digital LEARNING Magazine November Issue 2016

ING N AR E G L AL NKIN T I DIG A RA R O NDI F OW OF I 17 N 0 S E 2 AT OOL RY P I A H NU TIC P SC A R J PA TO IT MM S

HIP

R DE

H SC

L OL

no Edge!

Your little one is uniqueâ&#x20AC;Ś Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let that uniqueness be lost in a crowd. Make sure you choose a preschool that values the uniqueness of your child.

Choose a preschool with the Nino Edge!

Sirena Technologies Sirena Technologies introduces introduces

A humanoid that can talk, walk, dance, sing, play and work wonders with children using its inherently built intelligence. Nino works with your A humanoid that talk, that walk, sing,and childcan as a buddy helps dance, nurture curiosity personalize learning for them so that they grasp play and work wonders with children using its concepts according to their own learning style and inherently built intelligence. learning pace. Nino works with your more about nino at curiosity myninobot.com child as a buddy Explore that helps nurture and

personalize learning for them so that they grasp concepts according to their own learning style and learning pace. Contact Us nino at myninobot.com Education +91 80Explore 4130 8885more aboutRevolutionizing contactus@sirenatech.com www.sirenatech.com www.facebook.com/sirenatech

through Robotics

11 09 ISSUE 04 APRIL 2016 2015 VOLUME VOLUME 12 ISSUE NOVEMBER

Cover Story

Interviews

Preeti Bhandary Director, Little Elly

EuroKids Creating Waves In The World of Preschools

Feature Stories

Yash Birla

Chairman Yash Birla Group

Yuvraj Krishan Sharma Co-founder & Director of Kompanions

Preschool: Building Big Future of Little Ones

Are preschools safe enough for your Kids?

Mobile Apps: Effective tools to promote school learning

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Technology aided Sensory Learning in kids

Ranking Preschools

DeďŹ ning the Finest in India

Colourful and spacious classrooms to make kids happy

Golden Bells and De Indian Public School Educate With A Difference

Jharkhand

Aspiring to be Knowledge Hub of the Country

Engineer Your Dreams

Creating Gen-Next Leaders

Innovative Learning

ASIA’S PREMIER MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON ICT IN EDUCATION Volume 12

Issue 09

November 2016

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta EDITORIAL TEAM - DELHI/NCR Assistant Editors: Souvik Goswami, Gautam Debroy, Sandeep Datta Senior Correspondent: Manish Arora, Shivani Tyagi BANGALORE BUREAU Associate Editor: T Radha Krishna MUMBAI BUREAU Senior Assistant Editor: Kartik Sharma Correspondent: Poulami Chakraborty, Harshal Yashwant Desai

digitalLEARNING in India’s

Most Versatile portal on Education

JAIPUR BUREAU Senior Assistant Editor: Kartik Sharma CHANDIGARH BUREAU Assistant Editor: Priya Yadav AHMEDABAD BUREAU Assistant Editor: Hemangini S Rajput HYDERABAD BUREAU Senior Correspondent: Sudheer Goutham B LUCKNOW BUREAU Senior Correspondent: Arpit Gupta SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digitalLearning Project Manager: Seema Gupta, Mobile: +91-8860651643 Product Head: Fahim Haq, Mobile: +91-8860651632 Senior Executives: Virendra Kashyap, Ashutosh Dubey SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION TEAM Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832; subscription@elets.in DESIGN TEAM Creative Heads: Pramod Gupta, Anjan Dey Deputy Art Directors: Om Prakash Thakur, Gopal Thakur, Shyam Kishore Senior Graphic Designer: Pradeep G

50,000+

3,50,000+

Print Subscribers

Monthly Unique Visitors

EVENT TEAM Manager: Gagandeep Kapani

1,05,000+

ADMINISTRATION Head Administration: Archana Jaiswal

Social Visitors

EDITORIAL & MARKETING CORRESPONDENCE

digitalLearning – Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd: Stellar IT Park Ofﬁce No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301, Phone: +91-120-4812600, Fax: +91-120-4812660, Email: info@elets.in digitalLEARNING is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd in technical collaboration with the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS). Owner, Publisher, Printer - Dr Ravi Gupta, Printed at First Impression Corporate Services Pvt. Ltd., E-114, Sector-63, Noida.UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50, Noida, UP

digitallearningonline

dl_magazine

digitallearningmag

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

digitallearning.eletsonline.com egov.eletsonline.com ehealth.eletsonline.com bfsi.eletsonline.com smartcity.eletsonline.com Send us your views over news, interviews, features and articles. You can either comment on the webpage of any story, or mail us at: editorial@elets.in

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Preschools – The Defining Factor in Your Child’s Life With preschools gaining immense significance in determining career of children, most of the young parents in cities find themselves perplexed when it comes to select the right preschool for their wards. Our cover-interview highlights the role of EuroKids International, a chain of preschools, is playing across three countries with its 900+ centres by redefining preschool franchise education space. The latest issue carries “India’s Top Preschool Ranking 2016” in an attempt to evaluate the finest preschools of the country based on infrastructure, pedagogy, student enrollment, innovation in ICT etc. It is hoped this will serve the purpose of ranking which has been done based on a vast data collected from four regions of the country and judged by an esteemed jury. We have tried to explore some aspects linked to preschool like franchises’ scope and role in preschools, safety and surveillance, app-based learning in preschools, infrastructure, and uses of Apps prepared by schools as special stories. The issue also carries report of the Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand 2016, organised by the Government of Jharkhand in association with Elets Techno Media Pvt. Ltd., in Ranchi. It was an endeavour to explore some of the challenges, scope and investment opportunities in the State by bringing edu-leaders, experts, industry leaders and stakeholders under one roof. The day-long meet in October explored the vision, hope, and expectations of various people linked to the state’s educational ecosystem. Public-private participation in education, offering incentives to private university stakeholders, framing conducive policies for attracting investment, implementing techenabled programmes for imparting quality education – it was underlined -- that these steps were in the right direction. Hoping this issue will please our esteemed readers, we look forward to your invaluable feedback.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Cover Story

EuroKids Creating Waves

IN THE WORLD OF PRESCHOOLS

Brand EuroKids has created significant impact in the education domain, with its presence extending across 3 countries, 900+ pre-schools, 350+ cities. Having contributed to the developmental needs of over 3,00,000 children, its endeavour is to make learning fun, says, Prajodh Rajan, EuroKids International Co-Founder and CEO, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN). How has Eurokids become such a success story, what is its USP? At EuroKids, we place tremendous importance to provide a caring, balanced and stimulative environment for the little ones, ensuring a holistic nurturing environment, with emphasis on child development, safety and security, cleanliness and hygiene. The well-being of children and establishing a close connection with the parents of each child ensures that a close bond between home and preschool is maintained. All these elements together make that perfect second home for a child. Our curriculum focuses on developing ‘Executive Function Skills’ (EFS) in children that are crucial for learning, development and positive behaviour. It integrates multiple representation, expression and engagement to focus on developing Executive Function skills vital for the Next Gen learners. Brand EuroKids has had significant impact on the education domain in the country. Our presence extends across three countries, 900+ pre-schools, 350+ cities and we have contributed to the growth and development of over 3,00,000 children. Our constant endeavour to be a quality conscious company has led us to win multiple awards and accolades including Innovation in Early Learning, India’s Best Brand – Preschool, Best Franchisor of the year, and Best in Category- Education. What philosophy does your organisation abide by while imparting education to toddlers? At EuroKids, we are redefining early child care education with our focus on providing a fun-based learning environment. Keeping the ‘Child First’ ideology at the core of our pedagogy, we ensure the development, safety and engagement needs of the child are met in a homely environment as they play, learn and grow to imbibe essential life skills.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

At our pre-schools, the child experiences quality education and learns to explore and enjoy the surroundings. The integrated use of scientifically designed games, toys and technology makes learning a lot more fun and engaging. Our emphasis on the child’s well-being and development in close coordination with parents, makes it a perfect preschool experience for the child. How is technology playing a big role in imparting education in early learning? Technology today is all pervasive. When it comes to preschooling, however, the amount of technology that a child must be exposed to in his formative years must be supervised. At EuroKids, we believe that what we provide is a controlled learning environment for the child where there is just appropriate tech-enabled learning initiatives. As part of our curriculum we have MotionBased Learning, which enables learning through a digital medium through games, stories, rhymes and videos etc. To keep our parents in the know of all the developments at the preschool, we have created the Buddy App which showcases fun activities, learnings, details of field trip schedules, engagement programs and many more so the parent is aware of the typical day at EuroKids. In brief, when under a supervised platform, technology is a great enabler of education. As a Brand, how do you differentiate from the various other preschool brands operational in the country? EuroKids is among the first to adopt innovative learning initiatives to stay ahead of the others. Our focus has always remained towards understanding the needs of the child in the preschool and directing all our efforts towards being child-centric. Our curriculum is based on research findings by Centre on The Developing Child at Harvard University that focuses on building ‘Executive Function Skills’ (EFS), that are crucial for building positive behaviour in children from an early age. The preschool franchise business is blooming rapidly and lot of new players are joining the fray, how does EuroKids safeguard the interests of the partner? EuroKids entered the franchising business by choice and as a preferred medium of expansion across the length and breadth of the country and overseas. EuroKids lays special emphasis to work very closely with all its partners and ensure we collectively achieve the desired results and seize opportunities. Our 360 Edge Franchise support system gives every partner all the support they need to establish, run and grow their business which includes – ♦ Infrastructure & Ambience Design ♦ Equipment & Teaching Aids ♦ Researched Curriculum ♦ Teacher Training & Assessment ♦ Marketing & Operational Support ♦ Lead Management Support ♦ Rewards & Recognitions In addition, we have tied-up with the biggest financial entity SBI to support the financial needs of our new and existing partners. EuroKids has won multiple awards in the category of ‘Best Franchisor’ in the preschool category year-on-year and that is a testimony of our success and support to all our Business Partners. How does your brand ensure the quality of all its partner

schools? We are very conscious about the kind of partners that we accept within the EuroKids Franchise Network as this is directly proportional to quality standards and success. When we look at joining hands with a partner we do look for like-mindedness. It’s imperative that the partner understands that this business is all about delivering quality preschooling without comprises. The franchise partner must have the commitment to help carry forward our ambition of making learning a fun experience for kids. Once the preschool has been set up and is functioning, we have audit teams to ensure that compliance to quality norms is at the highest levels within the network. Keeping children’s safety as our focus at all point of time, we have tied-up with leading global safety certiﬁcation agency – Bureau Veritas which ensures quality levels are maintained across preschools. To ensure that our teachers’ professional needs are addressed periodically, we have developed ETAT (EuroKids Teacher Assessment Tool), an online teacher assessment and training tool, that ensures that teachers at our pre-schools comply with speciﬁc uniform standards and that their skill sets are continuously upgraded so that they remain the best in the business. What is your vision for the brand? Do you have expansion plans? We are reinventing education in the pre-schooling space and that’s a position we would like to maintain and evolve. Today, all our initiatives have a ‘Child-First Ideology’ and our actions at our pre-schools ensure that we create a Second Home for the Child. Keeping this in mind, we look to expand to more locations across the length and breadth of the country. We sense a maturing of the major metro cities and believe there is great untapped potential in the tier-II and III towns and cities. Currently, we are present in 350+ towns and cities and our plan is to expand our network and double it in the next 48 months. Our presence is in Nepal, Bangladesh and we will be expanding shortly to Sri Lanka ■

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Cover StoryProfile Corporate

EuroKids International:

NURTURING TOMORROW Growing from two preschools to over 900+ centres spread over 350 cities in three countries in less than two decades, EuroKids has redefined preschool franchise education space in India, Elets News Network (ENN) examines the underlining principles that make the preschool education major click.

uroKids is one of India’s leading preschool education providers and is committed to providing world class education to children through preschools. Starting operations in 2001, the company has seen phenomenal growth through its franchise model, nurturing more than 300,000 young children. It offers preschooling education to Playgroup, Nursery, EuroJunior (Junior Kindergarten) and EuroSenior (Senior Kindergarten).

USP of EuroKids

The Edge 360 Advantage

Franchising success is all about selecting the right partner to make your venture progressive and successful. EuroKids’ ‘Franchise in a Box’ concept powered with multiple factors like the brand’s reputation, product offerings, processes, support and ROI impacts performance of partners’ hard earned investment and efforts. A few reasons that make EuroKids the preferred choice are: | Helping franchise partners start up by providing them with infrastructure and ambience design. | EuroKids also provide equipment and teaching aids, researched curriculum and teacher training and assessment. | Marketing and operational support along with lead management support are added advantages.

EuroKids feel equally responsible towards giving its partners the right tools & assistance to succeed in their entrepreneurial journey in multiple ways to achieve a mutually fulfilling growth path. Their Edge 360 Franchise support program gives you the ongoing support in building a successful preschool franchise.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Infrastructure & Ambience Design Equipment & Teaching Aids Researched Curriculum Teacher Training & Assessment Marketing & Operational Support Lead Management Support Rewards & Recognitions

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Be a EuroKids Partner Franchisee fees FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT The amount can vary between Rs 12 to 20 lakhs depending upon the location and the size of the facility. This investment however does not include preoperating expenses such as rental and staff costs which will be an additional expenditure.

