Project Shiksha
Organisation: Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited
Website: www.microsoft.com
Objective: Through this program,Microsoft aims at bringing innovation in the teaching-learning process by empowering teachers with ICT skills.
Description: Partners in Learning works in association with governments and education leaders around the world to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning, and research and aims to deliver on empowering leadership, providing access to technology and quality content, and building strong communities within India.
Target Group: Government school teachers
Achievements
• Project Shiksha has so far trained more than 744,400 government
school teachers
• Tie-ups with various state-run District Institutes for Education and Training (DIETs)
• Several teachers participate in e-communities and have their own websites after their ICT training
• Many teachers trained under Shiksha have won National ICT awards recognising their efforts

DigitALly by Pearson
Organisation: Pearson Education Services
Website: www.pearsoneducationservices.com
Objective: To convert the traditional classroom into an interactive learning session by combining state-of-the-art hardware with syllabus-compliant, multimedia content.
Description: The traditional chalk-and-talk teaching method did not encourage collaboration and interactivity in a classroom. Hence, we created DigitALly™ whose vibrant and engaging multimedia content ensures an interactive classroom and provides for an easy understanding of difficult concepts.
Target Group: Teachers and students.
Achievements
• Received several awards including e-Maharashtra award, National Business Award
and Marico Innovation Award
• Manthan Award for Best e-Content Development across Southeast Asia

Chrysalis Techmate
Organisation: Ez Vidya Private Ltd
Website: www.ezvidya.com
Objective: To integrate a unified techno-pedagogy learning framework that integrates 21st Century curriculum, Cloud-sourced technology and professional development of teachers.
Description: Chrysalis TechMate integrates technology into learning with the help of a user-friendly repository of curriculum, audiovisuals and assessments. Teachers and students annotate on them and save for future reference. Navigation is streamlined to enhance productivity of users. Students take online assessments with instant
grading and reporting on their performance.
Target Group: All the stakeholders in a school – Principal, Teachers and students.
Achievements
• Deployed in over 180 schools in less than two years
• Teachers and principals becoming collaborative designers and not just users
• Have customised TechMate for every single user amongst all partner schools
• EZ Vidya has reviewed every single teacher usage with every school
• In the last two years EZ Vidya has achieved 94 percent conversion of teachers’ usage

Ryan Pinto,
CEO,
Ryan Group of Institutions

Having proven its mettle with its sustainable efforts in the K-12 segment, the Ryan Group of Institutions is a well established brand in education. Ryan Pinto, CEO, Ryan Group of Institutions shares how the K-12 business has been the most rewarding experience. In
conversation with Rachita Jha

Please share the genesis of Ryan Group of Institutions.
We had a small and humble beginning in 1976 with a group of 20 children in Mumbai, and over the years the vision to make a difference in the lives of children has evolved and grown. The passion behind Ryan came from our Chairman and Managing Director, as they were teachers and they really saw a great need for quality education in this country. In any developing country, education is its foundation. With India, the largest and youngest nation in the world and 500 million under the age of 25, education can give youngsters a platform where they are qualified, educated and self–empowered. That’s how they started.

After a couple of years of operation, where does the Group stand now? What were the initial hiccups faced while setting up schools in India and how did you overcome those challenges?
The founding members were among the first social entrepreneurs of the nation, and at that time India’s economy was opening up and people were getting into different sphere of economy. At that time they weren’t many people to support them, and there was a big learning curve for them on legal, financial aspects of setting-up schools. As we began to grow it was not based on a predefined business model and financial projections. It was purely from the heart and they went where there was a need. A lot of the growth came from invitations and recommendations, including the governments from across the country. It was a lot of time, learning curve, and challenges were many, but the vision to give our children a bright future was undeterred. And, today we are in 40 cities across 16 states in the country. And about 120 school in operation and every morning the joy of welcoming 250,000 kids to our schools. We plan to continue to grow within India and within the globe as well.

Tell us more about your growth model?
Quality education is our prime concern, and so even with many schools opening across the country we continue to own and run all of them. We don’t have a franchise, as we wanted to retain the quality and experience for the child. We have been very cautious about growth and don’t want to just grow in numbers. For us education is our DNA and we have a long-term vi-sion to contribute to the growth of the nation. We as a group, we are at various towns that includes tier-II and tier-III cities and this is designed in our growth strategy as we would like to contribute not just in metros but also small towns in India and we continue on this commitment.

