India’s 101st unicorn PhysicsWallah adopts hybrid model with first centre in Kota

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June 21, 2022

After achieving the coveted unicorn status earlier this month (7th June), India’s 101st unicorn PhysicsWallah (PW) has forayed into offline learning with the launch of its first learning centre in Kota, Rajasthan.

This is the first big announcement made by PW after it joined the unicorn club. The edtech said more than 1000 admissions are already done.

PW’s new centre in Kota will be dedicated to JEE & NEET aspirants and Class 11-12 droppers who aim to make a career and thrive in engineering and medical fields, said a press statement.

Further, the centre is designed to assist engineering and medical aspirants, offering them a competitive as well as friendly learning environment with 24/7 doubt clearing facility. According to the edtech, the learning centre will offer a student-teacher ratio for each class at 125:1.

Commenting on this new development, Alakh Pandey, Founder & CEO of PW (PhysicsWallah) said, “We chose Kota for many reasons. The city holds an unbreakable track record for assisting students in cracking various competitive entrance exams. It has gained the trust of every parent and aspirant when it comes to delivering the best education from the best teachers from across India. Moreover, it has an average literacy rate of 82.80%, which is higher than the average national percentage of 74.04%, as per the census of 2011.”

As per Pandey, the edtech will continue to focus on these two major aspects in the coming years as well. And opening a centre in Kota is in line with fulfilling these objectives.

Started as a YouTube channel in 2016, PW (PhysicsWallah), the brainchild of Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari, prepares students for engineering and medical entrance examinations by providing them with guidance from able teachers.

PW specialises in offering comprehensive lectures and sessions through YouTube, PW app, and the website for students aspiring for NEET, JEE Mains. Since its inception in 2016, the edtech has witnessed continuous growth, as it said.

However, as it happened with India along with the world, the pandemic has changed the dynamics for the education sector–the segment included digital mode of learning. During the pandemic of 2020, Pandey joined hands with Prateek Maheshwari to work on a technology solution for students by launching the PW app.

It is here to be noted that, PW raised $100 Mn in Series A funding from Westbridge and GSV Ventures and has become India’s 101st unicorn earlier this month. The edtech claims to boast over 87 Lakh subscribers cumulatively on YouTube.

Banaras Hindu University launches new department of Museology

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June 20, 2022

The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has launched a new department of Museology in wake of rising demand for professionals, academicians and experts in the field, which is an inter-disciplinary professional programme. So far, Museology was being run as a section under the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology in the Faculty of Arts.

The Faculty of Arts, also known as the mother faculty, has 22 departments now including the Museology department. The university has notified the creation of the Museology department following the approval of the President Ram Nath Kovind.

BHU currently offers postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral programs in the discipline of Museology. There are a total 15 seats in the Museology postgraduate programme including two paid seats.

Usha Rani Tiwari, Professor in Museology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), said that the discipline offers a number of professional opportunities such as museum director, conservator, and assistant professor among other opportunities. She further said that the setting up of the new department of Museology will add to the growth and glory of Banaras Hindu University.

RV University signs three new MoUs

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June 18, 2022

Bengaluru-based RV University, which began operations in 2021, has inked MoUs with Old Dominion University in the US, Teesside University in UK and Ziroh Labs, to name a few. With these 3 new MOUs, the total number of such collaborations has gone up to 45.

The partnership with Dominion University encompasses a wide range of offerings that are mutually beneficial. These include collaborations in the form of international mobility by faculty and students for educational purposes, joint research activities, exchange of academic materials and publications, faculty mobility for research, lectures, and discussions as well as student mobility for study and research. Old Dominion University is a dynamic public research institution located in the city of Norfolk in the region of coastal Virginia, USA.

An MoU was also signed with the Teesside University of Middlesbrough, UK, ranked in the 301-350 band of 539 global universities in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2022. The collaboration includes the exchange of scholarly ideas and expertise as well as developmental programmes. It enables student exchange programmes and advance entry from one institution to the other where students are appropriately qualified.

The students and faculty from the School of Business and Finance, School of Design and Innovation, School of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Economics as well as the School of Liberal Arts and Science at RV University will benefit from this global exposure. “It’s a great opportunity for RV University students and faculty to be associated with world-class institutions and gain exposure to global benchmarks and best practices in academia. The international partnerships are a win-win situation for the academic institutions through such knowledge-sharing partnerships”, said Prof. Y.S.R. Murthy, Vice-Chancellor, RV University.

Built on the backbone of NEP 2020, with its contemporary, new-age curricula, RV University is well-positioned to fully leverage emerging disciplines. “The National Education Policy 2020 gives a big thrust to Internationalisation in higher education and these partnerships will immensely benefit our students and faculty,” said Prof. Murthy.

