‘Teach with Tech’: Pune Knowledge Cluster Launches STEM Education Program For Schools In Maharashtra

Pune, 8th October 2022: The Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC), with the support of Lenovo, has launched the ‘Teach with Tech’ program for school students and teachers in Maharashtra.

The PKC team identified the lack of accessibility to digital technologies in schools and the learning gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students lacked exposure and access to digital tools and were more likely to miss out on essential educational resources.

Based on the experiences shared by the teachers and school authorities, the team prioritized the most impacted schools during the pandemic, and five such schools were selected for their project.

Pankaj Harjai, APAC Tablet Head, Lenovo, stated about the launch, “We are delighted to collaborate with the Pune Knowledge Cluster and support the local schools with adequate resources for the ‘Teach with Tech’ program. Today, it is extremely important for learners and educators to be equipped with smarter technology, cost-effective devices, as well as digitized content that is available in multiple regional languages suitable for all.”

Prof. Ajit Kembhavi, Principal Investigator, Pune Knowledge Cluster Pune Knowledge Cluster (spokesperson TBC) also commented on the occasion, “The STEM teaching program ‘Teach with Tech’ taken up as a collaboration between Lenovo India and Pune Knowledge Cluster is proving to be an exemplary, pioneering and promising effort to bring immediate and long-term benefits to students and teachers from the city. We are therefore looking forward to working with Lenovo for a long time.”

This program aims to provide an opportunity for students and teachers to access and adopt digital content related to Science, Mathematics, and Technology. Students from grades six to nine, and their teachers, would be trained simultaneously.

Students will gain an approach to inquiry-based, active-learning and collaborative learning, thereby enhancing their 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity.

Teachers will be empowered to use digital pedagogy techniques and technology to teach effectively. These teachers will then become facilitators who provoke learners to think and scaffold the learning process.

The program plans to train 750 students and 250 teachers from Zilla Parishad schools in the Pune district. Over 100 sessions will be conducted, spread over one academic year.

Under the contribution of Lenovo CSR, the team has developed modules that focus on awareness and understanding of the applications of various digital tools that can be used in the teaching-learning process. These modules are being executed in the schools using Lenovo devices, which will include content on technology awareness for students. In the process, they will be able to know and access resources like PHET simulations, scratch, Olabs, Net logo, games, puzzles, coding, and others.

The program will run in Pune-based schools like the Modern High School, Ganeshkhind, Shishu Vihar, Pune Vidyapeeth High school, Shri Shivaji Vidya Mandir, Nu Ma Vi Girls High school, and Baburao Gholap School.