Winning laurels
A team from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, took the first prize at the University of Auckland’s United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Business Case Team Competition recently. The team proposed to promote sustainable farming and conscious living through hydroponic farming. The two other teams in the top three were SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, and Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi. All three teams were awarded a place in the University of Auckland virtual micro internships programme with a New Zealand business. The winning team also received a grant towards a programme of study at the University of Auckland
Suhaan S. Mobhani, Class 9 student of Aditya Birla World Academy, has been awarded Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar with Distinction, after earning the prestigious Advanced Placement (AP) International Diploma. Suhaan has won 59 International medals including 40 Gold, 15 Silver and 4 Bronze across various global Maths competitions.
A team of six students from Marwadi University (MU) has won the grand finale of the Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2022 under the Software Edition, held at G.Pullaiah College of Engineering and Technology, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. The team devised a blockchain-enabled solution to a problem statement given by the Policy Planning Cell, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting under the Blockchain & Cyber Security theme. The team members — Kiran Sethumadhavan, Teesha Kshatriya, Neel Dholakia, Akshaj Pillai, Deepak Tailor, and Vatsal Ved — were from the Computer Engineering (Artificial Engineering) and Bachelor's in Computer Application (BCA) courses.
Team Enactus from Universal Business School, Mumbai, has developed a standalone rechargeable solar lamp in collaboration with Team Enactus of of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany. This aims to provide provide renewable energy solution to low-income households of underprivileged communities who do not have access to grid electricity. Named Project SonaLight, the initiative was recently featured in the prestigious Enactus Race for Climate Action Top 12 projects of 2022.
Online learning platform Harappa won three Brandon Hall Group awards for excellence (one gold and two silvers) in the Best Use of Blended Learning and Best Advance in Leadership Development for Women categories.
Higher education in Ireland
Education in Ireland hosted an Undergraduate Showcase among schools in Bengaluru in August to spread awareness about options for higher education in Ireland. Representatives from Education in Ireland, Irish educational institutions and universities visited schools and interacted with students and answered their queries about higher education in Ireland.
AAFT University hosts orientation
Actor Suniel Shetty was the chief guest at AAFT University’s orientation programme, which was attended by over 500 students. The event had many sessions by industry experts and eminent scholars to make students aware of the various opportunities across fields.
Indian educationists visit Israel
FICCI ARISE (Alliance for Re-imagining School Education) led a 24-member delegation of educationists from India to visit Israel. This was done with the support of the Foreign Trade Administration- Ministry of Economy and Industry: Israel and Embassy of Israel, New Delhi. The purpose was to study and understand the Israeli model of education in the K12 space.
Surveys and Studies
CollegeDekho.com recently released insights on college admissions in Tamil Nadu. Key highlights were that the state is a popular destination among students from other Southern states. Engineering courses are the most popular with others being Science, Commerce and Banking, Management and Information Technology. Interest in studying abroad among students in Tamil Nadu rose by 50% in 2021 compared to 2020, with the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany and New Zealand being the most preferred destinations.
The recent 2022 IC3 Institute Student Quest Survey Report revealed that programme details, financial aid/scholarship information, and potential job opportunities were the top three factors affecting student choices when choosing a university. The report was launched at the Annual International Career and College Counseling (IC3) Conference held last month. For more details visit https://ic3institute.org/research-and-publications/
The WorldGrad has announced the key findings of its recent survey on UG and PG students aspiring to study abroad. The survey showed that 32% of UG students prefer Australia while 33% of PG students prefer the U.S. The proportion of UG students considering a hybrid learning option is highest among those considering Australia and the United Kingdom.
Online Chess Tournament
More than 600 students from 10 schools of Global Schools Foundation (GSF) worldwide participated in an inter school Online Chess Tournament, hosted by GIIS Noida along with UP Sports Chess Association and All India Chess Federation. Indian Grandmasters Pravin Thipsay and Bhagyashree Thipsay graced the event. Students from schools in Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Malaysia also participated.
Project Meraki at BHIS
Billabong High International School (BHIS) has launched Meraki, a programme that will host a series of sessions to empower students and provide them with a global perspective. Dr. Eleni Mangina and Dr. Jeremy Simpson from Dublin hosted the first two sessions.
Smart India Hackathon Mumbai leg
The prize distribution of the Mumbai leg of Smart India Hackathon (SIH) was conducted at the WeSchool campus. Teams from Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Bundelkhand Institute of Engineering And Technology, Thakur College of Engineering & Technology and Raisoni Institute of Engineering and Technology won awards.
University of Queensland delegation visits India
A delegation from the University of Queensland (UQ), led by Chancellor Peter N. Varghese AO and President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AO, visited India to engage with education institutes, government and industry partners. It discussed partnerships and collaborations that are geared towards the National Education Policy’s (NEP 2020) aim of internationalising India’s higher education sector and strengthening its long-standing links with India.
