Professor Rajat Moona appointed as the new director of IIT Gandhinagar

Higher Education

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September 22, 2022

Professor Rajat Moona has been appointed as the director of IIT Gandhinagar. The President of India approves the appointment. He is likely to join IIT Gandhinagar in a couple of weeks.

Professor Moona has been heading IIT Bhilai as Director for more than five years. Earlier to joining IIT Bhilai, he served as Director General of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). He is also a faculty of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur since 1991.

“I am excited to join IIT Gandhinagar, which has been charting new benchmarks in multiple spheres for over a decade”, Prof Rajat Moona said, sharing his thoughts.

“I am thankful to the President of India and the ministry of education for reposing faith in me. Together with the able team of my colleagues at IIT Gandhinagar, we will script a new growth journey for the institute,” he further added.

Achievements of Professor Rajat Moona

Professor Moona holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kanpur (1981-1985) and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (1985-1989).

He is the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including Indo-US Science and Technology Fellowship, Poonam and Prabhu Goel Chair Professorship, VASVIK Award 2010, IESA Techno-visionary Award 2014, National Award of Election Commission of India 2016 for best electoral practices, and most recently, a Special Award for IT Initiatives by the Election Commission of India in 2022.

Besides being an exceptional academician and administrator, Professor Moona has played an instrumental role in defining some of the key applications for the country, such as smart card driving license, vehicle registration, e-passport, electronic toll collection, EVMs, and VVPAT, among others.

Edtech Startup Bhanzu Raises $15 Mn in Series A funding

Startup News

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 22, 2022

Edtech platform Bhanzu has raised $15 Mn in a Series A funding round led by global investment firm Eight Roads Ventures on 21 September. B Capital also invested in the round from its Ascent Fund.

The global math learning startup plans to utilise the fresh funds to expand its business globally across multiple geographies, enhance its tech infrastructure, increase its workforce, and strengthen its curriculum with more interesting and outcome-focused content.

With its expansion plans across geographies, Bhanzu aims to eradicate global “math phobia” among students, helping them learn and love mathematics.

Founded in 2020 by Bhanu, Bhanzu claims to have a meticulously designed curriculum that helps students become 4X quicker and better at math. The curriculum is personally curated by Bhanu with over four years of data collection and research.

Bhanzu, CEO, Neelakantha Bhanu, who is also known as the world’s fastest human calculator, said, “With this new development, we envision becoming the world’s largest and most impactful math education entity in the next few years.”

“We are big believers in the potential of Indian education companies to solve global learning challenges over the next decade. Low math proficiency is a deep problem driven by lack of skilled teachers, poor engagement and math anxiety in students,” said Aditya Systla, partner at Eight Roads Ventures.

MPOWER Financing and ApplyBoard Inc. join hands to enhance students’ access to higher education abroad

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 21, 2022

MPOWER Financing and ApplyBoard Inc. (“ApplyBoard”) announced a strategic partnership to provide financing for students pursuing higher education abroad. MPOWER Financing is a mission-driven fintech firm and the leading provider of scholarships and education loans to promising international students. ApplyBoard is an online platform that empowers students around the world to access top-quality education.

The partnership between the two organizations will ensure that prospective students planning their journey through ApplyBoard can have the opportunity to benefit from MPOWER’s available funding options.

Ashwini Kumar, Vice President and General Manager (India) of MPOWER Financing said, “The journey for international students can be complex and time-consuming, especially when it comes to seeking loans to finance their studies.”

“Our seamless service and loan solution, now available for ApplyBoard and its partners, will help to make that journey a little easier with faster decision speeds, and no requirements for co-signers or collateral. Together with ApplyBoard, we are building trust and value for students and recruitment partners”, he added further.

The co-founders of MPOWER Financing and ApplyBoard were international students prior to starting their respective companies; given their first-hand experience, they are familiar with and have faced their own struggles throughout their international education. They have made it their mission to improve and simplify the path for future international students.

“Financial access continues to be the biggest hurdle for students looking to start their international education journey,” said Karunn Kandoi, Head of Business Operations, India at ApplyBoard India Private Limited. “ApplyBoard is excited to partner with MPOWER Financing to help empower students to access the financial resources they need to continue their education, build prosperity, and make our society a better place.”

