PhysicsWallah acquires S Chand’s stake in iNeuron

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December 23, 2022

S Chand and Company Limited, a provider of educational resources, will pay edtech unicorn Physicswallah 14 crore for its whole interest in iNeuron Intelligence. According to a press release by S Chand, its co-investors Mukesh Sharma Family Trust will also be leaving the company.

As the company invested 7 crores in iNeuron in December 2021 and exited it with 14 crores, S Chand will see a 2X return in a year. This is the publishing major’s second departure from the nascent edtech industry. In July 2022, it too left Testbook with an 8X return.

Through well-known brands including S Chand, Madhubun, Vikas, Chhaya, Saraswati, and Mylestone, S Chand distributes material. It offers content and services for the Early Learning, K–12, and Higher Education divisions. Through acquisitions related to digital learning during the past few years, it also increased the scope of its product offering.

A minority investment in iNeuron Intelligence had been purchased by S Chand, along with its subsidiaries Vikas Publishing and Chhaya Prakashani.

The business also invests in Smartivity Labs, a maker of educational STEAM toys company, and has its own digital ventures, including S Chand Academy (YouTube), TestCoach, Learnflix, and Mylestone Curriculum Solutions.

Dharmendra Pradhan emphasises the importance of strengthening tribal communities

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 22, 2022

On Wednesday, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Education, emphasised the importance of strengthening tribal communities and noted that the Center’s motto is “Sab ka Sath, Sab ka Vikas.”

Minister Pradhan of the Union remarked, “In my opinion, this is an achievement of the nation that President Droupadi Murmu, who comes from a distant village in Odisha, acquired the highest constitutional post.” He used President Draupadi Murmu as an example.

In his remarks to the media, he stated that “The Centre is devoted to improving the indigenous community, and providing education, health, and employment.”

The Minister stated that an effort had been made to recognise the unsung heroes of the liberation movement and that for the first time a National Tribal Research Institute had been established to examine tribal concerns on a national basis.

In this context, Pradhan mentioned Bhagwan Birsa Munda to Laxman Naik, Nirmal Munda, Madho Singh, and many more liberation fighters.

Speaking on education, Pradhan stated that indigenous populations will benefit greatly from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s major focus on education in local languages and mother tongues. Additionally, he discussed the Eklavya Model Residential Schools for the indigenous people, which currently enroll over 1 lakh pupils.

Pradhan also discussed how tribal leaders played a crucial role in the liberation fight and how the government is working to honour this rich legacy and history through programmes like opening tribal museums and marking Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.

Other initiatives, he added, include the creation of the first-ever National Tribal Research Institute, the construction of searchable tribal digital record repositories, the SFRUTI (Program of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) scheme, and the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.

Edge of technological transformation – Stimulating to engage learners effectively

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 22, 2022

The education space is transforming from ‘memorization’ to ‘memorable’ and technology is playing a mega role in executing this transformation. Technologies like Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence are making a new space for learning experiences and changing the way students used to learn traditionally. To delineate more on the technology implementation in the paradigm of knowledge sharing, Omkar Pimple, Founder & CEO, Myracle.io, Germany interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network. Edited excerpts:

With such a diverse experience in sectors of education, banking, health and more. How has been your journey so far and what were the hurdles you faced on your path in achieving the milestones of your career?

I’ve been fortunate to be on an insightful journey on the leading edge of technological transformation across all of these different domains – education, fintech, health, food tech, e-commerce, fashion-tech, real estate, logistics across Europe and India.

Every domain has unique challenges. At the same time, there are uncanny similarities among, for example, fintech, health, and education. All 3 deal with sensitive data, are regulated domains, and have a large-scale positive impact if you get things right – or a negative impact if you don’t!

I’ve had the opportunity to draw parallels between these different domains, and forge strong human connections to enable cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Of course, all of these things don’t come together easily, and there have been plenty of uphill battles. Personal and professional challenges, macro factors like pandemics, economic downturns, and wars, all can act as headwinds for a long journey.

Despite these factors, today our team combines 100+ years of global perspectives on immersive technology, education, & learning science to unlock learning by doing in the real world, with a stellar background from leadership at Harvard, Stanford, Humboldt, and the Government of India.

What was your vision behind starting Myracle. io?

When the pandemic hit, we originally started with building a remote exam management platform. Not only were we able to conduct assessments in the remotest homes of India, we were also able to capture comprehensive evidence about the candidate’s environment, and the candidate’s behaviour during the assessment. All of this, through everyday mobile devices.

But what we saw shocked us. We found that 3 out of 5 students were engaging in malpractices, and in some cases, their parents & friends were helping them cheat during exams!

After speaking to hundreds of students, educators, and parents, we realised that loss of academic integrity is a symptomatic problem. but the underlying cause for this alarming trend is the loss of learner engagement.

And that is when we decided to use our mobile technology to transform the environment around you into experiential learning activities, that empowers learners to learn by doing in the real world around them.

We do this by blending realities, and that is where Myracle comes from – Miracle – Mixed Reality Active Learning Experiences.

You are working towards transforming education from ‘memorization’ to ‘memorable’. What is your execution plan to make this work?

There is plenty of research from the learning science community that posits that education needs to be engaging to be memorable, and it needs to be appropriately stimulating to engage the learner effectively.

Active learning – specifically, learning by doing in the real world – stimulates visual, auditory, haptic, and kinaesthetic senses, making it the most superior form of learning.