Toys, Equipment (indoor & outdoor) & Teaching Aids AREA REQUIREMENT To operate a EuroKids Pre-School you will require the following preferred specifications at school:  A minimum of 2,000 sq. feet built up area (should be able to house minimum of 6 classrooms in a batch) with outdoor of about similar or more area  It is preferred that a ground ﬂoor premises is taken for convenience reasons

Interior & Fit-outs THE AGREEMENT The initial agreement is for three years with an option to renew for another term of three years, under mutual agreement. The royalty is applicable as per the appropriate franchise model.

Why Join Hands with EuroKids International?  International Brand: EuroKids has its presence across 900+ centres and 350+ cities domestically and in Nepal and Bangladesh in the international arena and are looking to establish their footprints beyond.  International Research Backed Curriculum: Curriculum of EuroKids is developed on the basis of research finding by Centre of Developing The Child at Harvard University. It focuses on developing the ‘Executive Function Skills’ (EFS) in children.  Standardised and Structured Processes: At EuroKids, it is believed that process makes you perfect. Hence, a structured and processed approach with standardised practices towards design and ambience of the preschool, consistent curriculum, set daily teaching plans, prescribed equipment’s and fittings, safety protocols to be followed along with hygiene elements to be maintained. Hence, as a partner one does not have to create processes but simply execute pre-set method of functioning.  Dedicated Franchise Support Team: A dedicated & experienced set of franchise development professionals support prospective franchise owners in shortlisting apt locations, business guidance, processing agreement formalities and providing the early handholding as you start your own business.  Highly Awarded Business Model: The EuroKids franchisee network has been one of the highest awarded pre-schooling businesses and has over 16 awards including ‘Best Franchisor’ in pre-school category for 5 consecutive years bestowed upon it by distinguished bodies and institutions in the education domain.  Business Alliances: EuroKids has tied-up with SBI to offer collateral free loans to its new and existing franchise partners to full fill their business finance needs. They also offers special range of child friendly furniture for preschool in association with leading furniture manufacturer Spacewood Furnitures. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Corporate Interview

Little Elly, Shaping

KIDS FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

Schools succeed well by adapting tested and trusted methodologies that provide practical training and prepare children for formal schooling, apart from acquiring language and inculcating age-appropriate behavior, says Preeti Bhandary, Director, Little Elly in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN). What do you see as the major challenges for preschool education today? Every sector has its own challenges; preschool is no exception. As far as the preschool business is considered, there are two factors, one is identification of right place to establish a preschool and the other is quality comes with cost. Families with various financial backgrounds sometimes consider that they are over burdened with the fee of preschool but to maintain high standards, high cost is required. Another key challenge is lack of scientific approach to the methodologies that are being followed in the preschools. Expectation of parents along with competition in preschool is very high as there are many brands and non-brands too. Lack of experienced and committed individuals as teachers is also a major drawback in case of preschools. What are the qualities that define the best preschool? If we are able to face the challenges successfully, the preschool automatically becomes the best preschool. Schools succeed well by adapting tested and trusted methodologies that provide practical training and prepare children for formal schooling, apart from acquiring language and inculcating age-appropriate behaviour. An important quality that

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

every preschool must follow is clear mission and vision along with appropriate methodologies that goes with the vision and mission. Monitoring progress of the children, good connection between

home and school, safe and orderly environment at preschool and focus on effective learning are the other qualities that every preschool must follow. How do you think safety and comfort of toddlers can be ensured with modern-day furniture in preschool? Nowadays, there are more choices for preschool furniture. Again, your methodology will deﬁne what kind of classroom set-up a preschool can have which includes furniture too. Modernday furniture is designed with utmost safety for preschoolers. Some of the safety features include, lead-free paints on furniture, child-friendly and childsized chairs and tables, padded-furniture, rounded edges etc. Preschools should select appropriate furniture depending on the space availability too. How much surveillance is vital in modern times in preschools? This is the need of the hour. Closed Circuit or CCTV should be made compulsory in all preschools. In fact, this should be one of the factors for parents while deciding the preschool. Background checking of staff should be made essential while hiring and recruiting. Above all, staff and even children should be sensitised about the child safety issues and measures that are to be undertaken. Which major mobile apps are being used in preschools today for e-learning? Many preschools use different mobilebased applications for various needs such as lesson planning, assessments and communication. At Little Elly, we use a customised mobile app for teaching, learning instruction and communication. The mobile app can also be used in laptops, desktops and tablets. What are the investment opportunities in the preschool space in the country? Preschool is a one of the fastest growing sectors in education domain. Opportunities for setting preschools have increased in India, as the number of working and educated mothers is increasing, nuclear family set-up is in trend and preschools are good source of secondary income. Typically, investment cost varies from 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs, depending on the space and the location where one wants to open.■

www.littleelly.com digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Joy is at the heart of everything we do

No more classrooms, only Little Elly Concept Rooms. Trusted by over 45,000 parents. Collaboration with Glen Tree U.K. (Pioneers in serving the learning needs of kids for the last one decade) Unique integrated curriculum of creativity & academics.

Little Elly now in Seattle, USA

Initial Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Training program for all teachers. Aesthetically designed curriculum based on Maria Montessori and Rudolph Steiner method.

A globally admired preschool

Locate your nearest center @ www.littleelly.com

Learning Edge India Pvt. Ltd.

#2, Honeydew Mansion, Near BDA Complex, HSR Layout, 7th Sector, Bangalore - 560102

Corporate Interview

Preschools Offer

WIDE ARRAY OF OPPORTUNITIES The preschool education market, largely unregulated, is set for a 26 per cent growth over the next few years as per the Indian Education Investment Report 2014. It exemplifies the opportunity for education providers to enter preschool education, says Yash Birla, Chairman, Yash Birla Group connect. Preschools that fulfil these four aspects suitably, can get defined as ‘best’ preschool. What sets apart a preschool from others? The vision and philosophy of a preschool when is aligned with the Principles of early childhood development and all involved appreciate, understand and follow the same with full conviction, the particular preschool stands to be above others. How do you think safety and comfort of toddlers can be ensured with modern-day furniture in preschool? Safety and comfort of toddlers in a preschool is of prime importance. The modern day furniture that is available

In the crowd of preschools in the country what are the features one should check to view a preschool in best category? There are four aspects to this -- trained teachers, enriched and engaging learning environment, developmentally appropriate curriculum and parent – school

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Best preschools get defined by trained teachers, enriched and engaging learning environment, developmentally appropriate curriculum and parent – school connect

these days is often well designed keeping in mind the young child and its use. However, when we choose equipments for preschools, we must keep factors like durability, aesthetics and storage facilities in mind. How much surveillance is vital in modern times for preschools? Surveillance is vital in today’s times. Something that was considered a luxury few years ago has become need of the hour. More so because of the growing trend in both working parents, single parenthood and breaking of joint families. Also, the rise in crimes with kids is on the rise. For parents to feel safe while leaving children at school, it is important that we have surveillance at all times. Most common method employed these days at preschools is the installation of cameras with live access to parents. This gives parents the confidence about the quality of child care at the preschool and also ensure a positive connect between the parents and the school. Also, the schools have now moved on to school specific apps that enables a parent to log in at their convenience and interact with the teachers to understand the progress of their child. What are the investment opportunities in the preschool space in the country? The preschool education market, largely unregulated, is set for a 26 per cent growth over the next few years as per the Indian Education Investment Report 2014. This exemplifies the opportunity for education providers like us to enter preschool education. The current spending on education stands at INR 1,035 per month for an urban household and INR 293 for a rural household. However, consumers are willing to spend even higher amounts if given access to quality education and this has brought private players to the forefront. Likewise, the private sector is rapidly spreading its horizon in the education market and currently accounts for 48 per cent of its total revenue. Realising the pertinence of private sector to uplift Indian education, the government has launched Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to invest in the education market. So, at BEL we are very optimistic of our future growth while serving the society at large with quality education for the young generation of tomorrow.n

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Special Story

Preschool: BUILDING

BIG FUTURE OF LITTLE ONES

s childhood is the first stage when child gets prepared for society, the early years of children play the key role in their lateral development. In those years, it is now important that toddlers also grow up as creative individuals while being introduced to their culture. Preschools can play an important role in this aspect, especially while ensuring children’s holistic development. Nowadays, there are many good preschools in India, with many more coming up almost every other day. A competition between the big names in preschool industry caters to the good quality basic education and holistic development of children. Every school follows certain standards not only in teaching but also in terms of security, infrastructure

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

and transportation of tiny-tots. “Parents must look for a preschool that encourages development in sense of initiative and self-help, social and emotional development, cognitive development, physical development and hygiene, language-literacy and communication, creative arts, as a part of the educational belief and curriculum,” said Raj Singhal, CEO, Footprints preschool.

Preschool – History at a Glance

Growing urbanisation and increase in maternal employment outside the home has increased the demand of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). The changing social scenario, over the years, laid down the foundation for introduction

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

With the education world turning full of challenges for youngsters, the preschool days of children have acquired immense significance not just for the little ones but their parents as well, Akash Tomer and Priyanka Sharma of Elets News Network (ENN) examine why preschools are making a splash and what is the future scenario for preschools.

of Preschool Education/Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the country. The earliest footprints of preschool or early childhood education, as an organised education initiative in India dates back to the latter half of the 20th century. The very first preschool education centers were established around 1946 in Gujarat and since then it was practiced to ‘Indianise’ the method to make preschool education available to majority of children in India. After independence, different voluntary agencies and private institutions were trying to fulfil the need for preschool in the country. The government-taken first initiative in this area was in 1953, which was by setting up of a Central Social Welfare Board to start a grant–in–aid scheme for voluntary agencies/ private institutions. Recognising the importance of ECCE, the Indian government launched Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in 1975 to improve health and education outcomes for children. The scheme provides early childhood education with the backing of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. To improve the health of children, ‘Anganwadis’ were also established under the scheme across the country. ICDS is one of the world’s largest and unique

programmes for early childhood development. Preschool is one of the many services, considered as the backbone of ICDS, that lays the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of a child.

The Present Scenario

The number of private organisations in preschool segment is rapidly increasing. According to government estimates, about 10 million children participate in ECCE programmes provided by private organisations. Private preschool franchise like Kidzee (1,500+ centers in over 550+ cities) and Euro Kids (900 branches across more than 350 cities) are also offering their services in different countries across the globe. In today’s cosmopolitan world of twin working culture and nuclear families, there is a growing need of parents to find a school in whose care their child can be entrusted, due to which the concept of daycare came into being. These DayCare Centres are meant for children aged 0-10. These centres, that follow a structured routine, are equipped with exceptional learning metodologies and age-appropriate playing facilities for children. In these centers, children are engaged in various kinds of activities such as singing and painting. The staff of these daycare centers is trained. With individual attention to children, it helps them later in their emotional and physical growth. Preschool or Child Care segment is 1.6 per cent of total education market of India. It is expected to reach more than 2% of the total education sector in the country by 2020. According to the Preschool or Child Care Market in India 2016-2020 Report, the footprints of various international schools and kindergartens in India have led to a major change in the educational curriculum. These international schools follow the Western educational system. This has led to the increase in enrollments of children from elite class and upper middle-class families. According to the report, new vendors entering the childcare market are adopting this system due to the rise in interest of parents in the blended learning of both western and Indian educational system.

“The major challenges of preschool education are lack of organised preschool structure. This leads to a preschool to run like simply a school where kids are being involved in routine academic session only where students are appraised by their reading and writing capacity rather than their all round development,” says Amit Kumar Singh, Managing partner, Kidz Aura preschool.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Special Story The special report says, the absence of regulations for setting up schools, low investments, low interest rates from banks, and the ability to expand geographically using the franchise structures are the major factors that are encouraging many vendors to enter the market. Expressing his views on the preschools, Deven Khullar, Chairman, Brats and Cuties said, “Preschools provide the platform for the child to express, explore, probe and learn which is usually missing in formal schools and basic principles for a Preschool to be successful institution is to focus on holistic growth of the child.”

The Road Ahead

Scope of preschool education is large enough as it is an in-

dustry considered to be one of the recession proof industries. More importantly, the preschool industry is the third largest expenditure group in Indian households. Another reason for its wide scope is that preschool education has its impact on child’s future and overall life besides influence on their family. So all this makes preschools as an integral part of a child’s education at an early stage. “Parents today are themselves well educated and well travelled across the globe and hence will certainly always be on the lookout for schools which bring in global standards of operations as well as methodologies in the learning domain,” said Amar Kapasi , Co-Founder, Planet Kids. Preschool education has emerged as one of the most profitable segments of the Indian education market. It refers to the organised pre primary education programmes for children, particularly in the age group of 2-4 years. According to one report, the preschool market is set to thrive in India with an expected compound annual growth rate of 21.84% during 2016-2020. Besides organised players, such as Kidzee and Eurokids, many new players have entered into this segment during the past few years and are expanding their reach into tier II, tier III cities in the country. “A preschool in today’s time offers a complete plan for every learning style. Since children learn in a number of different ways, preschool is the only place to offer children the opportunity to learn in the ways in which each of them learn best.” said Preeti Bhandary, founder and CEO, Little Elly Preschool. Exponential growth of preschool franchises in India: In India, the market size of preschool

Franchise Requirement LAND REQUIREMENT The area of land required to set up a preschool is approximately 2,000-2,500 square feet.

AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT The investment amount to start a preschool is nearly about Rs. 5-10 lakhs, including the cost of acquiring the land

ROYALTY/COMMISSION There is 300% Return On Investment (ROI) as far as a preschool franchise is concerned. Though there is no benefit in terms of royalty but heavy ROI is also the reason, big brands are showing their interest in the segment.

CHALLENGES IN OPENING A PRESCHOOL Even after opening a preschool through a franchise, many challenges are faced by the entrepreneurs such as: Safety of children, which is under the bucket of non-regulation or absence of governing body in this segment. Finding qualified staff that knows what is right for the child. Only then can a preschool flourish into a good business opportunity. For the success of the preschool, strong relationships with parents should be maintained and one should always remember that an enterprise could work only if the school staffs genuinely love kids.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

industry is huge with 25-30 lakh children between two and five years in urban India. Therefore, there is a scope for 25,000 preschools. Looking at a bagful of opportunities, franchisors are modifying their expansion plans. There are a number of companies offering franchises in India. Some of these franchises require an investment to the tune of over five lakhs. In addition, they charge a fixed fee on a monthly basis for every child enrolled in the preschool. Although, the money charged by the franchises is big, the good thing is that the parent company helps in setting up the entire infrastructure of the preschool. Furniture and equipment are also provided by the franchise, along with a short training in running the business. Another advantage is that the new preschool gets instant reputation because of the franchise brand. Parents trust franchise name more easily. So basically, the new journey of the school is not a start from scratch. “Preschool education in India has gained immense importance over the past years due to increased awareness and affordability among parents. Further, increasing competition in education is prompting parents to plan their children’s future from early childhood’, says Preeti Bhandary, founder and CEO of Little Elly preschool. A preschool should have the following pre-requisite features to establish its name in preschool market: Irrespective of whether it is a franchise or your own preschool, space is a primary requisite for opening a preschool. The location for preschool also matters. A quality infrastructure is important. This constitutes classrooms, play area, washrooms, pantry and office. The space need not be very large but must be adequate and wellventilated. The interior can be simple but has to be convenient for the kids and of good quality. A colorful interior is recommended for preschools. Cleanliness, hygiene and safety are also important. A complete and clear documentation is expected from every

Preschools provide the platform for the child to express, explore, probe and learn which is usually missing in formal schools and basic principles for a Preschool to be successful institution is to focus on holistic growth of the child.

..........................................................................

Deven Khullar,

Chairman, Brats and Cuties

preschool. These could be sanction letters from the bank, approvals and licenses from the authorities or curriculum approvals from the education board. Every single paper should be approved and maintained for records. The staff whether teaching or non-teaching, needs to be experienced, trained and genuinely interested in spending time with the kids.

Excellent content, curriculum and programme design

After school activities. Customised learning methodologies to various acts of life. The framework of fees versus the facilities must be transparent. A schedule for interaction with parents from time to time regarding academics and administration is important. ■ digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

FEATURE STORY

ARE PRESCHOOLS SAFE ENOUGH FOR YOUR KIDS? Preschools are children’s ﬁrst formal training centre that they visit just after being taught basic things at home, it makes this novel learning experience vital so does the safety associated to it, writes Rashi Aditi Ghosh of Elets News Network (ENN).

reschool is such an important phase in a child’s life when he or she gets exposed to a structured setting of learning comprising trainers (teachers) and children. It’s ﬁrst unique experience for the child to learn to share, follow instructions to start off laying the foundation of education that begins in elementary school.

Concern for Safety

Safety is the form of being protected. It is extremely important to provide the child with a safe and secure environment predominantly at the preschool level when the child is most vulnerable to various abuses. Considering the possibilities of various forms of abuses that children can fall victim to, it becomes crucial to ensure a safe and secured environment for them at a place, where they cannot be under the watchful eyes of parents. Building a safe and secured learning environment, identifying the pupils who are in distress or at a risk of harm and ensuring a swift and suitable action are vital components to conﬁrm the little ones remain safe all the times. Be it within the school campus or the

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

{

Except for some preschools, safety of children remains to be taken seriously. They along with parents are choosing safety over money ...............................................................................................................

Ankit Tater, Director, iSuraksha Solutions Private Limited

school transport, children require safety everywhere. “Today preschools are coming up in each locality and each school has a substantial number of students,” said Ankit Tater, Director, iSuraksha Solutions Private Limited. “Except for some preschools, safety of children remains to be taken seriously. They along with parents are choosing safety over money.” “Many parents are unconcerned about spending money on entertainment but when schools are approaching them to pay `100 per month extra for security, they start complaining about it or not ac-

{

cepting it at all,” he added. Expressing concern over security at preschools, Deven Khullar, Chairman, Brats n Cuties, said: “The security of the children is always the foremost concern for any preschool, knowing the fact that parents have entrusted their invaluable treasure (kids) with us and most importantly before the child can learn, he should be feeling safe. For parents’ satisfaction, we have given them the Live relay of their child’s classroom. Radiofrequency identiﬁcation cards (RFID) are provided for the auto Short Message Service (SMS) generation at the time

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

of check-in and check out of the child from the school premises. Also, whatsapp reporting is done to let the parent know about the activities done in class on daily basis.”

Grim reality of inﬂating crime against kids Rape and incest

According to National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report for 2015, 8,800 cases of rape and incest on children were registered across India under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

Corporal Punishment

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), having about 15,000 schools afﬁliated with it, has reported there are sporadic complaints of punishment to students in CBSE afﬁliated schools. In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Development released a study report on child abuse which said every two of the three school children reported facing corporal punishment. This National Study on Child Protection Mechanisms (NSCPM) echoes that it is the responsibility of the schools to have a written child protection policy as schools are considered one of the safest places for children.

Fire safety at schools

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2014, 853 children aged under 14 died in ﬁre accidents. There were many horriﬁc instances where several children were killed and many had grievance injuries.

Major instances of school ﬁre accidents

On 16 July, 2004, Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) school ﬁre accident nearly 94 students were killed. On 23 December 1995, 170 school students were killed in a ﬁre at DAV Public School at Mandi Dabwali, a town in Sirsa district, Haryana. Explaining about the safety preparedness, Raj Singhal, CEO - Footprints Preschool, said, “It is very important to have audits and surveillance vigorously done at the preschool-level. We have installed CCTVs everywhere and the live feed is broadcasted to parents. Our staff is very well-trained. They are screened for past criminal and medical records and we have tied up with agencies for this screening.”

Safe Transportation

School children are also subjected to life threatening road accidents across the nation as safety guidelines by the Supreme Court of India are flouted by educational institutions. Safety guidelines given by the Supreme Court of India for school buses:  “School Bus” must be written on the back and front of the bus.  If it is a hired bus, “On School Duty” should be clearly indicated  Bus must have a First-Aid-Box.  The windows of Bus must be fitted with horizontal grills.  There must be a Fire Extinguisher in the Bus.  School Name and Telephone No. must be written on the Bus.  The doors of the Bus should be fitted with reliable locks.  To keep School Bags safely, there

{

kids via cab always worry about their child’s safety. For this, we have GPS trackers and if any parent wants we can provide them exact locations of the cabs. Second, they wish to see what their child is doing in school or daycare for that we have CCTVs with live feed access to the parent. So one of the parents will get the access, enabling them to watch their kids live no matter where they are.” According to Amar Kapasi, Co Founder, Planet Kids said surveillance is very important these days as a basic thing in terms of safety measures, in the wake of untoward incidents happening at various schools in country. “CCTV cameras and police veriﬁed employees are the basic measures which need to be taken to ensure the children remain in safe environment. Also the staff needs to be regularly sensitised about handling the children with utmost care and dig-

{

We, at Little Leaders, understand the need of safety and right from management level to bottom level we train our staff to ensure the way we handle the kids’ feelings ............................................................................................................... Anu Gupta, Director, Little Leaders Play School

should be a space ﬁtted under the seats.  There must be an Attendant from the School in the Bus.  Any parent/guardian or a teacher may also travel to ensure these safety norms. “We all (PlaySchool owners) need to understand the psychology of parents, they are young parents and the way their child is getting departed for the ﬁrst time from them so are the parents from their wards. We, at Little Leaders, understand this and right from management level to bottom level we train our staff to ensure the way we handle the kids’ feelings. Similarly, we need to satisfy parents’ feeling,” said Anu Gupta, Director, Little Leaders Play School. Mentioning about the preparedness and arrangements, Gupta of Little Leaders Play School, said, “To address the issue, we introduced modern technology at every step so that parents always feel in control. The parents who send their

nity. Even the children need to be educated about good and bad touch at an early age.”

Suggested Solutions:

Suggested measures that can be taken for students’ safety include:  Child friendly infrastructure  Proper Parent authorisation cards to ensure the child is being handed over to right parent.  Security cameras installation in premises  Restricted visitors’ access areas  GPS tracking system in school transport  Keeping a check on help staff  Putting a ﬁre exit plan in place Ensuring attendance system at multiple points from boarding of bus in morning till drop off in afternoon, updating about any deviation in routine immediately to parents and school via messaging services can be some other measures. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Feature Story

Mobile Apps:

EFFECTIVE TOOLS TO PROMOTE SCHOOL LEARNING

Mobile revolution has changed the lives of adults in many ways, and now companies are targeting children of all ages through various mobile applications like gaming applications, learning applications and many more. Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN) writes about what makes these mobile tools effective in enabling kids to learn new concepts.

reschool and primary education days of any child define his or her future trajectory in academics. The children of 21st Century are developing new habits for learning and social development. Digital media and electronic gadgets are now playing a critical role in development of their learning habits. In their initial years, children spend more hours in front of various screens and with different kinds of media than devoting time to reading and outdoor play. Education or learning applications emerged as the ways to accelerate learning among kids through digital media. “Apps help take out the bother of different platforms, an app is on your phone and your phone is always with you so direct, instant, hassle free communication”, says Swati Popat Vats, President- Podar Education Network

{ 22

It has been commonly observed that smart phone devices appeal to children as young as three years of age. Market reports confirm that digital devices with accessible touch screens are gaining

Learning is a collaborative process and cannot be conﬁned to the classroom alone. The child must continue learning at home ...............................................................................................................

Gaurav Mundra, CEO, Myly

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

{

mass popularity. Industry majors have understood the market potential of apps. Apple Inc. has launched a separate section on the iTunes store dedicated to apps for kids. Educational media leaders too have launched numerous education and learning apps for kids. Describing the importance of mobile apps, A S Ganesh, Founder & Managing Director, SMARTKiDZ Educare India said, “Communication through app increases parents’ understanding of classroom procedures, philosophies and policies. Parents then feel more involved in their child’s school and more connected to the teacher”. Innovative mobile learning applications are everywhere on the internet. Educators, application developers and

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

companies are now focusing on every attribute to improve school learning for children. “We have chosen mobile as a platform to deliver our content, as this is an era of mobiles and they are getting more powerful day by day. These devices have hugely impacted on how we consume content in terms of learning. Besides, we have witnessed native kids learning via tablets very intuitively and it seems like a natural way to learn,” said Altaf Rehmani, Founder, Tiny Tapps.

Mobile Applications to Help in Study

Many apps have come up to help children organise and schedule their study sessions for self-learning. Some of these are: l My Study Life– The tool helps creating a learning schedule and assist kids stay ahead in completing their assignments, exams, important deadlines and collaborative group work. l GoConqr– One can discover mind maps, flashcards, quizzes and notes to help them learn quickly and easily. l Khan Academy – One of the best applications to catch up the entire stuff one missed (or forgot) from high school in subjects like biology, history, physics and mathematics. “At Robomate+ll the apps are native apps, which make them more userfriendly and provide better performance and experience. The complete Robomate+ platform is deployed on the Cloud that makes it future ready and highly robust and scalable,” Dr Chhaya Shastri, Director MT Educare, told Elets News Network (ENN).

Mobile applications to download E-books:

These applications help kids store their e-book collection and add new ones on the cloud platform. They facilitate reading on-the-go. Some of such apps available on the internet include: l Free Books– This app has a collection of more than 50,000 free e-books and is also supported by the Kindle app. l Speed Reader– It is one of the best speed reading Android applications. It can run more efficiently on smaller Android phone screens. l Overdrive– This app allows kids borrow e-books, audio books, and videos from the local library. Its overdrive supports more than

Innovative mobile learning applications are everywhere on the internet. Educators, application developers and companies are now focusing on every attribute to improve school learning for children. 30,000 libraries worldwide. “Learning is a collaborative process and cannot be confined to the classroom alone. The child must continue learning at home. For this to happen, the teacher, the parent and the student must be on the same continuum of

{

with a stylus.

Mobile application to learn science: Students can have the complete knowledge through these apps. They can also play games to learn concepts of any science subject. l Complete Biology– This advanced biology application covers 35 important topics with tutorials, formula, exam questions and biology practical. l Chemistry Lab– It is a fun app where you learn about organic chemistry while playing games with actual chemical reactions. l Pocket Physics– This mobile application covers most of the physical formulas with descriptions and images.

Mobile application to learn mathematics:

Kids can learn tricks, algorithms and practice mathematics questions with the help of these apps. l Math Tricks– This mobile learning application is designed to learn interesting mathematical tricks for

Robomate+ has separate apps for students, teachers and parents. The apps are available on Windows PC, Android and iOS platforms ...............................................................................................................

