DigitalLEARNING October 2015

ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PREMIER MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON ICT IN EDUCATION

VOLUME 11

I ISSUE 10 I OCTOBER

2015

I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

KALTHOOM AL BALOOSHI, Executive Director, Education Development, Knowledge & Human Development Authority, Dubai

DR ABDULLAH AL-SHIBLI, Director General of the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, The Sultanate of Oman

PROF ALLAN ROCK, President, University of Ottawa, Canada

ANDREW TAGGART, Acting Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University

Event Report:

MANISH SISODIA, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Delhi

Skilling Hands of Future

Education Resource Guide

A Guide to Resourceful Future

ISSN 0973-4139

VOLUME VOLUME 11 11 ISSUE ISSUE 10 04 OCTOBER APRIL 2015

Event Report

Resource Guide 08

A Guide to Resourceful Future

Advance Tech Solutions by Vdpsl

Focusing on Technological Solutions

Developing Language Skills

Oﬀering Need Based Solutions to Consumers

Personalised Learning

P12

49 56

Skilling Hands of Future

Enabling Metamorphosis in Learning

Learning Today-Mobile, Virtual, Interactive

Growing Impact of Technology

Overhauling Education through Reforms

Anytime, Anywhere Learning

Cementing Capacity Building in Learning

P48 Leaders’ Speak 36 Learning in the Digital Age 40 Devoting Towards Child’s

Interview

P44

Development

44 54 61 65 68 74 79 83 95 99 105

Preparing Citizens of Tomorrow

Bridge the Education Ties Education for All Tying Bilateral Education Knot Paradigm Shift Needed to Check Education A Dream to Educate & Empower Children Reinforcing Better Education Delivering Education the Right Way Oman Bets Big in Higher Education Preparing Future of India Enhancing Students’ Skills, Job Opportunities

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

P54

ASIA’S PREMIER MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON ICT IN EDUCATION Volume 11

Issue 10

October 2015

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta EDITORIAL TEAM EDUCATION Senior Assistant Editor: Garima Pant Assistant Editor: Bhawna Satsangi Senior Correspondent: Jessy Iype GOVERNANCE Senior Assistant Editor: Nirmal Anshu Ranjan Senior Correspondent: Arpit Gupta, Vishwas Dass Trainee Sub-Editor: Akanki Sharma SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digitalLearning Project Manager: Seema Gupta, Mobile: +91-8860651643 Assistant General Manager: Ragini Shrivastava, Mobile: +91-8860651650 National Sales Manager: Fahim Haq, Mobile: +91-8860651632 SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION TEAM Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832; subscription@elets.in DESIGN TEAM Creative Head: Pramod Gupta Deputy Art Director: Om Prakash Thakur, Gopal Thakur Senior Web Designer: Shyam Kishore WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE Manager Web Development: Ishvinder Singh ADMINISTRATION Head Administration: Archana Jaiswal EDITORIAL & MARKETING CORRESPONDENCE

digitalLearning – Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd: Stellar IT Park Ofﬁce No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301, Phone: +91-120-4812600, Fax: +91-120-4812660, Email: info@elets.in digitalLearning is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd in technical collaboration with the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS). Owner, Publisher, Printer - Dr Ravi Gupta, Printed at Vinayak Print Media, D - 249, Sector-63, Noida 201 307.UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50, Noida, UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30 Sector-50, Noida, Up

Editor: Dr Ravi Gupta

All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic and mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without publisher’s permission.

eINDIA.eletsonline.com

11th

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11th INDIA’S PREMIER ICT EVENT Digital Footprints for a Smarter India INDIA’S5-6 PREMIER ICT EVENT November 2015 Mumbai, Maharashtra Digital Footprints for a Smarter India Eminent Dignitaries at Past 5-6 November 2015 Elets Events Mumbai, Maharashtra

Eminent Dignitaries at Past Elets Events

Key Themes eGovernance

...and many more

Smart City Education Financial Inclusion ...and many more mGovernance Health

Key Themes

eINDIA 2015 will see a gathering of top decision makers Smart City Education Financial Inclusion from the government and industry who will discuss the ICT Health implementations,mGovernance Smart City and eGovernance initiatives in the country eINDIA 2015 will see a gathering of top decision makers from the government and industry who will discuss the ICT implementations, Smart City and eGovernance initiatives Partner Publications in the country

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October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

EDITORIAL

Learning Skills – A Continuous Process Learning is a constant process and since the inception of its being, man has learnt the means to survive through the skills acquired through real life situations. The education we attain in our lives nowadays is twice. First, knowledge imparted in a school environment, and the second through the skills day-to-day bearing throws at us. In today’s fast paced digital age, it is only imperative that we get attuned to the nuances of digitisation and its benefits. It has been noted that India is poised to become the world’s youngest country by 2020, with an average age of 29 years, and account for around 28 per cent of the world’s workforce. The statistics throw an opportunity to its workforce to fill the expected shortfall and reap the potential demographic dividend. However, the country is currently facing a severe shortage of well-trained and skilled workers. It is this realisation to scale the skill gamut, that suitable initiatives pondered and executed to fill the void of skills being taught in schools and the skills that are required in the job market. Keeping in view the impending issue of skill development and taking the initiative forward, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd had organised the 5th edition of World Education Summit 2015 recently. The two-day expo-cum conference brought the academicians, educational experts, policymakers in a single platform to discuss the role of education sector in skill development. The event saw participation of eminent personalities like Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief MInister, Government of Delhi, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Minister, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab, Prof Allan Rock, President, University of Ottawa, Canada, Andrew Taggart, Acting Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University, Australia, Kalthoom Al Balooshi, Executive Director, Education Development, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai, Dr Abdullah Ali Said Al Shibli, Director General for Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, Sultanate of Oman. The expo brought forth innovative solutions like building robotics, tablet learning, tracking child activities in school through secure devices. The October edition of digitalLEARNING brings to you the first-hand account of the event with detailed analysis of the discussions on how to build an optimum resource of skill development in the education sector. To give an insight on the issues of skill development and role of education sector, the magazine features interactions with school and higher education principal and experts, who brought to the forum an insight to the real problems a child faces apart from the technical glitches like proper school infrastructure or teacher training. The panel discussions brought forth teachers and principal highlighting the role of parents to help build the social as well as the emotional skills to help the child deliver his innate abilities for future vocations. The edition also includes the refreshed and updated digitalLearning Resource Guide 2015, which not only highlights relevant solution providers working for the education sector, but will also update the consumers about the latest development and innovations in the sector.

Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

A guide to RESOURCEFUL future Over the years, technology has been travelling at an enormous speed and the world has witnessed a string of technological innovations in all sectors. So, the industry of learning couldn’t be left out. The industry has changed its face through adoption of technological solutions for streamlining teaching-learning experiences. The sector has also paved way to rapid expansion in the number of education e-solution providers in the country. From campus management solutions, to K12 education technology providers, to cutting edge education products – there seems to be no dearth of solution providers in the market. Learning with technology has become essential in today’s schools. Worldwide, governments, education systems, researchers, school leaders, teachers and parents consider technology to be a critical part of a child’s education. Developing students’ knowledge and skills related to ICT in the school years provides an important grounding for later in life. It also provides equity of opportunity, regardless of background. The huge expansion of IT enabled learning in India also necessitates a guide, which can help academicians to be informed and also choose from the various solutions available. The digitalLEARNING Resource Guide, since past years, has been playing an instrumental role in helping academicians and education stakeholders in choosing e- services and infrastructure to suit their requirements. With the influx of new technology and increased connectivity, a focused strategic planning is important to ensure digital learning opportunities for all students and educators. Most school districts have made investments in technology equipment, bandwidth and networking, training teachers and are supporting both the technology and those using it. The year 2015 brought Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd and digitalLEARNING, a platform to engage stakeholders and players of the industry under one ambit during the World Education Summit, held in August. The event was a perfect blend of innovators coming and exhibiting their products and showcasing and synergising learning to a new level. It also encouraged a large number of private players to come up with new solutions and to productively utilise their existing technology services for educational concerns. Taking forward our previous year’s success and tremendous demand in the market, we bring to you a new and improved digitalLEARNING Resource Guide 2015 for better insights and to enable the consumers make an informed decision. Campus and school technologies are becoming more and more viable and consumer friendly and our objective with this Resource Guide is to present consumers a clear understanding on the education technology solutions. The issue not only highlights existing technologies, but also informs them about the latest development and innovations on offer.

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Partner in Progress

Company Profile

VDSPL is a company highly focused on the technology distribution in the area of Pro- AV and Surveillance across India. We are committed to provide the most advanced technological solutions at competitive price points to our valuable partners along with providing them hands on support for all techno-commercial points. Our associations - Projection and Interactive Solutions. National Distributor – InFocus Projectors, SVGA / XGA / WXGA and Full HD Projectors, LED Projectors, Home Theatre Projectors etc. National Distributor – Hyundai Professional Display, Ultra thin bezel Video wall, Outdoor Display, Kiosk, Indoor Kiosk, Interactive Display Panel etc.

Advance Tech Solutions by VDPSL Products and Services

InFocus Projectors, Hyundai Professional Display, Ultra Narrow Bezel Videowall, 4K Interactive Displays, Multi-touch interactive solutions, Philips Digital Signage, Hitachi Projectors and Hitachi Star Boards, Ingress Security & Surveillance solutions, Anviz Biometric based solutions.

Target Verticals

Education, Institutions, Government, Corporate, Hospitality, Home

Product Categories n

n n

DGS&D Rate Contract for Hyundai Professional Display. National Distributor – Phillips Professional Display panel / Digital Signage/ Video walls/ 3D display etc. National Distributor – Hitachi Pro AV Large Venue Projector and Interactive white Board National Distributor – Ingress Security & Surveillance Solutions such as… CCTV (AHD) IP Solutions, DVR, NVR etc. National Distributor – Anviz Biometric based Access Control Solutions.

Company Profile

Projectors, AV Equipments, Interactive Whiteboards, Others Campus/ School Management Systems Education ICT Equipments Security Solutions

Top 10 clients

Lovely Professional University, Manav Rachna University, Extra Marks.com, American Express, Delhi Public School, Genpact, Jaquar, IDBI, Kolkata Science City, D.S. Digital, Ericsson etc.

Business Collaboration

National Distributors - InFocus Projectors, Hyundai Professional Display, Philips Digital Signage, Hitachi Projectors, Ingress Security & Surveillance solutions, Anviz Biometric solutions.

Business highlights and achievements

Visual Display Solutions Pvt Ltd. (VDSPL) is formed with a vision to be India’s most preferred display and surveillance Solutions Company. VDSPL is a team of professionals with more than 2 decades of industry and domain expertise and it is poised to become a major player in technology distribution. We are the chosen partners for the world’s leading brands to market their products in India in order to remain at the forefront of emerging technologies and markets.

USP n n n n

Highly motivated team of Professionals Passion to win Drive to success with our Partners Our Manpower and their experience is our biggest asset Encouraging environment of innovation and empowerment Promoting respect for individual, integrity and truthfulness Ethics guide purpose, actions and course of our business

VISUAL DISPLAY SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD.

SANJAY DHURIA, DIRECTOR

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Office: C-13, Shakti Nagar Extension, Delhi-110058 Management Team: Mahender Kumar, R.K. Jain, N.K. Jain, Harsh Wij Regional offices: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh,Chennai, Cochin, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune E-mail: info@visualdisplay.in; Website: www.visualdisplay.in Tel. No.: 011-27301678, +91-9716100568 Sales and after-sales support: All India Number of Employees: 65

Company Proﬁle

RECOGNITIONS ONL Facilitating TO OUTDO OUR Effective Learning

Four awards in five months! We are

Company Proﬁle

Tata ClassEdge provides an innovative and comprehensive instructional solution that empowers teachers to teach better, with an effective blend of curriculum-mapped classroom activities and interactive technology. Tata ClassEdge’s proprietary instructional framework, the Multiple Learning Experiences (MLEx™) model, makes use of distinct types of activities that promote social and thinking skills in students, including critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, research-orientation and communication skills. More than 50,000 teachers across India have already adopted the Tata ClassEdge way of teaching. A division of Tata Industries, Tata ClassEdge was created in 2011 out of Tata Interactive Systems – a global leader in eLearning and simulations - with

The Best ICT Product/Solution in Education

a legacy of 25 years in creating innovative education solutions for international education publishers. Tata ClassEdge entered the space of school education in India to improve learning outcomes for children through innovative use of technology. With a highly energised team of multi-disciplinary specialists, Tata ClassEdge constantly innovates in pedagogy, technology and content to enhance learning experiences.

Tata ClassEdge is one of the key partners in CLIx a connected learning initiative led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

Products & Services

Comprehensive instructional solution for Indian schools

Achievements: ■

■

Winner of ‘Best Interactive Solution Provider’ at the National Education Excellence Awards 2015 organised by ASSOCHAM Winner of Best Resources Provider - K12’ at Indian Education Awards 2015 organised by Franchise India Winner of ‘Technology Solution Provider’ at the World Education Summit 2015 organised by digitalLEARNING, Elets Technomedia (P) Ltd. Winner of ‘ICT Product / Solution in EduTata ClassEdge: An innovative and comprehensive in cation’ at the 2015 IDA Awards organised ■ KG to Class 12 content ■ 3D animations ■ Games ■ Inte by India Didactics Association

■ Content mapped to each school’s textbooks ■ A platform for

updates ■ USP: ■

■

Student performance and evaluation report ■ Usage

Now also available in Hindi, Marath Use of innovative educational technology and instructional solutions Focus on empowering teachers, schools and parents Call for free consul Creating engaging classroom learning experiences forWebsite: students www.tataclassedge.com E-mail: en Best in class service

TOLL-FREE: 1800-2

TATA CLASSEDGE

NIRAV KHAMBHATI, CEO, Tata ClassEdge

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

The B

Business Collaboration We believe in innovative use of technology to improve learning outcomes while banking on the teacher to be the catalyst

The Best Technology Solution Provider

Product Categories

Head Oﬃce 5th Floor Donear House, Plot No. 49/50, Marol Industrial Area, Road No. 1, MIDC, Andheri (East) Mumbai 400093 Email: enquiry@tataclassedge.com; Website: www.tataclassedge.com Tel No.: 022 61227000 Sales & after-sales support: 1800 209 3848 Customer support helpline numbers: 1800 209 9022 Target Verticals: K-12 schools Number of Employees: 500

RECOGNITIONS ONLY INSPIRE US TO OUTDO OURSELVES Four awards in five months! We are truly humbled. The Best ICT Product/Solution in Education

The Best Resource Provider-K12

The Best Technology Solution Provider

The Best Interactive Solutions Provider

We thank all our schools for their continued patronage and support. Tata ClassEdge: An innovative and comprehensive instructional solution for teachers ■ KG to Class 12 content ■ 3D animations ■ Games ■ Interactive tools ■ Virtual labs ■ Lesson plans ■ Content mapped to each school’s textbooks ■ A platform for continuous evaluation ■ Real-time content updates ■ Student performance and evaluation report ■ Usage monitoring for improved utilisation impwwr

Now also available in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati.

Call for free consultation

TOLL-FREE: 1800-209-9022

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Website: www.tataclassedge.com E-mail: enquiry@tataclassedge.com

Company Proﬁle

Focusing Technological Solutions Company Proﬁle

Product Categories

MBD Group, one of the leading Education Companies in India with over 6 decades of experience, under the futuristic vision of the Founder of the Group Ashok Kumar Malhotra company has diversified into various industries including E-Learning, M-Learning, Capacity Building, Skill-Development, Stationery, Eco Friendly Notebooks, Paper Manufacturing, ICT Infrastructure, Hospitality, Real Estate, Mall Development and Management. MBD Group has been continuously working for the cause of providing education to all with its mission to create “MBD Product for every literate person.” The group has presence in various other countries including international offices in South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Campus School Management ERP Solution Providers; Learning Management System Education ICT Equipments AV Equipments; Interactive White Board; Projector, Printer, UPS, Skill Development Retail; Sales; Hospitality; Construction; IT & ITES; Entrepreneurship Educational Content and Curriculum Multimedia & 3D Content; Teacher Training Solution; Books; e-books; Educational Tablets; Educational Apps Clients 42,000 Schools 14 State Government 5 Universities Mkt Share: 11% USP: 360 Degree Education Solution

Product & Services: ❋

❋

Text Books, Help Books, Refreshers, Teacher Manual, Workbooks, EBooks etc., Digital Learning (E-Learning & MLearning)

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

❋

Educational Apps Augmented Reality Notebooks Stationery Capacity Building Programs for Teachers Skill Development

❋ ❋

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Ecademy (ICT Solution for Schools) Content Development (e-Content, Content for Books) Printing Solutions Magazines Maths & Science Kit ERP Solution for Schools

MBD GROUP Head Office: MBD House, Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002 Regional Offices: 34 offices across India Management Team: Satish Bala Malhotra, Monica Malhotra, Sonica Malhotra Phone: 91-11-30912345 Website: www.mbdgroup.com; Email: info@mbdgroup.com Sales Support: 1800-200-2233 Target Verticals: K-12, Institutes, Skill Development etc. MONICA MALHOT`RA KANDHARI, MD

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

No of Employees: 4000

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Company Proﬁle

Next Education empowers schools with technology-based K-12 solutions that are used by over 150,000 teachers and impact 7,000,000 students across 7,000 schools.Next Education’s learning solutions cover the syllabi of CBSE, ICSE, Army and all State Boards and cover seven Indian languages. From Leh to Kanyakumari, our service network is spread across the country. With its excellent on-site service support, teacher training, and advisory services, Next Education is transforming the face of school education in India. TeachNext, India’s best-selling digital education ecosystem, combines the best of new-age technology, creative content and interactive tools. NextBooks is an award-winning series of curriculum books combining books, resource materials, digital integration and teacher training. NextLab is an experiential learning approach for schools enabling students to use hands-on activities to understand English, Maths, Science and Robotics better. The NextERP school management system integrates and streamlines all processes, departments and functions

Transforming School Education Our Products

TEACHNEXT: An interactive e-learning solution combining the best of new-age technology,creative and interactive tools. NEXTBOOKS: A comprehensive solution for pre-primary and primary schools. NEXTDEEKSHA: Training, accreditation services, and consultancy solutions for schools by experienced and dedicated in-house educators. NEXTLAB: An experiential learning approach for schools enabling students to use handson activities to understand English, Maths, Science & Robotics better. LEARNNEXT: An independent, engaging and intelligent platform which fosters self-learning, and helps students grasp complex topics easily. NEXTERP: An integrated school management system which streamlines all processes, departments and functions of a school. NEXTGURUKUL: An online K-12 community which facilitates collaboration among students,teachers, parents and principals. NEXT LEARNING PLATFORM: An adaptive technology solution to provide teachers and students a platform to envision, explore and create individualised learning materials. of a school. LearnNext, an independent, engaging and intelligent platform which fosters self-learning, and helps students grasp complex topics easily along with NextGurukul, an online K-12 community which facilitates collaboration among students, teachers, parents and principals. And finally, Next Learning Platform is an adaptive technology solution to provide teachers and students a

platform to envision, explore and create individualised learning materials. The academic training services arm, NextDeeksha, is CBSE empaneled and offers training, accreditation services and consultancy solutions for schools. These products are supported by an employee strength of 2000+, with 800 support personnel and 500+ academic experts and engineers.

NEXT EDUCATION INDIA PVT. LTD.

BEAS DEV RALHAN, CEO & Co- Founder

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Oﬃce: Sri Nilaya Cyber Spazio, Road # 2, 8-2-269/A/2/1-6, 1st ﬂoor, East Wing, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500034. Telangana, India Tel. No.: 91-40-30949422 Email: support@nexteducation.in, Website: www.nexteducation.in Number of Employees: 2000+

EduPro Learning

Company Proﬁle

Innovative learning through EduPro Company Proﬁle

EduPro Learning was established with a view to provide all stakeholders with innovative and quality educational programmes. We are today primarily working in the sphere of brain-skill development through our Abacus and Vedic Math programmes. EduPro Learning was established in 2013 with BrainPro Abacus being the flagship programme and the VedicPro Vedic Math Programme being added next year. We work towards brain development of the students through these programmes by using Math as a medium. Apart from catering to top school brands, EduPro Learning is also imparting education to students of tier 3 and rural schools (including tribal girl students). As of today we have a presence in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. We at EduPro Learning, are disrupting the Abacus/Vedic Math industry by bringing about a sea change in the way these programmes are conducted by introducing them in a ‘Curriculum Mode’ by making it a part of the timetable. This

Products and Services

BrainPro Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Programme VedicPro Vedic Math Programme ■ Both these programmes can be implemented in one of the following ways: Curriculum Mode: The programmes become a part of the time table with minimum two periods being allotted per week per division Centre Mode: The programmes become a part of post-school activities or clubs and classes are conducted once in a week for two hours ■ ■

ensures that all students benefit from the programmes and not just a handful few. Due to this the fee charged is reduced drastically to almost 10-12 per cent of the fee charged in conventional “Centre Model” and hence is made affordable to all parents even in rural areas.

