Reforming Education through Digitisation

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July 12, 2018

With the advent of technology and its surging acceptability in society at large, there is a huge scope to take education to the remotest part of the country, for enhancing awareness and improving understanding. But, the education field in India is mired in tradition, ideology and incumbent interests, writes Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).

“The use of technology coupled with bold decisions can help India leapfrog into inclusive growth and improve the quality of health and education.” – Bill Gates

The statement by the founder of one of the world’s largest technology companies indicates that the use of technology may help India to get placed among top countries of the world in terms of education.

India’s education sector is witnessing the increased use of technology such as Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in day-to-day practices related to education sector. The Government is also focusing on greater use of technology as it looks to implement largescale reforms such as Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) scheme.

While technology-enabled initiatives or platforms in line with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) such as Swayam (for teachers’ training) have seen use of technologies, the Government is also emphasising on boosting the use of tools such as virtual lab, virtual reality (VR)-enabled classrooms or curated online content for both students and teachers.

Swayam, an online life-long training platform developed with the help of Microsoft, or Diksha, a platform that aids teachers with digital and techbased teaching solutions, are “prominent efforts” in revamping the education infrastructure.

“Digitising education has been an imperative keeping in mind the affordability, accessibility, inclusiveness of the large trainable youth population. Technology may be used to reach the diverse population at the remotest corners. MOOC platforms, NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) are already in use for promotion of higher technical education. They may be used for reaching out to school children as well,” said Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya, Deputy Director, IIIT, Kharagpur.

He added that IITs across locations are working on “digital convergence” and “development of innovative infrastructure for education” which could result in increased use of new-age technologies.

India’s education sector is witnessing the increased use of technology such as Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in day-to-day practices related to education sector.

Education system in future

The series of education provisions in the 2016-17 Budget provides an exact picture about the present Government’s future plans for education.

The Government is planning to establish a new agency — Higher Education Financing Agency to oversee the infrastructural developments in Higher Education. At the same time, owing to standardisation of training, a new regulatory body’s establishment has also been on the agenda. In addition to supporting online courses, the next step of the Government in the direction of digitalisation is the creation of an online register for report cards and degrees.

Concerning State investments, the higher education continues to enjoy priority, but public education, particularly technical training, will also benefit, as the allocation of financial sources makes clear.

Other than the Government, various private organisations are also supporting India’s digital initiatives for education. Software major Microsoft, working with Atal Tinkering Labs across 25 schools in the country to empower students and teachers with technology skills, is also pushing for the use of cloud computing for creating an efficient digital lab experience.

Pratik Mehta, Director Sales at Microsoft India, said technologies are fast finding ways into the classrooms in multiple ways such as mobile devices giving students “access to the latest teacher curated content”, VR-enabled classrooms offering students “an enhanced learning experience”.

Apart from the Rs 1 lakh crore expenditure estimate for RISE spread over four years, the Government has increased the overall expenditure estimate for education by 4 per cent and it grew by more than 11 per cent in 2017-18. Despite a growth in budgetary expenditure allocation, many projects have seen delayed implementation and use of funds. Going forward, analysts said, technology will play a key role to speed up implementation of education reforms.

India as a nation is on a growth path in education sector and digitisation is supporting the collective efforts of public and private sector to realise the dream of becoming the education hub of the world. Along with other States of India, educationally backward States are also focusing on improving the education scenario.

Digitising education has been imperative keeping in mind the affordability, accessibility, inclusiveness of the large trainable youth population. Technology may be used to reach the diverse population at the remotest corners.

The two States – Bihar and Chhattisgarh are adopting the digital educational practices rapidly. Bihar which may be considered as the educational hub for Eastern and North-Eastern India, Chhattisgarh is gradually gaining popularity as the educational destination for Central India. Educationists opine that the two States are leveraging the technology to improve the education sector from primary to higher level.

Digital Education in Bihar – Educationists’ view:

“Information technology has reformed each sector it has grasped and it is currently in the promising phases of altering academia. In the coming decades, Information Technology is likely to change the education sector hopefully more constructive to the people than it is today. Digitisation in education industry has totally changed the learning and also the teaching process to a great extent.” – Prof S B LAL of Patna University.

“Digitalisation really helps to read many books and gather more information easily. Students of Bihar benefitted a lot through digital education. Many schools are adopting virtual class room, flipped class room, e-text books, adaptive learning and on-line learning etc. Class room technologies are enhancing day-by-day, to make the teaching process more comfortable and interactive.” Dr Sanjoy Kumar Parida, Dean – Academic, Indian Institute of Technology, Patna.

