AISECT University: Bridging the Skill and ICT Gap

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March 7, 2018

At AISECT University, we believe that a university is not only a place for knowledge creation and dissemination but has a wider role in empowering the society and building the nation, says Dr Vijay Singh, Registrar, Aisect University, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

Being India’s first skill-based university, what practices are followed at AISECT to impart quality-based skill education?
At AISECT University (AU), our effort is to excel in skill development of our students and engaging their interest in research activities, in addition to formal education. AU is the first university in India to introduce compulsory skill courses at Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) levels and now we are associated with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to empower our students further with employment linked education. Eight departments at AU have Multi Skill Academies, providing over 30 skill development courses. This will help students to get hands-on experience, gaining confidence and reducing the academia-industry gap.

How is research driven advancement of knowledge promoted at AISECT University to nurture successful professionals?
The Core Research Group (CRG) is a unique initiative to foster research culture in the university. Research work demands resources in terms of money, time and infrastructure along with uncertainty of research outcome and longer scale for success. Private Universities have to mostly depend on own resources and this is one of the reasons in private universities behind lesser research activities. However at AU, research is a core area and to underline the concern, CRG has been set up. The CRG has the following objectives:

• Extend financial and administrative support for travelling and presenting papers abroad
• Set up research facilities and encourage a research culture
• Identify meaningful research projects and provide funds
• Encourage research Writing and provide support for publication • Function as the nodal point for research activity

What steps have been taken by AISECT University to prepare industry-ready professionals?
• Skill Development – At AU, we believe that a university should help in reducing the skill deficit in the country. We have addressed this requirement at two levels. Firstly, we have revived practical part of the curriculum by various collaborations with local industries, by installing industry-grade machinery in all the labs and by providing workshops for field experience in our labs. Secondly, we have started Skill Academies in each department in collaboration with NSDC. In addition to the normal curriculum, we have made one skill training compulsory for each student in every year during the course. So a UG student comes out with minimum 3 to 4 skills in addition to hands-on experience on industrial machines in labs.

• Entrepreneurial Efforts– We encourage students to think in terms of starting their own enterprise. To accomplish this, we organise various “entrepreneur development programs” regularly. In 2014, we organised an Entrepreneurial Programme for 16 starts- up ventures in association with Young India initiative of CII. Presently, four of them are at advanced stages.

• Research Environment – As a university, research is a very committed area of focus for us. We have active collaborations with several institutes/research centres and universities in India and abroad. Renewable Energy, Material Science and Environmental Science are our current areas of research. We also have started a project on developing efficient material for a solar cell to increase its efficiency by 100% in collaboration with Taiwan and IIT–New Delhi. We also have a project with Ukraine on earthquake prediction.

• Social Connect – We have adopted three nearby villages under our various Social Relationship ventures. Students and faculty members regularly visit these villages and organise activities like health camp, literary and education camps, cleanliness drive, awareness camp and women empowerment camp. Students and faculty members spend one to seven days in the areas to organise the camps effectively. Some research projects/ doctoral researches have also been taken up to identify and address social problems of these villages.

• Holistic Development – AISECT University believes that students and faculty have to think beyond the syllabus for holistic growth. We ensure this through a large number of cultural, social and sports activities/competitions/events at regional, national and international levels. At least one international event is organised by the university every year. We have done international collaborations with A&M Texas University, RPI USA, ICEWaRM Australia, KAIST Korea, NCTU Taiwan and KYIV University Ukraine for exchange. In India, we have MoUs and collaborations with more than 15 institutes like IITs, CSIR, NITs etc. In industries, we work with companies like Microsoft, Tata Motors, Reliance, BSNL, IT Power etc, with whom we have set-up joint skill development centres, research labs etc. thereby creating a vibrant platform for holistic development.

What is the vision and mission of AISECT University for the years ahead?
VISION To be valued as a coveted centre for nurturing talent, imparting skill based quality education and promoting research driven advancement of knowledge for creating responsible professionals who will build a progressive nation.

• To foster research-oriented culture in the university.
• To provide education through extensive and innovative use of technology.
• To nurture talent, stimulate thinking, impart skills and create competent and inspired professionals for the industry.
• To forge collaborations with academic and corporate bodies across the world.
• To be recognized as a premium national university providing dedicated services for the social and economic development of the nation.

