Mody University Raising Student Employability with Internship
Summer Internship and Dissertation Project are two very powerful tools that enhance employability of the university’s participants, says Dr Suresh Advani, President, Mody University in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).
What are the interventions Mody University is taking for skilling and enhancing employability of the students?
India, as an emerging and highly dynamic country, has a demographic dividend with around 65% of its population aged 15 to 35. In this scenario of a Young India, imparting professional education is a key factor to meet the aspirations of this young population who has global exposure arising out of the intervention of information and communication technologies.
Mody University is a premier university dedicated to Professional Empowerment of Women through Nurturing Excellence in them. Mody University has taken numerous initiatives for achievement of the above goal. Various programmes, in general, and its Master of Business Administration programme, in particular, have contemporary industry oriented course curriculum skilling its participants. Inspired learning environment and innovation oriented pedagogy embedded with continuous business and industry exposure coupled with Business Simulation Exercises enhances the employability of its participants.
What are the initiatives Mody University has undertaken in Student Startup domain?
Mody University is one of the few universities in India which runs Master of Business Administration Programme in the exclusive domain of Family Business and Entrepreneurship. This programme is designed to meet career requirements of not only the subsequent generations of scions, but also young women who aspire to venture into entrepreneurship. In this programme, Mody University offers several Start-up and Incubation avenues for its participants. To promote entrepreneurship several workshops and seminars in association with successful entrepreneurs are regularly organized for participants.
Many countries have started introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Coding etc., in the curriculum. What initiatives is the Mody University undertaking to make students competent with the emerging technological trend?
Various universities have started courses on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning which allow computational models that are composed of multiple processing layers to understand representations of data, thereby dramatically improving Speech Recognition, Visual Object Recognition, Object Detection, Medical Diagnosis, Prediction and many other domains, especially for huge amount of processing requirements which are not possible by traditional computers and human beings. Machine learning is an incredible breakthrough in the field of Artificial Intelligence. For this reason, Mody University, in association with IBM, is successfully running its B.Tech. (Computer Science and Engineering) with specialisation in Big Data, Cloud Computing and Internet of Things, which are basic requirements for handling huge amount of data for Machine Learning. The curriculum lays special emphasis on Advanced Technology (like Machine Learning and Deep Learning) and Applications (in Image Processing and Data Analysis, etc.) of Big Data, Cloud Computing and Internet of Things.
Internship plays a vital role in enhancing students’ employability. Highlight the initiatives Mody University has undertaken to facilitate internship for students to provide them hands-on experience within a corporate working environment?
The MBA and engineering programmes of the university have been designed in such a way that budding managers gain exposure to contemporary concepts, practical issues and challenges faced in the corporate and business world. To equip participants with contemporary business and industry exposure, a set of pedagogical tools are used which inter alia include role play, in-depth situational analysis, business simulation and analytics, and real life projects in several courses within the domain of various functional areas of management and engineering.
Apart from this, an 8-week Summer Internship in leading corporate houses is an inherent part of the course curriculum. This provides participants ample opportunities to have hands-on experience of corporate working environment along with handling business problems. In the second year of the MBA programme, participants undertake a one-year long Dissertation Project through which they acquire in-depth industry understanding under close supervision of the faculty members of the college. Summer Internship and Dissertation Project are two very powerful tools that enhance employability of the University’s participants.
Vedanta Providing Employability, Entrepreneurship for Students via CSR
Employability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship can be best realised through sustained efforts and investments in education. At Vedanta, we believe in the importance of focusing on entire spectrum in education, says Neelima Khetan, Group CSR Head, Vedanta Resources Plc & Vice President, CSR, Hindustan Zinc Limited, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).
Vedanta has initiated a signature CSR project “Nand Ghar”. Tell us how it has been contributing towards nation building?
The Government of India, as part of fulfilling its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been running Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) with the objective to promote preschool education, eradicate child malnourishment and promote safe birth practices among mothers. The government delivers these services through a network of 13.7 lakh Anganwadis reaching over 8.5 crore infants and nearly 2 crore pregnant and lactating women across India.
As part of our commitment to nation building, Vedanta signed a MoU with the Government of India to modernise this network. The Nandghar Project is committed to the Prime Minister’s national vision of eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare and empowering women with skill development.
