NIIT Foundation, an educational non-governmental organisation (NGO), claims to close the educational disparity between students in urban and rural areas. The organisation claims that its main emphasis is on supporting marginalised communities that are falling behind in meeting their basic education. NIIT Foundation was founded in 2004, the core mission and vision of the
foundation revolved around reaching out to the masses and narrowing the digital divide, Charu Kapoor, country director, NIIT Foundation, told FE Education. “We provide our students with education focused on practical skills. In addition to imparting knowledge, our goal is to meet the needs of livelihood by integrating educational programmes with industry demands. This strategy enables us to empower individuals, equipping them not only with theoretical knowledge and skills but also with the practical tools essential for success in the professional realm,” she said.
The foundation claims to operate in two primary verticals: schools and education/skilling. It further claims to offer a range of programmes in various domains, including Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Media and Entertainment, Advanced Information Technology (IT), and Healthcare. NIIT Foundation claims to have 2,200 schools in India. “We cover almost 80% of districts of the country through our representation,” Kapoor said. The foundation further claims to have made a considerable impact in the top five states of Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, all of which include 37 aspirational districts identified by Niti Aayog.
NIIT Foundation claims to have established small centres in rural areas to enhance digital skills through collaboration with panchayats or by setting up their own centres. In urban settings, their career development centres focus on providing livelihood programmes. A unique feature of NIIT Foundation is the life skills transformation programme, which significantly impacts beneficiaries’ attitudes toward work and career goals. The program includes communication, personality development and industry awareness. “We address fundamental challenges at the grassroots level, with a specific emphasis on empowering female candidates, even in the face of initial parental resistance. Our approach involves conducting counselling sessions with the parents of female students and actively involving them in the entire process. As a result, nearly 48% of our beneficiaries are female,” Kapoor explained.
Additionally, the foundation claims that over the past several years, their efforts have culminated in an impactful outreach to eight million individuals. This year alone, they claim to have positively impacted around 1.2 million beneficiaries. “Looking ahead to the next year, our goal is to extend our impact to more than 12 lakh beneficiaries,” she said. Demonstrating its commitment to uplifting underprivileged communities, a notable 62% of NIIT Foundation’s students come from rural areas.
Furthermore, NIIT Foundation claims to adopt a comprehensive educational approach that goes beyond conventional teaching methods, emphasising technology inclusion and setting up digital labs in schools. “The programme extends its reach to diverse audiences, including students studying various subjects, farmers and drivers—particularly focusing on empowering women drivers with financial literacy and skills,” she added.