The FILO app empowers students who are pursuing their most critical years, Class 9 to 12, through a free call to a FILO teacher.
For millions of Indian students from underserved communities, education is the only tool that can help them break through the cycle of poverty and lack of access to ‘the better life.’ Yet, there is much to be done to make education relevant and accessible to the vast majority of Indian students. On the other hand, attempting to bridge the gaps are thousands of edtech platforms that leverage technology to expand reach.
However, these ed-tech platforms tend to be high-cost and have an urban-focused approach; and do not really address the heart of issues in students’ minds across the country. In this scenario, platforms like FILO are able to bring in empathy and access to virtual education and bridge the gap in a meaningful way.
FILO, meaning “friend,” is literally designed to be a friend during those difficult times when students struggle to perform their best in school and competitive exams due to a lack of guidance in their study sessions coupled with the challenges that are unique to a student in the Indian education system.
Extending A Lifeline To Millions
The sachet education app empowers students who are pursuing their most critical years – Class 9 to 12 – through a simple lifeline; a free call to a FILO teacher. The teachers are experts in their subjects and comprise highly-qualified alumni and students from pedigree institutes like the IITs and NITs. The students can clear their doubts and strengthen their understanding of the fundamentals through this service. The app is also being leveraged extensively by JEE/NEET aspirants looking to pursue their engineering and medical dreams.
The app’s simplicity and mindful approach are deeply influenced by Imbesat and Shadman’s own journey through education. Imbesat had his eyes set on IIT, but his family was unable to afford the tuition fees. He was able to secure a seat in the highly coveted Super30, led at the time by DGP of Bihar Police, Mr Abhayanand. This timely intervention helped him secure admission to IIT Kharagpur, the significance of which has inspired his journey through the country to arrive at a solution like FILO.
Rising From The Grassroots
In his journey through education, Imbesat truly realised the power of effective teaching. It inspired him to volunteer with the NSS and teach students who lived in the strife-torn Naxal areas.
Through his years’ of volunteering work, he was also faced with the realities of self-study, which is the only mode of study adopted by millions of students who do not have access to classrooms and teachers. But with self-study comes a lack of guidance and a sense of helplessness. The app encourages self-study while also encouraging students to clear doubts with teachers.
“The other day, I answered a call from Mohsin Dar on FILO. He had been struggling with a problem for two and a half hours, and this hindered his progress in a big way. In the course of a five-minute call, we were able to identify the problem. In India, every hour, lakhs of students are struggling with simple problems. With a simple call on FILO, it saves them time and futile efforts, ” shares Imbesat.
Solving The Issue At Scale
FILO opens the gateways for 70% of Bharat who otherwise can’t afford super expensive ed-tech products. Scalability is made possible by the easy-to-use, tech-enabled interface that can be accessed by millions of students in real-time.
Imagine this: A student from a village in UP, Bihar, or Tamil Nadu can connect and talk to someone from a top tier institute over a simple tap on FILO.
With the drop in data and smart devices’ prices, the time is ripe for mindful apps like FILO to make a huge impact and catapult millions of students onto the growth track.
The app does not charge any fees from students and currently has 1500+ teachers in its network.
To date, 12,000+ students from different states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan have called in and experienced 3,50,000 plus minutes of live sessions on the FILO app in the first 100 days!
