Nelson Mandela once said, “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, it reaches his head. If you speak to a man in his language it reaches his heart”.
The folks at BYJU’S are using a similar thought process to make learning a personalized experience. BYJU’S the learning app is reaching out to students across different regions by providing learning programs in regional languages.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
However, it is easier said than done. India has over 19,500 dialects as per the 2018 census report, and there are 22 scheduled languages in the Indian constitution. So, why and how is BYJU’S planning to accomplish such a challenging feat? Let us find out.
Mother-tongue or the regional language has an important role in shaping the thinking and emotions of children. Even the NEP (National Educational Policy) 2020 emphasizes on mother-tongue based literacy.
Experts feel that early schooling in a child’s mother tongue can improve learning and increase student participation as they feel more comfortable. Students can also pursue higher education in their regional languages. The scope of learning different skills can also increase.
The NEP is yet to be implemented and is likely to bring significant changes in the Indian education system.
Until then, let us look at our current situation.
In the current scenario, students studying in local languages do not have access to quality educational content in the regional languages.
BYJU’S seemed to have identified this opportunity much before the NEP 2020 was proposed. In the year 2019, BYJU’S had announced its learning programs will be rolled out in different languages.
Today, BYJU’S learning programs are already available in prominent regional languages such as Hindi, Gujrati, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu. The medium of instruction can be easily changed in the BYJU’S learning application.
To connect with the regional consumers, BYJU’S has also curated some creative ad campaigns starring celebrities from the local states.
The following are some of the notable ad campaigns.
Mollywood megastar Mohanlal starred in the ad campaign specially crafted for Kerala. He is lovingly referred to as “Laletta” by his fans. One could see Mohanlal (in the advertisement) posing a complex math question to his son.
The boy quickly solves the problem and says BYJU’S helps him learn and understand math in an easy way. Mohanlal wonders whether BYJU’S can teach cricket as well. The dialect used in the ad is authentic, and it connects to the audience immediately.
Superstar Mahesh Babu has partnered with BYJU’S to reach out to the Telugu audience of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Mahesh Babu is recognized as the “Prince of Tollywood”. In one of the Telugu ads, Mahesh Babu recreates one of his signature dialogues from his movie Pokiri. He states, “Family mottham brilliant annayya”, which translates into “our whole family is brilliant”.
He appeals to the audience to give their kids an innovative way to learn.
Superstar Sudeep Sanjeev joined hands with BYJU’S to launch their first ad in Kannada for their consumers in Karnataka. Sudeep is renowned as Kiccha among his fans. His ad campaign is M3 or Mane Mane Maathu (The story of every house).
Kiccha Sudeep interviews young learners in his classic style to learn their problems in studying. He appeals to parents to stop pressurizing kids to study and to let them study at their own pace with BYJU’S.
These ad campaigns can help BYJU’S connect with their consumers at an emotional and aspirational level.
How is this going to impact education? Mrinal Mohit, COO of BYJU’S, says, “The availability of BYJU’S learning programs in multiple vernacular languages will make quality learning accessible for children in every nook and corner of the country and fulfil their aspirations of building better lives.” (India Now Business and Economy Magazine)
In an interview with the Business Insider, Divya Gokulnath, co-founder and director of BYJU’S says, 65% of their students are from outside the top 10 cities, and this shows BYJU’S is an aspirational product for those who do not have access to quality education.
BYJU’S foraying into vernacular languages can surely help many students get access to top‑quality learning and fuel a lot of dreams and aspirations. To BYJU’S, it can increase their foothold in the semi-urban and rural markets.
Let us know your thoughts….
