Oct 13: The Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya, through its CSR and Social Innovation Committee, Pragati, has expanded its flagship education initiative, SPARSH, from one school in 2024 to 10 rural schools in 2026, reaching 568 students. Implemented in collaboration with the Glad Bharat Foundation, with financial support from Verizon India CSR, SPARSH 2.0 extends its reach across rural communities in Gaya, Bihar.
Launched in Mahudar village in 2024, SPARSH demonstrated encouraging improvements in student attendance, classroom engagement and participation. Building on this experience, SPARSH 2.0 now covers nine additional villages: Jindapur, Turi Kala, Turi Bujurg, Rampur, Tikabigha, Mocharim, Silonja, Basadhi and Srinagar Baijubigha.
The initiative focuses on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy through structured sessions conducted by SPARSH Fellows. IIM Bodh Gaya student volunteers will also conduct learning sessions every Saturday to reinforce classroom learning.
Guided by the vision of the Institute’s Director, Dr Vinita S. Sahay, the initiative brings together faculty members, student volunteers and implementation partners to support rural education. It also enables IIM Bodh Gaya students to apply classroom learning through community engagement, developing leadership, empathy and an understanding of local challenges.
Beyond academics, SPARSH 2.0 incorporates mindfulness, creative learning and financial literacy to support children's confidence, self-awareness and overall development. A programme at Primary School Srinagar Baijubigha also prepares rural students for the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya entrance examination, with 17 students enrolled.
The need for such interventions is highlighted by the Annual Status of Education Report 2024, which reported that 26.1% of Class III children in rural Bihar could read a Class II-level text, while approximately 37.4% could perform at least subtraction.
The initiative is led by Prof. Suresh K. G., Chairperson of Pragati, and Prof. Ajith Tom James, Co-Chairperson, with the involvement of CSR Committee members Prof. Rajani Suresh and Prof. Amrit Panda.
