Google, NCERT Partner for Dedicated Youtube Channels for Students in 29 Languages

Technology giant Google has partnered with the India's National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to launch dedicated YouTube channels for students from grades 1 to 12.

These channels will offer educational content in 29 Indian languages, including Indian Sign Language. This initiative aims to make high-quality education more accessible and inclusive for students across India.

Additionally, Google is collaborating with the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) to offer certified courses on YouTube. These courses, backed by India's prestigious IITs, cover a wide range of subjects and allow learners to earn certifications through the NPTEL-SWAYAM portal.

Key Highlights:

• Content: The channels will offer curriculum-based educational content for students from grades 1 to 121. This includes subjects like sciences, literature, sports psychology, and even rocket propulsion.
• Languages: Content will be available in 29 Indian languages, including Indian Sign Language, ensuring that students from diverse linguistic backgrounds can benefit.
• Certifications: Google is also collaborating with the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) to offer certified courses. Learners who complete these courses can earn certifications through the NPTEL-SWAYAM portal.
• AI Integration: Google is leveraging AI to enhance the learning experience. AI tools will identify key concepts in videos and provide definitions, images, and additional context from Google’s Knowledge Graph.

This initiative aims to break barriers to learning and provide high-quality educational resources to millions of students across India.

Ministry Launches Experiential Learning Program – PRERANA

Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India has recently launched ‘Prerana: An Experiential Learning program’, aiming to offer a meaningful, unique, and inspiring experience to all participants, thereby empowering them with leadership qualities.

Prerana is driven by a strong commitment to integrate principles of Indian education system and the philosophy of value-based education which is a corner stone of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Prerana is a week-long residential program for selected students of class IX to XII. It is an experiential and inspirational learning program for students with the best-in-class technology where heritage meets innovation. A batch of 20 selected students (10 boys and 10 girls) will attend the program, every week from various parts of the country.

Prerana program will run from a Vernacular School, established in 1888, in one of the oldest living cities of India, Vadnagar, district Mehsana, Gujarat. The school stands as a tribute to Vadnagar's indomitable spirit, a living city that has triumphed over challenges like earthquakes and natural calamities and is home to ancient heritage sites and monuments inhabited since the early historic period and in the modern day. The school signifies the fact that extraordinary lives often find their roots in ordinary foundations. Grounded in the timeless wisdom of India's rich civilization, this unique initiative embodies a vision aligned with the principles and ideals of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, who is an alumnus.

The curriculum of Prerana School prepared by IIT Gandhi Nagar is rooted in nine value based themes: Swabhiman and Vinay, Shaurya and Sahas, Parishram and Samarpan, Karuna and Sewa, Vividhta and Ekta, Satyanishtha and Shuchita, Navachar and Jigyasa, Shraddha aur Vishwas, and Swatantrata and Kartavya. The program based on above themes will inspire the youth and foster respect for Bharat's unity in diversity, embodying the spirit of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" and will contribute by making the youth of today, a flame holder for Viksit Bharat. Towards this endeavour, the participants will be guided by mentors from prestigious institutions.

The day-wise program schedule will feature yoga, mindfulness, and meditation sessions, followed by experiential learning, thematic sessions, and hands on interesting learning activities. Evening activities will include visits to ancient and heritage sites, inspirational film screenings, mission life creative activities, talent shows etc. ensuring a holistic learning approach. Apart from this, students will engage in diverse activities, embracing indigenous knowledge systems, latest State-of-Art technologies, and learnings from inspirational personalities.

Students can register through the portal, wherein applicants can fill the requisite details to be a part of the ambitious and aspirational Prerana program. The registered applicants will go through a selection process, as prescribed on the portal. Applicants can also join the selection procedure conducted at the School/block level, on designated ‘Prerana Utsav’ day, through various activities based on the ethos of Prerana to evaluate for well rounded personalities keen to shape the future of our nation.

Upon selection, the 20 participants (10 boys and 10 girls) will be attending the Prerana program and embark on a journey of inspiration, innovation, and self-discovery. After the program, the participants will carry the ethos of Prerana into their respective communities, become change makers and spark positive change to inspire others.

To register for Prerana, students of Class IX to XII may visit prerana.education.gov.in.

National Digital University Backed By NEP Could Be India’s Next UPI Moment: India Edtech Consortium Chair Mayank Kumar

The India Edtech Consortium (IEC), a self-regulatory body created under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in a statement issued today welcomed the formation of the National Digital University (NDU) by the government of India this year under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). The initiative has started making waves for its proposed framework which will benefit Indian students and has been receiving encouraging reactions from industry stakeholders, the IEC said in the statement.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Mayank Kumar, Chairman of the IEC, said, “It will bolster the growth and adoption of online higher education across Indian households and will co-exist with Indian edtechs to further future-proof our youth.”

The yet-to-arrive NDU will foster key learning benefits like no capping on the number of seats or admissions and will allow school pass-outs and working professionals to pursue multi-disciplinary careers for enhanced professional growth. It will also accelerate the popularity of the NEP-led Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) that allows students to utilize accrued credits and subsequently transfer them as they go in for further skilling or completing their higher education programs.

“The NDU is definitely a value-add and is aptly timed to enhance India's learning curve. Indian Edtechs have built a strong digital infrastructure in the past years across metros and drove accessibility of learning, especially amid testing times of the pandemic. With the NDU shaping up, we can expect it to be the catalyst in making online higher education a non-metro phenomenon and will also encourage wider participation by top Indian universities who will now be able to reach out to more students with their quality products for scaling the impact. Working professionals and freshers will also be able to pursue short-term or skill-based courses more confidently from one university and utilize the accumulated credits for completing their higher education programs with another, without having them to worry about the career backlog. NDU could be India’s next UPI moment making quality education more accessible and flexible and will continue to throttle Edtechs’ mission of making India a Vishwa guru,” Mr. Kumar added.

About Internet and Mobile Association of India

Established in 2004, Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body and the country's only organization representing the digital services industry with over 400 Indian and multinational corporations as its members, which include established companies in diverse sectors of the digital ecosystem as well as start-ups. Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value-added services sectors. It is dedicated to presenting a unified voice of the businesses it represents to the government, investors, consumers and other stakeholders. IAMAI represents varied sectors such as digital advertising, digital entertainment, traveltech, online gaming, digital payments, fintech, digital commerce, edtech, healthtech, agritech, big data, ML, AI & IoT, AR/ VR, logisticstech and so on.

Amazon Shutting Down Its Edtech Offering in India from Aug 2023

Amazon is shutting down its edtech offering called Amazon Academy's operations in India starting from August 2023, and will refund the full fee to those enrolled in the current academic batch.

In January of last year, Amazon launched Amazon Academy in India, when the edtech sector was booming in the country, due to Covid-19 restrictions and country-wide lockdowns including schools and educational institutions.