Dr Chhaya Shastri, Director, MT Educare

learning. Our intent of creating Myly School Mobile App was to build a platform for teachers, parents and students to connect, collaborate and learn,” said, Gaurav Mundra, CEO, Myly.

Mobile applications for preparing notes:

With the help of these apps, students can prepare notes, share their notes, project details and ideas. l Evernote– Evernote is the app to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move important academic projects forward. l Google Keep– The quickest way to offload ideas, thoughts, and to-dos. l Lecture Notes– It is an Android application for note-taking by handwriting on the screen, in particular

{

solving mathematical problems quickly. l Math Workout– The mobile application uses an advanced training algorithm to train your brain through solving math problems. l Math Duel– A two player math game that test the speed of math processing skills. “Kids are already spending a lot of time on smartphones, tablet devices or TVs watching engaging content. We set out to give kids and teachers access to a very diverse set of high quality content across rhymes, songs, art and craft videos, english language and math learning and so on”, said Naveen Chintamaneni, Chief Revenue Officer, Bulbul Apps. n digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Feature Story

Preschools nowadays are increasingly focusing on mobile applications as learning tools. The popularity of smart phones apps is on the rise among the new generation. Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN) explores usages and key reasons behind the popularity of apps among children, parents and and preschools.

Technology aided Sensory LEARNING IN KIDS

ccording to a recent survey conducted in Britain, interactive educational apps are immensely popular among kids aged between 3 and 6 years. Parents as well as elementary teachers are encouraging children to start using mobile learning apps. In the last few years, the internet is flooded with such learning applications to complement classroom lessons in preschools. The availability of such apps has gone up tremendously over the last few years, with the Apple iTunes store alone having more than 65,200 educational

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

apps. So, why is mobile learning being taken up in such a big way? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look.

Systematic learning

Be it a mobile storytelling app for kids or a subject-specific learning app, all educational applications help kids in systematic learning. These learning applications have built-in databases to store the education or teaching based stories and completed assignments that can be saved for later reviews. Soft or digital copies of these texts and references can be accessed later. With traditional studying methods, a toddler on

his/her own can become a bit haphazard but mobile apps for learning or study minimises that risk.

Staying connected with teachers and guides

There is no substitute for classroom teaching, but educational apps ensure better connectivity between kids and teachers. Today, a student can easily get in touch with the teacher via SMS, emails, chats, calls and video calls to resolve his or her queries and doubts instantaneously. Most of the learning apps are embedded with such facilities

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

appear as soon as a child is acquainted with learning mobile applications. These apps present concepts with colourful graphics and imaginative illustrations to take away the boredom. As there is no teacher around, the entire virtual classroom learning environment is relaxed and informal. Learning with fun is one of the reasons why children use mobile learning applications for hours at a stretch.

Portability

to make the tasks easy for kids. “The idea behind developing the (MT Educare) app was to make available quality education, i.e., quality teachers and content to each child of this country, no matter where the child resides. Also enable users to learn at their own pace and comfort,” said Dr Chhaya Shastri, Director, MT Educare.

Round-the-clock availability

One of the best features of education apps is their round-the-clock availability. Unlike schools, there is no fixed time schedule for kids to access a mobile application. All that is required is a smart phone or computer tablet, and with a tap on the screen little ones can operate them as most of the mobile applications come with child-friendly controls.

Fun and informal

Complaints of kids about ‘tough’ homework and ‘boring’ class lectures may dis-

Going on a vacation and worrying about their kids’ studies trouble some parents a lot. Learning apps have made such parents’ lives easier. Now, they don’t need to carry loads of books with them. A smart phone or tablet is all they need. Kids can use these electronic gadgets during long train or flight journeys to learn. Students need not to stay away from learning resources at any time.

Help in classroom performance

Mobile applications help little learners prepare their routine tests and daily assignments in a better way. These apps help kids visualise important concepts for precise implementation during tests and assignments. Moreover, apps of schools help children access the curriculum in advance and if a child knows what is going to be taught the next day, he or she can easily look it up on any good mobile application. Preparation in advance helps kids build self-confidence in class.

Alternative modes of learning

There is wide range of applications available to choose from depending on kids’ needs. There are text-based learning applications, subject specific learning ap-

plications, applications for test or assessments, applications to help in homework, etc. These applications have animated graphics, videos, info-graphics, audionarration features, and a whole lot more that enable children to have ample scope of learning. Mobile learning is always dynamic – one can find numerous solutions for a single problem. Explaining the importance of content in apps, Gaurav Mundra, CEO, Myly app, said, “We are content agnostic. We are the enablers for sharing any kind of content on the platform – text, images, audio and video. We allow bi-directional multimedia communication so that learning doesn’t become a monologue from the teachers’ side.” Although most of the preschools use apps as a tool to help in the learning and development of a child, they do not completely rely on technology for the holistic development of a child. They focus more on “Learning through Senses” or on “Sensory Learning”. The process of sensory learning starts even before the birth. Babies learn everything about the world by observing, listening, and putting everything within reach into their mouths. In order to know about any object, toddlers try to touch or grab everything they see. The same concept is being used by many preschools to make a kid understand about objects like fruits, flowers, plants, toys, etc. Technology can aid sensory learning. Creative videos, audios on tablets or smart phone applications help kids understand their surroundings. All mobile application developers claim to have built the best mobile apps for kids, but are these apps have appropriate parental control features? It should also be looked into that the apps satisfy the parents about the content their children are accessing. “Giving kids access to educational and fun learning content with parents having control over the viewing time and a comfortable feeling about the safe online space happens through apps like ours. Safe Kids Apps can help you have that control which youtube or other ad-enabled content online cannot,” said Naveen Chintamaneni, Chief Revenue Officer, Bulbul Apps. In present day world of fiercely competitive education, a complete dependence on classroom teaching is not enough for kids. Mobile applications have proved to be beneficial for kids and give them an edge over their peers. It’s likely that popularity of mobile applications will increase even more over time. n digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Feature Story

COLOURFUL AND SPACIOUS CLASSROOMS TO MAKE KIDS HAPPY Nursery schools are baby steps of a child to education. Preschools influence a child’s personality development and build a strong foundation for the future. Therefore it is important for parents to choose a nursery school where the child can learn and grow in a healthy atmosphere, and infrastructure plays an important role in building such an atmosphere, observes Priyanka Sharma of Elets News Network (ENN).

preschool should have an environment that is calm, engaging and responsive to each individual child at all stages of his or her development. Entrepreneurs planning to open a preschool need to concentrate on infrastructure development, which includes constructing a building which has spacious and colourful classrooms, a nicely maintained playing area which offers interactive learning environment and furniture that has been designed keeping safety of children in mind. For the success of a preschool, significant investment is required in infrastructure. “An important element which is counted among the quality of a pre-school is the infrastructure. Many unbranded preschools don’t give much thought on the building infrastructure. As we deal with small kids, we have to make sure that the whole building should be very neat and clean, colourful and there should not be sharp edges on furniture or anywhere,” says Anu Gupta, Director, Little Leaders Play School. The number of children enrolled in

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

{

A quality preschool ensures to create an environment rich in creative and cultural experiences through creative arts, imaginative play, motor movement development, rhythm and dramatics.

...............................................................................................................

Sangeeta Basu, School Head, Medhaam Pre School

a school depends entirely on the space available. According to the common procedure followed, 20-25 square feet of space is provided for every child. So, if the school has a classroom of size 20 feet x 10 feet, 10 kids can be accommodated easily. The room size is usually considered a benchmark to decide on the number of kids that can be enrolled. While building a preschool classroom, some important safety features should also be incorporated to child-proof it. “We use baby-proofing products like door jammer stopper, door guard, tod-

{

dler-sized tables and chairs with no sharp edges. We also ensure to keep space for movement in the classroom and not make it crowded with furniture as toddlers need space to explore and move around,” says Raj Singhal, CEO, Footprints Preschool. Toddlers learn more when they play and observe things around them. Therefore, it is important to equip the preschool with good quality colourful furniture also. “The furniture should be stable, welldesigned, and securely attached to the

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Toddlers learn more when they play and observe things around. Therefore, it is important to equip the preschool with good quality furniture.

{

Safety can be ensured with usage of natural wood against particle board or MDF quality furniture. Also, furniture should not have sharp edges, is ergonomically designed to seat the children.

...............................................................................................................

Amar Kapasi, Co-founder, Planet Kids

wall where necessary. Disorder in the environment can result in chaos, materials or furniture falling, dangerous cuts or splinters from sharp furniture edges, or other avoidable accidents. Since children are spending good time in school, so school furniture should be cozy and have home-like touches in the environment which increases the comfort of the child (e.g., pillows, baskets, curtains, and cushions),” says the Director of Little Leaders Play School. Among other features that need to be considered while developing infrastructure for a preschool include fixing all electrical points higher so that they are

out of the reach of children and covering gaps in the railings of balconies so that kids do not slip through. Also, fire safety measures should be adequate so that kids can be quickly evicted if disaster strikes. According to Deven Khullar, Chairman, Brats and Cuties Basic, infrastructure should have proper fire exit plans, ramps for the specially-abled children, proper electric load, proper transport, etc. “Safety can be ensured with usage of natural wood against particle board or MDF quality furniture. Also, furniture should not have sharp edges, is ergonomically designed to seat the children

and also have interesting design themes to create curiosity in the minds of kids,” says Amar Kapasi , Co-founder , Planet Kids. While renovating classrooms, bright colours, posters and stickers on the walls should be used. The classroom can also be decorated with children’s original artwork. “A quality preschool ensures to create an environment rich in creative and cultural experiences through creative arts, imaginative play, motor movement development, rhythm and dramatics,” says Sangeeta Basu, School Head, Medhaam Pre School. Also, outdoor playing equipment needs to be properly arranged so that kids get adequate amount of physical activity. However, one needs to ensure that the area is safe. Using balconies and terraces as play areas should be avoided unless they are perfectly safe. “Build up area and outdoor space available for free play of kids is one of the major parameters of a quality preschool. All the other amenities revolve around that. Safe furniture for security and hygiene of the kids are important as they are very vulnerable to infections. Multimedia educational tools and toys, well ventilated classrooms are some other common parameters that can be adopted to qualify for a quality preschool,” says Ajit Kumar Singh, Managing Partner, Kids Aura. A good number of toys and games which are not harmful for kids is an integral part of the learning experience for the kids. Children spend most of their time playing and working with materials or other children. So assorted building blocks, construction materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials besides table toys like matching games, pegboards and puzzles should be made available to the kids.n digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Corporate Interview

Golden Bells and De Indian Public School

EDUCATE WITH A DIFFERENCE Away from the crowd of various schools springing up across the country, Golden Bells play school and De Indian Public School have created a niche in the preschool segment.

laimed to be India’s first multiple intelligence based preschool, Golden Bells is anchored around the philosophy of innovation in teaching and the school work towards unleashing the latent genius in every child. Since old strategies to ensure finest education for present-day wards are failing to deliver impressive results in the holistic development of kids, it is believed a robust academic foundation can empower today’s children to tackle academic challenges in future with ease. Reinvention, the phrase holds immense substance in a changing educational environment.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Right from the preschool, high school to university – a student learns whatever is inculcated in his mind. Thus, a curriculum has been shaped here around innovation and reinvention, incorporating latest trends, to facilitate bringing about an inner change in every student. It also helps in ensuring dexterity and an aptitude to achieve success in this fast globalising educational environment. It empowers the student to ‘think out of the box’. Golden Bells preschool and De Indian Public School, a senior secondary school, have been anchored around this very philosophy. Golden Bells preschool happens to

be the first school in India to incorporate Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Analysis (DMIA) concept. DMIA involves analysing the potential of a child, learning styles, acquiring styles, brain dominance and distribution of intelligences through the fingerprints. It identifies various hidden points of intelligence, providing information about strengths and weaknesses of a child including emotional, creative, adversity, spiritual and intelligent quotients. Accordingly, development of the child’s career is well-shaped. “We lay emphasis on hands on learning wherein students learn and express the same in simple activities. We help the children connect their learning to real life and encourage them to innovate,” says H R Gupta, Chairman, Golden Bells preschool and De Indian Public School. “Project and play-based learning holds equal significance at our campuses. Problem solving, decision making, and investigative activities in groups appended with play activities enable the students learn from their own experiences,” he adds. Today, smart schooling technology marks the existence of Golden Bells preschool and De Indian Public School. Students are tracked and monitored in the campus and while commuting in school cabs, parents or guardians get updated about the same, thus feeling relaxed about their security and attendance and enjoy such a special convenience like never before. “The teaching-learning at both of our schools happens at digital podiums. All classes are equipped with 3D technology; virtual electronic blocks add to the convenience factor. We offer a supportive environment,” says Rajeev Gupta, Director of Golden Bells preschool and De Indian Public School. “We are the only preschool that have adopted so many extracurricular activities for kids, like swimming, horse riding, yoga, meditation, taekwondo, kho-kho, hockey, kabaddi and the list goes on,” he adds.. “Our target three years down the line is opening up of at least 50 preschools across the country,” says Gupta who also looks forward towards helping children and adults relieve stress via stressrelieving exercises through his “Remake Yourself ” workshops.n

