Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education
volume 9
I issue 11 I november 2013 I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75
inside Emerging Preschool Chains in India Preschool franchise special
Technical Institutes Push for a Regulator Following Apex Court ruling rendering AICTE defunct
Special Issue
pre-school & Higher Education KNOWLEDGE
EXCHANGE, GOA Higher Education
15-17 November 2013
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ce len
Una
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te 1984-2014 c dA cad e mic Ex
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We gloat over the fact that we secured 157 university ranks in Anna University 2013 examination and emerged as topper in Tamil Nadu state.
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Contents
ISSN 0973-4139
volume 09 issue 11 november 2013
Emerging Preschool Chains in India
P 18
14
16
44
Mantriprasad Naithani Minister of Education, Government of Uttarakhand
R P Sisodia Joint Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Government of India
Prof Mahendra P Lama Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
48 Dr Achyuta Samanta Founder, KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS)
Presch00l
Corporate Diary
30 Maple Bear Canadian Preschool
56 Harman Singh, the young CEO of WizIQ
32 SMARTKiDZ Play School 34 Shanti Juniors 36 Jain Toddlers – an international play school
industry speak 58 ICTs for Fostering a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence
38 Planet Kids
40 Little Legends
News
42 Little Elly – Little World of Joy
Veena Raizada, Director- Education, Next Education India
08 K-12
policy
12 Higher Education
50 Technical Institutes Push for a Regulator
66 Industry Updates
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Asia’s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education Volume
09
Issue 11
November 2013
President: Dr M P Narayanan Editor-in-Chief: Dr Ravi Gupta Group Editor: Anoop Verma
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Prof Parvin Sinclair, Director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
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EDITORIAL
Rapid Expansion from Preschool to Higher Education The current issue hinges on the pivot of preschool that is in a very nascent stage but the market forecast has its own appeal. We explore this territory to bring you closer to the realities of the industry that is surging swiftly at more than 36 percent per annum gain. Beyond the demand and supply scenario, there is whole world of creative playground that is open to connect, create and redefine the elementary model for the preschoolers. Preschool Education in India is growing at a massive rate of 35% year on year, oppose to the Indian Economy growth rate of 7-8%. The market size of the industry is projected to be more than USD 1 billion by 2013.The major share of growth in this industry is being contributed by the upcoming franchisees and the other preschool chains. digitalLEARNING magazine has invited the premium preschool chain owners to be an integral part of our current issuepreschool special issue. While, our vision at digitalLEARNING, for this specific Issue is to be a one stop guide for the eduprenuers, who are looking for opening a preschool or planning to expanding their footprints in this space. I hope you like the coverage. On the elevated pedestal, we discuss the apex regulatory authority for technical education (AICTE) that has been realigned by the Apex Court’s ruling to serve as an advisory body and not as a regulator. The judgment has created a lacuna which seems to be impacting most of the institutes. We take a look at the impending need to be regulated. After all, it concerns over 12,000 institutes across the country. I feel more than happy to share that digitalLEANING November issue would be launched as at Higher Education Knowledge Exchange - Goa on 1517 November 2013. The two-day residential event would aim to discuss on subjects related to higher education sector through extensive panel and round table discussions. Vice chancellors from central, state, private and deemed universities, industry bodies, regulatory bodies and the government will partake in the discussions.
Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
7
nEWS
K-12
To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.com >> To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.co
CBSE conducts verification of Evidence of Assessments
Effective assessment of students is the key to the success of any education system. With the purpose to ensure reliability and validity of assessment practices at school level, the CBSE has over the last few years initiated collection and verification of the ‘Evidence of Assessments (EAs)’ conducted at school level. These Evidences of Assessments and the marks awarded are verified by the subject evaluators appointed and empanelled by the board at the regional level. The objective is to assess the practices of school based assessment. The subject evaluators would submit their report on these EAs vis-a-vis award of marks. Their report will help in verifying the school based assessments as well as provide feedback to the board about implementation of CCE scheme at grass roots level. The CBSE will also inform schools on how the assessment can be made more effective.
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Government of J&K to amend School Education Act 2002 Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to bring about amendment/ augmentation in the J&K School Education Act 2002 so as to bring it at par with the Central RTE (The Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education) Act-2009. This was stated by the Minister of Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone in the 62nd meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education. Owing to the difficult topographical conditions and backwardness of the State, the Minister sought revision in the funding pattern to the tune of 90:10 for the State under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), presently shared at the ratio of 65:35 and 75: 25 respectively. The same was in principle agreed by the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) during the meeting.
GIIS bags IOD’s Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award 2013 Winner of 26 International and National Awards for Excellence in School Education, the Global Indian International School (GIIS) has been awarded the prestigious international ‘Golden Peacock Award’ for the year 2013, by the ‘Institute Of Directors’ (IOD). The award was presented to Atul Temurnikar, Co-Founder & Chairman, Global Schools Foundation, by the Rt. Hon. Baroness Verma, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Govt of UK at the ‘Golden Peacock Awards Nite’, held at the Tower Hotel in London in presence of business leaders, jurists, academicians, environmentalists, economists, legislators and policy makers. The Golden Peacock HR Excellence Award recognizes leading organisations and practitioners in driving impactful human capital strategies. The award was received for the quality of work and the impact that GIIS has had in the field of education as a result of their commendable human resource and people management practice.
GDA concludes All-India App Design competition Global Discovery Academy has announced the winners of its first All-India Android Mobile App Design Competition at their finale organised at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in New Delhi. The competition spanned across schools in 30 cities in India in a period of three months and received a remarkable response from the students in the target age group of 10 – 13 years. School students from across India were invited to participate in the competition wherein they created mobile phone applications to serve a social cause. Participant teams in group of 1-3 member each, created problem solving applications such Safety for Women, Healthcare and Civic Facilities, Waste Segregation, Water Management, etc.
nEWS
K-12
To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.com >> To read latest news, log on to education.eletsonline.co
British boarding schools form new federation to attract Indians Twelve of Britain’s leading boarding schools have formed a new federation aimed at recruiting international students for British boarding schools and universities. The federation has been created and is managed by Anglo Schools International Services (ASIS). The aim of the federation is to offer senior school places to those students who want a better guarantee of entry into university at the end of their senior school studies. ASIS is looking forward to attracting children aged 11, 13 and 16 years to be educated in Britain so that they can progress to university in Britain or the United States far more easily and certainly. The federation schools are providing significant financial assistance in the form of scholarships and will be conducting a series of entrance tests in India to select the successful candidates. The federation is headed by David Boddy, Principal, ASIS. Formerly, he was the headmaster of St James Senior Boys School in London and Chairman of the UK Society of Headteachers last year. ASIS will launch a website in India in November and candidates for the scholarships will be invited to take entrance tests in English, Maths and General Knowledge. The total value of the scholarships is expected to be `2 Crore.
Ryan hosts World Scholar’s Cup Mumbai Round, 2013 The second season of World Scholar’s Cup India Round, hosted by the Ryan Group in Mumbai, witnessed a phenomenal response. Students from all over the country flocked to participate in this extravaganza of learning that provides a global platform to showcase academic prowess.
Singhania school wins western region athletic championship Smt Sulochana Devi Singhania School wins the Western region athletic championship with 147 points and medals tally of 13 Gold, 10 Silver, 14 Bronze and 2 individual championships. The school has become overall champions for nine years in a row.
BCM school Ludhiana wins badminton tournament BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar, won the under-14 boys trophy in Sahodaya Schools Complex Badminton Tournament. As many as 25 schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education took part in the competition. In under-14 boys’ category, Delhi Public School won the runners-up trophy and Sacred Heart Convent, Sarabha Nagar, was second runners-up. In under-14 girls category, DAV Public School, Pakhowal Road; Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines; and Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, won first, second and third positions, respectively.
Many govt schools in Kolhapur may shut down in Nov The primary education department of the zilla parishad, Kolhapur has identified 437 schools that have less than 20 pupils each and might stop functioning from November reported a news website. The schools have around 5,700 students and 820 teachers, which violates the teacher-student ratio norms as laid down in the Rights to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The act makes it
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mandatory for a school to have a 1:30 student-teacher ratio. The act also states that a school should have at least 20 students, lest it could face a shutdown. The schools might stop operating from next month, the primary education department of the zilla parishad has not received any communication from the state government in connection with the possible closure of the institutes. This, in turn, might delay the transfer process of the students as well as teachers in these schools.
nEWS
Higher
Education
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Jammu University marksheets to carry photograph of candidates Prof Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, Vice-Chancellor of University of Jammu has inaugurated the in-house computerised results with photographs of the candidates on the marks certificates of MCA 6th Semester examination 2013. This step of the in-house Computer Section of the Examination Wing shall lead to total computerisation of the candidate record i.e from enrolment to the issuance of the degree electronically. The Registration Returns (RR) of all the post graduate courses were obtained online from various Post Graduate departments on the campus, offsite campuses and affiliated PG colleges. The internal assessment record of all the Post Graduate courses were also obtained on-line for the session 2012-13.
IGNOU announces admission for 2014
RUSA to snatch UGC’s funding power University Grants Commission (UGC) is likely to lose its funding authorities in the offing. With the approval of Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) of ` 22,000 crore budgets that aims to revive and strengthen India’s state higher education system, the HRD ministry has started working on a plan to filch the funding powers of UGC. The ministry is working on to revitalise a proposal presented back in 2005, which foreseen the UGC as a purely regulatory body.
UGC appoints Sanjay Govind Dhande as new member Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced admissions to the distance education programme commencing from January 2014 for undergraduate, masters programme and post graduate certificate courses. Candidates will be able to download admission forms from IGNOU website or regional study centres. Deadline for submitting applications for all courses is December 16.
50 new educational DTH channels soon The HRD Ministry will be launching 50 DTH educational channels. Secretary (Higher Education) Ashok Thakur said that these channels will be different from the existing programmes on air including Gyan Darshan as new one will be more interactive. He said these channels will air programmes, which will be live and not pre recorded.
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Sanjay Govind Dhande, former Director of IIT Kanpur has been appointed as new UGC member for tenure of three years. He is replacing former member Yogendra Yadav who was sacked on September 18, for being a member of Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Admi Party while he was still associated with an apex body of higher education. In order to avoid future politicisation of the education body, Yadav was asked to retire from the post of member of UGC. Dhande will serve as a member of UGC till September 24, 2016. Other newly appointed members in the commission include M M Ansari, chairman of Requirement and Assessment Centre DRDO; D Narasimha Reddy, Director of International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Bio-technology; V S Chauhan, Principal of HR College of Commerce and Economics Mumbai; Indu Shahani, Seyed E Hasnain from Kusuma School of Biological Sciences among others.
NITs announce 100% hike in tuition fee The Council of National Institutes of Technology (NITs) has approved the proposal of raising Tuition fees of B Tech, M Tech and MCA programmes in National Institutes of Technology (NITs) from the next academic session to `70,000. However, there will be no hike in the fees for SC and ST students. There are 30 NITs in the country. The decision was in line with the recommendation of a standing committee under the NIT council which had suggested steep hike of tuition fees from the next academic session. The council meeting also deliberated upon suggestions of the Kakodkar committee on reforms in NITs where a number of NIT directors were in favour of further fine-tuning of the recommendations.
SAL Education Campus Promoted By Adarch Foundation Affiliated by Gujarat Technological Uniersity, Ahmedabad Opp to Science City, Sola Bhadaj Road, Ahmedabad-38006060 Tele/Fax: 079/ 29700310
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leader ?????????? speak
Q& A
Empowering Citizens with Education “If we want to have the best ICT infrastructure in our schools then we have to be ready to make very large investments,� says Mantriprasad Naithani, Minister of Education, Government of Uttarakhand. In conversation with Mohd Ujaley
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education.eletsonline.com
In the meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), you raised the issue of slashing the budget of states under Right to Education Act (RTE). What has been the response of HRD Minister on this issue? The Minister has replied positively, he has explained the reasons behind the cut. However, in the states, we have to look into it from the point of practical implication of this decision. What has happened is that initially an amount was sanctioned for the states under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). After that the states started their planning for the expenditure but suddenly, the budget has been cut. This has created much discomfort for the states. For ex-
and punish only those schools which have shown complete negligence. We may also give more time to schools for adhering to the guidelines of RTE. Also, we have to keep in mind that various initiatives under SSA or RTE cannot meet the deadline, because budget has been slashed midway and some of the states, such as Uttarakhand, have their own socio-geographic dynamics that is different from rest of the country. Requirement of minimum area under RTE is another bone of contention. In Uttarakhand, it is hard to get 3.5 acre of land for schools. What is your view on this subject?
