SpEd@home – transforming special education, globally

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September 8, 2022

SpEd@home is a result of over two decades of field experience of its founder Dr. Dhaval Mody and co founders, Supriya Das, and Aysel Engineer. They identified the need to ensure better access to integrated therapies required for children with special needs. SpEd@home aspires to provide remedial and occupational therapy support to children across the globe. Established in Sept 2020, the company aims to build an ecosystem for special education, helping children to improve their physical, cognitive, developmental, and educational outcomes.

SpEd@home – Every child EnABLED

We believe that children need to learn at their own pace in their style of learning. We understand their educational deficits and also their strengths, physical, cognitive, and environmental factors.We built an integrated solution that includes proficiency based educational, physical and cognitive tasks that will enable a steeper learning trajectory. SpEd@home provides adaptive learning solutions curated to the child’s proficiency level. It is largely focused on children of ages 6-13 years with learning disabilities, ADHD, and high-functioning children on the autism spectrum. We use technology to ensure children’s perceived ease of task and ease of use, building more self- reliance and constant motivation through rewards and eventually better social acceptance..

Learning Management System

Our Learning Management System is built on Web 2.0 using persuasive technology and scientific principles of Orton Gillingham for achieving foundational literacy and a global curriculum for foundational numeracy. All this uses a multi sensory, interactive, play-way approach. The key features include::

Home-based integrated online education – Remedial and Occupational therapy
Assessment to identify the learning gaps and design a bespoke development plan
Auto-curated therapy
Predictive algorithm to identify the time duration for a child to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy Even with online as the primary mode, SpEd@home provides offline support as well, making it – India’s 1st Blended Learning Program for children with special needs. Having worked with over 1000 children across seven countries, we are now ready to scale the program globally across all genres of society to ensure equitable education for all children with special needs.

School Resource Room – Online Program for Effective Inclusion

Taking the special education model to an institutional level, SpEd@home proudly presents its latest School Resource Room Program – an innovative transformation of traditional resource room methods. Our experts provide support to the school, its students, and even teachers, with this online room. The school is supported with all the equipment, experts, and training. A perfect solution for schools that aren’t equipped with the resources to form or manage a resource room.

India – The next knowledge superpower

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 8, 2022

As India marked the completion of 75 years of Independence earlier this month, PM Narendra Modi, in his speech, emphasised the importance of the National Education Policy and how it will be the carrier for empowering students to make them ready for 21st-century skills. The nation is thriving on new energy and newfangled objectives to transform India into a developed country in the next 25 years. And when it comes to transfiguring, the most prominent sector to focus on is ‘Education’. A myriad of developments are ongoing in the sector, and India has also pledged to make the education sector paramount from the Red Fort’s rampart on Independence Day.

The most significant application of “Digital India’’ is evident in the education spectrum. UGC has been constantly pushing to make the most of the wide spectrum the mission has opened up. It recently launched an e-resource portal to avail digital course content for undergraduate and postgraduate students in rural India.

To commemorate India’s 75 years of independence and highlight the nation’s progress as well as accomplishments, we present to you the August issue of Digital Learning magazine that will pivot on the nano learning and forth comings of e-learning in the cover story, as e-learning is the matter of contention in the education vista. We also focus on the merger of JEE-NEET with an elucidating explanation of its opportunities, snags, and a special industry perspective from IIT alumni on the historical proposal.

The issue also has an extensive and illuminating report from the 24th World Education Summit that was held on 27-28 July 2022, in Hyderabad. It is highlighting the commendable innovations in education, in both higher and school education segments. The report will also present a kernel of visionary thoughts from government dignitaries, industry stakeholders, and educators who attended the summit as key speakers.

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World Education Summit paving the way for innovation in education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 8, 2022

Elets Technomedia and Digital Learning, along with ‘Collegiate and Technical Education Department, Government of Telangana, India as ‘Host Partner’, organised the 24th edition of the ‘World Education Summit‘ in Hyderabad.

The two-day networking-cum-knowledge gathering turned to be a platform for exchanging views, resolving challenges, and sharing the mission & vision for transforming the Education industry. The summit witnessed 500+ higher education delegates, 120+ higher education leaders, 200+ school education leaders, 500+ school education delegates, 25+ international experts, 20+ government dignitaries, 50+ exhibitors, and 50+ knowledgeable sessions.

The summit featured pertinent panel discussions, industry presentations, and special addresses from the connoisseurs of the education world. Some of the focus themes for the panel discussions on school education included the role of technology intervention in education, role of NEP as a game changer to revolutionise India’s educational landscape; Next-generation Classrooms & Learning Models: Reimagining the role of Technology in Education; Bringing Equity in Relevance to Digital Learning: Convergence of Technology & Skilling; Practical Implementation, role of Early Childhood Educators in preparing a Healthier, Safer & Multicultural Learning Environment & Charting the roadmap of growth and others. In higher education, panel discussions focused on National Education Policy 2022 in Higher Education: Preparing the Next Generation to Thrive in Digital Age, Evolving role of edtech in higher education: The future of learning & skilling, Reimagining higher education leadership: Getting future-ready with creativity, diversity & digital mindset, Creating a framework for research-ready institutes & future-ready workforce, Using digital technology to strengthen inquiry-based higher education learning.

Education landscape taking a hybrid approach

Addressing the 24th World Education Summit held in Hyderabad, Navin Mittal, Commissioner, Collegiate and Technical Education Department, Government of Telangana stated that with the NEP 2020, UGC’s new regulation of dual degree and training programmes has opened an entirely new spectrum for international education. Edited excerpts:

“Integration of technology into education is a very exciting thing happening in present time in the higher education space per se. In school education, we have multiple other issues in terms of student learning levels going back by more than two years due to covid, which resultant in complete shutdown of schools thereby affecting their school learning in the intervening period. Because to keep improving you must be constantly on. But when you take a break you kind of relapse back and that’s a real struggle for school education.”, shared Navin Mittal, Commissioner, Collegiate and Technical Education Department, Government of Telangana.

In the higher education space, there are multiple things that are happening, which are driving this huge amount of change in terms of technology.

Technology in the administration of education is a big thing. Things like online services are not just for students but also for institutions.

Things like biometric attendance help to improve student attendance as well as faculty attendance. And we have seen some great success in that regard not just in the higher education space but also in intermediate education as well as in school education. In terms of evaluation systems, the entire technical education evaluation happens online through the digitisation of answer scripts, and evaluators completely can go online which is a much easier and faster way for evaluation.

