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Interviews

Brian Cooklin, Managing Director, Nord Anglia Education India tells about how they overcame the obstacles imposed by the pandemic.

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Switching seamlessly from physical to online delivery of teaching and learning was achieved because of the level of educational technology already in place and in use says Brian Cooklin, Managing Director, Nord Anglia Education India in an interview with ArdorComm News Network (ANN). What are the steps your schools are taking to complement NEP 2020? A review of the details of the NEP was undertaken for each Oakridge school which showed that 80% of the targets and the stipulations in the policy were already operational. Each school has an action plan to implement the rest of the policy, and this is being monitored and supported by a senior member of the staff. What are the obstacles that you have faced during the pandemic and how did you overcome them? There were many obstacles to be faced for example, a)Switching seamlessly from physical to online delivery of teaching and learning was achieved because of the level of educational technology already in place and in use, reinforced by the support given and experience of Nord Anglia Education colleagues around the world. b)Safety protocols were introduced and observed stringently for the safe return to buildings overseen and supported by our head office safeguarding team. What are the benefits of digital media during online classes? The benefits are the greater use of a variety of methods-flipped learning, interactive quizzes, and a focus on wellbeing. Some groups have flourished online and made outstanding progress, so we want to capitalise on that success. What strategic EdTech/ Industry/ Global partnerships have you led this year? We have integrated Century Tech-Artificial Intelligence software,Callido benchmarking and developing approaches to teaching and learning skills and GL assessments to enhance over personalised approaches. What are the long-term objectives that you have planned for your school? We have a detailed short- and long-term Educational Technology Strategy which will deliver enhancements and 21st century skills

Brian Cooklin, Managing Director, Nord Anglia Education India tells about how they overcame the obstacles imposed by the pandemic. Read More »

Pratima Sinha, CEO, DSR Education Society Hyderabad shares her views on the impact of NEP 2020 on the School education sector

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It’s time we understand that change is inevitable and the need to change our mindset is very vital says Pratima Sinha, CEO, DSR Educational Society Hyderabad, with seven Birla Open Minds International and Preschools under its aegis in an interview with ArdorComm News Network (ANN). What initiatives did your prestigious schools carry out to enhance teaching training to deal with learning in the new normal? Teachers are the backbone of the school and imparting the right kind of education totally depends upon them. With the responsibility of giving unconditional support and guidance to a child, the teacher needs to be always on her toes, forward thinking, in touch with new practices, creative and innovative and ready to face any challenges. The humungous, unexpected and unprecedented challenge that the teachers faced during the pandemic shook the core of the Education System. Every School scrambled to ensure that the learning process shouldn’t get affected and on priority and at the top of the to do list was training of the teachers to teach them the use of technology to teach. For this we had to counsel the teachers very closely to change their mind set for the major change of shifting from physical to remote teaching. Motivate them to relook, review and change the curriculum, the lesson plans for smooth conduction of online classes. New strategies and tools to be adapted to give more and more authenticity to the teaching learning process. Every day there were sessions with the teachers to understand their improvement as well as any further challenges they may be facing. It was an intensive and constant monitoring process that was followed. Further on the need to give emotional stability to the teachers became a must. Teachers were working from the confines of their houses and managing home as well as work front. To give them the emotional strength, the confidence to feel that they are doing a wonderful job we initiated many webinar sessions By the teacher and For the teacher. These sessions made our teachers experts in researching, making presentations, conducting sessions using the best of technology. We ensured that teachers were part of pedagogical sessions that stressed on quality education through remote teaching. We also encouraged our teachers to participate in online competitions initiated by various organizations. This ensured that their competitive spirits remained high. Today I feel proud when my teachers are invited as speakers in various webinars and are conducting successful online classes with such elan and confidence. How do you think schools can utilize technology to face the challenges of the pandemic? Schools have absorbed the use of technology for remote teaching in totality and will continue to do so. New and more sophisticated tools are regularly introduced by tech companies which are being used to enhance teaching. These tools are used for better explanation, more experiential experience, interactive and integrated teaching, holding debates, discussions, giving assignments, conducting formative and summative assessment. As students are very comfortable in using technology, teachers are using it to their advantage by encouraging students to do self-directed learning through flip learning, project and problem-based learning. Students are encouraged to do research and make presentations. The activities mentioned in the school calendar whether it is Literary Fest, MUN, Science fares, competitions, hobbies, parent orientations, PTM to name a few have been conducted with great success using technology. Connecting students with their peers from across the globe, participation in competitions held globally, sharing best practices, their cultures and traditions have made the students more empathetic and open minded. Bringing in experts from various fields placed in different locales to interact with the students and give them an insight about their work has been possible only because of the use of technology. The possibilities are extensive and we understand the great need to invest in the use of technology in the teaching learning process not only during the pandemic but otherwise too. It is here to stay. How do you think the NEP will impact the school education sector? NEP has laid down very progressive plans for the school education sector and if implemented in the real sense and with sincerity we will be in par with any education system across the world. As educators we need to deeply look into the present system and reflect whether we are imparting the right education to our future generation. What we are teaching right now will it help them to sustain as confident individuals. It’s time we understand that change is inevitable and the need to change our mindset is very vital. The overall development that the student requires in terms of inter, intra and cognitive skills, conceptualized knowledge and its application, the life values, the aesthetic exposure is what we are looking at for our education system to provide. Education will take on a new meaning when we put aside the bookish knowledge, the rote learning, the grades and marks which are a huge burden on the student. I am looking forward to the positive approach in our school education system based on the NEP. What are the changes, do you think on the academic and operational side of school after the pandemic? Schools are reopening slowly offering both offline and online option to the students. Lot of preparations and backend work has gone into the reopening. Planning for COVID safety and prevention has been extensive as this is the prime concern. Schools have associated with corporate hospitals for emergency. Have created safety committees in the school to monitor and check the sanitizing facilities and regular sanitizing process. School infrastructure has been prepared as per government safety norms for reopening of schools. SOP created for safety measures keeping the WHO safety guidelines in mind. Lot of investment has gone into upgrading the technology available, safety material, posters and banners. All the staff members have been trained according to the COVID norms and the process to be followed in case of emergency. The School transport system also to follow detailed SOP

