Bessemer Venture Partners leads $28 million Series B in Seekho

Seekho today announced that it has secured $28 million in Series B funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Goodwater Capital and existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and Elevation Capital.

Seekho founders

Founded in 2020 by Rohit Choudhary, Keertay Agarwal and Yash Banwani, Seekho provides bite-sized, curated, vernacular learning content for Bharat. This content, delivered in 3-5 minute videos, focuses on practical knowledge for career and self-growth. Examples include guidance on availing digital services, growing an Instagram/YouTube presence, improving business operations, language learning, self-help, and many more.

The funds will be used to build new experiences through new content formats and to leverage AI-first solutions.

Seekho’s unique advantage comes from its customer centricity and from catering to the heterogenous needs of its users. Unlike a Youtube or Instagram, Seekho’s content is focused on uplifting its consumers - From a real estate agent scaling inbound leads for his business through Meta, to a sales executive remaining up to date on new technologies, to someone having facilitated proper Aadhar linkage for their entire extended family - Seekho is making a difference to Indians across geographies. While many content platforms provide entertainment, Seekho is the one of the few that educates and provides an avenue for personal and career growth in an effective and actionable manner.

Rohit Choudhary, Founder, said “At Seekho, our mission is to make learning fun and easy for everyone regardless of language, location or background. We believe learning should be relevant, bite-sized, and accessible in the palm of your hand. With Bessemer joining us on this journey, we’re excited to build a category-defining product that puts ‘Edutainment on Tap’ for the next 500 million Indians. This funding will accelerate our vision of making learning as seamless as scrolling a feed - but with impact that lasts a lifetime.”

Seekho currently has 25 million monthly active users, demonstrating a 60% quarter-over-quarter growth. The platform’s growth is further accelerated by two tailwinds. First, the willingness of Indian consumers to pay for content as disposable income increases as the economy grows. Second, the rise of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) autopay which has opened up 800M Indians to the subscription economy, which till only a few years ago was limited only to the 20-30 million credit card users in India. As a result, subscription revenues have gone from near-negligible levels 5 years ago to a $2.5 billion pool today. Seekho is still early in its journey and has the opportunity to capture a significant portion of this figure.

Anant Vidur Puri, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, said “The trifecta of 800 million+ smartphone users in India, each of them spending 7-8 hours a day, and frictionless online payments means that almost all aspects of life have moved to digital platforms - from buying groceries to financial transactions and now, with Seekho, education as well. The stellar team at Seekho is perfectly positioned to help all segments of India across Metros and tiers of cities lead fuller, better-informed lives. We wish them all the best.”

upGrad and MSDE Trains India’s Youth from Non-Traditional Background in AI and Data Science

The initiative has been carried out through the skilling giant’s not-for-profit arm upGrad Foundation

upGrad Foundation, the not-for-profit and philanthropic arm of Asia's largest integrated learning, skilling, and workforce development company upGrad has recently concluded a 3-city ‘Future Skills Bootcamp on Data Science and Soft Skills’ with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Leaders in the frame (From left to right) Smt Trupti Pawar, Arpit Yadav, Dr Naresh Kumar Chavan, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru, Pintu Kumar Jain, Dr Shashikant, Dr Sumit

With a mission to equip India’s youth with essential skills in emerging technologies, each bootcamp was a week-long “train the trainer” program to support the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science from the ground up. 113 trainees were enrolled across National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) centers in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The program covered concepts in Data Science, including Machine Learning, AI applications, and Data visualization, along with contemporary soft skills for effective delivery.

This industry-linked initiative was aligned with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's Skill India Mission emphasizing practical, hands-on skilling. It was inaugurated in January this year at the NSTI Bengaluru (W), followed by the second edition in June at the NSTI Ramanthapur, Hyderabad. The latest edition was also inaugurated in the same month at the Chunabhatti campus of NSTI Mumbai by Joint Director, Shri Ketan Patel and Deputy Director, Dr Naresh Kumar Chavan, along with faculty from the uGDX School of Technology at ATLAS SkillTech University and other dignitaries. The initiative exemplifies the strong collaboration between government, industry and academia, and addresses the growing need for upskilling and enabling learners, especially the less privileged, to access opportunities in India’s fast-paced job market. It propels skill adoption by trainers who further train others, thus accelerating a multiplier effect.

"This course is designed to meet the needs of a growing market and the participants are excited and eager to improve their skills in this emerging field. The experienced faculty from upGrad are leading interactive sessions to actively engage the trainees,” commented Shri C.S. Murthy, Regional Director, Maharashtra, MSDE.

“There’s a massive socio-economic disparity in access to high-quality education within our communities. Our country’s most aspirational youth, most often face significant challenges in accessing education and employment opportunities. And as emerging fields like AI and Data Science continue to transform industries and create new job markets, it becomes crucial that we bridge this knowledge gap,” said Pramath Raj Sinha, who has joined One upGrad and is shaping up the agenda at upGrad Foundation. “It was carefully designed to build an equipped Bharat that is equally ready & capable for the global jobs of tomorrow,” Sinha added.

The bootcamps yielded impressive outcomes and received encouraging feedback from trainees. “We have gained knowledge of data science, Python, machine learning, and deep learning, which is very useful for us. Sessions were designed in a way that we could clear each and every doubt with trainers,” concluded a trainee Urmila who attended the Bootcamp at NSTI Bengaluru. upGrad Foundation is set to scale up its initiatives in training craft instructors at NSTI centers across the country. Through relentless efforts to accelerate the adoption of AI and Data Science, the Foundation will continue to empower India with modern-day skill competencies.

About upGrad

Started in 2015, upGrad is Asia’s largest integrated Learning, Skilling, and Workforce Development Company. The offerings range from online & hybrid Degree programs to pathway and study abroad programs to certification and Bootcamps to Diploma, Master’s and Doctorate programs for working professionals. upGrad provides most of these programs to enterprise clients through its B2B arm along with recruitment and staffing services. To date, upGrad has enrolled 10 million+ learners from 70+ countries, boasts a network of 300+ direct global university partners, wide line-up of 2500+ pathway connections, 20,000+ recruitment partners, and an enterprise arm with 3000 corporate partners, worldwide. www.upgrad.com

MetaStudios and AjnaLens Join Hands to Reinvent Learning with Extended Reality

AjnaLens, India’s premier Extended Reality Hardware manufacturing company and MetaStudios, one of the leading Metaverse and Gaming Studio today announced their partnership for building immersive experiences and training programs targeted at upskilling the global youth and adult fraternity, making them competent, capable and self-sustainable.