But it is incredibly difficult to scale even for moderately large numbers, due to bottlenecks in infrastructure, equipment, and personnel.

Myracle.io addresses both of these crucial challenges – learner engagement and the infrastructure gap – by transforming homes and classrooms into interactive exhibitions and STEM labs.

We make this magical technology accessible to every learner through everyday mobile devices and tablets, with or without internet connectivity, wherever they are.

Any kind of transformation begins with people – and we want to take all stakeholders – learners as well as educators – together with us.

Extended reality is playing a major role in bringing experiential learning to the real world. How are you using it for your company?

Physical reality is beautiful, and we don’t want to replace it. Rather, our vision is to enhance it by adding what is missing. At the intersection of realities is where things really start to become interesting. The learner gets to participate in creating the learning experience, because they choose the environment. Learners improve their confidence with complex concepts and procedures by practising, experimenting, and making mistakes safely in their own safe spaces; before they step into a physical STEM lab. This way, they are empowered to make the best of the precious little time they get in physical labs.

And we have seen great results with it! In Myracle-powered classrooms, students have reported significantly heightened understanding levels for complex topics. Most importantly, a majority of the students eagerly wanted to learn how to create such learning experiences with us, which was a serendipitous surprise!

We have grown in an era where books were the only medium of learning. Education today is evolving, what are the top technologies that can metamorphose traditional education into the digital world of education?

The biggest challenge as humans of today is to stay updated with the constantly changing understanding of the universe around us. Rapid evolvability comes first, and then comes rapid evolution.

Books do have their charm, but once printed, books take years to be updated and reprinted, while our knowledge about the world changes everyday. Depending on the book, there is a finite likelihood that it may contain outdated knowledge by the time it is out of the printing press.

Books inherently do not possess rapid evolvability. Having said that, most digital content – even with its inherent rapid evolvability – rarely evolves on a regular basis, if at all.

As XR (eXtended Reality) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) pioneers since the last 10 years, we definitely see data science-infused XR play a crucial role in this metamorphosis.

The education world is massively vouching for NEP, what are your thoughts on it?

The NEP portrays a broad and ambitious vision about education for 2030. There are many ideas in the NEP that are open to interpretation, but I perceive these 4 points as its most important goals:

1. Equitable and accessible education for all
2. Effective upskilling for hands-on skills
3. Affordable lifelong learning for learners and educators
4. Enhanced system observability for continuous evolution

With our approach to unlocking learning by doing in the real world to make education memorable, with a way to keep it evolving continuously, made possible with our human-centric technology, we are very closely aligned with what the NEP proposes for the next decade.

What is your expansion plan for the year 2023?

2023 will see us expanding our bouquet of learning experiences offered on Myracle, alongside a steadily growing base of loyal users who are shaping Myracle together with us.

We are also forging long term alliances with forward thinking educational institutions who are eager to lead the next chapter in how we transmit knowledge as a species.

We welcome all visionary organisations, communities, and people to join hands with us on this endeavour through 2023 and beyond!

For more details, kindly visit- https://www.myracle.io/

“When it comes to educational institutions, technology makes life easier for everyone”

Interviews

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 22, 2022

Explore, engage, envision, and exhibit – these four facets give different platforms to understand and learn. The advent of technology into the education space is very much aligned with these facets; it has opened the doors for educators to innovate and explore while teaching. To know more about the various other technological innovation in the education landscape, Ram D Raina, Founder – Director, Cambridge International School, Pune interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network. Edited excerpts:

How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) be used to expand the boundaries of the educational system? Could you tell us about the new technological initiatives your school has implemented?

Early work in artificial intelligence in education involved intelligent tutoring systems, but the field has broadened over the years to include all of the types of educational systems and interactions defined above, and has expanded to include several independent conferences and journals. The revolution in machine learning and data mining impacted artificial intelligence in education as well, with a significant shift around 2010— influenced by the emergence of a separate scientific conference, Educational Data Mining—toward much more use of this type of method. AIED systems now include a variety of functionality for identifying aspects of the learner as well as a variety of ways to interact with and respond to learners. Today, you will find AI everywhere, so it needs to be incorporated into the education system.

As a school management team, we have to think about the future demands in the fields of computers and lifestyle and also understand the necessity of AI learning for their future prospects.

What practices is your school adopting for the progress of the nation?

Very good question! My first responsibility as an Indian citizen and educator is to keep my country at the forefront of everything I do. We all know that we talk about this or that change or that we compare our country to others not only regarding culture but also of vision.

Here, we plan our educational system based on Gurukul concepts, which I have changed to “modern Gurkul traditional values.”

Now, we work on the student’s strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of their lives, such as knowing themselves, improving their skills, obtaining a value- and logically-based education, connecting with the 5 elements (water, fire, air, earth, and space), and connecting with themselves through these elements. All of the above-mentioned points are nurtured through the following concept, which is essential for building a better nation:

I thought commando training must be part of the curriculum everywhere because I have witnessed the education provided to children in nations other than ours. I must say, the people there are capable enough to stop robberies, burglaries, thefts, and street fights. When I asked a friend who lives in the United States how the people there were so brave that they wouldn’t even flinch to save someone from a mishap, he said, “They’re Americans.” He replied: “People here attend self-defense classes very soon, and one thing they learn at first is being fearless.” And they are somehow able to manage day-to-day threats themselves. That rang a bell in my head! Such training must be started at an early age, and children spend half the day in school. There is no better option than schools that include commando training as part of their curriculum. I chose to grab this opportunity and start the first wave at my school.