Amazon Academy’s existing batch will be completing its test preparation module by August 2023, post which the company has decided to shut down operations, Amazon said in a statement on November 24. The company also said that the decision will not have any impact on its existing customers and services.

Amazon will wind up this programme in a phased manner to take care of its existing customers.

"At Amazon, we think big, experiment, and invest in new ideas to delight customers. We also continually evaluate the progress and potential of our products and services to deliver customer value, and we regularly make adjustments based on those assessments," a company spokesperson said.

Amazon Academy offered coaching for competitive exams including Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and NEET, which allows entry into top Engineering and Medical colleges across India.

Vedantu to Take Majority Stake in Deeksha for $40 Mn

Deeksha is one of the leading K-12 test prep players in Karnataka and this strategic partnership will further Vedantu’s hybrid strategy

Vedantu, a pioneer in LIVE online learning in India, today, announced that they have bought a majority stake in Deeksha (Ace Creative Learning Pvt. Ltd) - a leading test preparation platform in Karnataka for board and competitive exam coaching for students of grade 11th and 12th. With majority stake in the strategic investment, this partnership has been closed at a deal size of $40 million. Since 1998, Deeksha has created over 65,000 success stories through its 39 centers, across 3 states. This partnership seeks to leverage Vedantu`s technology and integrate it into offline centers to create a scalable hybrid model which provides access to quality teaching even in remote Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns at affordable cost.

This initiative will further support Deeksha’s pioneered learning model that specializes in competitive exam prep in sync with board exam prep through collaboration with schools and colleges. Leveraging Vedantu’s industry-best online learning innovation and Deeksha’s massive offline footprint, both partners envision digitizing classrooms in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities where quality education is not accessible and bring forth immersive learning experiences to students. Together Vedantu and Deeksha will revolutionize the way education is imparted, improve the quality of the learning system as a whole, and help students to achieve their true potential with outstanding learning outcomes.

Vamsi Krishna, CEO, and Co-Founder, Vedantu said, "At Vedantu, we have always been committed to make quality education accessible and affordable to students from all corners of the country. With this acquisition, our mission is to empower and scale Deeksha’s current learning model by deploying our disruptive in-house hybrid technology to reach the masses in remote areas and create impact at scale. This culmination of online and offline capabilities will help us expand our hybrid learning initiatives. We endeavor to change India’s learning curve through definitive outcomes at the back of our strong passion for delivering quality learning. This impact will be possible because of the shared vision, mission, values, and culture of our two organizations.”

Dr. Sridhar, Co-Founder, Deeksha said, “Deeksha has always believed in Nurturing Success of Every Child through a Triple Integration Model that amalgamates Wellness, Academics and Technology. Through this partnership, we will leverage Vedantu’s LIVE Class platform for our students and provide a hybrid solution that maximizes learning outcomes through personalized learning algorithms. Vedantu’s hybrid learning model will also enable us to provide the same “Deeksha Experience” to millions of students in smaller towns and cities at an affordable cost.”

With this strategic investment, Deeksha will bring in close to 13K of its students to Vedantu's platform. In addition, Deeksha will leverage Vedantu's already existing strong credentials in LIVE Classes, educational technology, and strong pedagogical content.

About Vedantu:

Vedantu is a pioneer in LIVE online learning in India. It offers individual and group classes across K-12 and test preparation segments. Students can take individual or group classes on its APP or website online. Classes are delivered in a LIVE Real-time, interactive ONLINE learning environment. Students & parents can access free content, LIVE masterclasses across subjects, micro-courses, and daily assessments. 1 million+ students attend LIVE classes every month on the platform and more than 35 million users every month from 10,000+ cities and 50+ countries access free content, tests, doubts, videos on Vedantu's platform, and its channels on YouTube. Vedantu has recently been awarded the Best Edtech Company under Education Innovation Awards by Entrepreneur India, Best Customer Excellence Award organized by Quantic and Best Teacher Training Company of the year hosted by Corporate Vision. Vedantu has also been included in the GSV EdTech 150 for 2022, a globally coveted list that recognizes the most transformative companies leading to growth in the EdTech space. To know more about Vedantu log on to https://www.vedantu.com or download the application on your Android or iOS devices.

EdTech Startup PrepInsta to Tie Up with 30+ Colleges and Universities Across India; Aims to be Available in 70+ Universities by the End of 2022

Offers over 150+ courses like C, C++, Java, Python, Machine Learning, AI, Ethical hacking, Cyber security, and others 

PrepInsta, India’s no 1 and most visited website for placement, has announced a partnership deal with 30+ colleges and universities across India, intending to double this number and be available in 70+ universities by the end of 2022. The startup assists students with complete placement preparation, skill development, learning to code, and interview preparation through its product PrepInsta Prime. 

Given that most colleges and universities follow a placement curriculum that is not designed for the latest market trends. PrepInsta’s upskilling courses aim to systematically tailor the Indian education system by capturing students’ interests and demands. The start-up offers over 150+ courses like C, C++, Java, Python, Machine Learning, AI, Ethical hacking, Cyber security and others. The courses offered are pocket friendly for students as they do not have to pay for different courses sequentially; instead, they can access everything with a single subscription. 

“We are pleased to announce our affiliation with 30+ colleges and universities, following an overwhelming response from students and their consistent request that we become affiliated with their universities/colleges. We have always worked towards placement training to be included in the University curriculum from the very first semester itself. Students are always keen to learn and get polished but are deprived of the platform through which they can land a job of their choice. We look forward to working closely with the affiliated institutions and our noble initiative will help universities and colleges to generate a skilled workforce and will assist students in finding their dream job,” said Atulya Kaushik, Co-Founder, and CEO, PrepInsta. 

Prepinsta aims to provide upskilling courses to college students as early as the first semester and even offers a four-year plan to colleges/universities that includes all of the elements required for placement and interview preparation. PrepInsta Prime membership for university students will be offered at a discounted price as compared to the normal price offered on the website of the start-up. The subscription price is expected to be under three digits per student respectively. 

PrepInsta Prime students receive an average package of 7.1L, with 71% students receiving more than two offers. Last year, the highest package offered to a PrepInsta student was 41LPA. PrepInsta is used by over 2 million students each month, and the start-up has seen 50% growth year on year. 

Founded in 2016, in the dorm room of VIT Vellore, PrepInsta is a one-stop destination for placement and the fundamental aim of the company is to resolve the existing imbalance of career opportunities in India. PrepInsta aims to address that with skill-based learning as provided in its product PrepInsta Prime students can get placed in their dream company. The company helps students with end-to-end placement preparation, skill-building, learning to code, and also the key to every successful job which is – interview preparation. 