In addition to the international collaborations, RV University and Bengaluru-based Ziroh Labs have signed a pact for Academic Alliance Programs that will further improve the quality of teaching and facilitate imparting practical skills to students from the School of Computer Science and Engineering as well as undertaking research and consultancy.

NEP 2020 lays emphasis on blending liberal education with different domains to ensure a well-rounded education system. It enables and focuses more on an inclusive, flexible, and globalized education programme. Foreign collaborations enhance cross-learning through student exchange activities and twinning programmes. The promotion of research collaboration between Indian institutions and global universities helps in enabling local institutes to design their curriculum in alignment with global teaching standards. It offers a diverse portfolio of subjects and specialisations to help students and faculty with collaborative learning for an inclusive world.

AICTE, MoE and MSDE join hands to launch Digital Skilling – a free skilling platform on emerging technologies

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June 18, 2022

All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) have joined hands to launch a joint initiative ‘Digital Skilling’ – a free of cost skilling, upskilling and reskilling platform. “The initiative aims to provide future-ready technical and digital skills on emerging technologies to one crore Indians,” Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairperson, AICTE told FE Education Online. According to him, the platform will bring companies from all sectors under a common roof and help fill the skilled workforce gap in the country.

AICTE claims to have identified 30 emerging technologies, 55 job roles and 155 skill sets which it claims will be in demand in the next 20 to 30 years. “With 50% of the Indian population below 25 years, a huge opportunity for youth and young professionals awaits to form the foundation of the country’s economy. The facts we have gathered highlight that it is necessary to handle the challenge of the skill gap in emerging technologies by digitally skilling our youth,” Sahasrabudhe added.

The platform will offer courses on new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), among others, along with internship and apprenticeship opportunities from market leaders. So far, 63 companies, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Service (AWS), International Business Machines (IBM) among others, have already confirmed their participation in this initiative. “We expect more than 200 companies to join hands with us in an effort to offer training programmes across categories,” Chandrasekhar Buddha, chief coordinating officer, AICTE, said.

Furthermore, the three- to six-month-long courses will cater to school students between seven to 12 grade, undergraduates and graduates or professionals. As per the body, the course curriculums are designed keeping in mind the three categories of learners – basic level for school students, advanced and expert level for the rest. The skilling platform will further provide internship and apprenticeship opportunities for undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals at partnered companies, it claimed.

Andhra Government signs MoU with Byju’s to provide quality content to government school students

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June 17, 2022

YS Jagan Mohan government has signed an MoU with Byju’s, to provide quality-oriented content for the government school students from 4th to 10th standard. Further, the government will also provide tabs for all the 8th standard students with a budget of Rs 500 crores.

CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “This initiative will transform the lives of many poor children at the govt schools. The project is about to boost the government school children so that they pass out 10th and 12th CBSE exams with merit. This partnership will strengthen the dreams of the students.”

He added that the visual presentation and content enhancement would come through starting from 4th to 10th standard at government schools, and it would be a game changer for poor students who can’t afford private schools.

The CM said that it would cost students around 25 thousand per annum for the content available to them in private schools and those subscribed to the quality content. “Now this facility will be available to government school students for free. The government also decided to give the tabs to the 8th standard students to provide digital experience and digital knowledge to the children,” said the Chief Minister. The teachers will also be given orientation so that they can teach the students in a better way.

Byju Raveendran, CEO of Byju’s said, “Our meeting with the Andhra Pradesh government happened a few days ago, now we have signed MoU with the government. Andhra Pradesh government is moving faster than a start-up. I am excited and happy about the opportunity given to us. After this MoU Government school students to get the equal opportunity to quality education, which their counterpart in private school is having.”

Andhra Pradesh government has taken another crucial step in revolutionising the education system in the state by signing an MoU with Byju’s. The state government, which has already implemented programs like English medium, bilingual textbooks, Amma Odi and Gorumudda, embarked on another massive program.

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

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June 17, 2022

PrepInsta, India’s no 1 and most visited website for placement, has announced a partnership deal with 30+ colleges and universities across India, intending to double this number and be available in 70+ universities by the end of 2022. The startup assists students with complete placement preparation, skill development, learning to code, and interview preparation through its product PrepInsta Prime.

PrepInsta’s upskilling courses aim to systematically tailor the Indian education system by capturing students’ interests and demands. The start-up offers over 150+ courses like C, C++, Java, Python, Machine Learning, AI, Ethical hacking, Cyber security and others. The courses offered are pocket friendly for students as they do not have to pay for different courses sequentially; instead, they can access everything with a single subscription.

“We are pleased to announce our affiliation with 30+ colleges and universities, following an overwhelming response from students and their consistent request that we become affiliated with their universities/colleges. We have always worked towards placement training to be included in the University curriculum from the very first semester itself. Students are always keen to learn and get polished but are deprived of the platform through which they can land a job of their choice. We look forward to working closely with the affiliated institutions and our noble initiative will help universities and colleges to generate a skilled workforce and will assist students in finding their dream job,” said Atulya Kaushik, Co-Founder, and CEO, PrepInsta.