As part of our pilot for Project Nand Ghar, the team has rolled out nearly 100 modern Anganwadis “Nand Ghars” equipped with solar panels, TVs, toilets and a stimulating environment in four States. Special focus has been laid on improving learning outcomes for children and improving capacities of the last mile government workers for ensuring long term sustenance of the results.
In a unique addition to the Anganwadi idea, local women are being provided end-to-end support for promoting entrepreneurship at each Nand Ghar. More than 1,600 women benefited from the training programme in this FY and 158 of them have started their micro enterprises.
Education is one of the CSR activities of Vedanta. Tell us how the organisation’s CSR activities are contributing towards enhancing students’ employability, innovation and entrepreneurship?
Employability, innovation and entrepreneurship can be best realised through sustained efforts and investments in education. Working with the objective to reduce the widespread gap for education and employment in rural and urban areas, Vedanta has rolled out targeted interventions in education and entrepreneurship. At Vedanta, we believe in the importance of focusing on the entire spectrum in education. Accordingly, we are working on preschool, secondary school, college education, and skilling.
Some data reflecting on our reach is –
- Impacting lives of almost 2,60,000 children through our school programmes and over 1,00,000 children below 6 years through our preschool initiatives.
- In FY 2016-17, Vedanta trained a total of 1,7091 youth under different trades, ranging from electrician, data entry to highly skilled vocations like jumbo drill operators. We are working closely with the National Skills Development Corporation and proud to be contributing to this national priority.
- Working with the government and nongovernment partners, our KHUSHI project reaches 3,089 Anganwadis in Rajasthan, with a focus on 0 to 6-year-old children in communities.
- Our “Shikhsa Sambal” project works with government senior secondary schools near our operational areas to strengthen teaching of Science, English and Maths (SEM) subjects.
- Our “Unchi Udaan” project is built upon the Shiksha Sambal project where we identify promising students from government schools near our operations and provide them with residential schooling and coaching support to qualify for the IITs.
- Our Yashad Sumedha Scholarship supports students at government engineering colleges in Rajasthan hailing from families who have an annual earning of less than Rs 1 lakh.
- The Vedanta Post Graduate Girls College at Ringus is another institution where girls from communities near HZL locations are fully supported to pursue their education.
| Direct Economic Impact through SHGs in FY 2016-17 | |
| Total number of SHGs | 3,216 |
| Total members in SHGs | 38,765 |
| SHGs engaged with livelihood activities | 193 |
| SHG members engaged in income generation activities | 3,815 |
| No. of women who established micro enterprises | 1,464 |
- The Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) Mining Academy takes in about 100 plus ITI pass youth for an intensive 18-month program, after which they get placed in lucrative jobs in the mining sector across the country.
- Our Jeevan Tarang initiative focuses on differently abled children, building capacities of institutions that educate them, in ways that help to impart effective education and skilling of their students.
- So to answer your question – the key is a focused, comprehensive and long term approach which is sustained and measured.
Vedanta has floated a lot of schemes for women empowerment, especially of the rural location. Tell us how it has helped in their skill development and livelihood?
Development of society is closely linked with development of women. Which is why empowering and encouraging women lies at the core of all our CSR programs. We do it through embedding a gender perspective in most of our programs, but also we do it through direct interventions with women. The world over, women’s Self Help Groups (SHG) have successfully and systematically empowered marginalised women through awareness raising, capacity building, economic empowerment and solidarity. At Vedanta too, we are working with women’s Self Help Groups across several of our locations.
Internship to Enhance Employability of Technical Graduates
The technical graduates should take advantage of the various schemes floated under ECI-AICTE joint initiatives to get exposure of the industry, says Dr P R Swarup, Member Secretary, Construction Industry Development Council, Engineering Council of India (ECI), in a conversation with Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
How the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Engineering Council of India (ECI) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) will help technical graduates?
Engineering Council of India (ECI) has entered into a MoU with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for providing “internship” to students in all disciplines of engineering and management. The MoU is supposed to enhance industry exposure of the engineering graduates and make them employable.
