Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education
volume 9
I issue 08 I august 2013 I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75
education.eletsonline.com
Emerging
School chains
in India
Dr Akhilesh Gupta Secretary, University Grants Commission (UGC)
Kuncheria P Issac Member Secretary, AllIndia Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
Prof P Rameshan Director, IIM Rohtak
Ryan Pinto CEO, Ryan Group of institutions
Nomination special
Manjula Pooja Shroff CEO, Calorx, Ahmedabad
Contents
ISSN 0973-4139
volume 09 issue 08 August 2013
EmergingSchoolChains and the Way Ahead P 20
16
18
22
Kuncheria P Issac Member Secretary, All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
Prof P Rameshan Director, IIM Rohtak
Ryan Pinto CEO, Ryan Group of Institutions
leaders speak 12 Dr Akhilesh Gupta, Secretary, University Grants Commission
special feature 17 Creating New Horizon for Technical Education 32 Cyberfort Technologies Offers Skill-based Employable Courses
Amit Kumar, President, Cyberfort Technologies
35 IIT Delhi Uses WizIQ to Launch an Online Course school focus - emerging school chains in india 21 Vittal Bhandary, Managing Director, Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd
26 Vipul Redey, Chief Product Officer, Global Discovery Academy
28 Deepika Jindal, Managing Director, JSL Lifestyle Ltd 30 Swami Swaroopananda, Director in Charge,
Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
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24 Manjula Pooja Shroff CEO, Calorx, Ahmedabad
31 Dr Chenraj Roychand, Chairman, Jain Group of Institutions
corporate diary 34 Dr Manmohan Sharma, Professor Emeritus, Clark Atlanta University and President Educo International
38 Venkatesh LS, Co-Founder and Director, Ecole Solutions Pvt Ltd
42 VSN Raju, Chief Executive Officer, Globarena Technologies Pvt Ltd
65 Deepti Lamba, Vice President, IL&FS Education & Technology Services Ltd
academia speak 36 Prof K Lal Kishore, Vice Chancellor, JNT University Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
eINDIA Education Awards 43 Carrying the Baton of Innovation global perspective 66 Studies, America and Diplomacy
Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education Volume
09
Issue 08
August 2013
President: Dr M P Narayanan Editor-in-Chief: Dr Ravi Gupta Group Editor: Anoop Verma
Partner publications
Advisory Board
WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE Team Lead – Web Development: Ishvinder Singh
Prof Asha Kanwar, President, Commonwealth of Learning
Dr Jyrki Pulkkinen, Senior Adviser, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Executive – IT Infrastructure: Zuber Ahmed
Dr Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt of India
Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment
Executive – Information Management: Khabirul Islam
Prof S S Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
Prof Parvin Sinclair, Director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
information management team
Finance & Operations Team General Manager – Finance: Ajit Kumar Legal Officer: Ramesh Prasad Verma Sr Manager – Events: Vicky Kalra Manager – HR: Sangeeta Biswas Associate Manager – Accounts: Anubhav Rana Executive Officer – Accounts: Subhash Chandra Dimri
Editorial Team education Sr Correspondent: Pragya Gupta, Mohd Ujaley Correspondent: Rozelle Laha governance Assistant Editor: Rachita Jha Research Assistant: Sunil Kumar Correspondent: Nayana Singh
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Health Sr Correspondent: Sharmila Das SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digital LEARNING National Sales Manager: Fahimul Haque, Mobile: +91 - 8860651632 Associate Manager – Business Development: Amit Kumar Pundhir, Mobile: +91 - 8860635835 Subscription & Circulation Team Sr Executive – Subscription: Gunjan Singh, Mobile: +91-8860635832 Design Team Assistant Art Director: Shipra Rathoria Team Lead – Graphic Design: Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Sr Graphic Designer: Om Prakash Thakur Sr Web Designer: Shyam Kishore Editorial & Marketing Correspondence digitalLearning - 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@digitalLearning.in
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November 2013 Chandigarh, Haryana
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EDITORIAL
Promises to Keep The Human Resource Development Minister, Dr M M Pallam Raju, has recently stated that India is to achieve 80 percent literacy rate by 2015. The current literacy rate of India is 73 percent as per the Census 2011. The Minister mentioned that more than 20 crore people have become literate since the last Census of 2001, out of which more than half of them are females. To achieve the goal of 80 percent literacy by 2015, the HRD Ministry is restructuring the entire adult education system in the country with a paradigm shift to lifelong education. Dr Raju also announced that an appropriate administrative and legislative process shall be initiated to integrate formal, non-formal and informal learning and to recognise forms of education other than formal. He clarified that recognition, validation and accreditation of learning, obtained through adult education, will be formalised by setting up equivalency framework. Raising the literacy rate by seven percent in the next two years is a mammoth task and all stakeholders in the education sector need to work in tandem to meet this target. Schools play a big role in this as they lay the foundation for education. This issue of digitalLEARNING has a Special Focus on emerging school chains, whereby owners of leading school chains in India have shared their experiences – challenges faced and lessons learnt – in running school chains in India. The August issue of digitalLEARNING is a special issue that has covered different innovative projects submitted under the 9th eINDIA Education Summit scheduled to be held on 23-24th July, at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad. The issue features projects of innovation taken up in higher education and school education and acknowledges the various initiatives taken up by the government, educational institutions and the private sector for playing a stellar role in raising the standards and quality of education in the country. I would also like to tell our readers that the August 2013 issue of digitalLEARNING will be launched by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh at the prestigious eINDIA 2013 Summit, being organised on 23-24 July, 2013 in Hyderabad, in the presence of many key officials from the Centre and States who are playing a stellar role in implementation of new education initiatives in the Country. If you are there at the eINDIA2013 summit, then you might already have received your copy of digitalLEARNING. We look forward to seeing you at eINDIA 2013. After all, it is very essential that all sections of society participate in the discussions on the ways by which the scope of education can be further improved in the country. While we have scored lot of successes in this area, there exists room for lot of new initiatives to be launched.
Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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news
School education
Mid-day meal cooks to be trained on hygiene and nutrition The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has sought the support of Tourism Ministry in arranging training of master cooks engaged in the mid-day meal scheme with an aim to educate them about food’s nutritional and hygienic value. The Tourism Ministry will upgrade the cooking skills of almost 25 lakh cooks in a phased manner. In the 10-day course, the cooks will be taught methods of cooking for retaining the nutritive value of food items, awareness regarding issues of malnutrition and the nutrition required in food.
HP, Liqvid offer IT based education solutions for rural India
Haryana Govt’s new rules for school teachers In an attempt to improve quality in school education, the Haryana government has come up with new rules for teachers in state-run schools. The government has ordered installation of boards that will mark the attendance of teachers in all the government schools in the state. Name of the teachers, joining date, educational qualification and mobile numbers would also be mentioned on them. The step is expected to prevent absenteeism.
School Chalo Rally HP and Liqvid have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deliver Liqvid’s bilingual EnglishEdge software through the HP Lab-in-Box network to spread technology-based education solutions across rural India. “As education specialists, we’re on continuous quest to identify scalable models and support them meaningfully. HP’s work in the education sector is very impressive, and we are very excited to now be a part of it”, added Vivek Agarwal, MD & CEO, Liqvid eLearning Services Pvt Ltd.
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August 2013 / digitalLEARNING
The authorities of basic education department recently organised a ‘School Chalo Rally’ in Kanpur to spread the awareness about the importance of education. The rally was aimed to increase enrolment of children between 6 and 14 years in government primary and upper primary schools.
Patna DM orders schools to install CCTVs N Saravana Kumar, District Magistrate (DM), Patna, has ordered the administrators of all city schools to install CCTV cameras on their school gates and premises. He has further asked for character verification of the bus staff to be done by the local police before hiring them. These decisions were taken in a meeting with the principals of prominent city schools and top district police officers.
M e s sag e
Andhra Pradesh is in the forefront in use of Information Technology for improving governance in India. Application of IT in major citizen welfare programmes like Aarogyasri and NREGS has enabled total transparency and accountability in their implementation. Our unique G2C and G2B service delivery platform “Mee Seva”,is serving as a one stop solution for delivering services anywhere, any time. Mee Seva currently offers 153 citizen centric services through more than 6800 CSCs spread across the state. Mee Seva currently offers services pertaining to 11 departments i.e. Revenue, Registration, Municipalities, Power Distribution, Civil Supplies, Police, UIDAI, Transport, Education, Industries & Commerce and IT&C Departments. Additional 154 services pertaining to 10 departments are being developed and would be offered through Mee Seva in the next 4-5 months. Mee Seva has already completed more than 2 crore transactions since inception. It gives me immense pleasure to share that the Government of Andhra Pradesh is the partner state for the ninth edition of eINDIA 2013, India’s premier ICT event which is being jointly organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd along with other partners at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad, India, between 23rd– 24th July, 2013. I welcome all the delegates, thought leaders and change agents participating in the event. I look forward to their participation in what promises to be an immensely enriching event.
November 2012 / egov.eletsonline.com / egov
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news higher education
Anna Univ adds new IT modules in syllabus After a gap of four years, Anna University has revised its curriculum for first year students in affiliated colleges. Nearly 2 lakh engineering students across the state will learn emerging technologies like Mobile Applications Development and Cloud Computing from this academic year. The new curriculum– R2013 – approved at a recent university board of studies meeting, has also introduced modules on multi-core architecture, grid and cloud computing, nano-computing and game programming.
MHRD’s `99,000 crore plan to up enrolment The number of students in higher education in India is going to increase substantially over the next seven years. With Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from 18% to 30 percent. The scheme that is estimated to cost `99,000 crore will include other existing schemes in the sector. It will promote reforms in the higher education system across all states by creating and facilitating institutional structure for planning and monitoring at the state level.
Petroleum University to be set up in Rajasthan The Rajasthan Cabinet recently gave approval for setting up a Petroleum University. The state government is aiming to increase manpower and technical know-how in the field in the view of upcoming Petroleum Refinery and Petro-chemicals Complex at Pachpadra village. The state government may opt for setting up Petroleum University on PPP mode (public– private partnership).
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August 2013 / digitalLEARNING
150 seats in J&K govt med colleges
In a major initiative to boost the healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Centre has given its nod to increase the intake capacity of its three government-run medical colleges in the state by 50 seats each. The extra 150 seats have been added to these colleges with effect from the current year. The hike comes in the backdrop of the state facing a shortage of qualified medicos due to the expansion of health infrastructure, more so in rural and hilly areas.
New IIIT to come up at Tripura The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has approved setting up of an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at the industrial hub of Bodhjungnagar, in Tripura. The state government had allotted a land of 50 acres for the `128 crore Project. MHRD would pay `119 crore for the project and the rest would be borne by ONGC and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
LEADERS SPEAK
Q& A
Shaping Higher Education in India Dr Akhilesh Gupta Secretary, University Grants Commission
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August 2013 / digitalLEARNING
Dr Akhilesh Gupta obtained his MSc degree in Physics from Lucknow University and PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from IIT, Delhi. He joined India Meteorological Department in 1985 and worked there as Meteorologist until 1994. He then joined National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting where he worked in the field of location specific weather forecasting and numerical weather modelling and coordinated All India Agro-advisory Service until 2006. Dr Gupta worked in the Disaster Management Cell of the Department of Science & Technology during 200607. He worked as Advisor to the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences during 2007-09
education.eletsonline.com
What steps is the UGC taking to bring about improvement in overall quality of education? The University Grants Commission (UGC) is an apex regulatory body on higher education in the country. It came into existence on 28th December, 1953 and became a statutory body of Government of India by an Act of Parliament in 1956. The main objective of the UGC is to work for the coordination, determination, and maintenance of standards of university education in the country. There are three broad goals of the higher education system in the country. These are: to ensure access or expansion (that aims to increase student enrolment), to impart quality or excellence in education and to provide equity to under-privileged sections of the society. What steps is the UGC taking to monitor the educational institutions? UGC constantly monitors the educational institutions to ensure that there is no compromise in terms of quality of education. UGC is committed to maintain
Students’ Entitlements and Obligations, 2012; Introduction of Bachelor Degree in Vocational Course under the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF); Development of econtent in 77 Postgraduate Programmes under National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT); Restoration of the autonomy of universities for seeking timely allocation of grants during the 12th Five-Year Plan; Innovation Universities; Joint Appointments; Anti Ragging Helpline and Web portal; Innovations and Reforms in the National Eligibility Test (NET); Introduction of Alternative Modes of Experimentation on Animals in Life-Sciences; Introduction of Electronic Repository of Research Thesis and Synopses; Inputs for the National Mission on Teachers and Teacher Education. Tell us about the interventions that UGC has made for the 12th Five Year Plan. Some of the major interventions for the 12th Five Year Plan include, enhancing autonomy of universities through
function of coordinating and maintaining standards of higher education, over the years, UGC has evolved a wide variety of programmes for realisation of the goals of higher education. Some of these have assumed ‘Flagship’ status as they focus on individual students, teachers, researchers, socially vulnerable groups, thematic priorities in teaching and research and institutions of higher learning, ranging from Departments and Colleges to Universities. Several compensatory interventions for marginalised sections of the society for enhancing their participation in higher education have been a special concern of these initiatives with a view to promote social equity. Establishment of Inter-University Centres has provided a fillip to make high-end research facilities and support to the Indian higher education system. Recently, the UGC has decided to launch an inspirational intervention through the establishment of Chairs in Honour of Nobel Laureates who have done our country proud. The UGC would endeavour to harness the indentified strength, channelise its
This decade was marked by an exponential increase in the number of student enrolMENTS in higher education the standard of education in the country. In a renewed effort to accelerate the pace of several reforms in higher education, the UGC has taken a number of significant initiatives in the recent past with a view of bringing about improvements in higher education. These include–UGC (Prevention of Caste-based Discrimination/Harassment/Victimisation and Promotion of Equality in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012; UGC (Establishment of Mechanism for Grievances Redressal) Regulations, 2012; UGC (Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012; UGC (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards on Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012; UGC Guidelines on
a mechanism of block grants for academic, research and innovations activities, differential funding provisions for under-graduate, post-graduate and Ph D students in an attempt to improve GER for higher education; performance linked funding based on designing appropriable ranking system for the universities; enhanced emphasis for support to state universities; on the excellence front, constituting empowered committees to create new schemes for knowledge generation through research; creation of expert subject panels to clear major and minor projects and for Quality Control Mechanism; overcoming near absence of good text books in Indian Languages and strengthening internationalisation of higher education including mobility of faculty and students. In discharge of its cardinal
resources and direct its efforts towards overcoming the perceived inadequacies. The Government of India has been taking a number of steps to bring improvement in the Gross Enrolment Ratio. Please provide us your views on this. Higher education in India has reported an impressive growth since independence. However, the last decade has witnessed an unprecedented expansion of higher education sector. This decade was marked by an exponential increase in the number of students enrolling into higher education; a quantum jump in the number of institutions including universities; and a substantive increase in public funding. The UGC has been contributing immensely to this growth
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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LEADERS SPEAK
in the higher education through various policies, programmes, academic reforms and administrative and financial support to the institutions. UGC has been working ceaselessly with the challenge of providing equal opportunity for quality higher education to ever-growing number of students while maintaining equity with the societal and sectoral diversity of the country. The other challenges include; reinvigorating institutions, achieving excellence of international benchmarks and extending frontiers of knowledge. Keeping these challenges in mind, the UGC aims at achieving rapid expansion for deepening excellence and providing equal access to quality higher education during the 12th Five Year Plan. There has been an unprecedented growth in the number of institutions in recent years. From nearly 250 universities in 2000-01, today we have as many as 700 degree awarding institutions in the country. Similarly there has been a three-fold increase in the number of colleges in the country from about 12,000 in 2000-01 to over 36,000 now. The number of students enrolling in higher education has also witnessed exponential growth during the last decade. This increase was also nearly three-fold from nearly eight million in 2000-01 to over 20 million now. There has been substantial progress in terms of overall Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the country during the past five to six years. GER has increased from about 11 percent in 2005-06 to about 19 percent in 2012-13. Considering the present trend, both in terms of increase in number of institutions and students, the country is likely to touch a GER of 30 percent by 2020. There have been some concerns about lower student enrolment in certain fields of higher education as compared to others. These fields include Veterinary Science (0.14 percent), Agriculture (0.48 percent) and Law (1.84 percent). The UGC is endeavouring to promote students opting for such areas to achieve higher enrolment in such fields. There has also been considerable increase in the number of teachers in higher edu-
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UGC at a glance • In 1952, the Union Government decided that all cases pertaining to the allocation of grants-inaid from public funds to the Central Universities and other Universities and Institutions of higher learning might be referred to the University Grants Commission • UGC was formally inaugurated by late Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Minister of Education, Natural Resources and Scientific Research on 28th December 1953 • The UGC, however, was formally established only in November 1956 as a statutory body of the Government of India through an Act of Parliament for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education in India • In order to ensure effective region-wise coverage throughout the country, the UGC has decentralised its operations by setting up six regional centres at Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bhopal, Guwahati and Bangalore • The head office of the UGC is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi, with two additional bureaus operating from 35, Feroz Shah Road and the South Campus of University of Delhi as well
cation in the country. There has been over two-fold increase in the number of teachers from nearly four lakh in 200001 to over nine lakh now. In your opinion what are the specific steps that can be taken to ensure that quality of education being offered in private institutions is up to the mark? We have UGC (Establishment and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003, which helps in regulating educational standards in private universities. Private universities are generally established by a separate State Act. A private university is a unitary university having adequate facilities for teaching, research, examination and extension services. A private university established under a State Act is expected to operate ordinarily within the boundary of the State concerned. However, after the development of main campus, in exceptional circumstances, the university may be permitted to open off-campus centres, off-shore campuses and study centres after five years of its coming into existence. All the private universities are expected to conform to the relevant provisions of the UGC Act, 1956, as amended from time to time. However since these private universities are established through state act, it is the state governments concerned that also need to ensure that the quality of education being offered in their universities is up to the mark. UGC is in the process of bringing a new Regulation on Private Universities. What initiatives is UGC taking to ensure equity in higher education in the country? India is a young country, as 50 percent of the population is less than 25 years old; nearly 65 percent population is below 35. The true potential of the youth who dominate Indian population can be harnessed only through access to higher education. However, this effort will remain futile unless the social equity is nurtured adequately. Despite considerable efforts that are put in, the real potential of our youth
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belonging to the vulnerable sections of the society remains untapped. The UGC has always been giving considerable emphasis to greater participation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Minorities, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Persons with Disabilities and Women in higher education. Some of the notable schemes of the UGC for nurturing societal equity for various beneficiary categories include Indira Gandhi PG Scholarship for Single Girl Child, Residential Coaching Academics for Minorities, Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowships for SCs and STs, and Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minorities, Postdoctoral fellowships for SCs, STs, and Women, etc. Through these schemes, the UGC has supported nearly 19 lakh students from as many as over 6,500 institutions involving an expenditure of `4,684 crores in the recent past. We are currently having a lot of discussion on allowing foreign universities. What is your view on allowing foreign universities to function in the country? Since there is a bill pending with parliament on this issue, no decision has been taken by the government on allowing foreign universities to open their campuses in India. However, we have UGC (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards on Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2012. Under this regulation, foreign institutions can have collaboration, partnership or twinning arrangement with any Indian educational institutions. For this only those foreign institutions which are accredited with the highest grade in their homeland will be allowed to have twinning arrangement with those Indian Institutions which are accredited by the nationally recognised accrediting agencies with a grade not less than B or its equivalent in respect of institutional accreditation or a threshold level of accreditation in respect of programme accreditation, as the case may be.
