myskoolbus – A Mobile App for Child Safety

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August 31, 2018

With the occurrence of a lot of criminal incidents against innocent children, trackNOW Pvt Ltd has developed a new concept for child safety. myskoolbus -mobile app meant for child’s protection, and mentored by Cherie Blair Foundation (London), observes Elets News Network (ENN).

There is nothing more precious to a parent than a child, and nothing more important to our future than the safety of all our children – Former US President Bill Clinton once said

As we know, India is going through a crucial phase of transition, from being a predominantly rural country to one where most people now aspire to live in cities. While there was 24% increase in crimes against children between 2010-11, it rose up by 52.5% from 2012 to 2013, shows a latest report by Save the Children. The United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef) elucidates child security as “strengthening of country environments, capacities and responses to prevent and protect children from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and the effects of conflict”.

Myskoolbus enables tracking the current location of the mode of transportation used by schools. Today, this app has over 10,000 users with 50+ schools and 8,000 parents on its platform.

For parents, it has become a stroke of luck. The app offers so many benefits like monitoring timing, routes and driving patterns, receiving notification for speed limits or unchartered routes, being informed in case of breakdowns.

It also conveys via SMS, in case of delay in the bus, 5-minute advance notification before the bus arrives, notifies where and when a child gets on or off the school bus and much more. It doesn’t seem less than an amazing app to keep affectionate kids enjoying their childhood without any fear of being harmed.

Also Read: Real-Time Tracking: A boon for Parents

Pooja S Khemka, CEO and Founder, trackNOW Pvt Ltd, says as a mother herself she could relate to other mothers’ plight while waiting for their beloved child to return home safely.

“It’s just like keeping fingers crossed everyday until you see your child coming back from school,” she adds. The fact is there is a requirement to understand that childhood injuries are not usual accidents, they remains in the child’s heart for lifetime. There is need to supervise them as well.

Children are naturally curious and will love to explore the world around them. We need to watch them, as they can wander at the blink of our eye. It is our responsibility as parents/guardians to make their world as safe as possible so that their exploration process is injury-free and full of fun. Keep keen attention on the activities your child does, as he does not understand danger.

After all, the children deserve to be happy, healthy and safe.

“As far as revenue is concerned, we charge a meagre amount from the parents annually and by the schools as their fleet management charges. Larger ecosystem partners are school chains that have multiple branches across the country. Recently, CBSE has made it compulsory for schools to use GPS in their vehicles, which is another boost for us.” adds Pooja S Khemka, CEO and Founder, trackNOW Pvt Ltd.

Shridhar University: Grooming Globally Competitive Leaders

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

With a strong focus on skill development and employment-oriented programmes, Shridhar University aims to nurture its students as globally competitive citizens, says Vijay Pal Yadav, Chairman, Shridhar University, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

What are the unique programmes offered by Shridhar University to nurture its students as globally competitive citizens?

Vijay Pal Yadav, Chairman, Shridhar University

In Indian educational system, workforce preparation and skills development are the aspects that are considered as the most important among the lot. Thus, recognising this, a paradigm shift must take place in Indian educational landscape that would also enable our students to be globally competitive.

Shridhar University is educating young people to become global citizens as it allows them to learn about the interdependence of the world’s systems. It believes that solutions to global challenges are achievable. It feels morally-compelled to confront global injustices and takes responsible actions to promote a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

How is the university collaborating with industries to boost employability of students through skill training?

Shridhar University is clearly focused on Workforce preparation and skill development by offering employment-oriented programmes and creating a career path for non-graduate employees through our unique programmes. Apart from the normal skills-related programmes we are also associated with various skill development related departments of India for implementing skill development projects for high school dropout and backward / minority class of people. We are providing skill upgrade options to the formal and informal sectors of the employed category through credential-based educational programs and non-credit oriented training programmes.

What are the initiatives taken by the university to make students competitive amidst such emerging technological trends?

Shridhar University is a technology and livelihood-oriented university. As far as technology is concerned, we are having collaboration in Computer Aided Designs (CAD) and also teach Cloud Computing techniques. However, we have not yet reached the level of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. As of now, we teach web designing, CAD and software programmes related to daily and domestic use. In short, we do cater for practical, livelihood-related and daily useable technology needs as part of our teaching.

