The collaboration will benefit students by improving their language skills in four areas -– listening, speaking, reading and writing along with IT skills.
Ciena is strengthening its existing collaboration with Bharti Foundation by setting up Language and Computer Labs in Satya Bharti Senior Secondary Schools in Punjab. The company recently signed an MoU with Bharti Foundation that will enable students to enhance LSRW (listening, speaking, reading and writing) skills along with IT skills through state-of-the-art labs in an easy and interactive way.
Digital Language Labs bring a welcome shift from traditional teaching-learning methods and incorporate intensive practice to make one proficient in a language. It is a fun-based learning method with linguistic immersion for students. The youth will get exposure to a variety of structured activities based on their level and ability. The labs will also support teachers in creating an engaging learning experience for the students in the classrooms, and teachers will be empowered with tools to train and assess students.
The collaboration extension with Bharti Foundation comes after the successful implementation of Advanced Technology Labs and Digital Classrooms under an MoU signed in November 2020, to build interest in STEM in the students. ‘Advanced Technology Labs’ were set up in Satya Bharti Senior Secondary School, Chogawan and Fatubhilla, Punjab and 15 ‘Digital Classrooms’ in primary/elementary Satya Bharti Schools in Punjab and Haryana. This initiative, under Ciena’s Digital Inclusion Program, has benefitted more than 5000 students. It has provided the students with knowledge on new technologies such as coding, programming and robotics while helping them get ready for jobs in the future.
Mr. Gary Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Ciena: “Combining linguistics with technology can transform a passive language class into an interactive learning environment. Collaborating once again with our long-time customer, Bharti Airtel and the Bharti Foundation, we’re bringing the magic of connectivity and technology to students and youths, empowering them to embrace learning and digital upskilling.”
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Mamta Saikia, CEO, Bharti Foundation said, “With rapid changes in technology, it is essential that students are well prepared for the future. Language labs and computer aided learning in our Satya Bharti Schools will help students accelerate their careers. I would like to thank Ciena for partnering with us and supporting our students in attaining the same level of knowledge and skills as students at national & international level.”
About Bharti Foundation
Bharti Foundation was set up in the year 2000 as the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises. It implements and supports programs in primary, secondary and higher education. Since 2006, the flagship, Satya Bharti School Program has been providing free quality education to thousands of underprivileged children in 173 schools in rural India across five states, with a focus on the girl child. The impact of quality education has been widened by transferring the learning and good practices of this program to more than 3 lakh students studying in 808 partnering government schools across 11 States/UTs, through Satya Bharti Quality Support Program(QSP), since 2013. Most of the processes under QSP were found to be pragmatic. Bharti Foundation was invited by several education officers at district and state level to scale up some of the initiatives through Satya Bharti Quality Support Program – At Scale, the impact of which has been on more than 13 lakh students in India. Satya Bharti Abhiyan, the sanitation initiative started in 2014 till 2021, has benefitted 2,19,872 beneficiaries by improving sanitation conditions in the districts of Punjab, providing access to toilets and by fostering behavioural change in communities. The Foundation has been able to impact more than 1 million children in a meaningful manner through its education programs this year.
About Ciena
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a global leader in networking systems, services, and software. We build the most adaptive networks in the industry, enabling customers to anticipate and meet ever-increasing digital demands. For three-plus decades, Ciena has brought our humanity to our relentless pursuit of innovation. Prioritizing collaborative relationships with our customers, partners, and communities, we create flexible, open, and sustainable networks that better serve all users—today and into the future. For updates on Ciena, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.
About Ciena’s Digital Inclusion Program
Ciena’s Digital Inclusion program aims to mobilize the company’s global workforce, leverage its innovation leadership, and collaborate with customers, suppliers and other partners to bridge the digital divide. Ciena has committed to fund $10 million (USD) over a five-year period on programming that promotes digital inclusion through greater connectivity, access to technology and digital skilling, with a goal of expanding opportunities for 100,000 underserved students in our global communities.
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