For the past two decades, children’s access to quality elementary education has been a major focus of the central and state government. Unemployment continues to be common for India’s eastern state of Bihar, one of the country’s largest and poorest states. As young people fail to complete the full cycle of school education and secure steady employment, these have remained a major educational and economical challenge. 

In October 2015, we established a district-wide Proof of Concept of the Anandshala program in Samastipur, in partnership with The Hans Foundation and Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC). It zeroed in on improving implementation of government educational policies, and we hope to use our learning from Samastipur to replicate interventions across other districts in Bihar.

In 2016, our MyQuest initiative started in colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) to equip young people with the skills they need to make better career decisions. Since 2019, our work via the Secondary Schools program promotes STEM education for girls enrolled in govt. high schools, thereby ensuring young women in the state have the knowledge and agency to pursue opportunities in STEM related fields.

Vision 2023

We aim for a long-term strategic partnership with the BEPC and DET that includes learner, educator, trainer and principal engagement. As of February 2021, we have signed an MoU with the the Directorate of Employment & Training (DET), Dept. of Labour Resource, Government of Bihar, to work with all 150 ITIs in Bihar through employability skills training, innovation and entrepreneurship development, reaching out to more than 17,000 students. We hope to deepen our engagement with young women through a direct intervention in the Women ITI ecosystem.

Over the years, entrepreneurial training and support will be available to ITI-VTI alumni and other youth. With a strong partner network, we also hope to foster interest in STEM opportunities and entrepreneurship among secondary school students.

Strategy and Approach

Anandshala’s approach to creating joyful learning spaces in Bihar includes:

• Building student leadership and enhancing student participation in school activities
• Using a data-based system to track progress of students who are not attending, engaging and learning in school
• Parent engagement and developing change leaders

With the Secondary Schools program, we will continue to create opportunities and nurture learning environments to help young girls pursue higher education in STEM fields, thereby widening their career prospects in digital and technology-driven jobs.

In the next few years, our plan is to expand our work with more youth organizations, including grassroot institutions across Bihar, to equip young people between the ages of 18-30 with the skills, confidence and self-awareness they require to pursue careers they like and impact their communities in a positive manner. Our blended learning toolkits on life skills, works skills and career and the Quest App is designed to provide them the opportunity to connect with right careers, achieve success and take charge of their future.