Dr Sunandan Baruah, HOD Electronics and Communication Engineering, Don Bosco College of Engineering Technology, Guwahati, shares his views on the importance and growth of skilled Electronics and Communication engineers in today’s electronic age.
1. What is the current market trend of engineering industry?
The engineering industry takes into account a confusing assortment of plausible horizontal roles cutting across practically all other industry segments. With its connotations of practical management of skills and techniques to achieve a planned impact in the real world, the tag engineering is now applied in diverse fields like marine, environmental, nuclear, ocean, genetics, software and even finance.
For those like us who have taken up the responsibility of educating the next generation of engineers, the manner in which new engineering streams, such as nanotechnology or genetics are making their presence felt, even newer streams coming up will not be a surprise. Four cutting edge areas were identified in a symposium at Google namely additive manufacturing; semantic processing; engineering sustainable buildings and neuroprosthetics; topics which wouldn’t have found place in engineering studies even a decade back. Engineering is possibly the most dynamic field of education in the last decade.
2. Kindly share the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of your institute.
• Selection to BTech programs is through a written test (objective) which include questions on mathematics, physics and chemistry apart from verbal and analytical questions,
• Specific skill sets and proficiency that we look in a candidate is that one should havesound knowledge on basic science, mathematics and analytical ability.
3. What is the scope for B.Tech in Electronics and Communication?
This is the electronic age with newer and newer gadgets coming up with numerous added features. Noise free communication and high speed data transfer has become the need of the day. Improved analytical and diagnostic instruments are being developed increasing the demand for engineering graduates in electronics and communication engineering.
There are numerous career opportunities for graduates in Electronics & Communication Engineering. Some of the employment areas for Electronics and Communication Engineering graduates are: Civil Aviation Department (Airport Authority of India), Indian Railways, Software Industries, Steel Authority of Indian Limited (SAIL), Consumer Electronics Companies (Samsung/Sony/Toshiba, etc.) among others.
When you talk of Interactive White Board (IWB), everyone refers to it as SMARTBoard. Such is its brand power that the word SMARTBoard has become synonymous with anything interactive in a classroom, says Chandan Sonowal, MD, SMART Technologies in an interaction with digitalLEARNING
Every IWB isn’t SMARTBoard because SMARTBoard is the registered trade name of SMART Technologies Ulc. Only the Interactive White Boards manufactured by SMART are actually SMARTBoards. It is like Xerox. You tend to call all photo-copiers as Xerox. For a long time, other companies have abused and misused the word to their advantage. They also came up with different flavors around the word SMART. Over the last two-and-a-half years since its presence in India, SMART Technologies has slowly and steadily grown to be the largest IWB brand in India with more than 37 percent market share in India (As per Future Source Consulting for FY12-13). In a market which is dominated mostly by cheap imports and unorganized players, SMART has been able to stand apart and create a niche for itself. Industry analysts estimate that SMART has presence in almost 75,000 classrooms across India and that is a significant achievement in two-and-a-half years. During his interactions with digitalLEARNING, Chandan Sonowal, the MD of SMART Technologies in India spoke about the various areas of focus for SMART in India.
What is the big thing happening in SMART?
We had some great announcements last year. We launched the new SB480, the SBM685, which is an 87” IWB focused and priced appropriately for the Indian market as well as the new SMART Table. We launched the world’s first finger touch interactive projector and we are seeing significant curiosity in that space. We announced SMARTamp and have worked on some significant changes in the SMART Notebook thereby leading to significant work on our cloud and software strategy. Overall, our IWB continues to be the fastest adopted product in the Education space in India.
Chandan Sonowal, who is an IT Industry veteran (former Microsoft and IBM executive), leads a group of young and dynamic team in India. They are a breed of fine young executives with varied background from different industries. Mohan Kumar (Country Manager, K12 Education Sales) is a former teacher at Doon School and has worked in Vastant Valley School before venturing into the corporate world at NIIT; Adil Mirza (GM, Marketing) is from Pearson, Jasvinder Kaur (National Sales Manager) is from HP. Without creating too much of hoopla, the team in India has slowly and steadily captured the imagination of teachers, students, educators and academicians in their endeavor to help them adopt technology in classrooms.
