Interviews

“Polytechnic has reached from 50% to 85% in Maharashtra and the number of the figure in engineering education has these two around 1.17 lakh in this academic year” said Dr. D. V. Jadhav, Joint Director, Technical Education, Regional Office, Pune, Govt. of Maharashtra at ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. Kindly highlight few initiatives under your leadership and by the department in the field of Technical Education. Hon’ble Director Dr. Vinod Mohitkar has initiated many initiatives especially to promote technical education, the opportunities for the students for technical education, the government scheme for peace reimbursement, even the admission procedure so that maximum students can benefit from this one and the outcome of this mission in polytechnic and engineering colleges. Polytechnic has reached from 50% to 85% in Maharashtra and the number of the figure in engineering education admission has these two around 1.17 lakh in this academic year. Apart from that the skilling initiative we are taking that DT has made the MoU with Infosys, they offered the free program on springboard platform for the skill-based learning. Also, through CSR funds Infosys goes through the foundation 176 hours program, offered to the students for skilling and values. Nasscom is also offering a program for skill education to the students of Maharashtra and Technical Education where the students do have not to pay any charges for that they have to learn the online way and we are trying for this so that students’ employability will be enhanced through this. Apart from that the government has many initiatives for fees reimbursement through the Central Government and State Government and all these schemes are available DVT portals the student can directly apply and get the benefits. When it comes to the implementation of the NEP, What initiative you are taking? What message you would like to give to the academicians and educators? Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to implement the New Education Policy (NEP) curriculum in engineering education. We have taken the advantage of AICTE credit framework and issued the guideline in terms of GR and around 59 autonomous college in Maharashtra has started implementing autonomous curriculum from the academic year 2023-24 and all affiliated colleges or universities will be implementing from the next academic year. We have conducted workshops for all the stakeholders, and feedback was taken, accordingly, the guidelines were taken. You witnessed the summit, where the representation was from the government, academicians, educators & the corporate, how does such forums help us to engage better & learn more? See corporate is one of the major stakeholders what are their expectations and what is today’s curriculum if there is a gap that has to be bridged. Corporates can give feedback to the university and autonomous colleges. Apart from that some Institute may have one practice some may not have so this is a platform for sharing their best practices. We expect that policyholders and decision-makers can frame the policy. Such a platform for exchanging thoughts and coming up with a better policy and better implementation and expecting even the revised outcome that if any lack is observed that can be care taken. This is a platform for that so I congratulate the team of ArdorComm for having this initiative bringing all these on one platform for one complete day for exchanging ideas.

“If you break down the name into three pieces it’s a kids, zone, and India so this is what we combined it together” said Sudhir Kukreja, Co Founder, Credence International Schools at ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. We would like to know more about your organisation how are you expanding and what is your mission of expansion? I think the recent development that has happened in our group is the addition of the Kidzonia international preschools. Immediately after the pandemic, there was a significant need for some high-quality preschools. Because of the course aftermath, Kidzonia has taken a real challenge, I’ll say mandate to set up a chain of company-owned company-operative preschools. Very high-quality premium schools we have launched, about 27 branches in the last 2 years. All these branches are located across Mumbai, and Hyderabad and now we are launching 10 branches in Pune. In another one-two month you will start seeing the presence of Kidzonia in Pune. We already have a very strong presence in Navi Mumbai-Hyderabad where we are operating 12-13 branches each catering to almost 5000+ children. Along with it, we have started Credence International School in Hyderabad and we are now expanding with two more campuses in the coming year. They are already ready and on the verge of being launched and announced everything. So that’s been our journey I think the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise opening up the market for preschools and a lot of demand for the parents for some high-quality stuff. And that is what we identified as the market gap and maybe our group’s well-played store take care of it that is what we are trying to offer. As we know due to NEP now preschools is also coming under a formal structure how is this going to help your growing organisation I think NEP is