Critical thinking, Analytical learning and Skill development are the areas to focus currently in school education

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September 10, 2021

In this globally and digitally interconnected world, all learners need new skills and knowledge to succeed. School Education is striving for excellence by making digital learning a priority. After the pandemic, many schools had to shift their mode of learning from offline to online. The need is to address the learning gaps, which will minimize disruption and build a strong educational ecosystem.

In the 21st century learning, the most important skill is critical thinking. Critical thinking is the foundation of making good decisions, judgement and the ability to draw the right conclusion. Currently, there is a need to focus on providing the school students with the guidance so that they can make independent life decisions.

Speaking during the inaugural session, Mr Parmod Kumar, Department of School Education, Haryana Government, said, “Schools have faced potential challenges after the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. They have coped up with this by formulating a system that helps students in their school education. Moreover, technology is playing a vital role in imparting education in the schools.”

Dwelling his views on the topic, “Redefining the Leadership is the Next New Normal: Roadmap Ahead”, he emphasized on the role of teachers that plays a major importance in the life of students. So, it is required that training programs should be conducted for the teachers in order to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom.

The three-day event was organised by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd between 7-9 September, 2021 and powered by Digital Learning magazine. Mr Ravi Gupta, CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd has also introduced the inaugural session and given his remarks on the education sector’s development. The event laid emphasis on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and why it is crucial for the education fraternity to implement it in the learning process currently.

Artificial Intelligence will be used in a better way to assess students during examinations. Assessing students through AI-based technologies will help to understand the learning outcome of students. AI-enabled technologies help teachers identify social and emotional needs of students. Proper collaboration and creativity is required to engage students in every way possible. For this, many companies are working hard to provide solutions that solve problems and learning gaps.

The event focused on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it is providing solutions in imparting learning in classrooms. The schools need to adapt to the new tools and technologies to achieve the long-term goals. It seems that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the education system in the next 25 years.

In addition, the panelists also highlighted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on customized learning for students. NEP aims to bring several changes in the education system. Critical thinking, analytical learning, and skill development are some of the priorities under NEP. The conference has highlighted the need for conceptual learning rather than content-driven education.

Nitil Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Eduvacancy said that there is a need to create a strong learning management system that will help the teachers to experiment and innovate. Training teachers to operate new tools and technology is crucial. However, investing in the right channel is important as well.

In similar lines, Harish Sanduja, Director, Seth Anadram Jaipuria Group of Schools said, “We should invest in the right people in order to build a sustainable future. The government is focusing on increasing investment in the education sector.”

The event is Asia’s biggest summit on education and has witnessed participation from industry leaders, opinion makers and experts from the school education sector.

With a rich legacy, the 20th World Education Summit, 2021 focused on fostering innovations, investments, technology transfers and global partnership opportunities in the education domain.

The summit has observed attendees from across the globe sharing the best practices, policy updates, finding appropriate solutions and becoming aware of the latest technical know-how.

The edu-leaders participated during the event, which included Brian Cooklin, Managing Director, Nord Anglia Education; Annabelle Villamarin, Primary School Principal, Lancers International School; Ashish Gulati, Vice-Chairman, Blue Bells Group of Schools, Gurugram; Dr. Vidhukesh Vimal, Headmaster, The Assam Valley School, Tezpur; Poonam Kochitty, Principal, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Lucknow; Gautam Rajgarhia, Pro Vice Chairman, Delhi Public School; Vineet Kansal, CEO, The Newtown School, Kolkata; Dr Seema Negi, Director Principal, Sanjeevani World School, Mumbai; Divjot Kaur, Principal, G D Goenka Public School, Jhajjar;Dr Shilpa Jejurkar, Principal, Amber International School, Mumbai; Abhishek Bagchi, Principal, RMPS International School, Ankleshwar including other eminent members of the education fraternity was part of the conference.