eGovernance at UGC • Academic Jobs for NET/ SET/PhD Candidates • e-SARTS ScholarshipFellowship • UGC NET Online and UGC NET Result • UGC Faculty Recharge Programme • e-Payment • e-PG Pathshala
How is UGC planning to facilitate use of National Knowledge Network which connected the Institutes supported by UGC? UGC has set up an Inter University Centre called the Consortium for Educational Communication, popularly known as CEC. The CEC has been established with the goal of addressing the needs of higher education through the use of powerful medium of television along with the appropriate use of emerging Information Communication Technology (ICT). Realising the potential and power of television to act as means of educational knowledge dissemination, UGC started the Countrywide Classroom Programme in the year 1984. Media centres were set up at various universities for production of educational programmes. In fact, the CEC has been set up to serve as a nodal agency to coordinate, guide and facilitate such educational programme production through its Media Centres.
What role can universities play in environment conservation? Environmental conservation is not just a subject of education alone. It is linked to India’s civilisation ethos. India is one of the few countries in the world which has been traditionally following the path of environmental conservation and preservation. There is need to build the subject of environmental conservation in the curriculum so that students are made sensitive to these concerns. There are already a number of universities in India which have departments or centres focusing on earth and environmental sciences. It is expected that more and more universities and institutions may start setting up such centres in the future when the climate change may become more relevant in the time to come, especially when its impact would be felt in terms of increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events and on socio-economic sectors like agriculture, water and human health.
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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LEADERS SPEAK
Q& Quality of Education can be A Improved through Collective Arrangement Kuncheria P Issac, Member Secretary, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), shares his views on role of ICT in education and improving quality in technical education, in conversation with Rozelle Laha, ENN You have been a pioneer in introducing ICT in imparting education through smart classrooms, digital library, course management systems, etc across educational institutions. What is the relevance of ICT-based learning and what are its future prospects? If you look at the ancient system of education in India, the number of students was less and interacting with each one of them was easy. Today, we have a much larger population to be educated in the same classroom. We therefore, cannot afford to opt for the Gurukula system of education, wherein the Shishya (student) resided at Guru’s place and there was a regular one-to-one interaction. Today one teacher needs to give equal
attention to a large number of students. Only ICT can be an effective enabling mechanism to depict a similar kind of system, though, even with that, the ratio of the teacher-student interaction will not be one-to-one. Almost 90% people are receptive to any kind of change. Institutes have responded well to the technological advancements. In today’s society one has to accept the importance of technology and social media. Share your views on the role of industry training in teachinglearning process? Industry oriented students is a need of the day, but it is not feasible that all students physically visit the industry to get trained. So, experts from the industry need to be brought into the classroom to telecast on how industry works, manufacturing happen in factories at least once in six months.
Kuncheria P Issac
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August 2013 / digitalLEARNING
Please throw some light on AICTE’s initiatives in improving the quality of faculty? AICTE has been constantly making efforts to ensure that quality faculty is recruited across educational institutions. We would soon be able to stabilise the demand supply gap of the number of quality faculty. All faculties in technical institutions should be
engaged in research activities. AICTE too funds research activities and believe that it would help boost the ambience of research activities. Most students opt for MBA after doing B Tech. Can B Tech courses be made more self sufficient in terms of soft-skills development, so as to enable students to get employed right after completing B Tech? Soft skills development can neither be imparted in an engineering college or in a business school. This needs to be inculcated among students right at the school level. Moreover, soft-skills cannot be implemented in classrooms. It is a self-development. Scheduling one seminar every semester, one power point presentation periodically, giving assignments that demand a student to refer to library books can add value to a B Tech course. How can the quality of technical education in the country be improved? The quality of education can improve only through collective arrangement. Institutes of National Importance can help the other technical institutions to come at par with them through faculty exchange and guest lectures. Instead of increasing the number of courses and institutions, focus needs to be laid on improvement of the quality of the existing institutions and the courses to an optimum level. We have an advantage of large population. If we are able to train all the 500 million youth in the country rightly, they can serve as a sturdy backbone for the service sector of the country.
special feature
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Creating New Horizon for Technical Education The United Group, founded by Late Shiv Ram Das Gulati in 195, emerged from a transport business to become a giant in the fields of education, services, transportation and journalism
T
he United Group of Institutions (UGI) made a mammoth leap in the education arena in the mid-80s by being the pioneers in computer education. This further led to the establishment of United Institute of Management and United College of Engineering and Research in Allahabad & Greater Noida. With nine well-established institutes catering to over 8,000 students and more than 500 faculty members the Group is poised to create a new horizon by providing the best technical education. It offers NBA accredited courses, quality recognised by the World Bank and boasts of 5,200+ alumni base. Our placement scenario is booming with 4,700+ jobs already offered and state-of-the-art facilities provided to faculty and students alike. All the academic establishments are affiliated to
the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (Mahamaya Technical University, Noida and Gautam Budha Technical University, Lucknow) and are approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, New Delhi. UGI has state-of-the-art classrooms specially designed and equipped with latest audio-visual aids and wireless connectivity to enhance learning activities. It has huge seminar hall and auditorium to conduct seminars, workshops, guest lectures, and other events. The library has an enviable collection of more than two lakh volumes of nationally and internationally acclaimed books in addition to periodicals, articles, journals, etc. Accredited by TCS and having academic alliance with EMC2, UGI provides a kind of education that equips students to take up challenging leadership roles in business and society.
Our Achievements • • • • • • • •
United College of Engineering & Research Ranked 145 all over India Asia’s Best B-School Award, Suntec Singapore - CMO Asia Business Sphere Award for Excellence in Education. Best Intellectual capital in U.P. – Business World Shiksha Bharti Puraskar– All India Achiever’s foundation Indian Leadership Award for Academic Excellence Outstanding placement efforts for the year 2012 Award by HT-Shine Asia Pacific Excellence Award- Indo-Nepal Economic Development Conference • Edupreneurs Awards 2013 by Prof S K Kak, Vice Chancellor, Mahamaya Technical University, Noida • Selected as E-Governance Campus for Greater Noida by Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and The United Nations (UN)
UGI works hard to up employability skills and enhance overall grooming of students through industry interface, corporate lectures, case studies, problem solving exercises, etc. Special care is given to the courses like MBA & PGDM which demand industrial trainings and visits. UGI provides ample industrial visits very frequently in to corporate leaders, like; NTPC, Mother Dairy, Denso, NPCIL, Caparo India, Cipla, New Holland, JBM, Moserbaer, LG, etc. The collaboration with Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand and University of Missouri, Columbia has opened the doors to new academic programs for UGI’s bright souls. This association is done for yearly summer training, faculty development and student exchange programs. UNITIAN’s endeavour for perfection does not end at the completion of the course. It is ensured that every student is well settled once he or she is out of the institute. Hence, training and placement process is given paramount importance in UGI, as Corporate Relation Centre believes that beyond the scholastic achievement, other auxiliary skills, diction, vocabulary and aptitude are the ingredients for successful placements. The Alumni Association of United Group of Institutions is officially formed to foster a lifelong intellectual connection between UGI and its alumni and to club together all the alumni of UGI on a single floor to guide their juniors on career matters. Our top campus recruiters are include bigwigs including LG, Samsung, HP, IBM India, Takahata Precision, HDFC, ACME Tele Power Ltd., Satyam, TCS, IMStylish, Policy Bazaar, Aircel, and many more. A large number of our students have been placed abroad as well.
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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LEADERS SPEAK
India’s Cyclical Reclaim of its Educational Glory By Prof P Rameshan, Director, IIM Rohtak
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s early as 2,000 years ago, India had the intellectual resources to inspire the world– thinkers, writers, teachers and literature. Scholars from far and wide, including the far-east and China, with Fahien and Huen Tsang being two prominent names, got attracted to the famous ancient universities of India such as Nalanda and Takshashila. Chanakya’s ‘Arthasastra’ preceded both Machiavelli and Adam Smith by several centuries. India invented the priceless ‘zero’ and provided a firm foundation for the IT revolution, in addition to giving meaning to mathematics. India’s ‘Chaturanga’ became the strategy game of the world. The value of pi and the astronomical contributions revealed the Indian genius. Yoga, an ancient Indian invention, provided the magic formula for a healthy life in a stressful modern world. Backed by such an intellectual pedigree of a long past, India can explore its opportunities in higher education confidently. Currently, the USA is holding the distinction of being the global hub of higher education. Its reputed institutions in technology, management, medicine and other fields safeguarded its undisputed position for a long time now. The key to higher educational success is knowledge. There are three aspects of knowledge: creator, creation and learning (or dissemination). ‘Creator’ is the faculty or researcher, who research, analyse, interpret and write. ‘Creation’ is their output, like research papers, books, cases, theories, models, concepts, prototypes. ‘Learning’ is the process of internalising knowledge of which dissemination is a crucial as-
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pect. Dissemination refers to spreading or using knowledge. Spreading is the function of teachers as well as publishers and using is the function of students, learners or practitioners. Some of the best known institutions of the world have been renowned for their ability to create cutting-edge knowledge and disseminate it across the world by attracting large number of learners to their premises or by exporting knowledge to other institutions. The host countries have enabled the flow of learners to those institutions by creating a favourable environment – through good infrastructure, safety and security, superior living standards, etc. It’s not easy for India to move forward. The world has to first accept India as a credible provider of education, like the western countries. The lessons from ancient India and the modern world distinctly reveal that India’s best course of action to be a global higher education hub is to intensively create cutting-edge knowledge and extensively disseminate it. The latter can be done by attracting learners to India by providing world class quality of education and a reassuring living environment. Cutting-edge knowledge may not be easy in the short to medium run. Hence, in the short and medium run, to be successful, a dissemination route
Prof P Rameshan can be chosen: the knowledge created abroad can be disseminated at a cost affordable to the needy. If this is to be done by attracting students in large number to India, the living environment factor needs a careful attention. Alternatively, dissemination can be remote, through using the distance learning technology platform. If the Indian entrepreneurs take this to its logical extent, India can be the distance education hub of the world–starting with the neighbouring and emerging countries and moving to the West. Concurrently, India has to develop its cutting-edge knowledge and gradually replace the USA as the world’s leading educational hub. That will mark the cyclical return of educational glory to India after over a thousand years.
LEADERS school SPEAK focus
emerging school chains in india
Emerging School Chains and the Way Ahead K-12 (Kindergarten to Standard XII) represents the crucial primary and secondary education sectors in the country. Apart from the joy coupled with responsibility of nurturing young minds, K-12 sector is set to provide a sea of opportunities, as it is expected to reach USD 50 billion by 2015, growing at an estimated CAGR of 14 percent. While talking to leaders of emerging school chains in India, digitalLEARNING magazine takes a closer look at the opportunities and challenges in the sector...
An Open Book on Pre-school and K-12 Enablers: More demand than supply: Nearly 40 percent of India’s population is below the age of 18 years which. To cater to nearly 400 million students there is need for new schools. Rising ‘Edupreneurs’: There is a rise of entrepreneurial class in education sector, especially women. With an inherent quality to nurture and cultivate tiny tots, owning a pre-school or school is a good business option for the fairer sex. Recession-proof sector: Whether the economy is booming or glooming, education is among the relatively recession-proof sectors across the world. Industry experts believe that investment opportunities in India’s education industry can generate high returns even in an unfavorable economy. Adding to company’s CSR profile: Tata or Jindal…giving back to the society has never been much more in vogue for corporate houses, and education is a close second to environment in CSR.
On the flip side: Where is the profit? Regulatory framework in K-12 education leaves investors jittery. Schools in India can only be owned by a not-for-profit trust or society or the government. With over a million public schools, the government is the largest player in the segment. Lack of Scalability: The uncertainty surrounding forprofit ventures in the K-12 and higher education segments is a major drawback. Lack of clear profit making structures make it difficult to raise and deploy capital across schools, which makes it difficult for investors to scale this business. Mixed bag: Other mixed factors like the syllabus being set by the board that the school is affiliated to, each state dictating fee and other operating terms, etc trouble investors. Article compiled by Chhavi Bakaria Interviews taken by Seema Gupta
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Q& Pre-school is an A
Extension of Home
Little Elly, the Concept Pre-school, is an initiative of Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd, in association with Glen Tree, UK, who are pioneers in serving the learning needs of kids for the last one decade. The school was started with the desire to nurture the child and lay a healthy foundation for a learned society. Vittal Bhandary, Managing Director, Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd, talks about expansion of pre-schools in India Please share with us the journey of Little Elly Pre-schools Chain? It all started by default, with my wife Preeti’s passion to work with the little ones and create her own educational start-up. She started the preschool back in 1999 in Kuwait. When we moved to India in 2004, she continued the same in the name of Little Elly. I was just mentoring her at that time. Today by the grace of God, Little Elly has become one of the most admired preschools in Bangalore with 65 centres in the city. We have also entered into other cities in the South like Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune. Pre-schools have changed from what they were. What are the things you learnt about education and pre-schools? I feel that preschool is an extension of home. At Little Elly we believe in giving safe and hygienic environment to kids with our specially designed concept rooms where they can play, explore and learn together. In Little Elly we also instil and encour-
mainly focusing on southern cities like Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai market for the next one year. What is the biggest challenge in front of pre-schools today, and what are we doing to address it? I think the challenge is always to find the right partner and a good property suiting to preschool.
age passion among teachers because building relationships with children and teachers has allowed me to continuously improve myself and influence a positive change in the school culture. How many pre-schools are there under the umbrella? How do you operate these schools? Currently, we have around 90 centres. In every city where we enter, we start with a Co-centre and expand through franchise model. Our expansions are
How challenging is to find skilled management team, especially for the education vertical? It is definitely challenging to get the right person. But I feel even if we get a semi-skilled manpower with the right attitude, we can mould them accordingly through our training programmes. What would be your suggestion for those who are planning to venture into starting a new preeducational establishment? I feel people looking only at ROI should not be getting into educational vertical. Passion and patience would be the two key attributes for opening a private school.
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Education is the Most Rewarding Sector to be in
Having proven its mettle with its sustainable efforts in the K-12 segment, the Ryan Group of Institutions is a well established brand in education. Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan Group of Institutions shares how the K-12 business has been the most rewarding experience. In conversation with Rachita Jha Please share the genesis of Ryan Group of Institutions. We had a small and humble beginning in 1976 with a group of 20 children in Mumbai, and over the years the vision to make a difference in the lives of children has evolved and grown. The passion behind Ryan came from our Chairman and Managing Director, as they were teachers and they really saw a great need for quality education in this country. In any developing country, education is its foundation. With India, the largest and youngest nation in the world and 500 million under the age of 25, education can give youngsters a platform where they are qualified, educated and self–empowered. That’s how they started. After a couple of years of operation, where does the Group stand now? What were the initial hiccups faced while setting up schools in India and how did you overcome those challenges? The founding members were among the first social entrepreneurs of the nation, and at that time India’s economy was opening up and people were getting into different sphere of economy. At that time they weren’t many people to support them, and there was a big learning curve for them on legal, financial aspects of setting-up schools. As we began to grow it was not based on a predefined business model and financial projections. It was purely from the heart and they went where there was a need. A lot of the growth came from invita-
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tions and recommendations, including the governments from across the country. It was a lot of time, learning curve, and challenges were many, but the vision to give our children a bright future was undeterred. And, today we are in 40 cities across 16 states in the country. And about 120 school in operation and every morning the joy of welcoming 250,000 kids to our schools. We plan to continue to grow within India and within the globe as well.