There are many things I want to say, but because it is all about the experience, I can’t put it into words, but what I have said is significant. We cannot fully rely on technology; we need to use our brains for all physical and mental activities.

The best programme to enroll depends on the needs and objectives of the individual. Skill development programmes concentrate on particular skill sets. What steps is your organization taking to expand the Skill Development Program?

Yes! Answering your question takes me to our ancient education system, where every learner used to choose their skills, like open skills like weapon making, trading, civil work, medicine, and the Vedas. Now, under the New Education Policy, kids need to select their skills for higher education, but the big question remains: how to choose? We at the Cambridge Group of Schools work on the reverse engineering concept, where we assist the kids on the basis of the VAK (Visual-Auditory-Kinaesthetic) theory; so that we come to know what is required of our students in school.

Best practices, which I have applied to fulfill the needs and objectives of skill development projects in our schools, are based on the environment, i.e., the infrastructure facilities. If you give appropriate, scientifically checked infra for music, art, robotics, science labs, art and craft, and sports equipment and grounds, then only we can say that we are ready for the change.

In our music rooms, for example, we have 50 professional keyboards, 100 professional and beginner-level guitars, a drum set, and four tablas, as well as the best teachers to help us achieve our goals. Same things for labs and sports, but now we are also talking about different skills like culinary arts, financial literacy, business development skills, speed math, digital skills, and foundation programmes to meet future challenges like IIT JEE, NEET, and other competitive exams.

What measures is your institution taking to give students a platform for experiential learning? What tactics are you going to use to improve learning and the student experience?

We work on the 4E concept: explore, engage, envision, and exhibit, which gives different platforms to understand and learn the concepts. Under the five elements of life, values play a very important role. And our value for students says, “MY TEAM LEADS.” This is well described when we look at the ant. Ants know that they can accomplish more by working together than by working alone. They set goals and worked together to achieve them. (Ants teach us to tune out distractions and focus on responsible behavior, sharing, and adaptation.)Never lose hope and always strive for excellence.

If you ask me about tactics, I will say, “Plan according to the resources and allow students and teachers to explore what is relevant to exhibit the ideas.” Freedom is another key, like freedom of expression, freedom of communication, and freedom of execution.

Reading habits, writing habits, drama skills, social skills, and other skills acquired through an industrial visit, a talk show with genius, and other experiences provide additional learning platforms.

How has technology changed throughout the years at your institution? What are the driving forces behind your institution’s rapid technological transformation?

If you really want to move faster with perfection and without human error, then technology plays an important role. When it comes to educational institutions, technology makes life easier for everyone. For example, with ERP and LMS, you can get every piece of information and even communicate with all parents and students with the click of a button. It would be extremely beneficial in the administration department, where reliance on humans would be eliminated.

A digital marketing plan, online exams and sessions save paper and time, and students can access information through different platforms. Here we need to understand that information flow is too much, and we keep storing it in our minds, which does not allow us to think differently, so here I advise you to choose the right path of information and act.

How are you planning to enhance the student experience of learning in the year 2023? What is the major segment that you will emphasise to work in the year ahead?

In the coming years, we are considering the upcoming 10 years of growth in India and world-wide science, based on which our focus will be on specific skills.

You become what you believe! With this quote, we’re moving forward, and our Believe system is already in place, as I mentioned in the answers above, and we’re working on it. All readers must understand that the Taj Mahal cannot be built in a year; it takes time, just as consistency in planning and execution is required in school education. Whatever we plan, we must give it time; we cannot change every year simply because the world is changing, and if you believe that we must change in response to the world, you are not an educator; you are an industrialist. What we need to do is develop a long-term strategy, assign tasks to children, and then wait for the results.

“Innovation is a spark that is ignited when students meet the unexpected”

Interviews

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 22, 2022

Today, innovation in education is all about technology. The landscape of education has come a long way since technology knocked the doors of the education sector. We are talking of virtual labs, classes in Metaverse, learning with Extended Reality, and much more. The entire ecosystem is pacing fast to evolve and make best use of technology to learn and teach. To explore innovation in education, Dr. Bina T, Director, Happy Valley Business School, Coimbatore interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network. Edited excerpts:

What is your vision for innovation in education?

An educational system that would permit students to be tested on their competencies and understanding of their subjects would be an innovation by itself.

Teaching, learning, and application at work should have a forward-backward linkage. Strong industry institutes connect where a student could learn deeply about one area would throw open possibilities for innovation in that area. Strongly believe that innovation comes out of interest!

What are the steps you are taking for your institutions to bring innovation?

Within the framework and regulation of the university that we operate in, our institution has always strived to have innovation in teaching pedagogy. Learning has never been restricted to the classroom. Innovation is a spark that is ignited when students meet the unexpected. We have student clubs that initiate new business simulation games and events. They engage with industry leaders which results in the cross-pollination of ideas. The Entrepreneurship Club has an Idea Lab which has students who sit together and dissect an idea to better it.

What can be the best technology to surpass innovation in the field of education?

Artificial intelligence has invaded every area and education cannot escape from it. It has already started demonstrating its use as a teacher, which understands the requirements of a student and does not rest until and unless the student is fully convinced of the content being taught.

A social virtual reality space, where a student can learn anything anywhere, not in isolation but with the feel of being in a face-to-face environment with peers would save unnecessary costs on infrastructure which again burdens the student indirectly through high fees.

