THE LARGEST PORTAL ON INNOVATION IN EDUCATION IN ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 11 | NOVEMBER 2017 ISSN 0973-4139
Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI
26-27 NOVEMBER
SPECIAL ISSUE
HAPPY EDUCATION DUBAI INSPIRES THE WORLD SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Chairman of the Board of Directors & Director General, KHDA
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Editor-in-Chief Dr Ravi Gupta Editorial Team - Delhi/NCR Senior Assistant Editors: Souvik Goswami, Gautam Debroy Assistant Editors: Sandeep Datta, Vivek Ratnakar, Priyanka Sharma, Gopi Krishna Arora Senior Correspondents: Shivani Tyagi, Akash Tomer Correspondents: Rashi Aditi Ghosh, Rajbala, Dipen Pradhan Bengaluru Bureau Associate Editor: T Radha Krishna Mumbai Bureau Senior Assistant Editor: Kartik Sharma Senior Correspondents: Poulami Chakraborty, Rakesh Kumar Roy Correspondent: Harshal Yashwant Desai Jaipur Bureau Senior Assistant Editor: Kartik Sharma Chandigarh Bureau Assistant Editor: Priya Yadav Hyderabad Bureau Assistant Editor: Sudheer Goutham B Lucknow Bureau Assistant Editor: Arpit Gupta
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CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2017 | VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 11
COVER STORY
UAE INITIATIVE
HAPPY EDUCATION DUBAI INSPIRES THE WORLD SPECIAL INTERVIEW
08
DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE
12 DR ABDULLA AL KARAM Chairman of the Board of Directors & Director General, KHDA
SPECIAL STORY
18 30X30 DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE: BUILDING A HEALTHY SOCIETY
26 UAE GEARS UP FOR ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
28 CODING INITIATIVE: ONE MILLION ARAB CODERS
DUBAI’S 10X DREAM UGC’S PERSPECTIVE 32 MOOCs: THE NEW GENERATION LEARNING Dr Archana Thakur, Chief Vigilance Officer & Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission
16 DUBAI: WORLD’S EDUCATION HUB
22 NURTURING DUBAI’S 10X DREAM THROUGH FUTURISTIC EDUCATION
WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT LEGACY 38 WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT BRINGING BRIGHTEST MINDS TOGETHER
EDITORIAL Dubai – The Global Education Hub with High Happiness Quotient The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has embarked on a unique journey not many countries have treaded in the world. It’s steadfastly acquiring a distinction of being a global education hub with a difference. The country seems aiming for the high happiness quotient to make learning process turn meaningful and futuristic. We have endeavoured to highlight how the UAE’s new policies are focused on giving back to the world by making happiness and well-being the focal point of everything they do to improve quality of the education. Our digitalLearning magazine’s this special issue being launched on the occasion of 11th Elets World Education Summit, Dubai 2017 – a joint effort of Elets Technomedia and The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) which intends to bringing together various stakeholders from global education sector under one roof – is a step in this direction. The interview of Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General, KHDA, in this issue assumes high significance in this regard, offering a clear insight into how the UAE plans to add a sense of happiness to the academic experience of all. Our cover story, “Happy Education: Dubai Inspires the World”, explores the three key pillars of the UAE’s ‘Year of Giving’ – Corporate Social Responsibility, Volunteering, and Serving the Nation – to develop a knowledge-based economy as the best in the world. It also underscores as to why it has become imperative for the city to innovate in the education space and acquire an edge over other cities to develop a world-class quality education sector. This issue’s special story “Dubai: World’s Education Hub”, showcases how the Government is focusing on every opportunity to be a top-draw for international students — and Dubai, known for luxury shopping, ultra-modern architecture and a lively nightlife scene, is taking the lead in this field also. Our special story on “Nurturing Dubai’s 10X Dream through Futuristic Education”, brings into focus how the Government of UAE is thinking 10 years ahead of the rest to build a robust and futuristic education system and prepare for the harsh reality of the future. The 10X initiative is driven by the vision of UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has called on all government entities of Dubai to embrace disruptive innovations as a fundamental mantra for their operations and seek ways to incorporate its methodologies in all aspects of their work. We hope our latest bouquet of special stories, interviews, articles and industry outlook will enable our readers to gain clear insights into various other aspects of UAE’s education sector. Taking this initiative forward, the 11th Elets World Education Summit Dubai 2017 (WES) aims to recognise, highlight, honour and encourage leading models/projects/processes of excellence and sustainable innovations in school and higher education. The latest edition of WES, a congregation of some of the leading thinkers in the education world, will enable all to understand the challenges and solutions of the education world through a new prism. Over 300 inspirational speakers, not just from Asia znd the Middle Eastbut from different parts of the world, have been invited to participate in the summit. Elets’ conferences always create a place where the best of learning experiences occur. They also enable networking and product interactions among the educational stakeholders. Over 50 exhibitors will showcase new initiatives in edtech at this WES Dubai. Looking forward to readers’ invaluable feedback!
Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief digitalLEARNING magazine and CEO Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd
COVER STORY
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HAPPY EDUCATION DUBAI INSPIRES THE WORLD The United Arab Emirates’ new policies are eyeing growth and improvement in the quality of private education in the country. Marking 2017 as ‘The Year of Giving’, the Government in association with foreign institutes is supporting schools, universities, parents, students, educators, investors and Government partners to create a high quality education sector focused on happiness and well-being, writes Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).
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he UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has declared 2017 as ‘The Year of Giving’. The three key pillars of ‘Giving’ – Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Volunteering, and Serving the Nation – will be in focus throughout the year. Under CSR, the private sector will work cohesively with government institutions to support philanthropic initiatives including human relief work locally, regionally and globally, cementing the UAE’s position as one of the world’s leading foreign aid donors.
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To promote the volunteering culture, the invitation to volunteer will extend to the public and private sectors, as well as to individuals and institutions. There will also be an emphasis on skills-based volunteering. The value of philanthropy in service of the nation is an important part of The Year of Giving. Youngsters will be invited to learn about patriotism and participate in initiatives that focus on giving back to the nation. To develop a knowledge-based economy, the UAE is amongst a handful of nations which seeks to offer the best of educational practices to the whole world.
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The New Education Hub
Continuously falling prices of oil has forced many economies reliant on ‘black gold’ to create new opportunities for a sustainable economy. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain and Oman – are busy adapting to this new economic reality. The countries are collaborating with different countries of the world, globally renowned institutions and MNCs to implement economic reforms that would lead to diversified economies and attract foreign businesses and investment.
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Across the Middle East reliance on oil varies. Kuwait’s 63 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated directly by oil exports, while in the UAE it is only 34 per cent. It clearly showcases how the UAE has already progressed in diversifying its economy. As with other GCC states, UAE’s diversification has shifted the emphasis from the public to private sector. This has led to the introduction of policies aligned with global best practices, which is creating opportunities for companies looking to invest in the region. Over the past decade, the GCC has emerged as a strong market for private education. It has witnessed a considerable growth in the number of investment companies and strategic investors in its education sector. This trend is likely to continue unabated, given the regional growth in student population, a widespread consumer preference for private education, and governmental privatisation initiatives. The UAE’s education sector is poised for a robust growth, given the growing demand for private schools, international curriculum and e-learning. The sector offers ample opportunities for private and public partnerships to take the country’s education sector to the next-level. To build a top-class system, the government is investing significantly in improving the quality of education by equipping schools and colleges with smart technologies and recruiting finest teachers from across the world. The 10-year development strategy 201020 of the UAE’S Ministry of Education aims to provide students a high-quality curriculum, excellent teaching, improved student life, affordable and high-quality education as well as promote the national identity. All these initiatives are set to make the UAE a world-class education hub.
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COVER STORY
UAE
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COVER STORY
World of Opportunities The Abu Dhabi Education Council, or ADEC, introduced a 10-year strategic plan to address the challenges in offering P-12 (preparatory to grade 12) education, according to research firm Global Investment House. The total number of students in the GCC education sector is projected to reach 15 million in 2020, registering a CAGR of 3.6 per cent from an estimated 12.6 million in 2015. In 20142015, the UAE had over 1,200 schools (542 private) and over 85 higher education institutions (largely private). More than 1.1 million students pursued education in the UAE in 2014, having increased at an annual rate of 6.2 per cent from 2009. An expanding base of school and college age population and increase in the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) across the education segments are likely to drive the growth. The number of students at private schools is projected to grow at a 5.1 per cent CAGR from 2015. Enrollments at public schools are anticipated to increase at an annual average of 2.6 per cent, according to Alpen Capital, a leading Investment Bank in Asia. A report by Global Investment House says that the UAE and Qatar are emerging as global hubs for higher education, with a strong presence of prominent international universities and educational institutions. Dubai has become a major education destination, as it accommodates several overseas students, a large number of which are from the Arab countries. The UAE’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, easy visa policies, favourable investment climate and strategic location have drawn reputed foreign education providers. Students also feel fascinated to the country due to hassle-free visa availability and presence of reputed international colleges and universities. The UAE is laying special emphasis on the e-learning market, which is evident from the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme. The programme is aimed at shaping the new learning environment in schools. Further, the Middle East’s e-learning market is expected to expand at an annual rate of 8.2 per cent to $560.7 million over 2014-16. This bodes well for regional and global education suppliers.
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The GCC region has a number of major projects in the pipeline. The government investments along with private sector support have led to a rise of projects in the region’s education sector. Saudi Arabia accounts for the highest number of projects, followed by Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait. In addition, a number of new schools and colleges are being built across the region as part of the governments’ strategic plan to increase student capacity. According to the Director-General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dr Abdulla Al Karam, around 15-20 new private schools will open in Dubai during the academic year 2016-17. Under its Future Schools Project, the ADEC is set to open 100 public schools by 2020. The Ministry of Education and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) has announced a plan to begin a process to achieve the standardisation of their education systems to support a unified and highly-performing education sector across the nation. The plan will unify the education sector through the development of the Emirati School Model across all emirates, and help align the education sector to meet objectives of the National Agenda by achieving the UAE Vision 2021 with the delivery of a first-rate e ducation system. The move follows the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
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According to the Director-General of Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dr Abdulla Al Karam, around 15-20 new private schools will open in Dubai during the academic year 2016-17. Under its Future Schools Project, the ADEC is set to open 100 public schools by 2020.
