E-startups: Learning Delight making process of learning fun

Learning Delight is using modern technology to make the process of learning fun for both students and teachers

By: Sudhir Chowdhary | Published: November 2, 2016 6:39 AM

Technology and education are a great combination if used together with the right reason and vision. But the sad reality is that technology is touching only urban lives (Representative Image)

Technology and education are a great combination if used together with the right reason and vision. But the sad reality is that technology is touching only urban lives. Lack of teachers, lack of interest, poverty, gender discrimination, lack of infrastructure and old methodologies of teaching are some of the reasons which are holding back progress in rural education.

Learning Delight, a start-up in the rural education space, is trying to change this. It is leveraging modern technology to make the process of learning fun for students and teachers in rural and semi-urban areas. Starting with five schools four years back, it is currently functional in over 8,000 rural government schools spread over 11 districts of Gujarat. “The most unique feature is that it starts at the bottom of the social pyramid, targeting the rural and semi-urban areas,” says Harshal Gohil, founder, Learning Delight.

Back to basics

Having grown up in the small city of Bhuj in the Kutch district, Gohil always had a deep connect with rural India. While he later moved to Mumbai for higher studies, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Pune and pursuing a business degree at Nirma University in Ahmedabad, memories of his early education years stuck with him. And what struck him most was the marked disparity in the quality of education between rural and urban areas. This observation is what eventually prompted him on his entrepreneurial journey. He met his friend and partner Vandan Kamdar during his MBA days, and together they established Learning Delight, with a grand vision of bringing a sense of equivalence in how students experience education, irrespective of the school they go to, in any part of the country.

“The idea behind this venture is and has always been to provide digital learning tools that can aid teachers and engage students in the rural and semi-urban areas. Simply put, we wanted to put the ‘delight’ back in the process of learning. In 2014, we were joined by Parinita my wife, as vice-president, marketing, who shared our sentiments and helped accelerate our operations,” says Gohil.

Gohil was aware of the acute differences in the way the same course curriculum was being delivered across city and village schools. “Further exploring this basic difference, when I went and spoke to rural educators to understand the challenges they face, during my MBA days, is what led to the genesis of Learning Delight. This is why we decided to make our product more region-friendly and ensured that the software was available in the regional language and could be accessed despite lack of internet connectivity.”

Smarter way to learn

The Learning Delight management team believes that grades and high scores are not an accurate measure for what a student is learning. “At Learning Delight, we have incorporated alternative teaching aids such as animation, riddles, puzzles and stories that are aligned to support teachers and enhance the quality of student engagement—based on state board curriculum—making prescribed textbooks fun and easy,” he says.

What also sets Learning Delight apart, in Gohil’s opinion, is that it has a very inclusive approach to rural education. “We encourage the involvement of non-government organisations in the area. We aim to empower schools in rural areas so we don’t expect them to pay for the software. Instead, we appeal to corporate-run CSR initiatives and individuals with a focus on philanthropy, and that is where we generate revenues from.” Enterprises such as Transpek Industries, Adani Foundation, Excel Crop Care, besides some individual donors, have helped scale up the project. “This year, we have partnered with Rotary International, Rotary District 3051 and 3060 to spread the Learning Delight project further,” says Gohil.

Gohil believes that digital education is the norm for the future. “Our journey in transforming rural education in India, has only just begun,” he says, summing up the prevailing mood at his venture.

Source : http://www.financialexpress.com/personal-finance/e-startups-learning-delight-making-process-of-learning-fun/436037/

Junk it: UGC wants college canteens to take fast food off the menu

 

• Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
 |  
• Updated: Nov 11, 2016 11:33 IST

Students said the move to promote healthy eating will not succeed as they would just head out for off-campus outlets. (HT Photo)

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked colleges to stop serving junk food in their canteens.

“Banning junk food in colleges will set new standards for health food and make the students live better, learn better and also reduce the obesity levels in young learners, thus preventing lifestyle diseases which have a direct link with excessive weight,” states the circular issued on Thursday evening and which is available on www.ugc.ac.in.

The UGC is a statutory body to coordinate, determine and maintain the standards of higher education. While the circulars released by UGC are not binding, affiliated universities and colleges are expected to follow the prescribed rules.