Top 10 Clients ❋ ❋

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

VIBGYOR High Thakur Vidya Mandir High School (Thakur Group of Schools), St. Stanislaus High School Pravara Girls English Medium School Pravara Public School Ram Ratna International School Guru Nanak Mission High School St. Xaviers High School Strawberry Eng. Med. School

USP ❋

❋ ❋

❋

Implementation of the programmes in the curriculum mode acts as a huge differentiating factor for schools Makes Math more interesting Overall improvement in academic proficiency of the child and not just Math Fee charged is only 10-12 per cent of the regular fee charged in “Centre Mode” Zero capital expenditure by the school since the programmes do not require a separate room or creation of infrastructure of any kind or for that matter even electricity Can be taught in any language - Independent of medium of instruction

EDUPRO LEARNING

HARVINDER SINGH MANJ, CEO

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Oﬃce: 108, Bhaveshwar Arcade, Opp. Shreeyash Theatre, LBS Marg, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai 400 086 E-mail: support@eduprolearning.com Website: www.eduprolearning.com Sales & after-sales support: +91 - 98200 25155 / support@eduprolearning.com Target Verticals: CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, IB and State board schools Number of Employees: 18

Give your Students the brain-skill advantage 654 x24 In how many seconds can you calculate this ? Typically a child who has undergone training in Abacus or Vedic Math Techniques can solve Arithmetical problems like these in mere 5 to 10 seconds that too mentally. Abacus, a Chinese calculating tool, is well known, scientifically proved, and well established concept of learning Mental Arithmetic. The Principle of Abacus works on the fact that when the right and left brain function simultaneously, there is an overall improvement in the academic proficiency of a child. The Abacus and Vedic Math Programs can be implemented in one of the following two ways i.e.; •

Curriculum Mode : The BrianPro / VedicPro Program would become a part of the time table with minimum two periods being allotted per week per division for the same.

•

Centre Mode : Classes would be conducted for two hours after school on Saturdays or on Sundays, as may be decided by the school management.

Benefits Implementation of these programs in the curriculum mode acts as a big differentiating factor for schools • Plug & Play Program

• No Requirement for a Separate Room

• No Investment / Capital Expenditure

• Independent of Medium of Instruction

• No H/W, S/W, Electricity Requirement • Revenue Generation Option for Schools

• Faster Mental Calculations (Faster than a calculator) • Improves Concentration • Improves Memory & Speed • Improves Accuracy • Builds Overall Confidence

• Faster Mental Calculations (Including large numbers) • Increases Mental Agility • Promotes Creativity • Fun Way of Learning Math • Appeals to all Age Groups

Special Per Student Fee for Schools Opting for the Curriculum Mode.

EduPro Learning

108, Bhaveshwar Arcade, Opp. Shreeyash Theater, L.B.S. Marg, Ghatkopar (W), Mumbai - 400 086. www.eduprolearning.com | support@edurprolearning.com

For more information Call : +91 98200 25155 digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Company Proﬁle

Developing Language Skills

Company Proﬁle

Words Worth, the Digital English Language Lab, an initiative by the ACTUniv group facilitates the English language proficiency development of learners of all ages, elevating their competencies and enhancing performance. We are a technology company heavily into R&D with new technologies looking for grass root solutions. Based on years of extensive research in India, Words Worth delivers unique methodology, content and technology implements. The pursuit to develop English Language skills amongst students is a healthy consideration apparent of the global scenario. Schools are an ideal platform for the English language skill development of our future citizens giving them the opportunity to perform better in the careers they choose. Words Worth is used by over 3000 schools across the country with over a million students using it annually. Several Universities, colleges and vocational training institutes too have implemented the Words Worth language solutions thereby benefiting their students. Words Worth is also an OEM supplier to many ICT in education

Product Categories ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Educational Content and Curriculum Language Laboratories Products and Services English Language Lab for Schools English Language Lab for Colleges English Language Lab for Vocational Training Institutions English Language Lab for Mass capacity building programmes Business highlights and achievements Most preferred English Language lab in India Have an installation base of more than 3,000 labs across the country Used By over 1 million Students annually OEM supplier to several ICT aggregators

aggregators with customised features. Words Worth is the only cross platform application available in the market today. It is available for Windows as well as Linux operating system, and can serve network clients that are PCs, Thin clients as well as Zero clients using only the latest web browser. Words Worth provides onsite installation, teacher training and trainer’s kits with a proactive service and support mechanism. Product Categories

Top 10 clients

Government of Gujarat, Government of Rajasthan, Prominent Schools in India, Prominent Universities of India, Major

ICT integrators, Major NSDC partner, training companies

USP ■

■

Uses the blended teaching methodology Based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Caters to ASL (Assessment of Speaking and Listening) as mandated by CBSE Graded as per proficiency level Works on Desktops as well as Thin clients Compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems hence low cost of ownership Strong Technical and academic product

WORDS WORTH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LAB

JASVINDER SINGH, MD & CEO

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Oﬃce 204, Silicon Tower, Nr. Law Garden, Opp Axis Bank, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad- 380006 Regional oﬃces: Surat, Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore Management Team: Joy Figueiredo, Shailaja Shah, Gurminder Vardhan E-mail: info@wordsworthelt.com; Website: www.wordsworthelt.com Tel. No.: 07930451451 Sales and after-sales support: +91 79 30451451 Target Verticals: Schools, Colleges, ITI, Polytechnics, Vocational Training centres Number of Employees: 45

digitalLEARNING / October 2015 digital

Company Proﬁle

Facilitating Quality Sports Programme

Sportathon- True sports partner who understands the need of time and your sporting requirement in school. It’s an initiative by imminent physical education and sports experts to facilitate sports education in Indian school system in a very low cost and affordable manner. We are gearing up with a simple vision to make quality physical education and sports education accessible to each and every school and child. Sportathon works with schools to implement a best-in-class Physical Education and Sports programmes. The programme is designed to offer the same rigor in sports and physical education as in academics. This ensures the children learn holistically through physical activity and sports in addition to helping children improve their health and fitness levels dramatically.

■ ■ ■

Adventure camp (Outbound & Inbound) Sports clinic (Multi sports coaching) After school sports activity Sports Infrastructure Sports Events (Summer camp, Winter Camp, Sports day etc.)

Business Collaboration

■

Top 10 clients

■

Smart sports class (Innovative school sports programme) Fitness Care (Fitness assessment report card and improvisation programme)

USP: ■

■

Introducing “Smart Sports Class” for the first time in India Affordable and accessible for all target segment Customised solution meets the school’s requirement One stop sports solution - Adventure camps, sports events, sports infrastructure, sports academy, sports tour etc. Connect to all stakeholders, i.e. (Parents, kids, school) Individual sports portfolio for each child

SM SPORTATHON PVT LTD

RAJNIKANT MISHRA, CEO & MD

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Oﬃce: F-22/102, 3rd Floor, Sector-3, Rohini, New Delhi -110085 Email: info@sportathon.in; Website: www.sportathon.in Tel No.: 919031234007 Sales & after-sales support: info@sportathon.in Customer support helpline numbers: 91-9718999887 Target Verticals: K-12 schools Number of Employees: 45 Management Team: Tarun Sharma (CMO), Vijay Sharma (COO)

Call us today!

To Know more about how Sportathon transform sports education at your School

91-9595137533 91-9718999887

Sportathon at your School Starts

@ Rs.365/Per kid | Per Year

WES 2015 EduStartup of the year Award

Be a part of Active Schools Initiative

Curriculum II Equipment II Teacher’s Training II Fitness Assessment

Customized solutions adhere to school’s need, Infrastructure and Budget

SM Sportathon Pvt. Ltd.

F-22/102 3rd Floor, Sector 3, Rohini, New Delhi -110085

Fit Kids|Fit Schools|Fit India www.sportathon.in | info@sportathon.in

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Company Profile

Offering need based solutions to consumers

Company Profile

Business highlights and achievements

Realising the need of advance technology to enhance the learning and teaching experience, Globus Infocom Limited was incepted in the year 2001. Globus has earned a sterling reputation for executing small, medium and high end enterprise solutions all over the country. To fulfill emerging needs of customers, the company offers wide range of products and solutions that are available on Government of India approved rates on DGS&D Rate Contracts. Be it Government Institutions, Education/Learning Centers, Research & Development, Hospitality, Corporations, Medical Institutes, Homes and Professionals, Globus Infocom serves them all with precision and within schedules to deliver outmost satisfaction.

Open & Distance Learning Providers - Distance Learning Platform Providers Test & Assessments - Interactive Pad Others - Digital Podium Skill Development - Interactive Whiteboard

Product Categories

Products and Services

Campus/ School Management Systems - Security Solutions Educational Content & Curriculum - Education Tablet Education ICT Equipments Projectors Classroom Infrastructure for Schools & Universities - Laboratory Equipments Engineering Technologies - Training Equipments

zx C2M focuses on industry leading value offerings, manufacturing, BOM optimisation, Re-design, Testing and Industry Compliances zx Quality management system demonstrating the ability to provide products that meets applicable regulatory and customer’s requirement zx Continual improvement of the products and services zx MAKE IN INDIA initiated by the Government of India to raise the global competitiveness of the Indian manufacturing sector zx ISO 9001:2000 certified unit zx Member of NASSCOMM zx Manufacturer of Interactive Classroom Solutions

Easy to install solutions comprising of Multimedia Projectors, Interactive Boards , Interactive Pads, Visualizers, Interactive Panels, Tablet computers and Digital Podiums are available to create Hi-Tech Smart/ E-Classrooms, Computer lab, Virtual Classroom, Language Lab, Resource Center, Multimedia Lab etc. Customised Digital Signage Solutions and Digital Displays like Information Kiosks, Interactive Touch LED Display and Data/ Video walls, Security and Surveillance Projects.

Top 10 clients

DRDO Labs, CAT ‘A’, Podar School (Mumbai), KVs and Jawahar Navodaya Vidayalas (PAN India), Axom Sarba Siksha Abhijan Mission (North East India), Vinoba Bhave University (Hazaribag, Jharkhand), IMA, NDA, DSSC etc., NEIGRIHMS (Shillong), Ambedkar University (Delhi), Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS (Rohtak), Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (Surat)

USP k k k k k

Pan-India presence Service support On time approach Trained Personnel Facilitate timely delivery of repaired equipments

GLOBUS INFOCOM LIMITED

KIRAN DHAM, VP Marketing

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Office: A - 22, Sector - 4, District Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida, (U.P.), India Regional offices: C -1/2, Safdarjung Development Area, New Delhi E-mail: info@globusinfocom.com; Website:www.globusinfocom.com Tel. No.: 0120 4051800 Sales and after-sales support: 1800-200-4398 Target Verticals: Education Technology, Digital Signage & Display, Security & Surveillance Number of Employees: 65

Company Profile

Self-Paced learning through WizIQ

WizIQ is a category defining company that offers SaaS-based education technology solutions. Over 4,00,000 education service providers have leveraged the WizIQ platform to deliver online education to 4 million+ learners in 200 countries. WizIQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship product, Online Academy Builder, enables Education Service Providers to deliver live instructor-led and self-paced learning by helping them create, manage, and market courses from their own self-branded online academies. The Online academy builder offers cutting-edge features such as live virtual classes, mobile learning, video streaming, discussion boards, assessments and learner insights. With 80 per cent of its revenues from overseas markets, WizIQ has emerged as a global software product company headquartered in India.

Product Categories

Campus/ School Management Systems: Mobile Learning

Products and Services

zx WizIQ is a cloud-based education platform with Online Academy builder as its flagship product that enables educators, trainers, and organisations to create their own online academies to deliver self-paced, live, and blended learning BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS zx World Education Award 2011 - Best Innovation in Open and Distance Learning zx Indian Education Awards 2012 - Best Education Webinar Series zx Global e-Learning Awards 2012 - Best Virtual Classroom Provider zx Indian Education Awards 2012 - Best Education Webinar Series zx Shiksha Ratan Awards 2013- Best Virtual Classroom Provider zx Global e-Learning Awards 2013 - Best Virtual Classroom Provider zx Indian Education Awards 2014 - Best Online Education Platform zx World Education Award 2014 -Best Virtual Classroom Provider zx Global e-Learning Awards 2014 - Award for Excellence in Online Learning Platform zx ICP Post South Asia Education Summit Awards 2015 - Best Virtual Classroom Provider zx Global e-Learning Awards 2015 - Best Virtual Classroom Provider Educational Content and Curriculum: Online Academy Builder Education ICT Equipments: Online Courses & Test Prep Classroom Infrastructure for Schools and Universities: Virtual Classroom Software Provider Engineering Technologies: Online Tests and Assessment Open and Distance Learning Providers: Distance Learning Platform Providers Others: Online Education Portal

WIZIQ INC.

HARMAN SINGH, MD & CEO

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Top 10 clients

Aakash Educational Services Ltd., Vidyamandir Classes, Vedic Math India, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Loud Class, Studentnest Meritnation Think & Learn (Byjuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classes), DMACC Yes Teach Me (YTM)

USP

WizIQ empowers educators, trainers, and corporations to build their own online academies, thereby enabling them to build a unique brand identity and deliver live, self-paced, and blended learning

Head Office: 1, Unitech Trade Centre, Sector 43, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon- 122002, Haryana, India Regional offices: India (Gurgaon, Mohali, Hyderabad & Mumbai) & US E-mail: marketing@wiziq.com; Website: www.wiziq.com Tel. No.: 01244281291 Sales and after-sales support: 1-800-300-1771 Target Verticals: Test-prep Companies, Higher Education, K-12, Vocational & Language learning, Tutoring Organisations Number of Employees: 200

WizIQ

Build your Own Education Brand Online Courses

Insights & Analytics Mobile Learning

Live Classes

Start your Online Academy in 3 easy steps: Visit www.wiziq.com

Choose web address

Start teaching and training!

Educators, trainers, and corporations worldwide use Online Academy to deliver live, self-paced, and blended learning.

Course Authoring

Content Sharing

Virtual Classroom

Mobile Learning

Online Tests & Assessment

Insights & Analytics

INDIA: 1-800-3000-1771 | USA: 1-800-567-8059 | EUROPE: +44-(0)-20-7193-6503 www.wiziq.com

4,000,000 Learners

sales@wiziq.com

400,000 Instructors

200

Countries

Company Profile

Personalised Learning

Company Profile

Testbook.com is an EdTech company started by 6 IITians to provide students a personalized one-stop learning platform. The company started its journey in January 2014 and has been quite successful in developing a powerful testing and practice platform with 3 lakh registered users and over 2.5 crore questions solved. This optimal use of Technology with quality education is precisely what differentiates Testbook from the rest. Testbook has been doing business on B2C, B2B and B2B2C lines. Testbook’s testing platform is backed with powerful technology. The superior technical platform allows for lakhs of students to appear for the same test at the same time - a feat comparable only to testing bigwigs like TCS. The use of our technology now also powers other institutions who want to conduct their exams/competitions online.

Business Collaboration n n

9 IITs and 7 NITs. Over 80 Engineering colleges pan Maharashtra and AP. Support to over 10 coaching institutes pan India. Partnerships with 25 cyber cafes functioning as Testbook Access Points

Products and Services n

The Testbook app is designed for unlimited free practice on Android phones. Students can now practice anywhere, anytime, from any Android device. Testbook provides Test Series on the web-app to post-graduate students for various competitive exams like GATE, Bank PO, Bank Clerk and Campus Placements. All together over 1.8 crore students take these exams annually. Testbook has a unique feature - the “Live Test” - designed to simulate the exact environment of the actual exam, accommodating lakhs of students at the same time. Machine learning models are employed to deliver useful analytics and the most accurate All India rankings.

Target Verticals

Schools/Colleges/Universities who want to conduct exams online for students

Market Share n

Business Highlights & Achievements

In 20 months, Testbook has become the fastest growing startup in the elearning space. 12 students of Testbook secured All India Ranks under 100 in GATE 2015 including an AIR 4. As a company, Testbook has received the following accolades: 50 Best Startups To Work For – SiliconIndia; Top 100 Startups In India To Watch In 2015 – HRSutra; 38 Mumbai Startups To Look Out For - Inc42

6% of the Banking & Insurance Competitive Examination industry. 9% of the GATE industry.

USP

Quality content: Testbook has been awarded the tag of ‘best content’ in the market by users. Testbook has over 100 people working on content. Evolving Technology: Testbook keeps in touch with latest technology to deliver Adaptive and Personalized Education. Mobile App Platform: Testbook migrated to a primarily mobile-based platform to increase usage and user engagement.

SHARE INFOTECH PVT. LTD.

ASHUTOSH KUMAR, CEO & MD

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Head Office: 612, The Landmark Building, (Above Croma), Sector 7, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra Email: support@testbook.com Website: www.testbook.com Tel No.: 022-20871212 Sales and after-sales support: +91-82860-86667 Customer support helpline numbers: +91-82860-86667 Number of Employees: 35

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

Company Profile

IMPARTUS INNOVATIONS

Impartus delivers a comprehensive video-based platform that helps schools provide a better learning experience. Our mission is to provide the world’s best video-based learning platform for higher education. To achieve this, we draw on deep technical expertise to integrate advanced cloud and video technologies into one seamless experience. Universities around the world rely on Impartus to help them continuously innovate and enhance their educational offering.

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traditional classroom teaching by allowing students to virtually relive their classroom experience on anytime, anywhere basis. It also allows instructors to supplement lectures with other types of media and materials. In addition, Impar tus offers powerful analytics to help measure the effectiveness of learning outcomes. Impartus is available in cloud or on-premise installation, and has robust live streaming capabilities.

Students: Access classroom content anytime, anywhere Instructors: Engage students more effectively Administrators: Boost school performance with existing resources.

Impartus has recorded over 100,000 hours of video in more than 500 classrooms, serving more than 30,000 students in prestigious universities worldwide. The company has built a strong reputation, based on its deep understanding of the needs of educational instituinstitu tions in developing countries, ease of use and fantastic service and support.

Impartus integrates with other Learning Management Systems to capture, edit, and distribute videobased content.Impartus enhances

Impartus’ "Lecture Capture Solution" received the jury award for "Innovation in Education Practices" at the World Education Summit Awards, 2014.

“Impartus empowers instructors to teach, students to learn, and administrators to be more effective.”

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Impartus Head Office: 884, 6th & 7th Main, 22nd Cross, Sector-7, HSR, Layout, Bangalore – 560102, India Email: info@impartus.com

Mr. Sandeep Aji, Co-founder

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Tel No: +91-80-46620600 Target Verticals: Universities and higher education institutions Number of Employees: 50

Offer contextual and relevant content to supplement lectures and homework. Broaden the learning Offer contextual and relevantenvironment content to by sharing of supplement lecturesperspectives and homework. remote students. Broaden the learning environment Offer andmore relevant Engage students effectively by contextual sharing perspectives of content to supplement lectures and homework. with interactive, tech-centric remote students. learning tools. Broaden the learning environment Engage students more effectively by sharing perspectives of Improve content and delivery with interactive, tech-centric students. of remote classroom lectures. learning tools. Engage students more effectively Gather deepcontent instructional insights through Improve and delivery with interactive, tech-centric previously inaccessible data. of classroom lectures. learning tools. Gather deep instructional insights through Improve content and data. delivery previously inaccessible of classroom lectures. Gather deep instructional insights through Learn at their own pace. previously inaccessible data.Boost student performance. Discover new types of curated Learn at their pace. content toown supplement classroom lectures. Discover new types of curated Achieve deeper and more content toasupplement Learn at their own pace. current understanding. classroom lectures. Discover new types of curated Collaborate, which improves Achieve a deeper and more content to supplement currentcomprehension. understanding. classroom lectures. Access classroom content Collaborate, which improves Achieve a deeper and more anytime, anywhere. comprehension. current understanding. Access classroom content Collaborate, which improves anytime, anywhere. comprehension. Access classroom content anytime, anywhere.

