Prem Kumar on

How Technology Can Transform India’s Rural Education

Education, Technology

February 2, 2023

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Prem Kumar is the founder of Kalvi40, a mobile educational technology app that is transforming the way education is imparted to over 750 Government schools across 26 districts in Tamil Nadu.

A seasoned IT delivery Manager with a career that spanned 19 years across companies like HCL and TCS, Prem Kumar took a leap of faith in creating Kalvi40 when he observed gaps in the way education was reaching school children in Tamil Nadu’s Hinterland.

With a global collaborative volunteer network which helps Kalvi40 create content for the kids, Prem Kumar today has managed to reach over 750 Government schools across 26 districts in Tamil Nadu.

Listen to Prem’s fascinating journey in this podcast where Swami delves deep into the what, why and how of Kalvi40, including:

How Prem was inspired to start Kalvi40
What made Prem take the ultimate leap of faith
Understanding what “rural India” really means
How Prem built the platform from scratch
Discovering the difference between Corporate Outsourcing and Social Outsourcing
The distinction between Purpose and Process in Social Startups
The challenges of running a social startup

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Show Notes

Prem Kumar’s Formative Years

How Prem Kumar’s childhood influenced the idea of Kalvi40

Government Schools Vs Private Schools – in the eyes of a young Prem Kumar

Have Government Schools changed in the past two decades?

Tamil Nadu Government Schools

The life of a rural school teacher

The daily journey a rural school teacher endures

Understanding Rural India

Prem Kumar and his parents influence on his life and career

What kind of infrastructure does a rural school have?

Single Teacher Schools

Prem Kumar’s groundwork with agriculture to understand the rural lifestyle

How Prem converted a hobby into a lifegoal

Biggest unlearning from being a tech leader to being a social startup founder

Team Kalvi40 and what keeps them motivated

Corporate Outsourcing Vs. Social Enterprise Outsourcing

What does Kalvi40 mean?

The Kalvi40 platform

The Kalvi40 content framework

Project Management & the Kalvi40 Global Volunteer Network

Balancing Purpose and Process in Social Enterprises

Adapting to schools with poor infrastructure

How we can support the cause of Kalvi40

Corporate support for Kalvi40

Success Stories at Kalvi40

The reach and impact Kalvi40 has had

Effort Vs. Outcome

Scaling Kalvi40 nationwide

Life as a social entrepreneur

What is success?

Best piece of advice Prem has ever recieved

Prem’s advice to corporate employees

Prem’s advice to an 18-year old at University

Prem’s dream dinner guests

What Prem believes that others seldom do

How Technology Can Transform India’s Rural Education

Pooja Jauhari is the former Group CEO of VMLY&R India, and former CEO of The Glitch. Over her two-decade-long career, Pooja has worked with some of the biggest brands in the country and the world, and introduced powerful campaigns to society.

Pooja has worked with some brilliant people and has held important responsibilities over the past 20 years. She is the Founder of Seat At The Table, an unbiased investment and advisory initiative to invest in companies and people that are built on a purpose.

Prior to her appointment in the VMLY&R network, Pooja was the CEO of The Glitch, a high-performance creative company that has worked hard to create a workspace that is gender blind, inclusive and progressive. The Glitch was acquired by WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications company in 2017, and integrated into the VMLY&R network within WPP in 2020.

How Technology Can Transform India’s Rural Education

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How Technology Can Transform India’s Rural Education

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