Category: Education

Education ring in Ghaziabad traps over 100

According to victims, two people — who identified themselves as Ajay Singh and Ashish Gupta and ran an office called ‘Media tricks’ out of Ansal Plaza in Vaishali — had contacted them over the phone and subsequently convinced them to shell out money on the promise of arranging MBBS seats for their wards under the ‘Nominee’ category, which are reserved for the children of disaster-affected persons.

Education

The victims realized they had been duped when the admission letters from the respective medical colleges did not come by September 26, as promised by the accused, as September 30 was the date of commencement of the academic session. When they went to Ansal Plaza, they found the office locked.

“I received a call from an unknown number, and a girl named Riya asked me about my son’s admission prospects into a medical college. After I told her about his details, she offered to let me speak to her boss (one of the accused) who promised me to get my son admitted to a government medical college,” said Arvind Kumar, a Noida resident, who had paid Rs 15 lakh for his son’s admission.

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“He had even asked me to meet him at his office at Ansal Plaza and to prepare a demand draft of Rs 38,500 in the name of ‘Secretary, Medical Council Of India,” he added.

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He is considered the International Baccalaureate (IB) father, having played a key role in designing the curriculum back in 1968. Nearly four decades on, Professor Jeff Thompson still believes a better understanding of international education is needed.

In Bengaluru to sign a MoU with Indus Training and Research Institute (ITRI) to launch teacher certification programs in international education, Thompson, Emeritus Professor at the University of Bath, UK, spoke to TOI about the curriculum’s growing acceptance. Professor Mary Hayden, head of, department of education, also shared her thoughts. Excerpts:

International education not about promoting western point of view 3

Is India a big market for international education?

India is home to a burgeoning number of institutions teaching international education. There are 584 international schools in the United Arab Emirates alone. China has 547. If we look at the numbers on another day, there will be more shockers because the curriculum is definitely growing. We need to promote curricula that are not regular, and that’s why it’s exciting to come to India.

How would you define an international school in today’s context?

Let’s first look at what we are not about. International education isn’t about promulgating the western point of view. Our own research has strongly indicated that people trying to forego their identity in the name of international education are actually farther from the truth. With diversity as the essence, people should be more competent and confident about their own identity. They should contribute to the cause of international education to promote a global mindset.

How did it begin?

The idea behind formulating the curriculum was pragmatic – the International School of Geneva is facing a problem back then. Having students who were the children of diplomats, United Nations workers, or heads of multi-national companies from different countries, the school had to prepare them for re-entry into their respective nations’ higher education system.

That’s when the need to have a curriculum that could embrace education worldwide and which universities could accept was felt. After a pilot program in the school, the International Schools Examination Syndicate was formed, metamorphosed into International Baccalaureate.

How arbitrary is international education since it has to be in sync with the world?

The curriculum is permanently evolving. It will continue to do so as the world is changing every day. We have to keep students updated with information about different cultures and countries. Initially, when the curriculum came into effect, the most frequently asked question was `what shall we teach.’ Now it has changed to `how shall we learn.’ When we at the University of Bath get students from India or interact with teachers during workshops and conferences, we feel they have a common characteristic -they are open to change.

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What about affordability?

No doubt that affordability is a big challenge. Governments and NGOs in different countries have made efforts to make education more affordable. An interesting pilot program in North Africa looks at designing low-cost schools which follow the IB curriculum.

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The failure of the Indian education system is stark when seen in the light of the fact that thousands of students every year go abroad for a college education. European universities and even the European governments seem to have a more definite plan for Indian students than India. A graduate degree in India is mostly a farce in most colleges. There is hardly any education imparted, and it is seen as more a stepping stone for masters or a necessity to do something else. Students file into colleges spend their time in everything but education. Courses are outdated, and the faculty is inept, illiterate to the changes around them.

A recent experience in Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University really brought all these issues upfront. The outreach cell of the university organized a seminar on globalization. It roped in a public sector company as a sponsor, tied up with a one-person think tank from Chandigarh. Invited to speak, I was piqued as it seemed like an interesting effort. It seems only the invitation was genuine. Neither the university nor the organizers were actually interested in a seminar. All that they were interested in was getting to know a minister. The obsession of academia in Delhi with politicians is not new. Most faculty appointments are at the behest of the politicians. Huge physical infrastructure but the inferior soft infrastructure is not just true of public universities like Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha, but it is even worse in private universities.

Higher education

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The highway from Delhi to Roorkee is dotted with shells of buildings posing as private universities. Actually, on any national highway anywhere, if you see a glass or fancy building with nothing around, it will be a private university. Everything is new and shiny, designed to grab a student’s attention. Large rooms are labeled labs with hardly any equipment inside, a huge campus with a skeletal staff, and even less faculty.

As of 2014, there are 677 universities, 37,204 colleges, and 11,443 stand-alone institutions in India, as per the statistics from India’s HRD ministry website. There is no dearth of institutions willing to give a degree of money; education or skills are not the concern. Higher education is in rot at all levels, and the irony is that these numbers are touted as an indication of the prowess of our education system. Not a sign that this rapid mushrooming has created an edifice that is destroying an aspirational class. There are very little debate and discussion on the fact that our higher education system has completely collapsed.

