The 4th Anniversary of Aksharamaala - Voluntary Online Learning  Support Services was held at the IITH campus by Aksharadaan in coordination with the Rural  Development Center (RDC), IITH. With the integrated and inclusive education for a vibrant India as  a focus, Prof. B.S. Murty, Director of IITH, underscored that services like Aksharamaala are essential  for the nation’s development to extend last-mile support to government school students. 

Since its inception in 2020, Aksharamaala, a joint initiative of the Aksharadaan Charitable  Trust, IIT Hyderabad, and SCERT Telangana, has provided free online learning support  services to government school students across Telangana. This includes improving academic  knowledge, career counseling, motivational sessions, and access to an extensive e-library. Over the  past four years, the initiative has reached 15,000 SSC students. 

During the 2023-24 academic year, Aksharamaala supported 4,000+ students from 70+ government  schools across 9 districts of Telangana. Notably, 150 volunteers from 11 top engineering colleges  dedicated 11,750+ hours to coaching through the "Connect with GEMS" program. The impact has  been significant: 61% of 561 trained SSC students achieved scores above 90% in their board exams,  and 25% of 69 trained 8th grade students passed the NMMS Government of India Scholarship exam. 

Prof. B.S. Murty praised the volunteers for their service and dedication and emphasized that such  integrated and inclusive growth efforts will have a more long-lasting impact than individual growth  efforts. Dr. Satish Regonda, Chairman, RDC, IITH has lauded the service being provided by the IITH  volunteers. He highlighted the efforts of RDC in educating students in nearby villages, and its efforts  also in converting a few villages into model villages through waste management, better sanitation,  clean water, etc. Dr. Suresh Babu from SCERT and Sri S. Venkateswarlu, DEO of Sangareddy, also  highlighted the crucial role of supplementary support services like Aksharamaala in achieving  educational success and fostering motivation. 

The event saw the participation of 50 school students and 100 volunteers. Seven top-performing  10th class students of the Aksharamaala (2023-24) were given cash awards and merit certificates by Prof. BS Murty. Additionally, NSS Coordinators and students from the participating engineering  colleges, including BVRIT, CBIT, GRIET, NITW, IIT Hyderabad, IIIT Hyderabad, SAHE, SNIST,  Vasavi, Vardhman, and VJIT, were recognized with mementos and certificates for their valuable  contributions.