Technology in Exams Scaling new Frontiers

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August 19, 2016

One of the first instances of high-stake Computer Based Tests (CBT) in the country was seen in 2003 and since then, various exams boards have adopted CBT mainly for their entrance examinations, writes Ravi Panchanadan, Chief Executive Officer, MeritTrac Services

Ravi_Panchanadan (2) — **Ravi Panchanadan**
Chief Executive Officer, MeritTrac Services

During the last couple of decades, the world has undergone a massive transformation with increasing impact of technology in almost every aspect of life. The practices we adopted in our lives previously have become obsolete. We are witnessing new methods becoming the norm.

In these Changing times, education has witnessed a massive transformation in most parts of the world and India is no exception. Universities delivering classes online, thereby negating the limitation of time and space in education delivery, has been a paradigm shift leading to introduction of new scalable models. The evolution of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is democratising high quality education and making knowledge available for masses.

Examinations, a critical aspect determining success of education, have also undergone transformation. One of the first instances of high-stake Computer Based Tests (CBT) in the country was witnessed in 2003 and since then, various exams boards have adopted CBT mainly for their entrance examinations.

IIM CAT entrance exam is the one of the first national level high-stake exam that went online in the country. Its initial hiccups had almost stalled the progress made in adoption of Computer Based Tests in India, but the successful comeback it made in 2010 gave confidence for more and more examination boards in the country to adopt Computer Based Tests.

In 2010, MeritTrac, along with EDGE and Value Notes organised a study designed to learn views on introduction of technology in examinations. With less than 10 examination bodies having embarked on transformation using technology, it was important to understand the industry’s views on leveraging technology in future. The study was administered on the key stakeholders in the education system – exam authorities and students.

The study revealed that around 68% of Indian examination bodies had concrete plans to leverage technology in examinations, with specific reference to Computer Based Examinations. The key priorities for these universities were the need to increase the speed of result processing, transparency and security of high-stake examinations whileover 75% student’s perceived transparency as a major benefit. Over 68% of them also believed that computer based tests will offer accurate and timely results. While the major stakeholders were looking forward to the migration, 62% of the respondents had concerns over the availability and quality of infrastructure.

Changes over last 5 years Since this research, Indian education system has witnessed a massive migration from paper-based test to CBT. Transformations embarked by some of the large exam bodies have offered confidence for others to follow. Today over 100 examination bodies have migrated their entrance examinations to CBT. While the 2010 MeritTrac research predicted a massive shift, we are all ‘stumped’ by the pace of this transformation. With the recent UGC directive mandating universities to adopt technology for admissions, this number is expected to be increase further.

A few factors have led to this fast paced migration:

Changing mind-set – Openness to leverage technology for several high-stake initiatives have given education administrators the confidence todeliver various facets of education also using technology. Examinations was only a logical extension to this.
Improved infrastructure – Today, India is one of the fastest growing internet markets. The expanse of computer infrastructure to the last mile – villages and other rural areas has fostered the possibility of making computer based exams inclusive. Gone are the days when technology was limited to the geographical boundaries that divided cities from villages. Government’s emphasis on reaching broadband into villages will further enhance the possibilities of computer based exams.
Rise of ‘Digital Natives’ – It is understood that digital natives are natural adopters of technology. The increasing use of mobiles and access to internet have extended the possibilities of computer based exams in the country. Candidates have greater understanding of technology and hence are not flustered in computer labs. l
Growing need for transparency & security – With increasing population and stakes, there is a greater demand for improving transparency and security of examinations. It is well accepted that technology could play a critical role in assisting examination bodies in achieving its goal of secure, transparent and high quality examinations.
Technology advancement and reduction in IT costs– Technology is today designed for greater scale and operational efficiencies. With it CBT has become viable for most examination boards. Moreover, its benefits easily outweigh the cost and technology implications.
Yet, the use of technology in examinations have till been limited to entrance examinations. Most of the vast majority of other examinations – summative / term-end examinations are still following traditional models exposing itself to inefficiencies and security threats.