Please tell us about your IWB product categories? What is the USP of your products?
Our IWB product categories include SB480, SBM600, SB8 series and depending on the education and classroom needs, the appropriate solution is recommended. All our IWBs are based on our patented technology called DViT (Digital Vision Touch) which is different from IWB based on electromagnetic, infra red (IR) or resistive touch technology that are subjected to severe external interferences. DViT gives us an edge over others in terms of accuracy and enhanced touch interactivity.
The Notebook software which is bundled with all SMARTBoards is unique in many ways. Teachers use Notebook software to create their own content and develop their own lesson plans because it is simple yet very effective, intuitive, intelligent and overall very easy to use. You can do almost anything from the Notebook software and need not switch amongst screens to use the browser, applications, gallery items, PDF, etc. We don’t have 40 million teachers and students using notebook software across the globe without a reason.
The basic question schools should ask while deciding on IWB solution, is whether the software which comes along with the Interactive device is a development tool or a delivery tool?
You also spoke about changes in Notebook strategy. Can you throw some light for our readers? If you look at the deployment, downloads and usage of Notebook software across the globe, we are the largest maker of Education software. We realized the potential of Notebook and felt that we should find a way so that more and more teachers and students can leverage its power and capabilities. Last year, we made changes which allowed other interactive devices to work with Notebook software as well. This is a significant step because until now, Notebook was available only on SMART interactive devices. We changed our licensing policies as well as worked on making Notebook software available as browser and iPad versions.
Talking about IWB, how do you see the Indian IWB Market as compared to the global market?
Allow me to compare it in terms of current size, in terms of classroom penetration and finally in terms of opportunity size. If we are to look at the current market size, China dominates the IWB space with its sales representing 57 percent of the world market. Compared to 1.3 million global IWB sales, India is the fourth largest with a market size of approximately 80,000 units in FY13.
In the UK, IWB penetration in classroom is 92 percent, in Singapore it is 85 percent, while in India it is merely 4.3 percent. We have a long way to go in terms of getting schools and teachers adopt IWB in imparting education to children. It is a paradigm shift and it requires thrust from all stakeholders.
From an opportunity perspective, probably India is the only market which will grow significantly in terms of technology adoption in the next couple of years because of its sheer size. If I were to quote Future Source, only China (3.88 million classrooms) has more classrooms than India (3.73 million classrooms). So, given the size and the lower classroom penetration, India is one market which would attract lot of interest for all the players.
What is the size of the Indian IWB market? What is your market share in India?
Future Source has stated that the FY13 shipments to be around 80,000 units in India. This number will continue to hover around 80 to 90,000 units per annum unless OEMs take constructive efforts to make the pie bigger. As OEM, we have to identify the challenges from the context of Indian market and work on areas to grow the adoption of technology in classroom. I foresee challenges in the areas of training and teacher’s skill in using technology as the biggest deterrent to technology adoption. Amongst the branded players, we are the market leader with more than 37 percent market share (As per Future Source Consulting).
What is your pricing strategy for Indian market? What is the price range of your products?
When schools invest in technology for a classroom, they don’t just buy the IWB; they buy projectors, PC, UPS, networking products along with it. Our channel partners offer a comprehensive solution, which includes everything thereby quoting an overall price for the solution. To give a simpler answer, our entry level SMARTBoard is available at ` 60,000.
What are the quality standards that you follow for your products?
Like I said before, we have made it a policy to get BIS certification for all our products that we sell in India irrespective of whether there are any mandatory guidlines or not. This makes us stand apart from all the other Chinese or cheap and sub-standard IWB players, which form the largest unorganized group in Indian market. It is important for schools to ask these important questions to suppliers in terms of compliances and quality guidance. Apart from the BIS, our factories are ISO certified and conform to highest quality standards of environment and other regulatory standards.
