Ravi Shankar strives to bring about disruptive innovations in education through BrainSTARS

BrainSTARS is a Bangalore-based entity, dedicated to fostering and nurturing the movement of science, math and skills education in India. It bridges the gap between formal education sector and innovative educational research by continuously exploring the requirements of contemporary science, math and skills education in five environments – school, college, professional science/math education, community science/math literacy and government policies. Highly qualified, trained and sensitive facilitators are the backbone of the organisation. BrainSTARS solutions provide high quality learning experience for children between four and 18 years in well integrated, interdisciplinary, activity-based science/math/skills ecology. They are adaptable to the needs of children, wherever they live. BrainSTARS approach is guided by 5Cs (Curiosity, Clarity, Competence, Connectivity and Communication) through which it encourages children to create their own knowledge with information provided at home, school and the larger environment.

The vision, under the leadership of Ravi Shankar, the CEO of BrainSTARS is to bring about disruptive innovations in education, both nationally and globally, and create for the next generation of children and teachers, solutions that enable them to enjoy learning and facilitate teaching in a seamless, interdisciplinary manner.  To this end, his focus is in the areas of research and development, design and execution of products and programs that will aid children, parents and teachers; align with national policies on education, and be ahead of the current education landscape in scope and expanse.

Ravi’s personal philosophy – looking forward, learning from history and being in the present – reflects well in the workplace as he goes about quietly achieving his goals/milestones – leading the company with a strong vision and building the capability to execute flawlessly.  His core belief and emphasis lies in the power of ideas: ideas, when executed meticulously and with passion that will transform the education movement in India.

Ravi comes with valuable industry experience of building and leading large organisations. Over the last couple of years, he has been spear-heading research-based disruptive innovations to improve science and maths education in schools. In this regard, he has conceptualised experiential learning and the 5C methodology-based approach towards creating a unique interdisciplinary math Activity Centre – NumberNagar. Being a passionate learner of math himself, Ravi has singularly mapped vast school curricula frameworks of the various School Boards to NumberNagar, making it fully compliant with the prescribed math syllabi from standards 3-8.Prior to his stint as CEO BrainSTARS, Ravi has 13 years of management experience at IT giant Wipro, heading the IT Transformation Program (over $ 500 million in revenues) leading a culturally diverse team of 400+ professionals across various geographic locations.  While the very successful stint at Wipro allowed him to bring about deep transformations that made a mark on Wipro’s employees, partners and customers – and allowed him the opportunity to scale new heights in personal achievements – Ravi’s thirst to have a larger canvas on which to impact societal transformation at large – was still seeking a platform to manifest.

Of the three areas of choice – wherein Ravi felt he could make an impact i.e., Education, Infrastructure and IT, he picked Education as the domain where his mission could be fulfilled – of creating a strong and financially viable organization that had an expansive and deep social relevance.

In a free-wheeling chat, Ravi Shankar speaks about the various concepts and innovations of BrainSTARS and how they would eventually help the student community to Jayashankar Menon.

JM:  Can our children’s math educational experience be directly related to the city they live in?

RS: This question is fundamentally and intrinsically woven into the essence of the space plug-in created by BrainSTARS called NumberNagar. The entrenched math phobia in many of us makes us look for stop-gap solutions. For instance, we enroll our children for tuitions or short courses where they will be taught how to tackle math – fast counting, quick problem solving, multiple tests and more. We have never allowed ourselves to imagine that our children deserve to enjoy the beauty and ideas of math by letting them discover that math animates the world around us in a playful, stimulating way. The creators of NumberNagar asked these very same questions and a multi-disciplinary think-tank comprising of artists, pedagogues, scientists, academicians, math experts, architects etc put their heads together and worked together over 10 months – to birth the space solution called NumberNagar – A Maths Activity Centre.

How does a fruit vendor arrange all his fruits in different layers that never seem to fall off his cart? When we keep telling our children to have a balanced diet, what learning in proportions and percentage are we giving them?  Does the traffic signage have something to do with geometry? Can license plate numbers of buses, cars, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws tell something about squares, cubes, or the wonderful irrational number pi? Is festival shopping, when shops outdo each other with their discount sales, a time for our children to learn something captivating about the infinite range of decimal numbers?

The NumberNagar space plug-in addresses these same questions through the prism of BrainSTARS’ 5C approach – Curiosity, Clarity, Competence, Connectivity and Communication – to make maths learning a rich, immersive experience for our children and connects it to our cultural and social life.