“The multiple ways in which technology is transforming the administration of higher education space are how we integrate some of the international as well as domestic platforms which will help students in getting contents from multiple sources. It is indeed a very transformative step. Even the delivery from the teacher side also is now moving into a blended space. We tried completely online during covid, but I don’t think it worked very well in terms of access and participation of the students as we had anticipated.” he added.

He stated, “We’re increasingly moving to a more hybrid and blended space where we combine the best of both worlds, the best of the online world and the physical world. The benefits of online are more in comparison to offline. In online learning, contents can be accessed anywhere and anytime at a speed and pace as per student’s need. A fast learner is not frustrated by the slow pace of a classroom and a slow learner is not outpaced by the fast pace of delivery for an average student. Students can re-watch and rewind fast-forward in the way they want. That’s something that is a great benefit of the online or electronic delivery of the content.”

Online assessment of the student’s learning is again a very powerful tool. The new national education policy emphasises on assessment of learning, assessment for learning, and assessment as learning. These three things are very powerful ways to improve student learning.

There is also a great advantage in the offline mode of education because students learn not just from the content, which is provided to them but also through engagement with other students. A huge amount of peer-toper learning happens in a physical space in terms of rich interaction, which happened amongs students. These interactions provide numerous life skills which are very important in a student’s life or a human life per se. “The offline mode also help teachers to know the students better, assess them better, so that their holistic capacity building could take place”, he concluded.

Technology and Innovation: The game changers

At the 24th World Education Summit, organised by Elets Technomedia, Garima Panwar, Addl Commissioner, PI Kalaburagi Division, Commissionerate of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka, talked about how innovation can be a game changer for all. Edited excerpts:

Talking about managing a staff of 60,000 employees at such an early age, Garima Panwar, Addl Commissioner, PI Kalaburagi Division, Commissionerate of Public Instruction, Government of Karnataka said. “When I see the word ‘innovation’, it becomes very difficult for me. Where do I put innovation in this system which already has its own principles of working? If I try to bring any change, it becomes a very difficult task for me.”

Panwar talked about three places where she uses technology. “One is administration. We use technology for school registration and for various private school recognition renewals. We also have SATS, which is a Student Achievement Tracking System, which we are changing every day. The features which we have introduced in SATS are quite impressive. We know what a student is getting, whether the books and food have been received by him, whether a specific kind of program has been attended by the student or not,” she said.

The second part she talked about was teacher training and teacher learning. “We have 60,000 teachers who need to be regularly trained and now with NEP and all the other new things which are coming up, they really need to have upgraded skills,” she said.

Highlighting the problem of availability, she said, “I take around 8,000 guest teachers every year on a contract basis and these people are not really trained in education. So I have to train them again and bring them back to where we are going.”

“Now that we are doing a Kalika Chetarike program, we have declared it as a recovery loss year for one year and this is specifically where technology has helped me, to train those 8,000 teachers and to tell them that they’re going to be here for a year and these are the targets and this is how we are going to take up the curriculum,” she added.

The third part she talked about is training being given to students and how they are acquiring knowledge. Giving an example of Shahpur taluka, Yadgir district, she said that it is the most backward district of Karnataka. “We asked the children to think about a problem and they did. Along with Intel and Yuva Chintana Foundation, we found that the kids were able to find the problem and formulate how they’re going to solve and implement it. So now, they know coding. They have made an application and they know how to run it.” she said.

Panwar said that she doesn’t want to make students passive learners whenever it comes to technology. “I really want an active participation in technology,” she concluded.

“Holistic development of students and proper skilling is the need of the hour”

Addressing the 24th World Education Summit held in Hyderabad, Prof. R Prasad, Director – Acad Wing, ICFAI Group talked about transformation in higher education and the holistic development of students. Edited excerpts:

“Student progress is the key point in today’s world of hybrid-online education. The two years have already been lost given the complete shutdown of the world economy in the face of the catastrophic onslaught COVID had brought. The year 2018-19 was a bit exciting but a fresh bout of disruption due to COVID just turned the table for the worst and we had to step back. But 2022 has reinvigorated the transformational journey in the education sector,” said Prof. R Prasad, Director – Acad Wing, ICFAI Group.

Speaking on the digital transformation in the education sector, he stressed upon the need of having a fully digital online program to make further strides in the digital endeavour. “I always wondered why the education sector is the last to transform. Every other sector has transformed but this sector has remained almost static. But finally, I believe that the moment has come for education to undergo massive digital overhauling,” he said.

According to him, two things that are needed to fully reap the dividends of the Indian demographic window are robust policies and their effective implementation by the institutions. “This is where the role of education becomes crucial and pertinent. The prevailing challenges viz., enhancing Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER), employability factors and skilling of students must be addressed quickly and effectively. The cutting edge innovation should be brought in the education sector to make it more aligned with the contemporary demand,” he said.

Stressing upon the massive need for the digital transition of workforce, he said, “Companies, today, look for more skilled and technically better equipped workers. So, proper skilling through education becomes the need of the hour. Around 55 crore of our population are the young and active workforce and if they do not transition to better skill sets with time in the technology-dominated world of the 21st century, not only will they fall behind but India as a country will also suffer.”

“In fact, UGC, the regulator, is also talking about graduate attributes. This was unheard of, four to five years ago. Graduate attribute is basically employability status that employers look for in freshers joining the workforce. The outcome orientation, both from an accreditation point of view as well as from a curriculum point of view, necessitates the UGC to put directions in place regarding this. The institution and infrastructure must be upgraded and strengthened to facilitate the undergoing digital transformation in the education sector,” he further added.

Speaking on the transformation, he said the focus should be on quality rather than perfection or money driven. “Transformation, in a nutshell, is the transformation of a learner and the institution which facilitates it,” Prasad said.

He further said, “Asynchronous is more powerful than synchronous. Many times, we think the reverse but if you know how to build, how to organise, asynchronous can be far more powerful than synchronous in terms of outcome orientation. So, to make it outcome oriented, I think your program outcomes need to be clearly defined and you need to look at how your assessment is connected to your outcome. If your assessment is not aligned to your outcome, then you may teach something that may be outcome-oriented, but the end result will not be as per desired expectation.”

He concluded by giving greater emphasis on the personalisation aspect. He said, “In terms of institutional outcomes, one also needs to look at personal outcomes. Through personalisation, you can create user personas to make things simpler and outcome-oriented. Learner analytics using technology for doing formative assessment can further customise learning aspirations of the students which can be helpful in reimagining the current education.”