Serve more students with existing resources. Boost student performance. Serve more students with existing Gainresources. access to an Boost student performance. immediate feedback loop. Serve more students with Address the needs Gain access to anof students existing resources. and instructors immediately. immediate feedback loop. numerous Address Overcome the needs of students Gain access to an logistical challenges. and instructors immediately. immediate feedback loop. Overcome numerous Address thechallenges. needs of students logistical and instructors immediately. Overcome numerous logistical challenges.

Call for a free consultation: +91-80-46620600 Call for a free consultation: +91-80-46620600 Call for a free consultation: +91-80-46620600

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

Learning in the

DIGITAL AGE

In the times of digitisation, it is imperative for schools and educational institutions to impart new-age learning that can change face of the sector through innovative solutions, feels Sudha Gupta, Chairperson, Presidium School

ecently, at an examination for admission to graduate schools in the US, the examiner announced that students can seek help in writing their name on the answer sheet. (The Q&A was objective type, and only required them to tick the answers.) The reason? At least some of the students present were not used to putting pen to paper, and had to struggle even to write their name. Some schools abroad have the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy that lets children bring their tablets, phones and laptops to school. In parts of the developed world, books, pen and paper have already become obsolete in schools.

Sudha Gupta addressing students

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Keeping Pace Teaching and learning are fast adapting to changing technologies, and educational institutions are keeping pace. However, many educationists in India view digital technology as a threat to students, and are reluctant to embrace it. Today, every aspect of the real world has gone digital, and it is but natural that education too should follow suit. Research has already established that interactive learning boosts retention rates and exam results. True, it raises concerns about safety and security, but the merits of digital learning far outweigh the possible risks. At Presidium, we follow the experiential learning method – as opposed to rote learning – as this helps children understand concepts better and apply what they have learnt in real life situations. Children learn by doing, and this makes learning joyful, as they learn how to apply their knowledge. We also noticed that when children are engaged with and find interest in the process of learning, they learn without even realizing that they are actively learning.

Nuances of Digitisation While advocating digital learning, it should be noted that today most children who enter school are tech savvy, and at home with digital technology. Most of them already have a tablet, an email account and are app savvy too. Digital technology would certainly give experiential learning a boost. It would easily provide educational experiences tailor-made for each student. As we already know, individualized learning solutions help students perform better. For instance, student A might learn better by watching an instructive video while student B grasps things faster by solving an online puzzle. It also makes subjects far more interesting. Whether one is teaching physics or literature, engagement and interactivity keeps the pupil’s mind from wandering. Further teachers are able to monitor individual progress better. Digital learning is not about merely transferring traditional lessons onto digital screens. Neither is it just virtual classes, e-lectures and web conferences. It’s about enhancing learning making full use of technology. For this, we may have to not only relook at the tools we employ, but the overall approach as well. How effective can a test of retention be when students have ready access to search engines? The focus, therefore, should shift from mere knowledge downloads, to applying what one has learned.

Further, the exercises, case studies and examples have to be attuned to the sensibilities of the digital generation, and something they can relate to. This calls for not mere cosmetic changes but a paradigm shift in how education is imparted.

Impart e-learning While it would be unfair to compare the standards of developed nations to our own – India, for instance has an estimated shortage of 2,00,000 schools – it’s time we took at least a few baby steps so that the movement does not passes by us. If, as a nation, we miss the bus, a generation will struggle to catch up with their western counterparts. Today Indians occupy high positions in global organisations, and it is partly because of the high standard of education they once had. Our education system, if it delays adopting digital technology, will be stuck in the chalk and black board era. It is digital technologies that made the world flat; let’s not allow it to tilt to our disadvantage and the advances we have made slide away. Digital learning tools will also help students prepare better for life after school, particularly those who seek higher education or career opportunities abroad. In fact, they will feel right at home at any part of the world. It’s time all of us – educationists, schools, academicians, and the government – opened our eyes to the potential and possibilities of digital learning. It’s a revolution whose time has come.n

Sudha Gupta,

Chairperson, Presidium School

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

Paradigm shift for Gen Next Vinesh Menon, Chief Operating Officer, Global Discovery Schools believes that this is just the beginning of a long journey and his vision is to have at least one Global Discovery School in every town in India. While talking to Elets News Network (ENN), he discusses the roadmap for his school Why do you believe that Global Discovery Schools are diﬀerent from other schools? Global Discovery Schools is a movement, a movement that has been enabled by some very deep dive thinking and observations and study made on education and children behaviour for at least 3 years before we came up with the first school. The philosophies that finally emerged post this study helps engage children better, clarifies concepts better, helps them reach stretch goals and motivates them to reach new heights, keeps them focused, gets them to ask questions out of curiosity, prepares them for the industry ahead and overall gets them more positive about the life ahead. Does Global Discovery Schools attempting to ensure that their students will be future IITians or MBAs

in reputed colleges? Is that the objective? Our objective is to create a fresh new school system around giving a single message to parents that your child will be successful to the best of his or her ability. Global Discovery School maximises on the key differentiator of ‘Life Success.’ The Road Map to a child’s dreams cannot be achieved by rote learning. Success comes when the child’s personality, self esteem, confidence, ability to make friends, value system, goal setting clarity, dominant strength in alignment, knowledge of world opportunities etc are unleashed in a structured phased out manner during the learning journey of a child in school. What we will guarantee is that a child will be a confident ready to face life after going through the Global Discovery School experience. Charting the path into IIT or IIM or becoming a scientist or an expert scuba diver is what will emerge as the child moves through this journey. Where do you intend to have your schools? Are they boarding schools? To start with, most of our plans are to have schools in Tier 1 and 2 cities of India. We do believe that the opportunities here are immense and there is a huge dearth of quality education at affordable prices in some of these cities and towns and we wish to plug that gap. We have currently moved into states like Tamil

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra. We would now within these states focus on clusters in and around Madurai, Rewa, Indore, Mangalore, Saharanpur etc. We are currently operating these as day schools as our expertise largely lie around the philosophies of education and we would like to leverage that. Most of our schools are designed to be in a radius of 7 to 10 Km from the main residential areas of a town or city and hence will be convenient for the commute of these children. Do you plan to go international? If you mean IB board, may not be – If you mean start schools in countries beyond the shores of India, yes, the thought has crossed our mind. We have had enquiries come in from the South East Asia and Middle East countries. Our objective will be to reach the Indian diaspora in such nations. We would like to consolidate in India and get the best in our delivery here before venturing into foreign soils.■

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

Devoting towards child’s development Pradeep ‘Baba’ Madhok, President, Dalimss Sunbeam Group of Schools, Varanasi, believes that developing years of the child is the stepping stone to learn lessons of life. While speaking to Elets News Network (ENN), he tells the vision of Dalimss Sunbeam Group of Schools

school is always a ‘world in miniature’ where one receives ‘training for life’, where effective meaningful and joyful learning takes place. It is here that we begin to learn our lessons of life - to accept challenges, face competition and rejoice at victory and triumph. Education shapes great minds, sets landmarks and changes the course of history. Dalimss Sunbeam Group of Schools is a brand, known in the field of education and hence we are concerned for your children and their success. Our chief aim is to create human beings who are capable of doing many things. We insist on developing positive attitude to think analyze and act logically with reverence and respect for national integration. Dalimss Sunbeam enjoys an excellent profile among educational institutions of eastern U. P. We equip the students to tread the path less travelled by

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

and achieve excellence in their chosen path. Our objective is to foster the students’ spirit of enquiry and scientific wisdom. We provide the children with ample opportunities within and outside the school premises to explore, observe and experiment with the ideas. The holistic education at the school develops strong ethical and moral values in the students. Our dedicated team of teaching and non-teaching staff works relentlessly to make your wards, leaders of the society. We are proud that Dalimss Sunbeam has a diverse range of good schools. The system works on the parental preference model which gives you an opportunity to express your preferences. No matter what are you trying to do, there are only three important steps that you need to take. Get organised, stay focused and get it done.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

Dalimss Sunbeam School receives award at the World Education Summit

On the occasion of Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, President Pranab Mukherjee celebrate the day with the children of Dalimss Sunbeam School

Dalimss is one of the institutions where meritorious and weak students are taken care of

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Dalimss Sunbeam is located on the GT Road and is spread out in more than 10 acres of lush green land. The school has a big playground along with Basketball court, Volleyball court, Boxing arena, where students are trained by international coaches in their respective fields. Our students not only participate in CBSE Cluster Meets but qualify for nationals as well. Our school has also produced many national fame players in various sports. In our campus, there is a beautiful swimming pool which offers the students to the best exercise. School has a world class gym which has produced a number of body builders. In Academic field our students take part in all standard competitions, who put their best and come out with flying colours. Dalimss Sunbeam School has well equipped laboratories, Digi classes, language lab, where children explore the world. We have separate lab facilities for Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The labs have all facilities as per CBSE norms. All classrooms have smart board facilities with syllabus, content and method for easy and effective learning. Since long school has been producing many students who scored well during class XII Board exam, many scholars have qualified for IITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AIPMT the list is lengthy. Dalimss is one of the institutions where meritorious and weak students are taken care of their better results while maintaining high standard of teaching. All faculty members are working hard with full potential, integrity and with soft heart to fulfill the demand of teaching with the incessant and whole hearted support of the management. With curious learners, committed teachers and zealous patrons, Dalimss Sunbeam has only one direction to scale that is upwards. We initiate our best to emphasize on quality education based on hard work, duty, devotion and discipline that we might shape our children as bonafide citizens of the country. We expect our students to be the strongest pillars of development and advancement in all walks of life.n

INDUSTRY SPEAK

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Sports infra for educational institutes W

Great Sports Infra, sports infrastructure solutions provider has created a niche place for itself

ith the growing popularity of sports and fitness in India, educational institutes aren’t leaving any stone unturned to have a worldclass sports infrastructure. From just being a ‘nice-to-have’ amenity until recently, sports facility is now rapidly becoming an essential feature. Setting up a school or college with the best sports facility is a challenging task that involves investment in terms of time and capital. This trend of adding sports facility is accompanied by many challenges. While there is a definite lack of infrastructure, it is not due to lack of availability of material. Great Sports Infra has been a first mover in this category who started exploring ways to improve sports infrastructure in the country. It started with introduction of new-generation artificial grass from the USA called FieldTurf. FieldTurf or synthetic turf carries all the biomechanical properties of natural grass and is much more resilient. Requiring virtually low-to-no maintenance, the turf can be used for multi-sport and multi-purpose. Students playing on it are less prone to injuries and can play on the field 24/7. FIFA, FIH and ITF standard products allow multiple sports like Football, Hockey, Cricket, Volleyball, Badminton, etc. and can also be used for non-sport usage like assemblies, annual day programmes, student get-together, farewell parties, college fests etc. Another innovative product the company has brought to India is SnapSports, interlocking modular sports flooring. This product is very easy to install or uninstall, it has excellent all-weather suitability, is very aesthetically pleasing and has a warranty of over 16 years, thereby providing the best return on Investment. Approved by FIBA, IHF and ITF, SnapSports is the ideal choice for all sports lovers – from amateurs to professionals. Many educational institutes and sports facilities in India have these surfaces installed and are now cultivating world class athletes who enter international level games on a familiar ground. Running tracks are not just for sprinters and Olympians. Great Sport’s Infra’s synthetic athletic tracks are for all - amateur, trainers and professional. It is also for those who are new to the sport or a seasoned runner who hasn’t run laps for quite

sometime. Students love these tracks because of its versatility and flexibility in usage. These IAAF standard tracks can be laid for 200m and 400m as well. With these proactive initiatives and product introductions, Indian sports infrastructure now has possibilities that didn’t exist 10 years back. And now is the time to make use of it. Great sports Infra has been widely accepted by the education sector. The company has provided these innovative sports infrastructure solutions to IIT Madras, NIT Warangal, Inventure Academy, Manipal University, BITS Pilani, Miranda House, Symbiosis International University, Chowgule College, Indian School of Business, College of Science and Technology (Siliguri), Regency Institute of Sports & Culture, TISB, Bishop Cotton School, Indus School, French International School, Jain International School, Global Public School, MDS, Euro Kids, Indian Education Society, Geetanjali International School, Greenwood, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Brigade International School, Kidzee, Aryan School, NH Gurukul, and many more.n Mob.: 8978600348; Email: info@greatsportsinfra.com Website: www.greatsportsinfra.com

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

Preparing citizens of tomorrow It is no surprise that the boundaries between the marketing and technology roles in companies are getting blurred. Technology is the tool that marketers are feeding off and hence, there are companies that are looking into new technology and data analytics a lot more than they ever did, writes Abhinav Upadhyay, Head – Marketing & Innovation of Zee Learn.

idzee,is a flagship brand of Zee Learn that has become Asia’s largest Pre-school Network with more than 1500 centres in 500+ cities across India and Nepal. The K-12 brand, Mount Litera Zee School (MLZS) is one the fastest growing and awarded school network in the country with over 150 signed up schools and growing and with over 80 operational schools across the country. This is possible because the brands (Kidzee and Mount Litera Zee School)are constantly evolving and staying relevant to the times and providing the finest pedagogy and learning environment for children both in Preschools as well as in K-12 schools. Through its unique Interactive Illume pedagogy at Kidzee and LItera Octave pedagogy at Mount Litera Zee Schools, Zee Learn is delivering quality education supplemented with technol-

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

ogy based learning. The growth and the many awards bestowed thereto are only a reflection of the quality of the brand delivery at India’s largest chain of preschools and schools. It is no surprise that both parents as well as educational entrepreneurs are looking at Kidzee and Mount Litera Zee Schools as brands of choice. “The recognition from the parents, partners, investors as well as from various juries of awards becomes possible only because quality, excellence, trust and transparency form the core of our existence which our business partners, our students and students’ parents reciprocate in equal measure”, says Abhinav Upadhyay – Head Marketing & Innovation at Zee Learn. Parents have reconfirmed the trust in Kidzee, which is noticeable via the IPSOS Customer Satisfaction Survey 2014 where close

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

LIEADERS SPEAK NTERVIEW

in its portfolio. The company runs India’s No. 1 chain of preschools, Kidzee with more than 1350+ preschools in more than 500+ cities. Zee Learn acts as a consultant to local entrepreneurs who wish to setup K-12 schools, under its brand name Mount Litera Zee Schools and provides end to end Education management and Advisory services. Mount Litera Zee Schools is now the second largest chain of schools in the private-unaided category with more than 80 schools in 75 cities. For more information, log on to www.zeelearn.com

to 90% of the parents rated us as being ‘Excellent’ on various parameters of excellence. What is right for the child(WRFC) is the guiding philosophy that forms the base of everything for any of the brands at Zee Learn. “Another aspect of our brand communication is Accessibility. When consumers can connect quickly and without difficulty and have a delightful experience in their interaction, you win not just Trust but also their Affinity. We offer various ways in which anyone can reach us – through a phone call, through email, through digital and social media, and through SMS which helps that consumers are constantly connected to us and we are able to hear them and help them whenever they need us”, adds

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

Upadhyay. Through its vision of championing the cause of children and their needs, the company has earned lots of recent accolades and awards which stands testimony to the new and innovative work being done by Zee Learn and its various brands. In the year 2015-16, Zee Learn was conferred with the award of India’s Most Trusted Educational Brand for the year by Trust Research Advisory. The innovative work for the brand Kidzee won it the award of “Most Attractive Brand – Education” in 2015-16 Zee Learn Ltd. has been conferred with the Make in India Award for Excellence- 2015 Mount Litera Zee School was conferred with the “National K-12 School Chain of the Year” Award in 2015-16

About Zee Learn and its brands About Zee Learn Limited Zee Learn is one of the leading companies in Education in India with the fastest growing chain of K-12 schools and India’s No 1 chain of pre-schools

Kidzee Kidzee is Asia’s largest and only preschool chain to have more than 1500 active centres across the country and the Asian continent and has served over 400,000 children with its unique learning methodology. Kidzee, has been ranked no 1 in India’s Most Attractive Brands 2015list in the education and pre-school category. The study was carried out byTrust Research Advisory (TRA) a part of the Comniscient Group, is a Brand Intelligence and Data Insights Kidzee, has also been conferredwith a bronze award for an Outstanding Outdoor Campaign in Best Use of Ambient Media under special categories at Outdoor Advertising Awards (OAA) 2015. For more information log on to www.kidzee.com Mount Litera Zee School Mount Litera Zee School, one of India’s largest private unaided school chain,was awarded the Most Trusted School Brand in the year 2015-16 by Brand Trust Report, 2015. The brand has also been conferred with K-12 National School Chain of the Year 2015 by Franchise India.8 MLZS schools have been awarded the Top Schoolsin India award by Digital Learning Magazine. For more information log on to www.mountlitera.com.

Progressing Child Future

November 2015 Special issue

Announces its Preschool special issue for November, 2015 Preschool Education is a growing sector that offers prospective oppor tunities for those who want to enter this growing segment. Ensuring to give an insight to the nuances of the preschool franchise business, digitalLEARNING is coming up with its PRSCHOOL ISSUE. The issue will feature profiling of Preschool Franchisees and Heads of standalone Preschools.

CATEGORIES Preschool Franchisees

The interview of the chairperson/Head shall be carried in the story on Franchise of Preschool business to make readers aware of the various activities undertaken by the group.

Standalone Preschools

Participate now and get featured in this special issue, highlighting the journey of your Preschool endeavour.

To highlight the journey of struggle and oppor tunities faced by the Standalone Preschool Edupreneurs

KEY FEATURES: • Brand Profile - Detailed company profile of all adver tisers • Interviews and Ar ticles from Chairman or Directors of Top Preschools chains in India • Dissecting the Operational Structure of the top Preschool chains- Take on the Franchisee Model • Listing the major Preschools in India • Insight into the challenges and oppor tunities of star ting a standalone Preschool • A platform to showcase their work in front of the K-12 schools in the city • To establish a name for themselves in the Preschool space • Reach out to Investors who shall want to open preschool in collaboration with the groups

REACH: • Students, teachers, parents, faculty • Educational institutions, policy institutions, R&D organisations • K-12, higher education institutes, vocational and skills training institutes • Government depar tment, ministries, NGOs • CEO, CIOs, IT industry leaders and practitioners • Regulatory bodies including NAAC, AICTE, UGC, NBA, DEC etc • Academicians, researchers, administrators • Funding organisations, international bodies

@dl_magazine

For Participation contact:

Seema Gupta, seema@elets.in, Mob: 8860651643

Head Office – Noida

Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd. Stellar IT Park, 7A/7B, 5th floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector 62 Noida – 201309,Uttar Pradesh, India Contact No: +91-120-4812600, Fax: +91 120 4812660

DigitalLearning DigitalLearning

EVENT REPORT

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EVENT REPORT

5th

Skilling hands of

Future

Skills are components that enhance the individual abilities and let them be attuned to the industries’ practical requirements efﬁciently. The launch of the Skill Mission by the NDA Government aimed at scaling up skill training efforts to meet the demands of employers and drive economic growth. Large sections of the educated workforce have little or no job skills, making them largely unemployable. Therefore, the nation has a very narrow time frame to harness its demographic dividend and to overcome its skill shortages. Keeping view of this impending issue of how to execute this important part of skill learning, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd has taken upon on itself to engage players of the sector in a suitable platform called as the World Education Summit 2015. The two-day expo-cum-conference saw academicians, educational experts, policymakers and corporates from across the globe engage in deliberations on how to build an optimum resource of skill development in the education sector

India currently faces a severe shortage of well-trained, skilled workers. It is estimated that only 2.3 per cent of the workforce in India has undergone formal skill training as compared to 68 per cent in the UK, 75 per cent in Germany, 52 per cent in the USA, 80 per cent in Japan and 96 per cent in South Korea More than 54 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 25, allowing it with an opportunity to provide a skilled workforce to fill the expected shortfall in the ageing developed world The country’s population pyramid is expected to bulge across the 15–59 age group over the next decade. This demographic advantage is predicted to last only until 2040

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Day 1 Inaugural Session

5th

Integrating

Global Ties Skill development is one of the primary mandates of the Narendra Modi Government, looking to transform the skill gamut in the country. The country has an opportunity to reap the potential demographic dividend and the government has recognised this need and had launched the Skill India mission. With an ambitious target of making India a skilled one, the session discussed the vision and focus of the Central Government and the States as they embark upon this ambitious mission

Unveiling the brochure of the 6th World Education Summit, 2016, Dubai

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Kalthoom Al Balooshi, Executive Director, Education Development, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai:

The opportunities for the growth and development of education in Dubai are immense and also crucial for the progress of the country. As the nation is the centre of trading and transit, the industry of higher education started with traders, businessmen coming from far across, from India, for spice, clothing among others. They became a community and this community needed a school in Dubai. So, to serve them the schools were initiated, providing the Indian community curriculum.