Technology for Summative Exams
The next big technology revolution in examinations is On- Screen Marking (OSM), also referred to as ‘Digital Evaluation’. A few large examination boards in the country have already adopted this technology and reaped rich benefits. OSM has allowed examination bodies to enhance quality of evaluation of descriptive answer scripts while making it transparent and secure. They have also succeeded in publishing results faster. Ability of this technology to allow evaluators to evaluate from home also leads to greater convenience for the examination body and its evaluators. This is a technology that has been widely used in most developed countries. The initial success of OSM in India will definitely have a ripple effect in the country.
Large and prestigious examination bodies have been looking for solutions that can help make their exams secure, transparent and efficient. One of the biggest challenges with these high-stake exams is that they are vulnerable to risks and frauds. Ensuring security of question paper has been a priority for these examination bodies. Question paper printing, transit and storage have traditionally been vulnerable to leak and exposure. These instances could lead to reputational risks and legal challenges.

So, how can technology help these examinations become more secure?

Today over 100 examination bodies have migrated their entrance examinations to Computer Based Tests (CBT). With the recent UGC directive mandating universities to adopt technology for admissions, this number is expected to be increase further

Just-in-Time Question Paper (JIT-QP) management – a process of managing question paper security with application of technology, will ensure that question papers are not exposed till the time of examination. The question bank managed by the examination body generates question papers which are accessible at the test centre by ONLY the designated official minutes before the examination. The solution prints the exact number of question papers as required in the centre under surveillance, thereby ensuring its security. This technology coupled with the OSM service has already helped a state university in administering secure exams and speed up turn-around of results.

After the successful adoption of CBT, OSM and JIT-QP management are the next big transformations that we will witness in the India. With increased fairness, security, transparency and faster turn-around time, students will be the greatest beneficiaries of this introduction of technology.

CRM Simplified

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August 19, 2016

Customer Relationship Management or CRM is an indispensable factor for any organisation across any industry which aims to last long and strong to which it caters to. Unfortunately there are not many organisations in the country that caters to this service in a manner which is local in nature in terms of both cost and application. How Simple CRM intends to change the entire landscape of CRM across industries is narrated by Indraneel Fuke, founder-director of the company in an exclusive interview with Elets News Network (ENN)

Tell us about SimpleCRM beyond the information provided in your website.

SimpleCRM founders have been involved in global CRM project implementations since 2004. Over the years it became increasingly clear that organisations in Asia require an Enterprise grade CRM at a price point that factored in local economic realities. This led us to launch Simple CRM product, specifically targeted towards Asian customers. Simple CRM is a comprehensive, highly scalable, fl exible and cost effective CRM solution for small, medium and large organisations in Asia.

What were the hurdles involved while setting up your company?

Developing a product that matched the features and benefi ts of top-tier enterprise CRM solutions like Salesforce. com and Microsoft Dynamics, but at a far lower price point, was both our main value proposition and a challenge. However, we were able to overcome this challenge by tapping into our 15+ years of experience in developing enterprise software for global organisations and leveraging open source technologies to build Simple CRM product line. This helped us deliver our value proposition, which means we achieved Enterprise grade CRM at a highly attractive price point for Asian organisations.

Who are your target consumers? What is your strategy to reach them?

Simple CRM modules are applicable to all sizes of businesses in a variety of industrial sectors. That said, we do have developed verticalized solutions for certain industries, shown as follows:

Helpdesk Support Centre CRM	Lead Management CRM CRM	Confi gure Price Quote (CPQ) Module	Mobile CRM	CRM
Insurance & Banking	?	–	?	?
Professional Services	?	?	?	?
E-Commerce	?	–	?	?
Real Estate	?	?	?	?
Dealers	?	?	?	?
Telecom	?	?	?	–
SMBs	?	?	?	?
Education	?	–	?	?

What are the major benefi ts for institutions and individuals adopting your solutions?

At a high level, SimpleCRM solution consists of following key modules:

Comprehensive Lead
Management System –This module allows organisations to track and manage leads, opportunities, accounts, contacts, create quotations and invoices and many other sales related aspects; basically the entire lead to cash cycle.