actually a blessing for us why it is a blessing for us because if you look at the history of India for last 60 years we have never had education in a space or early child education in a space where it had a formal structure where it had a kind of controller or a just like you have a CBSE or NCERT or government of India intervention so this was the first time where nep is actually going to governed the working and functioning of preschools there are going to be guidelines just the way you have for a high school and CBSE affiliation guidelines etc there are going to be guidelines and certain rules to be followed when they are working in schools now in preschools entire thing gets ruled out lets understand their two kind of preschools in the industry people who are doing the best in the industry and the people who are not doing the best and industry people who are taking care of the needs of the children people who are absolutely thoughtful and careful about the what is going what is that child development needs are and what needs to be done if you come to Kidzonia preschool today right from the child safety to his development needs to his psychological emotional development each of these expect is very finally taken care of and this is something which we have working on I wouldn’t say maybe your after any PS coming this it’s a part of our credence International School right from our Inception days in 2012 and today I Think what we have done is we have taken that same standard to a preschool level we probably have a lot to offer to the industry and maybe anybody in the industry wants to come and exchange that knowledge with us we are more than happy to partner. So when the NEP gets rolled out, we will be the best place for people in the industry to kind of show the way around that okay this is what and how it needs to be done. We have done our own research with a lot of industry. Witness people who are a part of our core team, our corporate design team, the curriculum design team, the interior, and everything that’s done there is a lot of thought that has gone into designing and creating and that is the reason the idea of the company-owned company-operated because the moment you start franchising it get because you can’t pass on that same thing to a Thousand partners. That is the reason we are concentrated in Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad we will definitely expand to a different city, it takes time to sweat out over time to get what you intend to do. What is the exact meaning of the word Kidzonia? So if you break down the name into three pieces it’s a kids, zone, and India so this is what we combined it together. It’s a kids zone to have their own life, have their own fun, have their own journey of learning and fun. It’s more often an experiential world for a child so it is way away from the theoretical aspect of it. The way you are doing some root learning or making the children write and stuff like that. It’s about giving a child experience while in his early years of development. We have heard of those development theories and then multiply intelligence but if you take a look of the best of the brands in the industry today while we talk about it a lot. When it comes to the floor of the ground how much intelligence are we talking about in this conference? We are talking about multiple Intelligences and that kind of thing how many preschools have a television in every class? How many teachers are trained on how to handle the audiovisuals and make the children learn from the audiovisuals? We have made it a part of it, We have always said that okay, screen time is

“Ed-tech is very much welcome and we are looking for some wonderful support” said Dr. Ganesh Rao, Director, Pune Business School at ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. Any Ed-tech initiative that you have implemented in your organization and how it helped the teacher and the students? We have LMS in place so that’s one of the initiatives that we are having and it has become more important after the pandemic. Also, it has created a system of education, everything was at the discretion of the faculty now everything can be monitored very closely by the head of the institution. Similarly in admissions, Ed-tech is very much welcome and we are looking for some wonderful support on that because in admissions we are trying to reach a larger audience and our trust has started a very good University called the Pimpri-Chinchwad University with an ambition to serve thousands of students so definitely this kind of Ed-tech can help us reach a larger audience in the shortest span of time and more effectively Any initiative that you took for the corporate engagement? As far as corporate engagement is concerned we have started a master class series. This master class series is the series of corporate executives talking about emerging areas and the jobs of the future. So, we got this corporate executive, and when they talk the students listen. Even in PGDM courses, we have our academic faculty but more importantly days we are laying a lot of stress on corporate faculties or corporate professors, and a number of these people come from time to time and teach master classes. We have it on YouTube, it’s a way to reach a larger audience and we will very much encourage and