Category: Education

• Grants worth INR 25 million available for Indian arts and culture organisations, festivals, and institutions to work with counterparts in the UK
• Unique opportunity for Indian and UK artists to submit joint proposals by 31 October 2021
• Opportunity to co-create work across theatre and dance, visual arts, new-media, music, film, architecture, design and fashion, literature, and inter-disciplinary arts
• Projects to explore the cross-cutting theme ‘Together’ – addressing shared global challenges through the lens of digital innovation, environmental sustainability and key social issues

 New Delhi (India), October 29: British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, has announced India-UK Together 2022 – a programme that aims to boost India-UK creative collaborations. The programme marks India’s 75^th anniversary of Independence and promotes opportunities to co-develop cross-cultural creative collaborations, skills and knowledge exchange and new artistic work. It takes forward British Council’s commitment to strengthen bilateral relationships between the two nations through greater artistic collaborations and cultural exchange.

India-UK Together 2022 is an open call worth INR 25 million that invites artists in both countries to jointly submit creative proposals. The call promotes mutual and equitable collaboration between emerging and established organisations, festivals and institutions in India and the UK. Ideas are invited to celebrate the India-UK relationship while inculcating the cross-cutting theme of Together–to influence perception change around global challenges, including equality, diversity, inclusion, and environmental consciousness.

 Eligible art forms

The all-compassing India-UK Together 2022 programme offers an opportunity to a wide array of artists and arts organisations to think creatively of newer ways of expression. The programme encourages inter-and cross-disciplinary practices across all art forms – theatre and dance, visual arts, new media, music, film, architecture, design and fashion, and literature.

Examples of projects (not limited to)

The projects submitted could range across virtual art residencies, co-productions, tours, exhibitions, showcases, conferences, performances; augmented, virtual reality projects and installations; film, online archives, guides, learning kit or toolkit; digital broadcast and even cross-disciplinary creative collaborations.

Grants details

Three winning projects will receive grants up to INR 5 million each, and the fourth project will receive a grant up to INR 10 million. Projects will need to be delivered in India between January 2022 and March 2023, with public-facing activity (digital or hybrid) taking place between September 2022 and March 2023. The winning teams will have the opportunity of touring across India and the UK.

Announcing the open call, Jonathan Kennedy, Director Arts India, British Council, said, “Our strong shared culture and arts binds India and the UK together from the past to present and is an important pillar of the bilateral future relationship. The intent of the India-UK Together 2022 programme is to mark India’s 75th anniversary of independence, with some of the best creative minds across both nations – to make connections and create together for the wider world.”

“Culture and creativity connect us in many ways, and the open call aims to foster deeper collaborations, providing companies across a wide array of arts an opportunity to make, share skills and put a spotlight on culture to the world from one of its biggest exhibition stages – India and the UK,” he added.

The last date for submission of proposals is 31 October 2021.

More information about the process, eligibility, submission and judging criteria can be found onhttps://www.britishcouncil.in/programmes/arts/open-call-india-uk-together

About the British Council:

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall, including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by the Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. britishcouncil.org

Surat (Gujarat) [India], October 29: During the coronavirus pandemic, when parents in the diamond city were struggling to fund their children’s studies abroad, a reputable education counselor assisted the students in obtaining free education loans. Meet Mamta Jani, a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor (QEAC) who established her sister concern firm and collaborated with leading financing companies to fund education loans for students in Surat and South Gujarat.

Mamta Jani, the founder of Surat-based Planet Education, has coached thousands of students from various universities and colleges around the world throughout her nearly 23-year career. She is one of the few education counselors who has visited the campuses of prestigious universities on the official invitation and gained firsthand knowledge of student life.

“I came across many parents in the city who were unable to send their wards to study abroad due to the fund issues. This was when I decided to float a sister concern to help the students achieve their dreams free of cost. I tied up with the reputed financing companies like Auxilo, Avanse, and Zenith Forex to provide education loans to the parents,” said Mamta Jani.

In a very short span, Mamta Jani’s Planet Education has spread its wings in India and abroad, including Dubai, Nepal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Jani is a very few counselors in the country who has been directly working with the prestigious universities in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai and the European Union (EU).

