08 Feb Learning English made easier for Kids by OckyPocky

Language is one of the earliest critical skills that a kid acquires for their life long journey. India is a diverse country with over 1600+ languages has only English and Hindi as the most common medium of communication. Out of the two, English is more critical for survival. 

But sadly millions of Indian kids have a language handicap in English right from early years.  A jaw-dropping 8 out of 10 kids enrolled in grade 2 can’t read a single word in English! And this evolves into a massive problem in their future.  

The massive problem of only 7% of India’s graduates being considered “unemployable”. Dreams of millions of hopefuls are shattered when they are about to start their careers but fail communication tests in English. The passport to a better future and employment opportunities is torn!

 With rising aspirations of our country’s middle class – with mother tongue not being English for 99% of the population [3] –  lack of basic communication skills impedes overall progress of kids. Their cognitive abilities are underdeveloped and this adds to academic stress. This is mostly due to schools reliance on rote learning and zero interactivity while comprehending lessons in English.  

While 160+ million non-English speaking Indian parents incurring heavy expenses a year on English schools, they don’t take into account 

• the language of instructions 
• the passivity of the media (be it TV, radio or videos) 
• or, the progress of the child 

Our solution

 OckyPocky is an English learning platform for vernacular kids. Kids on OckyPocky learn English with the help of vernacular instructions and highly interactive questions.  We are supported by a robust speech recognition engine that corrects kid’s English as they speak and encourages them to learn more. The character OckyPocky who drives all communication to the young child serves the role of an elder sibling, nurturing their English language learning in a safe environment and in a language they are most comfortable in!

This is how our magic works: 

OckyPocky’s mission of evangelizing early childhood English education to millions of little kids will help build a more employable India and empowered India. 

OckyPocky’s journey so far: Our journey to shape the future of kids has just begun and it is going strong.

Kids on OckyPocky are extremely hungry for English words. They are 

• Featured family app in Play Store
• 4.5 rating with 1k+ reviews
• 4mn+ words are being learnt confidently every month

• This number is doubling quarter on quarter – showing a strong validation of our simple pedagogy
• Some user feedback – 
  • “Very nice experience. Saishaa really enjoyed using this app. It builds confidence in her. Thanks a lot for this wonderful app.” – Stuti Gaba (Playstore review)
  • “My 3 year old learned a lot of English words. Please add more topics” – Shivani (Playstore review)

However, we have miles to and several milestones to reach. We aim to launch in Latin America, Africa, South East Asia to grow and empower more kids so that no child is left behind in their quest to fulfil all their dreams! We will not stop until we democratize English learning in the founding years for all kids in the emerging market countries.