Strengthening Partnership with Indian Army’s Northern Command for Army Goodwill Schools
February 24, 2026 | Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir: Bharti Airtel Foundation and the Northern Command of the Indian Army have reaffirmed their joint commitment to delivering equitable, high-quality education to children in Jammu & Kashmir through the Army Goodwill Schools (AGS) Program. The announcement was made after a high-level meeting, held on February 23, between Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, SYSM, PVSM, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Northern Command, and Mr. Binu Nair, Chief Operating Officer of the Bharti Airtel Foundation, held at the Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur.
For over nine years, Bharti Airtel Foundation’s Quality Support Program has worked with the Northern Command to strengthen teacher capacity, improve classroom practice, and expand student opportunities, helping build stronger and more resilient Army Goodwill Schools ecosystems.
As part of the next phase of engagement, Bharti Airtel Foundation announced the rollout of specially created professional development courses for AGS educators through TheTeacherApp, its free-for-life digital learning platform dedicated to continuous teacher growth. These initiatives will be aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and delivered through structured in-person teacher training sessions complemented by continuous digital access to TheTeacherApp. The customised program will focus on strengthening inclusive foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) classroom practice, building teacher confidence in using digital and AI-enabled learning tools, and nurturing educators to guide school-based professional learning. This initiative builds on the Foundation’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality capacity-building opportunities for educators in remote regions.
Another key outcome of the meeting was the decision to further strengthen the partnership by establishing dedicated Career Counselling Cells across Army Goodwill Schools. These cells will provide structured guidance, informed academic planning, and exposure to diverse higher education and vocational pathways—enabling students, especially from underserved communities, to make confident and well-informed choices about their futures.
In addition, both institutions agreed to work collaboratively to engage and empower AGS students in emerging niche technology domains such as Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, equipping them with future-ready skills aligned with evolving national and global workforce demands.
Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, said, "Army Goodwill Schools have been a cornerstone of our outreach in Jammu & Kashmir, and our collaboration with Bharti Airtel Foundation continues to enhance their academic strength and future readiness. This partnership supports not only teacher development but also broadens horizons for our students, equipping them to contribute confidently to society."
Mr. Binu Nair, COO, Bharti Airtel Foundation, said, “Our long-standing partnership with the Northern Command reflects our shared vision of ensuring that every child has access to quality education and meaningful future pathways. Through initiatives such as TheTeacherApp and the strengthening of career‑counselling systems, we aim to empower both educators and students with the tools, confidence, and opportunities they need to thrive.”
To mark the ongoing collaboration, a memento was presented to Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma. The Foundation also shared its Annual Report 2024–25 and comprehensive documentation of its 2025 capacity‑building work undertaken for Army Goodwill Schools under the partnership.
About Bharti Airtel Foundation:
Bharti Airtel Foundation was established in 2000 as the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises. The Foundation works in the space of holistic, quality education in rural India, with a special focus on the girl child, and supports higher education programs in partnership with premier institutions. Since 2006, the flagship Satya Bharti School Program has been providing free quality education to thousands of underprivileged children in rural India. Currently, over 36,000 children are enrolled in 155 Satya Bharti Schools, of which 51% are girls. The impact of quality education has been further extended through the Quality Support Program (QSP), which has transferred the learnings and best practices of the Satya Bharti School Program to over 4.35 lakh students in approximately 1,100 partner government schools across 12 States/UTs (previously 14) since 2013. The Foundation’s digital platform, TheTeacherApp, one of the country’s most innovative technology solutions for educators, has over 2 lakh users nationwide. Through various scholarship programs, including the Bharti Airtel Scholarship, the Foundation has supported over 2,000 scholars (44% of them girls) since its inception, creating higher education opportunities for children from underserved communities.
Since its inception, Bharti Airtel Foundation has positively impacted over 3.7 million children and overall, 7 million+ individuals through its various programs.
For more information, please visit: https://bhartiairtelfoundation.org/ and https://www.theteacherapp.org/en
Click here to download the Press Release in pdf.