SAP India's Code Unnati with Project Nanhi Kali empowers the girl child

SAP India’s Code Unnati joins hands with Project Nanhi Kali to provide quality education and digital access to over 11,000 underprivileged girl children by 2020. The partnership has been announced at a high-profile event at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, says, “The government has launched various schemes such as ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ to promote equality in terms of education in the country. It is our vision to provide for equal opportunities for the girl child for their development and growth. We are happy to see corporates like SAP India and Mahindra and Mahindra taking the mantle and coming together to help the nation progress.”

Stating on the occasion, V S Parthasarathy of the Mahindra Group, who has been a strong advocate of girl child education and Project Nanhi Kali.“The Mahindra Group is strongly committed to the cause of girl child education and empowerment which we believe can have a transformative effect on the future of India.The partnership between Project Nanhi Kali and SAP India will help take this noble cause to the next level with the support of advanced digital technology. I have been advocating ‘Corporates for Change’ and the multiplier effect it could bring when like-minded corporates come together. This association is a classic case in point.” concludes V S Parthasarathy, Group CFO and Group CIO, Mahindra Group.

Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP and Managing Director, SAP Labs India, says, “At SAP, we are committed to improve people’s lives and create a lasting impact. From 2017, through Code Unnati, SAP India has trained over a million children across 14 states on our digital curriculum. Our collaboration with Nanhi Kali will help girl students to be digitally ready and empower them to bring about a positive change in the economy. Leveraging on Code Unnati and Nanhi Kali we will improve the quality of education for the girl children and prepare them for the digital shift in the society.”

While women account for nearly half of India’s population, only 25% of the workforce is female. The literacy level continues to remain around 46% in the rural areas and girls continue to lack access to quality education.To prepare for the wave of digital transformation the country is currently experiencing, building digital skills is essential and Project Nanhi Kali already provides Secondary School girls in the programme with access to digital tablets pre-loaded with educational content.

Code Unnati, SAP’s flagship initiative, equips youth and children with quality STEM education and Digital Literacy. The focus of the training module is to impart digital literacy and foster the female workforce.Code Unnati will work with Project Nanhi Kali to further enhance the digital learning platform.

Further, the collaboration aims to create girl-friendly ecosystems, provide access to quality education and sensitize communities toward the importance of girl child education. This partnership contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of - No Poverty, Quality Education, Decent Work & Economic Growth, and Partnership for achieving the Goals.

The support provided under this partnership would include -

* Academic support centers with trained tutors focusing on interactive and concept-based learning

* Piloting the digital literacy curriculum soon along with quality education

* Regular assessments and efficient tracking of attendance

* A school supplies kit consisting of school bag, shoes, notebooks, stationaryand feminine hygiene material

* Community & parent sensitization

Together the programs will provide support across the nation including places such as Maharashtra (Mumbai), Gujarat (Bharuch), West Bengal (Darjeeling) and further expand training to 5,000 girls in high need areas of Karnataka; and 1,000+ girls in Shravasti and Varanasi regions in Uttar Pradesh, thereby educating 11,275 girls by 2020.