MWS: Maximising Learning Opportunities through glo bal Comprehensive Curriculum

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Akash

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March 6, 2018

Since its inception in 2008, Meenakshi World School (MWS) has emerged as one of the best International Schools of Gurugram. The school offers an impeccable quality of education which is embedded with global educational programmes amidst the rendition of traditional and cultural ethos of India. Believing in the inherent potential of each learner, MWS facilitates quest for knowledge and strives for consistent nourishment with care and grooming which accounts for physical, mental, cognitive, emotional and spiritual development of learners.

MWS is affiliated to the diverse curriculum of Cambridge Assessment International Education traverses through Cambridge Primary (Grades 1st to 6th), Cambridge Lower Secondary (Grades 7th& 8th), Cambridge Upper secondary (Grades 9th & 10th) and finally Cambridge Advanced (Grades 11th & 12th). Through these levels, learners fathom multitudes of knowledge as they are constantly and consistently encouraged creative experimentation and skillful weaving of dreams into actions. The basics of languages, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences are not delivered in the monotony of lifeless pages but given a life like appeal through zealous activities that help unlock
the complete potential of every learner.

The Pre Primary section of MWS is called Blooming Buds and the grades are Mulberry, Waterlily and Sundrop representing Pre Nursery, Nursery and K.G. respectively. At Blooming Buds, the educators constantly strive to unlock the innate potential of the tender minds for preparing them for the higher levels of education. An unimpeded and friendly environment at the school lets children blossom to their complete potentials. Focus is on developing communication skills and on reinforcing an innate sense of discovery in everything that is taught.

Moving further into the higher grades, learners are groomed in the manner that they are ready to face challenges and prove their mettle in this highly competitive world. The state of the art infrastructure that comprises 3D lab, computer lab, language lab, physics lab, chemistry lab, biology lab, art lab and activity lab alongside excellent sports facilities that include outdoor sports like cricket, lawn tennis, volley ball, basket ball, skating and swimming, indoor sports department with facilities to learn snooker, table tennis, chess and carom give learners the scope to develop themselves completely. Besides organizing programmes on drama, music and dance at regular intervals, debates, declamations, elocutions, creative writing and so on are also orchestrated regularly. In all these events, 100% participation of students is ensured so as to help learners lessen stage fear and become confident in facing the larger stages of the world. Inter school and intra school events further help learners understand meaningful and healthy competition.

MWS is affiliated to Trinity College, London, through which effective communication skills are nurtured as students are given the required training for communicating effectively in English by a comprehensive learning and examination process. The residential facility of MWS at DLF Phase II furthers its intentions to give to learners a space that helps them become mature and responsible. Assistance in studies, monitoring effective
utilization of time and engagement in valuable learning discourses are the factors that distinguish the boarding house of MWS from all others.

The hallmark of MWS is to nurture hopes, strengthen confidence, and empower learners to realize their potential and enable them to squarely meet the emerging challenges offered by the technologically advanced global information systems while maintaining the rich cultural heritage and the much cherished values of our society. Towards this end, a positive educational experience is ensured whilst providing qualification that is relevant, accurate, reliable and internationally recognized.

Strengthening Parent-School Communications through Mobile Apps

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Akash

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March 6, 2018

It is very important for parents and teachers to communicate with each other for holistic growth of students. How Mobile Apps may enhance parents’ involvement for better learning experience of students, observes Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO and Co-founder, Next Education, for Elets News Network (ENN).

Teachers and parents are the two most influential contributors to a child’s early years. Research indicates that an effective liaison between parents and teachers is essential to bringing out the best in every child. However, a lot of factors get in the way of meaningful communication between these two groups. Technology, which has gratified humans with many uses, can be beneficial in this area too. Since most parents and teachers are active smartphone users, they can use tech-mediated means to channelise communication.

Disconnect between teachers and parents

Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO and Co-founder, Next Education

Parental involvement in school is often erroneously considered to be limited to attending parent-teacher meetings and signing report cards. Oftentimes, debates on improving the quality of education do not always focus on the importance of parents’ inputs. Nonetheless, an inclusion of their inputs is undeniably paramount. Unwavering year-round parental participation and attention is essential to a child’s academic excellence.

However, parents sometimes hesitate to connect with schools and gauge their child’s progress because either they are unsure about the questions they need to ask, or they don’t have the time to regularly meet teachers. This may be interpreted by teachers as disinterest on the part of parents. “Teachers perceive that families don’t want to be involved when, in fact, families don’t know how to be involved,” states Karen C. Salinas, the communication director for the Centre on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at John Hopkins University. Then again, teachers complain about being questioned by pushy parents for their teaching methods and the performance of their child. A lack of effective home-school interaction hampers a child’s all-round development.

