Education Overview
97,000+ Learners Reached in 2021/22
Our educational programmes were designed to improve the quality of education for underserved communities and align with our renewed strategic focus on inclusion and technology.
Overview
97,000+ Learners Reached in 2021/22
Enabling access to quality education for underserved communities and facilitating inclusion in classrooms has been one of the cornerstones of Cognizant Foundation’s activities since its inception. The Foundation supports various educational programmes, either directly or through partner organisations, to help beneficiaries acquire knowledge that is relevant in the modern world. The COVID pandemic has had a crippling impact on the education sector, and our projects and partners have responded to this challenge in unique and relevant ways to make sure that our beneficiaries continue to receive access to educational resources.
The Foundation’s education initiatives across India have jointly reached over 97,000 beneficiaries, comprising of school-going children, teachers and teacher educators, and students pursuing higher education.
In 2021/22, keeping our revised strategic focus in mind, programmes were designed and pivoted to leverage technology, while keeping inclusion at its core. Two thematic areas – Higher Education & Vocational Skilling, and Capacity Building for School Education - were identified for our activities to focus on. Fresh flagship programmes were designed while pivoting and realigning the existing ones to be in line with the new strategic focus.
Higher Education & Vocational Skilling
Our initiatives focus on improving access to higher education and support the creation and delivery of vocational skilling programmes for deserving candidates.
Scholarships for Higher Education
Vocational Technical Education
Higher Education & Vocational Skilling
Strengthening the quality of higher education and ensuring meaningful livelihood has always been a key focus area in our interventions in education. Our programmes have been designed to improve access to higher education for underprivileged youth through scholarships and support the creation and delivery of vocational skilling programmes, including for persons with disabilities.
In 2008, the Foundation instituted merit-cum-means scholarships to motivate and provide opportunities to deserving meritorious students as they pursue higher education in reputed, NAAC-accredited institutions. These scholarships are given out directly or with the support of our partners to students from diverse sections of society. This is our largest programme under the focus area of education and will continue to grow and evolve in line with the new strategy.
Employability skilling, including digital skilling, is also a key area of intervention. The job market in India demands specialised skill sets, which is reflected in the increased demand for students to take up vocational education courses. Our programmes in this area have focused on supporting technical institutes to build state-of-art infrastructure to promote inclusion in vocational education and creating learning platforms for digital skilling for people with vision impairments. These projects have had to leverage digital technologies in a big way to pivot and adapt their programmes to reach the students even when physical classes have been impacted.
Scholarships for Higher Education
For Graduate Study in Engineering & STEM
This scholarship programme has been encouraging aspiring students to become successful engineers since 2008.
Scholars Supported in 2021/22
Colleges
PARTNERS
Christel House, Bengaluru | Cognizant Outreach | Foundation for Excellence India Trust, Bengaluru
Case Study
“If I hadn’t received the support I did from Cognizant Foundation and FFE, I would not have been the success I am today."
“If I hadn’t received the support I did from Cognizant Foundation and FFE, I would not have been the success I am today."
Manisha hails from Nalagarh, a small town not too far from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Hers is a small family consisting of her father and a younger brother who is now in class 11. She was around 8 years old when a fatal fire took the life of her mother. Her dad has been a farmer for many years – he owns a small field where he grows wheat – and his hard work is what sustains the family. But their annual income is meagre ₹65,000 which is insufficient to meet the family’s growing needs.
Despite the distress, Manisha has always been academically brilliant. Her dad had wanted to pursue engineering in his younger days but was not able to. This was a dream he had passed on to Manisha as well. She completed her school education from Government schools scoring an impressive 95% in class 10 and 92.7% in class 12. She wrote JEE Advanced and got a rank of 6510 which secured her admission at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where she opted for Civil Engineering.
Her dream of studying her dream course in her dream college would have remained a distant reality had it not been for the scholarship support from Cognizant Foundation, facilitated by Foundation for Excellence India Trust (FFE).
