Global warming & climate change — a challenge for several decades
We have always known about global warming and climate change challenges that the world has been facing for several decades. Scientists, climatologists, and the
We have always known about global warming and climate change challenges that the world has been facing for several decades. Scientists, climatologists, and the
About the cancellation of the 12th grade exams in India, and its related issues… Since the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, and there are
The on & off pattern in education over the last 18 months, and the uncertainty of when education systems, schools, colleges and higher education
In urban India, particularly in the metros and cities, we have always built large, monolithic school structures — typically, a large campus for several
I am a 58 year old EdTech entrepreneur, and have invested in a few technology based businesses, and also in the education sector. I
I have a five year old grandson who was to attend Lower KinderGarten (LKG) last academic year. That year was a washout due to
There is a lot being said about social capital and creating social equity, including the concept of social equity exchange. My limited understanding is
I am a leisure geek, trying hard to find time for activities that I associate with leisure: travel with family, time with my grandchildren,
When I was young, and a school-going boy, I was the only son, the only child. My father was an engineer who worked for
I had worked extensively in major irrigation projects and also in minor ones, including the restoration of natural tanks — particularly in the arid
At Excelsoft, I raised very little VC Money in the first round; this was in the year 2000, and the valuations were not good.
In this age of social media, the new media, we are all rightfully worried about our identity and data privacy. I have been watching
Garbage disposals by roadsides and in empty lands look bad and stink bad. Cattle eat plastic waste, they choke on it sometimes, and die.
I cannot help but think about the world we are likely to leave behind for our children and grandchildren. The latest tragedy I hear
I am the secretary of a few schools and also the secretary of a couple of higher education institutions. This is in addition to
I come across individuals who have an attitude that is best described as “I know everything about everything, and no other person knows anything
I want to tell a real story from my life. When I was in school, during the summer holidays, I travelled with my parents
I should admit up front that I am not a language specialist and also not an expert on dictionaries. I recently listened to a
At any point in time, we are either solving a problem, or trying to learn new skills, or trying to be creative/innovative. To do
If you have seen the movie ‘Amadeus’, a biopic that was made in 1979, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigal composer and has to
Fear is one of the emotions all living beings face at different times in their lives. I am sure all of us have and
The Corona pandemic, as it has unfolded, has left behind a virus that has remained undefeated till date. Many of us around the world
Learning online from home is still going to be here for a few more months. During the time from March until now, almost December
Right from the day lockdown started, the schools in India have been shut. And I am sure this must have happened in other countries
Many businesses, particularly in certain sectors, are growing through the pandemic period. Digital and online businesses anyway already had the infrastructure to quickly shift
I feel I would always stretch and perform better, and fight harder, if I were intimidated by situations, or Individuals, or in a competition.
Almost everybody agrees that returning to school is at least a few months away. Even that would probably happen in a sluggish and phased
It is really worrying when the schools will reopen! Small kids have been in the confines of home for over 7 months now. It
I was talking to my friend yesterday. We were having a conversation about which business sectors have taken a bad hit, and which sectors
It was one of those days. I was an entrepreneur and also had founded a school which was only three years old. I was
Enterprises of today have to be data-driven organisations. Fundamental data, collected as it is measured and originated, eventually stacks up and becomes smarter as
We need talent to deal with the unpredictable! Our education systems, particularly school education systems, have always been too well organised and so very
Learning is joy. I am sure all of us have experienced a sense of joy and happiness in learning what we are curious about,
EduTech is having its moment. It has moved on from being a ‘nice to have category’ and a sort of ‘marketing edge’ for schools
It has been nearly 7 months of the world’s fight for surviving the Wuhan virus pandemic. Schools and colleges were shut down during the
Most of us who went to school in the 1970s and 1980s will be familiar with the 3Rs in education: they were reading, [w]riting,
I heard this concept for the first time from my dear friend who has been managing the COVID war room for the Government for