Tell us more about your growth model? Quality education is our prime concern, and so even with many schools opening across the country we continue to own and run all of them. We don’t have a franchise, as we wanted to retain the quality and experience for the child. We have been very cautious about growth and don’t want to just grow in numbers. For us education is our DNA and we have a long-term vi-
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sion to contribute to the growth of the nation. We as a group, we are at various towns that includes tier-II and tier-III cities and this is designed in our growth strategy as we would like to contribute not just in metros but also small towns in India and we continue on this commitment. Starting a school in India is still considered as service to the nation and ‘not for profit’ entity, where making profit is allowed but not distributing that profit. What is your opinion on that? Education is a wonderful sector to be in. A lot of people are misconstrued about the sector. There are stakeholders who come with an investment and return-on-investment strategy, but I would say that in education you are not dealing with products, these are children and their future that we deal with. We have to give them quality education alongwith values and for us we would judge our ROI based on the future they pursue after they graduate from our schools. And stand on their own. We have to adapt to the
changes in the education sector, however I would request the stakeholders to be aware of the sensitivities around children. We surely need more investments in education, as there such a huge demand supply gap. I therefore welcome people who are looking at education sector as an investment, however all the different stakeholders really need to sit and chalk out the strategy. Schools have changed from what they were. What are the things you learnt about education and schools? Every level of our management is involved in classroom teaching and are required to take classes. It is a great way for us to connect with children and understand their needs and demands. It gives us hand-on experience on the way children are evolving during their growth years. Every generation takes learning curve to next level, so we are pleasantly surprised on their knowledge and understanding. The role of a teacher has changed from an instructor to a facilitator. The teacher was the only
silo of information in the past. That has all changed today; children today are born with technology and have access to information on their fingertips. We all as educators are there just to bridge that gap. Children have multiple intelligence and can learn in many ways. We as facilitators need to recognize those needs and now with technology it has become easier. But again, technology has to be relevant to the children and their learning needs. For example in a rural village a textbook and notebook would be more relevant to them than tablets. Teacher today needs to pace up with children needs and we need to bridge the gap between the educators and learners to make them effective and efficient in classrooms. Technology can be introduced to enhance the education in schools. We have been very cautious about growth and don’t want to just grow in numbers. Children have multiple intelligences and can learn in many ways. We as facilitators need to recognize those needs and now with technology it has become easier.
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Institution Building Takes Years
“Being a student of Management, I played to my key strengths which are developing and leading a team, creating systems and processes, crisis handling and problem solving, hiring and training, financial planning, budgets and fiscal controls, giving direction and visioning,” says Manjula Pooja Shroff, CEO, Calorx, Ahmedabad Please share the genesis of Calorx Group and your journey with us. When we started the Delhi Public School at Ahmedabad, way back in 1996, there was much need for change in schooling in the state of Gujarat. Since then, we have worked up the entire vertical from Pre-school to University and several K-12 schools across Gujarat. There have been several moments of success. Whether it is creating a 35 Cr education brand ‘Calorx’; or creating projects for the economically marginalised through Visamo Kids, for those with special learning needs Prerna – a school for dyslexics; Vocational and Educational Development Institute of Calorx (VEDIC) - teaching
underprivileged children to learn and earn. With two DPS – one for children residing in affluent Western Ahmedabad and the other for kids in the industrial suburbs of eastern Ahmedabad - Calorx Public Schools at Mundra, Rajula, Bharuch, Ahmedabad and Godhra, franchisees run pre-schools, an International School – Calorx Global and a University for teachers’ training- Calorx teachers University, the Calorx brand of education covers today the entire spectrum of learning from entry point at pre schools to exit point at University, from the underprivileged to the affluent and from national (CBSE) to international (International Baccalaureate). “Being the First Choice among all target groups by providing quality education” is the vision statement for Calorx. This is the guiding force which has helped Calorx grow vertically from preschools to University in a short span of 18 years. Over the last decade schools have undergone many changes. What are the things you learnt about education and schools? There has been a tremendous change in schooling over the past decade. First the quality of infrastructure
went through a sea change. Quality infrastructure is not looked upon as a need for high-paying schools alone. The government’s focus on quality education and the recent academic reforms will force school education away from rote learning to building the skill sets required for the 21st century learning. Technological advancement in education is fast changing the look and feel within classrooms. Passionately devoted to quality education, Calorx is a technology conscious organisation. It was the first to introduce laptops for teachers. We have used AMDs chips for cost constrains way back in the mid 90s. In our classrooms, students have been extensively introduced to modern technologies. We have introduced a number of HR management tools in all schools of Calorx which stand out as innovative and good school management practices and are instrumental in bringing about a lot of dynamic changes in the operations and management of schools. the list of modern technologies and HR practices implemented in the Group projects are e-Learning, school portal, management system, the Mascot, Huddles, Calorx Code and many more.
Expansion Plan
10 Calorx Public School: Owned, Joint Venture & Management Models (COCO + COFO models) 13 Pre-schools on Franchise Model (COFO model) Manjula Shroff
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Under what model do you operate these schools? Calrox believes in empowering children and helping them to succeed in all spheres of life. This is the reason why Calorx has added new dimensions to its portfolio ensuring that it covers every segment of the society. Relentless pursuit of growth and innovation has helped us surpass expectations creating new benchmarks in the field of education. What is the biggest challenge of the school today, and what are we doing to address it? Gone are the days where just s brand was enough for parents to trust schooling. Parents are a discerning lot of people and are very actively involved in their students’ education. The teaching-learning process is the most fundamental value chain in the academic process. This process needs to be constantly strengthened and new and innovative approaches should supplement it. Use of technology in the academic delivery process is another benchmark. Most good and progressive schools recognise this and working in this direction.
Some best practices • • • • •
Good school management and HR practices Continuous improvement in teaching technologies and methodologies Continuous infrastructure and other developments Holistic developments of children Our commitment and sincerity in defining WORLD, is what sets us apart. Most of us have a background in education, with a deep commitment to learn and teach, to help schools, teachers and students, improve the education scenario by using 2i/2t i.e. Innovation & Interaction through Teachers & Technology
Economic value for education is another parameter the schools are judged by besides the cage old, board result marks. With the advent of international schools, the tuition fees have seen a steep rise. This is only for a small percentage of the school, the larger population still prefers good educational value for money. How challenging is it to find skilled management team, especially for the education vertical? It is not easy to get quality resource;
one has to do the best with what one gets through the recruitment pipeline. Each year we receive over 5,000-6,000 applications for employment. We have put together a good team which is responsible for standardised education across all the schools. Our visionary leaders are defining the future of education. Our experienced leadership team consists of enthusiastic professionals. What would be your suggestion for those who are planning to venture into starting a new educational establishment? The intention of the promoter has to be in sync with the education sector dynamics. If the promoter is clear about a long gestation, high-intensity infrastructure and capital funding, with a lot of statutory regulation and governance needs, then the K-12 sector is worth entering into. Anybody, who is looking for quick returns and is hoping for rapid top line and bottom line growth, may be in for a surprise. Institution building takes years. Both the tangible and intangible has to be constantly nurtured. Moulding students and creating them as National Assets and Global citizens is a task that takes 10-15 years. For those who have a passion for education, it is a very fulfilling, gratifying and enriching experience.
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Education Gets Smarter at Global Discovery Academy The Stanford School of Education graduate, Vipul Redey is the Chief Product Officer at Global Discovery Academy (GDA). He leads a team of education designers at GDA, a firm that designs, builds and manages affordable quality schools all over India. He previously managed the bulk of Cisco’s USD 225 Million global education in IT training and professional certifications business Please share the genesis of Global Discovery Academy? GDA was created by 75+ professionals from around the world with blue chip education and enviable professional track records. They came together with a single point agenda to redefine Indian education. Over five years of ideation, research, data collection, planning and prototyping with the Bachpan Foundation preVipul Redey
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school in Surendranagar, Gujarat, and our flawless execution finally resulted in the first GDA school being established at Sevasi in Vadodara, Gujarat. Our team is very creatively fertile and oversaw the genesis of our unique success formula that includes a blend of pedagogy, learning space design and technology.
any of the original GDA DNA that made us successful in the first place. We have been able to perfect this process with several innovative GDA techniques that literally allow us to unpack the entire original GDA product on a new school site under the strictest of supervision and tight quality control.
Where does the GDA stand now? What were the initial hiccups faced while setting up schools and how did you overcome those challenges? We have seen rapid growth of our footprint all over the country. There are currently seven GDA schools in operation and we have already inked the birth of several more for the next academic year. The initial hiccups were mainly with taking one fantastic school and replicating it in several locations with their own unique regional needs, without losing
Schools have changed from what they were. What are the new initiatives you have taken in education and schools? The entire GDA education hinges around our ‘Roadmap to my Dreams’ philosophy that seeks to ensure that every child plays to his or her strengths throughout their lives. This involves, first of all identifying that child’s strengths, accentuating them through our unique education process and then monitoring the child’s progress. We reject the mass manufacturing model in education that has been
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pervailing for past decades. We aim to leverage our entire portfolio of tools - technology, pedagogy and learning space design - to provide an opportunity for every child to grow at a pace and in a trajectory that is customized to that child. How many schools are there under the umbrella? How do you operate these schools? At first, we were sure that we had set ourselves some very ambitious and unrealistic goals on the growth of our school network. However, given the gaping chasm between the demand and supply for quality education in India, we are realising that we’d be barely scratching the surface of the opportunity. We realize this every single day from the enthusiasm that our model elicits from parents, educators and potential school partners. We do not run a chain of coffee shops. This is a network of schools that will fundamentally shape the lives of
Suggestion for those who are planning to venture into a new educational establishment The issue with starting a school is not just that it is a lengthy and complicated process, but that the lessons learnt can prove to be very costly and sometimes fatal to the entire enterprise. The cost here is not just financial - You will also be tinkering with a child’s education, growth and long-term well-being and that is the biggest risk that you take. I would suggest that you • Do your homework on the initial plans. While the big picture vision will look rosy and make you feel that all will go well, it’s inevitably the details that make all the difference between a successful school where children bloom and a chaotic mess. • Pick your allies carefully. There are several people that know what they are doing in education and a whole lot more that are totally clueless charlatans. • Spend an insane amount of time and energy on execution. This is where it really pays off to have a strong management and teaching team, rock-solid school management systems, and a well-oiled engine for executing. We have seen the best laid-out plans meet their Waterloo at the execution stage, and you don’t want yours to be one of them.
The entire GDA education hinges around our ‘Roadmap to my Dreams’ philosophy that seeks to ensure that every child plays to his or her strengths throughout their lives.” thousands of children. As such, we are very selective about who we partner with in the building and running of our schools. Besides having the material means to create a successful school, we also thoroughly screen partners for their motivation, intent and resolve to help children succeed. Starting a school in India is still considered as service to the nation and ‘not for profit’ entity, where making profit is allowed but not distributing that profit. What is your opinion on that? I am not sure why this is a debate that keeps cropping up in education. Profit is not the nemesis of public service. There are several areas of public good that have been wide open to private enterprise for decades without any major compromise in the quality of the services they provide. The public
healthcare system serves only a minority of the Indian population. In safety and security, the private sector is ably bridging the divide between what the Government can provide and what the public needs. How many people have a policeman for a chowkidar? Like all these areas that are basic necessities to create a stable and thriving society, I believe that the public and private sector can ably co-exist in education too. Each of them has unique strengths that lend them well to a distinct role they need to play. How challenging is to find skilled management team especially for the education vertical? Right since our inception, we’ve been blessed with an abundance of amazing talent from around the globe. We’ve had extremely generous participation from very senior and talented individ-
uals working in the highest echelons of the most recognisable names in the corporate world, from Silicon Valley to Dalal Street. They took their blue chip education from the worlds top Universities - Kellogg, the IITs and IIMs, Stanford - and brought it to bear on the day-to-day management of GDA. This is perhaps our biggest strength - Our ability to attract and engage the best of the best. My personal experience has been that everyone has a very fundamental relationship with the education vertical, from their personal experience as a consumer - a student. Everyone has a perception of what is not working in the old model of education. However, it takes some very unique types of individuals to fold up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in really doing something about it on a day-to-day basis. We have been fortunate in being a magnet to such talented individuals and this is why I have a very high level of confidence on why GDA will succeed in making a big difference for the better in the lives of the children we serve.
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Passion for Education Quality and excellence have been a priority for Jindal Group of Institutions and it has been strengthening its footprint in the educational arena. Deepika Jindal, Managing Director, JSL Lifestyle Limited discusses challenges and the company’s achievements in the education sector. In conversation with Seema Gupta, ENN
most satisfying and there is an abundant sense of fulfillment to see the children getting valuebased education in the most contemporary facility and earning name and fame in every walk of life. On new learning about about education and schools In the last few decades, nations across the world have witnessed a paradigm shift in the field of education. The technological revolution in the field has begun to wield a great influence on the curriculum design, planning, delivery, methodologies and teaching and learning aids. We have learnt a lot from our experimentation and innovation in the field of education that has Deepika Jindal enabled us to earn considerable reputation in academic circles. Our education institutions have On genesis of Jindal Group of Institutions Shri 0 P Jindal set up schools wherever he set up imbibed the philosophy and work plants to give education to employees’ children on ‘rediscovering’ something that from local community. In Hisar, there are two people have understood for a long educational institutes -- Vidya Devi Jindal School, time. a fully residential school for girls and O P Jindal On expansion plans Modern School, a co-ed, day school. I am directly involved in the management of There are four schools under both the schools since the beginning and have our umbrella: O P Jindal Modern been involved in the planning of infrastructure, School, Vidya Devi Jindal School, staffing decisions, student related matters and N C Jindal School, and O P Jindal other significant aspects of the school. Since the Bharti Vidya Mandir. As setting up schools and runinception, there are Management Committees that have on board educationists, professionals besides ning them is basically service to the trust representatives to supervise and set direc- the nation, we would continue with the model of building up tions for these institutes. My journey with both the schools have been new schools in the vicinity of the
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new plants being set up. This is important for attracting and retaining employees as the quality education for their children will always remain one of their priorities. Further, it also helps in the cultural and economic upliftment of the community children. Opinion on making school education for-profit entity I strongly agree that starting a school should only be considered as service to the nation and ‘not -for-profit making’. The running cost of our schools is met by the tuition fees from students and as there is no profit motive, the fees are highly subsidised to sustain the institution. All capital expenditure are funded from the Trust. Suggestions Those planning to venture into starting a new educational establishment should first and foremost articulate the vision, and set up a committed management team to realise it. The constituents of a good school including infrastructure, faculty members, and student-centric academics and developmental activities need meticulous planning at the very beginning. The quality of teachers will mark out the future of the institution. Above all the passion of the promoter and her/his involvement in nurturing the institution will only provide sustenance.
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emerging Emerging school School chains chains in in IndiA india
Towards Holistic Education
“Education should develop understanding, pride and love for our culture and the nation,” says Swami Swaroopananda, Director in Charge, Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Dedicated selfless service of many experts in the field of education, coupled with staff that is enthused with the vision of Education gives us the strength with which all challenges are won over.
After 17 years of operation, where does the school stand now? Chinmaya International Residential School (CIRS) was established in June 1996, and has entered the 18th year, this academic term. CIRS today has been rated on top in various rankings. The school has been producing students who are well educated in their secular studies. They are also infused with a higher vision for life and are leading life with nobler aspirations. Identifying the right location and establishing it initially was indeed challenging. Materialising Swami Chinmayanandaji’s vision into a practical education system was the first hurdle. Renowned educationists, who have been part of the Chinmaya Mission helped shape the systems in school. The difficulties of identifying the right location and ushering in funds for the project were also overcome. The trust that people had in the Chinmaya Mission took care of the initial admissions. The school’s excellent performance is taking care of the admissions now.
