Let’s talk about Intel in Education and India; the story so far…?
Intel has been dedicated to education improvement around the world; since it  as founded in 1968. At Intel, underour World Ahead Programme, we strive to be a trusted partner to educators and governments worldwide and are committed to improving education today. The Intel Education Initiative is
a sustained commitment to prepare all students, everywhere, with the skills
required to thrive in the knowledge economy. We currently invest over USD100 million per year in over 50 countries, including India, to promote
education efforts. We believe that today’s students must develop 21st century skills, including knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration. Mathematics, science and engineering, which are the building blocks for technical innovation, must also be mastered.

Could you outline the programmes you have undertaken in India?
Some of the exciting programmes that we are undertaking in India are –Intel Teach Program The Intel Teach Program (www.intel.com/education/teach)
is a free professional development programme that helps classroom teachers effectively integrate technology to enhance student learning. It is the most successful professional development programme of its kind with 4 million teachers in over 40 countries since 1999. In India, the programme has  mpacted over 7,75,000 teachers across 15 states governments , 2 Union territories, 40 teacher education universities and Central government education entities like Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. Intel Learn Program The Intel Learn Program (www.intel. com/education/learn) is a communitybased   programme designed to help
learners (8-16 years) develop 21st century skills (technological literacy,critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration). The programme is currently offered in Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Mexico, Russia and Turkey. In India, the programme was launched in 2004 and to date, has reached more than 43,671 learners in 515 centres and has touched 14 states in collaboration with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. Intel Science Competition Initiative for  esearch & Innovation in Science (IRIS) is the merger of  ‘Intel Science Talent Discovery Fair’ (ISTDF) and ‘Steer the Big Idea’ from CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and DST (Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India). The mission of IRIS is to promote and nurture science and scientific research
amongst young Indian innovators, recognise and reward outstanding projects and provide a platform for the young innovators to interact with Indian industry as well as get recognised at International events. In 2007, IRIS
impacted over 40,000 students and 4500 teachers through 78 workshops across 24 states governments, 2 Union territories, Central government relationships like NVS, KVS and other schools. Intel Higher Education Programme The Intel Higher Education Programme (www.intel.com/education/highered) focuses on advancing innovation in key areas of technology and developing a pipeline of diverse world-class technical talent for Intel and the
broader industry. In India, Higher Education programme covers more than 300 Engineering Colleges focusing on developing industry expertise in cutting edge technology areaslike Multicore, VLSI and supports research engagements and innovation and entrepreneurship development programmes across the academia.
Would you like to describe your partners, the who, why, and how
factors of your company fo  educational undertakings?
Intel works closely with multiple stakeholders and partners for success of various education programmes. Intel collaborates with technology, industry partners to develop and promote education solutions architecture to enable complete solutions of hardware, software, connectivity and digital curriculum content. In India for its Education programme, the Intel Teach Programme has
comprehensive partnerships with various states and UT governments, school bodies like NVS and KVS,  teacher education universities, apex education bodies like NCTE, NGOs like AIF and key multilaterals like WEF, UNESCO. We believe that public private partnership is absolutely critical for education improvement and judicious technology integration in our classroom as right systems, processes and policies can be set at government level for technology infrastructure accessibility, curriculum and content, human resources developments, etc.

Please tell us about your e-Education ventures?
We have a few interesting offerings that stand apart significantly Thinking with Technology course for Teachers: This course is designed to encourage teachers develop strategies and project ideas for using online thinking tools to inculcate higher–order thinking skills in their students. Thinking tools take advantage of
technology to allow students to convey and exchange ideas, actively construct knowledge, examine priorities, debate differences, make correlations, reach
consensus, organize ideas solve problems, and create representations of
what they have learned. Essentials Online Course for Teachers: A blend of in-person and online training that give teachers the ability to form communities to advance the integration of technology and 21st century learning skills. This online version of the flagship offering enables successful and tested teaching and learning outcomes, while allowing the flexibility of online delivery. In 2007, a pilot of this programme was carried out across private schools, schools in Gujarat and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) skoool Learning and
Teaching Technology Programme. The skoool Learning and Teaching Technology Programme provides secondary level teachers and students access to science and mathematics and resources and tools set for engaging,  ultimedia environment to help improve learning. skoool provides free online science and mathematics resources for secondary-level students.

What are the core issues that hinder the widespread use of your
educational services?
We along with the government need to ensure that irrespective of age, school
background and domicile, everyone ha  an opportunity and access to  education. Also, today there is a need to develop professional skills as well as basic IT operating skills among students to equip them for better opportunities
ahead. Therefore, the educational system should be so arranged that students become accustomed to IT as a tool to be used in the learning process. While new governments have proactively pledged to increase spending on education and are working tirelessly to bring in structural reforms; we still have to go a long way by focusing on improving access infrastructure and quality at all levels of education. Which educational initiatives are you focusing on in immediate future? We aim to accelerate our collaboration with various SSA  epartments across country, train their teachers and provide them skills, resources and software to use in schools. As announced by Dr. Barrett during his visit to India in 2006, we are also donating 10,000 PCs to state  government schools across the country. We would focus on Essentials Online Course (mentioned above) which has been piloted in India. The goal is for each teacher to leave the course prepared to effectively implement a technology-rich Unit Portfolio that engages students in effective use of technology to achieve standards. Besides this we will continue accelerating our existing programmes
across the country. We have various programmes for community education like for special children, etc. We are  lanning more partnerships in India to scale that in near future. Teacher Education with NCTE support and student  ducation also remains a big focus for the next few years.