National Education Policy 2020: Making it More Learner-Centric or Integration of Technology and Skill-Based Learning

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January 11, 2023

National Education Policy is one of the major moves that education sector of India has taken over the longest time. It is now turning every cornerstone of the sector for the good. Integration of technology and skill-based learning is making the learning process more learner-centric. At the prominent platform of the Education Innovation Summit in Pune, a wonderful set of panelists discussed the topic. Here is an edited excerpt:

NEP is a welcome change. After decades, we are getting a new policy and one good thing that I came across after talking to various principals of schools is ‘Hope’ and ‘Anticipation’. Anything will have pros and cons but the beauty of this policy is that it has more pros. A lot of things are going to change for the good. However, we need to prepare lots of things to implement this policy, shared Dr. Brijesh Karia, Chief Operating Officer, Singhania Education Service Limited.

Rajendra Indraman Singh, Managing Trustee & Vice President Priyadarshani Schools & NISA (National Independent Schools Alliance) said, “Students need support after school hours, and technology can be blended in such a way that it helps the students and supports them. A lot of schools must be using technology right now and will continue to use it but that’s not the case in the state of Maharashtra right now.”

When it comes to the implementation of NEP, the SCERT has made 297 task points and for every state, NEP is being interpreted differently. The most alarming interpretation is in Andhra Pradesh. The State School Standard Authority (SSSA) of Andhra Pradesh has not only controlled the fees and finances of schools, but also the appointment of teachers. So, NEP is interpreted differently in different states. The most alarming thing in SSSA is the safety norms, Singh added.

The present government is more in pace to implement the policy. The first step of policy in the state of Maharashtra would be accreditation. The IESA (The Independent English School Alliance) and NISA (National Independent Schools Alliance), have stepped into the state of Maharashtra. And we have miled down the accreditation to learning outcomes which were pointing out towards the KSA (Key Stage Assessments) in three, five and eighth grades. We have molded it into a form of learning outcomes only. So there is the bottleneck at both ends, why NEP is slowed down in the state of Maharashtra in terms of implementation, he concluded.

“Blended learning was always a part of our ecosystem while talking of education whether in traditional or modern mode. Though the term became the buzzword during the pandemic, because the technology was the tool that become mandatory”, stated Seema Negi, Principal, Sanjeevni World School, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

While talking about the challenges of execution, she said there were initial difficulties and hitches. But the entire education fraternity sailed through those hitches and blended learning is now a part of the entire ecosystem.

She added, “Whether it is blended learning or traditional learning, are we teaching our learners with the right value sets? Things are changing so fast, I think our children have become more pro and they have moved ahead of blended learning. The thing that is most important is whatever we are teaching or whatever we are learning, are the values intact?”

Prodipta Hore, Program Director, Aditya Birla Education Academy, Mumbai, Maharashtra said, “Before the pandemic, there were a number of teachers who were not using technology, but after the pandemic and during the pandemic, they were forced to do that and now they are pros in using it. Teachers need to be trained, and the urge should come from the teachers, not from the management. It’s high time, we need to form a teacher-learning community.”

Technology has two aspects, one is the push and the other is the pull. The pandemic taught us the pull factor, I need something and we look around to get it. So, the pull factor is the most important shared Payam Shoghi, Director, Riverdale International School, Pune, Maharashtra about technology implementation in various industries.

About the teacher’s upskilling and training, he stated that it all boils down to the mindset of teachers. There is a difference between what you have to do and what you want to do. Sometimes, teachers just go ahead to the classroom because they need to cover the lesson plan and report back. And in the case of a person, who wants to do things differently, they definitely go ahead, find resources, train themselves, and will do things differently.

He further added, “The idea of student-centric learning is not unique to NEP, we have been talking of it since a decade; notably National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005, and before.” I think we haven’t been able to connect to it. So, it’s more about the question of conviction. The more space the teacher will yield, the more students will do things on their own. So, the future of the students will depend on how smartly you start doing things today.