A shift in approach

It is essential that healthy communication between teachers and parents exists. They have to be proactive communicators; occasional sharing of information about a child does not help. Schools should try to dispel parents’ discomfort. This does not imply that the onus is on the management and the teachers alone. It simply means that positive communication, such as encouraging messages from teachers, can motivate parents to actively be a part of their child’s learning process. Parents and teachers should be able to collaborate, because the project they have at hand is the same: helping children reach their true potential. Therefore, both groups need to realise their shared responsibilities in this project and contribute accordingly.

Tech-mediated communication

As already mentioned, since most teachers, parents and school management are active smartphone users, they can use technology to communicate with each other. In fact, a report titled Online Education in India: 2021, jointly published by KPMG and Google, mentions that there are “around 290 million smartphone users in India today”, and an addition of another 180 million to the user base is expected by 2021. The report mentions that this, along with factors such as internet penetration and increasing disposable income, is a growth driver of online education.

Staying updated with technology

It is important that every school management uses technological solutions such as school management software to keep parents informed about their child’s learning progress and general behaviour in the classroom. In fact, Information and Communication Technology, a scheme that was launched in 2004 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India, recommends the deployment of a school-based management information system (MIS) that acts as a “single-window clearing house on all information”.

When parents probe a child about their school activities, the child may feel intruded on and become uncommunicative. Parents can engage in a dialogue with the help of asynchronous mails where simultaneous communication is not required. Furthermore, they can also avail of synchronous instant messaging, if needed. School management software is also available as apps besides having their presence on the web. Schools can use these apps and encourage parents to start using the apps for effective communication.

Benefits of using apps for school communication

These apps allow schools to send SMS alerts to parents about school events and activities. Teachers can also share course structure and content with parents via these apps. Parents can view reports of students’ progress on the apps. The reports are made available as graphs for easy comprehension. Often, parents are unaware about the performance of their children till the semester report cards reach home. However, regular progress reports can help parents stay abreast with their children’s learning and take the necessary corrective measures, if required.

They can also engage in conversations with teachers about their wards’ behaviour with their peers. If they are worried about their child’s safety and whereabouts, they can even check the location of the school buses via GPS tracking. They can also get notified when the payment of fees is due and get a detailed report of their wards’ attendance. NextERP, our school management software, allows schools and parents to access a host of different reports as well as facilitates communication among different stakeholders.

Communication made easy

A parent-teacher relationship is not an easy one. While asynchronous emails make formal communication easier, synchronous instant messaging can be made possible through an app to promote informal communication. A mix of these two types of communication can greatly help parent-teacher relationships. Tech-mediated school-home communication can encourage parental involvement in students’ academics and thereby improve the performance of students. Studies prove that children whose parents are highly invested in their academics not only do well in their studies but also like to attend school regularly and are involved in their studies.

While technology and the changing school ecosystems make it very easy for parents to stay updated with their child’s progress, it is important that parents actually use these resources. However, parents should refrain from going overboard in their efforts to keep track of everything that happens in their children’s lives. They should respect their child’s privacy and give them space and freedom to think for themselves.

Urgent need to rationalize school curriculum: Prakash Javadekar

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Akash

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March 6, 2018

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has invited suggestions to rationalise the school curriculum from class I to XII to ensure holistic development of students.

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has said that rationalization of school curriculum is urgently needed to fulfill objective of preparing good human beings through school education.

Javadekar said, “Along with academic education, life skills, experiential learning, physical education and creative skills are needed. We need to develop the system where students get time for each of this and can progress in the areas which he or she likes most; therefore there is continuous demand of rationalization of syllabus which many people believe is too heavy and inappropriate for age.”

The minister asked all the stakeholders including teachers, headmasters, school management, parents, students, NGOs, experts and public representatives to send their suggestions for rationalising the school curriculum.

Anyone having suggestions on this issue can provide their suggestions online from 5th March, 2018 to 6th April, 2018. The link for suggestions is: http://164.100.78.75/DIGI/citizen/secure/initEnrollVolunteer.do

Personal details of the persons submitting suggestions will remain confidential.

Choreography, when passion turns into profession

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Akash

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March 5, 2018

Nowadays, Performing Arts is emerging as a career option among the youth of India. One of the important profession, youth is taking interest into is Dance trainer. Shiamak Davar, one of the renowned choreographers in the country, shared his views in this regard with Elets News Network (ENN).

Dance is now a viable career option. Whether as a performer, dance instructor, choreographer or entrepreneur in the field of the performing arts; there is a plethora of opportunities. Being a first-hand witness through the transitional phase of western dance in India, the last thirty years have been a revolution of sorts. I’ve observed a positive and impactful change in people’s attitude towards dance as a career. The industry has opened up tremendously, arts and culture have become hugely popular and in effect people don’t fear making their passion a profession. This transitional change in people and the overall market has opened doors.