What was your company’s revenue growth (in IWB Category) for FY 2012-13?
Number of units sold in 2013 as compared to 2012? SMART India is subsidiary of SMART Ulc. and its results aren’t announced separately. But I can tell you that our classroom deployment has increased to more than 25,000 classrooms in FY2013. We grew approximately 25 percent year on year in terms of our classroom deployment. [On checking with SMART’s Distributors in India, it is estimated that SMART would have done approximately ` 100 crores in India.]
We at SMART, have imparted free Professional Development Training for teachers across the country irrespective of whether you buy SMART products or offerings
What are some of the challenges that you see in the market?
The Indian market isn’t easy and there is a general reluctance or resistance to adopt technology. Schools and teachers see technology as the means to do away with their existing problems, which is definitely not the case. Technology is only a tool, and is only as effective as the person using it. So, the biggest challenge is to change the mindset amongst educators and have them look at ways and means to leverage the power of technology to empower themselves.
At the same time, we have to enhance the capability and skill set of teachers to use technology effectively. This needs training and continuous skill building. We at SMART, have imparted free Professional Development Training for teachers across the country irrespective of whether you buy SMART products or not. We will continue to do so in the years to come to enable teachers to use technology with ease. External factors like electric power supply and internet penetration would also deter schools from investing in technology. There is a severe power crisis in India, mostly in the non-metro space and there is no point in investing in technology if you cannot use it.
What are you doing to drive technology adoption?
Unless schools and teachers try out the product or solution, they won’t know what they can possibly do with it. We have adopted a different approach to drive adoption. There are five areas that we are focusing on and they are:
>> Help schools try and use the SMARTBoard. It is a “Try it for Free” program run by our channel partners across the country.
>> Professional Development Program and training for teachers across the country to help them use technology in the classroom.
>>Building a Teacher community to share and learn from others in terms of content creation, skills and best practices. We call it SMART Exemplary Educator program.
>>Educators’ focus group which acts as an Advisory group advocating the importance of technology.
>>Experience zones across the country whereby teachers/ schools can book time slot to give their students a complete experience of SMART Solutions and offerings.
Any final comment.
If we teach today as we were taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow. So, we have to adapt to changes and impart education accordingly. Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought or an event.
Mr. Rishabh Sethi, Chief Operating Officer, SPML Infra Limited shares his views on the importance of Environmental Engineers and the need of qualified and skilled professionals in the industries.
1. What is the current market trend of engineering industry?
The engineering sector plays crucial roles and touches virtually all other industry segments using its skill and techniques. Engineering in the modern world is applied to fields as diverse as software, genetics, health sciences and finance etc.
Engineering education have followed changes in technology and society to meet the critical challenges and to provide the workforce required skill sets to integrate new developments into the economy. However, technological changes are happening at a faster pace and engineering needs to apply some of its skills for future necessary advances, and adapting the education of future generations of engineers to be “ahead of the curve”. Water sector is booming and there is large number of qualified engineers required to make arrangements of drinking water to ever increasing population of the world. Infrastructure sector such as Metro Rail, Mono Rail, High Speed Transportation System, and Highways& Flyovers along with Renewable and Traditional Energy sectors will require well trained and skilled civil mechanical, electrical engineers.
I see there should be three dominant trends in engineering in 2014 because
i. Construction projects will continue to increase in complexity,
ii. Increased competition for the same projects due to globalization and interests from various global companies,
iii. Increased efficiency as executors of large infrastructure projects will seek to cut costs through various engineering and technology processes.
2. What are the key skills that you sought in a candidate when you hire them?
For any qualified and good engineer, one should have strong fundamental concepts in respective stream along with some field exposure. One should be keen to make strong technical base, sincerity and dedication towards the objective with flexible attitude that will be valuable assets. For any engineer to succeed, it is required that s/he should be a team player with problem-solving skills and resourcefulness, when unexpected issues inevitably arise. Accepting feedback and applying lessons learned that drives innovation to increase efficiency and can adapt to any situation and are dependable no matter what’s thrown at them.
