Interviews

“NEP is a policy, and the roadmap is still not entirely clear” said Vipul Patel, Chairman, Managing Trustee, S.N.V. International School, Nadiad at ArdorComm Media Group hosted ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2024’ on 10th February 2024 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. How does technology play a crucial role in developing the overall curriculum of the classroom and school in this Digital era? We live in the era of digitalization and technology, which moves at a much faster rate than any other field. Normally, education should lead the change in society, but technology has advanced so much that education is trying to catch up. Education institutions like mine are striving hard to catch up with technology and make maximum use of it for a better learning experience for both mentors and students. It’s a huge challenge with infrastructure costs and social divides, but if we miss the bus on technology at this point, education will be in serious trouble. So, yes, educational technology has a significant role to play not only in the future but starting from now. What are the various steps suggested by the NEP to improve infrastructure and facilities in schools? NEP is a policy, and the roadmap is still not entirely clear on what they actually want to do for schools. However, when NEP talks about holistic, equitable, and inclusive education, technology can play a huge role in achieving these goals. NEP doesn’t explicitly mandate the use of technology, but it outlines what needs to be done, and technology can help us get there. How far has SNV International School progressed in implementing teacher training processes to improve the curriculum for the children? Teacher training is crucial in an ever-changing world, especially with the new NEP coming up. Most teachers have studied in an older education system and now need to deliver according to the new standards. Teacher training is paramount for any kind of improvement. At SNV, teacher training is of utmost importance. We conduct both in-house and collaborative training sessions using technology to ensure teachers are well-prepared to deliver better to students. What is your overall takeaway from this event? I’ve only seen half of it, but everyone seems to agreeing on many points. However, the devil lies in the implementation. At the micro-level, at the school and classroom levels, much needs to be done. What I’ve learned from today’s summit is how technology can help us achieve those goals. ArdorComm Media is now celebrating its second year of existence. Any message or suggestion you wish to share with us? My suggestion would be to bring in more corporate representatives. While there’s a good mix of educators, learners, corporate sectors, and technology, having more corporate input could provide valuable insights on how to achieve our goals. Thank you.

“In Gujarat I have found very good things, students are very particular about their objective,” said Dr. Kartik Jain, Provost, Gandhinagar University, Gandhinagar at ArdorComm Media Group hosted ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2024’ on 10th February 2024 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. How new education policy is making the students market ready? The new education policy have certain parameters through which they are making it very student friendly. Initially what was there the entire academics was classified into two or three categories like core subjects, core elective subjects, there was no focus on student development. When I say student development its around 360 degree development. So, there was no focus on sports, there was no focus on meditation-yoga, there was no focus on Indian ethics, so, that policy has bought all the parameters in consideration and now it’s about your capabilities is if apart from academic also if you are capable of doing different things then you will get grades, you will get credits, according to it. It’s not like you have to be very proficient in academics, if you are good in extra-curriculum activities, good in academics, if you are good in meditation, if you are good in history, so all these things are now taken into consideration and that has helped student a lot regarding maintaining their capabilities maintaining there confidence in the academics. How technology and AI will eventually impact the education culture of India in the next 10 years? If you see the latest development in the field of AI, machine language and IOTs, this thing has changed entire academic landscape. Initially, we were thinking and talking in terms of traditional method of teaching and learning but now after introducing these technology, these things have changed the entire landscape. Now, student are free to learn whatever they want to study. Second thing is that these thing have bought a freedom to students, it’s not like 9 to 5 or time table sort of system but if you are interested, if you have capabilities, and if you really want to prove yourself, you have 24 hours with you and so using those technology you can implement and you can feel the excitement of academics in you, so that is the best thing. How Gandhinagar University has adopted the structural changes in the new education policy? First thing is that what is the requirement? When we talk about standard syllabus, we cannot implement standard syllabus across all the discipline and all the team. If I’m teaching engineering, if I’m teaching management, if I’m teaching liberal studies, parameters and inputs should be different. On basis of all the parameter collected from students from faculty member, we have framed the curriculum which is totally based as per New Education Policy and in that curriculum we have given weightage,  every category whether it’s of your core academics, academics of other institute, sports, all sort of things which are related to internal development of student like. How good he’s in ancient Indian culture, how good in meditation, how good in yoga and culture, impact the student. So, we have taken all the parameter into consideration on the basis of that feedback collected process of designing a system as per the parameters of NEP. And once this system is ready then we are going to introduce it to students so that there is all around development of students not only in terms of academics but also in terms of 360 degree personality development. In Gujarat I have found very good things students are very particular about their objective whether they want to go for further studies, in India or in abroad, whether they want to do entrepreneurship, whether they want to start their own startup, that are in the mind of the students. So being educator, being universities, it’s our responsibility to make sure what student once desire should be given to students in terms of academics. So, whatever long term short term objective they have taken that objectives are fulfilled. Any message you wish to share on the second anniversary of ArdorComm Media? I am associated with ArdorComm Media, since its inception and I have been a speaker before as well. So, I think now it’s high time for education institution and as a university to take a lead. Your organisation is doing very good, the way you have taken the entire academy fraternity in one frame. So whatever long-term, short-term objectives they have taken are fulfilled. You have not only taken academia but also industry under one umbrella, so that is the best thing. I really congratulate to your efforts and hats off to your Founder and CEO, Mr. Chandan.