Prepinsta aims to provide upskilling courses to college students as early as the first semester and even offers a four-year plan to colleges/universities that includes all of the elements required for placement and interview preparation.

Korroboree uses D2L Brightspace to make learning authentic, measurable and seamless

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June 16, 2022

D2L, a global learning technology leader, has announced that Korroboree has selected the Brightspace learning innovation platform in January 2022 through D2L’s partnership with Edutech. Korroboree is using Brightspace to deliver transformational learning experiences for learners in their adventurous quest to attain their highest potential.

Korroboree is an online school where learners will have transformational learning experiences using digital tools and resources, and instructional design based on neuroscience, behavioural science, and future skills. The curriculum at Korroboree is designed to help children expand their thinking, question the status quo, and become the best version of themselves.

The name “Korroboree” is derived from the Australian word “Corroboree,” which means a sacred gathering of people. The school’s pedagogy is based on the three pillars: absorb, interact and create. Korroboree online school was born to bring revolution in today’s education system.

“The ‘why’ we educate has to change for the present learners because the world has changed exponentially in the last 15 years, but our schools have not. They are still educating children to comply, rather than question, and consume knowledge rather than create it. It is about time that we change the definition of ‘why’ we educate children,” said Korroboree founders, Ms Lina Ashar and Agnelorajesh Athaide.

As Korroboree focuses on delivering transformational learning experiences using digital tools, a learning management system (LMS) has become one of the essential tools they need to adopt in order to support the delivery of their school’s pedagogy. According to Korroboree founders, while other LMS providers only supported the first two pillars, D2L ticked off all the three. Brightspace allows learners to add a personal and authentic touch to their assignments. At the same time, the built-in course completion logic helps students access the right content based on their performance in quizzes and assignments, ensuring a personalised learning experience.

“After a rigorous evaluation process, D2L Brightspace was selected as the learning platform of choice with a plethora of options to integrate other learning tools seamlessly,” says Mukesh Birwadkar, Learning Experience Architect, Korroboree. Ms Lina Ashar, Co-Founder, Korroboree further added, “Educational institutions still follow a traditional approach to learning, preventing learners from unlocking their full potential. At Korroboree, we strive to redefine school learning by teaching life skills to children and making them future-ready. We are confident that our decision to use D2L Brightspace will further strengthen our vision and help us achieve this goal.”

Dr Prem Das Maheshwari, Business Director for South Asia at D2L said, “The learning process is undergoing a massive overhaul across the globe. With the rapid evolution of tools and technologies, learning today has not only become accessible but also easier to absorb. At D2L, our goal is to support this revolution by becoming learning partners to our customers and equipping them with the right technology tools and solutions and enabling them to deliver the best possible learning experiences. Our collaboration with Korroboree is in sync with this vision. We are thrilled about this partnership and look forward to transforming education together in the years to come.”

Edu-Fintech startup Financepeer launches “UVA”, an innovative numberless dual-interface card for students

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June 16, 2022

With an aim to achieve cash-free campuses, Financepeer, one of India’s leading edu-fintech startups has unveiled its latest offering – the UVA Card, powered by Visa. Financepeer UVA Card Program will be their numberless prepaid photo ID card for students, parents, and institutes to make day-to-day transactions easy and hassle-free.

UVA Card, technologically backed by Visa, is an innovative approach to digitising the financial system in educational institutes across India. The program intends to create cash-free campuses by enabling the institutes, parents, and students to pay and receive fees, withdraw cash, do e-commerce transactions and be able to make payments effortlessly at any retail outlets that use point of sale (POS) terminals. UVA Cards are pre-paid contactless cards that can drive financial independence among young adults. This card helps in getting extended credits, makes hassle-free payments, and teaches the youth to save and spend money wisely, besides offering various rewards and discounts.

Mr. Rohit Gajbhiye, CEO and Founder, of Financepeer, said, “We are working towards bringing a revolution in Edu-fintech space through technology and at the same time creating impact at the bottom of the pyramid, via increasing access to quality education. Our recent funding and collaboration with industry stalwarts have given renewed strength and a new purpose to our mission. In view of this, we are launching a numberless dual interface product which is a photo ID card to make cashless transactions easy for students, parents and institutes with just a tap. To make electronic payments safer and hassle-free for our students, these Visa cards have been designed with EMV chips”.

Mr. Sujai Raina, Head of Business Development, Visa India said “As a network working for everyone, Visa is committed to expanding financial access and inclusion across diverse demographics. We are delighted to collaborate with Financepeer as they launch the UVA Card, an innovative, prepaid card solution that not just works as a photo ID and payment instrument but aids financial discipline. The UVA card has been designed specifically keeping in mind the unique spending needs of students and their guardians, and is a decisive step towards building a cashless economy among young consumers.”