3. How helpful is this niche course Environmental Engineering fulfilling the requirement of your industry?
We are into water, wastewater and environment sectors and environmental engineers are required for water sector for process design of water and wastewater treatment plants, design and development of sewerage facilities, solid waste management facilities many others.
4. Do you think that there is a requirement of more such skilled personal in Environmental Engineering in the industries at present time?
Yes, there is a good demand of environmental engineers but as of now the availability is limited. Environmental considerations and guidelines in all infrastructure development projects is much higher now than ever before and for any large and complex projects, good qualified environmental engineers will be a resource. The demand would increase with the passage of time and hence the requirement is to produce good environmental engineers.
The vice chancellor of University of Pune Wasudeo N Gade handed suspension order to the controller of examination (CoE) Sampada Joshi for failing to fulfill her responsibilities effectively. A three member enquiry committee accused her in its interim report for not having effective control over the exam department and lack of coordination. Over the past few months, the university’s exam department was at severe criticism due to lapses, including delay in result declaration, errors in assessment of papers, delay in re-evaluation of papers, irregularities in online engineering exam and negligence in the exam store section.
Gade stated that they had placed the CoE under suspension pending a departmental inquiry. The suspension was given to Joshi on April 11, 2014 and the Director of UoP’s board of college and university development Vishwas B Gaikwad has been the additional charge of CoE office.
Agriculture being one of the important sector in the Indian economy. Prof. (Dr.) Wazid Ali Khan, Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Aurangabad (MS) shares his views about the trend, task and scope of Agriculture Engineers in India.
1.What is the current market trend of engineering industry?
The current market trend of the industry is on the upswing, with a high growth rate especially in the areas of automation, automobiles, telecom and engineering industry. Talking about agricultural engineering industry growth is on the higher side in the Agro & Agro based industry. Mechanized Farming, Dairy Industry, Food and Food Processing Industry is developing at a very fast pace. Technological changes with respect of seed production, controlled environment crop production and storage leading to high yields in picking up at a rapid rate.
Banking sector need such type of Agriculture engineering/Food Engineer who are having skill at Dairy development, Farm mechanization, Food Processing Industry & knowledge about economic viability.
2.Kindly share the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of your institute with special highlight on
• Selection procedure
Practical orientated knowledge sets
Good communication skills
High professional ethics
• Specific skill sets and proficiency you look in candidates
The programme run in this institute offers a six months compulsory industrial in-plant training in the fourth year of the B. Tech. course for the students as a part of course curriculum. This industry in-plant training is well interfaced with the industry. This helps student to
(1) Get Hands on work experience before they complete the course.
(2) Develop skills of applicability of theory knowledge into actual practice.
(3) Better qualified to provide suggestions/corrective action as the case may be.
We produce qualified engineers suitable for industry as well as global challenges
3. Please elaborate on the process of admission, fee structure and placement trend in the B.Tech. Industry at present.
The eligibility criteria for a candidate aspiring to do B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering is 10+2, with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and on the basis of joint entrance exam (JEE main)score.
The fee structure is given by the Govt. of Maharashtra, Shiksha Shulk Samiti (SSS) on year to year basis. The placement in the B.Tech industry is excellent with almost all the students being placed even before completion of the course.
4.What is the scope of Agriculture Engineering?
Agriculture is the most important sector in the Indian economy which contributes around 23% to the Gross Domestic Product and more than 70% of the total work force is employed in this sector. Almost all rural India is dependent on agriculture and allied activities like animal husbandry, dairy, poultry and fisheries. Being primarily an agricultural country the growth and development of Indian economy particularly depend upon steady growth of agriculture and other allied activities.
The task of an agricultural engineer is to improve agricultural production by means of better engineering methods, inventions, technology and equipment which also require a good intellect and a desire to make a difference to the future of farming. Improvement in agricultural farm machinery, farm structures, rural electrification, bio-gas, new technologies in the design and manufacture of agricultural products and also conservation of soil and water are some of the jobs handled by an agricultural engineer.