One good thing about RTE is that this initiative has created huge awareness about education across the country” ample, in my state – Uttrakhand, we have recruited people to work on RTE; however, now we are unable to ask them to join as we don’t have budget for the same. Such issues create lot of distrust and problem for the general publtic. I have spoken to Minister and requested him that at-least budget should not be slashed midway as investments on some of initiatives have already been done. Large numbers of schools are yet to comply with various provisions of the RTE Act. What should be the best way forward for higher compliance? We enact laws for the people; therefore, we have to see whether it is serving it purpose or not. An amendment can always be made if required. The good thing about RTE is that it has created huge awareness about education across the country. But best results can only be achieved when the government has the will to strictly enforce guidelines on the implementation of RTE. The Gross Enrolment Ration (GER) has increased, but it is also true that there are large numbers of schools that are yet to comply with RTE. I feel we need to be more flexible
That is absolutely right. In Uttrakhand the population is booming and there is lot of pressure on land, therefore it is hard to get the land required to follow the RTE Act. That is why before finalising legislation, it is important to take into account the diversity and other sociogeographic challenges of the country. Various central government schemes have not yielded the anticipated results because we failed to adequately focus on the diversity of the country and I feel that is huge failure at planning level. What is your opinion on central government opening more new universities in state? I think, central government should open more new universities in the state. When centre opens an university, its structure, functioning and approach is bound to be more universal. State universities are created to serve the people of the state; the state government should try to bring them at par with central universities such as DU, JNU, JMI etc. The Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University has been converted from state university to central university. I am not in favour of such conversions, as they do not help the state.
Through such conversions we are not creating new infrastructure or new jobs rather we are surrendering one of our universities to centre government. Now our local students are facing problem in getting admission. Ideally, centre should open more new universities in a state; the centre should also help the states to overhaul their state universities to make them at par with central universities. What are the major challenges you see in ICT in education? Use of ICT is good for education. Technology gives us an opportunity to reach out to maximum number of students. The main challenge that I see is that of investment - ICT in school requires huge investment, and there seems to be confusion on the best practices that have the best returns. Also, our aim should be to use ICT in schools for learning general subjects such as Maths, English, and Science etc., in easy and efficient way rather than getting carried away by newer technologies. The other big challenge to technology is poor infrastructure of our country. You may have best of the technologies, but you can’t use it if you don’t have adequate infrastructure in place. You have always expressed the opinion that education should have some kind of value in it to bring maximum benefit to the students. Can schools alone inculcate value in a student? School alone cannot do it. It is the shared responsibility of schools, parents and society at large to give right values to students. At government level, we can create syllabus, sensitise our teachers, but the parents also have to take an initiative. They have to play a more constructive role in the overall development of a child. I am happy now education is becoming priorities for the parents and it will surely produce good citizens in the country who will respect their elders, women and person in need. In Uttrakhand, we are heavily focusing on girl’s education and we are among the top states which fully utilises the central government initiatives. And, I feel, the more educated girls are, the better it is for the country. digitalLEARNING / November 2013
15
LEADER SPEAK
Q& We A
must do Justice to Quality Requirement
The target of 27 percent GER is not difficult to achieve, but addressing quality is the key issue, says R P Sisodia, Joint Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Government of India. In conversation with Rozelle Laha From being a District Collector to the Director of Technical Education and Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education, you have held several responsibilities in the education sector. What are the key issues that plague higher education in India? The most important thing that plagues education sector is the severe lack of infrastructure and quality resources. Though we can find good quality resources and facilities in the private colleges, it comes with a high cost implication. In the public institutions,
sufficient focus on the part of the government is lacking; basic facilities are also not available thus making quality a casualty. Also, a palpable lack of skills and commitment is observed in the people managing the institutes. There is a major debate around increasing the GDP spending on higher education to six percent. Can this solely play a significant role in enhancement of quality in education? Whereas, it is not the only answer to ensure quality, it should remain a significant and key goal for us. Against
R P Sisodia
Kothari Commission’s recommendation of spending six percent of GDP on education, we are spending on an average of four percent of our GDP on education. Out of this 4 percent, roughly one percent spending is on higher education and three percent on school education. In the past, education was essentially driven by public investment or by philanthropy, today you have entrepreneurs, corporate and CSR investments coming. In the present scenario, a lot of private investments are coming in. If we add everything together, time might have come to have a re-look at the six percent spending. Until now, the goal of spending six percent of GDP on education remains a dream. We do need to focus and prioritise our spending on education. With the entry of both private players and public institutions in the education sector, how can we ensure threshold quality across institutions? The basic threshold level of quality should be maintained regardless of private or public sector. The threshold quality is basically the basic minimum that needs to be ensured by the regulators be it in the public sector or the private sector. This threshold quality can be determined with reference to accreditation. The basic quality should be in the nature of ensuring minimum standards in parameters like teacher-student ratio, the classroom space available for the students and so on. Such
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education.eletsonline.com
basic things should not be compromised upon and must act as the threshold. Above the basic threshold, every institute should have the flexibility and the ambition to go up higher and higher in terms of quality. The fact still remains that the investment coming from the private sector are coming into some specific regions, areas and disciplines. It is not coming equally in all areas. For instance, the private investments are not coming in northeastern areas, hilly areas, or backward areas, there are not having any private sector participation. There may be oversaturation of private institutions in the metropolitan and the urban areas where there is demand. This is also distorting the landscape in some way. There is an immense need to
and students have huge potential to undertake research. These days, students are going abroad to do PG and research work. The question is what makes them go out? Are we not having the facility, capability or necessary guidance that is required for research activities? It is perhaps the combination of all. The number of PhDs being produced by the reputed institutes of the country is less compared to international standards. A proper strategy needs to be put in place. You do not churn out PhDs just for the sake of giving PhDs. It should lead to gainful research dividend and that would come when you try to expand your capacity slowly. The institutional objective needs to be re-defined so as to re-orient ourselves towards encouraging research.
Universities have to become a formal accreditation agency to ensure quality of all the affiliated colleges under them� highly regulate not only the quality but also the numbers. At times, such a distortion might lead to a very unhealthy kind of competition leading to adoption of unfair practices in order to attract students, or to ensure that you get the maximum out of the revenues that are generated which are not healthy or desirable trends for education. The Kakodkar Committee report suggests, even the top IITs are producing 1, 000 PhD scholars every year, which is much below the average of 8, 000 to 9, 000 scholars being produced by the USA and China each in technical education. How can we make our national institutes of importance more efficient? The first priority of our institutions happens to be catering to the learning requirements of the students. If we start comparing ourselves to research universities, then we are somewhere being over- ambitious. However, this is not to undermine the fact that our institutions
UGC has recently proposed tougher norms for private universities. Do you think that it would be a good step? It would be a good step. Some of the private universities are operating in a way that is not conducive with good learning. Even in terms of quality, if we really compare public institutions and private institutions, you would find that private institutions lack that core focus on quality as somewhere commercial considerations takes the core position and tends to dilute the focus on quality. Which are the organisations that would play a major role in improving quality in the education sector in the days to come? The key role would be played by UGC in time to come. The distance education regulation has gone back to UGC and the technical education regulation is also going to be with them in future. NAAC, NBA would play a key role in addition to some more accreditation agencies that we are planning to set up. We
need to have a body which has the capacity and the wherewithal to monitor the quality and you need to empower the universities. We need to de-centralise the quality control by empowering the universities to become a formal accreditation agency so that they ensure the quality of all the affiliated colleges under them. Will UGC not be over burdened with so many responsibilities? Yes, UGC is a funding body and now it will also become a regulatory body. Having a limited capacity certainly is an issue which needs to be looked at and we are very seriously looking at it. How do you envision the country’s education sector at the end of 12th Five year plan period in 2017? We need to define quality, set the measurable indicators of quality, identify the benchmarks, the thresholds and then plan on how we propose to take it beyond where it stands and most importantly, how we can bridge the huge gap that happens to be there between the top institutes like the IIT Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi University, JNU and some of the institutions which are below average. When we talk of quality, we need to bring institutes that are below the standards of the good ones in our country at a level so as to assure minimum quality standard. This is the challenge that we have to grapple with during the 12th and 13th Five Year Plan. We need to focus on ensuring quality through mandatory accreditation. We also need to ensure that the institutes adhere to the basic minimum standards laid by the regulators and that the regulators properly monitor the quality by putting proper frameworks in place. The target of 27 percent GER is not difficult to achieve, but addressing quality is the key issue. We have brought ourselves at par with the Asian average in terms of GER, but the key question that needs to be addressed is whether we are comparable to those institutes in terms of quality education. We must do justice to the quality requirement. digitalLEARNING / November 2013
17
cover story
preschool
Emerging
Preschool Chains in India Preschool chains offer a great opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs. Educating kids is a profitable as well as satisfying investment. Today Indian preschool franchise industry provides numerous options with number of branded franchisors available, which has broaden its scope for growth and development By
Pragya Gupta and Seema Gupta,
T
he concept of Preschool took off in India with daycare centres that take care of child when parents are at work or not around. Preschools were primarily day care centres for children in around 3-5 age group. But now they are seen as an early training ground for children to develop their skills. Over a period of time, it has seen paradigm shift from optional day care centre to important early childhood education. Some researches proved that preschool plays a very crucial role in laying good foundation for the child and preparing him for the future. It enhances abilities and skills of a child in areas such as language, motor skills, psychosocial cognitive, learning,
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ENN
etc. Early childhood is a crucial stage of life in terms of a child’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. Growth of mental and physical abilities progress at an astounding rate and a very high proportion of learning takes place from birth to age six. It is a time when children particularly need high quality personal care and learning experiences. Five years back parents used to consider preschool as a place for letting their children interact with peers and spend some time away from home. They wanted to help their child to conquer shyness and be comfortable in meeting more people. Nowadays the parents are aware of the child’s pace, focused on each every mile-
stone achieved by their child and on holistic development of the child. The shift has been immensely on taking preschools as a casual place to keep their children occupied for a few hours to taking preschools seriously as monumental in their child’s development. Priti Srivastava, Founder Director, Vidyãrambh - The International Preschool and Childcare Centers says, “We have seen a huge shift in the mindset of the parents. Seven years ago only the higher income group in metros recognised the need to send their children to preschools but now all parents are open to the idea of sending their children to preschools. The awareness
education.eletsonline.com
Teachers with required qualification are very few, so we suggest the Franchisees to appoint teachers who are graduates with good communication skills A S Ganesh, Founder And Managing director, Smart Kidz
about the way quality early childhood education can bring about to the child’s personality has been recognised widely. The other major change and concern that has started happening is that K-12 schools have started opening preschools under their banner. The preschool space has seen a major change in the last few years and only those players who provide quality education in the long run would be present in the near future with lots of consolidation happening over time.” Ongoing research established that, the preschool, as an institution, provides stimulation for the child’s physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development, in ways that one could not get in the home environment. This sector has shown tremendous growth during the past few years and is familiar not only with the high-end income groups or the affluent class, but is also rapidly gaining popularity among the middle class households, which have the capability and willingness to pay for quality education. The owner of Strawberry Fields preschool, Anita Rao, Founding Director and the Managing Director, Educational Catalysts India Pvt Ltd says, “Pre- school education has changed for good over the years, especially the early childhood education. Schools have moved from rote method teaching to more activity based teaching and learning. There is more awareness about childhood development and the importance of learning in this age group. However, the schools are still more focused on developing 3R’s, more ever all the areas( cognitive ,language and Physical) seem to be getting addressed but there is no focus on the Social Emotional development. Especially in this age when the family structures are moving towards nuclear structure and both the parents are working. This area is getting neglected. Unless this area of development is addressed well by the Educational institutions we may have a huge problem with young people with emotional problems and ill adjusted individuals towards the society.”
1.1%
Only children go to preschools
The figure is 11 per cent for children in urban areas. The growing number of working couples has been the key driver behind the growth of preschools.