A study done by a private body says that approximately 18.43 percent of engineering graduates are employable, which means 80 percent of them are unemployable. The situation is worse for plain graduates, and that is where the real malaise lies. Employers say just 5 percent of the graduates in other disciplines are actually employable. What these figures mean is that in sum, higher education or college education has collapsed. Do we see any concern around this collapse? NO.

The IITs, AIIMs, IIMs, are cited as examples of success, not because they have great faculty but also because of them. How many faculty members from our so-called Institutes of National Importance have done anything worthy. A committee under Anil Kakodkar was formed in 2011 to revamp the 30 NITs, the second rung of the IITs, and not the 37,204 colleges or the 11,304 institutions. According to the preamble to this committee, the rationale says that these 30 NITs can aid in ‘nation-building.’ So what will the lakhs of students in thousands of colleges do? If they are not involved in aiding the nation-building exercise, then we have a much bigger problem on hand.

Kakodkar’s report is a bundle of homilies, generalities, and advice from geriatrics. It was submitted in 2014 to the then Education Minister Smriti Irani. Here is a sample of the Kakodkar committee’s recommendation: “ICT for the NITs acts like a force multiplier. NITs must deploy and upgrade the IT infrastructure and associated facilities. Each institute must facilitate extensive use of computer-aided / on-line teaching, virtual labs, e-learning resources, connectivity with National Knowledge Network, etc.”. This is a recommendation in 2014, in the world of MOOCs, Coursera, and availability of free lectures from MIT or any other university of repute. In a world of mobile internet, ubiquitous internet access. It’s recommending a National knowledge network !! Will a student go there or see and hear the latest lecture from a noble laureate. Even the term ICT referring to Information computer technology harks back to the ’60s when some committee members actually did their education.

This is the saddest and the most ironic part of higher education. The system is ossified because of its sheer reliance on age, hierarchy, or seniority. At the same time, the world that their students live and learn in has changed. Higher education will not be revived or pulled out from the depths of its failure by people who do not have a stake in its future. A retired nuclear scientist, more than a bureaucrat, should not be recommending anything about the future of anything, let alone higher education. Bureaucrats should be kept far away when it comes to reinventing.

While we struggle with higher education, Europe seems to be eyeing the conscientious Indian student. More and more students are now traveling abroad for education. Earlier costs used to be the big barrier for foreign education. But as our higher education system is collapsing, other countries are seeing it as an opportunity. German chancellor Angela Merkel has approved a six-year plan to attract Indian students to Germany. Under fire for her liberal immigrant policy, she pushes German universities to attract Indian students waiving off tuition fees for them. Daria Kulemetyeva, Germany’s largest public university, Georg-August-Universitat Gottingen, says Indian students will have to pay just the administrative fees of 300 euros per year if they are selected in a course. The travel and accommodation costs are separate. The rationale, according to Kulemetyeva, is to seek diversity in the student population.

It is not just German universities; almost every country in Europe and its public universities are keen to attract Indian students. Universities from Sweden, Norway, Spain, and France have been working very hard for the last few years to attract Indian students. They have adapted their courses in English, offering free language lessons for immigrant students, etc. A combination of the aging population and a fall in interest in higher education among the current generation is forcing these universities to India. British universities have always found India a fertile ground for students.

John Sanders of the University of Sussex says the lack of standards in Indian higher education means that our Indian student population has always been growing year on year. Harish Lokhun of the University of Edinburgh says, now Indian students go for even liberal arts and humanities whereas earlier they were only interested in engineering and the likes. Even the oldest university in Europe, Sweden’s Uppsala University, is looking for Indian students, and for a reason. Lina Solander, of Uppsala University, “When we are looking at health problems, Indian students would have a much more different view of health policy than a local Swedish student.”

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Spain has formed a consortium of four universities to target Indian students. Matilde Delgado Chawton represents Universidad Autonoma De Madrid, one of the leading universities part of the consortium. She says that the gaps in higher education in India mean that only a small number of students get access to quality; we are looking at bridging those gaps by offering quality education with European exposure. Spain is also looking at funding Indian students. Indian students have traditionally looked at just US universities for graduation; now, they have more avenues opening up.

If India does not look at the collapse of its higher education closely, not only will we be leading to a new brain drain but a collapse of aspirations. This is especially of concern to the new government that has come to power on the rise of this aspirational class.

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The US has always been a magnet for Indian students, and now the figures suggest an increase in the number of those joining universities there. The Open Doors, an annual report on international students in the US compiled by the Institute of International Education, says that in 2015 there was a 30% increase in students from other countries going to the US over the previous year. India is the second leading place of origin for students, and 13.6% of the international student population is Indian.

Education

The US system has several attractions. The courses are very varied and flexible. A student getting into a graduate course has to stick with the subjects chosen; in the US, the student can change midstream if he or she wants to. Students who need financial resources can access these from various sources, and universities help them in this process. In India, private scholarships are difficult to obtain, and the conditions for getting a government grant are tough and restricted largely to students in the reservation quota. Students abroad can get internships, which helps them later in the job market. Perhaps the one major attraction is the synergy between academics and industry. Many courses are tailored to help students get jobs, again quite a departure from India’s largely academically-oriented curriculum. Research opportunities are also limited in India as many higher educational institutions do not have enough infrastructure or faculty.