Belonging to a family of educationists, I’ve always understood the importance of education. I grew up under the influence of my parents, graduates from Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT) and Founded of Davar’s College of Commerce in 1900. Though I always found comfort and a sense of belonging in performing arts, I always knew the importance of having a strong academic background. Only on completing my graduation did my parents allow me to pursue my passion.

I was blessed with parents, who at that time, allowed me to follow my passion and make it a profession. Today, as I see boys and girls from all over the country striving to break into the field of performing arts, I’m overjoyed and grateful that dance is now accepted as a career.

When I decided to make dance my career, I brought both aspects together with “Dance Education.” My aim has been to provide quality dance education in India through a well-structured syllabus, inculcating correct technique and providing wholesome training to students of all ages. Whether it is in my regular, progressive, hobby dance classes or workshops in schools, I train my faculty to teach children of all age groups, understanding their individual requirements and ensuring that they learn in a fun and friendly environment.

Passion is at the forefront of anything that you want to do in life. Each of us is blessed with a talent that is unique to us. When you enter a dance studio, you should feel at home; there is a sense of belonging. Passion for dance will come from within and it is this passion that will make you realize that you were born to dance. If you are not passionate about dance, after a while either it will start feeling like a “job” or you will stop enjoying the experience of choreographing, learning and dancing.

For someone to make dance a career, I’ve always insisted and laid stress on the importance of training. With easy access to the internet, most people skip this training phase and become professionals just by watching videos and probably copying them. But people must understand that you can harm your students if you aren’t trained. It is essential to learn professionally before you begin to pass on the knowledge.

Passion must be the driving force for anything that one wants to do in life. Each of us is blessed with a talent that is unique to us. If you are not passionate about dance, after a while either it will start feeling like a “job” or you will stop enjoying the experience of choreographing, learning and dancing. A dancer must always be hungry to learn, to keep improving and working on their dance-ability. There is never a “best dancer”, there is always something to achieve, something to improve and something to learn. A successful dancer will always have the fire to keep going.

Technically, to make it a profession, one must be flexible, agile and have an understanding and knowledge of music and rhythm. Being a versatile dancer will give them an edge of being able to adapt to different movements and dance styles. Dance is not just physical experience, but a mental, emotional and spiritual one too. You need to be mentally strong to sustain hours of rehearsals, years of struggle and decades to find acceptance. If you have a grounding in either ballet or Indian Classical dance forms, your foundation will be extremely strong. These styles form the basis and prepare you for any other dance style. In terms of technique, understanding of the body, positioning the weight, balance… the overall understanding and adaptability becomes easier.

My purpose in dance, is the incomparable happiness I feel in spreading the joy of dance. In my One Year Certification Program (OYP), each year I receive thousands of entries of hopefuls who want to take up dance professionally. This makes me feel so grateful that things have moved in the right direction and whether boys of girls, whether from cities or towns, dance is relevant, accepted and understood today.

The scope of dance and choreography in fact goes beyond just the art on its own. That’s why I’ve included modules in event management, backstage, production, sound, light, musicality, audio & video editing, and even grooming and nutrition in OYP.

The talent in our country is unbelievable. We no longer need to look at the West; there are plenty of opportunities here. Whether it is becoming a dance instructor in schools, teaching hobby classes, teaching families for Sangeets, performing in films and award shows, being a part of professional teams that perform in musicals or even going abroad and taking up dance full time; the prospects are endless. What is the most important is to constantly have that hunger to learn, train and then pass on the knowledge.

Rise of ICT in Higher Education

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By

Akash

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March 5, 2018

ICT has evolved as a tool to monitor and manage processes in easier way than before. Seeking the scope of ICT, there are several programmes at higher education level to meet industries’ demand. Dr Sean McSweeeney, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Tim Horgan, Head of Department of Computer Science from Cork Institute of Technology observe how the two streams are among the most trending ones in higher education sector.

Dr Sean McSweeeney, Lecturer, Department of Computer Science

The potential for technology to transform the way we live over the coming years and decades has been recognised by all sectors of society. Many studies have indicated that this impact will become more visible as the exponential growth in processing capability is leveraged to develop ever more sophisticated systems. This fundamental change in the way future economies will operate, has resulted in targeted technical programmes being established or increased in size by many academic institutions. Two areas within technology that have perhaps the most significant potential impact are Artificial Intelligence and Information Security. The Department of Computer Science in Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland has advanced its suite of programmes to include offerings in Artificial Intelligence and Information Security due to the potential impact these key areas will have.

