Microsoft to digitise Maharashtra village, impart skills to youth

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September 17, 2015

The wave of digitisation has reached the rural belt of India as well. Software giant Microsoft has chosen a tribal hamlet Harisal in Maharashtra to be developed as the first ideal digital village in the country. The village is all set to become the first digital village in India in the next 100 days, an official informed.

Microsoft India head, Prashant Shukla said: “Harisal will be the first ideal digital village in India.” He said the project will prove how technology could change lives.

Shukla, accompanied by district collector Kiran Gitte, account technology strategist Balchandran Nair, CMO IT chief Kaustubh Dhawase, CEO Landge and heads of various departments had visited the village recently and inspected the gram panchayat, the Bank of Maharashtra branch, the junior college, the fair price shop and interacted with the village head and deputy village head, and villagers.

Microsoft will offer skill development training to village youth, said district collector Kiran Gitte. “Agro-based processing units and self-help groups will be established while soil testing, dairy development, vegetable production will be undertaken.”

Display boards concerning sale of forest produce, weather information, cropping pattern and crop management will also be put up, informed Gitte.

Online registration of all children at the anganwadi will be done while record of their weight and improvement will be maintained. All bank customers will be provided with ATM-cum-debit cards and mobile banking services will be increased, he said.

“Microsoft will take care of computer literacy of anganwadi sevikas and teachers. Online gramsabha and teleconferencing will be the next stage. School students will be imparted education in hardware, software and mobile technology,” Gitte added.

The initiative is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ concept under which smart cities and smart villages will be developed. With Microsoft providing all technological assistance in developing the tribal hamlet, a 14-member committee with BDO as nodal officer has been set up.

Innovative learning through mobile library

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 16, 2015

The world of digitisation has taken new leaps and this is showcased through a new innovative technique being adopted in accessing research material through the concept of a mobile library in private schools.

Rockstand, a mobile learning market place has tied up with Kalinga institute of Industrial Technology and Kalinga institute of Social Sciences to provide students access to eBooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers through a mobile library. The marketplace will also be providing 5 tablets in the campus for students to read and learn in a digital learning setup, a senior official informed.

Praveen Rajpal, founder and CEO, Rockstand Digital said: “The focus of this partnership was to building access to not only learning materials but also KIIT University’s internal publications, through the app on mobiles and tablets.”

Achutya Samanta, founder, Kalinga Institute of Information Technology and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences said the digital access to learning materials will also help digitise their content and distribute it. “We will be able to share publications, internal reports, journal, case studies, university brochure, magazine, study material and all other Institutions publications with our students instantly on mobile via Google Cloud Messaging (GCM). KIIT Review- our bi-monthly journal, bi-monthly journal, would also be distributed.”

This service will provide access with both paid and free content to students at the university.

According to industry estimates, the current market size of digitised school products in private schools is around US$500 million.

MHRD develops framework to rank higher education institutes

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 16, 2015

To give the university students a one of its kind feel of global ranking, Union Human Resource Development Ministry will launch a framework to rank the higher education institutions in India soon. The ‘India-Centric Ranking Framework’ will be country specific such as the emphasis on inclusive education through reservation- to come up with the ranking of the state-run and private institutes.

The ranking will cover all institutes offering courses on engineering, law, management and humanities. The ministry will publish the first ranking list by January-February 2016. The ministry is making all efforts to develop an Indian academic ranking. The University grants commission started a discussion with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2009, but the process was given a push since Smriti Irani came to HRD Ministry.

A committee comprising National Board of Accreditation Chairman (NBA) Surendra Prasad, IIT-Kharagpur Director PP Chakraborty, IIT-Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi, besides the higher education secretary and HRD ministry officials is formed to make the ranking framework. The ranking framework will be based on objective and authentic parameters. Other parameters include teaching-learning, research, collaborative practice and professional performance, graduate outcomes, placements, outreach and inclusive action, and peer group perception. Each of these is then subdivided into 20 sub-criteria to assess an institute.