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How many schools are there under the umbrella? How do you operate these schools? The Chinmaya Education movement encompasses 80 Schools in India and one in Trinidad. Most of the Chinmaya Vidyalayas are run in the COCO model while the franchise model is also adopted in the rarest of cases. The schools are managed by Chinmaya Mission Trusts with the people of the local place as the Trustees. The Chinmaya Education Cell guides, trains, monitors and evaluates the systems of imparting education, as well as the administrative policies to be in place in the various schools. Unlike a commercially run venture, the Chinmaya Education Movement has no agenda of expansion or profitability. Being non-commercial by nature, it responds to the need of the place and the people. Hence, as and when there is a demand for a Chinmaya Vidyalaya and people of the local community are ready to support it and run it in line with the vision, the Chinmaya Vidyalayas are set up. What is the biggest challenge of the school today, and what are we doing to address it? Diminishing values and extraordinary (undue) emphasis on materialism is the biggest challenge in society. This has not spared even the education system. Decline in values in the society is creating conflicts in the child. Even from a child’s
perspective, education is only a resultoriented commercial endeavour, rather than a discovery and enquiry-oriented enterprise. Training to score marks has superceded the need to be educated. The craze to be materialistically succesful has overtaken the need to be humane. To fulfil the true purpose of education in the process of satisfying the materialistic demands is one big challenge in all schools. These issues have to be addressed jointly by the educators and the parents. Parents need to join hands with the school to create this conviction. How can ICT help in educating young minds? ICT has already become an integral part of education. The visual impact while teaching lessons have enhanced the teaching-learning process to a large extent. Presentations and research are all part of the system these days. The whole world is moving towards ICT empowered learning. There is a big need to pool all resources and make them available on a common platform. Education in India is still lacking the aspect of application. Students gather a lot of information. Yet, they are impaired for want of the knowledge to use it hands on in the real world. ICT could go a long way in creating opportunities for this kind of education. At the same time, ICT engages students in the virtual world and subtly discourages the student from interacting, observing and learning from the real world. Education in moral responsibility of using ICT in its most beneficial way also should include communicating the understanding of when it is to be kept away.
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“We enable students to learn, explore and imagine” Dr Chenraj Roychand, Chairman, Jain Group of Institutions, shares his insight on expanding the reach of schools and higher education institutions in India Please share the journey of Jain Group of Institutions that started from single room college to a number of institutions? Jain Group of Institutions began as a single room college with a handful of students in the year 1990 inspired by the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda. As a young businessman, I was searching for a larger meaning for life and a chance meeting with the books and philosophies of Swami Vivekananda transformed my entire perspective about living and giving. Since 1990, it has been a roller coaster ride with its share of challenges and celebrations. I vividly remember those days where technology was nascent and social networking only meant family celebrations and festivals. During those founding days, I pretty much had to don
our opportunity schooling segments which is called Jain Vidyaniketan. This is a concept wherein young and deserving children from the rural India are educated at Re 1 per year. Presently, we have two such schools operating in Bangalore (Kanakapura) and Amethi (UP). We will be educating around lakh of students under this model in the years to come.
Our schools are in their consolidation phase and the next leg of expansion will commence in a couple of years, wherein we will be launching around 200 schools across the country by 2020 almost all the hats concerned with conceiving, establishing and executing the setup of my institution. How many schools are there under the umbrella? How do you operate these schools? In all, there are around 36 schools catering to different strata of society. Our flagship school is the Jain International Residential School located at Bangalore offering national and international curriculum to students across the globe and we also have Jain Heritage a Cambridge Schools and Jain Public School in Bangalore, Hyderabad,
Secunderabad, Vizag, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Hubli, etc. The fundamental philosophy of these schools revolve around enabling students to learn, explore and imagine. All these schools are promoted, managed and operated by Jain Group of Institutions. At present, our schools are in their consolidation phase and the next leg of expansion will commence in a couple of years wherein we will be launching around 200 schools across the country by 2020. The strength and the pursuit of excellence in school education at Jain Group of Institutions are derived from
How challenging is it to find skilled management team, especially for the education vertical? In my opinion, the challenge is not in getting skilled human resources but the real challenge lies in nurturing, maintaining and enriching these resources. Today the entire economy is dynamic and versatile and there is no dearth of opportunities for skilled personnel. At Jain Group of Institutions, we engage our team of thought leaders by a simple three steps formulae that is Autonomy – complete empowerment; Collaboration – absolute team work; and Engagement – long-term perspective planning. What would be your suggestion for those who are planning to start a new educational establishment? Today a private school is as good as setting up a new industry or a company. It involves all the three phases of strategy, planning and operations. The key difference been the schools of today is to deal with developing young impressionable minds as against developing a product or a service. The only word of caution which I would like to add here is that one must remember the stronger the start, the greater the finish.
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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Special Feature
Cyberfort Technologies
Offers Skill-based Employable Courses By Amit Kumar, President, Cyberfort Technologies
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yberfort Technologies is a Boutique Training and Consulting Firm specialising in Information Security and financial technology. Cyberfort technologies was inaugurated in World Education Summit held in Le-Meridian, New Delhi,2013 (www.cyberfort.org), in the presence of eminent laureates and educationist from across the world. CYBERFORT Technologies is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 27001:2005 certified and is an accredited member of IADL, UK and US DLA. Cyberfort Technologies provides niche and hi-tech certification course-
ware globally via virtual and instructor - led teaching modules. Cyberfort Technologies has strategic alliances with Mahatma Gandhi University, India (UGCAICTE-DEC approved) and EC-Council (world’s largest certification body for Cyber security professionals) for imparting high quality graduate/postgraduate and professional certifications in Information and financial technology. Information security is a stable and growing profession – Information security professionals are very stable in their employment; more than 80 percent had no change in employer or
employment in the past year, and the number of professionals is projected to continuously grow more than 11 percent annually over the next five years. Certification of knowledge drives salaries higher – the salary gap between certified cyber security professionals and non-certified professionals is widening. Information security professionals in US have average salaries of USD 80,000. In India, a beginner can expect a pay package of up to `6 lakh per annum. Professionals with higher academic qualifications and work experience can draw up to ` 30 lakhs. Salaries are at least 20-30 percent higher than for most other positions at the same level in other fields of IT. Typically, salaries get doubled within two years due to huge demand of skilled manpower in this sector. Even with past annual growth in the double-digits, workforce shortage persists. The impact of shortage is the greatest on the existing workforce. India alone needs at least five lakh cyber security professionals by the year 2015.
Career in Algo-Trading Algorithmic trading can be defined as placing a buy or sell order of a defined quantity into a quantitative model that automatically generates the timing of orders and the size of orders based on goals specified by the parameters and constraints of the algorithm. The rules built into the model attempt to determine the optimal time for an order to be placed that will cause the least amount of impact on the price of the financial instrument. Algo trading is a way to codify a trader’s execution strategy. Algo trading or computer-directed trading
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education.eletsonline.com
three to four years, the proportion could rise to 60 to 70 percent.
Content •
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CYBERFORT TechnoLab’s programme textbooks and workbooks have been developed by experienced industry professionals to provide insight into the real-life ICT industry. Textbooks have been designed to provide theoretical and practical learning to the learner Each book starts by defining the learning objectives and providing sufficient reading material to ensure these objectives are met. Textbooks supplement the workbooks used by learners during classroom learning sessions Course material is simplified to ensure that learners with different learning capacities benefit equally from the content. Relevant examples help explain concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. Graphs, pictures and statistics are used extensively to illustrate the rationale for every concept explained The combination of instructor-led training + self-study courses and group exercises ensures that learners are elevated to a mindset of a professional
Courses at a glance • • • • • • • •
MBA in Cyber Security MBA in Investment Banking BCA in Cyber Security BBA in Investment Banking Diploma in Cyber Security Diploma in Algo Trading Certificate in Cyber Security Certificate in Professional Trading
cuts down transaction costs and allows fund managers to take control of their own trading processes. Algo trading is an automated facility where trading is carried out by computer driven algorithms designed by traders. Instead of the traders manually doing so, it is these algorithms that determine which orders – to buy or to sell – get booked. The high speed transactions can take as little as 18 microseconds – at which such trading takes place, gives it a competitive advantage over conventional manual trading. While a single trader can manually handle at best a portfo-
lio of around `5 crore, an algo trader, working alone, can cope with `50 crore to `55 crore. Algo trading started in India in 2005. But it was only in 2008, after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed Direct Market Access, or electronic interaction with the order books of exchanges, that this facility started gaining wide acceptance. Today, around 16 to 17 percent of trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange is algorithmic, with about 80 to 90 companies engaged in it. But many believe that in the next
TechnoLab learning centers The Cyberfort TechnoLab learning centers across India are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to facilitate learning. Our industry experts use advanced learning tools to demonstrate real-time trends in advanced ICT to learners. Additionally, all learning centers are managed by dedicated managers who ensure that every need of the learner is met. They aim to create a collaborative learning environment that encourages knowledge creation and absorption. The learning centers provide the perfect blend of content and infrastructure thus enabling the learner to flourish.
Scope of the programme A tremendous scope is available. Information security is one of the booming industries at the moment. Technologies offered at Cyberfort technologies are in high demand like Information Security & financial technology, Application Programming, Networking and Communication. Our job-oriented diploma programs increase one’s chances in various domain specific areas, whereas the MBA program in cyber security and Investment Banking respectively gives an edge to enter directly in the mid level position of the industry domain.
Advantage of niche technology course The entry-level salary is at least 20 percent higher as compared to other areas and the growth within the industry is much faster. Typically, the salary would get doubled within two years itself as there is a huge demand of skilled manpower in this sector. Cyberfort technologies deliver innovative, leading-edge products, solutions, and services to customers worldwide. We are dedicated to advancing the discipline of cyber security through imagination, technical excellence, and unparalleled passion for our work.
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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Corporate LEADERS SPEAK diary
Q& Simplifying Teaching with A
Digital Content
EducoSoft delivers digital content for K-12 students, teachers and self-learners. Dr Manmohan Sharma, Professor Emeritus, Clark Atlanta University (US) and President Educo International, speaks on the need of teachers’ empowerment through digital content that can help teachers make class discussions dynamic and interactive, in conversation with Pragya Gupta, ENN ing the quality of math and Science education by introducing technology solutions in teaching and learning.
Please share the genesis of Educo International. Educo International was founded in 1985 to provide quality education tools, products and services globally. We have the vision to provide quality education solutions accessible anytime, anywhere with or without the availability of Internet access. Now we are delivering solutions through several options for the institution to chose from, including: 1) through Internet; 2) Internet based Lab licenses; 3) without Internet, through Local Area Network, and 4) now through a simple Pen Drive. If any of the first three options are used then it comes with comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) with all the instructional management tools. I have been in Education for over 50 years, about 30 years in US, and have held several senior academic and administrative positions in different universities in the USA and India. For the last three decades, I have been focusing on improv-
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How do you empower teachers? We call ourselves to be academic solution provider. Our focus is on empowering teachers in the classroom as everything revolves around them. There is a scarcity of teachers, not even to talk of good teachers. Whatever we have can be made efficient enough to deliver quality education exploiting the power of digital content. This is where efficiently delivered digital teaching resources can help improve the situation. We have tried to capture good pedagogy through dynamic graphics, appropriate animations, step-bystep presentations to make class room interactive using heuristics. Our Digital Teaching notes and assessment are seamlessly integrated for each and every concept of the curriculum that teachers are expected to follow. Do you favour smart classrooms that have entered Indian schools? Yes, of course. That facilitates integration of teaching and learning through digital media. But its effective integration in actual teaching and learning is still to be seen. However, there are some institutions that can be considered as model for the smart room use and its complete integration in teaching and learning like the five schools in Delhi that I know; two schools of Tagore International group, two schools of Father Angeles, and Rukamni Devi Public school. Almost all teachers of these schools use smart class rooms very effectively.
How do you bring technology into the classroom? Two things are necessary for the efficient use of technology by teachers in classrooms or for self professional development. It must be easy to use, and digital content must be very effective to make classrooms interactive. Access of digital content to teachers must be seamless, without depending on any downloads and external technology person’s help. Keeping all these consideration in mind, we are now offering our content in USB sticks that require no installations except the Pen drive itself. Powerful content, where teaching notes are presented with dynamic graphics and pedagogically sound animations, and are integrated with assessment for every concept, are likely to make class rooms interactive with good learning environment. Please shed more light on your USB-based solution for learning. Educo has launched a new concept of Pen Drive loaded with complete curriculum for teaching, learning, and assessment, all integrated and locked in this Pen Drive. Content is completely aligned with CBSC curriculum. Focus is on Mathematics, Sciences, and English Language Arts. For teachers, we are adding in one Pen Drive all that a teacher needs for the subject for all classes he/she teaches. For students, we are adding in one Pen Drive all the three subject matter; Math, Science, and English of his/ her class. It is being launched in four countries simultaneously: US, Jamaica, India, and Philippines.
special feature
education.eletsonline.com
IIT Delhi Uses WizIQ to Launch an Online Course
A case study that recapitulates how IITD via WizIQ conceptualised a revolutionary programme
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IT Delhi’s Department of Management Studies (DMS) wanted to innovate a certificate programme in management for working professionals, overcoming the challenges of diverse physical locations, without compromising on quality.
Challenge IIT’s Certificate Course in Business Management (CCBM) had to cater to the needs of students from different geographical locations. It involved complex ideas to be conveyed and discussed, with constant student-teacher interaction, synchronous and asynchronous. At the same time it had to be, easy to use; adapting to different bandwidths, browsers and operating systems.
Solution Considering the pros & cons of different models, WizIQ devised a definitive solution that revolutionised tier-one online programmes. A hybrid programme was thus conceptualised, utilising both, short phases of 5-days of face-to-face
sessions that helped the students and teachers to develop a learning community; and virtual classroom sessions where this community was sustained, adding to the learning experience. WizIQ’s virtual classroom answered in the form of cutting-edge technology that used multi-way voice/video streaming, an interactive whiteboard and much more to make this experience dynamic and enable active and constant communication. The program started with orientation and product training for all the participants, backed with 24x7 support to ensure continuous and smooth running.
Results IIT Delhi received an Educational Excellence award from Dr Pallam Raju, Minister of HRD of India, for the Best Use of Technology for Vocational Education and Skills Training by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. This award was granted to IIT Delhi for the manner in which they incorporated WizIQ into their educational program. The feedback from professors, students
and administrators was a testimony to how the programme was groundbreaking. Ideating an online platform that enabled and simplified exchange of ideas had now been made possible with WizIQ Virtual Classroom.
Not just a Virtual Classroom: WizIQ is Complete Course Management System WizIQ Virtual Classroom has remarkable features supported by an efficient support team. Sure, but there’s more to it. • Sales and Marketing support: WizIQ provides complete assistance to popularize the course and get more enrolments. With more than three million users already registered with WizIQ, the reach is expansive. Online payments can be collected through WizIQ, which creates a complete support system to launch your course, market and handle transactions using a single platform. • Live onsite training & implementation: Complete product training and implementation can be arranged, right at your organisation with the WizIQ Support team visiting you. • 24x7 voice and chat technical support: WizIQ has a well acclaimed, efficient support team that ensures that the users have a perfect WizIQ experience. Issues, big or small are handled on priority, with set deadlines. • Support for students and teachers: Regular trainings and webinars are scheduled for all our users to help them learn more about the platform, conducting courses better and equipping them to fully utilise the product. Trainings are also conducted to update them on the latest features of the product and how to use them. WizIQ Can Help to launch similar online/blended course! For a tailor made solution for your institution, contact us, or have our team call you via following modes: Call us on: +91 9897072888 or +91-9216405405 Send us an e-mail: academics@wiziq.com
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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academia speak
Technical Education in a Vicious Circle By Prof K Lal Kishore, Vice Chancellor, JNT University Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
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ecause of the skilled manpower requirement, there is a sudden increase in the number of Technical Institutions in India. But this is resulting in generating technical manpower, but not skilled manpower. So there is unemployment in the country among engineering graduates. This is a paradoxical situation. Most of the technical institutions established in the private sector are started on business lines and with profit motive. The managements are linked to politicians, business tycoons, contractors, etc. Very few of the self-financing institutions belong to educationists with a motive of service to the society. The policy of granting permissions to establish self-financing institutions in the guise of requirements for manpower, bridging supply-demand gap, is totally false. The increase in the number of institutions should have been gradual. Sanctioning technical institutions all over the country without any scientific study is the reason for the present situ-
ation. Merely producing engineers without skills will not serve the purpose of meeting the supply - demand gap. Number of engineers per one thousand population is not uniform throughout the country. Number of Technical Institutions is very large in some states and very snall in some other states. Most of the teachers are recruited locally. When there is sudden increase in the number of engineering colleges, there is very much shortage of well qualified and experienced teachers. So the quality of education imparted is poor, with the result that mere numbers are produced, but not absorbed by the industry. When there is unemployment among the engineering graduates, demand for the seats reduces. Because of the poor quality of education and training, given in these colleges, unemployment increases. This makes the demand reduced, for engineering seats, in these institutions. As these are self-financing institutions, if all the seats in the college are not filled, income reduces. Budget for the college shrinks. This makes the managements pay less
This astronomical or haphazard growth is responsible for closure of some engineering colleges, whereas survey reports say that there is shortage of skilled manpower across the globe • In 1947-48, there were 20 Universities, 496 colleges in the country. Enrolment in these college was 0.1 million. In 1980 – 81, these figures were, 123, 4861 and 2.8 million respectively. • In 2010 – 11, the number of Universities increased to 634 and the number of colleges to 33,023. Enrolment in these Institutions is 17.0 millions, Number of seats in BE/BTech courses in 1970 – 71, was 88, 494. • It increased to 16, 81,716 in 2005 – 06. • This has further increased to about 3.5 million in 2010 – 11.