Shridhar University is a technology and livelihood-oriented university. As far as technology is concerned, we are having collaboration in Computer Aided Designs (CAD) and also teach cloud computing techniques.

How is the university encouraging its students for research activities?

We put a strong emphasis on research and innovation. This we do, through supporting excellent research within the core academic disciplines across the university, promoting research outcomes and support staff for original research endeavours. We also develop a strong web presence for research, focused around the relevant themes while also linking with the research entries of various departments and centres to ensure academic colleagues, potential collaborators, funders and policymakers are fully aware of the university’s strengths, providing a clear framework in which development of the impact and outcomes from research activities are seen as a priority, with support put in place, to encourage such activities, and promoting activities that communicate our research strengths and successes in engagement with the wider public.

Along with education, career-related guidance is also very important for the youth, what steps have been taken by Shridhar University in this regard?

A placement cell has been established at Shridhar University with an aim to provide career guidance cum placement assistance for all its students. The role of the cell is to provide necessary training to the students to make them suitable for company interviews by enhancing their communication skills, personality development and general knowledge. The cell is also responsible for providing opportunities to students for placement.

Oi Playschool: Preparing Global Leaders

Interviews

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

Our experiential teaching methodology aims to create realistic, interactive and sensory stimulating learning experiences that build curiosity and expands learning, says Prasanna Mandava, Joint Managing Director, People Combine Playschool Initiatives, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

What innovative practices are adopted at Oi Playschool to refine skills, nurture curiosity and encourage exploration amongst early learners?

Prasanna Mandava, Joint Managing Director, People Combine Playschool Initiatives

Children learn best by doing and at Oi Playschool we nurture the abilities of our little discoverers at every step. Putting this belief into practice, we provide children with practical learning experiences that instill a lasting love for learning. Our experiential teaching methodology aims to create realistic, interactive and sensory stimulating learning experiences that build curiosity and expand learning.

“Expert Talk Series” from Oi are a series of videos with industry experts on various topics pertaining to parenting and preschoolers, which are of great help to young parents.

Custom-designed ambience of each centre allows us to safely cater to curious minds, with ample ventilation, paramount hygiene, and safety measures such as – lady security guards, no sharp edges and CCTV surveillance.

Experiential learning is important to stimulate a love for learning throughout the life of students, how is it done at Oi preschools?

The curriculum focuses on experiential learning where children take part in activities rather than merely reading about them. Following a thematic curriculum, Oi recreates realistic theme-related environments for children within the school that allow them to gain hands-on knowledge. So when learning about farm animals, they don’t just teach the names of different animals; they have a farm party!These experiences create a love for learning in the child’s mind, so he/she always thinks of learning in a positive light.

By creating a safe and healthy environment that allows children to learn without boundaries, we enable them to explore a world of endless possibilities for themselves.

How does the preschool maintain a safe, hygienic, comfortable yet fun-filled learning environment for its students?

At Oi Playschool safety is a top priority where care is taken that our teachers and staff ensure safety at the premises. By creating a safe and healthy environment that allows children to learn without boundaries, we enable them to explore a world of endless possibilities for themselves.

Maintaining safe and secure environment with hazard-free play and learning zones makes the learning environment fun yet safe.

Parents play an important role in early child learning, what methods are adopted at Oi for significant involvement of parents in the holistic development of their wards?

Parents play a major role in the development of a child as they are one of the greatest influencers. Oi partners with parents, encouraging them to be actively involved in the child’s learning process. Through a series of events and activities over the year, parents and children come together to cherish their learnings and make fond memories. This is how we motivate parents to be an effective partner in encouraging independence, fostering creativity, instilling confidence and developing values of love and trust.

What is the vision and mission for upcoming years?

At Oi, innovation is the order of the day and we are committed to create global leaders, in partnership with parents through our early childhood programme. Through continuous innovation and developing new programmes, we strive to make learning more fun, while staying a step ahead in safety, security and hygiene. We as a brand have received an overwhelming response that encourages us to expand our footprints beyond the southern region in the near future.