Technology transformation in learning methodologies

Addressing the 24th World Education Summit, in Hyderabad, Dr. Vinnie Jauhari, Learning & Skills Lead, Microsoft stated that the new educational policy opens up an unprecedented opportunity wherein there is a lot of flexibility in transfer credits and bank credit, as well as the focus on the learning outcomes and technology-related transformations are happening through various platforms. Edited excerpts:

“The start-up culture is booming in India, making it the world’s third largest startup country, where the focus is coming on hybrid learning and multiple career paths for an individual”, shared Dr. Vinnie Jauhari, Learning & Skills Lead, Microsoft.

“We at Microsoft offer a unique opportunity in the higher education sector through Microsoft’s educational transformation framework, where it provides practical advice to develop a strategy for digital transformation. Microsoft works in over 100 countries where they focus on student success, and educates them to have connected ecosystems, to enable faculty to embrace technology innovation for teaching and learning, and how we can power academic research and smart campuses, which are to be set up to monitor the progress of the students through their entire life cycle”, she added.

New technologies like Cloud, Big Data, IoT, and Robotics are all gaining huge ground in the industry.

If you look at the industry scenario, over 80 per cent of the organisations are embracing these technologies, which means new job roles in new areas and this will automatically slide offerings in terms of skills in higher education. So, Microsoft offers content on MS Learn, and there are more than 3200 modules that can further customise learning experiences.

We could be partners in your journey towards connected experiences with students creating more personalised learning experiences that will help with curriculum content and also faculty development. It will also help governance in terms of using data analytics to power your decisions. So, we look forward to the partnership”, she concluded.

Digital innovation in education

At the 24th World Education Summit,oragnised by Elets Technomedia, Prof. Saroj Sharma, Chairperson, National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), talking about Delors Commission, constituted by UNESCO, said that it proposed an integrated vision of education based on two key concepts, ‘learning throughout life’ and the four pillars of learning – to know, to do, to be and to live together. Edited excerpts:

“It transformed into the millennium 2020 goals. There were eight goals that were discussed and then, when goals were not achieved, it was extended up to 10 more years and the National Education Policy talks about achieving these global objectives which Sustainable Development Goals are discussing,” said Prof. Saroj Sharma, Chairperson, National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) . There are two national boards in India, one is CBSE and another is the National Institute of Open Schooling. “NIOS is the world’s largest open schooling system.

Around 25 black students are here and last year, UNESCO awarded us the King Sejong Literacy Prize 2021 for working in the field of inclusion,” she said.

“3 years back, we introduced a program diploma in elementary teacher education and 14 lakh teachers were given online education. Last year, we signed an MoU with Jan Shikshan Sansthan with the Ministry of Skills and currently, 24 lakh labourers of unorganised track sector are being educated and skilled,” she added.

The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has given NIOS the right of awarding body. “We are the board where there is no demarcation between vocational courses and conventional courses. A student who has taken music can opt for physics. 103 vocational subjects with conventional subjects is our mandate,” she said.

“We are also teaching Kasturba Gandhi schools, in online mode. The education minister last year launched a virtual school. It is the world’s largest open schooling and we were the pioneers of launching this virtual school,” she added.

Talking about the academic bank of credit, she said that all the 25 lakh students of NIOS have their own dashboard. “These kinds of innovations we are doing through digital mode,” she said.

Placement, high package should not be the criteria of life skills. Livelihood skills should be part of life. Education should reflect in our behaviour,” she concluded.

Research and Education: The innovative ecosystem

At the 24th World Education Summit, organised by Elets Technomedia, Dr. Shwetha Suresh, Head of Innovation, Swissnex, Swiss Consulate General, Bangalore talked about the opportunity that Swissnex brings to the education sector. Edited Excerpts:

“The world’s most cutting-edge location for research and education can be found at Swissnex, a consulate that focuses on science and technology. Their main goals are to collaborate with the innovation ecosystem, offer guidance on educational trends, support higher education, and spark creative thought. Given that both Switzerland and India are very pro-active nations in the education sector, they sensed that sustainability was a common theme between the two nations”, said Dr. Shwetha Suresh, Head of Innovation, Swissnex, Swiss Consulate General, Bangalore.

The marginalised population is rapidly becoming digitalised when you consider innovation in the education sector. The most noticeable trend, which experiential learning has greatly influenced, is the changes they have seen in the higher education sector. Swissnex has a number of knowledge-sharing platforms available to anyone who wants to advance their understanding of sustainable development goals.

“We also run a programme known as the academia industry training programme to address innovation, and we have 10 Swizz patents to support their applicability in both Switzerland and India”, she added further.

“There are 3 predominant trends, one is to do with the experiential learning, second is about the students training via apprenticeship to advance sustainable development growth, and lastly an academia-industry training program for the students, where they have 10 Swiss PhD or Post grad patents to support their applicability in both Switzerland and India. There is also rethinking for a lot of the digital exchanges, that we can do via hybrid summer school blended learning. Building of resilient future generation can be useful, joyful and creative for the students”, she concluded.

Telangana reinventing education with adoption of technology

Telangana has been making a lot of efforts in innovation for taking education forward, stated Syed Omer Jaleel, Secretary and Commissioner, Intermediate Education and Secretary, Intermediate Board, Intermediate Education Department, Government of Telangana at the 24th World Education Summit, organised by Elets Technomedia. Edited excerpts:

Various initiatives were taken by the Telangana government but the pandemic forced them to reflow the plans and strategies to deliver quality education. There was a paradigm shift in the adoption of technology in the education sector. This happened after the pandemic forced them to reinvent and restructure the strategies and effectively deliver quality education.

Syed Omer Jaleel, Secretary and Commissioner, Intermediate Education and Secretary, Intermediate Board, Intermediate Education Department, Government of Telangana stated, “We are adopting the technology. We have integrated software applications, biometric attendance, and video surveillance for students. Today, schools and colleges are equipped with wi-fi facilities and CCTV surveillance. The classrooms are turning digital. We are trying to establish e-libraries in every school and college so that children from socially underprivileged backgrounds will not have any problems the accessing the internet.”

The online automation of all key services and robust governance structure viz., biometric and video surveillanc e have completely transformed the digital learning space. The major achievements of the intermediate board is that they have concentrated on smart governance, smart learning and smart services.

“We have also made an online application via which children can access, apply and even pay for services they choose, but to access that, students require certificate equivalence eligibility and migration. We have introduced a transparent system of online college services where we have provided CCTV camera surveillance during the examination through which easily monitor the students from our head office”, he added.

