Samsung India Electronics expands its Smart Class initiative

Tumkur (Karnataka), 5^th October, 2015: Samsung India Electronics today announced 13 new Samsung Smart Class at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools in Karnataka, taking the number of Smart Classes in the state to 22.

Dr. N.S. Reddi, Assistant Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Hyderabad and Mr. Rajiv Mishra, Vice President, Samsung India Electronics inaugurated the Samsung Smart Class in Tumkur, in the presence of the Dr. K.S. Dattatri, Principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tumkur.

Through the month, Samsung Smart Class–digitally interactive classrooms offering next-generation learning–will be also opened at Navodaya schools in Chikamagalur, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu. Mandya, Bagalkot, Bellary, Raichur, Bidar, Davanagere, Gulbarga and Haveri.

Samsung Smart Class, the company’s flagship CSR initiative in India, aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Every Smart Class is equipped with Samsung products such as Samsung interactive whiteboard, laptops, a printer and a Wi-Fi connection to enable students to access digital content and be part of an interactive learning environment. Students are taught Mathematics, Science, English and Social Science in an engaging and visually appealing manner, helping them learn better and retain more information. The Samsung Smart Class are set up at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) schools, a system of alternate schools under the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India targeting talented children in rural India.

Mr. Rajiv Mishra, Vice President, Media & CSR, Samsung India Electronics, said, “Digital India envisions a future where everything from scholarship applications to hospital appointments and governance discussions will be online. Over the last two years, the Samsung Smart Class initiative has helped over 1.2 lakh children across India become digitally literate, enabling them to be contributors in the future of Digital India. I am delighted to welcome more JNV schools in Karnataka into the Samsung Smart Class family and look forward to strengthening Samsung’s work in bridging the digital divide.”

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. N.S. Reddi, Assistant Comissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Hyderabad, said, “The Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya seeks to provide a platform for talented children–no matter which socio-economic background they are from–to get an equal opportunity to quality education. We are delighted that our collabouration with Samsung since 2013 has been effectively aiding us in this mission. Feedback from school principals and teachers tells us that Samsung Smart Classes have been instrumental in improving student retention and interest in studies. We look forward to expanding this partnership to cover more Navodaya Vidyalaya schools across India.”

Samsung Smart Classes in the states of Karnataka are already operational in JNV schools in Chikkaballapura, Dharwad, South Canara, Udupi, Dmg Hall, Doddaballapur, Bangalore Urban district, Almatti and Gajanur. Since its inauguration in 2013, Smart Classes have been set up in over 200 schools across the length and breadth of India, benefitting over 1.2 lakh students. By the end of 2015, Samsung will have added 173 new Smart Classes, enabling students in a total of 373 JNV schools to experience digitally interactive “smart” learning. Teachers with Samsung Smart Class in their school have reported better attention levels, higher enthusiasm and interest in participating in classroom discussions, as lessons can be taught in a personalised and digitally interactive learning environment.

Samsung CSR initiatives seek to leverage the company’s expertise in developing technological solutions that shape the future. In addition to the Samsung Smart Class initiative, the company has also established Samsung Technical Schools to address the need for talented manpower with practical know-how and relevant industry experience. Samsung Technical Schools are set up in collabouration with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Departments of Technical Education in states such as Bihar, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan and West Bengal.