Quality Education

The future belongs to those who can build digital technologies — and those who can use them to solve problems. We need everyone’s participation. We’re challenging team members, partners & leaders to spend 1 hour with a girl talking about careers in technology. Do they know technology is the backbone of business today? Are they aware of technology’s role transforming industries & addressing society’s biggest challenges? Start the conversation. Ignite change.

An overarching theme of the recent Dreamforce conference in San Francisco is that cloud computing can be harnessed to accelerate social good.

One of the fields in which technology can make a huge difference is in education, from pre-school to technical education.

Today, about 1.1 billion people in the world live without electricity. Another billion have unreliable power and 2.8 billion people use coal, wood, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and cleaning. Today, Schneider Electric is transforming the lives of millions of people in Nigeria by partnering with Microsoft and the Lagos State Electricity Board to provide sustainable solar power to over 200 schools and clinics.

As part of its Rural School Development Programme, the company teamed up with Kagiso Shanduka Trust (KST) and the Free State Department to unveil the two infrastructure projects in Viljoenskroon, one of the areas from which its Voorspoed mine recruits labour.

Tata Consultancy Services, (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, officially launched Ignite My Future in School in Dallas at Ann Richards Middle School in Texas’ 5th congressional district. As early adopters of this system, Dallas teachers will receive professional development, educational resources and year-round support to integrate computational thinking into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts and social studies. In turn, students will learn foundational skills for 21st century careers – across industries – through this transdisciplinary approach.

In a few weeks, people around the world will celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Millions of kids and others will participate in an Hour of Code, a global call to action to spend an hour learning the basics of coding. Today, it’s my privilege to announce that Microsoft has released a new Minecraft tutorial for Hour of Code, called Hero’s Journey, that will be used in classrooms, at after-school programs, community centers and homes everywhere.

Secondary school teachers overwhelmingly believe that employer engagement, careers advice and work experience have a direct impact on improving exam results, research published today has found.

Technology has had a dramatic and undeniable impact on almost every facet of modern life, and higher education is no exception. From how lectures and course materials are delivered to the immense wealth of learning resources that are available from anywhere at any time, technology has enabled greater access to education than ever before.

The call to action of the Sustainable Development Goals reaches every level of the educational system, as schools around the world teach lessons related to sustainable development and otherwise incorporate sustainable development into learning.

Shifting global trends have had a significant impact on the business, economic and political landscapes—and the academic world is not immune. The recent International University Lifestyle Survey, conducted by Sodexo, revealed that financial debt is a major concern among today’s students, as is getting a good job after graduation.