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to the teaching staff in the institution, or reduce the staff, or both. This further affects the quality of education and hence more unemployment among the engineering graduates, as quality of education imparted is poor. So the demand for seats in engineering colleges further reduces. This adds to the complications the financial position of the college. So it is a vicious circle and at present the field of technical education is caught in this loop, thanks to AICTE, and many wrong policies at various levels. To break the loop or come out of the circle, quality education must be given priority. It is not just increasing the number, but producing quality engineers, so that all the graduates are absorbed in one way or other. In other words, there should not be unemployment at an alarming level. As quality teachers and experienced teachers, cannot be produced overnight, this must be done in a phased manner. There must be a gradual increase in the number of institutions and not sudden spurt in the number of colleges. The colleges should not be concentrated in one state or one region, but must be distributed uniformly throughout. This can solve the problem of availability of teachers, to impart skills to the students to some extent. When quality technical education is imparted, the graduates are absorbed by the industry, and seats, being filled, the financial position of the colleges will be better. So the college managements will be able to further improve the quality of education in the institution. Thus, we can break the loop or come out of the vicious circle. There will not be closure of colleges and we can bridge the supply – demand gap slowly.
Corporate diary
Driving Processes with ERP
Q& A
Ecole Solutions offers a wide range of Technology Solutions that influence Teaching and Learning Delivery processes and therefore, result in improved learning outcomes. Venkatesh LS, Co-Founder and Director, Ecole Solutions Pvt Ltd, shares his views on ERP for campus management, challenges, new solutions, and much more... Excerpts:
Give us an overview of learning infrastructure solution with a special focus on Campus ERP. The learning infrastructure in campuses today needs to cater to multiple needs of institutions. Besides the hard infrastructure of servers, PCs, interactive whiteboards and networks, the soft infrastructure is critical. On the one hand you have the Student Information System as a part of the student life cycle, which will give students, admitted into various programmes, access to their entire academic records including course registrations, timetable, attendance, exams, placements and finally stay in touch with
tailor-made to suit the needs and pockets of Indian academic institutions. On the other hand, you need technologies to support and manage physical and digital libraries, eLearning course delivery, Tests and Exams and Language Labs. We, as a solution provider, implement all these different technologies to create a robust and sustainable learning infrastructure on Indian Campuses. According to you what is the rate of acceptance of ERP in the Indian education system? There is increasing awareness of the advantages of ERP in edu-
Because of several failed ERP implementations, institutions tend to be low on confidence. There is a need for evangelisation as well as education to make ERP implementations successful� the institution as an alumnus/a upon graduation. Then of course you have administrative processes that need to be streamlined so that process efficiencies can be achieved and decision making is made easier as real-time data will be available. This will also help with regulatory compliance. All this is achieved with an ERP designed using open-source components,
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cational institutions. However, it requires a lot of commitment from the top management to make them successful. In the 80s and 90s institutions used to get applications devel-
oped through their Computer Science departments or as student projects. These experiments were short-lived as they created several disparate systems that would not talk to each other. Many new institutions that are coming up are showing interest in implementing ERP systems at an early stage to
education.eletsonline.com
Key features of Ecole Campus ERP Software A stable system that integrates all functions and activities of an institute on a single platform, helps reduce overall costs, and more effectively manage resources – financial, physical, and human capital. A highly parameterised, scalable application that can adapt to changes even in basic institutional statutes, revisions in the curriculum and syllabus as well as fee structure. An integrated communication platform for internal and external stakeholders; viz: students, faculty, college administration, alumni and the corporate world. drive their processes, which is very encouraging. What are the challenges and policy hiccups in the adoption of educational ERPs? Because of several failed ERP implementations, institutions tend to be low on confidence. There is a need for evangelization as well as education to make ERP implementations successful. Since ERP implementations span across all departments, it is very important to take everybody on board and this can be achieved only by strong leadership at various levels. What are the policy modulations and regulations needed for enabling further adoption of ERPs? I Am not sure that policies can do much to change things but certainly organisations like UGC, AICTE, NAAC and other central and state government agencies involved in higher education can incentivise ERP implementation in Campuses with a view to bring in transparency and efficiency to the system. Which are the leading educational institutes which have adopted your ERP solutions? CampusLabs, the ERP that Ecole implements, has had many takers. Amongst them are institutions like IIIT (Indraprastha Institute of In-
formation Technology)-Delhi; Kaziranga University, Jorhat; IFIM Business School, Bangalore; K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Mohali.
Designed to be a completely modular suite of applications for customers to choose from, based on their needs, priorities and budgets, our Campus ERP automates all core administrative functions and increases student services. The modules include: Registration Fees Administration Staff Appraisal Examinations Web Portal Transportation Placements Admission Financial Management Hr And Payroll Scheduler Asset Inventory Hostel Alumni
Which are the new solutions and services that you are planning to introduce in the learning space? At Ecole Solutions, our focus will remain on providing quality solutions in the Education and Learning domain, both to academic institutions and businesses. Besides the Learning Infrastructure Solutions that I have talked about earlier, we have partnered with Bibliotheca Library RFID Systems AG, Switzerland to provide State-of-the-art RFID systems for automating Libraries. Besides this we have just announced a slew of services under the PrepMill brand that will focus on providing Prep Tests for students to prepare for campus placements and also offer courses and certification exams in the areas of Cloud Computing, Six Sigma, Business Analysis etc., in partnership with leading global organizations. These certifications will help students in enhancing their job prospects. Give us an overview of the professional services introduced by ECOLE Our Professional Services essentially supplement our solutions to make the implementations successful. They include Requirements Study and Gap Analysis, Pre-Implementation Consulting, Customization, Data Migration, Content Development for Learning and Assessments, Training and Managed Services including hosting. What are your future plans of expansion? The goal is to scale the operations in terms of acquiring more customers and replicating the success we have achieved with our current customers. Although we are based in Bangalore, we have customers in as many as 15 states across the country. We intend to expand geographically with offices in other parts of the country to support our customers and build partnerships in other countries, especially the Middle East and other Asian countries. Currently, we provide services in the Assessments space to companies in the US and UK and intend to expand that as well.
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Corporate Diary
Q& “Universities should look at A tailor-made solution both for subject specific skills and generic skills” VSN Raju, Chief Executive Officer, Globarena Technologies Private Limited sheds light on how Indian universities can address the various challenges in education What are the challenges faced by Universities today? Universities all over world look to be recognised for the quality of education they impart, for their Research and Development activities, innovation, leadership and sustainability, which is aimed at contributing to both social and economical development. But due to the increasing number of universities there are many challenges that they encounter including unavailability of teachers, adaptability with changing technological trends in learning and assessments, unemployability of graduating youth and growing difference between industry expectations from academia. To add to the many challenges, the increase in the student enrolments is exerting a lot of pressure on their available resources both infrastructural and manpower especially in India the above challenges are manifold.
What can the universities do to overcome these challenges in the Indian context? The government has recognised the current challenges in the education sector and to arrest these trends they
How can the Universities adapt to change? • It is time that the universities adapt to technology in all they do to reach students by promoting learning beyond classroom thorugh ICT based classroom deliveries and using technology in examination conduction or result declaration • Many private companies working in the space of providing education services have evolved innovative products. It will be a good idea for a university to look at tailor-made solution both for subject specific skills and generic skills. It will help them to expedite the process of change • It will provide the students with innovative learning and assessment possibilities and empower teachers to use technology in delivering sessions that will lead to standardisation and make classroom session interactive • The universities needs to look at collaborating with industry, academicians, experts and Peer universities in India and abroad using ICT while impartinf education • This way the universities can ensure that they have a scalable model to address to the growing student base and also can ensure quality course deliveries, improve innovation through R&D and contribute to well-rounded professionals to the industries that will help them in improving the socio-economic status of students and contribute to nation building
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have been coming up with much needed changes in policies and procedures through bodies like AICTE, NAAC, NBA, etc, moreover industry bodies like NASSCOM and CII have been suggesting academia on all platforms to evolve an outcome-based curricula. With inputs from all quarters, the universities are doing their bit but much is still undone especially curricula standardisation both for teachers and students that is industry relevant, standardisation of classroom deliveries and tests and examinations conduction; which mean the universities need to look at adapting to change quickly to be relevant and sustainable. Can you throw some light on Globarena Technologies and its activities? Our solutions and programmes are comprehensive, affordable, and scalable as they can be deployed both on the LAN or facilitated through the Internet or can be facilitated through Instructors Training. We have partnered with many Universities, educational institutions and government education department in improving faculty effectiveness, student engagement, and helped corporate to get right talent that has helped them to increase their productivity. We are NASSCOM partners to deliver NAC 2.0 an assessment conducted by them to identify and provide entry level talent for the ITES companies and we also provide our examination management solutions (OnMark) both end-toend that includes onscreen marking solutions and examination conduction solution (OneX) to leading state Indian Universities.
eINDIA Education Awards
education.eletsonline.com
Carrying the Baton of Innovations Number of Award Categories: 12 Total Nomination Received: 76 Higher Education • Industry-Academia Collaboration Initiative • Green Campus Initiative by HEI/University • Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning Government Initiatives in Education School Education • Green Campus Initiative by School • Innovation in Global Collaborative Learning • School of the Year • Use of ICT in School Management • Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning Private Sector • Technology Solution for Teaching-Learning • Solution for Testing & Assessments • ICT Initiative in Education
The eINDIA 2013 education awards take the pride to celebrate and acknowledge unique and innovative initiatives in education sector across the country. Award nominations have been invited to share best practices that have created difference in the field of education. We have received total 76 nominations under various categories of School, higher education and private sector, Government and NGO. The special feature on eINDIA Award nomination 2013 intents to highlight how various stakeholders are taking initiatives to bring quality, employability, innovation in education and leading towards collaborative learning. In subsequent pages digitalLEARNING highlights the nominated projects* and initiatives>>>
(*Multiple nominations from one institution have been dropped)
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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Higher Education
Industry-Academia Collaboration Initiative Nominations
Centre of Relevance & Excellence in Industrial A&R Organisation: Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Uttar Pradesh Website: www.akgec.org Objective: To develop world-class infrastructure for training and research, especially in the field of Automation & Robotics (A&R) and to train engineers of all disciplines to meet industry expectations. Description: AKGEC has established Centre of Relevance and Excellence (CORE) in the field of Automation & Robotics. The centre aims at promoting industry relevant training to bridge the industry-academia gap and make students industry ready. Achievements • MOU signed with six leading international industries for collaborative training and research • Establishment of six operational state-of-the-art Centres of Competence in three years duration • Skill upgradation and comprehensive training in high technology multi-disciplinary area of A&R
3-D Simulation and Virtual Reality Techniques
Organisation: Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre, Rajasthan Website: www.jecrcfoundation.com
Objective: Research and engineering education for students using the latest technology of 3D drawings and real-life simulation. Description: JECRC is working on robotics, simulations, signaling at one edge, data mining, artificial intelligence on the other goal with a blend of cognitive sciences for therapeutics and neuro linguistic languages in a combination not only this the foundation is also busy in searching for novel leads for disabled. Achievements • Virtual Laboratory (V-Lab); Texas Instruments (TI) Laboratory • Microsoft i-Spark Centre |JECRC Innovation Academy • Robolab; DST Centre with Potentials for Excellence
M A M College of Engineering WIPRO Mission10x Collaboration Organisation: M A M College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu Website: www.mamce.org Objective: Building conducive learning environment through pedagogy training. To encourage innovations in engineering education through active sharing and by exposing students to industry relevant projects and environment. Description: WIPRO provided training to faculty for use of technology for teachinglearning process and various technically-advanced methodologies like use of existing video lectures, involving social networking, webinars for teaching to increase the employability of students. Achievements • 140 teachers have been trained in pedagogy usage by WIPRO’s Mission10x – 47 advanced level • TCS ion, the complete campus management solution involving cloud platform, for transparent teaching. The network created for sharing innovations through ULTP by WIPRO’s Mission10X through Webinars
Centre for Research, Innovation & Development Organisation: Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Sci enceand Technology, Haryana Website: www.dcrustm.org Objective: To provide an enabling environment for holistic development of students, faculty and budding entrepreneurs by nurturing innovative ideas for turning them into reality. Description: Centre for Research Innovation & Development (CRID) is established under the aegis of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science & Technology, Sonipat, Haryana with a vision to collaborate with the industry to undertake cross-functional research
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and development. Achievements • Two companies have been selected for establishing a Research and Development Centre under R&D unit of CRID • Entrepreneurship Unit under CRID has organised one-day entrepreneurship camp for the students • The R&D unit has organised one-day workshop for budding researchers • Research profile of the university has been circulated to all leading companies for future R&D tie-ups
Higher Education
Industry-Academia Collaboration Initiative Nominations
Construction Skill Training Institute Organisation: Construction Skill Training Institute, Abul khurana, Punjab Website: www.cstiabulkhurana.org Objective: To fill the gap of training standards among students and requirement of really skilled manpower by construction companies. Description: This is an international level joint venture of Punjab Government and Larsen & Toubro Limited. It provides 100 percent placement and 100 percent fee reimbursement after successful completion of course from December 2008. The Punjab Government is now going to replicate this experiment all over the state. Achievements • 100 percent Placement in various international companies like L&T, Omaxe, DLF, etc • Quality training as per demand of the industry, under the supervision of reputed experts • 13 acre well-maintained 100 percent residential campus/ free hostel • Fully accredited with DGE&T and Director Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab
Innovative Steps taken for Placement, Consultancy & Training Organisation: SAL Institute of Technology Engineering Research, Gujarat Website: www.sal.edu.in Objective: To boost the career of students by giving them more opportunity for job, to bridge the gap between industry and academics, and to encourage students to start their own firm. Description: Students of final year are offered stipend from the industries for their innovation in industrial ‘Shodh Yatra’. 100 percent industry defined projects are done for all branches so that students can work on some real-life chal-
lenges. Encouraging entrepreneurship values in students through Entrepreneur Development Cell (EDP). Achievements • Initiative taken for this project has been highlighted & acknowledged by the award from GTU • Many students have started their own organisations & signed MoU with EDP • Collaboration with Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland, for higher studies • Established the students’ chapter ACCE(1)- Ahmedabad Centre, Gujarat
Bridging the Industrial and Academia Divide at Hindustan University Organisation: Hindustan University, Chennai Website: www.hindustanuniv.ac.in Objective: The main objective of this project is to bridge the gap between academia and Industry. Thereby, providing well-groomed, employable students to take up the challenges in the industry. Description: BIADH (Bridging the industrial and academia divide at Hindustan University) project was started with an aim to bridge the gap between academia and industry and to increase the employability rate and to produce the industry-ready workforce. It also provides better teaching-learning ambience and increase the technical knowledge of students and staff. Achievements: • Campus placement – steady increase in the placement every year • Increased exposure to the developments in the industry for staff and students • Reduction in overheads like, cost, space, time and resources • Better skilled students are produced
ICT Enabled Initiatives by PIMR Organisation: Prestige Institute of Management and Research Website: www.pimrindore.ac.in Objective: To be a leader in professional education, research and development. Description: PIMR has been imparting professional education & stands among the top-level B-Schools. It has been accorded autonomous status & accredited by NAAC, AICTE, NBA, and IAO. It is having permanent affiliation with DAVV, Indore. PIMR promotes various activities, which serve professional & intel-
lectual interests of students. It has a placement & corporate relations cell. Achievements: • Autonomous Institute by UGS in 2006, extended in 2012 • NBA accredited in 2000 for its MBA programme • Institute is accredited with grade-A by NAAC, UGC • International Accreditation by IAO • Research Focus: Currently the institute has 101 research scholars and 21 PhD guides
digitalLEARNING / August 2012
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Higher Education
Industry-Academia Collaboration Initiative Nominations
Academy Industry Connect Organisation: Lovely Professional University (LPU) Website: www.lpu.in Objective: To connect with industry. Description: LPU has made an attempt to bridge this chasm, by facilitating closer collaboration of academia and industry in which the industry shares with the University the type of human resource it desires and expects from the higher education sector; and the University tries to refurbish its curriculum, pedagogy and practical learning in accordance to industry requirements. Achievements • The University has been able to keep its curriculum in sync with the requirements of the industry • The R&D activities of the University have seen a major increase • The University has been able to enter into a number of alliances in India and abroad • The University has surfaced as a respectable name in consultancy in recent time • The University has also kick-started various short-term courses to groom practicing professional
Skill Enhancement Programme Organisation: NRI Institute of Information Science and Technology Website: www.nrigroupindia.com Objective: To train the students as per industry need. Description: A four-year integrated programme is implemented for students to enhance skills of students to meet cut-throat competition and make them match the cutting edge technology. This programme enables them to meet PSU as well as modern industry requirements. Achievements • Students from six states are taking summer training in the institute for HP • Students of five colleges are taking summer training in IIT – Resource Centre by Sine IIT • As a result of vigorous training students have acquired packages of 24 & 10 lakhs • Almost all students of the 2013 batch are placed with packages ranging two to 24 lakhs • Students got selected in IES, ISRO, DRDO, BHEL, UPSC and many more PSUs
Highest Industrial Alliances Organisation: Arya Institute of Engineering and Technology Website: www.aryacollege.org Objective: To create a progressive academic environment for the students to achieve quality techno-managerial skills and become innovative and creative professionals who can contribute to the development. Description: Arya Institute of Engineering & Technology is the TCS iON which is biggest online examination agency in India has Certified Arya Institute as ‘A’ Category Institute possessing best IT Infrastructure and deeply appreciates the contribution of Arya Institute in hosting big prestigious online examinations. Achievements • TCS-iON certified best it infrastructure. • Wipro’s first nodal centre for MTLC Labs • CISCO certified labs & secured network • Infosys Campus Connect partner college • Unisys innovation & learning centre
Minimise Excesses Components in Design and Development of Three Engine Assembly Wheeler for Physically Challenged Organisation: KCG College of Technology Objective: Consultancy to automotive industry Description: The emerging era of science based collaboration between academia and industry offers advantages to both entities. When academia industry partnerships work well they can facilitate research discoveries. It is an initiative to offer consultancy to BMW. Achievements • Knowledge about the automotive spare parts • Knowledge of dismantling and assembling of an car engine • Knowledge of world class assembly • Knowledge of lead time in production • Knowledge of logistics
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Organisation: Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science
Objective: Intended to make a physically challenged a self reliant (employment) Description: This project is for the orthopedically handicapped - such a person can use the three wheeler (AUTORICKSHAW) to make a living. The controls are tailor made and are fully operable by hands alone. Achievements • Smaller and compact customized wheel chair • Easy ingress and egress into Auto • User friendly operations of various switches and control like brake, flip type door, etc. • Simple automatic mechanism to raise the wheel chair • Easy system adoptability of the physically challenged person
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Higher Education
Green Campus Initiative by HEI/University Nominations
Green Practices in Periyar Maniammai University Organisation: Periyar Maniammai University Website: www.pmu.edu Objective: Green practices in the University towards zero carbon by 2025. Replicating the models in nearby 67 adopted villages under Periyar PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) project. Description: The University is involved in many green campus practices like renewable and alternative energy, alternative building materials, rainwater harvesting, LED lights, etc, for achieving green campus since its inception. Achievements • Energy Efficiency: 500 m3 capacity biomethanation plant for generating power of 60kW/h per month • Use of alternate building material saved 36,337 tonnes of wood & 746,980 cft of fertile top soil • Rain water harvesting and waste water recycling is practiced since 1995 • Green agricultural practices-bamboo garden sequesters 240 tonnes of CO2 & produces 80 tonnes of O2
To Create an Eco-friendly, Energy Efficient, Pollution-free Campus Organisation: Central University of Jharkhand Website: www.cuj.ac.in Objective: To create an eco-friendly energy-efficient and pollution-free, green campus. Description: To develop an eco-friendly, energy- efficient, pollution-free, green university campus including classrooms, laboratories, hostels and quarters within a mango orchard with Saal Tree plantation over 50 years or older.
