A landmark step towards strengthening digital education, creativity, and responsible AI integration in school education was achieved today as the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Uttarakhand formally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canva Pty Ltd, Australia and India, one of the world’s leading educational design and visual communication platforms.
The MoU signing ceremony marked the beginning of a collaborative initiative aimed at empowering teachers, students, DIET faculties, and educational institutions across Uttarakhand with modern digital creativity tools, AI-enabled learning resources, and innovative classroom practices aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The agreement was officially signed on behalf of SCERT Uttarakhand by Additional Director Padmendra Saklani in the physical presence of officials and technical representatives from SCERT. Representing Canva globally through online participation were Jason Wilmot, Global Head of Public Sector, Canva, and Sagari Chatterji, Education Lead, Canva India. Also present during the signing ceremony were Mehek Malhotra, Country Content Lead, Canva, and R. P. Badoni from the IT Department of SCERT Uttarakhand.
The collaboration reflects SCERT Uttarakhand’s commitment to integrating technology-driven pedagogy, digital content creation, virtual classrooms, and innovative learning ecosystems in government schools and teacher education institutions across the state.
Under this partnership, Canva Education will provide 100% free access to the premium Canva for Education platform for all K–12 government teachers and students in Uttarakhand. The initiative also includes domain integration support, low-bandwidth and offline-friendly educational resources, structured access for remote and hilly regions, and teacher-friendly digital design tools for classroom innovation.
One of the major highlights of the MoU is the phased statewide implementation model through SCERT and DIETs. The collaboration will begin with state readiness and technical setup, followed by Training of Trainers (ToT) programs for DIET faculties and master trainers. Subsequently, school-level onboarding, classroom integration, webinars, digital showcases, and continuous engagement activities will be conducted throughout the state.
The partnership will further support:
- Development of localized educational templates in Hindi, English, and regional languages.
- Creation of visually engaging e-learning repositories aligned with the Uttarakhand curriculum.
- Design challenges, innovation competitions, FLN-focused activities, and student creativity campaigns.
- AI-enabled differentiated worksheets and bilingual learning support for teachers.
- Support for SCERT-led Hackathons, Tech Melas, digital competitions, PM eVidya, and DIKSHA content development initiatives.
SCERT Uttarakhand will play a central role in governance, coordination, training implementation, academic alignment, and district-level monitoring through DIETs, BRCs, CRCs, and educational institutions across the state.
Speaking on the occasion, officials emphasized that this collaboration is not merely a technology partnership but a strategic educational transformation initiative aimed at promoting creativity, innovation, digital literacy, and equitable access to modern educational tools, especially for learners and teachers in remote and hilly areas of Uttarakhand.
The MoU also reinforces the state’s ongoing initiatives under Mission Koshish, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), and NEP 2020 by enabling teachers to design high-quality educational materials, classroom presentations, assessments, worksheets, and digital learning experiences with ease and accessibility.
This partnership is expected to significantly enhance teacher capacity building, digital content quality, student engagement, and technology integration in classrooms while ensuring safe and responsible AI adoption in the educational ecosystem. With this initiative, Uttarakhand takes another progressive step towards building a future-ready, digitally empowered, and innovation-driven school education system for all learners across the state.