NEP, experiential learning and a new paradigm of education is talk of the town. According to you, what are the perils and promises of NEP and the paradigm shift?

Though anything new promises reforms, challenges remain. Policies are great on paper, but implementation is never smooth due to the many formats of education. Change in mindset of not only teachers and management, but at the university level should first be attempted. Students have always misunderstood words like Failure, School drop-outs etc and the fear is would the same happen with NEP too?

Challenges in infrastructure, human resources (aka teachers), budgeting for the future, and strategic plans for the institution are a few which require answers.

The same governing body which has allowed the birth of institutions should also help in sustaining the same. If more institutions shut down, the huge infrastructure which was once demanded cannot be put to any alternative use.

Big fish eating small fishes would then happen in education, too.

What are the segments of the education landscape that still need revision?

Revision is required in every segment. The key segments in education are Students, institutions, and teachers.

Consumers (students) should have a change in mindset about the education system and what education should do for them. This should start right from school and learning to achieve a parents dream should not be the motive. Students should at a young age be made to independently think for themselves without the force of parents, teachers or friends.

Affordable education could happen only with resources from the government. In the absence of which, private institutions that struggle to do the best for their students should be allowed more freedom and autonomy. Faculty members should be treated with more dignity and the fear of job security be removed. Instead, it should be replaced by programs which train them to be better teachers.

Harassment in the form of ratings, rankings and accreditations should be done away with. The admissions/ strength of students in an institution is itself a rating accorded by the main stakeholder- the students, and should be accepted.

Do you think digital disruption in the education space will bridge the employment gap between colleges and cubicles?

Any new technology is only as good as its usage. If put to the right use definitely it would bridge the distance between the classroom and the boardroom.

Digital disruption has ‘taken away boring classes, long lectures and bias in marking. The technology could help in adaptive teaching making it very personalised for the student ensuring complete understanding of the content, real-time feedback, and assessment too. Such learning could also ensure better subject retention and hence the probability of better application in their workspace.

Since the students are digital natives, adaptation would not be difficult.

Innovation in Education: Metamorphosis from Blackboards to Screens

Interviews

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 21, 2022

Traditional classrooms were all about blackboards and chalks, the education landscape is molding itself to work more on screens now. The landscape of education is transforming with the advent of technology. Innovations are breaking the glass ceiling and bringing the new-age approach of teaching and learning. To talk more about the topic, Dr. Anant Chakradeo, Pro-Vice Chancellor – MIT Art Design and Technology University, Dean, Faculty of Design and Architecture, Chairman, International Relations interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Netwrok. Edited excerpts:

What is your vision for innovation in education?

My vision for innovation in education would be an era soon, where India’s 900+ universities, 40,000+ colleges and 1.5 million schools are virtually accessible at a single click on our screens. This source of verified information would help you to design a robust educational path for yourself or your young ones. Life would be simpler for each one aspiring to learn at a choice of locations and evolve in the streams of natural leaning. One usually excels with what one is naturally gifted. India will then truly become a center / hub of excellence, and a land of eminent scholars, coming a full circle, repeating it’s rich history.

What can be the best technology to surpass innovation in the field of education?

Technology combined with creativity, is a must-have for innovation in any sphere.

Innovation, as a thought process keeps evolving generation to generation, therefore it is still thriving across centuries.

All innovative technology is surpassable, which is why we are witnessing the metamorphosis of blackboards to screens. Having said that, in current times, Immersive Media or Human centered Interaction or User Experience could be the best techno-creative bets we have, to aid Innovation in the field of education.

Courtesy technology, it is now easier to bring creative, imaginative minds and ideas closer and nurture those ideas for further impact. This mingling of technology and creativity has brought innovative new ideas and mediums through which people can express themselves. Connectivity has further enabled creative people to work together, diminishing boundaries and distances. To this effect, the AIC-MIT ADT Incubator Forum has been established in the Loni campus, in accordance with the guidelines by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, Government of India. The Centre for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Young Aspirants (CRIEYA), established in year 2021, aims to build a vibrant innovation ecosystem across university by establishing prototype & innovation labs and a network between innovators, academia, mentors, Industry, incubators and foundations. MIT ADT University is ranked Excellent for ARIIA 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India for Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiatives.

NEP, experiential learning and a new paradigm of education is talk of the town. According to you, what are the perils and promises of NEP and the paradigm shift?

2020 – 2040: The next 20 years are a transition period for implementation of this strategically transformative policy – NEP 2020.

The aim is to have an education system by 2040 that is second to none, with equitable access to the highest-quality education for all learners regardless of social or economic background.

Given the scale of educational institutions mentioned at the start, the implementation of NEP requires industry, academia and policymakers to work together, for these 2 decades relentlessly to make it a reality.

The perils if I were to envisage across next 2 decades could be four-fold: change in government, citizen-level (industry, academia and policymakers ) lack of pro activity & clarity ,dilution in implementation, and possibly, world dynamics.

NEP proposes the revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance, to create a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century education, including SDG4, while building upon India’s traditions and value systems. The promise that NEP shows of collective action making India a global knowledge superpower is worth working towards, to witness eventually, the paradigm shift created in our lifetimes.

What are the steps you are taking for your institutions to bring innovation?

MIT Art Design and Technology University, as the name suggests, is a multi-disciplinary university. It is amongst the leading Government recognised Private Universities, within the ambit of the renowned 4 decades young MIT Group of Institutions, Pune.