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COVER STORY
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.Achieving this goal has been closely monitored by Sheikh Mohammed, who considers it “essential to achieve supportive and well-informed education system, capable of keeping up with future changes and developments”. The Emirati School Model of the Ministry of Education will play a central role in the unification of the education sector across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Launched in 2017, the “Emirati School” model provides a leading model of education, rich curriculum, excellence in student skills and courses, as well as high quality of education in full alignment to the expectations of the vision of the UAE leadership for the education sector. The alignment plan between the Ministry of Education and ADEC will consolidate the ministry’s systems, policies and courses across the UAE’s public and private schools which follow the ministry’s system. It will also promote the development of the Emirati School Model across all emirates to increase efficiency and deliver a highly-performing education based on the highest standards of quality for the education sector. According to Sheikh Mohammed, “The UAE has made many significant achievements in
education and the next stage requires us to build on them under a unified framework in preparation for the comprehensive development which needs a common, unified education system that is capable of delivering national higher objectives guided by the vision of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.” Sheikh Mohammed urged all stakeholders to work as one team as development and gains are common and the vision is united under the leadership of Sheikh Khalifa. “The prime goal is to enable all schools across the country operate within a homogeneous framework to generate graduates as per best international standards and who can meet aspirations and expectations of the people of UAE,” he said. Mohamed bin Zayed stressed on the fact that the development and modernisation of the education system should be undertaken in accordance with inclusive strategic plans to usher well into the future and obtain high quality learning outcomes so as to keep abreast of the qualitative national development. To ensure a seamless transition of the plan for the upcoming 2017-2018 academic year, the Ministry of Education and ADEC will place a special effort communicating with ADEC teachers and administration staff, as well as students and parents, to explain the gradual delivery of the plan to unify education across the UAE. ADEC and the Ministry of Education also announced that 12th and 11th grade students under ADEC curriculum will continue their current curriculum to ensure the best educational outcomes for these students. Standardising the education system in the UAE and the subsequent consolidation of all school operations are based on the national pillars and a framework which include students, curricula and school operations. The Ministry of Education and ADEC have formed two main committees working towards the development of the school community. These committees support and enable teachers to fulfil their responsibilities and establish new rules for the integration of roles between legislators and executive bodies to ensure the graduation of an Emirati student whose academic achievement is characterised by excellence, talent and creativity, while his mental and psychological formation is characterised by principles of identity, values and the rich heritage of the UAE.
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We believe the purpose of education goes beyond academic achievement. Traditionally, the story goes that if we go to school and study hard to get good grades to get into university, we’ll be happy. Then, if we go to university and study hard to get good grades and get a good job, we’ll be happy. Later, it becomes that if we work hard to get a better job to get married and buy a nice house, we’ll be happy. The goalposts of happiness never stay still. So, rather than spending our lives chasing happiness, wouldn’t it be better to just be happy? That way, when we get good grades to get into university, or get a good job, we’ll be even happier. And if we don’t, it’s ok. We’ll still be happy and we can try something else. Scientists have identified a number of approaches that add to our sense of happiness and wellbeing. These include giving, connecting with others, lifelong learning, taking notice of the world around us, and being active, to name a few. When education focuses on developing these skills and attributes in students, it gives them a gift that will benefit them and others around them for the rest of their lives.
The KHDA in partnership with the Department of Education and Child Development (DECD) of South Australia is conducting Student Wellbeing Census. Would you apprise us about this project and its progress so far? We believe that well-being holds as much importance as academics in fulfilling the purpose of education. The Dubai Student Wellbeing Census is the first of its kind being conducted here in Dubai. It’s a five-year project that will measure the well-being of 75,000 students from Grade 6 to 9 annually. Data from the Census will provide schools with an in-depth understanding of how students feel about their school life,
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SPECIAL INTERVIEW
The education system in Dubai has a unique model that relies on the concept of “Happiness”, how does it help you push educational achievement to the next level?
SPECIAL INTERVIEW
14 homely life, themselves and their relationships with others. The results will also provide insight into student attitudes towards their experiences in and out of school. This will then enable school leaders to better design their schools’ wellbeing culture, and allow us as policymakers to make evidence-based changes that have positive long-term impact on the education community. This year’s Census will be completed at the end of December, with Dubai-wide results will be released in February 2018..
The global job market is changing at a rapid pace, in sync with technology. What measures are you taking to meet the new challenges in this regard? We don’t know what the world will look like in future, but we do know one thing: the rate of change in the world will never be as slow as it is today. Artificial Intelligence and automation will transform industries, and will most likely transform our understanding and expectation of work and education. In this world of the future, the role of education will be to give our children a strong sense of the values that will enable them to live in harmony with themselves, with each other and with nature. What we traditionally call ‘soft skills’ today – empathy, creativity, service, collaboration – will very soon become ‘survival skills.’ By focusing on positive education and well-being now, we are helping to ensure that students, who are in school today, will have the skills to help them thrive in the future.
Your institution has been introducing various positive initiatives like organic farming in schools. Tell us about the motive behind these programmes. Happiness and wellbeing take on many forms, and one of these is closeness to nature. The flower and vegetable gardens at Dubai schools are actually more like outdoor classrooms: growing vegetables actually requires good knowledge and application of maths and science. Selling vegetables demands sound business practices, and using the profits for charitable purposes encourages giving. School gardens give students real-life application to what they’re learning in the classroom. Gardens also bring us closer to nature, and this is essential for our well-being. Last year,
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we partnered with Ground-Up Initiative from Singapore and local organisation Ecoventures to open the Hatta Wellbeing Campus. A trip to this campus gives students (and teachers!) the chance to leave the indoor classroom and spend time in an outdoor classroom. It includes a lot of engaging, hands-on activities that bring the students closer to each other, to nature, and to the local culture.
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Dubai has a unique private education sector. Currently, 194 private schools provide education to nearly 280,000 students from 185 different nationalities. That’s a very diverse sector
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KHDA was associated with World Education Summit, Dubai (2016) as a Knowledge Partner, how was your experience being part of this global knowledge sharing platform on education? It’s always beneficial to meet people who share our passion and commitment to high-quality education. Our experience with the World Education Summit in 2016 was very useful in that we were able to meet committed educators who were willing to ask ‘what’s next?’ and help take Dubai’s private schools sector into the future.
How KHDA is transforming Dubai into a global education hub? Dubai has a unique private education sector. Currently, 194 private schools provide education to nearly 280,000 students from 185 different nationalities. That’s a very diverse sector. If you add to that our higher education sector – which includes 28 international branch campuses of universities from 10 different countries – you can see that in many ways, Dubai is an education hub of the world because the world is in Dubai. We are always interested in learning about how other countries approach education, and we are always happy to share what we’ve learned with others. We work very closely with our education community to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Dubai, and one of the ways we do this is through our partnerships. Recently, we partnered with the International Positive Education Network to bring more positive education practices to Dubai’s classrooms. Positive education focuses on students’ well-being and character strengths as well as their academic achievement. We believe this combination will have significant beneficial impact on the quality of Dubai’s education sector.
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INITIATIVES What Works “Too often the conversation around education has been deficit-based, concentrating on challenges and obstacles. We realised if we were to share what was already working, we would be changing the nature of the conversation around education and empowering those in the education community to make positive changes themselves. Using our authority to convene, we consulted principals from Dubai’s private schools and together came up with the idea of What Works. Three times a year, teachers from across Dubai’s schools come together to run and attend workshops showcasing the best of what they do in their classrooms. Since the first What Works was held at the beginning of the 2012-13 academic year, 18,000 teachers have attended more than 600 workshops at 21 events. The real value of What Works is not just in the connections made and learning shared on the day of the events, but in the cultural change it has affected. The value of positivity; of concentrating on what’s working, has strengthened the working practices of educators across Dubai and the learning outcomes of students. What Works has created a compassionate eco-system of schools, teachers, parents and students that recognises and values the role each plays in improving education in Dubai.” Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General, KHDA
Quality Beyond Boundaries Group “The Quality Beyond Boundaries Group (QBBG) is a network of international quality assurance agencies who come together to share information and best practices, and work together to improve quality assurance systems. Since the inaugural meeting in Dubai in March 2014, QBBG has met several times in different cities. These gatherings enable the seven-member organisation to work more collaboratively and improve mobility and recognition of degrees through quality assurance. The vision of the QBBG is to develop a trusting alliance of international quality assurance agencies committed to an innovative future.” Dr Warren Fox, Chief of Higher Education, KHDA
ForwardED “KHDA’s ForwardEd team makes the process for opening new educational institutions in Dubai straightforward and transparent. The team helps investors, operators, education leaders and stakeholders to understand the market. The team uses KHDA’s market data to advise on school location, curriculum and positioning. ForwardEd also provides ongoing guidance on the dynamics of Dubai’s private schools sector and ensures that the service that stakeholders provide to students and parents remain relevant and in demand.” Kalthoom Al Balooshi, Executive Director of Education Development, KHDA
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DUBAI: WORLD’s EDUCATION HUB The Government of UAE is focusing on every opportunity to become a top-draw for international students — and Dubai, known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene — is taking the lead in this field as well, writes Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
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The UAE secured the top position in the Global School Ranking 2015, among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and 45 worldwide.
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ubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is today one of the fastest growing cities, gaining a strong pace in becoming the knowledge-based economy. Dubai’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected a growth at 3.5 per cent till 2018, says International Monetary Fund (IMF). Known for providing a good quality of life and standard of living to its citizens abreast with world’s finest infrastructure, the city draws attention of thousands of expatriates with attractive job and business opportunities. With a set of goals to become a global smart city, and an entrepreneurial and innovation hub — Dubai aims to emerge as world’s top “destination of choice” for education. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, is making an endeavour to reform the education sector on par
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with global trends and best practices. In the federal budget 2017-2021, the UAE Government allocated AED 10.2 billion for both public and private Higher Education, comprising 20.5 per cent of the total budget of AED 248 billion. The UAE’s Ministry of Education has also introduced the 10-year development strategy 2010-20 to provide students a high-quality curriculum and excellent teaching along with improved student life, affordable and high-quality education. Similarly, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed, laying the foundation for the future Dubai, launched the ‘UAE Centennial 2071 Plan’ —in which the education has been given a top priority. The UAE secured the top position in the Global School Ranking - 2015, among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and 45 worldwide. The report compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
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Dubai, Home to International Schools International schools in the Middle East countries have witnessed 7.8 per cent increase in the number of students aged 3 to 18 from September 2015 to September 2016, according to ISC Research. The Research further suggests the UAE leading the world with 593 international schools for 3 and 18-year-olds with 600,000 students enrollment. The Government of UAE is taking every chance in becoming a top-draw for international students —and Dubai is taking the lead. Dubai is currently home to 283 international schools —including kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. The international students in Higher Education schools in the city currently add 30 per cent to the total Higher Education students, growing steadily at 10 percent annually —according to Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), an education regulation body of Dubai. During the 2016-2017 academic year, 27 international branch campuses from 12 countries were operating in Dubai —including UK, Australia, India, US, Russia, Austria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran, France, Canada, and Ireland.
exams along with issuing reports. The schools and colleges offer a wide variety of quality courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), including a pool of international subject experts, and a host of comprehensive scholarship programmes.