Achievements • Saving time to build the full-fledged functional university campus • Saving of cost in construction and campus infrastructure • Notional rental saved and material surplus assets created • Saving on energy bills • Saving on transport costs with largely residential campus
Green Campus Organisation: Siddaganga Institute of Technology Website: www.niitnguru.com Objective: Quick School has the objective to enable schools to manage information spanning all functional requirements and addresses the needs of all stakeholders within the school domain. Description: NIIT Nguru Quick School (QS) is an integrated and comprehensive Education Resource Planning software developed specifically for schools. The software is designed to be easy-to-use and developed keeping in mind the requirements of the school management in maintaining proper control over the functioning of the school, take better informed decisions and enhance the image of the institution. Achievements: • 350+ satisfied customers using this application • Robust technical and security architecture based on 4-tier architecture • 24 modules that can be selected by a school to initiate automation in a school • 25,000 + students and parents enabled on Cloud-based model 5. Reports can be generated in line with CBSE - CCE formats
e-Suvidha (Digital University) Organisation: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University Implementing Agency: Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd (MKCL) Website: bamua.digitaluniversity.ac ; www.mkcl.org Objective: Online management of complete student lifecycle right from admissions to convocation. Description: The BAMUA Digital University Framework is a fully web-based software framework to manage student
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lifecycle in universities and colleges. This framework offers direct facilitation services to universities, its affiliated colleges and their students at very fast, affordable, high quality and with mass personalisation and configurability. Achievements: • Messaging system • e-File management track system • Distributed assessment marks entry system • All UG results declared within 15 days after examination • All information of students in one click with single PRN
Higher Education
Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning Nominations
Skill-based Learning with Collaborative & In-house Activity Organisation: PSNA College of Engineering and Technology Website: www.psnacet.edu.in Objective: To provide world-class engineering education for individuals to become technologically superior, socially conscious and responsible citizens for the welfare of mankind. Description: In today’s engineering education scenario, the effective means of educating students to meet the global challenges is imperative and to be handled with trade-off between subject knowledge and technical skills. We make students understand the concepts through innovative teaching methods, social activities, in-plant training, industrial visit, internship, research exposure and consultancy. Achievements • Good placements • Award winning projects • Best paper publication award • Journal publication by students • Consultancy to reputed industry
Human Resource Development in Dairy Processing Organisation: Sheth Mansukhlal Chhaganlal College of Dairy Science Website: www.aau.in Objective: To develop human resource for the Dairy and Food Industry. Description: Sheth Mansukhlal Chhaganlal College of Dairy Science, Anand is a premier institute in the field of dairy education and research since 1961. It was recognised as ‘Centre of Excellence’ and is a pioneer national centre for dairy education in the country, producing qualified dairy professionals. Achievements • Best-in-class UG and PG facilities which includes e-learning, laboratory scale practical exposure • Regular practical exposure for milk and milk product manufacturing in model experimental dairy plant and external training programme for dairy industry personnel
Advancing Academics Through Next Generation Identity Systems Organisation: JNTU Hyderabad Website: www.jntuh.ac.in Objective: To use biometric access control as a means of combating truancy and ensuring learner safety, convenient and security. To improve both the physical security, informational security of the students. Description: The practice of biometrics can create a unique form of identification that cannot be forgotten, lost, or loaned. The implementation of biometrics into an academic environment is beneficial to the institution by improving efficiency, security, and helping to decrease the ramifications of a student’s lack of integrity. Emergency identification as a result of a fire or other disaster is a critical issue. Achievements • Accepted as the best technology around the globe which identifies the academic fraud. • Project framework published in ACM Proceedings 2012. • AICTE sanctioned the Project based on the recommended proposals from UGC & DST. • Provides an appropriate balance between the privacy and security of an individual. • Reduces waste with respect to time and materials; there by increasing quality of education
Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Organisation: VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engg and Tech Website: www.vnrvjiet.ac.in Objective: To encourage group learning among the students. Description: POGIL, an acronym for Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning, is gaining momentum in India. POGIL originated in college chemistry departments in 1994 in the USA and it is now being used in many colleges in a variety of subject areas around the country. It uses guided inquiry – a version of the Socratic method in which students use carefully designed
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materials that guide them to construct new learning. Achievements • Complexity of a topic is reduced • Activity based learning • Involves exploration, concept invention & application through guided inquiry learning • High critical thinking, problem solving & assessment skills • Research aptitudeamong students
Higher Education
Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning Nominations
Online Information System Organisation: National Institute of Science and Technology Website: www.nist.edu Objective: To establish a welldefined, optimised, transparent, paperless system that will support organisation in measured and effective decision making through collected information and channelised feedback. Description: Online Information System is a web-based ERP package specially designed for educational institution to automate all its academic, administrative and accounting processes and make it paperless and transparent. These modules help us to bring all stakeholders into one platform for sharing information and knowledge. Achievements • Quality video and web-based study materials developed by the experts • Easy access of information • Able to keep teacher, student and parents happy with transparent information & flawless management • Accumulation of huge set of historical data is helping in better short and long term decision making • Parents are able to keep track of their wards while sitting at home
Sanghvi Institute of Management and Science Organisation: Sanghvi Institute of Management and Science Website: www.sims-indore.com Implementing Agency: Pearson Objective: Digiclass has been created with the objective of improving the quality of education and equipping professors with skills to manage a 21st century classroom. Description: Digi class is a complete classroom solution that empowers teachers to transform chalk-and-talk classrooms into interactive learning centers using multimedia based content. Digiclass comprises modern equipments such as
computers, interactive devices, projectors, speakers, stylus and a multimedia computer that accesses a rich repository of relevant digital content from a server. Achievements • Won prestigious President Award in 2008 and Manthan Award for e-content • Adopted by More than 200 + engineering institutions across the country • Improves the academic result of the institution • Content mapped as per the university syllabus
United College of Engineering & Research Organisation: United College of Engineering and Research, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh Website: www.united.ac.in Objective: We aspire to reassert the significance of high quality education by producing competent professionals who can shape the destiny of our nation into a stronger and developed stature. Description: The United Group, founded by late Shri Shiv Ram Das Gulati in 1951 emerged from a transport business to the giants in the fields of education, services, transportation and journalism. The Group made a mammoth leap in the education arena in the mid 80s by being the pioneers in computer education. This further lead to the establishment of United Institute of Management and United College of Engineering. Achievements: • Collaboration with AIT, Bangkok • Collaboration with Missouri, University California • Placement of students in companies like Infosys, HCL, Cummins, etc • Winner of Aaj Tak Awards • Academic Collaboration with EMC2
Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University Organisation: Jayoti Vidyapeeth Womens University, Jaipur Website: www.jvwomensuniv.com Objective: To provide ‘education for community development’ leading to women empowerment and awareness of women rights and law to all. Description: The university has amalgamated IT tool all parts of learning- in academics like admission, teaching, mentoring, examination and library to non academics like finance, hostel and security and has enabled 100 percent ERP applicability.
Achievements: • Awarded for e-Campus Initiative in Higher Education in World Education Summit 2013 organised at New Delhi • National Award ‘India’s Best Private Women’s University’ on 13th April 2013 at New Delhi • Recipient of Weal Award -2009 by the Confederation of Indian Universities • Recipient of B-School Leadership Award-2010 by Dainik Bhaskar • Received ISO 9001-2008 certificate for Quality Management System
digitalLEARNING / August 2012
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Government Initiative in Education Nominations
Digital University Framework Scholarship Disbursal System for UGC
Organisation: Solapur University, Solapur, Maharashtra Implementing Agency: Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited Website: www.su.digitaluniversity.ac ; www.mkcl.org
Organisation: Canara Bank Website: www.canarabank.com Objective: Scholarship Disbursal System for UGC Scholars. Description: University Grants Commission has designated Canara Bank for the disbursal of its various scholarships/fellowships to the selected candidates across the country. For the efficient disbursal of scholarships/fellowships, Canara Bank has developed a web-based scholarship disbursal system wherein the eligible scholarship amounts will be calculated and will be disbursed based on the criteria as specified by UGC. Target Group: UGC Scholar Students. Achievements • Centralised credit of scholarships/ fellowships to the candidate’s account on due dates without delay • Instant and Online MIS reports to the UGC for proper monitoring • Nodal branches are acting as single point of contact for the students regarding the disbursal of amount • Established an easy and convenient mechanism to access the data including the scanned images • Developed an interface with Central Plan Scheme monitoring System (CPSMS)
Objective: To provide services to students, all affiliated colleges and University. Description: Digital University Framework is a fully web-based software framework to manage student lifecycle in Universities and Colleges. This framework offers direct facilitation services to users at very fast, affordable, high quality and with mass personalisation and configurability. Target Group: Services to students, universities, and colleges.
Achievements • Personalised services at the doorstep of students • Reduction in data duplication efforts at various levels due to single-time data entry • System generated outputs with no errors because of reduction in student cycles to colleges and University
Online Admissions System for Technical Education
Organisation: Higher and Technical Education Department, Maharashtra Website: www.maharashtra.gov.in Objective: To automate end-to-end admission process starting from the notification of admission process. Description: Online Admissions for Technical Education was first initiated in 2000 – 2001 and since then has been expanded successfully such that the complete admission process for technical education has been automated end-to-end. Target Group: More than four lakh students apply each year through online admissions into technical institutes. Achievements • Students can now fill the application form at comfort of their home or cybercafé • Greater cost and time saving for both students as well as Directorate of Technical Education • Greater transparency and reduced errors in the whole the admission process • Greater productivity of resources: DTE no longer requires personnel for distribution of forms, etc. • Customisable real-time reports can be generated in quick;y with help of the system
Tracking Child With Special Needs Organisation: Directorate of Information Technology, Government of Maharashtra Website: www.it.maharashtra.gov.in Implementing Agency: Department of School Education and Sports, Government of Maharashtra Objective: CWSN application is designed to gather information about children with special needs across Maharashtra. Description: This application s a web-based form designed to capture child details such as name, age, add, category, etc. It will help in achieving the goal of universalisation of Elementary Education.
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Target Group: Around 3.5 lakh children with special needs across Maharashtra. Achievements • The program has covered around 3.5 lakhs children with special needs across Maharashtra • Details of each child like name, age, address, CWSN category, etc. are captured • Availability of real-time and accurate data has aided the Government to take better decisions • Educational support, medical assistance, etc. can be identified and accurate data helps in proper budgei allocation
Government Initiative in Education Nominations
eScholarship Management System Organisation: School Education and Sports Department, Government of Maharashtra Website: www.maharashtra.gov.in Objective: End-to-end online scholarship management system from filling of application form to disbursement in students’ bank account. Description: The EMS facilitates online application, automated approval, transparent verification and rapid delivery of scholarships. It has helped eradicate duplicate and false cases and aided in tracking and monitoring of the overall process. Target Group: All students of Maharashtra belonging to minority community and having family income less than rupees one lakh per annum. Achievements • Increased Reach: Number has risen from 14 to 18 lakh • Efficiency: Online renewal of scholarships is quick and easy with minimal time and effort required • Transparent: Track the status of applications online and alerts via email or SMS • Accuracy: Accurate list of students due to automated rule engine
Child Tracking – Performance Management System CT-PMS Organisation: Srikakulam District Administration, Andhra Pradesh Implementing Agency: School Education Department, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Andhra Pradesh Website: srikakulam.nic.in ; www.ssa. ap.nic.in Objective: Monitor and improve performance of school children, teachers and schools. Description: CT-PMS has provided a tool for assessment of schools in terms of the quality of education. Frequent analysis of learning outcomes helps
in focussing on poor performing schools. Target Group: More than 800 Government High Schools in Srikakulam District catering to more than 1,50,000 students. Achievements • An average increase of 18 percent in the pass percentage of students • 22 percent students have better learning skills when the students moving from lower to higher grade. • The timely availability of the information has helped take appropriate action to improve the quality.
e-School
Organisation: Department of School Education, Government of Punjab
Implementing Agency: Cybertech Software and Multimedia Private Limited Website: www.ssapunjab.org ; www.csmpl.com Objective: To monitor the delivery of education to school children ensuring optimum usage of the resources. Description: The Department had initiated the project eSchool Punjab in a move to bring in more administrative control on schools and make every decision well supported by facts. This school management system helps in monitoring the day-to-day activities and acts as single point of contact for SSAA, Punjab and its stakeholders. Target Group: State authorities, district and block education officers, government schools. Achievements • Integration & verification of student scholarship with UID database • Grievance management system for the school staff with defined escalation matrix • Easy tracking of daily attendance system of student and teacher and MIS and GIS reports provide analytical data from district to school level
New School Sanction and Approval Organisation: Department of School Education and Sports, Government of Maharashtra
all across the Maharashtra state have been identified for which online applications are invited by the Department.
Implementing Agency: School Education Department, Government of Maharashtra
Target Group: New/existing private school managements all across Maharashtra
Website: www.maharashtra.gov.in
Achievements • Removal of paper work • Increase in the level of transparency in the entire process • Applicant’s data security & non disclosure measures are taken care • RTE compliant. 883 applications were received online all across the Maharashtra State
Objective: The main objective of this programme is to attain a user friendly, fair, transparent & overall efficient process of evaluation on the basis of various e-Governance parameters. Description: As per the Right to Education Act there should be a school within five kilometer radius of geographical reach. For this 144 new school locations for un-aided private high schools
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Government Initiative in Education Nominations
APSCHE - Intel Collaboration for Innovation in Education Technology Organisation: Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education Website: www.apsche.org Objective: To help the Teacher Educators (TEs) and Student Teachers (STs) learn how best to use Technology to enhance teaching and learning using the Intel Teach Pre Service curriculum. Description: APSCHE is the first body of its kind in the country to coordinate and determine standards in institutions of Higher Education. Intel is associated with AP state to support ICT in Teacher Education since year 2001. Target Group: 23 Districts, more than 600 Colleges of Education (COE) across Andhra Pradesh. Achievements • Integrating Intel Teach Preservice curriculum as part of computer education paper in COE • “Best Government Sector Initiative in Education” Award at World Education Summit 2012
Sampoorna Vidya Darshini Guntur Organisation: Office of Collector Guntur, Andhra Pradesh Implementing Agency: HAS Soft Technologies Pvt Ltd Website: www.guntur.nic.in; www.hassofttechnologies.com Objective: To monitor and improve performance of the children. Ensure accurate enrollments in the schools to streamline mid-day meal program and reduce number of dropouts. Description: Sampoorna Vidya Darshini (SVS) is the flagship technology initiative of Guntur district administration with main objective to monitor and enhance three major service delivery components for children utilising technology. Target Group: 3,50, 000 children and parents of the Guntur district Achievements • Improved SSC pass percentage • Identified and improved MLL’s (Minimum Learning Levels) among children of age 11-15 • Two of four key service deliveries improved significantly
Online Rajasthan School GIS Organisation: National Informatics Centre Website: www.nic.in Objective: Web GIS has changed the way analytics/planners used to think and analyse physical world around them. GIS is a recent trend which have helped many researchers/ planners/ surveyors in quick and easy analysis. Description: Government and citizens can share a common picture using GIS tool of the intelligence that drives decisions across the state for opening schools. Open government promotes transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement and recognizes that GIS technology allow stakeholders to access information and collaborate online as never before. Target Group: Government and Citizens Achievements • GIS Reports generation using secondary data for opening new school & upgrading of existing schools • Boost Search Facility is available for searching School/Village/Gram Panchayat • All schools the state are available on GIS portal, where public can also view schools info online
School Education
Use of ICT in School Management
Towards a Go-Green School – Aditya Birla World Academy Organisation: Aditya Birla World Academy Objective: To enable Web based admission process, Web based Fee payment system for new and existing students, Electronic delivery and accessibility of student’s academic reports and Parent-Teacher collaboration board. Description: ABWA’s web based interface is a one-stop-portal that allows parents to view real-time information about their ward’s school progress. Variety of information, including their ward’s academic grades, attendance, assignments, teacher
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comments, school announcements, photos, on-line fee payments and online admissions are showcased. Achievements • Completion and on-going management and of web based fee payment system • Ability to manage siblings from a single window • Paper-less admission application and fee receipts • Electronic availability and archival of academic reports • Collaboration platform for parent-teacher discussions
School Education
Green Campus Initiative by School Nominations
Shilp Greenergy
Green School Drive Organisation: Delhi Public School Bopal, Ahmedabad Website: www.dpsbopal.calorx.org
Organisation: Vidyashilp Academy
Objective: The initiative aims at sharing the environmental projects as well as creating awareness amongst students about local and global environment concerns.
