Press Release

 Ahmedabad: Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD & CEO of Kalorex Group, a name synonymous with educational quality, spoke at a session organized as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. On Friday, she spoke at the “Green School for Every Child: Preparing Pupils for the Planet” session at the Greening Education Hub in the UAE. She discussed the critical significance of education in developing environmental consciousness and sustainable behaviors in the next generation. Dr. Shroff emphasized in her speech the growing knowledge among today’s youngsters about the environmental difficulties our world suffers as a result of previous neglect. She emphasized the critical necessity for firms and startups to contribute to sustainability, in line with a shift in mentality toward long-term advantages over short-term gains. Kalorex Group has placed sustainability at the heart of its ambition to set new standards in education. Dr. Shroff emphasized the significance of incorporating sustainability into the curriculum, as well as encouraging critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and a holistic learning experience. “As the new generation grows, so does their consciousness of the mistakes made by earlier generations, costing our planet dearly. We must guide them to prioritise sustainability, promote resilience and create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all. There is a need to envision students not just as learners but as proactive advocates of sustainability, instilling values that extend beyond the classroom, and equipping them with the knowledge and passion to contribute meaningfully to a sustainable future,” she said. The Kalorex Group has demonstrated its commitment to global sustainability by including all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its K-12 curriculum through a variety of engaging activities. This novel technique assures that students not only understand academic concepts but also actively participate in efforts that address real-world problems. Dr. Shroff also discussed different environmentally friendly methods undertaken by the Kalorex Group of Schools. These initiatives include greeting guests with saplings, art and craft competitions themed reduce, reuse, and recycle, rainwater harvesting, tree plantation drives, energy week conservation celebration, participation in environmental research-based projects, best out of waste exhibitions, waste management awareness, paper recycling, sessions on green practices and the environment, and many more. “Since its inception, Kalorex Group has been unwavering in its commitment to encouraging sustainable and long-term impacts through education. The group recognises the transformative power of education as a catalyst for positive change in individuals and communities and we actively engage with them to drive sustainable practices,” she added. The session was followed by the launch of Dr. Shroff’s book “Baby Steps to Big Dreams – Essential Conversations for Modern Parents”. The book reiterates her belief that children are the core of our existence, a source of unlimited joy, and the reason we want to excel in all aspects of our lives.  

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in newsrooms is revolutionizing the way news is presented and consumed. Indian media houses are embracing this cutting-edge technology by introducing AI news anchors, ushering in a new era of journalism. With the recent launches of AI news presenters in Kannada news channels, including Power TV’s Soundarya and News First Kannada’s Maya, the influence of AI in the media industry is expanding rapidly. These AI-powered anchors are reshaping news delivery, raising both excitement and concerns about the future of journalism. Expanding the Horizon of AI News Anchors: Power TV’s Soundarya and News First Kannada’s Maya have joined the ranks of AI news anchors in India, following the footsteps of their counterparts in other regional languages. Earlier this year, the India Today group introduced Sana, an AI news presenter for their Hindi channel, Aaj Tak. MediaOne TV, a Malayalam news channel, also launched a male AI news anchor. Most recently, Odisha TV made waves with their AI newscaster, Lisa, who delivered flawless presentations in Odia and English. The Current Role of AI News Anchors: Although AI news anchors are still in the experimental phase, they have already made their mark in the industry. Currently, news channels utilize them to present short news bulletins, sometimes with voiceovers recorded by human journalists synchronized with the AI presenter. This approach allows for quick and efficient delivery of news content. However, it is important to note that AI news anchors are not yet replacing human journalists in breaking news segments. Instead, they are supplementing news programming with their unique capabilities. Advantages and Criticisms: The introduction of AI in newsrooms brings numerous advantages. AI news anchors operate 24/7 without requiring breaks or rest, ensuring constant news coverage. They possess language adaptability, catering to diverse linguistic backgrounds, making news accessible to a wider audience. AI anchors provide consistent performance, eliminating variations and fatigue often seen in human presenters. Moreover, they have the ability to process large volumes of information in seconds, delivering real-time updates. However, the rise of AI in newsrooms also raises ethical concerns and potential threats to human jobs. Critics argue that the integration of AI