Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy disburses Vidya Kanuka School Kits for the 3rd consecutive year

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July 6, 2022

ANDHRA PRADESH CHIEF MINISTER YS JAGAN MOHAN REDDY

Marking the third consecutive year, the ‘Jagananna Vidya Kanuka’ stands as one of the most beneficial schemes for school students. The Jagananna Vidya Kanuka started with the aim to ensure that the beginning of an academic year should not be a burden on parents. The government is providing a school kit free of cost, and it consists of three pairs of uniforms with their stitching charges; one pair of shoes; 2 pairs of socks, a belt, a school bag, textbooks, notebooks, and workbooks for all students pursuing education in all government and aided schools from Classes 1 to 10. Overall, *47,40,421 students* from government and aided schools across the state received school kits. The government this year spent around Rs. 931.02 Cr which adds up to *Rs. 2,368.33 Cr in the last 3 years.*

Ever since CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government took over the reins of the state, the Chief Minister has been emphasising a holistic approach towards the overall development of the education sector that has always been taken up on priority. Right from education-related schemes from ‘Amma Vodi’ to Swecha, the total expenditure by the government in the last 3 years is Rs. 52,676.98 Cr. As a result, the number of students studying in government schools (From classes 1 to 10) has seen a remarkable increase from 37.21 lakh students to 44.30 lakh students – i.e. 7 lakh students have joined government-run schools and the number is on the rise ever since.

No stone is left unturned in improving the education standards in the lives of the students, beginning with the introduction of CBSE education in government schools to newly partnered BYJUs who will now be adding on their expertise into digital education. Speaking further on their role, the CM said _’The government has signed an MoU with BYJUs, one of the largest educational tech companies. BYJUs study material will be distributed to all students studying in govt schools from class 4 to class 10. Apart from knowledge building, 4.7 lakh students of class 8 will receive tabs by September 2022. Steps are being carried out towards the installation of smart TVs or digital display board in each classroom to facilitate the digital format of teaching and learning’.

Further lending support and appreciating the government-led initiatives under the education sector, Haji Altaf Hussain, from the minority welfare said, “Education policy is not targeted to one section of society but for the benefit the students across the state. The Chief Minister has ensured that it is his responsibility to educate, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion. Even with the financial constrain, the CM stands as a guarantee and proved to implement it so. CM emphasises on education because the future lies in better education and ensuring to make them globally competent. I urge my minority community to fully utilise the resources, facilities, and privileges which is being provided in the banquet of the education policies because this is the future, you can create a foundation of new Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.”

Smart Upgrade: e-Content studio coming up at UP Directorate of Higher Education

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July 6, 2022

From ensuring no child is left out of school to bridging the digital divide by fostering e-learning methods in government colleges, the Yogi government 2.O regime has introduced numerous reforms to transform education in its first 100 days.

Ensuring all children receive quality education, enrollment of about 1.88 crore students and more than 1.65 crore Aadhaar cards were made under the School Chalo Abhiyan in the state. With this, development of ‘Pahuch’ for school mapping of students of far-flung areas, ‘Pankh’ for career counselling, ‘Pragyan’ for e-library, ‘Parakh’ for monitoring, ‘Praveen’ for skill training, ‘Pachhaan’ for schools and ‘Project Alankar’ portal for resource mapping was done.

In the first 100 days of the Yogi government’s second tenure, a provision of Rs 10 crores was made for the appointment of 1200 lecturers in aided colleges and for setting up of smart classes in 87 government colleges.

Apart from smart classes, an E-content digital studio is also underway at the state Directorate of Higher Education at a cost of Rs 1 crore. It will then be used for recording and editing of contents which will later be utilised for conducting virtual classes.

The Yogi government has installed biometric attendance devices at about 2273 government inter colleges. At the same time, the government has also completed the appointment of about 1200 teachers in hundred days to remove the shortage of teachers.

In addition, a provision of Rs 1051 lakh has been made for the development (upgradation) of laboratories in 36 government degree colleges. The Yogi government has also made a provision of Rs 203 lakhs to provide technical books in 111 government colleges. Moreover, the government has given its approval to facilitate the expansion of sports facilities in 172 government colleges.

Gorakhpur’s Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology first UP university to get NAAC A grade

Among the biggest achievements of the Yogi government in 100 days, Gorakhpur’s Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology brought laurels to the state by becoming the first state university to get ‘A’ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

At the same time, construction of two government polytechnics and 15 women and men hostels was completed. The first hundred days of Yogi Sarkar 2.O have been full of achievements in terms of placement of students. During this, 2,207 students were selected in TCS in AKTU and its affiliated colleges.