Study Expenditure in Dubai Unlike other cities in the Middle East, Dubai schools are far from suffering the impact of expatriate student departure —credit to its diverse economy, ISC reports. When it comes to the cost of studying at international schools in Dubai, it is perhaps —and not surprisingly —the most expensive city in the Middle East. Private school fees in Dubai start from about AED 2,500, or about $690, per month. The fees vary, depending upon KHDA inspection rating, location, curriculum, track record, and facilities. The most expensive school in the UAE starts from the bracket of AED 83,000 ($22,600) for pre-kindergarten to AED 130,000 ($35,400) for Grades 11 and 12.
Rise of Home Schooling in Dubai
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The British Council has also recognised UAE as one of the best countries for its “Support of International Higher Education” among 38 countries.
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Due to many reasons, with one being the varying education cost in city’s schools, Dubai has been witnessing a spike in home schooling. For the UAE nationals, the Ministry of Education mandates children attend school through at least the age of 16. The authorities provide a set of curriculum for home schooling for Emiratis, but there is no such regulation of home schooling for the expatriate population. However, the KHDA recommends using the curriculum that is licensed and accredited in their respective home country.
Smart use of ICT in Dubai The Government of Dubai is investing significantly in equipping schools and colleges, in both public and private, with smart devices. From a traditional way of education to conventional, Dubai schools are adopting e-learning and virtual classrooms method of education. Various schools have adopted this global method of learning to assign tasks, set collaborative learning experiences, share learning resources. Many e-learning platforms have emerged —offering students virtual classes online that include screencasts from teachers, multimedia presentations, as well as live sessions —conducting
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Development (OECD), published every three years, was based on test scores in math and science among 15-year-olds in 76 countries, highlighting the link between education and economic growth. The British Council has also recognised UAE as one of the best countries for its “Support of International Higher Education” among 38 countries. It further ranked the country second for “Quality assurance and Degree recognition” and fifth for “Openness and Mobility” categories. The literacy rate of UAE is at 93.8 per cent, according to the UNDP report.
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30X30 DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE: BUILDING A HEALTHY SOCIETY
In a bid to become the world’s most active city, Dubai recently launched a 30x30 Fitness Challenge — an initiative to encourage residents to participate in a month-long free workout classes and activities. This first-of-its-kind move laid the foundation of a bright tomorrow for the city of dreams, observes Rashi Aditi Ghosh of Elets News Network (ENN).
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he initiative came into being at the outset of this October when Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, announced Dubai Fitness Challenge -- an initiative aimed at developing Dubai as the world’s most active city. The challenge commenced with a carnival on October 20 in Dubai’s Safa Park and people from all age groups the age groups and fitness levels were encouraged to participate in it.
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The Dubai Fitness Challenge at a Glance Cycle for a while. Exercise with colleagues before starting the day at work. Swim with your friends. Take a jog with your family before the supper. Through Dubai Fitness Challenge, residents were urged to commit to at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity for 30 days (20 October to 18 November). The challenge was not just limited to Government bodies. In fact, residents were
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30x30 Dubai Fitness Challenge • The challenge included all forms of physical fitness activities such as walking, team sports, intense fitness regimes, paddle-boarding and aerobics to football, yoga, cycling among others. • The challenge enabled the residents to experience a wide range of sports and exercise programmes that will be showcased across the city that they may not have tried before. • Several celebrity guests, motivational experts and fitness professionals made motivational appearances at various locations across the city. • The challenge included free exercise classes and dedicated community activities for each of Dubai’s neighbourhoods. • In one of the promotional videos, Dubai’s first Emirati female parkour instructor Amal Murad was seen advising the residents through videos, shedding light on her training regime,
which combines running, jumping and vaulting. • The event also featured a number of existing partner events including Dubai Colour Run, Dubai Mass Swim and Dubai Schools Fitness Games among others.
Fitness -- the Need of the Hour: • A 2016 survey of 3,298 families, comprising over 13,000 individuals, conducted by Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Statistics Centre detected an alarming trend of noncommunicable diseases among the Emiratis and expatriates. Nearly 36 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women were found to be overweight, 11.9 per cent were morbidly obese and nearly 36.1 per cent had borderline obesity. • About 19.6 per cent of the Emirati men and 18.5 per cent of the Emirati women had hypertension problem. • A recent Global Disease Burden study conducted by the Washington University indicated nearly 66 per cent of the men and 60 per cent of the women across all emirates, including Dubai, were obese. • The International Diabetes Federation reported one in every five — or nearly 19.3 per cent — of the UAE population is diabetic. In addition, nearly 40 per cent are of pre-diabetic. A large number were undiagnosed.
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The challenge included all forms of physical fitness activities such as walking, team sports, intense fitness regimes, paddle-boarding and aerobics to football, yoga, cycling among others.
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Achieving Fitness via The Year of Giving Sheikh Hamdan gave a clarion call to all Government organisations, public sector and educational
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, during the inaugural of Dubai Fitness Challenge.
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DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE
encouraged for participation as an individual or as an organisation’s employee. It was attempted to make the challenge a fun-filled activity for all age groups. The programme included several fitness oriented games organised across the city, an easy-to-use training and assessment app and exciting prizes for the participants. The opening event of the fitness programme started from Safa Park, Dubai on October 20 and continued till October 21. The grand finale was scheduled to commence on November 17 and 18 at Festival City Promenade, Dubai, till last reports reached.
DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE
20 institutions to be drivers of change in ensuring the city’s fitness quotient improves. He wished all authorities to take a lead in spearheading the fitness movement. The private sector was urged to be equal contributor in “The Year of Giving” by encouraging their employees to take out time and participate in simple physical exercises. Sheikh Hamdan directed all Government organisations, public sector and educational institutions to be the drivers of change in ensuring the fitness quotient of the city. He directed all the authorities to take a lead in spearheading the fitness movement and urged the private sector to be equal contributors in “The Year of Giving” by supporting their employees to take out time and participate in simple physical activities. In December 2016, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared 2017 as “The Year of Giving” which would have three key pillars, namely, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Volunteering, and Serving the Nation. This concept has been inspired by the UAE’s tradition of valuing hospitality and generosity, based on the country’s founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s philosophy. Following the concept “The Year of Giving” and realising the need to develop a fit and active city, Dubai Fitness Challenge was launched this year. Speaking about the significance of fitness, Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai, said,
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Through Dubai Fitness Challenge, Sheikh Hamdan challenged all government organisations, public sector and educational institutions to be the drivers of change in ensuring the fitness quotient of the city.
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“With the launch of the Dubai Fitness Challenge, we aim to become the most active city in the world, motivating everyone across all ages, and fitness levels, to start with small steps that will benefit them and their families. “With just 30 minutes of physical activity each day for 30 days, we are confident the city will begin to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle as a choice for life.” “We want everyone to join this inclusive initiative, from those who have never exercised to those that are fitness enthusiasts, from the young to the old and the people of determination, and the entire community including schools, businesses and government organisations across Dubai,” he added. Acknowledging the need to inculcate positive activities for a healthy living, Al Marri said the less active should challenge themselves to set higher goals and those already committed ones should be the motivators for the wider community. “With a packed calendar of fitness events and healthy activities across the month, residents should view this as a fun and interactive way to spend quality time with friends and family for the collective benefit of all, he said. “In this Year of Giving, Dubai Fitness Challenge is an opportunity to give not just to ourselves but also to others, and we are confident that the people of Dubai will get behind this movement wholeheartedly.”
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA, along with the participants during Dubai Fitness Challenge.
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DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA, along with 70 KHDA Gladiators during the Desert Warriors Challenge, Dubai
Special Attractions of the Programme: Tech support for the Fitness Freak Fitness enthusiasts can track performance of their physical activities undertaken during the programme through Dubai Fitness Challenge app. Residents can access over 1,500 free classes at 88 partner fitness and sports facilities, 75 pop-up fitness locations for easy and convenient workouts, 16 partner sporting events, five weekend family fun carnivals and a whole range of sports and fitness activities and avail attractive discounts.
KHDA -- Ensuring Dubai’s Pledge for Fitness Taking the endeavour to ensure fitness across the education landscape of Dubai, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) launched the Dubai Fitness Challenge. It was kicked off along with 70 team members by participating in the Desert Warriors Challenge on October 20, 2017. The team-KHDA Gladiators completed a challenge by running 500 km by battling through 1,160 obstacles. Supporting the initiative, Dubai schools are also ensuring their maximum participation in the Dubai Fitness Challenge. Every private school in Dubai has officially registered their presence for it. Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Board of Directors and Director General of the KHDA visit schools and universities every weekday to motivate on fitness. KHDA has accepted the challenge citing three ways of the 900 ideas for becoming fit together.
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KHDA has announced ,“Chairs will be taken out of the classrooms, exercise classes will be held for parents going for walks as a family.” During his visit at GEMS Royal Dubai School pertaining to the ongoing fitness challenge, Dr Abdulla Al Karam said, “I’m very excited to be here. This is my first school visit – as a part of our programme ‘Fit Together’ where we plan to visit schools every day, engage with children in fun activities and get them moving. Today, I had a lot of fun with the kids who promised me that they will challenge their parents and families to stay fit.” Developing fitness holds a vital role in building a health society. Educational institutions can be the best agencies for spreading the message of fitness and its significance among the budding minds. Explaining about the variety of initiatives taken for ensuring a healthy and happy environment for students, Kalthoom AlBalooshi, Executive Director of Education Development, KHDA, Dubai, during the recent 8th Knowledge Exchange Summit Goa, India, said, “Lately, the Prime Minister of UAE has announced changes in the ministries, appointed young new ministers and started new ministries on Artificial Intelligence and Science and Research.” “A minister for happiness has also been appointed keeping the significance of knowledge and happiness in offering holistic development to a student in mind. With that we have a new initiative called ‘30X30’ in which residents of Dubai are involvement in at least 30 minutes of physical activity throughout 30 days of the month.”
