Sikshana Foundation

Super excited today to have presented Sikshana's collaboration with Microsoft Research, highlighting the empowerment of teachers through the capabilities of Gen AI. This occurred during the showcase event as part of the Microsoft AI tour in Bangalore, where I shared our work with Satya Nadella. He expressed appreciation for our teacher-centric approach and featured it in his keynote address at the event. For those interested, the YouTube link below takes you directly to the segment related to our program with MSR, spanning from 42:45 to 45:51.
https://www.youtube.com/live/dY2CpA05IWI?si=--9lT4BnIT3I5jIR&t=2561

Microsoft has also featured a full detailed article on our project on their news website at https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/indias-schoolteachers-are-drafting-better-lesson-plans-faster-thanks-to-a-copilot/

Link to Satya's linkedin post - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/satyanadella_indias-schoolteachers-are-drafting-better-activity-7161230049948442625-2LF6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Above all, I am excited by the prospect of a breakthrough to tackle what I feel as the most significant challenge in the government school system. The reality is that there are too many schools and too few children in them, making it tough to assign a teacher to every class. This tool will be the best teaching assistant, offering vital support to our teachers in overcoming this challenge!

Satya Nadella on LinkedIn: India’s schoolteachers are drafting better lesson plans faster, thanks to… | 91 comments It was awesome seeing firsthand today this example of how Indian educators are applying this next generation of AI to give time back to teachers and deliver… | 91 comments on LinkedIn

Nurturing Girls of Promise: Marking International Day of the Girl Child

Happy International Day of the Girl Child! At Sikshana, we believe in empowering girls from rural backgrounds to reach their full potential, leading to a better future for them. Over the years, with unwavering support from Dell Technologies, Hitachi Energy, Amadeus, and a few individuals, we have been able to reach out to over 13000 girls across the state of Karnataka. The program is being extended to other states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, reaching out to more beneficiaries.

Sikshana Girl Empowerment Program (SGEP), is a holistic initiative tailored to uplift and support girls in Government High schools and colleges by providing scholarships, mentoring support, and skill building coaching for sports. Sikshana Foundation’s Women In Engineering (WiE) Program is designed with the purpose of addressing the challenges of women from economically challenged and rural areas. In the present-day occupations continue to be divided along gender lines with women far less likely to pursue careers in engineering and technology. As part of the technology support program, students pursuing under graduation, including engineering, were awarded laptops and scholarships to help them in their education. Career advice and mentoring sessions are being imparted on a regular basis for holistic development of potential women engineers and graduates.

Building communities through libraries

August 12th is marked as National Librarians' Day, observing the birth anniversary of S R Ranganathan, known as the Father of Library Science in India. The day was all the more relevant in the context of the digitalization of Arivu Kendras in Gram Panchayats, Sikshana Foundation's initiative, supported by Dell Technologies and Rural Development and the Panchayat Raj department, where Arivu Kendras in Grama Panchayats of Karnataka are being enabled with digital devices and access to the internet to enable the rural communities with information.

On this occasion, the Honourable Minister for Rural Development and the Panchayat Raj, Sri Priyank Kharge and Smt Uma Mahadevan, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, paid a visit to Doddajala Gram Panchayat, located in Yelahanka Taluk, Bangalore North district, to understand the Program and review the progress of its implementation. The footfall in the libraries across Grama Panchayats in Karnataka has increased tremendously, giving the initiative a shot in the arm!

We are hiring! Looking for a full time Product associate and a Content creator to join our team. Please click https://sikshana.org/Careers/ for details.

Sikshana Foundation | Careers We have 12A/80G/CSR1/FCRA Registration as per statutory requirements. © Sikshana Model is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License - www.sikshana.org

Happy to share that, Sikshana Foundation was recognized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Southern Region under the "Excellence in Supporting Education and Skills" category. The award recognized the high impact and rapid scaling of our project "Grama Digi Vikasana" (enabling Digital Inclusion by creating Digital device libraries inside village libraries). This was possible only because of Dell Technologies which funded necessary hardware, software development and the human resources for the project implementation and the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR), Govt. of Karnataka for providing infrastructure and resource support in each of the panchayat libraries. This recognition comes in at the right time as we march towards digitizing 4000 libraries by the end of the year.