This has been happening for the last three to four years. It has helped them in providing error-free conduct of exams and a result not even seen a single complaint has been filed.

They also built up a system of online admissions where 10th class examination hall tickets can help students get admission into government colleges. “The conduct of the exam and the evaluation work in physical mode but we are in the process of converting it into digitised form”, he averred.

Some of the popular services related to students are the issue of migration certificates, equivalence certificates, eligibility certificates, duplicate pass certificates, duplicate marks memos, etc. These are basically the things that are required for children coming from outside the states or going to a different location and applying for and getting it is a big nuisance so they have made this online so that one can apply online, pay online, and receive online.

We are trying to integrate whatever technology is available and can be spread out for improving the education sector we want to use be it the internet, social networking, and online learning.

“When the pandemic came we were totally unprepared. There was a lockdown all over India and we were not in a position to provide education neither the teachers could come nor the children could come so we devised online education via different platforms such as ZOOM.

Nowadays People can work, learn and study whenever and wherever they want. There is a new emphasis in the classroom on more challenge-based active learning. Though the pandemic has passed, we still continue to have a model of hybrid learning”, he concluded.

Educational ties between India & Indonesia to grow stronger

Education and cultural ties between Indonesia and India have been established 15 centuries ago. The need of the hour is to bring to a higher level of collaboration between our two countries in the education sector, shared Agus Prihatin Saptono, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai at the 24th World Education Summit. Edited Excerpts:

Addressing the 24th World Education Summit held in Hyderabad, Agus Prihatin Saptono, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai said, “The roots of education and cultural relation between India and Indonesia run deep and deserve to be renewed in this modern age.”

Presently, Indonesia holds the G20 Presidency, a cooperation forum of the world’s 20 major economies. “This is our biggest opportunity to strengthen cooperation in digital transformation,” he said.

India may not yet be the most favourable study destination for Indonesian people despite the widely known fact that a large number of successful global entrepreneurs and CEOs are actually of Indian origin, he further added.

He shared that Indian universities have made it to the QS World University Rankings 2023 for their advanced education, especially in engineering. It will attract more overseas students to India, he opined, adding that Indonesian students can gain much from what India offers through IITs.

The two countries can collaborate to strengthen the knowledge exchange. “Indian educational material can be made available to Indonesian students in their language and similarly India can ensure its university portfolio is part of the list of universities promoted by the Indian embassy in Jakarta,” he suggested.

The Indonesian railway agency is currently looking for Indian partners to share their engineering knowledge. “This is in pipeline of Indian universities and academies to conduct capacity-building programs for our transportation ministry,” the Consul General said.

Collaboration between Indonesian institutions and Indian institutes will grow stronger. “Indian Universities can make their own outreach program, leveraging the global internet penetration,” he said.

He further added, “Highlighting how Indonesia embraced online learning during the pandemic, he said, “We embraced online learning even at the university level. Now, we are adopting hybrid learning. This is the time to build student and teacher exchange programs.”

“Digital technologies can be leveraged to facilitate online knowledge exchange programs between the two countries. Indonesia too is gearing up to encourage information technology to artificial intelligence and from entrepreneurship to management. We allocate a good budget to the education sector,” he concluded.

Revolutionary Education-The road ahead

Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), Ministry of Education, Government of India talked about revolutionary education and the changes required in the education spectrum, at the 24th World Education Summit organised by Elets Technomedia. Edited excerpts.

“When we are talking about new education policy, there is a huge emphasis on innovation and as a result, while the policy was getting formulated itself, the ministry felt a need to have an innovation cell and for a chief innovation officer. I don’t think that many of our private organisations have a Chief Innovation Officer. But now we have one with the Government of India and through our sustained efforts, we are doing multiple initiatives & taking multiple policy level initiatives to ensure that we promote innovation.” said Abhay Jere in his opening remarks.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship have become buzzwords of late. Now innovation is a necessity and it is a prerequisite for survival. In the next five to eight years, we all will be talking about the gig economy. The world is moving in the direction of the gig economy which means companies or organisations are not going to hire full-time employees. It will be contractual and on a project by project basis. As we see in the film industry, when somebody makes a movie, they bring in directors, producers, artists, and technicians. The same is going to happen in the tech industry also.” he added.

Talking about the design of an educational institute from 25-30 years from now, he added, “We have started working in that direction because we have MOOCs, SWAYAM, Coursera, and a zillion other platforms for almost free. Currently, degree is the main priority for anybody but eventually, it will be the last priority and they will only go to educational institutions to get the experience for camaraderie, to sit in the canteen, to chat because they believe that through Coursera or other courses they will be able to get the skills which are required for getting jobs”.

He averred that now the hiring pattern is getting changed as part of the gig economy. Even now google has started hiring people just based on skills irrespective of whether you are a 10th pass or a 12th pass. If you know the skill, you are hired. Majority of our educational institutions are chasing marks, grades, placements but hardly any one of them is chasing ideas.

“We have a national innovation and startup policy which we implemented in 2019. The policy is launched for a reason that there was no clarity on the revenue sharing model, or equity sharing model. I am very happy that more than 3,000 institutions have started adopting that policy. We are going to have a similar policy even for schools because we want to promote innovation and entrepreneurship right from the school level.”, he mentioned.

“We are also introducing design thinking at school from the 6th standard. Design thinking is to identify a problem and how to visualise a solution so that if you can teach kids to work in that direction then we will be able to nurture their creativity and out-of-box thinking.” he concluded.

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Education System – India’s revolutionary vista

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 8, 2022

Modern education demands modern methods of teaching and learning. India’s education system is in need of a complete overhaul. The National Education Policy 2020 is the first policy of the 21st century.

The Indian school system is one of the largest providers of education to over 250 million students. Modern education is the contemporary way of educating the students in schools and learning institutions of the 21st century. The new education demands to move away from traditional mainstream subjects such as medical, non-medical, commerce, and humanities, and focus more on life skills, critical and analytical thinking, and logical reasoning. The new-age education system includes using the latest technology like smartphones, mobile applications, audio and video platforms, podcasts, and e-books to educate the learners while engaging and interesting. Now, things work in a fast-paced mode where results are expected within seconds. Therefore, the education systems across the world must evolve according to the evolution in demand of thinkers and creators. The modern education system gives less importance to traditional maths and science subjects instead of fostering life skills amongst students. The main motive is to enhance the analytical competencies, fasten the decision-making and improve the critical thinking aspects of children. The upcoming demand for jobs is a diverse field. Therefore, the learning must focus on developing human skills like compassion and inclusion for all, instead of only promoting the old scoring system in the examination.