Pratima Sinha, CEO, DSR Education Society Hyderabad shares her views on the impact of NEP 2020 on the School education sector Read More »

Dr. Shrihari Prakash Honwad, President, Sir Padampat Singhania University, on Digital transformation of the Higher Education.

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The “Sages on Stage” who transformed themselves into the “Guides on the Side” influences me the most says Dr. Shrihari Prakash Honwad, President, Sir Padampat Singhania University in an interview with ArdorComm News Network (ANN). How can Higher Education institutes leverage digital technologies to improve the employability of students? Employability is a net outcome of knowledge and skillsets. However, attitude, aptitude, and enterprise play a crucial role. Digital Technologies is a very generic term of a sea of technologies. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have an important task of ensuring the employability of their graduates and making them global citizens. In both these tasks, I would say the digital world has been more than useful. In the future, it will play an important role. Students today can learn in diverse groups (albeit from home) and ensure a better learning environment. Today all transferable life skills and a few technical abilities are available online (synchronous and asynchronous), and with AI assistance, they can be personalised. How will companies of the future integrate technology into their operational systems to cater to a techno-centric workforce? The future is forcing all of us to be digital. Compared to academics, the industry has been welcoming to digital technology. Even in yesteryears, no-contact or remote working technologies such as SCADA and IOT have been adopted readily by the industry. The techno-centric workforce has tasted work from home, and the GIG-projectized groups find it a convenient model. All industries, with the exclusion of manufacturing, would prefer their workforce to be technologically connected. It saves real estate costs for the company. Very soon, going to an office will be unconnected phrases. Homes, on the other hand, may become more technologically integrated to accommodate the futuristic world. How can industry and academia collaborate to fulfil the goals set out by the NEP? Kindly share your valuable views. Several areas of collaboration exist. The NEP envisages a higher GER ratio, and in India, the cost of higher education is likely to increase. In the future, the education industry can collaborate and invest in either academia or students to create a workforce for its use. The education industry foresight and forecasting abilities can be made available in curriculum design and skill set deliveries. NEP foresees outcome-based education, and it can define and ensure the building of relevant outcomes in the future citizens and leaders. NEP emphasises vocational education, and the overall education industry must join hands with academia in realising this dream. The policy envisages banking of credits and intermediary exits (even if temporary). It is the education industry that can make such an exit meaningful and effective. Industry academia collaborations can be a boon for creating start-ups in campuses that feed into industry goals. Collaborations for research in campuses and training of faculty is old rhetoric that would never lose its relevance. What are some of the initiatives your prestigious university has implemented to build a connection between the students and industry? Sir Padampat Singhania University, Udaipur, has had a strong industry connection with Hitachi of Japan, where our students have gone in the past for internships. Our placement cell brings placements for the glorious success of our students. We are constantly co-creating and co-delivering curriculum, faculty immersion, student internships, new program developments, etc. thereby, enhancing student experiences. Our collaboration with Ecosol has given rise to ane-cycle giving our students and faculty an innovative experience. Several industries and entrepreneurs mentor our business incubator funded by the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises. In addition, we continue to have insightful expert sessions by industry leaders for our students. What influenced you the most in higher education in this challenging year? Kindly share your views. The year has seen many challenges with the most critical interface between students and faculty, the classroom, becoming inaccessible. Due to the positive attitude of all teachers, we overcame challenges such as technological illiteracy, lack of technological penetration, and in many cases, the inability to afford the technology. Our parents sacrificed a lot in overcoming these challenges in their fashion. Our students shifted their focus from Facebook and Instagram to adapt to a new way of learning. The medium for fun and entertainment suddenly became a medium for learning, arguably a less liked activity. Those who recognised the change successfully created a learning environment through multiple connections and engaging students in active learning. The “Sages on Stage” who transformed themselves into the “Guides on the Side” influences me the most. It is the resilient students who did not lose focus in these difficult times. It is the society at large which fought both pandemic and technological challenges that affected the future of our children that has been the elixir of my inspiration.

