Revolutionizing Rural Learning: How 10-Minute Tutorials Are Empowering India’s Small Towns

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5 Key Takeaways

• A low-cost digital learning model using 10-minute, screen-recorded tutorials in 22 Indian languages has reached over 10 million learners in 8,000+ colleges, especially benefiting small towns and rural areas.
• The tutorials are designed to work offline and on low-bandwidth (even 2G) networks, making quality education accessible to underserved communities.
• The initiative, led by Professor Kannan M Moudgalya and EduPyramids (incubated at IIT Bombay), builds on the Spoken Tutorial project and aims for inclusive, self-paced learning.
• Spoken Tutorials have improved employability for thousands and trained nearly 100,000 healthcare workers, leading to measurable health improvements in infants.
• The model has gained global recognition, with the IEEE P2955 standard validating its pedagogy as a benchmark for scalable, accessible digital education.

How 10-Minute Tutorials Are Changing Education in India’s Small Towns
Imagine being able to learn a new skill or subject in just 10 minutes, right from your home—even if you live in a small town with slow internet. That’s exactly what a new digital learning model is making possible for millions of students across India.
This innovative approach uses short, screen-recorded tutorials that are available in 22 Indian languages. The best part? These lessons are so lightweight that they can run on a basic Rs 10,000 laptop and even work on slow 2G networks. So far, over 10 million learners from more than 8,000 colleges have benefited from these tutorials.
The driving force behind this movement is Professor Kannan M Moudgalya from IIT Bombay. His company, EduPyramids Educational Services, is taking this idea to the next level. The project started over a decade ago as the “Spoken Tutorial” initiative at IIT Bombay, aiming to bridge the gap between urban and rural education.
Professor Moudgalya’s philosophy is simple: “We design for the student who studies alone at midnight, without a teacher or peer to help her. If it works for her, it works for everyone.” This focus on self-paced, accessible learning has made a real difference, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many online platforms struggled with poor connectivity, Spoken Tutorials kept going strong—even in remote areas like Jammu and Kashmir.
The impact goes beyond just academics. For example, Nikita Mhatre, a computer science graduate from a polytechnic college, used these tutorials to learn PHP, land an IT job, and eventually join IBM as a SAP specialist. In healthcare, nearly one lakh ASHA and Anganwadi workers have been trained using these tutorials to monitor infant nutrition. Many reported that babies in their care gained weight at nearly double the national average.
Looking ahead, EduPyramids wants to make sure every learner—whether in a small-town college or a rural health center—gets the same quality of education as an IIT student. The model has even received international recognition: in 2024, the IEEE P2955 standard called it a benchmark for accessible digital education.
Professor Moudgalya’s own story is inspiring. Growing up in a poor family in Tamil Nadu, he once walked barefoot for months because he couldn’t afford slippers. Thanks to a chance conversation, he took the IIT entrance exam, studied at IIT Madras and Rice University, and returned to India to give back.
His vision is clear: world-class education should be accessible and affordable for everyone, no matter where they live. And with these 10-minute tutorials, that dream is becoming a reality for millions.

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