The award ceremony was held on 23rd June 2023 at Radisson Blu, Egmore, Chennai. Honourable Minister for School Education, State Govt of Tamil Nadu, Shri Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Honourable Minister for Environment and Climate Change, State Govt of Tamil Nadu, Shri Siva V Meyyanathan presented the award.

Celebrating World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5th to raise awareness and promote actions for the protection of the environment.

At Sikshana Foundation, we believe in the power of education to create a sustainable future for our planet. On this special day, we celebrate the importance of environmental consciousness and its impact on our lives and communities.

We believe that every action, no matter how small, can create a positive impact on our planet. Through hands-on activities like plantation drive and awareness programs, we inspire the next generation to protect our planet and create a greener, more sustainable world. Sikshana Foundation in association with Department of School Education and Literacy, and RDPR Department, planted saplings at 68 sites across the State of Karnataka involving 2345 students, 1027 youth and other community members across 35 Gram Panchayats.

Panchayati Raj Day, celebrating the vibrancy of rural India

Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “The soul of India lives in its villages”, sums up the significance of rural India and its vibrancy. The villages in India are governed by Gram Panchayats and today the 24th of April marks the constitutionalisation of Panchayati Raj system in India. The theme for this year has been “Sustainable Panchayat: Building Healthy, Water Sufficient, Clean & Green Villages.”

We at Sikshana Foundation believe that digital inclusion of rural communities enables real time access to information so that they can make informed choices and be self-reliant, leading to healthier, cleaner, and greener villages. With CSR support from Dell Technologies we are working closely with Dept. of RDPR (Rural Development & Panchayat Raj), Govt. of Karnataka & Gram Panchayat libraries to setup a Digital Inclusion program called Grama Digi Vikasana (GDV) in over 4000 GPs by end of this year. GDV empowers rural communities with digital resources (devices, internet, e-content, secure learning management software & monitoring software).

"Science is the key for unlocking the Mysteries"...Sikshana Foundation hosted the National Science Day mega event with the theme "Global Science for Global Wellbeing" by engaging students from government schools across multiple educational blocks to showcase their creative science exhibits and posters on various science concepts like Global Warming, Bio-Diversity, Solar System, Light, Law of Motion etc.... This event accommodated more than 400+ schools showcasing the talent of more than 450+ govt school students. Educators, Researchers, Govt Officials, and Community were actively engaged in executing the event.

Thanks to all the CSR partners, Mr. Abhishek Ranjan, Director and Global Head, CSR, Sustainability and D&I, Brillio; Mr. Ajay, Head I&R, ABB; Ms. Navendu Rashmi, Lead, CSR, Amadeus; Dr. Binu Arthur, ESG Head, CGI; Mr. Clifford D'Costa, Manager, CSR, SBI General Insurance for inaugurating the event and motivating the participants through your inspiring speech during the event.

Sikshana Foundation

Brillio CSR - Bringing Smiles Amadeus ABB CGI India SBIGI

Olympiad 2023 event saw only winners! For some, the event by itself was inspiring. For many, participating in sports jerseys and shoes brought smiles! Post-Covid, this event proved to be significant for many children, who got to participate in competitions after a long time. The Sikshana-organised sports event, supported by DELL on Saturday was held on 21st of January, 2023, where more than 800 children from Government schools from six blocks, Kanakapura, Ramanagar, Kengeri, Nelmangala, Malleshwaram (represented by Sikshana) and Hoskote (represented by AIF), participated with great enthusiasm at Kengeri's SJBIT college grounds Bangalore. 250 volunteers from Dell, volunteered for the event. Children participated in Volleyball, Kho-kho, Throw ball, Relay, and Running with excitement.

