Gujarat Police, UK Partner on School Cyber Awareness

Ahmedabad  : Gujarat Police, supported by the British High Commission, New Delhi will be executing a two-month long cyber awareness campaign, starting 16th September, 2024, in various schools of Gujarat. Thirty-six schools from the cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surendranagar, Vadodara, Dahod, Chhota Udaipur, Surat, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Kachchh and Patan have been selected for this programme.

The programme will also engage with community groups across these cities to further spread key cyber awareness messages among citizens. The Cyber Surakshit Gujarat Initiative is designed to educate school students and citizens important cyber skills and online best practices, empowering them with tips and tools to stay safe online. 

The long-term objective of Cyber Surakshit Gujarat is to spread awareness across the state among youngsters to build a foundation for a more secure future. Alongside students who are the primary beneficiaries, the local communities will also receive awareness training supporting a holistic approach towards cyber safety and online privacy practices.

The initiative is being supported by the British High Commission, New Delhi as part of the India-UK Cyber Programme. Cyber Security co-operation is central to the India-UK relationship, building bridges and enhancing collaboration and coordination between our societies. The programme aims to build an enhanced Cyber Security Partnership, strengthening the bonds between the nations through deeper people-to-people ties, stronger economic ties, more resilient supply chains, and creating a safer cyber space for all. The programme focuses on deepening key international partnerships, growing mutual cyber resilience, governance, deterrence and industry collaboration, closely supporting the UK’s National Cyber Strategy.

The state of Gujarat has been chosen for the first phase due to various achievements made by the state in recent times. Gujarat’s Education department has initiated projects like ‘Smart Goals’, ‘Education for All’ and ‘Socio-Economic-Education (SEE)’ which aims to enhance literacy and reduce dropout rates, with key focus on girls’ education and teachers’ training. These forward-thinking projects are delivering key skills to future generations and Cyber Surakshit Gujarat aims to support this by supercharging the next generations cyber knowledge.

Dominic Gillan, First Secretary, British High Commission, India, said, “We have seen rapid digital adoption across diverse regions and communities in India, including Gujarat. At the same time, we have also witnessed a steady rise in Cybercrime worldwide, making cyberspace difficult to navigate especially for vulnerable groups such as children. This initiative highlights the critical need for collective efforts to tackle international issues like cyber security. We are proud to support Gujarat Police with the Cyber Surakshit Gujarat Programme, which will empower the youth of Gujarat to contribute to a secure digital future for both our countries.”

Vikas Sahay, DG, Gujarat Police, said, “”By prioritising cyber security awareness training, we address the human element that accounts for over 90% of security breaches, reinforcing our defences against digital threats. Our dedication to this cause is unwavering, as we are committed to fortifying the digital space and inspiring the younger generation to create a cyber-secure Gujarat.”