In the twenty-first century, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has experienced a resurgence following concurrent advances in computer power, large amounts of data, and theoretical understanding. AI techniques have now become an essential part of the technology industry, helping to solve many challenging problems in computer science. The MSc in Artificial Intelligence offered by CIT delivers a comprehensive range of topics integral to the study of AI. These include machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, optimisation, and big data processing to name but a few. This master’s degree provides a technical deep-dive into the area of AI. The programme aims to produce AI developers with a highly relevant skillset in AI topics. The programme contains challenging and interesting modules delivered by lecturers who are experts in AI. Students will also be presented with opportunities to work on modern research case studies linked to the domain expertise of staff in the department. Entry to the MSc in Artificial Intelligence will require a minimum of a Level 8 Honours Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or an honours degree in a cognate discipline. This 60-credit programme is delivered over two 30 credit semesters. It is expected that students will complete this programme in one academic year on a full-time basis.

Tim Horgan, Cork Institute of Technology — Tim Horgan, Head of Department of Computer Science from Cork Institute of Technology

Information Security continues to be an area of increasing importance in highly advanced economies with the increasing amount of monetizable data available and the interconnected nature of the technology that powers these economies. This continuing trend is predicted to strongly increase the importance of Information Security within most multinational entities. The MSc in Information Security offered by CIT was designed with experts from leading Information Security companies. The topics of study include network security and forensics, penetration testing, digital forensics & incident response, malware analysis and many others. Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate will both understand and have the capacity to deploy many of the most advanced methods and systems to protect information at rest, in transit, and at work. Entry will require a minimum of a Level 8 Honours Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or an honours degree in a cognate discipline. The MSc in Information Security is a 90-credit programme, consisting of 60 credits of taught modules and a 30-credit project. It is expected that students will complete this programme in 12 months on a full-time basis.

The Department of Computer Science in CIT is one of the largest computer science departments in Ireland. CIT’s industry engaged programmes have an excellent reputation for producing the most employable computer science graduates in Ireland. These highly skilled graduates are in huge demand and have contributed significantly to the rapid advancement of Ireland’s economy. The Department places significant emphasis on student learning by doing. It adopts a practical, hands-on, approach to learning blended with deep theoretical knowledge to produce rounded and highly capable graduates.

TNT, Auditing institutes to make them flourish

Magazine

By

Akash

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March 4, 2018

Tutored and Trained audit schools and colleges across India using help them in Teacher Evaluation, Policy Review, Safety Audits and also in developing new revenue streams, says Joyanto Mukherjee, Founder and CEO, Tutored and Trained (TNT), in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

How the practices followed by TNT bring life into old institutions and help newer institutions to flourish?

We evaluate the academic system and the professors on KSA scale which includes three important parameters – Knowledge, Skills and Attitude. Any academic system to work efficiently requires focus on these three parameters. We inspect every minute detail by spending four to five days at an educational institute and audit every aspect of the
system i.e. teaching staff, administration, classroom and the overall management, using a combination of clinical psychology and behavioural science. We observe the time spent by teachers in preparing their lessons and their approach towards delivering a lecture. Based on all these things, we come out with a solution to improve the system.

Teachers play an important role in improving the teaching-learning process, how TNT identifies problems of teachers and executes solutions through them to better the overall functioning of schools?

One of our services, Teacher Behaviour Analysis (TBA) – A comprehensive audit of every teacher in the institute, is used to highlight key challenges that are being faced by them along with psychometric evaluation of their satisfaction levels on different aspects. It enables the institutions to identify and resolve unheard issues of teachers as well as to get a comprehensive feedback on their teacher portfolio with answers to the questions like are they satisfied, are they motivated, etc. Resolving the issues help the institutions to get the best output from teachers. This also helps in
improving the teacher-student relationship.

We believe that it is crucial for educational institutes to constantly evolve not just in the way of teaching but also the way they run the institute, via its POLICIES. TNT’s Policy Review Tool enables institutes to shape their future backed by the latest management tools & behaviourial sciences.

Various recent incidents at different schools have raised questions on security promises made by schools, what role does TNT’s Education Institute Safety Audit play to ensue better safety measures?

We believe that every child has his/her way of observing things around them either in school or at home. It may or may not be good for them. Our service, Education Institute Safety Audit (EISA) is a truly – effective safety audit that goes beyond physical safety of a child. Our service focuses on emotional and mental safety of students by creating a safer atmosphere for them to develop in.

