Saksham – Empowering underprivileged children

Abstract

Education is a key driver of empowerment, yet many underprivileged children in India continue to face barriers related to access, retention, and quality learning. Despite high enrollment numbers, surveys such as ASER (2022) indicate that students still struggle with fundamental reading and arithmetic skills. Previous studies, including Education and Care for Underprivileged Child to Bring Them into the Mainstream: A Case Study on Pedagogical Approaches for Their Educational Development, highlight gaps such as inadequate teacher training, poor infrastructure, and unequal learning environments. Recent RCT findings (2024) also show that stronger collaboration between schools and local communities can significantly improve learning outcomes. Meanwhile, the NEP 2020 emphasizes equity, inclusion, and the development of Special Education Zones (SEZs).
In response to these challenges, this paper presents Saksham, a digital platform designed to support teachers by streamlining onboarding, campaign coordination, and sponsorship monitoring. A key element of the system is that each teacher is assigned a specific subject and consistently updates the student progress ratio. These updates are shared with administrators and sponsors, promoting transparency, accountability, and better educational support for underprivileged learners.