Dr Harshita Sharma, Founder-Director, Brainstorm International, Pune, Maharashtra shared, “For a school, there are three key stakeholders which are the management, the students and the parents. The students are at the center of everything. We always talk about professional training of teachers which is already there, but when we talk about the parents, we need to conduct intensive sessions for them also in the school to give them clarity on what we are teaching and why we are teaching.”

Dr Kavita K Roy, Principal, Oxford World School, Pune, Maharashtra shared that the first thing that we need to teach our students is the art of questioning. They need to be taught to move from LOTS (low-order thinking skills) to HOTS (higher-order thinking skills).

With the inception of NEP, we have also learned the importance of questions. The questions should be competency-based, as competency is an amalgamation of knowledge and skills, added Dr Roy.

“Teachers should be equipped well with framing the right questions and the entire cycle should be completed by giving effective feedback. The feedback should not be just good, very good, or excellent; it should end up with solutions – what is best for the students, what are the improvement areas, and more. This entire procedure will only be effective when the leader will be dissipating the right information at the right time, concluded Dr Roy.

Indian edtech giant upGrad’s CEO Arjun Mohan quits

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January 11, 2023

Arjun Mohan, the CEO of Ronnie Screwvala’s influential edtech startup upGrad, announced his decision to leave the organisation in a Linkedin post.

The departure occurs as the nation’s edtech businesses battle a funding shortage and rising losses. In the past year, the edtech industry has experienced thousands of layoffs as businesses underwent reorganisation efforts to reduce expenses and achieve profitability.

upGrad, the edtech platform provides higher education courses in collaboration with many universities and it entered the unicorn club in 2021. upGrad was founded in 2015 by Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompali and Ravijot Chugh.

Mohan mentioned in the post that “After almost 3 years at the helm, I have decided to move out of upGrad While I look back on the years at UpGrad, I feel happy about the incredible company we have built which helped so many working professionals upskill. The aspects of growth and other metrics were just outcomes of giving the customers what they aspired for.”

He further explained in the LinkedIn post that“I started my journey in education sector in the year 2008 and believe that still there is a lot more to be done to solve the persistent problems of access, affordability, and quality. So I am in the exploration phase of what I can to do in education next.”

Mohan has earlier worked with BYJU’S, India’s leading edtech giant for over 11 years till 2020.

Despite the financial crisis that hit the Indian startup ecosystem last year, which particularly hurt the edtech industry, upGrad was on an acquisition spree in 2022. Among others, during the year, it acquired Work Better, Exampur, the International School of Engineering (INSOFE), and Harappa Education.

In the meantime, upGrad continues to incur losses, just like many of its competitors. In FY22, it had a standalone loss of INR 568.6 Cr.

Personalised learning is the new normal in classrooms

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January 11, 2023

The education industry has been doing really well with technology by its side. Futuristic technology moving ahead into 2023 will not only help transform the learning experiences of students but also strengthen the relationships between students and educators shares A. S. Ramana Prasad, Chairman, AI World School with Kaanchi Chawla of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited excerpts:

Tell us about your achievements in terms of ‘Innovation in Education’ during the year 2022.

We had a number of significant achievements this past year. Our chairman, Ramana Prasad, was honoured at the 22nd World Education Summit for his exceptional work in the field of education to kick off the year. The goal of the World Education Summit 2021–2022 is to acknowledge and support innovation in the field of education.

We ended the month by being appointed as an authorised skill training and testing centre of the National Skill India Mission (a Government of India initiative) for Artificial Intelligence, Coding, STEM, and Robotics. In April, Meritus AI was selected as the STEM Education partner for a CSR initiative along with FICCI Flo Pune and Oxford Golf Resorts to provide unique & transformational learning experiences through Robotics, Coding, STEM education, and Artificial Intelligence to the students of Lavale Zilla Parishad Village School, Pune. India. The inauguration event was held on World Earth Day, 23rd April 2022.