To nurture an innovation-focussed outlook, MIT provides technology-enabled learner-driven curriculum, value added courses, simulated learning environments, state-of-the-art infrastructure and opportunities for community engagement.

MIT nurtures learners to be intellectually curious, technologically equipped, mentally sound, physically fit, spiritually elevated, socio-culturally sensitive, environmentally conscious through continuous holistic education for the everevolving world.

MIT empowers learners to become adaptive and agile global professionals through unique specialized programs building academia-industrial partnership.

MIT provides impetus to faculty, learners, and staff by developing their innate intellectual capabilities, creative abilities and entrepreneurial mind-set for the socio-economic development of the nation.

What are the segments of the education landscape that still need revision?

Having spent 25 years in the Design Education industry, I am very keen to play my part in the successful implementation of NEP 2020. Majority segments of the education landscape are covered extensively in it, for ongoing reforms. There is enough on our hands to work towards for revising the same. E.g. Rote learning, Evaluation system, Equal respect to all the subjects, More Accountability, Periodic Assessments, Education Partnerships, Single regulator for higher education institutions, Multiple entry and exit options in degree courses ,Common entrance exams for universities, Curriculum Revision and Pedagogy in Schools, Better training of educators,Efficient Resourcing and Effective Governance through School Complexes/Clusters, Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education, Institutional Restructuring and Consolidation, Optimal Learning Environments and Support for Students ,Re-imagining Vocational Education, Catalyzing Quality Academic Research in all Fields through a New National Research Foundation, Transforming the Regulatory System of Higher Education, Adult Education and Life Long Learning, Promotion of Indian Languages, Arts and Culture, Technology Use and Integration, Online & Digital Education, Strengthening the Central Advisory Board of Education, Financing and more.

Do you think digital disruption in the education space will bridge the employment gap between colleges and cubicles?

50% of the country’s population is below the age of 25. 74% of the 18-23 age group are not getting access to higher education or simply cannot afford it.

As per the World Economic Forum, of the 13 million people who join India’s workforce each year, only 1 in 4 management professionals, 1 in 5 engineers, and 1 in 10 graduates are employable.

As per a NASSCOM report, there could be a shortage of 14- 18 lakh digitally skilled professionals by 2026. And the youth of India are facing a roadblock both in achieving the degrees on paper that they want and the vocational skills that they need.

Given these statistics, it seems that Digitization and Upskilling need further ramping up to help bridge the employment gap between colleges to cubicles, i.e. from a learning environment to an earning environment.

Multi-disciplinary, techno-creative and innovation-driven universities like MIT ADT play an important role at the grass root levels, offering relevant Degree Programs, placements as well as opportunities to get incubated on campus.

A prominent tilt towards technology-driven teaching and learning

Interviews

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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December 21, 2022

Technology has forayed into the education landscape in most noticeable ways. The changes and impact can be seen in the ways of imparting education today, it has moulded into the most beneficial model. To look at it from ground zero, an educator’s perspective is the most crucial, as it will help us understand the recent emergence, challenges and changing chapter of school education in a profound manner. Murali Mukund, Chairman, Jubilee Hills Public School, Hyderabad interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network. Edited excerpts:

Post covid, we have come across a new ecosystem of school education. What are current changes that are apt for the holistic development of students?

In the post-covid context, there has been a significant change in the education sector, especially concerning the school education system. The blended system came into existence with the growth of technology; it was never out of the popular educational trends list. This method, consisted of both face-to-face and e-Learning training methods simultaneously. There is a prominent tilt towards a more technology-driven teaching and learning termed as the ‘new normal’. The present perspective changes completely with this phenomena because education in the new normal will never be the same as the pre-pandemic period. A new aspect now emerges and with that every element of a school is affected. Now, the right to education is not only about the right to access education but also about receiving quality education that will provide a holistic education to the student.

Holistic education is the only way to bring about lasting change; in fact it is the only way that can change the world for the better. The requisite is an inquiry into the necessary conditions that are required to create a congenial atmosphere for the young student’s holistic development to his optimum level. Bearing certain advantages of the ‘new normal’ like Flexibility, Travel Time & Expenses, Networking, Accessibility & Convenience, Cost effective Learning, Self-paced learning, Theory Application, Better communication etc.

A probe is essential into the basic principles of ecology, relationships, connectedness, and context to realize the intricate interdependence and often unpredictable dynamics of ecological, social, and economic systems will become the lead for further action. It is a shift of focus from analytical thinking (parts) to contextual thinking (whole) as a prerequisite for building a more resilient ecosphere. It is regarded as a critical ability in education as it enables students to untangle and work within the complexities of life on Earth. Thus we shift our perspective on the belief that a school is an ecosystem, and acts that way.

Adopting a wide range of participatory methodologies in education, is essential to change the behavior and equip the current and future generations with the knowledge and skills that they need to shape a sustainable future. These methodologies will allow them to develop problem-solving, interdisciplinary, and systemic thinking skills, which will help them learn, ‘how to think rather than ‘what to think within the context of sustainability.

PM recently announced the PM – SHRI scheme to build approximately 14000 schools with modern infrastructure. How do you think such steps will help the school education ecosystem in India?

PM-SHRI schools will mentor and provide leadership to other schools in their vicinity. PM SHRI will provide high quality education in an equitable, inclusive and joyful school environment that takes care of the diverse background, multilingual needs, and different academic abilities of children and makes them active participants in their own learning process as per the vision of NEP 2020.

