The BMW Group and UNICEF have announced a partnership in India aimed at transforming education for 100,000 children across four states. The initiative focuses on foundational learning and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills from early childhood through adolescence. It will provide quality STEM education to adolescent girls from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and Tribal Ashramshalas, reaching some of the most marginalized groups in remote rural areas of Assam, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
This effort is part of a global, long-term collaboration between BMW and UNICEF to impact over 10 million children and young people annually across five countries, including South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and Thailand, where BMW has significant operations.
In India, the partnership will focus on strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills in rural primary schools, providing children with a strong cognitive base. As they grow into adolescence, students will benefit from innovative learning experiences through low-cost maker spaces, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and imagination. Working alongside the Government of India and local state governments, BMW and UNICEF aim to create an inclusive educational environment that aligns with national goals for gender equality and education.
“Current employment opportunities come with greater demands for competencies in STEM. Girls particularly miss out on opportunities to learn and practice STEM. Thus, UNICEF is proud to support building a strong foundation for critical thinking in the early years of learning. The BMW-UNICEF partnership makes this possible by investing in making education more accessible and inclusive, especially for girls. The result is greater economic and social self-reliance leading to more opportunities,” said Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative.
Mr. Vikram Pawah, President and CEO, BMW Group India said, “BMW Group sees itself as an integral part of the society and through impactful initiatives, we want to drive deep-rooted social change. BMW Group’s partnership with UNICEF harnesses the most powerful tool for empowerment – education. STEM knowledge is crucial for smart thinking and innovation in today’s competitive, interconnected environment. Merging this educational initiative with gender equality and inclusion, especially for underprivileged girl child in India, enhances its effectiveness exponentially.”
Key components of this collaboration include:
- Recognizing that children struggling with basic reading and numeracy often face difficulties in school, the program focuses on strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy in primary grades. This approach provides a solid cognitive foundation, enabling students to build STEM knowledge effectively.
- UNICEF will create a customized curriculum to train teachers, enhancing their ability to teach STEM subjects. The training will also challenge gender stereotypes and empower girls through skills development and leadership programs. By developing a dedicated group of STEM-trained teachers, the BMW-UNICEF partnership aims to improve the quality of STEM education in schools across the four states.
- Low-cost maker spaces will be established in schools, offering adolescent girls opportunities to explore design thinking, computational analysis, adaptive learning, and physical computing. These creative hubs will make STEM learning interactive and engaging, sparking curiosity and fostering innovative thinking.
