Wipro Fellowship Press Release
Wipro Expands Science Education Fellowship Program for US School Teachers
New programs in California, Florida and Missouri continue mission of improving STEM education in public schools
East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA – April 30, 2018 — Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced the expansion of the Wipro Science Education Fellowship (SEF) Program to three additional universities in the United States. The multi-year program, which aims to nurture excellence in science education in public school systems through teacher training, will be offered at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, University of South Florida, and University of Missouri, beginning August 2018 and will train a total of 180 Fellows over a period of three years.
The Wipro Science Education Fellowship Program trains educators to build leadership skills and teaching excellence within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by leveraging research-validated expertise from participating universities and designing transformative instructional experiences for under-funded K-12 school districts in the surrounding areas. The need for such investments in STEM education is highlighted by the fact that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 99 percent of STEM occupations require postsecondary education, compared to 36 percent of jobs overall.
"Wipro is deeply committed to improving STEM education in public schools and helping educators prepare students for the future," said Anurag Behar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wipro Limited. "The Wipro Science Education Fellowship Program works with educators across the U.S. who have a passion for improving public education and deep commitment to their communities. The program works with institutions with expertise in teacher education and the desire to develop it further, as well as credibility and relationships with local communities and school districts. We look forward to collaborating with these institutions to help further the cause of good education in the US.”
The three-year program, funded entirely by Wipro, consists of a rigorous selection process that will identify 20 experienced science teachers from grades K-12 within local school districts, each year, to participate in each university’s program. Thereby, the program will serve 60 fellows in total on an annual basis from the three universities and 180 Fellows overall over a period of three years.
The nomination process for the fellowship began in mid-March, while the selection process is due to be completed by early May. The fellowship program is scheduled to begin in August 2018.
Selected teachers will undergo 250 hours of intense capability development training by university teams guided by Arthur Eisenkraft, distinguished Professor of Science Education, Professor of Physics and Director of the 'Centre of Science and Math in Context' (COSMIC) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Each teacher will continue to teach in their respective schools and will also engage with local communities and other interested teachers throughout the course of the program. The program helps enable leadership, reflective practice and adult learning.
Successful participants of the Wipro SEF program will become part of the STEM Urban Learning & Leadership Community. This community seeks to create a cohort culture that builds both individual and collective capacity to give an impetus for STEM learning outcomes among urban students.
The Wipro Science Education Fellowship commenced in 2012 and to date, Wipro has collaborated with five universities to train more than 200 educators throughout more than 20 targeted school districts. Previous participating institutions include the University of Massachusetts Boston, Mercy College, Montclair State University, Michigan State University and the University of North Texas at Dallas.
About Wipro Limited
Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 160,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.
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Prathibha Das
Wipro Limited
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Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.
Date and time
August 2018