Samsung India, in collaboration with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, has announced MyDream project, a research study, to find out how to enhance learning outcomes for middle school students in India and how their stress levels can be reduced.

Samsung has announced a partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government in this regard. It has announced setting up of Samsung Smart Class at 14 government colleges across Andhra Pradesh that offer Bachelors of Education (B.Ed) and Diploma in Education (D.Ed) courses.

The Smart Class will deliver 200 hours of the course curriculum. It is being developed for the Andhra Pradesh Government under the UNESCO MGIEP initiative ‘Teaching Teachers for Technology’. The main aim of the course is that future teachers can be effectively trained to teach students with the help of the latest technology using digital pedagogies.

Under the MyDream project, MGIEP will conduct a two-year research study at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools across India. The study will enable in understanding how project-based and socio-emotional learning can be made useful to drive learning outcomes of students as defined by their Mathematics and Science scores measured by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. It will also help in understanding how to reduce the stress levels of students.

Dr Anantha K Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP said, “Through the My Dream project, UNESCO MGIEP wants to build intellectually and emotionally resilient young people. We seek to make learning fun and stress-free and training young people to be mindful, empathetic and compassionate. This research project will help us understand how learning outcomes for students can be improved and how their stress levels can be mitigated. This partnership between UNESCO MGIEP, NavodayaVidyalayaSamiti and Samsung will pave way for not just an impact in India, but a global one,”

As many as 64 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools, where Samsung operates a Samsung Smart Class, have been selected for the study.

“My Dream project in association with MGIEP and Samsung is likely to add impetus in furthering the digital pedagogy and increase digital competitiveness for India. Navodaya Vidyalaya being a residential system, the introduction of project-based learning and social & emotional learning through Samsung Smart Class digital platform will give a strategic direction in reducing perceived academic stress amongst children,” said Mr BK Singh, Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.

“Samsung is proud to partner with UNESCO MGIEP and NavodayaVidyalayaSamiti on this groundbreaking research that seeks to transform education that will empower children with skill sets for the 21st century,” said Mr Peter Rhee, Corporate Vice President, Samsung India.

A comprehensive report and recommendations will be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India at the end of the study.

The main aim of the partnership with Andhra Pradesh government for setting up Samsung Smart Class at 14 B.Ed and D.Ed government colleges across Andhra Pradesh is to help teachers adapt transmissive teaching that digital technologies have to offer. It also aims to bring in behavioural and attitudinal shift towards integrating these new educational possibilities offered by technology with curricula and lessons in focus.

Mr Adityanath Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Education, Andhra Pradesh Government says “AP Government is going to introduce digital instruction design and training as part of the B.Ed course with 200 hours of curriculum developed by UNESCO MGIEP. Samsung has been an enabler in this endeavour by equipping all government B.Ed and D.Ed colleges with Samsung Smart Class,”