This step is taken to bridge the skill gap between industry requirement and academia which is one of the major causes of increasing unemployability among engineering and management students in the nation. ECI shall be facilitating hands on training/internship for these graduates in their respective engineering stream through its member associations. From academic session 2017-18, AICTE made internships mandatory for engineering and management students to obtain their degrees.
How has been the response for National Proficiency Evaluation Test (NPET)?
The fine-tuning on the scheme is underway and will be announced shortly. From initial discussions with various universities the step is being welcomed by academia also.
Under the 7th Pay Commission, it has been made mandatory for engineering teachers to complete an internship or work with the industries. How do you see it contributing to teachinglearning experience?
It is a standard practice in all advanced countries for teachers to take sabbatical for working in the industry. Similarly, officials from different industries are also invited by the universities to share their experiences along with latest industry requirements and practices. Innovations in every field are making it more important to produce graduates who are industry ready and at the same time self employable.
What are the plans of ECI to encourage entrepreneurship among technical graduates?
We in association with our member organisations are trying to develop plans for promoting the entrepreneurship programs. We do realise that small and medium enterprises employ 60–80 per cent of graduates not only in India but also in developed countries. With India’s large young population, regional economic autonomy may also be required which can be achieved only by inculcating entrepreneurial skills among youth.
One of our first initiatives was coorganising the 1st Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards 2017 to felicitate students and institutions for their innovative ideas.
“AICTE has made the internship component mandatory for graduating engineers and management students, keeping in mind the skills gap present between the industry requirement and the academia which is a major cause of increasing unemployability in the nation.”
We in association with our member organisations are trying to develop plans for promoting the?
We are in touch with our member associations in various streams of engineering to evolve plans for development of entrepreneurship specific to those fields.
Mention the development and promotion of hybrid career opportunities in areas like Drone Technology, Aquifer Recharging¸ and Arbitral Assistants?
Drone Technology – To learn the operational systems to use the unmanned flying vehicles, known as Drones and to use these for multiple purposes like hydrography, Natural Disaster Predictions & management, Manage Biodiversity etc.
Aquifer Recharging – To set up water conservation units through charging of Aquifers.
Arbitral Assistants – To facilitate/ assist the Arbitrators in ODR, IT savvy young professionals.
What message do you have for the technical graduates set to take up career soon?
The technical graduates should take advantage of the various schemes floated under ECI-AICTE joint initiatives to get exposure of the industry. They should get themselves mentally prepared for hand-on training which is definitely going to help them in choosing their career path ahead.
Rajasthan Govt All Set to Bridge Students-Industry Gulf
The State of Rajasthan is set to bring student fraternity and industry closer, facilitating employment opportunities for government college students, writes Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).
The Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Department has plans to set up a placement cell in all government colleges to help graduate and post-graduate students in getting employment. In India, few State governments have initiated direct placement for students.
According to the latest statistics of the department, about 180 government colleges have appointed one nodal officer as in-charge of all the activities in the placement cell. Plans are afoot to appoint nodal officers in all the 224 colleges affiliated to 15 government universities spread across 33 districts of the State.
According to Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Department official, these nodal officers are in liaison with the corporate and industries to find out the portfolios for which the hiring is required and accordingly students may appear for the interview.
Harish Gujarati, placement in-charge (Nodal Officer) of Government College, Beawar in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district said, “Placement cell in our college has been functioning for two years. We have been able to secure placement for at least 12 students per annum mostly in the banking sector.”
For a long time, placements were offered in private institutions only. Later, it started in few major government colleges. Under the direction of Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari, the initiative is now being implemented in all the government colleges of the State.
Identification of Companies
Currently, the Department is identifying companies and industries for collaboration in this special initiative of the Government of Rajasthan.
“The State government will decide on the type of industries and companies to collaborate with,” said Ashutosh Pednekar, Commissioner of College Education and Special Secretary of Higher Education.
The Department is also in regular correspondence with university vice-chancellors and college principals, inviting inputs to make the initiative successful in providing placement to the students of all the streams like Arts, Commerce, Science and Technology.
The Youth Development Centres, established in the government colleges, are providing soft skills and communication skills to students to help them enhance their employability quotient.
