Microsoft and Ed4All on Thursday announced a partnership with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to empower students with digital skills.

Through this partnership, Microsoft and Ed4All aim to reach out to over 170 million learners across the open schooling ecosystem, providing access to tools, experiences, and skills needed to be job-ready in a digital economy, as per an official release.

BLEAP for NIOS

Microsoft and Ed4All have launched a customised tech platform for the NIOS Virtual Open School, BLEAP for NIOS, as part of the collaboration. The platform provides learners a personalised learning experience.

BLEAP for NIOS includes live classes and labs, recorded sessions, remote proctored exams and assessments along with skill-based courses and certifications. Students across NIOS will also have access to digital courses on technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cyber security and data sciences among others.

Also read: Virtual schools enable greater inclusion in school education: Dharmendra Pradhan

BLEAP for NIOS is built on the Microsoft stack of Teams, M365 and Azure, with security at the core, the company said.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India said, “NIOS Virtual School is a new model of learning and is an example how leveraging technology and innovation can facilitate greater inclusion in education. The school will provide advanced digital learning platforms through virtual live classrooms and virtual labs.”

Navtez Bal, Executive Director, Public Sector, Microsoft India, said, “Technology is playing a bigger role than ever in transforming education, improving learning outcomes and better preparing students for the new world of work. Our partnership with NIOS to empower over 170 million learners across the country is an important step in ensuring equity in education and skilling.”

“As we rapidly move towards a digital economy, the skills of the future will look very different from the skills that are needed today. Along with Ed4All, we are committed to providing access to the technology, skills and resources that students need to succeed in a digital world,” added Bal.

Sanjay Viswanathan, Chairman, Ed4All said, “Ed4All is delighted to partner with Microsoft and NIOS to power NIOS Virtual Open School through BLEAP for NIOS, a custom-built learning platform developed for NIOS. This will enable every learner in the country to become employable through the most advanced open schooling. BLEAP.stands for Blended Learning and Pedagogy – a big leap in school education.”