Website: www.vidyashilp.com
Description: The Green School Drive aims to create a society of motivated citizens, committed to the conservation, preservation and protection of environment and striving towards a life in perfect harmony with nature for sustainable development.
Objective: To make clean and green environment. Description: Vidyashilp Academy is a primary and secondary international school based in North Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. The school is affialied with Cambridge University’s International General Certificate of Secondary Education(IGCSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) from Grades I to X. The school has taken utmost care for educating students about the importance of green environment and conserving energy resources . Achievements • Green campus by reusing organic waste resulting to vermin compost • Recycled and reuse paper • Children emerged as young entrepreneurs • Rainwater replenishing bore wells • Reduction of LPG in school kitchen using solar panels
Achievements • International Exposure: It is organised every year to provide a global platform to children • The school was declared as Nodal School by TERI (The Energy Resource Institute) for its green initiatives • Implementation of school portal, Reduce use of paper as well as Recycle paper • DPS, Bopal has registered with Green Contributor, Canada. The school has adopted various projects under their guidance
Green School Initiative Organisation: B Kanae School, Modasa, Gujarat Website: www.b-kanae.edu.in Objective: Sustainable School Campus. Description: B- KANAE SCHOOL is first Green School in Gujarat. It is the first school that has introduced Green Curriculum, Green Games and Green Teachers, Green Energy, Green Water and Green Transport. The school is a member of Green School Alliance USA. It has received National School Sanitation Award 2012 from the Ministry of HRD. The campus has one tree and one teacher against every 10 students. Achievements • Enhancement in school result • Enhancement in participation of parent and community in school activities • There is 80 percent reduction in electricity bill, water bill and operational cost • Enhancement in teachers’ proficiency • There is 100 percent fitness among students. No sick leave application received from students
Green Campus Organisation: O P Jindal School Raigarh CG Website: www.opjsrgh.in Objective: To develop awareness about environment. Description: The OP Jindal School, Raigarh(CG) has taken immense initiative to work for environmental sensitisation among people. The school has launched several projects/ campaigns to make the campus green and to retain it. Achievements • Our Green Campus has been declared as lush green plastic-free zone • Its community development programmes in adjoining areas have brought remarkable results • Students have represented India in ‘Green Youth Exchange program’ at Denmark • Continuous cleaning drive is making Teepakhol regain its original beauty
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School Education
Green Campus Initiative by School Nominations
Water Conservation Organisation: Greenwood High International School, Bangalore
citizens about the need to preserve water, it can be ensured that the precious resource is used judiciously.
Website: www.greenwoodhigh.edu.in
Achievements • Reducing water wastage in washrooms; in kitchen water consumption has been reduced by 1/4th; in hostel, consumption of water has been reduced by almost half. • Landscaping- By merely plugging the leaks in the pipes water wastage is reduced. • The overall usage of water in our entire campus has gone down by 30 percent
Objective: To conserve water Description: Water, one of the m o s t p r e c i o u s resources required to sustain life, is depleting, thanks to manifold reasons such as immense population growth, rapid urbanisation, etc. However, it’s an undisputed fact that our apathy and callousness also contribute to water shortage and the contamination of water bodies. By sensitising tomorrow’s
Planet Earth Transformation, Green Thinking Organisation: Ryan International School, Mumbai
pride in adopting societies for tree plantation.
Website: www.ryaninternational.org
Achievements • Reduction in school and home electricity consumption • Students are sensitise about ecological problems • The number of trees increased where plantation is done • Visitors / guests who were given plants helped by planting trees themselves • Various rewards and appreciation letters received by the school
Objective: To sensitise students / teachers to the burning issues of degradation of the Earth Description: Ryan has joined hands with Tata Power in its endeavour to save energy in the direction of greener and safer abode for its students. School organises and conduct workshops and activities to sensitise students and teachers alike to the burning issues of the ailing planet. Besides the school takes School Education
Innovation in Global Collaborative Learning
ASB Online Academy
The Waldorf School
Organisation: ASB Online Academy (ASB OA) – The American School of Bombay
Organisation: The Education Renaissance Trust
Website: www.asbacademy.org
Website: www.slokawaldorf.org
Objective: To provide an accessible, anytime and anywhere online learning environment that encourages collaboration, shared passion and a desire to develop 21st century skills that support lifelong learning.
Objective: To create an alternative, child-friendly holistic system that can be replicated all over the country.
Description: The ASB Online Academy is a platform where adults, students and education professionals can learn new skills, deepen existing skills and explore new areas of interests. Courses are regularly updated to stay in sync with trends and to better equip learners with relevant skills and knowledge. Personalised learning is provided through flexible small group instruction Achievements • Online Academy’s Digital Literacy courses have increased the number of parents who access and respond to online info • The online courses make learning accessible for busy adults juggling work and home commitments
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Description: Sloka is Waldorf School based on the pedagogy enunciated by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and savant. Sloka is part of 1,500 Steiner schools worldwide. This alternative pedagogy puts less pressure on children and is very age appropriate. The success of Sloka, ranked 14th among all day schools by education world. Achievements • Waldorf curriculum brought to India for the first time and teachers are trained in India and abroad • Foreign mentors coming to Sloka regularly and Waldorf teacher training is given on a sustained basis • Establishment of a 3.5 acres campus with no corpus to begin with
School Education
School of the Year Nominations
Excellence in Education and All-round Development Organisation: Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar, Delhi Website: www.ryanmayurvihar.org Objective: To impart education for the holistic growth of the learners. Description: With the mission of facilitating the global development of citizens who are able to contribute to community life, the Ryan Group of Institutions was established by Founder Chairman Dr Augustine F Pinto in 1976 by keeping abreast with the changing scenario and the pursuit of providing a positive learning environment. All efforts are channelised for maximum development. Achievements • Ranked 6th in East Delhi in the School’s Survey conducted by Hindustan Times 2012 – 13 • Received the Dabur Inmuno Champ School Award among top 50 schools in India • Bagged the International School Award accreditation (British Council) 2013-15 • Ranked first in East Delhi Zonals for sports • Highest scorer in class XII CBSE Board Results in East Delhi 2012-13
Glendale Academy Organisation: Glendale Academy Website: www.glendaleacademy.net Objective: To help children learn everyday and love every minute. To promote a scientific temperament and inculcate a spirit of inquiry in young minds and to provide learning for life, not just for school Description: Glendale Academy International was started under the aegis of the Hyderabad Education Academy in the year 2003. The school imparts a blueprint for brilliance to its students with a scientifically designed curriculum and faculty trained to use brain compat-
ible teaching methodology. Art, craft, music, drama and dance are treated as an important part of the curriculum. Achievements • National Award for ‘The Best New Yi Net School’ at the 6th Yi National Summit • The first school in Hyderabad to have applied to Indian Green Building Council • Primary plus Outstanding Award for Multiple Intelligence in 2006 • Girl student got first prize in BSE International Finance Olympiad at National Level ’12 • Winners of Bajaj Alliance Football Camp, Hyderabad
Best Practices in School Organisation: Greenwood High International School Website: www.greenwoodhigh.edu.in Objective: To educate young people in ways that prepare them to be active, free thinkers, and socially responsible citizens in a democratic society. Our mission is to develop the intellectual, aesthetic, and moral values Description: Greenwood High is an international school established in 2004 in Bangalore. It offers IB, IGCSE and ICSE curriculum. We are the only International School in Bangalore to have received the honour of bagging five National awards. It is the only school in India to be ISO 18001:2007 accredited with a ‘Safety and Health Management Systems Certificate’. Achievements • It brought Math to homes • Children relate with beauty of nature by actually being in the environment • Children were able to make use of information technology • It made children empathise with orphans and learn about the world beyond boundaries
Miles Bronson Residential School Organisation: Miles Bronson Residential School Website: www.mbrsguwahati.edu.in
ambition of a humble but dynamic personality and a visionary leader.
Objective: The objective of the school is to empower teachers to prepare children as global citizens with deep moral values and sound knowledge of our rich heritage
Achievements
Description: A new millennium breakthrough in redefining loco parentis ie parenting in absentia, a pioneer school in heralding quality education in India’s remote North East with an impressive track record and superlative established benchmarks in teaching, learning and evaluation strategies, practices and results, a school sparked by the
• Superlative academic results, outstanding co-curricular
• From a handful of students to its ever burgeoning numbers the school has become a much sought after achievements • Delivered parental expectations for their wards • Credible social commitment as a responsible learning community • An impressive alumni with high achievers digitalLEARNING / August 2012
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School Education
School of the Year Nominations
GEMS Akademia International School Organisation: GEMS Akademia International School Website: www.gemsakademia.com Objective: GEMS Akademia International School will provide its students with a holistic education, imparted by caring and dedicated faculty members in a contemporary learning environment. Description: GEMS Akademia International School is a K-12, co-educational school, offering a choice between residential, weekly cum day boarding and day-scholastic programmes. Established to make children well-rounded and self-dependent individuals, the school has been constructed on a sprawling 20 acre pollution free campus. Achievements • Grown three times in the last academic year • Received Merit Certificate for Best Maintained School and Eco Initiative from The Telegraph • Successfully integrated diverse student with Visual Challenges, Personality Disorder in School • Got CIE affiliation and started full senior ie Grade 9-11 in the same Academic Year
Fusion International School Organisation: Fusion International School Website: www.fusioninternationalschool.org Objective: To instil and improve leadership qualities in school students Description: Project innovation – imbibing responsibility and accountability in the students – to mould them as global citizens, left brain and right brain thinking, with creativity, being independent, with diligence. Life skills as a major tool to improvise soft skills. Achievements • Students turned more responsible and accountable in their day to day life activities at school • Students and teachers collaboratively owing the content development • Concentrating on spiral curriculum to make the product scalable • Some of achievements are queue up, no vandalism, concerned about energy conservation
Little Daffodils School Organisation: Little Daffodils School Website: www.littledaffodilschool.org Objective: To provide the best quality Educationi Description: Co-educational school affiliated to CBSE which is maintaining good standard and quality education. Since its inception, the school has got excellent results in the Board examination and National Level Scholarship Examinations. The school has been awarded Swami Vivekananda Award for Excellence in Education by the CBSE, Delhi. Achievements • The Principal of school, N Ramachandran Nair, has been awarded the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Excellence in Education • The school is the recipient of Swami Vivekananda School Award For Excellence in Value Education • The school students continue to bag many scholarships from various national level agencies • The students receive a number of prizes in various competitions • The school has a high reputation in the State of Kerala for its discipline and academic standard
School Education
Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning
Teach Next Organisation: Orchids The International school Hyderabad Implementing Agency: Teach Next Website: www.orchidsinternationalschool.com Objective: To make the students learn subject content in a very interactive and play way method. Description: Teach Next is an excellent smart board system. It It is very interactive, with lot of innovative ideas put in, lot of exercises provided, making it very interesting and inspiring
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even for the dull students to focus and understand the subject. Achievements • Shown a tremendous improvement, even among underperforming students • Students have become more open to learning • Students show more interaction in learning any concepts • Student and teachers both are happy with digital boards • Teachers are able to upload their own extra reference subject matter
School Education
Use of Technology in Teaching-Learning Nominations
DPS Ahmedabad Organisation: Delhi Public School East, Ahmedabad Implementing Agencies: Pearsons Education services pvt Ltd Website: www.dpseast.calorx.org Objective: The software is implemented at Delhi Public School, East Ahmedabad, to make learning interesting and more effective. Description: In the age of digitalisation, the importance of technology cannot be undermined. The use of technology in the classrooms is in the form of digital learning, language lab, and audio visual plans with the use of smart boards. The school encourages the use of e-books, multimedia software, educational software, digital portfolios, learning games and real-time feedback on performance of students and teachers. Achievements • Grade improvement, enhancement of thinking, logical skills, and problem solving skills • Preparation for competitive exams and research based projects • Bagged International School Award Accreditation (British Council) 2013-2015 • Ranked first in East Delhi Zonals for Sports • Highest scorer in class XII CBSE Results in East Delhi 2012-2013
Interactive ICT Teaching for Informative Learning Organisation: DAV Public School Chandrasekharpur, Odisha Website: www.davcsp.org Objective: To empower students by providing information, exam dates, syllabus, time-table, e-study materials, mock questions and doubt clearing through school website and other social media like facebook/orkut. Description: The school has tried to incorporate and make the best of ICT techniques available to students for better and interactive learning process. classrooms, libraries, exam halls, audi-
torium and offices have been adapted for ICT learning. Achievements • Teaching-learning process became interactive, interesting and vibrant • Go Green Environment with limited paper works • Better parental involvement was observed • Effective communication within limited time • Teachers became computer-savvy using IT in teaching-learning process
Magical e-Pen Organisation: Tripada Education Trust Website: www.tripada.com Objective: The technology has been developed to elevate the learning experience of students by focusing on the enormous benefits of listening. Description: The Magical ePen brings sound to paper. When the pen touches a penenbled poster or a book, it speaks. The pen detects sound spots on any page in a book or on any graphics on the poster and plays narrations, questions, answers, quizzes, music or sound effects – whatever audio has been pre-programmed into the paper. Achievements • The solution has implemented in standard first, second and Pre school • The school takes the pride of being first school focusing on the learning styles • It is the only school to have it implemented in classroom teaching • It has French and phonetics so as to help the child learn correct pronounication • It is the only e-Pen, which can download about 100 such books in it to help with content upgrades
Creya Learning, KIIT-IAPT Anveshika Centre & DST Sponsored Inspire Programme Organisation: KiiT International School International School Website: www.kiitis.ac.in ; www.creyalearning.com Implementing Agency: Creya Learning
Creya helps children acquire analytical and problem solving, collaborative and communication skills. Achievements
Objective: To implement 21 century way teaching-learning enabling the whole school transformation, to provide a comprehensive interdisciplinary program, powerful project based curriculum-driven approach.
• It is beyond rote-learning and helps children acquire analyti-
Description: Creya equips children with skills, competencies and the attitude for success. With global academic research,
• Combined with parental involvement it provides holistic
st
cal skills • It helped children to work in free environment and gave opportunity to express individual skills education to children
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Private Sector
Solution for Testing & Assessments Nominations
Use of Assistive Technologies for Training and Assessments Organisation: MeritTrac Services Implementing Agency: Indian Institute of Banking and Finance Website: www.merittrac.com www.isbf.edu.in Objective: Facilitate bringing the hitherto ‘excluded’ rural poor and help establish an open, inclusive and egalitarian society in the rural areas and make financial inclusion a reality. Description: RBI has permitted banks to use intermediaries such as Business Correspondents/ Business Facilitators (BC/BF) to reach out to the rural population. In order to meet this national objective, IIBF has launched this certificate course, with structured training and classroom support, and technology assisted examination. Target Group: X passed candidates who wish to work as Business Correspondents/Facilitators. th
Achievements • Time gap between examination and declaration of results reduced drastically • Able to reach remote centers for holding examinations • Able to hold exams timely, accurately and under controlled conditions
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Mettl Organisation: Mettl Implementing Agency: Induslynk Training Services Pvt Ltd Website: www. mettl.com Objective: To integrate a unified techno-pedagogy learning framework integrating 21st Century curriculum, Cloud-sourced technology and professional development of teachers. Description: Chrysalis TechMate integrates technology into learning with a userfriendly repository of curriculum, audiovisuals and assessments. Teachers and students annotate on them and save for future reference. Target Group: All the stakeholders in a school – Principal, Teachers and students. Achievements • Deployed in over 180 schools in less than two years • Teachers and Principals becoming collaborative designers and not just users • Have customised TechMate for every single user amongst all partner schools
IntelliEXAMS
Organisation: Mindlogicx Infratec Ltd Website: www.mindlogicx.com Objective: To bring security, reliability, accuracy, transparency and accountability in the whole examination processes conducted by large universities and other exam conducting bodies. Description: IntelliEXAMS is integrated end-to-end Examination Management System that brings greater transparency, accountability and security in examination processes. The system enables conducting high-stake examinations by large universities in a fool-proof manner by enabling secure generation and delivery of question papers, digital evaluation & secure generation of mark sheets and certificates. Target Group: Large Universities and Examination conducting bodies. Achievements • Students can easily view their evaluated answer copies online • Multiple evaluation of digitised answer copies can be done parallely by multiple evaluators • The system completely eliminates any chances of malpractices related question papers leakage • The system eliminates chances of faking and tampering of mark sheets and certificates
Private Sector
Technology Solution for Teaching-Learning Nominations
Project Shiksha
DigitALly by Pearson
Organisation: Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited
Organisation: Pearson Education Services
Website: www.microsoft.com
Objective: To convert the traditional classroom into an interactive learning session by combining state-of-the-art hardware with syllabus-compliant, multimedia content.