JM: Can you elaborate on NumberNagar?

RS: At NumberNagar, to impart this unusual math learning experience, the activities are hands-on wherein the learner’s real life experiences play a big role in understanding math concepts, the manipulative designed is learner-friendly, creative and safe and allows them to explore mat without any fear, and the space itself in which they learn math embodies the city they live in and triggers interesting ways of learning, encouraging the learner to share/collaborate in groups and listen to each other for feedback and insights on the mathematical concepts they are learning.

Besides aiding and empowering the learner in the arena of math learning, NumberNagar enables the teacher to be highly imaginative with the activity space, empowering the initiation of creative activities (outside of the workbook), and allows the teacher to come up with take-home activities that reinforces new learning and connects to the child’s environment.

NumberNagar is indeed an unprecedented practice in math learning where the experience of the learner is at the centre of the practice. It is a practice that enables teachers to have the time, empathy, creativity, imagination, skills and tools to engage with the child in a unique exploration of math. It is a practice that enriches what a child is learning in the classroom in order to understand math as an interdisciplinary science.

JM: Can you talk about the achievements?

RS: NumberNagar math lab was launched on December 22, 2012. The launch date coincided with the celebration of 2012 being declared as the ‘Mathematical Year’ by the Prime Minister,  Manmohan Singh and  also 125th birth anniversary of the mathematical genius, Srinivasa Ramanujan. NumberNagar solution presented to 50+ schools across India and was acknowledged as the only innovative experiential solution in math Learning. NumberNagar solution presented to the various school boards CBSE/NCERT/NUEPA. NumberNagar solution was recognised by Army Public School, Shillong.  NumberNagar solution was also implemented two key school chains across the country:  Sree Vani International School and GD Goenka School. NumberNagar solution is under discussion for implementation in two large group schools across India. School Satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5 received from one of the first implementations of NumberNagar. Education World, India’s leading magazine in Education field, covered NumberNagar in July 2013, while Franchise India – India’s No.1 Brands Management Organisation awarded NumberNagar for the ‘Business Idea of the Year’. NumberNagar is being actively pursued by schools in UAE and Africa.

JM: Also talk about the current transformation and new innovations seen in the Education sector…

RS: Current innovation in Education sector has larger affinity to technology based innovations. Majority of the innovations are expected to be in the similar lines.

JM: In the interim budget 2014 higher fund allocation was made for the social sector, with focus on rural education, food, women and rural masses.  What is your take on the same?

RS: Rural education is where our future lies. Funds in this sector should enable partnerships with organisations like ours to develop and sustain model schools.

JM: Birth of ‘edupreneurs’ – a franchise opportunity for those who want to bring value add into the education sphere, what is your comment?

RS: Alternate career is the talk of the town. Sections of mature sectors like IT, FMCG have taken a liking to contribute to Education. Instead of each such leaders trying to build their educational solutions, ‘edupreneurs’ should associate with proven education solutions and help reach of such solutions across our country.

 JM: How does the Number Nagar innovative concept make math fun and interesting?

RS: NumberNagar is a hands-on, unique math activity centre developed by BrainSTARS with inputs from researchers, educationists, pedagogues, artists and space designers. It takes math off the school chapters and connects it to the city our children live in so that mathematical concepts are no longer alien entities but an exciting daily experience. NumberNagar is being adopted by schools and edupreneurs across India.

 

DPW 2014 event for adolescent girl empowerment held in in Mumbai from March 5-7, 2014

Dasra, India’s leading strategic philanthropy foundation, hosted the Dasra Philanthropy Week (DPW) from March 5-7, 2014 in Mumbai. Supported this year by USAID, Omidyar Network, BNP Paribas Wealth Management and Vodafone Foundation, the event brought together more than 600 philanthropists, corporates, foundations, impact investors and policy makers to solve pressing social and developmental issues faced by our country especially around adolescent girl empowerment.

Dasra launched a five-year, $ 14 million initiative in collaboration with USAID and Kiawah Trust, which was announced at the Dasra Philanthropy Week 2013 last year.

Piramal Foundation joins the mission that seeks to achieve systemic change by fostering innovation, improving outcomes and reaching scale to improve the reproductive, maternal,neonatal, child health and empower adolescent girls in rural and urban India.Over the next four years, the Alliance expects to touch the lives of over 1 million girls, mothers and children.

