Telenor Velocity, digital startup accelerator by Telenor Pakistan, has introduced its EdTech Innovation programme, forging strategic alliances with EdTech startups/scaleups, serving as a roadmap for making a rapid shift to online learning and skill development. This initiative is launched in response to closure of educational institutions and offices due to coronavirus outbreak.
The ongoing crisis has impacted students across the nation, but the circumstances have also resulted in a speedy transition to online learning, and e-education has become the need of the hour. In Pakistan over 76 million people have access to the internet, however there is a gap when it comes to provision of online learning content and authentic educational platforms. In order to bridge this gap and contribute towards building a knowledge economy, Telenor Pakistan brings forth a range of digital education solutions to facilitate the continuity of learning and skill development.
The programme varies from providing curriculum and skill-based education for school, college and university students to offering additional courses including personal development modules, digital skills, and STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) with a special focus on Robotics.
“We, at Telenor Pakistan, have been at the forefront of bringing technological interventions and innovative solutions for various segments of the society. Young minds in Pakistan are finding solutions to everyday challenges through technology. This collaboration with EdTech startups/scaleups to enable virtual education in the country is a testament to our commitment to provide best in class solutions and platforms to students helping them cope with the COVID19 pandemic” said Sardar Abubakr, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan. He further said, “Together, we aim to optimize new technologies to upskill our youth and have made sure that learning and upskilling never stops.”
The Telenor Velocity EdTech Cohort has stepped forward to help students shift to the virtual realm and onboarded a number of partners for this purpose including K-5 SABAQ Muse, a comprehensive learning solution based on videos, games and ebooks in multiple languages for early grades; Edaksa concentrating on STEAM education and helping Pakistani high school students prepare and pass their standardized government exams; EDTechWorx, a content creation and collaborative delivery platform which connects learner, educators and the overall industry; Skills First, an online academy which aims to empower people to learn employable skills for a better future; and LearnObots, which aims to develop makers and creators of tomorrow, with a practical learning approach in the domain of Educational Robotics.
While the coronavirus spread across the world may not have been contained yet, the education system continues to sustain itself by truly embracing the idea of ‘learning anywhere, anytime’. Telenor Pakistan is making significant efforts towards e-learning for students and job seekers. The organisation, under its ACTIVATE programme will be training 1000 students on design thinking and is vigorously creating programs that enable them to rapidly and efficiently gain new and important skills and competencies.