After learning about the Cognizant Foundation-FFE scholarship programme from one of her college seniors, Manisha applied for it and was selected. She is now in her final year and her grit and determination have helped her land an impressive job at Jaguar Land Rover with a package of ₹21 LPA.
“If I hadn’t received the support I did from Cognizant Foundation and FFE, I would not have been the success I am today. I am able to give my family better opportunities and I hope to, in the future, support others like me who need a helping hand to achieve their full potential,” Manisha says.
She is excited about the future and looking forward to moving to a new city – Bengaluru – and starting her journey in the corporate world.
Case Study
"The scholarship by Cognizant Foundation and Christel House has been like a canopy over my head, giving me the strength to aim high."
"The scholarship by Cognizant Foundation and Christel House has been like a canopy over my head, giving me the strength to aim high."
“Hi! My name is David Simon and I am an alumnus of Christel House India. I have been pursuing my B.E. in Medical Electronics from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering and am currently in my third year.
I have three older siblings and my parents could not afford to educate everyone. It’s thanks to the support I received from Cognizant Foundation that I am able to study and work hard to achieve my dreams. In fact, thanks to this support, I have been able to dream bigger as well. If it weren’t for this scholarship, I probably would have had to take a loan to pay my college fee and drop out halfway through my education to get whatever job I could to pay it back.
The scholarship by Cognizant Foundation and Christel House has been like a canopy over my head, giving me the strength to aim high, and reducing the burden on my parent’s shoulders.
Because I don’t have the stress of tuition fees weighing down on me, I have been able to focus on academics and excel. I have attended numerous Technical Symposiums and been in top positions in almost all of them. I also try to be a role model for juniors taking up technical workshops in my department.
I am forever grateful to Cognizant Foundation’s generosity without which none of this would have been possible.”
For Graduate Study in Engineering & STEM
Introduced in 2008, this merit-cum-means scholarship programme was Cognizant Foundation’s first such initiative. Implemented directly and through our partners, this scholarship aims to encourage aspiring students to be successful engineers. Apart from tuition support, candidates are also provided with mentoring and job readiness training to help them have successful careers.
For Graduate Study and Skill Training for Visually Impaired Students
Cognizant Foundation has been supporting visually impaired students with skills training and scholarships to pursue various degree courses in reputed institutions.
Scholars Supported in 2021/22
Laptops Provided
PARTNER
Help the Blind Foundation (HTBF), Chennai
Case Study
"I am independent, confident, and positive in life thanks to Cognizant Foundation and HTBF.”
"I am independent, confident, and positive in life thanks to Cognizant Foundation and HTBF.”
“I am Manish Kumar from Jehanabad in Bihar. Even though I am a totally blind person now, I was not blind from birth. I lost my vision when I was in class 6 and unfortunately there was no way of bringing it back. It was a hard time for me – I went from being a child who could see all the magnificence the world has to offer, play with his friends and watch TV to someone who could only see darkness.
My parents tried to find a special school for me to attend, but it was easier said than done. Somehow, after a lot of searching, they found a school in Delhi and we shifted to the big city. Looking back, I realise how hard it must have been for my parents. My parents did not have a lot of money, but they did all they could to give me a good future.
Since I was blind late in life, mobility was really challenging. Initially, I was completely dependent on my family and friends. I slowly got the hang of it and was able to move around better on my own. After completing schooling, I got admission to Satyawati College and consequently, an opportunity to build my life.
It’s thanks to Cognizant Foundation and Help the Blind Foundation that I was able to excel in college. With the scholarship, I was able to get a recording device which helped me revise and study better, pay transport fares and hostel fees, and get study material. The EMET programme also helped me develop the skills needed to get a job as well in a tough market.
Today, I am working as a clerk in DRDO at Civil Lines, Delhi. Thanks to my training I was able to crack the interview and impress my superiors. I am independent, confident, and positive in life thanks to Cognizant Foundation and HTBF.”