"Sampurna Digital Saksharate Abhiyana" a new initiative of Sikshana Foundation launched on 26 Jan 2023, is aimed at making every citizen of select 35 Gram Panchayats in Karnataka between ages 16yrs to 60yrs digitally literate. This is a part of Sikshana’s ongoing Grama Digi Vikasana Program, which is in collaboration with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department supported by Dell Technologies, working towards digitalisation of Gram Panchayat Libraries. One GP from each of the districts in Karnataka has been chosen for this project and over the next few weeks through our staff, librarians and volunteers a 5 hour basic digital literacy course will be conducted for all the community members in the 16-60 age group. The course will cover smartphone basics like adding contacts, using apps to online banking. The community members will use the devices already installed in the libraries under the Grama Digi Vikasana Program. The initiative will help in bridging the urban-rural divide with respect to accessing digital information, which is not only essential but critical in the present day since most social programs are delivered digitally.

The docufilm , is an unapologetic assertion of Karnataka’s wildlife richness. The last project of Appu magnificently presents the real beauty of mother nature and undiscovered wild ecosystems.

This ’s , Sikshana Foundation join hands with the team to provide a unique experience for 200000 government school students to watch on big screens. Contribute to giving this experience to the students.

PRK Productions

Ploughing new paths

Sikshana Foundation in association with AgroTIE Services LLP is all set for a new beginning. An MoU was signed on the 4th of November 2022, to impart the Program, with an intention of reaching out to over 500 farmers in 50 Gram Panchayats in 5 districts of Karnataka.

The objective of the Program is to enable farmers in rural areas to take up sustainable farming practices by equipping them with digital devices, digital content and imparting training/awareness sessions. This new chapter will be a part of Sikshana’s ongoing Grama Digi Vikasana Program, which is a collaboration with Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department, working towards digitization of Gram Panchayats.

Turning little girls with dreams into strong women with vision, Sikshana's Girl Empowerment Program in association with Dell marks its 10th successful year and celebrates International Day of Girl Child by awarding laptops and scholarships to multiple deserving girls. The program is continuously creating an impact in the lives of more than 13,000 rural girls through uplifting initiatives like education support, sports encouragement and skill building activities. Congratulations to the awardees, all the students who have been a part of this program over the years and to Dell for providing a solid support system to these students.

1008 Gram Panchayat Libraries are Digital ready as of today!

Last year today at Gopahalli village, as a pilot, in collaboration with Panchayat Dept. (RDPR), we started the Grama Digi Vikasana program under which 8 Gram Panchayat (GP) libraries in Ramnagar District were upgraded as Digital Transformation Centers which provided community members with access to digital devices, internet connection and an opportunity to upskill themselves with necessary digital skills to have a productive and safe experience in the increasingly digital society.

And today a year later, thanks to Dell Technologies CSR, we hit a milestone of 1008 GPs equipped with internet connection and 3333 android devices ready for use by the community of all these GPs. Within this short period of time we have seen thousands of students, hundreds of farmers and other community members benefiting from these centers. The overall Karnataka GP library program which includes Grama Digi Vikasana has been recently recommended as a model by the Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Govt. of India.

@75, as India looks forward to a brighter future we are glad to be playing a small role in the process by helping rural India become Digitally Literate!

Excited to have the app NiB-KA we have developed to power the implementation of the Nipun Bharath program across the state. Thanks to Unicef for funding this initiative. Dr. Selva Kumar Prinicipal Secretary, Karnataka Primary & Secondary Education, launching the App in Bangalore on 29th June 2022.

The streak of Dell volunteer participation continues as another group of 50+ volunteers relived their childhood memories by creating hand-made "Welcome Back to School" Greeting Cards and Effort Certificates for rural government school students to encourage regular attendance and goal setting. It was a great collective effort and a well prepared team whose interest and enthusiasm is truly appreciated!