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KIET Group of Institutions sets 100% placement record

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September 10, 2021

New Delhi/ Ghaziabad: The Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, KIET Group of Institutions, Delhi-NCR, Ghaziabad is very glad to proclaim its success about 100% placement, which is a cumulative effort of consistent striving. With the cooperation of KIET-CRPC and Departmental Placement Cell, all eligible students of the department have been placed in well-reputed organizations including software and hardware industries. Moreover, some of the students have opted for higher studies and PSU Preparations. With this great and proud achievement, we can say, that the future of Electrical &Electronics Engineers is very bright and stable. It is a brilliant and bright option for the students who are diligent in coding, programming and at the same time interested in inventions and solutions. Core Engineering will help to build critical and dynamic thinking which would further open avenues of career options in extensive fields around the globe. Electrical & Electronics Engineers have already extended their strong arms and proved their prime presence in various essential domains like Automation & Robotics, Aero Space technology, Defence Research & Development Organization, signal processing, Automation & Control, Tele-communication, Electric Vehicles ,Embedded system, Electronic components of computers & other tools , Industrial Controls, Network Equipment, Telecom Equipment, Medical Equipment, Radios, Computers, Smart Phones, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Integrated Chips and yes, the -list is endless . In general, Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ presence and need is ever-increasing to meet the diverse needs of the consumers in India as well as abroad. Today, Electrical & Electronics Engineering is indispensable for life. All industries will come to a halt if we halt. Being an Electrical Engineer, we help and support billions of people on a day-to-day basis.

With a strong and determined vision to create technocrats who can build, innovate, and illuminate the world together, Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, KIET Group of institutions is at the forefront of practical knowledge. Till now the Department has completed the dreams of more than 1600 students and provided optimum benefits to the society. More than 39 faculty members from various renowned Institutes have joined their hands together to support and guide students to enlighten their vision and to fulfil their futuristic goals. Head, Electrical & Electronics Engineering Department, consistently pursuing the target to achieve 100% placement was widely appreciated. The role of Dr. Preeti Chitkara, Head, International Relations and Public Relations, in giving the students a world-wide exposure in aspects related to overall grooming is commendable. With such combined efforts, we are sure to reach greater heights in the near future.

KIET Group of Institutions is one of the premier destinations for young minds, offering courses in Engineering, Management and Pharmacy. It continuously strives for the welfare of its students providing them with best opportunities both on the national and international platforms.

Edumpus supporting higher education in adopting technology

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September 10, 2021

Edumpus is targeting around 40,000 Indian higher education institutions to automate their admission processes, said Ajesh Raj, Co-Founder & CEO, Edumpus to Elets News Network (ENN).

How does the digital platform Edumpus provide assistance and support to higher education?

Edumpus has been conceptualised as a digital-first student recruitment platform that simplifies the process of studying abroad for students in India and abroad. By acting as an aggregator for 5000+ courses from 500+ universities in more than 15 countries, Edumpus connects all the stakeholders in higher education – the students, the institutes and the offline educational consultants as well.

Using AI, the portal provides personalised suggestions to the users based on the students’ academic qualifications and the eligibility requirements of the listed courses on the portal.

Also read: Desktop Virtualization new tool to adapt for Higher Education

While the whole process may have been automated, Edumpus also has in-house student counsellors to supplement the offerings by providing assistance and perspective to help students make the leap. Factors such as budgets, academic requirements, scholarship availability, available intakes, etc. may differ on a case-to-case basis and the platform suggests the best suitable fit for each applicant while making sure that the student has a fairly complete idea of what they are aiming for.

To summarize, Edumpus’ goal is to harness the power of the internet and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) to transform the student recruitment industry – by providing a platform to all stakeholders to access authentic and detailed information to make the right decision. All these services are easily accessible through the Edumpus website and the mobile application that was launched this year.

Are we implementing AI-based technologies significantly in the education space?

When handling multiple students, university staff and educational consultants are often unable to give each applicant the personal attention and guidance that they need, resulting in a situation where a student might feel short-changed. Students feel lost, with consultants offering them limited options in terms of courses available.

Edumpus uses AI/ML to suggest the best-fit courses to students on the basis of the student’s choices and the University offerings. It studies a student’s preferences from their search trends on interests and applications to suggest better and refined options.

Once students zero in on the course they want to pursue, they can apply and submit relevant documents on the platform itself. The in-house counsellors guide the students throughout the process.

While the internet provides all the information that any student may need, Edumpus reduces the strain of information overload by providing relevant information at one place and helping the students make a decision based on their interests.

Could you tell us something about the products and services? How is it helping the education sector?

Our portal provides different services under various verticals which are personalised to each stakeholder in the ecosystem.

– Edumpus as a platform assists the student community to choose their desired course to pursue abroad.

– Global Admissions Consortium is a B2B service that is provided to education consultants and the agents who can leverage the same to suggest better courses to the students from the huge directory of courses that we maintain

– TRiADGE is a dashboard that allows universities to display information about their courses, fees structure, scholarships available, campus pictures etc. which can be accessed by the students who are part of Edumpus’ global network. This is an automated process which helps the institutes to reach their target audience

What are your expansion plans in the market? Are you able to implement the products productively in the education sector?