Starting a school in India is still considered as service to the nation and ‘not for profit’ entity, where making profit is allowed but not distributing that profit.What is your opinion on that?
Education is a wonderful sector to be in. A lot of people are misconstrued about the sector. There are stakeholders who come with an investment and return-on-investment strategy, but I would say that in education you are not dealing with products, these are children and their future that we deal with. We have to give them quality education along with values and for us we would judge our ROI based on the future they pursue after they graduate from our schools. And stand on their own. We have to adapt to the changes in the education sector, however I would request the stakeholders to be aware of the sensitivities around children.
We surely need more investments in education, as there such a huge demand supply gap. I therefore welcome people who are looking at education sector as an investment, however all the different stakeholders really need to sit and chalk out the strategy.

Schools have changed from what they were. What are the things you learnt about education and schools?
Every level of our management is involved in classroom teaching and are required to take classes. It is a great way for us to connect with children and understand their needs and demands. It gives us hand-on experience on the way children are evolving during their growth years. Every generation takes learning curve to next level, so we are pleasantly surprised on their knowledge and understanding. The role of a teacher has changed from an instructor to a facilitator. The teacher was the only silo of information in the past. That has all changed today; children today are born with technology and have access to information on their fingertips. We all as educators are there just to bridge that gap. Children have multiple intelligence and can learn in many ways. We as facilitators need to recognize those needs and now with technology it has become easier. But again, technology has to be relevant to the children and their learning needs. For example in a rural village a textbook and notebook would be more relevant to them than tablets. Teacher today needs to pace up with children needs and we need to bridge the gap between the educators and learners to make them effective and efficient in classrooms. Technology can be introduced to enhance the education in schools.
We have been very cautious about growth and don’t want to just grow in numbers.
Children have multiple intelligences and can learn in many ways. We as facilitators need to recognize those needs and now with technology it has become easier.

Use of Assistive Technologies for Training and Assessments

Organisation: MeritTrac Services
Implementing Agency: Indian Institute of Banking and Finance
Website: www.merittrac.com www.isbf.edu.in
Objective: Facilitate bringing the hitherto ‘excluded’ rural poor andhelp establish an open, inclusive and egalitarian society in the rural areas and make financial inclusion a reality.
Description: RBI has permitted banks to use intermediaries such as Business Correspondents/Business Facilitators (BC/BF) to reach out to the rural population. In order to meet this national objective, IIBF has launched this certificate course, with structured training and classroom support, and technology assisted examination.
Target Group: Xth passed candidates who wish to work as Business Correspondents/Facilitators.
Achievements
• Time gap between examination and declaration of results reduced drastically
• Able to reach remote centers for holding examinations
• Able to hold exams timely, accurately and under controlled conditions

Mettl

Organisation: Mettl
Implementing Agency: Induslynk Training Services Pvt Ltd
Website: www. mettl.com
Objective: To integrate a unified techno-pedagogy learning framework integrating 21st Century curriculum, Cloud-sourced technology and professional development of teachers.
Description: Chrysalis TechMate integrates technology into learning with a userfriendly repository of curriculum, audiovisuals and assessments. Teachers and students annotate on them and save for future reference.
Target Group: All the stakeholders in a school – Principal, Teachers and students.
Achievements
• Deployed in over 180 schools in less than two years
• Teachers and Principals becoming collaborative designers and not just users
• Have customised TechMate for every single user amongst all partner schools

IntelliEXAMS

Organisation: Mindlogicx Infratec Ltd
Website: www.mindlogicx.com
Objective: To bring security, reliability, accuracy, transparency and accountability in the whole examination processes conducted by large universities and other exam conducting bodies.
Description: IntelliEXAMS is integrated end-to-end Examination Management System that brings greater transparency, accountability and security in examination processes. The system enables conducting high-stake examinations by large universities in a fool-proof manner by enabling secure generation and delivery of question papers, digital evaluation & secure generation of mark sheets and certificates.
Target Group: Large Universities and Examination conducting bodies.
Achievements
• Students can easily view their evaluated answer copies online
• Multiple evaluation of digitised answer copies can be done parallely by multiple evaluators
• The system completely eliminates any chances of malpractices related question papers
leakage
• The system eliminates chances of faking and tampering of mark sheets and certificates

Teach Next

Organisation: Orchids The International school Hyderabad
Implementing Agency: Teach Next
Website: www.orchidsinternationalschool.com
Objective: To make the students learn subject content in a very interactive and play way method.
Description: Teach Next is an excellent smart board system.
It It is very interactive, with lot of innovative ideas put in, lot of exercises provided, making it very interesting and inspiring even for the dull students to focus and understand the subject.
Achievements
• Shown a tremendous improvement, even among underperforming students
• Students have become more open to learning
• Students show more interaction in learning any concepts
• Student and teachers both are happy with digital boards
• Teachers are able to upload their own extra reference subject matter

