The vision of scaling Global Discovery Academy (GDA)’ network of schools across the length and breadth of India has been our prime motto, says Dy. Chief Executive Officer, Vinesh Menon, GDA, in an interaction with Elets News Network (ENN)
What is the change that GDA has brought in the current education scenario? GDA is all about changing the way a child perceives a school – our objective is to help today’s generation children DISCOVER learning rather than be subjected to ROTE learning inside theclass room. So what are the changes?
? We have brought in a platform that gives parents of Tier 2& 3 cities a chance to experience high-end education at an affordable price.
? Our approach around educator hiring, learning spaces inside the schools, the pedagogical content, use of technology, mapping children’s dominant strengths, our engagement with parents in our endeavour to facilitate the change in education delivery has shown results & has been acknowledged by parents as a big differentiator.
? We have an unlimited reservoir of innovation in line with futuristic trends that education in India will require – merely timing the opening of the tap that flows this out. Have you heard of Market Day, Entrepreneurship labs, Honouring National Heroes, Toastmasters program etc in K 12? Perhaps not.
? Finally, we are steadily creating a unique eco-system where parents, educators and students across unite under one platform , for sharing best practices, interact and converge towards one common goal dedicated to shape 16 years of a child’s development in a manner that prepares him to be confident and self sufficient in tomorrow’s globally shrinking world.
How has Global Discovery Academy schools seen growth in the last four years. How has the Journey been so far?
4 years back, our Co-Founder & Mg. Director Mr. Pankaj Bindra, relocated to India from USA with an idea, a vision and a clear blueprint. He established the first Global Discovery School in Sevasi, Gujarat which focussed on executing the GDA blue print around architecture, neo experiential applied learning practices, continuous innovation through technology, differentiated approach in talent management & training aimed at a paradigm shift in pedagogy delivery and mass perception – making education, interactive, engaging and enjoyable for the child. With the school in Sevasi being the country’s Research , Development and Innovation Centre, we have 12 schools, now operational in association with far sighted visionary Education Partners who resonate with the new age education philosophy, technology and innovation. We have set a footprint in Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana & Rajasthan and are proud to be adding value to nearly 4,000 students through a team of dedicated young qualified professionals supporting a team of energetic & excited educators. I have been around for the last 3 years and have no idea on the time that has whizzed by – the journey has been enriching to say the least.
How has technology helped induce the change and facilitate learning outcomes?
Just as how technology is an integral part of any system and industry, the education platform cannot ignore the power of technology. Global Discovery Academy’s objective is build efficiencies in all spheres of school operations through a well defined process and power the engine that drives the education delivery through technology BUT at the same time ensure that it does not dilute the emotional touch & human intervention that is essential in the formative years of a child. We have technology integrated into our curriculum, pedagogy delivery and assessments of both students & educators. Syllabi completion is also tracked on a technology enabled platform. Parent portals can be downloaded on IOS & Android phones and can be used to track progress, view the daily calendar online, register feedback & absorb psychometric evaluation reports and other assessments of the child. RFIDs and GPS chip enabled platforms are used to keep children secure. Discovery Launchpad is a technology and entrepreneurship platform exclusive to the GDA curriculum that helps children acquire skills in mobile app making & scratch programming. Our parent surveys are conducted online by independent survey agencies and thus you can well appreciate how well embedded technology is into the GDA eco-system.
We have brought in a platform that gives parents of Tier ii & iii cities a chance to experience highend education at an affordable price
Where do you see GDA, 3 years hence?
We are in a constant state of evolution and maturity. Our vision is to have a school in every town of India and this calls for a very sure footed approach in associating with likeminded education partners and continually innovating the differentiated delivery of our core product. Our innovation and ability to bring in a structured enhancement to education has also found favour with promising existing schools in India which perhaps may wish to use the services of organisations like ours to further add value to an already running school and enhance the learning experience for their students. Our strength lies in the ability to ensure standardised delivery across key operational functions that are critical to make a K12 school successful and foster a dynamic child-school-parent connect, despite diversity in the country. You will see us as a chain that continually innovates, builds deeper foundations into children, enhances confidence in them and readies them to face the dynamic globalisation in the years to come. Finally, we may wish to explore possibilities of setting up Educator Training Institutes & also venturing to serve the Indian diaspora outside the shores of India.
Assessment has value worldwide as a means of generating data to support personalised learning, improvements in school teaching methodology and national reform programmes, and India is no exception, writes James Neill, Director GL Education
James Neill Director, GL Education
Many leading educationists recognise how data from formative assessments can drive improvements in teaching and learning methods. Daisy Christodoulou, Head of Assessment at Ark Schools, who has recently opened the Ark Schools India’s SDMC Primary School in New Delhi, says, “We know from other walks of life that accurate data can be transformative.”
Christodoulou adds, “Improvements in measurements brought about by microscopes and stethoscopes in the 19th century led to improvements in healthcare systems, while improvements in the measurements of smartphones can transform people’s lives. Spending time to ensure that our educational measurements are smart can help us work out what really works in the classroom and make sure that no student is left behind.”
At GL Education, we take a ‘whole pupil’ view of a student by using assessments to look at each student’s ability and attitudes, as well as attainment and progress. In doing so, schools can build a complete picture of each student, enabling teachers to adapt to teaching and learning methods accordingly to realise every student’s potential. This helps understand whether or not students are gifted in a particular subject or they have special educational needs.
This ‘whole pupil’ approach to assessment is being adopted by educational institutions across India. Urmila Chowdhury, Executive Principal at SDMC Primary School, explains, “At Ark Lajpat Nagar, we believe that all children, irrespective of background or ability, can succeed if taught well, and so it is really important for us to use benchmarked assessment data to ensure teaching is correctly targeted.”
Recognising the importance of assessment data, Anne Waite – Senior Advisor for School Improvement at UK-based GEMS Education, opines, “With GEMS schools around the world educating 250,000 pupils, we are constantly identifying ways to support schools in recognising their strategic direction of journey when raising the performance standards of their students. We are also keen to ensure that our Indian schools in the UAE, which cater to over 74,000 students, have access to the same quality of assessment data to support learning and teaching that our NCfE (National Curriculum for England) schools benefit from.”
Understanding the potential
GEMS Education uses our Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4) to measure the four main types of reasoning ability that are known to make a difference to learning and achievement: verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial ability. It is the most widely used test of reasoning ability in the UK and is now available for schools following CBSE curriculum in India and around the world. The new CBSE edition enables schools following the Indian curriculum to benefi t by obtaining valuable insights into a student’s potential, based on comparisons with other students of the same age, and indicators of students’ likely outcomes in future CBSE examinations. These comparisons and indicators are based on data of over 12,800 students taking CAT4 and the CBSE curriculum.
Anne maintains, “The data generated from the CAT4 CBSE edition has really helped our school leaders to understand the potential and learning preferences of their students. Schools have been able to use the data to further develop focussed feedback for learners and their parents. Therefore, together they are using the data to support the setting and discussing of target grades to ensure even greater results.”
Indeed, it is the way in which assessments can be used to personalise learning and understand students’ potential that is driving the interest in formative assessments in India.
Savita Venkat, Principal – Bombay Cambridge School, Mumbai, explains, “The use of data to inform teaching and learning is important. At Bombay Cambridge, we have now designed an internal assessment system that will allow our teachers to really understand individual learners at a greater depth. This will ensure that we can not only personalise teaching to a greater depth using the CAT4, but we will be able to measure students’ annual progress, supporting them to achieve their academic potential.”
Maximising achievement A number of schools are using CAT4 alongside GL Education’s Progress Test Series; a suite of attainment tests in English and Maths. By comparing scores from both CAT4 and the Progress Test Series, schools can quickly and easily see the students that are not achieving their full potential and need additional support.