The PM-SHRI Schools will be developed as Green schools, incorporating environmentally friendly aspects like solar panels and LED lights, nutrition gardens with natural farming, waste management, plastic free, water conservation and harvesting, study of traditions/practices related to protection of the environment, climate change related hackathon and awareness generation to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

Pedagogy adopted in these schools will be more experiential, holistic, integrated, play/toy-based (particularly, in the foundational years) inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centered, discussion-based, flexible and enjoyable.

The focus will be on the learning outcomes of every child in every grade. Assessment at all levels will be based on conceptual understanding and application of knowledge to real situations and will be competency-based.

Linkage with Sector Skill Councils and local industry to enhance employability and provide better employment opportunities will be explored.

A School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF) is being developed, specifying the key performance indicators to measure outcomes. Quality evaluation of these schools at regular intervals will be undertaken to ensure the desired standards.

More than 18 lakh students are expected to be direct beneficiaries of the scheme. Further, impact will be generated through the mentoring and hand holding of the schools in vicinity of PM-SHRI schools.

Hybrid learning is somewhere reducing the role of teachers in student growth. Do you think the introduction of technology in the education landscape can completely erase the existence of teachers?

A teacher will always be crucial – the effective learning process of any student, whether it is a physical classroom or online learning. Technology is only a form of augmentation which can help in learning but cannot replace a teacher, especially in a school environment. Teachers are an integral part of education at any level. They become the basic interface between education and the child. Teachers adapt themselves to each child’s requirement, be it emotional or educational. They modify the learning process to ease the learning process. They provide the much-needed human interaction which every child needs. Technology can never provide that reassuring pat on the back or a warm smile from the teacher that every student looks forward in school. So, teachers are leaders, coaches, guides, facilitators and mentors. They play a pivotal role in their intellectual nourishment, encourage them, inspire them to set and achieve their goals. They form the emotional connect and intimacy between the child and learning.

After NEP, everyone is aiming for a multidisciplinary curriculum. How are you planning to inculcate the same in your school?

Multidisciplinary education is undeniably important in the post-modern world of this century, the new NEP 2020 places great emphasis on integrated and Trans- disciplinary education. We can plan a parallel curriculum or develop an fusion curriculum integration. We need to cross list various courses which would fetch more opportunities for students. With creative combination of subjects’ cuttingedge curriculum flexible options multiple entry and exit options during the undergraduate students can explore their areas of interest. We need to study a path where this diversification can happen or integration can happen. We need to provide an opportunity for faculty members to up skill and re- skill across various domains.

Teachers plus AI – The perfect combo for students to grow and learn

Article

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

December 19, 2022

With the ever-growing integration of technology in society, it was only a matter of time before artificial intelligence (AI) began to enter the classroom. And while AI can be used in several ways, its potential for education is perhaps most significant. When it comes to the field of learning, there’s no one-sizefits-all solution. But, if there’s one constant, it’s that of the teachers playing a pivotal role in students’ success. Teachers are always looking for new ways to engage and motivate their students. And with the advent of new technologies, there are more opportunities than ever to do just that. For one, AI can help identify and address learning gaps earlier on. In addition, AI-enabled technologies can provide more personalized instruction and feedback for students. Not only this, but it can also be used to develop new assessment tools and methods for teachers.

With such advanced techniques in place, teachers can personalise learning for each student, identify areas where students may need extra support, and can also provide realtime feedback. When used correctly, AI has the potential to transform education and help every student reach their full potential. Here are a few ways AI can support teachers and students:

1. Personalised Learning: Each student’s strengths and weaknesses can be thoroughly known and customise learning content and assignments can be processed and delivered accordingly. This way, every student can receive an education that’s tailored just for them – making it more likely for them to succeed.

2. Extra Support: If a student is struggling in a particular subject, AI can provide targeted assistance to help them catch up so that the gap immediately gets bridged, and the students progresses well.

3. Real-Time Feedback: Teachers often have to wait until after an assignment is turned in to give feedback. However, with AI, feedback can be given in real-time, and the intervention can be done in a super quick manner. This way, students can correct their mistakes and learn from them right away.

There is no shor’tage of potential applications for artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Below are a few examples of how AI is being used in classroom teaching:

1. Virtual reality (VR) simulations: Students can use VR to step into realistic simulations of historical events or learn about new concepts in science and math. This will give them the feel of the actual happenings and will also let them lead into the creative world of technology.

2. Online tutoring: AI-powered chatbots can provide one-on-one tutoring outside of school hours. These chatbots can answer questions, give feedback on practice problems, and track progress over time.

3. Predictive analytics: Data from past students can be used to predict which current students are at risk of falling behind. This information can then be used to target interventions and support accordingly.

4. Automated grading: AI can be used to grade essays and other written assignments automatically. This frees up teachers’ time so they can focus on more important tasks, such as providing personalized feedback to students.

5. Learning games: Games that adapt to a player’s skill level and increase in difficulty as they improve are an effective way to keep students engaged in their learning.

With teachers plus AI concepts, the former can simplify complex topics quite efficiently. Through AI, difficult concepts are broken down into manageable chunks for students leading to a drastic improvisation in teaching and learning methodology.