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The US sinks about $300 billion in higher education. India should consider investing much more in higher education as this will benefit our students and be a potentially huge revenue generator. Students from neighboring and African countries see India as an attractive education destination since it is cheaper and the medium is English. We should cast the net wider. One thing that ought to be done without delay is to ensure that international students feel welcome here. This has not always been the case, especially with African students, who face racial slurs and even violence. We must have a proactive policy of going out and seeking students once we have a more flexible and student-friendly system in place. The returns on this could be enormous, and we should not miss the bus. There are many lessons we can learn from the US, and how to structure higher education and attract a wider variety of students are certainly some of them.

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Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the answer to the country’s sustainable transformation lies in its education system. He underscored how India was once prosperous due to universities like Nalanda, Takshila, and Vikramshila.

“I always say India had 25% of the world GDP and 35% of world trade for centuries together. Today, we are not even 1% of world trade. We are lagging as far as GDP is concerned,” he said. “And therefore, how the nation can sustainably transform is the real thing. The answers lie in our education system,” he said.

Answer to India’s transformation lies in its education system: Javadekar 7

Javadekar spoke through a video link at an international conclave on higher education organized in Gandhinagar as part of the pre-Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit. He could not come here due to an injury that prevents him from traveling for 10-15 days, he said.

Javadekar said that had there been a ranking system in the past, universities like Nalanda, Takshila, Vikramshila would have ranked number 1, 2, and 3 in the world.

“Indian universities were the best. The world’s talent used to come here to learn. So I believe that only those countries can prosper which have the best of universities,” he said, stressing the need to improve higher education in the country Planet Amend. For making higher education better, he said, we first need to improve “the learning outcomes of primary and secondary education

” In primary education, we have to inculcate and promote inquisitiveness in a student. Because that is the foundation for any innovation, there will be no new thoughts unless you promote inquisitiveness, and people won’t be able to inculcate innovative attitude,” he said.

“But at the higher learning centers, a government’s duty is to provide an atmosphere for research, innovation, and improvement of quality,” he further said

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At a recently held conference on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), one of the plenary speakers in Ahmedabad highlighted the need for Environment Education (EE) to be political. EE had been away from politics for long, and this, she said, had rendered it weak. Participants were quick to raise questions about the risks this could pose of complicating the issue further, especially given the facilitators’ ability to deliberate on such topics.
The speaker’s response was unambiguous. On the one hand, students today have access to most of the information – from the internet and other sources. On the other hand, the onus lies on the facilitators to upgrade their skills and communicate the issues responsibly in an apt manner.

Is environment education in India at odds with its development agenda? 9education in India. Representational image. Reuters” width=”539″ height=”404″ />

In other words, not talking on the topics was neither an option nor a solution. To underscore her point, she stated how the Cauvery issue could have been discussed with students by talking about factors that had led to the current scenario. Be it the increase in area under ‘summer rice’ in Tamil Nadu, rise in the area cultivating sugarcane in Karnataka, or expand Bengaluru not maintaining its lakes but seeking water from Cauvery.

Environment education in India. Representational image. ReutersRepresentational image. Reuters
The other issue she raised was that EE was practiced in an unduly polite fashion. Dropping uncomfortable topics did not help EE. Students, who came in SUVs, for example, had to be told that they were not helping the environment. The pollution caused by their vehicles, which most of them did not even carpool in, had to be highlighted. Most of them from elite schools were in a position to influence their parents on such decisions. The elite schools needed to know that, amongst schools, they were the worst polluters.

The session brought out the need to take risks and venture on fresh paths. These debates needed EE’s hour, which needs to reinvent itself and respond to the changing times. However, addressing these issues alone may not help unless we address the larger issue at hand.

We appear to be good at moving from old terms and settling, albeit temporarily, on the new ones. ESD has replaced EE by being more encompassing and holistic. At the same time, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are more evolved and tuned in today’s understanding than the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). However, is there any merit in jumping to fresh terms if we do not question the paradigm within which they operate? Terms which, as the discussions brought out, not many beyond the proverbial choir are bothered about!

Our alienation from nature, today, to a significant extent, is the consequence of an ‘education system’ that is the factoid, data, and information drove, devoid of attention to understanding the interconnectedness that is integral to all life forms. The primary goal of this ‘education system’ is to churn out ‘graduates’ who will fit into the economy (read contribute to ‘growth’ and ‘development’).

That we are failing even in this is a separate discussion. Given that EE or ESD is taught within this system’s ambit, the space they occupy and the scope they harbor will be dictated by the economy. The question then is that in an economy fuelled by ‘growth’ and ‘development,’ what the relevance and impact of EE or ESD are? Especially when the state’s own vision of ‘development’ myopic and, for a large chunk of the population, the term is synonymous with roads and jobs.

Firstpost asked one of the participants, after her presentation, whether her recommendations would make an impact given the larger system in place and if the system should be challenged. “They may not, but we have to work within the system,” was her response Globeinform.

Have we got tuned not to question the system? What then of the ‘critical inquiry’ within Environment Education? Are we unwilling to question our lifestyles as we fear the inconvenience it will bring upon us? After all that we have brought upon the planet, do we expect an easy way out? Nothing comes for free, surely not a better future.

The SDG does not explicitly focus on ‘reducing consumption’ or question ‘growth,’ and unless we do that, the scenario appears bleak. In a perfect world, it would be possible to increase GDP, factory output, and other positive indicators of growth on the one hand and improved ecological conditions on the other. In the imperfect world we inhabit, history has taught us that this is anything but a realistic expectation.

