Akshaya Patra launches digital education programme

Bengaluru: The Akshaya Patra Foundation and NTT Limited collaborated to provide Android tablets to 235 students of Government Girls High School and Government Girls PUC in Basavanagudi to mark the launch of the Foundation’s Digital Education Initiative. Akshaya Patra is implementing the initiative with the support of corporate donors and BYJU’s to bridge the digital divide and further digital inclusiveness by providing students belonging to economically weaker sections of the society access to good quality, modern education for free of cost.

The chief guest for the launch event was Sandalwood star Shine Shetty, Prasad Mokkarala, VP – Managed Services NTT; Ravi Kalghatgi, VP – Support Services NTT and Raj Kumar, DDPU, were also present on the occasion. The event was presided by Shri Naveena Neerada Dasa, Director Strategic Communications, The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sundeep Talwar, CMO – Akshaya Patra.

As a part of their CSR initiative, NTT Ltd is primarily focused on interventions in the area of Education, Health and Hygiene, Skill Development and Women Empowerment. Further to their CSR efforts, NTT is now supporting Akshaya Patra’s Digital Education Programme, which seeks to facilitate competency-based learning while focusing on inclusiveness and contributing to the Government’s vision of Digital India. Each tablet is pre-installed with BYJU’s learning application to ensure that children have access to high-quality and tech-driven learning programmes. The tablets were distributed among students of 8th to 12th standards, providing them access to JEE, NEET and Karnataka CET preparation material.

“It is an honour for me to have this opportunity to launch Akshaya Patra’s Digital Education Programme. In the post-COVID era, with everything going digital, there is a need to strengthen the digital education domain by introducing necessary interventions. Akshaya Patra has been providing its services across the country to address the issue of hunger. I am happy to see that they have now taken a step further to ensure that children are assured of quality education alongside a nutritious meal. We need more such organisations to come forward to support such a noble cause. I wish the children and Akshaya Patra the very best for their future,” said Kannada TV actor Shine Shetty.

Expressing his gratitude, Sundeep Talwar, CMO, The Foundation said, “Our vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger,’ is in direct alignment with our conviction that education is the only way to nurture a happy future of this country. We firmly believe that no child should remain uneducated due to the lack of access to the Internet or the right technology.”