As the novel coronavirus continues its rampage throughout the world, most countries have been brought to a standstill. With worldwide cases having crossed 3 million, most nations have put in place severe restrictions. Almost all schools, universities and offices in Corona-hit countries have been shut. Therefore, this pandemic has had a significant impact on all our lives, rendering most services null. Most countries are shutting down their businesses and keeping alive only essential services. This has also made things difficult for traditional methods of education. The mass shutting of institutes has left millions without a class. Such dire circumstances have led to most major companies pledging their support to fight this pandemic. Recently, Reliance JIO announced that it would work with Microsoft to help the online learning industry in India. Here’s a look at everything you need to know regarding this partnership and what means to Indian students.
Indian Leaders Step Up
With the number of coronavirus cases in India exceeding the 500-mark, most Indian business houses are coming out with plans to help the government fight this epidemic. For instance, Mahindra and Paytm have already announced plans to help the government in various ways. Following suit was Reliance industries which recently pledged their full support for the government. The company has released a list of strategies they were putting in place. One of the main points here has been the help they have offered the online education industry in India.
With schools and colleges shutting across India, millions have been left without a classroom. In this light, to extend support to such students, JIO will partner with Microsoft to provide facilities to help schools and colleges function digitally. This sizeable digital collaboration will bring together these two tech giants and enable them to combine their resources. Their broad bandwidth and digital capabilities will help support both healthcare and educational institutions. This will go a long way in helping schools and colleges continue to function during social distancing and isolation.
Extended Internet
With most people being at home, internet services in the country are finding it challenging to keep up with service requests. Almost 90% of the country is under strict curfews and bans, resulting in large amounts of people working and studying from home. This has put an undue strain on our existing internet facilities, while also taxing individuals. To help such people, JIO has announced that they will provide the basic JioFiber connectivity at 10 Mbps, to whoever needs it, free of cost. The only requirement being that the area in consideration has enough range for their services.
Furthermore, JIO has also said that it will provide routers to people with a bare minimum refundable deposit. Also, existing users will have access to double the data limit they now have, and the same offer will hold for Jio 4G data vouchers. This move will significantly help the students all over the country who are now turning to online learning platforms for their educational needs.
Long-Awaited Partnership
While JIO and Microsoft have not provided further details regarding their partnership to help the online learning industry in India during such difficult times, this plan has been in motion for over a year now. In 2019, the two giants had decided to collaborate on a ten-year project, to help India go digital. This strategic relationship was to help accelerate India’s digital transformation by combining their capabilities and providing Indians with solutions for universal connectivity and storage issues they faced. The partnership would also lead to higher adoption of analytic services such as data science, artificial intelligence, and IOT in India. Details regarding their plans to help the online learning industry will most likely be along the same lines. Students all over the country are eagerly awaiting further details so that they can continue with their learning and education during these times.
Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.