After completing UG programme students can opt for PG in various Branch of Agricultural Engineering or Food Technology such as Agricultural Process and Food Engineering, Food Technology, Food Processing Technology, Dairy Technology/Engineering, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Irrigation Engineering, Agricultural Process Engineering, Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology, Farm Machine and Power, Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
For pursuing PG degree ICAR provides JRF to the student with monthly fellowship of Rs. 10,000/- per month
5.What are the various job profiles that a student can get after doing engineering in Agricultural Engineering?
Agricultural Engineers have bright career prospects. On graduating in Agriculture and allied sciences, the options and opportunities of a career are many. State Department of Agriculture recruits Agricultural Engineers as agricultural officers for the development of agriculture in a district. There are also private firms investing money in medicinal crops and plantation crops who recruit agricultural engineers.
Some agricultural engineers can look towards NGOs working in rural areas, Agricultural Officer at Government undertaking banks, design engineering at irrigation/processing industry, Argil Scientist in ICAR, SAU etc. teaching professional, consultancy engineering and self entrepreneur. Those interested in research activities can join IARI as junior fellow researcher and become agricultural scientists. Now banks giving advance credit and loans to agriculture and agri-based projects are also employing agriculture experts for evaluation of crops. Teaching agriculture and allied subjects is also an option available to these students. Moreover some down to earth agricultural engineer can also engage them in innovative farming.
Dr V S Niranjan, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
There is a need to sustain and augment the quality of various activities undergoing in any higher education institute (HEl). The areas are teaching-learning processes, student support services, curricula design and discipline writes Dr V S Niranjan, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh
There is a huge gap between the rural and urban based Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Madhya Pradesh. At present, the availability of experienced teachers is not sufficient in rural and semi-urban colleges. To cater to the need, a part-time guest faculty is usually appointed. But the motivational needs are rarely fulfilled. So the department of Higher Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh. has innovatively introduced an ‘Ambassador Professor Scheme’. This scheme provides a viable innovative solution to the problem of deteriorating standard of Higher Education in the rural/semi-urban colleges in the state due to shortage of experienced and dedicated professors. In order to find a solution of this problem, the professors are shortlisted from the experienced, dedicated and willing ones (permanent/retired) on the basis of survey/students’ feedback, and have been given the designation of ‘Ambassador Professor’. These professors have been given the responsibility to take care of their respective subjects in all the government colleges of the district. The ambassador professors help and orient the faculty of the college and help in getting the college library enriched. The youth of the state are getting a direction through this innovative scheme.
The annual system has been replaced by semester system in Madhya Pradesh since 2008-09. The system has many salient features and inherently includes continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) of the students along with compulsory job oriented project and job internship, A.T.K.T. system has been introduced in place of supplementary examination’ system. During implementation, we have come to know about some problems. We have seriously reviewed the whole scheme and organized various high level spin off workshops. The scheme is modified and made learner friendly. Students get more time for learning and to do other co-curricular and extracurricular activities.
A SWOT analysis of HEI’s was made by the academic and quality cell of the Higher Education Department. It has been noticed that not only the subject knowledge of some of the students is not up to the mark but they also lack oral as well as written communication skills. They commit lot of mistakes while writing, even in their mother tongue, Hindi.
It has further been noticed that because of economic background, being regular in the class is not the priority of the students. Students admit that though the classes are important but they can’t afford to lose any opportunity of side earning. As they are accustomed to agricultural works, they prefer to go to the fields and not the classes on getting any opportunity to earn. These are singular events and classroom teaching is not affected. But the problem becomes serious during the harvesting months when availability of employment opportunities is in abundance leading to a drastic fall in the attendance in the classes.
It has been further noticed that most of the students of town colleges rarely demand quality even in the class. Most of them never participate in class proceedings. They use sub-standard study material and depend on ‘made-easy books’. They never consult good books and references. They rarely show enthusiasm in sport, extra and co-curricular activities needed for all-round development of their personality. Keeping all these facts in mind, a booklet entitled ‘Quality Management in Higher Education’ has been released to help and guide. The college activities are regularly monitored and HEIs are physically inspected.
