Bangalore, June 25. The Institution of Engineering and Technology India (IET) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saraswati Seva Foundation (SSF), a non-profit organisation committed to serve underprivileged communities to use new knowledge, tools and technologies.

The MoU aims to deliver STEM-C (science, technology, engineering, maths-computer) programmes to upskill teachers of schools that specifically cater to underprivileged children countrywide. IET will support SSF initiatives by providing intellectual content from its Faraday Programme and by providing national and international experts to facilitate SSF’s STEM-C learning programmes.

“Skill gaps in STEM are not restricted to students, but are found in teachers as well. Together with SSF, we will provide the right exposure to teachers and students and upskill them. With the government’s focus on reskilling and upskilling and our commitment to developing industry- ready engineers, IET looks forward to working on our collaborative project and making it a success,” said Shekhar Sanyal, director and country head of IET India, speaking on the occasion.

Cisco-Pratham partnership

Gurgaon, June 21. In partnership with Cisco India, a subsidiary of US-based Cisco Inc, Pratham Books Foundation will service over 100 government schools in the Gurugram (Gurgaon) district with mobile STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) libraries. Each library kit will comprise over 100 books in English and Hindi to provide children with experiential learning platforms, and to encourage the reading habit.

“Through this partnership with Pratham, we wish to fill classrooms with colourfuly illustrated books with localised content to provide children with exposure to simple concepts that are important in the new digital era. This is aligned with our commitment to positively impacting 50 million beneficiaries in India by 2025 and will help children overcome barriers to reading and become lifelong learners,” said Harish Krishnan, managing-director of Cisco India, speaking on the occasion.

ANZ-Embassy School

Mumbai, June 7. ANZ, one of the world’s largest multinational banks, and Embassy Office Parks, India’s first and only listed REIT (real estate investment trust), have joined forces to support primary education in local communities in their neighbourhood.

ANZ occupies 300,000 sq. ft office space in Embassy Manyata Business Park, Bangalore. In collaboration with the government of Karnataka, the two entities have constructed a state-of-the-art primary school for 650 pupils at Hegdenagar, Bangalore. The building was constructed in a record time of ten months with an investment of Rs.2.86 crore. It houses 15 classrooms, a multipurpose hall, library, computer lab, well-maintained toilet blocks and easy access for differently-abled children.

“We are excited to announce that this school has been selected by the Karnataka government to offer English-medium instruction. This endeavour of Embassy Group and ANZ through their community outreach programmes by contributing their corporate social responsibility funds is laudable. I hope they will lead other corporates to follow their example,” said S.R. Umashankar, principal-secretary of primary and secondary education, speaking on the occasion.

Ashoka YIF convocation

New Delhi, June 22. Over 290 Young India Fellows of the top-ranked Ashoka University, Sonipat (AU, estb.2014) received their diplomas at a solemn convocation ceremony. The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a multi-disciplinary postgraduate programme in liberal studies designed to transform students into academic, business and social change agents. Dr. Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to the Union government, presented students with their diplomas.

“The YIF curriculum is designed to develop team-building, critical thinking and problem-solving skills of graduates by combining academics with work experience,” says an AU spokesperson.

All YIF 2019 scholars have already been placed in top-ranked corporates such as McKinsey & Co, Airtel, Deloitte, Michael Page, Genpact, IndusInd Bank and TCS among others, added the spokesperson.

BMU’s unique immersion programme

New Delhi, June 21. BML Munjal University (BMU), the Hero Group’s not-for-profit university (estb.2014), announced short-term international immersion study programmes for undergraduate students admitted in the forthcoming academic year 2019-20. For this initiative, BMU has partnered with top-ranked international universities including Imperial College London, London School of Economics and University of Warwick. Students become eligible for this programme after completing their first year at BMU. The tuition fee levied by foreign partner universities will be paid by BMU. Participation in the immersion programmes is compulsory.

“We have partnered with top international universities for online and face-to-face courses delivered by their faculty and also for international immersion programmes for students every summer. Our endeavour is to constantly redefine education and to make our students industry-ready. This is a huge value addition opportunity for our students to boost their careers,” said Dr. Manoj Arora, vice chancellor of BMU, speaking on the occasion.