DPS Ahmedabad

Organisation: Delhi Public School East, Ahmedabad
Implementing Agencies: Pearsons Education services pvt Ltd
Website: www.dpseast.calorx.org
Objective: The software is implemented at Delhi Public School, East Ahmedabad, to make learning interesting and more effective.
Description: In the age of digitalisation,the importance of technology cannot be undermined. The use of technology in the classrooms is in the form of digital learning, language lab, and audio visual plans with the use of smart boards. The school encourages the use of e-books, multimedia software, educational software,digital portfolios, learning games and
real-time feedback on performance of students and teachers.
Achievements
• Grade improvement, enhancement of thinking, logical skills, and problem solving skills
• Preparation for competitive exams and research based projects
• Bagged International School Award Accreditation (British Council) 2013-2015
• Ranked first in East Delhi Zonals for Sports
• Highest scorer in class XII CBSE Results in East Delhi 2012-2013 

Magical e-Pen
Organisation: Tripada Education Trust
Website: www.tripada.com
Objective: The technology has been developed to elevate the learning experience of students by focusing on the enormous benefits of listening.
Description: The Magical ePen brings sound to paper. When the pen touches a penenbled poster or a book, it speaks. The pen detects sound spots on any page in a book or on any graphics on the poster and plays narrations, questions, answers, quizzes, music or sound effects – whatever audio has been pre-programmed into the paper.
Achievements
• The solution has implemented in standard first, second and Pre school
• The school takes the pride of being first school focusing on the learning styles
• It is the only school to have it implemented in classroom teaching
• It has French and phonetics so as to help the child learn correct pronounication
• It is the only e-Pen, which can download about 100 such books in it to help with content upgrades

Creya Learning, KIIT-IAPT Anveshika Centre & DST Sponsored Inspire Programme

Organisation: KiiT International School International School
Website: www.kiitis.ac.in ; www.creyalearning.com
Implementing Agency: Creya Learning
Objective: To implement 21st century way teaching-learning enabling the whole school transformation, to provide a comprehensive interdisciplinary program, powerful project based curriculum-driven approach.
Description: Creya equips children with skills, competencies and the attitude for success. With global academic research,Creya helps children acquire analytical and problem solving, collaborative and communication skills.
Achievements
• It is beyond rote-learning and helps children acquire analytical skills
• It helped children to work in free environment and gave opportunity to express individual skills
• Combined with parental involvement it provides holistic education to children

Kiran Kumar Reddy, 
Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is in the forefront in use of Information Technology for improving governance in India. Application of IT in major citizen welfare programmes like Aarogyasri and NREGS has enabled total transparency and accountability in their implementation.

Our unique G2C and G2B service delivery platform “Mee Seva”,is serving as a one stop solution for delivering services anywhere, any time. Mee Seva currently offers 153 citizen centric services through more than 6800 CSCs spread across the state. Mee Seva currently offers services pertaining to 11 departments i.e. Revenue, Registration, Municipalities, Power Distribution, Civil Supplies, Police, UIDAI, Transport, Education, Industries & Commerce and IT&C Departments. Additional 154 services pertaining to 10 departments are being developed and would be offered through Mee Seva in the next 4-5 months. Mee Seva has already completed more than 2 crore transactions since inception.
It gives me immense pleasure to share that the Government of Andhra Pradesh is the partner state for the ninth edition of eINDIA 2013, India’s premier ICT event which is being jointly organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd along with other partners at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad, India, between 23rd– 24th July, 2013.
I welcome all the delegates, thought leaders and change agents participating in the event. I look forward to their participation in what promises to be an immensely enriching event.

The United Group, founded by Late Shiv Ram Das Gulati in 195,emerged from a transport business to become a giant in the fields of education, services, transportation and journalism

The United Group of Institutions (UGI) made a mammoth leap in the education arena in the mid-80s by being the pioneers in computer education. This further led to the establishment of United Institute of Management and United College of Engineering and Research in Allahabad & Greater Noida. With nine well-established institutes catering to over 8,000 students and more than 500 faculty members the Group is poised to create a new horizon by providing the best technical education.
It offers NBA accredited courses, quality recognised by the World Bank and boasts of 5,200+ alumni base. Our placement scenario is booming with 4,700+ jobs already offered and state-of-the-art facilities provided to faculty and students alike. All the academic establishments are affiliated to the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (Mahamaya Technical University, Noida and Gautam Budha Technical University, Lucknow) and are approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, New Delhi.
UGI has state-of-the-art classrooms specially designed and equipped with latest audio-visual aids and wireless connectivity to enhance learning activities. It has huge seminar hall and auditorium to conduct seminars, workshops, guest lectures, and other events. The library has an enviable collection of more than two lakh volumes of nationally and internationally acclaimed books in addition to periodicals, articles, journals, etc.
Accredited by TCS and having academic alliance with EMC2, UGI provides a kind of education that equips students to take up challenging leadership roles in business and society.

