For all those cynics who believe that equality between men and women is an elusive goal, please look around you. Chances are, you will find women who are quickly—and quietly—reversing the historical trend in every public sphere, be it technology, sports, IT, health, politics or fashion. Women who have turned ‘obstacles’ such as age, domesticity, and class, into enablers. We would all agree that the victories women have achieved have been substantial. The question is, are they enough?

As the value of a highly skilled and diverse workforce continues to grow, there’s also increasing awareness on how we, as a society, need to create more equal opportunities. The notion of the male offspring as the ‘ghar ka chirag’ has no place in an equal world. I am doubly blessed to have two daughters, who stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with their peers and teams – both at home and in school and now as they embark on their professional journey. No challenge is too big for them to handle, and no situation too daunting.

The gender empowerment that I’m witnessing in my personal life, is being mirrored in my professional sphere as well.

I am truly proud of being a part of 51·çÁ÷India where 25-30 percent of senior leadership positions are held by women, purely succeeding through their skills, intellect, hard work, and merit. In fact, many of our initiatives have been directed at encouraging an equitable workplace, by enabling equality as a human right. At 51·çÁ÷India, we have always believed that the power of knowledge and intellect is a cornerstone for empowerment. Our internship opportunities enable young women and men to gain exposure of the real world and traverse through an excellent learning curve. The ‘Back to Work’ program we were the 1st ones to introduce in India is aimed at women who are planning to re-enter the workforce – to facilitate them with a smooth transition and return – to the corporate world.

While dismantling the barriers lurking in the corridors of power, we are also working towards extending this commitment to the larger ecosystem out there. After all equity is as essential as equality, and for that, efforts need to trickle to the bottom of the barrel.

We have been supporting girl children and women through various touchpoints like education and skilling and making concerted efforts to eliminate gender inequality right at the grassroots. Quality education integrating STEM and digital inclusion are keys to enabling underprivileged girl children counter gender inequality. That is exactly what 51·çÁ÷India’s Code Unnati does. The emphasis of this program as the word ‘Unnati’ means is on prosperity, empowerment, and development. It is our flagship initiative, a corporate-to-citizen collaboration which offers literacy in digital and IT skills to foster digital inclusion in India. The beauty of the program is it is an inclusive corporate to corporate initiative in partnership with Larsen & Toubro, ITC, Mahindra & Mahindra expanding it with Project Nanhi Kali. We have also launched a joint skilling program called TechSaksham in partnership with Microsoft for Underserved Young Women, authorizing them to build careers in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, web design, and digital marketing. A mindset change and a coordinated effort at the grassroots goes a long way in fostering gender equality to materialize at home.

The fact of the matter, however, remains, that no one organization or individual can turn the tide alone. Collective action is the key to enduring change. There is a dire need to pool in the collaborative strength of corporate and large players of every industry to ring in change at the national, regional, and local levels. If companies can make grassroots activism as one of their agenda, there is no reason why we can’t achieve equality for the sustainable development of our great country.

As a father of two, I would like my daughters to flourish in an equal land, where disparity and discrimination based on gender lies far behind us as a relic of the past, which is exactly what it is. The future of our proud nation should be built equally on the shoulders of women and men alike. It will only be then, that the nation will march forth to claim the greatness that has always been expected of her.

(The above authored has been penned down by Kulmeet Bawa, President & Managing Director, 51·çÁ÷Indian Subcontinent)

Source: http://bwpeople.businessworld.in/article/Gender-Equality-A-Strong-Anchor-For-Our-Nation-s-Progress/22-08-2022-443245/

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As per UNICEF, schools for 168 million children globally were closed almost for a year during COVID 19 lockdown. In 2020, 247 million students were adversely impacted due to the closure of 1.5 million schools in India. Online education is not an option but has been adopted as an alternative to continuing with education. However, in most instances for schools and communities, lack of access to digital devices, laptops, or mobile phones and the capacity and availability of teachers also negatively impacted the learning opportunities for students.