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Ranking Preschools Defining the Finest in India For the first time, digitalLEARNING, Asia’s leading education magazine has come up with the ranking of India’s top Preschools. “India’s Top Preschool Ranking 2016” has been introduced for generating public awareness and enhancing know-how about the preschool segment. Since last five years, our magazine has been publishing the ranking for top schools of India. Our experience in K-12 school ranking helped us venture into the rankings of India’s preschools in standalone and franchises, one of the most rapidly growing segments in education sector. Preschool ranking covers the best preschools of India’s 10 metro cities. It also includes information about the world of preschools, factors and methods to rank them. The ranking is for all those who are somehow attached to a preschool like parents, teachers, educators and school management. Preschool is an early childhood learning programme where children learn while playing. Usually, children aged 3 – 5, are enrolled in preschools, some preschools allow kids as young as two years. Preschools are different from traditional day care centres. In preschools, the emphasis is on learning and development of kids whereas the daycare centers enable parents to work or pursue other activities. ‘India’s Top Preschool Ranking 2016’ is our effort to affect the segment in a better way. Though there are 1.6 million ‘Anganwadis’ in our country, the public is restricted to private preschools only. It indicates the requirement of transformation of the country’s ‘Anganwadis’ into full-fledged pre-primary schools. To generate awareness in the public, we have convened various conferences and summits in different states and cities across the country. Globally and nationally renowned ECCE pundits along with principals and teachers from across India have participated in these events and shared their expertise and knowledge about the preschool segment. Considering all that enthusiasm and aforementioned factors in government and private space of preschool segment, digitalLEARNING presents the “India’s Top Preschool Ranking 2016”. This was perhaps an unprecedented attempt whereby the service providers invited service seekers to rank their performance on an open platform where they had no control or influence over the outcomes. You would therefore find a significant variance of participation across education destinations on this count. There were cities where schools couldn’t decipher the intent of the same and thereby missed the boat.

digitalLEARNING digital

NOVEMBER 2016

HOW WE RANKED THE PRESCHOOLS

anking top preschools of India is one of the most challenging tasks, given the large size of the educational ecosystem. To start with, we sent the ranking questionnaire to more than 1000+ preschools across the country. Preschools displayed overwhelming enthusiasm in the activity and 800+ schools sent us the ﬁlled questionnaire. Preschool ranking has been done in two categories: Standalone Preschools and Franchise Preschools. Based on various factors for both the categories, rankings have been allotted to the preschools. Franchise preschools have been also ranked region wise. Complete methodology for preschool ranking is as follows:

PARAMETERS FOR STANDALONE PRESCHOOL RANKING: Standalone preschools are the schools, which do

not sell their franchise rather such preschools establish their own preschool centers in various cities that are managed by a single committee or trust. Ranking of such preschools is done on the basis of following parameters.

HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS:

Holistic development of students focuses on addressing all of their emotional, physical, relational, intellectual, creative and spiritual needs of life. This perspective to development encourages caregivers and teachers to look at the child as a whole and not focus on the individual parts. HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS

INFRASTRUCTURE: This being one of the key

parameters in ensuring healthy learning environment for kids in preschools. The schools were evaluated on the basis of campus aaspects of class rooms and transitional spaces and Supervisable circulation spaces (such as hallways and corridors). INFRASTRUCTURE

PEDAGOGY: It refers broadly to the deliberate

process of cultivating development within a given culture and society. From this point of view, ranking of preschool is adjudged based on three basic components: (1) curriculum or what is being taught; (2) teaching methodology or the ways followed to teach the toddlers and (3) methods followed by preschools to develop cognitive and affective skills essentially required for successful functioning of kids in society that education is designed to promote. PEDAGOGY

STUDENT ENROLMENT: This factor of ranking

focuses on the number of students enrolled every year. Under this parameter, a detailed study of student enrollment for last ﬁve year along with enrollment of girls and boys in the preschool is done. After a comparative analysis of last ﬁve year report, ranks in this segment are allotted to a preschool. STUDENT ENROLMENT

INNOVATION IN ICT USAGE: In today’s

competitive and ever changing world, Information Communication Technology plays an important role for overall development of a student. Under this parameter, factors like, promoting latest technology tools for learning, keep best security practices through ICT, creating virtuous circle based around ICT and innovative teaching, use ICT to link home and school effectively and positive associations with computers are considered to rank the preschools. INNOVATION IN ICT USAGE

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

PARAMETERS FOR FRANCHISE PRESCHOOLS: Preschool franchise in India is

among booming businesses nowadays. Education is India’s fastest growing franchise business sector right after food & beverage. The ranking of preschool franchises is done on the basis of following parameters.

SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE: To determine the ranks under this parameter, various important factors like, standards followed by all the franchise of a brand are followed or not, employee training, services provided to customers, involvement with the community, communication rate between franchisor and franchise are considered. Scores obtained by a brand on these factors are combined to rank a preschool brand. SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE

INFRASTRUCTURE: This parameter

is very important to ensure healthy, pleasant yet comfortable learning environment for kids in preschools. To rank a preschool factors like campus area, total built-up area, Safety and security, class rooms conditions and transitional spaces are considered. INFRASTRUCTURE

INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY:

Pedagogy is the discipline that deals with the theory and practice of education. In other words, it is the study of ‘how best to teach’. Innovation in pedagogy is must as it allows the teachers and schools to be in sync with the modern teaching methods and trends. Innovation in Pedagogy draws more interest of kids towards the subject. So it is an important parameter to decide rank for a franchise preschool. INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY

QUALITY ASSURANCE: Quality as-

surance is the systematic process to check whether a product or service being developed is meeting specified requirements or not. For a preschool, quality assurance is to increase customer confidence and a school’s credibility. Quality assurance helps a preschool franchise to improve work processes and efficiency, and enable it to compete with others. In order to rank among the top preschools franchises, they have to follow and abide by the certain quality standards. QUALITY ASSURANCE

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

MARKETING & PROMOTION for PRESCHOOL RANKING

Direct Email

Website

SMS

Sent out to potential preschools over a 3 months campaign

Postal email sent out to all preschools

Banners of Top Preschools of India ranking highlighted in DL website

We use internal and external database to reach out to the highest numbers across regions in which ranking is being done

Social Media

Print Advertising

Targeted Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn ads in addition to regular tweets

Promotion of event on WhatsApp to reach out to all our preschool stakeholders

Special coverage of ranking in digitalLEARNING magazine

RESPONDENTS OF PRESCHOOL RANKING

1000+

Preschools were contacted to be a part of the “India’s Top Preschool Ranking 2016”

800+

Preschools have filled the online form for preschool ranking

2500+

Stakeholders participated in voting for dL Top Preschool on India Ranking

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

And The Top Standalone Preschool Are.... We allotted cumulative ranks to the schools and formed a city wise ranking, segregated across various cities of India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Noida and Kolkata.

KOLKATA

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

EUROKIDS, Saltlake

EuroKids provides fun learning experience in a secure, warm, friendly & hygienic environment which becomes the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second home.

MONGRACE MONTESSORI HOUSE, Short Street, Kolkata

Mongrace Montessori House endeavours to foster independence, creativity, social skills, character and moral development among the kids.

DOLNA CRECHE, Kasba

Dolna Creche facilitates the proper physical and mental growth of children and provide them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a home away from home.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

4 5

BUBBLE BLUE, DB-43, Salt Lake

At Bubble Blue, children are motivated and helped to explore themselves.

STARKIDS, Rajarhat

Starkids provides the optimal learning environment and the curriculum to foster the all round development of a child, including academic achievement and life-skills enrichment.

PRARAMBH, BT Road

Prarambh was started in the year 2006 as the pre-primary wing of the Aryans School.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

AHMEDABAD STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

OLIVE GREEN KIDS SCHOOL, Navrangpura

Olive Green Kids School is a preparatory co-educational day school established to provide students the best possible educational programs.

Crayonz Montessori Preschool was founded with the vision of enabling children to reach their full potential through the principles of Montessori education leading towards a more harmonious and peaceful world.

Unique curriculum and special learning initiatives, Motion Based Learning, Learn2Play, EuroGym and EuroMusic, makes preschooling at Eurokids Satellite engaging for children.

EUROKIDS, Satellite

REDBRICKS JUNIOR, Satellite

Redbricks Junior is a preschool that integrates researchbased curriculum, nurturing teachers and excellent infrastructure in order to create a strong foundation for childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early education and development.

RISING KIDS PRESCHOOl Bapunagar

Rising kids is the brainchild of 4 independent educationists who were congregated to a common idea â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Empowering Childhood.

CRAYONZ MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL

SMART KIDS, Maninagar

Smart Kids preschools are equipped with smart classrooms and curriculum is also designed in such a way that it opens the doors of thinking for kids and liberates their minds to explore.

CRESCENT PRE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Crescent is a pre-primary school that runs in four standards - Pre Nursery, Nursery, Jr. K.G. and Sr. K.G. The school has airy and homely classrooms, an activity room, a sand pit and a spacious playing zone.

NINE KIDS

Vision of Nine Kids is to create an exceptional learning environment for children to acquire 21st century skills and make them future ready by building a strong foundation from an early age.

THUMBELINA NURSERY & K.G. SCHOOL

Thumbelina preschool focuses on providing a stressfree, safe, secure, loving and comfortable environment to your children. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

BENGALURU

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

HEAD START MONTESSORI, Koramangala

Head Start Montessori focuses on individual learning and discovery but with the assurance that support and guidance is available for kids.

NEEV, Indiranagar

Neev nurtures the multiple intelligences that children are born with - integrating academic, social, emotional, physical and creative development.

WECARE, Sarjapur Road

WeCare provide a stimulating early care and education experience that promotes each child’s social/emotional, physical and cognitive development.

THE BANGALORE SCHOOL, Whiteﬁeld

The school strives to accomplish signiﬁcant improvement in self-conﬁdence, social behaviour and the communication ability of the child.

FUN & LEARN, RT Nagar

Fun and Learn provides the right platform for integration of knowledge, values, life skills through its well-researched and structured content.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

KLAY, Whiteﬁeld

KLAY’s teaching and learning philosophy is based on Multiple Intelligence and experiential learning, where the child learns through experiences in and around one’s learning space.

7 8

THE MAGICAL YEARS, Kodigehalli

The Magical Years Montessori pre-school sees children as they really are, and develops their potential, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or intellectual.

GREEN DOT MONTESSORI SCHOOL, Hosur Road

Green Dot Montessori School helps the child to become a human being comfortable with himself, with his society and humanity as whole.

9 10

FIRST STEPS, Cunningham Crescent Road

First Steps considers each child like a ﬂower in a garden and allow them to bloom in their own special way, keeping in mind their individual capabilities.

TRIO TOTS

TRIO TOTS Preschool nurtures young, global learners up to the age of 5 years, through a systematic and wholesome development process.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

CHENNAI

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS Indus Early Learning Centre develops kids as global citizens and the leaders of tomorrow through the traditional values of love, empathy, discipline and respect.

At Vruksha Montessori, children develop at their own pace and learn that school can be an unending adventure, one that inspires a lifetime of discovery.

INDUS EARLY LEARNING CENTRE

VRUKSHA MONTESSORI

KIWILEARNERS

KiwiLearners ensures that each child is nurtured as a competent learner and communicator, able to conﬁdently make choices, solve problems, question and explore.

ALPHABET

The objective of aLphabet is to school children by giving their free minds a pathway to ensure their progressive personal development and quality learning.

AMELIO EARLY LEARNING CENTRE

At Amelio, children are exposed to various activities across a single theme, so they learn through their own strengths and interests and are geared to become all-rounders.

LEARNING TREE

Learning Tree uses the Montessori Method to help each child spontaneously reach his or her full potential intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

ALACRIS PRESCHOOL

Alacris focuses on ‘how to learn’ rather than ‘what to learn’ through child centric content. The school nurtures an environment that supports every small step taken by your child with an unstinting encouragement.

BAMBOOLA

Fun ﬁlled environment of Bamboola stimulates child’s development in a variety of skill areas including, language, social, emotional, physical and thinking skills.

SEED ACADEMY

Seed Academy nurtures the enthusiasm and energy of kids by creating a school experience that mimics their natural learning process that is aligned with current educational research. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

DELHI

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

1 2

THE MAGIC YEARS

The Magic Years was started in 1978 to provide young children of New Delhi a ﬁne start to their education.

STEP BY STEP NURSERY SCHOOL

At Step by Step Nursery School, special care has been taken to ensure that their school day is full of joyful learning activities that challenge them and develop a love for learning.

3 4

LITTLE PEARLS

Little Pearls provides a stage that prepares a comprehensive framework for learning, development and care of children.

THE ARDEE SCHOOL

The Ardee school, Delhi established in 2003, offers a pure Montessori curriculum. It is a multi-national and multi-cultural community with branches in other cities of India.

5 6 7

Golden Bells preschools help kids to grow freely in a very natural way in secure and welcoming surroundings, drawing out the best in them.

LEARNING TREE PLAYSCHOOL

At The Learning Tree Playschool, children learn to be one with nature. The curriculum is designed to provide a strong educational foundation through hands-on learning activities.

10 11

WONDERLAND

At Wonderland, every child is considered as a special one. The school tries to develop children’s intelligence quotient as well as their emotional quotient.

TENDER FEET NURSERY SCHOOL

Tender Feet Nursery School is a culmination of a lifelong desire to provide good, wholesome education to little ones in a professional manner within a homely, healthy and happy atmosphere. NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

SANTA MARIA INTEGRATED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (SMILE)

Children from various countries, socio economic backgrounds, and different abilities come together to explore the joy of growing amid animals and lush green gardens at SMILE.

