Lack of accountability jeopardising India’s education System: UNESCO report

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December 6, 2017

The UNESCO has revealed in one of its report that lack of accountability is hindering the progress in education sector.

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report was launched by the UNESCO in New Delhi this week. Highlighting in the report that providing the education at par with global standards is the responsibility of the Government and education stakeholders, the organisation also emphasised that accountability is necessary to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Millions of children not going to school and many not achieving minimum proficiency levels at school indicate that education systems are not on track. The report provides clear evidence on accountability tools that are working and that are not,” Shigeru Aoyagi, director and UNESCO representative said.

The report also recommended some solutions to the problem; one of them was to create a supportive accountability system for teachers and administration by schools. The report also suggested that punitive mechanisms— especially those based on narrow performance measures— should be avoided, democratic participation should be allowed, independent institutions should be set up to handle complaints and media freedom to scrutinise the education system should be respected.

Developing credible and efficient regulations for all education providers and making the right to education justifiable was also among the recommendations given in the report.

Delhi University to introduce PG diploma course in Cyber Security

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digitalLEARNING Network

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December 5, 2017

Delhi University will soon launch a year-long post-graduate diploma in cyber security to nurture skilled professionals in cyber security, law and research. It has received approvals from statutory bodies to begin the course.

In a statement, the Delhi University has stated: “The University of Delhi with approval of statutory bodies is shortly launching one year post-graduate diploma in Cyber Security and Law. The programme caters to the domain of cyber security with a unique combination of cyber laws.”

With this initiative, the university aims to create professionals in the domain of cyber security and to cater the needs of industry.

The course comprising two semesters will commence from March 2018 reportedly.

Cyber security plays a vital role in protecting networks, programmes and data from cyber attacks and unauthorised access. These days security risks have been constantly evolving across verticals such as banking, telecom, government, etc, which collect and store important personal information of the customers.

And to deal with such issues, the approach required among the cyber security experts will be inculcated through the programme to ensure security of systems.

Parents’ Role in Ensuring Children’s Safety at Schools

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Akash

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December 4, 2017

Rising number of incidents against children in schools is a big concern among the parents. To ensure safety of children in schools, it is very important for parents to take certain steps for the safety of their wards, writes Rahul Belwalkar, CEO, SecUR Credentials, for Elets News Network (ENN).

With more incidents of children’s harassment in schools coming to light, schools’ management everywhere have stepped up their game, taking effective measures to keep school premises safe for their students.

The Law

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 was formulated to address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children effectively. In addition to defining the age of a child as being under eighteen, the act defines different forms of sexual abuse based on the nature and circumstances. For example, aggravated harassment is when the abused child is mentally unwell or when the abuse is committed by a person in a position of trust or authority like a family member, police officer, doctor, or teacher. Apart from this Act, there are provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to deal with criminal negligence of school authorities. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also recently launched a platform for children to report cases of sexual abuse.

Current Situation

Though measures are taken to publicise this knowledge in all sections of the media, the general public is still not very familiar with the law. While its implementation is a step forward in the right direction, children will not be able to discern and file complaints unless they are aware of the difference between good and bad touch. For this purpose, handbooks on sexual abuse and exploitation need to be distributed among students, and sessions on the same must also be conducted to inform children about the system of filing a complaint.

Since the first step to address and solve the problem is identifying it, these are some of the common steps parents can take to protect their children from danger.

Be informed about support staff

Parents need to be well informed about the teachers and staff in schools, and nannies at home. Schools must also conduct routine cross verification to stay up-to-date regarding the same.

Enquire about school safety and security protocols

It is the responsibility of schools to have the latest safety and security protocols in place, including CCTV cameras, Keycard systems, transport safety, and adequate security personnel present on premises. Parents should enquire about the same during the time of admission, and regularly check up on their implementation, by speaking to school authorities.

Creating a healthy awareness and trust-based relationship

The environment at home needs to be made favourable for children to be able to speak up about their issues and problems freely. Open ended questions and regular interactions with the child can make them feel comfortable in sharing their concerns and insecurities. Keeping an eye on their behaviour can also help parents to spot signs of unease and distress.

Ask for emergency procedure checklist

Parents should routinely check the school’s emergency procedure checklist so that proper procedures are followed to the children’s well-being. Appropriate post trauma care and the presence of trained personnel are essential. It is also one of the responsibilities of the parent to make sure the school is equipped to deal with any emergencies.

