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Schoolnet, Global Learning Council join forces to launch school-focused ‘EcoInnovators Ideathon’ and more initiatives
The partnership aims impact 50,000 students and teachers in the first year and 10 million students within five years.
The Global Learning Council (GLC) housed at the Villars Institute (VI) in Switzerland has joined hands with Schoolnet India to introduced three transformative initiatives for school students. The aim behind the partnership is to impact 50,000 students and teachers in the first year and 10 million students within five years.
The three initiatives include a pan-India ideathon, capacity-building programs for affordable private schools in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate (IB), and the development of a course on climate leadership.
As part of the partnership, the EcoInnovators Ideathon Grand Finale was held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on January 24, 2025 in a bid to encouraged students in identifying pressing environmental challenges like air and water pollution or waste management, and propose innovative solutions using technologies like AI, IoT, and robotics, a press release informed.
Participants from over 800 schools, narrowed to 100 teams received expert mentorship through masterclasses during the event. The ideathon culminated with the top 10 teams presenting their solutions at the Grand Finale.
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Team Vanguard, represented by Shreyas Aggasare and Nakshatra, from Delhi Public School Electronic City, Bengaluru, Karnataka won the event with an exceptional project. They also earned an opportunity to present their work at the Villars Symposium in Switzerland in June 2025.
The event also comprised of a jury which included representatives from IIT Madras, TERI, Grok Learning, GIZ, UnconstrainED, an IB school, and New York-based Sure Start selected the winners.
Schoolnet and GLC & VI also have also collaborated with IB to empower educators across schools. The partnership is aimed at introducing IB programmes to private schools, host orientation seminars for educators, and provide access to professional learning.
Besides, a course on Climate Leadership for Grades 6 to 8 students was also launched which has been co-developed by GLC/VI and Schoolnet. The hands-on program emphasizes environmental stewardship, inspired by systems leadership and planetary boundary principles, to nurture future climate leaders, the release added.
Sanjay Kumar, Secretary at Department of School Education & Literacy, Government of India, lauded the innovative ideas and emphasized the role of emerging technologies like AI and IoT in addressing global challenges.
He also acknowledged the power of partnerships to empower students and expressed the government’s support for scaling these initiatives.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice Chairman of Dubai Cares, who spoke about his vision for global education system reforms and expressed excitement about extending such initiatives to the MENA region, in partnership with GLC/VI and Schoolnet.
Founder and President of the Global Learning Council Dr. Subra Suresh acknowledged the leadership of Schoolnet in implementing GLC’s vision in India.
He said, “This partnership nurtures our mission to foster planetary health using intergenerational collaboration. This Ideathon fulfills the vision of GLC and Villars Institute – nurturing the mindset of sustainability and tech-driven problem-solving among students.”
RCM Reddy, MD and CEO of Schoolnet India Limited, shed light on the alignment of these initiatives with the National Education Policy and Schoolnet’s broader vision.
He said that an initiative of this nature aligns with Schoolnet's vision to democratize education by leveraging advanced technologies.
“We strongly believe in creating an ecosystem of ‘glocal’ partnerships to impact 10 million students over the next five years,” Reddy said.
