Ericsson has expanded the realm of its global education initiative ‘Connect To Learn’, launched in 2010 with the Earth Institute of Columbia University and Millenium Promise, by introducing it in India this year. Partnering with three globally prominent non-governmental organisations, Plan International, Smile Foundation and Pratham Education Foundation, it aims at providing quality education to underprivileged students through mobility, broadband and cloud solutions.
A subsidiary programme of Ericsson’s ‘Technology For Good’ which also includes several humanitarian projects like helping the refugees in Africa and collaborating with the United Nations for tele-communication services during disaster relief operations, ‘Connect To Learn’ focuses more on education of the girl child. The emphasis is also on providing vocational training and secondary education for the underprivileged.
In a recent conference held in the Capital, Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson, said, “Connect To Learn uses Ericsson’s core business strengths to access content in low bandwidth environments and deliver content through mobile broadband. Thus, using mobility, broadband and cloud solutions, we hope to set up virtual classrooms in the remote villages of the world where the teachers will be trained appropriately to use the equipment. We have deployments in rural Millennium Villages in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Senegal, as well as Ethiopia and Rwanda. India for us is extra special, because we have a huge technological base here and the Open Source Cloud Solution was developed by the Indian technicians which shall be used for the future global programmes as well. The existing programmes will also soon convert.”
The ‘Connect To Learn’ programme in India aims to reach its target of educating 20,000 students in two years with the help of the three NGOs.
Under the Smile Foundation, 20 centres will be set up in Delhi/NCR and Mumbai which will conduct training in basic computers and retail sales management skills, along with proficiency in spoken and written English.
There will be 12 network Learning Centres in Delhi in association with Plan India, which will aim at increasing access to opportunities for self development for 15000 girls in the 15-25 age limit.
The third angle will look at establishing the Learning Excellence Program (LEP) in about 15 schools in Gurgaon in collaboration with Pratham Education Foundation.
Starting with the tier-1 cities, Ericsson wishes to build a healthy ecosystem with the NGOs and other such organisations and mark its footprint on the Indian grounds.
Next, the plan is to focus on the tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Such cities are no doubt in dire need of such systems, when well implemented, to be set up.
Using renewable sources of energy in places with no access to electricity and keeping energy efficiency as one of its top priorities, Ericsson has, it would seem, very effectively extended an arm to sustainable education.
The Indian chapter to this cause has been initiated and will, hopefully, gain the required momentum required to reach its targets.
