HP pledges US$1 million to improve science, technology and math education in India
NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 11, 2011- HP expanded its commitment to education today by announcing plans to initially invest US$1 million in support of a new Education Innovation Challenge Fund for India, led by a consortium of leading education organizations in India.
The fund will grant public and private (not-for-profit) education institutions the opportunity to pursue novel approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning for the 21st century.
Madhav Chavan, CEO and President of Pratham Education Foundation, Ashok Kamath, Chairman of Akshara Foundation, and Sridhar Rajagopalan, Managing Director of Education Initiatives, areserving in an advisory role as the fund gets established at an independent non-governmental organization(NGO). The goal is to operationalize the fund byAugust 2011 and encourage other private sector organisations to support and promote innovations in STEM education through similar donations of cash, equipment and expertise.
“HP is committed to empowering students and teachers globally improve the models of STEM education and enable them to address some of the bigger social challenges around the world and in their communities. The Education Innovation Challenge Fund is meant to motivate institutions and students to think out-of-the-box for solutions and ideas that are both collaborative and creative in furthering STEM education in India,” saidJeannette Weisschuh,Director of Global Education Programs, Office of Global Social Innovation, HP.
HP Catalyst Summit Delhi
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the first ever HP Catalyst Summit in Delhi, which brought together over 100 global education leaders from 11 countries, Indian policy makers and government representatives, to addresscritical Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education challenges in India and globally.
Co-organised with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the HP Catalyst Summit Delhi explored topics such as theeffective use of tablet PCs for teaching and learning, cloud computing in education andconverting textbooks into a social media platforms for conversations and assessment. Agastya International Foundation will also be conducting a hands-on mobile science learning event to families and students in Delhi.
HP Catalyst Initiative
To date, HP has supported 35 thought leading institutions in 11 countries as part of the HP Catalyst Initiativeto collaboratively explore what the future of STEM education can look like. By the end of 2011, HP will have invested more than US $10M globally in the Catalyst initiative.