In May, we became part of the illustrious Scratch Education Collaborative, an international initiative that focuses on the implementation of equitable creative computing. By working together with the SEC, we can help increase access to, and also identify and eliminate the gaps that are restricting young students from underprivileged & traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in India to learn and develop coding as a skill.

In June, our team carried out a soft launch of our AI Lite product at the ISTE 2022, held at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our product was well received by educators who visited the event. This gave us feedback on how to further improve the product. In the same month, Meritus AI also became a member of the prestigious Southern India Chamber of Commerce (SICCI), whose members discuss and work together to create a positive impact across various industrial sectors.

In October, Edu Expo 2022 – Teacher Training Workshop in association with Rock city Sahodaya where over 600 school teachers attended and got to know about the latest developments in the STEM field.

How futuristic technologies are going to transform education in the year 2023?

The education industry has been doing really well with technology by its side. Futuristic technology moving ahead into 2023 will not only help transform the learning experiences of students but also strengthen the relationships between students and educators. Implementing futuristic technologies will help promote critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving approaches. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, etc. will enhance the learning capabilities of students. Futuristic technologies will also help save valuable time for teachers, giving them more time to focus on students rather than doing tasks that machines can easily do.

What are the innovations that accelerated the transformation of growth in the education landscape in the year 2022?

With technologies such as AR, VR, and MR, it became possible to integrate the virtual world into the physical world to deliver a full-scale experience to students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders. With gamified learning, the traditional classroom environment was transformed into an engaging, immersive, and interactive one, making learning fun and interesting for students.

Technological innovations and advancements have enabled learners and education providers to move to a subscription-based model of education that is highly flexible. Personalised learning is slowly becoming the new normal in the classroom. Technology tools in the classroom are helping teachers create differentiated learning experiences for students. Gamification has resulted in an experiential approach to learning, making learning much more interactive and interesting for students.

What is your mission and vision to impact the paradigm shift of the education arena in the year 2023?

Our mission is to use various digital tools in the classroom to support learning and provide learners with interactive and immersive learning experiences. Through the implementation of STEM concepts, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, we want today’s generation to be future-ready. We want to give students the best learning experiences possible, and also promote skill development to create a strong foundation for the students so that they excel in their careers at a later stage. By promoting critical thinking, logical reasoning, and creativity, we want students to brainstorm new ideas, perform research, and find effective solutions for real-world situations.

Applications open for new director of IIT Guwahati: Education Ministry

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January 10, 2023

T. G. Sitharam, Director of IIT Guwahati, was named the new chairman of AICTE last month, the Education Ministry invites applications to appoint his successor. The government has made an announcement requesting applications for the director position at IIT-Guwahati. The application period closes on February 28.

On November 17, Sitharam was appointed AICTE. Since his term as director was only scheduled to end in July 2024, his hiring caused a vacancy at IIT Guwahati. Sitaram will preside over the Council for three years or until he becomes 65, whichever comes first. The AICTE vice chairperson M P Poonia and a professor from IIT Kanpur were among the other candidates for the position.

Candidates for the position of Director are required to have a Ph.D. with a first class or equivalent at the previous degree, notably in a discipline of engineering, and at least five years of administrative experience, according to the government’s call for applications. Additionally, the candidate should have supervised Ph.D. students and at least 10 years of experience teaching as a professor in a renowned engineering or technology centre or university.

Sitharam succeeded UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar, who had been serving as acting AICTE Chairman since Anil Sahasrabuddhe had been relieved of his duties on September 1, 2021, due to his age of 65.

“Artificial Intelligence has made learning process more engaging and productive.”

