Gangtok: The Sikkim Education Department and Google have partnered to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education across the Himalayan state, with the collaboration focusing on equipping faculty with new-age digital skills.

The partnership will see the rollout of the Google AI Educator Series, a hands-on programme aimed at training higher education faculty in the use of Google's latest AI tools, according to a press statement issued by the Education department.

The programme will be implemented across 15 higher and technical government colleges and Khangchendzonga State University, enabling faculty to integrate AI into classroom teaching, improve teaching practices and develop future-ready learning experiences, the statement said.

Sikkim Education Minister Raju Basnet welcomed the collaboration and underlined the importance of leveraging emerging technologies to strengthen the state's education ecosystem, it said.

The initiative is also expected to enhance the digital capabilities of educators and prepare them to respond to the changing demands of higher education, the department said.

The partnership was formalised with the signing and exchange of a Statement of Intent (SOI) between the Higher Education wing of the Education Department and Google.

Principal Secretary Sandeep Tambe, Special Secretary Ujjwal Rai, Joint Director Tshering Yangchen Bhutia and representatives of Google were present during the meeting, the statement added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.