|
Please throw some light on HP’s tie-up with NCERT for ‘Lab in Box’ project? How will it help the government to accomplish the mission by 2020? |
| What are the constraints in the adoption of these education technologies? What other challenges does the solution address? What are your plans to further penetrate Lab-in- Box solution in the education vertical? |
|
What does NCERT want to achieve through the Lab in Box initiative? How will this initiative facilitate school education in the country? What is the target segment and target area of the concept? |
| How HP Lab in a Box solution will help NCERT in universalising education and help implement more creative, sustainable and inclusive model of education? When would the prototype be implemented? How accessible and cost effective the “Lab-in-box” concept will be? What are some other initiatives that NCERT is planning for school education? Other initiative of CIET: |
Sanjaya Sharma
CEO, Tata Interactive Systems
A technology enthusiast Sanjaya Sharma, CEO, Tata Interactive Systems after gaining accolades for using multimedia tools from across the world, marked its entry into the school education sector with their latest product ‘CLASSEDGE’. Mr Sharma shares his views and strategies to foray into the Indian educational technology market with Rachita Jha, digitalLEARNING Bureau
Tell us more about the genesis of your organisation in the e-learning domain?
Our faith in technology-based learning model goes back by 21 years, when we set our vision to promote computerbased training and multimedia for education and training – and there was no web at that time. We had an undefined agenda – and our business developed and grew with corporate training initially and this was followed by our partnerships with higher education as well as school segments abroad. This included some of the leading institutions and publishers involved in creating content for schools. We have created K-12 content in Maths and Science in countries such as the UK, US, Japan, Germany and other parts of Europe. Therefore our exposure in the last two decades has been through creating content for schools across subjects and geographies and classes.
What is the market size for Digital Classrooms according to you and
growth forecast?
The Digital Classrooms market has recorded consistent growth for the past 2-3 years and we feel it might continue growing at very high rates maybe at 50-60 percent or slightly faster in times ahead. This is primarily because of the 80,000 schoolsin which only 10 percent have gone in for adoption that too for 10 percent of their classrooms only. So, although there maybe players in the market, it is a market that is very big and I don’t see the growth stopping in the next decade. In addition to the private sector from where everyone is beginning, eventually the huge opportunity will definitely be in government schools and total market is really huge.
What is changing in India that is driving the educational technology market share that prompted you to foray into Indian schools?
The market for technology-enabled learning-vb solutions in the Indian school education sector has experienced a double-digit annual growth over the last five years. However, India market was about 3 per cent of revenue about 4-5 years ago-this is the e-learning market alone. India is growing primarily due to its growing ITreadiness and computerisation. Also, its cost-effective advantage has made it more widespread with larger target audience across varied learning environments. We believe that technology-enabled learning will be critical in revamping India’s education system, which has over 15 lakh schools in both private and public domains. We therefore took forward to leverage our core competency and expertise in instructional design, in which we are considered as world leaders and take the opportunity of the India growth market.
Do you consider yourself as a late entrant in the educational technology market as a strong presence across schools?
I would disagree. This is because if one is to consider the school segment, there are well over a million government schools in India the biggest market of all. In addition, there are 80,000 private schools and partially aided schools. Even if we talk about the 80,000 private schools alone, less than 10,000 have so far gone for IT adoption. So, 90 percent of the schools have not adopted IT into their infrastructure, and 90 percent of classrooms in every school have not been computerised. So it’s a huge opportunity that is yet to be tapped. So I would still say it is an early entry into the market. Our three major differences from the existing e-learning products in the market are-content that is built on lesson plan based on innovative instructional design, followed by our hardware offer with the new technology projector and Internet connectivity that lies at the heart of our offering. So in all it is a cloud computing offer wherein we put all our content on a central host and server, which can be easily accessed by the schools using the Internet connectivity offered in the package.
What is your approach towards content creation for the schools and ensure it is regularly updated?
Internet and connectivity has not yet reached our schools and updating of content is a bottleneck in upgradation of teaching content. Moreover, CDs are not a viable option for such a large number of schools. So we decided to have two teams , one was on the task of content creation with weekly updates and they can be pushed anytime using Internet connection that is provided along with ‘CLASSEDGE’ and as a byproduct the schools get the Internet connection – so it is a winwin situation for the schools.