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Dubai Fitness Challenge enabled the residents to commit to at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity for 30 days (20 October to 18 November)
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dl.eletsonline.com | NOVEMBER 2017
DUBAI’s 10X DREAM
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NURTURING DUBAI’s 10X DREAM THROUGH FUTURISTIC EDUCATION In a bid to stay at least 10 years ahead of the rest of the world, the Government of United Arab Emirates has launched 10X initiative, Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN) explores the various aspects of this unique initiative to stay ahead of the curve.
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AE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum called on all Government entities of Dubai to embrace disruptive innovations as a fundamental mantra for their operations, and to seek ways to incorporate its methodologies in all aspects of their work. Disruptive innovation refers to exploiting available technologies to deliver new or existing services in radically different ways that are Design-Thinking-based and customer-focused, in
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contrast to incremental innovation, which focuses on making services better for existing customers. Instead, disruptive innovation will create new operating and business models that replace traditional services and provide multiple times the value for end-users and customers. The Dubai 10X has put the Government of Dubai on a mission to be 10 years ahead of all other cities of the world, hence the name 10X (with X symbolising experimental, out-of-the-box future oriented exponential thinking).
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23 We are a young and energetic Government who want to be leaders in disruptive innovations and technology.”
X-Units for each Government entity
DUBAI’s 10X DREAM
The first requirement is for every Government entity to provide the staff with adequate resources – an independent X-Unit mandated with the objective of finding ways to disrupt their own organisation’s practices and develop their own moonshot solutions to deliver beyond their mission.
Trial and scale radically disruptive organisational structures, systems and technologies The second requirement is for Government entities to develop systems, processes and labs to trial and scale radically disruptive technologies and approaches to deliver on their respective missions. This plan will also need to involve reviewing and reconsidering the traditional organisational structure and hierarchies of government organisations and finding new structures that facilitate creative innovation and disruption. Placing Dubai 10X in context, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, said the future belongs to those who affect radical changes: not those who make minor, gradual improvements. “The future will not be as patient with us as the present. Today, I am calling on all Government leaders and employees to embrace disruptive innovations and find new, creative and truly disruptive approaches ,and technologies to delivering their mission rather than incremental and minor improvements.
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Partnering with and facilitating disruptive solutions, removing regulatory obstacles The third requirement is to develop processes and methodologies that will allow each Dubai Government official to work with truly disruptive companies and startups that radically offer better services or allow Dubai’s residents to lead a happier life. Regulatory obstacles facing such disruptive companies should also be removed to allow for their uninterrupted operations.
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The Dubai 10X sets the Government of Dubai on a mission to be 10 years ahead of all other cities, hence the name 10X (with X symbolising experimental, out-of-the-box future oriented exponential thinking).
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dl.eletsonline.com | NOVEMBER 2017
UAE INITIATIVE
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DUBAI FUTURE ACCELERATORS
INNOVATING FOR A BETTER FUTURE To solve the most pressing challenges of the 21st Century, the UAE has introduced a unique programme known as Dubai Future Accelerators. Under the programme, globally renowned companies will partner with government entities to nurture the champions of future in various fields, writes Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).
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he United Arab Emirates (UAE) is among the leading countries of the world when it comes to introducing innovative concepts. Dubai, the most populous city in the Emirates, has plans for a hyperloop transport system, a robot police force, a store that changes shape, self-driving electric vehicles, flying taxis, and a space agency that will work towards getting people to Mars. Continuing this trend of innovation, the UAE has introduced several unique and innovative programmes to gather key government officials from different countries of the world and global industry leaders on a common platform to solve some of the humanity’s greatest challenges. Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA) is one such initiative. It is an intensive nine-week programme pairing the world’s most exciting technology companies with leading government organisations to create transformational solutions. Dubai Future Accelerators was launched in 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Future Foundation under
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the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Primr Minister of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. It’s a unique programme for cutting-edge entrepreneurs to partner with the Dubai Government and use the city as a platform for creating solutions to the global challenges of tomorrow. The objective of the programme is to imagine, design and create the future by facilitating partnerships between renowned entrepreneurs and the government. Dubai Future
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25 The programme also witnessed a huge turnout, receiving nine applications from the UAE itself – making the Emirates the second-largest source market with 20 per cent of all participating companies, thus doubling their participation percentage from the last year. The US occupies the first place with 10 companies (22 per cent of the total), the UK came third with eight participants, followed by Austria with four companies, Canada with three, two companies from New Zealand, two from Singapore and one company from China, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, South Africa, Spain, South Korea and the Netherlands. The DFA’s “Humanitarian Accelerators” programme has also signed an agreement with Dubai Cares, and received three submissions – two from the US and one from the UAE. The Humanitarian Accelerators is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Arab World connecting startups and established companies from around the world with the UAE’s humanitarian sector to tackle social, cultural and environmental challenges in the Arab region. The first and second editions of the Accelerators programme attracted more than 4,000 applications to solve strategic challenges in key sectors. As many as 65 international companies participated in both editions of the Dubai Future Accelerators. Overall, 72 per cent signed a Memorandum of Understanding with their respective government partners by the end of the nine week-programme and are currently working on implementing their pilot projects.
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DFA has received more than 1,100 applications since registrations were opened. The submissions cover a range of innovative ideas that seek to shape the future of key sectors, find effective solutions to the challenges facing the future of Dubai, transforming them into opportunities for sustainable development, and, ultimately, creating a better life for future generations.
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UAE INITIATIVE
Accelerators is run by Dubai Future Foundation, which plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of strategic sectors in cooperation with the Dubai Government and private sector entities. DFA has received more than 1,100 applications since registrations were opened. The submissions cover a range of innovative ideas that seek to shape the future of key sectors, find effective solutions to the challenges facing the future of Dubai, transforming them into opportunities for sustainable development, and, ultimately, creating a better life for future generations. Dubai Future Accelerators Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khalfan Belhoul says, “The programme reflects the forward-thinking vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Directors at DFF. The programme’s great success reflects Dubai’s leading position when it comes to shaping the future.” Among the high-profile companies participating in the programme’s third cycle, which is set to last for nine weeks, are major players such as IBM from the US, Nokia from Finland and LG from South Korea. Emirates Airline has joined the programme to help identify the most pressing challenges facing the aviation sector and work with the world’s most innovative companies to develop solutions and transform these challenges into opportunities that support the sector’s longterm sustainability.
UAE INITIATIVE
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to dominate computer science study in the UAE to meet requirements of the Government including industries, health, finance, gaming, and automotive sectors, and is likely to be introduced as a separate degree like BSc, or MSc in AI much like in universities in the US and UK, writes Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
UAE GEARS UP FOR ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the “Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031” last month.
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here’s a lot of buzz around the world about the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Basically, AI is used everywhere and is getting smarter every day — from our way of work and communication to meeting requirements of industries including health, finance, gaming, automotive, etc. Fifty years from now the future generation may be living in an era of robots, machines, flying cars and the UAE is already advancing towards such an era. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched the “Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031” last month. AI Strategy 2031 aims to create $15.7 trillion global market value in 2030 —boosting revenue by 35 per cent, reducing the Government cost by 50 per cent, and 90 per cent resistance from a financial crisis. The Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Omar bin Sultan Al Olama has been appointed to spearhead the ambitious project to enhance Government performance and efficiency in various sectors through the use of latest AI tools and technologies. The strategy is part of the UAE Centennial 2071, a project that extends to five decades to prepare the nation for future generations, instilling advanced technology and engineering in education, economy, Government development, and community cohesion.
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Omar bin Sultan Al Olama The UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence
According to its official website, the AI strategy aims to enhance sectors like education, transportation, energy, space and technology. It says: “By 2031, the UAE will achieve 100 per cent reliance on AI for Government services and data analysis.” The AI initiative is also among the major research areas of the “Dubai Accelerators programme” that, according to its website, aims to connect the most innovative companies with partners in the Government in order to bring to life viable futuristic prototypes at a city-wide scale.
AI in Education The scope of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is broad and mainly unexplored. The UAE schools have emerged far from a traditional way of education to conventional. Shaping the next generation of more personalised learning and responsive teaching,
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Some fascinating in UAE
AI
endeavours
The country has the world’s first Artificial Intelligent robot policeman patrolling city’s streets. It officially joined Dubai police force on 20 May this year. Although it does not arrest, it helps police officers to identify and catch miscreants using its facial recognition technology, as well as broadcast live video feeds. Such robot policemen are expected to comprise 25 per cent of the total police force by 2030.
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AI Strategy 2031 aims to create $15.7 trillion global market value in 2030 — boosting revenue by 35 per cent, reducing the Government cost by 50 per cent, and 90 per cent resistance from a financial crisis.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), on the other hand, recently recruited five AI robots as staff at its Customer Happiness Centres. They can respond to multiple enquiries singlehandedly. The country has introduced “Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy” that aims to transform 25 per cent of the total transportation in Dubai to autonomous mode by 2030. In its project, it plans to get autonomous vehicles plying on the city’s roads and flying in its skies, involving five million daily trips by 2030.
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UAE INITIATIVE
the UAE schools are now pioneering and applying AI education method by increasing the use of e-learning and virtual classrooms integrated with 3D demonstration bringing real life and industry examples. The Centre for Executive Development affiliated to the University of Dubai, for instance, recently concluded training on AI and its role in company’s Purchase and Supply Chain Management Department. The UAE is trying to become a “major hub for developing AI techniques and associated legislation”. It is likely that AI will dominate the study of computer science in the UAE to meet requirements of Government, industries, health, finance, gaming, automotive sectors, and may soon be introduced as a separate degree like BSc or MSc in AI much like in Universities in the US and UK. Some schools in Dubai, likewise, have already introduced “coding” as the core subject alongside Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
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UAE INITIATIVE
CODING INITIATIVE: ONE MILLION ARAB CODERS
Coding is emerging as the new literacy alongside Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Initiative “One Million Arab Coders” is envisaged to train youths with the emerging technological skills to become more creative and innovative, writes Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
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oding is increasingly dominating the world. With the use of IT in education being widely acknowledged across schools to prepare students to become competent with emerging technological trends, several countries are starting to introduce coding — the base of creating software, website, or an app — in the curricula from the age five. It is emerging as the new literacy alongside Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) —helping students become more creative, innovative, and inventors. Even in IT jobs including data scientists, front-end Web developers, software engineers, app developers, website programmers — regarded as the most future-proof jobs —coding is the foundation. The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making a substantial effort to ensure Arab youths are equipped with software
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coding and programming skill. Last month, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched “One Million Arab Coders” — an online learning platform (www.arabcoders.ae) — to help youth score jobs in the market where coding skill is widely in demand. The courses have been scheduled to start from January 2018 spanning up to three to six months. “Coding will create many opportunities for young people to seize; paving the way for them to be part of the global economy — working from home,” wrote Sheikh Mohammed on his official Instagram page. The online learning platform is providing courses on any of the four categories: Full-stack website development, android app development, data analyst specialist, and training on skills to become a front-end
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29 web expert. An expert in the aforementioned field can also join as tutors.
