Helping students earn a quality education requires resources and with 40% of India’s population under 18 years of age, there is a high demand for support in education. Through our partnership with Teach for India, Polyvision donated another 155 writing boards to under-resourced classrooms across the nation this year in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Delhi.
Many classrooms and public centers used to hold classes for students and community members have limited access to the necessities required for a strong academic program – often equipped with old or damaged whiteboard and chalkboard surfaces. Since 2015, Polyvision has heard this need and taken action, donating nearly 1,000 whiteboards and chalkboards to Teach for India schools to help alleviate a small portion of the burden and provide quality tools for students to learn from.
When asked about the existing whiteboards and chalkboards in their classrooms, teachers opened up about the challenges. They were making do with old boards that were cracked and stained. One teacher recalled their old whiteboard’s stains and how the marred surface often caused confusion, and distracted students from the new content they were learning. Another teacher noted that the cracks in their blackboard from age and wear reduced the usable surface area and created obstructions during activities. Finally, chapped hands and excess dust from old, poor quality chalkboards were frequently mentioned as problems with the previous writing surfaces.
Of the teachers surveyed after receiving their new CeramicSteel blackboards and whiteboards, 75% were responsible for teaching 30 or more students in their classroom at one time. This student-to-teacher ratio lends even greater importance to the quality of the writing surface at the front of the classroom. 77% of survey respondents said their new boards made it easier to teach their classes, improving interactions between teachers and students. A study showing that whiteboards and chalkboards can be easily integrated into an active learning setting to support group brainstorming and problem-solving supports the need for a reliable writing surface in the classroom.
Teach for India believes that “an excellent education is a balance of academics and character development through strengthening values and mindsets.” Likewise, Polyvision is dedicated to motivating the next generation of tomorrow’s leaders to become thought leaders of the future.