The circular even suggests ways the institutes can implement the order.

While the circular does not define ‘junk food’, circulars by other boards of education, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, refer to junk food as “items that are high on calories, but low on nutrients”.

For starters, colleges have been asked to display information on markers such as body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, etc. Orientation programmes have been recommended for staff as well as students so as to put across the point to the youth as soon as possible. Students too have been asked to form clusters among themselves and counsel each other about proper nutrition, exercise as well as other healthy habits.

Some students, however, found this circular amusing.

“In this day and age, almost everyone is aware of the perils of consuming junk food, especially after being told about all through school. We are not school kids anymore to follow such strict rules,” said Ankita Parekh, a student from Bandra’s RD National College.

“The more the restrictions, the higher the chances that we’ll do the exact opposite. If we don’t find our food in the canteen, students will opt for smaller joints outside the college which will not even be clean. At least our canteen serves clean food,” said Sachit Ramesh, a student of Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

While colleges have given a thumbs-up to the initiative, many thought banning junk food will not help much. “Creating awareness about healthy eating is something all colleges can easily adopt, and this can help students understand the problem. Unless students practice self-restraint , simply banning something will not help the cause,” said Vijay Joshi, principal of K J Somaiya College, Vidya Vihar.

What colleges will have to do

■ Implement measures to sensitise students on ill effects of junk food

■ Universities can serve as important data sources on students’ health. Information on markers like body mass index (BMI)/percentage of body weight/waist hip ratio, etc can help create awareness among students towards their health. BMI is the approximate measure of whether an individual is overweight or underweight, calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres

■ Conduct orientation programs for faculty and staff on health issues

■ Create wellness clusters under the Students Welfare Department to counsel students about proper nutrition, proper exercise and healthy habits. These wellness clusters can also provide psychological support to the students to prevent and reduce the incidence of obesity in young students

Similar incidents

■ In January this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) directed all affiliated schools to take junk food off their canteen menu. Schools were also asked to inspect lunch boxes of students, create awareness about nutritious food and regularly monitor students’ health. The circular was released following a report by the Ministry of Women and Child Development addressing consumption of foods High in Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) and promotion of healthy snacks in schools

■ In May 2012, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had directed all schools to ban junk food and carbonated drinks, calling them “rich in calories but deficient in vital nutrients”. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations in May 2012 and all schools were asked to implement this ban at the earliest

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/junk-it-ugc-wants-college-canteens-to-take-fast-food-off-menu/story-ujBYSVzkhNG0YxiZOnzm9J.html

Government thinking of re-introducing CBSE Class 10 board exam: Javadekar

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that apart from NAAC ratings, the ranking of the educational institution in the HRD ministry's NIRF rankings will be taken into consideration to grade them

By: PTI | New Delhi | Updated: November 11, 2016 10:08 am

The Minister said whatever he may change this year, will be implemented in 2017-18 cycle, not this year The Government is thinking of re-introducing compulsory Class 10 board examination but if such a decision is taken, it will only be applied from the next academic year, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar today said. “I want to start CBSE 10th board exams because all other students, other than CBSE are appearing for Board exams. But for CBSE, it is an option. So why?,” Javadekar said while speaking at an interaction organised by FICCI.
The minister added that he got a lot of queries including from mediapersons, who also said they have children studying in CBSE schools and with March approaching they would need time to prepare.
“I said whatever I may change this year, will be implemented in 2017-18 cycle, not this year,” Javadekar clarified. Javadekar said that the government is also planning to bring in a new system under which educational institutions are regulated.
He added that apart from NAAC ratings, the ranking of the educational institution in the HRD ministry’s NIRF rankings will be taken into consideration to grade them. He said that for the best institutes there will be maximum autonomy and minimum regulation, for the next category there will be a balance of autonomy and regulation.
For those institutes which are a behind these two categories would have more regulation and less autonomy, Javadekar said. Speaking at the interaction, Javadekar also said that quality is the biggest challenge in the education sector.
He also said that the selection of world class educational institutions, on which the HRD ministry is working will be done in challenge mode.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/government-thinking-of-re-introducing-class-10-board-exam-javadekar/

Google launches YouTube Kids in India, a library of learning oriented video content

#YOUTUBE

  09 Nov 2016 , 15:51

Making it easier for today’s tech savvy kids to find videos on topics they want to explore, popular online video community YouTube on Wednesday launched “YouTube Kids” — a huge library of learning content for children — in India. “YouTube Kids comes to India at a great time for millions of Indian families, as it provides children access to content that will enrich thier lives and create new opportunities for learning,” Malik Ducard, YouTube’s Global Head of Family and Learning, said in a statement.