AjnaLens aims to solve the problem of unemployment at grassroot level in India through the world of AR & VR Technologies. With their new AjnaXR Glasses and immersive learning platform AjnaVidya, users can learn all kinds of skills inside the virtual space. They also allow every user to interact seamlessly with each other and provide leaderboards that measure learning performances and outcomes.

MetaStudios is a pioneer in building immersive experiences that delivers deeper engagement, and higher retention rates with the end users. By harnessing the principles of humanising virtual experiences, MetaStudios curates content that foster active participation, and enhances knowledge and learning. It is a part of the MetaEngine group - the team behind building the infrastructure layer for over 500+ games for the last 20 years (hosting over 30+ Million MMO users till now).

Together we make differences!

Currently, the world is plagued with high unemployment among the youth with an estimated 73 million people facing this obstacle. The new innovations in the digital age, including these immersive training programs produced from the MetaStudio and AjnaLens partnership will provide new avenues for development of a skilled and employed pool of individuals , irrespective of their economic situation

Pankaj Raut, CEO of AjnaLens commented, “Our vision is to make India a nation of creators instead of just consumers when it comes to immersive technologies. We are empowering India’s XR developers and creators to build immersive experiences from India, for the world. MetaStudios has a strong team with deep expertise and a focus on ROI for their customers. By combining their superior quality training experiences and our Made-in-India XR headsets, we are aiming to revolutionise learning and human development across industries.”

Kapil Dhiman, CEO of MetaStudios added, “Our Partnership with AjnaLens is a big step towards reshaping the way we imagine education and training. The world is changing faster than ever, and there is a strong need to upgrade the content and platform for providing skill based training to our youth - make them future ready. With the combined strength of AjnaLens’ hardware and MetaStudios’ immersive content, we are stepping on an ambition to build a skilled workforce from India, for the world.”

About MetaStudios:

MetaStudios is a cutting-edge Metaverse and game development studio focused on building innovative immersive experiences. With a team of experts in Art, design, programming, and AI, MetaStudios is on a journey to push the boundaries of what's possible in the industry to define the future of the Metaverse. Our state of the art Metaverse Studio is specialised in strategising, designing and developing immersive digital environments that aims to humanise the experience and create seamless integration between physical and virtual realities, allowing users to interact with each other real-time.

For more visit: https://www.metastudios.gg/

About AjnaLens:

Founded in 2014, AjnaLens is a pioneer of XR in India and a Human-First Organization, building AI-powered wearable technologies to upgrade the skill development ecosystem. The impact-driven startup is on a mission to create a skill-first world with equal economic opportunities by redefining learning and human development.

Over the years, AjnaLens has built state-of-the-art immersive learning solutions to help governments, education institutes and fortune 500 companies in their digital transformation journey. They have deployed the world’s largest Metaverse for Vocational Training across 300+ industrial training institutes in India, transforming the lives of 18000+ students every year.

BYJU’S Launches BYJU’S WIZ, A Suite of Cutting-Edge AI Models for Hyper-Personalized Learning

• The new suite comprises three revolutionary transformer models - BADRI, Math GPT, and TeacherGPT
• BADRI, a predictive AI model, implements personalized ‘forgetting curves’ that can pinpoint a student's strengths and weaknesses at a granular level
• MathGPT uses advanced machine learning algorithms to generate optimal solutions for complex mathematical challenges accurately
• TeacherGPT, an AI-driven assistant, uses a unique ‘point teach and bottom-out approach’, to ensure that students are gently guided toward the correct answer and offers personalized guidance
• With a nearly 90% accuracy rate, BYJU’S AI innovations are redefining the future of learning

BYJU’S, the world’s leading edtech company, has announced the launch of BYJU’S WIZ, an innovative suite of three cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) transformer models - BADRI, MathGPT, and TeacherGPT.

The new suite is poised to reshape learning, providing students with personalized and effective learning experiences. Its integration across BYJU’S learning platforms is a significant step forward in the company's continued efforts to move education away from a one-size-fits-all approach and instead make it hyper-personalized and student-centric. With a nearly 90% accuracy rate, which is the best in the industry, BYJU’S AI innovations are set to redefine the future of learning.

In a remarkable testament to BYJU'S continuous innovations in emerging technologies, the AI suite stands out by not only being built on the foundation of existing generative AI models but also by harnessing the immense power of BYJU'S vast ocean of data, based on the billions of daily interactions that happen on its platforms. This synergy allows the AI suite to undergo extensive training and amplification, enabling it to bring unparalleled delight to students, teachers, and parents alike.

Dev Roy, Chief Innovation and Learning Officer at BYJU'S, said on the launch of this AI suite: “Innovation is at the heart of BYJU's approach to learning and teaching. We are thrilled to introduce these innovative models, which embody our commitment to becoming an AI-powered student-centric education company. We believe BYJU’SWIZ will usher in a new era of personalized learning, taking a significant leap forward in the way we educate our future generations. Its launch is a definitive event in our constant endeavor to teach students not just ‘what to learn’ but also ‘how to learn’.”

BYJU'S Attentive DateVec Rasch Implementation (BADRI)	An advanced predictive AI model developed in-house, BADRI leverages billions of daily student interactions and uses advanced ?transformer? technology similar to language learning models (LLMs) like ChatGPT It implements personalized ?forgetting curves? to pinpoint each student's strengths and weaknesses, providing tailored questions and learning videos for areas of improvement. It is one of the most accurate knowledge-tracing models in the field of education.
TescherGPT	Built as an AI-driven assistant, TeacherGPT offers personalized guidance to students as well as grade student responses. With a unique ‘point teach and bottom-out’ approach, it ensures that students are gently guided towards the correct answer, promoting independent problem-solving skills
MathGPT	MathGPT employs advanced machine learning algorithms to provide highly accurate solutions for complex math challenges Trained solely on mathematical problem-solving, it addresses the limitations of generalized language learning models that lack the depth required for specific sectors like education

The AI suite’s ability to accurately predict a student's knowledge state, and identify misconceptions, learning gaps, or ‘silly’ mistakes, are a huge step forward in freeing learning from the constraints of space and time. By providing 24x7 hyper-personalized learning experiences tailored to each student's unique needs anywhere in the world, it will make learning more engaging, effective, and enjoyable for students worldwide while also optimizing internal systems such as teacher audits to make offerings such as LIVE classes better. The AI team at BYJU’S, working under the guidance of Dev Roy, has ensured that the AI suite is not just hyper-personalized but also safe, reliable, and curriculum-aligned.