AADYANT

At Aadyant, students are encouraged to do signiﬁcant things through fun ﬁlled activities, with a thought that every student is special and unique.

GOLDEN BELLS

THE STUDY SCHOOL

The Study School believes in activity-based learning. The activities are designed to provide an overall broad based foundation for the child.

SAKSHAM

Saksham offers children a nurturing environment where they are treated with love, kindness, patience and courtesy.

SHISHU VUN PRESCHOOL

Shishuvan believes that every learner comes with a curriculum of her/his own. The school is an environment in which learners ﬁnd the support for their learning.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

HYDERABAD

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

KINDERKARE, Gachibowli

KinderKare provides safe and healthy environment, suitable for the child’s physical, social and mental development.

BLUE BLOCKS, Gachibowli

Blue Blocks provides an empowering and rich environment to the child, inside of which the child develops independently into an integrated personality.

POLKA DOTS, Jubilee Hills

Polka Dots uses a large repertoire of techniques, strategies and tools for teaching the eight intelligences including role playing, musical performance, cooperative learning, reﬂection, visualization, storytelling and so on.

GLOBE TOT’ERS - A BIRLA PRESCHOOL

Learning Environment at Globe Tot’ers is cheerful, engaging and designed keeping in mind the needs of children.

ABODE KIDS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Abode’s mission is to create an environment rich with varied experiences (curriculum, toys, activities/jobs), in which kids are at will to explore, learn, play, create, visualize, socialize and celebrate their uniqueness.

TULIPS – THE PRESCHOOL, Bachupally, Hyderabad

The preschool is an International Standard preschool that was started with the motto “Learn to play... Play to Learn…”

8 9

LITTLE EINSTEINS, Kondapur, Hyderabad

Little Einsteins’ preschool programme introduces child to the joy of learning in the initial years of his life and will help him in his all-round growth and shape his personality.

GREENWOOD KINDERGARTEN

Greenwood Kindergarten focuses on personalised tender care that stimulates the nascent mind to explore, understand, learn and appreciate the ﬁner aspects of life.

FIRST INNINGS, Banjara Hills

First Innings strives to promote holistic growth by taking into account, the kids’ intellectual, creative, and emotional needs. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

GURGAON

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

1 2 3

PALLAVAN

It is Pallavan’s endeavour to motivate each child by helping them learn the right skills and abilities and by giving them ample opportunities to display these skills.

IDISCOVERI XSEED PRESCHOOL, Sector 46

IDiscoveri Preschool considers every child unique in thought and action. Kids at school are allowed to develop at their own pace and appreciated for their individuality.

APPLE BLOSSOM PRE NURSERY SCHOOL

INTELLITOTS PRESCHOOL, Sector 28, Gurgaon

Intellitots educate with a belief that early experiences set the stage for lifelong habits of learning, social behavior and emotional and physical growth.

DISCOVERY MONTESSORI USA – Asia Operation

MEDHAAM PRESCHOOL

Apple Blossom is a pre-primary school where tiny tots bloom and grow in a warm, secure and stimulating environment. It is their “home away from home”.

Education program at Pumpkin House is designed to whet the children’s appetite for a lifetime of learning and to spark off the thrill in contributing new ideas.

Discovery Montessori provides a safe, Secure, caring, nurturing, and educational environment that allows children to learn through experimentation, exploration, classroom education and discovery.

Medhaam is an institution that goes beyond providing knowledge to children. It embraces the vision to become an association that builds not just the intellect but also the minds of children and inculcates wisdom.

PUMPKIN HOUSE

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

ODERN MONTESSORI INTERNATIONAL (MMI), DLF Phase 1

The toddler and playgroup programme in MMI is designed to give a child the foundation for learning .The child develops self-conﬁdence, independence, and concentration through Montessori activities.

IBAMBINI PRESCHOOL & LEARNING CENTRE, SUSHANT LOK 2

iBambini Preschool follows Reggio Emilia-Inspired Curriculum. The focus of this approach is ‘listen to and value what children say and do’, thus respecting the rights of children as individuals.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

MUMBAI

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

1 2

BESANT MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Montessori School: The aim of the school is to provide the best pre primary education for the children of suburbs, based on the principles of education.

HARMONY MONTESSORI

The philosophy of Harmony Montessori is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating environment to assist the child in his development where his mind, body and will, work together in harmony.

WEST WIND

The school’s curriculum continues to not only encompass formal academic training but a wide variety of activities such as Hindi, music, exercise, art and craft, yoga and P.T.

RIMS INTERNATIONAL PLAYSCHOOL

Rims International Playschool provide a safe and fun environment where a child can grow at his own pace and start on his lifelong learning journey.

ALPHA KIDS

At alpha Kids, each child is considered unique and made ready to keep pace with changes. The school follows holistic approach towards development for a child to be successful.

7 8

CASA BAMBINO MONTESSORI

Casa Bambino Montessori makes children learn to look after themselves, becoming independent; adapt and care for his environment, gaining conﬁdence and social awareness.

CHILDREN’S NOOK

Children’s Nook creates lifelong learners who are conﬁdent global citizens that excel in their endeavors and contribute to the betterment of the society at large through their knowledge and commitment.

SPRING BUDS INTERNATIONAL

Spring Buds International emphasizes on learning through play and exploration, stimulating the minds of the youngest members of the school in every positive way possible.

LITTLE BO PEEP

Little Bo Peep preschool prepares the children with the skills, they will need to enter school and have the best start they can. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

NOIDA

STANDALONE PRESCHOOLS

1 2

Windows Play Group & Pre-Nursery School, Noida

Windows school introduces children to the world of learning in a systematic and scientiﬁc way.

Gaia Playschool & Daycare, Noida

Gaia Playschool & Daycare provides and sustains a joyful and dynamic learning environment that is developmentally appropriate and responsive to the needs of each child.

Stimulus Preschool

Stimulus Prechool nurtures the leaders, innovators and achievers of tomorrow by providing them with a strong foundation of belief, knowledge and reason to make the world a better place.

Aspam

Aspam Preschool strives to a safe, fun ﬁlled, happy, respectful, and global education environment beneﬁtting the children, parents, staff and community for creating a better world.

EuroKids, Noida

EuroKids helps kids in transition from home to preschool by ensuring its ‘Child-First’ ideology is at the core of all initiatives, with all efforts directed towards

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

6 7 8

Little Pearls Play School, Noida

Little Pearls Play School provides a rich experience of Trust, Honesty and Natural creative growth that aims to preserve and improve human life.

Gunjan Playschool, Noida

Gunjan playschool is 10 years old play school where little (18 months-4 years) ones learn while playing in safe and secure atmosphere.

Rhythm Play School

Rhythm Play school and Day Care is a home away from home for the little ones.

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Top Franchise Preschools of India are... Laying the foundation of children’s career, the relatively new phenomenon of preschools where tiny-tots are introduced to the concept of learning is playing a crucial role in education world. Due to their vast presence and consistently rising number, it becomes interesting to explore what makes a few the ﬁnest among the rest.

Top 5 National Preschool Chains of India

Unique curriculum and special learning initiatives by EuroKids provide fun learning experience in a secure, warm, friendly & hygienic environment which becomes the child’s second home. Eurokids has a spread across 350+ cities with over 900+ franchises. The franchise chain has nurtured over 3,00,000 kids.

At Shemrock, everyday is converted into wonderful learning experience by infusing love and care into every aspect of learning that leads to the all-round development of kids. Shemrock Preschool has 525+ branches across the country.

Kidzee’s MI-aided methodology helps kids in discovering their own creative and aesthetic potential and enables them to realise their unique learning style. Kidzee has nutured more than 4,00,000 children throughout India with over 1500+ centers in over 550+ cities.

Bachpan preschools ensure that the students are provided an environment that is conducive to catalyse their physical, cerebral, emotional and social development. Bachpan Preschool has a network of 1000+ branches across the nation.

Considering that each child is unique and learns diﬀerently, Kangaroo kids focuses on customised learning. The school imparts a holistic education based on a pathbreaking model. Kangaroo Kids’ revolutionary model of education is imparted at over 100 schools in 30 cities across India, as well as in Dubai, Maldives and Qatar.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Top Franchise Preschools of Northern Region WHAT’S BEST ABOUT THEM... Mothers Pride Bachpan Play School Kidzee Maple Bear Kangaroo Kids Little Millennium Brats & Cuties Footprints

Successful Franchise Business Value for Money Franchise Chain Most Preferred Franchise Chain Innovative Global Early Learning Pedagogy and Admirable Quality Assurance for Franchisees Best Preschool Infrastructure Profound Technology Usage in Early Childhood Teaching Innovative Preschool Enterprise Upcoming Preschool Franchise

PREFERRED FRANCHISE CHAIN IN NORTHERN REGION

Name of Franchise Preschool Kidzee Shemrock EuroKids Little Millennium Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Sanfort School Mother’s Pride Kangaroo Kids Podar Jumbo Kids

Preferred Franchise Chain in Northern Region 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Name of Franchise Preschool Little Millennium Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Mother’s Pride Shemrock EuroKids Sanfort School Podar Jumbo Kids Kidzee Kangaroo Kids

NOVEMBER 2016

INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY

Name of Franchise Preschool Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Sanfort School Kangaroo Kids Podar Jumbo Kids Mother’s Pride EuroKids Little Millennium Shemrock Kidzee

Innovation in Pedagogy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE

INFRASTRUCTURE

Quality Assurance 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3

digitalLEARNING

Name of Franchise Preschool Kangaroo Kids Mother’s Pride Podar Jumbo Kids EuroKids Sanfort School Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Kidzee Little Millennium Shemrock

Infrastructure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Name of Franchise Preschool Mother’s Pride Shemrock Sanfort School EuroKids Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Kidzee Kangaroo Kids Little Millennium Podar Jumbo Kids

Success in Franchise 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Top Franchise Preschools of Eastern Region

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST ABOUT THEM... Shemrock Bachapan Kidzee Shanti Juniors Eurokids Little Laureates

Best Preschool Infrastructure Value for Money Preferred Franchise Chain Admirable Quality Assurance for Franchisees Successfull Franchise Business Upcoming Preschool Franchisor

PREFERRED FRANCHISE CHAIN IN EASTERN REGION INFRASTRUCTURE

Name of Franchise Preschool Shemrock Eurokids Kidzee Bachpan Shanti Juniors

1 2 3 4 5

SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Name of Franchise Preschool Shanti Juniors Kidzee Eurokids Shemrock Bachpan

Infrastructure

Quality Assurance 1 2 3 4 5

Name of Franchise Preschool Eurokids Kidzee Shemrock Bachpan Shanti Juniors

Name of Franchise Preschool

Preferred Franchise Chain in Eastern Region 1 2 3 4 5

Kidzee Shemrock Bachpan Eurokids Shanti Juniors

INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY

Success in Franchise 1 2 3 4 5

Name of Franchise Preschool Eurokids Shanti Juniors Shemrock Kidzee Bachpan

digitalLEARNING

Innovation in Pedagogy 1 2 3 4 5

NOVEMBER 2016

Top Franchise Preschools of Western Region

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST ABOUT THEM... Eurokids Podar Jumbo Kids Kangaroo kids Tree house Shanti Juniors Kalorx Preschool Serra Sesame Street Preschool Leap Bridge Rangoli

Top Franchise Chain in Western Region and Admirable Quality Assurance for Franchisees Successful Franchise Chain in Maharashtra & Innovative Early Learning Pedagogy Best Preschool Infrastructure Successful Franchise Business in Maharashtra State Profound Technology Usage in Early Childhood Teaching Innovative Preschool Enterprise in Gujarat Value for Money Franchaise Chain Innovative Preschool Enterprise Continuous Teacher Development in Preschools Upcoming Preschool Franchise

PREFERRED FRANCHISE CHAIN IN WESTERN REGION QUALITY ASSURANCE

Name of Franchise Preschool Eurokids Kangaroo Kids Podar Jumbo Kids Tree House Kidzee

Quality Assurance 1 2 3 4 5

NOVEMBER 2016

Eurokids Podar Jumbo Kids Kidzee Kangaroo Kids Tree House

Preferred Franchise Chain in Western Region 1 2 3 4 5 INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY

SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE

INFRASTRUCTURE

Name of Franchise Preschool Kangaroo kids Podar Jumbo Kids Eurokids Kidzee Tree House

Name of Franchise Preschool

Infrastructure 1 2 3 4 5

digitalLEARNING

Name of Franchise Preschool Podar Jumbo Kids Tree House Eurokids Kidzee Kangaroo Kids

Success in Franchise 1 2 3 4 5

Name of Franchise Preschool Podar Jumbo Kids Kangaroo Kids Tree House Eurokids Kidzee

Innovation in Pedagogy 1 2 3 4 5

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Top Franchise Preschools of Southern Region WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST ABOUT THEM... Euro Kids

Preferred Preschool Franchise in South India and Admirable Quality Assurance for Franchisees

Oi Playschool

Best Preschool Infrastructure

Maple Bear Canadian Preschool

Preferred Preschool in Karnataka

Podar Jumbo Kids

Innovative Early Learning Pedagogy in Southern Region

Smart Kidz

Preferred Preschool Chain in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana

Seed International

Value for Money Franchise Preschool Chain in Tamil Nadu

Iris Florets

Upcoming Franchise Chain in Telangana

Springboard International Preschools

Successful Franchise Business in Telangana

Planet Kids

Innovative Parent Engagement in Bangalore

Little Elly

Upcoming Franchise Chain

Time Kids

Innovatiion Pedagogy in Early Learning

PREFERRED FRANCHISE CHAIN IN SOUTHERN REGION

Name of Franchise Preschool

EuroKids TIME Kids Kidzee Little Elly Bachpan Hello Kids Shemrock

Preferred Franchise Chain in Southern Region 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Name of Franchise Preschool TIME Kids Kidzee EuroKids Shemrock Little Elly Hello Kids Bachpan

Innovation in Pedagogy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

SUCCESS IN FRANCHISE

QUALITY ASSURANCE

INFRASTRUCTURE

Name of Franchise Preschool EuroKids Bachpan Little Elly Kidzee Shemrock TIME Kids Hello Kids

INNOVATION IN PEDAGOGY

Infrastructure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Name of Franchise Preschool Kidzee Little Elly EuroKids Bachpan Hello Kids Shemrock TIME Kids

Quality Assurance 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Name of Franchise Preschool Little Elly EuroKids TIME Kids Kidzee Shemrock Hello Kids Bachpan

Success in Franchise 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

digitalLEARNING NOVEMBER 2016

SUMMIT REPORT

JHARKHAND

Aspiring to Be Knowledge Hub of the Country

harkhand, the mineral-rich state known for its woodlands and forests, witnessed a grand conﬂuence of eduleaders, thinkers, experts and stakeholders recently in Ranchi during the Elets Education and Skill Summit, 2016 which underlined the importance of Information Technology in the ﬁeld of education in Jharkhand. Hon’ble Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Raghubar Das inaugurated the mega event.