These centres also train students on CV writing, competitive exams, along with conducting mock interviews to provide them hands-on experience of the interviews conducted by the companies and industries before recruitment.
“Technical training facilities will also be improved and it will be imparted in emerging areas to cater to the changing needs and pattern of industrialisation and advancement of technology,” said Pednekar.
Presently, the recruitments in these placement cells are being operated as per industry or company’s requirement. Corporates and industries along with HRs from ICICI bank, HDFC Bank, LIC, LMG, Infosys, Videocon, CAIRN India, Teleperformance, Policy Bazaar, Nav Bharat fertilizers, Rajasthan spinning and weaving mills, Prisma health, Golcha minerals, JK cement, Saraf Infocom, Career Point etc, have conducted interviews of graduate and postgraduate students recently.
Although the initiative is in the implementation phase, it has provided jobs to about 50-100 students, revealed an official.
Furthermore, the department plans to hold mass hiring for students by organising “Job Fair” bringing top companies, industries and human resource organisations across the country. One such job fair is set to be organised in January 2018, said official.
The Higher Secondary and Human Resource Conclave organised by the Department along with Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd on 21 and 22 December in Jaipur has been held on the similar lines.
| key parameter | 2013-2014 | 2017-2018 |
| Government Colleges | 179 | 224 |
| No of Universities | Govt 15 Pvt 40 | Govt 15 Pvt. 46 |
| Government Girls College | 41 | 37 |
| Private College | 1331 | 1626 |
| No of Institutions | Govt Law Colleges – 15 Pvt Colleges – 1,331 BEd Colleges – 774 SFS Colleges – 2 PPP Colleges – 4 |
Govt Law Colleges – 15 Pvt Colleges – 1,62qwaa6 BEd Colleges – 897 SFS Colleges – 7 PPP Colleges – 6 |
| Enrollment | Govt College – 329,130 | Govt College – 380,397 (2016-17) |
| Enrollment of Girl Students | Govt College – 136,465 | Govt College – 175,221 (2016-17) |
| Unserved SDO HQ | 46 | 22 |
| GER | 19.7 | 2-.23 |
| Financial outlay on HE | 1,038.53 Crore | 1380.14 Crore |
Development Indicators for Higher & Technical Education
In the academic year 2016-2017, the government colleges of Rajasthan witnessed an enrollment of 3,80,397 students, of which 1,75,221 were girls. In total, 9.32 lakh students were enrolled in both government and private colleges. There are 46 private universities with 1,626 colleges in the State.
In Rajasthan, Agriculture and allied activities still provide over 60 per cent of all jobs, with industry (mainly construction and manufacturing) and services (mainly trade, hospitality, Government and Community Services) accounting for the rest of employment.
A report published by the World Bank says that the employment rate of Rajasthan is reasonably high for both men and women than most of the States in India.
Out of 29 States, Rajasthan is at 11th position in terms of unemployment, according to Fifth Annual Employment- Unemployment Survey (2015-16).
“The State Government has been creating a number of job opportunities under various sectors, but the increase in the job has been more than offset by the rapid growth of population,” said Pednekar.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is focusing on every opportunity to bring education sector of the State at par with global standards. Her government has allocated Rs 1,380.14 crore for Higher Education.
“Expansion in education, medical and health, and housing facilities are envisaged creating new opportunities for self-employment,” Pednekar added.
Literacy rate in Rajasthan, as per 2011 census, was 66.11 per cent. Of this, male literacy stood at 79.19 per cent while female literacy is 52.12 per cent.
Latest Initiatives for the Higher and Technical Education, Rajasthan
– Implementation of e-Governance in Higher Education through Higher Education Portal
– Availability of Smart Classroom in colleges
– Provide Wi-Fi facilities to students and faculty
– To encourage Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
– Library computerisation in higher education institutes (HEIs)
– Spoken tutorials for FOSS courses
– Digital classrooms in girls colleges under CSR
– Establishment of smart science labs
– Establishment of Crowdsourced Social Platform for education
– Linking colleges with INFLIBNET facility of UGC
– Promotion of industry-academia linkages.
– Bhamashah Sahyog link at HE Portal
– App-based Dishari initiative for guiding students for competitive exams
– Learning English through UPER app
– To conduct skill-oriented courses in Government colleges with IGNOU.
