Aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for underprivileged children in rural India, BMW Group and UNICEF announced on Wednesday that they will jointly empower 100,000 children across Assam, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
The initiative, which focuses on providing quality education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), will specifically benefit girls from the most marginalised groups, including those in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and Tribal Ashramshalas, in hard-to-reach areas.
The collaboration is part of a global effort between the BMW Group and UNICEF, which aims to impact over 10 million children annually across five countries.
This partnership extends to South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and Thailand, where the BMW Group has large operations.
The initiative will ensure that students in rural primary schools have access to foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which will provide them with a strong cognitive base necessary for advanced STEM learning.
As they progress, these children, particularly adolescent girls, will also have the opportunity to engage in creative and hands-on learning experiences through low-cost maker spaces designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and innovation.
Commenting on the partnership, UNICEF India Representative, Cynthia McCaffrey, said, “Current employment opportunities come with greater demands for competencies in STEM. Girls particularly miss out on opportunities to learn and practice STEM. The BMW-UNICEF partnership makes this possible by investing in making education more accessible and inclusive, especially for girls. The result is greater economic and social self-reliance, leading to more opportunities.”
Vikram Pawah, President and CEO, BMW Group India, added, “BMW Group sees itself as an integral part of society, and through impactful initiatives, we want to drive deep-rooted social change. STEM knowledge is crucial for smart thinking and innovation in today’s competitive, interconnected environment. Merging this educational initiative with gender equality and inclusion, especially for underprivileged girls in India, enhances its effectiveness exponentially.”
This collaboration includes key components aimed at improving the quality of education. UNICEF will develop a tailored curriculum to train teachers in STEM instruction, with a particular emphasis on breaking gender stereotypes and empowering girls through skills development and leadership programmes.
Additionally, the initiative will establish low-cost maker spaces within schools, allowing girls to explore fields such as design thinking, computational analysis, and physical computing, thereby fostering innovative thinking.
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