A Bustling Slum and (lack of) Education Opportunities

Paul Marriott, President, 51·çÁ÷APJ, recently visited one of the schools in Dharavi, for an immersive experience with the students in the school. He was warmly welcomed with ³¢²¹±¹²¹²Ô¾±,Ìýa traditional folk dance of Maharashtra, by the students. During the visit, he interacted with the young minds and talked about the importance of digital education, and enthusiastically participated in the conversations about their dreams, aspirations, and challenges facing the students. 

This visit gave me the wonderful opportunity of interacting with the students in a public school in Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia. Despite the community living in the ill-lit, poorly ventilated & congested households, and filthy roads, there are journeys and stories of grit and determination of young and aspirational minds hidden in corners of the slum- looking for an opportunity and access to quality education and a future that promises to be brighter.

The hope of becoming an engineer, a doctor, and a teacher, was shattered as the pandemic led to the shutdown of classes and schools. There has been a lack of access to learning opportunities. The shift to online delivery of education made the situation even worse as students had no access to digital infrastructure and were left behind with the rest of the students who had access to digital means to access education.

Digital Inclusion Paving the Way Forward

From what I have experienced, Dharavi has endless stories of transformation and has shown the potential to bring change in the lives of its people. One such transformation story is of “Sant Kakkaya Marathi School, Dharavi”, which realized how the pandemic has adversely affected the education in Dharavi and considering the importance of Digital education. The school has been equipped with access to digital means (providing students with AI-enabled tablets) and the teachers from their community, and the school is on its way to adopting National Education Policy 2020. Providing access to digital means, pedagogy, content, and trained resources from the community are enabling the students and schools towards much experiential learning, increased enrolment, and reduction in dropouts.

The school is changing the lives of underprivileged students especially girls by bridging the digital divide through digital education, along with unique pedagogy. The school has established the digital infrastructure ensuring access to quality education through digital technology and focuses on building foundational & language skills, mathematical numeracy, and imprint science education. The public school is surely igniting the passion for becoming teachers, engineers, doctors, and lawyers among hundreds of young students. 

We are celebrating International Youth Day on 12th August. On this Youth Day, let’s take a pledge to build a strong foundation for the youth of tomorrow by ensuring access to quality education for all.

Sanchita Chanana is a CSR in-residence with 51·çÁ÷in India.

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In the global marketplace, there is a rapid exchange of services and data across countries and continents. One model that this exchange of information has made possible is outsourcing. Many companies can now relegate their work to a third-party service provider or to branches far away from their headquarters. While this helps cut costs and streamline the process, it can also lead to compartmentalization of the work. This often leads to communication gaps and a not-so-perfect user experience. 

Or let’s take the example of a business that has not outsourced any operation. Even then, it is possible that different departments may work as separate units, without visibility into each other’s work and scope. Complex workflows, different platforms and siloed processes are common characteristics of such an architecture.

But the customer does not need to know this. Today, instead of simply viewing a company’s website, customers interact with it through many channels, including social media, mobile apps, and other online and offline platforms. They expect a seamless, customized journey across all their touchpoints. If any business fails to deliver this, the customer will move to the competitor without any qualms.

So, what can businesses do? They must now implement adequate processes and systems to give a consistent brand experience across all relevant media. One way to do this is by implementing digital asset management or DAM tool. This tool plays an integral role in creating a unified digital enterprise. 

What is a Unified Digital Enterprise?

It is an organization that uses digital solutions or tech-based tools end-to-end, from day-to-day operations to interacting with clients. To create distinctive and inventive customer experiences, they connect their sales, financing, service delivery, marketing, and support platforms. Such an organization can also have a unified digital strategy for customer engagement. This understands that all business strategies and technologies interact with customers in some way. To win and maintain consumers in today’s digital world requires committing to provide ease-of-doing-business based on customer expectations for every engagement through any channel. 

For example, imagine reaching out to the customer care of any company for any assistance. In a company with a traditional work model, we have to reiterate our problem multiple times to different departments, such as customer service, engineering, service and even customer feedback department. Even if the issue does get resolved, as a customer, you feel irritated at having to talk to different employees about the same problem.

Today, every end-user expects that their problem is summarized and shared with everyone in the service chain. This is beneficial to both the customer and the service team. Sharing information about the issue at hand and other relevant details with all the concerned teams helps save time and resources- financial and human.