Nahmiya Shajas, Primary Math Coordinator from GEMS New Millennium School, Al Khail, has been using CAT4 in this way. She explains, “CAT4 gives a comprehensive profi le of a child’s underlying ability, so by combining this with the scores from the Progress Tests in English and Maths, teachers are able to quickly fi nd which children are underperforming. This helps to plan intervention strategies for individual students.
“The data will help us identify the areas for development,” Nahmiya adds. “We are also able to compare the children’s performance against national performance, which helps us keep their progress on track, to look at what targets we need to set, and what strategies need to be put in place to ensure these are met.
Now, teachers are able to draw up a list of topics to directly address any gaps in knowledge.”
Helen L Sharrock, Principal – Primary, Mercedes Benz International School, Pune, adds, “Our school has been using a range of assessments from GL Education since August 2015 to enhance our teaching and learning. We are committed to providing a challenging, differentiated programme for all our students, and with the use of CAT4 tests, ‘Progress in English’ and ‘Progress in Maths’ assessments, we are able to gain a deeper understanding of our students’ strengths and areas for development. We use GL Education’s assessments as part of our data collection both formal and informal for bridging the gaps that could exist between attainment and aptitude.
Besides, Helen says, “We are committed to helping our students reach their full potential and the assessments provide a strong set of data, with concrete suggestions as to how we can work to develop the students further. The assessments are skill and concept-based, so are suited to a range of National and International programmes and are not dependent on a specific knowledge base. We are looking forward to the new information that GL Education intends to provide shortly, regarding the CAT4 assessments and the correlation to predicted IBMYP and IBDP grades, in terms of aptitude.”
World Education Summit – Delhi We are excited to be a part of the World Education Summit to be held in Delhi. As a speaker, and with the support of regional school leaders, I am looking forward to reinforcing the importance of assessments to a wider audience. I hope to find new schools who wish to work with us to further develop their assessment mechanism. Most importantly, I am looking forward to meeting as many of the dedicated school leaders at the event as possible, so as to open a dialogue and explore how our assessments can contribute to your work giving each and every individual student the very best start in life we can.
The use of data to inform teaching and learning is important. At Bombay Cambridge, we have now designed an internal assessment system that will allow our teachers to really understand individual learners at a greater depth.Savita Venkat, Principal – Bombay Cambridge School, Mumbai
Live Ink Character Recognition (Orion LICR) solution from Orion India Systems Pvt Ltd is a mark digitization technology that enables faster publication of examination results, which helped the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) publish the results of ICSE and ISC examinations much ahead of the traditional schedule.
NARENDRA KUMAR Director, Orion India Systems Pvt Ltd
Today, education industry is rife with complex governance processes and dwindling budgets. Improving operational efficiency and streamlining outdated processes are emerging as a panacea for the long-term sustainability of school boards and universities alike. To this mission, Orion India Systems has reinvented the operational model for education industry with its “award winning” innovative educational solutions. While OLICR (Orion Live Ink Character Recognition) has successfully streamlined examination evaluation process for CISCE, one of India’s premier education boards, CAREEVS (modular automation solution) has spelt significant benefits for a wide range of educational institutions in terms of improving operational efficiency and service delivery. By virtue of OLICR solution, Orion has enabled boards and universities to publish results in almost real time. Devised with automation at the core, Orion works closely with educators and helps develop innovative solutions that help them become more nimble and respond to industry changes swiftly
he Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) created history on May 6, 2016 by publishing the results of the ICSE and ISC Examinations full two weeks ahead of what had been its own standard practice, and way ahead of the CBSE and other state examination boards. What helped the council achieve this remarkable feat was its decision to go with the new “Orion LICR” technology developed by Orion India Systems Pvt Ltd (www.orioninc.com) for the first time in the world.
Orion’s Live Ink Character Recognition (Orion LICR) solution is a patent-pending marks digitization technology that enables faster publication of examination results. The front-end of the solution consists of a repurposed digital pen, an accompanying tablet, and specially printed top sheets of answer booklets. Examiners use the pen to transcribe marks from the inner sheets (of the answer script) to the top sheet. The pen captures and digitises the marks in real time, and displays the data on the tablet. Examiners can view the marks in their own handwriting as well as the digitised version on the tablet at the same time, and validate each mark. Immediately the system applies question paper rubrics automatically and displays the total marks on the screen of the tab. A “submit button” on the tablet encrypts the data and transfers it instantly to the council’s cloud-based servers. This significantly reduces the time taken for compilation of results.
Effective communication Running at the backend is a robust system called “Orion LICR Enterprise Web” that crunches massive amounts of data coming from various evaluation centers. It provides drilled down views on each evaluation center, right down to individual examiners and individual answer scripts. Live data synchronization with the evaluation centers enables council’s staff to have a real-time view of the progress of evaluation at various centers. An end-to-end logistics management tool takes care of device distribution planning, dispatch, and tracking based on when evaluation starts and ends at various centers. Another back-office tool which is integral to the enterprise web, remotely monitors the devices out in the evaluation centers and checks parameters such as signal strength, battery charge, and synchronization with the cloud based servers. A well-defined communication system triggers alerts to examiners and support staff via email and SMS.
The council used “Orion LICR Solution” to evaluate more than 2.25 million answer scripts of the 2016 batch of ICSE and ISC students. The exercise saw 10,327 examiners spread over 907 evaluation centers across the length and breadth of India, using 3,236 digital pen and tablet sets to complete the evaluation in record time.
In a press release a week prior to publication of the results, Gerry Arathoon, the council’s Chief Executive & Secretary said, “The council is the first examination board in the world to introduce this system. We are extremely happy with the outcome, because our students will now be able to have their results in hand much earlier. This will give them a head start while seeking admission to institutions for higher studies.”
Tracking evaluation Apart from expediting publication of results, the solution brings several other benefits. It effectively masks student information, ensuring absolute impartiality in the evaluation process. By incorporating automatic totaling of marks and automatic application of question paper rubrics, it ensures accuracy of the marks awarded. It captures the attendance of examiners at various evaluation centers, making calculation and payment of remuneration to examiners easy. It enables the council to track the progress of evaluation at various centers and to take corrective action where necessary. By allowing examiners to continue with the pen and paper method of evaluation that they are famil-iar with, it eliminates the need for them to learn new skills and minimizes resistance to adoption. Examiners can overwrite if a mistake was made while transcribing the marks to the top sheet. There is no limit to the number of times they can over-write. The system reflects the last overwrite, while maintaining an audit trail of all previous overwrites.
The LICR solution is more efficient than evaluation methods like On Screen Marking (OSM). The latter envisages scanning of all the pages of an answer script using high speed industrial scanners and presenting examiners with the scanned images for evaluation. While industrial scanners are capable of scanning hundreds of pages per minute, the solution suffers from some inherent drawbacks. About half-an-inch has to be guillotined off the left edge of the answer booklets and the additional sheets attached to them, prior to feeding into the scanner. This is to separate the individual sheets to enable simultaneous scanning of both sides. After scanning, the booklets have to be stitched back together. This is a labour-intensive procedure that slows down the scanning process significantly; not to mention the possibility of wrong-stitching by jumbling up pages from different answer scripts. The scanning and re-stitching process can also compromise security.
Challenges In “OSM Technology”, the storage of the scanned images is another problem that has to be addressed. For a large university or school education board, storing the scanned images for the mandatory retention period will require tens of terabytes of server space.
In OSM technology, the evaluation centers will have to be equipped with computers and other necessary infrastructure for viewing the answer scripts. If the scanned images of the answer scripts are stored in a centralized location, evaluators will have to download the images for evaluation. At an evaluation camp where there can be a hundred or more evaluators working at a time, the internet bandwidth requirements will be huge. Dedicated power inverters or generators will have to be provided at the evaluation centers for the long duration power shedding which is common in summer.