The focus of modern education

The main focus for bettering the educational facilities is to make the learning atmosphere more experiential and focus on the real world application of concepts. The responsibility to make education accessible to all nooks and corners of the country, either through physical classes or online classes, lies on all three tiers of the governing bodies. The most suitable way of teaching students of modern times is by initiating a relationship between teachers and students that goes beyond the traditional role of teachers. A healthy relationship with the teacher makes the student comfortable to ask doubts and increases curiosity. The main difference between a traditional and modern approach to education is that traditional education is more teacher-centric, whereas the modern education system is learner-centric. The former is limited to subject learning only, whereas the latter extends beyond the subject to skill development and practical efficiency. In traditional methods, teachers or books were the only methods to impart knowledge. On the other hand, the modern technique of education involves the latest technology and uses non-conventional ways of learning through movies, podcasts, etc..

NEP 2020- A welcome change

The National Education Policy of 2020 is a welcome change as it was the first reform in education in this century. The previous 34-year-old education policy focused on traditional styles of imparting knowledge. NEP 2020 aimed at making learning in schools and colleges more vibrant, inclusive, and practical. The first and the most critical aspect of the policy is to make education universally accessible from pre-primary to class 12. It emphasised the need for quality early educational childhood care in the formative years of three to six. The new education system proposed a 12-year education period and three years in pre-schools and Anganwadi. The new system proposed increased flexibility amongst the choice of subjects available to the students. There would be freedom for the students to choose from a plethora of subjects that interest them. The rigid differences between several streams lie science, arts and commerce are proposed to be blurred.

The main objective is to give equal importance to academics, curricular, co-curricular, and vocational activities. The progressive modern approach focuses on the fact that all students have differing levels of understanding since they come from different financial and social backgrounds. The system currently in place focuses on a formal education that assumed that all the students had a similar level of understanding. Modern education would demand more emphasis on practicals rather than the age-old practice of maintaining notebooks. Teachers would have to adapt to the new changes themselves before implementing them on the students. A modern education system encourages curiosity, questioning, and inventing different solutions to the same problems. This would enhance the child’s capabilities as they get promoted from a junior to the senior level of education. Moreover, a practical way of learning paves the path for inventions and creativity. Since the modern workforce is expected to be creative and think out of the box, it is imperative to teach this ability since a child’s formative years. A New Evaluation Method The new ways of teaching and learning will give way to a new way of evaluation. An advanced marking system would relieve the students of the pressure of scoring high in their examination by any means. Studies have proven that a relaxed mind is more receptive than one under stress. A continual assessment of the skills throughout the year would benefit a child more than just mugging up certain textbook pages. Education refers to the overall development of a human being and is not limited to academics only. Therefore, an inclusive, integrated and developmental model of education is a priority for the child’s holistic development. Several parents shift their children from the government to private schools because the latter provides a better and more opportunistic environment for their children. In olden times, basic infrastructure like a desk and bench, a teacher, and a blackboard were satisfactory for the parents. On the other hand, today, parents demand well-equipped computer labs, maths and science practical labs, a playground, a knowledgeable faculty, and a growth-oriented and encouraging atmosphere.

The modern education system is dynamic and demands teachers to change, learn and grow along with their students daily. Co-curricular activities like theatre, music, dance, and home science, amongst many others, are given equal importance as to core subjects taught in school. Policymakers need to keep in mind the needs of the students for formulating effective policies while working on the quality of education being imparted to the students. Instead of ranking the schools according to the number of toppers it produces, experts should focus on how effective a school is while imparting education, and how happy the students are whilst learning to grow in life.

Views Expressed by: Karun Deep, Managing Director, Delhi Public School Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.

Digital disruption escalates access to education

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By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 8, 2022

The world is catching up with the present transforming spectrum with the advent of technology and its possible application in varied sectors. The transformation indeed has thriving outcomes and the development is continuous. The sector that has metamorphosed a lot in terms of applying technology into praxis is education. The emergence of technology suddenly erupted a competitive edge between the traditional institutions and the rising edtech. To move the haystack around this topic and present a clear picture from the industry perspective, Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network (ENN) interacted with Dr. Sanjay Chitnis, Dean, School of Computer Science and Engineering, RV University and Puneet Kothapa, President, The Narayana Group. Edited Excerpts:

Traditional institutes catching up with edtech

Somewhat a decade earlier, no one was talking of edtech or for that matter even online teaching but now it is very much an integral part of the educational paradigm. Talking of the same, Dr. Sanjay Chitnis, Dean, School of Computer Science and Engineering, RV University mentioned that these technologies are very important, but that does not mean traditional learning is going to go away. There is a lot of learning that happens outside the classroom in formal lectures and labs. So instead of competing with the Edtech companies, the traditional universities should focus on their core competency.

While Puneet Kothapa , President, The Narayana Group agreed with the statements of Dr Chitnis and said that offline learning remains the most effective way to improve learning outcomes. Humans are social creatures wired to learn using multiple senses in a physical environment. That said, the new advancements in edtech offer tools that can complement offline learning.

“However, we must be judicious in the selection of technologies and measure their effectiveness for learning. We have developed in-house applications for our students that offer some of these tools such as AR and on-demand learning for our students. These technologies complement our classroom teaching and not as a principal mode of teaching”, he further added.

Decatalysing the Edtech boom

The edtech industry is poised to reach $30 billion in the next 10 years, it has placed its paws well, but many rising questions are challenging for educators. Will the technology applications in the education industry will replace the traditional educators or faculty? Though nobody is reaching to a result of this controversial discussion but it is very evident that mere machines cant be the preacher of the entire education ecosystem. Technology is an enabler and it will aid the faculty to teach students and make them industry ready that is very much a fact. However, technology replacing faculty or edtech replacing traditional schools or colleges is not the larger picture of the education sector in the near future.

The Universities are centers of learning not only for the students doing formal programs, but also a hub of knowledge and skills for the whole community that extends outside the campus. While on one side we will continue increasing the proportion of tech-based learning, on the other side we are creating strong competencies in domains that are unique to us and are difficult to replicate said Dr. Sanjay Chitnis.

Puneet goes elucidative on the topic and said that I would not use the term de catalyst. It is important to innovate and find new tools to improve learning. We have engaged in that innovative process ourselves. Over the next decade, we will narrow down the most effective technologies for learning through a process of trial and error. We will add the ones that work to our toolkit and discard the rest. The technologies that do work will be scaled and made accessible.

