Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK) partners with British Council to strengthen coding skills of students

Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK) and British Council – the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities – have signed a new partnership agreement to provide exposure to students from grade 8 and 9 to learn digital and coding skills and support them in future. Under this pilot project, 200 school teachers from approximately 100 selected schools in Karnataka will be trained in teaching digital and coding skills using physical Micro:bits.

The partnership agreement was signed by Smt. B. B. Cauvery, IAS, State Project Director and Smt. Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council in presence of Shri. B C Nagesh, Minister of School Education and Literacy, Government of Karnataka.

Participating teachers will receive a 3-day face-to-face training that will be delivered by British Council trainers using training materials provided by Micro:bit foundation. Each participating school will receive a club kit consisting of 10 Micro:bits which students can use for club activities in their schools.

Students will participate in coding club activities delivered by the teachers trained as part of this project. It will simplify the concepts around how computers work and will give students access to learn basic concepts of robotics and coding. We anticipate that through this programme an approximate number of 3500 students will be trained by the teachers this academic year.

Shri. B C Nagesh, Minister of School Education Government of Karnataka, British Council and the Government of Karnataka have been collaborating extensively over the past decade. This programme will not only contribute to improving coding and digital skills in government school students but will also open new opportunities for them. The initiative furthers our constant efforts towards driving long-term positive impact for the school education system. We appreciate the support British Council has provided the Government of Karnataka over the years and its contribution to the project.”

Smt. Janaka Pushpanathan, Director South India, British Council, said “Coding is regarded as a key skill for the 21st Century. We are delighted to partner with the state of Karnataka to support the development of coding skills for students in government schools. By building capacity of teachers to establish and run coding clubs in schools, we hope that this new programme will contribute to State’s school education department efforts to increase access and support the development of digital skills in government schools. This is a significant initiative in our long-standing relationship with the state and we are committed to working together closely to ensure this exercise translates into a transformative delivery of education across the state, benefitting young students.”