For Graduate Study and Skill Training for Visually Impaired Students
Since 2018/19, Cognizant Foundation has been supporting visually impaired students with scholarships to pursue degree courses in institutions shortlisted by Help the Blind Foundation (HTBF). A value-added programme called Education Mobility Employability and Training (EMET) was introduced in 2019 for building digital skills and a sense of independence and mobility in students.
For Graduate Study in Special Education
To increase the number of trained educators for children with special needs, this scholarship supports students pursuing B.Ed. (Special Education) from institutions approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India.
Students Supported Since Inception
PARTNERS
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam | National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (Divyangjan), Chennai | Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati, and others
For Graduate Study in Special Education
A recent estimate by the Association of Special Educators and Allied Professionals estimates that there are 40 million children with “special needs” in India. To address the needs of a population this size, the country needs at least 1.5 million special educators. Cognizant Foundation has implemented a scholarship programme to support students pursuing B.Ed. (Special Education) in institutions approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India which have an outstanding NAAC rating and an excellent reputation in the field of special education.
For Post-graduate Study in Social Sciences
The Foundation has partnered with reputed universities to provide scholarships to deserving candidates pursuing post-graduate degrees in social sciences and development studies.
Students Supported Since Inception
PARTNERS
College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai | Kashmir University, Srinagar | Madras School of Social Work, Chennai | Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi | Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai | The Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda, Vadodare | University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, and others
Case Study
"Without the generous investment from Cognizant Foundation, I would not be where I am today.”
"Without the generous investment from Cognizant Foundation, I would not be where I am today.”
“My story is the journey of a girl coming from a family of first-generation learners in a tribal community who travels to Mumbai, one of the biggest cities in the world, for higher education.
This process was not a smooth one and one of the biggest hurdles in my way, and you would have guessed it already, was finance. I had the passion to pursue a career in social sciences, but not the money to make it happen.
When I learnt that I had been selected for the scholarship from Cognizant Foundation, I felt both honoured and humbled. Thanks to the support, I was able to focus on my studies and complete my post-graduation from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) without having to worry about things that a lot of other people take for granted.
Today, I am working as a Management Trainee in SOS Children’s Villages of India, a leading international non-governmental and non-profit Child Development Organisation. Without the generous investment from Cognizant Foundation, I would not be where I am today.”
Celesty Hakmausa
M.A. in Social Work,
School of Social Work, TISS
For Post-graduate Study in Social Sciences
To truly realise society’s developmental goals, India needs professionals with the right skill-set and vision. Recognising this need, the Foundation has partnered with reputed universities to provide scholarships to deserving candidates pursuing post-graduate degrees in social sciences and development studies.
For Promoting Excellence
The programme supports meritorious students who are pursuing M.Sc. Computer Science and have shown exceptional academic discipline.
Scholars Supported in 2021/22
PARTNER
Chennai Mathematical Institute, Chennai
Case Study
"We are extremely fortunate that Cognizant Foundation sponsors the tuition fees for 10 students each year, making it accessible to students from varied economic and social backgrounds."
"We are extremely fortunate that Cognizant Foundation sponsors the tuition fees for 10 students each year, making it accessible to students from varied economic and social backgrounds."
“The Chennai Mathematical Institute is a centre for excellence for teaching and research in the mathematical sciences, with internationally renowned research groups in Mathematics, Theoretical Computer Science and Physics. It was the vision of Prof C.S. Seshadri (FRS), the founder of CMI, that the institute should combine top-class research with top-rate research-oriented teaching. Therefore, CMI has very selective B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes, whose cohorts are voluntarily kept to a small size to enhance student-faculty interaction and achieve these goals.
The M.Sc. (Computer Science) programme is aimed at producing students who are very well trained in algorithms, logic, complexity theory and automata theory – subjects which are the foundations of computing. An overwhelming majority of these students go on to complete PhDs at some of the best institutions across the world. CMI alumni are prominent among the ranks of graduate students in premier Indian institutions – IITs, IMSc, ISI and TIFR, not to mention CMI itself.
For many years, CMI levied very nominal fees. However, in recent years, the Institute has been forced to put in place a more realistic fee structure, in line with comparable institutions in the country.
