P&G Shiksha, the flagship CSR program of P&G India, has launched its latest campaign #StandUpForLearningGap, featuring comedian Rahul Dua, to spotlight the issue of learning gaps in children.

This year the initiative addresses the critical issue of gaps in foundational knowledge, which can sometimes manifest as seemingly naive responses by children, often leading to mockery.

The campaign, conceptualised by Leo Burnett, makes use of stand-up comedy through Dua, to leverage humour and engage with the audience. After  highlighting the ignorance of children from under-privileged backgrounds regarding basic academic knowledge due to dropping out of school, the film forces the audience to pause, introspect and reflect by by raising a pertinent question: “Would you laugh, if this happened with your child?”

With this fresh outlook, the campaign aims to address this problem and urge collective action.

What we think about it: With the hard-hitting question pertaining to their own children, the film makes the viewer aware about the gravity of the issue of learning gaps.

Abhishek Desai, vice president – brand operation and category leader – grooming, P&G India said, “For 19 years now, P&G Shiksha has championed access to education for millions of underprivileged children in India, impacting over 45 lakh children. We have reinforced this with our commitment to driving large-scale awareness regarding learning gaps, which impact over 6 crore children in India. These gaps can lead to frustration, a lack of understanding, and even ridicule. However, what often gets missed is the reason behind. By raising a pertinent question - “Would you laugh, if this happened with your child?” we are seeking to educate parents, guardians, teachers and well-wishers on the existence and impact of learning gaps, while also empowering them to identify and take steps to bridge these. We can come together to #StandupForLearningGap. Timely action can unleash a child’s full potential in leveraging education as an enabler for a brighter future.”

Rajdeepak Das, CCO Publicis Groupe South Asia and chairman Leo Burnett South Asia, said, “To draw attention to one of the most overlooked problems in education in our country, "The Learning Gap" - we have used humour as a platform for our latest campaign for P&G Shiksha. We often come across memes of children making mistakes on the internet, not realizing the grim reality behind this. This is actually a learning crisis that affects almost 6 crore kids in India. By using stand-up comedy as a medium, we want to build awareness of this critical gap in learning.”

CREDITS:

Production company: Offroad Films 
Executive producer: Khalil Bachooali 
Director: Gary S 
Producer: Norten Menezes 
DoP: Shankar Raman

The campaign was rolled out on 21 May.