“India already has a very diverse and rapidly-growing creator base for kids and learning, with content in this category growing 100 per cent year over year,” Ducard added. The standalone, kid-friendly and mobile-first app is available on Google Play and App Store from Wednesday. With its playful design, large images and bold icons, YouTube Kids makes it easier for the children to find and navigate through videos like “Little Krishna” or one of the popular videos from “ChuChuTV”.

The voice search to let children find videos when they cannot type or spell a word correctly makes the app more kid-friendly. Indian kids are consuming the content from local as well as international creators, said Aman Dayal, Content Partnership Manager YouTube Kids and Learning, India and South East Asia. “Indian creators are exporting large amount of content as well. There is a uniformity in the consumption as a lot of content created in India is watched outside and a lot of content created outside is consumed in India,” Dayal told IANS.

Many top Indian YouTube Kids and learning creators will be adding new shows exclusive to the YouTube platform on the occasion of the launch, YouTube said. These include new learning shows from “ChuChuTV” and “Kids TV”, a new season of “Cat and Keet”, a popular chase comedy show by Toonz Animation, the “Gummy Bear” song in Hindi and a new season of “Appu – The Yogic Elephant”.

The service also offers parental control option. Parents can broaden or restrict their kids search — turn “on” to access millions of family-friendly videos or turn “off” to restrict their experience. Parents can also limit their kids’ screen time by setting a built-in timer. They can also put in password, restrict certain content and access settings in the app. The YouTube Kids content can also be watched on big screen using Chromecast, Apple TV, game consoles or a smart TV.

IANS

Source: http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/google-launches-youtube-kids-in-india-a-library-of-learning-oriented-video-content-346262.html

Primary maths teachers to get lessons on subject

Nov 09 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Primary maths teachers to get lessons on subject

SwatiShindeGole  Pune:





Teachers of mathematics for standard I to V in state-run schools will receive special training in the subject. The aim is to improve the maths performance of students in that age group. The state education department took the decision after receiving several reports by private and government agencies that highlighted poor performance of the state board students, particularly in mathematics.
Govind Nandede, director of the Maharashtra state council of education research and training (MSCERT) stated that, “Training would be conducted to ensure that the teachers' foundation of the subject is strong enough. This initiative is for primary teachers who teach mathematics for standards I to V .“ The training would be imparted to 25% teachers in every district. The MSCERT has already invited applications from teachers to register for training.The course will mainly concentrate on teaching mathematics concepts with the help of practical activities. “The state education department adopted the concept of activity-based teaching in schools two years ago and the same will be inculcated during training sessions as well,“ Nandede said.
The last day to fill up forms is November 15.

Sleeping time linked to poor self-regulation among teens

Nov 09 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

Sleeping time linked to poor self-regulation among teens

IANS





Poor self-regulation among teens strongly associated is with when one sleeps in relation to their body's natural circadian rhythm, finds a study . According to researchers, daytime sleepiness and being a night owl appear to be more strongly associated with poor self-regulation.

 

“The results of this study suggest it is not how long you sleep that has the biggest impact on self-regulation, but when you sleep in relation to the body's natural circadian rhythms and how impaired you are by sleepiness,“ said sleep expert Judith Owens.

Researchers analysed 2,017 surveys completed by 7th to 12th graders from schools, where students completed questionnaires about sleep and self-regulation, including cognitive aspects, behavioural aspect and emotional aspects.Nearly 22 per cent of the students reported sleeping less than seven hours on school nights.

Sleep duration, daytime sleepiness and chronotype were clearly interconnected -night owls slept less on school nights and were subsequently sleepier in the daytime, as were those who slept for fewer hours. But when researchers examined all three aspects of sleep and adjusted for age, socio-demographic factors and mental health conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression and anxiety , it was daytime sleepiness and `night owl' tendencies that independently predicted impaired self-regulation while sleep duration did not.