Our journey started with offering B2B solutions to Education consultants. Since then, we have expanded our services and with the launch of our new product TRiADGE, we now supplement the existing product portfolio and are targeting around 40,000 Indian higher education institutions to automate their admission processes.

We are continually adding more colleges and universities in our directory to provide a wider choice to the students as they look to build their career with us.

Is higher education able to understand and adapt with technology disruptions?

Right now, we are only seeing the beginning of how technology can be used to disrupt student recruitment, and by extension, higher education as a whole. We live in the Information Age and there is an ocean of data that can be mined and filtered to support decision making and institutional thinking. One of the biggest disruptions of AI-led innovations is the possibility of reaching out and serving a much larger population than the traditional consulting firms catered to previously. In a way, the whole process is slowly getting democratised, with a student from a Tier-3 town and a student from Tier-1 town having a similar level of access to higher education opportunities – a very unlikely proposition even a few years ago.

Delhi Govt. Launches “Business Blasters” Programme for school students

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September 10, 2021

Delhi’s Education Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia launched the “Business Blasters” Programme for Classes 11 and 12 for helping youth to acquire business skills.

“The Business Blasters program will serve as a milestone in the progress of the country. It has been launched for students of Delhi government schools of Classes 11-12,” said Sisodia during the launch of the programme at Thyagaraj Stadium in the national capital recently.

He added that the youth are becoming job creators. “That day is not far when youth will create employment instead of asking for it. We have to create an image that India is a country of literate and able youth who do not ask for jobs but create them,” he said.

Also read: Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister discusses with Principals on reopening of Delhi Schools

“Under this program, children will be trained for entrepreneurship skills. Competitions will be held at the district and state levels. A total of 1000 children will qualify for the district-level competition from which 10 winners will be selected. These winners will get direct admission to Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW), Delhi Technological University (DTU), Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) and Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT),” Sisodia added.

NIRF Rankings 2021: IIT Madras bagged the top institution and IISC ranked for best in research category

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September 10, 2021

The Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking 2021 on Thursday. There are eleven categories in NIRF India Rankings 2021– Overall, Management College, Medical, Pharmacy, Engineering, Architecture, ARIIA (Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements), Law and Research Institutions. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has topped in the overall categories. In fact, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ranked the best research institutions.

Also read: How to be in the top 100 NIRF ranked universities

Following are the lists:

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad ranked the place of best B-School.
For Pharmacy studies Jamia Hamdard was declared as the top institution.
IIT Bombay got the third spot in the institution category.
AIIMS Delhi has bagged the position of top medical college followed by PGIMER Chandigarh and Christian Medical College, Vellore.
In the colleges category, Miranda House in Delhi got the first place followed by Lady Sri Ram College for Women, Delhi and Loyola College, Chennai.
Eight IITs and two national Institutes of Technology (NITs) bagged the position of top ten engineering institutions in the country.

Chitkara University bags A+ NAAC accreditation

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September 9, 2021

Chitkara University has been awarded the rating of A+ by the prestigious National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), which places it among the 5% of higher education institutions (HEIs) in India to be granted such a coveted grade. The University scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.26 on a 4-point scale.

The university has been praised for three major features by the Peer Team. They are: good infrastructure for educational innovation and research; a neat and clean, green, and well-maintained campus; and the location of the institute is in a well-developed urban area with good placement opportunities.

On the occasion, Dr.Ashok K Chitkara, Chancellor, Chitkara University said, “It is the hard-work of our students, staff and faculty that resulted in securing this recognition. Moreover, the university has a well-defined research promotion policy which has resulted in the development of state-of-the-art advanced facilities. CURIN has multi-disciplinary advanced facilities supported by research funding from government agencies such as DST, DRDO, etc. to the tune of 37.24 crore. The research scholars and faculties are provided seed money for undertaking research and filing patents.”

Dr. Madhu Chitkara expressed her sincere thanks to all stakeholders and said, “The curricula are developed following standardised procedures and are revised at regular intervals by taking feedback from all our stakeholders. The local, regional, and global developmental needs regarding employability and entrepreneurship are considered while designing the course. Experimental, participative, and project-based learning are in practise through blended learning. We have adopted a flexible CBCS system that gives freedom to the students to undergo a multidisciplinary approach. The assessment process is well defined to evaluate the attainment level in critical thinking and problem-solving skills through programme-specific learning. ”

Established in 1994, NAAC is an autonomous body of UGC which assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). NAAC has identified a set of seven criteria to serve as the basis of its assessment procedures: Curricular Aspects; Teaching-learning & Evaluation; Research, Innovations & Extension; Infrastructure & Learning Resources; Student Support & Progression; Governance, Leadership & Management; and Institutional Values & Best Practices.

