Mumbai: The 'Smart School-Smart Block' programme, aimed at improving learning through innovative and technology-driven solutions, was launched on Tuesday across 217 municipal schools in Mumbai.

The initiative is a collaboration between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Sampark Foundation.

“This is a transformative change in the education sector. We will deliver user-friendly foundational literacy and numeracy tools to many schools, enabling teachers to adopt them easily,” said BMC commissioner and administrator Bhushan Gagrani, adding that it would also make students digitally literate.

The programme will directly benefit 3,078 students, convert 273 classrooms into smart learning spaces, and train 434 teachers in Sampark's innovative teaching material and pedagogy. A total of 159 smart TV panels will be provided to schools in wards such as Chembur, Bhandup, Dadar, Parel, Byculla, Ghatkopar, Borivali, Kurla, and Goregaon.

The initiative builds on Sampark Foundation's five-year MoU (2023-2028) with the Maharashtra government, which has already converted 14,344 classrooms into smart classrooms in 13,128 schools across 13 districts, trained 9,972 teachers, and distributed 6,167 LED TVs.

The programme will include teacher training, monitoring at district and block levels, deployment of dedicated staff for smooth implementation, and community engagement with parents and stakeholders. Progress will be reviewed monthly, supported by refresher training and surveys to ensure measurable learning improvements.