How Can a Unified Digital Enterprise Provide Competitive Advantage?

Top-performing companies are digital because of the way they operate, from how they use data to their organizational structure. With products and experiences that are flexible across physical and digital interactions, a customer’s experience with their brand is totally integrated and constant because everything is connected behind the scenes.

Unified digital enterprises help build such connected, high-performance teams that deliver seamless results. These AI-powered immersive ecosystems help teams to generate massive business outcomes, spearheaded by the C-suite management. It gives the top management complete control and a clear idea about the workings of the various departments. This allows for continuity in work and a holistic customer journey.

Some of the internal benefits of building a unified digital enterprise are:

1. Improves the existing processes by implementing strategic decisions in key places
2. Increases employee and team productivity
3. Strengthens data security
4. Allows better communication with remote workers
5. Enables cost reduction and improved organizational agility

What is needed to create a unified digital enterprise?

According to industry insiders, to create a unified digital enterprise, companies need to:

• Understand their target audience
• Implement their services in a strategic manner
• Execute a cross-channel implementation of strategies
• Provide support across all platforms

The fact that corporate digital environments are growing increasingly diversified may necessitate the introduction of new specialized solutions to manage them. But a fragmented toolset will offer a fragmented image of the firm. Organizations will need to explore solutions that can ingest data from many sources, evaluate and correlate it, and give more useful insights while using less budget.

One way to do so is by implementing the . It is a super-integrator that gathers enormous amounts of data from multiple sources. It establishes a digital highway that connects all of the data lanes, bringing them together in a single point of truth via a dashboard or an immersive environment. To drive real-time innovation, it uses comprehensive life-cycle data. It also adds transparency and real-time visibility to systems, allowing businesses to make more informed decisions. Ultimately, this creates a unified digital enterprise. 

Best practices to implement a unified digital enterprise

Excellence in two important areas, collaboration and analytics, will fuel the next-generation, relationship-based enterprise, resulting in long-term competitive advantage. Companies who can efficiently translate data into insight in real time and use that insight to make decisions across departments will succeed. Accordingly, here are some best practices to be kept in mind to create a unified digital enterprise.

1. Create a culture of collaboration 

Multidisciplinary teams that bring diverse perspectives to problem-solving and can think about the businesses as a whole are required. They can help design and continuously optimize the types of unified experiences that accelerate revenue and increase customer loyalty. These are groups of people brought together to address a particular type of client problem or experience, rather than a specific channel. Organizations that enable these teams to collaborate, iterate, fail quickly, and stay focused on outcomes rather than output are set up for success.

2. Communicate clearly

Efficiency is obtained only when there is seamless communication. Better collaboration through open communication and access to data via a digital asset management system helps the team work efficiently, positively impacting the customer experience.

3. Focus on a clear vision

Organizations need to start by establishing a clear vision for the future. They need to define what sets them apart, where they want to invest, and how they want customers to interact with their products and services. This reduces confusion and empowers all employees to make decisions that will have the greatest impact across the organization.

4. Make high-quality data accessible to all

Multidisciplinary teams require access to data that is standardised, available in real time, and accessible to all sections of the business. This enables them to make the best decisions, based on a clear picture of the future. A truly unified digital enterprise will be based on robust data and universal accessibility.

How can a small business become a unified digital enterprise?

It is easy to imagine that what we have discussed is reserved for big enterprises with thousands of dollars at their disposal. But small and middle-scale enterprises can provide an equally enjoyable and frictionless experience to their clients. For one, it is easier for a smaller organization to offer a more personalized experience to its clientele. Since there is a shorter chain between the top management and the end-user, any change can be implemented faster and more smoothly. 

Secondly, a Digital Asset Management system isn’t costly to implement, and it is an investment for the future. It enables a smaller organization to react swiftly to changes within the industry/marketplace and seize time-sensitive chances. There is no need for expensive third-party integrations and the top management also has greater control over all aspects of the business.

To sum up, we will go back to the popular saying ‘there is greater unity in diversity’ – every department is diverse and different, but they all are a part of a unified whole. By combining technology and business processes, an organization can successfully navigate the digital age and become a truly unified, intelligent enterprise.