FOCAL POINT: There is an expansion of Indian curriculum schools and other emirates will like to come here for quality education. Dubai requires something different and we need to build more for an optimum education and learning. We would want to build expertise of schools in India and would like to have a branch here in India. The national agenda target 2020-21 is to reach the highest grade in terms of pace and international assessment. We have three targets: quality, quality and quality.

KALTHOOM AL BALOOSHI

There are now 2,55,000 students from 120 different nationalities that represent the citizenship in Dubai. Thirty one schools are offering Indian curriculum for 80,000 students. The nation caters to 13 per cent of school market and 30 per cent of student market. Seeing the growth currently at 5-7 per cent every year, upto 2020, we are expecting 70 new schools, where 40 per cent will offer Indian curriculum. KALTHOOM AL BALOOSHI, Executive Director, Education Development, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT Dr Abdullah Al-Shibli, Director General of the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, The Sultanate of Oman:

Regarding skills in higher education and challenges, one of the crisis is gaps, one is between the school leader and skill for higher education and the other is gap between the education institution and the skill for the particular job. We have Oman accredited institutes to see quality and make sure they provide quality education to empower students.

Audience in rapt attention on Day 1 of the 5th elets World Education Summit

FOCAL POINT: There is a mismatch between the skills given and the skills required in the job market. Most education institutes here have courses on skills to bridge this gap for provision of skill. The strategy for Oman 2040 is investing for more in school education so when they come to higher education, the students have attained the required skills for higher education. I think there is a culture issue here as most people like to pick either a government job or big companies. They do not wish to start their own individual businesses. Most of the population we have is youth, so we have people who go to the job market but we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have many who want to leave the jobs. As part of the issue is culture, we as a ministry started a department to study the gap of skills needed for job and provided by the institutions, to see whether they are providing right skills or not, give advice to them to revise the curriculum and build good relations with the industry.

DR ABDULLAH AL-SHIBLI

In Oman there are two ministries, one is Ministry of School Education and the other is Higher Education. We have 62 higher education institutes, where more than half of them are private ones, and only one government institute called the Sultan Qaboos University that had started in 1986. We give scholarship to students going abroad in our schools DR ABDULLAH AL-SHIBLI, Director General of the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, The Sultanate of Oman

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Rishi Khemka, Chief Enjoyment Officer, ARK Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Mindbox

Industry presentation: The most valued asset is our mind and our ability to think and express ourselves. We communicate through thoughts and words, but today it is vital to communicate digitally as well. So, we educators have excelled in making something for the students to imagine, explore, ideate, and create a language to store that. Ideas are organism. If we don’t store them they will die. We need a language to communicate through visual languages as it is the best way to understand.

FOCAL POINT: How to spot learning in a child? Curiosity is first, lots of areas arouse a spark in the child when they see things they want to learn, these part touch children, the moment curiosity is aroused there is willingness to learn. Kids need to have output mechanism, and it can only come if they experience through project based learning and the process of trial and error. Our design based approach showcases whatever learned is explored. In the project every child creates an individual creation which gets feedback. We strive to have primary hand-on-hand coordination and improving social skills through group pro-activities. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Hon’ble Minister, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab:

I feel honoured and privileged to be a part of WES. I appreciate and congratulate ELETS Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. for such an event and I am happy to note that the education summit is focusing on skill development and school, higher and vocational education.

FOCAL POINT: I have come here to share my experiences and the ground realities of education system that I

have seen within one year of my tenure as an education minister. Primary education is the most important aspect in the whole pyramid of education system. But in India, in government-run schools and most of the private schools, the primary education is not upto the mark. The students of Class V can’t read or study even Class II lessons. To improve the primary education, emphasis should be given on teacher training. All the institutes which are providing teacher training courses should be more vigilant and strict guidelines should be issued so that we have better teachers in the times to come.

POINTS TO PONDER: u u u u

Emphasis on teacher training in primary education Have courses in schools for skill development Build a holistic environment that exuberates the creative bent of mind Ensure imparting quality education through suitable curriculum for preparation of future vocations

DR DALJIT SINGH CHEEMA

ICT is given prime importance in Punjab, and we have started computer labs in all the secondary and higher secondary government schools. The state also has 3,800 education institutions included in the EDUSAT programme DR DALJIT SINGH CHEEMA, Hon’ble Minister, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

IE NTERVIEW VENT REPORT

Bridge the education ties

It is crucial to develop a two-way street for students from India and Canada, and strengthen the education ties of the two nations, says Prof Allan Rock, President, University of Ottawa, Canada while in conversation with Prathiba Raju of Elets News Network (ENN) What are the similarities between Canada and India when it comes to higher education system? Well, Canada is much like India on a smaller scale. Our post higher secondary system offers wide options from vocational skills training to law, medicine arts and humanities. It is a broad spectrum as you find in India. Our demographics are quite different from India as in next five years, we are expecting to see a decline in the university or college going young Canadians and hoping it would pick up by 2020. We are certainly not looking at the same numbers nor the same domain on the system that India has. But I think we have a great deal to learn from each other and that is the main reason Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m participating in the WES 2015. It is nice to learn more about how India and its institutions are confronting the challenges of meeting the market domains on one hand and educating the population on the other. We are happy to share the experiences we have in Canada. Exchange of viewpoints, perspectives and experiences would lead to a common advantage. India is emphasising on skill education under a programme called Skill India initiative. How do you see it? Skill development is an essential component, and there are no questions about that as many of the presentations in WES had focused upon the need for skill to meet the demands of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing economy. We cannot overlook the importance of education in terms of developing the person and not just their skills. We also need to develop people in the workforce with a capacity of critical thinking, broad knowledge, humanities, social science and people who are able to write, evaluate options in terms of governance, administration and policy. All aspects of the edu-

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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cation are important. We should also realise that education is for human development and people would be seen as a whole and not just as establishments. Are you looking out for research opportunities in India? Yes, the research collaborations between both the countries are terribly important and we are looking out for partners. The Canadian research intensive universities, for example, U15 Group of consortium of universities, should engage in world class research across the spectrum. The University of Ottawa particularly focuses on health, neuroscience, stem cell research, cardio vascular, and population health and cancer research. In science and engineering, we focus on photonics and development of new medical devices, not just that we have public policy, public administration, law, governance, human rights

Allan Rock deliberating on educational synergy of India and Canada at the 5th World Education Summit

tutions and vocational colleges. At the moment, there is no sufficient traffic between Canadian and Indian universities, institutes, and research

I’m interested in seeing even the Canadians come to India as well I think it will be a fabulous addition to the education of Canadians to spend time in the Indian institution. I hope we develop a two-way traffic. only, we also have a broad area of interest in research university. The University of Ottawa always looks for quality partners. I’m confident that many from India would engage. One of the important reasons for my visit to India is to look for collaboration and research with Indian institutions. Why do you think Canadian Universities are not that popular in India? We have not established a sufficiently strong relationship between Canada and India in the sphere of education and collaboration, whether through student exchange, mobility, or research partnerships. It’s astonishing to look at how close the two countries are in so many other ways. In 2014, about 31,000 Indian students attended higher education in Canada. That’s only eight per cent of the total international students in Canada that year. China sent three times and two-thirds of the students to Canada in higher education insti-

centres. We need to broaden it. The reason for the lack of traffic is Canada’s fault as we haven’t really branded ourselves as a desirable destination in higher secondary education yet. We have some of the best universities in the world and the price for tuition is comparatively nominal compared to the UK and the US. We offer wide variety of education, right from vocational to the academic. For both the undergraduate and postgraduate, it is up to Canada, its university and government to let it be known in India. We are indeed a destination which is highly desirable for Indian students. At the same time, people like me should make sure that Canadian students have wide opportunities here in India. I don’t have to leave the impression at a one way street. What kind of collaboration are you looking for? As of now, I don’t know whether our

collaboration would include opening up branch campuses in India. However, I hope we will include research partnerships and transnational education, where we have perhaps common degrees being awarded for doctorate programmes with Indian universities and institutes. Above all, I hope that we broaden the bridge of education that connects both the countries. We have so much in common. There are now over a million Canadian in the Indian heritage that shows we have strong cultural ties. It’s very much to our mutual advantage to develop those ties in education and build it in a wonderful way. What are your takeaways from the World Education Summit 2015? I came to the conference to know about what the Indian education system has to offer and also learn from it. As the Indian education system is in a state of transition, it is trying to accommodate a large number of people who are in the demographic dividend, it is a challenge for the system to accommodate a huge lot. But I see a real determination in creating a system which has quality, accessibility and provides the kind of preparation India needed for tomorrow. I’m very impressed by the commitment and determination on part of the academic institution, industry and government as they work for the common cause. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Day 1 Higher Session 3 Education Track Meeting the Growing Demand of Experienced Faculty in Higher Education

5th

Cementing Capacity

Building in Learning Technology in innovation has changed the quality that the education sector can reap in. There has been a humungous growth in education techniques, with students becoming more aware and well-versed in their social and life skills. But there is a dire need of resources to benefit this new-age learning and the session on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Meeting the Growing Demand of Experienced Faculty in Higher Education: Innovative technology solutions,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; during the Fifth World Education Summit, 2015, saw academia and industry leaders discuss and deliberate on how to combat the crisis

Experts on Session 3 of the 1st day of the 5th Elets World Education Summit, 2015

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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FOCAL POINT: Having quality teachers is a challenge for our country, and in higher education the situation is no

different. There is an acute shortage of senior faculty and competent professors who can produce good doctors, engineers and lawyers. We are trying to build a skilled country in higher education sector and we are managing the country with just 33 per cent faculty member. Even our most premier institutes like IITs and IIMs are not meeting the guidelines set by regulatory bodies like AICTE and UGC. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big challenge for all of us but we have to come up with solutions.

POINTS TO PONDER:

u Using the right technology to impart education is the key u Video conferencing effective at the K-12 level but still there is a gap at the higher education level: the professor is not able to see the students and vice versa. Students are not able to hear other students, teachers are not able to show the project work, they are not able to use the board. u The solution is available to higher education faculties to meet the acute shortage of trained professors or competent faculty

ROSHAN GUPTA

The British Council research highlights that India will need almost 1,000 universities and 50,000 colleges for educating half a billion students in higher education by 2020. If we see the figures in 1950, there were just 27 universities and less than 600 colleges. This is the largest transformation any country has attempted so far in higher education ROSHAN GUPTA, Head, Global Alliances and Public Sector Business, Business Octane presented the audience with an industry perspective

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Day 1 Higher Session 4 Education Track Need for Greater Role of Industry in Higher Education

Skill Development for

Youth Need of the Hour There is a need for greater participation from the industry to support the academia in the country. While many corporations invest heavily in ongoing education and skills training of employees, they still depend on the solid foundation taught during primary, secondary and tertiary education. The session throws light on building a strong public-private partnership to strengthen the skills gamut

PROF VIJAY KANT VERMA

Indian higher education is facing powerful dilemmas and deficit choices, public-private access equity, research quality, industry participation, overregulation and establishment support that needs meaningful expansion in education PROF VIJAY KANT VERMA, Vice Chancellor, AISECT University

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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We want our youth to come forward and take initiative and be skilled to take on the responsibility of the nation. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a 49 per cent government entity under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and 51 per cent representation from industries like FICCI, ASSOCHAM and CII among others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very keen on skill development and this is precisely what he has been talking about in most of his addresses to the nation that we are a youthful nation and our youth are our strength. The world and India need a skilled workforce. Let youth get skills which can contribute towards a strong India. By 2020 India will have 49 per cent of its workforce which would be youth. In order to inculcate and develop their skills, everybody has potential. We keep hearing the data almost on a regular basis that two per cent of workforce are vocationally trained, the rest are not. We have 85 per cent of the engineers who are unemployable. We have a huge responsibility of bridging the gap between industry and academia but we need to find a solution. We have to integrate skill development into the curriculum for the benefits of the students.

We represent various technology companies like Bentley, Autodesk among others. As on date we have some 15,000 odd customers in the industry and there is one common requirement which comes from most of them that is manpower and skill development training. Besides, we also have some 500 customers from academic space (higher education) and for most of the institutions that we represent and give solutions to them the primary challenge is to place students coming out from those institutions. Definitely there is a big role which is there for the industry to play to go and engage with the academia and vice versa. Based on that primary to bridge the gap between industry and academia we have come up with the concept of Mindbox. So, taking this as an initiative, we are trying our best to bring both together and ensure the gap can actually be reduced. We have 11 branch offices, 150 plus professionals in 21 cities. We also work in a model of distribution and our channel partners cover over 300 cities in India. BINISH PARIKH, Vice President, ARK Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Mindbox

It is really important to understand the importance of the need for greater role of industry in higher education. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth need skill and development to make India the best. Without linking academia with industry itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not possible to bring development and nation building. The AP Goyal University is located in a very tough terrain. In Shimla, there is no industry but we would be making efforts to link industry spread across the nation with our university to bring to our campus. Our promoters also industrialists, understand the importance of academia with industry. India with such a huge population, higher education in the whole of India is extremely important for global economy. If we really want to make skilling youth, skilled India, we need to link the said streams. DR B RAMASWAMY, Pro Vice Chancellor, AP Goyal Shimla University, Shimla

GARIMA BABBAR, Senior Manager, Higher Education Projects, NSDC

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Day 1 Higher Session 4 Education Track Need for Greater Role of Industry in Higher Education

Indian higher education is facing powerful dilemmas and deficit choices, public-private access equity, research quality, industry participation, overregulation, establishment support that needs meaningful expansion in education. The whole report precipitates down to the need for greater role of industry collaboration in higher education. The critical areas if we look at with relation to employability gap which has been put by various surveys are almost around 70-80 per cent skill deficiency, entrepreneurship, research and innovation quality and quantity of faculty, funds crunch and overregulation of various kinds of institutes through difference in policies and regulatory bodies. If we look at the recent efforts, there has been a lot of endeavour in bridging the gap between industry and institute and to develop a good industry - institute interface, the Ministry of Human Resources has set up three task forces - research innovation, education, skill and employability and foster academic-industry tie-ups. PROF VIJAY KANT VERMA, Vice Chancellor, AISECT University

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

In 350 BC, Aristotle had remarked that education is an ornament for the prosperous and a refuse for the poor. The problem now with us is: are we really disseminating and making the youth ready for taking the jobs which are available? Whether the output we give is functional or really workable? So many committees have been formed and came with numerous suggestions but to no avail. Unless and until the skill is integrated, industry platforms like FICCI, ASSOCHAM and CII would not be able to offer jobs. Importantly, the existing curriculum should be remodeled and revised and should be examined. The solution of the problem is that it has to be industry-integrated, skill-based and vocation training that it matches with the industry requirements. It has been noticed many times that students coming out of the universities are not employable. But why is it happening? If all the universities can give enough exposure of industry to the youth, the problem can be solved. DR DEVENDRA PATHAK Vice Chancellor, Dr KN Modi University, Jaipur

POINTS TO PONDER:

u Existing curriculum to be remodeled u Industry - academia linkages to be strong u Integration of skill development into curriculum

INTERVIEW

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Education for All

Highlighting the innovative steps to improve the overall education sector of the state of Punjab, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, Minister, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab, lists out the efforts, revamp models made by the state for the sector, while in conversation with Prathiba Raju of Elets News Network (ENN) Why is Primary education more important than higher education? Primary education is the most important aspect in the whole pyramid of education system. But in India, in government-run schools and most of the private schools, the primary education is not upto the mark. The students of Class V can’t read or study even class two lessons. In government schools, the admission is made at the age of six, as per Right To Education (RTE) Act, while in private sector, the child is admitted in primary schools at the age of three. Now, most of the education ministers from various states want primary classes in government schools at the age of three. Many states opine that as picking up of language skills is at an early stage of a child, it would be an apt age to cover the gap. To improve the primary education, emphasis should be given on teacher training. All the institutes which are providing teacher training courses should be more vigilant and strict guidelines should be issued so that we have better teachers in times to come. ICT enabled education how important is it, what are the initiatives taken by Punjab? ICT is given prime importance in Punjab. We have started computer labs in all the secondary and higher secondary government schools. The State also has 3,800 educational institutions included

given accommodation, education, and food absolutely free of cost in six residential schools. The students will be prepared for the entrance examinations of prestigious institutes of engineering, management, law, and medicine. It will be very helpful for the people in the rural areas and those students coming from the EWS.

in the EDUSAT programme. We are going to expand it further, as the classes taken via this programme has helped many students in the State.

What is your view on the emphasise given on skill education under a programme called ‘Skill India’ initiative by the Central Government? Skill development is the need of the hour as there are many skilled people in our country but they don’t undergo a proper training. Our country hardly has three to four per cent who are skilled or trained workforce. In other countries like Japan and Germany, more than 70 per cent are trained workforce. So, this initiative will go a long way. Chief Minister of Punjab, Prakash Singh Badal, is heading the team of chief ministers who have been deputed to frame the policy for the Skill India initiative. As for the state of Punjab, we have started vocational courses in 400 plus schools this year. We will add more. There is a gap between what students are taught in professional, engineering and polytechnic colleges and what the industry needs. To bridge this gap, vocational courses are necessary. The courses should be such that the students get employment soon after they are out of college.

What are the new innovations brought by Punjab in the primary education system? We have done an on ground study. First of all, we are striving for quality education in Punjab and to ensure this, we are starting teacher training at all levels: primary, secondary and higher secondary. Other important and innovative step to improve the quality of education in the state is ‘The Meritorious School Project’ for Class 10 pass outs. We will be accommodating students from government schools who have secured 80 per cent and above marks and are from weaker economical background. They will be

How does the WES platform compliment the education sector? I must complement the work of Elets for organising such a great summit. The 5th edition of World Education Summit is one of its kind and it has got a plethora of people right from policy makers, industry experts, bureaucrats, eminent educationists come under one platform and deliberate upon the issues faced in the education sector. The conference session had a free and fair discussion. If things are discussed in such an honest way, some fruitful solutions would definitely come out, which would help the education sector.n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Day 1 Higher Session 6 Education Track Innovative practices in assessment, accreditation, evaluation & quality standard in higher education

Enabling

Metamorphosis in Learning Innovative practices in assessment, accreditation, evaluation and quality standard in higher education at an affordable cost is a cause of concern for the developing countries. The session highlights the discussions with various stakeholders across the country to understand and find out innovative practices in this sector

RAJEEV MENON

In 2025, India will have the largest population in the age group of 25-30, which means we have a talented pool of young people if they are properly nurtured and given proper education Rajeev Menon, Head of Assessments, MeritTrac Services

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There is a lot of focus on learning as well as learning platforms. Over the years, assessment practices have evolved and with reference to India, the last 10 years have seen extreme growth. From OMR scanning, result processing to completely moving, most of the exams to the computer-based mode delivery have been a significant progress. Things like transparency, security among others have achieved great amount of success under the computer-based delivery mode. Further, the practice of digital evaluation has been adopted by many universities like Sikkim Manipal University and many others. That apart, many schools today also use innovative devices to engage studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responses and understand various concepts. However, we have moved from a paper-based mode to a computerbased mode. Have we really leveraged the technology to create an impact in assessments is a question that we need to ask ourselves. Also, we need to change the way the output is transmitted back to the student. Beyond grades and marks, there is hardly anything that reaches the student to help him improve his performance.

Education sector today is facing various challenges in terms of fake degrees, marksheets, etc. The reason behind it is that verification of these certificates, degrees or marksheets is extremely cumbersome and a time-taking process. Moreover, this comes out when a student goes to the market and applies for a job. Some of the recruiting agencies say that one out of five resume is fake in some respect, either a person shows fake qualification or a fake experience. Now, the question is how do we really solve this challenge? Though many steps can be taken to escape this, the problem is that the moment a person gets a document photocopied, the whole content becomes diluted and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more or less reserved to the photocopy only. Moreover, there is nobody who can verify the authenticity of the photo copy. So, this is the area we can work into providing document security. Also, with all the technology in place, identifying fake certificates and degrees is still a challenge. We have to create a platform of secure evidencing ensuring that the data is recorded in a secured way and it is strictly verifiable without the originatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interference.