Both firms leverage technology to break down barriers around access to education. MPOWER Financing offers scholarships and no-cosigner loans to students from 200+ countries pursuing an education at 400+ universities across Canada and the United States. ApplyBoard simplifies the study abroad process by connecting students, recruitment partners, and partner schools on a single platform.

Sunstone announces Ankur Jain as its Co-founder

Startup News

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 21, 2022

One of India’s leading higher education start-up, Sunstone has announced the elevation of Ankur Jain as its new Co-Founder. In Feb 2021, he was appointed as the Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Sunstone.

The company with a presence across 35+ cities Sunstone announces Ankur Jain as its Co-founderin 50+ institutions now and is headed by three founders: Ashish Munjal (Co-founder and CEO), Piyush Nangru (Co-founder and COO) and Ankur Jain (Co-founder and CBO).

With a vision to tap into 100 cities pan-India, Jain would be spearheading further growth for the company and would be focusing on expanding Sunstone’s offering in tech programs at an undergraduate level. An alumnus of NIT Surat and IMT Ghaziabad, Jain has been a believer of holistic education and has been instrumental in driving the vision of Sunstone ahead.

Ankur has always had an inclination toward startups and has previously worked with Your Story and is the founder of Hostel Fund. His expertise in business planning, strategy, sales and marketing over a lucrative career span of 15 years makes him an ideal fit for taking charge of Sunstone’s growth and expansion.

“We congratulate Ankur for this well-deserved role and extend our support and faith. At Sunstone, we believe in promoting a culture where people are at the center of the organization and acknowledge those who bring value. Ankur has been at the forefront of 10x growth for the company and his unique vision has always brought something new to the table. We at Sunstone are a group of focused and passionate individuals and each one of us is driven by making Sunstone the most credible and preferred higher education brand in the country. We are certain that with Ankur as the third Co-founder, Sunstone will be able to attain new heights”, Speaking on this elevation,said Ashish Munjal, Co-Founder and CEO, Sunstone.

“I am elated with this opportunity and the faith that Sunstone has put in me and excited to play a catalytic role in crafting a path-breaking story of success for the brand. I look forward to achieving new heights for Sunstone by maintaining the quality of our network campuses, the partnerships we are getting into and by ensuring that all students who have put their trust in us are provided with what we promise, and create a future-ready workforce”., Speaking on his new role, said Ankur Jain.

Founded by Ashish Munjal and Piyush Nangru in the year 2019, Sunstone has recently raised $35M in Series C led by Westbridge Capital and the fresh capital will be used to expand into new programs and new markets.

MoE: President approves appointment Of new directors at 8 IITs

Higher Education

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September 20, 2022

According to the ministry of education(MoE), President Droupadi Murmu has approved the appointment of new directors to eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Venkayappaya R Desai from IIT Kharagpur’s Department of Civil Engineering has been appointed as the Director of IIT Dhardwad, and the institute’s current director Pasumarthy Seshu has been chosen as Director of IIT Goa. While Rajiv Prakash from IIT BHU’s School of Material Science and Technology has been chosen as IIT Bhilai’s Director.

Directors of two IITs have been appointed at the top post at different IITs, including IIT Bhilai Director Rajat Moona, who has been appointed as director of IIT Gandhinagar while IIT Dharwad Director Pasumarthy Seshu has been chosen as director of IIT Goa.

The two IIT directors who have been reappointed for a second term are — K N Satyanarayana (IIT Tirupati) and Manoj Singh Gaur (IIT Jammu).

Seshadri Sekhar and Shreepad Karmalkar, both professors at IIT Madras, have been appointed as directors of IIT Palakkad and IIT Bhubaneshwar respectively.

Venkayappaya R Desai from IIT Kharagpur’s Department of Civil Engineering has been appointed as the Director of IIT Dhardwad.

IIT Bhubaneswar has been waiting for a full-time Director since April 2020 when the incumbent director R V Rajakumar’s five-year tenure had ended.

Higher education institutes’ ratings to be based on Student Innovation and Start-up Index

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 19, 2022

To encourage universities and institutes toward start-ups, the Gujarat education department has launched an annual bench-marking system to review their progress as well as rank their performance through Student Innovation and Start-up Index (SISI).

