Ed tech startup Kyt raises Rs 18.4 crore for expansion

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December 1, 2020

Ed tech startup Kyt has received Rs 18.4 crore in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital Indias. The ed tech firm eyeing to expand its online-first, global academy for extracurricular learning.

Titan Capital, along with other angel investors including Kunal Shah, Amrish Rau, Jitender Gupta, Allen Penn and Martin Li, also participated in the funding round.

Kyt is part of the fourth cohort of Surge, a bi-annual rapid scale-up programme run by Sequoia Capital India for startups across Southeast Asia and India.

With head offices in India and Singapore, Kyt was founded by husband-wife duo Bhavik Rathod and Tripti Ahuja in June 2020.

Also read: Ed-tech startup LEAD School raises Rs 210 cr

The platform leverages technology to provide online-only, live lessons to children aged between five and 15 years.

“The future of education is a hybrid of online and offline learning, and the market size for primary and secondary extracurricular learning is estimated to be $10bn in India alone, and around $200bn globally,” Rathod said.

Kyt said that so far more than a thousand students have taken a course or attended workshops with the platform which has more than 20 teachers onboard, with plans to increase this to 500 over the next 12 months.

Kyt plans to add more courses, including chess, various musical instruments, public speaking, creative writing, and how to be a content creator.

Rajasthan’s former Higher & Technical Education minister Kiran Maheshwari dies

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November 30, 2020

BJP leader and MLA from Rajsamand in Rajasthan Kiran Maheshwari, who had tested positive for coronavirus, died at a hospital in Gurgaon. The saffron part leader was 59.

The BJP MLA was former Higher & Technical Education minister of Rajasthan during former CM Vasundhara Raje’s regime.

Kiran Maheshwari, a three-time MLA from Rajsamand, was undergoing treatment at Medanta hospital for the past few days. She passed away late Sunday night.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, BJP state president Satish Poonia and other leaders condoled her demise.

Also read: MoS Railway Suresh Angadi dies of COVID-19; PM, President express condolences

“Saddened to know of the untimely demise of BJP leader & Rajsamand MLA Kiran Maheshwari ji. My heartfelt condolences to her family members & supporters in this most difficult time,” Mr Gehlot tweeted.

Expressing grief over the MLA’s death, CP Joshi in a tweet said, “Shocked to hear about the untimely demise of Rajsamand MLA, Kiran Maheshwari Ji. My deepest condolences to the whole family and prayers to God to provide Strength to bear this loss (sic).”

New syllabus for JEE Main and NEET exams soon

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November 27, 2020

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has asked the National Testing Agency to prepare a fresh syllabus for the competitive examinations including JEE Main and NEET conducted for the admissions to the Engineering and Medical Courses in the country.

According to reports, the National Testing Agency will assess the situation across the different states and central school education boards before finalizing the syllabus. The ministry will also be launching a campaign seeking views from stakeholders on the schedule for conducting the board examinations next year.

The Central Board of Secondary Education along with the different state boards have decided to reduce the syllabus by 30 percent for the class 10 and 12 board examinations due to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also read: JEE Main and NEET 2020 re-exams: PIL filed in SC to ask NTA to conduct exams

The Education Ministry has stated that the NTA will come out with a new syllabus for the competitive exams after conducting an assessment on the scenario in the different boards at present. The ministry will also launch a campaign to seek opinions from the parents and teachers on conducting the board exams next year.

The National Testing Agency has earlier stated that the first session on JEE Main 2021 exams is expected to be conducted in February 2021 instead of the usual January 2021. The application process for the same is expected to commence from next month onwards, however, the exam dates for the NEET 2021 examinations are yet awaited as the exams are usually conducted in May. The exams this year were delayed due to the pandemic.

IIT Kharagpur sets up innovation hub on AI and ML

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November 25, 2020

IIT Kharagpur has set up a technology innovation hub on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to translate academic research to industrially scalable products and processes.

The institute recently set up a special purpose vehicle, the IIT Kharagpur AI4ICPS I Hub Foundation (the Technology Innovation Hub on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) for translation of academic research at the ‘proof of concept level’ to ‘industrially scalable products and processes’, focussed on AI interventions, the spokesperson said.

