Mobile English Language EducationIn Rural India: The Current Landscape

October 14, 2009Ashley M. Evans

THE PROBLEM

The Problem

English is the language of business, government, and commerceFor 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 povertyAgricultural workers depend on unpredictable weather patterns for their livelihood

The ProblemEven so, less than 5% of India's population speaks EnglishRural public schools are under-staffed and under- resourcedTeacher absenteeism is commonMany students cannot attend school every day

THE POTENTIAL

The PotentialIndia is the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the worldLarge part of demand coming from rural consumers, who typically earn less than $1,000/yearSubscriber base grew 48% in 2008 to 347 million customersCell towers rapidly going up in the countryside

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123413407376461353.html

SO WHAT AREORGANIZATIONSDOING TODAY?

English SeekhoLaunched through a partnership between education company IL&FS and Tata TelecomService started up in August 2009, has had thousands of sign- upsProvides 5 minute audio English lessonsMultiple-choice questions and copies of lesson text sent via SMSSpeech recognition technology tests user's EnglishSubscription 20 Rs/ month, plus airtime feesTargeted at Hindi speakers

Source: http://englishseekho.in/

Nokia Life ToolsDebuted in India in early 2009, rolling out later in Asia and AfricaGraphical interface for content, which is fed into device by SMSAs well as English, offers news, agricultural updates, market prices for farmersEnglish tips, grammar/vocabulary lessons, quizzes

Provides explanations/translations in local languageCurrently available for 10 Indian languagesSubscription costs 30 Rs to 60 Rs per month

Source: http://dinamehta.com/blog/2009/08/30/raju-go-and-get-some-bakery-mobile-innovations/

MILLEEMILLEE : Mobile and Immersive Learning for Literacy in Emerging EconomiesCurrently in pilot versionsBerkeley-based team of CS researchersText, audio, and graphical elements“Lesson screens” teach English words and grammar“Tests” as games – matching, spelling, or navigation challenges similar commercial video gamesGames require electricity, but no extra airtime/feesOnly works on a single phone modelAn extra challenge for the designers: Indian games differ from Western games

Source: http://blog.babbel.com/cell-phone-learning-can-make-a-difference-matthew-kam-on-a-game-based-approach-for-english-learning-in-india/

PERSPECTIVES

PerspectivesReason for Pause...How well do low-tech voice-recognition technologies really work?Can needy families afford English lessons, even low cost ones?

Questions to PursueWhat 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 BibliographyBellman, Eric. "Rural India Snaps Up Mobile Phones." The Wall Street Journal. 9 Feb. 2009. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123413407376461353.html>"Cell Phone Learning Can Make a Difference--Matthew Kam on a game-based approach for English learning in India." babbel blog. 27 Feb. 2009. <http://blog.babbel.com/cell-phone- learning-can-make-a-difference-matthew-kam-on-a-game- based- approach-for-english-learning-in-india/>English Seekho. http://englishseekho.in/Mehta, Dina. "Raju, Go and Get Some Bakery--Mobile Innovations."  Conversations with Dina. 30 Aug. 2009. <http://dinamehta.com/blog/2009/08/30/raju-go-and-get- some-bakery-mobile-innovations/>MILLEE.  <http://www.millee.org/>Nokia Life Tools.  <http://www.nokia.co.in/explore-services/nokialifetools>"World Bank Updates Poverty Estimates for the Developing World." Research at the World Bank. 3 Nov. 2008. <http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0,,contentMDK:21882162~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:469382,00.html>

QUESTIONS?