Placement Initiative in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Government has set up Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKCs) in reputed engineering colleges in collaboration with the IT industry providing technical skills, soft skills, project management skills and communication skills to students.
JKC conducts Campus Placement Mission, in which students are made aware of the recruitment process of different companies. Mock group discussions and interviews are conducted for the students.
Currently, there are 43 JKCs in 23 districts with 164 participating colleges and 40 IT companies. According to its official website, JKC has provided job placement to 1,862 students for the year 2014-2015.
Reserve 25% of seats fo poor children under RTE act: Gujarat High Court
The Gujarat High Court has directed the State government to ensure that the schools affiliated to the State Board implement 25 per cent reservation for poor children.
The court has asked the schools to implement the above order under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The schools have been asked to begin the implementation from the next academic year.
The court also asked the Government to take action against the schools which will found violating the norms. The court also instructed the government to take up the cases of children left out from the admission process under the scheme.
According to the court, the RTE Act was introduced to enable children from economically weaker families to have equal opportunities of basic education. Hence, it is important for the Government to check that the Act is implemented successfully or not.
Cambridge University launches Occupational English Test (OET) for nursing professionals
Cambridge Assessment English (part of the University of Cambridge) and Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, Australia, are jointly offering Occupational English Test (OET) for nursing professionals planning to take up practice in United Kingdom and Ireland.
“OET is a standardised English test which has been developed for this industry exclusively. The recognition and acceptance of the test in the UK and Ireland opens up a world of opportunities for the nurses seeking to work in these countries”, Cambridge Assessment English’ Regional Director for South-Asia T K Arunachalam said.
The healthcare professionals who want to practice and register overseas can use OET as a tool to assess their language proficiency. Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust owns the Occupational English Test which is a venture between Cambridge English and Box Hill Institute, Australia.
Nursing and Midwifery Council, United Kingdom and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland has accepted the OET as proof of English proficiency for trained nurses.
Presently, OET centres are located in 11 cities of UK and the test can also be taken up in over 40 countries.
Need for 21st Century learning techniques in schools
The use of Information Technology has changed the learning methodologies positively. In coming years, technology will become an integral part of the global education system. Atul Temurnikar, Co- founder and Executive Chairman, Global Schools Foundation, writes about such trending technologies in education for Elets News Network (ENN).
Finland, a northern European nation is inspiring educationists from across the globe. The country well known for its unique 21st century teaching techniques is inspiring many countries to reinvent its education system. Indian education system, particularly the schools with global parentage are reinventing the wheel and implementing international best practices in the sector.
What are 21st Century learning techniques?
The four C’s of 21st century learning– communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity are imperative in the age of technological disruptions, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
While 21st century learning include traditional curriculum, it also inculcates learning’s on societal responsibility and global developments, financial education, health related awareness and environment literacy. Social education is a must in modern times so that children can imbibe the understanding of their social and civic responsibilities.
In a globalized economy there is a need for children to understand diverse cultures, ideologies and religions. Financial literacy and health literacy addresses the set of skills individuals need to have in order to make informed economic and personality development decisions.
International schools like–Global Indian International School incorporating the global best practices and learning’s have developed their proprietary learning tool –‘Nine Gems Framework’. The school’s Nine Gems model helps holistic personality development of a student which enables them to achieve a balance between academic, mental & physical development, language skills, creativity, ethics, entrepreneurship, fine arts & performing arts along with skills and competencies such as problem-solving, critical, analytical & creative thinking, and teamwork.
Innovative learning & teaching techniques
In the age of digital disruption there is a need to increase the use of digital devices in schools. Teaching techniques across schools and colleges need a revamp driven largely by practical assignments and project learning. Online learning tools help students grasp concepts easily. Graphical and visual representation of complex topics and concepts make learning easy. It is necessary to evolve newer teaching techniques with digitization and information technology developments serving as an enabler. Teaching is no more limited to chalk and board. Teachers use power points and case studies to connect with students. This has to be incorporated in day to day learning.
Project-based learning helps in boosting creative thinking among students and innovative teaching methodologies should be introduced to promote out-of-the-box thinking. There is need to promote use of desktop, laptop and I Pad learning at schools.