Incepted by the three friends who are now its co-founders- Atulya Kaushik, Aashay Mishra, and Manish Agarwal had a similar vision to make the entire process of placement easy, accessible, and inclusive for all. The company currently has two offices, one in Noida and the other in Bengaluru.

Haryana Becomes The 1st State to Adopt Tablet-based Personalized and Adaptive Learning

The tablets will be rolled out to 5 lakh government school students in grades 10 – 12, backed 2GB free data per day

The program aims to bridge the gap between Government schools and private edtech players or schools, by mitigating the learning losses incurred due to COVID-19 and achieving higher learning level outcomes

The state Government of Haryana has announced the commencement of personalized and adaptive learning (PAL) enabled tablet based learning program to ensure Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). The program will be rolled out for all 5 lakh government school students in the state, in grades 10 – 12, via a library-based model. With this pioneering initiative, Haryana aims to mitigate the learning losses incurred due to COVID-19 and achieve higher learning level outcomes.

According to an ASER survey conducted last year, nearly half (47%) of the students who did not have access to learning materials cited a lack of gadgets as a reason, while 10% cited a lack of internet. Due to working hours, digital devices owned by parents could not replace school-based learning time. On the back of these data and on ground feedback, offering device access was identified as the core solution to cope with this conundrum. 

The integration of the personalized and adaptive learning (PAL) software will support classroom teaching by enabling an adaptive practice and personalized remedial learning for students. The selection of the edtech partner was comprehensively implemented via evaluation based on IIT Bombay's Tulna framework and a four-week proof of concept and a thorough pilot program in government schools followed by a tender.

Commenting on the initiative, Gaurav Goel, Founder and CEO, Samagra, a mission-driven governance consulting firm said, “This is a pioneering step by the state. The pandemic-led disruption observed over the last two-years, led to a deficit in the in-person teaching model. While the Haryana Government took the lead in deploying technology to sustain the quality of education, this move will go a long way in improving access to devices to facilitate online learning. Based on parameters like device mobility, user interface, tablets were identified as the appropriate device for student learning.” Samsung, Airtel and Jio have partnered with the state for this initiative.

The tablets provided, will be backed by appropriate data connectivity. Students can access the service without having to pay for any additional fees. With this initiative the Haryana Government aims to bridge the gap between Government schools and private ed-tech players or schools. The Government has also enabled a mobile device management solution which ensures appropriate utility and no misuse of the devices.

"Besides device access, the State also recognized that there is a fundamental issue in student learning since all students are at varied learning levels and have different pace of learning. Hence, the State is also investing in the procurement and distribution of personalized and adaptive learning (PAL) enabled tablets. This program is projected to create a significant new-age seamless blend of in-school and at-home learning experience in the AY 2022 – 2023," Gaurav added.

Samagra has been working with the Government of Haryana since 2017 to improve the quality of education in the state’s 14,000+ government schools.

About Gaurav Goel

Gaurav Goel is the Founder & CEO of Samagra. Gaurav holds a dual degree in Computer Science & Engineering from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM Calcutta. After graduating from IIM Calcutta, he joined McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant where he worked across sectors and geographies, solving diverse corporate problem statements. While he was enjoying his stint at McKinsey, he knew that eventually he wanted to use his skills towards improving the lives of citizens by engaging with the governance process. In 2012, he set up Samagra so that he could translate his passion into reality and create impact at scale.

About Samagra

Samagra works with the bureaucratic leadership of states across domains to solve complex governance problems at scale. So far, Samagra has worked with 7 state governments, in addition to the Government of India, on 15+ large scale systemic transformation programs across domains such as education, employment, agriculture, health, public service delivery, and skilling. 

The firm’s programs are long-term systemic transformations, rather than point interventions, and therefore the first wave of a program is typically 2- 3 years long, and increases in duration as the scope increases. Samagra has developed a unique, indigenous consulting approach which combines top-down management consulting for problem structuring with a bottom-up understanding of how governance works on the ground for solution design. It leverages data and technology to enable the implementation of solutions.

EdTech Startup Bodhi AI Acquires Kota-based SkoolStream, A Digital Classroom

Ed-tech Start-up Bodhi AI Acquires Skoolstream; Strengthens its Position in Content Offerings and Tech Infrastructure

UIncept accelerated Ed-tech portfolio company Bodhi AI has acquired Kota-based start-up Skoolstream. The acquisition is an initiative to strengthen content offerings, tech infrastructure and to empower teachers and students with personalized learning experience. 

Founded in 2020 by IIT Graduates Parveen Garg, Sahil Jindal, and Umesh Kumar, Skoolstream is an AI based Learning Management System which provides coaching institutes and online teachers a platform that helps take institutes online within minutes. The app has been curated to create test papers, deep analysis of online test paper for both teachers and the students and conduct online classes with help of in-app video conference solution. SkoolStream covers every department or institution when it comes to providing online platform be it creative field or educational.

 

Founded in 2017, Bodhi AI empowers teachers by bringing their coaching online with their brand name and helps them connect with students. The Start-up has already onboarded over 1 lakh plus teachers from India and has started building its presence internationally with a few clients already onboarded from Middle-east countries. 

"The team at Skoolstream already have expertise in the education sector and our collaboration with them will help us become a marketplace for teachers who face issues with delivering standardized content to their students.” said, Prashant Pandey, Founder, and CEO – Bodhi AI.

The Start-up vision is to give every student a teacher of their own to make their learning process more personalized. Bodhi AI is empowering the teachers by developing tech infrastructure, giving a platform to connect to students, and last but not least helping them increase their revenue.

Confident about the acquisition Bodhi AI co-founder and COO, Piyush Agarwal said, “Skoolstream acquisition will add an extra wing to what we are doing. And they as a team will contribute towards our vision of helping every student get a personal teacher.”

By far, Bodhi AI has already created more than 30k white labelled apps for the teachers in association with them, the highest number of white-labelled apps created by any Ed-tech start-up. Global Ed-tech Start-up Awards 2022 Winner Bodhi AI is looking forward to on-board 1 million teachers by the end of this year and providing more than 10 million one-to-one video calls between teachers and students.

Talking about the acquisition, Skoolstream Founder, Parveen Garg said, “This is indeed a moment to cherish because we as a team are equally excited to be a part of Bodhi AI family and looking forward to building innovative products together for the education stakeholders”

About Bodhi AI

Bodhi AI creates quality school and coaching management applications. They offer live classes to educate a large number of students. The start-up portal has got several elements catering an opportunity for teachers to grow their institute online and for students to get their doubts solved one on one. 

The Platform has made it exceptionally feasible for teachers to direct the students separately prompting better selection chances in tests like SSC, Railways, IIT-JEE, NEET, and other important examinations. To know more, please refer: https://www.bodhiai.co.in/

About Skoolstream

It is All-in-one platform that helps to manage the institutes digitally.