We have some of the accreditations by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the professional courses by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In an institute, it is not just about the distribution of degrees, but the overall personality development of the students. So, once we impart education to the students, there is also a need to monitor institutes and universities keeping in mind how they are performing and impart learning. There is a need to stress on teaching, learning, consultancies, extend services, co-curricular activities, whether they are maintaining ethical and moral values and so on. Hence, for any educational institute, accreditation is must. There must be unbiased checking of the papers, which will enhance the competitive spirit among the universities. So, accreditation is a must for education institutions, universities, and it must be done by an independent, autonomous body. If there is an accreditation, the government bodies also come forward to see that recruitment is done as often as possible so that the teaching-learning process can be synced in.

RAJEEV MENON, Head of Assessments, MeriTrac Services

HEMANT GAUR, Innovation Architect, Pitney Bowes

PROF GSN RAJU, Vice Chancellor, Andhra University

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Panelists at Session 6 of Day 1 of the 5th elets World Education Summit

If we see the scenario of higher education in India, it is quite alarming despite a number of efforts being put in by the government, educational institutions, universities and affiliating agencies, etc. In 2025, India will have the largest population in the age group of 25-30, which means that we have a talented pool of young people if they are properly nurtured and given proper education. Nevertheless, no one can dare at present to start engineering colleges because the admission rates are going down. Some of the institutions which are not performing very well are on the verge of closing. We talk of the quality education but when we talk of quality there are certain parameters. Earlier, our approach was completely input-based measurement. For instance, if a university has 10,000 students and the other has the intake of 2,000 students, then the university with the larger intake was considered good. However, today the time has changed as the education is output-based. All our assessments are qualitative rather than quantitative. So, we need to do the assessment of those parameters which define quality. Prof P K GARG, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University

POINTS TO PONDER: u u u u

Education moving from paper-based mode to computer-based mode Identifying fake certificates and degrees is still a challenge Unbiased checking of papers to enhance competitive spirit Education is output-based, and more qualitative than quantitative

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

INTERVIEW

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Tying Bilateral Education Knot

Looking forward to make ties with the Indian education sector, Andrew Taggart, Acting Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University, is keen to begin research tie-ups in the field of agriculture, education and engineering. In tete-a-tete with Prathiba Raju of Elets News Network (ENN), Taggart talks about the scope for Indian students in Murdoch University for higher studies Please throw light on the ties between Murdoch University and India. Most of our ties with India have begun with research in agriculture, infectious diseases, with some in education and in engineering. We are trying to make those research activities broaden as long as we get partnerships with Indian universities around research. We then look to broadening these partnerships to include the potential of jointly great programmes, PHD programmes, and post graduate programmes. What kind of new courses are offered? We have strengthened film study and cinematography from a long time. We’ve researched that area and have our potential partners here in India.

Can you please elaborate on the type of research Murdoch University conducts where Indian students can participate? One of the on going research on Nanotechnology is looking at bone regrowth and facial reconstruction and the experimental work is also happening here. So, we are looking at generating new bone growth for facial reconstruction for road trauma and other accidents. The biotechnology is related to growing algae to produce energy. The partnership is looking at how flourishing algae fuels can be used to produce energy in a sustainable manner with no pollutions and no bad emissions. Why do you think that more Indian students are coming to Australia for studies? We have had a long history of Indian students coming to eastern side of Australia. We would like to encourage them to come to Murdoch University in Perth, the only city on the west coast facing the Indian Ocean. Australia is a very safe and environmentally conscious society, and the Australian dollar is very cheap to come and study in Australia. There are lots of other good reasons as well like high quality education, welcoming people and safe environment. Which are the popular subjects among Indian stdudents in Australian Universities? Most of the students in Murdoch study engineering and IT. We would also like

to diversify into food, food production, energy studies, and the creative arts. What are the takeaways you are looking for from the World Education Summit? I think we are recognised as an international nature of education with the fact that education is a global industry and it doesn’t matter if it is secondary education, vocational education or university education. It’s a global enterprise that we need to learn. We can learn a lot from India around engineering, IT, cultural studies and valuing culture as a part of history, wonderful tradition of languages within this country. So, it’s a global village and Murdoch is a global university and we want to be positioned that way. That’s the reason why I have come here to learn more about Indian education through this spectrum at the World Education Summit. By 2020 how many Indian students will Murdoch University give admissions to and what type of courses will be introduced? Murdoch University is a global university and wants to grow its global partnerships. So, we want to have more international students coming to our university and spend more time overseas. We have our intensive 10 weeks or a short course of intensive two weeks that is required to support and help students coming to Australia. We have many more international students coming to Murdoch University. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 Higher Session 7 Education Track Learning Today: Mobile, Virtual, Interactive

Panelists at Session 7 of Day 1 of the 5th elets World Education Summit

Learning Today

Mobile, Virtual, Interactive With the growing demand of technology in education, it is imperative that technology is playing a big role in transforming the way education is imparted. There is a growing affinity by the Indian youth for new technologies and products such as tablets, notebooks, LMS and IWB, educational institutes and schools as there is a huge potential for technology to be integrated into education industry. The session ‘Learning Today: Mobile, Virtual, Interactive’ highlights expert opinion on the effective methods of learning

DR. P BALAKRISHNA SHETTY

We lay too much emphasis on effective methods of teaching, whereas we should concentrate on effective methods of learning, says Dr P Balakrishna Shetty, Vice Chancellor, Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur Moderator: DR. P BALAKRISHNA SHETTY, Vice Chancellor, Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur

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How can the classrooms be made better? Through answer first and discuss next approach - in each class instead of giving a lecture, we should involve each student in an assessment form. In this technique, faculty members question the students first and then start taking the class as per the students’ knowledge and the responses given in the answer sheet, making the class interactive. Advanced technology is another tool which helps in complete understanding of the subject to the student. Mechanically imposing data and overwhelming amount of information will not help students in decision making or making them wiser. Students can learn only by stimulating intellectual energy and striving for all-round development of the students by involving them in various social projects.

The Indian automotive industry today is the fourth largest automotive market by volume and it contributes to seven per cent of the country’s GDP, with more than six million vehicles to be sold by 2020.This has led to strong human resource requirement in the industry, where at present we have 19 million people directly or indirectly employed in the automotive sector in India today, according to the Make in India website. This number is expected to touch 40 million by 2022, pointing to a huge requirement of automotive professionals to keep the booming Indian market sustainable in terms of human resource. There is an alarming skills gap in the auto ready industry professionals in the country that needs immediate attention. The last impact which is very strongly felt is the influence of consumer electronics and the gamification of learning concepts. VARUN SURI, Senior Manager, Automotive Aftermarket, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Dr P BALAKRISHNA SHETTY, Vice Chancellor, Sri Siddharth Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur

POINTS TO PONDER:

u Answer first and discuss next- an effective method of learning u Usage of advanced technology u Involvement of social projects necessary u Human resource requirement in automotive industry u 40 million automotive professionals required by 2022 u Gap in auto-ready industry professionals u Quality of research output falling down u Focus on the course, learning of the student and the outcome of the course u Important drivers of learning are utility, desire, availability and cost

Today’s generation is driven by aspiration and ambition but with certain other features. The purchasing power of people has gone up because of increasing opportunities and better welfare of parents. And the availability is dependent on the demand, which drives the supply. Besides, there are lots of business models available nowadays with the support of technologies. PROF P RAMESHAN Director, IIM Rohtak

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Paradigm shift needed to check education

Education should not be treated as a profit-making business, rather it has to be a medium that helps the next generation contribute meaningfully to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth, says, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Delhi, in an interview with Prathiba Raju and Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN)

Delhi

What are the initiatives undertaken by the Delhi Government in education sector? The Delhi Government has doubled the education budget in the State. This indicates our intention that we are serious about improving the standard of education in the national capital. We want to make education career-oriented and skill education is our priority. Our focus is to make people better citizens through education. A larger chunk in India is still following the age-old trends in education; and is yet to adopt innovations. To overcome such issues, the first and foremost job done by the Government was increasing the budget for education. Our idea was to give emphasis on good education, while other policies can be framed later. We have not doubled the budget just for the sake of doing it, but we have actually done a micro-level planning to implement it. We intend to make both the Government and private schools up to the mark.

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We must invest more and more in education sector and produce more Homi K Bhabha and C V Raman-like crusaders. Also, it is needless to say that invention of zero in India was a great achievement, and we keep innovating. We need to learn from progressive countries where Newton invented the law of gravity centuries ago, and then they have Mark Zuckerberg today who introduced Facebook in keeping with the changing trends. Twitter has also occupied sizeable virtual space, we should also do something like that. What is the skill education plan of the Government and roadmap to implement it? We are including skill education as a part of the main curriculum in over 1000+ government schools run by us. We will reduce the curricula of Class IX-XII by 25 per cent and add innovative elements in it. We will focus more on job skills and vocational skills. We are working on it and have prepared a very comprehensive plan for that. We will take forward the vocational education and skill development in a planned manner. The robotic classes and innovation cubes will be seen in government schools positively in the next one to two years and incubation centres will be established in colleges. We are also setting up a Skill University for building career of students and opening future prospects for them as per the requirement of job market. We have been running a Skill Development Centre in Delhi in collaboration with the Government of Singapore to train the students in various trades. In schools, there should be freedom to educate and freedom to innovate. However, they cannot be allowed to loot. The government will keep a check on and record of it. By and large, government schools in Delhi have become a comfort zone for employees, and private players see schools as a profit-making business. This has to be curbed. How do you encourage teachers in government schools and is there

any scope for volunteer teachers? Teachers in government schools are very talented. As a pilot project to encourage them, we have started changing the ambience of 54 government schools. We are training our teachers and fixing their responsibilities. We are giving all kinds of facilities at these 54 schools in the first phase, and later all schools will be covered. Besides, we are all set to start â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Be the Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; programme and will invite interested people, who can educate children. If anyone has the time to spare, he can come to our schools and teach students. To begin with the programme, we requested the President of India to be the first such teacher for a day and he happily agreed. We want classrooms to be a place of revolution where all people who think they are fit to teach can contribute to the cause. We have started a Twitter account @ Minister_Edu for posting updates and sharing information. Interested candidates can also drop me an e-mail at msisodia@gmail.com for engagementrelated queries. Do you think technology can be a game changer in the education sector? Over the years, science and technology have changed the dimensions of the education sector. The entire world is revolving around technology-based applications today, and most of them are designed and developed by youngsters of 18-25 years in other countries. Our country too has innovative brains and capable people, but our schools have not been able to exploit their potential. Moreover, Government schools in Delhi are still deprived of high-tech education. This depicts the ground reality and we are trying to bridge the gap. Therefore, we have deiced to empower our schools and educational institutions through technology so that they drive students the right way. Actually we need to shift the entire paradigm, and it is not possible without proper education. The Government invites all the stakeholders to join us in our endeavour, as without their par-

ticipation, the desired goals cannot be achieved. It is not the Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job alone, but the society as a whole has a responsibility towards it. We have to understand our responsibilities towards education. How can your initiatives help generate employment and be a model to emulate? Every year around 2.5 lakh students pass out 10+2 from the government and private schools of Delhi, but it is an irony that there are not adequate arrangements for even one lakh students to accommodate for higher and professional studies. This needs to be rectified. To provide education to all, the incumbent Government has decided to help poor students get education loan even for pursuing ITI and polytechnic courses. This facility was earlier available to only 10+2 pass-out students who opt for premier institutes to pursue higher studies. We have to expedite this initiative. We are also planning to connect skill development with the tourism sector to eradicate unemployment at tourist spots in the country. This model is quite popular in other countries. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 Higher Session 8 Education Track Technological Trends

Growing Impact of

Technology

With the growing influx of technology in education, there is a growing impact witnessed in the sector. The stakeholders from the education sector still believe that the traditional way of teaching cannot be replaced completely by the technological advancements. The session dwells into the pros and cons of technology usage in the education framework

DR VINAYAK N SHET

The teaching in the classroom using the chalk is essential. One has to come up with something creative as copy-and-paste practice will not be much helpful. The teachers should be more interactive and an eye-to-eye contact should be developed while teaching DR. VINAYAK N SHET, Principal, Goa College of Engineering

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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The teaching in the classroom using the chalk is essential. One has to come up with something creative as ‘copy and paste’ practice will not be much helpful. The teachers should be more interactive and an eye to eye contact should be developed while teaching. Further, reading habit among students is diminishing these days because they want that every content must be available on mobile and on other technical platforms virtually. We, as an institution, are providing 26 books for the students per year for two semesters. However, there might be a few books which are written even without opening a page. Also, with the SMS language coming up, students’ way of writing has been affected. So, we should emphasise on a proper reading and writing method, apart from learning extra from the technology.

There is no doubt that the technological advancement will certainly help education to improve. With the advancement in technology, education can be more effective and efficient. However, does education only mean aiming at the information transfer? A skilled driver crosses the red light, a case like Nirbhaya gangrape takes place, highly-educated engineers indulge in crime activities- is this the education that we are imparting? There is a need to focus more on education. It is been witnessed at many places that what a person is supposed to do is actually not doing that. It is good that today we have various technological advancements like mobile computing or other kinds of digital communication. However, the need is to focus majorly on our primary education, which will be actually a useful educator in the future. Generally, in India, we have 30 per cent having the higher education, but what about the 70 per cent who don’t even get newspapers. So, before heading towards the higher education, we need to concentrate more on the primary education.

DR. VINAYAK N SHET, Principal, Goa College of Engineering

PROF IP SHARMA, Dean (Quality & Material), Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College

Fruitful deliberations being held at the WES 2015 at LeMeridien, New Delhi

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Day 1 Higher Session 8 Education Track Technological Trends

POINTS TO PONDER: u u u u

Chalk and talk method to remain Under virtual method, student loses interest Emphasis required on reading-and-writing method Focus should be on primary education

One important parameter about education is environment. If we are not taking care of it, then we are not able to give proper education. We can use technology as a good assistant that may help us in improving and achieving the knowledge. However, one of the important points is that the technology has started to hamper the retaining power. People think that things are available on Google, but we cannot retain knowledge in our mind as our teachers were retaining for a long time. However, the thing is whether we are serving the society by this education or retracting it from our culture. There is a concept that a particular teacher is ideal, the reason being punctuality, honesty, commitment, etc. These are the things we cannot get from technology, only a human being can play this role. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the developed countries are recruiting from India. DR. SHARIF AHMAD, Dean (Faculty of Natural Science), Jamia Millia Islamia

We have been hearing a lot about the benefits of technology. However, there is a need to talk about something more. The first and foremost is that we have heard a lot about virtual reality and some intricate topics can be taken into it very well. Nevertheless, while going through the virtual reality, one thing that the student loses is the power of visualisation. For instance, we have seen that movies have been made on many books and we always say that a book is better than a movie because while reading a book, we visualise a lot on our own. Also, the classroom and teachers cannot be replaced by open-source education. The talk and chalk is even taken up by the US researchers and they have said that even in the US, professors use chalk and board rather than going for the presentations for teaching. It is because in this process, a teacher becomes the secondary person and it is that with animation and use of other technological methods, education can be made easier but parallely, students also lose interest. DR REENA SINGH, Associate Dean, Student Welfare, Krishna Institute of Engineering & Technology

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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Day 2 Higher Session 1 Education Track Vocational Education in Economic Development

Vocation to

Upgrade Youth With the country having a tough time in the employment sector, and universities rolling out desirable candidates, a gap to enable vocational jobs to the youth and not being suitable for the market has been prevalent. Policy makers should buckle up to engage educational institutions in carrying out courses to meet the demand influx in the employment sector

PROF (DR) SATISH C SHARMA

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Our youth are our strength, let the youth get those skills that contribute towards a string nation.” Since we start our education just by taking knowledge, nothing is taught in terms of jobs. If you really look at vocational education, we don’t have a single university offering vocational courses.

Prof (Dr) Satish C Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director, Maharaja Group of Colleges

Sandhy Rani, State Project Director, AP Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan & Comissioner & Director of School Education (FAC), Andhra Pradesh Government and Santosh Birari, MD, Odisha Knowledge Corporation Ltd. were felicitated at the Plenary session at WES 2015 digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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A Dream to Educate & Empower children What is the strategy to enlarge Dream India chain pan-India and its roadmap? Last year, we had tied up with the largest school education provider in the world. We have opened 150 new schools in the current academic session, and our plan is to start 500 new schools in the next academic session. We are expanding our business in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, etc. We are also studying the rules and regulations of states and understanding the expectations of the parents. We are conducting surveys to un-

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

derstand the need of the areas and then we will open schools. With our present systems, parents are happy as there is no homework burden, no tuitions and no bags. Students can keep their bags in the school itself. We have an assessment system that calculates the progress of children throughout the year. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let our students deviate from academics. This practice leads to our students becoming masters in all subjects. After passing out 10+2 from our schools, most of the students get selected in IIT/ PMT and other competitive exams. This

Private schools are providing quality education to children, thereby helping the nation in its development. Dream India Schools fit into the affordable private schools model, and the fee range is `12,000 to `20,000 based on the area, says Raju Sangani, Director, Dream India School, in an interview with Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN) happens because of the strong foundation they are getting in our schools. What is the vision of Dream India Schools? Dream India is an initiative to educate and empower the mass population with a focus on qualitative and affordable education. We are providing quality education at an affordable fee structure. We are currently present in eight states having 370 school branches. Most of our schools are located in rural areas and towns. Therefore, we keep a lower fee

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structure. Though we don’t invest much on infrastructure and buildings, we never compromise on academics, and our level is equal to any international school in academics. We take buildings on rent and provide all required materials and basic requirements. We have an integrated system with us. We have prepared our academic programmes keeping in mind the mindset of parents belonging to middle class and lower middle class families. We take complete academic responsibility of children. Our schoolchildren do not require home tuition and outside coaching for preparation of engineering and medical entrance examinations. Everything is available under one roof. We provide study hours in our school for the students of Classes VI to X. Then, home work and various other things are done in the school itself. We also provide IIT and medical foundation courses to our Class VI to X students throughout the year, along with regular classes. In addition, we provide extra-curricular activities and weekend activities, which is important for overall development of the students. Our schools are responsible for overall development of children i.e. computer education, digital classes, online classes and various other activities. Our vision is to spread all over India to start 3,000 schools and we are moving in that direction. What technology have you introduced in your schools to ease learning for the students? We understand that technology is the need of the hour today. We have already introduced remote teaching classes in our schools like online class. We have a studio at our national office in Hyderabad from where expert teachers deliver their lectures and all students across all branches get the benefit of it. This is an online teaching facility. Besides, we have a digital lab in our schools. We are teaching through digital classes too. We have established an English language lab in all our schools. We are also preparing a teaching content library so that the sessions of all the lectures will be

recorded and whenever a student wants to study a particular lesson, he can get the video easily. It will be done for all chapters from Class I to Class X. Do you have teachers’ training programme to keep your staff up-todate? To provide quality education for students, teachers must be trained. In rural areas, we don’t get good teachers. Therefore, we believe in teachers’ training, for which we also have a department in our organisation. We have experts who conduct training programmes for our teaching staff five times a year, while we impart training to our principals eight times a year. There is a continuous training programme for teachers and principals to develop their subject knowledge. They are trained on how to teach in the classroom, improve the performance of students, use technology in education, get content and reference books, etc. As we know, spoken English is a major challenge in rural areas, we are providing training to teachers. Likewise, we conduct a day-long training session for principals every 45 days. What is your take on skill education, and do you offer vocational training courses? This year, we have introduced Dream India Skill Centres. Out of 370 schools, we have identified some places to start with. We have started it on a pilot basis. Apart from education, we are also honing the skills of our students in Skill Centres. It is not only for our school children, outsiders can also attend our training programmes. Courses change according to the requirement of the area. While in some areas, emphasis is laid on computer education, electronics and mechani-

cal courses are being run in other areas. We cover all trades, but it differs from one area to another. We are thinking of helping candidates get placement after completing our programmes. It is a part of our strategy. We give them certificates, but it is not affiliated to any university or government. The duration of the course depends and ranges from 45 days to six months. Moreover, we are charging very nominal fee in Skill Centres. Do you encourage BYOD or other technology sync with academics? Most of our schools are in rural areas, where parents cannot afford Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)-like technology. So, whatever technology is required for quality education, we provide it to the students from school itself. The paying capacity is less in urban areas, and parents cannot afford the instruments required. However, we are planning to implement this model in our schools. Though, initially, we are in the process of starting it in urban areas. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 2 Higher Session 3 Education Track International Education Initiatives