Mamta Jani, the founder of Planet Education, said, “We have carefully designed our own teaching material and that it is being constantly upgraded. We have trained the teachers at Cambridge, Pearson, and ETS and that we are the official partners for the British Council, Pearson, and Cambridge, who are conducting the IDP, PET, and IELTS and TOEFL exams in India.”

Mamta, who is also known as the ‘Gem’ of education fraternity, has visited the prestigious universities including the University of Queensland, Monash University, the University of Technology in Sydney, University of Western Sydney, Victoria University, University of Wollongong and the University of Adelaide as the speaker and education counselor.

Jani is the only education counselor who has earned a place as a member of the Association of Australian Education Representative in India (AAERI). Jani has conducted has more than 25 major education fairs, and that she is the first in Surat to bring the foreign universities.

New Delhi (India), October 28: Under the Super 50 programme, PACE IIT & Medical has endeavoured to provide free of cost, quality education to 50 meritorious students across schools in the Delhi-NCR region. To qualify for the scholarship programme, thousands of students from the government, as well as private schools, took the Super 50 exam on October 24, 2021.

Keeping in mind the convenience of the students, the exam is being conducted on two different dates. The second date for the exam is November 14, 2021. Also, students can choose between the offline and the online medium to take the exam. The results will be declared within a fortnight. The interested students who wish to appear for the exam can register on www.pacesuper50.com.

The selected 50 students will be trained for competitive exams such as JEE (Main & Advanced), NEET, NTSE, Olympiads, et al, by the faculty at PACE IIT & Medical to fulfil their dreams of becoming future national leaders in the field of Science, Engineering, and Healthcare. These students will be trained free of cost, irrespective of their financial capacity.

The aptitude test that was conducted is specifically for students of Classes 8th, 9th and 10^th. The aim of the Super 50 initiative is to prepare the selected students for the most prestigious national level engineering and medical entrance examinations such as IIT-JEE and NEET. Students aspiring to participate in Olympiads will also benefit from the Super 50 initiative. PACE IIT & Medical, a leading brand with an educational legacy of over 22 years, has taken this initiative as part of its CSR.

Mr Praveen Tyagi, Managing Director, PACE IIT & Medical, said, “On the basis of phenomenal results of Super 50 winners in the competitive exams, we expect more than one lakh students to compete for this prestigious programme. The selected 50 students will be given the opportunity to enhance their talent under the guidance of the top-notch faculty of PACE IIT & Medical and avail the chance to fulfil their dreams of becoming Engineers or Doctors.”

“We strongly believe that education is the most powerful weapon to bring the desired change and contribute to the society at large, and we feel immensely proud to have such power in transforming the lives of all deserving students,” Praveen Tyagi added.

The institute has been regularly promoting such educational initiatives. Previously, they successfully accomplished, ‘Super 50’ all-girls batch in collaboration with the Women and Child Welfare Department of Maharashtra (2014). Continuing the same, Udaan was undertaken by the HRD Ministry, Govt. of India in 2015, to train meritorious girls across India for an engineering-specific competitive exam which was conducted online from the CBSE Headquarters Delhi.

New Co-CEO Anuraag steers investment with AnaCap to acquire a 1000 student bed facility from IFIM Institutions in Electronic City of Bengaluru

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 28: AnaCap Financial Partners (“AnaCap”), a leading specialist mid-market private equity investor and Cappella Educore, the dedicated education infrastructure (“Edu Infra”) vertical of Cerestra Ventures, have acquired student housing assets from Bengaluru-based IFIM Institutions (“IFIM”), operated under the aegis of Centre for Developmental Education.

Sitting within AnaCap’s mid-market sweet spot, the transaction involved the acquisition of 1,000 student beds, including a combination of existing and a pipeline of new beds fully underwritten by IFIM. Located in Electronic City, Bengaluru, the student housing campus is spread across ~2.5 acres and is within walking distance of a Business School, a Law School and an undergraduate college comprising over 2,500 students. Established in 1995, IFIM is a privately owned group of Educational Institutions based in Bangalore, offering over 30 courses and ranked amongst the best business schools in India.

