[Date: 24th January 2025] Karachi: This International Education Day at British Educational Training and Technology Show (BETT UK 2025), Google for Education along with its local partner Tech Valley, signed an agreement with the Punjab Government, including the Punjab School Education Department and the Punjab Education Foundation, to transform Punjab’s primary and secondary schools by laying down foundations for AI interventions in the education system.
Previously, Google for Education has been working with the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training in Pakistan with Chromebooks being a center of providing quality and secure education and opening up paths for students to explore more global digital tools. Seeing the success in the federal public school, Punjab will now be a focus province for latest Google for Education initiatives.
“This partnership signifies our commitment to leveraging technology for positive social impact,” said Minister of Education Punjab, Rana Sikander Hayat. “By equipping students and educators with world-class digital tools and data-driven insights, we aim to empower future generations in Punjab and beyond.” Under this agreement, 200,000 primary and secondary students in Punjab will benefit from a Digital ID powered by Gemini that will provide them access to the right learning tools and resources and enrich their learning experience. Tech Valley, local country partner of Google for Education in Pakistan, will also provide an internet safety training program called Digital Safar to ensure these children have safe and secure online learning experience while gaining valuable skills like coding. “We are excited to collaborate with Google for Education and Punjab Government to empower students and teachers by utilizing digital tools and resources. Tech Valley along with Google for
Education’s Adoption team will ensure effective deployment of tools, hands-on teacher training,
and support throughout the implementation phase.” said CEO Tech Valley, Umar Farooq.
Google for Education’s comprehensive suite of tools and resources will be at the core of this transformation, including: ? Google Workspace for Education, offering collaborative platforms for communication, content creation, and knowledge sharing.
? Chrome Education Upgrade, enabling a safe, secure, and easily managed digital learning environment.
? Google Cloud Platform services, including BigQuery and Looker Studio, which provide robust data analytics capabilities to drive informed decision-making.
"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the local government and bring Google for Education’s transformative tools to more classrooms across Pakistan. By equipping students and teachers with the right digital resources, we aim to unlock opportunities for personalised learning with AI, and empower future generations to thrive in the digital age. This initiative reaffirms our commitment to making quality education accessible to all and in shaping a Future Forward Pakistan." said Farhan Qureshi, Country Director, Google Pakistan
While empowering teachers with the training, the partnership will provide Google for Education certification to 50,000 teachers in Punjab, along with creating a community of master trainers to guide the teachers in groups and support them in the transition. In this regard, Tech Valley, has also been working closely with Google for Education Adoption teams to develop a tailored training program for teachers to leverage Gemini as “Punjab’s Teachers’ Assistant”. “We believe that digital transformation is key to unlocking the full potential of our education system,”stated the Managing Director, Punjab Education Foundation, Shahid Farid. “This collaboration with Google for Education will not only improve access to education but also enhance its quality, ensuring that every child in Punjab has the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century.”To introduce schools to chromebooks, smart labs will be established with 200,000 Chromebooks and distributed across Punjab to foster an environment of learning and collaboration. These smart labs will also serve as training centers for technology adoption. These chromebooks will be Assembled in Pakistan by National Radio Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) and Allied
Australia.
A key focus of this partnership is to address the challenge of Out-of-School Children (OOSC). Google for Education will provide Digital IDs to OOSC children free of charge, complementing existing government initiatives to bring quality education to marginalized communities. A pilot program in collaboration with local governments and community centers will establish Chromebook Access Hubs to further enhance learning opportunities in areas lacking adequate educational infrastructure.
The goal of this agreement is to provide students and teachers with access to not only basic but advanced digital tools and resources that are now a need of the century. Introducing the tools and technologies at a larger scale also underscores Google for Education and Punjab Government’s commitment to providing equal access to quality education for all students and teachers.
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