Website Development
Android app development Android is an operating system developed by Google for touchscreen devices like smartphones and tablets. Google’s Google Play store is the major distribution channel for android mobile applications. As of June 2017, the heterogeneous collection of Android apps on Google Play Store reached three million, according to Statistica. In the UAE, where 80 per cent of the total internet users are smartphone users, according to TRA the country
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Data Analyst Specialist Every business collects data; be it for market research, sales, logistics, measuring profit, etc. It plays an important role in measuring the growth of a business. Data analysts collect, process and perform statistical analyses of data and use it to help a business make better decisions. An individual specialising in this field has an acquired knowledge of database languages such as Excel, SQL, R, and Tableau. According to PayScale.com, a data analyst earns an average salary of AED 109,680, or $29,861, per year. ArabCoders is offering courses to train them with all the required data analytical skills.
Front-end Web expert
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One Million Arab Coders will help youths score jobs in the market where coding skill is widely in demand.
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While web designers work on the appearance or designing the website, front-end developers implement the website on the web. For instance, the front-end developers ensure that the website is free of errors, as well as making sure that the design appears same across various platforms and browsers. The expert in this field has skills with languages (coding) such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. ArabCoders course is offering youths to build beautiful, responsive web and mobile interfaces, along with all the crafts required and in-depth developer track. The initiative to create one million Arab coders is a project by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) foundation, dedicated to spreading education and knowledge.
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UAE INITIATIVE
The skill of a web developer is the most soughtafter skill. According to PayScale.com, an entrylevel web developer in Dubai earns an average salary of AED 69,939, or around $19,041, per year. In the UAE, more than 90 per cent of the country’s population uses the Internet. In a country with such a huge penetration of online users, it has become rudimentary for any business to develop a website. The most common type of websites found on the World Wide Web (www) are commercial, nonprofit, government, personal, entertainment, news, educational, and social media. Although there are several web design languages (coding) to choose from, the most common are Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Adobe ColdFusion, Java Server Pages (JSP), Cascade Style Sheets (CSS), etc. The popular website hosting companies worldwide include Bluehost, iPage, eHost, inmotion hosting, HostGator, etc., also providing domain name registration service. ArabCoders is providing aspirants training on social networks, knowledge on video platforms along with building e-commerce sites.
has a thriving environment for the companies involved in the development of mobile apps. ArabCoders calls for turning ideas into innovation. Nanodegree certification by the UAE envisages to empower Arab youths with all the skills they need to develop Android mobile apps.
e-LEARNING PERSPECTIVE
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PROPAGATING K12 LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION Technology-enabled education of LearnEngg is considered as a promising solution for making the students learn effectively and become industry ready, writes Dr S Mohamed Nabi, CEO and Director, LearnEngg for Elets News Network (ENN).
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In the last nine years, “LearnEngg” has evolved itself in line with these trends. It provides 3D/2D visual demonstrations for the concepts in technical education. Main thrust of visual learning solution is to effectively integrate e-Learning methodology and visual medium maximising the learning benefits to students.
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12 Class Room Teaching has seen vast changes in the last 10 years. Self learning platforms, teaching tools and content have evolved to make students learn holistically. Technology usage has transformed the classroom teaching with focus on in-depth learning. The K12 education is undergoing a rapid transformation with technological implementation in all its spheres. The students who have undergone digital education till Class 12 have a familiar environment in higher education as the learning platforms and tools remain the same as that of K12 education. However, in technical education, the content is mostly in the form of video lecturers of renowned professors in their respective fields. In higher and technical education, the content oriented products with explanations and demonstrations as that of K12 segment are very limited. The major reasons are, across the globe, K12 curriculum remains within well-defined boundaries whereas the scenario is totally different in technical and higher education. The technical education has a vast and diversified curriculum across all the streams and the quantity and quality of content requirements is much more than that of K12 segment. Hence, EduTech corporates are mostly concentrating on K12. The technical education curriculum revolves around five major branches of engineering
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namely Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Civil Engineering and Computer Science. All other branches are derivative or specialised form of these basic engineering branches. However, in recent years, the focus is shifted on skill training of students to prepare them job ready. Hence, to understand fundamentals and reason behind technical assumptions & their applications, ICT needs to be exploited for better learning. In the last nine years, “LearnEngg” has evolved itself in line with these trends. It provides 3D/2D visual demonstrations for the concepts in technical education. Main thrust of visual learning solution is to effectively integrate e-Learning methodology and visual medium maximising the learning benefits to students. The visual learning tool combines all four stages of an effective Learning programme: Technology, Tools (S/W), Standards and Content, and customised as per requirements of customer leading to personalised learning. 2D/3D visuals are well annotated in the language easy to understand for the students who have studied in their vernacular language in school. Thus, the tool removes the hurdles of language dependence and enhances the effectiveness of learning and skill acquisition. The skill knowledge, in this system, evolves within the curriculum and not as a separate skill development course after a formal education.
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UGC’s PERSPECTIVE
MOOCs: THE NEW GENERATION LEARNING Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance your career and deliver quality educational experiences at scale. Dr Archana Thakur, Chief Vigilance Officer & Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission, writes for Elets News Network (ENN), how MOOCs is helping students in their learning.
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one are the years when whatever we learnt in school or colleges used to get stuck with us throughout our working life. The rapid pace of technological advancement has turned constant learning as the most pressing need of the day and for this the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been adequately equipped to address and help in it. MOOCs has been one of the most hotly debated topics in the education circles over the past few years. Opinions have been extremely polarising, with some people heralding it as the greatest leap for education since the invention of the printing press, and some dismissing it as another fad. MOOCs is an online course which aims unlimited participation and open access via the Internet. The first MOOCs emerged from the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement. The term MOOCs was coined in 2008 by Dave Cormier of the University of Prince Edward Island in response to a course called Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (also known as CCK08). CCK08, which was led by George Siemens of Athabasca University and Stephen Downes of the National Research Council, consisted 25 tuition-paying students in Extended Education at the University of Manitoba, as well as over 2,200 online students from the general public who were studying free of cost.
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UGC’s PERSPECTIVE
This provides interactive user forums to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants. MOOCs are widely researched developments in distance education, introduced in the US in 2006 for the first time. It emerged as a popular mode of learning in 2012. According to The New York Times, 2012 became “The Year MOOCs”. MOOCs did not rely on posted resources, learning management systems and video lectures. Instead it uses structures that mixed the learning management system with more open web resources. MOOCs are of two distinct types: one of them emphasises the connectivist philosophy and the other resembles to more traditional courses. Stephen Downes proposed the terms “cMOOC” and “xMOOC” to distinguish in between them. The principle on which cMOOCs are based is of connectivist pedagogy indicating that material should be aggregated rather than preselected, remixable, re-purposable and feeding forward. It tries to connect learners to each other to answer questions emphasising collaborative development of the MOOCs. MOOCs have a much more traditional course structure typically with a clearly specified syllabus of recorded lectures and self-test problems. The instructor is the expert provider of knowledge, and student interactions are usually limited to asking for assistance and advising each other on difficult points. MOOCs are becoming popular as they offer
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“MOOCs are becoming popular as they offer university-level courses without the need to complete an entire programme of studies. Students get the opportunity to study high quality courses online with prestigious universities, often free of cost.”
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university-level courses without the need to complete an entire programme of studies. Students get the opportunity to study high quality courses online with prestigious universities, often free of cost. Users can select courses from any institution offering them independently. Video-based study offer interaction either through peer review and group collaboration or automated feedback through objective, online assessments. EdX is a non-for-profit provider, created by Harvard and MIT universities. Now extended to the Australian National University, TU Delft (theNetherlands), and Rice, Berkeley and Georgetown universities in the US. Around the world, other MOOCs providers include EduKart in India, ALISON in Ireland, and Aprentica in Latin America. • The reasons behind considering MOOCs are: • Quality courses with low cost, • Can be studied in combination with other work and • Study resources are easily accessed from any computer at any location through web. • MOOCs can generate affective learning through four pathways or mechanisms: • Sharing instructor enthusiasm. • Discussion on controversial topics. • Exposure to diversity. • Experiencing innovative teaching approaches. The disadvantages are that while most courses are free, some are fee-paying and videos are normally short, drop-out rates are high – up to 90
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UGC’s PERSPECTIVE
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per cent — these rates are marginally lower for paid-for courses. A reasonable degree of computer literacy is needed. Many of the MOOCs users are graduates, seeking to top up their skills and competences. MOOCs do not feed into a degree or other qualification but are self-contained. Only a few students complete the courses. Content of MOOCs offered by other countries may not match the culture and condition of the home country of the student accessing the course. Advantages of MOOCs over physical colleges and universities are• Scaling up the course batch size is a few clicks away. • Thousands of young minds can be guided by an emeritus tutor. • Self-paced study enables student to study and learn at their own leisurely rate. • Online courses can help mitigate and remove all systemic barriers, thus truly making education a universally available resource. Three of the most pressing critiques of an open learning system are (a) lack of an effective system to measure and validate the progress of the learners, (b) how to integrate the course credits into the present system so that it counts towards a degree from a college, and (c) how to ensure personalised guidance and mentorship. However, all these are resolvable as having certain multiple choices questions at the end of each session to evaluate the understanding of the learner and a few universities have started launching their full-fledged courses online or allowing certain validated MOOCs to contribute credits to their physical courses. In India, SWAYAM (Study Webs of ActiveLearning for Young Aspiring Minds) was launched on 15 August 2016 which is an information
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technology platform. It aims at providing high quality education on various subjects from school level (class IX-XII) to under graduate and post graduate students, covering all disciplines is a new portal for MOOCs. SWAYAM is a programme designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy. To ensure best quality content are produced and delivered, seven National Coordinators have been appointed. They are NPTEL for engineering, UGC for post-graduation education, CEC for under-graduate education, NCERT & NIOS for school education, IGNOU for out of the school students and IIMB for management studies. SWAYAM platform is indigenously developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with the help of Microsoft and would be ultimately capable of hosting 2,000 courses and 80,000 hours of learning: covering school, under-graduate, post-graduate, engineering, law and other professional courses. It is thus anticipated that MOOCs impact is going to be felt strongly on the education system in India not only in improving standards and availability of quality education in all fields, on the click of a button but also granting affordability of learning science for students from rural background or colleges in remote areas with paucity of competent science instructors.
