From the nation's long-established love for cricket to its growing fervor for e-sports, the cultural value of competitive sports in India is undeniable. Unique in its ability to transcend social barriers, these sports unite India’s diverse communities through the universal language of sportsmanship.

Competitive sports, regardless of one's class or background, are seen as a pathway for success and social mobility, playing an indispensable role in the socio-cultural dynamics of India.

Leveraging the cultural value of sport in India, we will gamify attendance at Anganwadi centres and position early education as a sport in its own right.

To do this, we will create a Whatsapp-based digital learning league, akin to an e-sports league, where parents can engage with and follow the progress of their children in a language they’re familiar with – sport.

Whilst 60% of appropriately aged children already engage with the Anganwadi system in some capacity, many parents don’t view the centres as a 'serious' education facility nor see the benefit of regular attendance. This is despite efforts from Rocket Learning to demonstrate the centre's educational offering via Whatsapp groups.

It’s important to consider that our target audience, mothers who have limited to no education themselves, are likely unfamiliar with education systems. This means they may struggle to identify what things their child should be learning and which education systems are most effective (i.e. private education versus Anganwadi education).

Our approach is to create an engaging and informative digital campaign that is accessible and relevant to parents of any education level and digital literacy. The campaign will 1. help them understand their child's education needs and 2. Inform them of Anganwadi’s education offer and shift their perception of the centre.

EARLY ADOPTERS

Invite parents who are already engaging with Rocket Learning and the ‘smiley’ loop of motivation to be the first to join the league. Teachers will update each child’s smiley scorecards daily and the centre scorecards daily, which parents can access via the Whatsapp chatbot.

WORD-OF-MOUTH & COMMUNITY

Invite the star ‘players’ from the early adopters to become the faces of the league. We will set them up with YouTube Kids channels and host live streams via video call on Whatsapp to share their ‘scorecards’ and what they’ve learned.

MASS AWARENESS

As our YouTube Kids channels grow and communities catch wind of the league, we expect media to begin reporting on the league and the educational offering of Anganwadi centres, further aiding our goal of shifting perceptions.

INFORMING POLICY

Data from the league’s universal scoring and assessment system will be shared with the government to help inform policy.