Educate your child about best practices

While it is a given that every parent teaches his kids to not speak to strangers, not many are particular about teaching them what to do if they find themselves in danger. Besides imparting advice on personal safety, parents should also avoid labelling their children’s backpacks and lunchboxes, as they help strangers in identifying their targets.

Regular participation in PT meets

Parents should also regularly attend parent-teacher meetings and school activities to keep themselves updated and informed about their children’s progress, activities at school, and the kind of relationship they share with classmates, teachers, and school staff.

Due to the recent happenings, every school is taking strict measures to avoid any such incidents against the children. Parents’ active involvement will also keep their wards safe.

ERP – Transforming Core Business Processes Digitally

Interviews

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Akash

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December 1, 2017

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) offers a complete, innovative, and proven solution for organisations of all sizes that want to thrive in the digital economy, says Ajay Kumar, National Sales Consulting Director – ERP at Oracle India in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How ERP can empower the education sector?

With the rapid development in India, all industries are in a state of flux. The education sector primarily is undergoing a sea-change as it caters to the digital natives, who hate to wait. They need to have all information on a real-time basis on their hand held devices. They are tech savvy and want all information about admissions, exams, documents and results almost instantaneously. To ensure that this critical information reaches students on time and avoids errors/loss, the role of technology comes into play.

ERP can help the management and administration to manage educational related processes like fees management, financial accounting, library management, exams, results, attendance, admission information etc. Educational institutes do not have to deal with just different kinds of information, but they must reach out to various stakeholders as well such as students, staff, parents, alumni and recruiters etc. Most universities run their systems in Silos. This creates multiple data entry points and lead to data inconsistency. The institutes need to ensure transparency and compliance as well. ERP can solve this issue. A centralised IT system can unify multiple functions across departments and bring in both data consistency and compliance.

Cloud based ERP not only provides better storage and capacity, it also ensures the control over the data and security of the data. Data can be accessed on real time basis even from your mobile devices. Cloud based solutions means that the education institutes do not need to make huge investments in IT infrastructure. They are easy to deploy and there is no additional cost or effort on maintenance as this is done by OEM. Another advantage of using cloud based solutions are product upgrades are trouble free and the system is upgraded automatically. Such integrations and upgradations ensure that the institute is running on the most advanced technologies.

What are the challenges that the industry is facing and how can technology help them to address these challenges?

It’s no secret that higher education is experiencing a sea change. Non-traditional students are becoming the new normal, and improving outcomes is top-of-mind for every leader on campus. Competition is heating up, and campus leaders are quickly realising that to stay competitive, and in business, they must find new ways to do more with less.

Campus leaders are also being held accountable to operate efficiently and embrace fiscal stewardship at unprecedented levels. Resources are scarce, and the importance of focusing on them on the core mission of the institution – teaching, learning, and research – is more important than ever. And what campus leaders are also realising is that the current operating model, one that relies on tuition as the primary source of revenue, is no longer sustainable.It’s time to change.

Campus leaders must first embrace a single best process for the institution. By looking to best practices from industry, and adopting what makes sense,institutions can implement a process that links the institution’s strategies with campus initiatives. Today, students, faculty, and staff want information at their fingertips. And on campus, empowering faculty and staff through a self-service model is not only critical to managing costs, but also to driving data-driven discussions. By giving everyone across campus access to the data they need, when they need, campus leaders enable people within the various colleges, schools, and departments to innovate and make strategic decisions based on facts,not hunches. And this type of self-services drives increased productivity across campus, both for faculty and staff and for organisations supporting them.

For colleges and universities, modernisation is no longer a question of if, but a question of when. A centralised IT function and a role like CIO, currently nonexistent in most educational institutes, can ensure there is a unified policy in place for IT adoption.Current operational model is outdated and no longer sustainable. To survive, institutions must embrace transformation and align all their diverse initiatives and operations into becoming a smart, fast, agile institution.

What is the differentiation that Oracle ERP brings to table?

Education leaders today are being asked to do more with less. Oracle Modern Best Practice for Higher Education–Finance enables you to streamline financial processes – while improving employee productivity and satisfaction. Oracle cloud solutions provide a flexible, extensible student-centric solution to meet the needs of 21st century higher education.

