In the first phase, HCSC will introduce the CyberSmart portal in 100 private and public schools in and around Hyderabad. In subsequent phases, HCSC will involve more schools with the intent of spreading awareness around cybersafety, especially among children.
“We are on a mission to ensure that no child in India falls prey to the dark underbelly of the virtual world. Empowerment through education is the best way to bring about this awareness. Every partnership counts as we work towards this goal by leveraging CyberSmart. After partnering with multiple state governments and the NITI Aayog, we are now proud to partner with the Hyderabad City Security Council to seed cybersafe behavior among students in Hyderabad,” said Keshav R. Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS.
“HCSC wholeheartedly welcomes this partnership with WCF. Cybersafety, especially for children and youth, is not just a key priority for us but also the entire nation, more so in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gamified nature of the platform will ensure widespread adoption and encourage children to be cautious about using the internet,” said Shri Anjani Kumar IPS, Commissioner of police & Chairman, HCSC.
“CyberSmart simplifies the process of understanding the dangers of the virtual world while equipping students, teachers and even parents with the relevant knowledge to combat the evils lurking on the world wide web. The platform can be used with a unique blend of online and offline methodologies. We look forward to educating children across Hyderabad on becoming cybersmart,” said Shamini Murugesh, Honorary Chief Mentor, WCF.
India’s first holistic cybersecurity education portal, CyberSmart (cybersmart.wnscaresfoundation.org) enables gamified learning using thematic quiz-based modules based on curriculum advisory and challenges that children encounter in cyberspace. It was launched nationally in May 2020 by Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY. Since the launch, CyberSmart has empowered over 1, 80, 000 learners including teachers, parents and students on traversing cyberspace safely. The portal is currently available in ten languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu and Bengali, and will soon be available in a few more regional languages.
In the latter half of 2020, WCF partnered with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), an initiative under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) by NITI Aayog. As part of the collaboration, ATL will use CyberSmart and a few other digital-led programs by WCF across 6500+ schools that are part of its network to educate children on relevant digital themes and topics including cybersecurity.