Views expressed by Puneet Kothapa, President, Narayana Group

Significance of AI in resume building and advancing careers

Interviews

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

December 19, 2022

The world is preparing itself for the coming recession; employment crunch, dwindling economies and financial crisis are some of the issues that will strike the doors of each country in the coming years. In that case, outstanding your skills or performing exceptionally well in your career is really challenging. Though there are many brands that are built to make the procedures easy for recruiters as well as for the candidate. Technology is also swaying this process of employability to a great extent and brands are doing wonders with the implementation of technology. To delve deeper into this space, Manikanth Challa, Founder & CEO, Workruit interacted with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network and talked about the technology implementation in the industry and how it helps to build their own platform. Edited excerpts:

How is Artificial Intelligence contributing to building your brand?

AI is used at various stages of our solutions. Because our suite of solutions includes platforms for Job & Recruitment Search, Resume Builder, and Digital Exchange, the use cases appear to be in a variety of areas, such as resume screening, showing relevant recommendations, providing more accurate suggestions to what type of skill programs could help a job seeker in upskilling, and more. An important use case of AI is understanding a user’s resume and assisting them with ways to make it more effective, including using words and sentences and keeping it consistent with the job descriptions in the current market.

We understand the importance of specific tech stacks, and we are constantly upgrading them to ensure that the journey of an employer or job seeker is faster than ever.

As you are one of the leading recruitment platforms, how do you predict the job market in the year 2023?

Workruit has rapidly established a strong reputation in the recruitment industry. To understand the predictions for 2023, we will see a large number of job seekers switch jobs in the coming year for a variety of reasons. Following the pandemic, we’ve seen a new trend of candidates preferring remote jobs over office jobs, but companies are now expecting candidates to return to the workplace as well. Another important aspect we’ve noticed is that companies’ work expectations have changed in the last two years, and the workforce’s work-life balance has shifted. We will see an increase in demand for white and grey collar job opportunities, as well as a significant shuffle in the workforce looking to change jobs in order to change work environments.

Workruit also operates the Digital Employment Exchange of Telangana (DEET) platform in collaboration with Telangana State. Please let us know more about this collaboration?

We are the first platform in India/Asia to digitise, launch, and operate exclusive Digital Skill & Employment Exchange platforms by collaborating with governments to open up private sector job opportunities to all workforce (skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled). The DEET Skill Training module aggregates all courses offered by the Telangana government and private organizations and is provided on a platform to help users find relevant programs. As a result of the collaboration with the State, new opportunities have emerged, and an ecosystem has been established among corporations, colleges, institutions, organizations, and foundations. The authenticity and credibility of this platform exceed that of 90 per cent of the platforms seen on the internet.

With over 10,00,000 users on the platform, we have listed over 8,00,000 job vacancies in the private sector. We are linked to over 1,500 colleges (Private and Government Institutions) and provide over 500 skill training programs offered by various government and private sector organisations, making it easier for youth to gain more insights.

Equifax, Indian School of Business (ISB), NASSCOM, CII, TASK, FTCII, T-Hub, TSCHE, JNTU, OU, MGU, EGMM, ICICI Foundation, and others have formed strategic global and national partnerships with us to provide authenticity and value-added services.

As a resume builder platform, how do you see the significance of resumes in career building?

The importance of a resume or CV in advancing one’s career cannot be undermined. Workruit focuses on providing extended support for building a resume with features such as AI-resume analysis, grammar check, resume comparison to a job description, suitable and relevant text recommendations, and many more that improve the effectiveness of a resume.

With thousands of job seekers constantly entering the job market, ATS and Job Portals require a faster mechanism to streamline and shortlist a few relevant profiles, which digital Resumes and CVs do. However, what is expected of a job seeker is to understand the fundamentals and demonstrate their strengths on the job. Companies are also interested in learning about the candidates’ specific skill sets. In the career development journey, one should have a digital portfolio of their professional and educational information to help them gain more visibility among employers.

What are your plans of expansion for the year 2023?

By the end of the year, we expect to have reached over 5 million job seekers, 5000 enterprises and SMEs, and 2000 colleges. Workruit Resume Builder is available in multiple international languages, including Bahasa, Filipino, Malaysian, and Vietnamese, and we are expanding our solutions to the South East Asian market. We have seen good organic growth in these markets, and there is a high demand for an easy-to-use, on-the-go tool for building digital profiles.

As part of our solutions, we intend to target over 2000+ educational institutions and colleges to offer solutions for assisting students and placement teams in automating the Resume, CV, Cover Letter, and Video Resume processes, allowing students to connect with more internships and job opportunities.

5G Rollout to elevate digital education in leaps & bounds

Article

By

Sheeba Chauhan, Senior Sub Editor

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December 19, 2022

The landscape of skilling is updating its war field and heading towards upskilling and reskilling. The first step of skilling happens at schools and colleges, so education has to be the foundation to achieve future ready skill sets. Also, technology is the key player in the swift transformation that is happening in every segment, be it education, healthcare, banking, logistics and more. While the world is echoing with technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Extended Learning, and more, India is currently fencing over the newly launched 5G.

The 5th generation of wireless connectivity will bring an entire world of opportunity with it. The education sector which has never imagined being on board for technology, is now the biggest market for driving technology. Experts are saying the fortuity of 5G will transform the brick-and-mortar schools into a completely digital space of education. Remote, online or digital education that spurred hugely during covid was managed well with 4G but with 5G, we can now enhance the last mile connectivity too.

Digitisation has omnipresence in all sectors and 5G is the uptick that will incline it toward the upside curve. Every sector is digitally driven by the emergence of technology and its now out of the question to imagine an industry without tech. Also, there was a huge hike in the number of mobile users even in tier II or III cities in the last decade, the connectivity has already shown wonders in the covid times, 5G will add up to the final flourishing of digitsiation.