Tell us more about your ‘CLASSEDGE’ solution and outreach strategy for it?
It is a solution at the heart of which lies our interactive instructional designed for teachers to make an effective lesson plan. In addition, we have provided access to additional multi-media assets that would help them in teaching enhance the quality of the lessons that they deliver in classrooms. The solution is based on the ‘Multiple Learning Experiences Model’ and aims to enhance students’ social and analytical skills along with ensuring a thorough understanding of the curriculum. India’s supplemental education represents a US $15 billion market opportunity over the next decade and we plan to target schools in over 100 cities in this year. And from the delivery side we have a national delivery structure for each zone and region for hardware, software, feedback issues. This coverage is already in place for 40-50 cities and it will be double in another 2-3 months. Our approach has been pan-India from the beginning as our research showed that this demand is from all over the country and not alone from the big cities but also tier-1 tier-2 cities. We have teamed up with Tata Solutions in our current offering on the telecom side and if TV content integration takes place in future we could consider partnering with Tata Sky for the same.
What are your views on the time taken by India education sector to match the tech savvy aptitude as the west?
It will take 4-5 years for private schools to catch up pace with the use of IT as it in the western countries. It will take a decade overall – but the rate of adoption is very fast. So from an instructional approach the design you will do for a classroom in the west is different from one that would make for India. In the developed world the content design can have the possibility of interactivity elements and here the design is more for group learning– therefore in our lesson approach the main multimedia and supplement it with individual exercises. There is some prerequisite for market adoption such as schools should have computers for some of the classrooms. So we will see the first phase of digital adoption in schools by using first PC and projection system in schools. The second aspect is that vendors like us don’t have sufficient IPR content, and today if we have the form factors and design factors ready, it can be easily tweaked to run on desktop, tablet or any other new devices. Today we are already working on iPads and creating iPad-based training programmes.
Ambedkar University is going to offer two new courses including B.Ed special education to train teachers to teach mentally challenged children and M.Sc (technical) in geo-sciences from upcoming academic year. 'We have already applied for approval to the Delhi-based Rehabilitation Council of India. Before approving the proposed course at the university the Rehabilitation Council of India will inspect the facilities at the university,' said S.V. Sudhakar, Vice-Chancellor, Ambedkar University. The University will offer one year training in special education, no other university in the State offers this kind of course.
The M.Sc (technical) in geo-sciences has been designed to study the rich potential of the Eastern Ghats and the vast mineral wealth of the district. However,the university is also planning to offer courses in journalism, tourism and management and specialised course in Telugu language from 2010-11.
Science scares most of the students. Mostly, because at school level science is theory based which students learn without actually understanding, particularly in the smaller classes. At the same time students can not be blamed since it is difficult to learn science without being understood. As a step towards making science more enjoyable, the Army Public School in Sector 37 has developed a science park in its premises. The park makes the complex world of science principles a piece of cakewalk. A science park is a cluster of interactive open-air play systems designed to fetch knowledge in basic science facts and phenomenon. Children can understand how films are made (the principle of cinematography), how a helicopter flies (principle of gyroscope). They can also understand the reasons behind the echo of the voice, how a ball when thrown from a height covers a much greater distance than the one that is thrown from the ground level, the difference between con cave, convex and normal mirrors. The crests and troughs are clear when seen in actual form. Children can even get to know the time in different countries through the World Time model. There are 11 models in the science park at the Army Public School. Each explains a science principle. Each model carries a plate giving details of the fundamentals.
'The park came up in 2007. It is an initiative of the Army Welfare Education Society but the school has funded it. It was their 25th year and they wanted to bring in some new things,' said the school science teacher, Kavita Sharma. The project cost about INR 2 lakh. She added, 'The models are selected in a manner that can help students clear their doubts about the fundamentals of science. We plan to add two-three models every year. Children from Class III onwards are brought here. Children enjoy this way of learning. Doing it this way also makes their concepts clear.' Along with the science park, the school has also set up a herbal garden. Developed by the Biology Department, it has 18 plant varieties. Each plant carries a label about the part that is useful and how it benefits health. 'We have spent about Rs 6,000 for procuring plants and developing this garden,” says the biology teacher, Neerja Tyagi. “The garden has increased our awareness about plants which can cure many ailments. Sugar patients can use stevia leaves, while lemon grass can be used to treat cold and cough,' she adds.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) of India has marked fee hike in public schools of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) as unjustified step. The ASSOCHAM has pleaded to the Human Resource Development Ministry to constitute a task force on the same. A letter has been written to Ministry of HRD by D.S. Rawat, secretary general ASSOCHAM suggesting that the task force be constituted under the chairmanship of Secretary in the HRD Ministry in which senior officials of the Directorate of Education in Delhi and the NCR are members.
