Vi's CSR arm and Ericsson India partner to set up Robotic Labs in schools

Vodafone Idea Foundation, the CSR arm of Vi, and Ericsson India have joined forces to set up Robotic Labs in schools across several states in India.

The partnership aims to provide new-age learning experiences to children from underserved communities and improve their education and employment prospects across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

The Digital Labs will be set up at Vodafone Idea Foundation schools across six states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

"Digital skills are a necessity for the holistic growth of the youth in the digital era. Taking our 'Technology for Good' mission forward, we are happy to partner with Ericsson, to expose the young minds with higher-level skills and development, as well as encourage underserved groups to pursue advanced ICT education and enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields," said P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer - Vodafone Idea Limited, and Director - Vodafone Idea Foundation.

According to a media release, the course curriculum will focus on providing a basic understanding of programming logic in the context of robotics, application of design theory on how to construct a robot to solve basic tasks, use of different data types such as string, Booleans etc. through a mix of face-to-face and virtual training sessions.

Commenting on this partnership, Sonia Aplin, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility for Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, said, "We are delighted to partner Vodafone Idea foundation towards setting up Digital Labs in schools across several states in India, empowering teachers and schools to deliver quality education and develop the digital skills of students."