Digital Education in Chhattisgarh – Educationists’ View:

“We have taken giant leaps with the help and guidelines of Ministry of Higher Education, Chhattisgarh towards promoting digitally enabled and strengthened higher education programmes. Whole hearted participation of universities and colleges of the state in MOOC through SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA programmes of MHRD will bring in qualitative changes in standards of higher education and provide equal opportunities of education to every child male/ female, adults, senior citizens even at the remotest corners of the state,” said Dr Sanjay Kumar, Vice Chancellor, ITM University.

“Universities have launched massive drives towards digitising libraries, records, rules, regulations, certificates, study materials etc and they have become members of National Digital Library, National Academy Depository schemes. Campuses are made smart, digitally enabled , clean, green and conducive. Participative & demonstrative teaching and learning processes have made education in the state interesting, entertaining and creative. Surrounding villages of the university campuses are adopted to transfer the much needed knowledge to each villager to ease out problems faced by them. In the state, students are bright and very receptive. Free laptops, mobile and tabs are given to each student to promote higher education,” he added.

Some may doubt that the digital reforms may live up to their promises or not but, they certainly prove that India and its States have recognised the challenges of the 21st century, the power of knowledge, information, and innovation, and accordingly radical reforms are taking place in the country.

The successful creation of knowledge-based society would carry great opportunities for India, while its failure could push the nation towards not just an economic but a political crisis as well.

eSense: Enriching Teaching-Learning through Technology

Magazine

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Akash

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July 12, 2018

eSense is precisely an attempt to contribute to the process of learning by making it effective and engaging in innovative ways, says Harshil Gala, Director, eSense Learning, in an interview with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).

Please apprise us of the solutions you are providing to students and schools.

TOP Class is our flagship product which has helped us to add value in education processes to a great extent. The product converts a whole textbook into 2D and 3D animations. Students along with studying text also go through the animations with voice-over. The product has been widely appreciated by schools in Maharashtra and Gujarat. We have also converted textbooks into animations for CBSE as well.

We keep upgrading the software in order to meet the expectations of teachers and students. For example, we have recently added a good number of questions and answers after considering books from various publications to help students in getting ample problems and techniques to solve them.

Besides, TOPScorer is another one of the major products we offer to students. It helps students studying on thier own and estimates their weaknesses. It is a complete package of audiovisual content allowing students to weigh up their growth with detailed analytical reports.

How has been the response towards these products?

We have been fortunate to receive excellent response from schools. We are currently present in over 3,000 schools across Maharashtra and Gujarat. TOPScorer is already being used by more than 1,00,000 users across the country. Our software solutions are very easy to use and that, I believe, is helping us grow at a phenomenon speed.

We tie up with State Government and also to the authorities at local levels like Zila Parishad and District Administration, and help schools to use our products. Moreover, we also tie up with corporate which are willing to contribute through CSR activities, guide them and provide them with complete digital assistance.

We constantly monitor the development stage of any technology irrespective of it is related to our domain or not. We keep evaluating if a particular technology can be applied in upgrading our software.

How do you rate the Edu-tech sector in the country?

It is still at the nascent stage. Real movements have started a couple of years ago. It is really good that Government has started paying attention to the sector and helping administration to make most of the technologies available in schools. We have to have smart classrooms, smart content and smart audio-visual means of studying. Further, student should have access all these smart elements on internet 24/7. Edu-tech is still just about Rs 100 crore industry.

There are many great innovators in the market and also, few disruptors. I am sure in near future we will be at a good position by providing several innovative solutions leading to improvement in the school education sector.

How do you ensure meeting the expectations of your customers and design products which are easy to use yet effective?

We constantly monitor the development stage of any technology irrespective of if it is related to our domain or not. We keep evaluating if a particular technology can be applied in upgrading our software. We have developed every product so far keeping in mind the requirements of students, teachers, schools and parents. As we state, “eSense is precisely an attempt to contribute to the process of learning by making it effective and engaging in innovative ways. At eSense, we engineer solutions that enrich teaching and learning experience. The emphasis here is to go beyond the chalk & talk method and stimulate the learning environment. Our focus is to integrate technology with learning.

Which are the areas where Edu-tech companies have scope to grow?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the areas which will change the education technology sector dramatically. It will help students to analyse their weaknesses and thus allow them to prepare for future. A student attempts hundreds of exams and test in a year. AI can help monitor the growth of students subject wise and do proper assessment for them highlighting thier positive and negative areas.

