Microsoft India will train 800 teachers of Sri Chaitanya Schools as the schools embark on their digital classrooms program. Sri Chaitanya Schools recently announced adopting Microsoft India’s Edu-Cloud infrastructure and 14,000 Windows-based tablets for their students and teachers of Class 3, 4 and 5 in 80 schools to connect, collaborate, create, and share content, with an aim to make teaching and learning fun. The teachers’ training will be as per the recommended guidelines of the Microsoft’s well-known, global ‘Partners in Learning’ (PiL) program.

Microsoft’s PiL program introduces innovative approaches to pedagogy, supports teacher professional development, and provides teachers with the tools to implement and manage change. To drive education reforms across their schools and build teacher capacity, Sri Chaitanya Schools will also use the Microsoft Innovative Schools Program and Microsoft Educator Network.

Neeraj Gill, General Manager – Public Sector, Microsoft India, said, “Technology is transforming education and empowering students, teachers and educational institutes the world over. Our Partners in Learning and other school programs equip teachers to use technology in pedagogy that bring out the best in students and help them prepare for the future. We are glad that Sri Chaitanya Schools have chosen these programs and adopted 14,000 Windows-based tablets to gain from Microsoft India’s Edu-Cloud, driving a holistic in-classroom experience in their schools.”

V Sricharan, Director, Sri Chaitanya Schools said, “We are excited to adopt Microsoft’s education offerings to drive digital teaching and learning across our schools. We believe Microsoft’s programs, tools and resources will empower our teachers with new approaches to teaching, and enhance the learning experience of our students.”

The Microsoft Innovative Schools Program helps district and school leaders embrace innovation and implement technology effectively to support teaching and learning. With this program, Sri Chaitanya Schools will gain access to resources that improve insights to teaching practice for school leaders and educators, as well as content, training and resources relevant to school leaders, with a focus on the most important issues facing education today, including personalized learning. They can also join the global professional learning community of committed school leaders from around the world who share and learn from their experiences by attending the Microsoft Global Forum, Virtual Universities, and other selected invitation only workshops and trainings.

The Microsoft Innovative Educator Program increases educator capacity to build crucial 21^st century skills for their students through the effective and innovative use of technology. Through this partnership, all educators from Sri Chaitanya Schools will be eligible to earn recognition as a Microsoft Innovative Educator on the Partners in Learning Network, seek certification as a Microsoft Certified Educator, and apply for the elite Microsoft Expert Educator program. Additionally, they will have access to digital literacy curriculum, Microsoft Teaching with Technology (TwT) workshop and curriculum, access to free tools and software, as well as online professional development programs.

Earlier this week, Microsoft India launched Edu-Cloud, a cloud computing-based offering, which is expected to benefit 10 lakh teachers and 60 lakh students in 1500 institutes over the next 18 months. With a commitment to expand digital inclusion, in the last 10 years, Microsoft has invested over INR 670 crore in education, skill development, entrepreneurship and digital literacy programs, touching more than 5 crore people in 20 different states of India. http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/youthspark/

About Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Program: