The number π has been the muse of many a mathematician. It is a mathematical constant, an irrational number, a transcendental number and a good problem to have for many math-lovers. From Archimedes in the 15^thcentury, Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, to our very own Ramanujam have had their tryst with the π. There is everything to celebrate about the mysterious yet loved π.

On World π Day this year, we at Akshara are celebrating the joy of learning mathematics.

Akshara’s association with mathematics has been a long, laborious and fruitful one. It began with our realisation that school education does not translate to numeracy skills; that only 20% of our Standard V students complete primary school having learnt to solve a simple division problem (ASER 2013).

The problem was evident and it needed intervention. So, more than a decade ago, Akshara Foundation began working with government schools, offering remedial programmes in lower primary classes. The Akshara Ganitha programme focuses on improving students’ math skill by making learning fun and relevant to everyday life, and is taught using an activity-based model.

How does our math programme work? We design, deliver and help in the adoption of teaching-learning-material that supports existing textbooks, which put the joy back in learning math. The programme design follows the vision of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 and draws from pedagogical best practices, the experience of teachers, subject experts, and Akshara’s own ground level insights, to lay a bedrock that will take children up the educational ascent.

A glimpse of what we do is in the video below.