126 mn+
kids enrolling each year in preschools
The significance of this very industry can be measured by the very fact that it occupies the 3rd largest expenditure group in the Indian household
The pre-school market
$770
is million (about
`
4,460 crore)
It is expected to be worth `13,300 crore by 2015-16, according to a Crisil research report
The fee typically starts from
`1,500
Fee depends largely on the location, franchise and type of the preschool
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Significance of Preschools has changed in last five years.Industry leaders share their experiences on this shift... Chandrashekhar, COO, Jain Group of Institutions (Jain Toddlers) Over the last 5 – 6 years, the preschool sector is witnessing a shift towards organized segment. Lately, the modern preschools have started shifting their focus from ‘teaching’ to ‘learning’ environment. This shift is more than just a change in language, a change in systems operation; in fact it is more of an adoption of the latest educational trend. This is definitely fuelling the growth engine of pre-school business in India.
Kiran Kumar, Director-Operations & Franchising, Blossoms International Last five years has seen a sea change in fronts like the quality and number of schools. The main change is the nurturing in preschools, which has made difference to the little ones. The most important change has come in the attitude of the young parents who realise the importance of right school/ educator and of their own participation in shaping the minds of the young ones.
Ranjan Goyal, CEO, Serra Preschools Education and the acquisition of skills is a lifelong process and starting early in life is crucial. New age parents have realised this need and are constantly on the look out for a good preschool. The conventional methods of teaching and the traditional outlook towards a preschool have changed radically. An aunt next door operating a preschool or home-schooling during the preschool years is not the norm anymore.
Amar Kapasi, Director, Planet Kids The preschool space has taken a massive leap over the years. Today the amount of things that the children are learning at the Planet Kids schools is phenomenal. Few years back a preschool franchise was not considered the part of a child’s education, which has changed over the years. The entire industry has evolved and with the new players coming in and a lot of correction is also happening.The players who are here for a longer duration shall be able to sustain themselves in this area. The various parameters to providing quality in the business have to be maintained on a regular basis to be able to sustain in a long run. The franchise should not only be able to provide good returns to the owners but also provide an institution to the parents for quality education in for a long haul.
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Dharmesh Kapasi, Founder & CEO, Shanti Juniors The trend has been changing drastically, surveys look good on Power Point slides and the time you act upon, the trend moves on so has been the education sector. Preschool was an introductory product a decade ago but now it has turned out to be the necessity.We have many Women Business Partners joining in to carry ahead our brand which compelled us to launch our special Women Entrepreneur Encouragement Schemes “WEES�.
Navneet Anhal, CEO, Zee Learn Limited There is a challenge of safety of children, which is under the bucket of non-regulation or absence of governing body in this segment. There is a challenge of finding qualified staff that knows what is right for the child. If we work on all this it can flourish into a good business opportunity and more importantly early development of a child.
Vittal Bhandary, Founder & MD, Little Elly Play School I think the challenge is always to find the right partner and a good property opening the preschool. It is definitely challenging to get the right person. But I feel even if we get a semi-skilled manpower with the right attitude, we can mould them accordingly through our training programmes.
Deven khullar, Chairman, Brats and Cuties The journey so far has been very eventful with new teachings with each passing day. The learning has been enthralling and has helped the group to grow and continuously evolve with new ideas for the betterment of the group.
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SK Rathore, Founder Director, Sanfort Schools The preschool franchise business needs individuals who are committed to provide quality education and ready to work relentlessly towards providing innovative education with hands on involvement and monetary benefits shall follow eventually.
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Burgeoning Preschool Industry
T
he rise in nuclear families and increase in disposable incomes have led to greater demand for quality preschools even in small towns and non-metros. Still preschool industry is in nascent stage in India with around 1.1% enrolment in comparison with France or Scotland where preschool enrolment is 100 percent. There is a mushrooming growth of preschools in India over last decade but only 17% of Indian preschool market belongs to the organised sector. This segment is attracting investments from private players. According to a research report published in 2011 “Indian Preschool Market Forecast”, Indian preschool market has been witnessing rapid growth for the past few years on the back of rise in disposable income, rising number of working mothers, increasing trend of nuclear families, and escalating demand for high quality preschool education for toddler. However,
low market penetration and low barriers to entry along with the increasing awareness, popularity, and propensity of young working professionals to pay, are some of the drivers, which suggest that the market offers considerable opportunity for investors. Moreover, it is expected that, the preschool market will reach to USD 1,833
Million by 2014, growing at a CAGR of around 13% during 2011-2014. The preschool Industry is growing at a very fast pace that is 36% per annum as against the education industry growth of 15% er annum, which means that the parents are understanding the importance of early childhood education.
Drivers, Challenges and Trends DRIVERS Untapped Market Increase in disposable income
CHALLENGES Operational challenges
KEY TRENDS Corporate investments
Large Unorganised Sector
Rapid expansion of preschools
Improvement in quality
Mergers and acquisitions
Change in urban lifestyle
Upgrading to K 12 sectors
Awareness in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities Ease of neighborhood
Alok Kumar Modi, Chairman, Maple Bear The franchise should have the will to follow the directions, manuals and curriculum to the hilt and should not try and innovate his own stuff. The partners should also stick to the core strength of the group by not cutting corners and would then benefit from the structure provided by the group and ultimately profits would follow if the processes are thoroughly followed
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Kopal Maheshwari, Founder and Chairperson, Little Einstein, “The opportunity is huge in preschool industry. The industry is growing at 36% and branded preschools are growing at much faster pace. This opportunity is best suited for entrepreneurs as it is low risk low investment model and you need to spend only 4-6 hours a day to operate preschool, giving you ample time to spend with family and pursue other opportunities.”
Starting a Preschool Looking at the tremendous potential of preschools it makes great economic sense market to open a preschool through franchise model India. Various models exist under organised industry
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in preschool are direct chains, through franchise model and extended K-12 school. There are various benefits that the franchise model offers such as the opportunity to be associated with established brand, which helps in attracting more kids. Further the franchisors provide curriculum support, training support, set up support, branding and marketing support, etc. One major advantage of this business model is sharing of expenses, knowledge, experience, brand image, as well as technical expertise.
The quality standards of Bachpan are maintained through all the franchises across India by making franchises a part of the system and not by belting out penalties. We believe in having a healthy relationship with our franchises so that they have a continuous support from us for running a successful business Ajay Gupta, Chairman, Bachpan School
Key Preschool Franchisors Preschool Franchisor
No of Preschools/ centres
Expansion Plan
Zee Learn
900
Bachpan
900
1000+ by 2013
Hello Kids
220
500 by 2015
Smart KidZ
140+
Shanti Junior
Investment required
Minimum Area Requirement
Presence
2 acres
330 cities
7-10 lakh
1500-2000 sqft
200+ by end of 2013; 500+ by next five years
6-10 lakh
2500-3000 sqft
9 states
115+
170+ centers across the country by 31st March 2014 and 300+ centers by 31st March 2015
7-10 lakh
13 cities
15000 sqft
Little Elly
90
Focusing on metro and two-tier cities
8-10 lakh
1500-2000 sqft
South and western India
Maple Bear
44
30 more by March 2014
15-20 lakh
3000-4000 sqft
45 schools
Serra Playschool
37
undisclosed
15-20 lakh
2000-5000 sqft
14 cities
Little Einstein
34
16 centres coming up shortly and targetting 200 centres across Asian countries by 2015-16
2-15 Lakh
Not available
21 cities
Strawberry Fields
15
undisclosed
5-30 lakh
2,500 to 3,000 sqft indoor Hyderabad only space with approx. 500 sq. ft. outdoor area for playing
Planet Kids
15
200+
12-20 lakh
2500 sqft
Blossoms
15
Targeting 20 Branches this Season and would be 25 by the end of the Current Academic Year
4-7 lakh
1200-2500 Sq ft of Built up area and at least 150 Sq Ft open area in the front for play area
Brats and cuties
8
undisclosed
7 Lakh onwardsÂ
1500 sqft in Metros & 2000 sqft in Other Cities
Jain Toddlers
5
100 centres by 2015
18-25 lakh
4000 sqft
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22 locations
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Requirements for taking franchise Different franchisors have different requirements and deliverables. Typically a preschool needs minimum space requirement 1,000-2,000 sqft and Initial investment starts from around Rs 500,000 along with trained personnel. Location also plays an important role. The franchise needs to work out all the important details including investment, profit sharing and revenue models with the parent company.
Roadblocks Trained Manpower: There is massive scarcity of teachers in the playschools space. The teachers are no longer Just Montessori trained but also have passion to continuously learn and unlearn. Preschool owners look for teachers who want to learn continuously and like the concept of being with small children. The people who have good communication skills and can reach out to the children at a tender age. The people with these traits can be trained according to the curriculum requirements of different preschools. A S Ganesh, Founder And Managing director, Smart KidZ on the vast shortage of teachers in the preschools, “Teachers with B.ED / ECCE qualification are very few, so we suggest the Franchisees to appoint teachers who are graduates with good communication skills. We provide an intensive training which educates them about the child psychology, new trends of teaching methodology and concepts. We believe in the warmth and affection the teacher gives to the child rather than her qualifications. To facilitate the untrained teachers, we provide NTT Program approved by the AIECCE – Government of India.” These schools organise regular training programs to fine tune the teachers about role plays, classroom coordination, handling the inquisitiveness of the children and the way to handle kids so that they learn all the things in a playful and handy way.
Minimum space requirement
2,000 sqft
There is more awareness about childhood development and the importance of learning in this age group Anita Rao, Founding Director and the Managing Director, Educational Catalysts India Pvt Ltd
Initial investment starts from around `500,000
The quality audits in the classroom helps in identifying the various loopholes and these are then passed to the training module. The training takes care of teaching the teachers all aspects of providing quality and fruitful interaction with the children under her care. The group also believes in constantly appraising and appreciating the good work done by the teachers.
Need for Better Regulation
The regulation will in a way help us to grow rather than being a hindrance Pritam Aggarwal, Hello Kids
This opportunity is best suited for entrepreneurs as it is low risk low investment model Kopal Maheshwari, Founder and Chairperson, Little Einstein
The government is planning to introduce regulations for pre-schools as well. Most of the branded Preschool segment would put cap on the fly by night kind of operators of school those who want to make quick money. These players expects that regulations must bring standardisation in quality and safety, then it would help in bringing good players in the field and also help in keeping the standards maintained. Pritam Aggarwal, Owner, Hello Kids, “I believe the regulation should be introduced with immediate effect as it will help in providing visibility to the big players who are already there in the market for a long time now. The regulation will in a way help us to grow rather than being a hindrance. If RTE comes into play it might rule the fee structures and other aspects, but at the same time it will act as a boost to the upcoming franchise to venture into pre-school business as the number of students attending preschools will increase.”
In the preceding pages, digitalLEARNING is filing detailed offerings and requirements by different preschools for taking their franchise >>>
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Maple Bear Canadian Preschool Year of inception: 2004 Founder and Chairperson: Rodney Briggs (Founder, President) and Alok Kumar Modi (Chairman) Managing Director: Hazel Siromoni Head office: 4-7 C DDA Shopping Centre, Second Floor, New Friends Colony, New Delhi- 110025 Website: www.maplebear.in
Structured Program for Toddlers
M
aple Bear is unique and truly international brand present in India and different parts of the world. Maple Bear provides the world class education at your doorstep. Maple Bear Preschool is a programme designed to educate the child intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially in a stimulating environment that encourages creativity and self-expression. It also aims at developing a positive selfimage with children and enables them to become competent learners. It is a 4 years structured program for toddlers, Nursery, JKG and SKG. It covers the age group from 18 months to 5 years old children. Maple Bear also offers unique after school programs like Day Care, Moms and Tots, English plus (4 - 10 year old children), Thematic Summer Camps. School’s Philosophy Immersion style of learning English, inquiry based teaching and learning, learning through questioning, observing, investigating and doing. USP International brand name, unique concept of learning and teaching, curriculum and content prescription, day to day with minute to minute plan, teachers training and 24x7 support to franchisees.