By studying in an institution that is NAAC accredited, students get a chance to learn in a cutting-edge environment and earn a degree that will have global recognition. They get instant recognition as an alumnus of a credible institute and get better placement opportunities as the industry prefers hiring with higher-graded institutions.

The university, through NAAC accreditation, gets to know its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities through an informed review process. The higher NAAC Grade of the university promotes various intra & inter-institutional interactions.

Also read: Chitkara University- Re-Inventing Education 4.0

Dr. Archana Mantri, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University said, “The university practices Global Week for students and faculty exchange programs with foreign academic institutions. Various dynamic collaborations have been established through the internationally funded research projects, international conferences and cultural immersion across the campus. This best practice has had a significant impact on a large number of global experts (250) and students (25000), several value-added courses (100) have been introduced through this best practice.”

Dr. K. K Mishra, Director, Accreditation & Quality Assurance Cell, said “According to the old scheme, which was followed till 2017, the whole evaluation was based on an overhauled visit by a peer team, and under the current process, 70% of the evaluation is based on data from the institution and university that is evaluated by a third party. That makes it even harder to be accredited. The NAAC accreditation will create new avenues for the university and its students”.

Karnataka reopens schools for students Of Classes 6 to 8 today

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September 6, 2021

Karnataka has reopened schools for Classes 6 to 8 today. The schools have reopened schools in those states where the positivity rate is below 2 percent.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh said, “”The department had an intention of reopening schools for some time now and teachers were also ready for it, but keeping in mind the health of the students along with education and concerns of the parents, we discussed with the technical advisory committee and after taking the opinion of expert paediatricians, we are reopening schools for classes 6,7 and 8.”

The government and other district administration is working together to maintain safe conduct and maintain all covid protocols.

Also read: School reopens in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka with 50 percent capacity

It is compulsory for all students to submit consent of parents to attend offline classes. There is also provision for online classes.

The classes for 6-8 will be held on alternate days with 50 percent attendance. The classes for 9-12 have already reopened since August 23.

Admit cards for NEET PG 2021 to be released today

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September 6, 2021

The National Board of Examination (NBE) has released the NEET PG 2021 admit card today. The students can download the admit card from the official website natboard.edu.in.

Steps to download NEET PG 2021 admit card:

-Visit official website natboard.edu.in

-Click on the NEET PG 2021 admit card link

-Enter all required registration details

-Submit the details

-You can Download the admit card

-Take the printout of the admit card

All covid protocols will be followed during the examination like protective face shield, face mask and sanitizer sachets. The NEET PG 2021 exams were earlier scheduled to be conducted on April 18, but later it was postponed to September 11.

PM Modi to address on Shiksha Parv 2021 to honour contributions of teachers

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September 6, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend Shiksha Parv 2021 on September 7. It is celebrated to honour the contribution of teachers in the education sector. The PM is also going to launch new initiatives of the Department of School Education (DSE).

The initiatives of the education department are Indian Sign Language dictionary of 10,000 words, Talking Books for visually impaired, Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) of CBSE, School Quality Assessment and NISTHA teachers’ training programme for NIPUN Bharat, Vidyanjali portal for facilitating education volunteers, donors, CSR contributors for school development.

The event will be celebrated through virtual mode till September 17. It will also focus on taking the National Education Policy (NEP) to the next level.

The event will be attended by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi, Minister of State for Education Dr Subhas Sarkar and Minister of State for Education Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

MPOWER Financing focuses to provide education loans to students

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September 4, 2021

MPOWER Financing is not only limited to providing loans, but it also believes in long-term partnerships and supports students with their future jobs, says Sasha Ramani, Associate Director, Corporate Strategy, Mpower Financing to Elets News Network (ENN).

Could you tell us how MPOWER Financing makes education accessible to the students?

We established MPOWER Financing intending to provide education loans to those students who dream of studying abroad. Unlike traditional financing options, MPOWER loans do not require a co-signer, collateral, guarantors, or any documentation that student applicants undergo during loan approval. MPOWER’s loan processes are also not based on one’s credit history alone. We have, instead, built a proprietary algorithm that factors in future earning potential and analyses disparate data sources, such as employment history and credit history, domestically and abroad.