It is important for educational institutes to analyse existing policies and frame the new ones for their smooth functioning, how TNT help them in this?

We believe that it is crucial for educational institutes to constantly evolve not just in the way of teaching but also the way they run the institute, via its POLICIES. TNT’s Policy Review Tool enables institutes to shape their future backed by the latest management tools & behaviourial sciences. Thus making it a teacher friendly organisation focused on creating value for all.

What is your mission and vision for upcoming years?

Tutored and Trained is India’s only academic auditing firm. We are a team of young and dynamic people coming from different backgrounds with the motive to bring changes in the Indian Education system. We use Behavioural Economics to influence choice architecture to have more effective HR practices, increase teacher performance and more. We believe that Indian education system can be changed by bringing uniformity in it.

Life Skills Key to Transform Students’ Worldview

Magazine

By

Akash

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March 3, 2018

To prepare individuals for challenging careers ahead, the steadily turning fast -paced life and nuclear family system have necessitated educational institutes to inculcate life skills among students, observes Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN).

The term ‘Life Skills’ is used to describe a set of basic skills like creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, the ability to communicate and collaborate.

These are usually acquired through learning and/or direct life experience. It is important to understand and remember that these skills actually enable individuals and groups to effectively handle issues and problems usually
confronted in day-to-day life.

These skills also include personal and social responsibility that contribute to good citizenship.

All this leads us to ponder how much all these essential skills are needed to achieve success in the 21st century. These are required both for healthy societies and to prepare successful and employable individuals.

Significance in Modern Times

Be it policymakers or educators, they are laying stress upon nurturing life skills for children’s holistic development.
Though the focus is still on languages, sciences and mathematics, the current societal changes in the form of nuclear families and increased individualism have given birth to the need for schools to train students in life skills. It is hoped to enable them to lead a better life.

Reflecting change, while the earlier eras and traditional ecosystem of families supported the imbibing of critical life skills, today, the formal K-12 system needs to address life skills development in an explicit manner.

The critical importance of acquiring 21st Century life skills was highlighted in a recent study. Released by World Economic Forum’s Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Study – 2016, it states that 65% of today’s schoolchildren will
have to take up the kind of jobs that are non-existent today.

The World Health Organisation’s studies highlight the critical role of life skills education in improving health, hygiene and safety. All these studies globally indicate the vital importance of life skills education. There is also a body of knowledge to suggest that life skills learning is most appropriate at a young (school-going age) to tap into the innate curiosity of the child.

Life skills are not only about learning a subject, getting trained in a skill, and doing daily household jobs like laundry and cooking, it is much more than this.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), life skills are “the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life” It includes improvement in social, emotional, and thinking skills of a person such as self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, decision-making, and coping with stress.

Life skills are the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with demands and challenges of everyday life.

Importance of life skills-based education Life skills help a person to live a healthy and productive life by making informed decisions, communicating effectively with others and developing self-management skills. These skills are often taught to adolescents, as they can help them successfully transition “from childhood to adulthood by healthy development of social and emotional skills”.

Life skills-based education can help in the development of social competence and problem-solving skills, which, in turn, help adolescents to form their own identity. They help in promoting positive social norms that have an impact on the adolescents’ health services, schools, and family. Also, these skills promote development of positive self-esteem and anger control.

Benefits

To cope with the increasing pace and change of modern life, students need new life skills such as the ability to deal with stress and frustration. Today’s students will have many new jobs over the course of their lives, with associated pressures and the need for flexibility.

For Students:
In everyday life, the development of life skills helps students to:

Find new ways of thinking and problem solving
Recognise the impact of their actions and teaches them to take responsibility for what they do than blaming others
Build confidence both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and cooperation
Analyse options, make decisions and understand why they make certain choices outside classroom
Develop a greater sense of self-awareness and appreciation for others
Employment Benefits:

While students work hard to get good grades, many still struggle to gain employment. According to research by the Confederation of British Industry, employers were looking not just for academic success but key employability skills
including:

The ability to self-manage, solve problems and understand the business environment
Working well as part of a team
Time and people management
Agility and adaptability to different roles and flexible working environments

Social Benefits

The more we develop life skills individually, the more these affect and benefit the world we live in:

Recognising cultural awareness and citizenship makes international cooperation easier
Respecting diversity allows creativity and imagination to flourish developing a more tolerant society
Developing negotiation skills, the ability to network and empathies can help to build resolutions rather than resentments

The demographic dividend of India can only be transformative when the young population of this country develops life skills in addition to vocational skills to manage the challenges in everyday life, whether at school, at work, or
personal lives. Life skills are defined as a group of cognitive, personal and inter-personal skills that enhance abilities to manage challenges and risks, maximize opportunities, and solve problems in cooperative, non-violent ways.