E-learning: digital disruption or quality enhancement

Government digital initiatives like SWAYAM (study webs of active learning for young aspiring minds) Diksha, e-pathshala, etc. will accelerate the adoption of e-learning. While there are also talks that it is disrupting the evolving landscape of education.

Talking of the same, Dr. Sanjay Chitnis added these digital initiatives by the government are excellent resources and are definitely taking the quality of education to the next level. However, we still need inspiring faculty who will influence the mindsets and attitudes of students for excellence.

“Digital disruption has the potential to increase access to education. It is not the right medium to improve the quality of education. For that, we need better teacher training programs and encourage more of our graduates to pursue a career as teachers and professors. Digital mediums can only augment classroom teaching, not replace it.” added Puneet.

Edtech or traditional institute- The affordable medium

The pandemic has captured an apparent picture of a few of the issue that was always lingering in the middle but no one was focussing on. When the schools took an online form during covid, many of the students were unable to study due to the lack of amenities. Is India really ready for “Digital India”? Expanding on the same Puneet said that again, the frame is not Edtech vs Traditional education. We do not see this as a competition. It will always be a blend of the two to produce better results. It is about broadening a teacher and student’s toolkit. The most effective and affordable technologies will be integrated into the current educational systems in the future.

While Dr. Chitnis said that in educational institutions, there is the opportunity for students to learn and earn via Teaching assistantships, consulting, etc. For online education, these opportunities are limited.

Bridging the learning gap between graduates and professionals

There has been a huge cry that college graduates are not well equipped to work in the industry. The learning gap is the major existential problem that needs to get resolved. Dr. Chitnis expressed his views and said that the gap exists because academicians have limited exposure to the market and industry. At RV University, we have started a unique program in collaboration with Mu Sigma, where students spend half of their time in the industry learning from industry experts and interning on real-life projects. Such programs will definitely help make the students employable.

Puneet agreed and said, Yes, our graduate curricula are theory-based and far behind the tools and technologies used in Industry. We need to update the curricula to balance theory with application. Well-defined industry internships can also go a long way in bridging the gap. Industry must get involved at an earlier stage of the education process by offering projects and technical internships if we are to improve the quality of the workforce.

JEE-NEET merger, is CUET the way forward?

Features

By

Sheeba Chauhan, Senior Sub Editor

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September 7, 2022

The University Grants Commission proposed to combine the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Engineering Entrance (JEE) into CUET (Combine Undergraduate Entrance Test). According to the UGC chairperson and a few industry stakeholders, conducting a common entrance test will make the process easy both ways for students and the National Testing Agency (NTA) that conducts all these exams. Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network (ENN), elucidated the topic and accentuated the possible challenges and opportunities that will come along if the proposal of the JEE-NEET merger is accepted.

The Combine Undergraduate Entrance Test (CUET) has been creating a lot of buzz all around. And an important question doing the rounds is whether it is really going to give a beneficial edge to the students? The decision is not yet final but is already creating a myriad chaos among the NEET and JEE aspirants. NEET and JEE, the main entrances for medical and engineering respectively, are considered the torch-bearers of students’ future endeavours. Though the government is also not in a rush to jump to any conclusion about this historical decision for students, mere talks have been causing wide ranging views to be shared. The Union Minister of Education and UGC chairperson are also in talks to closely monitor the opportunities that came along with the decision. Even the government is also very pertinent about taking advice from industry stakeholders before making it into a rule. They have formed a committee that will examine the current examination process along with the pros & cons of the proposed CUET. NTA and UGC will only finalise the decision after final approval from the designated committee.

Why CUET, now?

On average, 2.5 million students appear in the JEE & NEET every year. The once-in-a-year entrance exam faces a huge footfall of students; as it is the main exam for NEET to take admissions in MBBS, BDS, while JEE aspirants appear in the exam for taking admissions in IITs, NITs, and IITs depending on their performance in the two rounds(mains & advance).

Both NEET & JEE have physics & chemistry in their syllabus, while the main differentiating factor is Mathematics & Biology. Both are considered to be the toughest exam at the undergraduate level and students prepare for years to crack these exams. Bringing such a huge change into these entrance exams will be a historical decision for medical and engineering aspirants.

Though UGC has already introduced CUET for central and state-level universities, the merger of JEE-NEET was a sudden stroke. According to the UGC chairperson, this will reduce a lot of the burden of logistics on the NTA (National Testing Agency) and will bring an easy process of question paper making also. While the intent may be in the right direction, the sudden onset of the decision has not gone down too well across the participating and affected segments.

There is a mixed reaction to the proposal at the moment. Though few industry leaders are very sure that it will decrease the quality of competition proposed by these exams and that the standards will degrade with the merger.

Looking at the brighter side

The change is always taken with a pinch of salt. Though UGC is proposing CUET to unburden the pressure from the shoulders of students to appear in multiple examinations. It will also be aiding support for the test-conducting agency, NTA. Apart from stressing about unburdening the pressure, it will also be taken into consideration to organise this exam twice a year like many other exams conducted by UGC. A huge bunch of students takes a drop year if they lag to crack the exam, a particular year, organising this exam twice will take provide aspirants with more opportunities and will reduce the mental pressure of time crunch.

Industry perspective

As the topic is receiving much attention in the education sector, it is very important to have a look at the opinions & thoughts of the industry on the historical proposal. With regards to the same, Sanjay Padode, Chairman of IFIM Institutions, Founding President Vijay Bhoomi University interacted with Elets technomedia and he said “Admissions have always been faced with the challenge of fair play. To establish equity in the admission process, centralisation of entrance examinations is a convenient route for the establishment. However, equity and fair play is just an illusion. In reality, students who are endowed can buy their way into tuition and coaching classes and attain an unfair advantage over those who are struggling to make ends meet. The centralisation of examinations has fuelled a thriving Rs 25000 crore coaching industry, which is killing the objective of education. Students are ignoring their learnings in school and are focussing only on preparation for entrance examinations. Since entrance examinations test only relevant subjects associated with the degree programs, broad-based education is being compromised and education is now becoming akin to programming human beings. In my view centralising exams is a regressive step in light of the National Education Policy 2020 which advocates multidisciplinary learning, multiple exits, multiple entries, and many more forward-looking concepts. The government must relook at this decision and instead of making one agency as the gatekeeper of education, allow diversity to prevail and permit the higher education establishments to develop their own admission criterion based on one national aptitude test, scores in the Xth and XIIth grade and the overall performance of the student in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.”

