India-Microsoft MoU on Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools

On May 17, 2021, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding on joint initiative for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools. This includes introduction of Ashram Schools and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in tribal areas.

What is the plan?

• Microsoft will make an Artificial Intelligence curriculum available for the tribal students in Hindi and English.
• In the first phase of the programme, 250 EMRS are to be established. Out of these 250 schools, 50 schools will be given intensive training. And five hundred master trainers will be trained in the first phase.
• The teachers are to be trained in a phased manner to use Artificial Intelligence application and productive technologies such as Office 365. This will introduce the teachers to the world of collaboration and help them understand how teaching shall be increased with virtual field trips.
• The teachers will also be provided with E-Certificates and E-badges from the Microsoft Education centres at the end of the programme.

How will the programme benefit students?

• The programme will make sure the students get an opportunity to change their village, environment and overall community.
• It will help to create talent pool. This will act as an asset to the country.
• It aims to create a continuous process creating repository of knowledge. The programme will work in such a way that the knowledge earned is passed on from one generation to the other.
• The students will be mentored on Artificial Intelligence applications and UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• They will be exposed to gamified environments such as Minecraft. This is done to increase their thinking skills.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021