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Franchise Process Business Expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
45 Schools Yes 44 30 more franchisees by March 2014
Requirement for taking Franchise: • Space Requirement: 3000 - 4000 SqFt (space could be self owned or leased) • Total Initial investment: 15-20 Lakhs Deliverables for franchise owner: Canadian Curriculum, free teachers training, business advising, marketing support, infrastructure set up support, website development and training support and quality assurance. Contact person for Franchise Enquiry: Gaurav Sharma; +91 9873999279; gaurav.sharma@maplebear.in
Admission Process Minimum Age for admission: 18 months Admission Procedure and fee structure: Depends on individual Maple Bear schools Programmes for student development: Apart from the regular programmes the school offers English Plus programme that enhances the overall personality. Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Main teacher should have 1 or 2 years experience in play school, Assistant teacher can be a fresh graduate with good communication skills. Training programme for teachers development: Maple Bear provides various trainings to teachers like minimum 2 onsite trainings (in a year), training through webinar, Skype, Education leaders workshop, Observation & coaching etc. Support to parents: Meals for children, day care facility, transportation facility, regular updates to parents regarding the child’s performance, assurance of safety, security and hygiene. Contact person for admissions: Maple Bear franchisees have mini website on main Maple Bear website. Employment opportunity: If you wish to work in a Maple Bear school send your profile at careers@maplebear.in
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SMARTKiDZ Play School Year of inception: 2008 Management Team: AS Ganesh (Founder & Managing Director); Ganesh Akella (Founder & Finance Director); A G Malathi (Founder & Technical Director); Madhuri Akella (Founder & Technical Director) Head office: Plot No. 97, Phase I, Gunrock Enclave, Near Mudford, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh - 500009 Website: www.smartkidzindia.com
Equipping Children to Meet the Challenges Ahead
S
MARTKiDZ emphasises on the overall development of the child through age-appropriate learning experience, preparing them thoroughly for the next stage of their schooling. SMARTKiDZ Play School ensures that children learn as effectively and efficiently as possible in a caring and friendly environment where equal consideration is given to social, physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual development and where children are very well equipped to meet the challenges ahead.
School’s Philosophy SMARTKiDZ believes that • Each Child is a unique individual and they develop at a different pace. • Children should learn in a safe, child centred environment through exploration and a variety of open-ended activities. • The learning environment and educational process should recognize the different learning styles, abilities and interests. • Education should address the holistic needs of the child which in turn leads to the scientific development. The kindergarten programme should focus on the physical, social, emotional, aesthetic and intellectual development of the child. The early establishment of the positive self-concept and a positive attitude towards the school provides a foundation for formal education. USP The school provide Value Based Education.
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Franchise Process Business expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Yes 140+ Plan to have 200+ Franchisees by the end of this year and around 500+ Franchisees in next five years.
Requirement for taking franchise: Investment around 6-10 lakhs, Independent house having area of 2500 – 3000 Sqft and area restriction 3kms. Deliverables for franchise owner: • Association with Brand Name • Interior and Exterior designing of the school • Effective Advertising, Promotion and Publicity Support • Ongoing training for the teachers / centre head & Positive Parenting Workshop USP of your group: Excellent support by the Franchisee Development Team & the Technical Team for successful running of the school. Contact person for franchise enquiry Satya Srikoti, +91 9581514444 (South & West); Sulabh Khare , +91 7748974974 (North & East).
Admission Process Minimum Age for admission: 18 months onwards Admission procedure & fee structure: Need to submit the duly filled in Admission form along with the necessary documents mentioned in it. Programmes for student development: Age appropriate learning activities, good student-teacher ratio, individual attention and observation based assessment. Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Graduates with pleasing personality and good communication skills. Training programme for teachers development: Sessions on child psychology, concepts, new trends in Education, parent – school relation, etc NTT course affiliated to AIECCE. Support to parents: Orientation and Positive Parenting Workshops. Contact person for admissions: Radhika Thota, +91 9581044144 Employment opportunity: : Business Development Executive for Chennai / Lucknow / Hyderabad
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Shanti Juniors Year of inception: 2010 Founder and Chairperson: Ved Prakash Chiripal COO: Dharmesh Kapasi Head office: Ahmedabad, Gujarat Address: 4th Floor, Chiripal House, Shivranjani Cross Roads, Satellite, Ahmedabad – 380 015 Website: wwww.shantijuniors.com
Provides Learning Ladder
S
hanti Juniors (SJ) is one of the educational ventures by SEI -Shanti Educational Initiatives (SEI) which is a corporate citizenship initiative by the Chiripal Group - `2500 crores conglomerate involved in textiles and petrochemicals in India. Education is one of the portals which are instrumental in helping the Chiripal family return multi-fold to society, as they themselves received so generously. SJ came into existence in the year 2010 by inaugurating 6 centres in Ahmedabad in one single day. Since then SJ has grown leaps and bounds every year with its single slogan of “Celebrate Childhood”. The other two ventures of SEI are Shanti Asiatic School, K-12 School and Shanti Business School – B School. School’s Philosophy At Shanti Juniors, we have discovered our own teaching philosophy after a lot of research and development, which is based on young minds response and reaction. Our philosophy is I3 Learning Ladder (Inquiry, Interaction and Innovation) synchronized with 4 C’s(Curiosity, Confidence and Creativity and Continuity)
USP • Age appropriate constructive development of the child. • Holistic approach towards the child. • Encouraging their talents by identifying and fulfilling their individual needs for a wholesome growth. This is done through the various programs we offer, which are as follows: Playgroup, Nursery, Junior KG, Senior KG • I3 Learning Ladder with 4 Cs. • First ISO 9001:2008 certified Pre School Chain of Gujarat. • Working towards creating synergy between digital academics and manual academics.
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Franchise Process Business Expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
115 + centres in India throughout 13 cities Yes 115 Franchises across India Shanti Juniors looks forward to operate 170+ centres across the country by 31st March 2014 and 300+ centres by 31st March 2015.
Requirement for taking Franchise: • Investment: Upto `8 to 10 lakhs which includes Franchisee Fees, Material Kit, Furniture and Fittings, Equipments and Educational Material. • Space required: 1200 sqft to 2000 sqft area with equal amount of outdoor area. Bungalows and tenements on prominent road in residential areas are preferable. Deliverables for franchise owner: • A well designed curriculum and content based on our basic I3 Learning Ladder Methodology • Play and learn equipments and furniture • Latest teaching aids • Effective teachers and counselors trainings • System Process, academic and marketing guideline manuals • Support in Staff-Recruitment. • Brand building, promotions and advertisements • Holistic business management consultancy • Periodic product developments and updates • Online support • Orientation and induction programs • Parental involvement programs • Opportunity to attend national and regional business partners confluences • Transparent operational policies. Contact person for Franchise Enquiry: Rinku Vyas, Zonal Head - Business Developments, +91 90990 79825
Admission Process Minimum Age for admission: 1.5 years old toddlers Admission procedure and fee structure: Parent shall locate the nearest center and fill up the admission form with due documents of child. Fee Structure varies from centre to centre. Programmes for student development: PG | Nursery | Jr Kg | Sr Kg, Mother –Toddlers. Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: ECCE Trained and experienced Teachers. Training programme for teachers development: Teacher Induction Programme, Refresher Induction Programme, Phonic Workshop, Innovation ways of teaching workshop, etc. Support to parents: Celebration of “Parents as Partners”, Different informative workshops on Parenting and dealing with Pre Schoolers. Also creating an interface to connect parents directly with SJ parents called “E – Juniors” Contact person for admissions: Counsellors / Centre Heads at the SJ centre Employment opportunity: If you wish to work with E-mail your profile at hr@shantijuniors.com or career@shantijuniors.com Enquire for admission: 99796 66660
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Jain Toddlers – an international play school Year of inception: 2007 Founder and Chairperson: Chenraj Roychand COO: Chandrashekar D.P. Head office: Hyderabad Address: Survey No.187, Botanical Garden Road, Masjid Banda, Kondapur, Hyderabad - 500 084 Website: www.toddlers.ac.in
Providing Quality Education from Cradle to Career
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ain Toddler has been granted international affiliation based on the standards of its environment, curriculum, learning resources and faculty. The school’s team comprises a group of experienced and passionate early childhood practitioners with extensive training by international instructors in all areas of child development.
School’s Philosophy Providing quality education from cradle to career thereby creating human assets. Fuelling economic growth by developing new generation entrepreneurs. Creating a globally networked community of leaders, technocrats, scientists, sportsmen and professionals. USP The school’s child centric curriculum ‘PEARL’ (Play, Engage, Activity, Reflect, and Learn) helps us to focus on personal care, parent’s involvement, besides traditions and values. We believe in holistic development and nutritious food and structured sports.
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Franchise Process Business Expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
22 locations Yes 5 100 centres by 2015
Requirement for taking Franchise: Investment required for 8000 sqft area is `23 – 25 Lakhs Investemnt required for 4000 sqft area is `18 – 20 Lakhs Deliverables for franchise owner: Layout and Designing: Floor plans and an easy to follow design/build package is created during the initial fit-out stage, which is managed with the complete support and direction of the Jain Toddler’s in-house team. Launch Support: Initial training seminars and on-site help is provided, organize and conduct the grand opening launch. Oneon-one support is provided whenever required. Training Programmes: Complete comprehensive training programme to prepare the owners and key managers with the knowledge and tools to manage a Jain Toddler’s franchise is provided, from class curriculum to marketing and business operations. Videos and Manuals: In-depth operation manuals provide an additional resource for managers, teachers and owners, and provide ongoing details for running a Jain Toddler’s franchise. Continuous Support: A home office team is available for questions, assistance, and all concerns within 48 hours ! Marketing and Branding: An array of unique promotional and marketing materials are provided. Franchise owners are helped in detailed marketing plans and strategies. Wide range of online, web-to-print and design solutions makes it easy to market the business. Why Partner with Jain Toddler’s ? Cradle to career: With JGI network spread across pan India, there is scope for continual education for toddlers in Jain schools and institutions, which is an added advantage for our partners. Strong background: Jain Toddler’s is backed by the Jain Group of Institutions which has over two decades of rich academic experience, which would be the guiding strength behind our franchises. Knowledge Sharing: Presence in over 22 locations has given the right exposure and knowledge of school operations which will benefit our franchises. Child-centric Curriculum: JGI has a unique and balanced self developed curriculum ‘PEARL’ (Play, Engage, Activity, Reflect, Learn) which gives the group an edge over other pre-schools. Multicultural Advantage: Having schools in five different states helped the group excel in diverse cultures and geographies so will help new franchisee owners wanting to venture in a new area. Contact person for Franchise Enquiry: Rishi Pransukhka, Franchise Manager; +91 7396029351
Admission Process Minimum Age for admission: 1 ½ years Admission procedure and fee Structure: Open to all and fees varies from centre to centre. Programmes for student development: KIDS Club, Kinder Kamp & Kinder Classes Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Graduate and passion for learning. Training programme for teachers development: Jain Academy for Early Childhood Education and Teachcraft Support to parents: Toddlers Touch, Kindercare and Open Houses Contact person for admissions: Sudha Kolluru, Centre Manager; +91 9908573331 Employment opportunity: If you wish to work in a Jain Toddler school send your profile at jgihyd@gmail.com
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Planet Kids Year of inception: 2005 Founders: Chandu Jain; Amar Kapasi Head office: Bangalore Address: C-7, ‘Unity Buildings’, 1st Floor, J C Road, Bangalore- 560 002 Website: www.planetkids.in Email: info@planetkids.in; franchise@planetkids.in Contact Numbers: +91 80 411-45744/844 Toll Free Line: 1-800-103-6766
Integrating Modern Pedagogies of Teaching
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Planet Kids is a start-up incepted in the year 2005 at Bangalore with an honest attempt to create a difference in the pre-schooling industry by providing an experience of international standards to the children as well as the parents. The company started off with company owned and operated model of preschools and was a pioneer in the field by integrating modern pedagogies of teaching combined with a state-of-the-art infrastructure at an affordable price point. With-in a very short span of time Planet Kids created an indelible impression in the industry at Bangalore for delivering high quality standards as well as pioneering creativity based activities for the children and a wholesome experience for the parents. Till date over 12000 children and thousands of happy parents have been a part of this hugely successful story and are fast growing by the day. Started with one school with three students in 2005 to 15 schools with over 2000 children in 2013, the journey indeed has been exciting and a fulfilling one. And yet we say, ‘we have just begun’ as there is a lot more to achieve and accomplish. School’s Philosophy The brand name ‘Planet Kids’ denotes a whole different world for the children to explore, learn and enjoy the process of growing up in a happy atmosphere along with acquiring learning skills ‘the fun way’. A planet of the children, for the children and created keeping in mind the various requirements of young learners. The name is synonymous to quality learning for children along with the endearing and friendly Lion mascot ‘Frizzy’. USP of your Group Excellent brand equity, young and creative team, extensive knowledge and know-how of Preschooling Industry, and extremely qualified training personnel
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Franchise Process Business Expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
Currently present at Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh Yes 10 Expansion Plans pan India
Requirement for taking Franchise: A Planet Kids preschool centre can be started off in an area which is 2,500 sqft and above carpet area with an investment ranging from `12-20 lakh of rupees, depending on the location and set-up costs. Preferably it should be located on main roads of prime residential localities with ample outdoor play space and also good visibility and accessibility to customers. Deliverables for franchise owner: Planet Kids will offer the franchisee extensive support to start and operate a centre. Basic guidelines on how to start operations, the décor, and the materials required et cetera will be shared with the new franchisees. The in-depth Operations manual will be a ready reckoner to the franchisee to get the framework of policies and procedures to be incorporated. A two day franchisee induction programme will be conducted to help the new franchisee understand the pre-school industry and also how Planet Kids functions. The teachers will be trained by academic leaders from Planet Kids at the beginning of the academic year and also during the year if the need may arise. Constant on-going assistance via phone calls and e-mails will be available to the franchisee to help them settle any issues of concerns. Education coaches will visit the franchise centres and do classroom observations to help teachers perform better. Marketing co-laterals like advertisement designs, banner designs, leaf lets et cetera will also be given based on the needs.