As the thoughts and vision of an industry person are important, the vision of a person who has followed the same road earlier is as important. In lieu of the same, we interacted with Mandeep Singh Luthra, IIT Kanpur Alumni, Senior Business Consultant, American Express and he said, “College entrances for Engineering and medical aspirants have been evolving for years. Since the golden age of IIT-JEE and PMT, a lot has changed. The earlier times had various exams for different colleges. For example – AIEEE for NITs and AIIMS for selected medical institutions. Then came a big shift and the entire dispersion of Engineering college entrances were merged into JEE Mains & Advance. Similarly, medical colleges saw such a modification in the form of NEET.

But to everyone’s surprise, the announcement was made that there would be a merger of entrances for both engineering and medical. The move brings doubt among IIT alumni like myself and also some repercussions and revolts from students. The fundamental doubt that we all have is how are we going to manage the difference in subjects. As we know Biology and Mathematics are key distinctions between JEE and NEET.

According to some thinkers, they can have a common paper for physics and chemistry, and different sets for mathematics and biology. But this again creates a problem for some, as the level of testing that JEE does in these subjects is very thorough and tough as compared to NEET. Still, there is one fundamental belief that I have in this scenario, no matter what the level of the question paper is, the cut-offs adjust accordingly. This means that tougher questions would drop the mark for medical aspirants. At last, we should all wait to see the final pattern and guidelines, as this is an open ground and the puzzle is being put into its place as we speak.”

Snag in the approach

This year, CUET is being organised for taking admissions in Central, State, and private Universities. The approach evidently was a failure when the exam got cancelled due to technical glitches. The UGC also mentioned that conducting three exams at a time increased the pressure on the NTA in lieu of reducing it. Though the UGC chairperson said they would conduct the next exam with better arrangements at centres to avoid such glitches in the future.

The first edition of CUET glid through the technical glitch and the final decision on UGC’s proposal for the merger of NEET-JEE is still pending. NEET & JEE aspirants are hardly in support of this proposal and some students even took to the roads to protest against it.

In a nutshell

The condemnation faced by this proposal among the NEET and JEE aspirants is massive. While some of the leaders support this approach and said it will be an enlightening approach. Earlier, when PMT was changed to NEET and AIEEE was merged as a single JEE (Mains & advance), the reactions were also negative at that time, but eventually, it only proved supportive for the preparation of aspirants.

As, the final decision is yet to be made, drawing any conclusions is not appropriate. We should all wait for UGC’s final decision on the proposal and hope that students’ perspectives and their career are kept as the base foundation for this historical decision.

Unacademy opens 50 new education channels

Startup News

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 7, 2022

Leading edtech platform Unacademy launched 50 new education channels on Google-owned YouTube. Some of these new channels have existing content categories from Unacademy, along with new areas such as ‘Tick Tock Tax’– to simplify the direct and indirect tax concepts, and Life After IIT — a platform to crack JEE and will also highlight success stories of top Rankers.

Vivek Sinha, Chief Operating Officer, Unacademy, “We are strengthening our commitment towards democratising education and presenting a strong content strategy for learners who are seeking knowledge in unique and exciting ways”.

Unacademy also announced that it is partnering with GATE Academy and all GATE aspirants will have access to the quality content for the category.

The educational channels cover broad categories like NEET-UG and JEE, UPSC, and other post-graduation segments, along with bank, SSC, and defence. Post covid as online education space shrinks, Unacademy has also forayed into opening physical tuition centres across the country.

Physical learning is crucial, but hybrid learning is the way of the future!

Article

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 7, 2022

The last two years have been quite challenging for students and parents. It has not been easy for teachers and tutors too! Schools were physically shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and students & educators were for the first time introduced largely to online classes. Initially, there were a lot of challenges that students and teachers faced due to a lack of relevant technical skills, access, or understanding of how to use digital tools when engaging in teaching-learning processes. But gradually, online learning became the accepted norm. Despite online classes, students, parents, and teachers preferred traditional physical classes. It’s true! because physical learning allows learners to keep in touch with their tutors or teachers. Also, physical classrooms allow for more collaborative learning that enhances student’s awareness. Students can connect well with their peers, engage in live discussions and hone their critical thinking abilities. Not just that! classroom teaching inculcates skills like conflict resolution, presentation, and other relevant skills. Well, both online classes and physical learning have their own set of pros and cons. When combined together, they can be one of the most effective ways of transforming and reimagining the education system. In that case, hybrid learning emerged as a new possibility.

But, what is hybrid learning?

Hybrid learning is the new educational model that is more learner centric and empowers students to succeed while learning both online and in physical classes. It gives them ample choices and learning opportunities. Considered as the ‘experiential mode of learning’, this model allows students to take charge of their studies and succeed. Not just that, it allows learners to develop practical skills too! Now, with hybrid learning, they can study at their pace from anywhere and at any time they want. So, there is no doubt that a hybrid model of education is amongst the most feasible options available now!.

Why should you consider hybrid learning?

Hybrid learning provides various opportunities and a conducive environment to students. Here are some of the crucial aspects this model:

Experiential Learning: Hybrid learning can help in developing several life skills due to its experiential nature. Students can explore topics in their own time, build confidence, and access help and support from educators and peers. It goes beyond classroom learning and ensures that there is a high level of retention, thereby delivering exceptional RoIl over a traditional learning program.

Many ed-Tech platforms have started providing a blend of both online and physical learning facilities to the students.

Personalised Attention: A study revealed that students who received personalised attention in the form of one-on-one tutoring outperformed 98 per cent of students who depended on traditional form of learning. That’s excellent! But why? Because every learner has a different set of learning aptitudes or styles and not every teaching method may meet their needs. So, it’s better that they learn at their pace and at their convenience. What’s more! Hybrid learning makes it possible. It also makes the process more interactive and interesting! Well, it improves a learner’s attention span and focus. Students are free to clear their doubts without hesitation. This further improves their confidence level.

Flexibility: The key scoring point of hybrid learning is flexibility. Hybrid learning allows students to learn using multiple ways that are engaging. They can study in a way that suits them without choosing between online and in-person learning. Students can learn whenever they want to, at their own pace.

Technological advancements are shaping newer learning experiences; giving multiple choices to students and helping in building new skills. Therefore, it’s essential to leverage on this Ed-Tech momentum and embrace hybrid learning at every level. Technological skills are critical for all learners across all age groups along with other competencies like social and emotional skills. Therefore, hybrid learning is the pathway that will lead to transformational education.