“The NEP is urging universities to be more flexible” said Dr. Parag Sanghani, Provost, P. P. Savani University, Surat at ArdorComm Media Group hosted ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2024’ on 10th February 2024 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. How will technology like AI make the student market ready to grab their desired goals? The whole world is changing because of technology, the way generative AI is transforming every field where we live today, the way the internet is shaping our lives in the early 21st century. Machine learning and deep learning will change how we educate our students. I would say that knowledge has been democratized, now students don’t necessarily come to universities solely to acquire knowledge. There are numerous technological advancements through which they can access knowledge. Today, if you want any courses for free, they’re available online, with materials accessible freely. However, universities still play a vital role in teaching students how to use this technology and how to incorporate it into their lives. More importantly, universities play a role in what we call character building, where their role shifts from merely imparting information to teaching students how to apply that knowledge. This transformation is underway, and that’s where my university, P.P. Savani University, is focusing more of its attention. What steps are suggested by the new education policy to change the dynamics of the education system? I would say it’s flexibility. The NEP is urging universities to be more flexible. Students can enrol and exit anytime, and if they don’t like a course, they can bank the credits for future use. The major focus is on the indianisation of education, with the NEP emphasizing it, and P.P. Savani University is focusing on the indianisation of higher education. We emphasize “Sanskar-Sathya-Shiksham,” which means character building, nurturing humans rather than machines. Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on social consciousness, building character alongside imparting knowledge. How will AI and technology impact the overall education culture in India? It will truly transform education. Universities will become social hubs where people come together to collaborate, enhancing social interaction and consciousness. Universities will help individuals learn how to live and coexist with technology and others. AI and technology will assist in data management and information retrieval, but it will be up to universities to teach students how to apply this information effectively. The entire university environment will become more flexible, offering plug-and-play opportunities. Universities will focus not just on imparting information and knowledge but also on teaching students how to apply this knowledge, how to build organizations and institutions. Currently, around 80-70% of education focuses on information and knowledge, while only about 30% focuses on skills. In the future, the focus will shift towards the heart and hands, with technology taking care of the head. What was your overall takeaway from this event? It’s great to bring the community together, providing more opportunities for interaction and networking among academics. If we can have more events like this, it will always be beneficial. I truly appreciate ArdorComm Media for their remarkable impact within just 2 years. They have brought together the right people in academia, technology partners, and content providers. Their growth has been impressive, and they have made a significant impact on every community they’ve engaged with.