These pioneering models are currently undergoing rigorous testing at BYJU’S Labs, which are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and staffed by a dedicated team of researchers, data scientists, and educational experts. Given their unparalleled potential to effectively cater to diverse educational needs, they are set to be integrated across the entire product portfolio of BYJU’S, from Pre-K to Gray. This comprehensive integration will ensure that students of all ages can benefit from the cutting-edge advancements and transformative impact of these models throughout their learning journey.

About BYJU’S:

BYJU’S is the world’s leading edtech company that offers highly adaptive, engaging, and effective learning programs for students across K-12, competitive exams, coding, and upskilling courses for professionals. With over 150 million registered learners globally and a presence in 120 countries, BYJU’S has been at the forefront of creating tech-driven and immersive learning experiences for students around the world.

Since the launch of its flagship Learning App in 2015, BYJU’S has been innovating learning experiences and pioneering new approaches to education by blending world-class pedagogy with cutting edge technology. These include hybrid learning, ‘phygital’ learning, interactive and personalised approaches, and multiple learning formats.

BYJU’S portfolio of products has now expanded to meet the learning requirements across grades, levels, and geographies. These include Disney.BYJU’S Early Learn, which offers highly engaging early learning programs for the K-3 segment; BYJU’S Classes with Two Teacher Advantage – a comprehensive after-school learning solution; BYJU’S Tuition Centre – a hybrid after-school learning centre; BYJU’S Exam Prep for various entrance tests, and more. It also offers coding, maths and music programs to students in the USA, UK, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico.

BYJU’S is taking big strides in bringing together the best of offline and online learning experiences and setting up international innovation hubs to deliver breakthrough solutions across its ecosystem of learning products.

Taking its vision of building a community of active learners globally, BYJU’S has onboarded strong partners through strategic acquisitions of Osmo, EPiC, Tynker, White Hat Jr, Aakash, Great Learning, Gradeup, and GeoGebra.

A digital-first company, BYJU’S has been backed by prominent investors like Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Naspers, CPPIB, General Atlantic, Tencent, Sequoia Capital, Sofina, Verlinvest, IFC, Aarin Capital, TimesInternet, Lightspeed Ventures, Tiger Global, Owl Ventures & Qatar Investment Authority. 

Indian Edtech Firm ConnectEd Joins Hand with US-based ASU Prep to Scale Up Personalized Learning in India

The company will adopt ASU Prep’s learning tools and expertise to enhance educational methods for Indian students from various backgrounds and communities.

Fast-emerging edtech leader ConnectEd has partnered with US-based ASU Preparatory Academy to scale up personalized learning in India. ConnectEd realizes that students today compete in a global field and wants to take advantage of ASU Preps tools and techniques developed in the US to improve learning outcomes in India. The edtech firm will adapt them to Indian curricula and the needs of Indian students. For ASU Prep this is an opportunity to impact a bigger, more diverse audience with their transformational approach to self-paced learning that levels the playing field for students from varied backgrounds with diverse talents and ambitions.

Commenting on the partnership Dennis Matthew, ConnectEd's CEO said, "Our collaboration with ASU Prep is pivotal in creating personalized learning ecosystems for learners for their all-round development. We are confident that by leveraging our partner’s experience and expertise, we will be able to support educational institutes in helping students achieve their personal growth and career objectives”.

With a personalized and project-based approach, ConnectEd and ASU Prep will empower learners coming from diverse backgrounds and communities with the support they need to understand and apply concepts, think critically and excel in standardized exams. This partnership is a key enabler of ConnectEd’s mission to enhance learning outcomes with a combination of online classroom learning in small batches and personalized learning through tailored courses that incorporate immersive content and offer students the freedom to learn topics of their interest at their own pace.

Lisa Edgar, ASU Prep's Chief Partnership Officer said, “We are on a mission to deliver new learning models with a personalized approach to help students from various backgrounds achieve academic success. Considering the enormous diversity across we see across cultures and communities in India we believe our partnership with ConnectED gives us the opportunity to benefit a very large talent pool by ensuring holistic learning.”

Notably, ConnectEd has developed a framework that pairs online classrooms focused on engagement and interactive learning augmented by frequent testing, counsellor inputs and guided asynchronous learning in collaboration with parents. ConnectEd is a socially conscious organization and aims to give students an affordable option to improve learning outcomes. They currently support CBSE English medium students from 7th to 10th. More than 30 of their students score 95% or above in their 10th board examinations last year. Notably, all of them scored more than 95 in Maths The company is also associated with Bloom India, that offers subsidised to free learning to 100+ students every year.

About ConnectEd

ConnectEd, headquartered in Bangalore, has been providing online coaching since 2020. ConnectEd currently provides courses that integrate synchronous learning in online classrooms with guided asynchronous learning and is pioneering affordable, personalized learning for CBSE students from 7th to 10th.

About ASU Prep

ASU Preparatory is a tuition-free college preparatory school that serves students in grades K-12. ASU Prep chartered by Arizona State University with the goal of helping each student prepare for college by developing critical thinking and learning skills with courses that integrate online, offline, classroom and personalized learning. ASU Prep currently serves 37K students in 20 countries. ASU Prep’s partners include Khan Academy, schools in the US and Others.

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.

Chennai-based AhaGuru Raises Funding Led by Anand Mahindra's Family Office

AhaGuru Founders Gomathi Shanmugasudaram and Balaji Sampath

AhaGuru, a pioneer in online learning, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a Series A round led by an investment firm managed by Mr. Anand Mahindra's family office. The funds will be used to develop new technology features and online courses for high school students and increase its student base across the country as well as in the Middle East. The funds will also help the company expand its team of expert teachers and mentors. 

AhaGuru was founded by Dr. Balaji Sampath and Ms. Gomathi Shanmugasundaram to research and develop solutions to the learning quality problem. AhaGuru’s research into learning gaps has helped it develop unique techniques to greatly improve concept understanding and problem-solving abilities of students. These special techniques in turn leads to AhaGuru students excelling both in competitive exams and school boards. For example, AhaGuru student, Muhender Raj, secured All India Rank 4 in IIT JEE (Advanced) and 100% (percentile) in JEE (Mains) that were conducted last month. Another AhaGuru student, Jay Murekar, ranked TN State First in JEE. Even more impressive than their long list of toppers is the overall performance of AhaGuru students. And while the coaching industry average is less than 20% students clearing JEE, over 75% of AhaGuru students cleared JEE and over 95% cleared NEET in 2020.

This focus on learning quality has helped AhaGuru grow organically in Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata and the investment from Mr. Anand Mahindra’s family office will help it scale to many more students across more geographies.