Data collected over the years suggests that almost 40-50% of our M.Sc. (CS) and almost 50% of M.Sc. (Math) students come from families where the annual income is less than 8 lakhs. We are extremely fortunate that Cognizant Foundation sponsors the tuition fees for 10 students in the M.Sc. (CS) programme each year, making it accessible to students from varied economic and social backgrounds. The fact that Cognizant Foundation sponsors fees for students is now very well known, and as a result, students from economically weaker sections are more encouraged to take the entrance examination for admission to the M.Sc. (CS) programme.
The testimonies from recipients of the Cognizant Foundation scholarships say it all – bright, motivated students whose family incomes would not have allowed them to pursue an M.Sc. in CS at CMI, but for the generous support of Cognizant Foundation. We thank Cognizant Foundation for providing invaluable support to help them realise their dreams.”
K.V. Subrahmanyam
Dean of Studies,
Chennai Mathematical Institute
For Promoting Excellence
Very few higher educational institutions in India provide computation science learning blended with problem-based learning – a key requisite in the software industry – and Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) is one of them. To encourage bright students in such an environment, Cognizant Foundation has constituted the “Scholarship for Promoting Excellence” in Computer Science. The programme supports 10 meritorious students at the institute who are pursuing M.Sc. Computer Science and have shown exceptional academic discipline.
For Graduate Study in Arts, Science and Commerce
Cognizant Foundation supports deserving students who are looking to graduate in arts and science courses from reputed colleges in the country.
across 11 colleges in 2021/22
PARTNERS
Cognizant Outreach | Christel House, Bengaluru | Swadha Foundation, Bengaluru
For Graduate Study in Arts, Science and Commerce
There is a growing need for graduates in arts and science courses in the job market today. To support deserving candidates in this sphere, Cognizant Foundation provides scholarships to deserving students partnership with not-for-profit organisations.
Vocational Technical Education
Digital Learning Platform for Persons with Vision Impairment
Cognizant Foundation has funded the development of “Blimey”, an open-source platform that digitally empowers PVIs and prepares them for 21st-century jobs.
Users Reached in 2021/22
States
PARTNER
EnAble India, Bengaluru
Quote
“The software gets updated automatically, which means that I always have the latest material at hand to teach my students.”
- Madhavi, Computer Trainer at EnAble India
“The software gets updated automatically, which means that I always have the latest material at hand to teach my students.”
- Madhavi, Computer Trainer at EnAble India
Quote
“I like the feature of emailing reports to the trainer as it helps them see it remotely & give me individual feedback.”
- Mallika, Candidate from Trainer Certification Course
“I like the feature of emailing reports to the trainer as it helps them see it remotely & give me individual feedback.”
- Mallika, Candidate from Trainer Certification Course
Digital Learning Platform for Persons with Vision Impairment
In 2020, Cognizant Foundation partnered with EnAble India to build a self-learning digital literacy platform called EYE (Educate Yourself Easily) aimed at supporting Persons with Vision Impairment (PVI). Seeing its success, the Foundation funded its redevelopment which turned EYE into a cloud-enabled solution with global reach.
Rechristened “Blimey”, the new platform was launched on World Disability Day and has been designed to allow centralised functioning while being light-weight and providing application-specific extensions. Blimey is extremely scalable in terms of global users and usage of content across devices. Available in both online and offline versions, the platform is also available in Indian languages and is expected to enable over 60,000 PVIs in the next 3 years.
Blimey features a self-learning tool that digitally empowers PVIs and prepares them for 21st-century jobs. Using this service, PVIs can learn to use a computer with little or no external help and work with screen readers like NVDA, JAWS and magnifiers. Users can choose from more than 400 computer exercises and master concepts at their own pace. With the built-in test mode, learners can also evaluate their progress using real-world scenarios and job simulations.
The platform is open-source and all content is available as open educational content for those that need it.