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The current scenario is akin to running on a track with the finish line moving further faster. By the time we will have achieved limited success (assuming we do), our actions, lifestyles, decisions will accentuate the threats and bring forth a scenario that warrants even more attention! We not only need to run but also ensure that the finish line remains static. Environment Education, in its current form, does not appear to be helping.

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Education is one of the most important pillars of the development of any economy. In India, the education sector has undergone a major transformation over the last five decades. Before exploring the investment opportunities in this sector, it would be interesting to understand how it has evolved to where it stands today.

In India, the education sector came into the limelight during the first National Policy Education (NPE) in 1968, which made education compulsory for all children up to the age of 14 and allocated 6% of national income towards education spending. This initiative laid a foundation of ‘radical structuring’ required in the Indian education system. Also, it gave us the uniform pattern of 10+2+3 (secondary school + high school + undergraduate education) that is followed to date.

Indian Education Sector

The second edition of NPE in 1986 emphasized equal education opportunity for all citizens, opening more academic institutions and setting up a non-formal education network. The 1986 policy was modified seven years later through the Programme of Action (POA) to set up a few more reforms and pave the way for a common entrance exam for admission in professional and technical courses. Then came the historic Right to Education Act (RTE) in 2009-10, under which all children in the age group 6-14 years had a fundamental right to free and compulsory education Univers Inform.

Today, India has over 1.4 million schools with more than 227 million students enrolled and over 36,000 higher education institutes, making it one of the largest education systems in the world.

Further, according to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), the market size of the Indian education sector is expected to reach USD 120 billion in FY17. The projected growth rate is estimated around 10-15% in the coming years. Clearly, a sign of substantial progress, one would say. Unfortunately, not really!

India ranks 92 in education among 142 countries if we consider a report by Legatum Prosperity Index 2015. This report ranks 142 countries across 8 categories: economy, governance, entrepreneurship & opportunity, social capital, education, health, safety & security, and personal freedom. The average rank of India based on these 8 categories is 99, not something to be proud of. There is another factor that puts India in the backseat. According to Census 2011, India’s literacy rate is only 74%, putting it in the bottom 10 Asian countries with a literacy rate below 80%.

Why is India not positioned on the top rung of the global education standard ladder? Why have the government initiatives not been able to deliver the expected and acceptable outcomes? There is only one appropriate answer: poor quality education. This further opens up Pandora’s box because the reasons for poor quality education are varied:

A bureaucratic regulatory framework from the government level to the management team of the academic institutions.
Rote-learning-based curriculum and learning environment. Teachers are either underpaid, unmotivated, inadequately trained, or don’t have a participatory role in the decision-making.

High student-teacher ratio – a typical case of a demand-supply gap. Lack of adequate infrastructure to set up and operate schools & colleges. Lack of technology in classroom learning across most academic institutions.

The demographic diversity acts as a barrier in implementing a holistic and universal education program.
There is no doubt that the government is taking radical steps to provide education to all and international quality. The Draft NPE 2016 has already set the ball rolling to put India’s education sector on the global map. The new policy aims to bridge the gap between the growing population and quality education and make India a hub of knowledge superpower. It is expected that this policy will bring the ‘most wanted’ reforms such as technology-enabled education, skill education as a part of the syllabus for more employability, training support for teachers, compulsory quality audits for educational institutions, and reducing government intervention among a few others.

The key features of the Draft NPE 2016 are

Provide equal opportunity to all children and prepare them better for formal schooling by increasing access to early childhood education. Initiatives to restructure evaluation and accreditation criteria as per international standards to ensure quality assurance in higher education.

Periodic renewal of curricula to eliminate rote learning and teach skills for employability. Set up a Teacher Education University at the national level for teacher development and management. Make Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integral to education. Focus on school assessment and governance to measure school quality.

Accreditation to institutes offering open and distance learning & Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
Raise investment and expand the capacity of existing institutions. Make education inclusive and avoid social discrimination. Other significant initiatives from the government were reflected in Union Budget 2016:

Allocation of USD 6.70 Bn for school education and USD 4.44 Bn for higher education, an increase of 4.9% as compared to the last year.

Efforts towards making 10 public and 10 private institutions at par with international excellence. Launch of Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) to improve educational infrastructure.

E-repository of educational records. However, the efforts undertaken by the government will not suffice to uplift the education sector. It should be noted that only 3% of the GDP is currently against education, against the requirement of 6%. And, then there are also implementation challenges, given the administrative bureaucracy and demographic diversity.

In such a scenario, the ideal solution for the government would be to seek active participation from the private players, domestic and foreign. So far, the government has maintained the philosophy that education is not and should not be ‘for-profit business. If this entry barrier is eliminated, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)model will provide a fresh lease of life in the education sector. It can help to meet the gaps in the educational infrastructure in terms of financial assistance, the requirement of several academic institutions& teaching faculty, and other resources.

It is estimated that the Indian education industry needs USD 123 Bn investment by 2030. But, the current private investment is less than 3% of share value compared to investment in other sectors. That now brings us to the opportunities for investment for the private players in the education sector in India.