Under the initiative, universities and institutes have to compile and submit data annually on the UDAYAM COGENT portal launched during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data would be ranked on a 1,000-point rating structure. The efforts of the best performing academic institutions will be appreciated during the annual SSIP awards — Startup Prashansa.

The macro indicators of SISI are competency, support system, and value capturing which carry 300, 300, and 400 points, respectively. Under these three macro indicators are several micro indicators, including outreach and learning, knowledge management and bench-marking, academic resources, infrastructure, awards and recognition, contextual relevance and innovation and entrepreneurship.

The policy document launched on Saturday mentions, “Under SSIP 2.0, each higher education institute (HEI) will promote and nurture innovation among the youth, it has been mandated to benchmark ‘Innovation and Startup efforts’ across universities and institutes in Gujarat. The education department has taken the decision that each HEI supporting innovation has to go through an annual bench-marking as laid out in the SISI framework to assess their progress in nurturing student innovation and start-ups.”

Also Read | Elets Exclusive: Gujarat to become next education hub of India

The education department institutionalised the Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP) 2.0 in January this year. So far, 6,944 student innovations were supported under SSIP, while 1,381 intellectual properties got filed, 2,132 student start-ups were nurtured through various flagship programmes and 186 HEIs, including 51 universities, were funded to extend support to innovators and start-ups.

The SSIP 2.0 has a provision of Rs 500 crore for the next five years, from 2022 to 2027. While the state has allocated Rs 300 crore, Rs 200 crore will be raised through matching contributions and external sources to support and nurture 10,000 innovations and start-ups in the state.

Education Minister Launches Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ Programme

Government News

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 16, 2022

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship launched Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ Programme for students of classes 1 to 5.

The minister called upon CBSE to institute an advisory framework for encouraging value-based education in all schools from Balvatika to Class 12 for creating a talent pool ready for the challenges of life and committed to national progress and global welfare.

Social transformation is one of the key goals of education. Values and wisdom are more important than material wealth, Pradhan said, speaking on the occasion. Value-based education is important for building a future-ready and socially conscious generation, he further added.

Ramakrishna Mission has a legacy of imparting applied education. At a time when we are implementing NEP 2020, it must also lay emphasis on creating such value-based educational programmes for students in classes 9th to 12th in addition to creating programmes for classes 1 to 8. He said that this unique initiative is a step toward ensuring holistic personality development of a child aligned with the philosophy of NEP 2020, he further said.

Pradhan emphasised that our education system must be aligned with national priorities. We have to create 21st-century citizens capable of taking global responsibilities. NEP 2020 with a focus on a teacher-led holistic education system for students is a step in that direction, he further added.

NTA to release CUET UG 2022 result today

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 15, 2022

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the result for the Common University Entrance Test undergraduate (CUET UG) 2022 today. Candidates who appeared in any of the six phases of the entrance test can download their results from the official CUET UG website — cuet.samarth.ac.in.

CUET was the first-ever common entrance test for undergraduate admissions to universities between July 16 to August 30, conducted by NTA. A re-test was conducted on September 11 for considering the grievances of individual students.

The entrance exam was held in 547 cities within India and in 13 cities outside India — Sri Lanka, Qatar, Doha, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah, and Singapore.

Among all states, Uttar Pradesh had the highest turnout among all the states with 2,92,589 students appearing for the CUET, as per officials. The second highest turnout was in Delhi with 1,86,405 students appearing for tests, followed by Bihar with 84,425. Meanwhile, only 583 of 5,634 registered candidates took the test in Meghalaya logging the lowest attendance at 6.02 per cent. Overall 61.86 per cent of candidates appeared in the CUET UG.

AstraZeneca launches iPHARMACY, an up-skilling program for pharmacists

Press Release

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September 15, 2022

India’s leading science-led biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, launched their up-skilling program for pharmacists, iPHARMACY, today. In the first phase of this program, they have partnered with Neethi, a Kerala state cooperative consumers federation limited company, to run this program in Kerala. As a next step, the company is planning to collaborate with large pharma-retail chains from across India to expand this program to other parts of the country.

The program will focus on inventory management, good pharmacy practices, customization of pharmacy for patients of future, and management of pharmacy during covid. The content and modules for this program are created by the team of experts from AstraZeneca and their partners, which will equip pharmacists across India to provide standardized and quality counselling, and support to the people.