Admission Process Toddler Programme: 1 year – 1 year 8 months Play Group: 1year 8 months – 2 years 8 months Nursery: 2 years 8 months – 3 years 8 months Lower Kindergarten: 3 years 8 months – 4 years 8 months Upper Kindergarten: 4 years 8 months – 5 years 8 months Daycare: 2 years to 8 years Activity Hub: 2 years to 12 years Fee Structure: Ranging from 24000 to 60000 per annum for preschool Programmes for student development: X-SEED curriculum, Kinderdance, E-Blocks & Raise a Reader Programme Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Freshers/ Qualified (NTT or Montessori Trained)/Exprienced Training programme for teachers development: Regular Teacher Training & enrichment Programmes Employment opportunity: : If you wish to work with Planet Kids in Teachers/Centre heads/Academic Head positions, please mail your profile to jobs@planetkids.in
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
39
Presch l
S p e c i a l Close Up
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Little Legends Year of inception: 2005 Founder and Chairperson: M G Vasan COO: Sumy Vasan Head office: New Delhi Address: Shubham Enclave, Paschim Vihar New Delhi-110063 Website: www.littlelegends.in
Skilling Kids in a Free and Spirited way Little Legends is an inspiring and ultra-modern pre-school and playstation for your child. Your child gets international quality of education with Indian values amid joyous ambience. The amazing blend of Academics, Technology and Infrastructure not only delights but energizes your kids to learn while playing. Little Legends truly matches the best of playschools globally and presents lively learning and playing. The infrastructure supports your kids to unleash their creativity and innate skills in a free and spirited way. Learning is fun at Little Legends with the concern for overall growth and grooming of the child to transform him into a bettesr citizen. Little Legends mixes modernity with technology to produce the future citizens. All sorts of facilities have been offered for your child’s growth. At us, IT related aspects, play stations, large amphitheatres and equally charming tools help out the children to learn while playing and sense things differently.
School’s Philosophy: Creating leaders of the future USP: Grooming, learning and teaching through novel methods and judicious use of technology
Admissions Process Minimum age for admission: 1.5 years Admission procedure and fee structure: Rs. 5000-10000 depending on location Programmes for student development: Technology based teaching, special curriculum, stage exposure, physical exercise, brain teasers Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: Graduate with Montessori training/ NTT Training programme for teachers development: Regular and continuous training Support to parents: Watch them learn-live surveillance system Contact person for admissions: Sitara, +91 9891816161
Franchise Expansion Presence across India: 3 schools in Delhi (Paschim Vihar, East Patel Nagar, and Greater Kailash-I) Franchise Option: Yes Expansion Plans: Franchisees all over India Requirements for taking Franchise: 3,500 SqFt area with an investment of approximately `30 Lakh Deliverables for franchise owner: Franchisee fee USP: Technology based education Contact person for Franchise Enquiry: Sabu V Jacob, +91 9891999975
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Come and Explore Bangalore’s most admired preschool now in your neighborhood
www.littleelly.com
Little Elly integrates creativity and academic development that encourages curiosity and joy of learning. Here children are free to grow, develop and discover their full potential in an environment that cares for the overall development of the child. No More classrooms. Only Little Elly Concept Rooms Unique integrated curriculum of creativity and academics Initial Teachers’ Training program for all teachers 70 centers around Bangalore
s ssion Admi for Open up ro Playg ry Nurse ten rgar Kinde are Dayc
for franchise enquiries contact: 09035065699 Bangalore I Hyderabad I Chennai I Pune I Surat I Mangalore I Kharghar I Hosur I Mysore Corporate Office: Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd, # 742, 7th cross, 3rd block, Koramangala, Bangalore - 560036 To Locate the nearest Little Elly center to you, just SMS "little elly near <your area name>" to 90088 90088
Presch l
S p e c i a l Close Up
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Little Elly – Little World of Joy Year of inception: 2004 CEO: Vittal Bhandary Head office: Bangalore Address: Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd, # 742, 7th cross, near BDA complex, 3rd block, Koramangala, Bangalore - 560036 Website: www.littleelly.com
Making Teaching a Joy and Learning a Pleasure
L
ittle Elly is a noble initiative of Learning Edge India Pvt Ltd in association with Glen Tree, UK, the pioneers in serving the learning needs of kids for nearly a decade. The group follows the unique methodology where in every child gets to learn without being made to feel he or she is being taught. School’s Philosophy The school’s mission is to facilitate the learning process that makes every child cheerful, independent and successful in the future. The school believes in making “Teaching a Joy” and “Learning a pleasure”.
USP Little Elly is a concept preschool, which has its own unique approach, using an integrated curriculum as a base for meaningful, experiential and creative learning. The facilities are designed as concept spaces which promote the children’s creativity and autonomy. Children can play, explore, run around, learn, discover and dream in the Early Learning Program (ELP) room, the Music and Movement stage, the Montessori Space, the Creative Corner and in the Play Area. Providing a high quality education for children in their early growth stage yields significant long term benefits. The group strives to provide quality education opportunity to people from all walks of life. The group has a higher goal – the desire to do something rewarding and make a difference in the lives of children, family and their neighbourhood.
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education.eletsonline.com
Franchise Process Business expansion Presence across India Franchise Option Number of franchise Expansion Plans
Present throughout South and Western India Yes 90 Expansion plans are mainly focusing now on metros and two tier cities
Requirement for taking franchise Passion to work with children and be a part of child’s life would be the key attribute to own a preschool. 1500 – 2000 sq. ft. of ground floor space (preferably a bungalow) • For area: 8 - 10 lakhs • Investment capacity: • Breakeven: 6 months – 1 year Deliverables for franchise owner Commitment and assistance is ensured by the presence of Little Elly’s dedicated team who contributes to the franchisee’s success with: Pre – Launch Support, Setting up Support, Post launch support, Training support, Ongoing support, Marketing Support, Branding support, and ERP support Contact person for franchise enquiry: For Bangalore franchise contact Prajwal,+91 9035065699; For Andhra Pradesh and other places franchise contact Chaitanya : +91 9030064615; For Chennai franchise contact Nehal: +91 9036065699; franchise@littleelly.com
Admission Process Minimum Age for admission: 1 year Admission procedure and fee structure: Admissions in the LE centers are open throughout the year. Registration is by having a brief talk with the Centre head, at which time policies and curriculum, parent conferences and procedures, visits and input, children’s records, health and immunization records and emergency and health care policy will be explained. The fee structure of LE differs according to locations. Programmes for student development: The programmes for overall development of the child includes personal and social development programme, physical development programmes, Cognitive development programme, Creative expression/aesthetic development programme. Qualifications required for teacher recruitment: The qualification requirements range from minimum qualification of a graduate or a college degree in child development or early childhood education. In addition to these, preschool teachers must have the ability to communicate, inspire trust and confidence, and motivate students, as well as an understanding of the students’ educational and emotional needs. Training programme for teachers development: Initial Teachers Training Program (ITT) Support to parents: Little Elly facilities are places where people meet and where families are offered intensive support. LE makes parental involvement positive, practical and personal to enable the parents to guide the child into a wonderful chapter of preschool. Teachers collect samples of each child’s work throughout the year to show growth in conceptual understanding and skills development and PTM’s are conducted three times each year. Contact person for admissions: Respective LE center heads; help@littleelly.com To Locate the nearest Little Elly centre to you, just SMS “ little elly near <your area name>” to +91 9008890088 Employment opportunity: If you wish to work with Little Elly send your profile at careers@littleelly.com
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
43
ACADEMIA speak
Q& Universities Must A
Promote National Interest
Education is the key for the development process of an entire nation and can help in taking the country to global heights as a leader in the forefront, says Prof Mahendra P Lama, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), in conversation with Rozelle Laha From being the founding Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University to Pro-Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, please share your experience as a teacher over the past 21 years. Our country requires good institutions, primarily because students opting for higher education are very bright, targeted and forward. We need to channelise their creative minds, and their constructive and collective strength. As the founding Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University, my first aim was to build a national institution that would take care of the local youth, their needs, and an institution that would cater to the entire nation. Despite of the immense support from the central government and MHRD, we have
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failed to give good institutions to the people of the Northeast that are able to cater to the talented crowd there. India has a huge role to play globally as far as education is concerned. The British, Americans, Chinese, Japanese have been using education as a very strong instrument in their foreign policy. While they are talking of hard powers like about atom bombs and tanks, but at the same time, they also give ample significance to education as a key soft power. Indians have not been able to play much on the soft power game despite of a strong historical background in education. Indian Universities should strive to promote the national interest to the global world.
education.eletsonline.com
What are the major determinants of quality for education? There is a huge difference between what we produce and what is required. When we think of quality in higher education, we should think of getting access of the same to all communities thus creating the right people to cater to the needs of the nation and transforming India into a major education hub by reaping the benefits of diverse culture, demography and geography available in the country. The condition of the educational institutes in the country is very poor. The number of higher education institutes is insufficient to cater to a population of more than 100 crore. Availability of a university per thousand of population in India is one of the lowest in the world as compared to China, Japan or America. On a positive note, despite of the state of Indian institutions, foreign students and faculty do come to our country. So, it is evident that they are willing to be here. We only need to create a strong strategy and ensure quality to attract more such people here. Sikkim University offers some unique courses unlike other universities. What inspired you to introduce such courses and how have students responded to these courses? Most of the universities are teaching more or less similar courses these days. In Sikkim University, we did not want to offer courses available in other parts of the country. So, we established the School of Sustainable Development, School of Peace, Conflict and Human Security Studies, School of Indigenous and Folk Studies, School of Global Studies among many others. These courses attracted applicants from countries like China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and India. Most of our present day conflicts are related to natural resource management (land, water, mineral resources), but very few universities in our country offer any course on natural resource management. Similarly, India is a country that shares borders with China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and coastal border with
Higher education should channelise creative minds and collective strength of youngsters Sri Lanka, how many universities in the country offer courses on border? We at Sikkim University realised that with new set of courses, we will not only attract students from India but also abroad. Please throw some light on the scenario of education in the Northeastern states with reference to the Northeast Region Document. Most people perceive that the Northeast is all about insurgency, violence and terrorism, but the fact is that people resorting to such activities comprise of less than one percent of the population living there. They do not represent the entire population. We must establish institutes in the region that would attract more students from other parts of the country who can then carry the message that Northeast is not only about insurgency. Iis also about people, food, culture, intellectual resources and heritage. Higher education must be made more relevant to the society, community, country and the global world
Many institutes in the Northeast that were built by the British continue to remain robust, but post independence not much was done towards building good institutes. The Northeast Region document (released by Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, in the presence of all the Chief Ministers of the Indian states) lays ample emphasis on improvement of education, health and infrastructure of the region. We also have a Northeastern Council which is equivalent to the Planning Commission of India and Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region, but nothing much happened in terms of improvement. Government of India has a Look East Policy as a part of its main foreign policy plan. But, in the policy, where is the Northeast? When they look towards the east, they talk only of Southeast Asian countries like Malayasia, Singapore, Korea whereas the first thing they should look at is their own Northeast. The Northeast is the gateway to the Southeast Asian countries and the Northeast of the home country should be discussed more seriously.