Installing LED screens in classrooms would help teachers interact and connect with students better. Technology can bring down teaching time which in turn would help teachers to not only complete syllabus within the stipulated term but also dedicate more time on each student and define Individual Development Programmes for them.
Technology and Infrastructure
Adopting new technology and developing infrastructure is a must to the success of 21C learning techniques. India is seeing rapid growth in digitization given the governments thrust on Digital India initiative.
It is the right time for schools in India to take the leap and digitize learning in India. International schools with campuses in India can operate virtual classrooms. Virtual classrooms today are a reality – Thanks to technology. Through virtual classroom, international faculty can take special classes and students in India can benefit from it.
A very common complaint of children in India is burdening students with heavy school bags. Few international schools, in association with technology companies and governments, are finding ways of developing e-books. Children can download these e-books on I Pads and laptops which could ease the pressure of carrying heavy bags to some extent.
Giving a boost to such changes in the education sector, the internet penetration in India has improved drastically with the increased competition in the telecom space. Express Wi-Fi services in India are work in progress which will only add to the way we will be progressing towards digitization.
For the success of digitization in education, schools will have to ensure continued access of high speed Wi-Fi services to students. Whether it’s new tablets or any other device, Wi-Fi as a service enables schools of any size to successfully embrace technology.
Think beyond the blackboard & books
With increased usage of social media and mobile phones it may be time for educators to maybe develop online games that stimulate analytical thinking. International schools provide extracurricular activities to promote all around personality development. Culinary class, music labs and sport facilities help personality development of students.
Inculcating creative thinking in early childhood is something that international schools like ours focus on. Entrepreneurial boot camps can be one such example. These boot camps help students learn the skills of team work, innovative thinking and business acumen.
Need for 21st Century learning
Technology is a disruptor, the requirements of the real economy is changing with the evolution of technology. Skill requirements have also undergone changes. 21st century learning techniques ensure we make our children future ready. Government and schools with international parentage have a huge role in promoting new learnings techniques to create future leaders.
Maharashtra’s 100 international schools expected to have a separate education board
Maharashtra government has planned to set up Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) for proposed 100 international schools in the State. The board will act as an autonomous body to decide curriculum for the schools and conduct examinations.
According to Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde, the board will have the autonomy to take every decision related to the international schools.
Other than Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), MIEB will be the second board of the state.
The Government has decided to establish 100 international schools in the state at par with global standards to provide quality education to Maharashtra’s students. The schools are likely to start from the next academic year.
“In the first phase, we want to start 100 international schools that will impart international-level education. All these will be existing government schools, which will be affiliated with the MIEB,” Tawde said.
For the first time, Maharashtra is going to have its own has international boards international board other than International Baccalaureate (IB), headquartered at Geneva, and the Indian General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), run from Cambridge, UK.
According to an official, the schools affiliated to MIEB will be in languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Telegu, Kannada and Tamil. MIEB will also have the authority to affiliate schools from other states and even international schools.
Appointments on the board are expected to start soon and to decide curriculum for affiliated schools, a committee will be formed, said the official.
Kendriya Vidyalayas students in Odisha to use tablets for studies
Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in Odisha are likely to introduce tablets for the students of class VII and VIII under digital learning scheme from next academic session.
“We expect that the scheme will be rolled out in at least five more KVs, including Berhampur, in the state from the next academic year. We are planning to submit a proposal in this regard to the KVS soon,” said KVS Bhubaneswar region Deputy Commissioner ALV Jaganadha Rao.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan (KVS) launched the scheme in one of its schools at Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar on pilot basis. KVS is now likely to introduce the scheme on 61 Kendriya Vidyalayas of Bhubaneswar region.
Under the scheme, the students of class VII and VIII will use tablets for almost all activities like accessing reading materials and submitting assignments for science and mathematics.
According to an official, the students will enhance their learning experience through videos and animations along with accessing text books online through ePathshala -A joint initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is a mobile application developed for showcasing and disseminating all educational e-resources
Around 160 students of the two classes in the school in Bhubaneswar have been provided tablets free of cost by the KVS, he said. Digital learning is a part of the Centre’s flagship programme Digital India, an official said.