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SWAYAM is a programme designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged.
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SNBP: HARNESSING TALENT FOR HOLISTIC GROWTH OF KIDS SNBP promotes activity-based learning to ensure holistic growth of students in a friendly environment. We always focus on making education more fun and simple to understand, says Dr Vrishali Bhosale, President, SNBP Group of Institutes, in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
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Keeping need of the hour in mind, we have equipped our classroom with e-learning. Our R&D department assists teachers to integrate technology with the curriculum to boost the learning among student.
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Give us an overview of SNBP Group of institutes.
by SNBP group to ensure safety of students?
‘’The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’’. The offshoot of SNBP sprung, holding on to our this vision and today the banner holds high with 13 institutions,over10,000 students and 1,500 dedicated staff committed to accomplish this mission. Our dreams will continue to be our goals.
From its year of inception, safety of students is the priority of SNBP group. The following measures have been taken to ensure holistic learning in safe environment: • CCTV cameras are installed in corridors, classrooms and playgrounds • A well maintained infirmary with a doctor and an assistant • Counseling cell to address issues like child abuse and make students aware about the good and bad touch • Fire safety weeks are conducted on a regular basis • To ensure safety of students in bus through GPS tracking device, first aid box, fire extinguisher, door locks etc
How do you ensure holistic development of children in your institutes? Children’s early age experiences lay the foundation of their life ahead. At SNBP, we promote activitybased learning to ensure holistic growth of children aged 6-8 years in a friendly environment. Our teachers dedicatedly help students to be problem solvers and solution-seekers and to learn skills to handle personal as well as professional problems in their life. Various extra-curricular activities are also organised to instill compassion, respect, empathy and integrity amongst students.
How have you integrated ICT in your institutes? Globally, educational systems are adopting new technologies and integrating ICT in the teachinglearning process. Keeping need of the hour in mind, we have equipped our classroom with e-learning. Our R&D department assists teachers to integrate technology with the curriculum to boost the learning among student. Apart from this we have our own web portal to assist students at home as well.
Recent incidents at different schools have raised serious concerns on security promises made by schools, what measures have been taken
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What sports and extra-curricular activities are organized by the institute? SNBP Group of Institutes promotes activity-based education. Our entire curriculum is integrated with extra-curricular activities to enrich teachinglearning process. Every month we conduct 5-6 extra-curricular activities and ensure participation of every student.
What are your expansion plans? Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Life’s most persistent and the urgent question is, what you are doing for others?” SNBP Group was established to experience the joy of giving. In a span of two decades, the group has three CBSE schools, three SSC schools, four junior colleges and three senior colleges under its umbrella. Our vision is to educate children in remote areas of the country through latest technology.
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MERITTRAC: EMPOWERING LEARNERS, TRANSFORMING LIVES
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Leading government organisations, educational institutions, boards and universities have trusted MeritTrac to streamline their examinations – leveraging its rich experience and robust technology framework. Over the last 17 years, MeritTrac has garnered significant expertise in test research, design, development and its delivery, and administration for computer-based/online tests as well as paperbased tests. MeritTrac has been developing and administering tests for over 400 clients in more than 350 cities through 2,000+ certified test centers. The company has over 250 assessment specialists and a network of over 1,500 certified Test administrators across India. Leading educational institutions, examination boards, universities, government bodies and corporates have trusted MeritTrac to streamline its examinations – leveraging its rich experience and robust technology framework. With a wide range of best in class offerings, MeritTrac has successfully helped organisations automate its examination processes from application form processing to result processing including test administration, candidate authentication and digital evaluation of answer scripts. MeritTrac is a member of ATP (Association of Test Publishers), USA, which is one of the prestigious associations of test publishing companies. MeritTrac recently partnered with ACT - the US College Admission Test to provide end-toend examination support and expand ACT’s base in India. MeritTrac has its largest network of test centres in India. It has high quality assessment labs helping ETS - one of the world’s largest private non-profit educational testing and assessment organisation in delivering their world renowned certifications in India.
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eritTrac is a premier testing and assessment company providing innovative assessment services to leading educational institutions, government organisations and corporate entities. It’s a 100% subsidiary of Manipal Global Education (MaGE), one of the largest education services providers in India. MeritTrac has introduced assessment processes and patented technologies empowering educational institutions, government organisations, corporate and vocational training providers across the globe in administering high quality tests. Adopting a three-dimensional approach of design, develop, and deliver, MeritTrac has been creating standardised and customised scientific tests for its clients. MeritTrac has a long-standing reputation for offering services that have exhibited superior quality, reliability, agility and transparency time after time. As a premier testing and assessment service provider, MeritTrac has been leveraging its ISO and CMMI Level III certified test processes in transforming the way tests are managed and delivered. MeritTrac offers high levels of r e l i a b i l i t y, quality and security for consistently delivering large tests. In addition to computer-based tests and Paper and pen based tests, MeritTrac offers examination services like online application processing, TracMARKS - On Screen Marking (OSM) and online scientific role based assessment solutions.
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WES
WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT LEGACY Bringing Brightest Minds Together In an endeavour to enhance awareness and build knowledge-sharing platforms highlighting the growing significance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education, every year, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd organises the World Education Summit (WES). Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN) explores its legacy.
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ducation is a diversified term as it includes preschool education, school education and higher education. It is no more limited to chalk and board but the Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays a vital role in the teaching-learning process. With each passing day, new innovations are emerging to transform lecture delivery methodologies, curriculum and pedagogy. These innovations support in swift delivery of knowledge in schools, colleges and universities. The WES is held in various parts of the world to highlight and showcase the innovations, initiatives and best practices followed across the globe in the education space. So far, 10 editions of WES have been organised across the world (in cities like Delhi, Bahrain, Denver, etc) covering the various aspects of education as stated. The World Education Summits have brought together on common platform decision makers, decision influencers, experts and practitioners to discuss and explore groundbreaking innovations in the education sector and propagate them to make meaningful improvements in global education landscape. The summit is a premier international platform dedicated to innovation and creative action in education where top decision-makers share insights with onthe-ground practitioners and collaborate to rethink education.
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WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT, DUBAI
2011
The Grand Conference
WES is the congregation of some of the leading thinkers in the education world from across Asia and beyond. The latest edition of World Education Summit is an endeavour to inspire one and all, making them understand the challenges and solutions of the developing education world through a new prism. Over 300 inspirational speakers, not just from Asia but from different parts of the world, have been invited to participate in the summit.
2012
Expo
Eletsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; conference is the place where the best of learning experiences happen. The exhibition witnesses unique yet effective teaching methodologies, networking and product interactions among different sections of the education stakeholders. Over 50 exhibitors are showcasing new initiatives in edtech at WES Dubai.
2013
Awards
The 11th World Education Summit Dubai 2017 aims to recognise, highlight, honour and encourage leading models/ projects/processes of excellence and sustainable innovations in school and higher education. The awards are meant to recognise entrepreneurs in the education space. The summit has, in its past, brought to fore unique initiatives and projects that have caused a paradigm shift in the education sphere from within.
2014
2016
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2015
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THE REFLECTION ON PAST Thought Leaders from across the globe have been part of Elets initiatives since last decade. Be it India, Asia or Middle East, Africa or Europe, policymakers have attended WES and shared their vision to create a developed knowledge based society. Be it preschool, school or higher education, global thought leaders from these verticals have enriched Elets conferences with their presence as well as opened up new horizons for the visionaries.
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SCHOOL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2018 Decision-Makers’ Congregation from 300+ Top Schools; 100+ Corporates & Government Continuing the legacy of creating the most powerful knowledge sharing platform, the digitalLearning 5th School Leadership Summit 2018 will act as an ideal platform to co-create innovative solutions for growth of the education sector in today’s hi-tech society.
SPOTLIGHT Deliberation
Ideation
on current industry trends, best practices & challenges
to chalk roadmap for innovation
Collaboration
for growth in the education ecosystem
KEY PARTICIPANTS CHAIRPERSONS OF GROUP OF SCHOOLS
DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS
CORPORATES
SCHOOL PRINCIPALS
POLICY-MAKERS FROM GOVERNMENT
Stay Connected Ashutosh Dubey : +91 9650101649 | Silky Bhatia : +91 9205686300 | school@digitallearning.in digitallearningonline
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Organiser
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DELHI
2011
World Education Summit 2011 created history by attracting representations from over 50 countries. Thought leaders and policymakers from countries of Middle East, Africa, Europe along with India congregated together to ideate, deliberate and discuss on new technological interventions for over all development of education world over.
Hon’ble Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
Former President of India
Dr Thomas Christie
Director, Aga Khan University Examination Board
Loynpo Thakur S Powdyel
Kapil Sibal
Hon’ble Minister of Human Hon’ble Minister Resource Development of Education, Royal and Communications and Government of Bhutan IT, Government of India
Dr Taseer Al Nuaimi Goeffrey Conaghan Hon’ble Minister of Education, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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Commissioner to India, State Government of Victoria, Australia
DELHI
2012
Elets World Education Summit 2012 created a knowledge sharing platform to discuss various aspects of ICT for education ranging from School Education to Higher Education and Technical Education. Global Leaders like Minister of Education from Mauritius and other countries participated in the premier conference on education.
E Ahmad
Shigeru Aoyagi
Dr Sunil Nawaratne
Dr Theophilus Mooko
Dr Pascal Chazot
Prof S S Mantha
Secretary, Minister Minister of State for Human Director and UNESCO of Higher Education, representative to India, Resourse Development, Bhutan, Maldvies, Sri Lanka Government of Sri Lanka Government of India
Deputy Permanent Secretary, President, National Chairman, All India Council Ministry of Education and comission of Employment for Technical Education Skills Development, and Training, France (AICTE) Republic of Botswana
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DELHI
2013
Harmonising Global Efforts: Strategies for steering the education sector - Keeping this theme as focal point of discussion, WES 2013 witnessed congregation of thought leaders under one roof to discuss various issues related to education. Member of Parliament, France and key policy makers from Indian Government shared their views for creating an effective education ecosystem.
Prof Wajih Owais
HE Shaida Mohammad
Robert O Ferrer
Mark Parkinson
HE Rizali Wilmar
Minister of Higher Education Abdali Indrakesuma and Scientific Research, Ambassador of the Islamic Indrakesuma, Government of Jordan Republic of Afghanistan Ambassador of Indonesia to India to India
First Secretary, Embassy of the Philippines
Executive Director, Kunskapsskolan Eduventures, India
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Shahid Ali Khan
Minister, Minority Welfare and IT, Government of Bihar, India
DELHI
2014
TheWorld Education Summit 2014 was more than a conference. It built a strong community around it and provided various business and networking opportunities for education leaders and industry leaders. The dynamics of education sector was then changing rapidly world over and WES 2014 provided an opportunity to all the stakeholders to come together and deliberate, discuss and explore the horizon.
