves as a comprehensive learning platform, offering a range of resources from interactive lessons to assessments designed specifically for rural contexts.
“We understand that rural students face barriers that urban students do not, such as lack of access to teachers and resources. The Vinoba App aims to eliminate those barriers,” Singh adds.
The app created a structured communication channel, addressing the communication gap between government officials and teachers, who often received critical information through informal means like WhatsApp.
The app’s first significant achievement was streamlining communication within the educational hierarchy, making it easier for teachers and school administrations to communicate with each other. “Today, teachers love it because they have their instructions at one place. All the circulars and new initiatives are searchable, making their lives easier. Also, we created a reporting mechanism that is pre-authenticated, allowing teachers to submit their reports easily. This consolidation simplifies the reporting process at all levels, making it far less cumbersome and this feature enables teachers to focus more on educating their students rather than administrative tasks,” Singh adds.
One of the app’s remarkable features is its focus on improving learning outcomes. Teachers, often discouraged by the administrative burdens of preparing students for scholarship exams, are now supported by the app’s resources.
“In the 2023-24 academic year, we implemented Optical Mark Recognition sheets for practice tests across eight districts in Maharashtra, benefiting around 50,000 students. We automated the correction of over 100,000 answer sheets, encompassing more than 15 million questions. This innovation saved teachers an incredible 31,163 hours. With this time saved, teachers can now focus on identifying and addressing areas for improvement through detailed performance analysis, fostering an environment of continuous learning,” he adds.
Recognising a common issue teacher motivation, the team behind the app implemented features to enhance recognition and rewards. Drawing parallels to corporate structures, they integrated a social media platform where teachers could share their achievements and classroom innovations.
“We created a social media platform for teachers, allowing them to share what they are doing in their classrooms and receive likes and recognition from their peers. We typically see around 40,000 posts each month, and this gamification of teaching practices fosters a culture of sharing and learning, motivating teachers to enhance their methods. From June 2023 to June 2024, teachers shared a total of 210,787 posts across 16 districts, showcasing a variety of activities such as club activities, for Language Club, Maths Club, Arts and Crafts Club as well as visits, Teaching Learning Material (TLM) and Teacher Stories,” he adds.
“Throughout our initiative, we held 334 felicitation programmes where we recognised 1,581 dedicated teachers at both the block and district levels, based on their outstanding performance on the app. In addition to this recognition, we introduced a point’s redemption system for gifts that rewards teachers for their engagement. Teachers can redeem their performance points for exciting opportunities, such as tea with the Collector or CEO, where groups of five teachers and two students can join the discussion. Schools can also request a visit from the CEO for various events or meetings and 15 students, accompanied by a teacher, can visit an IT company to engage with industry professionals. Additionally, teachers have the option to request refurbished laptops,” Singh further adds.
After a successful debut in Maharashtra, in 2022,, the foundation also launched Utkrisht Exam programme in Chhattisgarh, which aims to enhance exam preparation and assess school performance through monthly practice exams for 10th and 12th-grade students. This initiative not only helps students improve their academic performance but also provides teachers with essential administrative support and insightful analysis.
“During the initiative, we saw participation from 7,090 Class 10 students and 4,500 Class 12 students in the Gariaband district in Raipur division of Chhattisgarh. The monthly practice exams significantly boosted student performance while equipping teachers with valuable tools for effective analysis and support,” Singh adds.
As part of its commitment to enhancing educational outcomes in rural India, the app has also implemented various initiatives aimed at improving foundational literacy and numeracy among students.
“To support the Government of India’s mission to achieve universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) by 2025, we distributed comprehensive Teaching Learning Materials that included weekly plans and testing instruments. In Gariaband district, our monthly progress reports highlighted a remarkable 15 pc increase in the number of National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) students, showcasing significant improvement in their literacy and numeracy skills,” he adds.
Beyond academics, the app emphasises non-academic initiatives, promoting life skills through projects like kitchen gardens and financial literacy programmes.
Singh pointed out that these efforts cater to the specific needs of various districts, demonstrating the app’s adaptability. “Different districts are using it for different purposes, addressing unique challenges in their educational landscapes,” he adds.
The app also seeks to bridge the gap between bright students and mentorship opportunities. In Raipur, the programme connects high school students with college mentors, encouraging the cycle of giving back to the community. “We are trying to inculcate the power of giving back amongst these students, emphasising the initiative’s broader impact on society.
The success of the app stems from its grassroots approach. Unlike top-down implementations, the app was developed in response to the needs of teachers, ensuring adoption and usability.
“This is not coming from the top down. Nobody forced you to use LinkedIn or Facebook. You use them because you see value. This user-centric design has enabled over 5,000 teachers to embrace the platform, enhancing their teaching capabilities,” Singh adds.
In its ongoing efforts to enhance educational standards, the app is also focused on improving student attendance in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur and Gariaband districts. By closely monitoring daily and monthly attendance, the app provides valuable insights into school performance. A representative from the Vinoba App elaborated on this initiative.
“The app has contributed significantly to monitoring daily and monthly student attendance in Raipur and Gariaband. This initiative not only improves attendance tracking but also helps identify top-performing schools based on their attendance records at the district and block levels,” he adds.
Envisioning a future where government schools in India rival those in developed nations, he reflects on the journey so far. “If India is to become a developed nation, our government school education must improve. We aim to make government schools the preferred choice for parents,” Singh adds.
As the app continues to make strides in transforming education in Chhattisgarh, plans for expansion into other states are underway.
“We are planning to expand our work into other parts of India, including Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. By bringing our innovative solutions to these regions, we aim to further enhance educational outcomes and support teachers in their vital roles,” he adds.