·         The program is impacting over 40,000 students with the support of Tribal and Social Welfare Departments.

·         All these students under AFE to participate in the Hour of Code movement celebrated by schools everywhere, as part of Science Education Week in December. 

·         AFE offers coding courses, scholarships, and internships while collaborating with several organizations and ministries, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

HYDERABAD, 14 DECEMBER, 2023 (GPN): Amazon.in today announced expansion of its partnership with Educational Initiatives (Ei) to launch Amazon Future Engineer program in 120 Government Schools across 31 districts of Telangana. The partnership is reaching out to over 40,000 school children through the Amazon Future Engineer Program. The program envisions strengthening Fundamental Literacy and Numeracy skills using Mindspark, a personally adaptive learning platform and to introduce concepts of Computer Science to students in classes five to nine.

The program is designed to offer a tailored learning experience that bridges learning gaps in students by personalising their learning in Maths & Languages. The Computer Science workbooks and Hour of Code activities (from code.org) enable students to learn various topics of Computer Science like, sequencing, loops, encoding etc.

In the month of December, all students part of the AFE program will be celebrating the Hour of Code week to explore the world of computer Science through 1 hour of coding. Hour of Code is a strategic concept that includes engaging games and activities which often use block coding to make it easy for beginners to understand and practice. Hour of Code and Computer Science workbooks nurture the cognitive and analytical skills of the students alongside familiarizing them with the fundamentals of coding. This will help the students in laying a foundation for a future career in computer science or technology.

Dr E Naveen Nicolas, Secretary, Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) said, “Amazon Future Engineer program’s expansion in 120 Government Schools across Telangana is a pivotal step towards empowering our underprivileged students. By blending fundamental literacy, numeracy, and computer science, this initiative nurtures not just academic skills but also lays a robust foundation for future career paths in technology. We’re excited about the impact on over thousands of children, bridging learning gaps and fostering a passion for coding, paving the way for a brighter tomorrow.”

Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Program was started in collaboration with Educational Initiatives in 2021 in 50 government schools of Telangana with the goal of making Computer Science education accessible to students from underprivileged communities. With a belief to support these students right from their childhood to helping them establish a career with support from Tribal and Social Welfare Departments of the Government, the program has only grown to reach several such students.

Mr. Akshay Kashyap, India Lead, Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon India said, “The AFE program has demonstrated a shift from basic digital literacy to 21st century skills such as coding, collaboration and problem solving in school ecosystem. With its vision and support of Tribal and Social Welfare Departments, it empowers students from marginalized backgrounds to pursue higher education and have better life outcomes. We have observed improved creative thinking and increased student engagement in the 50 Tribal Welfare schools where the program started in the 1st phase. The success and impact of the AFE program inspires us to expand this to many more schools in Telangana and India.”

Amazon Future Engineer is a computer science education program that allows all young people to explore their potential and build a better world for us all. As a childhood to career program, AFE offers programming that starts with primary schooling and continues through secondary into career. Throughout, Amazon partners with organizations that share its mission and create opportunities for students to discover the richness of computer science through intersections with self-expression, social justice, sustainability and more.

Amazon introduced the AFE in other states of India in 2021 and has partnered with several education-focused non-profit organisations including Leadership for Equity, Learning Links Foundation, Pi Jam Foundation, American India Foundation, Code.org, Educational Initiatives, Peepul, The Innovation Story, NavGurukul and Foundation for Excellence; to engage with students and provide them critical learning opportunities. Through this extensive partner network, Amazon has also engaged with key government bodies, policy makers, teachers and the management of thousands of government schools to implement the AFE program in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.