To know more, please refer: https://www.skoolstream.com/

About UIncept

UIncept Ed-tech Accelerator is a global entity based in Downtown Gurugram, Delhi NCR, India. Over the past 6 years, UIncept has worked with over 50 companies (mostly Ed-tech) and have supported them to raise funds more than USD 12 Million.  To know more, please refer: www.uincept.com

Ex-Googler Launches India’s Largest Edtech Marketplace, Helps Professionals Make Upskilling Decision from 12K+ Top Global Courses and Programmes

Business Wire India

Ex-Google and Bay-Area engineers have launched India’s largest professional learning marketplace www.careervira.com with over 12K+ professional courses and 65+ learning partners. If you are a tech professional looking for a Data Science or Cloud Computing course or a non-tech professional looking for Finance and Management courses, you can search and compare courses from world-class learning partners such as EdX, Udacity, Coursera, Emeritus, Futurelearn, and many more on www.careervira.com
 
Vijay Singh, founder of Careervira, explains, “Our platform is simply an ‘Amazon of learning’. If you are a professional looking to upskill, make a learning decision for a job or a career change or to get that promotion, simply explore our platform and make faster & better upskilling decisions. We provide quality upskilling & professional learning choices from Indian and international partners for bootcamps, executive education, certifications, and online degrees.”
 
Careervira.com helps professionals make better learning decisions with their proprietary analytics and recommendation engine ‘CV Take’ (CVT), providing information on course credibility, pedagogy, hands-on training, career impact, and pricing. CVT is live with 1,000 pre-analyzed courses on careervira.com.
 
Shreya, a Data Science engineer, elaborates, “I have been using www.careervira.com to make my learning decisions. Earlier, I couldn't decide between a Data Science or Data Analytics course, now I can explore all the topics and subtopics of data science on careervira.com, check which learning partners have the best course options, if the certifications offered are industry-recognised, and what are the placement options. Once I have made a selection, I can enquire about the course. Careervira team promptly offers professional assistance to address all my queries. I can make seamless upskilling decisions on one platform now.”
 
Careervira.com provides 70+ key decision-making inputs to search and compare from amongst top global courses to zero down on your decision-making by learning partner, skills, course, price, and learn type.

Bry-Air and DRI Bring About Education Unification Ahead of International Day of Education

Bry-Air CSR Pathshala initiative

Ahead of the International Day of Education to be observed on the 24th of January, Bry Air and DRI, the flagship companies under the Pahwa Group bring about the unification of providing quality education to children and improving the employability of youth through skill development programs.

Under the initiative of the Education program, the companies have been working relentlessly throughout the pandemic to ensure seamless continuity of learning. They have provided the students with laptops and tablets which helped them to pursue their education without any hindrance during the lockdown. Looking at the disruption due to immobility, they switched to digital mode through Gyantantra Digital Dost that connected approximately 400 students together.

Bry-Air CSR Pathshala initiative

Bry-Air and DRI along with their NGO partner, Literacy India have adopted a few learning centers to provide free-of-cost education to underprivileged children. Operating as Bry-Air Pathshala and DRI Pathshala in Dharam Colony and Carterpuri village respectively, the centers facilitate holistic child development by stimulating a healthy and secure learning environment. The centers create a primary school environment conducive for non-school going children and have been operational since 2011 and 2014 respectively. The centers come with the backup of a computer lab, a library and support the students with learning aids such as books, stationery, etc. They also conduct remedial classes for school-going children who are weak in their studies.

Watch a brief video on the initiatives undertaken in the Education field -

Bry-Air and DRI are also providing various skill development courses in diversified fields (like Electrician Training, Computer Training, Spoken English, Beautician and Tailoring) for the youths in Gurugram, Udaipur and Moga for their gainful employment. The youth (including the women workforce) is provided training through DRI Udaan Skill Development Center for Computer Training, DRI Spoken English Course, DRI Udaan Skill Development Center Dr Mathra Das Pahwa Learning Center for Beauticians & Tailoring and Bry-Air Udaan Skill Development Center for Electricians etc.

To date, the initiative by the Pahwa Group has provided primary education to 6000+ children, scholarships to 100+ students and has rendered 2000+ youth skilled in electronics, computer training, beautician and tailoring and benefiting 700+ students from the library facility.

Speaking on the occasion, Anandita Pahwa, Head -CSR Initiative, Pahwa Group said, “We want to render a progressive society by imparting quality education to the underprivileged and securing a bright future ahead for the children and youth”

About Pahwa Group:

The Pahwa Group is the fastest-growing Adsorption Technology group in the world today.

‘With Desiccant at its core, in relation to air’, the Pahwa Group is a group of knowledge-based and technology-driven companies offering advanced environmental control solutions to a wide array of companies.

The Group employs a strong team of over 1500+ persons in 6 continents and has 13 manufacturing units. The Group has filed 132 patents applications worldwide on 13 new technologies, since 2007, out of which 58 patents granted/ already allowed for energy smart technologies and has set up 9 state-of-the-art test labs to give the cutting edge to our R&D and product offerings. The group companies are involved in manufacturing products like dehumidifiers, resin dryers, product dryers, gas phase filtration systems, dry rooms, energy recovery and fresh air treatment systems.

Bry-Air and DRI (Desiccant Rotors International) are the two flagship companies of the Pahwa Group.

About Bry-Air:

Bry-Air, the leader in dehumidification…worldwide, is a global solution provider for dehumidification and drying, gas phase filtration, plastics drying, conveying & mould dehumidification, high-temperature waste heat recovery, dry rooms critical for lithium battery production and adsorption chillers, with subsidiaries in China, Malaysia, Brazil, Nigeria and Switzerland, and an associate plant in the USA.

About DRI:

Desiccant Rotors International is a global solution provider of components, products and systems for energy recovery, IAQ, fresh air treatment, evaporative cooling, humidification, RH control and green buildings.

Cyient Digitalized IIT Hyderabad’s Campus School

A demonstration of digital classroom at IITH Campus School

• All 11 classrooms are equipped with the digital board & interactive content
• The digital classroom is supported in collaboration with the Tata Class edge
• Interactive e-learning technology enhances the overall learning ability of students starting from LKG to 9th

IIT Hyderabad BoG Chairperson and Founder Chairman, Cyient Dr B V R Mohan Reddy inaugurated the campus school building in IIT Hyderabad in August. During the inauguration, he envisaged sponsoring Digital classrooms for IITH’s campus school including a digital library. Following his vision & stewardship, the Digital Classrooms are inaugurated on October 25, 2021, by Dr B V R Mohan Reddy in the IIT Hyderabad DAV Campus School in the presence of IITH Director Prof B S Murty, Deans for various sections, Faculty, Staff, Tata Class Edge Team and DAV School Teachers & Students.