1. Opening up of new institutions

The private sector already has a 25% market share in the K-12 education sector, with enrolments in the private schools standing around 31%. According to a PRS Legislative Research report released in August 2016, the number of students in classes 1-8 in government schools declined from 71% to 62%, between 2008-09 and 2014-15. Similarly, out of 677 universities across the country, 185 are owned privately, and the enrolment rate at private institutions stands at 59%. These statistics clearly imply that there is an increasing preference towards private institutions in education.

Given that India still needs 40,000 schools, 35,000 colleges, and 700 universities to educate its 130 million school-aged children and the government has targeted a 30% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2020, there is a bright future for private players to start the own venture in the education space. They can obtain direct licenses from regulatory bodies or take the franchise model route (Delhi Public School has a franchise model with a minimum investment cost of USD 308,000). The HRD Ministry has already partnered with Tata Motors Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, and Hubtown Ltd to open three IITs in Nagpur, Ranchi, and Pune. And, there are also opportunities to set up private / deemed universities such as BITS Pilani, Manipal, and Amity.

Indian Educational InfrastructureImage Source

2. E-learning

Classroom learning has moved beyond textbooks and blackboards. These days, there is an increasing focus on digital, mobile, multimedia, audio-visual, and experiential-based study materials. The e-learning market will grow at a CAGR of 17.4% till 2018, says a Ken Research Group report. There is a tremendous scope in the ed-tech space, which is expected to cross USD 70 billion by 2017 and is catching investors’ eyes.

One of the ed-tech pioneers in India was Educomp and NIIT. Over the last two decades, Educomp has reached 30 million learners and academicians across more than 65,000 schools to provide digital and interactive learning content. NIIT has also been instrumental in building employable human resources by providing multi-disciplinary skill and talent development courses to individuals, corporates, and institutions since 1981.

Vedanta: an online education platform Vedanta that offers students get live and personalized training. It has a backing of USD 5 million from Tiger Global and Accel.

Byju’s: a learning app that provides supplemental school curriculum classes for Class 6-12 and tests preparation training for CAT, JEE, IAS, GMAT & GRE. By recently raised USD 50 million from Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation CZI. Earlier, Sequoia Capital and Sofia had invested USD 75 million in Byju.
Nurture: has partnered with more than 15 colleges and universities, private and government, to provide online, tailor-made graduate and post-graduate courses. It has raised Rs30 crores (USD 5 million)(INR 32.50 Cr.) from Bertelsmann India Investments (BII).

Youth4Work: a new generation talent search platform that improves professional skills and builds professional profiles made available to companies for recruitment. It has raised USD 500,000 bridge capital from angel investors Dan Sandhu, Aurum Equity Partners LLP, and GAP investments.

XSEED Education: a for-profit K-12 education startup that offers customized and well-researched proprietary curriculum for students and trains its teachers in-house. It has growing popularity in small towns. So far, it has seen enrolments from about 7,50,000 students. Last year, it ventured into the ed-tech space by acquiring Pleolabs, online education and learning management platform.

3. Teacher Training

The quality of teachers remains a major concern due to low salary payment, lack of decision-making power, and absence of accountability. The draft NPE 2016 states that there is a shortage of over 5 lakh teachers in elementary schools, and about 14%of government secondary schools do not have a mandatory minimum of 6 teachers. A majority of teachers do not have the required knowledge or teaching skills, which results in inferior learning in the classrooms. Also, due to an increasing number of schools, the management comes under pressure to hire qualified teachers or graduates from substandard institutions.

This calls for setting up teacher training institutes, designing courses, or developing tools that can help teachers get formal training, refresh their knowledge regularly, reduce their workload or improve their performance to make classroom learning more effective. For instance, Simplilearn provides short-term, online certification courses for working professionals, including teachers, to upgrade their skills. Then, there are Teachers of India, an online initiative of Azim Premji Foundation to help teachers access teaching and learning resources, adapt new classroom practices, and share their knowledge with their peers. Guru-G, backed by India Educational Investment Fund, offers a gamified platform for teaching, teacher training, and certification of teachers.

4. Rural Education

There are many students in Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities and rural areas who don’t have access to education due to poverty, lack of brick & mortar infrastructure, and financial aid. The state and central government have invested USD 4.7 billion) to improve standards of education in these places. However, there is a need for more funds & efforts to establish last-mile connectivity, which can be achieved with private sector participation. Rural education is already witnessing private participation. Unitus Seed Fund-backed Hippocampus Learning Centres is already doing its bit. It runs more than 200 learning centers across 80 villages in South India, educates 16,000 children, and employs 500 teachers. Aavishkaar, venture capital fund, invested USD 1.23 Mn in Karadi Path Education Co to help expand its English language learning program among primary school students in the rural and semi-urban regions.

5. Inclusive Education

This is a vastly untapped area with huge investment potential. Currently, the Scheme of Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) assists children with disabilities to pursue education. But, according to a United Nations report, 34% of 2.9 million children with disabilities in India are out of school. There is negligible development in inclusive education, barring the ones like Awaz speech assistive device and app for autistic children and a few other ‘special needs children’s learning apps. Private players can make efforts in this direction by setting up disabled-friendly infrastructure in the schools, developing assisted software & devices, and designing training modules to prepare teachers for inclusive education.

India’s education sector is on the path of rapid growth and is expected to generate good annual returns about 7-8 years after the investment. The current government is taking significant steps to speed up the progress. Still, the joint efforts of the private players will breed innovation in pedagogical products & services, pool more & better talent, reduce the cost of education, and make the system more efficient. Hence, this time is ripe for private investment in the education sector.

