New Delhi, 16 December 2021 – Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Meta) announced on 15 December that his company will team up with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to train more than 1 crore students and 10 lakh teachers in India. Meta will be training students and teachers by offering a curriculum on digital safety, augmented reality, and online well-being. The founder has also announced that, with the help of CBSE, they aim to democratise the school education system in such a way that students will be able to access high-quality educational content directly via the CBSE website.
Talking at Meta’s ‘Fuel for India’ 2021’ virtual event, Zuckerberg expressed, “I am really excited about this partnership and I think it is a huge opportunity to (invest in) this entrepreneurial spirit and bring some of these tools around the metaverse, (AR), and training to the education system here in India.”
How Will CBSE and Meta Provide the Training?
Although the actual logistics of the training are yet to be decided. The two parties have mutually agreed to offer the training through the online mode of education. Students and teachers will be able to access the training material online through the CBSE website and immerse themselves in the world of augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI).
The training is estimated to be provided online over the next 3 years. This will be done in two ways:
- For Students: More than 1 crore Indian students will be getting trained in the domain of digital safety, online well-being, and augmented reality through the CBSE website. They will be acquainted with the basic concepts of AR and AI, and will be taught how to ensure online well-being while interacting with the virtual internet world.
- For Teachers: Over 10 lakh teachers will be trained in the precepts and concepts of the online world. These educators will be empowered with new-age tools and skills, which they will use to nurture students and guide them into becoming responsible digital citizens.
Note: This decision is aligned with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Meta and CBSE will be collaborating together to develop a curriculum that covers immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR), AR, and AI. This is being done to revolutionise the Indian digital landscape.
