UAE firm gives tech classes to needy students in rural India

A UAE firm is bringing e-learning to less fortunate students in rural India. For eight weeks, pupils from Grade 5 to 10 will be learning animation, app development and English language skills through online classes.

Dubai tech company Coded Minds partnered with Indian non-profit ALIG Educational and Welfare Society to train 70 public school students in six Indian towns and cities, including Jamshedpur, Lucknow, Aligarh, Moradabad, Barabanki and Kolkata. Free tablets were handed out as e-classes started on July 1. 

Speaking to Khaleej Times about the project, Dr Imran Ali, executive director at ALIG Society, said: "We want these underprivileged children to also get a chance to dream big. The plan is to equip and inspire these children to dream and believe that they can also do a lot more, just like their peers in other private schools. Chidren are quick learners and it is easy to empower them."

Teachers in India will set up Zoom calls with the experts of Coded Minds, who then give the lessons for the youth, he said.

Omar Farooqui, founder and president of the UAE-based Coded Minds Global, said: "This two-month summer camp would develop a mindset among students to not only break down complex problems into more manageable solutions, but will also equip the learners with a developmental mindset, which will ultimately improve learning agility."

Farooqui believes such a collaboration will go a long way in developing critical skills for young students. "Coded Minds feels proud that, with the support of ALIG, it will be empowering the children of India with the 21st technology skills."

Coded Minds, which is operating in six different countries, is currently offering tech education to hundreds of Indian students in the UAE.

"It is absolutely critical for us to impart the right skills to the future generation and prepare them to cope up with the challenges of the future. iSTEAM education is a reality and the sooner we accept this reality the better it will be," Farooqui said.

The classes will help prepare students for the future, Dr Imran said. "We realised that most jobs that will be generated five years from now will require people to have digital literacy and expertise in programming.

Therefore we had to bring in the futuristic aspect when training these young boys and girls."

saman@khaleejtimes.com