Over the long term, the cost involved while using LICR will be signifi cantly lower than when using OSM. There is no dependency on high-bandwidth internet connection. There are no hassles associated with computers/laptops such as booting issues, virus attacks, hacking problems and power backup requirements. Since no scanning is involved, there is no additional manpower required.
The LICR concept started to evolve in June 2014 when architects and engineers at Orion began thinking of streamlining the evaluation process and reducing the gestation period prior to publication of results. Supported by founder of Orion and visionary Sunil Mehta, Narendra Kumar who is the Director of Orion (India operations) and solutions architect Govind Rajulu with their team built this world class product.
By November 2014, the company had a working prototype, which they presented at the 10th ‘e-India Innovation Summit’ held at Kovalam, Kerala, winning the National Award for Innovation in the Testing and Assessment category.
In April 2015, Orion successfully convinced CISCE and conducted a pilot run using the solution to evaluate the Biology paper of the 2015 ISC batch and the Computer Applications paper of the 2015 ICSE batch at the evaluation centers at La Martiniere School for Girls, Kolkata. In July 2015, Orion signed a fi ve year contract with the council for pan-India roll out of the solution for evaluation of the ICSE and ISC answer scripts from 2016 onwards.
Feedback to the solution has been extremely overwhelming from the examiners both young and old. It is the simplicity and usability of the solution from the end-user perspective that has won the appreciation of the examiners.
Brainchild of Prakash Dantuluri (CEO) and Naveen Chintamaneni (CRO), the BulBul Apps is a unifi ed collaborative platform for artists to come together to produce local content with global quality.
Catering to a niche category, BulBul Apps has set for itself a goal to create world’s largest apps library for Preschoolers, focused on local content specifi c to each region, city and nation. “The good values learnt in our lives come from the stories told by our grandparents in our childhood. These stories taught us a lot about life and how one has to lead life amidst the odds. All of this gives us nostalgia about our childhood,” says BulBul Apps CEO Prakash.
He realised that his children and his friends were hooked to gadgets and they loved discovering its features and gimmicks. However, what it lacked was the ‘Learning’ aspect and the kind of content that parents can trust for enriching their children’s knowledge.
Prakash recalls, “When I was a kid, my grandma used to tell me stories in bed. I still remember those stories. Her presence, her voice and her narration lead me to so many wonderful worlds. Then, I grew listening to stories that my father told, which were popular folk, mythological stories. As I began to consume these stories, it helped me share them with my friends in school and my friend circle. Some stories were interestingly made up and some stories were real. For me, it was quite an imaginative and wonderful experience that lacked visual appeal and it was one-on-one delivered orally.”
He realised that as the complexities of the mediums of story narration increased, the complexity for the storyteller to create stories for those mediums also increased proportionately. It was important to connect the grandma and pop-and-mom stories to the digital world without losing its essence, innocence and inherent cultural aesthetics.
The Birth of ‘BulBul’
With the realisation of limitations of the content on the web for kids below 6 years, which could sparkle the eyes and young minds of children, the idea of ‘BulBul’ started taking shape. The bird BulBul, curious and constantly in pursuit of discovering new things, was his inspiration, truly matching a child’s fl ickering imagination and a relentless appetite to uncover curiosity.
As the complexities of the mediums of story narration increased, the complexity for the storyteller to create stories for those mediums also increased proportionately. BulBul Apps tries to connect the grandma and popand- mom stories to the digital world without losing its essence, innocence and inherent cultural aesthetics.
BulBul Apps began its journey some fi ve months ago, with the core philosophy to fi rst create a platform where story tellers, artists, animators and voice artists could collaborate to re-create age-old folk stories. They built a platform fi rst to help these artists to present their content without bothering about coding and software, which Prakash and his team would take care of. Their core principle is ‘think like a child’ for all the apps that is available for download from ‘BulBulapps’ library.
The purpose of higher education is to push the frontiers of knowledge and it is here that ICT can play a critical role to accelerate the pace of creating new knowledge. Nikita Bothra from Elets News Network (ENN) digs deep to find out how technology is enabling leading universities and institutions to join hands and create opportunities of learning.
Presently, higher education in India is experiencing a metamorphosis in terms of access, equity and quality. This transition is highly influenced by the swift developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) all over the world. The introduction of ICT in the higher education has profound implications for the whole education process, especially in dealing with key issues of access, equity, management, efficiency, pedagogy and quality. At the same time, the optimal utilisation of opportunities arising due to diffusion of ICTs in higher education system is a serious challenge for higher educational institutions. In this backdrop, the opportunities and challenges posed by integration of ICTs in various aspects of higher education has been summarised conclusively.
The modern society to a large extent depends on the everyday use of internet, mobile phones and computer usage which makes the younger generation more adaptive to the explosive technology in the digital world
An Apparatus of Change
Sunil Pandey Professor & Director Institute of Technology & Science Ghaziabad
The essence and core of education, higher education in particular, is to promote research and create the processes that inculcate the “problem solving” approach and it cannot be fuelled without having collaborations, joining hands with industry and other academic institutions to share and exchange knowledge and information. This helps in understanding the organisation’s needs, to discuss, deliberate and conceptualise a viable solution and implement so that real life issues can be optimally solved. Dr. Sunil Kumar Pandey-Professor & Director, Institute of Technology & Science, Ghaziabad points out, “ Technology has come to our rescue in a big way by connecting the missing dots towards collaboration and associations, creating strong connect among different organisations and institutes for academia to march ahead.”
YVS Kumar-Dean, Academic Planning & Quality Assurance, Rayat-Bahra University, Punjab, says, “Technology can act as a catalyst of change and equaliser in the system by providing unbiased access to information to act and benefit without bureaucratic, corrupt, obstructive, judgmental or regressive mindsets intervening in the process.” However, setting up a technological interface with public-at-large or multitudes of stakeholders is prone to the above mentioned negative factors. “Hence, even more rigorous checks need to be in place to obviate such systematic biases in the design phase of the interface,” Dean Kumar addded.
Effects on Science & Engineering
Dr. M Ramamoorty Chancellor, Kl University Andra Pradesh
ICT is a facilitative channel for an innovative, interesting and insightful perspective to visual, aural or conceptual understanding of fundamentals and practices in any field of education and endeavour. However, the costs and the efforts needed in establish developing and implementing ICT with the requisite burden in providing hardware, software and modules aren’t that viable in organisations with short- term planning. There are a fresh set of challenges of implementing ICT in higher learning which is clearly stated by Dr. M Ramamoorty – Chancellor, KL University, Andra Pradesh, when he says, “The term “smart” has become a buzzword in every field of activity. The modern society to a large extent depends on the everyday use of internet, mobile phones and computer usage which makes the younger generation more adaptive to the explosive technology in the digital world. This has good and bad impacts on the education patterns both in engineering and in science.” The pedagogical teaching methods are forced to change in tune with the students’ interest. Video lectures, distance learning, digital libraries and search engines have enabled the students to have easy access to the required information. Commenting further, he says,“Computer aided system design using software packages like MATLAB and simulation packages like LABVIEW have made the students learning process move towards the results, and less towards the fundamentals.”
Students in general have found computer-oriented courses much easier to follow because of their background. Thus, students have preferred to take up computer science oriented subjects and are less disposed towards core engineering disciplines. The direct result of this mentality is that the conventional professional engineering courses have suffered in many universities, for departments like civil, mechanical or electrical are largely populated by such students who could not get seats in computer science. This “second choice method” of course selection means students who could not find jobs in IT industries find it extremely difficult to find jobs in the core industries due to their dearth of fundamental engineering knowledge and interest in the discipline. This Prof. Ramamoorty believes, “has created a large number of unemployable engineers- a huge burden to society. If this trend continues, the impact on engineering industry will be drastic in India. The same is also true for the science stream which is also affected by poor intake into the research laboratories. This trend may mean that engineers with good fundamental knowledge in engineering design may not be available in future.”