BYJU’S clears pending payment to Aakash, closes $800 Mn fundraising

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July 6, 2022

Edtech giant BYJU’S has cleared the pending payment to the tutorial chain Aakash Educational Services. “Our payments to Aakash are closed and the audited financial results are going to be announced in the next 10 days.” – added the spokesperson in its statement.

Last year, BYJU’S invested about $1 Bn to purchase Aakash, an educational service chain for NEET, and JEE aspirants.

According to reports, the edtech platform had been delaying payments and had asked for an extension. The company was addressing media reports that said Deloitte, its auditor, had delayed approving the financial statements due to irregularities.

The edtech player also said that its fundraising is proceeding as planned and that all payments are anticipated to be completed by the agreed-upon date i.e., August 2022. “Our fundraising efforts are on track and the majority of the $800 million has been already received. The balance is also expected soon,” stated the spokesperson.

However, the edtech ecosystem has been experiencing challenging times for a while. The last six months have been a roller coaster for edtech businesses, with layoffs, restructuring, reductions, and even going out of business. In its most recent effort to reduce costs, WhiteHat Jr., which is owned by BYJU’S, laid off roughly 300 staff, as per reports. Additionally, a source also states the potential for BYJU’S to entirely absorb WhiteHat Jr. in the coming months.

However, the spokesperson also added, “BYJU’S remains a net hirer… BYJU’S continues to hire across levels for various businesses, departments, and functions.”

In March this year, the company said it had raised $800 Mn in a round, and close to $400 Mn was contributed by CEO Byju Raveendran.

The creator and CEO of BYJU’S, Byju Raveendran, contributed $400 Mn (about Rs 3,000 crore) of the $800 Mn (around Rs 6,000 crore) that the company raised in its most recent capital round.

In a statement, the company also said that the decision to lay off employees was made to increase business efficiency across BYJU’S and its group companies.

“In order to reduce redundancies across our organisation after multiple acquisitions, we had to let go of nearly 1% of our over 50,000 strong workforces. This retrenchment was a result of a strategic decision to improve business efficiencies throughout BYJU’s and its group companies. BYJU’s remains a net hirer,” the edtech firm said.

Meanwhile, BYJU’S major competitors including Vedantu, and Unacademy have also been on a layoff spree.

Byju Raveendran, the startup’s CEO and founder, Sumeru Ventures, Vitruvian Partners, and BlackRock led an $800 Mn strategic funding round for BYJU’S in March and it valued the company at about $22 Bn.

According to sources, the money was raised at a $22 Bn valuation.

During the fundraising round, Byju Raveendran stated, “We continue to witness accelerated growth in India and global markets via both organic and inorganic routes. Our sustained focus is on achieving our long-term goals around creating life-long value for our learners.”

Government warns edtech companies against misleading advertisements

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July 4, 2022

The government has recently warned edtech companies against engaging in unfair practices, such as misleading advertising. It has warned to enact strict regulations if the companies don’t conform to the rules and laws that are already in place.

During a meeting in the nation’s capital led by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh with self-regulatory body India Edtech Consortium (IEC), which runs under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), and other industry stakeholders, the secretary addressed ways to manage consumer interests throughout the edtech sector. It was also discussed how to curb the rise in fake reviews in the edtech sector.

IAMAI representatives as well as IEC member companies including upGrad, BYJU’S, Unacademy, Vedantu, Great Learning, WhiteHat Jr, and Sunstone attended the meeting. An official statement claims that issues such as misleading advertising strategies and unfair trade practices for the Indian edtech industry were the main concern of the meeting and were discussed throughout.

“If self-regulation does not curb the unfair trade practices, then stringent guidelines would be formulated for ensuring transparency,” said Rohit Kumar Singh in the meeting.

In recent times, there has been a huge spike in fake reviews and advertisements that mislead the common people in the edtech industry. Hence, the central government felt the need to bring strict laws and take action against those companies who don’t conform to the laws and procedures.

Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh emphasised throughout the meeting how crucial it is to safeguard consumer rights and eliminate the sector of unfair business practices.

Therefore, he said, it is crucial that everyone works together to keep strong checkpoints that are in line with the interests of customers.

Education was the industry with the highest rate of advertising code violations in 2021–2022 according to a recent report by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

IEC consists of Indian startups and 95% of the Indian learner population. It was counselled by Singh to keep up their good work in support of the ecosystem and form a collaborative working group with pertinent stakeholders to create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

According to the statement, the industry representatives also gave the secretary a report on the IEC’s progress and the direction of current initiatives to improve learner welfare and awareness.

