Zero-Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI)
Transforming classrooms at zero cost
A national stage for teachers’ micro-innovations
Despite challenges, teachers in government schools nationwide are enabling learning through innovative, low-cost methods—from homemade teaching materials to community projects. Can such teacher-driven innovations enhance India’s educational outcomes?
Yes. Over 2.2 million teachers across 32 states and UTs have made it possible with ZIIEI. With countless zero-investment ideas replicated in thousands of schools, ZIIEI stands as one of India’s largest platforms for teacher-led education transformation. Teachers are honored at national, district, and state events. Their innovations are compiled into ready-to-use lesson plans, called Innovative Pathshaala – all improving learning outcomes, attendance, teacher motivation and far more.
Our Reach
For the year ended Mar 31, 2024
Our Approach
An innovation mindset and motivated teachers are what drive the success of ZIIEI. Along with teachers, we also work with education officers to ensure that they are aligned with and support the teachers’ efforts. The program empowers both stakeholders at two levels:
- Help them understand the immense potential of zero-investment ideas in improving classroom learning and teaching when scaled.
- Ensure they receive the long-due recognition and honour for their contributions to India’s vast education system, which motivates them to excel in their efforts.
To engage these key stakeholders, ZIIEI has established the following platforms:
Day-long motivational trainings facilitate collection and documentation of teachers’ ideas. The most effective ones are compiled into Idea Booklets and shared for implementation in other schools across the country.
Inviting teachers to rise up to the challenge, these awards facilitate collection and documentation of innovations. Teachers are recognized at national conferences.
Schools from across districts exhibit zero-investment innovations to the community, including local administrators, education officers, panchayat leaders, and parents. This is also a platform to felicitate teachers.
Bringing together thousands of key stakeholders – from the cabinet ministers to officials, from principals to teachers from far off villages, from policymakers to funders – these national conferences mobilize, motivate, and recognize everyone involved.
Our Impact
From a humble beginning in Uttar Pradesh to a nationwide program that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with active digital adoption, the ZIIEI program has come a long way. It has oriented more than 22 lakh teachers towards Innovation in Education. The program received an overwhelming response, and more than 13 lakh teachers shared their zero- investment-based best practices. The Navachar Pustikas compiled best innovative practices
that can be replicated and scaled up to lakhs of schools across the country. With each passing year, ZIIEI slowly and steadily expanded its reach and by the year 2023-24 it recognized the innovative teachers from more than 300 districts across 30 states/ UTs of the country and has worked to showcase their efforts at the national level.
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