Nandini Piramal, Executive Director, Piramal Enterprises Ltd, while speaking about the partnership, said: “There is a growing realisation that complex and seemingly insurmountable social problems cannot be solved by individual organizations or a single stakeholder group. It requires different parts of the ecosystem such as funders, government, non-profits, corporates and media to work collaboratively to create long-term social change.” She further added, “The Piramal Foundation is focused on developing innovative solutions to address India’s most pressing problems which we see as critical roadblocks towards unlocking India’s economic potential. One of Piramal Foundation’s primary healthcare initiatives (Piramal Swasthya) addresses issues related to maternal healthcare which is the common goal of this alliance”.

Lynne Smitham, Co-Founder of Kiawah Trust pointed out: “Work around adolescent girls in India has typically been isolated and scattered and there has been little or no collaboration among stakeholders. The Dasra Alliance aims to alter this approach and build a collaborative ecosystem in order to foster, drive and deliver knowledge, innovation, funding and achieve impact at scale”.
John Beed, USAID’s mission director for India stated: “Today, I am extremely delighted to announce the expansion of the Alliance with another valuable and well respected partner, the Piramal Foundation.  The Piramal family is one of the most respected names in India, both for their business as well as their philanthropy.  Given the foundation’s stature and innovative approach to corporate philanthropy, the participation of the Piramal Foundation as a partner in this Alliance leads the way for corporate foundations to engage effectively in ending preventable child and maternal deaths”.

Smarinita Shetty, Director at Dasra held: “Along with USAID, Kiawah Trust and PiramalFoundation, we plan to develop and strengthen engagement with the private sector to drive greater impact for adolescent girlsin India. Given Piramal Foundation’s stature and innovative approach to corporate philanthropy, their addition as a partner in this alliance allows us to showcase the manner in which corporate foundations can engage more effectively and develop solutions at scale”.
Dasra Philanthropy Week, founded in 2010 and in its fifth edition this year, featured a high profile gathering of over 600 leading philanthropists, business and social change leaders. As Dasra’s partner, BNP Paribas Wealth Management hosted a discussion on Next Gen philanthropy by interviewing RoshniNadarMalhotra. For the past seven years BNP Paribas Wealth Management has awarded major philanthropists, the BNP Paribas Prize for Individual Philanthropy. In 2013, Shiv Nadar, founder of the Shiv Nadar Foundation was the recipient of the BNP Paribas Prize.

Stephane Honig, Head of Indian Markets, BNP Paribas Wealth Management said: “For BNP Paribas Wealth Management our engagement with Dasra further demonstrates our commitment towards individual philanthropy. BNP Paribas Wealth Management was amongst the first global private banking institutions to consider helping clients to give back to the society as a part of its core mission. In 2008, a dedicated department was set up to assist our clients in their philanthropic endeavors either through personal advice or through our Fondation de l’Orangerie. BNP Paribas Wealth Management is also strongly committed to support initiatives that raise awareness and increase dialogue. In order to increase the awareness amongst our clients, we launched few key initiatives like the BNP Paribas Prize for Individual Philanthropy and the BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index, in partnership with Forbes Insights. BNP Paribas Wealth Management is the world’s seventh largest private bank, present in some 30 countries, and we consider advising our clients on individual philanthropy as part of our civic engagement to the society”.
The day also placed the spotlight on social change stories, insights from Bain & Company on ecosystem building, presentations on Dasra’s upcoming research; including the launch of Domestic Violence Report – No Private Matter. The report found that Domestic Violence accounts for 50 percent of all reported crimes against women in India. One in every three women is sexually, psychologically and physically violated by her male partner. Another startling fact that the report highlights is that violence in India kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 years as cancer.
Flavia Agnes, Advocate and Co-founder of Majlis Legal Centre said: “Remaining silent on domestic violence gives impetus to the crime. Officially, domestic violence accounts for 50 percent of all reported crimes against women. However there is gross under-reporting of these crimes”. Speaking on solutions, she added: “If these victims of violence are aware of their rights and can get easy access to justice, then we will be one step closer to tackling the issue. Trained and sensitive state stakeholders will give confidence to women to fight against violence and live a life with dignity”.
Other launches included the book on impact assessment – ‘Measuring and Improving Social Impact’ by Rice University Research Professor, Marc Epstein and Swigert Endowed Chair at PortlandState University’s School of Business Administration, Kristi Yuthas. The book presents the value of building impact assessment into CSR for greater social impact and is the perfect guide to The Indian Companies Act of 2013.
Conversations with leading local and global philanthropists led to sharing of their perspectives on giving.Bringing the day to a grand finale were video keynote addresses by Jennifer and Peter Buffett from NoVo Foundation, who shared the passion behind their giving journeys, rationale for supporting adolescent girls initiatives and advised on creating lasting change.
Founded in 1999, Dasra is India’s leading strategic philanthropy foundation.  It inspires collaborative giving and partnerships amongst philanthropists, funders, corporates and the Government. Simultaneously, it enables high impact non-profit organizations to scale. Over the past 14 years, Dasra has strengthened the growth plans of more than 200 non-profits and social businesses, engaged with and educated over 500 philanthropists on strategic philanthropy, enabled over $ 38 million in funding to social entrepreneurs, and published 22 research reports about education, health and livelihoods.  For more information, please visit dasra.org.