IISc, IIT listed in World University Rankings

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September 16, 2015

Congratulating Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi for figuring in the top 200 in the QS World University Rankings of 2015-16, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “I am delighted that IISc, Bangalore and IIT, Delhi has been ranked No. 147 and 179 respectively in the QS World University Rankings of 2015-16. Please accept my heartiest congratulations on this remarkable achievement. India has outstanding and inherent talent and its institutions have the potential to be the best, provided they can apply themselves to the task of improving quality. A high rank not only boosts the morale of the academic community but also opens greater avenues of growth and placement for students. It provides a benchmark for continuous quality enhancement.”

In individual messages sent to Prof. Anurag Kumar, Director, IISc, Bangalore and Prof. Kshitij Gupta, Officiating Director, IIT, Delhi, the President has said “I am confident that you along with the faculty members and staff of your Institution will continue to strive for developing our academic institutions into global leaders.”

Use technology for benefit of mankind: President

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September 16, 2015

Addressing the 13^th Convocation of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology- Nagpur, President of India, Pranab Mukherjee said, “NITs, as institutes of national importance, have to take the lead in creating capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. They must align their activities with national development goals. He called upon VNIT-Nagpur to do its utmost in this direction.”

The President said technologists are problem solvers who search for quicker, better and less expensive ways of meeting tough challenges. They play a pivotal role in understanding and furthering the relationship between science, technology and society for a better tomorrow. He called upon students to take a pledge to make full use of technology for the benefit of mankind and to see that the use of technology spreads happiness, prosperity and general well-being amongst the people of our country.

The President said the government has initiated the “Start-up India, Stand up India” campaign. The success of this initiative will depend on how innovatively we can use technology as well as human resources available in our country. He called upon students of VNIT-Nagpur to become entrepreneurs, who create job opportunities for people rather than merely seek job opportunities. Creating enterprises which will create wealth for the nation, society and people will be their biggest contribution to the inclusive and sustainable development of the country.

The President also paid tribute to M. Visvesvaraya on the occasion and said he is happy that the Convocation of VNIT is usually organised on his birth anniversary, which is marked as Engineers Day in India.

Vega schools to shell out Rs 200 crore for local expansion

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September 16, 2015

To expand its footprint in the nation while introducing a customised approach to the education sector in the country, Gurgaon-based Vega Schools is looking at investing about Rs 200 crore over the next five years, a senior official informed.

The school chain was started this year by Steven Edwards, former advisor to the White House, World Bank and United Nations on education and Sandeep Hooda, a first generation entrepreneur. The two founders are infusing the initial Rs 200 crore and claim to have admitted over 100 students. The institution is also looking at raising additional Rs 100 crore in the next year for expansion.

“Vega is all about 21st century schools based on the progressive approach focused on personalised learning experiences,” says Hooda.

The first school is based on the building blocks model, a relatively new concept in India. The approach involves learning through practical experience, customised for individual students.

“Neuroscience says all of us are completely different. Then how can we have one learning experience for a class of 40 or 50,” Hooda said.

Vega Schools is part of the Global Schools Alliance, a trust, a not-forprofit organisation. It has eight schools as members with Vega being the Indian chapter.

“The heads of these schools will meet at least once a year and a transfer of best practices, faculty and students takes place among these schools,” said Hooda.

Based on customised learning, Vega has worked out not only on its exteriors but also its interiors to reflect agility. It has no classrooms or fixed furniture. “The no classrooms concept is scientific. All the furniture can be taken apart and put back in a different way,” said Edwards.

“Indian schools are very controlled. Also it is not that all schools in the US are following progressive learning. But more schools in the US are adopting the progressive approach,” he added.

Soft skills in technical curriculum soon

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September 15, 2015

The wave of skilling the young blend of employees to the requirements of the industry has become the slogan for the Modi government for a long time now and as part of initiating the goal of bridging the chasm between skills imparted by vocational training schools and the abilities industry, an ambitious plan to top-up the existing technical syllabus across industrial training institutes has been proposed.

The proposed agenda of imparting soft skills to the technical curriculum has on the anvil are over 500 hours of training content on soft skills like inter-personal communication and functional English to be used for daily workplace chores, practical know-how on dealing with emergencies in work domains and, IT skills necessary to browse the iNet and social media, and operate office productivity tools.