The HEIs were suggested to undertake motivation drives to make students aware of their rights, responsibilities and duties. This drive is expected to make the stakeholders aware of their potential and help them believe in themselves. Further, a suggestion is given to create free and fearless atmosphere in the campus and class rooms. A suggestion to collect unbiased feedback from the stakeholders is also given.
HEIs were suggested to organize informal students’ sessions,’ meetings and open houses frequently. The questions, like, what is quality, what are the parameters that are used to determine quality profile of any institute, where do we stand today and where do we want to go in terms of quality within, say, next 5 years, what should be the plans to enhance the quality, wherefrom maximum support may be sought and how can they be motivated to participate and what efforts may be made during the sessions. HEIs were suggested to organize few camps to make the students aware of their rights and duties.
The HEIs were further suggested to develop each class into a social activity club to make all the students socially responsible. They may be asked to organize cultural and sports activities on their own
There always remains a fear that the providers of higher education can manipulate the context for non-quality goals, if quality is not in demand or if it is enforced. So, until quality consideration comes out from heart, nothing fruitful is possible. HEIs were suggested to come forward and take initiatives to bring culture of quality in their institutions. The quality should be viewed as an inclusive activity with social, political, technical and other dimensions. They should think of making it their motto. Their conscience should not allow them to compromise on quality. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in its memorandum prefers to view equality as value and not as strategy. According to quality experts of HE, market forces may play a negative role in Quality Assurance. Realizing this, the department has shown faith and confidence in the teachers and principal and suggested them to come in the role of leader and not only just as manager. They were suggested to invite eminent personalities and subject experts in their institutes and to organize meetings and interaction sessions. A suggestion has also been given to set up a ‘talent bank’ of local specialists and experts.
Further, our students suppose teachers as ‘Gurus’ and so they never think of opposing them even if their teachers perform badly. So, HEIs should realize that they cannot depend on students on quality front. Therefore, HEIs should think of making quality as an inclusive factor in the very approach. HEIs should decide to design a work profile for all the employees including Principal. A suitable reward system may be introduced for whatever little, but remarkable any stakeholder is doing. The potential and capable students may be invited to join editorial teams of college magazines and newsletters. They may be asked to participate in the continuous evaluation process. Celebrity’s lectures and interaction sessions may frequently be organized to remove students’ inferiority complex and feelings of lowesteem. The authorities of HEIs should show faith and confidence in them. The HEIs were suggested to strengthen library. The students may be asked to come forward not only with complaints but also with some possible solutions. The students may be involved in academic audit and in curriculum development. The students may be invited to join the campus’ cleanliness drive.
The HEIs were further suggested to develop each class into a social activity club to make all the students socially responsible. They may be asked to organize cultural and sports activities on their own.
The students may be asked to maintain the discipline in the class. In order to carve students’ personality, each cultural programme may be scrutinized before they are finally’ staged. Only those cultural programmes may be selected that give message. This helps in maintaining discipline and in inculcating moral and spiritual values along with national feelings in all stakeholders. The students may be asked to give their feedback willingly and without any bias. They should also give their suggestions, to lodge complaints, act creatively, shoulder responsibilities, organize functions, work for social causes, take followup action on student feedback, recognize the pro-active role of IQAC, involve the alumni, introduce formal mechanism to redress grievances and encourage student’s council for active participation at all academic decision making.
The drastic fall in attendance poses a serious problem during harvesting months. Assignments, model test, etc. may emerge as solutions. A suggestion has been given to HEIs to create mobile network between the suffering students and those who are regular. The teachers may also become a part of the network. The network may become boon to the students in raising the standard and quality of education.
Chetan Mahajan, Head – HCL Learning (HCL Infosystems Ltd)
We at HCL Learning are planning to develop cost-effective applications and products specifically suited for both private schools and individual customers, says Chetan Mahajan, Head – HCL Learning (HCL Infosystems Ltd)
What is the Business Model of HCL Learning?