CMPS: Nurturing Joy of Learning Among Children

Magazine

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

Cambridge Montessori Preschool: Incubating Leaders for Tomorrow

Keeping the overall development of the child, Cambridge Montessori Pre School (CMPS) is obligated to ensure an environment of love, compassion, harmony, developing critical thinking and making the child independent, says Pankaj Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Jalsa Ventures Private Limited, in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

What practices are followed at Cambridge Montessori Pre School (CMPS) to support children learn, explore and grow in a warm and caring atmosphere?

Pankaj Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Jalsa Ventures Private Limited

The right learning environment combined with the right teaching methods enable the development of students’ emotional and creative abilities. The environment at CMPS is according to the early childhood needs which inculcate lifelong love for learning, exploring, creating, imagining among students and expanding their horizons for gaining knowledge. Our childhood education programme takes cognizance of differences and adapts to the specific needs of every child.

How does the curriculum at CMPS support in nurturing every aspect of holistic development i.e. physical, social and emotional along with educational?

The curriculum at CMPS provides stimulating learning experience that respond to every student’s unique characteristics and learning styles so as to help them reach their full potential. It aims at preparing students for a productive life in which their skills, patterns and attributes are constantly changed or developed and applied as part of their lifelong learning.

It challenges teachers to think differently about the student’s cognitive and effective development, the more so as we believe, we have to inculcate the 21st century skills in our learners.

How are the teachers trained at CMPS to meet the educational needs of every child individually in these critical early years?

Everyone along with teachers plays an important role in a child’s life. At CMPS, teachers are trained and made to work together with colleagues, families, administration, policymakers and community to support young children’s educational needs. Teachers at CMPS are encouraged to participate in regular trainings, workshops, assessments which makes them more efficient in handling grim situations and be able to provide required acumen and resources.

The curriculum at CMPS provides stimulating learning experience that respond to every student’s unique characteristics and learning styles so as to reach their full potential.

Along with Studies, how the CMPS helps its students inculcating independent learning, creative thinking, and excellent communication skills?

CMPS is the perfect blend of academics, culture appreciation and socialisation. The children get benefitted from the learning environment, intrinsically interesting materials and age appropriate designed activities which enhance their creativity, thinking skills and inculcate language abilities. Our goal is to provide a rich environment to allow children to explore the world around them with limitless learning opportunities.

What is the vision and mission of CMPS?

Cambridge Montessori preschool aspires to be amongst the top ten Pre School Chain in the world by 2030. Our mission is to attain this milestone by coordinating with top-notch montessorians across globe, high-end curriculum, strongest possible safety & security measures, affordable and viable business plan and strong operational support.

Little Millennium: Nurturing Innovation in Education

Magazine

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

Guided by the spirit of every child is unique, Little Millennium has been at the forefront of bringing innovative products in the early childcare space in India for over a decade, says Raman Bajaj, CEO, Little Millennium Education Pvt Ltd, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How the practices followed at Little Millennium Preschool provide its students with fun learning and allaround skill development?

Raman Bajaj, CEO, Little Millennium Education Pvt Ltd

Little Millennium’s key value proposition and its core differentiator is its scientifically developed “Seven Petal” curriculum, which ensures the overall holistic development of every child, through play activities and collaborative group work. The curriculum’s seven key development areas for children include: cognitive development, fine and gross motor skills, language development, personal awareness, socio-emotional development and nurturing individual potential. The curriculum is delivered using the Eclectic Approach that takes the relevant strategies and methodologies from multiple schools of thought on early childhood from across the world, to improve learning among preschoolers.

A young learner’s day at Little Millennium is a healthy mix of play (structured play and free play), fine motor activities, cognitive activities, language learning and so on. Little Millennium’s sports curriculum called Kickers Club – a first of its kind sports curriculum, is uniquely designed for kids in 3-6 years age bracket. This curriculum helps children inculcate the love for sports at an early age and develop collaborative skills. Also, we foster a love for sports and yoga amongst our young learners through a path-breaking practice called the Story Yoga that combines the joy of listening to stories with desired outcomes by enacting the same through simple stretching exercises and yoga asanas. This ensures the perfect all-round growth of the child’s body and mind.

How the preschool maintains a safe, hygienic, comfortable yet a fun-filled learning environment for students?