In recent months, the central government has cracked down on cab aggregators, restaurant owners, and food delivery services for engaging in unfair business practices and has issued warnings to prevent future involvement.

The government is now keeping an eye on the edtech industry after several investigation reports claimed that both large and small edtech companies had adopted unfair business practices.

As a result, the government ensures that consumer rights are safeguarded at all costs and that their interests are never compromised.

The industry officials addressed the need to improve the Indian edtech ecosystem further as part of the plan in order to better protect consumer interests through seamless, transparent, and practical services for customers.

CBSE Class 10th, 12th Results 2022: Time, websites, steps to check

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July 4, 2022

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to declare CBSE Class 10 result 2022 today, i.e. on July 4. The board is yet to make an official announcement regarding the result date or time. However, students are advised to keep an eye on CBSE’s official website for any updates regarding CBSE Class 10th, 12th results. Students can check their respective final 10th and 12th result 2022, on the official website of the board — cbseresults.nic.in, cbse.gov.in, once released. The Class 10 examination was conducted from April 26, 2022, to May 24, 2022. The evaluation process ended on June 20. The board would now compile the Term 1 and Term 2 performance and release the results for the same.

CBSE Class 10th, 12th Result 2022 date and time

CBSE Class 10 Result 2022 is likely to be released today by 11 am, as per media reports. CBSE Result 2022 for Class 10 will be released before the CBSE Class 12 result.

CBSE Class 10th, 12th Result 2022: Websites to Download CBSE Result 2022

cbseresults.nic.in
results.gov.in
Digilocker.gov.in

CBSE Class 10th Result 2022: Steps to download the scorecard

Visit the official websites — cbse.gov.in, cbseresults.nic.in.
On the homepage, click on the “CBSE Term 2 Class 10 Result 2022” link.
Enter the login credentials such as CBSE roll number and date of birth.
Your CBSE 10th Scorecard 2022 will appear on the screen.
Download the Class 10th Marksheet and take a printout of it for further reference.

CBSE Class 10th Result 2022: Mobile apps to check result

Also read: CBSE Results: Evaluation of answer sheet to resume from home

The CBSE class 10th result will be available on the UMANG app and Digilocker. Both the apps can be downloaded from the Play Store. Students have to key in the required credentials to log in and get access to their score cards.

UK announces 75 scholarships for Indian students to mark 75th year of Independence

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July 1, 2022

The UK government on Wednesday announced that it has partnered with leading businesses in India to offer 75 fully-funded scholarships for Indian students to study in the UK from September, in the honour of India’s 75th anniversary of Independence. This is the highest number of fully-funded scholarships given for a one-year master’s programme to date. Companies like HSBC, Pearson India, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo are supporting this special initiative.

HSBC India will sponsor 15 scholarships, Pearson India will sponsor two, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Sons and Duolingo will sponsor one each as part of the 75 scholarships.

Also read: UGC: Releasing scholarships without institutes’ confirmation

The programmes on offer include Chevening scholarships for a one-year master’s programme, with the opportunity to study any subject at any recognised UK university. Chevening is the British government’s international awards scheme offered in 150 countries since 1983. India’s Chevening programme is the largest in the world with more than 3,500 alumni.

The British Council in India is also offering at least 18 scholarships for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – covering over 12,000 courses across more than 150 UK universities. Along with these, the British Council is offering six English scholarships.

The announcement comes as British and Indian leaders from international business and government gather in London for the India Global Forum.

Speaking at the India Global Forum, Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said: “In India’s 75th year, this is a great milestone together. Thanks to the exceptional support from our partners in the industry, I am delighted to announce 75 scholarships for Indian students to experience the best of the UK. Nearly 30 per cent of Chevening scholars in India come from smaller cities or are first-generation students, making this an increasingly diverse programme.”

What is included?

The fully funded scholarship includes university tuition fees, monthly stipend, travel costs to and from the UK, arrival allowance, cost of one visa application, travel grant to attend Chevening events in the UK for a one-year-postgraduate programme. A minimum of two years’ work experience is required for candidates to be eligible for the award.

Further details, including on how to apply, can be found on the Chevening website.

iSchoolConnect introduces iSchoolPrep platform to help aspirants prepare for entrance exams to study overseas

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June 27, 2022

iSchoolConnect, an AI-based Edtech company, announced the launch of the iSchoolPrep, a premier test prep platform that assists study abroad aspirants prepare for IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and SAT.

Launched in June 2022, the platform serves as a one-stop-shop for prospective students looking for guidance on how to succeed in international entrance exams for higher education overseas.

