American tech companies are continue to see more value in India’s digital education space. After Facebook’s recent announcement of partnering with India’s CBSE, it is Google that has announced a similar partnership with India’s premier education board today. The announcement was made at the sixth ‘Google For India’ event, and is a part of a larger $10Bn digitization push that Google intends to do within India.
By the end of 2020, Google, in partnership with CBSE’s Skill Education and Training, aims to enable 1 million teachers in 22,000 schools across India to teach students online via free Google tools like G Suite, Google Classroom, YouTube and more. The goal is to provide blended learning to students throughout the country, and is especially important in a country like India, where the education system has not seen overhauls from decades.
Moreover, Google’s Global Distance Learning Fund will give $1 million to Kaivalya Education Foundation (KEF). By undertaking this move, Google aims to empower 700,000 teachers over the next one year to deliver virtual education so students can continue learning at home.
The education sector has seen a huge shift due to the pandemic, as students all over the country are studying online instead of physically going to school. To tackle the new barriers introduced to learning by COVID, Google introduced a new information hub and remote learning tool named ‘Teach From Home,’ to help teachers and students alike. The platform will employ tools like Google Classroom to facilitate the process of learning away from school. It can be used access information, backed up by Google’s high standards, and available in 8 different languages, so the tongue you speak does not become the barrier to quality learning.
Google has made a lot of efforts towards the education sector in India in the past as well, including making Google Meet’s premium version available for free to students and teachers. The company also launched the YouTube Learning destination which has academic resources made by Indian YouTubers.
The company also announced a $10 billion Google For India Digitization Fund, which will be poured into the country over the course of the next 5 to 7 years.
