Google has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support and accelerate the Government of Assam’s mission to promote digital growth and development in the State. Under this new initiative, Google will collaborate with the Assam Government’s Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship Department (SEED) to strengthen their school digitization efforts with digital learning tools and solutions to aid teaching and learning, while also promoting the fundamentals of online safety and digital citizenship to school children through the ‘Be Internet Awesome’ program.
Google will also extend scholarships for Google Career Certificates to Assam’s youth in collaboration with the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM).
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Assam, said, “I thank Google for its steadfast support and commitment to Assam over the years, and for supporting our efforts to accelerate digital literacy across communities. Digital-led technology and governance are cornerstones in our vision for transforming Assam and making its economy amongst the country’s leading growth drivers. We are delighted to collaborate with Google to bring the best of digital tools and technology to classrooms across the State and create new skilling opportunities. These programmes will go a long way in empowering our children and our youth in developing critical skills and for wider job and career opportunities.”
Elaborating on the MoU, Sanjay Gupta, Country Head & Vice President, Google India, said, “This MOU is another step in our long collaboration with the Assam government to bring the benefits of digital tools and technology to communities across the State, and to assist its mission for technology-driven holistic development. We are pleased to support the Assam government in its most recent endeavor to thoughtfully integrate digital technologies into classrooms, modernizing education for the next generation, while also building awareness about online safety so children can reap the benefits of the internet. We look forward to working together as we accelerate digital adoption and unlock the value of the internet for children and youth, setting them on a path of growth and equipping them with essential training and skill-sets to succeed in the fast growing digital economy of India.”
Under the MoU, Google will collaborate with the Assam government to:
- Empower public schools with digital education through Google for Education’s collaborative tools: Google for Education will collaborate in the State’s education digitization efforts and support digital learning in schools across Assam, enabling access to its digital learning platform, Google Workspace for Education – Fundamentals, for all teachers and students in the State, with teacher training and certification. Google’s ‘Read Along’ application will help primary school students to safely and independently learn and build their reading skills.
- Provide Google Career Certificates scholarships to youth: Google will collaborate with ASDM to provide scholarships and wrap-around training to enable youth to become job-ready for the demand for digital talent. The program will support qualified applicants to pursue Google Career Certificates in high demand fields like IT Support, IT Automation, Project Management, Data Analytics, UX Design and Digital Marketing & Ecommerce. These learners will also be able to connect with employers who have an ongoing demand for these skills through a hiring pool that recognizes the certificates.
- Promote digital citizenship and online safety across schools through the ‘Be Internet Awesome’ program: Google will equip teachers with essential training to teach students the skills they need to be safe and smart online and guide them on their digital journeys with an interactive curriculum.
Google has previously collaborated with the State Government to increase internet penetration across Assam and support the government’s efforts on women empowerment, internet safety, skill development and universal education. In 2018, Dibrugarh train station became the 400th railway station in India to become WiFi-enabled under Google’s joint initiative with Indian Railways and RailTel. Most recently, Assamese was added to the list of languages available in Google Translate.