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January 10, 2023

New challenges demand novel approaches to the process of teaching-learning. With the rise of the pandemic era, there has been a surge of options in the educational arena. This new wave has acted as a catalyst in enhancing the teaching-learning process and paving way for better educational experiences thus reinventing the experience of education entirely, shared Yatharth Gautam, Director & COO, Birla Open Minds, in an interview with Nidhi Shail Kujur of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited excerpts:

Tell us about your achievements in terms of ‘Innovation in Education’ during the year 2022.

We have always believed that the secret to getting ahead is getting started. This is where Birla Brainiacs comes into the picture. With Birla Brainiacs, we have come up with a strong support system in the form of interactive content and mentor-driven live classes. However, we also believe that students need to collaborate and experientially learn and not be dependent only on a virtual understanding of concepts, which brings in study kits, activity kits/experiment kits and other learning experiences right from the pre-primary grades, “the foundational stages”.

Changing with the times and adapting the pedagogies to the modern way of life should be prioritised to cater to 21st-century learners. At Birla Open Minds we stand by the fact that education should be a way of life! Life is full of excitement, promises, challenges and adventures!

How are futuristic technologies going to transform education in the year 2023?

A few decades ago, the biggest advances in educational technology were computers in the classroom. EdTech was largely concentrated on in-school content distribution with a focus on tools and resources for schools which were supplementary to teachers. The past was marked by pre-recorded content and static onscreen lectures whereas the future will be exceedingly interactive, engaging, and driven by a global pool of teachers and peers.

The old model of Ed Tech focused on an online curriculum which narrowly fixated on the academic subject matter and was entirely instructor dependent using an easily replicable curriculum using a ‘one: many’ model of lectures. The new and evolved model, on the other hand, has an online curriculum which is based on analytics; is personalised and has a progress tracking system using AI-based feedback. The curriculum is based on cultural collaborations, which amalgamate YouTube, social media and gaming models such as Minecraft, Frozen and such; thus focusing on continuous engagement.

There is still a long way to go in moving towards an AI-guided path. In this process, a very important point that we have to keep in mind is to enhance the student experience in every possible manner. With the spark of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality tools and an endeavour to integrate collaboration in a virtual setting, EdTech can work wonders. Virtual learning platforms must try to come as close as they can to the reallife experience of attending school to ensure the continuity of students’ overall development.

What innovation accelerated the transformation of growth in the education landscape in the year 2022?

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. New challenges demand novel approaches to the process of teaching learning. With the rise of the pandemic era, there has been a surge of options in the educational arena. This new wave has acted as a catalyst in enhancing the teaching-learning process and paving way for better educational experiences thus reinventing the experience of education entirely. From tablets to VR, anything seems possible now.

Edtech platforms such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets have lent great flexibility to consume content on the go, thereby saving time and giving students an option of ‘where’ and ‘how’ they want to study. This has enabled students to experience holistic school learning along with competitive exam practice in an efficient manner.

Additionally, Artificial Intelligence has made the learning process more engaging and productive. Tools such as AI, ML and IoT better the learning experience for students by tracking the student performance, identifying problem areas and testing students in relation to competitive exams. This has enabled self-study thus freeing the students from depending on external help.

What is your mission and vision to impact the paradigm shift of the education arena in the year 2023?

Our focus at Birla Open Minds is on high-quality, measurable and replicable interventions to address gaps in the education system.

It is obvious that the education sector has undergone an overhaul in the last decade and now more so with the pandemic and all the baggage it brought along. The underprivileged children faced the harshest blow when it came to learning owing to the lack of access to technology and the exorbitant costs involved. We understand that helping one child might not change the world but it might change the world for that child for sure! As a small gesture of support and philanthropy from our end, in collaboration with the Being Human foundation, we distributed much-needed tabs free of cost to the children in an NGO in Pimpri, Pune to ensure their learning progresses smoothly.

Under this initiative, students can gain access to an array of learning resources and virtual sessions at no cost. We wholeheartedly aim to support children in becoming the kindest, most capable, and most resilient versions of themselves.