What challenges do you face while selling products?

We wish, we have a detailed policy of digital learning as it will help the Indian schools to become really smart and thus allow the industry to grow as well. The awareness on the advantages of smart classes needs to be conveyed to schools – even in rural areas.

What are your plans for future?

We will continue to spread our presence in Maharashtra and Gujarat. We will continue to understand the requirements of schools and students and develop products which make a difference.

‘Happiness Curriculum’ in Delhi’s government schools from today

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Akash

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July 12, 2018

Starting from today, the Delhi Government has introduced 45 minutes of “Happiness” periods for students studying from nursery up to class 8 in its schools.

The above practice is the part of Delhi Government’s latest initiative “Happiness Curriculum” under which the entire curriculum will be purely activity-based and no formal examinations will be conducted on it. However, a periodic assessment of children’s progress will be made using a happiness index.

Meditation, value education, and mental exercises will be the part of “Happiness Curriculum”. 40 government teachers, educators and volunteers took over a period of six months to design the curriculum. As per the newly designed curriculum, each class will begin with a five minute meditation practice. The classes based on “Happiness Curriculum” will be held twice a week for nursery and KG students.

“The curriculum will include components that will instill self awareness and care, reduce stress and anxiety, help manage depression, build ability to focus on education & work and encourage creative critical thinking. Such a holistic approach in education will result in building healthy minds of our children that will enable them to lead a happy life,” said the Delhi Government Budget 2018-2019.

This initiative will involve 10 lakh students and around 50,000 teachers from Delhi’s Government schools.

According to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, “There was a need to ‘overhaul’ the present education system that has not been able to produce ‘good human being’ and the ‘Happiness Curriculum’ is a solid step towards this aim”.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “It is our belief that the modern day problems like terrorism, corruption and and pollution can be solved through schools and a human centric education”.

DU Admissions 2018: Fifth Cut-Off Lists Released, admissions to begin today

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Akash

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July 12, 2018

The fifth cut-off list for admissions undergraduate courses of colleges affiliated to Delhi University has been released.

The details of the minimum cut-off percentage of marks are available on the official website of Delhi University (DU) along with the fifth cut-off list. Candidates are advised to contact the respective colleges for details regarding variation in cut-off percentage in various courses on Thursday.

DU’s fourth cut-off was released on July 5 and the admission process based on the list was held from July 6 to July 9.

As per already notified schedule, DU asked candidates who meet the requirements mentioned in the fifth admission cut-off list to complete their admission formalities in the respective colleges within the stipulated time. Admission based the fifth cut-off will be held from July 12 to July 14.

Out of the total 56,000 seats, around 50,000 seats have already been filled.

Maximum admissions till now have been done in BA Programme with 8,612 seats being filled out of the total 10,172 seats. In BCom, there have been 5,137 admissions against a total of 6,483 seats. BCom (Hons) has a total of 6,273 seats and 5,085 admissions have been done.

The university had only announced schedule for five cut-off lists so far, however, further cut-offs / spot counseling schedule may be declared depending on the vacant seats later.

Rajasthan signs MoU with Microsoft; free digital training for 9,500 students

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Akash

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July 11, 2018

The Rajasthan Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to provide free digital training to 9,500 college students of 50 government colleges in a year.

While signing the MoU, State’s Higher Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari said that the initiative was taken for the enhancement of digital learning and capacity building of college students in Rajasthan.

“Today is time of technology and speed and those who are not updated will be outdated therefore the government has taken a new initiative to increase digital learning of college students,” the minister added.

Informing about the benefits, the College Education Commissioner Ashutosh A T Pednekar said that the MS office specialist training programme will be run by the company in 50 government colleges of Rajasthan from August this year which will benefit 9,500 students.

A spokesperson of the department informed that the MoU was signed for one year and successful participants will also be given certificates.

Few months back, the department also signed MoU with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for nearly two dozen courses on skill development in which 16,500 students are enrolled.

Delhi Govt to send 400 teachers to Singapore for training

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Akash

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July 11, 2018

Delhi’s deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has announced that the State Government has approved the proposal for training of 400 teachers at Singapore based National Institute of Education (NIE).

In a tweet mentioning NIE as world’s top educators-training institute, Sisodia, who also handles the education portfolio, revealed that 200 teachers have already got trained by the institute.

In another tweet, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stated, “The future of any country depends upon its teachers. They shape our kids. Del govt is committed to providing best training to its teachers.”