India has ~34 million students in the higher education space, more than double the size of the mature student housing markets in the West. Given the lack of sufficient supply, partnered with strong demand from a growing millennial student population, the market is witnessing an influx of organisations looking to capitalise on the student housing opportunity.

This marks the second student housing investment in the last 12 months where AnaCap is partnering with Capella Educore, forming a strategic partnership to focus primarily on K-12 school and student housing assets across India.

Rakesh Balasundaram, Investment Director at AnaCap, said, “This investment underscores our commitment to the Indian student accommodation sector, complemented by long-term strategic partnerships with multiple education institutions.”

Anuraag Jhunjhunwala, Co-CEO of Cappella Educore, added, “Cappella Educore is proud to be the partner of choice for two well-established institutions, AnaCap and IFIM. The latest acquisition is in line with Cappella’s strategy to acquire institutional quality student housing assets underwritten by universities. With the rapid recovery in student housing occupancy to pre-Covid levels, these education-related assets continue to demonstrate strong resilience.”

Sanjay Padode, Chairman of IFIM Institutions, also commented, “This transaction represents an exciting opportunity for the Group to smoothly transition to an asset-light model and secure capital for expansion opportunities.”

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 26: GIBS Business School Bangalore, one of the prestigious management institutes in India, has declared the STUDENTS OF THE YEAR award for the batches of 2018-20 and 2019-20. During the grand convocation ceremony, Stuti Bahri and Sanjay Reddy Doddavula were selected for 2020 and 2021, respectively, in the presence of several dignitaries. Both were given a prize of Rs 51 thousand each, along with medals and certificates.

GIBS’s Student of the Year is a unique initiative in itself. The programme has been designed keeping in mind the all-round development of the students. The primary objectives of this programme include:

• To encourage young minds to be proud of their accomplishments.
• To motivate and boost their confidence and to set examples of their brilliance.
• To ignite the spirit of GIBS, i.e., better learning, relearning, and performing, which will elevate them to reach greater heights in their future endeavors.
• To instil the passion and responsibility within himself, becoming a leader who is ethically and morally strong to serve humanity.

The selection of Student of the Year is part of a process. Students are tested on several parameters throughout the academic year. These criteria include Overall Academic Excellence, Attendance for the previous two academic years, Projects and Internships, Effective participation in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, Active participation in activities such as sports, NSS/NCC, Literary, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Representing and Organising Events and Fests, and many others.

This programme started in 2017 when Bharti Khushwaha was adjudged the Student of the Year. Sai Shankar Valasala was declared the winner in 2018, and Anmol Chogani was the winner of 2019. Every year, students strive to get this prestigious award through hard work and dedication.

This year’s programme at GIBS, Bangalore, was memorable in many ways. Where on the one hand, the winners of 2020 and 2021 were chosen simultaneously. On the other hand, the presence of many dignitaries made the event spectacular. This splendid Convocation ceremony was graced by Padmashri Prof. R M Vasagam, Veteran Space Scientist from India and a specialist in space systems including satellites and launch vehicles, Rear Admiral K R Srinivasan, AVSM, IN (Retd), Hydrographic and Oceanographic Expert, Chief Hydrographer, Government of India, Mr. P B Kotur, Head – Global Freshers Engagement Program at Wipro Limited and Mr. Ankit Piplani, India’s leading presenter, anchor & entertainer.

Reiterating their commitment, GIBS management said that such events would continue to be held in the future. Many other programmes are being run along with Student of the Year, and many more are planned in future. Every effort is being made at GIBS to ensure the best future for the students.

Global Institute of Business Studies (GIBS) Business School is located in Bangalore and was established in 2014. It offers PGDM and BBA in several specialisations.

October 19: While the pandemic hit the world with some turbulent scenarios, it also marked the beginning of robust digital learning platforms, which have grown exponentially and will only touch new heights in the coming years. Tech-supported learning not only brings about a dynamic change in the online education experience but can also enhance it in such a way that students become aware of the global perspective and reach new heights.