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On the occasion of World Youth Skills Day celebrated on 15th July; Gunjan Patel, Regional Director of CSR, 51·çÁ÷India catches up with Sheetal Mehta, Senior Vice President – Corporate Social Responsibility, Mahindra Group to discuss Nanhi Kali and SAP’s partnership with the programme. The World Youth Skills Day is celebrated to encourage youth to acquire skills so as to enhance their ability to better choices and improving their employment prospects.

Gunjan and Sheetal talk about how such an initiative is propelling gender equality and quality education for vulnerable and socio-economically disadvantaged girls. Peppered with real stories are also overarching statistics of Project Nanhi Kali. The conversation meanders on how private partnerships like Code Unnati with Project Nanhi Kali further enhance the digital learning platform for improving digital inclusion.

It was Sheetal’s deep passion to be a change maker that made her transition to the K. C. Mahindra Education Trust in 2002, wherein she took over responsibility of heading the K. C. Mahindra Education Trust and its flagship girl education initiative, Project Nanhi Kali.

Sheetal is also a Trustee & Executive Director of K. C. Mahindra Education Trust (KCMET) and Mahindra Foundation. Her other positions include being the President, Mahindra Foundation USA, Director, Mahindra Foundation UK, Trustee, Mahindra International School Academy, and President, Mahindra Education Society.

Gunjan: Can you briefly highlight the project Nanhi Kali?

Sheetal: Nanhi Kali is a pan-India initiative which supports girls from underprivileged families, primarily through the route of education. , Chairman of the , started Nanhi Kali in 1996 with the belief that educated girls would contribute not only to the economic development of the country but also lay the foundation for a more just and equal society. Studies show that investment in girls’ education has a transformational impact on their earnings, improved nutrition, reduction in child & maternal mortality and standard of living and improved social capital.

Nanhi Kali provides girls with daily afterschool academic support through centers which operate within government schools across India. Every girl is provided with access to a personalized, adaptive learning software, pre-loaded on digital tablets. The AI powered software assesses the learning level of each individual girl and then matches instructions to her level. This collaborative innovative EdTech solution is particularly helpful in remote locations in overcoming challenges such as the lack of qualified tutors and a pervasive digital divide.

The intervention at Nanhi Kali is not restricted to mere academic support but is more holistic, bearing in mind the dignity of the girl child. Hence, every girl receives a material kit comprising of a school bag, stationery, pullover, raincoat, and feminine hygiene material to enable her to attend school with self-esteem. The project also promotes overall development through a professionally designed sports curriculum integrated into the intervention. Moreover, Nanhi Kali’s on-ground operations are managed by an army of women tutors who are recruited from local communities and trained to become learning facilitators and mentors to the girls. Through sustained engagement with the families of the girls and community stakeholders, the Nanhi Kali team ensures gender sensitization of communities and creates girl-friendly eco-systems.

Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 – Quality Education & Goal 5- Gender Equality, Nanhi Kali affirms that every girl is given the opportunity to learn and achieve her full potential.

Nanhi Kali project is jointly managed by K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation

Gunjan: Can you describe the situation of girls’ education esp. for socio-economically disadvantaged and vulnerable sections of society? 

Sheetal: Ensuring gender parity has been globally recognized as key to enhancing social and economic growth. However, many parts of India continue to show poor social indicators for girls including a skewed child sex ratio, low female literacy levels, regressive gender biases and patriarchal social norms such as child marriage. In the context of poverty, these systemic gender inequalities are exacerbated, increasing the likelihood of girls being denied access to education. Owing to the numerous socio-cultural barriers, many girls are compelled to drop out of secondary school due to household chores and sibling care; they could even be forced into early marriage or child labor.

While India has made progress in universalizing access to primary education, the quality of education, especially in rural areas, continues to be a challenge. In low resource settings, the quality of education is impacted by teacher absenteeism, multi-grade classrooms, high student-teacher ratio, and low student learning levels. Annual surveys have revealed that year after year, over 56% of students in Grade 8 are unable to solve a simple math problem and over 27% are unable to read Grade 2 level text. The situation is worse for girls as they do not have the luxury of time or space to study at home, given that the responsibility of household chores like cooking and cleaning falls on their shoulders, which is not so for their brothers.