Recently, six government school teachers from Delhi were awarded the ‘Fulbright Teaching Fellowship’.

In its three years, among various measures undertaken by the Delhi Government include: introduction of nursery curriculum, training sessions for teachers have been doubled, fast-tracked appointment of guest teachers and parent-teacher meetings have been made mandatory.

In its budget for 2018-19 session, the present Government of Delhi allocated around 26 per cent of the total budget to education.

10 Reasons Why Australia is an Ultimate Engineering Destination

Article

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Akash

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July 10, 2018

Australia’s innovative, unique, and practical approach to engineering education, it’s no surprise that the country has proven to be a magnet for talented Indian students looking to change the world, writes Amit Das Gupta, India Country Director, University of New South Wales for Elets News Network (ENN).

Engineering, unlike the pure sciences, requires practical applications in addition to strong theoretical knowledge. It’s for this reason that a world class engineering course must possess the infrastructure, drive, and expertise required to effectively inculcate in its students, a thorough understanding of engineering and its real world applications. Universities too, should simultaneously equip them with the tools they need to be able to adapt to the ever-changing tech environment once they graduate.

This entrepreneurial approach to a dynamic field like engineering gives students a competitive edge over their peers, helping empower them to be the inventors, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow. This relationship between quality education and a realistic approach to job markets of the future is highly evident at universities in Australia. Here are ten reasons why we believe that the country is the ultimate destination for Indian engineering aspirants:

World-Class Ranking

According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject for 2018, universities in Australia rank high for fields like Civil, Mineral & Mining, Electrical & Electronic, and Mechanical Engineering. Several major universities in the country have earned a reputation of being internationally recognisable. As a result of the calibre and dedication of academics combined with the exposure students achieve, Australian universities have contributed phenomenally to the field of engineering, and their achievements are recognisable globally.

Wide Selection Of Engineering Courses

Universities in Australia can proudly boast of their faculty. In fact, the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), boasts of the largest faculty of engineering in the whole country. In total, the University offers 165 individual course specialisations, out of which, 140 are postgraduate degrees, while 25 are undergraduate courses. Engineering courses in Australia are regularly updated in order to stay relevant to technological advancements, while empowering students to use their knowledge for real-world applications. Some of the most popular engineering courses among international students are mechanical and electrical engineering programmes.

The Forefront Of Technological Research

The engineering departments in Australian universities are internationally acclaimed for being a frontrunner in several advanced research programmes, ranging from quantum computing, environmentally friendly waste disposal, and membrane technology, to name a few. Their departments have made several key scientific breakthroughs and are known for producing award winning professionals in a range of fields.

Exposure and Accreditation

Engineering students at Australian universities are encouraged to pursue internships alongside their coursework, in order to gain work experience. Additionally, they are exposed to students from different countries, giving them access to unique ideas, perspectives, and opinions, while creating phenomenal opportunities to connect with some of the most intelligent people from all over the world. Many universities, like UNSW Sydney, offer industrial training placement opportunities which allow students to explore several different work environments, jobs roles, and projects, to give them a more realistic understanding of the profession they’ve opted for. Some even go so far as to facilitate an accreditation by Engineers Australia, which carries immense value and weightage for aspiring job-seekers.

Diversity and Multiculturalism

Australian universities are home to some of the world’s most diverse engineering programmes, with students of different nationalities, races, religions, and creeds, acting as a beacon of respect, tolerance, and brotherhood. As a strong proponent for women in engineering, UNSW Sydney, besides many other universities in Australia, has seen a 23% female enrolment, significantly higher than the national average, a number which it hopes to increase by an additional 7% by 2020.

High Employability

Given its impeccable legacy, world renowned faculties, and strong industry connections, engineering students in the country are highly sought after, and campus placements at universities feature some of the most prestigious companies from Australia and across the world. Their focus on real-world applications means that students are well equipped to handle the pressures of the corporate life and dealing with change, which is particularly important in a field like engineering that is known to evolve on a day-to-day basis.

Student Led Initiatives

Australian universities host several student-led programmes such as UNSW’s Sun swift, the solar racing team, which offer them the opportunity to gain first-hand leadership experience while fostering an atmosphere of competition, teamwork, and fun. Working on these initiatives gives students valuable life lessons in a controlled environment; knowledge that could never truly be replicated in a book or a classroom. They emphasise very strongly on such activities because of their ability to build character and inculcate a sense of teamwork in students.