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Education and pedagogy the world over have constantly evolved to serve the needs of human society. The first recorded models of teaching–be it in the gurukuls of India or the academies in Greece–had restricted attendance only to the children of the most fortunate and influential families, high teacher to student ratios, flexible schedules, and syllabi that were highly personalized to every student’s (and their parents’) requirements, and a wide span of subjects from astronomy to zoology. The students most probably thrived in such a model, but this was far from scalable. Formal education remained the realm of the few for centuries, while the bulk of economic output was driven by human labor.

With the advent of the industrial age, we saw rapid technological transformations that reshaped the meaning of scale in human society–from the steam engine, the radio, the harvester, the satellite, and the internet, machines replaced human labor the brute force applications. Through this shift, we began to generate a real need for many more educated and trained people in the workforce to manage these machines and design better ones. This feedback gave rise to the modern education system as we know it–one that looks very much like an assembly line for the many bureaucracies we surround ourselves with today.

Education

Today’s education systems have adopted the broadcast one-to-many model because that is the most straightforward way to communicate information to a large audience simultaneously. In India, given our challenge of 200+ million students, this factory model seemed the best solution as well. However, the time has come to revisit our fundamental priorities where education is concerned and set more ambitious goals.

Over the past six decades, the priority in Indian education has clearly been to promote 100 percent enrollment and rise against the inertia of dropout rates. With a massive slice of the budget (Rs 99,100 Cr between 2005-2012), large-scale policies like Operation Blackboard, the Mid Day Meal program, and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, the national literacy rate are at 74.04 percent (2011) for adult literacy and 90.2 percent (2015) for youth literacy (between ages 15-24). Some states like Kerala are at 94 percent literacy. Let’s consider this stage of mass onboarding as Education 2.0 – primary education has become a fundamental right, and significant effort has been put into enforcing it World Update Reviews.

Now, we need Education 3.0 to focus on quality and make sure every enrolled student finds the most direct path to achieving their learning goals and job outcomes. Government spending must expand the install base of fundamental layers of innovation – providing free wifi at all educational institutions, a tablet to every student in every school and college in the country, and enabling every teacher and school administrator with a smart device. On top of this install base, public spending must invest in and establish incentives to develop high-quality educational content that is multi-lingual and multi-format and create a free open national knowledge base. The role of teachers must go from information dissemination to content curation and the aiding of problem-solving.

With this intentional expansion of smart and connected devices’ install base, we can create the first universal platform for educational innovation in the world. Tech-enabled pedagogical models to enhance formal education can be unleashed at scale by our most innovative companies. Levers such as personalized and adaptive learning, multi-format simulations and practice environments, improved data-driven continuous assessments, and lifelong learning and training models will lead to a more capable and productive workforce.

Education is no longer the privilege of the few, and that is a good thing. We now need Education 3.0 to crank the flywheel and turn Indian education into the multiplier force.

TV Mohandas Pai is the Chairman of Aarin Capital and the Chairman of Manipal Global Education. He previously served as a Board Member and CFO at Infosys. He has helped co-found over 10 funds that invest in Deep Technology, Life Sciences, and Education.

Pranav Pai is the Founding Partner of 3one4 Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund that leads technology investments in India and the US. He was previously the lead Product Manager at EdCast and graduated from Stanford with a Master’s in Electrical Engineering.

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Tuition at Oklahoma University – Oklahoma University is a great school. In fact, it’s ranked among the top public universities in the US. The school is also known for its outstanding education and research programs.

However, tuition at OU is quite high. If you’re looking for a full-time job after graduating, you may be better off trying a different college.

Oklahoma State University is one of the largest universities in the United States.

It is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and has more than 50,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs.

Its main campus covers approximately 250 acres and includes the J.C. & L. Nichols Medical Library, the University Center, and the James A. Rhodes Memorial Stadium.

The university’s athletic team are known as the Cowboys, and its mascot is “Tuffy.”

The university was founded in 1890 as the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College and became Oklahoma State University in 1907.

In 1918, the school adopted the name Oklahoma State University, the first institution of higher education in the state to adopt this title.

Oklahoma State University is a land-grant institution and is one of only five institutions to have a land-grant college as its main campus.

If you are planning to study at OU, you should know that there are a lot of ways to pay your tuition fees and avoid paying high tuition fees.

It is common thing for students to get confused with different payment options while paying their tuition fees. Some of them find their options too confusing to select the right choice.

In this blog post, I am going to list down different options available to pay your tuition fees and choose the one that suits your needs the most.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to pay your tuition fees through different available options. We will also see some of the drawbacks of each of these options.University

Tuition at OU

Tuition at the University of Oklahoma has increased every year since I’ve been there. This has created a lot of tension in our community. Many students are frustrated and have started talking about leaving the university.

The tuition hikes have also affected the students who cannot afford them. A lot of them are already stressed about their financial situation. They are worried about how they will pay for their tuition in the upcoming semester.

With a tuition increase of over $1,500 yearly, it’s hard for me to believe that the university administration thinks this is a good idea. As a result, many of us are trying to find ways to ensure we don’t lose any money in the upcoming school year.