Mr Velamuri Prashanth, Principal IIT Hyderabad DAV Campus School has welcomed the gathering followed by the lighting of the lamp and auspicious prayer by the DAV School Students.

These school students are our future, reiterating his objective to invest in future leadership, Dr B V R Mohan Reddy, Founder Chairman Cyient, said, “Adapting to changing needs is the key to success. I urge the teachers to adapt to these technological advancements to ensure our future leaders are ready to face the future. We have used the best technological platform for interactive teaching and learning in IITH’s DAV School. It will be upgraded as and when there is demand from the teachers and change in the technology.”

Dr B V R Mohan Reddy during curtain raising of digital classroom

Dr B V R Mohan Reddy (L) & Prof B S Murty (R) during ribbon cutting of the digital classroom

Dr B V R Mohan Reddy delivering his words of wisdom during the event

Emphasizing this vision of making IITH a dream destination, Prof B S Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, said, “In last 2 years, IIT campus development has progressed exponentially with the advent of new facilities and amenities. Campus School is one such major infrastructural development and IIT Hyderabad is indebted to the our beloved Chairman of BoG, Dr B V R Mohan Reddy, and Cyient Foundation for equipping the school with smart classrooms. I am sure that this will help IITH campus school into a world-class school and with its dedicated teachers, it will become a dream destination for the students in Hyderabad”.

The Project as envisioned was sponsored to enhance the learning experience of IITH Campus School wards to be at par with the need of the hour. Cyient’s CSR Team took the initiative earnestly to ensure the project delivery within less than 3 months in collaboration with Technology Partner ‘Tata Class Edge’. Enriching the IIT Campus facility with this Digitalization of campus school could with possible with continuous coordination from the Academic Section of IIT Hyderabad under the leadership of Dean (Academics) Prof Saptarshi Majumdar.

Prof Saptarshi Majumdar, Dean (Academics) proposed the Vote of Thanks for the Chief guest Dr B V R Mohan Reddy, dignitaries, contributors of this incredible initiative, and DAV School Team for overall coordination.

About Cyient

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a leading global engineering, manufacturing, and digital technology solutions company. We are a Design, Build, and Maintain partner for leading organizations worldwide. We enable our customers across industries to apply technologies imaginatively to solve problems that matter and stay ahead of the curve. We are committed to designing tomorrow together with our stakeholders and being a culturally inclusive, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable organization.

Cyient spearheads its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives through the Cyient Foundation. Since its inception almost 15 years ago, the Cyient Foundation has conceptualized and enabled various social initiatives, aims to facilitate access to quality education, skill development, and participate in projects with business-aligned social innovation, and invest in environmental development projects.

About IIT Hyderabad

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is one of the eight new IITs established by the Government of India in 2008. In a short span of 12 years, the institute has become a top ranker and currently has 242 full-time faculty, 3,491 students (20% women), and nearly 200 state-of-the-art laboratories, and five research and entrepreneurship centers. The institute has a strong research focus with approx Rs 575 crore of sanctioned research funding with PhD scholars accounting for about 30% of total student strength. IITH has to its credit more than ~6000 research publications, 195 patent disclosures, 1440 sponsored/consultancy projects, and about 50 startups.

Vernacular EdTech Platform Vidyakul Raises Funding from Dholakia Ventures

(L-R)_Mr. Dravya Dholakia- Dholakia Ventured & Mr Tarun Saini- Founder, Vidyakul

Dholakia Ventures, an investment arm of Dholakia Family Office has invested an undisclosed amount in Vidyakul, a Vernacular after-school e-learning platform. The investment arm of Diamond King of Surat Savji Dholakia saw the potential and topped-up the bridge round raised by the platform in early September 2021. Angel investors including- Gaurav Juneja, Saurabh Agarwal and Puneet Mittal also participated in the ongoing round.

Vidyakul is aimed at providing after-school e-learning for the state board students in vernacular languages. The platform understands that education is best delivered when in one’s own language.

Vidyakul has witnessed high growth post its launch in the Gujarat region with focus of learning in Gujarati language. Within 7 months of launch in the region it has registered more than 6 lakh students from Gujarat itself. The brand has also partnered with more than 500 Gujarati medium school to distribute Digital and print study material.

The EdTech start-up is currently delivering education in 4 languages and has already enabled the same for 11 lakh students from 10 States. Vidyakul has attracted the marquee investors and has raised funds from SOSV, We Founder Circle, JITO Angel Network and Thinkuvate till now.

"We have been getting overwhelming responses from students in Gujarat. With the growing internet penetration, the scope of digital learning has widened, and we are exploring the possibilities of the same. The unique approach to deliver quality education in vernacular languages makes us a go-to platform for students from every region in India for – access to quality education. By getting such response and believe from our investors, we plan to go to the deeper Bharat by penetrating and reaching to each student in rural areas," said Mr. Tarun Saini- Founder, Vidyakul.

"Quality Education in rural area is the need of the hour and we are happy that Vidyakul’s vision is aligned to it. We like their "BHARAT" focussed multi-lingual approach for the rural areas in the nation, which is an unserved market. We have seen their growth in Gujarat region and are confident that the team has the potential to lead this category. We're excited to extend our support to this educational evolution through our investment in Vidyakul." – Mr. Dravya Dholakia, Dholakia Ventures.

About Vidyakul 

Vidyakul is the first Vernacular after school e-learning platform for India-2 (Bharat) helping state board students in tier-2,3,4 and rural areas across 10 State-board. They help students learn academics via pre-recorded and live lectures from the most prominent trusted local teachers. Vidyakul is solving the problem for millions of students who are appearing for state board exams and facing challenges of quality online tutoring in their own language at an affordable price https://www.vidyakul.com/

MechaniK TV Partners with ASDC to produce India's 1st Purely Online BS6 Training Courses in Hindi for Mechanics

Signing of MoU Between Mr Rajeev Radhakrishnan Co-Founder MechaniK TV and Mr.Arindam Lahiri CEO ASDC

MechaniK TV, a skill-tech initiative for automotive technicians launched by T7E Aftermarket Connect Pvt Ltd, has entered into a strategic partnership with Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) today. The alliance will launch India’s first purely online advanced BS6 two-wheeler training in Hindi, expected to go live on 1st November 2021.

The collaboration originates from the need to provide a massive push for skills upgrade to mechanics in the independent aftermarket. This partnership will help both parties to develop high-quality training and certification programs in regional languages and make them available to large numbers of mechanics on their smartphones through the MechaniK TV android application.

Speaking about the partnership, Mr Rajeev Radhakrishnan, Co- Founder, MechaniK TV said,”MechaniK TV, through its carefully curated technical content, has already enabled 1000s of two-wheeler mechanics across the country to be able to service BS6 bikes without any formal training. The partnership with ASDC will enable us to bring structure and credibility to the training. We hope to reach 10,000 two-wheeler mechanics over the next 12 months, with the new course. Over time, we hope to produce more such high-quality training content for our audience with the help of ASDC”.