Tie-ups With Industry Giants

As part of industrial training programmes, universities in Australia connect their students to some of the biggest and most influential industry leaders in the country and across the globe. They encourage internships as part of their degree, thereby helping acquire industry knowledge, and a practical understanding of the concepts they’ve learnt in class, along with a chance to network with professionals. These internships have, on several occasions, translated into full-time employment after graduation, depending upon the individual student’s competence, knowledge, and performance.

A Strong Alumni Network

Former students of Australian Universities currently occupy senior positions in several major corporations and tech giants across the globe. There is a very strong sense of pride and camaraderie associated with fellow alumni. All major Australian Universities have alumni associations that serve as a global network of former students, to help each other out in the form of professional references, recommendations, and advice.

Student Focused Courses

With numerous scholarships for talented Indian applicants, and an 11-month diploma course that counts as a first year for those wishing to pursue engineering, Australian universities such as UNSW focus strongly on creating convenient, accessible, and high quality programmes for all students.

Six universities selected for ‘Institute of Eminence’ status

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By

Akash

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July 10, 2018

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has granted the Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to six institutes of which, three are in the public sector and the remaining in the private sector. The public sector institutes include IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore.

Academy of Higher Education, BITS Pilani and Jio Institute are the private sector institutes selected for the Institution of Eminence status. The University Grants Commission (UGC) received 103 applications including JNU and Delhi University for IoE status.

In one of its tweet regarding the decision on IoE status, the Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted, “The Institute of Eminence are important for the country. We have 800 universities, but not a single university in top 100 or even 200 in the world ranking. Today’s decision will help achieve this.”

In another tweet, the HRD Minister said, “While today’s decision gives virtually full autonomy, it will also ensure that no student will be denied opportunity of education with various measures like scholarships, interest waiver, fee waiver and ensure all equity principles”.

Under the Institute of Eminence, 10 private and 10 public universities are to be selected. The IoEs are proposed to have greater autonomy in comparison to other higher education institutions. The institutes will be free to decide their fee for domestic and foreign students and have a flexible course duration and structure. Moreover, their academic collaborations with foreign institutions will be exempt from approvals of Government or UGC except institutions based in MEA and MHA’s list of negative countries.

Delhi’s private schools to get Rs 600 more per EWS Child

News

By

Akash

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July 9, 2018

Delhi’s all private schools will now receive an additional Rs 600 as monthly reimbursement by the Delhi Government on admission of every child under Economically Weaker Section category from the upcoming academic session.

The decision comes after Education Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia received complaints from different schools on the ‘minimal amount’. “Schools pointed out that the amount that has been given so far was just enough, and this was taken into consideration,” said an official.

“It has now been decided that the amount will be raised to Rs 2,242 for students from Nursery to Class V, and Rs 2,225 for students from Class VI to VIII. Currently, the government reimburses Rs 1,598 to private schools in lieu of admission of students who belong to this section,” said a Directorate of Education (DoE) official.

In addition to that, the schools will also get an annual reimbursement of Rs 1,100 for students up to Class V for their uniforms and Rs 1,400 for students up to Class VIII for the purpose.

“Every school is required to maintain a separate bank account for receiving the reimbursement amount. Schools shall furnish utilisation certificates to districts within two months of receipt of money, and also furnish a certificate that it had provided uniforms and textbooks to these students as prescribed by the school,” the official added.

“The reimbursements shall be restricted to the period the student studied in that school during the year”, said government officials.

JEE Main, NEET to be conducted twice a year

News

By

Akash

-

July 9, 2018

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has announced that the national level engineering entrance exam – JEE Main and medical entrance examination – NEET – will be held twice a year in online mode from 2019 in.

According to the minister, the newly formed examination conducting authority – National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Apart from NEET and JEE Main, NTA will also be responsible for conducting National Eligibility Test (NET), Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) and Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) exams from now on.

The newly formed body will conduct National Eligibility Test (NET) in December this year as its first exam. JEE Main exams will be held in January and April while NEET will be held twice in February and May. These competitive exams will be held on multiple dates, the minister added.

The new agency will relieve the pressure from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) which is currently the nodal agency responsible for organising JEE Main and NEET examinations.

The syllabus, question formats, language and fees for the aforementioned exams would not be changed and the candidates appearing for these tests will be allowed to use the best score from the exams in the counselling process, the minister added.

“The exams will be more secure and at par with international norms. There will be no issues of leakage and it would be more student friendly, open, scientific and a leak-proof system,” Javadekar said.

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