Mr. Anand Mahindra says, “AhaGuru stands for making learning easier and understandable by deploying well researched techniques. Their sharp focus on enhancing the quality of teaching Science and Math can help students grasp fundamentals more effectively. I am hopeful that AhaGuru will help Indian students build curiosity and a scientific temper.”

“This funding enables us to launch new courses to help students with their school and board exams. We are also working on several new technology features to make the student learning experience richer. We are investing in Artificial Intelligence to personalize the learning experience for each student. Our predictive learning model, identifies student learning patterns and suggests enhancements that improves success rate of students,” says Dr. Balaji Sampath.

AhaGuru’s Live Online Classes and Recorded Video Courses has been a boon to students preparing for JEE and NEET. These comprehensive courses not only provide clearly presented lectures, but also have lots of video examples that demonstrate how to apply concepts to different problem-situations. Each lesson also includes a large number of practice questions with detailed solutions. The well-researched methodology helps students not only understand concepts deeply but also helps them easily master problem-solving. Students say that AhaGuru's courses not only builds their concepts and skills, but also gives them a huge confidence booster.

AhaGuru's online coaching which has been growing steadily over the last few years, has seen a big surge during the Covid pandemic. “The number of students enrolling for both our live online classes as well as our recorded video courses has tripled. Our teams are working overtime to ensure every student is learning well. This investment will help us get more teachers and provide personalized learning support to our students,” says Ms. Gomathi.

Unlike many other players in the EdTech space, AhaGuru does not want to dilute its focus by expanding to lots of different subjects and exams. “We focus exclusively on Science and Math education for middle and high school students. Our team is constantly researching and developing better and better ways to help students master these subjects. Our courses are quite intensive and meant for serious students willing to spend 6 to 8 hours per week for each subject,” says Dr. Sampath. It is this focus on subject mastery that sets AhaGuru apart as a premium player in the EdTech space attracting serious students who want a deep understanding of Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Biology.

IIT Roorkee inks MoU with Online Learning Platform Eckovation to Offer Online Executive Programs

In an endeavour to upskill the workforce, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with online learning platform-Eckovation to undertake collaboration on providing a platform for launching executive courses. The MoU was signed between Prof. Manish Shrikhande, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy, IIT Roorkee and Akshat Goel, Founder &Chief Technical Officer, Eckovation. IIT Roorkee has also launched two online courses- ‘Advanced Certification Program in Cybersecurity’ and ‘Professional Certification in Supply Chain Management & Analytics’, an initiative of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Management Studies respectively as well as an E-learning centre at IIT Roorkee on Eckovation.

The MoU entitles both organizations to undertake collaboration in research development and consultancy work, facilitate the exchange of academic and research materials and joint publications, cooperate in projects, research activities of mutual interest, and participate seminars, colloquia, and other types of academic discussions.

The courses will be a mix of theoretical concepts and practical applications such as Project Work and a 3-day immersion module at Noida or Roorkee campuses of the institution. The candidates will be awarded a certificate upon completion of the course along with placement assistance by Eckovation.

“The MoU with Eckovation is a step forward towards our efforts to enable learners to upskill themselves as per the needs of the industry. COVID-19 has prompted a reassessment of the existing global supply chain. The course is designed to help mitigate risks and address uncertainties” said Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

The courses will be of around six month’s duration. They will be taught by the faculty and industry experts through an online mode on an e-learning platform- Eckovation. There is also a provision of a scholarship of INR 50,000 based on the candidate’s academic record and relevant work experience. Attractive bank financing options are available (facilitated by Eckovation with leading banks) to enable accessibility of the course for a higher number of learners.

“Online education has emerged as a panacea to sustain the momentum of academics amid the COVID-19 crisis. It has disrupted the education landscape due to its convenience, on-the go-access, and versatility. The collaboration with IIT Roorkee will help us leverage its technical expertise and competent faculty and facilitate knowledge sharing worldwide to prepare the futuristic workforce” said Akshat Goel, Founder &Chief Technical Officer, Eckovation


IIT Roorkee is already offering a host of courses such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science on Cloudxlab. It has recently signed an MoU with Coursera to offer online courses from next year onwards.


About Eckovation - https://www.eckovation.com/

Eckovation is a product of the desire of its co-founders to generate meaningful impact in society. It started with a Civil Society initiative named 'Saras' which they started during their college days. The objective was to provide quality education to children of poor families. This experience exposed them to the problem of scale, the fact that one teacher can meaningfully teach not more than 40-50 students at a time but the availability of quality teachers at ground level was extremely limited. If only, there was a way to leapfrog this problem. If only, one teacher could teach thousands of students. Being the problem solvers that they are, their response was, well, why not? This led to a technology-based quest that has now taken the shape of Eckovation.

Government of Goa Adds E-Learning Devices to Aaganwaadis in Support with ConveGenius

E-learning devices will soon be a new addition for children in Aaganwaadis across the state. Based on a pilot project launched with the support of Siemens Limited, the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Goa, appointed ConveGenius - a renowned ed-tech based company which has earlier done similar projects in 16 states of India like Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

This advanced learning system will be launched initially on a pilot basis at Anganwadis in Satteri and Ponda. E-learning is undertaken as a project under the ‘Digital India Mission’, a vision of ‘our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Post this pilot project, plans are afoot to extend the same to all the Anganwadis in the state. 

Speaking about e-learning, Minister for Women and Child Development Shri Vishwajit Rane, said, “Introducing e-learning to Anganwadi children has always been a dream for me, which I am very happy to say, has been accomplished with the help of Siemens and ConveGenius. 90 percent of a child’s brain is developed in the first six years, and with the state-of-the-art lesson plans, tech-enabled classrooms, and curated syllabus, our Anganwadi children will be prepared for first grade before they enter mainstream school. Online education will help our children to improve their education activities and get familiar with the technology. I am grateful to our honorable Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant for his constant support in every project and this initiative taken by us."

The educational software in Konkani and English is designed as per ECCE guidelines by ConveGenius. This digital set up comprises of smart TV and tablets with preloaded educational software to the Anganwadi’s. The tools designed by ConveGenius will strengthen the foundation of students, provide motivation, and build confidence by developing L-S-R-W (LISTENING-SPEAKING-WRITING-READING) skills through the tablet-based digital learning methods. This advanced learning system will help children to clearly remember information and make them interested in creating work programs and exercises while recording each student's performance.

Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Limited, said, “Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. Siemens in India has various ongoing programs in the area of skill development. The support for setting up digital Aaganwaadis adds another dimension to Siemens India’s skilling and education initiatives, with a focus on integrated community development. As a responsible Corporate Citizen, we fully support and applaud the Government of Goa’s efforts in implementing the latest technologies and infrastructure to enable quality education at every level."