may undermine the role of human journalists and impact employment in the media industry. Additionally, algorithmic biases and the risk of manipulated information need to be addressed to maintain journalistic integrity and trust. Future of AI News Anchors: The emergence of AI news anchors marks a significant milestone in the media industry. It is clear that AI technology will continue to advance and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of journalism. AI news presenters have the potential to evolve beyond short bulletins and expand into more interactive programs, further enhancing audience engagement and personalization. As AI algorithms improve, these virtual anchors may become more lifelike, allowing for seamless integration with human presenters and creating dynamic news presentations. Conclusion: The introduction of AI news anchors in Indian newsrooms represents a significant leap forward in the evolution of journalism. Soundarya, Maya, Lisa and other AI presenters are pioneering a new era of news delivery, blending technology and human expertise. While AI in newsrooms offers numerous advantages, there is a need for careful consideration of its ethical implications and potential impact on human journalists. Striking the right balance between AI and human involvement will be key in shaping the future of journalism, ensuring a harmonious integration of technology and maintaining the core values of accurate, reliable, and unbiased reporting. The author, Pratik Ghosh is associated with ArdorComm Media

“Education has been hampered severely over the last few years during pandemic and in today’s era parenting for children up to 8 years also becomes very tough and adrift without the right preschool partner. Above all Children are evolving faster than we can imagine. Children are consuming knowledge from every aspect of their life. Bad or good, you can’t stop the flow of information in their lives. Their brain is a clean slate, and they’re hungry to scribble over it, which can impact their upcoming life significantly. There are no filters to the information freely available, and every detail adds to their being human. That’s why Holistic Education and approach can only redirect the child’s energy in the right direction,” said Dharmesh Kapasi – President of Shanti Juniors (The preschool division of Shanti Educational Initiatives Limited- SEIL). SEIL is a listed company, and Shanti Juniors has been successfully operating in 74 cities of India with 350+ Preschools since 2010. It has won more than 19 awards in various segments of early childhood education. We started with 6 preschools in 2010 from Ahmedabad and dramatically expanded our chain in Pune, Bangalore, Patna, Jaipur, Chennai and other parts of Gujarat. Now, we’ve 350+ preschools across India. First of all, we’re not dealing with any commodity and service and we’re nurturing children and that’s why we’ve to be extra cautious and sensitive while nourishing this generation Alpha. To cope with them and utilise their energy for fruitful, positive and productive learning, we’ve invested millions on curriculum development and conceptual learning. We keep upgrading our aids and toys, student kits and other material so that a child is gripped well and their inquisitiveness is satisfied. So, adaptability and sustainability have been key learning for this segment. Shanti Juniors has always focused on the holistic development of children through our unique teaching methodology called – The I-Cube Learning ladder, where the children’s Inquisitiveness is led to Interaction and later turns into Innovation. Our Preschool’s environment, Setup, Student Kit, Montessori toys and curriculum encourages child for self-exploration. Recently, we have added KIDDOWITTY kit with STEAM based approach to enhance the skill of a child blending Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math into a DIY format. We’re franchise-centric brand and to provide the best education to our children, the sustainability of our preschool partners becomes the highest paramount for us. We’ve simplified the preschool business; we’ve set up the process and SOPs; Shanti Juniors has been through many ups and downs, including the pandemic-induced challenges, which we have overcome strongly because we’re a process-driven organisation. Our support ecosystem comprises dedicated teams managing different roles like academics, marketing, admission support, and logistics, which comes together to handhold a franchise partner to empower them tremendously. Furthermore, we have formed various clubs based on their admissions numbers and offer varying privileges. These franchise partners who are now members of 100 clubs, 200 clubs, and 300 clubs were housewives, employees in some organisations, professionals from different backgrounds, and had no idea about operating a preschool earlier. Shanti Juniors also have (JAL) Juniors App Learn, where we were able to divert the energy and attention of our children with our gamified curriculum which enhances the skills of recognition, sorting, identification and revision. It also encourages a child with appreciations, scoring points and applause & cheer on their achievement and it comes with the daily screen time limit lock. Parents have understood the importance of Early Child Care & Education (ECCE) and they strongly prefer a branded preschool chain over the local preschools. As parents understand the importance of structured and scientific approach toward Early Child Care and Education. Happy for contributing to this beautiful journey of childhood celebration.

