Routes2Roots Brings Digital Classrooms To Remote Uttarakhand and Himachal Prad

With an aim to make education accessible and inclusive for students in  remote corners of India, Routes2Roots (R2R), a Delhi-based non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting art, culture and heritage, in its latest initiative has created digital classrooms in the remote areas of Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh. Routes2Roots carried out the installation of a total of 100 Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs) across the two states.

The targeted districts include Auli, Kedarnath, Spiti Valley and Kinnaur, among others. Routes2Roots has digitised four schools in each of the 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh and 13 districts in Uttarakhand, bringing modern educational tools to some of the most remote regions in India. These areas, marked as aspirational districts, are being focused on for improvements in education and holistic development of students.

Alongside art and culture content developed by Routes2Roots, the IFPs are equipped with K-12 educational content as per the NCERT curriculum. This includes 50,000 educational videos and 1,00,000 questions and answers, enhancing learning opportunities for students. The initiative also provides comprehensive training for teachers to effectively use the new equipment.

Most of these locations where the panels have been installed are hard to reach areas through regular transportation modes. In Uttarakhand, the team navigated through the harsh weather conditions of Auli and Kedarnath, both situated at high altitudes with challenging access. In Himachal Pradesh, installations in Spiti Valley and Kinnaur were equally challenging. In Kinnaur, where traditional vehicular transport was impractical, local Sherpas, known as 'pitthus', were employed to manually carry the IFPs to their destinations.