Dr. Shrihari Prakash Honwad, President, Sir Padampat Singhania University, on Digital transformation of the Higher Education. Read More »

Moulshree Dubey, CEO, PIETech emphasizes on the key learnings from the pandemic for the Higher Education.

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Artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing a major role in higher education learning says Moulshree Dubey, CEO, PIETech in an interview with ArdorComm News Network (ANN). Entrance exams play a very important role when it comes to technical education, what are the changes in admission patterns that can help students in simplifying admission in the coming time? The entrance examination and admission pattern in engineering education have already been altered by the AICTE in 2021, and according to the new rule book, it isn’t compulsory for students to have a physics and mathematics background in 12th grade. This new rule has created wider scope for engineering and for students to explore their capabilities in the technical field. But the various entrance examinations conducted at the state level or national level still account for physics, chemistry, and mathematics as the main topics for examination and admission process, this needs to be changed over a period of time to properly bring the new rule into action. The entrance examination now needs to provide freedom of selecting any three subjects of the following: mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, computer science, business studies, engineering graphics, information science or entrepreneurship skills, etc. so that no barrier is imposed and the multidisciplinary outlook of the AICTE will take a proper structural alignment in the higher education sector. What are the research areas in technical education that needs to work upon in the coming time? In technical education, there are a lot of virgin areas that still need to be explored in a sustainable manner. We need to look beyond the traditional practices of various industries like construction, where we concrete bred people need to look beyond concrete and work on sustainable materials as the present scenario has already indicated us to find solutions that can combat climatic challenges and environmental issues. The other industries might include information science, graphics, mechatronics where we need to work in developing bridge courses to fill the gap between industry and academia. Research-based learning programs should be compulsorily run in technical institutions at the undergraduate level to hold their validity and relevance. Do you think research and development are getting required efforts by educational institutions and universities to meet up the market requirements? Research and development is the important driver of the growth of an institute which exponentially affects the economy of the country. We are still far behind the idea of getting proper acceleration to R&D at the institute level. The universities are putting varying efforts across the country which needs to be properly shaped in accordance with AICTE. R&D at the technical institute level can be split into applied and basic research areas at undergraduate programs, this will work towards bridging the gap and meeting the market requirements. At present, the R&D at the institute level doesn’t match up with the R&D at the industry level. The productivity of research at the institute level will greatly enhance its productivity at the industry level. Presently we rely on case studies from various industries in our research practices. What are the key learning from pandemic for higher education and what are new strategies you are planning to implement for your prestigious institution? Higher education has seen a wide range of innovative practices in online teaching and learning experiences. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing a major role in higher education learning. The faculties engaged themselves in finding creative solutions to impart learning with utmost care to hold the attention span of students online with still so much to offer towards creating best learning practices in technical institutes. Higher education comes with its own challenges as everything cannot be taught online especially engineering courses that includes practical exposure. I have strategized to create a new curriculum with a defined space framework and technical structure and segregate the applied learnings and abstract learnings.