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
45
ACADEMIA speak
What role can universities like IGNOU play in making education more inclusive in the country and what is your vision? IGNOU is the only institution in the country which is truly a people’s university, as it has reached to the remotest of remote areas across many communities. We aim to reach out to the millions of students who still don’t have access to higher education; to the unconventional catchment areas within India and play a critical role by imparting education with help of technology. We also aim to spread the concept of open and distance learning system across the globe. What is your take on teachers’ training programmes in the country? India needs quality teachers. After the qualification of Bachelors of Education was made compulsory part of school teachers’ training by March 2015, we realised that 80 percent of our teachers are not trained. To add to it, when educational boards like CBSE and the various state governments planned to train the teachers, we gathered that there are no teachers’ training institutes either. So, with the help of skill training institutes and private institutes, IGNOU plans to train as many teachers as possible in the coming months. However, with such a huge demand in place, our efforts will be able to cater to not more than two to five percent of the need.
• The need of the hour is to create a good set of teachers, so that students need not leave their hometowns to study in institutes like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University or University of Hyderabad in pursuit of getting trained by the best. • While migration of students from the Northeast is a sign of national integration, the reverse migration would have justified it better
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IGNOU’s Plans • To reach out to the unconventional catchment areas in India • To create a global mark with its open and distance learning system • To train as many teachers as possible in the coming months • To use technology to impart education with the help of skill training institutes and private institutes
As an eminent educationist, where do you see India five years from now? Are we headed in the right direction? Yes. Policy wise, we are heading towards the right direction, but implementation wise, we still have a long way to go. In my opinion, a few good institutes will take the lead in making India an education hub. There is a major lack of serious debate, discourse and discussion on higher education. The higher education system should not be led by the government. It should be led by the demand of students and aspirants. As of now all higher education related discussions are primarily triggered from the government’s end, which again is a
major deviation from our foreign counterparts. What are your future plans for IGNOU? Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has signed an agreement with the African countries to set up the India- Africa Virtual University. The three partners from India i.e. the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Human Resources Development and IGNOU, together are launching a pilot project early next year. This initiative would help us understand the African countries, renew our relations with them and make a very strong education base there. We also plan to have similar initiatives with our neighbouring countries.
Academia Skill DEvelopment Speak
Q& A
Quality Enhancement Has No Limits Dr Achyuta Samanta, founder KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in conversation with Rozelle Laha, shares his vision as an education leader in the private sector What is your vision with KIIT University? KIIT University was started 16 years back in 1987. The progress made by us over these years with respect to infrastructure, ambience, environment, academia, student performance, student achievement, quality of faculty and the students is laudable. However, we have a long way to go as there is no limit to quality enhancement. We will focus on quality faculty, quality placements, quality research publications and consultancy in the coming days, We are laying maximum thrust on research publications and consultancy in order to make a mark for KIIT and to raise its level of acceptance among people. How do you ensure the quality of faculty at KIIT ? We hire M-Tech graduates and PhD students from different IITs and NITs across the country as faculty at KIIT. We usually visit the old IITs during their campus placements. We also advertise in newspapers for faculty recruitment. We also try to ensure good pay and good working environment and ambience to our faculty members. Please tell us something about employability of KIIT graduates. How do you attract corporate to your campus? Despite of locational disadvantages, the employability rate has been consistently commendable at KIIT. We have
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been achieving over 92 percent placements almost every year across all the streams, while the remaining eight percent generally opt out of the placements process. But, we need quality placements oncampus with more multi-national companies to ensure better salary for KIIT graduates. As of now, the highest package is around `17 lakh per annum and the lowest is about `3.5 lakh. As of now, only seven to eight MNCs visit our campus. Our aim is to attract at least 30 to 40 such companies to our campus every year. We are convinced that our rigorous efforts, quality teaching and well-trained graduates attract the industry to hire from the campus. What is your strategy of promoting KIIT among aspirants and corporates? Does being located in a non-education hub affect KIIT admissions and placements in any way? Our acceptance among the students and parents is commendable. Like most private universities, KIIT too conducts KIITEE for admissions to various courses. in the university. As per last year data, 1,60,000 students appeared for KIITEE across the country. Out of these, 42,000 students competed for only 100 medical seats (out of which 15 percent is reserved for management quota) on offer. Surprisingly, 85% of these students are from outside Odisha with maximum student representation from North India. We host foreign stu-
dents from 15 different countries on our campus. What is the strategy for yielding better research output at KIIT ? We have built the advance central research centre at KIIT, wherein we are offer `10 crore as seed money to the advance research centre. We also encourage faculty members already involved in research and consultancy to be more engaged in the same in different ways. At the same time, we are also invite quality scientists as faculty members on our campus. KIITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Biotechnology is perhaps one of the best in the country with excellent research and laboratories almost at par with any other private or government institution in the country. What persuaded you to create Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS)? KISS is a home to 20, 000 tribal children of Odisha who are educated from KG (kindergarten) to PG (Post-graduation) under one roof. It was started with the vision of eradicating poverty through education. KISS has not only become a beauty of the entire world but is also accepted by the Ministry of Tribal Welfare, Government of India as the most successful model as it is a fully-free, fullyresidential largest institute for the tribal children across the world. Once a child joins KISS, he leaves this place only after completing his higher studies with
education.eletsonline.com
a good job in hand. We have achieved a zero drop-out rate at KISS. I consider half education is more harmful than no education. We promote our KISS students to be selected in the IITs, IIMs and NITs. We bear the tuition fee on their behalf to encourage them to pursue higher education. How did you conceive the idea of opening KISS in different districts and across the country? After a successful experiment of the model in Bhubaneshwar, I decided to extend it to other parts of the country to reach out to real poor children of the country. This initiative, I believe, can convert children from being liabil-
Education is the key to eradicating poverty, lethargy, naxalism and every possible issue that plagues the society ities to becoming assets of the society. I have the vision of educating 200, 000 students across different KISS centres of the country in the coming 10 years. I would be establishing at least 100 schools in different states with the help of either the state governments of the respective states or some corporate. There is an increasing urge among most institutions to open up overseas campuses. Do you have any such plans for KIIT University? As KIIT policy, we do not establish any regional campuses. We strive to maintain quality only in the Bhubaneswar campus and hold no plans to establish additional campuses across the country. We have adopted such a strategy as we believe that inability to bring in good quality even in one regional campus can affect the overall reputation of the whole brand.
Dr Achyuta Samanta digitalLEARNING / November 2013
49
policy matter
Technical
Institutes Push for a Regulator With the Apex court’s rule rendering AICTE to be an advisory body and not regulator, many technical institutes of the country agree on the need to be regulated By
Rozelle Laha,
ENN
A
ll Indian Council for Technical Education (AICTE) - the apex regulatory authority for technical education in the country is now merely an advisory body. The Supreme Court, on April 25, 2013 ruled that AICTE will not have the authority to control or regulate the university affiliated professional and technical colleges of the country. The judgment has left most institutes
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across the country to function without any supervisor and might lead to disarray in their functioning soon. Most institutes in the country agree that there should be a regulatory body in place to put a framework in place and to ensure that institutes under its supervision adhere to the rules and regulations set by it. “The decision of restricting the influence of AICTE as a regulator is definitely
going to hamper the quality of technical education in the country. Before diluting the regulatory powers of an existing body, the ministry should have put up an alternative option in place. It is very important to have a regulator who can control and decide on fee fixation and quality,” said Prateek Sanghvi, Vice President, Sanghvi Institute of Management and Science, Indore. As per reports from the ministry,
policy matter
“The Higher Education and Research (HE&R) Bill, 2011 intended to create the National Commission for Higher Education & Research (NCHER) for determination, coordination, maintenance and continued enhancement of standards of higher education and research.” This commission would comprise of members from existing regulatory bodies like University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), setting aside regulatory bodies in the fields of medicine and law, with the power to put in place regulations for medical education and legal education. A Press Information Bureau report in March 2013 mentioned that despite a general consensus on the need to establish an overarching regulatory body at the top, the setting up of the NCHER was specifically opposed by the State Governments of Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. As Prateek Sanghvi pointed out, “with the NCHER still on papers, the ministry should not have dissolved AICTE’s power to ensure authenticity of technical education was intact” AICTE was the affiliating body to nearly 12,000 institutes across the country offering technical education. But, now, with the apex court judgment, around 1, 000 institutes come under the supervision of the council. It also regulated the number of institutes being opened up across the country and approved the number of seats to be offered by these institutes. “Some regulatory body should be there to supervise. It is good for the institution’s management. Compilation of performance based data should be done timely. A regulator ensures that a goal is set and all institutions work towards
Before diluting the regulatory powers of an existing body, the ministry should have put up an alternative option in place Prateek Sanghvi, Vice President, Sanghvi Institute of Management, Indore
The Higher Education and Research (HE&R) Bill, 2011 intendes to create the National Commission for Higher Education & Research (NCHER) for determination, coordination, maintenance and continued enhancement of standards of higher education and research that end result. Also, a regulator checks on the number of institutes and the locations in which they are being opened up,” said Dr Rupesh P Vasani, Principal, SAL Institute of Technology & Engineering Research, Ahmedabad. AICTE ensured a reporting mechanism of an institute’s performance through a format of mandatory disclosures. This procedure of declaring
AICTE had done a reasonably good job of spreading higher and technical education across the country Chetan S Wakalkar, Group Director, Indira Group of Institutes, Pune
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achievements by any institution was applicable to all management and technical institutions in the country. However, some institutes opine that despite of AICTE being in place, “The mushroom growth of unauthorised Bschools led to price war with absolute dilution of standards. A strict vigil is required in checking them and to ensure their closure both to help gullible students and undeserving faculty,” said Prof Dr V G Chari, Associate Vice President, Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Secunderabad. He added that approved management institutes should be provided more autonomy in terms of their geographical expansion including global affiliations. Joint programs and dual programs in collaboration with foreign B-schools/ universities should be given importance to nurture global ambitions of students. Similarly, Dr Rupesh Vasani also suggests that AICTE may act as a regulator, but fixing the curriculum should be there in the hands of the institutes. “The institutes understand the need of a particular course in their own state. For instance, shipping course is important in Gujarat, but we have not been able to offer it as there is no such AICTE approved course in place.” Despite debates on how much power should be there with the apex regulator, the fact remains that a regulator is needed to ensure that the institutes function in array so as to ensure a basic level of quality education being offered by them. Chetan S Wakalkar, Group Director, Indira Group of Institutes, Pune says that “We are currently not clear as to how the Government would be restructuring education regulation India. Hence, it would be difficult to make an accurate statement on whether removal of AICTE’s regulatory powers is good or bad. But,
policy matter
AICTE had done a reasonably good job of spreading higher and technical education across the country. AICTE had mentored private initiative in this space thus at least giving thousands of youth an opportunity to technical education and thus some sort of a career option.” To justify the role of AICTE in promoting quality in technical education, Prateek Sanghvi marked that “All good work done by AICTE in terms of quality improvement of institutes would go to vein with institutes been given the power to function at their own whims.” No bill has been prepared to amend the existing AICTE Act thus making the council an advisory body and not a regulator for the coming months driving technical education towards a confused road.
A regulator ensures that a goal is set and all institutions work towards that end result Dr Rupesh P Vasani, Principal, SAL Institute of Technology & Engineering Research, Ahmedabad
The mushroom growth of unauthorised B-schools led to price war with absolute dilution of standards Prof Dr V G Chari, Associate Vice President, Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Secunderabad
Upcoming Specials December 2013
January 2014
School Ranking issue 2013
Business School Rankings 2014
The issue will rank top school of India.
The B-school special will rank top Business Schools of India conducting 2-year full-time MBA/PGDM approved by AICTE.
