The Learning Hub – Empowering Remote Rural Communities across India through Blended Learning

This article, originally published in Vol. 17 No. 4 (2024) of the International Journal of Advanced Corporate learning (iJAC), was written for practitioners, educators, policymakers, and development professionals working in rural development, education technology, and community empowerment. The article will also benefit civil society organisations (CSOs), government officials, and capacity-building trainers looking to implement or scale inclusive, low-cost learning models in underserved regions. Additionally, researchers and students in fields such as international development, education, public health, and sustainability will find the insights into blended learning strategies particularly valuable.

This case study presented in the article will help you to:

• Understand the principles and implementation of blended learning in rural development contexts, particularly how the combination of video content and in-person facilitation can enhance learning outcomes.
• Identify how human-centred design and community participation improve relevance and accessibility of educational content in diverse rural settings, using local languages and offline access strategies.
• Evaluate the impact of blended learning initiatives on WASH, sustainable agriculture, and effective governance outcomes, with real-world examples
• Explore scalable, cost-effective strategies for delivering digital education in low-resource environments, including the use of low-tech production, local facilitation, and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)