5000+ students from 300+ schools gained knowledge from over 300 Indian & International Universities   Technology is just a tool to empower us and not overpower us, but we must embrace technology in a big way. This is what the pandemic has taught us in the last two years. Key speakers at the Satluj Career Fest 2022 stressed on the need to imbibe technology and also on the need to develop entrepreneurial skills.   Region’s largest career fest ‘Satluj Career Fest’ was organised by Satluj Public School, Sector 4, Panchkula (a part of Satluj Group of Schools—Satluj Public Schools, Little Satluj Pre-Schools with 15 branches and 30,000 students across India), with an aim of guiding the students of class 9th to 12th and their parents about various career opportunities. This was the second year that the event was hosted virtually, leading to not only a pan-India, but international reach with student registrations from all over the world.   Counsellors and foreign representatives from more than 300 universities, foreign and Indian, took part. Over 5,000 students represented 300+ schools from India (including metros, tier 2 and tier 3 towns) and around the world during the career fest.   The prominent universities included, University of New Castle, Australia; Bradley University; Amity University, Australia; Teesside University, UK; Leeds Beckett University, UK; Florida Atlantic University USA; Simon Fraser University, Canada, among several others. Among the prominent Indian ones were, SRM University, Amity University, Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University, to name a few.   Reekrit Serai, Managing Director, Satluj Group of Schools, said “After brainstorming internally, we realised that students in non-metro cities and smaller towns face a lack of opportunities when it comes to quality higher education options. Also, there’s a lack of awareness about jobs and skills of the future. Thus, we decided to organise Satluj Career Fest to spread awareness. In the last two years we have seen a complete change in the education of students because of the pandemic which has led to online teaching. It has been hard on students also as they have not been able to go to the schools but learning hasn’t stopped though. Virtual education has become a norm this year which was not there till the last year and has changed the way we educate our children.”, said.   Krit Serai, Co-Chairman of Satluj Group of Schools, said, a lot of hard work went into the planning of Career Fest, which is one of the biggest career shows. He said, 20 plus panellists deliberated on various aspects which helped the youth to choose proper careers. “Career planning is very important in our lives and for a proper career choice planning must start at plus two stage or even Class X. We have a variety of jobs for the youth available now”, he added.   The inaugural session was on jobs and skills of future – pre and post COVID. Mr Vijai Vardhan, Ex-Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana; Dr Biswajit Saha, Director CBSE; Tejveer Singh, Principal Secretary – Industries and Commerce, Government of Punjab and Maj. Harsh Kumar, Secretary NCERT participated in the session.   Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director CBSE while speaking on the occasion said it was indeed praiseworthy that the school group is organising this event so that decision making capability is enhanced to upper level so that there are a lot of options available. Dynamics are going to change as we are targeting 2030 and 2040.  He added, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Nano Technology, development in Genetics and Space Tourism are also getting popular in the last few months. All these are trying to amplify the bandwidth of capability which todays generations must aim for. “There is a need for understanding of technology and its positive use case. We must introduce multi-disciplinary bouquet of subjects and based on the student interest to make education journey more conducive”, he added.   Mr. Vijay Vardhan, Ex-Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, said, “There is something which I have observed living in Chandigarh for so many years that there is a lot of pressure on children from parents and peers to join a foreign university after they finish Class XII. It is good as children get to see new culture but not all parents can afford to send their children abroad.  If you see the see the success stories in the last 3-4 decades of countries like Singapore, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam or Hong Kong, these are the nations who have developed their own education pattern, based on their intrinsic value system and language. The Japanese competed with the whole world and have revolutionised the manufacturing, the IT and the automobile industry without even reading English. Likewise have the Chinese. Local is global the essential qualities which endure and transcend human excellence and all schools should be focussing on this. It’s good to interact with foreign universities but that is something parents should not fret about and should focus on what values and skills they can give children and there is no bigger learning place than your home.”   Mr. Harsh Kumar, Secretary NCERT, while addressing the inaugural session said career fest was a good platform for exchange of ideas. “Our focus should be on how to educate our children in this changing phase and difficult times of pandemic. These two years have taught us a lot in education and we must understand the change in the system and has given us a lot of opportunities to search ourselves. The basic thing of education is to be a good human being. Attitude determines how well you do in life so attitude decides your altitude in life. Technology is just tool for us to empower us and not overpower us. Last two years we have adapted to the situation. We are rediscovering ourselves in National Education Policy and policymakers have thought about use of technology which was done much before the pandemic. He stressed on the use of local language to grow and we have to understand