LabourNet plans to empower one million Indian labourers in the informal sector by 2020

LabourNet, India’s leading Social Enterprise focusing on ‘Real Income Increase’ and ‘productivity’ of the unorganised sector workforce, today announced it plans to provide vocational training to about a million unorganised workers across the country, in a span of next six years.

Despite India making remarkable progress in IT and establishing world-class institutions like, IITs, IISc and IIMs majority of the 500+ million workforce in India continue to exist in the unorganised or the informal sector, with poor work conditions, no or few work contracts and social security benefits, says a company statement.  
In an interview, Gayathri Vasudevan, CEO of LabourNet talks about her firm’s inception, vision and going forward, the plans and more to Jayashankar Menon. Excerpts:

JM: How can you fix the existing gap in the system?
GV: Having impacted close to 80,000 workers in the unorganised sector, we already have the required expertise to positively influence over 100,000 lives every year through education, training and decent work services. What is more, the existing gap in the system can be fixed only by holistically creating an ecosystem which will address every aspect for workers in the informal sector and we at LabourNet are striving to achieve this.
JM: What is the plan of action you had chalked out to address this situation?
GV: LabourNet, India’s top Social Enterprise, has identified this grave situation and has chalked out a plan to impart one million workers with necessary education, skill sets, financial and social empowerment.  The identified three verticals in which training will be provided by us include Services, Construction and Manufacturing. In addition to this, we provide skill development training in areas that encourage micro-entrepreneurship.  
JM: What are the various trades you provide training to the workers?
GV: The various trades we provide training include leather, rubber, jewellery carpentry, masonry, shuttering carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing, painting, crane operator training, fork lift operator, general machine maintenance, bar bending, Press operators, Fitters, beauty & hair care, safety training and more. We are actively exploring at Agriculture sector as it employs in excess of 50 percent of the informal sector workforce.
JM: Unlike in the past, employers are looking for valid certifications from applicants before hiring, besides the relevant functional and industry skills. Will LabourNet offer that cover to the workers?
GV: LabourNet offers services that cover, counselling and assessment, based on which relevant work integrated vocational training and education is provided.  Upon completion, certificates are issued, followed by providing of WORK- Self, work contracts and full time employment. We have established partnerships with close to 100 corporates across the country.
JM: Can you talk about LabourNet, its inception and achievements?
GV: LabourNet was set up in 2006 as an initiative of Movement for Alternatives for Youth Awareness (MAYA), a non-governmental organisation based in Bangalore. It began largely as an effort to provide a one-stop platform for unorganised sector workers to obtain services which are currently available and accessible by formal sector workers. Today, LabourNet has revamped itself into a Social Enterprise to make it more sustainable and provides required benefits for workers in the informal sector through a holistic platform.  
Furthermore, its sustainable model is an end-to-end solution through a built-in 4E – Empowerment by blending Education, Employability and Employment.  It is structured and in synchronisation with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and the mandate set up by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). LabourNet’s solution won ‘Sankalp’ Award for ‘highly scalable social models’, ‘Best Upcoming Partner’ by NSDC for 2012-13, Best Practice Recognition for ‘Assessment Tools’ 2013 by NSDC.

Techlligent 2014 held in Pune organised by PCCOE and DesignTech CAD

The Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PICCOE), one of thighly renowned institute in the area, along with DesignTech CAD Academy, organised the national level technical symposium called Techlligent 2014, according to a statement.

Techlligent is a combination of techlonogy and intelligent, which is being organised for the seventh year in a row. This year’s event kicked-off on February 25, 2014 and ended the flowing day, which was packed with 40 plus scintilating events, covering  domains as well as national level project competition and paper presentation for students.