As a responsible playschool chain, we have an exhaustive list of safety and security compliance measures which includes measures such as restricted entry into the school premises, police verification of support staff, strict use of Escort cards during dispersals, school premises under CCTV surveillance, training to teachers on incident management and reporting, fire extinguishers and first aid kits, among others. Regular audits by our teams ensure full compliance with all safety measures. In addition, our business partners and teachers are regularly trained on fostering emotional literacy, which caters to the emotional and psychological wellbeing of our children.

How are you ensuring in the curriculum to enable the children become future-ready in career?

We created India’s first scientifically developed preschool curriculum that focuses on the holistic development of each child, based on sequential learning and developmental milestones. Our stimulating environment and scientific curriculum nurtures the roots and lays the foundation to help every child achieve success in all phases of life.

What methods are adopted at Little Millennium to enhance parents’ involvement in holistic development of their wards?

At Little Millennium, we conduct interactive and engaging workshops on joyful parenting, especially for parents. These workshops are aimed to create awareness about the joys of Parenting and are designed to help parents nurture their children through behavioural deviations and habit disorders such as throwing tantrums, anger and aggression, nail-biting, laziness, boredom etc. and give them an environment of positivity that is truly holistic. These interactions cover important topics like the key challenges in parenting, understanding of early childhood years and developmental needs of children.

IIT-Delhi & AIIMS to set up Biomedical Research Park

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday have entered into an agreement to set up a Biomedical Research Park in Jhajjar, Haryana, and also start interdisciplinary research on “Robust Healthcare”.

The agreement includes a joint PhD supervision programme and provision for adjunct faculty for the two institutes.

On the association, B R Mehta, Dean Research and Developemnt, IIT-D, said, “The institutes have already started on 20 projects. Their mandate extends to development of a drug delivery system, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, robotics, advanced materials etc.”

“The work on research park is yet to start, but the work on 20 projects is already underway. Both institutes will be using their own funds for research. We didn’t apply for special grants from government since we wanted to begin as early as possible,” Mehta added.

“While the MoU will provide a detailed structure to all the collaborations, it will also open a plethora of opportunities to work together on a larger scale,” a statement by IIT-D said quoting the director.

AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said, “Technology has become an integral part of health care. There is a need to see how this technology can be used.”

MHRD introduces Atal ranking for institutions to promote innovation

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Akash

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August 31, 2018

To impart quality and bring innovation in higher education, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched the Innovation Cell and Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) on Thursday at AICTE, New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering at the launch, Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar said, “We must create innovation culture in India and for the same we are encouraging Higher Educational Institutions to create innovation club in their campuses.”

He also said, “Without innovation no country can achieve sustainable development and prosperity.”

Innovation cell is an initiative of the MHRD and has been established within the premises of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) office at New Delhi. The purpose of the cell is to foster the culture of Innovation in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country.

The primary mandate of Innovation Cell is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years fostered through Network of Innovation clubs in Higher Educational Institutions.

The Union Minister also said, “21st century is century of Innovation, and the Prime Minister of India has called the decade 2010-20 as the ‘Decade of Innovation’, to unleash the creative potential of every Indian. India has already been improving on global stage in terms of Innovation ranking from 86th place, 5 years ago, to 57th place this year.”

“If we want to deliver justice to the poor and make them prosper we need to innovate, without which it is not possible. Our young population can be converted into an asset if we innovate and for this reason, innovation is most important,” Javadekar added.

The Union Minister of State for HRD Dr Satya Pal Singh was also present at the event. He said, “Innovation must become the part of our culture and it must not be limited only to engineering students, it must be open for other students as well. Innovation means original thinking and everyone can contribute their ideas to promote innovation.”

Higher Education Secretary-MHRD R Subrahmanyam, University Grants Commission Chairman D P Singh and Chairman AICTE Anil Sahasrabudhe were also present during the event.

Free coaching for JEE Main, NEET aspirants likely from next year

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Akash

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August 30, 2018

JEE Main and NEET aspirants may avail free coaching at government teaching centers from next year. Apart from medical and engineering entrance tests, the coaching will also be provided for UGC-NET, management and pharma entrance exams.

According to a report, the Government is planning to convert around 3,000 test practice centres across the country into teaching centres. Along with conducting mock tests, the centres will provide free coaching to students for prestigious higher education entrance tests.

It is expected that the practice centres will start conducting mock tests from September 8 this year, but free coaching facility is likely to begin from May next year.