The summit was divided into many segments like how Jharkhand is becoming the next knowledge hub of the country. Commemorating the Jharkhand education and skill summit, Elets Technomedia also brought out a special issue of digitalLearning magazine which was released by the honourable chief minister. The magazine comprised case studies of individuals and organisations involved in education and skill sector. It also carried one on one interactions with key policy makers from Government of India and diﬀerent state governments, vice chancellors, industry experts, and all important stakeholders. Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma also presided over a round-table meeting with delegates. The conclave was an attempt from Elets Technomedia to support the Government of Jharkhand’s initiatives to bring a u-turn in the state’s education and skill sector.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

JHARKHAND Set to Emerge as Powerhouse of KNOWLEDGE

The Education and Skill Summit Jharkhand 2016, organised recently by the Government of Jharkhand in association with Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd., witnessed amalgamation of edu-leaders, industry experts, stakeholders and government representatives who explored the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential as an investment hub in the education sector. With Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Raghubar Das inaugurating the conclave in the state capital, also present were Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma, Secretary, Department of Higher, Technical Education and Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand, Ajoy Kumar Singh, apart from various policy makers from the state, central government besides vice chancellors of various private and public universities from across the across the country on the occasion.

Shri Raghubar Das welcomed at Jharkhand Raj Bala Verma, Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand, lighting the lamp Education and Skill Summit 2016

Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Raghubar Das and other dignitaries at the inaguration ceremony of the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand 2016 in Ranchi.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Edu & Skill Leadership

BHUVNESH KUMAR, Secretary, Vocational Education & Skill Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh receiving award on behalf of Uttar Pradesh Vocational Education & Skill Development for excellence in skill development and creating employment.

RAJAT KUMAR, Principal Secretary, Department of Labour & Training, Government of Telangana receiving award on behalf of Board of Intermediate Education, Government of Telangana for eﬀective contribution towards creating skilled workforce.

MRILALINI SRIVASTAV, Chief Administrator, Government of Sikkim receiving award on behalf of State Institute of Capacity Building, Government of Sikkim for linking skilling with employment generation.

SUMMIT REPORT

AWARDS

Hon’ble Chief Minister Raghubar Das felicitating Elets Leadership Awards to various Government Departments for exemplary contribution in the ﬁeld of education and skill development.

SANTOSH BIRARI, Managing Director, Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited receiving award on behalf of Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited for providing quality skills to people through PPP mode.

SANDEEP SHARMA, Joint Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Knowledge of Consortium, Gujarat receiving award on behalf of Knowledge of Consortium, Gujarat for achieving excellence in education.

TOM JOSE, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Labour and Skills, Government of Kerala receiving award on behalf of Department of Labour and Skills, Government of Kerala for excellence in skill development and training. digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

JHARKHAND:

THE NEXT KNOWLEDGE HUB OF THE COUNTRY

WelcomeAddress Address Welcome

We have build two shift classes for children. People of Jharkhand are very innocent. You need to impart education to them in their own language. Jharkhand can move ahead with a little support from your side because we think of ‘Make In India’ and also ‘Make the World’. Of the 100 colleges being planned, 11 will be girls colleges, 12 modern schools, 38 colleges and 39 technical education institutes.

Knowledge should be given to each and every person of Jharkhand. I invite you to invest in the education sector here in Jharkhand. It is our Prime Minister Narendra Modiji’s vision that 21st century should belong to India. Eucation will play a big role in that. We need to make Jharkhand a knowledge city. You can select land for your institution anywhere in the state. We will help you in acquiring that land. Open good universities here in Jharkhand so that youth of this state can walk shoulder to shoulder with the youth of the country. RAGHUBAR DAS Hon’ble Chief Minister, Jharkhand

DR NEERA YADAV Hon’ble Minister for Higher, Technical Education & Skill Development, Jharkhand

NSDC has 66 private training partners across Jharkhand. We have been given additional target of covering out of 2,60,000 youth industry in the state. We have a new Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana model and that’s on the rollout. It is critical to create conﬁdence in the ecosystem.

MANISH KUMAR, Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, National Skill Development Corporation

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

JHARKHAND:

THE NEXT KNOWLEDGE HUB OF THE COUNTRY

Welcome Address

We are trying to set up some more government institutions and run existing government organisations more effectively. Jharkhand Raksha Shakti Vishwavidyalaya has opened last year and we have also laid foundation for technical government institution, to be operational from next year. Government will establish 100 new colleges in the state, of which 40 colleges are under construction. The state government has created an ecosystem for the paradigm shift of landscape of higher education. We are inviting private universities to invest in Jharkhand. We are opening more colleges. There are number of good educational institutes in our state. IIM Ranchi, the Central University, Ranchi, the National Law University Ranchi, ISM at Dhanbad have been providing quality education in Jharkhand for some time. RAJ BALA VERMA Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand

AJOY KUMAR SINGH Secretary, Department of Higher, Technical Education & Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand

Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and other dignitaries releasing special edition of DL magazine at the summit.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

JHARKHAND:

THE NEXT KNOWLEDGE HUB OF THE COUNTRY

Welcome Address

We have put effort in developing skills which can increase the possibility of building a conﬁdent society. So once we involve people through information, education and skills, people can use those to become a part of the society and that is one indicator of the development.

AUGUSTO MONTIEL, Ambassador, Embassy of Venezuela

World Bank has its own special state category where we provide special attention, Jharkhand is one of them. We hope we will be able to provide some special packages for the state, especially in the area of education and skill development. While supporting skill development signiﬁcantly, we are building a great support for Government of India’s Ministry of Skill Development, which is one of the largest in the world in the skill development sector.

SHABNAM SINHA Lead Education Specialist, India Education Global Practice, World Bank

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

India is on right track in terms of quality education but countries like Bangladesh is in the process of realising this in order to move from concrete to moving into a higher economy, education and training system should be improved. National Skill Development is trying to bring a quality assurance system in place.

GABRIEL BORDADO Skills and Employment Specialist, International Labour Organization

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

BEST & NEXT PRACTICES OF EDUCATION: STATE PERSPECTIVES

Panel Discussion

In skilling, we found there is a lack of information in relation to the jobs available. There is no demand for costing in skilling. We are sending team to all possible countries starting from the Middle East to Australia. There is a need to put a check on jobs and their offerings. Ascertaining that would be a great thing.

TOM JOSE Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Labour & Skills, Government of Kerala

We can encourage our people to go abroad. As a government initiative, we need to see protection of our own workers abroad. For example, a lot of nurses going abroad are having bad experiences or the salaries which they are promised are not given. The other thing which the government needs to ensure is that people going abroad should have requisite skills so that good branding of the country goes out.

DR RAJAT KUMAR Principal Secretary, Department of Labour & Training, Government of Telangana

Paricipants at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

BEST & NEXT PRACTICES OF EDUCATION: STATE PERSPECTIVES

Panel Discussion

Panelists at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand

Earlier irrelevant trainings were imparted to students without keeping the industry perspective in mind. Uttar Pradesh understood the gap between manpower supply and industrial need. Keeping this gap in mind Uttar Pradesh launched its skill development policy in July 2013. Uttar Pradesh launched State Skill development fund and one classroom concept to diminish up the skill and demand gap.

BHUVNESH KUMAR Secretary, Vocational Education & Skill Development, Government of UP

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

The level of skill development in education has gone really down in the current scenario. We interview 100 candidates for hiring one person. As per my suggestion, we have universities that award knowledge keeping two perspectives in mind: curriculum perspective and industry perspective. We believe that when a student is paying from his/her pocket, he/she should be ďŹ t from industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective as well.

SANTOSH BIRARI Managing Director, Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

BEST & NEXT PRACTICES OF EDUCATION: STATE PERSPECTIVES

Panel Discussion

At IIT we always give importance to teaching level and skill development in integrated fashion. We believe that actual application of knowledge should be something that has immediate bearing on life and society. One of the most important practices that we keep in mind are regular classes and skill labs. We donnot compromise in this regard.

PUSHPAK BHATTACHARYA Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna

Mapping of skill development is far important than skill development. Similarly,over skilling is also emerging as a major concern in our education system. There are 58 Universities and 1000 colleges inGujarat.All these colleges impart speciďŹ c skill trainings and courses.This example is relevant in the present scenario as it is based on market demands.

SHRI SANDEEP SHARMA, Joint Chief Executive OfďŹ cer, Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat

Paricipants networking on the sidelines of Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

SKILLING JHARKHAND FOR SKILLING INDIA

Industry Presentation

At studenting ERA, we ﬁnd resonations to anything and everything that a student requires today. We are trying to build an education ecosystem where education is global learning, coaching, counselling, career path identiﬁcation, entrepreneurship, analysing, incubation, education loan and entertainment. The genesis of creating ‘Studenting Era’ is to provide students with a one-stop service portal.

RAJA DASGUPTA Founder and Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Studenting ERA

We are an educational organisation and we impart education to 60,000 students across the globe. For innovations in the education sector, we have collaborated with various public sector projects like Technical education -E Gov for Himachal Pradesh (250 Institutes), School Education-E Gov for Kendriya Vidyalaya, School Education-E Gov for NDMC (34 schools) etc.

MANAV WINDLASS General Manager, MGRM Net Ltd

Today, you choose your career taking a variety of matters into consideration. We are India’s largest Corporate Assessment Company and we do around 7 million assessments every year that makes it to the top ﬁve in the world. Mettl employability test is India’s fastest growing employability assessment aimed to connect prospective employers and candidates.

KETAN KAPOOR Co-founder and CEO, Mettl

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

SKILLING JHARKHAND FOR SKILLING INDIA

Panel Discussion

The idea of skill development programme geared up after we conducted a skill gap analysis. As per the analysis, we found that along with the manpower gap the aspiration demand is also unmet. We got into designing a sector-based skill development programme and ﬁnalised a target of imparting 20 lakh skill development training in next ﬁve years.

RAVI RANJAN, Mission Director, Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand

Uttar Pradesh was the ﬁrst state to initiate a Skill Development Mission. After working for around 2.5 years on this project, we found a huge gap between industrial demand and manpower supply. We have consulted a lot of experts and partners.We have signed MoUs with 16 companies to design a programme that imparts skillbased on the exact industry demand.

RAJESH KUMAR Mission Director, Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission

Sector Skill Councils (SSC) are established by the government of respective states to help in skilling and placement of youths in their respective sectors. They also perform for holistic training … in terms of knowledge, skills and knowledge of a perspective trainee. SSCs provide outcome based training that makes a candidate competent enough to undertake a job role in industry.

CAPT RAMANUJAM Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Logistics Sector Skill Council digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

SKILLING JHARKHAND FOR SKILLING INDIA

Panel Discussion

Panelists at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand posing for group photo

Power Sector Skill Council has afﬁliated 50 training providers and assessment bodies for skill development. It has signed MoUs with Bihar, Manipur, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Distribution Utilities. Other than the states, various MoUs are also signed with different government educational bodies and private universities to develop skills of youths.

VINOD BEHARI Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Power Sector Skill Council

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Skill and Training sector in India can be considered as the mature one. We already have the platforms that are tested and this is the right time for Jharkhand to enter in this sector. Key growth or high demand sectors are already identiﬁed for skill and training development sector in Jharkhand. Along with skilling the youths, their career progression must also be tracked for their right future growth.

DR ABHISHEK PANDEY Director, Disha Education Trust

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

OPENING UP NEW INSTITUTIONS & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN JHARKHAND: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Panel Discussion

We are developing a framework blended with technology and industry presentation that will result into outcome based learning and better employment opportunities. We are trying to transform the chalk and talk training methodology into mobile learning by adopting new methods of instructions. Vocational teaching methods must be in line with the technology for better impact on students.