Dr Chandrakant R Sonawane, Head of the Department, PCCOE said: “We are happy to be associated with DesignTech CAD Academy. We always look forward to key industry people to support and motivate the students for their contribution to teh fest and DesignTech CAD Academy had enthusiastically supported us. The aim of Techilligent is to develop the students and explore their technical knowledge”.
Larger number of students not only from Pune, but also from Nagpur, Karad, Jalgaon and other remote parts of Maharashtra contributed and participated in Techlligent. Total number of 2,500 students across Maharashtra had participated in Techlligent. All five departments such as Mechanical, Civil, Electronics and Telecommunication, Computer and IT actively participated and made the event a huge success.
On this occasion, DA Darekar, the Head of  DesignTech CAD academy  said: “ The event provided a platform for the students to showcase their talent which will help them in their careers. PCCOE contributed greatly towards it and we were glad to be a part of the fest. The fest gave us the opportunity to interact with young minds”.
DesignTech CAD is ISO 9000(2008) Certified academy and Authorised Training and Education partner of Siemens Industry Software Pvt Ltd and Altair Engineering Pvt Ltd and provides authorised courses on their  respective CAD/CAM/CAE and PLM solutions.  It operates from Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad. DesignTech CAD Academy, Training and Education division of DesignTech Systems offers company certified CAD/CAE/PLM  training programme to Engineering Graduates, Working Professionals and Corporate.

MSOSA’s Hinglish play: The Good, The Bad and The Bolly (Wood) in Delhi from February 21-23, 2014

A Hinglish play, The Good, The Bad and The Bolly (Wood) by “Free Parking Entertainment”, an initiative of MSOSA (Modern School Old Students Association). This is MSOSA’s 50th Annual Production being held at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, from February 21-23, 2014 from 7:00 PM. According to a media statement, entry is free and the nearest Metro Station is Mandi House.
Cast

The cast comprises of old Modernites and some well known theatre personalities including Ashok Dhawan, Pradip Kukreja, Geeta Sudan, Roopak Kathpalia and Vidushi Mehra. With the aim of sustaining and strengthening the spirit of their old school, MSOSA takes great pride in the history the school shares with the Nationalist Movement of the country and also the fact that the school was set up in 1920 as an experiment in education with the belief that growth is inherent in all dynamic ideas.
Platform
A product of visionary heads, the school is secular in nature and believes in the close interconnection of the physical, moral and intellectual as its axiom of a sound system of education. Even today it continues to produce and nurture builders of a modern India. It is MSOSA’s consistent aim to bring together all Modernites amid events that are akin in nature to the ethos of their Alma Mater, while providing them a Platform to contribute their best collectively as a fraternity.
Ensemble
Free Parking Entertainment is an ensemble of Actors, Directors, Writers, Film Makers, Musicians and other creative personnel working toward a common goal of creating and spreading thought provoking and captivating entertainment. It’s a team of young thespians namely, Arnav Nanduri,  Pranay Manchanda and Kabir Nath, known for their award winning, fast paced and highly energetic productions. The Good, The Bad and The Bolly (wood) has been adapted from a Woody Allen classic and promises to entertain people with its eccentric characters and brisk pace.
Sponsorships will be used for Scholarships for the education of meritorious and needy children from the underprivileged sections of society in Modern School, Barakhamba Road from class VI to XII. For further details, visit freeparkingentertainment.co.in.

GIIS Global Citizenship Scholarship shaping the dreams of Indian students

Global Schools Foundation, a non-profit organisation based out of Singapore creates an opportunity for aspiring students from India to study in the flagship campus of Global Indian International School, Queenstown, Singapore by offering merit based scholarship, according to a statement.