Oracle Cloud Service is a complete, insightful, mobile & engaging, and collaborative solution. It delivers automated information processing, effective management control, and real-time visibility to data. It provides deep, higher education capabilities, including:

Back office functions like Finance, Budgeting, Asset Management, Payments and reporting
Student affairs and admissions – Digital student life cycle
Attracting and retaining top talent
Data driven insight
Real time information to all stakeholders including student and faculty

Oracle’s unified cloud services are intuitive, elegant, and born in the cloud. They also reflect over twenty-five years of experience and deep partnerships with leaders in higher education.

EI – Improving Teaching-Learning Process through Personalised Solutions

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Akash

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November 30, 2017

Educational Initiatives believes in making a difference in education through personalised learning and ensuring that students learn with understanding. All of EI’s products are developed by keeping children at the centre of the teaching-learning process, says Srini Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Educational Initiatives, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How is Educational Initiatives (EI) making a difference in education landscape through its products and methodologies?

Srini Raghavan, CEO, Educational Initiatives — Srini Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Educational Initiatives

Developed with the vision of helping children learn with understanding, EI’s products are backed by meaningful insights derived from years of data-driven research and questioning.

In the private school space, EI’s products help children learn through diagnostic assessments and personalised learning solutions. Through ASSET Talent Search and ASSET Summer Programme, EI’s products also help students reach their full potential academically. In the Government school space as well, EI’s LSEP team is working relentlessly towards providing quality assessments and learning solutions to students.

Students are always at the core of teaching-learning processes, how do EI products make the teaching-learning process fun and more effective?

All of EI’s products are developed by keeping children at the centre of the teaching-learning process. Our math and language learning product Mindspark uses data-driven adaptive algorithm to personalise the learning process for each child. It also identifies behavioural traits of a child, and incorporates rewards and games with the regular lessons to maximise their learning outcomes. For the work that we have done with Mindspark over the last eight years, our technological and pedagogical approach has been applauded by leading institutions around the world such as Harvard, Stanford and The Economist.

Moreover, our assessment products ASSET and Detailed Assessment are low-stake and are therefore not perceived as an additional burden on students.

Teachers play an important role in the teaching-learning process, how the products offered by Educational Initiatives help teachers to improve the learning process for their students?

EI’s products help teachers better the teaching-learning process in two ways – first through assessments and student performance data, and second through capacity building workshops.

As far as assessments and student data is concerned, ASSET, Detailed Assessment and Minsdspark all provide meaningful insights to teachers about the performance of each student and the class as a whole. It helps teachers effectively plan remediation sessions which are most needed for the students in their class. We also empower the teaching community with pedagogical tools, including teacher worksheets – a step-by-step guide to teach a topic and Enhancement of Teacher Assessment Skills (ETAS) that helps raise the level of assessment competency amongst teachers.

For capacity building, Skillfest, our teacher training festival helps the teaching community learn, practice, engage and network with other like-minded education professionals, thereby enhancing their knowledge and updating their skills at par with the best in the world. We also conduct tailor-made capacity building workshops for government school teachers, that enables and empowers them to device customised learning foe their students.

Describe the services you offer to parents and how they are helping the children attempt their school exams in a better manner?

Our products come with detailed student reports to help parents understand their child’s performance in detail. We also conduct several post ASSET seminars for parents and teachers in schools to help them understand the nuances of the report in greater detail.

We also have a Parent Connect app, which helps parents track their child’s learning path on our platforms. It provides them with all the data and insights on the topics covered, questions practiced and concepts students have learnt.

What is your mission and vision for upcoming years?

Our work is aligned with our core vision of helping children learn with understanding. Our mission drives to enhance our products and solutions to become technically more robust and pedagogically stronger. We are working on the data that we have accumulated in last 16 years and are using latest tools and techniques in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to customise learning trends for each and every child. It will help the children in achieving their learning goals. We are also taking aggressive steps to expand internationally including USA, Middle East and South East Asia.

Add creativity to learning with “Step and Learn”

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Akash

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November 30, 2017

Eupheus Learning has introduced a supplement to classroom teaching – Step and Learn, powered by Wizefloor – an award winning interactive floor from Denmark.

The solution developed by Aarhus University and the Alexandra Institute in Denmark is developed with focus on kids from 3 to 12 years and also on kids with special needs. Step and Learn promotes collective and differentiated learning styles and needs through play and physical activity.