All of us need our own ‘think time’: time and space to reflect, introspect, clear the clutter in our mind, and prepare our minds
All of us can see the infatuation in young kids with watching cartoons, especially when they have fun watching old episodes repeatedly. I always
The same zero-sum mentality lies behind the refusal to accept that the standards of education are improving. Every year, we and the other nations
We have had ‘enough’ of a lot of things in life: Enough of the COVID pandemic, enough of working hard, enough of managing work-life
I am an entrepreneur, and in a technology related industry. As an entrepreneur, a CEO & a managing director, I have transitioned from a
Schools have been at the heart of human development, enabling the evolution of modern and smart cities, transitioning from a farm-based economy to a
Once the nCOVID19 pandemic triggered lockdowns and closure of schools, and other education & training systems, it meant that inevitably ‘going to schools’ was
We celebrated Teacher’s day in India, yesterday, 5th September. It is the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna, a great teacher and a statesman, the
Teachers have had a pivotal role in each one of our lives. From Early child, to schools education and Higher Education. Our likes and
Working from home seemed easier and more productive during the first month of lockdown, during March & April. In fact, it was exciting because
Any business needs capital, good leadership, a good team, great marketing, and aggressive sales to grow and also to build the resilience for challenging
During the period of the nCovid crisis, and amidst lockdowns, we have seen lots of webinars, debates, discussions, social media posts, and TV shows
Almost everyone agrees that online learning & assessments will continue to be relevant even in the post-COVID ‘new normal’. Universally, we are expecting the
Each day, when I look at the increasing number of COVID positives, I wonder if it would have helped if the strict ‘lockdown’ was
I have a 3.5-year-old grandson who was to join Kindergarten in June. We went into lockdown in early March, and the schools are yet
In this time of continued COVID crisis, and trying to be careful with Social distancing and trying to do our best to comply with
During the COVID crisis, most of the Schools quickly shifted to education delivery from traditional class mode to online learning mode. Different Education Systems
When we started designing our first school, ground up, our simple brief to our architects was “Every space is a Learning space”. The story of
As an Entrepreneur I was doing a lot of travel to many countries for meeting with customers, prospects, attending conferences. Myself and my friend/Mentor
Curiosity is fundamental to learning. Curiosity is gift of nature to the human mind. Curiosity enables creativity and hence Innovation. All well understood by
The COVID pandemic hit the world, and it took the world a month before it was declared a pandemic. With the underprepared health systems,
At Excelsoft we started to build a online test for, mostly formative assessments. This was in early 2000. This was in parallel to us
I was invited by my dear friend and mentor David Gardner for a trip to Glasgow and to spend a day at SCET in
I finished my Instrumentation Engineering by 1984. The first time I saw a television set in real was 1982. I went abroad for My
All education, at all levels — school education, college education, higher education — has had to separate the institutions of learning from the students
When the COVID crisis hit suddenly. All offices and manufacturing units went into lockdown. All work stopped and strict curfew was implemented. We are
Well educated individuals are generally humble. Haven’t we heard this a lot? Well, there always exceptions to the rule. However, individuals who are learned,
Right from secondary school, we were always advised to stay focused. Focused on learning, sport etc. This advise continued through college and further education
Most schools organise field trips for children. The field trips target destinations depending on the age group, and also the educational intent of a
Have you tried teaching a three-year-old child at home? I have a 3.5 year old grandson who was going to pre-KG until the lockdown
As I was about to begin writing this article, there have been a couple of relevant news alerts: The expert committee setup by the
Due to the COVID pandemic, there is a lot of uncertainty in the various walks of life and various sectors. As all of us
Let us understand the situation in practical terms. Due to the COVID crisis, students are unable to come to schools. How long this will
When a child is born, it least knows the various aspects: the family into which it is born, location, and the geography, location, socio-economic
Children with special needs include those who need technology platforms, and Digital content to be fully compliant to accessibility standards. So that education delivered
In the pre-COVID world of instructors engaging a group of students in a real world classroom had had its innate benefits when compared to
I made several visits to South Africa during the early years of this century 2000-2004. I did several trips to Johannesburg, all business trips.