Speaking about the software, Co-founder of ConveGenius Jairaj Bhattacharya said, “We are excited to participate in this initiative. With the new NEP guidelines focusing on foundational literacy and numeracy our digital curriculum frameworks will rapidly aim in improving learning outcomes and creating a digital systemic transformation. This will tie with our larger goal to impact 100 Million students across India for our EdTech for Naya Bharat mission launched in 16 states so far in the country".

The motive behind this initiative is to provide the Anganwadi children with the same infrastructure and facility that the private schools have. Ever since the pandemic, thousands of students across the country are adjusting to the new normal of online learning. There are several ways that online education can help to improve the learning experience of children. It increases the level of children's engagement with materials through the use of interactive graphics, video, and other media.

E-Learning Market Expected to Reach $350 Billion in 2025 - Report

The dynamic shift to 'Work from Home' culture has resulted in people adapting to new reality - connecting solely to online platforms to work, teach and learn. While working from home has become the new normal, millions of employees found themselves with more time in hand. Many have channeled their extra time into learning new skills, thus resulting in the sharp increase in the online course enrollment.

The online education industry has shown significant growth over the last decade, offering millions of people worldwide the opportunity to gain new skills from the comfort of their own home. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has encouraged this trend by placing E-learning in the spotlight almost overnight as many suddenly had to work and learn while under strict lockdown measures.

While online education has been growing steadily in the past few years, COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way for stronger market growth. In fact, even before the outbreak, the E-learning industry was skyrocketing with the market expecting to reach a whopping $350 billion by 2025. E-teaching has become a great way to make supplement income. Interestingly, 52% of those who teach professional skills , generate income of $500+ per month and 21% earn between $1000 to $3000 per month.

Payoneer, which streamlines global commerce surveyed online teachers from 40 different countries inviting them to share how the crisis has impacted them and what they believe the future of E-learning holds once the outbreak subsides. As per the detailed survey, the E-learning market is expected to reach $350 billion in 2025 (E-learning platform typically cover two categories: Professional Skills and Foreign language). Up to 74% teachers joined the online education industry in the past two years (74% of professional skills teachers and 73% of foreign language teachers joined the online education industry within the last two years)

90% of all E-teachers would consider making e-teaching their primary source of income in the future. During COVID-19, 82% of professional skills teachers and 55% of foreign language learning teachers saw an increase in course registration. 87% of those teaching professional skills and 54% of those teaching foreign language expect that demand for their courses will increase in long-term.

About Payoneer:

Payoneer’s mission is to empower businesses to go beyond – beyond borders, limits and expectations. In today’s digital world, Payoneer enables any business of any size from anywhere to access new economic opportunities by making it possible to transact as easily globally as they do locally.

Payoneer’s digital platform streamlines global commerce for millions of small businesses, marketplaces and enterprises from 200 countries and territories.  Leveraging its robust technology, compliance, operations and banking infrastructure, Payoneer delivers a suite of services that includes cross-border payments, working capital, tax solutions, merchant services and risk management.  Powering growth for customers ranging from aspiring entrepreneurs in emerging markets to the world’s leading digital brands like Airbnb, Amazon, Google and Upwork, Payoneer makes global commerce easy and secure. Founded in 2005, Payoneer is profitable and has a team based all around the world.

Unable to Cope Online Learning, Disabled Students at Risk of Dropping Out

Children with disability run a huge risk of dropping out of school because of not being able to cope with the switch to online/digital medium of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to closure of schools. Two surveys conducted by Swabhiman, a community-based organisation, and Disability Legislation Unit of Eastern India of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), India's leading cross-disability rights organization;  and partner of Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) working for the rights of disabled people, particularly children, show the current extreme vulnerability of CwDs. The report, Digital education in India: Will students with disabilities miss the bus” was released to the media today.

Swabhiman’s Dr. Sruti Mohapatra said that an underlying reality was that children from government schools belonged to poor families, and a large proportion of them were not users or owners of smartphones which are being used for online education. 

“Children with disabilities in India were already facing a myriad of discrimination due to the digital divide and the urban-rural divide. Covid19 pandemic has exacerbated the overall situation and this report has clearly demonstrated the intersectionalities that exist in our country. The survey has highlighted the challenges faced for imparting inclusive education to disabled children.  Teachers are not trained enough and unfortunately, disabled students do not seem to be their priority. Parents are not aware to deal with this transition to E-education and Children with disabilities lack the resources required to be part of inclusive education,” said Arman Ali, executive director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).

“The recommendations put forth must be very seriously looked into and there is a need for a conscious effort to facilitate collaboration between disabled peoples organizations, parents, schools, and the Government so that in post Covid19 education scenario, disabled children do not fall out and miss out on their fundamental right to Education,” added Arman. 

Key findings:

The surveys found that only 56.5% of students were “struggling yet attending classes” irregularly. Around 77% of students said they would not be able to cope and would fall behind in learning due to their inability to access distance learning methods while 71% said they were finding it difficult to cope with the COVID-19 social and educational scenario. The parents of as many as 90% CwDs said teachers were not giving them attention while 86% said they did not know how to use technology. As many as 76% of mothers said they did not know how to help as they themselves did not understand technology. A large proportion of teachers (81%) said they did not have accessible educational material, suitable for online learning, with them. The teachers also reported that 64% of students did not have smartphones or computers at home.

The surveys also found that 67% of students expressed their need for laptops, smartphones or tabs for educational purposes, while 77% asked for study material in alternate format suitable for children with disabilities. Around 74% of them said they needed data/Wi-fi support for educational purposes while 61% expressed a need for scribes, escorts, readers and attendants.

The surveys probed issues such as why students were not attending classes regularly. Around 71% said even when smartphones were available at home, their father was the only person who had a smartphone and was out of home most of the time for livelihood purposes, while 61% of them said they would not be able to afford buying a new smartphone as it was expensive. Among the users of smartphones, 87.4% said the connection was poor (82% said they could not see or listen to the teacher most often), while 78% of them said their fathers “did not like the concept of online classes as they consumed a lot of costly data (most recharge amounts were 399/599 for 86/54 days with 1.5 to 2GB per day). 

Protocol issues such as lack of observance of protocols to ensure group learning such as several people talking simultaneously were also reported. Importantly, 61% of students said they found it difficult to be engaged for one hour long on online classes. 39% of students said being visually impaired they were unable to understand lessons with many students talking simultaneously. No sign language interpreters were present in the webinars, said 44% of the students.