Nishi Anand receiving her IB Diploma certificate from GOH Singhania.
The GIIS Global Citizen scholarship was instituted in 2008 for Indian students to complete junior college (Year 1 and 2) in International Baccalaureate (IB) and (Class XI and XII)  Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) at GIIS Queenstown, a campus that has carved its name in the South Asian countries for outstanding academic results. Coupled with commendable placements in leading universities of the US, Australia, the UK and Singapore GIIS has won 30 national and international awards of academic excellence in school education.
Global toppers
GIIS is perhaps the only Indian school to have produced IB toppers globally. Apoorva Sachdeva bagged a perfect score of 45/ 45 in IB in 2008 from GIIS Queenstown and secured admission in the University of Berkley.  She is now working with IBM Singapore.  Another IB topper, Nishi Anand scored 45/ 45 in 2011 is a scholarship holder from Jamshedpur, a city in Jharkhand. Her world opened up as she moved to Singapore and her exposure through project based learning, entrepreneurial workshops and leadership lecture series helped her to hone the practical and life skills along with superior academics. Career counselling being an important aspect of junior college, Nishi was slowly moulded to achieve her dreams. She went on to receive scholarship from Georgia Institute of Technology in engineering.
“My teachers have always motivated me to do my best. Today I can proudly call myself a GIIS alumnus because of the numerous opportunities that have been provided to me which has prepared me for the challenges of life.” Said Nishi. Currently, the young lady is a Business Technology Analyst Summer Scholar at Deloitte. Other scholarship holders like Subir Roy and Sudip Roy with brilliant scores in IB and SAT are now studying in the prestigious School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. Another story is that of Mayank Kumar from Purniya, a small village in Bihar, who stood second in GIIS Singapore with exceptional results in CBSE and is now preparing for scholarship to universities in USA. The scholarship has not only been his passport to study in one of the fastest growing economies of the world but a stepping stone to pursue excellence in the global arena.
“We believe that students in India have a lot of potential and being a school of excellence at the global level, I feel that it is our moral responsibility to offer education at our flagship school at GIIS Queenstown to deserving students to shape their future. We have been offering scholarship to students for the last 6 years and with great pride and satisfaction I can say that all of them have done well for themselves. There is no secret recipe to winning. The success of the students lies in meticulous planning, intense academic rigour, and expertise of teachers”, says  Atul Temurnikar, Chairman and Co-founder of Global Schools Foundation.
The GIIS Global Citizen Scholarship for the Academic Year 2014-16 will soon be announced and it is open to the whole nation and written exams are held in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, Ahmedabad, Indore, Surat, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai. The scholarship includes an  amount of S $ 90,000, onetime return airfare + visa fees, tuition fee, boarding and lodging at the hostel, one time settling allowance of S $500 and S $ 200 per month for pocket expenses.
Global Indian International School (GIIS) – established under the aegis of Global Schools Foundation (2002) is an international network of award-winning institutions, with 20 campuses in seven countries. Global Schools Foundation has been delivering world-class education and has produced world toppers in International Baccalaureate (IB) and the 5th world ranker in Central Board of Secondary Education (India). GIIS chain offers holistic learning and personality development opportunities for students. GIIS India campuses are currently spread across Noida, Bangalore, Indore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Surat with plans of expanding in five more cities. GIIS has been honoured with 30 international and national awards over a span of five years for achieving excellence in school education. Today, GIIS boasts a strong multicultural student body, comprising 52 nationalities

ICC World T20 2014 Trophy Tour at Global Indian International School Noida on February 12

The ‘World Cup’ is not just any other trophy but a symbol of aspiration for all cricket lovers and young cricketers! It is indeed a moment of pride and inspiration for young players to unfurl the most coveted ICC World T-20 2014 Trophy Tour at the Global Indian International School (GIIS) NOIDA on February 12, 2014. According to a statement, the Cricket team of GIIS Noida is being trained at the Chandu Borde Global Cricket Academy in its premises and it was a big moment for the team members to escort the ‘trophy’ to the dais for display.  The enthusiastic students, parents and guests were excited to see all India campuses with an aim to nurture future cricket-stars through rigorous and special training.

The legendary Cricketer Chandu Borde said: “The arrival of the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in GIIS Noida is a moment of pride for the students. This will motivate our budding cricketers to dream big,  practice with agility and accuracy to achieve that dream. I am sure it will inspire them to win the cup and hold it high for India one day. I would also like to take this opportunity to pledge my support to Team India and wish them, All the very best for the tournament”.
Global Indian International School (GIIS) – established under the aegis of Global Schools Foundation (2002) is an international network of award-winning institutions, with 20 campuses in seven countries. Global Schools Foundation has been delivering world-class education and has produced world toppers in International Baccalaureate (IB) and the fifth world ranker in Central Board of Secondary Education (India). GIIS chain offers holistic learning and personality development opportunities for students. GIIS India campuses are currently spread across Noida, Bangalore, Indore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Surat with plans of expanding in 5 more cities. GIIS has been honoured with 30 international and national awards over a span of five years for achieving excellence in school education. Today, GIIS boasts a strong multicultural student body, comprising 52 nationalities.

