In a small government school on the outskirts of Panipat, Haryana, teachers once relied solely on black-board, chalk and worn-out textbooks. Today, the same classroom begins its day with animated science lessons, interactive maps and storytelling videos displayed on a large digital screen. Attendance has improved, students ask more questions, and teachers say the classroom has come ‘alive with curiosity’. This transformation is part of Sharp Business Systems India’s effort to bring interactive learning to underserved schools across the country.
Sharp Business Systems (India) Pvt Ltd is wholly owned Indian subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Japan, which is a 112-year-old company with many technological innovations. Supported by a well-trained sales and service force, our business provides a host of market leading B2B and B2C products that includes a comprehensive range of the latest office Solutions, Visual Solutions and Home Solutions across India for over 25 year. The Indian arm has been operating for more than two decades, serving enterprise, education, government and commercial customers. The company has branch offices in 9 cities across India and caters to various other areas by means of 200 plus channel partners on the ground. Sharp India’s technology focused solutions for the education sector include digital photocopiers, multi-functional printers, dynamic information display panels, interactive whiteboard in the visual solutions category, Dynabook laptops, as also home and kitchen appliances, and air purifiers.
With technology that serves the education sector, Sharp India expanded their presence in this booming sector by concentrating on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. As per the India CSR Outlook Report 2025, the average CSR spend in India, in FY 2024 – 2025, was over a whopping Rs. 34,909 crores. Further the education sector accounted for over 25 per cent of the total spending. The market spend in the education sector is slated to increase in the coming year. “Education remains the primary focus on CSR spends across India,” says Mr. Garg. That’s where Sharp India found a great business opportunity by developing education focused technological solutions. There was a demand and Sharp India capitalised upon it. “But the goal wasn’t purely profit-driven. We also wanted to ensure that we filled a gap in the market,” says Mr. Garg. Today, India stands at a unique intersection of demographic opportunity and digital transformation. India has over 260 million school-going students and one of the World’s largest youth populations. Therefore, the demand for quality, scalable and technology-enabled education has never been higher. However, there is still a significant digital divide between urban and rural regions. Many government schools and NGOs face challenges such as limited access to quality teaching resources, infrastructure constraints and little or no exposure to digital and STEM-based learning. Education-focused AV solutions help bridge this gap by enabling:
Visual and interactive learning, which in turn greatly improves retention; remote and hybrid education models, especially in underserved regions; teacher empowerment, through digital content and tools; scalable deployment of such digital content, where one solution can benefit thousands of learners.
“At Sharp India, we see education not just as a market opportunity, but as a nation-building responsibility,” says Mr. Garg. And that is exactly what gave Sharp India an edge over other players in this sector. After years of extensive on-the-ground research, partnering with a host of different NGOs, and studying the education sector in rural and urban areas, Sharp India found that while companies may spend on CSR, the benefit may be lost in transit. “Most often the mandatory CSR budget is spent without understanding the needs of the sector. For instance, you may invest in technology to make classrooms interactive, but unless you spend on training personnel to use this equipment, there is no social benefit,” says Mr.Garg. It is such nuanced details that Sharp India focuses on, both in terms of developing education focused technological solutions and their implementation. This sets the multinational apart from the rest in an overcrowded market. “We went beyond developing and offering products, to designing complete end-to-end CSR solutions,” elaborates Mr. Garg.
Just a handful of the products by Sharp India that focus on education are: Sharp’s Pixeledge interactive displays which form the core of their education offering. These sleek displays enable digital classrooms with touch-based learning. Further, Pixeledge smart displays can be adapted to support multiple state education boards. The Pixeledge also contains in-built software that allows switching to a host of regional languages. “This makes it perfect for schools across the country. From English-speaking schools to those teaching in a host of regional languages,” says Mr.Garg. The Pixeledge displays are complemented by Dynabook laptops, multi-function printers, and air purifiers to create a complete learning and working environment. The AV technology is designed to be reliable, easy to use for teachers, and scalable across multiple locations.
“But none of this is possible without strong partnerships with NGO’s on-the-ground,” says Mr. Garg. Partnering with an NGO with a shared vision, and continuous grassroot presence is essential to ensure that the CSR spends give realworld tangible results. “We value the expertise that NGO partners bring and we work closely with them to understand how our solutions can be tailored for specific markets,” says Mr. Garg.
The NGO’s start the process by assisting Sharp India identify beneficiary schools. “This ensures that we manage to make an impact even in remote rural areas,” says Mr. Garg The next step is to understand the peculiar needs of that school, geographical location and then translate their peculiar needs to Sharp. Sharp India in turn fine tunes the technology to serve the school better. NGO’s also play a key role in assisting Sharp India with on-the-ground coordination and long term compliance reporting. Thereafter, Sharp India single-handedly manages the installation, training, warranty, and pan-India service support.
This integrated model, offered by Sharp India, to corporates across the country, ensures that their CSR projects are not only deployed successfully but are also sustained over the long term. “By offering a structured, transparent, and impact-focused solution, Sharp is helping organizations move beyond basic CSR compliance and toward long-term, purpose-driven social investment,” says Mr. Garg. This collaborative model allows projects to be executed efficiently across multiple geographies while maintaining quality, transparency, and accountability. It also enables scalability, making it possible to replicate successful education models across regions.
With CSR funds seeing a dramatic rise in recent years, transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. “These are built into Sharp’s CSR execution framework,” says Mr. Garg Every CSR project is structured with clear, cogent and timely documentation processes, the milestones are defined and impact is tracked over intervals, based on a host of parameters, and by using various mechanisms. NGO partners support compliance reporting and beneficiary documentation, while Sharp ensures deployment verification, training completion, and service-level commitments. This structured approach ensures that CSR donors receive clear visibility in terms of how the funds are utilized and most importantly what impact is being created. The ability to track the entire process not just fosters accountability but further strengthens trust. Seeing a successful initiative play out from start to end also ensures long-term engagement.
In terms of the response from beneficiaries, i.e. schools, the response has been highly encouraging. Mr Garg says, “Schools and educators have welcomed the shift toward interactive and digital learning tools, especially in regions where access to modern classroom technology was highly limited.” Teachers have shown strong adoption of technology and these resources when supported with structured training and easy-to-use platforms. Meanwhile, CSR donors appreciate the simplified execution model and the ability to participate in meaningful, well-managed education projects. The integrated approach has helped build confidence in technology-led CSR investments and in this Sharp India continues to lead the way.