Promoting Technical Skills for Young Women and PWDs
Moulding Differently-abled Technicians
The Foundation supports PwD students pursuing a 2-year NCVT-certified course in the Electronics Mechanic trade.
Students Supported in 2021/22
PARTNER
Nettur Technical Training Foundation, Bengaluru
Moulding Differently-abled Technicians
Cognizant Foundation partnered with Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) to support PwD students (across 3 batches) pursuing a 2-year NCVT-certified course in the Electronics Mechanic trade. After the course is complete, students are given apprenticeship training opportunities in PSUs like Bharat Electronics Ltd. and placement opportunities in companies like Tata Electronics.
Promoting Women Healthcare Technicians
Under this initiative, young women from rural communities are trained to be Vision Technicians, helping make quality eyecare more accessible and available.
Students Supported in 2021/22
PARTNERS
Dr. Shroff`s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi | L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
Promoting Women Healthcare Technicians
Under this initiative, young women from underserved rural communities are trained to be Vision Technicians, helping improve their employability while making quality eyecare more accessible and available. Trainees are able to provide eyecare services to both adults and paediatric patients. They also create awareness in the community about various preventable and curable eye disorders. Once their education is complete, the women are either placed in partner networks or encouraged to set-up their own optical outlets.
Nursing Training for Young Women in Jharkhand
Cognizant Foundation supports the training of young women as nurses to help them get out of the poverty trap.
Students Supported since 2020
Nursing Kaushal College, Latehar
PARTNER
PanIIT Alumni Reach for India Foundation, Mumbai
Nursing Training for Young Women in Jharkhand
Jharkhand is among the lowest-ranked states in India when it comes to the Multidimensional Poverty Index and is home to more than 16 million poor people.
In 2020, Cognizant Foundation partnered with PanIIT Alumni Reach for India Foundation to support 120 young women from underprivileged sections of society, especially those from Naxal-affected districts, to be trained in ANM Nursing – a 2-year vocational course offered at Nursing Kaushal College in Latehar. 97% of the candidates who enrol for this programme are either first-time workers or working in unskilled jobs earning low wages under unsafe conditions.
Once the course is complete, trainees are able to get jobs in hospitals and geriatric care centres, or as home nurses.
Capacity Building for School Education
Leveraging our expertise in tech, Cognizant Foundation is working to make STEM experiences more accessible while building capacity within and for the school system.
Digital Learning and STEM
Enabling Inclusive Classrooms through Capacity Building & Resource Centres for Teachers
Capacity Building for School Education
According to UNICEF, India has the largest adolescent population in the world – 253 million. The country stands to benefit immensely if these kids are given a proper education from a young age, especially science education. Unfortunately, many educational institutes in the country find it difficult to keep pace with technological innovations, affecting their ability to impart quality STEM education.
Enhancing the quality of schools, especially Government-run institutions which cater to underserved communities, is critical for creating students who have the vision to create a better tomorrow. Cognizant Foundation is leveraging its expertise in technology to make STEM experiences more accessible while building capacity within and for the school system.
Digital Learning and STEM
Mobile Science Laboratories and Science Centre
Cognizant Foundation commissioned the setting up of experiential learning facilities enabling access to quality STEM education.
Students Reached in 2021/22
PARTNER
Agastya International Foundation, Bengaluru
LOCATIONS
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu | Medak, Telangana | Pune, Maharashtra
Case Study
"Thanks to these classes, I am more confident and innovative in life and in school than I used to be."
"Thanks to these classes, I am more confident and innovative in life and in school than I used to be."
The eldest of three siblings, Payal Pradip Ray is a student of class 8 in the Government school in Someshwarwadi, Pune. She comes from a low-income family – her father is a cook in a small hotel while her mother is a housewife – and dreams of one day becoming an IPS officer who can do good for society.
It was in 2020 that Payal was introduced to the learning programme by Agastya International Foundation, supported by Cognizant Foundation. She vividly recalls her first face-to-face interaction with an Agastya instructor – it was at a science fair organised by the NGO where she got to present the model she was working on and spend quality time learning from fellow competitors and instructors. She found a significant difference between Agastya’s sessions and her usual school classes – in the former, concepts were taught through activities that helped her grasp concepts more clearly.
