Vodafone Idea Foundation (VIF), the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Vodafone India focuses on improving education and employment opportunities with the help of several technology-driven initiatives, namely Jigyasa, Gurushala, Vi teachers and students scholarship. “Education is a big focus area for us along with financial literacy. Our whole theme around education is using technology to provide quality education to children from underprivileged communities or rural India where such facilities are not readily available,” P Balaji, chief regulatory and corporate affairs office, Vodafone Idea Limited told FinancialExpress Online.

Jigyasa, launched in 2019, claims to equip teachers with innovative teaching practices and help them integrate technology in classrooms. “Through Blocklevel Resource Centres (BRCs) and Cluster level Resource Centres (CRCs), we have trained more than 50,000 teachers in digital skills across five states in North India, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan,” Balaji said. Whereas, Gurushala is a cloud-based knowledge exchange platform for teachers, featuring a repository of educational resources while enabling them to publish their content. The foundation claims, more than 2.75 lakh teachers from across the country are registered on Gurushala and have curated more than 50,000 content pieces, benefitting over 15 lakhs students.

Vi teachers and students scholarship claims to bridge the gap between scholarship providers such as government bodies, corporate foundations, civil society organisations, and scholarship seekers through a multi-lingual platform. According to Balaji, the platform uses chatbot integration, profile mapping, and advanced analytics to provide complete information and assistance in applying for hundreds of scholarships. So far, the foundation claims to have helped more than 300 teachers and 3500 students get scholarships and continue their education.

VIF has also launched a financial and digital literacy program namely Jaadu Ginni Kain in 2017 wherein financial concepts on investments, financial planning, and digital financial tools are explained through storytelling content format, featuring games and quizzes. The entire curriculum is in 10 languages and can be downloaded for free through an Android app. Furthermore, the foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Information Technology’s Common Service Centres (CSC) and deployed 29 customised vans to bring financial and digital literacy to the underserved communities in 45 districts of the country. Additionally, VIF has also developed a digital learning platform DigiSakshar to increase digital literacy. It offers free, on-demand courses and more than 50,000 users across formats.

In a recent development, the VIF has partnered with Ericsson India to set up 10 robotic labs across six states in India, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka Maharashtra and Gujarat. “The robotic labs will provide new-age learning experiences to children from underserved communities, preparing them to participate in future technological studies. The partnership aims to improve the students’ education and employment prospects across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by providing an comprehensive exciting learning experience and develop skills such as teamwork, problem-solving skills, critical thinking,” Balaji added.