Pune, Jul 7 (IANS): Cognizant on Wednesday announced plans to donate tablets and laptops worth Rs 6.7 crore to students and teachers of government schools across six states in the country, as part of the companys employee-led volunteering programme.

The Cognizant Outreach's "Digital Schools" project will be implemented by Nirmaan Organization in four phases and will help over 3,700 students and over 180 teachers of government schools across six states in India.

The company donated 865 tablets and 40 internet-enabled laptops worth Rs 1.53 crore to government schools in Mumbai and Pune. The initiative will benefit over 860 students of classes 9 and 10 and over 40 teachers of government schools in the region.

Cognizant Outreach and Nirmaan volunteers will conduct programmes to train the students on using the equipment effectively and will also monitor usage to ensure positive educational outcomes. Volunteers will also conduct training sessions for faculty members to empower them with digital skills and techniques to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.

The devices were presented to the schools at a function held at New English School in Pune.

"The ‘Digital Schools' initiative is our effort to ensure that rural schools that serve underprivileged communities overcome the extraordinary disruptions and digital inequalities brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and continue imparting education," said Sandeep Rane of Cognizant at the event.

"We have been working to ensure that children's education does not stop during the pandemic. We developed the ‘Digital Schools Programme' to strengthen digital infrastructure in rural schools and create teacher training programmes to equip faculty members with the knowledge to harness digital technologies," said Mayur Patnala, CEO, Nirmaan Organization.