appreciate the collaboration with your company in which we can take this master class forward to a larger audience in which you can give information about the emerging area or on a neutral perform. Are there any programs for entrepreneurship at your campus? We have tied up with an entrepreneur network now. This network comprises about 1500 entrepreneurs and they visit from time to time and conduct events. Now these events comprise only the start-ups. Now, start-ups are not only about technology, the non-tech start-ups are also very important because we are a country of 140 crores population, where 100 crore are in not-so-urban areas. We have to come into development so it’s not just tech-entrepreneurship it’s important we need basic industries and basic services so we need to encourage this kind of entrepreneurs rather than making it fashionable to stock off tech-start-ups. Non-tech start-ups are also very important. This entrepreneur network is encouraging this type of start-ups because every time we can’t be like the Westerns facing changing Angel investors even in our community, for example in Rajasthan or Gujarat everybody’s pooling into money. We need not follow one hundred percent of the model What west is saying is if you search internally you get everything in place you need to have confidence in them and propagate these values further. We are celebrating our second anniversary this year, any message you wish to share? Fantastic event today I saw a great gathering of people all-star of education and also a lot of companies who are displaying their products now I would request everybody to pay some attention to these wonderful young people who have made a lot of effort in developing these products now they may see all similar but they are unique in their ways and I would request that someday we need to get started with this earlier the better that we start with this companies and collaborate with them because in this way we can be more efficient and use the technology more efficiently I also find these people quite intelligent because started by their generation have better connect I’m sure that this would go in a long way and helping strengthening and develop the education fraternity of our country

“Half of the day child spent their time with teacher and parents. They must take certain action for child to learn something, rather than isolation and discrimination,” said Dr. Raj Salunke, President, Sharda Group in an interview at “ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. What’s your take on the mental health of teachers and students? In the context of the cut-throat competition prevailing in today’s educational landscape, the mental health of both teachers and students becomes a critical concern. The intense competition demands a lot, making it imperative for the well-being of children to encompass emotional, social, and psychological aspects. The crucial role of parents and teachers in shaping a child’s mental health is acknowledged, as a substantial portion of a child’s day is spent in the company of these influential figures. Actions taken by parents and teachers, fostering an environment that promotes learning rather than isolation and discrimination, play a pivotal role in maintaining the mental health equilibrium. Any suggestion for children who don’t feel confident sharing problems with parents or teachers? For children facing difficulties in sharing their concerns with parents or teachers, the situation requires careful handling. Teachers, being a significant presence in a child’s life, should approach such situations with calmness and initiate a conversation to uncover the underlying issues affecting the child. Providing proper guidance and support is crucial to creating a conducive and pleasurable learning environment, ensuring that children feel comfortable expressing their concerns and confronting and calming their mental problems. Any suggestions to address the upcoming mental health challenges in the upcoming generation? Addressing the impending mental health challenges in the upcoming generation necessitates honesty and dedicated time-sharing with children. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it is easy for parents and educators to become engrossed in their own tasks, inadvertently neglecting the mental well-being of the younger generation. Maintaining open communication between parents and children is paramount, as disruptions in this connection can lead to issues such as depression and severe troubles. Proactive steps, such as honest conversations and dedicated time-sharing, are pivotal in ensuring the mental health and well-being of the upcoming generation. What was your overall takeaway from today’s event? Today’s event provided a wealth of insights, particularly in the context of the prevailing technological era and diverse educational approaches. The emphasis on technology and the multitude of players in the educational field highlighted the potential contributions of various technologies to enhance students’ knowledge and, ultimately, contribute to universal well-being. The event underscored the importance of staying abreast of these advancements to foster a holistic educational environment that addresses both academic and mental health aspects for the benefit of the upcoming generation.

