Many organisations today take a strong stance on Corporate and Social Responsibility. So when we invited one UK client and one UK prospect to visit NIIT’s pioneering project - nicknamed “Hole in the Wall” – a project designed to help underprivileged children become IT literate, the take-up was swift.
Members from a large UK retail bank, and SITA were invited to see for themselves some of NIIT’s Hole in the Wall sites. NIIT experimented with ‘Minimally Invasive Education’ kiosk for the first time in 1999 in Madangir - a slum in South Delhi. This experimental education project undertaken by NIIT is aimed at promoting literacy amongst underprivileged children of the slum. As part of the project, NIIT along with Government of Delhi set up 6 unmanned, remotely monitored computer kiosks in the area, which generated tremendous curiosity among children who became regular visitors of the place. What started as a play tool - Mouse and Keyboard - soon became a means of computer literacy with the absence of a teacher.
NIIT HiWEL (NIIT’s initiative company Hole In The Wall Education Limited), has since then, reached more than 200,000 children in 150 parts of the most remote rural areas and urban slums, through its installations. Asia (India, Cambodia) and Africa (Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, Nigeria and Rwanda) are the key geographies where HiWEL is working with Governments to help reduce school dropout rates and is enabling the education system in these countries to provide effective and interesting teaching-learning experience.
Both organisations were fascinated to see what impact the projects had made to communities, and to also see how NIIT had overcome some of the technological challenges in facing India’s diversified climate – India endures all aspects of weather; rain, humidity, and intense dry heat.
NIIT HiWEL receives ‘Digital Opportunity Award’ at WCIT 2008
NIIT’s initiative company Hole In The Wall Education Limited (HiWEL), has been awarded the coveted “Digital Opportunity Award” for its ground breaking work in spreading computer literacy and improving the quality of education at the grass root levels, by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).
HiWEL is the first Indian company to receive this prestigious recognition, and Mr Phil Bond, President and CEO, Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) gave away the award to NIIT’s CEO Vijay K Thadani at the 16th World Congress on IT (WCIT) 2008 Awards’ Ceremony, held at Kuala Lumpur.
Receiving the award, an elated Thadani said, “This is a rare honour not just for NIIT HiWEL, but for the Indian ICT industry as well. It is a recognition of our innovative efforts in enabling computers to touch millions of lives globally by making Information Technology reach the grass root levels.”
The WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards are held every two years, and aim to identify and honour the most outstanding users of Information and Communication Technology. The prestigious ‘Digital Opportunity Award’ is bestowed upon individuals, academic institutions, corporations, NGOs or government entities that have made a remarkable and successful effort at reducing the digital divide, by ‘connecting’ previously ‘unconnected’ people.
NIIT (HiWEL) has been honoured for its commitment and efforts to help underserved groups bridge the digital divide, by offering exciting and effective education and learning experiences through innovative technologies in remote areas.