To cope with the increasing pace and change of modern life, students need new life skills such as the ability to deal with stress and frustration. Today’s students will have many new jobs over the course of their lives, with associated pressures and the need for flexibility.

Essential Life Skills

While one cannot give a definitive list of life skills, some skills may still sound relevant to oneself depending on one’s life circumstances, beliefs, age, culture, and geographic location, etc. Depending upon varying stages of life, different life skills may prove more or less important.

Such as:

During school or college education, one requires study skills
If you are purchasing a house, negotiation skills are needed
For employment, you need to work on your employability skills
Leadership and presentation skills could be useful, along with a whole host of other skills, at workplace
As you start a family you will need parenting skills. Also, time management and organising skills would prove important
In life when you’ll need conflict resolution, stress-management and problem solving skills as well

Big Data Analytics and The Future Ahead

Magazine

By

Akash

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March 2, 2018

With the fast changing scenario of businesses and rising challenges to stay ahead of the times, a lot of organisations are trying to develop an approach that helps them to expand their business revenues while cutting the operational costs. Doesn’t it create scope for Big Data Analytics? explores Elets News Network (ENN).

One needs to first understand that the big data analytics is the use of advanced analytic methodologies against very large, diverse data sets that include structured, semi-structured and unstructured data, from different sources, and in different sizes from terabytes to zettabytes.

Where is this Big Data found?

It comes from sensors, devices, video/audio, networks, log files, transactional applications, web, and social media. A lot of is generated in real time and at a very large scale.

The analysis of big data allows analysts, researchers, and business users to make better and faster decisions using data that was previously inaccessible or unusable.

The Big Data Analysis helps organisations in finding scope of innovation and improvement by analysing the available data. It can also help individuals in building a successful career.

Companies seek to expand their operational structure keeping an eye on the future. They have large amount of data in every single area of research, deals creation, customer service, among others.

In recent times, there has been a sudden rise in demand of business analytics. The prime reason behind this surge is the data driven and technology focussed approaches that majority of organisations have willingly embraced.

A proper analysis of the data helps them to identify potential dangers for their company and framing of strategies for the areas that may help to boost revenue generation for the organisation.

In recent times, there has been a sudden rise in demand of business analytics. The prime reason behind it is the data driven and technology focussed approaches that majority of organisations have embraced.

But for how long is this scenario going to stay beneficial? Will it still be advantageous for a student graduating five or 10 years from now? Future of a business or career is solely dependent on market demand as well as its own versatility.

The major reason for growth of business analytics and intelligence is the fact that since the whole concept of analytics revolves around data, it is very challenging to successfully complete the course. Hence, there is a scarcity of
expert analysts.

According to Forbes (2015), there was a 123.60% jump in demand for InformationTechnology Project Managers with big data expertise, and an 89.8% increase for Computer Systems Analysts. It is expected to rise by every single passing day.

The Harvard Business Review quoted something very interesting — job of a data scientist is the sexiest job of 21st century. Now, who wouldn’t want to be one? According to the McKinsey Global Institute report, “By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 1,40,000 to 1,90,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.”

Analytics is an ever-growing branch of study. Huge database is available in virtual form which has created a need for more effective and accurate data based decision-makers, which surely points a finger towards exponential growth in demand of business analysts.

Business analytics courses in India and who should opt for it?

So if you have been inquisitive about numbers and data, analytics is the career for you. It is a challenging task which requires high degree of conscious effort and smart work to put things in perspective. This data finally aids the process of decision-making that encourages growth of companies and organisations.

An ideal candidate is expected to be a statistics degree holder and/or a mathematics degree holder. Post graduation or a Master’s Degree adds value to it.

What to Expect?

An integrated master’s level programme curriculum, consisting of business data analysis and business intelligence – is quite popular since there are no effective full-time programmes in place for business analytics.

If you’re a person who is passionate about numbers and data, analytics is the career for you. It is a challenging taskwhich requires high degree of conscious efforts and smart work in order to put things in perspective.

