Apni Pathshala is moving forward at full speed! Over the past 15 days, our teams have been busy expanding PODs, rolling out technology, creating inspiring content, and building stronger systems, all to make digital learning safer, smoother, and more engaging for students across India.
On 18th October, the Apni Pathshala family came together to celebrate Diwali with joy, sweets, and smiles. We also sponsored the NCSM (National Council of Science Museums), reflecting our commitment to spreading science, creativity, and digital learning to every corner of the country.
Every team, whether managing technology, building partnerships, creating campaigns, or supporting PODs, played its part in pushing our mission forward. Let’s take a look at what they achieved and the challenges they tackled in the last two weeks.
POD Team
Continuing from the progress shared in previous updates, the POD Team focused on improving learning engagement, streamlining onboarding, and strengthening processes through automation. Both AP 2.0 and AP 2.1 centres showed strong participation and steady growth, with visible improvements in curriculum sharing and reporting systems.
Achievements
Learning Engagement and Attendance
- AP 2.0: Average of 42 students attending sessions at each POD.
- AP 2.1: Conducted 15 POD sessions with an average attendance of 37 students.
- Growth Session: Most PODs participated with around 30 members, including the AP team. Winners were also announced, and prizes were successfully delivered.
Learning and Operational Improvements
- Shared the Curriculum Plan with all AP 2.1 PODs to maintain structured learning outcomes.
- Rolled out the new Content Guide Script across both AP 2.0 and AP 2.1:
- AP 2.0: 70+ videos shared in two weeks.
- AP 2.1: 100+ videos shared in two weeks.
- Implemented automation in Google Forms to auto-count photos and videos, saving manual effort and ensuring data accuracy.
Applications and Onboarding
- Applications Processed: 9 new applications reviewed, including Sawarkar Help Foundation, Swami Vivekanand Computer Academy, and Child Rights Foundation.
- Approvals: Multiple new PODs confirmed after verification and MoU signing.
- Rejections: Sawarkar Help Foundation was rejected for non-compliance.
- Pending: Rhitu and Fidafam paused due to incomplete documentation.
- PC Orders: Placed for Life Skills Foundation, HUDSA, and Diya Foundation.
- Lab Setup Reviews: Completed video verification for several centres.
- KYC: Sent and tracked forms for new applicants.
Additional Achievements
- Added 11 new success stories (7 from AP 2.1, 4 from AP 2.0).
- Distributed updated curriculum plans to all new PODs.
- Finalised 3–4 new MoUs and onboarded new PODs.
- Achieved full automation of content tracking, improving accuracy and workflow efficiency.
Challenges & Improvements:
- AP 2.1: Only a few PODs followed the shared content guide script despite multiple reminders.
- AP 2.0: Some PODs delayed their weekly and monthly report submissions.
- Applications: Delays in document processing and PC setups (e.g., BHSS Peren) slowed approvals and deployment.
- Improvement for Next Cycle: Conduct short orientation sessions for POD leaders on using the content guide effectively.
Tech Team
Continuing from the progress shared in the last Team Talks update, the Tech Team has been steadily strengthening Apni Pathshala’s digital backbone. From maintaining smooth operations to introducing new features, every step taken this cycle focused on improving performance, accessibility, and security. Ensuring that both students and POD leaders and staff experience seamless digital learning.
Website Team
In the spirit of collaboration and innovation highlighted in our last Team Talks update, the Website Team continued to strengthen Apni Pathshala’s digital foundation. Every change, from new content formats to backend improvements, aims to make the website more engaging, informative, and secure for our growing community of learners and partners.
Achievements
- Added 4 new comic stories, introducing a fun and relatable way to communicate Apni Pathshala’s ideas and initiatives.
- Launched a Notification Section to keep visitors informed about the latest updates, creating a stronger sense of connection and “buzz” among users.
- Began development of a new POD management dashboard to simplify internal operations and improve data tracking across centres.
- Successfully handled 275K+ website requests, while all hack and bot attacks were fully mitigated through Cloudflare integration.
- No technical issues reported recently, reflecting steady system performance and improved reliability.
Challenges & Improvements
- Biggest Challenge: None reported recently.
- Improvement for Next Cycle: Focus on optimising the dashboard speed and introducing user engagement analytics for new sections like comics and notifications.
Student Safety Software Team
Building on the progress shared in our last Team Talks blog, the Parental Control (Student Safety Software) Team focused on scaling impact and ensuring student safety across all connected PCs. The team’s recent efforts combined technical innovation with real-world problem-solving, turning a complex rollout into a secure and efficient digital learning experience for hundreds of students.