Speaking about the association, Principal Software Architect, Alexandra Institute A/S and Product Manager, Wizefloor Kaspar Rosengreen said, “We at The Alexandra Institute A/S use breakthrough tracking technology, which is supported by scientific research. Based on almost nine years of research and development, this interactive product stimulates the sensory system by staging a playful atmosphere for movement, and it improves collaboration and teamwork among children from a young age. Our objectives resonate with those of Euphues Learning as we also believe in creating stimulating learning experiences for children through differentiated solutions.”

Step and Learn makes it possible for teachers to develop customised learning games as per the needs of an individual school.

Eupheus Learning Managing Director and Co-founder Sarvesh Shrivastava said, “Our vision is to offer pedagogically differentiated technology driven solutions to the Pre-K to 12 segment. Step and Learn is a proud recipient of a Red Dot Design Award as “Best of the Best in Education” under the name Wisdom Well. It offers the key to the best kinaesthetic mode of learning for kids of the age group of 3-12 years, as it improves their learning by activating the gross motor functions.”

HEFA approves projects over Rs 2,000 crore to improve research infrastructure

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Akash

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November 30, 2017

HEFA approves projects over Rs 2,000 crore to improve research infrastructure — FILE – In this March 13, 2012 file photo, Indian scientists work inside a laboratory of the Research and Development Centre of Natco Pharma Ltd., in Hyderabad, India. India's patent appeals office has Monday, March 4, 2013, rejected international drug maker Bayer AG's plea to stop Indian company Natco Pharma Ltd. from manufacturing a cheaper generic version of a patented cancer drug. Bayer Corp., a subsidiary of the German pharma giant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, markets sorefinib as Nexavar for about $5,600. Natco's version would cost Indian patients $175 a month. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A., File)

Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) has started its operations to provide additional funding for research and related infrastructure.

In a recently held meeting of the HEFA Board, projects for Rs 2,066.73 crore has been approved for six institutions – IITs Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur and NIT Suratkal. The projects are supposed to improve the research infrastructure in these institutions that will lead to better ranking of the institutions globally.

The funds will be allocated to the institutions as per the progress and completion of a project. HEFA funding will be an addition to the grants being given to these institutions.

Expressing happiness over the approval of interest-free loans by HEFA Board, Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar said, “Today is a historic day for financing the needs and promotion of research and innovation beyond budgetary allocations.”

“The Union Budget gives ample allocation and grants to Higher Education institutions but still there is a greater need. The vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the resolve of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made possible the operationalisation of HEFA to extend funds beyond budgetary allocations,” he added

These funds are in addition to the grants that Government gives to these institutions. As per the scheme, HEFA would mobilise Rs. 20,000 Cr through market borrowing and would release the same to the Government institution as interest- free loans.

Pearson India launches MyPedia Reader Storybook – A book for children, by children

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digitalLEARNING Network

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November 30, 2017

Pearson India has launched “MyPedia Reader Storybook” which comprises of 42 stories written by the winners of MyPedia Reader Creative-writing Contest 2017.

“Imagination and creativity is a crucial educational objective to adequately equip the next generation for their future. Children are powerhouse of talent. Each one of them has different skill and if nurtured properly, they can certainly grow up to do wonders in their respective fields,” said Pearson India’s Vice President Ujjwal Singh while speaking at the launch.

Pearson received over 1500 stories from young authors of the country for the contest. The youngest author whose story got published is of eight years and a student of class four. Award-winning author of children’s literature in English – Santhini Govindan, children’s writer – Arundhati Venkatesh and quintessential story teller for children – Indira Ananthakrishnan, were the jury members of the contest.

“We, at Pearson, love stories, and have designed MyPedia Reader which is an endeavour to share these stories with the world. While each story we received was beautifully crafted, but the ones that made it to the book brings a fresh new perspective”, Singh added.

My Pedia is one of the digital learning programme run by Pearson India that promises measurable improvement in children’s’ learning and enhancing their English language skills.

“With MyPedia Reader we wanted to create a fertile ‘children-learning- from-children’ atmosphere that encourages and nourishes the innate imagination and creativity of children. We provided a platform to children to share their stories and ended up with a path-breaking learning solution for reading and writing of English language,” he added.

Edgefx: Boosting Innovation Among Kids through DIY Kits

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Akash

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November 29, 2017

Edgefx designs unique, powerful and innovative Science, Technology, Engineering Maths (STEM), Do It Yourself (DIY) educational kits in wide areas of Electronics, Electrical, Embedded and Communication. The kits, which introduce students over 8 years to engineering world, are being sold to over 40 countries worldwide including the US and the UK.