The EdTech industry entails many pivotal fields, including interactive learning, practical and knowledge-based education and acquiring real-world skills, all at the same time. One area where there is considerable traction among the EdTech industry is the study abroad market.  With growing awareness among the highly educated youth, India has witnessed immense growth in terms of the youth wanting to pursue education overseas.  More and more students are attracted towards the ever-increasing accessibility of education and opportunities worldwide, all thanks to EdTech!

A prodigious step that has been taken in this fast-growing EdTech industry is the new App, Converge. This app is intricately designed for the students to leverage their career prospects and deepen their knowledge on what all is there for them to explore. With salient features like University Finder, Career Explorer, Blogs & Vlogs, and Engagement Forums, students can reap the benefits of this App, all from the comfort of their home. The students can get 360-degree insight into their career choice by exploring various trending careers, navigating specialization options within each career, understanding the associated job profiles and global salary packages. The students can review their top choice universities and shortlist universities that best match their academic credentials.

Besides, the students can validate their choices with ex-students’ feedback and experiences. Through Engagement Forums, the aspirants can directly engage with mentors, industry experts, university representatives, like-minded peers, and others. This app, which provides a one-stop solution for all students who wish to realize their long-standing aspiration of education abroad, received an overwhelming response soon after its launch.

Speaking on this staggering response from students post the App launch, Mr. Suraj Bajaj, Founder and CEO of Converge, stated that “Crossing the 5000-download milestone in just a week of the App launch only reaffirms our resolve to create a dynamic and interactive EdTech platform that serves as a one-stop game-changer destination for students with ambitions to pursue their collegiate and career trajectory abroad”.

By offering an array of unique services and features to students at zero cost, Converge is a utilitarian choice for students seeking overseas education. ​​Students who wish to realize their long-standing aspiration of education abroad, Converge App is the stepping stone to your global success story.

Click bit.ly/2VqT1qC (Play Store);

apple.co/3tsRXzh (App Store)

-Inaugurated new building for increased inflow in Kota

-Witnessed a record strength of 11209 students

-Number of franchise also increased from 31 to 41

Kota (Rajasthan) [India], October 14: Motion Education, a leading educational institution in India known for preparing students for JEE, NEET, NTSE, KVPY, Olympiads and other competitive exams, is growing multi-dimensionally. The total number of admissions offered by Motion in 2020 was 8459, which increased to 11209 new admissions till 1 October 2021. These figures clearly depict that despite the pandemic and aftermaths of Corona’s second wave, Motion Education registered a vivid growth of more than 32 per cent (YoY) in terms of new admissions.

In response to the consistently growing students’ strength, Motion Education inaugurated its new building, “Daksh”, situated at Dadabari, Kota. Spread over 50 000 sqft, the multi-storeyed building is well-equipped with all the modern facilities of quality infrastructure to impart efficacious educational solutions. Mr Nitin Vijay, Founder & Managing Director, Motion Education, believes that a clear vision and proclivity towards technology can easily convert a crisis into an opportunity. He said, “Daksh marks the beginning of our NEET division’s expansion.”

With the spirit of a technocrat and the vision of an entrepreneur, Nitin Vijay tried to cultivate a corporate culture at Motion Education. And, in a bid to make his dream true, he restructured the organisation, where all the departments are seamlessly connected through advanced ICT technologies. From planning monthly activities to a 360-degree assessment of the students, AI and ML-embedded solutions offer a wide range of benefits to the coaching.

Motion Education is growing leaps and bounds. In one year duration, 10 more franchise were added countrywide and the network expanded to 41 cities. The organisation is also excelling in the Ed-tech landscape with the launch of many customized courses backed by hybrid learning models. According to Mr Vijay, “We are not afraid of moving forward when people trust our capabilities and expertise. To them, Motion Education is not just a solution provider but an equally capable planner, too. Excelling on their trust, we invested in smart technologies beforehand, and now it’s paying off.”

“We are innovating in our services, teaching methodology, study material, and academic analytics. The best thing that happened during the pandemic is that we have evolved to know what we have to do in the coming ten years. A perfect combination of human intervention along with technology helped us to deliver beyond people’s expectations,” added Nitin Vijay.