Objective: Through this program, Microsoft aims at bringing innovation in the teaching-learning process by empowering teachers with ICT skills. Description: Partners in Learning works in association with governments and education leaders around the world to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning, and research and aims to deliver on empowering leadership, providing access to technology and quality content, and building strong communities within India. Target Group: Government school teachers Achievements • Project Shiksha has so far trained more than 744,400 government school teachers • Tie-ups with various state-run District Institutes for Education and Training (DIETs) • Several teachers participate in e-communities and have their own websites after their ICT training • Many teachers trained under Shiksha have won National ICT awards recognising their efforts
Website: www.pearsoneducationservices.com
Description: The traditional chalk-and-talk teaching method did not encourage collaboration and interactivity in a classroom. Hence, we created DigitALly™ whose vibrant and engaging multimedia content ensures an interactive classroom and provides for an easy understanding of difficult concepts. Target Group: Teachers and students. Achievements • Received several awards including e-Maharashtra award, National Business Award and Marico Innovation Award • Manthan Award for Best e-Content Development across Southeast Asia
Chrysalis Techmate Organisation: Ez Vidya Private Ltd Website: www.ezvidya.com Objective: To integrate a unified techno-pedagogy learning framework that integrates 21st Century curriculum, Cloud-sourced technology and professional development of teachers. Description: Chrysalis TechMate integrates technology into learning with the help of a user-friendly repository of curriculum, audiovisuals and assessments. Teachers and students annotate on them and save for future reference. Navigation is streamlined to enhance productivity of users. Students take online assessments with instant grading and reporting on their performance. Target Group: All the stakeholders in a school – Principal, Teachers and students. Achievements • Deployed in over 180 schools in less than two years • Teachers and principals becoming collaborative designers and not just users • Have customised TechMate for every single user amongst all partner schools • EZ Vidya has reviewed every single teacher usage with every school • In the last two years EZ Vidya has achieved 94 percent conversion of teachers’ usage
NIIT Nguru Interactive Classroom – Cloud Organisation: NIIT Nguru
making learning a more meaningful experience for children.
Website: www.niitnguru.com
Target Group: School teachers, students, parents.
Objective: To offer a comprehensive solution that enables anytime, anywhere learning.
• 650+ schools across India are using this solution
Description: NIIT NGuru Interactive Classroom – Cloud a new offering that empowers institutions to cope with the challenges of the future by increasing the impact of teaching-learningprocess by
Achievements • Simulated content which engages child’s imagination and enables collaboration across user communities • Usage and performance analysis reports available for taking
digitalLEARNING / August 2012
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Private Sector
ICT Initiative in Education Nominations
Edmos Edmatix Organisation: Information Systems Pvt Ltd Implementing Agency: Sri Prakash Group of Institutions Website: www.edmatix.com Objective: Good education makes a better world. Description: Edmatix is helping education industry achieve their academic goals worldover. We are committed to help education community reinvent the education system. It helps management to easily manage various entities of their institutes in 360 degree view using MIS reports, teacher analysis, student analysis and many canned reports. Target Group: Educational Institutions. Achievements • 65+ satisfied customer groups with a volume of 1,00,000+ Users • ITIL Process based customer service support • Supports international and local curricullum pattern (State, CBSE,ICSE,IB, etc) • User friendly and Microsoft Certified User Interface (UI) design • Integrated with various Fincancial Accounting ERPs such as Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Tally
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Kushal Organisation: Kushal CREDAI Pune Metro Website: www.kushal.org Objective: Through project Kushal, a serious attempt has been made to empower construction workers with skills that will help them move ahead on their career path and earn a better livelihood. Description: Kushal is a partnership project between CREDAI Pune Metro and NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation), Ministry of Finance, Goverment of India to help upgrade skills of construction workers in six trades – shuttering, bar bending,
plumbing, tiling, masonry, and painting. The project target is to train 20, 000 workers in three years. A total of 8155 workers have been trained so far. Target Group: Construction labourers Achievements • Won various awards such as UKISF Award 2011, CIDC Vishwakarma Awards 2012, Construction Week India Awards2012 • Registered Trainees: 13972 • Social Upliftment: the labourer can get the opportunity to earn while they learn • Productivity at site and reduction of wastage
Partners in Learning – Saksham Organisation: Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd Website: www.saksham-ms.in Objective: To further IT adoption for teaching and learning in the higher education space. Description: Saksham was started to give impetus to the National Mission on Education from the MHRD as a capacity building exercise through ICT in the higher education space. Since 2011, Project Saksham has aimed to enable university faculty from the non-IT domain in ICT skills to enhance current enrollment rates and to bridge the digital divide. Target Group: University faculty Achievements • There are 28 universities under the programme that have adopted ICT tools for teaching • Microsoft has made training available to 1522 faculty members since March 2011 • The innovative teacher training programme has been recognised by the MHRD • Trained teachers have been proactive in galvanising their peers to adopt IT and digital content • It has helped increase students’ general awareness, and has made classes engaging
corporate diary
education.eletsonline.com
Q& Motivating Teachers to Use A Technology Deepti Lamba, Senior Vice President, IL&FS Education & Technology Services Ltd, shares her insight on the need of portable solutions in classrooms for revolutionising education
IL&FS has been making many contributions to the area of education. Tell us about mandate of the education wing at IL&FS. When we at IL&FS talk about the need for education and solutions that will revolutionise the space, we often start by asking ourselves one question. What is the backbone of the education system? The stakeholder who needs empowerment to be able to decide the success or failure of education delivery? For us the answer is the teacher - and we get all other answers, ideas and solutions instantly. Our portable solutions can be deployed easily in the classroom and are simple to use and maintain. Today, we have teachers in over 25000 schools across India and in Africa using our solutions, in turn empowering their teachers to do much more. The students get an opportunity to explore learning like never before. Imagine, students from a rural village in deep interiors of Gujarat , having the ability to touch and participate during a history class. What should be the focus areas of quality education apart from technology? We realise that there are three areas to be focused upon: Teachers: How else will a program be imparted holistically? Like any professional a teacher also needs constant input and tools for improving at their tasks. Therefore, teacher training is an integral part of what we do. Understand the needs of students: Selecting appropriate solution for the classroom is second. This requires an in depth understanding of the student group, interest, aptitude and of-
classroom. Bigger challenge is mindset amongst the schools and the teachers. It is walking up with them in the path till they start owning them. Once they start owning them there would be no problem.
ten aspirations not only theirs but those of parents. Content is king: Undoubtedly, technology as an enabler can only be successful if the content that goes with it is robust and based on strong research. We have a very large content and resource team, which works round the clock to innovate and produce best in class multimedia lessons. When we have a combination of above three packaged with technology, in our case our innovative, patented technology K-Yan that is when a Knowledge Classroom (K-Class) is formed. Not everyone is close to technology especially in the rural areas it must be a challenge to convince teachers that they should start using latest technology in classrooms? All of these technology aids are only a facilitator and not the driver in the
Please shed light on recent development of K-Yan. Today in its 8th generation, the K-Yan (Knowledge Yan) is a compact ICT tool that has been developed by IL&FS Education in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. K-Yan is an integrated community computer, which combines the functionality of a high end computer, projection system, audio system, large screen TV and is internet ready. K-Yan supports multiple peripherals and enables interactive learning in various regional languages apart from English. IL&FS has bagged few ICT@school projects from various state governments. Please share with us some details. IL&FS Education has emerged as the market leader in ICT@Schools sector. Recently, we have bagged Rs 617 crore ICT@school project from the Government of Odisha which is the largest ever mandate in this space. Additionally, we are also executing similar large scale projects such as the Maharashtra ICT@ Schools project which is spread across 2560 schools. We will be deploying KYan as part of both these projects. We focus on maintaining quality benchmarks during the implementation of our projects and balance the needs of all the stakeholders involved, which is why we have been successful and able to sustain in an area where others are exiting due to various reasons
digitalLEARNING / August 2013
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global perspective
Studies, America The India-US Higher Education Dialogue 2013, held recently is evident of the world’s two largest democracies turning a new leaf in bilateral relations through cooperation in education. digitalLEARNING digs deeper into the multiple facets of this alliance By Monalisa Das, ENN
W
ith more than 400 MoUs signed between various Indian and US universities, student and faculty exchange programmes, collaborative research projects, joint skill development courses, and online courseware, time wouldn’t have been more apt for the Indian education system to grab the global limelight. In this date and age where educational institutions the world over have woken up to the significance of global cooperation, India cannot afford to miss out. The recently held India-US Higher Education Dialogue 2013 in New Delhi and the major announcement of second batch of eight joint research projects under the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative are steps in the right direction. Coupled with these are some recently signed landmark agreements. The Governments of both India and the USA today acknowledge the significance of educational ties, so much so that “Education and Development” feature among the five essential pillars of the annual US-India Strategic Dialogue, being held since 2010. Both the Governments have formed various bilateral working groups that are instrumental in
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US President, Barack Obama, and Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, at a meeting in Washington DC
enhancing mutual partnerships in education and are initiating discussions on key issues related to this.
Turning point Educational ties between the America and India got a fillip after the meeting of Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and US President, Barack Obama, in November 2009 in Washington DC, USA, in which both the leaders put education at the top of their national agendas and jointly launched
some major initiatives for strengthening US-India strategic partnership in education and development. Expansion of the bi-national FulbrightNehru Scholarship Programme and launch of Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative were among the announcements made. This was followed by the India visit of President Obama in 2010, US-India Higher Education Summit in October 2011, and the subsequent US-India Higher Education Dialogue in June 2012.
education.eletsonline.com
and Diplomacy
The Indian higher education system is ranked as the world’s third largest with over 26 million students enrolled in 692 universities and 35,000 colleges
The latest development has been the second round of India-US Higher Education Dialogue, held on June 25, 2013, in New Delhi, on the sidelines of US Secretary of State, John F Kerry’s visit to India. The Human Resource Development Minister of India, Dr M M Pallam Raju, and Secretary Kerry co-chaired the Dialogue.
Community colleges The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has finalised a framework for establishing community
colleges in India. A high-level Indian delegation visited the US in May 2012 to study the community college system and in February 2013, the MHRD organised an International Seminar on Community Colleges in New Delhi, which was attended by a US delegation led by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Tara Sonenshine. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) continues to facilitate cooperation and overall capacity-building efforts between Indian and American partner institutions. The recently signed MoU between AICTE and AACC on Cooperation for Establishment of Community Colleges shall help crystallise India’s strategy for developing community colleges in India. “We need to create ground level opportunities at a vast level in order to cater to the needs of local businesses. Hence, developing a model of community colleges in India is very relevant. By aligning with the USA, we are not planning to mirror the education model of America. Rather, we are looking forward to exchange of knowledge base, best practices and collaboration in innovation and research work,” said Dr Pallam Raju during a press conference after the India-US Higher Education Dialogue in June 2013. “We look at the issues that are confronting American community colleges, such as how to readjust the skills gap, ensure quality education, and ensure that our students complete their educational programme. Interestingly India is also addressing similar issues,” says Alice Blayne-Allard, Associate Vice President, International Programs and Services, AACC, which represents more than 1,160 community colleges across the US. “One crucial point to be kept in mind is that community colleges are meant to address local issues and needs. In the US we work very closely with citizens of local communities to ensure that the courses and training that we are offering are relevant. The Indian education system shall also have to remember this,” she adds.
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global perspective
Key Highlights Major announcements at the India-US Higher Education Dialogue 2013: 1. Four MoUs signed between:
>> IIT-Delhi and University of Nebraska on Collaboration for Cyber Systems
>> IIT-Bombay and edX on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
>> AICTE and AACC on Cooperation for Establishment of Community Colleges
>> ITM Group of Institutions and Montgomery College on Capacity Building
2. Second Round of Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Awards for Eight Joint Research Projects 3. First batch of 126 C V Raman Post Doctoral Fellowship 2013
“Community Colleges will be very powerful for India. The community college model in the USA can help in many ways, such as curriculum development, faculty development, infrastructure requirements, and also help share specifics on how academia can connect with the industry to build partnerships,” says DeRionne P Pollard, President, Montgomery College, Maryland, USA, which has recently entered into an agreement with the ITM Group of Institutions on Capacity Building.
Fellowships Apart from the government-level dialogues and institution-level agreements, fellowships form an integral part of educational collaborations between India and America. The Fulbright Scholar Programme is the US Government’s flagship international educational exchange programme, which is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State, and is supported by the people of the US and partner countries around the world. As a part of this programme, the Fulbright Agreement for India was signed in 1950 by the Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the
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US Ambassador to India, Loy Henderson. The Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships enable the most outstanding students, academics and professionals in India and the US to study, research and engage in work experiences with greater potential benefit for both countries. It offers the largest number of grants worldwide, with more than 80 grants every year. Over the years, the agreement has undergone many changes, the latest being in 2008, declaring both India and US as equal partners. Also, the amount of grant has increased from
US $5 million to US $7.06 million in 2010-11. Since then, the FulbrightNehru Fellowships have nearly tripled, with approximately 330 students and scholars from the US and India participating annually. C V Raman Post Doctoral Fellowship Programme is yet another initiative announced during the US-India Higher Education Summit 2011, held at Georgetown University in Washington DC. It aims to place junior faculty members and researchers from India for postdoctoral research in higher education institutions in the USA. The first batch of 126 Raman Fellows was announced during the India-US Higher Education Dialogue 2013 in New Delhi. These fellows have been sponsored by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in India, and are scheduled to join US institutions for post-doctoral research, beginning in August 2013.
People-to-People Ties Moreover, in order to enhance peopleto-people connectivity, the two nations have initiated new student programmes, such as Passport to India Initiative by the US and Connect India Programme by India. The Passport to India Initiative by the US Department of State seeks to increase the number of American students in India by expanding study abroad options including internships, hence, building the next generation of leaders with India
People-to-people exchange is the glue that holds our partnership together. Thanks to the FulbrightNehru Programme, more than 18,000 scholars have participated in exchanges between our countries John F Kerry, Secretary of State, USA, at India-US Higher Education Dialogue 2013, on 25th June 2013, New Delhi
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global perspective
expertise. Through partnerships with business and non-governmental oraganisations, the initiative promotes internships, service learning and study abroad programmes for US students in India. It aims to promote India as a destination so that more American students have the cultural understanding and language skills that underpin effective diplomacy and foreign policy. The interns not only work on joint projects, but also get the opportunity to build a network that may prove to be beneficial for future collaborations for both the nations. Considering that internships are increasingly becoming an integral part of the US education system, with many colleges offering credit for internships, Passport to India Initiative seems to be a significant move. Companies too are gradually getting more receptive towards international internships, which are now viewed as a way to ensure a valuable pool of potential employees. The Connect India Programme by the Indian Government was announced during the US-India Higher Education Dialogue, held in June 2012, and is currently in incubation phase. It aims at placement of 200 US undergraduate students at Indian
US cooperation is needed in promoting skill building in India through community colleges. The cooperation should be supportive of ICT, promote quality research and boost vocational education system Dr M M Pallam Raju, Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India, at a roundtable discussion in May 2013, Washington DC, USA
education institutions for one semester of their studies. This will comprise 4-6 weeks of study programme in one of the 15 selected Indian universities. Total number of participants in any institution shall not exceed 30 in one course. Their course of study will be integrated with other activities, including exposure to Indian culture and economy, service-learning with corporate entities, short-term attachment with Civil Society Organisations, and interaction with political representatives. The details are being finalised by the UGC in consultation with various Indian universities.
1,00,270 Indian students were pursuing higher education in the USA, comprising 13.1% of total foreign student population (2011-12). India is the second largest sender of students to the USA, followed by China (Source: UGC)
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4,345 Students from the us pursued studies in India (2011-12) Endless opportunites A host of other initiatives are under process. For instance, the India-Support for Teacher Education Programme, worth USD 4.3 million, is a 30-month joint project between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the MHRD to build the capacity of Indian teachers. These apart, the UGC has finalised guidelines for twinning arrangements between Indian and foreign educational institutions for greater collaboration between universities. Moreover, EducationUSA, a network of advising centres, offers a great resource for students in India with latest information about study opportunities at accredited institutions in the US. Supported by the US Department of State, EducationUSA has expanded its services in India through virtual advising, mobile apps, social media outreach, and a pan-India advising hotline. Undoubtedly, the scope of collaboration is simply endless. It’s now up to the capacity and interest of the academia and the industry to respond to the current need and support the governments take this partnership to its apex.