Our model ensures that promising students applying for Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD levels of education should have access to education without putting any financial burden on the family. MPOWER’s loans are approved instantly and are available at competitive interest rates. We fund the dreams of -promising students who wish to study in the U.S and Canada but are left out of the traditional lending process.

How is MPOWER Financing providing financial solutions to students planning to study abroad?

MPOWER follows a simple and modern loan process based on the future potential of the students and not on their current family background. Our unique and borderless model ensures that promising students are not asked for a co-signer or collateral during the loan process. We have fixed interest rates with up to 1.50 per cent in interest rate discounts. MPOWER is not only limited to providing loans, but it also believes in long-term partnerships and supports students with their future jobs, because we want our students to be successful not only while they’re in school, but after graduation as well.

Also read: Finance Minister attracts students for education loans

How many loans have you disbursed so far to students?

Since its inception in 2014, MPOWER has had the privilege of supporting higher education worldwide. This number of students availing of loans is rising rapidly each year, and about a quarter of MPOWER’s students are from India. Loans to the tune of USD 70 million have been disbursed to students since 2014. The number of loans disbursed doubles or triples every year. We expect 2021 and 2022 to show the same growth, considering the very high demand we see on our platform.

What are the sources of your funds? Do you have any tie-ups with the banks or other financial institutions?

MPOWER Financing is not a bank. We raise money from various investors and institutions who get to invest in tomorrow’s leaders – and sometimes, these are banks. MPOWER has raised considerable funding from firms like Goldman Sachs, Tilden Park Capital, and ETS (which administers the GRE and TOEFL exams). MPOWER has received various funding rounds and the funding capital is the key source of loan funds.

What percentage of MPOWER Financing caters to the students of India? How are you planning to increase the percentage in providing loans to Indian students?

India is one of the key markets for MPOWER. In terms of geographical distribution on the number of loans issued, about one quarter of our students are from India, making it the largest country which our students are from. Other large countries include Brazil, China, Pakistan, Mexico and several in Sub-Saharan Africa. In terms of both the markets and operations, India plays a major role for us, and most of our colleagues are based in Bengaluru.

What is the process involved in getting a loan for higher education?

MPOWER Financing has an ‘all-digital’ platform, which allows students across the globe to apply for their education without any physical movement. The loan process can be done in less than an hour due to top-of-the-line automation technology and can receive a conditional approval instantly. Importantly, there are no application fees, or anything required: the student does not pay a dime until it is time for their first monthly loan repayment.

What benefits can students get if they avail of a loan from MPOWER Financing?

MPOWER Financing offers perks such as income tax deductions and credit building, which can help students substantially after graduation. 100 percent of their loan sanction letters have been accepted by the U.S government when issuing visas.
MPOWER is committed to rethinking and overhauling how international students fund their education. Therefore, MPOWER aims to remove prohibitive barriers, such as collateral or having a co-signer.
MPOWER makes the tedious process of education loan sanction completely hassle-free for students across the globe. From providing all-around counselling to lining up job interviews, MPOWER Financing invests heavily in student’s careers and potential success.
MPOWER has honoured 100 per cent of its sanction letters even during the pandemic, which signifies how the firm always stands by its students and helps them be successful.
There are no processing fees, application fees, or anything else required to apply. The student does not pay a dime until it is time for their first monthly loan repayment.
As a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), MPOWER Financing plays an active part in student career support under the “Path to Success Programme.”
Students get a discount on the interest rate for good performance on the loan. By going for an MPOWER loan, students can also build their credit history in the U.S.
MPOWER Financing has easy and flexible repayment policies. Additionally, students are not required to pay any fee upfront after their loans are sanctioned for overseas education loans.

How are you attracting students from India during the challenges posed by the pandemic?

Despite the pandemic, students continue to want and study abroad: the allure of an international education remains as strong as ever. Students from India continue to apply for our financing in record numbers, because now more than ever, students want a fast, easy, and reliable loan provider without the encumbrances of a collateral or cosigner. A loan sanction letter from a U.S.-based firm can also be particularly valuable.

What are the trends for students studying abroad?

We see a surge in demand for international education: most students have only deferred, not cancelled, their higher education plans due to the effects of the pandemic. Additionally, new and innovative education models, such as online or hybrid models, can mean different ways of delivering education, thus making it available for new students. So we’re excited about what the future holds and look forward to making possible the dreams of an even greater number of students.

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