In the corridor of Government Atridevi Higher Secondary School in Indore, 11-year-old Bharat Lodhi finds himself pondering the daunting task of entering the classroom, especially during a math period. The fear and the lack of attention in his school environment for adolescents grappling with math challenges have consistently demotivated him from attending school regularly. Bharat was born into a humble family, his father, a construction worker, and his homemaker mother and reside with his two sisters in Prajapat Nagar, Indore.

Bharat’s community, primarily composed of lower-class families, faces financial constraints that make it challenging to meet the financial needs of their households adequately. Additionally, the lack of proper transport facilities for adolescents to reach school, which is 2 km away from their homes, contributes to demotivation among students, including Bharat," said Rahul Damecha, academic educator from Magic Bus.

Why is Math So Important?

According to media reports(1), 10 government colleges have discontinued their BSc maths courses due to poor admissions in 2023-24. This is expected to impact the quality of maths education in schools and may lead to a shortage of maths teachers. Teachers attribute this decline in interest in maths over the last two years to the pandemic-induced learning gap.

Experts caution that if this trend continues, there could be adverse effects on students' performance, jeopardising the state's standing in emerging disciplines, given the crucial role of maths in logical thinking and reasoning.

Solving The Equation

One ordinary day at school, Bharat's routine took an unexpected turn when he noticed new faces donning uniforms bearing the inscription "Magic Bus India Foundation."

Intrigued, he watched these volunteers' initiate games, bringing an unexpected sense of joy. Bharat eloquently expressed his delight, "I had never thought that I could ‘learn’ through sports."

Football became the conduit through which Bharat discovered the concept of equality, realising that boys and girls were on equal footing on the field. Reflecting on the experience, Bharat shared, "I learnt that boys and girls are equal because we all play football together. I also teach my parents that there is no difference between me and my sisters."

While he learned the meaning of equality through Magic Bus’ Life Skills education programme, he also conquered his fear of math through Magic Bus Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) sessions.

The FLN Sessions in a Temple

Rahul Damecha, Bharat's academic educator, didn't let school holidays or the absence of a Magic Bus Community Learning Centre (CLC) slow down the delivery of FLN sessions. During school holidays, he initiated the FLN sessions in a nearby temple. However, this decision posed its own set of challenges.

“Bharath has been actively participating in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) sessions. While he excelled in Hindi, he initially faced challenges with Mathematics. In the early days of facilitating, I had to exert additional efforts to encourage Bharat to participate, given the absence of a Community Learning Centre (CLC) setup. Without a CLC, sessions had to be conducted in locations close to the adolescent's homes, lacking even basic amenities like fans,” said Rahul Damecha, academic educator, MBIF.

In these impromptu arrangements, working conditions fell short of ideal, demanding extra effort on Rahul's part. However, a notable transformation occurred in Bharat's motivation after Rahul consistently made home visits. Encouraged by this dedicated support, Bharat willingly started attending classes, expressing gratitude for the harmonious mix of learning and play offered.

Rahul introduced a session on division in mathematics, which initially met with scepticism from Bharat, who believed he couldn't grasp the concept. However, with encouragement and guidance, Bharat successfully solved division problems and expressed gratitude for the newfound ease in understanding complex mathematical concepts.

Bharat remarked, "I'm always grateful to Rahul bhaiya for teaching math in a way that I was able to understand and solve sums independently. When I grow up, I want to become an engineer, and I’m told, maths is very important if I want to enrol in an engineering college.”

Generational Shift

Now, with this knowledge and awareness, Bharat is ushering in a generational change within his family and community. His positive strides are influencing his parents to appreciate the importance of regular school attendance and gender equality, particularly with their two daughters.

Bharat's parents express immense joy witnessing the positive transformations in their son. They proudly note that he has become more sincere and displays a heightened interest in studies following Magic Bus's intervention through the Life Skill and Academic Education programme.

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