“While research has been happening in AI and ML for decades, mostly limited to software with limited inclusion in consumer goods and daily used gadgets, graduating innovation to technology readiness for industrial production is crucial,” Principal Investigator Dr Debdoot Sheet, who is also Assistant Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence said.

Also read: Pokhriyal lauds IIT Kharagpur for ‘COVIRAP’

“The Hub is envisioned to be a unique establishment in the country to undertake a diverse spectrum of activities linking academic research to the industry through an inclusive co-working partnership,” he added. The institute received a grant of Rs 170 crore from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India under the NM-ICPS to set up the infrastructure and undertake the related research and training programmes.

“We are also committed to promote fundamental research and foster the creation of start-ups to scale production for their off-shelf market availability,” Sheet said.

Cabinet nods for MoU between ICAI, Netherlands’ VRC

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November 25, 2020

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Netherlands-based Vereniging van Registercontrollers (VRC).

The MoU would help in strengthening and development of accounting, financial and audit knowledge base between the Netherlands and India, according to an official release. “The engagement between the premier institutes of both the countries would help to generate greater employment opportunities for Indian chartered accountants and also greater remittances back to India,” it added. VRC is a voluntary professional organisation and members offer services in management accounting, financial accounting, integrated reporting, strategic control and risk management, and corporate governance.

Also read: ICAI to SC: Will assess feasibility of conducting CA exams

ICAI, the chartered accountants’ apex body, has over 1,500 members in the European region and around 80 members in the Netherlands. “The contemplated MoU, for providing assistance to VRC, the Netherlands, shall benefit the ICAI members in the region and would provide an additional impetus to prospects of the ICAI members to get professional opportunities in the Netherlands,” said.

upGrad acquires The Gate Academy (TGA)

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November 25, 2020

Ed-tech firm upGrad, has acquired The Gate Academy (TGA) for an undisclosed amount. The new move will help the company establish its presence in the Rs 40,000 crore test preparation market in the country.

upGrad also plans to invest over Rs 100 crore into the test preparation business and will develop over 20,000 hours of content in multiple languages to provide access to at least one million test-takers annually.

Bengaluru-based TGA operates 57 coaching centres across the country and has had 76 million video hours consumed by its almost two lakh-enrolled learners for GATE and other entrance tests for various public/government sector jobs.

Also read: Fintech firm Eduvanz acquires edtech startup Klarity

upGrad Co-founders Ronnie Screwvala and Mayank Kumar, in a joint statement, said the acquisition of TGA provides upGrad a non-linear growth opportunity in a new segment entry, and deeper penetration in the semi-urban and rural markets.

“…(This) is in line with our core vision of making Bharat employable by adopting the mantra of lifelong learning. With every strategic move, we are ensuring that upGrad leads from the front as India emerges as the teaching capital of the world,” they said.

The company cited industry data to state that just the government exam prep market sees around 40 million applicants every year spending in a range of Rs 10,000.

This opens a new Rs 40,000 crore market for the company, it added. Post the acquisition, TGA will operate as a subsidiary of upGrad and will continue with its brand name.

TGA founder Ritesh Raushan will take on the role of CEO of the subsidiary to build this business line with upGrad providing its proprietary online learning solution and tools as well as sales, marketing, and content.

Sisodia: No chance of Delhi schools resuming soon

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November 25, 2020

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said schools in the national capital which are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic are unlikely to reopen until a vaccine is available.

Universities and schools across the country were closed on March 16, when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

“Until we get some vaccine, schools (in Delhi) are not likely to open,” Sisodia, who is also Delhi’s Education Minister, told. He had announced on October 30 that schools will remain closed until further orders, saying parents were not in favour of sending their ward to schools yet.

Also read: Sanskrit should play a role in nation building: Manish Sisodia

“We keep getting feedback from parents that they are really concerned about whether it is safe to reopen schools. It is not. Wherever schools have reopened, COVID-19 cases among children have risen. So we have decided that as of now schools in the national capital will not reopen. They will continue to be closed till further orders,” Sisodia had said then.

A nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25. While several restrictions have been eased in different ‘unlock’ phases, educational institutions continue to remain closed.