International Education Initiatives

Learning and Collaborative Opportunities

The session on International Education Initiatives: Learning and Collaborative Opportunities laid focus on the views of experts from across the shore on the various global education initiatives. It highlighted the need for going beyond the Indian soil and exploring varied new opportunities in international education

PROF ALLAN ROCK

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India is weak in internationalisation owing to shortage of seats in education institutions for its own students. Hence, attracting global students has never been a priority. Things are changing with a few models getting implemented. For instance, at Gujarat Technical University, there are 112 professors from various universities of Europe and North America who are working as adjunct professors, giving the global flavour to Indian education. In further initiatives, the Ministry of Human Resource Development recently decided that they will get 1,000 foreign professors to come and teach at central universities under a project called Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN). DR AKSHAI AGGARAWAL, Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Technological University

India and Canada have similar issues in the higher education domain including ensuring access, quality, establishing effective relationship with countries, maintaining academic independence and of course skills gap. However, a sufficiently strong relationship between Canada and India in the sphere of education and collaboration either through student exchange, mobility, or research partnerships is yet to be established. I think we have a great deal to learn from each other and that is the main reason Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m participating in the WES 2015. It is nice to learn more about how India and its institutions are confronting the challenges of meeting the market domains on one hand and educating the population on the other. Exchange of viewpoints, perspectives and experiences would lead to a common advantage. PROF ALLAN ROCK, President, University of Ottawa

India is the third largest system of higher education with 27.5 million students. While enrolment in higher education has grown six times in the last 30 years, faculty strength has grown only four times, resulting in shortage of faculty and high student-teacher ratio. Our higher education sector today doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough good quality institutions particularly technological institutions to meet the growing aspirations and the requirement of our present youth. PROF ASHA KADYAN, Vice Chancellor, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya

POINTS TO PONDER:

u Need to create strong hold in international studies u Mixed faculty reaps in cultural and educational advantages u MHRD to bring 1,000 foreign professors under the GIAN project u Higher education challenges in India similar to those in Canada u Ensuring access, quality, establishing effective relationship with countries, maintaining academic independence and skills gap u Enrolment has grown six times in 30 years but faculty strength has grown only four times u Globalisation has transformed the job markets and the careers

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Prof VSS Kumar speaks on the benefits of collaborative system at WES 2015

To increase internationalisation, the dual degree programme is a good option for the students. Even 10-15 years back, universities taught this collaborative system. It enables students to make use of their vacations to enroll in different programmes at foreign universities and enhance their talent. PROF VSS KUMAR, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada

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Currently higher education in India from past five years has been undergoing a sea change followed by unprecedented challenges. There is need for additional capacity of at least 50 million seats in the education system. There is a gap between the industry requirements and the courses that students are learning. Globalisation has transformed the job markets and the careers. Today, the industry wants employees with an exposure to global market. Going for internationalisation is an imperative for not only the premier institutions, but also the entire education segment as a whole.

The culture and practice in education is almost similar to that of India in Bangladesh. In terms of international collaboration, Bangladesh is focusing on India and Malaysia. One of the major challenges in the Bangladesh education system is the lack of use of ICT. It is mostly print-based and the teaching strategy is mostly teaching-centric and not learnercentric. With limited access to resources, inclusivity of the learners is missing.

DR O.R.S. RAO, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI University, Ranchi

MUSTAFA AZAD KAMAL, Bangladesh Open University

INTERVIEW

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Reinforcing Better Education With its origin in Delhi/NCR, Sanfort started its journey in 2009 and has succeeded well with its nearly 90 branches spread across the country. S K Rathor, Director, Sanfort Group of Schools talks to Akanki Sharma & Bhawna Satsangi of Elets News Network (ENN) about how the institution is planning to provide quality education to every child in the country What is the vision of Sanfort as far as quality education is concerned? We started Sanfort in 2009 with a vision to provide quality education to every child of the country. We began with our first branch in Delhi/NCR and now have nearly 90 branches across the country. Moreover, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wish to be confined only to the big cities like Delhi, Bangalore and other metros. Our vision also involves reaching to the small towns. What expansion plans do you have for Sanfort? We started with a playschool and now we have primary schools as well. This shows that we are not stuck to the preschool education only. Our vision is to first create a chain of playschools and then move forward to the primary school and to the K-12 schools later. We have already started primary schools and our target is to reach all the cities of the country with playschools first, then primary schools and finally the K-12 schools. Are you also looking forward to open your branches in tier-II and III cities? We have already marked our presence in tier-II and III cities. Our branches are in small towns like Aligarh, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Bijapur and Gulbarga in Karnataka.

become strong? When we go to tier-II and III cities, there is a huge gap in the quality and we need to train the teachers first for which we have our own technology platforms. The process involves training the teachers first. So, the focus is more on the quality of teachers in tier-II and III cities for a better delivery of quality education to the children of small towns also.

What initiatives Sanfort is taking to bring quality education so that the foundation years of the children

How did you find the World Education Summit (WES) 2015 as a platform for Sanfort to participate and

what are the takeaways? World Education Summit is a very good and informative platform. One had the opportunity to meet, interact and share the vision with people from different countries, along with getting a lot of information. One also came to know what people of Dubai are expecting from early education and what kind of education system is there in other countries and states. So, WES is a very good interactive platform Elets Technomedia has created. It deserves appreciation for taking such an initiative. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 2 Higher Session 4 Education Track Bridging the Skills Gap

Integrating

Industry Academia The industry academia in India has been mostly on the go to obtain a premium learning in its schools and ensuring the students garner niche education to meet the rising demands of employment sector. In the present times of knowledge economy, a productive interface between academia and industry is a critical requirement. Failure to recognise each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role will reduce the import of interface between institutes and industry and this can potentially give rise to mismatch between demand and supply of quality manpower. The session on Bridging the Skills Gap showcases how the void can be filled

GURMEET SINGH DHALIWAL

Four aspects of the unique industry academia-interface model are: Adopt for long term collaboration Redesign the curriculum Evaluate certification of students for industry Absorption of certified students by the industry GURMEET SINGH DHALIWAL, Chairman, Baba Farid Group of Institutions

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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In an industry where there is a plethora of opportunities to look forward to, what is left is searching for the right candidate. It should be clear what we look in a prospective employee. An employee will provide the necessary attitude and skills if correct guidance is initiated. You give them attitude, we will teach them skills, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t teach a horse to climb a tree. It takes time to generate the right amount of skills. It should be harnessed during the employment. Agar kuch nahi kar sakte toh skills karlo (If nothing works, then one should do skill education). This is what comprehended from skill learning, but it is a different picture altogether. The National Skills Quality Framework has some key aspects: Quality of training, infrastructure assessment, adequate compensation, in short, the universe of skill development is doing fine. The current government has ensured to practice National Skills Day, for skilling the abilities. The basic thing which an employer should keep in mind is developing the curriculum, make them understand their future of the job. Apprentice opportunities like skill slab opens the gate to teach, participate in assessment, encourages the employer to recognise the skills. But there is a gap, not much is explored yet for retiring employers. These should be used as trainers, we should hire them, pursue them or request them to train, working professionals, industry should move into hiring certified candidates. We should make skilling aspirational for both boys and girls. Academia should set skill lab to provide simulation to the students and generate in them the real time look and feel. Academia is a far away thing for college dropouts, plenty of things needs to be done, and this is just a drop in the ocean. 70 per cent havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even seen college. We should not get overwhelmed by skill development, a much larger role is required. HARSH MEHROTRA, Head Trainings, Mahendra Skills Training & Development Pvt Ltd

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time ensuring the right vocation to the right resource is very necessary. Today, a business magnate tells me how to teach or train teachers, where an industry expert comes and tells me, I will teach you the assessment process, how to create a curriculum. My core profession is been taken by somebody, that is the issue that needs to be taken care of. Doctors, bureaucrats and engineers acquire basic skills that are common to all professions. The university can provide them the right choice, the right market, mandatory basic human competence, professional and business combined together. PROF MITHILESH DIXIT, Vice Chancellor, Career Point University, Kota

The session on Bridging the Skill Gap at WES 2015

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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POINTS TO PONDER:

u An employee will provide the necessary attitude and skills if correct guidance is initiated u Right vocation should be given to the right resource u Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ignore the responsibility for the people of the unorganised sector u Experiential learning cannot replace any form of learning

The topic regarding skill development is very interesting. I have done my engineering in automobile as I was interested in working with cars. But after four years, I ended up not having a job. My only option was to work in a garage and gain experience. I sensed that my degree was not good enough for my practical skills and unable to relate with the physical components of the car. We developed two elements in partnership with institutions and set up an automotive lab to help students feel the different components, simulation exercises, etc. We also want to partner with skill development firms. A conventional way of learning or experiential learning cannot replace any form of learning. VARUN SURI, Senior Manager, Automotive Aftermarket, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

After years of research, to bridge the skills gap, we at BFGI (Baba Farid Group of Institutions) have come up with a unique model for skilling India, the solution side of it. India by far has the largest higher education institutes in the world. The engineering colleges here are growing at 20 per cent per annum and the Bschools are growing at 60 per cent per annum. The academia is not getting sufficient placements, and the industry is not getting good employees, quality side needs to be looked upon. There is a lack of quality supply, and there could be multiple reasons for it: lack of regular industry academia interface, lack of job oriented and skilled based curriculum, lack of evaluation and solutions of practical skills and lack of internship and apprenticeship opportunities in the academic world. GURMEET SINGH DHALIWAL, Chairman, Baba Farid Group of Institutions

A person having knowledge cannot ensure that he has skills too. We expect our teachers to have a different set of skills. As per our society, we perceive the person taught in the class to be at a lower, we have engrained certain misconceptions in our mindset like creating a hierarchy. Some things have to be changed. We cannot ignore our responsibility we have for our society. We should think about the people employed in the unorganised sector. And working on a methodology through equipments must be taken care of as human resources are free resources in the country. For the research labs, the government recruits best of talent and trained them for two years. It is an investment for their training, and personalities are generated for the industry we cater to. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for us from industry side to reflect upon. PROF SWAPAN BHATTACHARYA, Director, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal

INTERVIEW

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Delivering Education the Right Way Education sector witnessing improvement everyday, quality has become a major factor to treat it right. Kalthoom Al Balooshi, Executive Director, Education Development, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai talks to Prathiba Raju of Elets News Network (ENN) about Dubai’s perspective of Indian education There are a lot of opportunities for the Indian education sector to explore in Dubai. Can you please elaborate on it? Over the past seven years, Dubai has seen a growth rate of five to seven per cent in the education sector. Moreover, in the Indian community itself, there is a need for 40 per cent curriculum schools after the new expansion. So, there are huge opportunities for quality Indian curriculum schools to come and expand in Dubai and for the expertise who understand the Indian curriculum to come and be a part of the education sector in Dubai. What expectations do you have from the primary and higher education in India. How do you see the Indian education sector from Dubai’s perspective? Back in Dubai, we have a definition for quality, which is defined by the inspection rating, national agenda and our resultant terms and conditions. So, that is our expectation when it comes to quality and we also understand that it’s all about having students who are able to achieve and do something different, who are ready for the future. This is the

type of quality we are looking for, things that are focussed on the students’ achievements. How many Indian students schools are there in Dubai? How do you think it will develop by 2020? There are almost 80,000 students with 31 Indian curriculum schools in Dubai and we are expecting around 40 per cent more students in the Indian curriculum schools. That’s what the numbers tell us and we understand that there might be some different numbers coming up too because this is the general growth rate and it might be much more in the future. Looking at the latest statement, the Prime Minister of India, on his visit to Dubai, said, “We undersatnd that there are few government schools and we will be working as well on increasing the Indian curriculum schools in Dubai.” How do you see the Indian education sector from Dubai as a whole in graphs? The Indian education sector is attracting different nationalities and is actually addressing the need of the market because of the population of the Indian community. It’s growing very fast, at-

tracting the needs, and working hard towards the quality education. What differences do you see in the Indian education sector when compared to the UK and US-based education system? We have two of the Indian curriculm schools, which are rated as outstanding when compared to US, UK and others. In terms of rating, to get outstanding is quite high but they are actually addressing the whole need. So, it’s not the curriculum, it’s how they are delivering the curriculum. If a curriculum is able to reach outstanding, it covers all the requirements from achievement of the student to his well-being. We can expect more schools which will be under the outstanding rating. Dubai has some 200 million dollar revenue for Indian curriculum. Can you just elaborate on it how it is right now and how it will be in the next five years? Depending on the capacity, it could be doubled or tripled. n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 2 Higher Session 5 Education Track Usage of Big Data & Cloud Computing

Technological

Revolution Rapid advancement of technology and the development of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, the issues of reach and quality are addressed by enabling low cost implementation of IT tools

MANEESH SHARMA

Cloud is helping the educational organisations and institutions to look at applications on a standalone basis. The other thing to be looked at is the concept of mobile. With the help of Cloud applications, one is being able to deliver information from various applications to mobile devices. It is now possible to deliver nuggets of information to learners, which is also called micro learning. Looking at the usage of mobile phone, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-dominantly notification-based. So, with the Cloud application, one is able to push information to students, thereby increasing the interaction between the teacher and the student. It helps bring in the concept of flip classrooms. However, looking at the consequences of Cloud, because of the proliferation of applications, the amount of data which is created is anonymous MANEESH SHARMA, CRO, WizIQ

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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It is a digital era and so, we need to accelerate with speed in the right direction. It is the direction of intelligence that determines the pace of growth. However, the question is - “Are we using the right as well as the latest technology?” Digital learning is not meant to replace traditional learning, rather it empowers us to accelerate the right direction of the educational growth. While the prominence of Big Data is understood beyond business mission and criticality, it’s important to accept that the Cloud will become the next movers and shakers for the Internet of Things (IOT). The way ahead is to connect, collaborate and commit. India is fast emerging as high-growth market of cloud services. Moreover, Big Data is everywhere and there is almost an urgent need to collect whatever data is being generated. Big Data analytics has become crucial as it aids in improving business and providing a biggest edge to the competitors. DR RSK LAKSSHMANA PRABHU, Co-Chairman, PSNA College of Engineering & Technology

POINTS TO PONDER: u u u u u

Digital learning empowers to accelerate educational growth Big Data and Cloud will be essential keys for Internet of Things Cloud helps in developing micro learning skills Cloud promotes flipped classrooms trend to a great extent Find apt skills required for computer science and engineering

The first and foremost thing we need to do is to really look inward and figure out how our faculties are going to be accepted in the society at large and then things will automatically fall in place. It is also essential to look at what set of skills are required in computer science and engineering. As a matter of fact, one of the critical areas is the automobile data, which is quite voluminous. This data needs to be sorted. There is a need to have an inductive as well as descriptive type of statistical tools. This is one of the important aspects as far as developing business intelligence is concerned. Even in Big Data, the core of computer science and engineering, data structures, algorithms, coding, etc. have to be taken over by Big Data analytics, mobile computing, Cloud Computing and so on and so forth. On one side, all of us are excited about ‘Make in India’ and its huge impact whereas on the other hand, there is not enough faculty and many seats are lying vacant in engineering institutes. Needless to say, there is a need to re-think whether we are ready for this type of a rapid change or do we need some time to absorb the rapid advancement and go systematically. SS GOKHALE, Director, LNM Institute of Information Technology

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 2 Education Track New Education Policy & Educational Reforms

Overhauling Education

Through Reforms Overhauling of the education system is the need of the hour. The new education reforms introduced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development will bring a change in the ailing system. Bhawna Satsangi of Elets News Network (ENN) writes about how industry experts feel about the grey areas of education and how new education policy will aid to make the system better

According to the New Education Policy, despite improvements in access and retention in elementary education, the learning outcomes for a majority of children continue to be an area of serious concern. According to a research, children are not learning the basic skills during their schooling. Many children who reach grade V cannot even read and do simple arithmetic calculations

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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ocusing to improve upon the education system in India, the Ministry of Human Resource Development calls for a revision of education policy. If India needs to excel in education and attain a vision, it is necessary to make reforms in the education policy to bring a change in the ailing education system. There must be a drastic overhaul of the education system running currently. To meet the changing dynamics of the quality education, innovation and research, the New Education Policy aims to make India a knowledge superpower by equipping its students with the necessary skills and knowledge and to eliminate the manpower shortage in the field of science, technology, academics, and industry. According to the New Education Policy, despite improvements in access and retention in elementary education, the learning outcomes for a majority of children continue to be an area of serious concern. According to a research, children are not learning the basic skills during their schooling. Many children who reach grade V cannot even read and do simple arithmetic calculations. The states are implementing reforms such as early grade reading, writing, comprehension and math programmes in conjunction with defining and measuring learning outcomes. The NCERT has completed three rounds of National Level Achievements Survey for Classes – III, V, & VII/VIII. States have been given funds to conduct state-level achievements surveys.

Digitisation is Imperative

To bring a change in the education structure, it is also essential to introduce digital learning to a great extent at the school level. The power of digital world can be used to really impart quality education, make change in the policy framework and enable credits to the students if they start using lectures on the MOOCs platform which can help them clear on the education space. “The right technology should be used to consider bandwidth issues and also help aspiring students’ population. Digital education is the key to success. The content has to be digitised and Microsoft sees that there is a huge momentum to start digital content,” says Pratik Mehta, Director, Education, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Digital Education has six Parameters

Digitisation of Content: Government of India has recently rolled out digitisation programmes like e-Bhasha, e-Basta and e-Pathshala, which are digitising all the NCERT books. As similar programmes are being taken over by some state governments also. Learning Mobility: We believe that education is what is taught within the classroom. While its important that teaching needs to be done within the classroom, there is enough learning that can also be grasped beyond the classroom, which means that students should get the similar experience beyond the classroom to understand the things much better. Skills and Employability: The reality of the ground today is that we as parents believe that we need to send students to school not to learn but actually to earn. Today, skilling has to be related to employability which is very important. There is enough unemployment in the country. The big gap between industry and academics needs to be bridged. Economic imperatives: It enables basic education to those who are not able to go to school regularly. There are options available by which students can enrich their knowledge. Ubiquitous Access: If students start unleashing the power of devices like tablet, smartphone, television, it will make an impact on learning. Cloud Computing: The beauty of cloud computing is that the content is available at one central location which can be consumed by anytime, anywhere. These parameters are critical to improve the quality of education and the government is seriously focusing on them to bring a revolution in the education at the school level. IT today has become an important ingredient in education.

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 2 Education Track New Education Policy & Educational Reforms

C Roul, Principal Secretary, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab

Universalisation of Education

With Universal Elementary education becoming a reality, near universalisation of secondary education is the next logical step. Further, universalisation of quality secondary education implies creating secondary schooling provisions of a defined standard irrespective of the location and management of the institution to accommodate all those eligible grade VIII and grade X students, who are willing to participate in the secondary and higher secondary education. A wide range of centrally sponsored schemes are being run by different secondary school institutions and bodies so as to ensure greater geographical coverage, social and gender inclusion and use of ICT for quality enhancement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is lot to be achieved in the educational sphere. Under the present circumstances and polished framework, it is inadequate to bring all the children to school. The kind of framework we have, we lack in enrolling millions of children. Do we have a regulatory framework to punish parents who do not send their children to school? To address this, we have to make an effort to ensure that each and every child should attend school. The regulatory framework should be developed in such a manner that all children should go to school,â&#x20AC;? feels C Roul, Principal Secretary, Department of School Education, Government of Punjab.

