NIIT’s Hole-in-the-Wall
initiatives have
essentially made a
significant difference in
the learning outcomes of
children, promoting selflearning,
providing
opportunities for
articulation and
expression and even
improved social
cohesion. With an
established model, NIIT
extents these initiatives
through colloboration
with state governments
in India.
Raj Kishore, an eight year old, is
deaf and mute from birth. Till
about a year ago, he was
disconnected from his slum
community, unable to communicate
and often turning violent. Then
something magical happened – a TVlike
toy was installed near his home.
Except it wasn’t really a TV, he could
paint wonderful pictures on it, and
best of all, no one scolded or hit him
for touching it. Today, Raj Kishore is
a different child – self assured,
always smiling and ready to help
younger children at the Hole-in-the-
Wall Learning Station.
The initial experiments with the Holein-
the-Wall showed that groups of
children could learn how to use a
computer and the Internet all by
themselves. And to let this happen,
the computer had to be placed in an
outdoor, playground setting and the
children had to have unconditional
access to it. Also, there were several hardware and software innovations
made to ensure computers work in
harsh, unsupervised conditions. Most
people tend to think of the Hole-inthe-
Wall as an interesting method for
children to learn to use a computer.
But is that all there is to it?
 Extending the model
Once the viability of the model was
proven in terms of acquisition of
functional computer literacy, we
started exploring applications of the
model in other domains of learning.
The most obvious extension was
elementary education because the age
group of children we were studying
was 6-14 years.
Several studies measuring the
learning achievement of children in
curricular subjects showed that the
Hole-in-the-Wall was making a
significant difference to learning
outcomes. From what we understand
of the Hole-in-the-Wall pedagogy, the
outcomes are not merely a matter of
the children accessing educational
content on the computer. There are
two critical factors that influence
outcomes. First, the outdoor
playground setting changes the
mindset of the children. They don’t
think of it as a structured educational
intervention, but interact in a playful
exploratory way. And second, children
always work in groups at a learning
station. The constant conversation,
challenging of assumptions and
teaching each other creates an
extremely rich learning environment.
 One of the biggest gaps in current
teaching practices in rural schools is
the lack of opportunities for
articulation and expression. Children
do not have a voice. Articulation is a
critical aspect of any form or level of
learning and especially important in
early schooling. At Hole-in-the-Wall
learning stations, children are engaged in projects
such as creating
photodocumentaries
on
the computer.
Not only does
this provide
opportunities to use
interesting new
equipment and
software, but also
changes the
perceptions of the
children. Looking at
their lives through a
camera lens, and
attempting to write
commentary on what
they see, raises
questions in their
minds that would
otherwise never
surface.
If the Hole-in-the-
Wall does indeed
improve learning outcomes at the
elementary level, is it a viable solution
within the framework of Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (India’s ‘Education for All’
program)? Two States have decided to
find an answer to this question with
pilot projects in rural schools.
Rajasthan was the first early adopter
of this innovation. The first project in four upper-primary
schools in Jhalawar
district is currently
being implemented.
Soon after, Jammu
& Kashmir decided
to implement a pilot
project in four
districts, including
in the Kashmir
valley. The
educational
establishment, and
especially the
government
bureaucracy, is
often criticized for
its lack of
motivation and its
unwillingness to
make real
contributions. The
willingness of the
governments of
Rajasthan and
Jammu & Kashmir
to try a new and unusual pedagogy
shows that this criticism is not
entirely justified.
Another recent project we are really
excited about is in the tribal areas of
Andhra Pradesh (AP). The
Department of Tribal Welfare of AP
wanted to test the idea of Hole-in-the-
Wall in a few tribal schools, and we
were all too happy to accept the
challenge. These will be the first
implementations of Hole-in-the-Wall
in tribal areas and our learning from
this project will certainly lead to
further innovations and strengthening
of the model.
Beyond Basic Literacy
 When the Delhi Government did a
survey of the community in Madangir,
New Delhi, which is home to our
longest-running project, two very
interesting ideas emerged. 85% of the
respondents said that the Hole-in-the-
Wall helps develop confidence and
pride in children. Also, 79% of the
respondents agreed that these
learning stations improve social
cohesion. In our informal interactions
with the community, we heard that
petty crime in the area had reduced.
Are we onto something much larger
than just computer literacy and
elementary education?
 This is exactly the question we are
attempting to answer in a research
project recently started in
Chharanagar, Ahmedabad, in the state
of Gujarat. This project is being done
in collaboration with Sneh Prayas, a
reputed local NGO. But first, a little bit
about the Chharas.
Formerly nomads, the Chharas were
included in the list of criminal tribes
by the British and virtually imprisoned
in labor camps. In 1952, the Criminal
Tribes Act of 1911 was finally
repealed, and the Chharas were
resettled in the outskirts of
Ahmedabad. However, even today
the Chharas continue to be
discriminated against in education
and employment. And the reputation
of Chharanagar as the brewing center
of illicit liquor in an otherwise dry
state doesn’t help either.
The Hole-in-the-Wall project in
Chharanagar is an attempt to study
the relationship between
collaborative, informal learning and
the perceptions and achievement
motivation of children. We hope that the Hole-in-the-Wall along
with other initiatives in
Chharanagar, most notably the
Budhan Theatre, will help Chhara
children discover their potential.
I had the opportunity to watch a
street play by children in
Chharanagar, and was amazed at
the talent and expression of the
children. However, their future will
depend not just on self-belief, but
also on the attitudes and perceptions
of society at large about “de-notified
criminal tribes.”
Challenges
Being a part of the Hole-in-the-Wall
gives me a chance to see a face of India that most city dwellers rarely
encounter. I often talk about a
photograph we took in
a village school in Jharkhand –
when you see the picture, you
can’t tell which way is up because
the room has no furniture or
electrical fixtures. Although a
majority of Indian villages
theoretically have electricity,
power is available only for a few
hours and often only at night.
Many times the absence
of a basic road itself is a hurdle.
I remember our implementation
team had to carry all the equipment
on their heads for the last mile in
Stok village. This is in Ladakh,
the Himalaya’s cold desert region,
where a brisk walk can leave you
with burning lungs.
Sometimes people ask us if
it’s even relevant to talk about
the Hole-in-the-Wall when
basic needs like nutrition, water
and healthcare are not met.
Should we even think about
computers when a village has no
power and no roads?
There is no doubt about the
centrality of education in all
issues of development. And when
we talk about education, we are not
just talking about literacy lists, but
about self-esteem, awareness of
rights and the joy of learning.
One can see this joy in
the faces of the children in Baran.
This is a village inhabited by
traditional musicians of Rajasthan
(made famous by the master
musician Gazi Khan). The children
had never seen a computer before,
but in a few hours had figured
out how to record sounds and
play them back on the computer.
And for the first time in their lives,
they heard a recording of their
own singing.
Sure there are challenges, but
this country has the ability to
overcome them. 
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