That’s why I’m writing this article. I’m hoping to get some ideas from the OU community about how they will be handling the tuition increase.

Tuition at OU is affordable and accessible, but it is also very competitive. The tuition costs at OU are among the lowest in the nation, and the average starting salary for full-time students is $35,000.

The first step in choosing an OU program is to determine your major. You should pick a field that fits your interests and personality. You may consider studying economics, criminal justice, nursing, or psychology.

Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll need to complete the application process. This is the first step in becoming a full-fledged student at OU.

You’ll need to apply to the university by completing the FAFSA. It is important to know that you cannot enroll in the university without completing the application process.

Once your application has been processed, you’ll need to submit an official transcript of your high school courses. You should also have proof of financial stability and documentation of your health insurance coverage.

If everything goes well, you’ll be admitted to the university and will be able to begin attending classes.

Oklahoma City campus

Oklahoma University offers many degrees, from arts to law and everything in between. But some programs aren’t offered at other schools, like the Master of Science in Global Health, which is only offered at OU.

While this might be a good program for you, it’s worth checking out other universities to see if other programs would be more suitable.

Oklahoma University (OU) is a public research university located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to the 2015-2016 school year annual tuition and fees, OU costs $19,932 per year.

Tuition and fees include room and board for all full-time students. The average annual cost for students living on campus is approximately $6,000.

If you’re planning to attend OU, here’s a quick breakdown of the yearly attendance costs.University

Bryan Center Campus

There is a lot of information about tuition, but there isn’t much info about how to pay for it.

Most colleges in Oklahoma charge tuition that’s paid in four equal payments each year. You’re good to go if you have the money in your checking account at the beginning of the fall quarter.

If you don’t have the money in your checking account at the beginning of the fall quarter, you may be able to get financial aid, student loans, scholarships, or grants to cover your tuition.

You can use these resources to cover the cost of tuition, books, housing, food, and other expenses.

Don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions about your financial aid or college funding options. Your officer of financial assistance or admissions counselor can walk you through the process.

If you’re not satisfied with your career, then it’s time to start planning for a different one. After all, money isn’t everything, but it does buy a lot of happiness.

You’ll need to pick a new career path, which means finding a company willing to train you to do it. This might sound daunting, but I promise you that if you work hard enough, you can find a way to earn a six-figure salary.

If you’re serious about becoming a financial advisor, you can always start by reviewing their education requirements. They’ll teach you about all the ins and outs of the industry.

You can also check out some of the best online colleges to see which offers the best curriculum. After that, it’s time to get cracking on your studies.

Oklahoma City area

Oklahoma University is one of the top universities in the United States. The university is also consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world. As a result, the university is also extremely expensive.

With a tuition rate of $48,000 per year and a total cost of $68,000 per year, Oklahoma University is definitely one of the most expensive schools in the United States.

However, with the right online courses, students can save thousands of dollars while still being able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

The best part about this is that you don’t need to pay full price for college to get your degree. You can easily access online classes for less than the cost of a public university.

The answer is yes, but the path isn’t necessarily going to be easy. There are many ways to make money online, but none are easy.

If you’re interested in making money online, it’s important to understand the various types of income streams out there. Some are easier than others, but all of them are worth exploring.University

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How much does it cost to go to OU?

A: For undergraduate students, tuition is $9,622 per year. There are additional fees associated with room and board (see below).

Q: Do you need financial aid?

A: Financial aid is available for students who qualify. To apply for financial aid, visit.

Q: What scholarships are available?

A: You can find out more information at the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid ().

Q: How do I apply for scholarships?

A: Apply online at.

Q: What are the requirements for scholarships?

A: Scholarship applicants must be Oklahoma residents, high school seniors, or have graduated from an Oklahoma public high school.

Q: Do you think it would be worth going to Oklahoma University?

A: Absolutely. It’s an amazing school and there are a lot of opportunities there. You can become a doctor or lawyer or anything you want.

Q: What are some things that make you want to attend Oklahoma University?

A: There are so many things that make me want to go there. I like the school, the city, and the people. I like how they’re all different.

Q: What’s something that people might not know about you?

A: My personality changes every day. I am very spontaneous, and I do a manyhings just because I feel like it. I try not to think about what others think, how I should act, and what I should say.

Q: What are the benefits of attending OU?

A: Oklahoma University offers an unparalleled educational experience that is second to none. Our graduates go on to become professionals in the field they’re studying as well as experts in their area. Whether you’re looking for graduate or undergraduate programs, OU has something for everyone.

Q: What do you like about attending OU?

A: I enjoy the campus atmosphere and being part of such a great school. The school offers a diverse student body and a strong Greek life.

Q: What is your favorite class?

A: The classes I have taken so far at OU have been incredible. However, I do not have a favorite style, but I can say I would not want to take my courses anywhere else. I have only met professors with the same passion for their subjects as I do.

Q: How did you choose OU?

A: When I was in high school, I had to decide whether to go to a university close to home or far away. I chose OU because I wanted to study something I was interested in.

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about OU?

A: The biggest misconception about OU is that it’s very expensive. OU is very affordable, and most of my tuition went towards paying for room and board.

Q: What’s the best thing about Tuition at Oklahoma University?

A: The best thing about Tuition at Oklahoma University is that you can make friends from all over the country. There are so many different kinds of people at OU, and they are all so nice.