Face-to-face training in the corporate world has also come to a stop due to the COVID crisis. Companies across the world face serious challenges
Recently we have witnessed special events. The docking of the SpaceX Dragon with the International space station, inside of 19 hours from lift-off. Stunning
Before the COVID crisis, I was invited to speak at a seminar and workshop on digital wellness and the techniques for digital wellbeing. It
There is a thin line between being over-ambitious to being greedy. When children grow up, right through their journey in the school they are
Most good educators will first clear the clutter in the minds of the learners even before pushing new knowledge and skills. It requires a
School education and the Curriculum that drives it should provide for schools to offer inter-disciplinary programs. Our traditional subjects have been science, Math, Languages,
The need for social distancing has kept students away from returning to schools. Most schools use digital content and online connectivity to accomplish education
Most of us would like to believe we know. However, when we are faced with challenges, need for creativity and problem solving, we tend
I am sure most of us ponder about our unknowns. What will help us uncover it? Taking tests, and being assessed. After all tests
Our education systems and curriculum frameworks define clear learning outcomes across all grades and age groups. However, the questions in the present COVID crises
The teachers are delivering lectures online, and the students are listening to them from home. For teachers to deliver lectures in the classrooms (face-to-face)
The normal that was before the nCOVID pandemic was the real normal — materialistic world, career advancement, schools and colleges… Parents, in a way,
It is overwhelming with so many events happening during this year, until now: Ø The global pandemic due to the nCOVID-19 virus, the realisation
The need to comply with social distancing has meant that the schools are shut. Most schools have embraced the online model to ensure education
Open Universities design, develop and offer Academic programmes to such individuals who may not be able to a brick & mortar University. Like most
This week, I had the opportunity to interact with the faculty at Excel Public School. True to its core belief of being a school
COVID pandemic shocked the world and rendered human beings, communities, and governments helpless. The helplessness persists because we have not found a vaccine yet,
I have been an Entrepreneur for 20 years, and an Entrepreneur in the Education Technology space. 20 years ago, EdTech was not a often
When the lockdown 1.0 happened, most schools in southern states of India were finishing up the academic year, and starting the summer vacation. Most
Teachers are delivering lectures online, and students are listening to them from home. For teachers, delivering lectures in the classrooms (face to face) is
Podcasts have been an additional channel for keeping ourselves updated about new educational paradigms, technology in education, and acquiring new knowledge about subjects we
In a class of students with different levels of learning abilities, it is nearly impossible for a teacher to be equally effective to each
For today’s children as they grow up and progress at school, it is essential to not only making them self confident, but also inculcate
Spirituality teachings and training went online quite intensely with video contents, books, debates etc. Very useful indeed for those who already have been attached
There are questions that are begging for answers for now and when the new normal happens. The schools, their leaderships, educators, and administrators were
With increasing use of technology in Education. We will have access to lot more data from using technology platforms for learning, and assessments. How
At the onset of the lockdown due to nCOVID19 crisis, most educational institutions from schools to universities to coaching centers quickly jumped onto the
In the traditional school education system, the student to teacher connect is most likely the strongest, as they spend so much time together at
Viruses are not new. Outbreaks have happened in the past and will happen in the future. Are the current nCOVID-19 pandemic and the consequential
Life, and particularly Education will never be the same again. We continue to discover newer educational paradigm that are inclusive of Edtech. Since more
The COVID crisis has raised global alert and concerns. Their are speculations of more such viral pandemics in the future too. Can we make
When we think of higher order thinking amongst students/learners, the following words come to our mind: Curiosity, Ideation, creativity, design thinking, innovation, et all.
Design Thinking and Innovation, should not be separate subjects in the curriculum. I believe this applies to school education, as much as in Higher
There is a blooming new method of learning – the blended education model that will emerge in school education; a blend of traditional Teaching-Learning
In our current system of education, particularly early childhood education, and school education, have we accommodated, and factored in spaces and time for curiosity
Human nature and the human mind is always seeking to learn – from life in the womb of the mother until death itself. Once
Ancient India did understand Science, Astronomy, and many other aspects of Education well. Our Vedas, Upanishads, and other scriptures are treasured even today. I
We have had interesting suggestions for use of technology in Education. Particularly post the COVID Lockdown, the pace at which newer ideas and justifications
Collaboration among schools. I believe that every school has a unique character like every individual does. Communities of individuals is all about networking, learning
All the benefits of using technology in education is being discussed in all social media platforms. EdTech was seen as “nice to have”, but
In more ways than one, most of us will agree that we conducted our lives, taking for granted everything we were doing: Exploiting Mother
There are practices to proctor online tests.Here is how it looks: Each test taker has digital device: laptop/smartphone with a camera attached etc., for
Before the nCOVID crisis hit, most of us took everything for granted – Traditional Education system, Teaching-learning practices, Brick and Mortar Infrastructure for education,
During these difficult times, we need to think about teachers and Instructors too.
Today’s classrooms in most Indian schools and colleges look similar. Theater like arrangement for student seating. Teacher takes center-stage; typically in front of black/whiteboard