During the pandemic sessions, which were held in-person till then, shifted online. “I thought Google Meet wouldn’t be as effective as classroom sessions but to my surprise, online sessions were incredible and effective. I really enjoyed them as they were just like the classroom experience. At the same time, I was able to help my mother with some household chores and help my brother with his studies,” Payal says.
Since Agastya sessions are aligned with the school’s curriculum, Payal was able to do well in class as well. Through a series of exercises and activities, she learned a lot about force and motion, standard measurements, light and its behaviour, and more. She is interested in making models to help understand concepts better and she shares her knowledge with friends in the neighbourhood.
“I have prepared a model of teeth by using hard cardboard, sheets of white paper, scissors, glue and various other materials. The model explains the functions of the teeth. It took about 2-3 days to complete,” she said when asked about her interest.
By asking questions, Payal says she is able to connect better with a subject and increase her knowledge in it. This is a trait she picked up from Agastya classes where instructors encourage students to boldly ask questions, without worrying about how good it may be.
“The classes by Agastya and Cognizant Foundation have helped me increase my imagination and generate new ideas. I have also made a lot of like-minded friends here and we often work as a group on challenging concepts. Thanks to these classes, I am more confident and innovative in life and in school than I used to be,” Payal says.
Mobile Science Laboratories and Science Centre
Cognizant Foundation had commissioned the setting up of a Science Centre and Mobile Science Lab in Pune, Medak and Coimbatore as part of our special focus on enabling access to quality STEM education for Government school students.
The objective of the project is to provide experiential science learning by setting up a Science Centre in a Government high school and operating a Mobile Science Laboratory covering multiple schools. The project has enabled over 283,000 student and 2,400 teacher exposures over 3 years. Apart from its physical location, the programme has also evolved to include online classes and teacher training as a response to the COVID pandemic.
Digitally Enabled Learning for Out-of-School Children
The Digital Equaliser (DE) programme seeks to provide technology-based education to under-privileged students, and digital literacy to students and teachers at selected Government schools.
Schools
Teachers
Children
SMC Members
PARTNER
The American India Foundation Trust, New Delhi
LOCATION
Ganjam, Odisha
Case Study
“Thanks to DE and remedial classes, I am able to understand better. Now I really like studying and I hope I can get good marks and fulfil my dreams.”
“Thanks to DE and remedial classes, I am able to understand better. Now I really like studying and I hope I can get good marks and fulfil my dreams.”
Sompraksha Panda is a shy, class 8 student from Bipulingi (a village in Ganjam district of Odisha) who studies in the local Government school. He was an earnest student but was among the lowest performers in his class. He found it hard to express himself properly and understand what the teachers were trying to say. Gradually, he mentally withdrew from class and stopped participating in group activities.
Fortunately for Sompraksha, his school was one of the institutions supported by the Digitally Enabled Learning programme of The American India Foundation Trust, facilitated by Cognizant Foundation.
Because of his low grades, Sompraksha was asked to attend remedial classes where he was able to get more personalised attention. There, he started opening up with the tutors and told them about the difficulties he was facing, especially when it came to language and communication. Simultaneously, in school, when his teacher introduced the Digital Equaliser programme in their class, he realised that he enjoyed watching videos and learning from them.
The teachers in school started to make it a point to pay more attention to Sompraksha, and others like him, and integrate them into daily learning activities. Slowly, he was able to better understand what was taught in class, and he started looking forward to coming to school.
Sompraksha is now an active student who participates enthusiastically in class. His grades have improved considerably, his reading and writing skills have gotten much better and his confidence has grown.
“Thanks to DE and remedial classes, I am able to understand better. Now I really like studying and I hope I can get good marks in exams and fulfil my dreams,” Sompraksha says.
He is determined to finish his education and get a good job so that he can financially support his family and give them a better life.