India vs International Rankings
India ranks 91 on the Networked Readiness Index 2016, a key component of the World Economic Forum’s The Global Information Technology Report 2016. The report assesses the state of networked readiness of 139 economies using the NRI and examines the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in driving innovation. The NRI is thus a key tool in assessing a country’s preparedness to reap the benefits of emerging technologies and capitalise on the opportunities presented by the digital transformation. The numbers in Indian higher education – 329 state universities, 46 central universities, 128 deemed to be universities, 205 state private universities and 74 institutes of national importance, with a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 23 per cent – fails to interpret the dilemma they represent. Huge vacancy in teaching positions; poor, unavailable and skewed funding for research; pathetic employability of graduates; money laundering in the name of capitation fees; vested interest and political interference in higher education are few of the major obstacles that plague the higher education sector.
Businesses done with global perspective are changing the nature of competition and establishing more rigorous standards of quality in products, services and solutions
The challenges and opportunities in the higher education sector is diversified with its fair share of criticism. Echoing what has been said above, Dr.Rupa Vasudevan-Vice Chancellor, Rai Technological University, Karnataka asserts, “a challenging mismatch between our education systems and job skills required by the employers, such as critical problem solving, group ability and communication skills. To grow in the knowledge economy, investments in ICT techniques and new information sources in line with the industry skill/job requirements are crucial. More sophisticated technology-driven strategic techniques, industry-academia gap analysis, strengthening partnerships with industry at the university and institutional level can help bridge the gaps between degree, credential programs and jobs.”
On the other hand, Dr. Ramamoorty maintains, “Businesses done with global perspective are changing the nature of competition and establishing more rigorous standards of quality in products, services and solutions.” The education sector has to keep pace with these changes and be aligned with these needs. It isn’t an easy task for education to accept and even welcome change, because of the sense of impermanence and discomfort which will naturally result. He continues, “Likewise marked changes in attitudes, life styles, healthcare, financial stability and marketplace behavior cannot be predicted by trends because these changes either create new trends or they alter trends already in place. These change agents serve an essential role in shifting outmoded educational paradigms to the ones that are truly appropriate for our times.”
Industry Standpoint
Dean Kumar puts it aptly, “The question whether education is for gaining knowledge, wisdom and professional respect or for just providing a livelihood lies at the crux of the matter. Students who are looking only for plum jobs are not really interested in the hard work that fetches a proportionately suitable position and standing in life. On the other hand, students who are looking for knowledge have aims that are not necessarily focused on certificates to serve only as an entry point. But then the latter can add to value to a modern society.”
On the same terms, Dr.Ramamoorty stresses,“The lack of industry-academic dialogue and connect builds a gap, which is enlarging as a result of a disconnect between what is needed and what is taught.” He points out a few shortcomings of institutions lined up below:
? An industry-linked mechanism is needed that keeps close watch on developments, challenges and needs of the industry and suggests the probable inclusions in curriculum that addresses the issues of industry employing students.
? Identifying technology, concepts that needs to be incorporated to keep curriculum relevant.
? Some of the leading organisations have started some academic initiatives to train the students on latest technologies but after two to three years they too turn into a “paid business model” with high pricing which most of the institutes may not afford.
? Quality of faculty is a big challenge and to retain a good faculty is even a bigger task and needs to be addressed.
? The existing processes are more focused on documentation rather than quality of out coming product, i.e. the students. Conceding on Dr.Ramamoorty’s views, Dr. Aarti Srivastava- Associate Professor, National University of Educational Planning & Administration, New Delhi says, “Education does not restrict itself to instrumentality. The link between industry and academia is very weak. Therefore, the ivory tower approach of the academia is not concurrent with the field realities. The “triple helix model” interface between academia, industry and government may be able to resolve this dissonance.”
A Close Watch
Dr. Rupa Vasudevan Vice Chancellor, Rai Technological University Karnataka
Computer systems and ICT are leading the changing paradigms from “manpower” to “mindpower” in the workplace around the globe. Teachers must be ready to accept the challenges of pedagogical changes, to keep close watch on developments and changing needs of industry to ensure that they are relevant, able to shape and produce competent students who are ready to deliver. Students must be prepared to accept, adapt to, and thrive upon change. The process of education must deal with the needs of students to develop both macro and micro strategies for dealing with their world. The higher education sector is facing a big challenge to maintain its relevance in terms of content, context and pedagogy. The conventional systems and processes are challenged for their preparedness and responsiveness. This needs to be countered by appropriate measures by improving and updating the contents to ensure it is relevant, globally acceptable while the ways and means of delivery of contents should be effective and productive with affordable cost.
The Roadmap
Online mode of education is creating enormous opportunities for those who could not join the formal education system or those who wish to learn from the best of the institutions across the world without being physically present and on their own pace. The governments are also realising this and the National Programme of Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) Phase II and III are focusing on the content generation activity. Besides, an amount of Rs. 4612 crore is expected to be incurred during the 11th Five Year Plan for the National Mission on Education through ICT. This mission is an opportunity as well as a challenge for the bright faculty members of Universities and Institutions of Excellence to invest their intellectual capital for the knowledge empowerment of all the learners of our country.
ICT has created all the tools and technologies that can help us in addressing the above issues in a greater context. In fact, the availability of improved infrastructure, connectivity, reachability, accessibility and affordability has broken all geographical boundaries and opened the doors for sharing and collaborations to ensure that quality education is available to all who wish to learn. Of course there are many challenges including creating a reliable ICT infrastructure and seamless connectivity, improving bandwidth and creating awareness about the usage of technology. “Nonetheless, the Digital India Mission of Government of India is creating positive vibes and hopefully these issues will be addressed and resolved at a faster pace,” concludes Dr.Ramamoorty.
Information and Communication Technology in school education is primarily associated with the use of computer and internet. Sadly, a few questions as to what one uses ICT for and how one uses it are addressed vaguely. Nikita Bothra from Elets News Network (ENN) delves deep into the topic, bringing forth consolidated opinions and viewpoints of school education leaders.
21st century is marked with the emergence of knowledge based society wherein ICT plays a pivotal role. The National Curriculum Framework 2005 (NCF 2005) has also highlighted the importance of ICT in school education. With this backdrop, a major paradigm shift is indispensable in education characterised by imparting instructions, collaborative learning, multidisciplinary problem-solving and promoting critical thinking skills.
Why ICT in Schools?
Dr Vandana Lulla Director- Podar Group of International Schools, Mumbai
In modern society, ICT plays a remarkable role in school education- provides endless opportunities for teachers to transform their practices while students get access to improved educational content along with effective learning methods. ICT improves the learning process through the provision of more interactive educational materials that increase learner’s motivation and facilitate the easy acquisition of basic skills. In primary and secondary level, the use of various multimedia devices such as computer application, OHP, videos, television and the like offer more challenging and engaging learning environment for students. In the twenty 21st century, teaching learning skills underscore the need to shift from traditional teacher centered pedagogy to more learner centered method. “Our school and students have always been ahead of times,” says Dr. Vandana Lulla-Director, Podar Group of International Schools, Mumbai. “ We use e-books and cup-my-bag software tool to reduce the burden of bags of the students. Besides, we also use Google classroom for higher grades where our teachers make all their lesson plans on Atlas software that can later be accessed from anywhere,” she added.
Today’s students are surrounded with computers, game stations, smartphones, kindles and apps that have every possible activity and interest covered. Constant exposure to digital media had changed the way these students think and interact with reality. They are digital citizens. Intuned with modern global trends in the field of ICT, it is more than imperative to change the way teaching happens; learning needs to become more personalised and e-learning is the answer.