Students can start registration for practice centres from September 1.

“Government plans to convert these practice centres into teaching centres. They will not charge any fees and so will be especially helpful for talented students from sections where aspirations are high but private coaching is impossible due to financial constraints,” a senior official said.

The Government’s step is likely to hit the private coaching institutes, who huge amounts as coaching fees from students.

Patna HC orders BSEB to revise girl’s Result, slaps Rs 5 Lakh fine on it

News

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Akash

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August 30, 2018

The Patna High Court has ordered the Bihar School Examination Board to give “one mark” for an unchecked answer in Hindi paper of a girl, who secured second position in the State in matriculation examination last year.

The decision is given by a bench of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh that also slapped a fine of Rs five lakh on the Board, “which, instead of fairly accepting the claim of petitioner had chosen to invite a verdict from the court”.

Bhavya Kumari, a resident of Begusarai district and alumni of a girls’ residential school at Simultala in Jamui filed a plea in this regard after which the bench passed the order. She secured 460 marks out of 500 in the examination, the results of which had been declared in June 2017.

The girl filed his plea in the court after perusing her answer scripts secured through a transparency plea under the Right to Information Act.

The girl had claimed under-evaluation of her Hindi, Sanskrit and Social Sciences papers, seeking a direction to the Board for their re-evaluation, but the court made it clear that it would not interfere with the correctness of the experts’ decision in evaluating the paper.

Rangoli Preschool: Making Learning A Joyful Experience

Magazine

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Akash

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August 30, 2018

Laying emphasis on identifying and nurturing the natural talent of students and making learning a matter of sheer joy, remain the two important guiding principles of Rangoli Preschool, says Prahar Anjaria, Chairman, Rangoli Group of Institutes, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How Rangoli Preschools are different from other preschool brands in the country?

Prahar Anjaria, Chairman, Rangoli Group of Institutes

Rangoli boasts of many distinct features which make it a premier brand across western India. These include a research-based in-house development course curriculum support, giving importance to every individual centre with a focused approach on quality and last but not the least, an extensive startup and ongoing support.

What innovative practices are adopted at Rangoli Preschools to support learning needs of its students?

We believe that every child is different and thus we give them personalised treatment. Also, all the children don’t have same learning abilities. A child may be an auditory learner, visual learner, a logical learner or kinesthetic learner. Therefore, we have designed our curriculum and training module to meet needs of all type of learners. For example, our story-telling sessions comprise four different aspects: Narration, flashcards, puppets usage and role plays/dramatisation.

What are the focus areas in curriculum to help children becoming futureready citizens?

Developing social skills is the need of the hour. We believe education is not only within the four walls of the school. Children need to be given exposure with the different people of the society. They need to interact with them to develop their communication skills.

Apart from it, the different types of cultural activities and religious fests bring them together. While dealing with their peers, they learn and unlearn lots of new things. Even the cultural exchange is also possible through different meets. We organise different activities for the involvement of parents and grandparents to interact with each other. As now, each part of the country has become cosmopolitan, our children need to respect all religion and accept cultural diversity.

Please describe about Next Generation Preschools and the E4 Pedagogy.

Rangoli Preschools lay emphasis on identifying and nurturing the natural talent of its students and making learning a joyful experience. A Preschool is every child’s first step to formal education. At this stage, it is essential that the curriculum is designed with consultation from teachers and eminent educationists. We, at Rangoli, have done that and designed the courseware that has a sharp focus on various developmental areas like socio-emotional, creative, language, physical, cognitive, intellectual, moral and aesthetic development.

Rangoli follows an E4 pedagogy that uses innovative methods to create a learning environment helping every child to utilise the pedagogy and achieve the milestones of learning and development. This is our methodology where teachers explain various concepts using their creativity, encourage children to explore things and express their thoughts. It also helps teachers to judge the learning outcome.

What is the vision and mission of Rangoli Preschools?

Rangoli Group of Institutes works with the vision of being among the top educational institutes of India by imparting quality education. We wish and attempt to have the best schools and preschools in each and every area to cater different needs of parents and students.

The mission is to give every child, the unique entity and personalised treatment they deserve, Make learning a matter of sheer joy. Give teachers the esteem and space for realising their potential.

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