Case Management (Help Desk CRM) System – This module enables an organisation to capture customer complaints, feedback from a variety of sources such as, calls, emails, website and even social media. It also helps manage case escalations and workfl ows. Basically, this empowers the organisations to serve better to their customers resulting in higher customer delight and retention.
Partner and Customer Portal Framework – This module extends the reach of traditional CRM and allows other important stakeholders like reseller partners or customers to share information and collaborate with internal teams of an organisation.
Marketing Automation System –This module helps organisations capture leads through a wide variety of sources such as, website, social media, calls, chats, emails and others. It also helps run email and SMS campaigns and provide campaign analytics.
Mobile CRM App – Mobile app is a great way to be in touch with your customers on the go, even when you do not have net connectivity. It allows easy access to customer data and the ability to make updates which are later synchronised with the main CRM.

Who are your competitors?Any strategy to stay ahead in the market?

There is competition for all promising business opportunities. Most Indian organisations still do not have a proper CRM system in place and that presents a big opportunity for solution providers, so there is bound to be competition for us as well. However, we believe no other CRM provider is able to match the combination of our Asia market focus, high expertise in delivering CRM projects and a great product at an attractive pricepoint. At this stage of our growth, we do not have any big hurdles as such, but recruitment and retention of good talent continues to be something we need to keep working on.

Over the years it became increasingly clear that organisations in Asia require an Enterprise grade CRM at a price point that factored in local economic realities

Where do you see your company in the next five years?

Simple CRM initially began as a customised solution on open source platform for one of the largest financial services organisations in Asia. After delivering a successful and scalable solution for 1200+ bank users, Simple CRM founders decided to further build the product and deliver an enterprise grade, highlyscalable, comprehensive and affordable CRM for Asian organisations. Over the last few years, Simple CRM team has successfully delivered several large-scale deployments in Asia. For example, ecommerce companies like askme.com have 4,500+ of users managing sales, support and operations on Simple CRM. NGOs like Reliance Foundation are using Simple CRM for running their PAN India Toll Free Helpline for more than two million rural audience. Life Insurance companies like Union Assurance have decided to roll out Simple CRM Lead Management System for 4,000+ advisors. On the Education front, Simple CRM has been selected for providing lead management and help desk solution by premium institutes such as ITM University, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and Orchid International School. Over the next few years, we expect to continue to grow at a fast pace and become number one CRM alternative to salesforce.com or Microsoft CRM for the mid-enterprise & large enterprise market segments in the Asia Pacific.

Echelon Institute of Technology Engineering Innovations

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August 19, 2016

The Echelon Institute of Technology, Faridabad, has carved out a niche for itself among the renowned technical institutions, thanks to its focused dedication towards creating a culture of inspiration, exploration and growth. An evaluation.

Situated in Delhi’s National Capital Region (NCR), the Echelon Institute of Technology, Faridabad, is a brand name among the comity of technical institutes.

Nestled in the sylvan surroundings on Kheri-Manjhawali Road, 20 km from South Delhi, the Institute is spread over a sprawling lush green campus of 17.5 acre. It was established with the vision of “technical leaders engaged in the evolution of life being at the frontiers of continuous technological breakthroughs inspired by ongoing exploration of self, society and nature” in 2007-08.

It has scaled great heights both in terms of academics and integrated holistic growth of students with a commitment of being a cause in their evolution as leaders in the society making meaningful contributive creative free choices.

The institute has carved out a niche for itself among the renowned technical institutions on account of its focused dedication towards creating a culture of inspiration, exploration and growth as the genesis of spurring hunger to continually delve into the scientific puzzles as the cornerstone of excellence in education.

It is equipped with the state-of-the-art infrastructure, highly qualified and experienced faculty, full scale training and placement departments, including in its ambit an Entrepreneurship Cell and a specialised Industry-Institute Partnership Cell and deep mentoring relationship with each and every student.

The Institute, with its fundamental tenet of evolutionary partnerships and collaborative creation at its core, with all the stakeholders including faculty, staff, students and the general community around, works through 15 clubs covering all facets of being human to continually explore the world within and without.