DR A ASHOK, Secretary & Commissioner, Board of Intermediate Education, Government of Telangana

Jharkhand is the state that is rich in resources, number of industries and there are some very good educational institutes in the state. Current policies of Government of Jharkhand are helping private universities to establish worldclass teaching and training institutes in the state. Certain threats are required to overcome in order to improve the quality of training and teaching in the state.

DR S K SALWAN, Vice Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University

Paricipants at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

OPENING UP NEW INSTITUTIONS & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN JHARKHAND: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Panel Discussion Government plans to skill around 500 million people by 2022; therefore, there is a need of skill development and training institutes all over the country. Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; enrollment in innovative projects on robotics, LED technology, nano technology etc. will help them in getting placements. Along with this it is also important to skill the women for better social perceptive in our country.

DR SUBHABRATA ROYCHAUDHURI Vice Chancellor, Techno Global University, Vidisha

There is a lot of potential in this state but due to lack of good institutions, students are ďŹ&#x201A;eeing to other states. It can only be reversed by providing professional education with adequate skill development training within the state. From industry perspective, it will be good as industries will get cheap raw material along with skilled workforce at local level.

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

Panelists taking part in discussions at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

OPENING UP NEW INSTITUTIONS & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN JHARKHAND:

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Panel Discussion

Panelists at the Elets Education & Skill Summit Jharkhand posing for group photo

Due to the lack of skillled training professionals, we suffer from huge deﬁcit of skilled manpower. Educational Institutions should have mandatory training programmes for teachers. We all should take a call on placing skilled teachers to get skilled manpower.

DR RAMAN KUMAR JHA, Paricipants at the Amity Elets Educati on & Skill Summit Jharkhand Vice Chancellor, University, Ranchi

To initiate skill development properly, we need to make a digniﬁed programme which can be done by the government. AYUSH (Ayurveda Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) has a lot of scope in Jharkhand. At Least one university should be in Jharkhand that can be devoted to AYUSH sector and related skills of AYUSH sector must be focused.

DR S N PANDEY, Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Technological and Medical Science University, Ziro digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, interacting with investors from education and skill sector during the Education and Skill Summit 2016. Government oďŹ&#x192;cials, eduleaders and investors discussed the opportunities and requirements for developing Jharkhand as the education and investment hub. Ajoy Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Higher, Technical Education and Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand, and Dr Ravi Gupta, CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. were also present during the round-table discussion.

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Round-Table DISCUSSION

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

SUMMIT REPORT

Education and Skill Summit 2016

Media Coverage

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

PROGRAMME AGENDA

am – 10:00 am am – 11:30 am

Registration

am – 11:45 am

Networking Tea

am – 12: 45 pm

Best & Next Practices of Education: State Perspectives

pm – 01:45 pm

Skilling Jharkhand for Skilling India

Inaugural : Jharkhand: The Next Knowledge Hub of the Country

education.eletsonline.com/jharkhand | #elets_edu

Welcome Address Chief Guest: Shri Raghubar Das, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Jharkhand Guest of Honour: Smt (Dr) Neera Yadav, Hon’ble Minister for Higher, Technical Education & Sk Development, Jharkhand Smt Raj Bala Verma, Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand Shri Manish Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation Shri Ajoy Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Higher, Technical Education & Skill Developm Government of Jharkhand Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Secretary, Department of IT & e-Governance, Government of Jhark Smt Aradhana Patnaik, Secretary, Department of School Education, Government of Jharkhan H.E Mr. Augusto Montiel, Ambassador, Embassy of Venezuela Smt Shabnam Sinha, Lead Education Specialist, India Education Global Practice, World Bank Mr Gabriel Bordado, Skills and Employment Specialist, International Labour Organization Vote of Thanks: Shri (Dr) Ravi Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd.

Panel Discussion Shri Tom Jose, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Labour & Skills, Government of Kera Shri (Dr) Rajat Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Labour & Training, Government of Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Vocational Education & Skill Development, Government of Utta Shri Santosh Birari, Managing Director, Odisha Knowledge Corporation Limited Shri (Prof) Pushpak Bhattacharya, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna Shri Sandeep Sharma, Joint Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat

Thank You

Presentation by Raja Dasgupta, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Studenting for makingVideo Educati on & Skill Summit, Industry Presentation: HP Industry Presentation: Manav Windlass, MGRM Net Ltd Jharkhand a Grand Success Panel Discussion

Shri Rajesh Kumar, Mission Director, Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission Shri Ravi Ranjan, Mission Director, Skill Development, Government of Jharkhand Smt Mrinalini Srivastava, Chief Administrator, State Institute of Capacity Building, Additional Secretary, Skill & Entrepreneurship, Government of Sikkim Shri (Dr) Roopak Vasishtha, Chief Executive Officer & Director General-Apparel, Made-Ups an Furnishing Sector Skill Council Capt Ramanujam, Chief Executive Officer, Logistics Sector Skill Council Shri Vinod Behari, Chief Executive Officer, Power Sector Skill Council Shri (Dr) Abhishek Pandey, Director, Disha Education Trust

pm – 02:30 pm

WeLunch thank everyone who came out to support our premier summit on education in Networking

pm – 03:00 pm

Panel Discussion Jharkhand in We hope you found the event informative and productive. H.E Mr. Augusto Monitel, Ambassador, Embassy of Venezuela Global Education Smt Shabnam Sinha, Lead Education Specialist, India Education Global Practice, World Ba Map: International Mr Gabriel Bordado, Skills and Employment Specialist, International Labour Organization Perspective

pm – 04:30 pm

Opening up New Institutions & Private Universities in Jharkhand: Opportunities & Challenges

Jharkhand . We appreciate the time, eﬀort and skills of the participants.

University Partner

pm – 04:30 pm ducation.eletsonline.com/jharkhand

Shri (Dr) A Ashok, Secretary & Commissioner, Board of Intermediate Education, Government Shri MN Raju, Chairman, MNR Group of Institutions Shri (Dr) S.K. Salwan, Vice Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University Shri Ajit Chauhan, Vice Chairman, Amity University Online Shri (Dr) Subhabrata Roychaudhuri, Vice Chancellor, Techno Global University Shri (Dr) O R S Rao, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI University Shri (Dr) Raman Kumar Jha, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Shri (Dr) Ram Prawesh Prasad Singh, Vice Chancellor, Kolhan University Shri (Dr) B.C. Nirmal, Vice Chancellor, National University of Study and Research in Law, R Associate Partners

Student Partner

Networking Tea

#elets_jhar

Youth Speak

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Improving Rural Education

THROUGH INNOVATION

India has been maintaining an impressive growth in the education sector for the last two decades irrespective of global circumstances. There is, however, scope for improvement always, writes Raj Bagaria, a student at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, US, based on his research.

ince 1990s, poverty reduction and economic growth in India have been spectacular. Maintaining an average economic growth rate of 6.7%, India has lifted millions of people out of poverty. However, education sector still needs major reforms. The India Socioeconomic and Caste Census recently showed that only 3.5% of rural students are college graduates, whereas 35.7% of residents are illiterate. In the last three years, my personal research and community service project involved conducting a comprehensive survey of a public charity school --- Ved Vignan Maha VidyaPeeth (VVMVP) in Bangalore -- to grasp the state of rural education in India. The VVMVP school network, one of the biggest educational organisations in India, has over 400 schools educating over 40,000 students across 20 states. However, one of the major areas of education in which these schools can improve is enhanced collaboration between students and teachers. In rural areas, free schools almost universally employ rote learning that does not encourage students to utilise their knowledge creatively outside the classroom. Financial constraints prohibit these schools to meaningfully innovate their educational system. Therefore, a

different approach is needed to break the pattern of rote learning. Many Western institutions have

emphasised the Harkness method of learning. In this style of education, students often sit in a circle and debate and unravel certain topics amongst themselves, while the teacher serves as a guide through the discussion. The practical benefits of this teaching style include greater communication and articulation skills, greater interpersonal skills, stronger grasp of the material, and a wider perspective on any topic or issue. Therefore, my project sought to bring out the capabilities of the Harkness system in improving the rural education system. To accomplish this, similar learning strategies were adopted for various middle school classes at the VVMVP schools to see how students would react to and incorporate this new teaching style. Since the students never had any prior exposure to anything similar to Harkness, the project introduced activities in order of progressing difficulty. During the beginning of school, only a slightly moderated curriculum that the students were accustomed to was used. Then, for understanding of students and to enhance their abilities, oral poetry recitations speaking method was introduced. Immediately, the levels of anxiety amongst the students were observed. However, as with the first step, the students eventually grew comfortable with the new teaching style. Once the students felt at ease with this activity, another step was taken toward Harkness by playing different collaborative games that forced the students to both analyse other students as well as speak loudly. Soon, as the students began to open up, harder debate activities and class discussions were introduced. These exercises immensely boosted studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence and their ability to clearly express their thoughts and ideas. Teachers started witnessing that, students were more eager to attend classes and were definitely speaking English more fluently and effortlessly. Harkness learning is a wonderful solution to the problem of rote learning in India that does not entail any additional costs. The Harkness learning can help rural students develop important life skills that would enable success beyond the classroom.n Views expressed by the author of the article are his personal.

digitalLEARNING

NOVEMBER 2016

TECHNOLOGY

REDEFINING EDUCATION

THROUGH AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY Augmented reality can bring down the walls that constrain learning inside classrooms by opening a world of self exploration and discovery for the child, while virtual reality leads to higher levels of engagement, leading to enhanced learning experience, says Yuvraj Krishan Sharma, Co-founder & Director of Kompanions, a company which designs highly researched educational games for 2-7 years old, in an exclusive interview with Elets News Network (ENN). modifying a view of reality by a computer generated image, which is highly empowering, engaging and interactive experience for the user. It can be of special relevance to the education space. Augmented reality can bring down the walls that constrain learning inside classrooms by opening a world of self exploration and discovery for the child – taking away the dullness from the age old method of learning from books.

How much scope do you see for augmented reality in the Indian education sector?

What is the overview of your organisation?

Kompanions is an ‘ed-tech-sci organisation’ that aims to build a cognitively healthier and an intellectually smarter planet by revisualising education. Kompanions is continuously working towards developing cutting-edge technology driven learning products and solutions. Our offerings are aimed at building knowledge and thinking skills in children to make them future ready.

What do you think of augmented reality?

Simply put, augmented reality is combining the real and simulated world by

NOVEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

The traditional system of education prevails in most schools of India. Although its importance cannot be overemphasised, its static and unengaging nature cannot be overlooked either. In this day and age of technological revolution, technology adoption through digital learning is a necessity for the Indian education system.

Can the concept of virtual reality transform the way education is imparted?

The current education system is a passive and non-interactive learning environment where many of the learners are disengaged. Learning through virtual reality leads to higher levels of engagement, leading to enhanced learning experience and consequently better learning outcomes. It is the most effective way to reach out to all types of learners, each having a unique pace of learning and understanding.

Will it make education accessible and affordable to masses?

Virtual reality is facilitated through VR glasses and an app. VR is a technology that is not just very cutting- edge but can also be made extremely affordable and accessible for masses. Kompanions has developed a cardboard VR kit (on the lines on Google VR glasses) and an app, both of which are suitably priced for the masses. The idea is to impact as many learners through this powerful learning experience and reach out to every child.

How distinct is virtual reality from augmented reality?

VR is a completely immersive experience where the learner becomes a part of the learning environment. User almost becomes a protagonist and is transported to a uniquely realistic recreation of a setting or time period or location that may or may not exist. Augmented reality is when one or few elements of the current environment are interactive. It is like a blend of virtual reality and real life. Images are created within applications that are not part of the real environment. n

RNI NO. UPENG/2008/25311 | UP/GZB/70/2015-17

THE 8th WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT 2017 BAHRAIN

MARCH

World Education Summit, Bahrain Bahrain, the leader in GCC in human capital development, is focusing on providing quality educational services to the students, developing an effective education system and using ICT for education. At the same time, expansion is taking place in Baharain in implementing the initiatives of the National Project to Develop Education and Training to cater country’s developmental needs. In this context, Elets Technomedia, in association with the government establishment in Bahrain, is organizing the 8th edition of World Education Summit-Bahrain in March 2017. The three day global conclave on education will see participation of Thinkers and Edu Leaders from Arab region & across the globe.

Objectives Elets 8th World Education Summit- Bahrain 2017 will act as a platform for knowledge sharing amongst the thought leaders, educational experts & industry leaders to discuss and deliberate upon various aspects of education to create an effective knowledge based society.

Participation From ★ Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain ★ Policy Makers from the World of Education

Topics

★ Schools & Universities from Bahrain & from across MENA Region

★ School Education

★ Schools & Universities from Across the Globe

★ Higher Education

★ Industry Leaders

★ ICT for Education

★ Global Educational Leaders

★ Vocational Education & Skill Development

For Partnership Queries Contact: Seema Gupta | +91-8860651643 | seema@elets.in HEAD OFFICE Elets Technomedia (P) Ltd., Stellar IT Park, Office No. : 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building,

MIDDLE EAST OFFICE Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd (FZE),

C-25, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201309, India, Ph: +91-120-4812600

SAIF Desk Q1 - 05 - 130/A, P. O. Box: 124939, Sharjah, U.A.E