Colleges to look up to:
Some of the colleges, which have either integrated business analytics in their regular course or are providing certificate courses, are:

MISB Bocconi, Mumbai
SP Jain School of Global Management, Mumbai
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
Narsee Monjee School of Management (NMIMS), Bangalore
Aegis School of Data Science, Mumbai, IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Kozhikode
NIT Trichy
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management, Mumbai
Shailesh J Mehta School of Management at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai

Top 7 Business Analytics Programme:

Certified Program in Business Analytics (CBA) – Indian School of Business
Executive Programme in Advanced Business Analytics from IIM Ahmedabad
PGPBA – Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai and Gurgaon
Certificate program in business analytics for executives (CPBAE)- IIM Lucknow
Executive Programme in Business Analytics – IIM Kolkata
Business analytics and Intelligence – IIM Bangalore
Post Graduate Programme, Praxis Business School, Kolkata
CPEE- Big Data Analytics & Optimization – International School of Engineering (INSOFE)

Digital Literacy Transforming Education System Globally

Article

By

Akash

-

March 1, 2018

Digital literacy has transformed the traditional ways of imparting education in India and around the world. In addition to how digital literacy has impacted other areas of education sector observes Gaurav Gupta, Founder and Director, SquareBoat-Solutions Private Limited, for Elets News Network (ENN).

Gaurav Gupta, Founder and Director, SquareBoat-Solutions Private Limited

Be it in India or abroad, the first thing that digital literacy or the internet brings on the table is the ease of gathering information. Students in the western countries have been primarily relying on google searches for their school assignments, in contrast to turning the pages of outdated books that students in India do. Needless to say, gathering more information makes the work in western countries exponentially better than in India. What has lacked in India though, is not the intent to use technology but the capability to use it. Not long before, not much of India had access to high speed internet, which was overly reflected in the education system as well. Forget about learning how to ‘google’, the course books had instructions on how to turn a computer on. But gradually, internet is getting more accessible, not only at schools but also at people’s houses, as it gets cheaper. Combined with government support, cellular companies are also making internet cheaper, resulting in a positive impact in India in terms of digital-literacy. Below are some of the ways in which education in India, and in general, has been impacted the most.

Communication: Students are now capable of communicating with each other and their teachers in real time. Earlier, it was a hassle for students to collaborate on a project. Especially during vacations, it was impossible for them to check what the other guy is doing or to get feedback from teachers. Now students have a number of ways to communicate, like phone calls, internet messengers, skype etc. They can even manage work better as teachers encourage them to use work management software like Trello and Asana.

Information gathering: Not only is the world changing, but it is changing at a faster pace every day. Therefore, it is impossible to print the most updated information in school books every year, and update them frequently. What can be changed frequently though, is a web page. Internet has seen an increasing number of students from India, looking up information related to their school assignments. Just last year, the year-on-year growth of internet users in India was 23%, a huge number, compared to the world average of 10%.

Online learning: With the world moving towards skill based job opportunities, people are realising that having in-demand skills is more important today than having a degree. Therefore, they turn to internet for micro-courses like ‘Digital Marketing’, ‘Web Development’, etc. The number of people paying to learn online, in India, rose from fairly none at the start of this decade to 1.6 million in 2016, resulting from two years of 100% growth, as per a research conducted by KPMG. Additionally, there are plenty of other websites which provide free online courses and tutorials. An example of this can be seen on Hackr.io which hosts links of several hundreds of websites, which offer web development tutorials available on the internet, most of which are free.

Career planning: With technology and automation in picture, a lot of jobs are getting obsolete but many new ones are coming up. The challenge, however, is to make students aware of them. Traditionally, it is parents who decide for their children, but we all know how ineffective that is. These days, internet is enabling students to break through the tradition. Students are now constantly updated about what’s trending in market, through networking sites like Linkedin and Facebook. Moreover, start-ups like iDreamCareer have come up with online tests and counselling services, to further help the students in making their career decisions.

Modernising schools: The most drastic change that digital brought about in education is the technology we use at school. The most revolutionary one has been digital boards in classrooms. This has led to students associating words with graphics from a very early age, and is thereby improving their learning skills. Students develop a skill of learning through videos lessons, a skill which later manifest into them using YouTube and Khan Academy for educational content.

Gamification of education: Not everyone learns alike, some prefer to learn by reading in black and white, while some like to be taught through games. Digitalisation of education brought a huge array of online games which help let children learn easily. This also lets teachers get a thorough understanding of what a student’s learning behaviour is like.

Showcasing talent: With internet and all the platforms it has to offer, it is easier for students to showcase their talent and work. Students often make use of platform like SlideShare and YouTube to publish their school assignments. A lot of design students post their art on Dribbble and Behance, and go head on against the professionals. This opens them up to feedback from billions of people from the internet community and an equal chance to prove their metal.

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