For Participation please Contact: School Ranking: Pragya Gupta, school@digitallearning.in, +91 8860651648 Seema Gupta, school@digitallearning.in, +91 8860651643 B-School Ranking: Rozelle Laha, rozelle@elets.in, +91 8860651634
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November 2013 / digitalLEARNING
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Skill Corporate DEvelopment Diary
Q& “India’s Ascent into the A
Online Education Sector is
Slow but Sure!” WizIQ first came into picture in 2007 and has since grown into a popular online education portal, with its virtual classroom technology that is specially tailored to suit the specific needs of 250,000 teachers from over 150 countries By the end of a regular day at WizIQ, there have been 2160 hours of online teaching, in a total of 1606 public courses, with 567710 uploaded content files, and 11118 enrolments. More than 3 million people learning and teaching on a platform so robust, is a feat in itself
So what makes it different from all other platforms in the online education arena? How is it changing the ed-tech scenario in India? Pragya Gupta, ENN talks to Harman Singh, the young CEO of WizIQ, and a passionate teacher himself Harman Singh
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education.eletsonline.com
The world is witnessing a mushrooming growth of online education companies. Do you have a magic formula that makes you stand out? WizIQ’s entire business and product design is based on the underlying belief that good education is driven by teachers - not technology, not content, but teachers. That is a simple thing to overlook but if you think deeply, it can have a profound impact on the industry and that’s what our magic formula is. How are you helping teachers adopt online education? Do you offer onsite training? I would not call it adopting. I believe the whole debate over whether or not to adopt technology into education is pointless. The new web is here, and there is no point resisting it. The right thing to do is to embrace it with a disruptive technological innovation that would define and streamline the otherwise haphazard growth of this phenomenon. And that is exactly what we are doing at WizIQ! We provide teachers with free demos of the product and even help them with the start-up of their online courses. WizIQ Support is 24x7 operational. We have a comprehensive collection of free white papers, ebooks and case studies for teachers to use and implement. WizIQ Blog is another happening portal. We have some very experienced and popular teachers as writers. All our posts are extensively written for the sole benefit of teachers. We at WizIQ believe that everyone can teach something. How courses on WizIQ are different from the courses on other platforms? We identified four components that were crucial for classroom experience: • Live, video based interaction between the teacher and the students • Integrated Content - mostly in multimedia format • Online Assessments • Teacher-Student asynchronous discussions While products were available for some of these individual components, there was no product available, which
integrated all four components to provide a comprehensive online classroom experience. WizIQ merges the four components seamlessly to recreate the classroom experience online. WizIQ Virtual Classroom is easy to use - it works from any web browser on PCs, iPad and Android tablets with web-browsers; is available in 19 languages including languages such as Arabic and Hebrew. All one needs is an Internet connection! How has India accustomed to this new paradigm in education? The infrastructural growth of a country determines how fast it enters into the digital age. For India, it is slow, but sure. Indian universities, colleges, tutoring companies and individual teachers are openly embracing the concept of online education,
of everything else! We want to work with Universities across India to take online education to the whole world. We need to support each other at every step. Our Academic Liaison team connects with leaders in higher education, provides them with training and support and helps them launch their certified courses online. This is a win-win model for everyone because even the students who earlier did not have access to quality education can now be reached via the online medium. Can you share some more details about the platform? WizIQ is an online education platform that offers SaaS based virtual classroom software for teachers, trainers, colleges and universities, high schools, and training and
“Indian universities, colleges, tutoring companies and individual teachers are openly embracing the concept of online education, even open education! Premier institutes like few IIT’s launched their certificate courses on WizIQ even open education! Premier institutes like few IIT’s launched their certificate courses on WizIQ. ISM Dhanbad has a certificate course on International Business Management, also on WizIQ. Everyone has a social networking presence these days. Then why not a social teaching and learning presence too? And then what is stopping the kids in rural India from being taught by the teachers in Delhi or even New York? Nothing at all! This is a new dawn for Indian education sector and WizIQ is proud to be a part of this movement. Do you see Universities in India as potential partners or competitors? WizIQ is building the online education platform in partnership with Colleges and Universities. WizIQ brings the platform, market knowledge and all the support required to deliver education online but WizIQ does not have the expertise in curriculum and the instructors. What we say to the Universities is, do what you do best, that is, teach and let us take care
tutoring centres around the world. WizIQ has over 250,000 teachers and 3.5 million students using the platform in more than 150 countries around the world. WizIQ provides tools for teachers to deliver online education in online or blended learning formats, connect with students, share educational content, deliver live online classes and facilitate highly engaging learning experiences. WizIQ works on PCs, iPad and Android tablets; and is available in 19 languages including Arabic and Hebrew. Universities and colleges can launch distance education programs, again charging if they wish or integrating the programs into existing educational offerings. On WizIQ, students can learn anytime, anywhere at a pace that is comfortable to them. WizIQ offers learning in new, engaging, unprecedented ways for students regardless of time, location, or socioeconomic status. (Kalyan Sarkar, Director of Academic Liaison can be reached at +91-9216405405 or +919897072888 or email at kalyan@wiziq.com or academics@wiziq.com) digitalLEARNING / November 2013
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industry speak
T
ICTs for Fostering a Culture
of Peace and Non-Violence By
Veena Raizada,
58
Director- Education, Next Education India
November 2013 / digitalLEARNING
he human society is passing through a crisis. Violence is becoming an everyday occurrence, which is a matter of concern. The inhuman acts of violence, especially against women and children, the brutal killings of innocent people, terrorism, and injustice are the daily bitter pills of a common man. We seem to be in a state of hyper drive. Stress levels have turned human beings into shorttempered impatient devils indulging in road rage, conflicts and arguments, disrupting peace all around. Even educational institutions at the school or higher level are plagued by violence. It is time to reflect, introspect and act towards building a culture of peace and harmony not only within human societies but also with Mother Nature. The quest for peace that began with the establishment of the UN in 1945 has been followed up by recommendations, declarations and action plans for education for international understanding, human rights and democracy. The General Assembly of the UN designated 2001-2010 as the International Decade for Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children of the World, supported by guidelines to implement education for peace in the education curricula. However, the mission for peace is yet to be accomplished. The effort to evolve a culture of peace and non-violence needs a whole-hearted, participatory and holistic approach to every action plan. Hence, a common platform that connects people and strengthens human bonding across the globe is the utmost need for the success of every agenda for peace and technology has that potential. The 21st century, the digital era, is an amazing age of remarkable ease of accessibility and connectivity. Technology is all-pervasive with smartphones in our pockets. The present generation is at ease with ever-changing technology. The prospects of the world of tomorrow at peace, therefore, seem to be bright. Technology by itself cannot create peace, but can definitely be a powerful tool to combat the culture of war and violence. ICTs tools, as such, are neutral.
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Child abuse report for 2007 conducted among over 12,000 children indicates that in India,almost two-thirds of children are victims of child abuse. Over 50 percent face some kind of sexual abuse, and half of them suffer emotional abuse. Official figures indicate that there are over 12 million child workers in India. Hence, education for awareness and understanding of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will definitely be a big help. The challenge is to develop a thoughtful action plan and know how to execute and promote the relevance for a peace on planet earth.
The root causes of social evils that erode the pathways to peace are mainly poverty and illiteracy. Education is the key to make people self-reliant, and empower them by knowledge to live with respect and dignity in peace and harmony with all, including Mother Earthâ&#x20AC;? What makes the difference is the content, imparting strategies and monitoring progression of the action plans. The root causes of social evils that erode the pathways to peace are mainly poverty and illiteracy. Education is the key to make people self-reliant, and empower them by knowledge to live with respect and dignity in peace and harmony with all, including Mother Earth. In its constitution, the UNESCO states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.â&#x20AC;? A culture of peace, therefore, needs to be initiated in the curricula from the primary stages, and carried forward till the higher levels. Sensitising human beings to respect life, cultural identity, and the cherished values of love and respect by every religion and culture is of paramount importance. Carefully designed curricula content, meaningful teaching and persistent efforts will pave the path to peace. ICTs for Education for all: Education as a dynamic process that inculcates re-
spect for life, create awareness of human rights and equity, promote understanding of global problems, environmental protection, appreciate cultural diversity, rejects violence and resolve conflicts through dialogue and communication is the ultimate magic mantra for transforming hearts to have peaceful world is education for all. Education of girls needs even more priority as the dropout rate is high. ICTs in education are already playing a significant role in reaching out to all. Online education, distance education courses, e-Classrooms and mobile educationare some of them. A lot more needs to be done as the millennium goals of education for all are yet to be achieved. ICTs for awareness of human rights: Youth for Human Rights International maintains that children who do not know their rights are vulnerable and easy prey for unscrupulous elements. The statistics of the loss of dignity and life through child abuse, gang violence, and child labour are staggeringly high. The
ICTs for nurturing cultural diversity: Widespread high-speed networks of technology probably brought the world together faster than desired. This lead to inter-cultural connects without human societies getting enough time to understand and appreciate the cultural identity of every individual across the globe. Emerging conflicts and misunderstanding among human societies could be seen as the risks of technologies. Yet, the potential of opportunities cannot be undermined. ICTs for environmental protection: Rapidly disappearing rain forests, carbon footprints, shattering climate changes, increasing levels of carbon dioxide, mass extinction of species are some of the problems that mankind is facing today. Overpopulation across the globe is the biggest environmental problem. As per UN statistics, the world population grew by 30 percent - almost1.6 billion people - in the last two decades, with India marking the highest increase of 350 million. It is essential for mankind to address the critical problems now rather than facing the consequences later. Unless every human being pledges to do the right thing at the individual level, nothing will work. Conclusion: ICTs can be used effectively for collaboration and co-operation to have communities across the globe have meaningful communication to foster a culture of peace and non-violence to save mankind and Mother Earth.
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
59
Special Feature Feature cyber security Special
Promising career in
Cyber Security By
Amit Kumar,
President, Cyberfort Technologies
I
T is playing dominant role in the current economy and trade. As IT has simplified our daily work in all aspect, it has also called for cyber threat. Cyber criminals have found a new way to invade the economy and terrorise the nation with the use of IT. It has shaken many nations in the past and has made the government to think seriously about this unknown terrorist and secure and preserve the prosperity of their nation. To combat this cyber crime, nation need cyber security expert to work and secure the existing platform so that prosperity flourish in the livelihood of individual people. Though how, India has proven its IT super power across the nation, still it require five lakh cybersecurity professionals by 2015 to support its fast growing internet economy as per an estimate by the union ministry of information technology. These jobs will come up across industries. The financial sector alone is expected to hire over two lakh people while telcos, utility sectors, power, oil & gas, airlines, government (law & order and e-governance) will hire the rest. A large number of these jobs will be around cyberpolicing and ethical hacking, to check for network vulnerabilities. The need for cyber experts has grown exponentially as the country is heading towards an internet explosion mostly fuelled by e-Commerce, e-Banking, e-Governance and the social media. Today, there are more than two billion people online, who need to be protected. Cyber attacks are already happening on a daily basis in the world and as we grow more and more ‘connected’, the threats also become more complex and difficult. On Facebook, there are 50 million Indian users and even if a small fraction of them
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November 2013 / digitalLEARNING
click unsuspectingly on a malevolent but seemingly ordinary link, you have that many computers opened up to risk and infection. The freedom of cyber space is just as crucial to the debate as its protection is. The University Grant Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have asked Universities and Technical Institutions to introduce Cyber Security and Information
Amit Kumar
India needs five lakh cybersecurity professionals by 2015 to support its fast growing Internet economy Security as a subject at the Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate levels. This was stated by Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr Shashi Tharoor in Lok Sabha. Based on the recommendations of the Task Force on the National Security System constituted on the direction of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the UGC has requested the Vice Chancellors of all the Universities to ensure that Cyber Security/ Information Security is introduced as a subject in the universities and technical institutions at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels. AICTE has intimated that following the recommendations of the Task Force, it has made provisions in the Approval Handbook that out of the two divisions allotted at the Post-Graduate and Post-Diploma levels, one shall be on Cyber Security or in Cyber Security related courses in the Computer/ IT branches of Engineering/ Technology. Quoting a Gartner report in its letter,
UGC said, “The country’s information security market is expected to grow by 18% to reach `1,415 crore in 2013 on the back of increased spending by companies to secure their information assets. Despite a continuing economic slowdown that has been putting pressure on IT budgets around the world, cyber security spending globally would continue on an upward trajectory, reaching $86 billion in 2016, up from $60 billion in 2012.” National Skill Development Council is also working with partners to develop cyber security talent. Nasscom along with DSCI currently operates eight cyberlabs in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Thane, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Delhi and Hyderabad. We train the police on forensic, cyber crime detection and tell them how to register cybercrimes, secure evidences as per the IT Act. If combating malware, hackers and cyber crimes are your passion, this is the right time to be a cyber security expert. Amidst this cloud of cyber crimes, there
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is a silver lining that comes in the form of job opportunities for students in the field of information security. Recognising the dearth of trained cyber security experts, the Indian government has expanded the career prospects in this field by announcing to train five lakh cyber warriors in the next five years to boost e-Defense. A government-private sector plan, this initiative aims at beefing up India’s cyber security, as we face a shortfall of five lakh such experts, despite our reputation of being an IT and software powerhouse. The government also intends to introduce specialised cyber security-related curriculum in engineering and management courses and establish Institute of Cyber Security Professionals of India.
