Microsoft has announced a partnership with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in India. The collaboration will help high school teachers take advantage of AI-powered learning across CBSE schools in the country starting from September 11.
As part of the partnership, CBSE will conduct Capacity Building Programs for high school teachers to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. The program will be based for teachers of grades 8 to 10 and will be conducted across 10 cities in India.
Capacity Building Programs will provide teachers with better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. This can help teachers integrate technology into teaching safely for a better learning experience and skills of all students.
A total of 1,000 teachers will be nominated by CBSE, who will undergo a 3-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools like OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams, Outlook, Minecraft and Paint3D.
The selected teachers will also be trained on digital storytelling, use of Teams for virtual lessons and means to leverage AI tools to create BOTS and demystify concepts about AI. The program will also offer teachers the opportunity to become Microsoft Innovative Educators through which they’ll have access to free resources, tools, software, mentoring sessions and discussions with global educators.
Microsoft has also disclosed that the program will soon be extended to cover skilling workshops for 400 CBSE School on the Microsoft K-12 Education Transformation Framework.
Speaking about the development, Microsoft India GM, Manish Prakash said “AI has become a strategic lever for economic growth across nations around the world. Through this initiative, we are empowering institutions, educators and students of India to acquire early education/skills in new technologies like AI and cloud to lead that growth in that rapidly changing world. We are excited at the opportunity to partner with CBSE, as our very first endeavour in any country, to transform the education ecosystem with the power of AI and cloud”.
Microsoft and CBSE’s Capacity Building Program will be conducted across 10 cities in India starting from September 11.