Gustav Jacobus Gropp Principal – Oakridge International School Hyderabad
On the same grounds, Gustav Jacobus Gropp – Principal, Oakridge International School, Hyderabad thinks, “Tech tools like Edmodo, EduBlogs, ePals, OpenStudy, Skype and Animoto pull together great lessons and helps design amazing and memorable student projects. While educational tools like Socrative, Carrot Sticks and FunBrain make lessons fun and exciting.”
Flipping the Instructional Approach Scholars and practitioners have reported the positive outcomes of a flipped, or inverted, approach to instruction. Flipped classroom teachers almost universally agree that it’s not the instructional videos on their own, but how they are integrated into an overall approach, that makes the difference. Students can’t just “watch the video and be done with it.” It takes a little while for students to get used to the system, as the year pro-gresses a teacher sees them asking better questions and thinking more deeply about the content. After flipping his classroom, the teacher can more easily query individual students, probe for misconceptions around scientific concepts, and clear up incorrect notions.
Jaydev Kar Principal – Vidya Bhavan Public School Indore
On the same grounds, Jaydeb Kar – Principal, Vidya Bhavan Public School, Indore, responds, “There is no fixed formula for the flipped classroom. Every implementation will differ because of wide variables such as class size, discipline, teaching method, technology and resources. A general objective is that there is a better focus on students’ concept exploration, understanding and demonstration with more opportunities for discussion, formative appraisal and feedback.”
Echoing the same, Dr. Lulla considers, “Flipped teaching as the ideal methodology for students in the 21st century.” The teacher should only help to facilitate their learning and let the students take centre stage. This will make them responsible for their own learning. However, there would be students who would need more of hand holding and scaffolding in flipped teaching. “This method itself allows the teacher to devote rough tube to such emerging learners and gives more scope to independent learners to research on their own,” she adds further.
Advantages of ICT in School Education
Like other developing countries, India uses ICT as a teaching tool. Its potential for improving the quality and standards of pupils’ education is signifi cant. Students using voice communication aids gain confi dence and social credibility at school in their communities. Increased ICT confi dence amongst students motivates them to use the internet at home for school work and make their curiosity fulfi ll. Besides, computer can improve independent access for students to education where the students with profound and multiple learning disabilities can easily communicate more. Further, visually impaired students using the internet can access information along with their sighted peers.
Government’s Nod to Technology in Schools
In India, various ICT tools have been employed over the years to promote primary and secondary education. These include radio, satellite-based one-way & interactive television and the internet. However, there have been enormous geographic and demographic disparities in their use. Some states in the country currently have an enabling environment in place that allows for a greater use of ICT tools for education, whereas other states lack such an environment making the use of ICT for this purpose very sporadic. The Government of India’s fl agship education programme at the primary level – the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) – has streamlined its focus on quality.
Roadblocks in Implementation
In Indian school education system, ICT has a great role to enhance the quality of education. Out of 150 smart schools, 63 smart schools have so far been approved in 12 states and 3 UTs under ICT in Schools scheme. But, regrettably there are some barriers to make the school education completely ICT based.
ICT can be employed in formal and non-formal types of education and would eventually make the learners employable and socially useful part of the society
Savita Venkat Principal – Bompay Cambridge School Mumbai
The reasons being lack of teacher’s competency to handle ICT equipment’s and dearth of proper infrastructure further posing hurdles. Schools and colleges acquire computers, Internet connection, LCD projectors and then send their teachers for crash courses that supposedly teach them to use technology. The trouble is this whole approach is devoid of focus. But, until teachers are made to realize the need of ICT, no amount of computerization can help.
A Close Watch
Dr. Lulla states, “ Schools are here to stay and will not be replaced by online education or digital education but higher education may undergo transformation. Schools are not only developing students academically but also socially and culturally and thus the growing up formative years require the nurturing of a teacher. Contradicting her statements, Savita Venkat- Principal, Bombay Cambridge School, Mumbai says, “ Five years down the line, the teachers’ role in the classroom will not be for pedagogical learning but for values, humanisation, responsibility to society and creating change through pedagogy. This is because technically, pedagogy can be received by students from experts from everywhere within the comforts of home.”
Nonetheless, as the integration of ICT in education rises and evolves with evermore sophisticated tools, and participation and transition rates to higher levels of education increase, children and adults will increasingly need to develop digital literacy, not only for life skills but also to support their education throughout the secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels. The early integration of ICT into primary and secondary curricula through formal recommendations is therefore vital and moreover acts as an important lever for ensuring the introduction and implementation of ICT into educational institutions and classrooms.
Future Prospects
Quality in education through ICT and its awareness among stakeholders will have positive impact on the society. ICT can be employed in formal and non-formal types of education and would eventually make the learners employable and socially useful part of the society. Employing ICT in teacher training can save a lot of money of the government. Moreover a lot of qualitative improvement can be seen as resource persons for the training can be best of the world. By employing ICT in administration, it can help in solving the problem of absenteeism of students and teachers. Good quality content is one of the major issues and directly affects the standards of education and quality. By overcoming the certain challenges involved in the process of education, it can help a lot in this side. Conclusively, a lot of quality improvement is possible after careful and planned implementation of ICT in school education by various stakeholders.
Moving on from the traditional ways of teaching, imparting education is a hightech business today. In line with the global trend, Indian schools and institutions of higher education are fast adopting technologyaided teaching that facilitates greater access to knowledge and the pass-outs are better prepared to face the market. Participants at Elets Technomedia’s legacy event – 7th World Education Summit, New Delhi – will discuss, deliberate and set the future course of education in India.
Dr. Najma A Heptulla Former Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Government of India
Technological innovations, for long an emblem of academic research, may now be changing the very way the schools and higher educational institutions impart teaching and students learn. There has been no other generation more comfortable with online and collaborative technologies than today’s young people — the “digital natives”, who have grown up in an immersive computing environment. Where a notebook and pen may have formed the tool kit of prior generations, today’s students come to class armed with smartphones, laptops and iPods.
In today’s technology-enabled knowledge economy, many schools and universities find themselves facing fresh challenges: how not only to equip students with adequate education in their respective fields of study, but also to arm them with the skills and knowledge required to leverage technology effectively in the workplace.
A shift in the way education has been imparted is necessary because this is the age of information technology — an age that requires that teachers facilitate aggregation of such information by students and not merely give them the bookish knowledge
Global researches have shown that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can lead to improved student learning and better teaching methods. A report prepared by the National Institute of Multimedia Education in Japan has proved that an increase in student exposure to educational ICT through curriculum integration has a significant and positive impact on student achievement, especially in terms of knowledge, comprehension, practical and presentation skills in subject areas such as mathematics, science and social study. Ever pondered why do we need ICT in schools? Was education not happening before computers came into existence? Why is this paradigm shift necessary? Well, the shift is necessary because this is the age of information and technology —an age that requires that teachers facilitate aggregation of such information by students and not merely give them the bookish knowledge.
In view of the paradigm shift happening in the educational sector in India, the need for its management and faculties to adapt to the changes is imperative. Delving into this topic led to the launch of the World Education Summit (WES) by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd. Over the years, the Summit has served as platform where academicians, experts on education, edutech industry representatives, policymakers and other stakeholders share their ideas and deliberate on how the education sector in India can be made to keep pace with the global trends, so that the pass-outs are at par with that of any other institution, globally.
The past editions of the Summit, held majorly in New Delhi and Dubai, have visualised emergence of an interesting range of possibilities on how technology is likely to have its impact on the future academic offerings, spurred by innovative faculty research, student engagement and the pursuit of academic collaboration
Dr Abdulla Al Karam
The past editions of the Summit, held majorly in New Delhi and Dubai, have visualised emergence of an interesting range of possibilities on how technology is most likely to have its impact on the future academic offerings, spurred by innovative faculty research, student engagement and the pursuit of academic collaboration.