Sunstone launches ad campaign
Higher education start-up Sunstone has rolled out its #BecomeExperiencedFresher campaign to showcase the benefits of its industry-oriented education for MBA students. The new campaign can be seen across various digital verticals in six languages: Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hinglish. The organisation has also tied up with Oxbridge University and Sambhram Group of Institutions, in Bengaluru Karnataka, to offer its industry-oriented education and skilling programmes. Sunstone’s network of recruiters will also create a large pool of placement opportunities for students.
New faculty at BITSoM
BITS School of Management (BITSoM) has added 15 new faculty members to teach diverse subjects such as Entrepreneurial Finance and Fundraising, Crafting and Delivering Services, Sustainability, Environment and Business, Research Methods, Business Analytics, International Finance, Strategic Brand Management, Logistics and supply chain, Risk Management, Intelligent Project Management, Work Efficiency Essentials, Persuasive Writing, and Systems Thinking, to students of the two-year, full-time residential MBA programme.
CENTA launches MyCENTA Grow
The Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) Private Limited announced the launch of its global earning platform, MyCENTA Grow for teachers to access additional earning opportunities through worldwide projects. Teachers who meet selection criteria will teach part-time and online on behalf of ed-techs and schools, not only from within India but also internationally. Visit https://m.centa.org/ for details.
Life Skills Workshop
United International School Bengaluru organised a two-day Life Skills workshop to teach students the importance of managing complex realities. Dr. Shobitha Shanthakumari, Principal of Global School of Counselling and Gaurav Dalal, Assistant Professor, Global School of Counselling conducted the workshop.
Teachers’ Day celebrations
On Teachers’ Day, Teachmint released a film that puts the spotlight on school management and encourages them to celebrate their teachers by interviewing school principals, owners and administrators who share what a day in the life of teachers looks like.
Teacher upskilling platform OrangeSlates introduced a digital campaign to nudge teachers to use the abbreviation 'Tr' as a prefix to their name to mark the importance of the profession and send a message to the world that teaching is a noble profession and should receive the accreditation that it deserves.
Schoolnet has announced that it has trained close to two lakh teachers in digital learning pedagogies since 2019. Key states include Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The trainings focused on Tier 2 and 3 markets to bridge the digital learning gap in these regions.
Vodafone Idea Foundation (VIF), the CSR arm of Vi, hosted a virtual ‘Vodafone Idea Teachers Day Celebration’ and unveiled Teachers Diary, a compilation of real-life stories of outstanding and inspiring teachers, and also felicitated select teachers for their exemplary work. The book was released by Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham Education Foundation in the presence of P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, VIL, and Director, Vodafone Idea Foundation; and Dr. Nilay Ranjan, Head, Vodafone Idea Foundation.
Students of Orchids-The International School celebrated Teacher’s Day with the theme "Teaching the Teachers". Students dressed up as their favourite teachers and held a quiz for teachers on pop culture. They also held skits and dances to entertain their teachers.
Avanse Financial Services unveiled its #SaluteToTeachers initiative on its social media platforms to express its gratitude to the country’s teacher fraternity. This initiative has been launched in the form of a special offer on education loans for academic aspirants supported by a teacher co-applicant and for students opting for teacher training courses. As a part of this initiative, the organisation will waive off the last six Equated Monthly Instalments (EMIs) from the education loan repayment structure.
Automation Testing programme
Simplilearn announced the launch of an Automation Testing programme as part of the company’s Job Guarantee offerings. This programme aims to enable learners to master automation testing to accelerate career prospects. Those who have a B.Tech., M.Tech., MCA or M.Sc (IT) from an accredited institution with at least 60% marks, with 0-5 years work experience and legal authorisation to work in India can apply. Visit https://bit.ly/3xm5Bap for details.
Youth Parliament
Griffins International School, Kharagpur, recently organised a Youth Parliament with 50 participants from Classes 9 to 12 to strengthen the roots of democracy and contribute towards nation building. Students learnt about discipline and tolerance towards different viewpoints and practices and procedures of the Parliament.
Accelerating innovation in the U.K.
The University of Strathclyde is part of Innovation Launchpad Network+, a new national network to accelerate innovation in the U.K. The network is a national collaboration, led by the University of Sheffield with the Universities of Strathclyde, Leeds, Warwick, Bristol and Exeter, and the Catapult Network.
MSDE launches revamped curriculum
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched a revamped curriculum on employability skills in association with Quest Alliance, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and various other curriculum bodies within the MSDE ecosystem. This initiative is being supported by the Future Right Skills Network, a collaborative effort by Quest Alliance, Accenture, Cisco and J.P. Morgan.
Jetking Infotrain launches sixth centre
Jetking Infotrain Limited has launched is sixth centre in Mumbai to offer NSDC certified courses like Masters in Cloud Computing and Cyber Security and Masters in Blockchain Development and others like Ethical Hacking, Amazon services, and Microsoft Azure.