Vishaka Nanayakkara
Ministry Of Higher Education, Government of SriLanka
Praveen Prakash
Justice M S A Siddiqui
Moli Diva
Chairman, National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions, New Delhi
Deputy Head of English and Foundation Studies, Australian College of Kuwait
William Bickerdike
Dr. Najma A Heptulla
Joint Secretary, Technology Regional Director Union Minister for Minority Enabled Learning and Cambridge International Affairs, Government Mission Director,NMEICT, Examinations of India MHRD
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JUBILEE HILLS EDUCATION SOCIETY Road No. 71, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad - 500 033. Ph.No. : 040-2354 8584, 2360 7797 E-mail : info@jhpublicschool.com Website : www.jhpublicschool.com
JHPS
ISO Certified 9001 : 2008
JUBILEE HILLS PUBLIC SCHOOL ( KG TO CLASS XII )
Jubilee Hills Education Society was established in 1986 and is successfully running these institutions on a six acre campus and rendering quality education to students.
JHPS RAMPALLY DAYARA
JUBILEE HILLS SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
JHPS, Kareemguda, Dayara Village, Rampally,
Keesara Mandal, Medchal Dist., 501301 www.jhpsrampally.com | E-mail: info@jhpsrampally.com, Ph. No. 9515943805, 9849519416
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DELHI
2015
From Canada to Australia- Global leaders from the world of education came together to deliberate upon different aspects of school and higher education and skill development in WES 2015. With the presence of ministers and key policymakers from India sharing their vision on education for all, the summit also created unique platform of knowledge sharing amongst the policy makers, eduleaders and industry leaders.
Kalthoom Al Balooshi
Dr Abdullah Al-Shibli
Executive Director, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai
Director General of the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, The Sultanate of Oman
Prof Allan Rock
Dr Daljit Singh Cheema
President, University of Ottawa, Canada
Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Minister, Department of School Education, Goverment of Punjab
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Prof Andrew Tagart Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University
Manish Sisodia
Deputy Chief Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi
DUBAI
2016
The sixth WES was organised in Dubai in collaboration with Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai. It witnessed presence of 100 schools and colleges from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. World education awards over the years have seen top innovations from education sector in private and public space get highlighted and recognised at this global platform.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam Hon. V. Radhakrishnan Chairman of the Board of Directors & Director General, KHDA, Dubai
State Minister of Education Sri Lanka
Dr Ayoub Kazim
Dr. B.R. Shetty
Chris Cobb
Vice-Chancellor (Operations) & COO University of London,UK
Ryan Pinto
Managing Director Dubai Chairman Abu Dhabi Indian CEO, Ryan International International Academic City School Group of Institutions and Dubai Knowledge Village
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DELHI
2016
The seventh WES was organised in New Delhi in collaboration with NSDC, and witnessed presence of 200 Schools and 130 Universities from India. World Education Awards over the years have seen top innovations from education sector in private and public sector. These innovations were highlighted and recognised at this global platform.
Raghubar Das
Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Chief Minister, Jharkhand
Eduardo J PadrĂłn
President, Miami Dade College, Miami
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi H E Tomasz Lukaszuk
Minister of Miniority Affairs, Ambassador, Embassy Government of India of Poland
Dr Marc Poulin,
Assistant Professor, School of Graduate Studies & Director of MBA and MITGov pograms, Canadian University, Dubai.
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Amol Arora
Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Shemrock & Shemford Group of Schools
BAHRAIN
2017
From Dubai to Bahrain, the World Education Summit organised on 8-9 March, was more than a conference. It has a strong community around it and provided various business and networking opportunities for education leaders and industry leaders.
HE Dr Majid Bin Ali AL- Christine Nasserghodsi Paul Fear Director of Innovation and Chief Executive Officer, Nuaimi Minister of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain
Prof Ghassan Aouad
President, Applied Science University, Bahrain
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Entrepreneurship, Gems British Accreditation Education, Dubai Council, United Kingdom
Ken Jones
CEO, Al Dhafra Private Schools, Abu Dhabi
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Prof Yusuf Abdul Ghaffar Abdulla President, Kingdom University, Bahrain
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DENVER
2017
9th World Education Summit 2017, Denver brought together the pioneers of education fraternity to the University of Denver for exchanging and retaining new innovations in education industry. The University of Denver was the best place for such kind of a educational workshop which witnessed congregation of educationists from all over the world.
DELHI
2017
The World Education Summit 2017 Delhi created another knowledge sharing platform to discuss various aspects of ICT for education ranging from School Education to Higher Education and Technical Education. Global Leaders like Minister of Education from Dubai, Sri Lanka and various dignitaries from other countries participated in the premier conference on education held in the capital.
Anil Sahasrabudhe
Rajeev Katyal
Nirmal Mahana
Rachna Pant
Chairman, AICTE
Principal, Delhi Public School, Kathua
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Chris Cobb,
Director, GIIS
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Operations) and Chief Operating Officer, University of London
Principal, Ramjas School, RK Puram,New Delhi
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Manjula Pooja Shroff Director, Kalorex Foundation
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EDGEFX: BOOSTING INNOVATION AMONG KIDS THROUGH DIY KITS
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dgefx designs unique, powerful and innovative Science, Technology, Engineering Maths (STEM), Do It Yourself (DIY) educational kits in wide areas of Electronics, Electrical, Embedded and Communication. The kits, which introduce students over 8 years to engineering world, are being sold to over 40 countries worldwide including the US and the UK.
technical courses including engineering wherein it is mandatory for students to complete a project to have practical exposure as per university guidelines. Lack of trained technical manpower, outdated syllabus, and absence of practical lab facilities has made â&#x20AC;&#x153;Edgefx DIY Project Kits for Higher Educationâ&#x20AC;? a popular product among students.
Our Purpose: Empowering every student to innovate is why Edgefx exists.
Edgefx boasts of a range of over 400 end-toend different project solutions in more than 40 different categories.
Methodology - Design Thinking: Our experiential understanding of over 18 years about the needs and wants of the students has helped us immensely to incorporate design thinking in building our products. Our Product lines include:
Edgefx DIY Project Kit for Engineering and Diploma students Over 20 million students globally pursue
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Edgefx STEM Kits for students from 8+ years onwards STEM is a revolution in the education system worldwide. Edgefx STEM Kits are based on electronic building blocks, designed for ease of use and to feed the curiosity of young minds. Edgefx STEM Kits include real time projects with fun-filled activities and experiments and are also mapped to the curriculum.
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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
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EI – IMPROVING TEACHINGLEARNING PROCESS THROUGH PERSONALISED SOLUTIONS Educational Initiatives believes in making a difference in education through personalised learning and ensuring that students learn with understanding. All of EI’s products are developed by keeping children at the centre of the teachinglearning process, says Srini Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Educational Initiatives, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).
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EI’s products help teachers better the teachinglearning process in two ways – first through assessments and student performance data, and second through capacity building workshops.
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How is Educational Initiatives (EI) making a difference in education landscape through its products and methodologies? Developed with the vision of helping children everywhere learn with understanding, EI’s products are backed by meaningful insights derived from years of data-driven research and questioning. In the private school space, EI’s products help children everywhere learn through diagnostic assessments and personalised learning solutions. Through ASSET Talent Search and ASSET Summer Programme, EI’s products also help students reach their full potential academically. In the Government school space as well, EI’s LSEP team is working relentlessly towards providing quality assessments and learning solutions to students.
Students are always at the core of teaching-learning processes, how do EI products make the teachinglearning process fun and more effective? All of EI’s products are developed by keeping children at the centre of the teaching-learning process. Our math and language learning product Mindspark uses data-driven adaptive algorithm to personalise the learning process for each child.
NOVEMBER 2017 | dl.eletsonline.com
It also identifies behavioural traits of a child, and incorporates rewards and games with the regular lessons to maximise their learning outcomes. For the work that we have done with Mindspark over the last eight years, our technological and pedagogical approach has been applauded by leading institutions around the world such as Harvard, Stanford and The Economist. Moreover, our assessment products ASSET and Detailed Assessment are low-stake and are therefore not perceived as an additional burden on students.
Teachers play an important role in the teaching-learning process, how the products offered by Educational Initiatives help teachers to improve the learning process for their students? EI’s products help teachers better the teachinglearning process in two ways – first through assessments and student performance data, and second through capacity building workshops. As far as assessments and student data is concerned, ASSET, Detailed Assessment and Minsdspark all provide meaningful insights to teachers about the performance of each student as well as the class as a whole. It helps teachers
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Describe the services you offer to parents and how they are helping the children attempt their school exams in a better manner? Our products come with detailed student reports to help parents understand their child’s performance. We also conduct several post ASSET seminars for parents and teachers in schools to help them understand the nuances of the report in greater detail. We also have a Parent Connect app, which helps parents track their child’s learning path on
our platforms. It provides them with all the data and insights on the topics covered, questions practiced and concepts students have learnt.
What is your mission and vision for upcoming years? Our work is aligned with our core vision of helping children everywhere learn with understanding. Our mission drives us to enhance our products and solutions to become technically more robust and pedagogically stronger. We are working on the data that we have accumulated in last 16 years and are using latest tools and techniques in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to customise learning trends for each and every child. It will help the children in achieving their learning goals. We are also taking aggressive steps to expand internationally including USA, Middle East and South East Asia.
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We have a Parent Connect app, which helps parents track their child’s learning path on our platforms. It provides them with all the data and insights on the topics covered, questions practiced and concepts students have learnt.
”
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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
effectively plan remediation sessions which are most needed for the students in their class. We also empower the teaching community with pedagogical tools, including teacher worksheets – a step-by-step guide to teach a topic and Enhancement of Teacher Assessment Skills (ETAS) that helps raise the level of assessment competency amongst teachers. For capacity building, Skillfest, our teacher training festival helps the teaching community learn, practice, engage and network with other likeminded education professionals, thereby enhancing their knowledge and updating their skills at par with the best in the world. We also conduct tailormade capacity building workshops for government school teachers, that enable and empower them to devise customised learning for their students.