Sleepier adolescents reported significantly worse self-regulation, as did teens who tended to be `night owls' rather than `morning larks'.The findings held for all types of self-regulation but were most robust for cognitive and emotional aspects.

“The misalignment or mismatch between early school start times and teens' circadian rhythms -which normally shift later with puberty -may worsen self-regulation or so-called executive functioning,“ Owens added.
 

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Sleeping-time-linked-to-poor-self-regulation-among-09112016107012

THE BOARDS GUIDE

Nov 10 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

THE BOARDS GUIDE 

By Pratibha Jain





Parents often face confusion while narrowing down on a board that will cater to their child's needs and aptitude. Read on to know the features of various boards to help you make an informed choice

Choosing from among the increasing number of high school boards in India often creates confusion for parents as to which will be best suited for their child. Today, all India boards like the CBSE, ICSE and the ISC are competing with international programmes that include the British A levels, international baccalaureate (IB), American advanced placements (AP) and Canadian high school qualifications. Additionally, each Indian state offers its own Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) which extends the choices for parents even further.

CENTRAL BOARDS
A pre-determined curriculum with clear demarcations of subjects under science, commerce and humanities is probably the weakness and the strength of Indian high school programmes. Indian boards are well known for their theoretical approach with high emphasis on textual learning.The indepth study of subjects of a selected discipline gives students a grounding in fundamentals which enable them to meet the demands of higher education at universities in India as well as abroad. The strong academic focus of central boards like the ICSE, CBSE and ISC is the ideal pathway for succeeding in national entrance tests to gain admission into competitive and professional programmes under engineering, medicine, chartered accountancy and management.

STATE BOARD
Schools and colleges that offer the state board syllabus are cost effective and less competitive. It is important to note that local colleges have a legal requirement to absorb a high percentage of students who complete high school from the state boards. Although there are several arguments associated with Indian boards, such as they promote rote learning, and that they are easier to crack than national level boards, the credibility of these viewpoints is debatable.

INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM
Schools that follow an international curriculum are in demand owing to their focus on application based method of study and a small class size, which fosters a greater degree of interaction between students and teachers. The programmes aim to develop and encourage critical thinking, analytical skills, communication, investigative abilities, problem solving skills, team work and research-based learning. International programmes gain their strength through flexibility and diversity of subject choices. Students are exposed to a range of subjects under different subject groups and are given the liberty to choose one from the groups of science, languages, mathe matics and humanities.Moreover, students trained in this `thinking style of education' fit in easily with the academic demands of universities abroad. Additionally, because of the credits they earn for academic work done under IB and A levels, they save time and money while pursuing undergraduate programmes in the US and Canada.

However, students who study in international boards find it difficult to get admissions into colleges in India. One of the reasons for this is that final examinations for international board schools fall in the month of May and results are declared at the fag end of the admission process in India -in July August. Students pursuing international boards usually take a gap year if they wish to take entrance tests for joining competitive professional programmes.
(The author is a career counsellor based in Mumbai)

No ‘easy math’ option for Maharashtra state board schools from 2017-18

• Puja Pednekar, Hndustan Times, Mumbai
| 
• Updated: Oct 28, 2016 11:10 IST

Vinod Tawde, the education minister, is in the process of drawing up a plan to revise the regular math syllabus to incorporate both easy and tough questions (HT)

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From the academic year 2017-18, the state school education department will scrap the easy math or general mathematics option — a less difficult paper than the regular course — for students in Class 9, and a year after that, for Class 10.

Instead, all students will compulsorily take the regular math course that the department is revamping to suit multiple intelligences in the classroom.
Easy math was introduced by the Maharashtra state board in 2011 for students weak in math, in order to improve the pass rate of the subject. There was only one catch. Students choosing easy math would not be able to take admissions in the science stream in Class 11 or to industrial training institutes ( ITIs).
A review done by the department found most students taking the subject were unaware of this clause or regretted it later.