The Institute, with its fundamental tenet of evolutionary partnerships and collaborative creation at its core, works through 15 clubs covering all facets of being human to continually explore the world within and without

It strongly believes that technical breakthroughs in the world outside are only possible with simultaneous evolution as human beings within, altering the very culture we live in.

The Echelon Institute was the first institute in Haryana to have been accorded Outcome-based Accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) as per Washington Accord & ABET norms.

The institute is managed by the community of “The Last Centre”. The Last Centre is a community of spiritual seekers dedicated to “unparalleled service to humanity” through social entrepreneurship.

At Echelon, the main focus is on Active and Experiential Learning. The Institute is pioneering the Experiential Engineering Education in the country. It believes that creation is possible only in an impersonalised coming together of all the individuals, with undivided focus on dissolving the challenges and generating the wellbeing of the whole community.

LearnEngg Provides e-Learning Solution

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August 19, 2016

The scenario of higher education in India fails to match global quality standards says Dr. S. M. Nabi, Director, Infoplus Technologies Ltd in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN)

What is the current situation of Higher Education system in India and how do you think your contribution envisages to over-come that?

India’s higher education system is the world’s third largest in terms of students, next to China and the United States. Unlike China, however, India has the advantage of English being the primary language of higher education and research. The overall scenario of higher education in India does not match with the global quality standards mainly due to highly diversified nature in terms of cultures, languages, economic status and geographical locations, widening the gap between urban and rural areas.

Leveraging the technological developments, we provide the students to learn the subjects anywhere any time, offering a personalised learning environment

How your solution is going to address the current challenges?

LearnEngg is a trade-name christened for our visual-rich accelerated e-Learning solution. Our immediate focus is on imparting highly effective technical education, namely, 4 year Graduate Engineering, 3 year Engineering Diploma, 2 year ITI Trades and skill development programs. LearnEngg conforms to the prescribed syllabus of the University/ Educational Agency, aptly crafted with relevant real-life demonstrations of appropriate 3D visuals, thus imparting highly effective and quality education. It provides nearly 250 visuals in 2D/3D formats to explain a typical 45 Lecture hours subject.

Have you implemented your solutions in Universities or Technical Boards?

We have implemented LearnEngg solution in 5 States, namely all Govt. ITIs in Kerala, Govt. Polytechnics in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal for Diploma Engg, Visvesvaraya Technological University and its affiliated Engineering colleges in Karnataka; Our solution has earned the Chief Minister’s e-Governance Award of 2014 in Kerala, especially for the upliftment of Girl Students from Rural Environment.

How can your contribution help in “Skilling India” and other policy frame works of Higher Education in India?

LearnEngg, with visual-rich ICT based technology driven e-learning solution, facilitates developing world class skilled workforce. It virtually brings the industry to the student and thereby strengthen Industry Partnership, making the Students Industry-Ready and hence enhancing employability. Skill development needs to start within the formal courses not as a separate compartment. Hence, we have adapted mix of academic and industry requirements within our product. Leveraging the technological developments, we provide the students to learn the subjects anywhere any time, offering a personalised learning environment. Coupled with the emphasis of promoting Digital India by the Govt of India, our solution is the least-cost model towards capacity building of vital skilled resources, aiming at making India a knowledge super power in the global economy.

Global Discovery Academy Turning Students into Future Leaders

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August 19, 2016

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 the class 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.

Data-Wise Student Data Augments School Teaching

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August 19, 2016

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 — **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

Tech Solutions that enhance efficiency

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August 19, 2016

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 — **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.

Reviving Childhood with Bulbul Apps

Magazine

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

August 19, 2016

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.

ICT Prompts Advancements in Higher Education

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

August 19, 2016

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 — **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

M_Ramamoorty — **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

Opportunities & Challenges

VYS_Kumar — **VYS Kumar**
Dean, Academic Planning & Quality Assurance
Rayat-Bahra University, Punjab

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

Rupa_Vasudevan — **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.

ICT Overhauls School Education

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

August 19, 2016

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?

Vandana_Lulla — **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.

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 — **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 — **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.

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