“iSchoolPrep is a testament of our unrelenting resolve towards the student-first approach,” says Vaibhav Gupta, Head of Marketing, iSchoolConnect, when outlining the advantages of the service for aspirants. “The platform provides personalized study plans that will enable students to ace their tests. The study plans are designed by study abroad professionals with more than 50 years of combined expertise.”

iSchoolPrep will hold weekly live sessions, offer students in-depth study materials, and train them under the supervision of experienced professionals. With the one-on-one coaching approach, students will receive personalized attention and learn at their own pace.

“We at iSchoolConnect acknowledge the heterogeneity of students and don’t believe in putting all in one box. Therefore, we have developed our study materials using a self-learning paradigm to meet each student’s unique demands. This allows each student to study at their own pace,” Vaibhav adds.

Coding Ninjas joins hands with AICTE and Chandigarh University; launches India Innovate Coding Championship 2022

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June 27, 2022

Aligning with the Government’s National Education Policy 2020, Coding Ninjas, India’s largest online upskilling platform for aspiring and professional coders, in association with AICTE and Chandigarh University launched first ever ‘Innovate India Coding Championship (IICC) 2022.’ With its motto ‘Code the Future,’ the competitive event aims to encourage skill-based programming as a culture by creating a national level platform for students who seek a chance to showcase their talent.

As a part of AICTE’s (All India Council of Technical Education) celebration of the 75th Independence Day of India, the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,’ the competition invites the students of engineering colleges from across the country to participate, experience and innovate. The three staged competition will be held online at Coding Ninjas Online Coding Portal and registered participants can join from anywhere in the country. The registration for IICC 2022 has opened on 20th June 2022.

Elaborating about the first of its kind event, Ankush Singla, co-founder, Coding Ninjas, said, “With coding as a central theme of our philosophy we believe skilling, upskilling and reskilling is the way to create an efficient workforce in the country. We, in association with AICTE and Chandigarh University, conceptualized ‘Innovate India Coding Championship’ with the sole purpose to recognise the real talent and encourage them to further enhance their programming skills. With this event we provide them with a platform to showcase, experience, enjoy and improve their coding skills.”

Along with recognising top participating institutions and their talented students, the winners and participants of IICC 2022 will be rewarded with prizes worth Rs 11 lakhs in order to motivate the students to put in best of their efforts while competing with each other. Coding Ninjas are also organising mentorship and up-skilling sessions with Industry Experts for the competition aspirants. With these top performers will be provided with internship or placement opportunities in leading tech companies and up to 100% Coding Ninjas upskilling scholarships.

Talking about the IICC 2022, Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, said, “The Idea of IICC 2022 presented by Coding Ninjas is very interesting that’s why we decided to collaborate with them. This year, we are celebrating 75th Independence Day, so there cannot be a better time to organise such a competition which aims at solving the large problems of society and nation. Today, coding is becoming a complex and challenging field with the advent of advanced technologies like metaverse, AI, AR, VR, IOT and many more. So it would be exciting to see these talented students competing, interacting and cooperating with each other and showcasing their brilliant ideas, creativity and analytical ability to become winners.”

“I take this opportunity to convey my message to the young generation that they should not wait for getting jobs but try and become innovative entrepreneurs like coding Ninjas and therefore, start honing their skills from school and college level”, he added.

A grand online ceremony to launch IICC 2022 took place on 19th June where an insightful discussion was held on programming and coding skills. Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE was chief guest of the event along with Mr Anil Shrivastava, Principal Consultant and Mission Director, NITI Ayog as guest of honour. Mr Ankush Singhla, Co-Founder, Coding Ninjas and Professor B Priestley Shan, Dean Academic Affairs, Chandigarh University were also present at the online event.

Not the end of road for edtech: Unacademy’s Gaurav Munjal

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June 24, 2022

Even though the education technology space in India is facing tough times as many startups are either shutting business or laying off employees, Gaurav Munjal, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the edtech unicorn Unacademy, believes that online education companies in India will not break down.

Munjal, in a Twitter thread said that online education companies foraying into offline space does not mean that the edtech sector is failing.

He wrote, “EdTech is here to say. In fact I am more bullish on it than I ever was.”

Munjal’s comments have come at a time when his own company reportedly laid off 150 employees this month and about 600 employees in April 2022 in order to cut costs as funds dry up. Other firms in this space including Frontrow, MasterClass and Vedantu have also reduced their workforce. While some edtech companies including Lido Learning, SuperLearn and Udayy have shut operations.

The CEO of the edtech firm which is also backed by the likes of SoftBank added, “Opening a few centers in two of our categories should not be linked to EdTech failing. Correlation is not causation.”