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EDUDIGM EFFECTIVELY PREPARING STUDENTS FOR NATIONAL LEVEL EXAMS
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stablished in 2009, Edudigm - an IIT Kharagpur alumni initiative focuses on making quality education accessible and affordable for students preparing for engineering (JEE), medical (NEET) entrance examinations and Olympiads. The organisation has innovated constantly through its 3E model of empowerment and encouraged students of class 7 to 12 to choose Science and Mathematics. The 3E model of empowerment is: Exploration- Encouraging students to be inquisitive i.e. more of “Whys, Whats, Hows” in the class Enjoyment- Focusing on the practical aspects of the concepts first and then on the theoretical aspects, explained in a lucid, story-telling, techabled format Excellence- By systematically streamlining students to become more consistent and efficient in the art of taking examinations
Edudigm has two programmes: ARJUNA -Physical/Web based Classrooms/Camps and EKLAVYA -- Distance/Assessments/e-learning.
Biology (for students aspiring to get into the top Medical colleges of India) iii. TargetJEEM covering Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics (for students aspiring for both Engineering and Medical) Class 10 - One year Foundation programme covering Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics (for students aspiring to excel in Olympiads and CBSE/ICSE Board Exams) Class 9/ Class 8/ Class 7 - One year Foundation programme covering Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics (for students aspiring to excel in Olympiads and School Exams) • Some of our achievements are as follows: • 54 ARJUNA centres set up in schools catering to 5,000+ students and 20,000+ EKLAVYA students across India • Selected by the Government of West Bengal to teach 3,000+ students from weak financial background across 26 centers • Tie-up with top schools like The Heritage School (Ranked No 1 in Eastern India), Delhi Public School, South Point High School (one of the most populous schools in Asia), St. Xaviers Institution, St. Agnes, St. Joseph & Mary’s, BDM International, Asian International School • DRONACHARYA teacher training conducted for 500+ teachers across India including Kendriya Vidyalayas • Two third of our students get admission to the top Engineering/Medical colleges like the IITs, BITS, NITs, IIEST, AIIMS, AFMC
Edudigm offers courses for: Class 12 Two-year programme and Class 12 Oneyear programme namely i. TargetJEE covering Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (for students aspiring to get into the top Science and Engineering colleges) ii. TargetNEET covering Physics, Chemistry and
Our unique model of school integrated programmes, technology integration and teacher training ensures preparation of students for school curriculum as well as for competitive examinations. The model also benefits the stakeholders other than the students like parents, teachers and administration.
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PRESCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
60
SANFORT NURTURING KIDS THE FUTURISTIC WAY S K Rathor Founder & Managing Director Sanfort Group of Schools
Sanfort Preschool is all about bridging the learning gap that seems to be ever widening in the early learning space. The brand, with nearly 150 schools in 22 States, has also marked its presence in two international locations, observes Elets News Network (ENN).
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Sanfort curriculum is designed to bridge the learning gap and prepare children for life. Its learning environment takes a 21st century approach and a processoriented model.
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oday’s parents are more concerned than ever about their child’s education. In an increasingly competitive landscape, children need to acquire a multitude of skills to become successful adults. It is a known fact that the majority of children in India are not ready for school. Sanfort curriculum is designed to bridge the learning gap and prepare children for life. Our learning environment takes a 21st century approach and a process-oriented model. We take effective, time-tested elements of traditional learning, and infuse them with cutting-edge technology and resources. We are partner to Trinity College, London, for English language development at preschool level.
The Initial Phase As Delhi’s market was overcrowded so, Rathor decided not to work on Delhi in first phase. They started working aggressively on Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur and few other Tier II cities. Even after putting their best efforts and spending huge capital they failed to attract any franchisee from those cities. But their marketing initiative in Ghaziabad paid off well and helped them to open four new franchisees in Ghaziabad. “This taught a lesson to strengthen the roots of Sanfort first in Delhi-NCR. So, we re-worked our franchise strategy and channelised our resources towards Delhi, rather Ghaziabad first. This time the results were encouraging and we reached to 26 branches in three years” says Rathor. Though the branches swelled but drained out with finance. However, Rathor held on and took financial support from a close friend and then from bank. Rathor shares that “at the end of three years, we had a good team, 26 branches and finance available to invest for expansion. We again re-worked on
NOVEMBER 2017 | dl.eletsonline.com
strategy, focussed on selective cities and reached to 100 branches at the end of six years. Today, we have 150 schools successfully running in different parts of the country from Jammu to Chennai.”
The Learning The success or failure of a franchise model largely depends on the success or failure of franchisees, as they are the ones who carry out the business in the assigned territory. The screening of the franchisees before signing them up is a very extensive and stringent process. A lot of parameters are taken into consideration to evaluate each and every potential franchisee. However, even after such meticulous screening and evaluation, at times, there are fallouts. “Franchisees fail to meet our expectations sometime. Some look for immediate profits, even we came across people who had no proper planning and financial backup. This industry needs a slightly different approach, one need to have passion, dedication and patience to wait for profits. As a franchisor we need to evaluate the potential of a person before signing the agreement,” says Rathor.
Future Goals As of now we have 150+ preschools, 11 primary and K-12 schools and have plans to have a substantial growth in this sector. The brand is adding 6-7 branches every month and “five years down the line we are targeting to reach a count of 500 preschools”. Sanfort with growing popularity amongst parents is also attracting investors’ attention. Now they are also looking for some potential investor, as they have plans to open company owned K-12 schools and Expansion of the brand in India as well as neighbouring countries.
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Kids with Nino, the Humanoid robot built by Sirena Technologies. Photographed in Sirena robotics lab, KRM school, Chennai
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HIGHER EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE
62
AISCET PIONEERING ‘SKILL INDIA’ IN MADHYA PRADESH The AISECT University was established in Bhopal in 2010 as India’s first university to impart skill education. In a short span of time, the university has not only set an example for quality skills-based formal education but has also emerged as a research hub of the country, writes Vijay Singh, Registrar, Aisect University for Elets News Network (ENN).
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Research is a major focus area for AISECT University and it has collaborated with several research centres and universities in India and abroad. In fact, the university has made research activity compulsary for every undergraduate student from the first year.
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ISECT University is one of the most trusted education groups in the country that offers a wide spectrum of programmes at PhD, undergraduate (UG) and post graduate levels through nine major faculties including Engineering and Technology, Science, Management, Commerce, Arts, Paramedical, Education, Computer Science and IT and Law. Owing to its path-breaking initiatives, AISECT is recognised as a premier university in academic circles and among the aspiring students. To bridge the skill gap, the university has introduced skill-based learning in the higher education and started skill academies in each department in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), which offers over 30 skill courses. In addition to the curriculum, the university has made it mandatory for each student to learn a new skill every year during their degree programmes. So, an undergraduate student passes with three to four skills in addition to handson experience on industrial machines. Spread over 52 acres, the university has advanced laboratories with the latest equipments, lecture halls equipped with video conferencing, digital classrooms and a digitised library service equipped with the DELNET software offering technology-based learning environment to the students. The University has also organised a unique state-level tech fest “Rhythm DIGIGEN 2K16” last year. Moreover, the University has joined hands with Microsoft for its Platinum Ed-
NOVEMBER 2017 | dl.eletsonline.com
vantage Partnership programmeto help students in acquiring the right skills. Research is a major focus area for AISECT University and it has collaborated with several research centres and universities in India and abroad. In fact, the university has made research activity compulsary for every undergraduate student from the first year. Students are encouraged to write and publish research papers and the university itself is publishing research journals of international standard. Adding to this, AISECT University is soon going to conduct a research methodology workshop named “Gyanoday” for the students. Besides this, every year, the university organises at least one international event and this year too, in March, the university organised an international conference on Water, Environment, Energy and Society (ICWEES) with participation from over 20 and with publication of 300 research papers. Over the years, the University’s progressive approach has earned immense popularity and accolades at national as well as international platforms including the Shiksha Ratna Award, the ASSOCHAM National Education Excellence Award and the World Education Award.
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HIGHER EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE
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JJTU: NURTURING LEADERS OF TOMORROW It is with immense pleasure that I note EletsTechnomedia Pvt Ltd is organising “11th Elets World Education Summit 2017, Dubai. The organisation has organised many education summits in the past at various locations that witnessed discussions on varied education issues and their progress. These events benefited the teaching and learning communities.
E Dr Vinod Tibrewala, Chancellor, JJT University Trustee & President – Shri Rajasthani Seva Sangh President – Association of Self financed Universities of Rajasthan
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ducation has been a top priority for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it is believed to be an engine of growth and prosperity. This sector has hence experienced rapid expansion and contributed to a noted development in the world economy. The UAE government’s vision is to provide the highest standard of modern education to its students in terms of curriculum, technology and environment through the creation of an education system in tune with the new-age learning that conforms to the visualised world class standards.
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65 each convocation, the university confers honorary Degree of DLitt to prominent personalities that include State Governors, eminent personalities from film, social, cultural, literature other sectors. Our university has been conferred “Research Excellence Award during 3rd CMAI –CCIT Technology Awards 2015” constituted by The Gujarat Technical University and other foreign High Commissioners in India. The university regularly conducts national and international conferences on varied themes and topics of national and international significance, hosted at various locations in India and abroad for research scholars and faculties. We have successfully conducted international conferences in Sri Lanka, Dubai and Mauritius this year and quite a large number of research and teaching faculties have participated with great interest. The university publishes three journals of which Centrum and Spark are ISSN numbered and Rex is UGC approved. All the three journals are for publishing articles and other academic issues to enthuse research interest amongst the scholars. I am confident that this Education Summit would greatly benefit a large number of research scholars and teaching fraternities of Gulf Countries and other closely-knit nations of the world. I wish great success for this summit.
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The University regularly conducts national and international conferences on varied themes and topics of national and international significance, hosted at various locations in India and abroad for the benefit of Research Scholars and Faculties
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HIGHER EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE
The UAE government has already allocated good budgetary support for the education sector and accordingly ensures appointment of accredited teachers. It will boost the professional development of teachers and to develop smart learning programmes for revamping the education curricula. College degrees no longer guarantee gainful employment positions. In many parts of the world, graduate unemployment is hitting the crisis level. Higher education hence should be more about empowering students with job-oriented skills. . Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabaramal Tibrewala University has been established by State Legislative Act of Rajasthan Government in 2009. The university has commenced its academic operation in 2009 and research in 2010. Today, the University has earned a unique name in research and few research scholars have completed their PhD programme, with many more pursuing the same. All of our research theses are uploaded in Shodhganga of INFLIBNET and approved synopses by the DRC are uploaded in Shodhgangothri of INFLIBNET. Congratulatory messages continue to be flashed on the Shodhgangothri website in favour of our University for having uploaded maximum synopses. We have successfully completed six annual convocations and five special convocations. In
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