HCL Learning covers the entire spectrum of education and training requirements across schools, colleges, individuals and enterprises. Our initiatives are driven by the latest innovations in Information Technology and we envision transforming the Indian education space to compete with the best in the world. As a constant conscious endeavour, HCL Learning has been working towards taking the world-class-quality education to all the schools and colleges of India. Our Learning solutions are designed to fulfil the requirements of the complete learning ecosystem comprising students, teachers, administration and parents.
We have been investing in building innovative, high quality, world class & differentiated solutions which are driven by content in Teacher Lead and Self learning format, for example – DigiSchool 6.0 is a content rich version of our flagship product and aligns with the needs of the students and the market. We have received excellent response among our focus groups and from the market. Another feather in our cap is the approval of our content methodology & research driven content development approach by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), a part of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
What is your go to Market Strategy? Please give us the break-up of different market segment that you are focusing?
At HCL Learning, each product has been customised to meet the needs of the end-user and is performing well for the business. However, keeping in mind the persisting low market sentiments, HCL Learning has adopted a cautious and selective approach in its classroom additions to ensure a continued profitable business model. For instance, with rise in demand for digital learning across private institutions, HCL Learning has extended its reach and presence with the addition of new channel partners across India. Having channel partners in the distribution ecosystem gives HCL Learning the opportunity to reach a wider range of schools. With an already existing customer base of more than 3,000 schools, HCL learning will leverage its presence to further expand in the B2C space.
What are some of the latest products of HCL Learning? Which product or the line of business will you term as a Cash Cow for HCL Learning and Why ?
HCL Learning launched two new products ‘My IIT Tutor’ and ‘MyEduWorld- Drive’ to target the growing B2C and B2B2C market. Both My IIT Tutor and MyEduWorld-Drive are self-learning, plug & play devices that are pre-loaded with content for IIT aspirants and Class 1-10 students respectively.
We at HCL Learning are planning to develop cost-effective applications and products specifically suited for both private schools and individual customers. We are constantly on a look-out for better than before hardware, content, distribution and business markets. Our continued research helps us generate and provide fundamental learning to the masses. In the Indian education sector, HCL Learning focuses on digital content and provides solutions for K-12, Higher Education, Professional Skills, and Training & Certification.
How do you see the competition in the Market? What are some of the challenges that you are facing?
We at HCL Learning have a reliable and scalable business model to deliver on the promises through robust support systems. A strong support of technology (backed by HCL’s IT legacy) and the best-in-class content (ensured through in-house content development capabilities), which gives us an edge over the competition.
Besides, service is a critical part of Digital Classroom ecosystem. With most of the other players not having their own service networks, they are unable to meet customer expectations over a period of time and faulter majorly on services. So, customers often end up having classroom infrastructure that is not usable. HCL with its own extensive service delivery network that reaches out to more than 4000 towns in India with direct presence in 500 plus locations delivers superior customer service and experience.
Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India
Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India talks about the growth of audio visual equipments’ market in the education sector in India
What are the various kinds of audio visual products available in education sector?
We focus on projectors for education market like Ultra Short Throw Projectors and Short Throw Projectors, which are in high demand. In these projectors, the distance between the screen and the projector is very less. Normally, the light rays coming out of the projector fall on screen and form image. There are chances that the teacher may come in between projector and screen. So, the short throw projectors and ultra short throw projectors are used extensively to solve this issue.
Nowadays, deemed universities and private institutions are looking for interactive displays. The LEDs and plasmas, which come today in various sizes, can be made interactive with the help of software. This makes the session interactive for students. Large screens of 42 inch, 50 inch, etc. have built-in interactive function. This is our latest buzz in the education industry. It is still on the higher side with respect to the prices. In next two years, this segment of interactive projector displays will catch up in education market.
The use of audio-visual products in schools and colleges is a new phenomenon. When do you see the surge in demand for such products in these institutes?