More than 40 volunteers from Dell 6 campus joined hands with Sikshana Foundation today to uphold our core motto - "MOTIVATION" by hand-painting T-shirts to donate the same to rural government school students as motivational rewards. We appreciate their dedication, efforts and interest for creating such wonderful creative designs on T-shirts to show their encouragement.

Thank you volunteers for coming forward to give the gift of learning to the students of Govt. Schools. The fun and creative Learning Aids and Quiz Questionnaires that you created are going to be enjoyed by the learning community. We look forward to teaming with you again and continue to make a difference together!

Thankful for the opportunity to serve as the convenor of the Digital Skills for schools and colleges subcommittee. We have designed the curriculum to help Karnataka reach its goal of universal digital literacy! We will be following this curriculum as we train rural youth under our Grama Digi Vikasana program from next month.

DigitalIndia can happen when every rural household has the ability to access all things digital. The time has come for Digital Access as a shared service where digital devices and connectivity can be shared by the population. Sikshana Foundation is showing the way with its new flagship program "Grama Digi Vikasana" wherein Broadband connection, Android mobile devices and an Android TV are set up as Digital Spaces inside Gram Panchayat libraries, to be used as a shared resource by the community.

With support from Dell Technologies and in collaboration with Karnataka Rural Development & Panchayat Raj department, 400 Gram Panchayats have been set up with the necessary infrastructure. Online academic learning, skill development, career choices, etc have been enabled for use by students on these devices. Additionally, Digital Literacy courses are being conducted to ensure the community is able to engage with the digital world in a safe and secure manner.

The Govt. of Karnataka is aligned with us in this mission and committed their support for this program at the launch yesterday evening in Vidhana Soudha by the Honorable Chief Minister Shri. Basavaraj Bommai. Next year, by this time, we are planning to cover all 6000 Gram Panchayats in Karnataka and if you want to join us in this mission or want to know more about this project, please drop a note to [email protected]

Sikshana Foundation hosted National Science Day involving 300+ govt school students from Kanakapura, Anekal, Nelamangala, Maddur education blocks in Karnataka and Purandar block in Maharashtra with the objective of nurturing and motivating the young talents for their efforts in developing unique and creative science exhibits. More than 100+ science models and posters were exhibited during the event; the whole ambience was covered by science and its amazing facts revealing the great efforts of govt school students.

It feels encouraging when our hardwork gets noticed...Our CEO Prasanna Vadayar was recognized as Social Impact Maker 2021 at the CSR & Sustainability Summit & Awards. We are extremely grateful and honored to be receiving this award from the Hon'ble minister for Science & Technology Dr. C N Ashwathnarayana . Thanking all awesome team members for the diligence and hard work for this recognition. Special thanks to all the donors, this milestone was possible due to your trust and constant support.

Sudeepta Banerjee
Abhishek Ranjan

Thanks to CGI India for your continued support in creating a difference among students....

Nirbhay Lumde

Wholeheartedly wishing you all a very Prosperous and Joyous Makar Sankranti | Pongal | Lohri | Bihu

With the increase in access to internet among the students, lack of awareness about the online safety many lead to potential risks like cyber-bully, online fraud etc… Software Labs engaged students and teachers from government schools of Anekal on Cyber Security to educate them on safe internet usage. Thanks to Ribu, Navendu Rashmi, Amlesh Sane, Madhukar Mangalvedekar and the entire Amadeus team for this informative session.

Naveen Chikkanna C
Navendu Rashmi

Sikshana is nurturing over 3 million young minds across six states in India as they are the future of resurgent India. Access to quality education is right of every child and we are committed towards maximizing our support to provide access to quality education by understanding the needs of every individual child. On this children's day, be a part in this journey with Sikshana Foundation to make a difference in the life of children.

Donation Link: http://sikshana.org

Prerana | Sikshana Girl Empowerment Program (SGEP) | Sikshana Women in Engineering (SWIE) | Sikshana Medical Scholarship Program (SMSP) | Sikshana Youth Empowerment Program (SYEP)



www.sikshana.org