In Attibele village, 20 kilometres outside India's IT capital of Bangalore, mothers and children are crowded into a freshly painted room. They've seen the signs posted outside in streets and laneways, and they've heard the news by word of mouth. The Australian social enterprise, 40K, is opening an English school for children and lessons begin tomorrow. Manjesh, 40K's expansion manager, explains how it will work. The "learning pod" will offer 75 minutes of tuition after school, five days a week, except during school holidays. He shows them a small tablet computer on which the children will do their English lessons.

Interest is strong. Manjesh has already signed up 31 children and he's aiming for a full complement of 50, each paying 120 rupees a month. That's about $2.40 in a village where families typically earn $3-$7 a day in one of the nearby granite quarries or as agricultural labourers. The mothers are listening to Manjesh intently. If they sign it's their money on the line.