Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Wednesday kicked off a two-day training programme for teachers of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for tribal students, which is meant to serve as “a stepping stone in creating awareness about the potential of computer science in students of EMRS”, the Ministry said in a statement.
The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), which administers all EMRSs, said that the training workshop for teachers is a capacity-building exercise for them to implement the Amazon Future Engineering Programme — a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of Amazon India — in collaboration with the non-profit Learning Links Foundation.
While inaugurating the workshop, Mr. Munda said that this collaboration would empower teachers and students in the field of digital education and would help in initiating digital communication with people living in far-flung areas. “The Future Engineer Programme will serve as a stepping stone in creating computer awareness for the tribal students of EMRSs,” he said.
This training workshop will start at 54 EMRSs across six States — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana — that have the requisite infrastructure.
The training modules will include courses on Computer Science Fundamentals, Introduction to Coding, Logical Sequencing, Learning Loops, Block Programming using open secure source platforms like code.org, as well as class chat sessions to discuss the technology space and different technology initiatives.
NESTS and Amazon India also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday to seal this collaboration.