Myths About Oklahoma University 

  • The school of engineering has a tuition rate of $41,926.
  • Oklahoma State University has a tuition rate of $41,926.
  • Oklahoma State University is a public university.
  • Oklahoma State University was founded in 1890.
  • Oklahoma State University is located in Stillwater.
  •  Tuition is too expensive.
  •  Tuition costs are the highest in the country.
  • Tuition costs are rising at a rapid rate.

Conclusion

In order to stay competitive in the job market, it’s imperative that you keep up to date with current technology. You may even be required to take classes to maintain your professional standing.

However, many students still aren’t sure where to start, or how to get started with their education. Luckily, we have a few things to share with you!

As you may have noticed, we haven’t been talking much about the technical side of things. We wanted to focus on more important topics first.

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After your second year, law students take the bar exam in one of two ways: at law school or on their own. Going to an actual law school has its advantages, but there are also many benefits of sitting for the bar on your own time and schedule.

How to do the Bar Exam without going to Law School? Take the bar exam in two ways: at law school or on your own. Going to an actual law school has its advantages, but there are also many benefits of sitting for the bar. You can continue to learn in an environment with other law students.

Exam

You can continue to learn in an environment with other law students and professors. You can attend lectures and seminars, engage in discussions about the law, and access research materials.

Some law schools will offer you a free or discounted bar review course if you attend their school. So, if you don’t want to pay for a bar prep course, it’s nice to have that option.

What are the topics covered on the bar exam?

The bar exam is taken after you have graduated from law school. To prepare, you need to study the topics covered on the exam, but it is essential to know what those topics are so that you do not spend unnecessary time exploring an area that will not be included in the exam. For example, if a candidate wants to pass the bar without attending law school, they should first look at the required materials and then carefully examine their past knowledge to determine what areas they will want to supplement further.

How many questions are on the bar exam?

Passing the bar exam is more difficult for every new applicant. These days, no matter what state you want to practice in, there are approximately 1,100 questions on the California Bar Exam, and most conditions follow this model. The highest score possible is 150, which means you need a perfect score to pass. Doing the bar exam without going to law school is better to be selective when studying rather than just plowing through chapters. This will allow you to stay focused and enjoy.

Understand the Bar Exam

The bar exam is a comprehensive test that measures a law school graduate’s ability to practice law. The test includes essay and multiple-choice questions. It is administered by the state or bar associations. Although all states have their exam, most states use the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). Each state makes a few modifications to the MBE to reflect that state’s laws and rules.

Prepare for the Multistate Bar Exam

The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice exam administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). It is used to assess an examinee’s knowledge of substantive law and the ability to apply that knowledge.

Things You Should Keep In Your Mind:

  • What is the MBE?
  • What is the purpose of the MBE?
  • How many questions are on the MBE?
  • How long does the MBE take to complete?
  • What is the passing score for the MBE?
  • What is the format of the MBE?
  • What is the cost of the MBE?

How to Prepare for the Bar Exam

To prepare for the bar exam, it is vital first to understand the format of the exam. An exam is typically a three-day event, with the first day consisting of multiple-choice questions and the second and third days comprised of essay questions. To best prepare for the exam, it is essential to practice answering essay questions and become familiar with the topic areas covered.

How to Take the Bar Exam

To take the bar exam, you will need to register with the board of law examiners in the state where you plan to take the exam. You will also need to pay the fee for the exam. Depending on the state, this can range from around $150 to over $500. Fees for bar exams are non-refundable and do not include any credit hours toward a law degree or other credential program.

If you are currently or have previously served in the military, you may be eligible for a reduced rate at many testing centers. Contact the testing center directly to find out if you qualify.

How to Pass the Bar Exam

The bar exam is a challenging test that can be difficult to pass. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of success. First, make sure you are well-prepared. Study hard and take practice exams. Next, try to stay calm and focused on the test. Finally, don’t get discouraged if you pass the first time.

What is the Bar Exam?

The bar exam is a test taken by law school graduates to become licensed attorneys. The bar exam is administered by the state in which the law school is located and is a multistage test that covers history, philosophy, and a variety of legal subjects. The bar exam is typically offered once per year and has several different components.

What are the Bar Exam Requirements?

The Bar Exam Requirements vary from state to state. Still, a person must generally have a law degree from an accredited law school, pass a written bar exam, and pass a moral character evaluation. The bar exam is required in 43 states and the District of Columbia.

The cost of law school varies by school, but it can be as low as $10,000 or as high as $120,000 per year. The average price is $65,000. Most schools require students to pay tuition before they begin their first semester, and some do not allow them to get financial aid. Financial aid may include scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs.

What is the Passing Score for the Bar Exam?

The passing score for the bar exam is generally set at a percentage above the pass rate for first-time test-takers. For example, the passing score for the July 2020 California bar exam was 150%. The national pass rate for first-time test takers was just under 40%.[10] Percentage of states that have adopted UBE-style exams[11][12] State Exam format Passing score range (scored/total) Percent with UBE Georgia NCLEX-RN pass 75%–100% 96% Kentucky MBE 100% 72% Nebraska MPRE 50%–75% 97.

Conclusion

The California Bar Exam is a challenging three-day exam that tests a law student’s knowledge of all aspects of the law. In February and July, the exam is given twice a year and consists of six essay questions, two performance tests, and the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE).

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