Speaking about the association, Mr. Arindam Lahiri, CEO, ASDC said “We are thrilled to partner with MechaniK TV. With this partnership, we aim to close the skills and employability gap among the roadside mechanics. These m-learning courses will help them in diagnosing and fixing problems of vehicle system and components. This will upskill them on new technology and emission systems to better serve their customer base. At ASDC, we look forward to providing solutions to enhance the range of technical skills for the mechanics with the help of MechaniK TV. I am confident that ASDC will have a long and fruitful association with MechaniK TV."

Initially, the MechaniK TV-ASDC partnership will revolve around developing content for vehicles powered by hydro-carbon fuels. Over time, the partnership is also expected to produce certification programs that will enable mechanics in the independent aftermarket to be able to service electric vehicles and their eco-system as well.

MechaniK TV is India’s largest independent skill-tech platform for automotive mechanics and provides video-based technical training in Hindi for servicing modern two-wheelers & cars. Launched in April 2020, the application has been downloaded by close to 50,000 mechanics across India.

ASDC is India’s sector skills council for the auto industry, promoted by the top industry associations SIAM, ACMA, and FADA, along with the Government of India and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). ASDC envisions making India self-sufficient in order to sustain the growth and competitiveness of the automotive industry.

About T7E:

T7E Aftermarket Connect Pvt Ltd is a marketing technology company that solves business challenges of mechanics and retailers, by combining technology & human connect, in partnership with brands. It provides a suite of tech-enabled products and services for building communication targeted at workshops & shops in the automotive aftermarket. Inspired by the need among two-wheeler mechanics to cope with the shift to BS6 technology in two-wheelers, T7E launched MechaniK TV in April 2020. This coincided with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country and accelerated adoption of this platform among mechanics.

About MechaniK TV:

MechaniK TV is India's first and largest independent digital platform for automotive mechanics. This android application is a free-to-use, one-stop shop for the automotive mechanic for technical knowledge, troubleshooting videos, industry news & insights, live webinars and more.

About ASDC:

ASDC, is the first sector Skill Council of India, promoted by the Automobile industry, through the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) along with the Government of India represented by Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). ASDC envisions making India self –sufficient in availability of skilled personnel for sustaining growth & increasing competitiveness of the automobile industry. ASDC has over 240 training partners, 800 certified assessors, 14 expert groups with 295 industry experts and over 2000 training centers.

Aptech Launches EdTech Initiative - ProAlley.com

Aptech Limited announced the launch of its EdTech initiative –christened it ProAlley.com

Brand ProAlley.com, will focus purely on online training and education for self- paced learners starting with courses in the growing Media and Entertainment Industry

National, September 16th 2021: Aptech Limited, a pioneer in the non -formal vocational training business in the country for over 3 decades now has entered the EdTech segment with its latest brand addition - ProAlley.com. The brand intends to reach out to a new segment of audience who are self -paced learners wanting to learn and make a career in the growing media & entertainment industry from the comfort of their homes. While the initial offerings of the brand will focus on the growing media & entertainment, AVGC segment given the mass employment opportunities; however it will not be restricted to this segment alone. With the launch of ProAlley.com, Aptech Ltd now has all forms of delivery models in its business arsenal - Offline, Remote, Live and Self- Paced.

Aptech Limited houses some of the most iconic education brands in the country including Arena Animation, MAAC, Lakme Academy Powered by Aptech (LAPA), Aptech International Pre-school, Aptech Aviation Academy, Aptech Learning amongst others. ProAlley.com is the company’s newest brand addition to deliver authentic & professional creative courses purely online. ProAlley.com will extend Aptech’s philosophy/ mission on employment driven education and job enablement by focussing on skilling & up-skilling the new age tech user.

ProAlley.com officially launched on September 16th, 2021, is for the new-age user with hi-tech features and a quick, user-friendly tech- fuss free interface. The ProAlley Advantage includes self -paced learning with easy to follow courses offering hands- on learning with a complete skill driven approach. The curriculum offered by the brand is developed by the industry experts having over 30 years of experience in the field of media, entertainment & AVGC (Animation, VFX, Gaming, and Computer Graphics) segment. The brand offers two plans to opt from, ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro-Plus’. Both the plans offer certification courses. ‘Pro-plus’ has additional benefits including creating & enhancing portfolio with guidance from experts, placement assistance*, personalised one-on-one mentor connect programs and real time graded & evaluated assignments.

EdTech has become one of the fastest growing industries, taking rapid strides to facilitate better and more productive learning systems. While pandemic has been blessing in disguise for this business, internet is being called upon to enable work-from-home, study-from-home, in fact even socialize for that matter. India’s Edtech sector to become a $30 billion industry in the next 10 years on the backing of growing demand and strengthening business models, according to RBSA Advisor, a transaction advisory firm. The report estimates the current industry size between USD 700 - 800 mn. The growth will be driven by K12, higher education, test preparation and up-skilling categories.

Dr Anil Pant, Managing Director and CEO, Aptech Limited said, “We are ecstatic to be announcing our entry in the EdTech segment. This has been a dream project for Aptech Limited to be a bricks & clicks model. Our Ed-tech initiative is for self- paced learners, freelancers, influencers, content creators – literally anyone looking to equip themselves with new skills, looking to make a career in the media, entertainment or AVGC segment. I have said this before that AVGC industry is in a steady stage of its flight, where IT sector stood about 20 years ago. This is a great time for students who are making major career decisions at this point in time to actually work on skills that not only helps them get their first job but makes them highly employable. While the initial offerings of the brand will focus on the growing media & entertainment & AVGC segment; it will however not be restricted to this segment alone. We will plan to include courses from other segments where mass employment opportunities are available such as beauty & wellness, retail & hospitality amongst others. We are also planning to make this available to markets outside India. ”

He further added, “ProAlley.com is competitively priced and aims to benefit the users offering them skillsets that can help them earn an income through a job/ freelancing or gig work. The job opportunities in the media & entertainment industry are massive, almost to the tune of 3X of what we are able to realize currently. We are very excited to be able to contribute to the industry through such brand expansion.”

Aptech Limited already has two very successful brands in the AVGC segment namely, Arena Animation and Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics. (MAAC). ProAlley.com is an independent brand from the house of Aptech backed with a strong credibility score to their online curriculum. For more information, please visit https://www.proalley.com/ or reach out to +91-8951891050, help@proalley.com

*The placement assistance is offered to students over 18 years of age

About Aptech Limited.