Security stats Contrary to the importance given to network security and threat prevention in countries like the UK, US and China, India is lagging behind in identifying the need for this scarce skill-set. The rising spate of cyber attacks has alerted government and private organizations, thus generating a huge demand for information security professionals to safeguard and monitor their network and systems. “Be it an organisation or an individual, everybody wants to ensure the safety of their system, thus, relying heavily on information security experts. Government departments and security agencies too demand large number of cyber security professionals,” says Gaurav Raj, a certified Ethical Hacker. As per industry experts, job opportunities in this field have outnumbered trained professionals. IT security with ethical hacking skills is the most promising career to be in, with challenges and excitement every day of the work. IT is the back bone of any nation in now days. There is a huge shortage of IT security manpower, only 556 professionals are available with respect to five lakhs of jobs in IT security field in India. Recently, government has floated vacancy for the recruitment in Intelligence Bureau for cyber security expert. It shows and opened up the vacancies in this emerging and most promising career in the field of Cyber Security.”
Quick Facts about IT Security Market in India • Indian IT security market to double in five years • RSA’s November 2012 Fraud Report ranked India as the third most targeted by phishing attacks globally. • Indian IT security market will be more than double over the next five years – a CAGR of around 16% – giving increased growth opportunities across different industries in the country. Major drivers that are contributing to the growth of the Indian IT security market include: • Increased penetration of IT services in different verticals in India such as telecom, banking and insurance industries • Increased awareness and takeup by SMBs • Hike in government spending in IT infrastructure within PSUs • The vulnerability of Indian IT infrastructure to hackers
Required skills Elaborating on the skill-set required to succeed in the field of information security, Bezawada Bruhadeshwar, International Institute Information Technology, Hyderabad, says, “It’s a field that requires your keen interest, professional training and thorough knowledge of operating systems, programming, networks and protocols. Cyber criminals strike through virus attacks, destroy systems, modify and steal data from your system without your knowledge. The first and foremost job as an information security expert is to detect and analyze the vulnerabilities and then plug the loopholes to protect the system, network and data. Cyber security experts need to know about coding of some basic languages and database handling skills.”
Career ahead If you are a trained professional in this field, you can find placement as network security systems manager, network security administrator, network security engineer, web security administrator, web security auditor, application security tester, ethical hacker, information security analyst, database and software developer, data security specialist, and chief information security officer.
An information security specialist can also start his own venture to provide security solutions to a variety of companies and government departments. Cyber security experts are a desired lot in banks, energy sector, hotels, airlines, healthcare, telecom companies, infrastructure, transportation, law enforcement, defence, emergency response systems and ITES companies, among others.
Required certifications Graduates with a degree in computer science or engineering can opt for various full-time and short-term courses in information security, like MTech and MSc in Information Security, degree and diplomas in information security and network administration. You need to be trained and certified from a reputed organisation. International certifications like Certified Ethical Hacker (EC-Council) and GPEN can do wonders to one’s career as a cyber security expert. Salaries in this field range from `3 to 5 lakh per annum. With experience and desired expertise, the package may go up to 10-12 lakh per annum, and even to a crore. (Cyberfort Technologies, a venture by IIT alumni, is a leading IT security consultancy and training firm in this arena.)
digitalLEARNING / November 2013
61
special feature
Relevance of Higher Education in st 21 Century
I
n a world increasingly defined and re-defined by the forces of the 21st century, all domains of human transactions have undergone massive change. Globalisation has made it mandatory to treat the world as one giant market for each and every product, service or process. Hence, no matter what the domain is, it is inevitable to consider its prospects and ramifications worldwide. Today, the chosen area of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s endeavour is limited only by his/her imagination, otherwise all the world is a stage. Therefore, it has also become mandatory to restructure our systems and processes because for a global market, a system that stands the test at the global level is required. These are global challenges and global opportunities for what one has to offer to the 21st century world. In this context of ceaseless transformation in every sphere, education has no luxury to be a glorious exception. Across the world, it is pertinent to note that education is also measured against global benchmarks and international parameters. University rankings are the testimony of this globalized benchmarking of higher education. At such a time, when higher education is also undergoing a paradigm shift in terms of its foundational concepts, practices and benchmarks, it would be ideal to revisit higher education in India and discourse on its relevance to the globalized nature of the 21st century Indian scenario. Across the world, higher education is deemed equivalent to opportunities for the youth to explore and widen the horizons of knowledge and seek the fulfillment of their aspirations. For a country like India that is deemed the youngest country in the world, it is easy to relate the development of the country to its youth and their
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November 2013 / digitalLEARNING
Dr Haresh Tank
development to higher education. In such an equation, it is advisable to ensure that the youth get the higher education of the international standards because they will be required to compete and perform at the international level. Unfortunately, it seems that there is a long way to go before we equip our youth through higher education for such international competition because our universities have not figured very high in the University Rankings and the employability ratio of the oft-quoted World Bank figure of 10% for general graduates does not seem to be going away too soon. If higher education is the system to provide the youth the opportunity for the development of their skills and competencies so that they realize their full potential and fulfill their aspirations, we are yet to see that happen for scores of youth who
seek these employability skills and await simple straight forward employment opportunities. It has been stressed in various researches and reports on education that the aspects of experiential learning, application-based education and training of the youth to address the market needs are invaluable for the relevance of a countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education and disregard for all this will invariably lead to erosion of the significance of education system itself. Hence, higher education is required to take cognizance of the fact that the world expects it to provide youth for its varied business and market needs and the responsibility of training them for that cannot be any longer avoided or postponed. Increasingly, higher education and employability are being related with each other and rigorously discoursed on different government and
special feature
industry forums. Universities have enjoyed and continue to enjoy certain intellectual freedom that no organization in any domain does because everything is tied today to impact, outcomes and results. But the scenario has undergone a thorough change since the governments, industry bodies, companies and people at large have begun to link higher education to employability and employment and we have come to a point of no-return. Therefore, higher education will need to strive to fulfill its mandate of providing trained and skilled workforce to the country. It is not exactly disadvantageous to higher education because it is in this way that the relevance of higher education will be enhanced and its significance will remain sacred and beyond question. The reasons for strengthening the relevance of higher education in the 21st century are many. Firstly, the 21st century as a knowledge century needs a robust system of higher learning. Secondly, if higher education fails, everything else is likely to be adversely affected – the economy, business, industry, etc. Thirdly, it is for creating knowledge workers of the 21st century that we need to empower higher education with respect to its relevance and its contribution to the society and national development. This is not the conjecture derived out of idle thinking. It concerns what is at stake. It is aptly captured by Dr Ragunath A Mashelkar, “As I see it from my perch in India’s science and technology leadership, if India plays its cards right, it can become by 2020 the world’s number-one knowledge production center, creating not only valuable private goods but also much needed public goods that will help the growing global population suffer less and live better.” In India’s growth story, becoming ‘world’s number one knowledge production center’ is not optional. It is mandatory to accomplish it because unless there is knowledge production to suit the 21st century needs, India will never become an economic superpower. Increasingly, economic growth is directly being linked with what kind of education is provided to its youth. It is unequivocally clear that higher education is particularly entrusted with
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November 2013 / digitalLEARNING
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Above image highlights links between university schools or learning areas and their contribution to the different sectors
this responsibility of ‘knowledge production’, that Dr Mashelkar refers to, that is beneficial to the country and to the world. For such knowledge production and knowledge application, the youth need to be trained for a different skills set. The novel modes of teaching have to come into play and ICT has to be integrated to hone the skills of this high-tech generation for the kind of world they are likely to deal with as professional is quite different from the precepts taught at university departments. Connecting these dots in higher education is required to be done on priority basis so that we can see the full picture and act accordingly. Thus far, we have operated from an ivory tower but now that is a luxury we cannot afford because we have a large youth population to answer to and stakeholders in the world business and industry to provide skilled workforce for. Economics and Education have never
been such close allies in national development. But the time is ripe for such a collaboration of mutual interest. Universities will enrich themselves further if they take a cue from market needs and offer courses and train students for skills and competencies that cater to specific industry and market situations. For an economy like ours which rests heavily on the Services sector, it would be ideal to have some skills development provision for the youth for that specific sector so that when they enter it, they excel at it. In all, the question of relevance of higher education is linked with questions of skilled workforce and economic development. If we, the policymakers, administrators and academicians, answer the question well, it will be our genuinely enduring contribution to nation building and, as for the question of the relevance of higher education, it will cease to exist.
Dr Haresh Tank is Director, Station-e Language Lab. In the capacity of Director, he is in charge of conceptualizing and operationalizing initiatives with a special focus on Skills Development. He holds a doctorate in Statistics and is a noted Statistical Analyst. He was also nominated for Young Scientist Award.
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industry Updates
DataWind intros 3G Phablet
Pearson Acquires GlobalEnglish to deliver business english Pearson has announced the acquisition of GlobalEnglish, an international provider of cloud-based, on-demand Business English Learning Software through its corporate assessment arm Pearson TalentLens. Through this acquisition, Pearson will be offering software product suite to businesses across India and enhance Business English skills of professionals to help them gain competitive advantage. The acquisition is in line with Pearson’s strategy to become the leading player in English language training business worldwide through expansion into corporate markets. GlobalEnglish currently serves more than 450 corporate customers, including 20 percent of the Forbes Global 2000 companies such as General Electric, HSBC and Tata Consultancy Services and is well poised to further penetrate the India market.
LAVA offers tablets with new digital learning tools LAVA International Limited has announced that the company is going to facilitate customised products to harness the potential of digital learning in India. The objective is to empower the students with e-learning tools by offering students an access to a whole new view of their world—right at their fingertips. In this endeavor, Lava announced the launch of the first lot of M-TAB in Meghalaya, where eleven thousand units were delivered to students under the Government’s Student Digital Learning Scheme. This scheme is one of landmark Information Technology-centric initiatives of the State Government, with a vision that IT will revolutionize the way of teaching and learning. Lava has tied up a deal with iProf as one of key content partners for this tablet.
DataWind has launched new additions to its line to tablet computers, led by the UbiSlate 7Cx. At a retail price of `3,999 inclusive of all taxes, the UbiSlate 7Cx is the lowest cost tablet computer with cellular connectivity, allowing anytime and anywhere Internet access with a regular SIM. DataWind also introduced its first product operating on a 3G network with the UbiSlate 3G7 at only `6,999. For those with access to 3G networks, the UbiSlate 3G7 provides broadband speeds with an embedded UMTS modem, without the need for external dongles.
Pearson appoints Deepak Mehrotra as new MD Pearson has announced the appointment of Deepak Mehrotra as the new Managing Director for its India business. He will lead a growing team to capitalise on Pearson’s strength in the Indian education sector and bolster its diversifying business. Deepak will be joining Pearson, October 21, 2013. Deepak was previously associated with Micromax as the CEO. Prior to this, He has served as Executive Director- Mobility for North, West and South regions at Bharti Airtel.
HCL ME intros ‘Kids are Champ’ sponsorship programme HCL Infosystems Ltd has launched its new tablet “ME Champ” exclusively targeted at kids between 3 to 12 years of age. ME Champ claims to enhance the learning experience of Champs, with rich infotainment content across various categories like Games, Education, Books & TV, taking learning and play to the next level. HCL “’ME Champ’’ tablet provides exclusive content that comprises of kids TV, comics, games, knowledge and music. It comes with pre-loaded content for kids, including exercises in art, geography, history, language and mathematics. The device also offers free access to more than 500 Apps under categories – games, books and education, and to all videos under the kids TV segment.
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