British Council, TCC to introduce an innovative tablet based Learn English Kids programme in Indian schools

British Council has partnered with The Curriculum Company (TCC), an innovator in the K-12 Ed-tech space, to deliver and implement the British Council’s Learn English Kids programme in schools.  TCC’s T-Learning™ tablet based Classroom Management Platform houses the British Council’s Learn English Kids Programme for English language development for children from grades 1 to 10. The Tablet-based Learning Platform enables a teacher to conduct an engaging class by empowering them with the apt tools and providing a strong locus of control for even classrooms as big as 40+ learners.

Santhanalakshmi, Correspondent and Principal, Sri Bala Vidyalaya School, Chennai who was the first to adopt this initiative says: “Nearly sixty percent of children in our school are first generation learners. We wanted to provide them with the latest in technology and content, but at an affordable cost. The Curriculum Company’s tablet platform along with exceptional English language content from British Council has made English classes more interactive, fun and we see that a lot of self-learning is happening both at school and at home. Every child has a tablet with both the school syllabus and the British Council English programme and the integration has been seamless. What has amazed all of us is the speed with which children are able to use the tablets and navigate the LE Kids program with enthusiasm and interest. We believe that with continued use of the LE Kids programme, our children will transform into motivated and autonomous learners of English language”.
While speaking on the occasion, Ujjwal Singh, Founder – CEO, TCC said: “The arrival of tablets, for instance, spells lighter backpacks as well as incomparable ease in obtaining digital study material for students. Students will not only benefit from the portability and flexibility this device offers, but also from more rewarding aspects such as real-time and speedy updation of content and assessments. On the other hand, for educators, tablets offer convenience for teaching and assessing their students”.
Paul Sellers, Director South India, British Council, Chennai stated: “We understand the key requirements of English language learners in India and are very pleased to partner with a leading and innovative organisation, The Curriculum Company who have developed a tablet based learning platform that is revolutionary in enabling personalised learning and measuring outcomes”.
T-learning platform
TCC’s T-learning platform allows teachers to interact, share, collaborate, run polls, collect data and perform assessment of several kinds, all within the reach of a simple touch/click. The state of the art teacher dash board, allows teachers to share knowledge with students in several formats even outside the purview of the prescribed books and digital content available inside classrooms. The platform also allows for one-on-one teacher-learner interactions by allowing a teacher to send messages to individual students during the course of a session/class.
Flexibility
T-learning also gives teachers the flexibility to use content in any format, be it video, PPT, word doc or audio file, practically anything from their machine to a student’s tablet. In fact, even the reverse dynamics is also possible. If a child has done something interesting, then a teacher can also pull out the same thing from that student’s tablet and show it to everyone present inside the classroom. For keeping the recurring cost for the schools low, TCC’s Tablet-based Classroom Management Platform does not require internet. Local Wifi Router is used to connect the teacher’s laptop to student’s tablets.
Nirupa Fernandez, Assistant Director, Digital Partnerships pointed out: “At the British Council we encourage innovation, hence we have a strategic partnership with The Curriculum Company. TCC’s tablet platform is cutting edge, yet practical and easy to use in any classroom setting, and it is the perfect medium through which to deliver our digital English language learning content to schools”.
Janaka Pushpanathan, Co-founder and Head Strategic Partnerships, The Curriculum Company added: “As implementation partners of British Council, we are helping teachers to integrate the LE Kids content and daily classroom transaction of English language lessons, so there is an enriched learning context for every child at school and at home. We provide teacher training and support, including monitoring and evaluation, so there is systemic improvement in English language levels of children in all aspects of listening, speaking, reading and writing”.
LE Kids is based on research into the learning needs of children aged 5 to 15 and consists of educational content that has been mapped to the National curriculum framework of India. It consists of a unique approach to language learning involving grammar and vocabulary games, songs, stories and videos that help children learn English in a fun and interactive way. It is easy to use and offers a progressive path to learners.
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7,000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. The British Council was established in India in 1948. The British Council is recognised across India for its network of nine libraries and cultural centres. We offer a range of specialised projects in arts, education, exams, English language and society to audiences across India and more than 100,000 members. We also provide access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers, offer UK qualifications in India and enable opportunities to study in the UK.
It also manages prestigious scholarships and training awards, including the Jubilee scholarships, the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan and the Charles Wallace India Trust awards. What is more, its English language teaching centres in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata provide a range of general and business English classes, specialised skills based programmes and young learner courses. The British Council works with a wide range of Indian partners in cities all over India enabling British and Indian experts to meet and collaborate and to nurture mutually beneficial relationships.  For more information, visit: britishcouncil.in/. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through twitter.com/britishcouncil and blog.britishcouncil.
The Curriculum Company (TCC) is an innovator in the K-12 education space, focused on designing inclusive and easy-to-use solutions for both teachers and children. TCC’s Teacher and Student Resources have been designed to be both radical and relevant, keeping in mind 21st Century classrooms. TCC’s path breaking T-learning™ platform is an end to end Tablet based Classroom Management platform that has bagged the iconic Red Herring awards for innovation in 2013. TCC’s circle of influence spans nearly 100 + schools, who are using various products and services.