With over three decades of strong experience in the vocational skill training and non- formal academic curriculum based training programs, Aptech Limited is a pioneer in the non –formal vocational training business in the country with a significant global presence. Ever since its commencement in 1986 and with a current presence of over 800 centres globally, Aptech Limited has effectively ventured into diverse sectors ranging from IT training, media & entertainment, retail & aviation, beauty & wellness, banking & finance, pre-school segment amongst others. Aptech Limited has successfully trained students, professionals, universities & corporates through its two main streams of business- Individual training and Enterprise Business Group.

Under Individual Training, Aptech offers career and professional training through its multi brands- Aptech Computer Education, Arena Animation & Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (both in Animation & Multimedia), Lakmé Academy powered by Aptech (beauty & grooming) ,Aptech Hardware & Networking Academy, Aptech Aviation & Hospitality Academy, Aptech English Learning Academy, Aptech International Pre-school amongst others.

Enterprise business includes Training and Assessment Solutions for Corporates & Institutions (Aptech Training Solutions, Aptech Assessment & Testing Solutions). Aptech Limited has been recognized as a Great Place to Work (2017 & 2019) won the Golden Peacock National Training Award (2019) and appraised at Maturity Level 5 of People Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) in the year 2020. For further information please visit- https://www.aptech-worldwide.com/

Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya announces FINALE for NEET & JEE 2021

A grand chance for Students to avail prizes up to 1 crore

Hyderabad, August 13, 2021: Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya launches FINALE (Final Infinity National Learner’s Exam) on August 18th and 30th, 2021 where students can register and take Mock tests, Attempt previous year papers, etc., as a preparatory exercise to crack the upcoming NEET Exam scheduled on Sep 12th, 2021.

These tests will not only help the students to prepare better for the exam but will also help them to know if they will be toppers amongst 1000’s of students. The students will have to register through their hall ticket number (of NEET Exam) which is the only eligibility criteria. 

In addition, the student needs to buy a test at a nominal price of Rs. 99 /-. 

The prizes include Android Tablet, Top 10 rankers can win prizes up to 5Lakhs, Top 100 can win prizes up to 1Lakh and Top 101 – 1000 can win prizes up to 25 thousand. (For more details log on to www.infinitylearn.com)

CEO of Infinity Learn, Ujjwal Singh said -

In addition to providing an online learning environment that encourages a questioning mind, we are in a continuous process of channelling children to access tests and courses that assist them to know if they can excel in their exams. In fact we were the first platform to publish a test that complies with the new format for NEET exams with 48 hours of announcement by NTA.

About Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya Group -

Led by people with the purpose to become global leaders in the digital learning arena, Infinity Learn's vision is to carry forward Sri Chaitanya's legacy in the digital learning and teaching space and create a powerful impact in every child's life. With a combination of traditional wisdom and Innovation Ready Technology, Infinity Learn aims at creating an engaging and measurable learning process that focuses on Outcome-basedlearning. With a versatile in-house teaching talent and latest Technology, Infinity Learn envisions becoming the sought-after destination for Digital Talent and leading Technology to serve the teachers and learners as its epicentre.

Countingwell Announces International Maths Premier League for Middle School Students

Over 50,000 students from more than 400 schools around the world are expected to participate in the tournament; Prizes worth Rs 50 lakhs to be awarded to winners

Bengaluru, 11 August 2021: Dedicated maths learning app Countingwell today announced the dates for India’s most prestigious maths skills tournament for school going children, Maths Premier League. The 2021 edition of the league will commence from August 15, 2021, and will feature over 50,000 middle-school students from across 400 schools vying for the grand prizes.

Maths Premier League is a five-week tournament and is open to schools in India and abroad. Students can register for the competition by signing up on the Countingwell app.

As part of the contest, students will first need to complete a course covering the learning concepts of maths chapters in their curriculum, and then take online assessments on the Countingwell app every Sunday. These tests will aim to assess students at various skill levels in problem-solving, starting with knowledge of formulae and definitions, number operations, modelling solutions, and finally dealing with word problems involving language comprehension skills.

Countingwell will declare winners based on students' cumulative performance. Schools will be evaluated on metrics like highest total scores, average scores, and total scores of their students and will be eligible for standalone prizes. The top school will win the Ramanujan Maths Trophy. Towards the end of the tournament, Countingwell will also announce six zonal winners across India. The total prize money is worth rupees 50 lakhs. The League also features weekly cash prizes as well as bumper prizes for individual participants.

Commenting upon the tournament, Mr. Nirmal Shah, co-founder of Countingwell said, “The Maths Premier League manifests our driving philosophy of Learning-through-competition. We have always said that students learn best when they are having fun while learning. This was proved when we hosted the Ramanujan Maths Scholarship a few months ago, and we saw 47% improvement in students’ performance in maths problem solving post the competition. We are now confident that Maths Premier League will also help many students rediscover their love for maths, and improve their maths performance all around”.

Since Maths Premier League is designed to help students learn-through-competition, participating schools will receive detailed reports about every child’s performance, skill level and problem-solving abilities at the competition. They will also get formative assessment reports that tell teachers what areas the child needs personalized attention with.

Whitehat Jr Expands Coding Curriculum in Schools With a Physical-digital Blended Model; Enables Coding Access to School Children Across India

Reaches out to more than 1.25 lakh students in 500 schools across 24 states & union territories under this initiative

Targets to teach 1 million school students next academic year

BENGALURU, AUGUST 03, 2021: WhiteHat Jr, India's leading live one-on-one online learning platform, today announced the launch of a physical-digital blended coding curriculum for school children in the country. The program combines the power of WhiteHat Jr’s online platform with a classroom model, where children can learn and collaborate with their peers.

The edtech company has received a very positive response to the offering, with schools showing massive interest in introducing next-generation coding skills to their students. Leveraging the strong in-bound, WhiteHat Jr has signed up 500 schools across the country, representing more than 1.25 lakh students who will learn coding through the blended curriculum.

The program has been especially developed to support schools in India. It delivers three key features –
Proprietary curriculum - WhiteHat Jr has designed an activity-based structured coding curriculum from Grade 1 -12. The curriculum is scientifically researched & based on age-appropriate learning outcomes.
Physical cum digital access - To maximize the benefits of peer classroom learning, the coding classes will be delivered in the school computer labs in person by a trained teacher using the WhiteHat Jr’s proprietary technology platform. All enrolled students will also have access to WhiteHat Jr’s online resources, including classroom tutorials and projects.
Teacher training program - WhiteHat Jr has developed a new teacher training program to prepare teachers for conducting the coding program in schools. It also has been empanelled by NSDC to build the capacity of coding trainers in the country. To date, 1,000 private school teachers have already been trained and will get certified under this initiative.

“We have to equip our children with 21st-century skills to help reap the demographic dividend in its truest sense. However, the big deterrent is that the majority of children in the country don't have access to computers or broadband. We aim to bridge this critical gap with a unique physical-digital blended model leveraging schools to enable coding access to millions of children across the country,” said Karan Bajaj, Founder & CEO, WhiteHat Jr. "With the positive reception that we have received thus far since the launch of our physical-digital blended model, our vision of teaching Coding to at least 1 million school students in the next academic year is an achievable reality.”