Our Purpose: Empowering every student to innovate is why Edgefx exists.

Methodology – Design Thinking: Our experiential understanding of over 18 years about the needs and wants of the students has helped us immensely to incorporate design thinking in building our products.

Our Product lines include

Edgefx DIY Project Kit for Engineering and Diploma students

Over 20 million students globally pursue technical courses including engineering wherein it is mandatory for students to complete a project to have practical exposure as per university guidelines. Lack of trained technical manpower, outdated syllabus, and absence of practical lab facilities has made “Edgefx DIY Project Kits for Higher Education” a popular product among students.

Edgefx boasts of a range of over 400 end-to-end different project solutions in more than 40 different categories.

Edgefx STEM Kits for students from 8+ years onwards

STEM is a revolution in the education system worldwide. Edgefx STEM Kits are based on electronic building blocks, designed for ease of use and to feed the curiosity of young minds.

Edgefx STEM Kits include real time projects with fun-filled activities and experiments and are also mapped to the curriculum.

‘UGC focused to skill youth of India’

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Akash

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November 29, 2017

University Grants Commission’s Joint Secretary & Chief Vigilance Officer Dr Archana Thakur said that the commission is focused to skill youth of India and on providing online courses to the students.

Sharing her views at 10th world Education Summit, she said, “University Grants Commission (UGC) is nowadays very much into the news because of different reasons we are working there a day-night and then we are trying to give much to the higher education. In this regard, I will speak basically on two main schemes: First is about the community colleges, Bachelor of Vocational Degree (B Voc) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Kaushal Kendra.”

Explaing about the UGC’s initiatives for skilling the youth, she revealed, “UGC has given funds to around 500 institutions including universities and colleges for B Voc degrees, community colleges and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Kaushal Kendra. There are 64 centres of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Kaushal Kendra, more than 200 centres of community colleges and B Voc degrees. We have allocated Rs 500 crore for these centres and of which around RS 350 crore are already dispersed.”

“The scheme has progressed and gradually people and industries have become part of it. I have visited a community college where the students were working on mushroom cultivation. The reason of visiting the college was to know about industry tie-ups, how they are training the students, how the students getting the jobs or and how the skilling business is taking place. Earlier there were teaching troubles,” she added.

Dr Thakur further said, “The scheme was started in 2013-14. Earlier, it was thought that the scheme won’t be feasible at the grass root level but we have enrolment of more than 18,000 students in the schemes which were under Skill India programme. The schemes are going on very well.”

She has also taken the name of the colleges that are doing good in various courses. She sai, “Dayalbagh Agra is doing excellent work in textile industry. Tripura University is doing very well in film business and they have a tie-up with Kolkata film unit in form of Students Exchange Programme.”

On increasing demand of B Voc courses, Dr Thakur said, “The students are getting benefitted from B Voc degrees now but earlier the degree was not being recognised at par with MBA, BBA or other degrees. Now, we have passed a circular through which B Voc degrees would be equivalent to other degrees and will also be recognised by the UGC.”

“Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Kaushal Kendras are doing very well. We have 64 such centres in different universities and colleges and out of that 12 centers are self financing ones,” She said.

Describing about the UGC’s initiatives with foreign countries, she revealed, “We started UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) and also Australia India wealth program which ended up successfully with exchange of principles as well as the coordinators who are into this job in Australia and UK. They have come to India, visited different institutions and signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs).”

On Moocs courses, she also said, “The second one I want to give a brief about is massive open online course (MOOC). UGC has started MOOCs as a programme of e-content development for post graduation. We have developed more than 40,000 videos in e-content and now that e-content has been taken as MOOCs. The MOOCs courses are initiated under Digital India programme.”

“We asked the institutions to give details about the MOOCs courses conducted by them. After getting their details and after short listing them, the commission will provide them the support to conduct courses in MOOCs,” she said.

According to her, “The next generation of India will be apt with the technology and the Internet which makes courses like MOCCs very important. Another benefit of these courses that it will help the citizens in the areas like North East India, where everybody do not have access to library, books or good teachers. We are going to get MOOCs courses from the best of the teaching faculties and the best of the person’s in respective fields all over India. It will be available free of cost.”

DrThakur said, “These courses are going to benefit the students and the chalk and talk method is soon going to transform into the digital classroom.”

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