Recommendations:

The recommendations of Swabhiman are comprehensive. They cover the various aspects of students’, parents’ and teachers’ lives. Dr. Mohapatra said the first requisite is reading material in alternate formats. “This is a non-negotiable. Alternate course material must cater to different disabilities. Our recommendations include empowering students, teachers and parents so that they can play their roles more effectively,” she said.
Dr. Mohapatra said all children with disabilities cannot be clubbed as one group as they are persons with different disabilities and therefore different needs. “The current pandemic has the potential of leaving students with disabilities behind. If adequate measures are not taken urgently, they are likely to suffer irrecoverable losses in their quest for education and a life of dignity,” she said.

Voices from other states:Representatives from community based organisations who were part of the survey said children and others with disability were facing difficulties. Srinivasalu from NdPO Telangana said, “Education is not a priority here. As COVID-19 cases are increasing, the government is in a panic mode. Opposite parties are squabbling. Learning or not, at least children with disabilities were going to school, meeting friends, teachers were supporting their education and they were getting hot meals. Parents are calling every day to inform that children with disabilities are very lonely. There are many mental and psychological issues and they need counselling."

Tulika Das from Sanchar, an activist from West Bengal, said, “There is hardly any education happening. Children from middle, lower middle class and poor backgrounds are going to government schools. In West Bengal there are huge school dropouts by the children with disabilities. Our children will become invisible in education. At least they were going to school. When schools reopen, I don’t think they will be motivated to go to school anymore."

Arun Kumar Singh from Jharkhand Vikalang Manch said that while education was suffering, pensions for PwDs had run into trouble. “There is no education for children with disabilities. Basic things like disability pension have been affected. Earlier CDPO was disbursing pension for PwDs. Now, in the process of transferring disability to social welfare, due to technical issues, about 40,000 PwDs aren’t getting their pensions. In April, we filed a writ in HC and had a hearing on June 1st. The Collector was ordered to release funds and few people got 6-7 months of pension amount,” he said.

Dr. Mohapatra said Swabhiman’s recommendations include focus on disabled students’ various requirements, the need to give equal status and respect to special educators, empowering parents so that they are able to learn new technology and support their children, providing hardware support like computers/tabs to disabled students, exploring other teaching mediums such as television and community radio, and ensuring provision of nutritional support to children at home.

Chitkara University Recognised as First Indian University for E-Learning Excellence for Academic Digitisation (E-LEAD) Certification from Quacquarelli Symonds

Chitkara University on 14th May, 2020 received E-Learning Excellence for Academic Digitisation (E-LEAD) Certification from QS IGAUGE, the Indian arm of global rankings and ratings agency Quacquarelli Symonds for its readiness and excellence in online education.

E-LEAD Certification

This certification was presented to Chitkara University during the COVID-19 to recognise its long time initiative and fully functional system after a rigorous audit of readiness of university to cater the online requirement of students, teachers & staff.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank unveiled and presented E-LEAD certificates to the institutions that have successfully completed an audit at a virtual event on Thursday. Minister HRD also extended his best wishes and appreciated the readiness of leading Indian University such as Chitkara University to score 150 marks out of 150 and becoming the future ready and online ready University, which is the need of hour in such pandemic situation across the world, informed by Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro Chancellor, Chitkara University.

The Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Professor Pankaj Mittal, also appreciated the effort of the Indian Universities for their readiness of online education.

"I am glad that Chitkara University has received the E-LEAD Certification from QS IGAUGE. Such recognitions during such pandemic situation when the administration of many institutions were hit hard and they were faced with immediate closure and the need to transform hundreds of their brick and mortar classrooms, to online virtual ones. A year back, when the concept of team teaching was introduced at the University, we started with recording the lectures of our teachers and when only online education and digital learning opportunities have the ability to contribute to emerge as technology-enabled campus and fully online ready university with strong emphasis on quality, accessibility, inclusivity, and excellence," said Dr. Archana Mantri, Vice Chancellor, Chitkara University.

QS IGAUGE launched the E-LEAD programme in the backdrop of current developments in the past six months. It deployed its global resources to create a global best practises document and methodology, with an aim to do a readiness check of institutions in India in adopting technology and technology-enabled services for online teaching.

"The methodology, data collection & validation, audit process, quality check and delivery mechanism have been thoroughly reviewed by experts from the higher education domain," said Ashwin Fernandes, Regional Director - South Asia, Middle East & Africa, QS-Quacquarelli Symonds & CEO, QS-ERA India Pvt. Ltd.

About Chitkara University

In the year 2002, Chitkara Educational Trust established its Punjab campus 30km from Chandigarh, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway. In the year 2010, Chitkara University was established by the Punjab State Legislature under The Chitkara University Act. Chitkara University, the best university in Punjab is a government-recognized university with the right to confer degrees as per the Sections 2(f) and 22(1) of the UGC Act, 1956.Chitkara University has been founded by Dr. Ashok Chitkara and Dr. Madhu Chitkara who have been passionate teachers for more than 40 years now. Chitkara Education brings with it a reputation that has been earned through years of serving the career - needs of the student community. It is a reputation for excellence and innovation among coveted employers for preparing graduates who have the knowledge and skills they need for success in their workplace.Chitkara University graduates go on to great careers, as they have their hands on the responsive teaching methodology. Students from around the county are attracted to Chitkara University because of their commitment to teaching excellence, because they conduct research that makes a difference, because of their industry partnerships and because of their tailored courses. This difference has been acknowledged by students, parent, alumni, government, and industry since the inception of the university.Within a decade, most of Chitkara University academic programs are ranked among the top 50 programs in the country which speaks volumes about their string academic heritage, highly committed faculty, extensive industry collaborations, great international connections, and state of the art campus facilities.

For more information, please visit: www.chitkara.edu.in.

Tamil Nadu becomes 1st State to Implement Australian e-learning Platform Matific across Govt Schools

• Tamil Nadu becomes the first state in India to announce a large-scale state-wide partnership with the learning platform.


• Over 1.5 million students in Tamil Nadu from various state government schools will now have access to Matific, the mathematics e-learning platform. 

The Tamil Nadu Government took an important lead in digital education in the country by partnering with Australian e-learning platform Matific to encourage an innovative way of learning mathematics for Kindergarten to Class 6 students. The deal marks the company’s first-ever pilot run in the Indian market. Over 1.5 million students across Tamil Nadu will now have access to the Matific platform, featuring thousands of gamified activities and worksheets covering skills aligned to the curriculum. 

Tamil Nadu is a pioneer in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and rightfully, maths is at the core of all these functions. With the growing number of careers in STEM fields, the importance of mathematics education needs to be the centre of focus. To build upon these skills among students, the state implemented Matific across government schools with the aim of increasing engagement in mathematics and in turn increasing academic achievement. 