Imagine Language & Literacy and Imagine Robotify earn top honours from education technology industry leaders

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June 16, 2022

Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving over 15 million students in more than half the school districts nationwide, has won two 2022 SIIA CODiE Awards for Imagine Language & Literacy and Imagine Robotify. The prestigious CODiE Awards recognise the companies producing the most innovative education technology products across the country and around the world.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be recognised with a CODiE Award,” said Sari Factor, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer for Imagine Learning. “We are fortunate to have exceptional development teams who create innovative solutions to advance learning for all. We couldn’t celebrate these successes without all our school partners; these are wins for the many educators across the country who collaborate with us every day to help us develop effective products to achieve greater learning.”

This is the second consecutive win for Imagine Language & Literacy, which won “Best Foundational English Language Arts Instructional Solution” in 2021. It is the only personalised learning program that accelerates both literacy skills and English language development for students in grades PreK-6. Imagine Language & Literacy’s uniquely combined approach, emphasis on building academic language explicitly, and first language support in 15 languages has proven to accelerate mastery of skills that empower students to unlock learning across all subject areas. As learners explore and practice skills, their individualised learning sequence adjusts dynamically to maximise engagement and progress, accelerating to match a cognitive leap, or adjusting to accommodate unfinished learning.

Imagine Robotify is a browser-based digital solution designed to teach coding using the world’s best computer science simulator. The platform offers learners the freedom and creativity they need to realize their original ideas and, in the process, develop their capacity for critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Imagine Robotify provides students with the ability to master coding skills and apply their critical thinking to robotics, math, science, and coding skills through project- and game-based learning. Students have access to more than 1,000 different coding activities and games, including 24/7 access to the latest virtual robots without having to ever purchase physical hardware.

“The 2022 EdTech CODiE Award winners exemplify the outstanding products, services and overall innovation that enables learners of all types to connect with educators and educational materials,” said SIIA President Jeff Joseph. “We are so proud to recognise this year’s honourees—the best of the best—that provide solutions to many of the critical challenges facing learners today—from access and equity, to personalised and tailored learning and beyond. Congratulations to all of this year’s CODiE Award winners!”

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries, announced the full slate of CODiE winners during a virtual winner announcement. Awards were given for products and services deployed specifically for education and learning professionals, including the top honor of the Best Overall Education Technology Solution.

A SIIA CODiE Award win is a prestigious honor, following rigorous reviews by expert judges including educators and administrators whose evaluations determined the finalists. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products, and the scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners.

Pandharpur college inks MOU with Silicon Valley firm for rural innovation

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June 16, 2022

Shri Vithal Education and Research Institute Pandharpur (SVERI) & the U Group LLC of Silicon Valley, have launched a “Entrepreneurial Center for Rural Innovation (ECRI)” in the College of Engineering Campus. A first-of-its-kind strategic partnership has been inked between SVERI Pandharpur and the U-Group LLC to establish an ‘Entrepreneurial Center for Rural Innovation (ECRI)’ to accelerate the development and commercialization of quality products/services to address rural needs in India and other developing nations.

The U-Group LLC is a premier technology execution firm that develops intelligent growth strategy and Exit-Engineered Execution for small and mid-cap technology and health enterprises in the Midwest region of the United States.

“While local entrepreneurs understand rural needs and can find cost effective solutions that enhance agricultural efficiency, they would benefit greatly from the vision, the experience and the mentorship of the U-Group LLC, led by Sanjeev Chitre to build successful ventures from them. They can help us produce locally and think globally”, says Dr. Babruvahan P Ronge, Chairman and Founder of SVERI.

Sanjeev Chitre, Managing Partner of the U-Group LLC added, “We have a fivefold focus for this collaboration. The ECRI will provide handholding support and assistance to potential entrepreneurs in five key areas including:

1. Transformation of a concept, prototype or a product/ service into a potential business entity through interactive conversations and guidance.

2. To infuse local products with global thinking.

3. Assist with capital and infrastructure development.

4. Identify pathways for other developing nations through Foundation Funds like World Bank, Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Trusts etc.

5. A baseline for building enterprise value for all shareholders.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Chitre’s debut book, a ‘Bible’ for entrepreneurs ‘What Not to Do in Entrepreneurship’, and his passion for mentoring was the starting point for the conversation around setting up the ECRI.

Talking about the need for global mentors to be available to guide local entrepreneurs, Prof. Nitin Misal, President of SVERI who has been appointed also as the Chairman of ECRI, says, “We now have our entrepreneurial community inspired to make a global difference. This is truly a win-win for all in Pandharpur, in India and Global Rural Communities.”

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