According to ‘Unlock 5’ guidelines, states can take a call on reopening schools in phases. Several states also began the process of reopening schools. While some of them announced closure again due to rise in coronavirus cases.

Elets Technomedia to organize 17th World Education Summit & Awards 2020

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November 25, 2020

Higher education has offered distance instruction as an option for decades. With Corona pandemic, many colleges have suddenly shifted to a forced kind of distance education—to keep teaching while everyone stays at least six feet apart to avoid spreading the virus.

That is raising tough questions for Higher Education Institutions: What is the best way to rapidly spin up online courses or deliver exams online? How can colleges ensure that all students have access to the technology needed for remote studies? What happens if the health crisis extends into the fall?

In this unprecedented moment, college leaders and professors are stepping up to jointly create resources online, share best practices, rapidly train faculty in a mode of remote teaching they may never have done, and adapt to a constantly changing environment.

Elets Technomedia in association with DigitalLearning Magazine doing the best to share resources and will be conducting a five-day summit to learn from experts and share their knowledge.

Elets Technomedia is organizing 17^th World Education Summit & Awards, from November 26 to 30, 2020. The summit will also focus on integration of vocational education into mainstream education which is vital for the growth of India. It will also aim for creating a framework for institutionalizing skill development and vocational education within the education system.

It will be Asia’s biggest summit on Innovation in Education and will witness participation from a large number of policymakers, thought leaders, opinion makers and industry experts from the Higher Education sector.

With a rich legacy, the 17th World Education Summit aims to foster innovations, investments, technology transfers and global partnership opportunities in the education domain.

IT Major Dell Technologies will be its Presenting Partner, while Education department Government of Gujarat will be its State Partner, Ghana High Commission will be its Country Partner and Government of Telangana will be its Host partner.

The summit will be graced by many leaders and policy makers from the Central and State governments.

NIOS board exams registrations begins, exams by Feb

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November 24, 2020

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has started the registration process for board exams 2021. The candidates can apply till December 10 without any late fee at the official website – nios.ac.in. The facility to apply will remain open till December 15 with a late fee of Rs 100 per subject and till December 21 with an additional fee of Rs 1500 per learner, as per the official notice.

While several state boards are postponing their exams, the NIOS in the notice has stated that it will hold the board exams 2021 by January- February. “NIOS October-2020 public exams for secondary and senior secondary courses will be conducted during January-February 2021. Date sheet for the same will be announced shortly,” the official notice said.

Also read: Union Education Minister reviews activities of NIOS

Over one lakh candidates had applied to appear for class 10 and 12 board exams last year. This year too, the number is expected to go over a lakh. Last year, NIOS could not hold all the exams due to the pandemic and the result was announced based on a special scheme. Under the scheme, average marks obtained in the best three performed subjects for which exams were conducted was counted in place of subjects for which exams could not be held.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had also held a review meeting with officials of the open school board and asked them to take up several reforms including “strengthening the examination mechanism”. Suggestions were made about drafting the NIOS syllabus on the lines of NCERT.

AICTE asks institutions to Set up National Academic Depository Cell

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November 24, 2020

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has asked all the technical institutions to upload the academic awards including the degree and certificates, institution Digilocker, under the National Academic Depository (NAD).

According to the circular issued, the AICTE has asked the institutions to appoint nodal officers and set up a dedicated NAD cell for the implementation of NAD and uploading all the academic details on the website. The AICTE has also suggested that the institutions advise the students to register on the NAD website.

Also read: AICTE: Institutes to decide on tech degree nomenclature

The Central Government in 2016 authorized the University Grants Commission for implementing the NAD project under which the academic institutions including the central universities, state universities, private universities, school boards, and others are uploading the academic awards on the NAD portal.

According to the AICTE, the students are using NAD to access their academic awards online and entities asking to verify these records are also using the NAD. The National Academic Depository was being implemented through NSOL Database Management Limited and CDSL Ventures Limited which was discontinued by the Ministry of Education in March 2020. The AICTE has also asked the institutions not to use the previous model for uploading data and de-link all the applications presently using the NAD portal through NDML, CVL and linking them through Digilocker only.

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