Google to Deploy E-Classroom Tools in 1 Lakh Maharashtra Schools for Free

Google has partnered with Maharashtra State Education Department to deploy digital tools such as G Suite for Education and Google Classroom free-of-cost across the state. The tech giant's education tools and services will be adopted in over one lakh schools, benefitting over 2.3 crore students and teachers in the state. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and these digital classrooms provided by Google hope to ease the process of remote learning in the region.

Google Head of Education (India and South Asia) Bani Paintal Dhawan announced the brand's strategic digital tools deployment through a livestream on YouTube held a day ago. Google will also make its Teach from Home information hub available in Marathi language to the schools. Alongside, it will also offer teacher trainings and free teacher resources to help adapt to the new distance learning norms.

Minister of School Education in Maharashtra, Varsha Gaikwad added that the response to this had been extremely heartening. “When we floated an invitation link for Google Classroom training, we have almost got 1.34 lakh teacher applications within 48 hours. This shows how much our teacher are excited to start using Google Classroom in their schools. It clearly shows that out teachers are taking the lead for transformation to digital education. Government will continue to work with the community, NGOs, and the schools to solve any access problems.”

Google is providing its tools for free to all schools across Maharashtra. These will enable students and teachers to participate in a virtual classroom. Apart from that, Google has taken several other initiatives in the recent months. In July, Google announced a partnership with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to push education in India by helping teachers and institutions in digitising the learning experience. Google would enable one million teachers in 22,000 schools to deliver “blended learning” — a combination of online learning and a classroom approach — by the end of this year.

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Tasneem Akolawala Email Tasneem Tasneem Akolawala is a Senior Reporter for Gadgets 360. Her reporting expertise encompasses smartphones, wearables, apps, social media, and the overall tech industry. She reports out of Mumbai, and also writes about the ups and downs in the Indian telecom sector. Tasneem can be reached on Twitter at @MuteRiot, and leads, tips, and releases can be sent to tasneema@ndtv.com. More