The two-day 7th edition of the World Education Summit (WES) 2016, at New Delhi on 5th and 6th of August, will therefore introduce a platform for knowledge sharing amongst the thought leaders, educational experts and industry leaders to discuss and deliberate upon various aspects of education to create an holistic knowledge-based society.
Besides, an exhibition running parallel to the Summit is set to attract more than 1,000 companies, government bodies and educational institutions touching upon topics like current trends in School Education, Higher Education, Vocational Education & Skill Development and ICT initiatives for education in the country.
An exhibition running parallel to the Summit is set to attract over 1,000 companies, government bodies and educational institutions touching upon topics like current trends in School Education, Higher Education, Vocational Education & Skill Development and ICT initiatives for education in the country
Prof S S Mantha
The exhibition will also push to limelight how the education sector is offering opportunities for Edupreneurs – global or national – to showcase their education technologies, new ideas & innovation and best teaching-learning practices. Not to mention, the WES is the only opportunity to meet 500+ global education leaders and connoisseurs from around the world to face to face, share best practices and discover the technology to fuel the vision of enriching the future of education.
Amid the august presence of ministers and key policy-makers from all over the globe sharing their vision on Education for All, the Summit aims to create a unique platform of thought exchange. To top it all, it intends to build a strong community around it and offer scope for various business and networking opportunities for education industry professionals and experts.
The dynamics of education sector is evolving and changing rapidly world over and WES 2016 is undeniably one of the best platforms for stakeholders to come together to deliberate, discuss and explore the horizon further.
Shri TB Jayachandra, Hon’ble Minister for Law, Parliamentary
Affairs and Higher Education, Government of Karnataka
Jnana Sangama, a two-day conference, which was held in Bangalore on May 27-28, 2016, highlighted the idea of bringing large-scale reforms for facilitating quality education and good content delivery using the power of ICT.
Organised jointly by the Department of Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, and Elets Technomedia, the event focused on Karnataka as a prime destination for Higher Education in India by promoting the state’s model of Best ICT Practices in Higher Education.
TB Jayachandra, Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, inaugurated the two-day conference while Bharat Lal Meena, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Karnataka, and SV Ranganath, former Chief Secretary and Vice-Chairman, Karnataka State Higher Education Council addressed the inaugural session. The participants of the event included vice chancellors of universities, experts in the education domain and secretaries of Department of Education.
Addressing the gathering, TB Jayachandra, said: “Our vision for Karnataka is to continue to empower students by imparting quality education, enabling skill development opportunities, and facilitating needful resources equally for one and all.”
Kadiyam Srihari, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Education, Government of Telangana, who was the Chief Guest at the conference, observed that higher education in the country was moving towards “transformative change” with the proposed “new education policy” by the Central Government. According to him, ICT was being treated as a modern tool to enhance the quality of education, which can make significant contribution towards improving teaching and learning at all stages of higher education.
Education Disparity
Shri Kadiyam Srihari, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Education, Government of Telangana
We are mobilising our resources and this year (2016-17) we have presented a budget of Rs.1,15,000 crore and are spending nearly Rs. 18000 crores on total education
Observes, the sub-standard quality of classroom education conttributing in the overall degradation inviting serious issues in higher education like low enrollment ratio, and gender gap.
Quality Education
Shri TB Jayachandra, Hon’ble Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Higher Education, Government of Karnataka
The higher education strength of India in terms of students is third largest in the world next only to China and the United States. Unlike China, India has the advantage of English as a primary language of higher education and research
Stresses on the availability of manpower as the backbone for the development of the state of Karnataka and suggests the institutions of higher education to provide education in such a way that they become competitive.
Revised Curriculum
Shri SV Ranganath, Vice Chairman, Karnataka State Higher Education Council
Possible changes can be made in curriculum ensuring that more autonomy is granted. Vice Chancellors need not be just people of competence but also people of charisma, character, commitment and compassion
Believes that the higher education sector in India is facing various challenges and it is the need for promoting excellence while seeking expansion of the higher education sector.
Lacking Infrastructure
Shri Bharat Lal Meena, IAS, Addl Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Government of Karnataka
Our vision is to integrate all institutes in Karnataka in terms of facilities to students. If a student is studying in ‘X’ institute then he should have the best of facilities in institute ‘Y’
Feels a dire need to upgrade the processes of imparting education and ICT is the only way forward. Support from National Informatics Centre (NIC), will prepare for a vision and convert it into programme for execution.
End-to-End Solution
Prasanth Balakrishnan, Project Manager, Orion India systems Pvt Ltd
We have made the entire system digitised which promotes transparency on the part of both the college and the university although through our system much of the hassles of day to day functioning are done away with
Talks about his latest innovative product CAREEVS ( Campus Affiliation Registration Examination Enquiry Verification System) that intends to provide complete end to end solution for any university or board.
Interactive Platform
Sundar, Founder & Director, Mobile Tutor
Mobile Tutor is a dynamic and interactive digital tutorial wherein we create animated content which will induce passion in the students
Tells the basic inspiration of Mobile Tutor is to make the student understand what they are learning and how Mobile Tutor is going to connect with all the stakeholders in one platform for the benefit of the students.
Broad Connectivity
Prof Ravindra Kumar, Vice Chancellor (I/c), IGNOU, New Delhi
IGNOU has the privilege of having four DTH (Direct To Home) telecast channels for round the clock teaching through DTH telecast which will make a major shift in the overall learning environment of the education atmosphere in the country.
Views a paradigm shift in the nature of students they are addressing and that the students can be rightly called digital natives and not digital immigrants.
DTH Education
P Nagaraju, Chief General Manager BSNL, Karnataka Telecom Circle
Through our advanced level training programmes we impart training to lecturers to improve their teaching abilities. 1 GB connectivity is supported to the universities and in Karnataka around 29 universities are already utilising the services
Informs that 20 colleges in Karnataka are using their broadband network and that 75 % of the cost is borne by MHRD.
Future Workforce
Jose Koshy, Country Director, Oracle University, India
Our survey tells us that close to 90 % of the graduated students are not employable and hence companies induct students in their system, train them over a period of 6-9 months at a cost of 10-15 lakhs just to make them tenable
Believes in investing on time and building an ecosystem where people are ready to get into industry in a much faster pace.
With 700 universities and thousands of colleges we will need efficient leaders to drive these institutions to excellence. A good leader will always pull through the best out of an average team
Says that there is a big vacuum in the leadership space of educational institutions as there is dearth of well trained and experts educationists.