Achievements
- Introduced a new automation script, “Auto Login User”, enabling automatic logins after system startup.
- Impact: Greatly reduced manual setup time, improving rollout speed and efficiency.
- 446 students have enrolled in the Student Safety Software to date.
- Completed Phase 1 rollout, covering over 400+ PCs across multiple PODs.
- No hack or attack attempts detected, ensuring full data safety.
- Stable operation confirmed across all deployed systems post-rollout.
Challenges & Improvements
- The biggest challenge was coordinating with multiple PODs, which proved difficult due to network interruptions, power outages, and irregular communication, resulting in delays to the rollout schedule.
- Improvement for Next Cycle: Plan to complete 80% of the setup during the shipment phase, ensuring a smoother and faster implementation once PCs reach the PODs.
Computer Team
The past two weeks were filled with problem-solving, new PC deliveries, and continuous efforts to keep our PODs equipped with the right technology. The Computer Team worked diligently to resolve issues, deliver new PCs, and ensure smooth operations across Apni Pathshala’s PODs. Despite dealing with various technical complaints, we successfully implemented new tools and streamlined processes to improve efficiency and reduce downtime.
Achievements
1. PC Deliveries
- UVA Jagriti Sansthan (2 PCs) – Awarded a projector as the winner from last month’s initiatives, delivered successfully.
- Ashayen Foundation: Complained about 2 new monitors, successfully handled.
- MAA IVF Centre, KEM Hospital: Not an official Apni Pathshala POD, but 10 i5 PCs delivered for their setup.
2. On-Call Issue Resolution
- Resolved on-call issues on the same day for two PODs via video calls.
- Shri Govt. Girls Ashram School
- Life Skills Foundation, Nagpur
3. New Tools & Process Implementation
- For UVA Jagriti Sansthan, SSS (Student Safety Software) was used to resolve the OS issue. This new approach decreased issue resolution time significantly.
Challenges & Improvements
- Major Complaints: Several complaints were received regarding peripherals such as monitors, keyboards, and mouse damage.
- Pending Deliveries: Some pending orders or complaints regarding peripherals, such as monitors and keyboards, have delayed the delivery or setup process.
- The most common complaint was related to physical damage to peripherals (e.g., monitors, keyboards).
- Improvement for Next Cycle: Implement more robust handling procedures and regular component checks to prevent damage.
Social Media & Marketing Team
The past two weeks were a blend of creativity, learning, and teamwork for the Social Media Team. While the entire Apni Pathshala family celebrated Diwali on Saturday, 18th October, enjoying sweets and festive joy, the team was still in action, capturing moments, recording videos, and editing reels to share the festive spirit online.
Despite tight schedules and event coverage duties, the team maintained strong engagement and creative consistency. The NCSM‘s event and Diwali content together made this cycle a highlight of innovation and connection.
Achievements
- Crossed 1,000 Followers on Instagram, a major community milestone.
- Executed 2 ad campaigns, boosting brand visibility and engagement.
- Diwali Reel became one of the best-performing festive posts of the quarter.
- Maintained consistent branding and communication across all platforms, ensuring strong recall and trust.
Challenges & Improvements
- Task Delays: Coverage of the NCSM event temporarily paused some planned activities.
- Drop in Blog Views: Decrease in web traffic from Google and Twitter.
- Pending SEO: Individual POD pages still await optimisation.
- Reduced Engagement: Slight dip in reach and impressions due to fewer posts.
- Improvement for Next Cycle: Finding out the real reason behind the reduction in viewership and tackling it in the upcoming days
Conclusion
Over the last 15 days, Apni Pathshala’s teams, from tech innovators and POD coordinators to storytellers and marketers, have continued to move the mission forward with focus and determination. Every update, feature, and post reflects one goal: to make digital learning simpler, safer, and more impactful for every student.
But this is just the beginning; some big collaborations are on the horizon! To learn who they are and how we made them possible, stay tuned to our Team Talks of Apni Pathshala series.
If you enjoy audio-visual stories, don’t miss our Internal Gupshup series on YouTube and Instagram for behind-the-scenes highlights, candid moments, and the latest updates straight from our teams.
If you want to dive into our previous adventure, read our Team Talks Of Apni Pathshala: Ep-3, and if you are a new reader and curious about this journey, read our Team Talks Of Apni Pathshala: Ep-1 and feel free to comment on your thoughts.
