India, September 29, 2026 -The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Uttarakhand, and the Kotak Education Foundation (KEF) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy and competency among
teachers and strengthen digital and technology-enabled education across the state.
Under the agreement, SCERT Uttarakhand, particularly its IT Department, and KEF will jointly work on content development, online course design, technical support, and the implementation and dissemination of online courses for teachers. The partnership was formally approved by Additional Director Padmendra Saklani, who conveyed that courses developed through this collaboration are expected to be delivered through platforms like DIKSHA, UK e-Srijan and Mission Karmayogi.
The partnership places AI literacy and competency at the centre of teacher professional development in Uttarakhand. KEF will work with SCERT to adapt and roll out the AI course for Educators for the state’s teachers.
Integrating Artificial Intelligence and emerging digital pedagogies into future course design, the initiative will support teachers in strengthening classroom engagement through effective
technology integration in teaching-learning practices, teacher professional development and student learning outcomes across Uttarakhand.
The MoU ceremony was attended by Bandana Garbyal, Director, Academic Research & Training, SCERT; Vinod Mathura, Deputy Director, SCERT Uttarakhand; Dr. K. N. Bijalwan, Assistant- Director, SCERT; Ramesh Prasad Badoni, IT Department, SCERT; and Ms. Jayasree Ramesh (COO), Mr. Milind Pandey and Mr. Deepak Pathak of Kotak Education Foundation.
Bandana Garbyal, Director (Academic), SCERT Uttarakhand, welcomed the partnership, noting that it reflects a shared interest in building a sustainable collaboration that can respond to emerging educational needs and expand opportunities for teachers and students in the state.
“This partnership with Kotak Education Foundation will help us bring AI-enabled, high-quality learning to teachers across Uttarakhand, including in our most remote districts. Together with support for Innovate Uttarakhand Hackathon 3.0, it marks the beginning of a collaboration focused on stronger teaching, student innovation and future-ready classrooms.” – Bandana Garbyal, Director (Academic), SCERT Uttarakhand
“Signing this MoU with SCERT Uttarakhand was a special moment. As our work grows across states, our belief stays the same: every teacher deserves future-ready tools, and every child deserves a future-ready teacher. The real work begins now”. –Jayasree Ramesh, COO, Kotak Education Foundation.
KEF’s AI course ‘AI Saathi for Educators’ in Marathi, developed in partnership with SCERT Maharashtra, is already live on the DIKSHA platform, with massive outreach to over 7.5 lakh teachers across Maharashtra. KEF’s partnership with SCERT Uttarakhand will bring this proven, state-scale model to teachers across Uttarakhand.