In a world where technology is taking precedence every single day, it is only obvious that the education sector imbibes this positive change for its growth too. If you go around asking anyone in the country what they think is the most important tool required to lead a better life, many of them will tell you that education is one such tool which can help everyone realize their dreams and live fulfilling lives. Next Education, with its corporate office based in Hyderabad, Telangana understands the reality of this and is therefore working towards revolutionizing the education system in India.

Founded in 2007, Next Education strongly believes that education is not just business, it is a cause. Their innovative products and solutions are so far transforming the lives of 10% of India’s private-school-going children. From technology, content, hardware and service support, Next Education offers curriculum solutions, academic partnerships, self-learning solutions, platform solutions and classroom solutions.

^{Teach Next Interactive Classrooms}

With the smart classroom market in India expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of more than 20% by 2020, Next Education is transforming education with innovative and engaging technology-based K-12 solutions. Their products and solutions are used by over 240,000 + teachers, catering to 12, 000, 000 + students across 12,000 + schools in India. The organization’s educational solutions and services have been well-received nationally and globally as it covers the syllabuses of CBSE, ICSE, Army and all State Boards in seven Indian languages.

Next Education is proactively furthering the cause of education through various CSR initiatives, acting as an implementation partner for many companies.  They have associated with corporates like ONGC, BASF, ITC, PVR Nest, Kushii, Airtel’s Bharti Foundation and many more in the areas of digital classrooms and process administration. Next Education’s mission has always been to make quality education accessible to every student across India, breaking the barriers of place and socio-economic backgrounds. They have steadfastly supported the cause of education with the objective of creating tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, scientists and technologists and that has always been their long-term vision.

Next Education has been executing some interesting and diverse projects. One of them includes an association with the Indian Deaf Society, a voluntary organization helping individuals with hearing and speech impediments. With them, Next Education is working with over 500 schools across the state of Maharashtra to digitize 468 classrooms. The project is currently at the implementation stage and work will be carried out in phases in the coming months. Furthermore, through its project ‘Computer Masti’ the organization has provided computer education to underprivileged children studying in over 86 schools of Raigad district. The project has provided the necessary infrastructure and training for comprehensive computer education, and has even set up 71 formal Education Centres in the rural areas of Mahad and Mangaon in Raigad district. The project has also provided support to differently-abled children through the provision of books, computer-based training equipment, audio-visual projectors, and computers with special software. To date, the initiative has provided relevant computer education and training to over 49,000 underprivileged children living in Raigad’s rural slums. Implemented in partnership with Swades Foundation, ‘Computer Masti’ caters to the diverse learning needs of children, making education and IT skills accessible to thousands of underprivileged children in rural areas.

^{Transforming education through digital classrooms}

In another unique project, Next Education has partnered with NGOs and NGO divisions of corporates to conduct book donation drives which has proved to be very successful. The donated textbooks are used for teaching in underfunded schools directly, thus supporting many underprivileged students who otherwise may not be able to afford these books. The textbooks are designed in a story-based style and are very informative and engaging. These books also tremendously help teachers and students in terms of participation and creating a more inclusive learning environment. Such book donation drives have been facilitated by the generous help from Airtel’s Bharti Foundation. Ratna-Nidhi Charitable Trust, Reliance Power, Dhara Sansthan, Digital Empowerment, Ummeed Foundation, Lupin Foundation, Rotary Literacy, Tech Mahindra’s Ankur Welfare, Hope Foundation, Deenabandhu Trust and many other esteemed NGOs. A total of 1,66,151 books have been distributed in the states of Haryana and Kerala so far.

Next Education has left no stone unturned to create a student and teacher friendly environment. The organization conducts customized workshops for teachers and principals through over 100 academic trainers. The organization has spent significant time and effort to analyze the education sector and gain deep insights into the requirements and gaps in underprivileged schools. In the coming years they plan to partner with even more NGOs and corporates and empower students in many more schools. They also have plans to emerge as India’s foremost education solutions provider with end-to-end solutions that help the academic community.

Next Education is already moving from strength to strength to become the most preferred implementation partner to companies, digitizing classrooms, distributing textbooks and providing solutions to underfunded schools across the country. Their plans are huge and hopefully their impact on the Indian education system will be too in the years to come.

Impact-Story is a series on development and CSR interventions leading to some impacts on the ground. If you have a project, innovation or intervention that has changed the lives of a few people or a community, please share a brief note at csr@ngobox.org. Our Team will get back to you after validating the information for a detailed coverage.