"We are at the helm of a breakthrough with this initiative, to provide Coding education to students that otherwise would not have had the infrastructure to access these future skills," said Nitin Kochhar, Chief Business Officer - New Channels, WhiteHat Jr. "500+ schools representing 245 cities, from 24 states and union territories across the country, is a testament to the trust that we have gained by leading educational institutions across the country. We have built a strong support infrastructure/ processes and team in place to delight each and every child studying Coding through our school's initiative."

About WhiteHat Jr

WhiteHat Jr has been launched with the singular mission of empowering kids to become creators versus consumers of technology. The company has channeled students’ natural creativity through an engaging curriculum and personalized, live teacher attention. WhiteHat Jr’s 11,000+ strong teacher workforce conducts thousands of LIVE Coding, Math and Music online classes every day on its proprietary platform. Cumulatively, the company has conducted more than 8.5 million classes to date.

ConveGenius and Punjab Government Sign MoU to Strengthen the State’s Blended Learning Program

The partnership aims at reducing the gap for students who have inadequate learning resources due to the shutting down of schools during the pandemic

India, 29th July 2021: Social EdTech platform ConveGenius has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Punjab government, expanding the efforts to provide quality education to the students in the state. The association will strengthen the Department of School Education’s blended learning program. The courses for primary grades (1st to 5th) will be launched on the 16th of August in the state.

The EdTech model is implemented through weekly assessments for learning. It motivates students to learn at their own pace, following the curriculum in the state. The aim is to reduce the learning gap among students from the low-resource setting and cover for the slide that has occurred due to the shutdown of schools with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Jagtar Singh Kularia, Director, SCERT said, “When the pandemic started, the biggest challenge we faced was tackling the lack of resources for online classes. However, we received a positive response from our collaboration with ConveGenius for the Patiala district. Now, we know the most practical solution for our students.”

He added, “The platform will help students across the state to access foundational learning activities in subjects like Mathematics, Punjabi, English, and Science by using one smartphone. Since multiple users can access their classes from one Whatsapp number, it becomes even more accessible to students in rural areas and lower-middle-class families. We are awaiting the results to be reflected in the entire state.”

Talking about the expansion of the program across the state, Rahul Garg, Program Head, ConveGenius, said, “Last year, the model was launched in Patiala district and we received great feedback from all stakeholders. The program is being extended across the state, in spite of the fact that the schools will be reopened once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.”

“ConveGenius has achieved a completion rate of about 98% in every state and we aim to see similar results in Punjab. We have already registered more than 18 million monthly active students across several states. The partnership is a crucial part of our campaign #EdTechforNayaBharat, where we aim to democratize education and provide high-quality digital learning to 100 million students at the bottom of the education funnel,” he added.

The weekly assessments on the platform identify the weak points of the student and then provide content recommendations based on the work required in those particular areas. It enables every stakeholder in the education system of the state to monitor student performances from an individual level to the district level. It helps them curate better teaching practices.

The AI-based EdTech platform uses interactive, child-friendly, and adaptive learning methods that can be accessed through a WhatsApp chatbot, tablets, or computer labs in schools. Students can send a WhatsApp message at 8595524521 to benefit from this platform.

About ConveGenius:

ConveGenius is an EdTech social enterprise that has a suite of personalized and adaptive learning solutions. It uses research in the science of learning, AI, and Nudge theory to enhance India's quality of education and bridge learning gaps for the masses. ConveGenius aims to offer superior learning outcomes for K-12. Its products aim to assess the current learning levels and create gamified and personalized learning journeys for every child.

Space Technology Applications Being Used for Digital Education in India

Image - Bisag-n.in

Government today said that space technology applications being used for digital education in the country. Satellite communication is being used for beaming the educational contents in digital mode by 19 States and A&N Islands under Tele-education Programme. 

Further, the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) is also beaming 51 educational channels using satellite communication.

Apart from this, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing is actively involved in training beneficiaries (such as UG/PG and Doctorate students, working professionals, academicians, school teachers and school students) on Space Technology and its Applications using digital platforms. During the last one year, about 2.42 lakh participants benefitted from these programmes.

Earlier this month, ISRO gave its nod to parliamentary panel to help set up satellite TV classrooms in India. ISRO will provide technical assistance for setting up satellite TV classrooms, which aims to bridge the gap in classroom-learning created due to the COVID-19 induced lockdowns.

The Space Sector is opened up for larger participation of non-governmental entities which is expected to bring in wide opportunities to provide space based applications including digital education.

This was stated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

Maths Learning App Countingwell Announces New Certification Program in Mathematical Foundations for Data Science

Continuing with its stated goal to democratize maths learning, leading edtech startup Countingwell today announced the launch of its Certification Program in Mathematical Foundations for Data Science. The nine-day program is designed to empower middle school students studying in classes 6th to 8th to use fundamentals of mathematics and apply them to data analysis.

Students will learn the basics of Data Science through Data Collection and Organisation, Data Visualization, Data Analysis and Summary. As an introduction, the program is available free of cost for all eligible students and can be enrolled via the Countingwell app.

"This program will help students develop a strong understanding of data analytics, not just to prepare them for a future career in Data Science, but to make data-driven decisions in any career they pursue," said Nirmal Shah, Cofounder of Countingwell.

Data science is a rewarding and highly sought after career today in India and other countries, with the demand for skilled professionals growing at an average rate of 50%, according to a recent tech hiring trends report by Dice. Data scientists are expected to provide answers to complex business problems, or uncover new insights into a business’ functioning by analyzing and processing vast amounts of raw data. In the US, the median starting salary for data scientists is $95,000, almost double the U.S. median salary average.

"One of our key goals is to get middle-school students introduced to career opportunities and higher learning involving mathematics applications," said Nirmal. “From our interactions with and assessments of these students over time, we realised that there is a critical need to develop analytical mindsets, and higher order thinking skills among these students. This certification programme will allow students to go beyond theoretical or classroom maths to real-life applications and help them develop higher-order thinking skills to align with these applications."

Maths is today widely considered as a necessary foundation of a rewarding career across many professions related to STEM. Fields of coding, AI, economics, data science, Actuarial sciences: all have maths at their core.

“It is imperative to help students become better at this life skill, so they are able to use it effectively in future. Integrating it with Maths learning, helps them understand how they would apply maths in thier careers and day-to-day life. Many students ask the question “why should we learn maths”, and with courses like these, we want to help them dicover the answer," added Nirmal.

The Countingwell Data Science program is available for students in India as well as in the Middle East. To enroll for the program, students can download the Countingwell app. Students will also be given a certificate of completion upon successful completion of the program.