Mobile English Language Education In Rural India: The Current Landscape October 14, 2009 Ashley M. Evans

THE PROBLEM

The Problem  English is the language of business, government, and commerce  For the rural poor, it's a “gateway language” for reaching the middle class  1.4 billion people in India live on less than $1.25 a day (that’s roughly one-third of all the poor people in the world!)  Almost 30% of the country’s rural population live in poverty  Agricultural workers depend on unpredictable weather patterns for their livelihood

The Problem  Even so, less than 5% of India's population speaks English  Rural public schools are under-staffed and under- resourced  Teacher absenteeism is common  Many students cannot attend school every day

THE POTENTIAL

The Potential  India is the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world  Large part of demand coming from rural consumers, who typically earn less than $1,000/year  Subscriber base grew 48% in 2008 to 347 million customers  Cell towers rapidly going up in the countryside Source: 53.html

SO WHAT ARE ORGANIZATIONS DOING TODAY?

English Seekho  Launched through a partnership between education company IL&FS and Tata Telecom  Service started up in August 2009, has had thousands of sign- ups  Provides 5 minute audio English lessons  Multiple-choice questions and copies of lesson text sent via SMS  Speech recognition technology tests user's English  Subscription 20 Rs/ month, plus airtime fees  Targeted at Hindi speakers Source:

Nokia Life Tools  Debuted in India in early 2009, rolling out later in Asia and Africa  Graphical interface for content, which is fed into device by SMS  As well as English, offers news, agricultural updates, market prices for farmers  English tips, grammar/vocabulary lessons, quizzes  Provides explanations/translations in local language  Currently available for 10 Indian languages  Subscription costs 30 Rs to 60 Rs per month Source: get-some-bakery-mobile-innovations/

MILLEE  MILLEE : Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging Economies  Currently in pilot versions  Berkeley-based team of CS researchers  Text, audio, and graphical elements  “Lesson screens” teach English words and grammar  “Tests” as games – matching, spelling, or navigation challenges similar commercial video games  Games require electricity, but no extra airtime/fees  Only works on a single phone model  An extra challenge for the designers: Indian games differ from Western games Source: a-difference-matthew-kam-on-a-game-based-approach-for- english-learning-in-india/

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives Reason for Pause...  How well do low-tech voice-recognition technologies really work?  Can needy families afford English lessons, even low cost ones? Questions to Pursue  What is best pricing model (subscription? One-off fees? Free?)  Are games-based design or traditional test formats more effective?  How to ensure students' literacy levels are sufficient?  Can mobile learning stand on its own without formal schooling?

Selected Bibliography Bellman, Eric. "Rural India Snaps Up Mobile Phones." The Wall Street Journal. 9 Feb "Cell Phone Learning Can Make a Difference--Matthew Kam on a game-based approach for English learning in India." babbel blog. 27 Feb English Seekho. Mehta, Dina. "Raju, Go and Get Some Bakery--Mobile Innovations." Conversations with Dina. 30 Aug MILLEE. Nokia Life Tools. "World Bank Updates Poverty Estimates for the Developing World." Research at the World Bank. 3 Nov

QUESTIONS?