 

New Delhi, Oct 14: Technology is becoming an increasingly important part of education beyond classroom engagement tools. The use of ed-tech extends far beyond reading books and has become increasingly important for education. Though technology can never replace great teachers, the right teacher can transform the next generation with incredible results through technology. Amidst all these advances and innovations, Frontlines media, a social media active page, is doing wonders in fetching jobs to thousands of young graduates.

The Founder’s inspiring story –

The idea of commencing such an intriguing and valuable project first came into the mind of Krishna, who is an electronic engineer by profession. Krishna left his job in Australia and came back to India to start his own company, an ed-tech business proving to be a successful venture. The company has fetched 400+ placements opportunities in the last eight months.

In one of his talks with the media, he has made a point to mention his friend Upendra, who stood beside him when needed and is also one of the central pillars of Frontlines Edu-tech. Upendra has seven years of great experience in the IT industry that has helped the company to understand the demand of the technological world.

The two friends studied the current scenario of the rural students of India who remain jobless after the completion of their graduation. Due to the high population and less technical skills, rural youths find it very difficult to get a job. On the flip side, the companies in India are looking for graduates with good technical skills. That is how the idea of Frontlines media came into existence. The two friends came up together to build a platform that provides varieties of opportunities to learn about technology and helps to increase employment opportunities.

Krishna says, “All the acknowledgement we are receiving now couldn’t have been possible without our students who trusted us with their career and are successfully securing jobs.”

Opportunities –

The company offers free career guidance sessions with industry experts, train students with the best quality trainers at an affordable price and help them in fetching jobs. Additionally, it provides various job notification and acknowledges students about emerging trending and cutting edge technologies. The mentors in Frontlines Edu Tech are well trained and qualified from IITs, IIMs, Top MNCs, DRDO, and other premier organizations. In addition to the above description, the company offers opportunities such as basic aptitude and reasoning to all fundamental programming languages in addition to some cutting edge technologies like cyber security, blockchain, etc.

The ed-tech company has trained around 1200+ students, Fetched 750+ jobs, and mentored around 4000+ students. The majority of these students come from rural areas.

Krishna, the head of Frontlines media, has dedicated the company’s success to the efficient core team members- Gouthami, Ranjith, Harish, Nanda Kishore, Shiva, Vishnu, and Vamshi.

The description of the core team members are as follows-

Krishna – the CEO of Frontlines media, left his job and returned to India from Australia to start his dream company. He is a qualified electronics engineer.

Upendra – the Co-founder of the company, having seven years of experience in the IT industry.

Gouthami – One who gave the idea of starting an Edu-Tech company and the support team member who always drives frontlines ed-tech with innovative ideas.

Ranjith – Having grown up in a rural area, he now helps other students crack interviews and shape their careers.

Harish & Raghava – The members of the support team who lead the student grievance cell.

Swathi – Works in the administration department.

Sai Kumar – Works as a cyber security expert.

The mentor team consists of Nanda Kishore, Shiva, Vishnu, Vamshi, and Sai Kiran.

Ed-tech- the fastest growing industry –

Over the past few years, ed-tech sectors have experienced rapid growth, and the pandemic has accelerated their growth. Surprisingly, in India, the ed-tech industry is the top priority in the list of fundings just after the services provided by the financial institutions. Frontlines media started with only three students in a batch and currently running with 250+ students every month. The success and growth achieved by the company have gained the attention of many youths in the country. In the coming years, it is expected to reach extreme heights and show positive growth. They are looking forward to mentor more students towards a successful career by providing them with the best of their ability.

 

Parents and students can now find the best of schools on the go through their smartphones

New Delhi (India), October 13: In a new announcement, Skoodos, an all-in-one school search aggregator, has launched a mobile app that aids parents with finding, rating, and comparing schools. As a result of the launch of the mobile app, Skoodos hopes to simplify the admissions process and offer parents and students a hassle-free experience while on the go. In a nutshell, Skoodos aims to bridge the gap between the schools and the students by ensuring that the best educational institutions can reach deserving students and vice versa.

The program, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, provides users with the ability to select, shortlist, and compare schools using their phones, no matter where they live or how much time they have on their hands. In just a few clicks, prospective students will have the ability to gather school brochures and other important information for each school; this will eliminate the stress of gathering information separately for each school.