One challenge that the examination system is facing is that of impersonation. The image in the soft copy of the hall ticket can be removed by anyone and hence impersonation takes place
Informs about solutions they provide wherein the hassles of logistics can be overthrown and the question paper can be printed right at the venue of the exam an hour before the exam starts
Online Classroom
T Vijay Kumar, IAS, Joint Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Telangana
The idea of online classroom attendance is great but unfortunately most schools in our country do not have that facility
Says that at the university level the poll data of period wise attendance of all the affiliated colleges can be easily acquired through the GPS System
Education Transformation
Prof CA Sreenivas Murthy, Director, Central Agricultural University, Manipur
We should create a situation where the interest of the students generates automatically and the teachers should have the enthusiasm to teach them and educate them
Stresses that education is informal where the student learn certain things without the patronage of the teacher like Ekalavya from the Mahabharata
Technology Empowerment
Chakravarthi Mohan, IAS, Commissioner, Department of Collegiate Education, Government of Karnataka
To what extent we have to adopt technology is a question we have to ask. We don’t know whether this technology is better than the old one
Remarks that the industry expects certain skill set from the candidate but unfortunately lack of internet facility poses big challenge for students in Karnataka
Faculty Supplies
Dr J Mahender Reddy, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad
The purpose of sending students abroad is to get enriched as there is no dearth of faculty supplies in American Universities or any Western Universities
Asserts that technology now has become the indispensable factor in education, irrespective of the level of education
Productive Workforce
Prof S Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor, Hindustan University, Chennai
Our desired outcome from learning is to be able to get a skilled, job ready and a productive workforce by imparting technical and soft skill training
Suggests the courses should be synchronised with the market requirement and should be a combination of the theory with the practical
Class Education
Naresh Duble, Head, Education & Healthcare Business, Armstrong World Industries India Pvt Ltd
It is not enough to have good teachers, good buildings and a group of good students if they cannot interact with each other. A student must understand what the teacher is saying, assimilate it and reproduce in the exams
Informs that the government of India has just brought in the new draft of National Building Code which mentions 0.75 seconds as code for educational buildings
Research Scholars
Dr Sivaji Chakravorti, Director, National Institute of Technology, Calicut
I think when we talk of undergraduate courses we should go for breadth and when we are talking about postgraduate courses or research then we should have depth in knowledge
Remarks about quality that varies with different strata of society and expecting the same quality at centres of excellence is not a good idea
Value Education
Dr AH Rajasab, Vice Chancellor, Tumkur University
We do not teach value education to our science students, such as language and literacy education, social responsibility, ethical behaviour, national pride. Unless we integrate these there cannot be good citizens
Remarks our graduates to be industry ready, and they should go to the universities for more knowledge as universities are knowledge providers
Lacking Infrastructure
Prof ANN Murthy, Vice-Chancellor, DayanandSagar University
I look at three aspects in any university, one is the teaching and learning process, the second is research and innovation and the third one is entrepreneurship
Says Higher education has also socio economic responsibility in the context of where it exists and thus we should think globally and act locally
Assessment Tools
Prof BC Prabhakar, Director IQAC, Bangalore University
Implementing of unique assessment tools for affiliation of colleges is a challenging task for universities because there are many complaints in the ways colleges are affiliated
Informs about students of affiliated colleges having access to e-books and e-journals equipped with portable cameras that can read scripts for the blind
Funds Inadequacy
Dr MK Abdul Khader, Vice Chancellor, Kannur University, Kerala
We have seen that more than 86 percent of students who goes to the US for higher studies do not return to their home country. This brain drain has to be reversed for a brain gain for our homeland
Thinks the public private partnership can act as a catalyst in order to boom higher education
Teaching Challenge
A Sevukamoorthy, Director, Mahendra Institute of Technology
After studying for four years the student does not know where to go and thus the stakeholders have to sit down together for a 360 degree change in the higher education scenario
Says everything is available on whatsapp and hence a teacher has to really work overnight for tomorrow’s classes, else the students will not be impressed
Socio-political Development
Dr Ganapatigouda B Patil, Registrar (Evaluation) Karnataka State Law University
A serious challenge facing the higher education is the absence of synchronisation of policies between the UGC and other bodies and the respective state governments
Remarks that the students are giving more emphasis to individualistic attitude, material comfort and are not bothered about the society
Online Payments
Dewang Neralla, CEO, Atom Technologies Ltd
By using our online payment system the institutions, the students and the parents at tier II and III cities have benefitted in a big way
Says that they have installed point of sale terminals wherein parents can go and make payments which is both cost and time effective
Knowledge Impartation
Pranjali Khare, SIS Specialist, Apar Technologies Ltd
The knowledge impartation should be in such a way that it should impact the lives of the students so that they can give something back to the society
Believes that lack of communication between the administration and the students can hamper the reputation of the college
Faculty Evaluation
Er Maroof Qadri, Director IT & SS, University of Kashmir
I think a transparent faculty evaluation is very important so that the faculty is also made responsible or accountable as to what he or she communicates
Tells about the development of their mobile app where results and other student related activities take place
Student Involvement
Dr P Balakrishna Shetty, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Tumkur
One of the best practices we should follow is involve the students in the process of impartation. The technique is called ‘Z to A’, which means answer first and discuss next
Thinks that universities should emphasise that their students become wiser rather than simply acquiring knowledge
Many universities are having shortage of funds and it takes a lot of time to extract the sanctioned money of the government, instead it is better for the university to raise their own finance
Feel that technological universities are facing the dual problem of qualified faculties and quality of education simultaneously
Performance Evaluation
B.B Kaliwal, Vice Chancellor, Davangere University
We have made it compulsory to pass the skill based papers which were not taken seriously by the students otherwise
Informs with the advanced technology in application the performance evaluation of faculties has become easy
Scholarship Programmes
Dr NH Siddalinga Swamy, Director ,e-Governance Cell, AICTE, New Delhi
In the recent past the state of Karnataka has taken a slew of measures in the higher education department with regards to implementation of ICT which has been appreciated by the Hon’ble Education Minister
Talks about enabling the students of Jammu and Kashmir through various scholarship programmes to study in other parts of the country
Learning Methods
Dr HR Venkatesh, Director, Academics, Acharya Bangalore B School
We follow 70:30 learning method, wherein 70 percent of the student’s learning has to come from off the classroom and the rest 30 percent has to come from inside
Teaching empowerement
Dr Jitendra Kumar Mishra, Director, MATS Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship
If the teachers impose themselves on the students then the students will learn only to pass the exam and will neither respect nor carry anything what the teacher teaches
Motivational aspects
Dr Y Vijayakumar, Principal, Sri Sairam College of Engineering
The students are looking up to their seniors rather than teachers for motivational aspects and we’ve roped in our alumnus to communicate with them in any manner possible via any media
Skill development
Dr Dinesh Anvekar, Principal, Alpha College of Engineering
The syllabus bound curriculum leaves very little room for exploring and experimenting with anything else
Student involvement
Dr Suresh Lal, Principal, Cambridge Institute of Technology
Student involvement in a number of internal and external projects of the college which keeps the student interested is essential
Tools & technologies
Dr SG Gopala Krishna, Principal, Nagarjuna College of Engineering and Technology
Our virtual lab is fully equipped and students have to go there compulsorily and our civil engineering students are directly put on site since we have ties with Nagarju
Eligibility Criteria
Dr TV Govindaraju, Principal Director, KS Institute of Technology
To increase the skill levels of the students, we try to segregate them on the basis of their eligibility and try to uplift and motivate the weaker ones
Benjamin Franklin once said that investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Nikita Bothra from Elets News Network (ENN) finds out that the Indian government has to do away with several policy maladies that the education sector embodies while simultaneously opening up a freer market to make room for private investments. Read on…
Anirudh Gupta CEO, DCM Group of Schools
The Education sector is one of the fastest developing sectors worldwide and the second largest industry in India. According to the India Ratings report, India boasts of an education sector market size of nearly $110 billion in 2015 inclusive of 1.4 million schools and over 36,000 higher education institutes. These numbers however don’t take into account India’s constantly growing demographic advantage. In order to accommodate the growing student class, there is clearly a need for opportune investments in this sector.
However, rather than capitalising on this advantage, the restrictive regulatory environment that exists in the Indian education sector has been forcing out the potential speculation of private players exploring and entering this sector.
Not-for-profit Policy Outcomes
The foremost cause that has restrained private entrepreneurs from investing in this sector is the not-for-profit policy. Furthermore, the policy mandates that 85 per cent of the profits earned are to be routed back into the sector. While, the very concept of entrepreneurship is to make money; questioning this philosophy will only likely keep investments away. Ironically, the not-for-profit rule has also been promoting immoral activities; as education institutes enjoy tax benefits that makes it easier to hoard money. In fact developed countries such as the US and the UK have commercialised their education sector, thereby enabling multiple educational institutes to sprout up and cater to the needs of a growing demand. In this regard, Dr. Chandrashekar D P -CEO, JGI Schools (The JGI Group) says, “In my view, it is a good thing that education is bracketed under the not-for profit sector. India as a country is a different demography than many developing nations. The scale and the scope of education is so vast in our context and hence access to education is the primary step. This step can be accomplished by maintaining the focus on education as a national development issue rather than an economic issue.” On the other hand, Vinesh Menon- Dy Chief Executive Officer, Global Discovery Schools believes that “in an era where the education environment is changing by the minute and is evolving to suit next gen children, the emphasis has to move to service and delivery to prepare children for the globalised world”.
