Home > News & Events > JMC, RCEE and HiWEL in a Landmark Partnership

05 May 2007

JMC, RCEE and HiWEL in a Landmark Partnership

The Jaipur Mayor along with JMC, RCEE and HiWEL representatives holding the agreement.

Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), Rajasthan Council of Elementary Education (RCEE) and Hole-in-the-Wall Education Ltd. (HiWEL), have partnered to set up 200 Playground Learning Centers (PLCs) to promote computer education among school kids in Jaipur.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding cum agreement, to this effect, was signed between the three parties-The Jaipur Municipal Corporation, Rajasthan Council for Elementary Education and HiWEL, here today. Jaipur Mayor, CEO, JMC; Director, Rajasthan Council of Elementary Education and Mr. Neeraj Agarwal, Head, HiWEL signed on behalf of the three organizations. This marks the introduction of Hole-in-the-Wall in Jaipur.

Jaipur Mayor, Mr. Ashok Parnami speaking to journalists on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering at his chamber, Jaipur Mayor, Mr. Ashok Parnami said, "It is a matter of utmost pleasure that HiWEL is going to set up IT enabling PLCs at 200 sites in Government Schools, Government Aided School for students and children of slum dwellers in Jaipur city to improve the health, sanitation, computer literacy and other relevant issues. I wish all success for this ambitious Project."

HiWEL PLCs provide free and unsupervised access to computers for children belonging to economically and socially marginalized populations, in remote rural locations and urban slums. HiWEL PLCs that come with the unique Minimally Invasive Education approach, encourage children to self-organize and take responsibility for their own learning.

According to Mr. Rajendra S. Pawar, Chairman, NIIT, "With experiments like these, HiWEL is trying to find innovative ways to touch millions of children, including those outside the school system and bring them into the mainstream."

This innovative solution is now being made available to the world through 'Hole in the Wall Education Limited' (HiWEL), a joint venture between NIIT and the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank Affiliate.

The project is also being funded by Michael and Susan Dell Foundation who are focusing on measurably improving the learning outcomes for the children.

Neeraj Agarwal, HiWEL Head, answering queries from journalists at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, HiWEL Head Neeraj Agarwal said, "We are happy to receive the support of JMC and RCEE for this initiative. We are hopeful that, together, we will be able to reach out to thousands of kids, especially from the economically challenged background, and prepare them for the knowledge economy."

NIIT has installed over 120 HiWEL Learning Stations across the country-from Leh in the North to Kanyakumari in the South; from Arunachal Pradesh in the North-East to Jaisalmer in the West. Outside India, these Learning Stations have been put up in Cambodia and are now being implemented in several countries in Africa.