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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Dr G Immanuel, Chairman, CISCE, speaks about teacher quality concerns at WES 2015

Teacher Quality Concerns

The dropout ratio in school is increasing tremendously in rural and government schools. To address this issue, there are certain parameters to be taken care of like environmental issue, language of medium of instructions, separate toilets for boys and girls, non-competence of teachers, etc. Quality of teachers has been a major cause of worry in the country and one of the basic pre-requisites to improve quality of education. Competence of teachers and their motivation is crucial for improving the quality. Several initiatives are being taken for addressing shortages of secondary school teachers in mathematics, science and languages, improving the quality of pre-service teachers and in-service teachers professional development, enhancing the status of teaching as a profession, improving teachers’ motivation and their accountability for ensuring learning outcomes, and improving the quality of teacher education institutions and also teacher educators. “Re-introducing education policy will not improve quality of education. It will not bring teacher accountability which is almost zero in all parts of the country,” said Roul. Inspite of several efforts by the Central and State governments issues of large number of vacancies in both elementary and secondary levels, problems of untrained teachers, lack of professionalism in teacher training institutions, mismatch in training and actual classroom practices, teacher absenteeism and teacher accountability and involvement of teachers in non-teaching activities needs to be addressed. Teachers’ recruitment needs to be strengthened and merit based. Teacher’s training is also essential part to improve the quality of education. “The current education system, based on the erstwhile British Macaulay system of things, is not the best way of going. We are not creating real learners. IT needs to be integrated. We should not go back to the old slate, board or textbook versions. We need to go ahead. But the inertia is not moving forward,” reminisces Subrat Sahoo, Secretary, Department of School Education, Government of Chhattisgarh. In Chhattisgarh, the department of education has taken a few initiatives which are path breaking. For teachers’ training, other than the normal methods of ODL and regular teaching, a certificate course has been introduced. The teacher does not have to come to the SCERT or the DIET or to any teaching platform. They have to attend a one day orientation course and from their own place of posting they will be assessed at 15 days’ intervals over a period of three months. These 15 days period is also flexible and the teacher is free to take it as per his/her convenience. Parents’ Interaction: The main reason parents don’t send children to government schools is because of the falling standards of schools and teachers. They prefer to send their children to private school and they are accustomed to demand children’s right. This economics is missing in the government schools. Vocational Education: Not every place in Chhattisgarh has connectivity. The education department thinks about strengthening vocational education but not every place has a capacity to give vocational training. In this backdrop Chhattisgarh is the first state to inact and act which gives the student who has passed class VIII the right to acquire a skill. The right to skill development is an act which guarantees an applicant that within 90 days of the application, the department will give training in a skill, out of 52 possible skills options available. “There is a rapid change in innovation and technology. We are educators and teaching our children to get into job which will exist in future. We are trying to make our children learn to use technology and solve the problems because constantly time is changing,” says Dr G Immanuel, Chairman, CISCE. ICT can potentially make significant difference in improving the quality of education. The National Policy of ICT in School Education envisions and provides for the development of a holistic framework of ICT support in the school system. Mission Mode Project (MMP) on School Education would enable comprehensive technology enablement of the school education sector.

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 3 Education Track New Trends & Technology in Schools

Anytime, Anywhere

Learning

Access to information ‘anytime, anywhere’ is soon gaining momentum and ensuring that the learning sector in India earns this defining mantra for educational digital learning solution providers. The traditional classroom teaching model is slowly metamorphosed into digital education learning platform, turning into a self-driven, ‘eduprenuerial’ and fast industry, writes Jessy Iype of Elets News Network (ENN)

one are the days when students and teachers had the access to just blackboard classroom teaching. The new wave of digitisation has reaped in a plethora of technological solutions to help ease out not only the learning aspect but making school a platform for holistic development of the children through knowledge of their activities as well. Pupils nowadays are well-versed with Play Stations and iPads, via digital learning, and are making smart classroom environment more inclusive and participatory, thus transforming the education system into an IT-enabled education system. However, resistance to change along with certain infrastructure challenges is hindering the growth market India’s online education market, which is poised to reach $40 billion by 2017.

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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The Market Scope

Online learning or Live Virtual Classrooms (LVC) has opened new career avenues for young professionals who are driven to imbibe new skills – at the luxury and comfort of their own place and time. Ganesh S, Business Development Manager, DLP Products Texas Instruments (I) Pvt Ltd says, “Our product has millions of particle mirrors in classroom, DLP chip gets used in classroom projectors. This is nice chart on how technology is spent well globally. 50 billion of hardwares were purchased for classrooms globally, out of which 5 million classroom displays were purchased. 60 percent north American schools had interactive display. Asia has 18 million classrooms which have interactive display - anyone who has interactive display is using multimedia source for learning.” On how to use the innovative solutions effectively pan India, Ganesh said, “Broadly split this into how it has reaped in government and private schools. In government ones, there is use of ICT labs, scanner among others. There is a greater marriage between how a teacher can use innovations with students effectively. Engagement of students is far high in such classes. Lot of interactivity features are seen, like whitewall into interactive service, trying to make optical engine into ultra shot one, where no light falls on the teacher. This can help penetration in areas where there’s no power, transportable devices. All optical engines are hundred per cent sealed and not have filters and helps in total cost of ownership.”

Panacea to Tracking Child Activities

With the evolution of technologies such as the Cloud, Data Centers & Virtualisation, the digital education ecosystem that we forsee is not a distant reality. There is a growing affinity by Indian youth for new technologies and products such as tablets, notebooks, LMS and IWB, educational institutes, and schools as there is a huge potential for technology to be integrated into education industry. Trickling down to the K12 segment, number of rural schools and teachers are embracing the ‘self-learning’ teaching models, serving as a significant communication bridge between students and teachers. “It is important to understand how much we can do, certain cross checks, at right place and time to avoid multiple duplication of backups,” says Gaurav Singh, Country Head (Solution Division), Tech Smart Solutions. Talking about the company’s motto to ensure a holistic development for the child and provide a panacea for parent worries, Singh states, “In last three years, we have realised the need to incorporate technology for small children also as parents are unaware of children’s activities in school and their safety. We provide world leading technology solutions for security where parents can track their child in bus and schools, their daily activities whereabouts – empowered as parents, and this ensures progress of the child.” Schools nowadays offer smart solutions like Cashless facility called e-wallet as per the requirement or have Wi-Fi zones around the campus, says Singh. The digital platforms, by a huge margin, strategically deals with the less innovative pedagogy styles and lack of teachers for specialised subjects – giving students the best e-learning experience and seeding an element of independency in their learning style. “Now schools have smart solutions, like SOS buttons. In emergencies, students can talk to their near dear ones through telephone booths. Chatting with teachers and parents, assignments, biometric attendance, visitor management, admission management, smart class boards, among many other solutions ensure information of the child at every minute. We are revolutionising the sector through these solutions,” informs Singh.

Gaurav Singh, Country Head (Solution Division), Tech Smart Solutions on new technological trends in school at the WES 2015

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 3 Education Track New Trends & Technology in Schools

Dr Vandana Lulla, Director, Podar Group of International Schools, Mumbai moderating the session on new trends at WES

Security Checks

Apart from having technological solutions in classroom learning, it is also necessary to initiate security in the school campus. With the recent unsafe incidents being brought to light where children are left at the plight of suspicious in nature of guards, it is an eye-opener for us to act and save children from being abused and exploited. Gautam Goradia, CEO, Com-Sur, opines, “Technology is something that is in our hands to enhance the safety of our educational institution, of people who work there, the safety of children and so on. The philosophy of our technology like in case of video surveillance is not enough. Technology can help let us know about guard list and authencity of personnel in schools. Often if you see if the child is victimised he/she doesn’t realise what is happening to him or her. They complain many days later, maybe evidence or the footage is overwritten and nobody checks.” “There should be a mandate to have a CCTV, a visual anti-sabotage and many more. We must use technology that is simple and cost effective. And that should have outcomes. Schools need to monitor it daily as a standard operating procedure. Create a back up TV on a cloud or computer, to retain an evidence. There is a need to create standarised format using power point,” added Goradia.

To Show the Way

Digital alternatives like Integrated Digital Interactive Classroom (IDIC), Content Management System (CMS) and Classpad can bring an element of reliability in students – making them more competitive in their respective courses. Against this backdrop, there is a huge potential for educators in India to leverage the missing link between teachers and their students – and bridge the digital divide. Dr Vandana Lulla, Director, Podar Group of International Schools, Mumbai, says, “When I started my journey 16 years ago, there were only computer contracters in schools, then came interactive boards, smart boards, edupads, tablets, etc. It has come a long way. But there is much more to come. However, the question to be asked is, are we preparing our students for 21st century and on collaborating skills?” Green technology that sustains the environment should be used is what Virendra Rawat, Principal, B-Kanae School, Modasa, feels. “Not only using technology, but we should use environmental technology, we use green technology, and we use tablet to collaborate learning,” he adds. Lulla further says, “The kind of skills that are developing in today’s classrooms should focus on latest trends in developing creativity. Even though children have leaped into the 21st century, teachers are still in the 19th century and the school infrastructure are in the 15th century. Schools need to push them and management needs to be pulled up. Blogs are a good way to have parents contribute. The outcome would be a wonderful discussion and flip classrooms.” Sadhna Pandey, Principal, The Millenium School, Nagpur, says, “Teacher training should be an ongoing process and regular updation of curriculum should be done. Cloud computing is a good way to store the matter and research on the internet, constant follow-ups are required, every infrastructure needs to be developed and on developing milestone.”

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

INTERVIEW

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Oman bets big in higher education Oman has witnessed a rapid growth of higher education institutions offering quality education and producing an efficient and effective workforce required for the present job market, says, Dr Abdullah Ali Said Al Shibli, Director General of the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, The Sultanate of Oman, in an interaction with Bhawna Satsangi & Arpit Gupta of Elets News Network (ENN) What are the challenges do you see in higher education in Oman and what steps have been taken to overcome them? In Oman, we are trying to introduce technology as a tool to help the education sector and raise the level of school education and higher education, which will help develop the country. The higher education institutions in Oman are being developed by the government as well as the private sector. One of the major challenges in education is a gap between the structure of higher education and the need for the job market. This applies not only in Oman but it is a global issue. In order to overcome the issue, we encourage higher education institutions to partner with the industries, as this is the only way to understand the gaps and solutions. We also invite the industry players to give suggestions on skill development. This helps the industries to understand the structure of higher education and set of skills required and vice versa. Higher education institutions cannot provide all skills needed by the industry but they provide the generic skills through their major programmes. Industries have norms to help the graduates develop their specific skills. How would the industry-academia partnership help the youth to get the right placement? The Ministry of Higher Education requests the institutions to conduct study

development courses linked with the sponsored bodies.

for the job market and check what kind of skills are required. The higher education institutions need to have mechanism such as having partnership with the industries so that they can improve their programmes to fit to the needs of market. We have established a specific department to conduct surveys and study this area i.e. the higher education sector, graduates and need for the job market. We share the information with the higher education institutions so that they can redesign their programmes and provide necessary support. Several other things have been done to encourage higher education institutions in Oman. It includes the launch of entrepreneurship course where the institutions develop skills of candidates needed to serve their own business. This will help increase the economic growth of the country. We have also decided that higher education institutions in Oman should have skill

How fruitful is the India-Oman collaboration in education? The relationship between India and Oman has been very good for quite a long time now. We are neighbours. We have a joint scientific committee, which works very hard. We have some higher education institutions linked to India. They have their own partners in India. We run some electronic courses as well affiliated to Indian universities. There is a room for improvement in collaboration between each other. Oman has been witnessing all-round development but India can train citizens of Oman in vocational and entrepreneurial skills through a strategic partnership in higher education. How World Education Summit platform will help the Ministry of Higher Education, Oman? There is a lot of scope to find partners, develop network with the leading players in education sector and join projects with them through World Education Summit. The platform offers an opportunity to know each other. India has rich experience in all industries and academia. Some of the institutes in Oman, exchange their programmes with educational institutions in India and WES-like programmes will help strengthen the relationship between the two countries as well as their higher education sector.n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 6 Education Track Skill Development in School Education

Honing the

Skills

The wave of skilling the young minds of the nation is taken up as the most crucial agenda keeping in mind the motto of National Skill Development Mission of the current government. But the point to ponder is how much feasible is the concept, stating that skills need to be incorporated into a structure where academic learning is more popular, is an upheaval task for the government to form a better educational structure especially for skill development sector comprising of industry-oriented training. Jessy Iype of Elets News Network (ENN) writes about the plan of action to making the youth skill-enabled

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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he national skill policy, among others, devised in 2009 had set a target to impart skill development training to 500 million by 2022. The nation's educational infrastructure offers a concrete system comprising of primary, secondary and higher education. The constitution of India had made education a fundamental right, provisioning free and compulsory education for children between the age group of 5 to 14 years. But as a developing country we need to build more skilled employees than academic ones.

Holistic Learning, More Skilled than Academic

The supply of public education is inefficient and leaves a significant shortfall which is being filled by private education institutions. The working age group between 15 to 59 years is the largest bulk, constituting more than 65 per cent of total population. In such a backdrop, 29 per cent of children are enrolled in private schools. In higher education sector, private institutions, colleges and universities are playing a pivotal role in the education landscape. Sagar Sanghvi, Chief Executive Officer, Robokidz said, “Why isn’t education result oriented? I don’t think it’s the right decision they take, right from primary to technical education. Be it various aspects of skills, I am focusing on technical skills. Students who are employable are decreasing day-by-day. When a company comes to hire in campuses, they inform students to forget what they learnt in their graduation and focus on what in the three months of training will be taught by the company. Nobody is skilled enough to work in core areas of development. We have to skill students in higher education, who can run a machinery plan in a factory.” Potentially the target group for skill development comprises of all those in the labour force, including those entering the labour market for the first time. The current capacity of the skill development programmes is 3.1 million. According to a survey, two per cent of the country’s workforce is skilled which is much lower when compared to the developing nations. There is a dual challenge of developing skills and utilising them in a proper way.

Need for Strategic Roadmap

Skill development is associated more to the context of industry oriented training that fetch immediate employment and earning. In India, education and skill development sector is structured under two independent ministries. “Skilling India, Skilling Youth, it starts with skilling the little one. It’s the vision of our Prime Minister to skill the youth, and its possible as two thirds of population is young and good amount of educators are basically involved in skilling the kids. We all know skilling is the need of the hour to get employment. Do the boards like CBSE or ICSE, have strategic roadmap to skilling children is the question raised,” feels Vittal Bhandary, CEO, Little Elly. About 1.3 million schools operate in India where over 227 million students are enrolled. The figure indicates the state of regular enrolment in primary and secondary education levels. In contrast, the private sector has a much larger role in the education scenario of the country. Apart from primary education sector, private colleges, universities and institutes are contributing substantially to higher education. Chinmaya Krishnamurthy, Principal, International Residential School, Coimbatore, opines, “Personally I feel skills can’t be taught. For example: An eight-year old girl goes to a new school. The child is asked to draw and colour a particular pattern. But the student uses her creativity and made a new drawing. The teacher scolds her because she tried to break away from copying the drawing. The moral is that we are just killing the art skill in the child. Tutoring can never bring out the skill in children. We don’t allow them to take risks at all. Education means going to good school, getting good marks and not skills. It’s high time for us to evaluate as to what is missing, and we need to shift from tutoring to intuitive teaching. The divinity in a child knows it all. Let them do what they want to do.”

At the end of the day, teachers are concerned about just running the schools, skilling for industry is not our problem is what most teachers think. We all say about skilling India, but, in reality it’s just lip service. The roadmap with regards to higher education is not there in the real sense because the government has started the wave so all are talking about it. It is necessary to strengthen a child with emotional and social skills

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 6 Education Track Skill Development in School Education

To Know it Right

Initiatives for skill development should be oriented towards both catering to the demand and creating the demand. Skill development is strongly related to the market and industry. Efficient skill development programmes will add value across wide sections of workers creating rich human resource. The need of skill development for employability is across every section of the workforce. From operators and technician level workers to highly skilled labour comprising of college graduates, there is a need for an effective platform for skill development. The initiatives taken by government for skill development are massive. However, the extent to which they operate is inadequate to bring effective progress to the lackadaisical nature of current scenario. This calls in for pervasive initiative by private entities through collaborated as well as independent works. “At the end of the day, teachers are concerned about just running the schools, skilling for industry is not our problem is what most teachers think. We all say about skilling India, but, in reality it’s just lip service. The roadmap with regards to higher education is not there in the real sense because the government has started the wave so all are talking about it. It is necessary to strengthen a child with emotional and social skills. I have seen a boy who had lost his mother and his fellow students didn’t know how to talk to that boy or console him. They just said all the best in the end of the conversation over the phone. We need to equip social skills among the children in terms of life skills,” Lt Col (Retd) A Sekhar, Atul Vidyalaya, Valsad says.

Scope in Skilling

There is massive scope of development in education sector in India. Although a number of institutes are successful to be among top 100 in global ranking, deficiency is quite apparent. India should focus on a holistic approach to hone the human resource of the nation by implementing better solutions to reach out to thousands of villages in rural landscape. Leveraging private sector is beneficial since a competitive sense to provide service is inductive in this domain. Harwinder Singh from EduPro Learning feels that it is necessary to have clarity of the skills learnt and taught. “Do we even know what skills to be given to the students to make them prepare for the industry seven years from now? We impart academic skills by default in the schools. Take for example, Does an eighth grade child knows what career will he chose when he grows up or for that matter let us take our own examples, what jobs are we doing? As teachers, we should congratulate ourselves for trying to impart those skills to children nowadays without a certainty of how they shall utilise it in their jobs in future.” Bijoya Baksi, Principal, Navrachana School, Vadodara says, “We have a lot of clubs in our school. One of them is called ‘Tod Phod Jod’ club, where we enable students to recreate their mechanical creativity by engaging them in new machinery. Through their innovations, we try to find out how these measures give us a pool of talent, for which social, analytical, critical skills are necessary. As a school, we need to bridge the gap. Most schools have everything demarcated but we go beyond things as we give our students skill exposure. I think learning should be what makes them ready for industry, like communication skills,” he adds. To realise the importance of skilling youth, the government has to put efforts to form better educational structure comprising of the industry-oriented training. It is the need of the hour to bring a change in the education format so as to impart skill development to the millions awaited skilled employees.

October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

INTERVIEW

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Preparing future of India National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is making its learners ready not only for the Indian market but for the global market as well while offering programmes keeping in mind the global requirements. Prof Chandra Bhushan Sharma, Chairman, NIOS tells Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN) about NIOS’ initiatives and courses Please throw some light on the education initiatives undertaken by NIOS and the priorities for the betterment of quality of education. NIOS has been offering courses for nearly 25 years from now. We have also been offering a large number of vocational and skill development courses. Somehow, skill development courses have not been very popular. Primarily, we have banked upon the printed text. We have two things in mind at the moment. One is to shift from the print based to the online courses. Hopefully, by the end of this year, all of our courses would be made online for the secondary and senior secondary students. The students can study online and assess themselves online. When they have completed all the components of a course and are convinced enough that they are ready for certification, they can fill the form and write their exams. As far as skilling is concerned, we are trying to skill up and update our programmes, developed five years back, as per the demand of the society. We have 160 million youth who have to be skilled to serve the world. Perhaps, we would not be able to employ all of them in India, they have to find opportunities abroad also. We are trying to update our programmes keeping in mind the global requirements. We would be offering +2 vocational courses. Presently, in India, we have +2 Arts, Science and Commerce

streams. NIOS would be the first board of India to offer +2 vocational courses and if students do not want to continue with higher education, they can have a certificate which will qualify them to work as qualified technical workforce. We want to prepare our learners for the global market. Currently, NIOS is not considered at par with the traditional boards but we are trying to bring it at par with the board exams and give it a global certification. When we are talking about technology we do find that the teachers lack in training. Are there any provisions to train your teachers? We have a parallel system, we do not have our own teachers. We pick up teachers from traditional institutions and re-train them for our jobs because our learners are not completely depended on the teachers. They are independent learners and want only to be helped where they are having any problems. We do not do complete teacher training but a part of it. We also utilise people who are not exactly in full time jobs. In our country, there are hundreds of well educated women, who are housewives, who do not want full time jobs. So, we pick up such workforce. We bring them to help our learners. We have tailor-made our vocational programmes for mothers so that would qualify them to become 12th pass. Instead of forcing them to study

particular subjects like history, geography or economics, we give them courses in managing their own house. What is the pass percentage of students? Around 75 per cent of students who appear, qualify their exams. The distance mode is a very tender method of education because we are not in regular touch with learners so they come as motivated learners. We follow the national curriculum framework so we don’t follow any particular board as such. In fact, we had done study where our questions were found to be more difficult than the traditional boards like CBSE, ICSE, etc. The traditional boards’ learners are age learners but our students are normally more experienced. When we compared with CBSE question papers, ours’ appeared to be more difficult. How WES platform benefits NIOS and what are the takeaways that you are looking forward? We never advertised ourselves. Although we must do it because now that has become a norm for educational institutes. If learners do not know about our programmes, courses and methods, how would they come to us. I believe this platform would take us to more learners. WES was indeed a very good opportunity for us to promote NIOS among the youth.n

digitalLEARNING / October 2015

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Day 1 School Session 7 Education Track Beyond Traditional Frameworks

Enabling Competent

Pedagogy

The shift in the focus of imparting knowledge, and with a growing dependence on technology has initiated a need for changing the role of assessment in the country. Bhawna Satsangi, of Elets News Network (ENN) finds out how the changing pedagogy towards the competency-based education will make a difference for the learners in the job market

The competency-based education prepares the learners more effectively for a real workplace environment, which means that the acquisition of competencies takes into account the requirements of companies and the industry. Skill is a transferable competency 100 October 2015 / digitalLEARNING

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he empowerment of technology will change the classroom learning and make it more appealing for students. It is necessary to make the skills of the teachers and the student technologically suitable. Today, technology is available to even a three-year-old child. But for using the technology efficiently and effectively, necessary directions have to be given to leverage the benefits. Nowadays in schools an efficient person is missing who can guide the children on the usage of technology and make them skilled. There is no single right way for competency learning education. Even with the constraints in operating in the traditional time-based policy context, there is a great variation in design choices that a particular district and its schools are making. Competency-based learning begins by identification of a specific capability or skill, and then enabling learners to develop the mastery of it at their own pace. The digital age is going to help in making the skill competent over the period of time. Learners can develop the competencies they feel they need or can combine a whole set of competencies into a full qualification with certificate, diploma or degree.