“Its core mission revolves around instilling critical thinking skills and dismantling the pervasive fear associated with mathematics among the youth” said Sudhakar Joshi, Head – Marketing and Client Servicing, Chrysaalis I-Math India Pvt Ltd in an interview at “ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. Can you provide information about I-Maths and its objectives? I-Maths, a well-established program with over two decades of operation across India, has been dedicated to nurturing the intellectual growth of early learners, particularly children. Its core mission revolves around instilling critical thinking skills and dismantling the pervasive fear associated with mathematics among the youth. With a robust track record, the program has impacted the lives of approximately 100 thousand children. The central objective of I-Maths is to present mathematical concepts in the most compelling and accessible manner, facilitating a deeper understanding of how mathematics works and fostering a positive attitude towards the subject. Who are the major target audience, how is the program implemented, and what benefits does it bring to society? The primary focus of I-Maths is on early learners, encompassing students from LKG to grade 3. Recognizing the critical developmental stage during these formative years, the program endeavors to eradicate the fear of mathematics. The implementation strategy is comprehensive, involving in-school programs as a foundational element. In addition to conventional methods, I-Maths extends its reach through activities centers, training facilities, and after-school programs, ensuring accessibility even in schools where official integration might be lacking. The societal benefits are profound, as I-Maths contributes significantly to reshaping the perception of mathematics, turning it from a daunting challenge into an empowering and rewarding learning journey for young minds. Why is I-Maths is mainly focused on early learners? The strategic focus of I-Maths on early learners stems from a well-founded understanding of learning pedagogy. Research indicates three crucial phases of learning: 0-5, where children ask numerous questions; 5-10, characterized by the application of acquired knowledge; and 10+, a period marked by logical reasoning. I-Maths zeroes in on the 0-10 age range, identified as the active learning period when children are most receptive to abstract concepts, numerical understanding, and brain development. By concentrating efforts during this phase, I-Maths maximizes the productivity of early learning, making it more engaging and effective. What was the overall takeaway from participating in the recent event? The recent event marked a significant milestone for I-Maths, with participation spanning multiple locations such as Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The program’s representatives expressed satisfaction in establishing connections with a diverse group of educators and like-minded educationists in these regions. Emphasizing a child-driven approach to learning, the event provided a valuable platform for sharing innovative ideas and experiences. The team acknowledged the importance of collaborative efforts to determine the most effective ways to educate the younger generation. Looking forward, they extended best wishes to fellow participants and expressed a commitment to continued collaboration, anticipating further developments and positive impacts on education in the years ahead.

“In today’s scenario practical learning is far more important than theoretical learning,” said Prof. (Dr.) Rajendra Sinha, Vice Chancellor, Sandip University in an interview at “ArdorComm New Normal- Education Leadership Summit & Awards 2023” held in Pune, Maharashtra on 24th November 2023. How is Sandip University implementing the New Education Policy, and what progress has been made in the process? The implementation of the New Education Policy at Sandip University is marked by a commitment to innovative teaching and learning methodologies. The university has embraced research-based learning, personalized learning, and project-based learning to meet the contemporary need for practical education over theoretical knowledge. Recognizing the significance of practical learning in today’s scenario, the institution is actively engaging in collaborations with other countries. This international exchange program involves sharing teachers and students to facilitate the mutual learning of diverse teaching techniques. The emphasis on personalized learning is particularly noteworthy, ensuring that teachers understand the ‘what,’ ‘when,’ and ‘why’ of their instruction, while students can gauge their comprehension effectively. What was the overall takeaway from this event? The event organized by ArdorComm has proven to be a valuable platform for Sandip University, providing a conducive environment for in-depth discussions on the future of education. The creation of multiple panels and a structured setup facilitated the exchange of diverse views, suggestions, and ideas. This collaborative space allowed participants to delve into the possibilities and challenges of evolving educational paradigms, contributing to the collective growth of the academic community. Any testimony for the ArdorComm Media? Extending wishes and appreciation to the organizing committee of ArdorComm Media, I express gratitude for orchestrating such a wonderful event. The seamless organization and execution of the event not only provided an enriching experience but also created a platform for meaningful discussions and networking. Best wishes for the continued success of ArdorComm Media in fostering educational dialogues and advancements in the future.