“There is a renewed sense of urgency in the government about achieving outcomes in skill development and job creation. Our goal is to create high-value jobs that can support a family and the government needs to leverage technology and innovation to achieve scale for its Skill India program,” says Ajay Kela, chairman of the Wadhwani Foundation that is working with the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry to roll out the plan.

“I use Uber to commute instead of hiring or buying a car, whether Iam in the US or India. But whenever I order n Uber in Delhi, the driver invariably calls me twice tocheck the address though a GPS device in his car has the co-ordinates. The reason is the Indian river’s fear of technology,” he said, explaining the need for youth to be able to use such productivity tools.

“Infosys wouldn’t have created itsMysore campus, if it didn’t need to train graduates for another year tobe fit for the job. India’s BPO industry is worth $20 billion dollars and pays more to hire graduates but faces a high attrition rate.

‘If we can train a XIIth pass in six to 12 months on things like data entry and calls that won’t be the case,” Kela asserted.

Over the next six months, the outfit will work with the Centre to deliver skill sets to over 6,000 trainee sat 300 industrial training institutes or ITIs on a pilot basis.

After an impact-assessment exercise, the program will be scaled up to 10,000- odd ITIs and other vocational education initiatives like the University Grants Commission, that is looking at setting up hundreds of community colleges, or private sector training providers working with National Skills Development Corporation.

“Companies are willing to pay more salaries to people who can talk in English and operate a PC. If we can demonstrate this successfully, others can replicate it, including government schools,” added Kela.

The foundation has developed 349 training lessons on such workplace skills that are imparted in interactive-video formats.

‘Need a school every seven minutes’

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September 15, 2015

To ensure that children of all strata of the society gets the benefits of learning, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said that India needs a new school every seven minutes in order to give quality education to slum children.

She was participating in a live chat with users on Facebook, while she expressed: “Statistically, India needs a new school every seven minutes. Ours is the largest school system in the world. I agree, we can do better.”

The interaction was part of Ministry’s effort to enhance participation for its ‘100 Women Initiative’ to recognise women achievers. The minister also felt that an increased participation from men will be fruitful in creating gender sensitivity.

“Men’s role is the most critical since all the violence is male-generated. One of the ways to tackle this is at the school stage. So, we have started something which will go into effect in a few months, called ‘Gender Champions’ under which boys will be chosen who have been particularly respectful and helpful to girls and deserve to be emulated and rewarded,” she said.

“Prizes will be given to a person in each class annually. It can also be given to a girl who has been outstanding in her bravery or attitude, etc,” she said.

She also said that media is more sensitive to women issues in India as compared to abroad.

“Personally, I find that the media is more sensitive to women’s issues in India as compared to abroad,” she said while answering a question during the live interaction.

MHRD to organise Global Education Summit in Gujarat

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 15, 2015

Union Human Resource Development Ministry will hold the first international summit on education in Gandhinagar in November 2015. The ministers in-charge of education in 180 countries will participate in the summit. The venue of the two-day Vibrant India Global Education summit is Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit.

The themes will be such as the role of private sector in providing quality education and research and development and how the government can facilitate private sector participation. Apart from foreign delegates, experts from central universities, institutes from higher education, and excellence such as the Indian institutes if technology and management and specialists from the field of research and development will participate.

The summit will also throw light on the issue of the ranking of Indian institutes globally, the quality of research and teacher training and the need for reforms.

Mother tongue mandatory in admission forms: CBSE

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 15, 2015

Under three language formula, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it mandatory for all the schools to compulsory include information of a child’s mother tongue and his preference for the language for study in the admission forms of the schools affiliated to CBSE.

CBSE has directed to all the affiliated schools that a column should be introduced in the application form for admission keeping with the recommendation of the board’s examination committee on compulsory registration of mother tongue.

A student can take any ‘modern Indian language ‘as the third language along with English and Hindi as per the constitution. It is a significant step taken by the authorities as it comes against the backdrop of controversy surrounding placement of Sanskrit with German as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools. Information on language preference will also help the schools streamline recruitment of language teachers and make a proper assessment of the preferred language.

As ensured under Article 350A of the Constitution, CBSE has already made it clear that children should be able to access education in their mother tongue in the primary stage itself.

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