The collaboration aims to reform education, build tech capacity and enhance digital literacy
Reaffirming its commitment towards transforming the education landscape, the government of Tamil Nadu today announced an agreement with Microsoft to improve the integration of technology in teaching and learning in the state. The partnership was announced by K.A. Sengottaiyan, Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu at an event attended by academia and regulators.
The collaboration aims to reform education, build tech capacity and enhance digital literacy across all levels.
Microsoft, as a part of the agreement, will adopt seven schools identified by the government and train their teachers and students around building 21st century skills which includes critical thinking, creative coding & gaming, app development, robotics, and entrepreneurship.
Microsoft will also offer its Microsoft Innovative Educator Program to all educators in primary, secondary, vocational and tertiary education across the state. Additionally, the company will train and provide a digital literacy certification District Education Officers (DEOs) in Tamil Nadu, said a statement from Microsoft.
Talking of the agreement, Mr Sengottaiyan said that the state is committed to harnessing the power of the technology to reform education in Tamil Nadu and make our youth future-ready with the essential digital skills.
"We have a longstanding partnership with Microsoft and believe their expertise in this area makes them an ideal partner for our transformational initiatives," the minister said.
Microsoft will also provide resources, free tools & software, as well as online professional development specifically tailored for educators through its Partners in Learning Network.
According to the statement, the company has so far trained 48,000 teachers in Tamil Nadu on usage of ICT in education.
The company will now further train a set of 500 school teachers as 'master trainers' over next few months .
In addition to offering a fundamental understanding of computers and productivity software, the comprehensive Microsoft Teaching with Technology (TwT) Curriculum program will empower educators with a deeper knowledge of how technology integration can enhance the teaching and learning experience, equipping students with 21st-century skills, the statement said.
The company will also impart training to District Education Officers (DEOs) over a the next few few months.
Manish Prakash, Country General Manager - Public Sector, Health & Education, Microsoft India, said, "The combination of quality content, partnerships, capacity building of teachers and administrators is as essential for this as access to technology We are delighted to continue our collaboration with the state of Tamil Nadu in this journey."
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