He further wrote, “When learners are young, they prefer a hybrid approach rather than pure offline. When learners are relatively older then they prefer pure online.”

Munjal also said, “Unacademy’s PrepLadder has a 20%+ Market Share in NEET PG and not a single Learner wants to go Offline.” And added, “Things are different in JEE and NEET. Learners want to go out. Parents want them to go out. More discipline is needed unlike NEET PG Learners where the intent to self learn is extremely high.”

He also said, “The largest offline institute has 200k Active Paid Subscribers. Unacademy has 800k Active Paid Subscribers.”

Just over a week ago, Unacademy opened two offline learning centers in Kota, Rajasthan. In a recent announcement the company said it will launch as many as 15 physical learning centers in nine cities within a month. These centers will provide offline classes to prepare for course categories including NEET-UG, IT JEE and Foundation (9-12).

Terming it a part of Unacademy’s expansion plans, Munjal then said, “Every two weeks, a new store is being launched starting with Kota, followed by Lucknow and Jaipur in the next phase. After these four stores, we are going to take a call on whether we want to open large stores or keep them small – and open 100 or 200 of them. Depending on the response, we are going to decide on the next plan of action.”

The edtech sector in India witnessed a boom due to pandemic induced lockdown which led to shutting down of education institutes. However, with students returning to physical classes after almost two years of virtual learning, the focus of edtech companies is now shifting from online to offline mode.

Also Read | Unacademy to offer offline classes at its learning centres

Apart from Unacademy other edtech firms that have forayed into offline learning include Byju’s and PhysicsWallah, which is also the latest Indian startup in this sector to have entered the unicorn club.

Edtech startup Leap bags $75 Mn Series D funding to help more students achieve overseas education

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June 23, 2022

San Francisco & Bengaluru-based edtech startup Leap has secured $75 Mn (INR 585 Cr) in Series D funding led by Owl Ventures. New investors including Steadview Capital and Paramark Ventures along with existing investors Jungle Ventures and Sequoia Capital India too participated in the funding round.

According to the startup, the total fund raised now reached over $150 Mn in equity since it was founded in 2019.

Leap runs LeapScholar, LeapFinance, and Yocket, is a full-stack international student mobility platform. The startup claims to run the world’s largest online community of study abroad aspirants with over two million students.

Further, the edtech offers a suite of products to cover an international student’s life cycle. These include international test prep like IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, etc. It also offers admissions and visa counselling as well as financial offerings including international student loans, international bank accounts, credit cards, and money remittance services.

Also Read | Bengaluru-based edtech startup SuperLearn shuts biz

The edtech said in its pursuit of covering the end-to-end lifecycle needs of an international student has enabled Leap to help over 175,000 students in their study abroad journey in the past 12 months.

Vaibhav Singh, Co-founder of Leap shared, “Students love our truly unique one-stop approach to meeting their international education needs. This combined with the overall strong rebound in international student outflows post-covid has led to exponential growth for us. Over the next couple of years, more than five million students are expected to cross an international border to fulfil their global dreams. With the backing of marquee global investors, we continue to march forward on our mission to democratize access to quality global education and make these dreams a reality.”

In recent months, Leap has undertaken several new growth initiatives. In April, it announced a partnership with Colorado State University, USA bringing the university’s prestigious MCIS program to Indian students in a multi-geography hybrid format.

The edtech further plans to bring more such offerings in the coming future across its 750+ global university partners. Earlier this year, the startup expanded its presence into the Middle East, to help students in the region in their study abroad pursuits.

Amit Patel, Managing Director, Owl Ventures said, “Owl is thrilled to be working with Leap to create a transformative company that will impact generations of students around the world in their pursuit to access and afford high-quality international education opportunities. By simplifying an otherwise overwhelming process and helping students navigate all the steps of counselling, test-prep, and financing, Leap is well-positioned to support the increasing demand to go and study abroad as more countries and companies around the world are becoming further integrated into the global economy.”

Also Read | EdTech startup PrepInsta to tie up with 30+ colleges and universities across India

Sharing on the future plans, Leap’s Co-founder, Arnav Kumar said the edtech company has built a strong framework to offer students the help they need to pursue their education from international establishments. Having built such a strong foundation, the startup is now all set leapfrog to the next level of offering global education.

“Having built the underlying infrastructure for global student mobility, we are now able to scale rapidly across multiple dimensions. We have launched many industry-first products and experiences to make the student journey seamless. Ensuring student success has been our mission and we will continue to deepen our existing offerings and launch newer ones in the months ahead,” Arnav Kumar said.

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