He further said “that it can be possible only if the product undergoes constant upgrades and is tuned to cater to child’s needs and all this will call for a model that allows profitability to motivate the entrepreneur to eat, breathe & think about a child’s future and parents’ needs”.
Regulatory Challenges in Educational Institutions
Lina Ashar Founder, Kangaroo Kids Preschool & Billabong High International School
India’s education policy has several impediments. There are layers of regulatory bodies mandating overlapping rules and regulations. As education is a subject on the concurrent list, policies at both the national and state level also don’t correspond with each other. For example, to set up a private state university, it first needs to be legislated by the state government. Educationalists across India have suggested that the government should work towards coming up with uniform and simple policies that can be comprehended by all. It is in this context that a suggestion was made that a national higher education regulatory board be set up. Lina Ashar- Founder, Kangaroo Kids Preschool & Billabong High International School remarks, “The need of a single window clearance is the solution. The RTE (Right to Education) is the main challenge in its current form as the implementation hurdles have not been well thought through.”
On the same grounds, Chandrashekhar says, “Challenges vary for different segments in the educational enterprise. For schools, primarily it is clarity in implementation of RTE pan India, fee standardisation policies which are off-balanced and lack of a decentralised approach from the education departments.”
The process of setting up an institution is severely unbalanced. An institution cannot come into existence unless affiliated to an existing government university. This approval procedure requires over 30 different documents to be submitted to multiple departments at the state level. This sector also demands large land and capital requirements, which cannot be afforded by all. Land requirements vary between 3-5 acres from urban to rural areas. Additionally, the not-for-profit policy adds to the burden of all these financial outflows in the initial stages of setting up.
Chandrasekhar DP CEO, The Jain Groups of Institutions
Menon in this regard says that the “government schools seem to have an edge due to the perception that private schools have vested interests in starting a school. The inherent disconnect between the various Boards of Education would need to be ironed out so that we don’t have differences in methodologies of teaching”. Further, he adds, “A better mechanism may need to be put up to assess the objective and purpose of setting up a private school than to paint everyone with the same brush of wanting to start a school for personal gains.”
It is imperative that the state governments adopt a single window system to provide approvals and licenses to set up colleges in our country. Countries such as New Zealand and Singapore have topped the index in this context, as the entire approval process takes only 0.5 days in these countries and all the documents are submitted to a single government department.
The Need for Policy Modifications
Modifications in the policy desk could include
Clarity of regulations
The inherent disconnect between the various Boards of Education would need to be ironed out so that there aren’t differences in methodologies of teaching
Constant updation of regulations and meetings of school management to discuss the same twice a year
Teacher Training Institutions to make teaching a glorified career option rather than a default option
School Rating agencies monitored by an independent regulator and Controlled transition from nonprofit to for-profit with multiple checks and balances to ensure nobility of the objective in imparting k 12 education
Prajodh Rajan Co-Founder, EuroKids International Limited
On this note, Anirudh Gupta CEO, DCM Group of Schools says, “ The Schools should be given breathing space so that they can actually delve on the purpose for which they have been set up. The rules and regulations governing them should be simple and transparent to cut through the red tape and also the process of recognition and affiliation should be time bound.” Moreover, “The departments should not react on anonymous complaints and representations which at times are meant to garner publicity rather than intending something meaningful for the society. The Schools should be allowed to charge fees as per their facilities and requirements. The regulatory mechanism should not be such that the schools become a soft target in case they deny admission or do not toe the line of any individual/organization/party. In case, the salaries have to be hiked during mid-term, the commensurate fee hike should be allowed to balance the added burden,” he adds.
Most of our regulations are centered around infrastructure, number of teaching staff and other inputs rather than the focus on output, i.e what the child is learning at school, there has to be a consistency in the input for all schools whether government or private and all of them must be evaluated by measuring the output- which is the learning output.
Vinesh Menon Dy. Chief Executive Officer Global Discovery Academy
Agrees, Prajodh Rajan-Co-Founder, EuroKids International Limited when he says, “Most people will agree that education in India is over-regulated and under-governed. We need better mechanisms, greater transparency for ease of operations. While the government thinks of its role as a provider what the sector needs is an enabler and the government of the day can use ‘the ease of doing business’ agenda in this sector as well.”
Opening up the sector for pro-profit institutions would attract more domestic and foreign players to set up institutions in India
The Outlook
Alleviating barriers in this sector would help recover the sector’s growth rate and contribute to skilling India’s youth. Opening up the sector for pro-profit institutions would attract more domestic and foreign players to set up institutions in India. Reputed universities such as Yale University and Georgia Tech University are in talks to set up universities in our country. Clearly freeing up certain barriers would promote sectoral growth while further attracting other top colleges from around the globe. In addition, India, which has the world’s largest student population can directly benefit from such a move – from a restrictive to a more business friendly environment. Encouraging private players in this sector would also ultimately lead to stimulating employment and foster economic development of India.
Inspirited by the ‘Digital India’ initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India stands committed to promoting the spread of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT). The ICT is infusing various systems with new vitality, thus playing a crucial and benefi cial role in advancing the wellbeing of all sections of our society.
Education is one sector that has realised the benefi ts of technology, perhaps, ahead of several others. The adoption of ICT here has been fast, leading to delivery of stunning results even faster. It goes to the credit of educational institutions in India, which are adopting high-tech methods of teaching-learning at the global pace, so as to stay relevant in times of neck-and-neck competition.
At a time when the Government of India is going whole hog towards implementing the ambitious Digital India project in the country, the “World Education Summit – Delhi” Special Issue of DigitalLEARNING highlights the positive implications of technology that are very much relevant and timely in the present context of educational transformation the world is witness to. The convenience of online courses with the advent of new technologies has caught the attention of professionals and students across the nation, furthering the idea of technology-led learning. All this has led to entrepreneurs tapping into the Indian eduTech space.
This issue contains various sections, including the Cover Story on WES that aims to discuss, deliberate and set the future course of education in India.
Besides, well-researched articles on ICT initiatives in schools and higher educational institutions bring in opinionated viewpoints from thought leaders and educationists across the globe. Moreover, case studies, features and the comprehensive ‘Jnana Sangama Report’ are undoubtedly interesting reads.
The Education sector being one of the fastest developing sectors worldwide and the second-largest industry in India clearly invites opportunities of investments but, sadly though, it stands a victim of the restrictive regulatory environment that forces out the potential speculation of private players exploring and entering this sector. The business story in this issue carefully lays down consolidated perspectives of big private players in the segment, analysing the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of the policy syndrome.
In view of the paradigm shift taking place in the Indian educational sector, the need for its skillful management and faculties to adapt to the changes is imperative. This will provide the much-needed impetus to the undercurrents of technology fi nding their way into the education domain.
We are in a constant state of evolution and maturity. Our vision is to have a school in every town of India and this calls for a very sure footed approach in associating with likeminded education partners and continually innovating the differentiated delivery of our core product. Our innovation and ability to bring in a structured enhancement to education has also found favour with promising existing schools in India which perhaps may wish to use the services of organisations like ours to further add value to an already running school and enhance the learning experience for their students. Our strength lies in the ability to ensure standardised delivery across key operational functions that are critical to make a K12 school successful and foster a dynamic child-school-parent connect, despite diversity in the country. You will see us as a chain that continually innovates, builds deeper foundations into children, enhances confidence in them and readies them to face the dynamic globalisation in the years to come. Finally, we may wish to explore possibilities of setting up Educator Training Institutes & also venturing to serve the Indian diaspora outside the shores of India.