“There is an urgent need to bridge the gaps in existing healthcare infrastructure and ensure that support reaches healthcare stakeholders and patients are empowered to address gaps thereby improving patient’s outcome. Being a patient-centric organization, we promptly identify the challenges in patient-healthcare professional (HCP) connect and swiftly develop tangible solutions with the help of technology. Pharmacists being one of the major pillars of the healthcare system plays a very critical role in enabling patients to understand disease and medications for that. By understanding that, we have partnered with a leading cooperative pharmacy chain in Kerala, Neethi Medical Stores to educate and upgrade the knowledge of pharmacists for better patient outcomes. Through this initiative, we are trying to bridge the knowledge gap that exists at the point of care for patients. The curriculum of this program is carefully designed to enable pharmacists to deliver essential support services and standardized counselling for patients”, Commenting on this initiative, said Dr. Anil Kukreja, Vice President- Medical Affairs and Regulatory, AstraZeneca India.

AstraZeneca India has chosen Moodle as the learning platform to run this course. The entirety of the course module will take place digitally. The pre-requisite for every participant would be to register themselves, and subsequently, a unique credential would be created for every individual to run the course. This e-learning mobile-compatible program has four modules that can be completed at one’s own pace. The program will remain active till the end of this year for the pharmacists from Neethi. The course can be completed within this time period, further to which each student will be awarded a completion certificate by the European body of CME/CPD Academy. The total number of participants from Neethi at this phase would be around 200.

“We are thankful to AstraZeneca for supporting the patient community in Kerala, by up-skilling our pharmacists. Pharmacists are currently redefining their profession and the neighborhood pharmacist is a gateway to the healthcare system. The up-skilling of pharmacists will bring instant and long-lasting benefits to the healthcare system. Having highly qualified pharmacists to optimise medication therapy management will improve acute care in a healthcare setting. This will also improve the patient’s morale and likeliness to follow prescribed treatment. Basically, the value of having up-skilled pharmacist benefits patient care indefinitely”, commenting on the partnership, said M. Salim, MD-Kerala State Co-Operatives Consumers’ Federation LTD. Undertaking by the Government of Kerala.

Yogi Govt providing Rs 1200 through DBT; ensures transparency through Aadhaar verification

Government News

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September 15, 2022

Ensuring increased transparency in providing benefits to the students in Uttar Pradesh, so far, the Aadhaar verification of about 1.55 crore children in state-run schools has been completed.

Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s massive campaign for bringing in transparency in the process of providing funds to people and ensuring no corruption, instructions have been issued to expedite the Aadhaar verification of the remaining children, said Director General, SE, Vijay Kiran Anand.

It is noteworthy that in the academic session 2022-23, the Uttar Pradesh government commenced the process of providing free shoe stockings, uniforms, school bags, and stationery to the students studying in primary and upper primary schools. For this, a total of Rs 1200 will be transferred directly to the guardians of as many as 1.92 crore students.

So far, the funds have been provided to about 1.25 crore children. Soon, under the scheme, Rs 1,200 each will be transferred to the Aadhar-seeded bank account of the remaining beneficiaries (parents of children from classes 1 to 8).

Director General, SE, Vijay Kiran Anand has issued detailed instructions through a letter to the Basic Education Officers of all the districts of the state to expedite the Aadhaar authentication of the remaining students under the DBT process. According to the instructions, parents who have not got their bank accounts linked with Aadhaar should be encouraged to do so.

In this regard, a meeting of all the bankers of the district under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate, and Chief Development Officer should also be called to direct them to link the bank accounts of the parents with Aadhaar at the earliest.

The efforts are being made to ensure that no child is left out of this scheme while examining thoroughly the details of those students who have been marked as ‘suspected’. The details are being verified so that the eligible children can be included in the process of DBT. For this, the District Basic Education Officer and Block Education Officer have been given the responsibility, Anand further said.

There are 1.91 crore children enrolled in 1.3 lakh schools who are entitled to the money. With this amount, two sets of uniforms (Rs 300 each), a sweater (Rs 200), a pair of shoes and two pairs of socks (Rs 125), a school bag (Rs 175), and stationery (Rs 100) are to be bought.

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