Building a future-ready generation across the social strata has always been our vision and with ‘Birla Open Minds’ and our tech-driven version ‘Birla Brainiacs’; we have been consistently striving at achieving this dream of a country that has the privilege of uniform education to one and all.

“New programs like Coding and Robotics in schools will drive the mainstreaming of technologies”

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January 10, 2023

The year 2022 was revolutionary for the education sector and the industry around it. A lot has been revamped during the year and a lot is still remaining. Talking about the same, Vishal Shah, CEO and Co-Founder, iRobokid had an in-depth conversation with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited excerpts:

Tell us about your achievements in terms of ‘Innovation in Education’ during the year 2022.

2022 was all about “ Demoratising STEM “ for us. It was our mission to ensure that we are able to take our STEM teaching solutions through our platform FLITE with cloud and offline solutions to schools across the country, in a simple plug-and play model, complete with all tools required to teach including robust trainer program.

How futuristic technologies are going to transform education in the year 2023?

This will be a two-way street, technologies like AR / VR and IoT will enhance the quality of learning and ensure that students get access to new learnings pedagogy at the click of a button. Also, students learning new programs like Coding / Robotics in schools will drive the spreading and mainstreaming of technologies to industries and consumer applications at a faster pace.

What are the innovation that accelerated the transformation of growth in the education landscape in the year 2022?

There have been 3 main accelerations in innovation in the education space and this is a spillover from the Covid years.

Data – There is a far more efficient use of data systems for students to use for dissemination information/admin purposes and also other general school usages.
Hybrid Learning – Going Phygital has been the buzzword with using technology to go online or also physical classes
Pedagogy – The innovation in pedagogy is at a paradigm shift and with thrust coming from the govt and other bodies, this will ensure more experiential learning, new technologies and a more holistic learning approach

What is your mission and vision to impact the paradigm shift of the education arena in the year 2023?

Its our mission to democratize stem education to ensure that each child gets access to these programs like Coding / Robotics / AI etc in schools. It’s our vision that each school becomes a STEM teaching hub and we can get over a million students to learn STEM on our platform FLITE.

All set for events linked to G20 presidency: Education Ministry

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January 9, 2023

In 2023, India will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time after taking the G20 leadership in December. In an effort to incorporate young people in the country’s G20 presidency, India started its one-year journey with an innovative outreach campaign called University Connect.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities to begin preparing students for their active participation, and the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) division has invited bids for the filming of documentaries that highlight India’s educational heritage, agricultural practises, and water management customs. These are just a few of the preparations being made by the education ministry for the events that will take place as part of the celebrations over India’s G20 presidency.

In a letter sent to the vice-chancellors of all universities and the principals of all colleges on Thursday, the UGC requested that they begin organising activities to get students ready for conferences that will be held in various cities and on a variety of topics related to the history, culture, and legacy of the area. It also invited students to attend the conferences and act as facilitators for foreign delegates.

The commission said in the letter that, “Students may be encouraged for being rapporteurs of sessions, providing translation assistance in foreign languages required for the meetings, organizing cultural shows, workshops, lectures on topics related to the G20 issues.”

In support of “truly a people’s G20 movement,” the higher education regulator requested that colleges promote model G20 forums, G20 branding at festivals, and student involvement in poetry, quiz, and logo competitions run by the G20 Secretariat.

The UGC said, “You are requested to initiate an action plan, encourage participation of students and faculty members, and undertake activities in your institution along with ensuring dissemination of the issues under the ambit of India’s Presidency in G20 across different locales.”

To promote interdisciplinary research on aspects of indigenous knowledge, the ministry has ordered its IKS division, which was established as an innovation cell at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2020, to present India’s knowledge systems to the world in the “best possible manner.”

Dharmendra Pradhan responded to students’ demand on 75% criteria for JEE Advanced

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January 9, 2023

Education Minister stated that the issue has been referred to the relevant department in response to Member of Parliament (MP) Karti P Chidambaram’s letter requesting a one-time exemption from the 75% eligibility condition for JEE Main and Advanced 2023.