Views expressed by Minal Anand, CEO & Founder, GuruQ

NEET UG 2022 Result: NTA to release the result today

Higher Education

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 7, 2022

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the result release date for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG, 2022. According to the NTA schedule, the score cards for NEET UG 2022 will be released on today at the official website — neet.nta.nic.in.

95 per cent of the candidates appeared for the NEET UG,as per the NTA. The NEET UG 2022 exam was held on July 17 and a total of 18.72 lakh candidates registered for the entrance test. The medical entrance examination was held across 3,570 centers in 497 cities in India and 14 cities abroad.

NTA, on August 31, released the NEET official answer key for all codes. Along with the provisional answer key, NTA also released the NEET OMR response sheets of the candidates. Using the NEET answer key and OMR answer sheet, candidates can calculate their approximate scores

From this year, the NTA has removed age as tie-breaking. That means that if a tie occurs between two students, the NTA will resolve it based on marks obtained in biology. If it persists, a student gaining higher marks in chemistry gets preference followed by the candidate with fewer incorrect answers.

Inculcating technical proficiency amongst graduates

Interviews

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 7, 2022

Currently, there is a discrepancy between what the industry expects and what is available in academics. This issue needs urgent attention. The current educational system in India faces a number of difficulties, including an excessive focus on memory and a lack of attention on innovation. Both academics and industry must work together to close the using technological advancement. To elucidate the topic further, Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network (ENN) interacted with Kanchi Khanna, Senior Director, Admissions & Outreach, Plaksha University. Edited excerpts:

There is a huge cry in the industry that fresh graduates don’t have employable skills. What steps education institutions can undertake to bridge the skills gap?

This entire conversation around skill development started a decade ago when corporates realised that candidates fresh out of college lacked the necessary 21st-century skill-sets for the stated job role. While some progress has been made in this regard, a lot more needs to be done to develop communication ability, analytical/critical thinking, and soft skills alongside technical proficiency amongst the graduates. Hence, it’s essential for education institutes to focus on integrated learning from year one, contrary to the earlier concept of ‘T-shaped skills’ where students would be first taught technical core and then inculcate the leadership skills. Additionally, building an entrepreneurial mindset is the need of the hour as it widens the students’ perspective and allows them to think in a 360-degree fashion right from their college days.

As the pandemic accelerated the sudden swirl of technology in the education landscape. What could be some popular technology specializations paving the way ahead?

Popular technology specialisations such as AI/ML/ Robotics are paving the way. Many institutions are contributing to this digital evolution in the education sector. At Plaksha University, we stand at the forefront of providing cutting-edge technology education in the country. The university is committed to making Indian youth capable of imbibing technological progression and adept in new-age skills to solve India’s challenges with advanced curricula. Some of Plaksha University’s cutting-edge interdisciplinary degrees, aligned to the future of work include:

B.Tech in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
B.Tech in Robotics and Cyber-physical Systems
B.Tech in Biological Systems Engineering
BS in Data Science, Economics and Business

Apart from providing blended learning along with academic excellence, Plaksha University’s razor-sharp focus on research-based pedagogy is transforming Indian talent, further raising their innovation quotient. Additionally, the university has partnered with many industries, other national and international universities, and organizations to delve deeper into research and holistically address the need for experiential technical education in the country.

Intake in Engineering courses is reduced by 25 per cent in the previous years, students are not finding relevant opportunities after graduation. What do you think is the base cause of the lack of good opportunities? Is faculty, curriculum, industries, or the students themselves responsible for it?

There is an urgent need to reimagine technology education across the country, enabling the research and innovation ecosystem. Education institutes must revive their education curriculum that empowers students to address the grand challenges with solutions structured around real-world problems and impact-focused research. These elements form critical pillars of Plaksha University to ensure graduates become future-ready.

For instance, unlike traditional engineering institutes, we have an ingenious admission framework where a student’s 360-degree profile is evaluated. We don’t just test a student’s knowledge in mathematics or physics but also consider their aptitude through innovation challenges.

Traditionally, engineering colleges allocate a particular stream or specialisation based on the score. In contrast to this, at Plaksha University, students are allotted specialization as per their interest after a holistic overview of their academic strength along with extracurricular and co-curricular activities. We understand the diversity of the school education model in India and empower students to take charge of their life’s direction with continued support from our faculty and founders. Overall the admission process is geared towards enrolling students who can thrive in a self-directed learning model.

At Plaksha University, instead of considering seats for every course, we focus on total student intake at the campus to offer a personalized learning environment. For instance, this year, we had 120 enrollments, and next year we aim to have fewer than 150 students enrolled for courses. For the next 2-3 years, we plan to have less than 200 students to deliver on the promise of Individualised learning. Furthermore, we maintain a smaller faculty-student ratio to ensure students have access to faculty members for doubts or other guidance.

We have witnessed that the CEOs of some of the big brands are of Indian origin, be it Google, Microsoft or Twitter. What is the role of the education ecosystem in making India a global powerhouse of talent?

The larger vision of the academia and education industry is to make students excited about solving problems rather than just landing a job. If you look at the current scenario, the best jobs in the industry are offered to graduates who are curious enough to solve societal challenges with technology. The onus to prepare a socially conscious generation that brings high-quality intellect, ideas, dynamism, and passion for innovation lies in India’s entire education ecosystem.

Hence, the entire education ecosystem must collaborate to build a robust ecosystem of innovation and research in India that will entice the youth to study in the country rather than move abroad. Here are some ways:

Educational institutes must update the course curriculum, identify emerging specializations, cultivate a culture of accountability, and provide students with diverse learning opportunities.
Introduce new models of upskilling through partnerships with corporates and institutes to impart quality technical education.
Expand talent sourcing boundaries to rural India, build a productivity-driven technology skill set across the country.

The Info Edge Centre of Entrepreneurship at Plaksha enables students to launch their startups which are internationally recognized. Additionally, Plaksha Entrepreneurs Support Program (PESP), a 3-month in-residence incubation program for Plaksha graduates, Plaksha alumni, and other graduate students, enables students to kick-start their venture. This program is a launchpad for budding entrepreneurs where eminent startup founders and experienced mentors guide students. Every student is mapped to a founding mentor, extending support beyond the compilation of the course. The fact that Plaksha University has been set up by a global community of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and academicians provides a solid vision to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs.

We aim to foster an entrepreneurship ecosystem through our research-based pedagogy and catalyze over 1000 start-ups over the next decade. I am delighted that so far we have successfully contributed towards fostering an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation of international standards out of India.

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