Apple and company CEO Tim Cook have announced the donation of additional funds to the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) fund, which was created to expand education and environmental projects in rural areas of China.
The new donation is specifically targeted to go to the CDRF to expand its “Zhihui Gardener” project, which benefits teachers and students in China’s rural areas. The project launched in 2022, with an initial donation of 50 million yuan ($6.9 million) from Apple.
“We firmly believe that education is a powerful force to create opportunities,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Through long-term cooperation with the China Development Research Foundation, we are committed to providing new learning opportunities for rural communities in China.”
Apple’s total commitment to the foundation since 2020 is 350 million yuan ($48.3 million).
“We sincerely thank Apple for its support over the years.” Fang Jin, Secretary-General of the China Development Research Foundation, said. “Digital technology is playing a role in revolution in education, and has brought about practical changes to teaching and learning in the classroom.”
The program is designed to bring technology and digital skills into the classroom, providing teaching tools and skills training to primary and junior high school teachers in the rural areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Guizhou Province.
The Zhihui Gardener project will expand in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Guizhou Province over the next two years, benefiting more than 120,000 teachers in the region, with other projects benefiting hundreds of thousands of teachers and students.
“Before, we could only describe abstract mathematical theories through textbooks,” said Liang Xuehui, a math and science teacher at a rural primary school in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with more than 19 years of teaching experience. “Now, by integrating new teaching modes and iPads into the classroom, the classroom content is more attractive and the teaching results are more effective. This is not only for better teaching, but also for students to maintain their curiosity, continue to explore, and learn more knowledge.