The audio visual equipment market in education sector is in the nascent stage. Till recent times, the universities were not keen to spend money on audio visual equipments, but in a year, there has been a rise in the demand of these products and people have also started spending money for it. With the coming of solution providers like Educomp, HCL, etc, who integrate audio visual devices and provide a complete solution to educational institutions, the market is growing rapidly. For example, HCL, which is a big vendor, will buy projector from Panasonic and hire speakers from speaker brands and integrate all the hardware and will give a complete solution to the educational institutions.
What has led to the demand of the audio-visual products?
Awareness of these products is one reason which has led to the surge in demand of these products. Till last year, many people were not even aware about these products and their benefits. Now, everybody is trying to replicate the educational system, which is present in developed countries and use audio visual products extensively. As the products are costly, people are reluctant. One smart classroom costs roughly around Rs 1.25 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh as it includes cost of speakers, projector, screen, etc. But the situation will certainly improve and people will realize the benefits of the audio visual equipments.
Where do you see Indian market visa- vis other countries of the world?
are lagging behind in comparison to developed countries right now. They normally employ higher lumens projectors with proper audio visual equipment. In one or two years, the use of projectors will become a common thing. The huge impact of initiatives of the government like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on the education industry in various states is leading to the purchases of projectors for government schools. The positive actions of government in this direction will propel the demand of projectors.
What is the Panasonic’s share and revenue in this market?
Panasonic’s market share quality wise was 10.5 percent in 2013-14 and value wise was 15.5 percent. Our average selling price is very high. That is why we are placed very well in the value game. As we are not very strong in anchor level projectors, so our number share is on the lower side. Last year, Panasonic sold projectors worth `104 crore and this year, it plans to sell products worth `96 crore.
In order to regulate the capitation fee in the management quota, the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) has decided to give management quota preference to all students in the state. The ACPC has decided that there would be an option in the form where the students can give preference for management quota at the time of applying.
This list will then be forwarded to the college managements to fill up their management quota. An ACPC official said that the option of management quota in the form will give the local ACPC a clearer idea about the number of students wanting to take admission under management quota. The official said that the colleges will decide on the admission under the management quota, but the selection of the student will be from the list, which is sent to the colleges by the ACPC.
In the state, about 75 per cent of the seats in the self-finance colleges are filled up by the admission through the ACPC while the remaining 25 per cent are filled directly by the management. These 25 per cent seats give colleges chance to charge capitation fee and even other forms of donation.
Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, former director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and a member of Presidency University Mentor Group (PMG), has been appointed as the new vice chancellor of Presidency University (PU). He will succeed Malabika Sarkar, the outgoing interim VC of the university.
Bhattacharya, a former alumnus of Presidency College and doctorate in Physics from Northwestern University, will be the third VC of the varsity and its first full-time VC. He completed his Masters in Science from Delhi University.
Bhattacharya has been appointed for a period of four years. His appointment letter, which was faxed to him by the higher education department on Thursday, has asked him to join at his convenience. A senior state government official said, “At the moment, he is unavailable. But Bhattacharya may join from the third week of April after he returns from his prior engagements which he needs to wrap up before returning to Kolkata from Mumbai.”
The official also said, “His appointment letter states that he can choose to join immediately or inform about a date from which he wishes to take up the responsibilities. The government order says that he has been appointed for a term of four years or till he turns 65 years, whichever is earlier, or until further orders.”
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A suitable reward system may be introduced for whatever little, but remarkable any stakeholder is doing. The potential and capable students may be invited to join editorial teams of college magazines and newsletters. They may be asked to participate in the continuous evaluation process. Celebrity’s lectures and interaction sessions may frequently be organized to remove students’ inferiority complex and feelings of lowesteem. The authorities of HEIs should show faith and confidence in them. The HEIs were suggested to strengthen library. The students may be asked to come forward not only with complaints but also with some possible solutions. The students may be involved in academic audit and in curriculum development. The students may be invited to join the campus’ cleanliness drive.