'The proposed task force should seek the clarification from the management of public schools why they have been shouting for arrears on tuition fee from the date of implementation of the 6th Pay Commission report,' said Rawat. Asking justification for the proposed fee hike, Rawat said school managements have to explain why they are insisting on arrears when the beneficiaries of the 6th Pay Commission are only government employees. The organised and unorganised sector does not fall under the purview 6th pay commission.
Emphasising on education, skills and theand the development of more pilot programs, including open and distance learning courses, Australian Computer Society (ACS) has focused on strengthening the Federal Government's release of its Digital Economy strategy. ACS president, Anthony Wong, said the ICT sector is responsible for significant ongoing investment and accounts for almost 5 per cent of Australia's GDP. “An ICT blueprint is vital to ensure investment in this critical infrastructure meets desired outcomes and that the broadband pipe is leveraged to deliver e-services and develop a competitive e-economy,” he said. The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, announced the government will set aside $96.2 million over the next four years to boost Australia's digital economy. Key to the strategy is the development of eight goals, underpinned by the National Broadband Network (NBN). “Participating in a digital economy is not just about having a website,” Wong said. “It is about the quantity and quality of e-commerce and online transactions. “We need more Australians to get active online. Education and skills are key to ensuring that people can participate and leverage the digital economy opportunities.” The ACS wants more development of pilot programs for education such as the EduONE
Chennai, which had long association with Tibet for Tibetan sweater selling, has recently turned into an education mecca for the foreign students. Ever since, there has been a steady trickle of Tibetan students who have come into the city to pursue their educational interests. Since the 1990s, the numbers have grown. Chennai enjoys the status
Kulbir Singh Ahluwalia and Aishna Vashishth have been nominated for the National Bal Shree Award 2010 from Chandigarh. Kulbir, a student of Delhi Public School, Sector 40, will be awarded for creative scientific innovation while Aishna of Guru Harkrishan Singh Public School, Sector 38, a special child undergoing rehabilitation at Prayaas, will be awarded for excellence in creative performance. Both of them represented Chandigarh Bal Bhawan at national-level Bal Shree Award Competition 2010. The prizes will be given by President of India at Rashtarpati Bhawan. ''I made a lung capacitor using a plastic bottle, wire, cell and a balloon. It works as well as an actual lung capacitor,'' he said. His father Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, a kidney specialist, said, ''It feels great that my son has made me and the entire family proud. Kulbir has excelled in studies since Class I. He is a very good painter and also plays synthesizer.''
In a tech-crazy world, the market of education is really high. With many initiatives lined up, everyone wants to give his best to the field. Being in a century where technology defines our life, education has not been spared. It is at this juncture that Hicommands Tech India Limited, a Chennai-based company offering technology based solutions for schools, comes in. Embraced by many leading educational institutions, Hicommands imbibes technology to learning. Through LCDs, interactive whiteboards and multimedia content, the company tries to make learning an unforgettable experience. This kind of learning will help students retain their attention span. This technology-based education through various visual and animated curricula is offered from Kindergarten to Standard XII.
Speaking on the occasion, Hariharan, CEO said, 'Indian curriculum is one among the best in the world. But what we lack is conceptual clarity. It is here we step in to help the students.' He further added that qualified and established teachers have become a scarcity today and through such ICT-based education they also empower teachers, update them with the latest techniques. Hicommands has been nominated as one among the three finalists for the prestigious 'Educational Resources Award-2009' by the British Suppliers Association, UK. They are the only Indian company to compete against UK companies.
Sunil Dutt, Vice President, HP PSG talks about HP’s perspective on Lab in box project
Vasudha Kamat, Former Joint Director, CIET and current Vice Chancellor, SNDT Womens University speaks about NCERT’s ‘Lab in Box’ initiative. Excerpts