Talking about the results, the honourable Minister for School Education, Thiru K A Sengottaiyan said, “The pilot project conducted in over 150 schools across the State using Matific increased students’ results by 25.3%. I am excited to be introducing Matific to students across Tamil Nadu and leading the charge in digital learning across India. We want to make education fun and skill-oriented and believe that Matific can help our students hone their skills and simultaneously add an element of fun into the learning process.” 

“The Tamil Nadu Government under the able leadership of the Honourable Chief Minister, Thiru E Palaniswami has been a front-runner in educational reforms in the country. Under the aegis of the Education Minister, Honourable Thiru K A Sengottaiyan, progressive efforts have been made in the educational landscape in Tamil Nadu, which has been inspiring to other states as well. Being one of the frontiers in the tech landscape, Tamil Nadu has proved to be a promising hub for new- age education as well. Pushing the use of digital technologies in schools will put Tamil Nadu at the forefront of the STEM Revolution in India. We are delighted to partner with the Tamil Nadu Government and encourage the Matific platform across public schools in Tamil Nadu. As the results proved to be extremely promising, Matific is excited to be part of Tamil Nadu’s future success as well.” said Rajeev Krishnan, VP, Matific India. 

With students and teachers looking for new and improved ways to learn and teach mathematics, Matific was able to see substantial improvements in both academic and engagement results. Throughout the course of the pilot, over 150 schools used the Matific platform to teach maths lessons aligned with their local curriculums. The results identified over 21,000 students had been taught using the platform, with an average improvement across Class 1-6 being 25%. 

Piloting Matific has given Tamil Nadu a solid base to ensure the state is the leader in mathematics education in India. By ensuring technology is part of primary education, students will be set to go through secondary and higher education, and into STEM careers, confident and with absolute ease. Continuing to build upon the success of the Matific for Schools Pilot, Matific is committed 

to working with Minister for School Education, Thiru K A Sengottaiyan and is looking to offer the platform in Tamil, ensuring that all students can use Matific in their mother tongue. Matific is excited to become the premier Tamil Nadu primary digital maths resource, available for all schools, students, and teachers into the future and hopes other states across India take up the opportunity to pilot Matific and see similar results in students. 

Matific uses game-based principles to encourage students to learn through discovery while at the same time being aligned with the local curriculum (ICSE/CBSE). Designed by professors, educational experts and curriculum specialists, Matific uses logical sequencing and staging to report on topics for each student, group and class. Used by thousands of teachers worldwide, Matific provides relief to parents and enjoyable experience to students. The company has also recently launched Matific Galaxy in India to address the home market. 

About Matific: Matific is an award-winning math e-learning platform trusted by millions of teachers and students in 60+ countries and localised to 40+languages. Matific has been academically proven to help raise students and also substantially increased engagement within mathematics. Matific combines engaging activities with a rigorous pedagogy ensuring students are kept engaged, whether at school or at home. 

For more information about Matific: Phone: + 91 93 2118 3256 Email: india@matific.com 

Visit Matific website: Matific for Schools: https://www.matific.com/in/en- in/home/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=release&utm_campaign=in-en- 0520&utm_content=tamil-nadu 

Matific for Home: https://www.matific.com/in/en- in/galaxy/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=release&utm_campaign=in-en- 0520&utm_content=tamil-nadu 

STEPapp, the gamified learning app for school students soon to be relaunched in all subjects

In the situation where most of the sectors are at standstill in terms of new innovations and expansion, lockdown has inadvertently catalyzed growth for edu-tech industry. Following the growing demands and needs, tech-education player continues to introduce develop their business horizon. From promptly making of the app at discounted price, grading up the courses to adding the new elements, the supplementary edu- tech players are going beyond to beat the competition during crisis.

STEPapp one of the emerging players in the edu – tech has sensed this opportunity through the growing figure of users and downloads. STEPapp which is a gamified learning app, has seen an increase of more than 3 lakh users from March 15th. In last four months, the app has a total of 2 million downloads on Play Store and App Store.

During the lockdown period, STEPapp has turned out to be a popular solution for students to learn Math & Science concepts in a gamified format mapped as per the CBSE, ICSE and SSC boards.

Based a strong popularity of the gamified learning format in last few months. STEPapp has decided to relaunch the app by introducing new subjects. With an effective approach of Artificial Intelligence, the app will be adding Social Science and language subjects as per the education board guidelines. The newly introduced subjects will be soon available for CBSC board students. The app is in process to prepare the course for other education boards as well.

The additional feature of the app, such as segregated topics of each chapters that allow students revise and grasp the concepts easily, simplified testing methodology to track the progress of students and dashboard that collects data on each subscribed students will also be added to the newly introduced subjects.

“As a part of the education sector for the last 22 years, our aim is to ensure that students receive the best quality of education. After seeing the amazing response on our app in the past few months, it is our responsibility to introduce all the subjects and made it available to students and teachers in the neediest time. Hence, even when the situation is not in our favour, our team continue to work, improvise and innovate the app with the use of the best technology.” Said Praveen Tyagi, Managing Director, Pace- IIT & Medical, CEO and Founder, EduIsFun Technologies (STEPapp)

About STEPapp

STEPapp is a gamified, personalized, interactive and adaptive learning app which makes learning Math & Science fun and interesting for school students from grades 1st to 12th.

STEPapp is an innovative way to learn concepts while ensuring that all the stakeholders (parents, principals, teachers and policymakers) are aware of the learning outcomes at all times.

It is created by a team of 400+ IITians and Doctors after over 10 years of extensive research, STEPapp is a unique gamified learning software product that provides conceptual clarity.

STEPapp was implemented in the 14 Eklavya Residential Model School a year ago and it has helped the students to improve their performance in their school exams and 15 students from EMRS got selected for the NTSE exam’s first round for the first time. Based on the student and teacher feedback they have offered to implement STEPapp further in 11 EMRS. The central government of India has issued a letter recommending STEPapp to all Eklavya Model Residential Schools across India.

“Our students have always had a phobia with Math and Science subjects, but after using Eduisfun app (STEPapp), they really feel that these subjects are very easy. They can go through the content very easily, very clearly, very precisely. They are using this technology for studying, for performing better in competitive exams. This technology is really helping make teaching more effective.” - Principal, EMRS Chikhaldhara.

STEPapp has also signed an agreement with Tamil Nadu government to provide STEPapp for 10 lakh students in the government schools. STEPapp has also signed an MoU with Podar schools to implement STEPapp as homework and revision app, benefiting 1.5 lakh students.