Digitally Enabled Learning for Out-of-School Children
The Digital Equaliser (DE) programme seeks to provide technology-based education to under-privileged students, and digital literacy to students and teachers at selected Government schools in Ganjam, Odisha. Launched amidst the COVID pandemic to support continuity of education, it reached students through a blend of online and offline interventions. Through a combination of WhatsApp classes, remedial classes and other offline activities, DE has shown that a blended model can be extremely effective in supporting children’s learning.
Enabling Inclusive Classrooms through Capacity Building & Resource Centres for Teachers
‘Connected Learning & Research on Inclusive Education’
CLeaR on IE is a research initiative intended to inform the policies and programmes of several states with an aim to contribute to the formation of a more inclusive school system.
IERCs
Teachers
Teacher Educators
Students
PARTNER
Centre for Education Innovation and Action Research at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
‘Connected Learning & Research on Inclusive Education’
Currently in its pilot phase, the “Connected Learning & Research on Inclusive Education” (CLeaR on IE) project supports research on inclusive education with the following two primary objectives:
1. To study the challenges in human resource development for inclusive education and explore the way forward
2. To enable the setting up of Inclusive Education Resource Centres
With a focus on strengthening teacher education, this research project has developed a certificate course for inclusive school education, developed a competency framework for teacher education and has partnered with National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD) and Avinashilingam University (ALU) to set up Inclusive Education Resource Centres (IERC) as part of these teacher education institutions. Both NIEPMD and ALU are institutions supported by Cognizant Foundation under our scholarship programme for special education.
Assets developed as part of the research are being turned into Open Educational Resources for wider dissemination among teachers and teacher educators. The research findings are expected to inform policies and programmes of several states in the areas of inclusive education and teacher development, and this will have a multiplier effect on the formation of a more inclusive school system.
Resource Rooms for Dyslexic Children
The Foundation has supported the establishment and management of dedicated resource rooms which help teachers better understand and help dyslexic children.
Children Supported in 2021/22
Schools Reached
PARTNER
Madras Dyslexia Association, Chennai
LOCATION
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Resource Rooms for Dyslexic Children
Dyslexia is a neurological condition that negatively affects a child’s ability to read, write and spell. This condition is often called a Specific Learning Disability since it can exist in children/individuals who are otherwise of average or above average ability. The Dyslexia Association of India estimates that 10-15% of children suffer from some form of dyslexia. However, early intervention with expert teaching techniques and the use of specialised strategies can help children overcome this situation.
Many teachers are not equipped to identify this condition, and dyslexic children could be overlooked, or their condition mislabelled due to lack of awareness. To prevent this, Cognizant Foundation partnered with Madras Dyslexia Association in 2020 to set-up and manage resource rooms in six Government-aided schools run by the Greater Chennai Corporation. Through this project, a well-structured process is being created to monitor and hand-hold school management and special educators to ensure children receive quality remediation. Teachers are also trained to provide strategies for reading, writing, spelling and mathematics within the classroom.
Building Teacher Capacity for an Inclusive School System
Our new flagship programme in education leverages the use of modern technologies to build teacher capacity and catalyse the creation of an inclusive school system.
Building Teacher Capacity for an Inclusive School System
Our new flagship programme in education leverages the use of modern technologies to build teacher capacity and catalyse the creation of an inclusive school system. Projects under this vertical have been designed with the following objectives:
- To demonstrate the possibilities of using technologies (digital technologies, in particular) for creating and supporting inclusive pedagogies for children with special needs
- To strengthen the capabilities for designing and delivering STEM learning in school education, with a focus on building computational thinking
- To demonstrate equitable learning paths for children in marginalised contexts in STEAM education
- To create and strengthen the knowledge base within the education system through the creation of open educational resources and a free and open digital ecosystem
With these goals in mind, two pilot programmes will be implemented in the upcoming year – one for creating technology-enabled pedagogies for inclusive education in schools for children with different learning abilities, and the other for strengthening STEM learning and computational thinking for children with visual impairments.