DCM says the initiative will be a boon to poor students of govt first-grade colleges
BENGALURU:
Government first-grade colleges in the state will be provided 12,500 debonded (disposed of by companies) desktop computers as part of ‘Help Educate’, a public-private initiative.
An MoU to the effect was signed on Friday between the Department of Collegiate Education and Technical Education (DCTE), Cognizant Technology Solutions India Pvt Ltd and the Rotary Club Whitefield Central, District 1390.
The initiative’s prime objective is to help with the learning process of the students of these colleges, most of whom are from socio-economically marginalized backgrounds.
Govt-MNC partnership
Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister, said, “Under the ‘Help Educate’ initiative, the Department of Collegiate and Technical Education has been partnering with MNCs and philanthropists to educate and train students for employment, train professors in modern methodology through faculty development programmes and digital teaching, and also equip government colleges with digital assets to adopt digital learning, which is both a recent trend and a necessity of the times.”
Narayan said, “The state’s government colleges need around 30,000 computers and now 12,500 computers have been provided. This contribution, worth about Rs 50 crore, will help bridge the digital divide for the students.” He also expressed the hope that many more MNCs would emulate the example of the two organizations.
ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಈ ಮಹತ್ವಾಕಾಂಕ್ಷೆ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಅನುಷ್ಠಾನಕ್ಕೆ ನೆರವಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವ @rotary_india, @Cognizant ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಕೃತಜ್ಞತೆಗಳು.
— Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N. (@drashwathcn) February 26, 2021
ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ 'ಡಿಜಿಟಲ್ ಅಂತರ'ದ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟದ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ತೊಡಕಾಗದಿರಲಿ ಎಂಬುದು ಈ ಉಪಕ್ರಮದ ಸದುದ್ದೇಶವಾಗಿದೆ.@CMofKarnataka @KarnatakaVarthe
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Rotary to install comps
As part of the initiative, Cognizant has volunteered to provide 12,500 debonded desktop computers to DCTE, which will be used to set up computer labs in government first-grade colleges. Rotary Club has offered to install Windows OS and Office 365, and transport and install the computers in the colleges.
Naveen Rao, head of Cognizant Bengaluru, said the company felt honoured to be a part of the initiative. He noted that under the ‘Digital Inclusion’ initiative of Cognizant Outreach, an employee-led volunteering programme, the company has been supporting schools, educational institutions, community libraries and other institutions across India with computer infrastructure.
Rtn Nagendra Prasad, Governor, District 1390, expressed confidence that the initiative would benefit students of government first-grade colleges.
P Pradeep, Commissioner, Department of Collegiate and Technical Education, Deepak Prabhumatti, Director-CSR, Cognizant, Hari Singh, Asst Vice-President, Global Procurement, Cognizant and others were present on the occasion.
