Since the COVID-19 outbreak, over 320 million students in India have been impacted by school closure. In these extraordinary times, technology can help make remote learning easier and more accessible. To build on this early progress, Google has now announced a new partnership with CBSE, Skill Education and Training enable more than 1 million teachers in 22,000 schools across India to deliver blended learning.
By the end of 2020, Google will enable over 1 million teachers in 22,000 schools across India to deliver hybrid learning that combines the classroom approach with online learning, using free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom, YouTube and more.
Recognising that it’s more important than ever to ensure education is inclusive, especially for lower-income households, Google also announced a new grant of $1M USD to Kaivalya Education Foundation (KEF) from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, as part of the Global Distance Learning Fund. Using these funds, KEF will work with the Central Square Foundation and TeacherApp to train 700,000 teachers to deliver virtual education for vulnerable students so that they can continue learning at home. Where families don’t have access to the internet or a smartphone, other channels including TV and radio will be used to reach these children.
Furthermore, Google enabled free access to the premium features of tools like Google Meet, as well as sharing free education tools like Google Classroom as the COVID-19 pandemic restricted mobility across the country. The results have been heartening, including at schools like Podar, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Nehru World and GD Goenka.
While addressing Google for India 2020 event, Sapna Chadha, Senior Country Marketing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia, said, “To address this growing need, we launched Teach from Home, an information hub in English and eight other Indian languages. With resources like Google classrooms and more to help teachers keep teaching even when they aren’t in the classroom. Over 4 lakh educators have accessed the information on the Teach from Home hub till date.”
With Teach for Home initiative, Google aims to provide teachers and families the tools and tips they need to help keep students learning during this COVID-19 crisis. It asks you to choose the right tools for you:
“For teachers: Don’t have a G Suite for Education account? Check out the schools tab to learn how your administrator can sign up for our free suite of tools.
For schools: To try the suggestions on this site, you’ll need a G Suite for Education account. G Suite for Education is free for qualifying schools globally.
For families: Now that schoolwork is happening at home, students are spending more time than ever online. Here are tips and tools to help families manage and support children’s use of technology.”
Teach from Home is a Google-led initiative that gives you everything you need to get started. “Our free, secure tools are designed to enable collaborative teaching and learning – anywhere, at any time, on any device. So education can continue, no matter what,” concluded Google.
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