“At 13, it is unfair to ask children to take a subject that will close career avenues such as engineering for them. Many chose it without thinking of its repercussions and faced problems later,” said Prachi Sathe, special officer, education department.
This also reduced the number of students opting for this subject. Of 17 lakh students appearing for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam every year, only 1.15 lakh students pursued easy math. This is just 6.5% of the total number of students.
“The purpose behind introducing easy math was to improve the pass rate of students, but we didn’t see any significant impact,” Sathe said.

It was also becoming difficult for schools to offer the subject only for a few students. “It’s tough because schools have to hold separate classes and exams for a small group of students,” said Sathe.
But what will happen to weak students if easy math is scrapped?
Sathe said Vinod Tawde, the education minister, is in the process of drawing up a plan to revise the regular math syllabus. “ The minister’s plan is to incorporate both easy and tough questions into the subject and design the question paper in such a way that all students can answer it,” said Sathe. She added this would mean scaling down the difficulty level of the regular math course.

“While students appearing for exams like NEET want difficult math on the level of the CBSE syllabus, we can’t deny that SSC board is for the masses and we can’t make the subject too tough for just a few thousand students,” she said.
School principals, however, are upset with the decision to keep only one math subject for all students. “Students with learning disabilities were taking up easy math as they found regular math difficult. Now what option will they have? The department should have consulted with all schools before taking the decision,” said Suresh Nair, principal, Vivek Vidyalaya, Goregaon.
But academicians lauded the decision saying easy math was redundant. “Even easy math was actually not that easy. It was doing more harm than good,” said Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the Maharashtra state board.
Kalpande suggested other ways of making math easy for students. “The paper can be divided into two sections, while it will be compulsory for students to attempt both the sections. The easy section should equip students with enough marks to pass, while the second section could be an add on for students with higher thinking skills,” said Kalpande.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/no-easy-math-option-for-maharashtra-state-board-schools-from-2017-18/story-Yq7AB9of7fiwnEVgh1hTBL.html

CBSE to ensure exam centres are within 8km of students’ schools

• Neelam Pandey, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
| 
• Updated: Nov 07, 2016 09:13 IST

Students do a last-minute revision of syllabus ahead of their CBSE board examinations in New Delhi. (HT File)

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is working on an online system to ensure that students will be allocated examination centres within eight kilometres of their schools, sources said.
According to sources, the board is in the process of providing all information regarding exam centres for board exams, National Eligibility Test (NET), NEET, JEE main online. For this it had asked for disclosures from schools across the country about the current infrastructure there so that the system is made transparent. Currently there is no system for mapping this information online.
The CBSE is looking at allocating centres within an 8km radius of schools so that students don’t have to travel long distances. For other competitive exam, the closest centre will be allocated, sources said.
“Once we are aware of the infrastructure that is present in the schools we can map it online and this will help us in allocating centres automatically. For instance the system will prompt the official as soon as the 8-10 km radius is crossed. This will ensure they don’t allocate centres that are far away,” said a senior official. Sources said there have been instances in the past where students have been allocated centres at far-flung areas.
The move will also eliminate the need for searching or physically checking the centre before the examination which is a common practice amongst the candidates.
Out of the 14,000 private schools, nearly 2,000 have submitted all the information to the CBSE. This will be used for allocating centres to students. The last date for submitting the information is November 30 and the board is confident of completing the process on time. There are 3,000 schools that have uploaded infrastructure details too. There are 18,000 schools affiliated to the CBSE including Kendriya Vidyalayas.

“This would enable candidates to locate a centre on GIS maps in their mobile phones and to view its facilities,” added the official.
The online system will also map facilities such as the type of furniture, drinking facility, toilets that are present in the schools. “There have been instances in the past where students had to write exam sitting on chairs meant for kindergarten children. Once the institutes inform CBSE about the facilities it will be used to allocate centres,” said a source.
As per the CBSE affiliation rules, each school has to prepare its annual report and has to provide comprehensive information including the details of infrastructure and teachers to the board.
On September 29, the board had asked all the schools under it make mandatory disclosures of all information pertaining to the schools including fees, infrastructure, teachers etc. Under this system once the board has all the data it can use it to plan future projects.

Source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/j-k-cbse-to-ensure-board-exam-centres-are-within-8km-of-students-schools/story-Y1tplyBiYllaAcoBqcnnhK.html