Learning Traditional Paradigms

The traditional framework showcases the knowledge and teaching of a traditional classroom. The system uses agebased grades to create allies of students that flow through the system. Schools are generally organised into 6-12 standard and post secondary groups. Soft skills, social skills and debating skills are a part of school education. Competency learning is required to break away the traditional methods of learning. The learning objectives act as modules which have suggested resources to obtain the objective, guidance and feedback from a mentor. The competency-based education prepares learners more effectively for real workplaces, which means that the acquisition of competencies takes into account the requirements of companies and industry. Skill is a transferable competency. Competency-based education encompasses many useful components, making it appealing. A comprehensive plan has several components and can impact multiple levels of schooling. Heemal H Bhat, Principal, Hansraj Model School, New Delhi feels that digital technology comes in handy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Digital learning by its very nature has a wide reach. So once the problem of skills is over, which is identified and accepted to be developed, I think the digital age will be started,â&#x20AC;? says Sanjay Datta, Principal, Maharana Mewar Public School, Udaipur.

Sanjay Datta, Principal, Maharana Mewar Public School, Udaipur

Positive Outcomes

The advantages of competency-based learning can lead to high completion rates and high studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; satisfaction. It focuses on the needs of the learner instead on the needs of the institution. Some positive pointers to reflect upon the skill-based learning are: u The competency-based education develops certain skills among the learners which lead them for good job prospects in future. In this structure learners come to the learning environment as collaborators. The role that exists between teacher and student becomes blurred. The instructor becomes a coach or a facilitator for the learner and the learner sees him as the peer. u The competency-based programmes open the doors for personalised learning. The learner can ask any query from the facilitator as per his time. u The programme allows students to utilise prior learning experience in the new style of learning to accelerate the educational process. u Students can finish the programme in a shorter span of time than the time taken in the traditional form of learning. The fee is charged for a specified time period only which becomes highly affordable for the students.

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Day 2 School Session 3 Education Track Early Childhood Learning

Preschools - Nurturing

Childhood

Preschool education is just making a child social in the society. It’s a first step towards the society. Preschool education helps in developing skills like socio-emotional skills, aesthetic skills, and physical development skills. The session on ‘Early Childhood Learning’ dwells into laying the foundation of an illustrious and receptive mind. The early education of a child plays a major role in defining the path of development of a child’s mind, writes Bhawna Satsangi, of Elets News Network (ENN)

HAZEL SIROMONI

In a preschool segment, parents believe customer is the king and therefore believes in negotiations. Where in a K-12 school, parents know that there is a limitation. As preschool providers, we play a very critical role in shaping the future of the child. As preschool providers, we feel confident to have a support of our peers. The expectation of the parent is supreme and there is lot of comparison Hazel Siromoni, Managing Director, Maple Bear

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The children are natural learners. When we are warm and supportive to them, they tend to develop to a large extent. Early childhood learning has mainly the involvement of the child, the parent and the colleague. We need to give freedom to the child within limit. We need to develop emotional bonding, stability as a teacher and as a parent. It is important to calmly deal with the child. Giving quality time to the child is essential not only for the parent but for the teachers too. Providing regularity, uniformity and being with a peer group is not possible at home. It can be done only in preschools in a systematic way. Preschool is really a necessity? Today with increasing challenges for young parents when both of them are working, the preschool definitely has become a necessity, especially in urban areas. In preschool, we are teaching the basic skills to a child. It could be motor skills, concepts of colour, concept of time, self help skills, communication skills, and social skills. Preschools introduced the concepts in a fun way. Preschool is nothing but providing an atmosphere to stimulate child in different areas. If the parents have the time, they can provide atmosphere, social skills before a child goes for formal education, but the challenge today is of nuclear family. If a child is with a group of children, he will start communicate, which are the basic skills provided in the preschools. VITTAL BHANDARY, CEO, Little Elly

ARCOT G MALATHI, Founder & Director Academics, Smartkidz Educare India Pvt. Ltd

POINTS TO PONDER:

Parent communication necessary Responsible for nourishing childhood Preschool important for nuclear families Introduction of a topic for parents on weekly basis to connect to them regularly u Preschool teaches basic skills to a child u u u u

Learning can be started at any age and as early as possible. Learning starts from the birth itself and the child learn about himself and world around him. With the nuclear family culture, the requirement of preschools became necessary. The importance of early childhood education and development is also recognised by our government. The Government has integrated child development services ‘anganwadi’, which is the world’s largest programme in early childhood education. But we need to raise the standards of education in ‘anganwadi.’ Parents should look for the environment of the preschool, positive vibrations, and teachers to develop basic skills among children. S K RATHOR, Founder Director, Sanfort Group of Schools

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Day 2 School Session 3 Education Track Early Childhood Learning

There is a tremendous shift seen in the learning capabilities with the changing times. In the early childhood, education learning becomes faster. If we spend quality time with the child, it will help in developing the skills and for that we as a teacher have to be a good educator. PRITAM KUMAR AGRAWAL, Director, Hello Kids

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My understanding towards the pre primary education is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bachpanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. We must take the responsibility towards the education of child. We have that knowledge and it is our duty to impart that knowledge to parents also. We cannot push the responsibility to government. We are responsible for nourishing the childhood. AJAY GUPTA, Director-Operations, Bachpan a Play School

INTERVIEW

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Enhancing studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

skills, job opportunities

With the focus to impart skill education at the undergraduate level, AISECT University has made it mandatory for the undergraduate students to learn skill courses in a four year term. Vijay Kant Verma, Vice Chancellor, AISECT University, Bhopal in conversation with Vishwas Dass of Elets News Network (ENN) throws light on how the university is bridging the gap between industry and academia Could you elaborate the role of AISECT University in skill education initiative. AISECT University is the first varsity which has introduced skill at higher education, almost around three years back. We have introduced skill courses mandatorily to be undertaken by undergraduates every year. A student has to undergo minimum four skill courses. We have 22 skill courses at undergraduate level. The other aspect is that these courses are multidisciplinary. Importantly, we have designed these skill courses in a way to impart 80 per cent practical training to students while remaining 20 per cent is theoretical. We have partnered with NSDC and have moved on to a skill academy within the university, which is coordinating all these courses and improving the quality. We are trying to align all the skill courses offered at higher education level, along with NSDC courses. This will improve the qualityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the employability of students because these courses are very current in the industry. For instance, we have skill courses from renewable energy, automobile and communication sectors, among others. We have a collaboration with industry to make these courses more employable involving like Reliance, Tata and several foreign firms where they help in imparting skill courses to our students. Which are the streams where you see the youth moving forward in the skill

Indian universities or institutions are in the world ranking of first 200. Therefore, we need to focus on research and skills development, and collaborating with foreign institutions will bring in a lot of research orientation to bridge the employability gap.

courses? Also why despite imparting the best training to engineering students, why are they not able to get the jobs? At higher education level, renewable energy sector is generating a lot of interest, followed by communication and automobile sectors. The non-engineering areas, where engineers are also interested, are banking, insurance and retail sectors. One area, which is common to all the disciplines and where industry is seeing the employability gap, is the communication skill. Communication skill among the youths in Madhya Pradesh is appearing to be deficient which is almost across all the disciplines. We need to improve the communication and other skills to make students enable to get jobs in leading firms. The tie ups with global companies will help in a big way. If you look at the Indian education system, it is more like teaching where emphasis on research and hands on components is not there as compared to European, American and other developed countries. This is the reason why none of the

How is this initiative bridging the gap between the industry and academia? We are trying to involve industries in these skill development courses. Tata Motors is setting up its labs and we have collaboration with them on automobile skill courses. We have partnered with IT Power Gurgaon, a leading industry on renewable energy. Our first batch of undergraduate level will be passing out with the said skill courses. What is your opinion on the WES Summit and how it can help the AISECT to reform educational set up? It is a vibrant platform where all the stakeholders like industrialists, government regulatory bodies and institutes from different parts of the country are coming under one platform and are converging. It is providing a wide platform where a lot of interaction takes places. There has to be a platform where the exchange of ideas takes place that will modulate all the policies and action plan. I must congratulate Elets Technomedia for organising such an event that helps a lot to various stakeholders participating in the event. n

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Day 2 School Session 4 Education Track Cultivating Innovation in School Education

Bringing the

Positive Change Creativity is an element that is brought to innovation. Creativity and innovation goes hand-in-hand and unless the two are not together they are meaningless. Innovation in education helps the child to explore, generates interest and inspire. Bhawna Satsangi of Elets News Network (ENN) finds out how this new form of learning is transforming the teaching methods

With the introduction of digital era, the new form of learning is transforming the teaching methods with an inclination towards innovative and creative learning. Innovation brings a positive change in the life of a person, child and a teacher. Student centered learning is important

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ducation is the challenge that underlies all other world challenges. When it comes to education, innovation is a technique which helps the child to explore, generates interest and inspires him. Being innovative is about looking beyond what we currently do, identifying the great ideas of tomorrow and putting them into practice. Kalpana Mohan, Principal, Vidyashilp Academy, Bangalore, shares, “We all talk about child centric education but how many of us are giving that kind of opportunity to the kids to speak in the class about their ideas. Innovation in a classroom can be a small anecdote, small kind of role plays by a teacher which will help to make a change. Give a role to play to child. We can look innovation in a different way by demonstrating it to the child.” With the introduction of digital era, this new form of learning is transforming the teaching methods with an inclination towards innovative and creative learning. Innovation brings a positive change in the life of a person, child and a teacher. Student centered learning is important. To prepare emerging innovation driven knowledge society, students and teachers should be engaged in functioning as a knowledge creating community, oriented toward advancements of collective knowledge.

Techniques of Innovative Learning

Integrated Learning: It is an aspect of innovations in classrooms. It is important to equip teachers with the requisites skills to be able to take up something challenging as integrated learning. Play-way Method also encourage innovation in learning. Collaborated Learning helps students to learn with each other and find the solution to the problems. Three-way Conferences are becoming extremely popular forum for discussion between the teacher, the taught and the parent. Skill Creativity: Educators should find the way to encourage skill education among the learners and break it down into smaller skill sets. Programme like ‘Thinkquest’ bring together to design creative solutions and bring them to competition. Emotional Connection: Creativity lies in the emotions of the learner. Students devising a programme to help local community, such as helping homeless people give valuable insight to this type of teaching. Playful Learning Environment is also an innovative type of learning where gaming, playing, informal learning technologies emerge. Phenomenon-Based Pedagogy is built on the foundation of engaging in collaborative examination of complex real world phenomena with support from various fields of research, tools, and experts. Empowering students to design curriculum, providing avenues for utilising students’ personal and shared interests and supporting the development of the students are key aspects of phenomenon-based study. But are we equipping our teachers with the required skills to be innovative? Intensive efforts in teacher education are needed to improve the innovative methods of learning. If the teachers’ goals are mainly focusing towards content and knowledge acquisition, new technologies do not change much. Unlike MOOCs, flipped classroom is likely to flip the logic of learning. This approach is new and the best sources to learn about it can be found on Twitter. Flipped classroom means that instead of using contact time for knowledge transmission, the students acquired the needed information before the session. The time is then utilised in solving complex problems, getting repeated feedback from teachers and tutors, investing deliberate efforts for recovering failures and improving performance. With the change in the societal needs and the technologies, the challenges in the teacher learning also emerges from time-to-time. The perceptions of knowledge and learning of the industrial age, can still be found in the practices of pedagogical training. It is essential to emphasise on the research based focus in teacher training to compete with the challenges of today’s technological advancements. The basis of teacher education should follow the research-based learning process conducted in an authentic environment. The studies concentrate on the essentials and attempt to form a deeper understanding of the phenomena. For a collaborative and technology enhanced learning, use of cloud computing and social media also enhances the teaching learning environment. Lifelong and continuous learning are also important for a teacher to bring a revolution in the method of teaching the technological trends.

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Day 2 School Session 5 Education Track Thought Leaders Panel

Government should provide

Quality Education Providing quality education to children is the mandate for the schools to make India a developed country. It is not only the private schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility but also the government responsibility to impart quality education. It is indeed one of the important components for moving the country forward as private schools add to the changing economy of the country writes Bhawna Satsangi of Elets News Network (ENN)

VINESH MENON

Like most private schools, Global Discovery is also focusing towards changing the paradigm and education delivery system in the country. We are trying to contribute to the growing economy of India. There are 1.4 million schools in the country today catering to 250 million kids, school going students and 100 million of them are enrolled with the private schools, which is nearly 40 per cent. By year 2022, we are still going to be short of nearly 1, 50, 000 schools and that is the demand that exists in the country Vinesh Menon, COO, Global Discovery Schools

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There is no government pre-schools available in the urban areas. We have ‘anganwadi’ set up by the government in rural areas. So, that’s the basic need of parents to put the child in private schools. Considering that need of Vidarbha region, we started schools all over Vidarbha districts. There is a need of quality education in a developing country like India. Looking towards the developing sector of our country, the motto of our education society is quality education at par with the metro cities. Computer literacy, language development, preparation for different competitive examinations comprises of quality education, which is must to be imparted to the students. The exposure to the students at international levels helps in developing good generation and the country. ABHA MEGHE, Director, Meghe Group of Schools

Today parents see the benefits of good preschool education. A child who has been to a good preschool system is more confident, has more social skills. We teach socialisation skills in our schools. Also verbal development also quickly adapted in preschools. Role of our sector changed dramatically from preparatory schools to preschoolspreparing them for formal schools. There are 70 per cent elements of running a quality school that are replicable. That is why franchising works beautifully. AMOL ARORA, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Shemrock & Shemford Group of Schools

India is the second most populous country in the world. There is around 125 crore population and we are moving towards the first place in near future. If the human resources are utilised properly, definitely India will become a developed country. Providing quality education especially to the school going children is the need of the hour and it should be the government responsibility to provide quality education. However, government has its own limitations. There are state governments schools which are facing lot of problems and do not have a proper monitoring mechanism. Most of them are regional language schools, which are not helpful for the students and parents, there is no proper mechanism for teacher training, no one shows interest to adopt new technology and there is lack of competitions. Because of the lack of amenities, we have observed one to two per cent migration from government to private schools. Therefore, private schools have taken the responsibility of providing quality education even to the rural areas. Today, the need of the hour is affordable private schools, which can help parents to afford the education of their child. RAJU SANGANI, Director, Dream India Schools

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Day 2 School Session 5 Education Track Thought Leaders Panel

Eden Group of Schools was started in 2004. Since then, the school has expand to 24 branches in Rajasthan. There are three major categories of private schools that we look forward in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scenario: l Low cost school l Mid scale l Upscale The midscale is further divided into the lower midscale and the upper midscale. We started with low cost school and gradually scale to midscale and two premium schools. The reason to categories private schools is that we mostly generalise them in one entity. Each of these categories has different needs, the major need of the parents in the low cost school is that the student should read, write and speak. In the midscale, majority of parents is inclined more towards counting on the numbers of the students. The student should come in top 10. In upscale schools, parents believe that majority of the innovative teaching or global perspective teaching is done in the upscale schools. Today, what is required is to invent a particular education for kids because these kids are the future of the country. We need to make sure that the kids are more adaptable to the changing world and its needs. It is necessary to keep the learning standardised and this keeps on increasing with the personal learning. TORAL JAIN, Director, Eden Group of Schools

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We started our journey in 1946, in a cantonment and the school was set up to cater to the needs of the people. It was one of the first privately managed school besides missionary schools set up by the Britishers. Over the last seven decades, we are fortunate to have grown in terms of volume and quality. To sustain, schools have to have a strong set of value system. To sustain, it is more important to win the trust of the other stakeholders like parents, society etc. The fee structure is minimum and there has been no compromise on the facilities given to students. We have observed sudden changes in education system in the last 70 years and in the last decade K-12 segment has shot into limelight. Everything has changed, now with the single child or two child norm, the affordability to spend on education has increased. There is more awareness among the parents on education and are not compromising on the education of the child. Role of judiciary, role of media, and intervention of the government with the Right to Education legislation has been changed. At the academic aspect, earlier there was not too much emphasis on various activities. However, now there is a lot of transition from an academic environment to a more activity oriented environment. We have been keeping pace with the changing scenario and are using technology in the curriculum at the school level. ANIRUDH GUPTA, CEO, DCM Group of Schools

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POINTS TO PONDER:

u Preschools to get named as preparatory schools as people understand what is it all about to develop the child to go to the next level u Child Development, a combination of good learning spaces, experiential gadgets, technology use, innovation, keeping address of the time, metrics and measurements should be watched constantly to keep the pressure to deliver what has been promised u Franchising is not a dirty word. We need to realise that the idea is to scale across u Need to focus on standardisation, teaching and training which is very important u People should start choosing teaching as a career u Education should be affordable to spread across the country u Winning the trust of the government is critical. We need to take our concern to the government through the mediums of forum which will help in expanding education reach

As soon as people have a choice, they can move from one to the other. If you open up the market, there is going to be a lot of competition and that itself will ensure that people do not misuse the situation. The competition will improve quality, give a lot of space for innovation and will also solve the issue on marks of the children, sooner they move to secondary level. The minute the processes in education is eased out, there will be lot of investments coming in, competition coming in. It’s a long way in solving these issues. RUSTOM KERAWALLA, Chairman and Managing Director, VIBGYOR High Group of Schools

It is very tough to run a teacher training institute because nobody wants to be a teacher. This is the hard reality and everybody knows that unless we have quality and urban kids wanting to be teachers, we can’t deliver quality in the classroom. The quality is the teacher herself. When we talk about ICT as a source of delivering quality, it’s a supplementary source. The primary source is the teacher and this country lacks the aspirations of the teachers. At the very outset, it is no rocket science that education planning has dominated the economic planning from the past decade. There have been number of reforms, commissions and programmes. India alone is contributing to almost 100 billion people. Private schooling is on the rise. In India privatisation of schools is very high. The number of students enrolled in private schools is over 100 million compared to the US, which has 5 million, and in the UK strength is 5 lakh. Simple reason being that in the US and the UK public school system, which is a government run system, affords quality education. Some of them are almost free. In our country, this experiment went wrong. The school government system failed miserably in quality which is why private schools got the opportunity to move in and provide quality education. According to FICCI report, by 2030 India is going to be the youngest nation and the oldest civilisation. A large number of students of the college going age are going to bring up this young India. Every fourth graduate of the world is going to be an Indian product of the Indian system. So, it is really upto us to provide quality and skilled education to the world or not. MANJULA POOJA SHROFF, Managing Director& CEO, The Calorx

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EVENT REPORT EVENT REPORT

Felicitating Academicians The World Education Summit 2015 awards saw a gamut of innovations being recognised and those schools who had initiated optimal usage of ICT in learning. The awards were categorised under School Education, Higher Education, Private Sector, Government Sector, Non-Government, Start-Ups, Skill Development

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