Karti P. Chidambaram, a Lok Sabha member, requested the Indian government to reduce the JEE 2023 eligibility requirements during the first week of December. In a letter to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he explained that some candidates saw differences in their response sheets and results last year as a result of technical issues and other irregularities in the JEE Main and Advanced exams.

His words in the letter were, “I would like to bring to your attention concerns raised by students who appeared for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) – Mains and Advanced in 2022. These aspirants studied hard to secure admission into India’s leading engineering institutes, however, several hurdles which were completely outside their control, denied them a fair opportunity at the exam.”

Karti P. Chidambaram took to Twitter to share the Education Minister’s response of his letter. He tweeted, “The Education Minister has responded to my letter requesting immediate relaxation in the eligibility criteria for #JEE2023. I hope the Govt will look into the requests and concerns of aggrieved students.”

Registration for JEE Main 2023 is currently open and will end on January 12. NTA is managing registration for the JEE Main 2023 Joint Entrance Examination. The JEE Mains test for the January 2023 session will be held on January 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, 2023. However, in light of the upcoming board examinations, students are storing hashtags on Twitter to reschedule the JEE 2023 exam.

IGNOU launches 3 specialised post-graduation courses in journalism

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January 7, 2023

Three specialised master’s degree programmes in journalism have been introduced by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) as of the January 2023 admissions session. These courses are provided in open and remote learning formats.

MA in Development Journalism, MA in Journalism and Electronic Media, and MA in Journalism and Digital Media are the three newly introduced specialised master’s degree programmes. & PG Diploma in Integrated Communication and Advertising. Beginning in January 2023, these programmes will accept new students.

Learners can follow these programmes at their convenience because IGNOU offers flexible lateral exit and entry opportunities. Programs, according to the announcement, reflect the most recent media industry trends and aid students in developing a variety of skill sets.

Edtech unicorn Lead to acquire K-12 business of Pearson’s India

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January 7, 2023

Edtech unicorn LEAD said on Friday, January 6, that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Pearson’s K–12 learning business in India from the education company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

LEAD will use a combination of new fundraising efforts and internal accruals to pay for the purchase of Pearson’s K–12 learning business in India. The edtech firm said in a statement that with the acquisition, LEAD would immediately increase its reach to more than 9,000 schools and significantly strengthen its product portfolio to serve the full range of more than 5 Lakh private schools in India.

Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah founded LEAD in 2012 to give schools the ability to integrate technology, curriculum, and pedagogy into one cohesive teaching and learning system. According to LEAD, their integrated system is accessible to schools in more than 400 Indian towns and cities, serving more than 1.2 million students and more than 25,000 teachers.

The change occurs a few weeks after venture debt company Alteria Capital helped LEAD raise INR 35 Cr. The acquisition is anticipated to close by Q1 2023, subject to the usual closing conditions, according to LEAD.

Pearson India provides learning solutions via books and digital platforms for private, English-medium CBSE and ICSE schools, ensuring learning continuity at home. Additionally, it provides teaching aids.

Sumeet Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO, LEAD said, “School edtech is poised for sustained growth post-Covid and with the acquisition of the local K-12 learning business of Pearson India, we will be able to reach more schools and students in the service of our mission to provide excellent education to every child.”

The acquisition occurs in spite of the startup ecosystem’s financial crisis, which has caused numerous employment losses across all firms, particularly in the edtech sector. LEAD also terminated about 100 workers in August of last year, citing performance-related difficulties. Just a few months earlier, in January, LEAD raised $100 Mn at a $1.1 Bn value to join the unicorn club. Leading the Series E investment round were GSV Ventures and WestBridge Capital.

Despite significant reorganisation by startups in the Indian edtech sector, which resulted in the loss of over 7,500 full-time and contracted positions in 2022, a number of acquisitions have recently happened.

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