As a part of the launch, Shruti Verma, Co-founder Skoodos, said, “For parents, especially working couples, the Skoodos mobile app will make school search and admissions more accessible and smoother. We feel that selecting the ideal school for your child is both a crucial and tedious task. Subsequently, we focus all of our efforts on shortening the process and offering verifiable information via an easy-to-use interface/app.”

Students and parents can make an informed choice with Skoodos mobile app, which utilizes categories to filter results such as affiliation, admissions process, tuition fee structure, and distance from selected residence, course offerings, extracurricular activities, awards, and website information. The app is available for download on the Google Play store and is free of cost.

Skoodos aims to change perceptions of access to education is in our country, especially for children in India. Its mission is to ensure a bright future through their choice of school.

Many parents find it challenging to choose the right school for their children. The task can be daunting and frustrating. With thousands of available options, it becomes confusing for parents and students to find the ideal options for their careers. Therefore, they need to have the appropriate assistance during this stage. Hence, Skoodos provide and help parents make the right choice by guiding them to the best schools for their kids.

Several college and school search websites allow you to save a list of favourites, but Skoodos goes a step further. The Skoodos platform enables you to compare schools by using any combination of variables. One can use the relevant information and data to compare schools in a way that makes sense for you. It focuses on being productive instead of being busy and believes in achieving the target effectively with coordinated efforts and strategic planning within a set time frame.

Educating a kid is a task that is quite cumbersome for parents. Skoodos believes that finding the right school for the kids is crucial, so it plans to make it as simple as possible.

The app presents parents with specially curated schools that have been verified by a team of experts who judge a school based on a variety of factors and make sure they are only presented with the best schools. Skoodos categorizes the desired schools into categories, along with relevant filters like board and affiliation. The entire process helps parents to make an informed decision regarding the schools.

The association now spans over ten states that include metropolitan cities such as Gurugram, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Noida, Nashik, Pune, Mumbai, and Bahadurgarh.

About Skoodos-      

Skoodos.com is an online portal where families and students can search, review, and compare schools in their city with other cities to make the admissions process smoother. The platform serves as a means of digital communication between schools and parents, and they are available nationwide. Skoodos.com works through a verified list of schools curated by a team of experts, who categorize information on the school’s affiliation, admission process and fee structure, distance from the selected area of residence, courses offered, extracurricular activities, awards and accolades, website, contact details, and others.

 

Saint John’s (Antigua), October 08: The Western Imperial Medical University, Antigua (WIMU) shall Provide Free Medical Education across the Globe to combat the shortage of Doctors, Nurses and other healthcare professionals due to the global pandemic of Covid 19. This was announced today by Mr. Gaston Browne – the Prime Minister of Antigua, in a glittering function to mark the opening ceremony of the University.

WIMU is attempting to combat the daunting barrier that exists in the field of quality international medical education, including the MBBS / MD degrees. In keeping with the publicly maintained Universities in Europe, it is the goal of WIMU to make financial access to the discipline of medicine easier for one and all.

With a plan to bypass the exorbitant capital required to pursue medicine as a career, Western Imperial Medical University is going to waive its tuition fees for all students. The aim is to democratize the reach of knowledge and prevent it from being concentrated in the hands of the rich few.

The advent of COVID 19 put this particular plan in motion. The pandemic’s arrival put an already precariously positioned global economy into a tizzy. Livelihoods were lost, and the process of education was heavily compromised for both students and teachers. The Prime Minister of Antigua, having recognised the need for swift affirmative action, has lauded this path-breaking effort by the Western Imperial Medical University.

Along with making access to medical education affordable, Western Imperial Medical University harbours the vision of teaching every aspect of the discipline with love and detail. Its diverse group of students are to be competently trained in medicine, clinical practice, research, and patient care while residing in a well-maintained air conditioned and the amenity-filled campus in Antigua.

With its efforts in the medical education sector, WIMU is looking forward to a more holistic and affordable education model without compromising the quality of service provided. Here’s hoping for the success of its innovative approach.