Thus, girls from disadvantaged communities have the odds stacked against them for a complete and successful schooling experience. Through our constant interactions with community stakeholders including parents, education officials, government school authorities and local opinion leaders, Nanhi Kali ensures that girls continue to attend school regularly and complete their schooling.

Gunjan: How has COVID19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions impacted the education scenarios for these girls? 

Sheetal: School closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have widened pre-existing gender gaps in access to education, disproportionately impacting girls from vulnerable families. Movement restrictions and lockdowns imply lock downs on girls’ autonomy, reinforcing the discriminatory attitudes and practices that regard girls as second-class citizens and hold them back. Further, Indian parents of adolescent girls will be particularly hesitant to send their girls back to school, exacerbating the already high school dropout rate for girls, and increasing the risk of exploitation, and early and forced marriage.

The negative consequences of this gender divide are aggravated by the pervasive digital divide in India. Poor families have limited resources to connect digitally. The crisis threatens to undo years of progress that have collectively been made in girls’ education. While girls may not be the face of this pandemic, we understand that they risk being amongst its biggest victims. It is crucial today, more than ever before, for girls to have access to quality education and digital access can enable it.

Gunjan: What according to you are the solutions or suggestions to improve the opportunities for affordable quality education especially at the scale commensurate to the country of the size of India? 

Sheetal: I believe that technology can play a pivotal role in addressing multiple challenges in providing equal access to quality education for all. Customized innovative digital solutions work effectively in low resource settings and mitigate learning challenges such as diverse student learning levels and lack of qualified tutors would be effective in improving access to quality education. More so, through the COVID-19 crisis, we have learned how vitally important it is for smart technology and digital learning to be embedded into our education system. Given that 65% of students in India attend government schools, and most of these schools do not have the necessary hardware or connectivity to support online learning, there is a requirement to invest in this infrastructure to enable all students to benefit from digital education.

Additionally, there is a need to develop training programs which will equip teachers to effectively deliver this technology driven education. While technology will enhance learning outcomes, it cannot be considered a substitute for a teacher in a child’s education journey. A blended approach which combines digital learning and teacher interactions in the classroom would be the ideal solution to strengthen the quality of education in India and enhance access to education at scale.

Gunjan: What role private sectors can play in providing quality education? Can you share any case study of such initiative or collaboration? 

Sheetal: Private sector organisations play an important role in supporting innovative solutions aimed at improving access to quality education and complementing the Government education systems. For instance, Nanhi Kali’s afterschool intervention, where girls in government schools receive personalised instructions through an AI powered digital learning platform, ensures that girls have a meaningful learning experience. This in turn, improves learning outcomes and contributes to high attendance and retention rates for girls.

The Nanhi Kali – 51·çÁ÷partnership, which supports the education of over 12,000 underprivileged girls, is an excellent example of the impact that corporate collaborations can have in creating positive social change. It was through the collaboration with 51·çÁ÷that Nanhi Kali was able to enter the state of Karnataka to set up a new project in the high-need district of Raichur.

Gunjan: How would you redefine youth in India? 

Despite decades of progressive economic reforms, a large section of India’s youth from underprivileged backgrounds remain underequipped to share in the gains arising from such growth. Often lacking access to necessities such as quality education and skill training, the much touted ‘demographic dividend’ of India risks becoming a liability for the nation. Confronted with a multiplicity of challenges in their social and economic lives, there is a need to invest in building the capacities of India’s youth. Skilling is increasingly becoming a priority development agenda for the Government of India, as a result of which youth now have a variety of options of new skills that they can equip themselves with, including 21^st century skills. While it is essential to provide youth with opportunities to acquire employable skills, I believe it is equally necessary to help youth develop life-skills, self-belief, and confidence to become active participants in the formal workforce. This becomes even more significant in the case of girls and young women whose belief in themselves is often inhibited due to entrenched discrimination and dominating patriarchal mindsets, which present barriers to their participation in economic life.

With the right balance of quality education, skills, empathy, trust and confidence, the youth of India will be able to unleash its potential to build an economically stronger and more equitable nation.

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