Moulshree Dubey, CEO, PIETech emphasizes on the key learnings from the pandemic for the Higher Education. Read More »

Dr. Niyati Chitkara, Director-Schools, Chitkara International School, on the Digital transformation of Schools

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CIS has been adopting various digital platforms, as a result of which even during the disconcerting pandemic situation, the school was able to provide unhindered education to its students says Dr. Niyati Chitkara, Director-Schools, Chitkara International School in an interview with ArdorComm News Network (ANN). What are the steps your school is taking to complement NEP 2020? Chitkara International School has instituted a functional system that is in line with the New Education Policy. In light of foregoing, for Secondary Stage, the school’s unique curriculum necessitates the amalgamation of co-curricular, technology with academics and for Middle Stage, multi-disciplinary education remains central. Further, a special emphasis is given towards imparting interaction based learning (to grades 3-5) and experiential learning (to pre-school to Grade 2) respectively complimenting the Preparatory Stage and Foundational Stage of NEP. Following a reversed integrated learning model i.e. University to Kindergarten & reverse Gamut of Education (PhD to Playway) and incorporating Theme-based Classrooms, Knowledge Walkways, Vocational Clubs, Green Windows, Career Walls, Fact Windows, Value Windows etc., CIS aims at making students Industry 4.0 ready. Various NEP2020 and SDGs orientation sessions are also conducted by school to acquaint the stakeholders with this policy and goals respectively. The school mechanisms also effectively ensure the constructive integration of Teacher Education, Student Education and Hybrid Education (a point strongly highlighted by the NEP 2020) through Chitkara University’s unique B.Ed Programme. How can educational institutions leverage Edtech tools to create more personalized learning experiences? Stretching from curriculum to infrastructure to Edtech tools, all the means should be merged towards the attainment of the unified aspiration of providing every student with individualized learning environment where the students learn at self pace and attain mastery in learning. In line with the same, CIS pays due heed to personalized learning and uses host of Edtech tools like Online Time table for ever student for home learning programme, Customizable App, Goal graph, Performance Planner, 24/7 Redressal System for Parents, Chitkara’s e- Teachware, BOOKtique App (a virtual reading space with range of exciting books to cater students), Padlet (an interactive learning tool that provides real-time collaborative platform to students to upload/ share content), Mentimeter (a tool that allows teachers to get real-time input through Live Polls, Quizzes, Word Clouds, Q&As and much more), Kahoot (a game-based learning platform, where “Kahoots” are the user-generated multiple-choice quizzes), Digital Behavioural Track, Career Trajectory, D etc. What are the benefits of digital media during online classes? Digital Media is an important part of education as at CIS we believe that the students should engage with the tools of their generation to collaborate, communicate and be the fabricators of technology and information. Since inception, CIS has been adopting various digital platforms, as a result of which even during the disconcerting pandemic situation, the school was able to provide unhindered education to its students. The school’s nervous system, SchoolPad enables the parents to watch their child develop social and academic skills day by day and know how well their child is being nurtured and inspired during online classes. For providing constant support and motivation, the outstanding achievements of the students, during the online classes are highlighted on the school’s social media handles under “Chitkara Gems” &“Moment of the Day”. Moreover, the school also conducts academic lessons, co-curricular activities, health sessions, counselling sessions, notebook checking sessions, celebratory events and squad lessons, utilising digital media. What strategic EdTech/ Industry/ Global partnerships have you led this year? Staying mindful of the need of instilling technology, research, professional and scientific skills in students, Chitkara International School leveraged its technological, industrial and international connect by organising various enlightening online events such as Coding Sessions (for Coding Skills), Skill-Building Boot Camp (for Soft/Professional Skills), Socialising Across Culture sessions with Italy and Australia, Educational & Industry Visits such as virtual visit to Korea’s Maruti Showroom, Diamond Challenge (for Entrepreneurial Skills) and Change-the-Game Sessions (for Industrial and Research Skills) for its students on the digital platform. While the Diamond Challenge enabled students to refine and exhibit their entrepreneurial skills via creativity and research, the Change-the-Game Sessions apprised them of latest Career trends. Further, the school also collaborated with Microsoft for the smooth conduction of online classes on Teams. What are the long-term objectives that you have planned for your school? The long-term objective of Chitkara International School is in line with its vision & mission statements and quality objectives. These all unanimously stand on providing quality skill-based education to Generation-Alpha and Generation-Z that is underpinned with innovative assessment framework, resourceful infrastructure, assuring learning and growth prospects, efficacious online communication system, hygienic learning environment, strong university, industry and global connect, thereby promising the inculcation of core employability and life skills. The school further aims at being a contributor to building a skilful society by promoting research, innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with industry, research laboratories and academic institutions of global repute. With the cumulative effect of an elaborate in-campus academic infrastructure; strong national and international collaborations; we further wish to open a chain of schools in furtherance of our vision and mission of imparting quality education and nurturing environment that enables every student to achieve his/her very best.

Dr. Niyati Chitkara, Director-Schools, Chitkara International School, on the Digital transformation of Schools Read More »