Understanding 5G – A tech perspective

The first generation of mobile networks was brought into the picture in the 1980s; after that there was no looking back. 5G, the fifth generation of mobile networks, is unified, with a more capable air interface. It has been curated with an extended capacity to bring next-generation user experiences. It will also empower new deployment models and deliver new services. The major focus is that with high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms.

5G is not only about faster speeds, it is designed to enhance mission-critical communication and for connecting the massive infrastructure of the Internet of Things (IoT). It will enable an entire ecosystem of the advanced tech world. Consumers will be able to download up to 20 Gigabits-per second (Gbps) peak data rates and 100+ Megabits-per second (Mbps) average data rates. It will blur the teething issues in connectivity, and networking and will bring a new wave of global connectivity.

A push toward digital literacy

Some of the big telecom giants are striding fast for development. In the same regard, Reliance Jio has rolled out 5G across 33 districts across Gujarat, making it the first state in the country to have 5G service across all district headquarters. The first initiative which is launched as a joint effort by Reliance Foundation and Jio, will build 100 schools in Gujarat fully digital. The true 5G powered initiative was named “Education For All”.

5G will prove revolutionary and evolutionary for industries. Edtechs are hoping for the best after the 5G rollout. The entire concept of edtech companies runs on interactive and more tech enabled education, and 5G is all about that. 5G will also enhance empiricism-driven learning, it is high time to move ahead of the ‘old bottle, new wine’ and create a new paradigm of own with the rollout of 5G. With the extended connectivity that 5G will provide, students that are staying in remote places will also be able to connect globally and learn.

Education enthusiasts are even thinking of setting up virtual labs or virtual classes to move from the traditional method of ‘Chalk & talk’. Students can learn geography, about the terrains and topography by virtually visiting the places and also will be able to witness the real-time wars through virtual reality and beat the hardship of memorising dates of history. 5G is an upliftment that can change the very foundation of the development of any nation, i.e education.

Industry speaks

The next-gen of connectivity will bring a new supplement to the education sector and educationists are upholding a lot of thoughts on the topic. According to Professor Rajesh Khanna, president, NIIT University, “5G technology will have a transformational change, at least in how some of us learn. This could be because of its high speed, low latency or command in execution, capability to connect with multiple users and devices simultaneously, and in-built security in how it operates.”

Education Minister of India, Dharmendra Pradhan himself stated, “Education will be one among the major beneficiary sectors of this 5G rollout. Because, now, we are envisioning a digital university. We are going for virtual labs. We are going for virtual teachers. In all areas, if we develop quality content and presentable content, how do we send them to the nook and corner of the country? 5G will be the major vehicle to reach out to the unreachable.” Given that, the adoption of 5G networks in the delivery of education has the potential to address connectivity concerns and simplify classroom operations while enhancing the efficacy of the educational process, said Ajit Chauhan, Chairman, Amity University Online.

“Students can learn through various forms of digital and online content, such as videos, digital resources, online classrooms and online learning management systems, YouTube, and various unique tools like Flipgrid, Infographics, and Storyboards,” said Chauhan.

Washing the digital divide with 5G connection

When working from home and attending online classes became part of new normal of schooling and working culture, we somehow were dependent on internet connections even more. According to a survey, the demand for internet connections nearly spiked to 50 per cent during the first quarter of the pandemic. Despite India being the second-largest in using the internet, there are areas that merely get connectivity of any network.

With the roll-out of 5G, even the places with the least connectivity are hoping for better infrastructure. With 5G comes Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), a new service that will help bridge the Digital Divide. FWA is a cost-effective method of delivering high-speed internet to areas with limited fixed (wireline) broadband infrastructure. FWA works like any other home internet service, but instead of connecting through a cable, it does so through a wireless network using a router.

5G services are very limited and in its initial phase. Though the government is working fast towards digitisation and encouraging the populace to adopt the same. But there are some basic issues that need more focus to mitigate the digital divide. In order to bridge the digital divide in a larger way, the government of India, collaborated with the Pune-based Centre for Advanced Computing (C–DAC), with an objective to bring about 1 million digital books to the doorsteps of common citizens. This will promote literacy by providing an Internet enabled digital library.

Are we ready?

5G is expected to deliver as a catalyst in building India, a $5 Trillion economy by 2024-25. The question is, are we ready yet? According to experts, 5G will build $150 billion for the nation between 2024-40. It will cumulatively deliver a $1 Trillion economy to the nation by 2035. If we go by numbers, we are quite outperforming and will make the biggest market for 5G in the coming years.

Looking at the few pitfalls, we have to keep India’s diverse geographical domains as one of the major challenges. Some of parts of the nation are still fighting to quench 2G data on their phones, so building 5th generation on the land where people are still tangled in the previous generations will be quite tedious. Moreover, the hunger for connectivity, innovation and technology implementation can be very much seen. The 5G and future generations of mobile networking technologies are pushing the Shannon Capacity theorem to the limits, unleashing a constant hunger for more bandwidth and access to data.

Another hurdle that will be considered in a country like ours, is affordability. The survey of 233 countries found that average price of one giga byte data in India is $0.17 (around Rs. 13.5) which makes India the fifth-lowest in terms of internet data rates in the world but some of the sections still need a better price.

The capacity to build such a massive infrastructure will need a zillion efforts, but once made , 5G will serve an entire new ecosystem that will be highly efficient and tech-driven.

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