Every child deserves access to quality learning and education. The motto is to ensure that STEPapp reaches every child in the country irrespective of their socio-economic status.

DAMS Manages with eLearning During COVID-19 Lockdown with LIVE Classes, Video Library on eMedicoz app

Delhi Academy of Medical Science (DAMS) pioneer in Medical PG entrance preparation with 250 plus centres across the country was the first in their sector to respond to the crisis of lockdown. DAMS team immediately understood the gravity of the situation and started online LIVE classes on eMedicoz app for their students during this hour of pandemic and country lockdown situation. Some of the LIVE classes were attended by 15K concurrent users who are doctors and medical students and is a record in itself. Students are able to chat and ask doubts to the teachers in the LIVE class.

eMedicoz app (available in both android & iOS) with 2.5 Lac plus users is a rich resource for medical students and offers an entire ecosystem of access to students. DAMS students on the app get an access to an elaborate video library, Question bank and Test series with video solutions. There are daily quizzes conducted in app to keep students engaged during these tough times. There are many unique tools like Talking Books (DAMS Comprehensive Review Series) where teachers help student navigate through the study material. LIVE classes are being conducted batch wise for both DAMS Medical and Dental students, preparing for various examinations including NEETPG, NEXT, MCI screening, NEETMDS, USMLE.

DAMS has emerged as a leader in both physical as well eLearning in Medical and dental PG entrance exams, in a unique position where DAMS has physical face to face classrooms, VSAT based video conferencing classrooms and App based learning on eMedicoz.

Students are enjoying the DAMS Digital experience on eMedicoz and many responded by posting their photos while studying on the app in Instagram stories and other social media. Rising to occasion teachers despite their own limitation because of lockdown, conducted live doubt solving sessions on DAMS facebook group, posted quizzes to keep students engaged.

DAMS has also taken initiative to post free lectures on its Youtube Channel for benefit of all medical students and there are thousands of free medical education videos available to any medical student on eMedicoz app.

DAMS Manages with eLearning During COVID-19 Lockdown with LIVE Classes

The highly qualified faculty members at DAMS are well connected with students across the country through eMedicoz "DAMS Live-Initiative", the live teaching module which disseminates teaching via virtual classrooms, wherein students can also clarify their doubts live sitting miles away.

Dr. Sumer Sethi Director and Founder of DAMS said, Even in times of lockdown, learning never stops at DAMS and students continue prepare for the examinations without any interruption. We all need to manage the learning of our students during this pandemic lockdown with innovation. Our goal remains giving an edge to our students. As an organization we care about all our team members and we have initiated work from home for our team members across the country. We have even opened an online registration desk for new students wanting to join us and finding it difficult during lockdown."

Delhi Academy of Medical Sciences (DAMS) a well-established name in the field of PG Medical Entrance Education for over 21 years now, under the leadership of Dr. Sumer Sethi, Radiologist and pervious topper in AIPG/AIIMS. DAMS is recognized for its impeccable foresight, enviable expertise and innate acumen. DAMS is known as the most specialized institution of its type in the country, performing consistently at high levels and has delivered top results in last two decades. With eMedicoz initiative crossing 2.5 lac downloads and LIVE lectures on app, DAMS has now emerged as leader in both physical and digital test prep sector for NEETPG.

Australian E-Learning Platform Matific Forays into India

• Aims to address the gap in teaching Maths to primary students during the lockdown with Matific Galaxy.


• Aligned with school curriculums of ICSE, CBSE boards with the most updated content.


• Award-winning e-learning platform offering annual plans for just INR 210 per month, with a 7 day free trial for students.


• Matific solutions are proven to help improve student’s math test scores by 34%.


• Matific Galaxy has hundreds of adaptive and intuitive maths activities that focus on core maths skills

Matific, an online Maths resource for kids from primary to Grade 6, has ventured into the burgeoning ed-tech market in India, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. To address the gap in teaching Maths, Matific has launched its award-winning solution Matific Galaxy, for the India home market at an affordable price. The solution has been designed by mathematics professors and curriculum experts for parents looking for the most updated and engaging solutions that are aligned to their child’s school curriculums.

Matific Galaxy features hundreds of engaging maths activities aligned with school curriculums of ICSE, CBSE boards. Matific’s home product aims to provide a solution to conventional home-schooling and ensure that kids are well prepared for the future and up to pace until the lockdown period ends. This top-rated app features hundreds of fun maths games covering maths skills from kindergarten through sixth grade. Matific’s evidence-based content has been proven to help improve students' math results by 34%. The program provides parents with access to a dashboard where they can keep track of their child’s mathematics achievements and progress.

“Given the current environment, schools institutions are going online around the world as they send students home with no timeline for return. Matific’s solutions enable students to continue their learning process. Matific Galaxy is an award-winning unique platform offering online gamified Maths resources and engaging activities that promote conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills for kids from Nursery to Grade 6.”

“Matific Galaxy is backed by extensive research and designed by senior mathematics professors and curriculum experts, making it the most comprehensive online mathematics resource.

We want to ensure that all students in all areas of India have the opportunity to continue learning during this time. This means ensuring that the price is not an issue.” said Vibha Mahajan, VP, Matific India.

Matific Galaxy is offering an annual plan for just INR 210 per month, which is a practical choice considering its high-quality content and costly solutions in the education space. Matific also offers a 7-day free trial for students. Apart from offering the most advanced and relevant content at the most affordable price, Matific Galaxy works in offline mode as well, taking out the significant overheads of data consumption.

Matific has several games and stimulating maths activities, each of which is equally gripping so that kids end up playing for hours, and learning maths in a process of self-guided discovery. Playful interactions, colourful characters, and gamification help ease math anxiety and boost math confidence amongst students.

Matific is present in over 45 countries with adaptability in 26 languages across the world and has proven to help improve student’s math test scores by 34%. Used by thousands of teachers worldwide, Matific provides relief to parents and enjoyable experience to children during a time of uncertainty. Every day over thousands of teachers and students log in for online teaching and learning.

Available both on Google Play and App Store, Matific Galaxy program can be accessed on desktop, tablets and mobile devices.

About Matific:

Matific is part of a global educational technology company whose founders include top Australian businessman Leon Kamenev, who has launched several high-profile online companies including Menulog and HotelClub. Matific aims to make maths fun and engaging for all students. The Matific Galaxy App was launched in May 2018 to introduce a new, fun, and simple way of approaching maths that simultaneously helps young students develop a lifelong appreciation for the subject and its applications. The Matific resource, which is currently in 45 countries and translated into 26 languages, has been getting excellent results worldwide.