Nestlé’s Project Jigyasa – Nestlé India has expanded the scope of Project Jigyasa in conjunction with Agastya International Foundation, extending its benefits to five more schools in Haryana’s Samalkha district. A major component of this expansion is the construction of a scientific laboratory and a library in each newly incorporated school. Project Jigyasa, a flagship project of the Nestlé Healthy Kids program, will begin operations in 2022 with the goal of improving scientific education and instilling a love of reading in young children.
Nestlé’s Project Jigyasa
The Journey So Far
In the year since its inception in Goa, Project Jigyasa has reached new heights, spreading its light across 15 schools in three Indian states. Over 5,000 students from low-income families have benefited directly from the campaign. These children can now participate in scientific experiments, widen their viewpoints through literature, and access digital learning, which were before unavailable to them.
Project Jigyasa schools have seen an increase in the number of female students borrowing books from libraries and participating in science activities. Installing toilet facilities for female students only has made them feel safer and promoted increased participation.
While Project Jigyasa is part of Nestlé India’s independent CSR responsibility, its impact extends beyond the company’s walls. The effort, guided by the ‘Creating Shared Value’ paradigm, creates value for society and community stakeholders at the same time.
Jigyasa Project assists schools in becoming local drivers for rural development. Students who receive a well-rounded education and skill development can help raise families out of poverty by breaking intergenerational cycles.
Teachers who have received new-age training can pass it on to hundreds of kids. Children who are comfortable with digital learning can help to bridge digital divides that afflict rural regions.
Project Jigyasa at Nestlé India mobilizes human capital for the public good. Employees offer their time to go to schools and engage youngsters in interactive science and reading sessions. Such participation makes learning more pleasurable and enhances students’ confidence. Project Jigyasa offers life-changing education access at scale by encouraging such cross-pollination of resources, competencies, and action – the genuine spirit of ‘Creating Shared Value.’
Building Foundational Literacy Through Reading
Project Jigyasa also focuses on strengthening kids’ literacy foundations by increasing reading habits. The program has constructed libraries in Project Jigyasa schools, allowing pupils to access age-appropriate fictional and non-fiction reading materials across a variety of subjects. Teachers hold special reading sessions to help students learn essential literacy skills.
“The school library has exposed students to the wonderful world of books,” said one headmaster. Children who previously avoided reading are now eager to borrow books. Their reading, writing, and comprehension skills have all improved noticeably.”
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration to Enhance Rural Education
Project Jigyasa, at its core, illustrates the power of partnership across groups to improve public education in rural India. Nestlé India and Agastya Foundation have significantly touched thousands of children across various states by utilizing their respective expertise, establishing a scalable and sustainable methodology for improving rural education.
The one-of-a-kind public-private collaboration provides the perfect funding, technical expertise, local community connection, and on-the-ground execution capability to effect long-term change. Both organizations are committed to broadening the program’s reach, with the goal of eventually empowering lakhs of kids across India through practical science learning and reading.
Impact Created
It has been a transforming attempt to facilitate the introduction of scientific labs and libraries to over 5,000 children in 15 rural schools, fostering hands-on, experiment-based learning. Students have developed a deep curiosity and genuine interest in the sciences as a result of fascinating science experiments encompassing biology, chemistry, physics, and electronics.
This method has not only increased interest and active involvement in science classes, but it has also encouraged interactive and practical demonstrations. Concurrently, the construction of libraries and organized reading sessions has built a solid foundation for literacy, resulting in substantial improvements in students’ reading, writing, and comprehension skills. The initiative has successfully pioneered a reproducible and scalable public-private partnership approach focused on rural education progress.
The Road Ahead
As Project Jigyasa approaches its second year, its impact is undeniable. Learning outcomes and student motivation levels in beneficiary schools have significantly improved over baseline levels. In certain schools, female student engagement has increased by up to 200%.
Drawing momentum from such measurable progress on the ground, plans are now in the works to expand Project Jigyasa to 30-35 schools by the end of 2024, establishing more public-private partnerships along the way. Nestlé India and Agastya Foundation seek to inspire curiosity and future preparation in over 15,000 young brains with this five-fold scaleup target.
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