“Gujarat is a leader in implementing the NEP” said Rohit Mehta, State Project Advisor, School Education Department, Government of Gujarat at ArdorComm Media Group hosted ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2024’ on 10th February 2024 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. We want to understand a few initiatives under your tenure as an adviser in the School Education Department. Could you shed some light on that? Dr. Vinod Rai is the longest-serving Education Secretary of Gujarat State, and his tenure gave him an opportunity to overhaul the education system and bring in quality education for every student, ensuring appropriate learning outcomes. Under his leadership, and building upon the efforts initiated by the Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2002, we have implemented various initiatives. The key initiatives taken in recent years are based on five pillars: attendance, assessment, accreditation, adaptive learning, and administration. All these initiatives are tied together through artificial intelligence, which is our sixth key initiative. These initiatives are centered at Vidya Shiksha Kendra, which received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2022. Our recent major transformative initiative is the country’s largest School Transformation Program called Mission Schools of Excellence, where we are upgrading around 20,000 government and grant-in-aid schools with modern infrastructure, digital learning opportunities, and sufficient human resources and technology, aiming to enhance education for more than 90% of the students in the state. What is the structure of the school education system in Gujarat, and what steps have been taken towards the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)? Gujarat is a leader in implementing the NEP. In terms of the education ecosystem for school education in the state, we have 33 districts, 254 blocks, approximately 54,000 schools, and 1.15 crore students. Gujarat has taken leadership in implementing some recommendations even before the NEP came into effect. After the introduction of NEP, we have been leading efforts such as the Nipun Bharat mission for foundational learning, introducing Balvatika for children aged 5 to 6 years, developing curriculum under the New National Curriculum Framework, providing books before the session starts, and expanding skill education in many schools. NEP talks about school complexes, and through our Gan Shiksha Residential Schools, which accommodate 2,000 students, we are building school complexes in social partnership. How certain forums contribute when government stakeholders, academicians, and corporates come together on a common platform? As our secretary rightly says, he is not the Secretary of Government Schools but the Secretary of School Education as a whole. These platforms provide the government an opportunity to share its vision and future plans with the entire education fraternity, aiding in implementing our schemes across all types of schools. Corporates can also assist us in spreading our vision and mission. Any message you would like to give to ArdorComm Media Group? ArdorComm Media Group has shown remarkable professionalism, and the arrangements for this event reflect a level of experience that one would expect from a group like this. Congratulations to the entire team, especially to you, for organizing such a wonderful event that connects everyone. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of it. Thank you so much for inviting us.

“Once it was ready we gave it to 50 nursery schools to test it and share the feedback on how we can improve it” said Peter Ledwidge, Sales Director, Nursery Story at ArdorComm Media Group hosted ‘New Normal – Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2024’ on 10th February 2024 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Can you share more on what exactly Nursery Story is doing in education sector? Nursery story is a nursery management software package. Basically aim that the nursery teacher problem of being poor, didn’t have enough time to do everything, to record all observation from the toileting to napping to eating to learning of nursery kids. If you have to write all these down in pen and paper, it is taking away the time with the children. So, that time which is usually be spent administration task can be saved so from that mode. We develop with industry experts, a very fast and very responsive system where by the touch of a button teachers can record all these observation and share them with the parents instantly. So, as a parent who has the child in nursery all day is keen to know how they are doing. It’s been like a story, almost like timeline feed from Facebook before they pick their child up. So it’s great tool for nursery story teachers to save time. So, they have got more time with the kids and at information with the parents How this idea came to you to nursery kids improve the life of their parents? I am a grandparent now, the founder and CEO Sheena Johnston basically came up the idea. When she went to nursery to pick up her granddaughter, the nursery teacher was apologizing for not having the time to give her the details. So, that’s where the idea came. This type of software is not new. Our software is latest technology which makes it superfast. What we did is, once it was ready we gave it to 50 nursery schools to test it and share the feedback on how we can improve it. Of course! There are many features in which we’ll help the nursery owner business, for example Occupancy optimising but in the beginning we’re concentrated on the education of the kids and if the kids will get educated better, if the necessary teacher have time to spend with them and if parent will be happy , what’s going on than they can supplement that. So, that’s how it started it’s added with the real life experience of wanting to know what happened to your kids. If you got kids of 3-4 year, how their days been, teachers will say I am not going to give you details. 5 years from now how do you see Nursery Story to be in Indian market? Software development partners invited as over because they have identify the need for what we have. They have been developing it and they like “Oh my god!” This should be here, there is a conference coming up, even you should come over, you’re like little bit excited. Yes of course! We want to come but at the same time looking around, we the only non-Indian people-exciting, nerve-wracking but at the same time enjoyable. We were welcomed, that’s been great so hopefully we’ll get a foothold in the market. We’re giving it to 50 Indian nursery school free for 3 months feedback. Necessary for how we can improve it and use it in India. The simplest thing is we have to change the currency to rupee, but we have development team standing by, ready to go, once we get some fraction and some feedback we’ll start developing it. It’s a self-service model so you can basically contract yourself online on board, your kid and your teacher yourself see going viral because nothing can compete with it. Any message you wish to share to ArdorComm Media? I think the presentation was very nice, we were very surprise.