Our Achievements:

• United College of Engineering & Research Ranked 145 all over India
• Asia’s Best B-School Award, Suntec Singapore – CMO Asia
• Business Sphere Award for Excellence in Education.
• Best Intellectual capital in U.P. – Business World
• Shiksha Bharti Puraskar– All India Achiever’s foundation
• Indian Leadership Award for Academic Excellence
• Outstanding placement efforts for the year 2012 Award by HT-Shine
• Asia Pacific Excellence Award- Indo-Nepal Economic Development
  Conference
• Edupreneurs Awards 2013 by Prof S K Kak, Vice Chancellor, Mahamaya
  Technical University, Noida
• Selected as E-Governance Campus for Greater Noida by Ministry of
  Communications & Information Technology and The United Nations (UN).

UGI works hard to up employability skills and enhance overall grooming of students through industry interface, corporate lectures, case studies, problem solving exercises, etc. Special care is given to the courses like MBA & PGDM which demand industrial trainings and visits. UGI provides ample industrial visits very frequently in to corporate leaders, like; NTPC, Mother Dairy, Denso, NPCIL, Caparo India, Cipla, New Holland, JBM, Moserbaer, LG, etc. The collaboration with Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand and University of Missouri, Columbia has opened the doors to new academic programs for UGI’s bright souls. This association is done for yearly summer training, faculty development and student exchange programs.
UNITIAN’s endeavour for perfection does not end at the completion of the course. It is ensured that every student is well settled once he or she is out of the institute. Hence, training and placement process is given paramount importance in UGI, as Corporate Relation Centre believes that beyond the scholastic achievement, other auxiliary skills, diction, vocabulary and aptitude are the ingredients for successful placements.
The Alumni Association of United Group of Institutions is officially formed to foster a lifelong intellectual connection between UGI and its alumni and to club together all the alumni of UGI on a single floor to guide their juniors on career matters. Our top campus recruiters are include bigwigs including LG, Samsung, HP, IBM India, Takahata Precision, HDFC, ACME Tele Power Ltd., Satyam, TCS, IMStylish, Policy Bazaar, Aircel, and many more. A large number of our students have been placed abroad as well.

Kuncheria P Issac,
Member Secretary,
the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE),
shares his views on role of ICT in education and improving quality in technical education,in conversation with Rozelle Laha, ENN

You have been a pioneer in introducing ICT in imparting education through smart classrooms, digital library, course management systems, etc across educational institutions. What is the relevance of ICT-based learning and what are its future prospects?
If you look at the ancient system of education in India, the number of students was less and interacting with each one of them was easy. Today, we have a much larger population to be educated in the same classroom. We therefore, cannot afford to opt for the Gurukula system of education, wherein the Shishya (student) resided at Guru’s place and there was a regular one-to-one interaction.
Today one teacher needs to give equal attention to a large number of students. Only ICT can be an effective enabling mechanism to depict a similar kind of system, though, even with that, the ratio of the teacher-student interaction will not be one-to-one.
Almost 90% people are receptive to any kind of change. Institutes have responded well to the technological advancements. In today’s society one has to accept the importance of technology and social media.

Share your views on the role of industry training in teachinglearning process?
Industry oriented students is a need of the day, but it is not feasible that all students physically visit the industry to get trained. So, experts from the industry need to be brought into the classroom to telecast on how industry works, manufacturing happen in factories at least once in six months.

Please throw some light on AICTE’s initiatives in improving the quality of faculty?
AICTE has been constantly making efforts to ensure that quality faculty is recruited across educational institutions. We would soon be able to stabilise the demand supply gap of the number of quality faculty.
All faculties in technical institutions should beengaged in research activities. AICTE too funds research activities and believe that it would help boost the ambience of research activities.

Most students opt for MBA after doing B Tech. Can B Tech courses be made more self sufficient in terms of soft-skills development, so as to enable students to get employed right after completing B Tech?
Soft skills development can neither be imparted in an engineering college or in a business school. This needs to be inculcated among students right at the school level. Moreover, soft-skills cannot be implemented in classrooms. It is a self-development. Scheduling one seminar every semester, one power point presentation periodically, giving assignments that demand a student to refer to library books can add value to a B Tech course.

How can the quality of technical education in the country be improved?
The quality of education can improve only through collective arrangement. Institutes of National Importance can help the other technical institutions to come at par with them through faculty exchange and guest lectures. Instead of increasing the number of courses and institutions, focus needs to be laid on improvement of the quality of the existing institutions and the courses to an optimum level. We have an advantage of large population. If we are able to train all the 500 million youth in the country rightly, they can serve as a sturdy backbone for the service sector of the country