BCTA MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Alumni

SECTOR
Education

HEADQUARTERS
India

REGION OF INITIATIVE
Asia & Pacific

SDG CONTRIBUTION

The Hippocampus Learning Centres (HLC), a leading social enterprise, aims to provide education programmes and teacher training for women through its innovative Kindergarten and After-School programmes to over 380,000 children by 2018.

To improve access to quality pre-school education, Hippocampus Learning Centre (HLC) is focusing on providing high-quality learning opportunities at an affordable cost. The company began operations in 2010 to better address the educational gaps of large populations and is now working in low-income communities across two districts in Karnataka, Mandya and Davangere.

The Centres have established a kindergarten programme to promote early learning skills and two signature after-school programs, namely GBR+ (Grow By Reading), which helps boost comprehension and fluency of the English language; and MathStar, a specialized program aimed at strengthening the foundation for greater learning in mathematics. Both programs are designed to promote a greater likelihood of educational success from the onset by providing the tools to reinforce ongoing learning skills.

HLC's educational programmes meet critical school needs by providing quality education options in low-income communities, said Sahba Sobhani, Acting Programme Manager of the Business Call to Action. The valuable teacher training provides women with the necessary skills to access better work opportunities, while at the same time, helping spur educational access for the whole community, said Sobhani.

Recognizing that teachers are a vital part of providing greater access to education, HLC aims to provide an estimated 24,000 women with training for employment as teachers by 2018. The additional teachers will expand capacity and enable a greater number of school children to participate in HLC's basic education and after school reading program and learning activities.

In addition, HLC's teacher training provides valuable alternate employment opportunities for rural women seeking livelihood opportunities outside of the traditional agriculture and manual labor options.