Learn the art of calligraphy with Rubinato at William Penn, the World Pen Store

The simple art of calligraphy can turn your plain note into a piece of visual art. A simple note, addressed in elegant calligraphy is sure to remain in one’s memory. Rubinato helps you get started on your journey of visual art through exclusive Calligraphy Kits, according to a company statement.

However fast and efficient our modern means of electronic communication, there is one thing they can never do – and that is to capture the uniqueness of handwriting personality. Rubinato, the premier Italian company with over 50 years of excellent craftsmanship and known for its design of old-fashioned writing instruments, has now developed Calligraphy Kits, capturing – for the first time ever – the utterly unique characteristics of individual handwriting.
Calligraphy continues to flourish its design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument in one stroke with the unique form of handwriting viewed similar to poetry, as means of signs in an expressive, harmonious, and skilful manner.
From party invites to a thank you note, Rubinato’s Calligraphy Kit makes it perfect for those who want to add a personal touch to their notes, or just develop a unique hobby.

Calligraphy nib set with ink and diary

The art of fine lettering is now more enjoyable with the refined Rubinato calligraphy Nib Set with Ink & Diary. Two different shades of ink are included in the kit to add more variety to your writing, along with an elegant diary, priced at Rs: 7,445, calligraphy nib set with ink for a price of 3,845 and calligraphy nib set priced at Rs 2,445. Available at all William Penn store outlets and williampenn.net. In Bangalore, the William Penn outlets are in Koramangala 5th Block, The Forum Mall, Garuda Mall, Mantri Square and Phoenix MarketCity.
William Penn is the one of the world’s biggest multi-brand retail chains for premium and luxury fine writing instruments and accessories. The chain features over 20 well-known international brands such as Sheaffer, Caran d’Ache, Lapis Bard, Visconti, Lamy, Sailor and several others. William Penn also retails top quality men’s accessories from international brands like Dalvey and Lapis Bard. William Penn currently has 26 outlets spread across Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata and an online store williampenn.net. William Penn provides an extensive range of products coupled with a unique customer experience.

GILS adopts inter-curricular approach to instil the pride of nationality on Republic Day

Honouring January 26, the day on which the Constitution of India came into force, Global Indian International School adopted an inter-curricular approach to instil in the students the pride of nationality, according to a statement released by the school.

Dr CS Dharmadhikari, Retd Justice of Mumbai High Court President’s of Global School’s Foundation said: “On the eve of Republic Day, my message to my fellow teachers and Principal of Global Indian International School is that we must ‘think globally and act locally’ and thereby imbibe in our students strong values and culture along with knowledge of modern-age IT-aided learning. Having been associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s Basic Education I feel that in today’s scenario we must adopt various measures to retain the true meaning and purpose of education, instil a sense of responsibility to one’s society. All planning or development should not be only for survival, but also for maintenance and subsistence of life.  Life shall not only survive but thrive. The development, which we contemplate, should be conducive to the cultural development of man, i.e. development of his body, mind and spirit”.
A student is a citizen of tomorrow and, therefore, the custodian of a nature’s future dreams, of what the country ought to be in future.  Whatever the students do, they can never be indifferent to their teachers because they have become an inseparable part of their lives. As a matter of fact, a teacher must have a mother’s heart. A mother does not love her children by applying a percentage formula. For her every child is a cent percent personality; an integer whole. By adopting a ‘wholistic’ & pragmatic approach we must ensure success in our endeavour of widespread, holistic & meaningful education for all, he added.

Flag hoisting marked the beginning of the day followed by the parade of tiny tots of Nursery class flaunting regional dresses as they spoke on the unique features of the state they showcased in ‘Citizens of India’. The Kindergarten children participated in ‘Paint the Republic’ session, an art class where the children coloured on pre-made outlined sheets on the theme of Republic Day.  In language class the students recited poems on the theme of “Jai Jana Bharat.”  The older classes presented “India on My Plate” on foods and sweets of India.  The day’s theme for Personality Development class was a show –and-tell lesson on the topic of Republic Day.“Colours of the Republic” a medley of song and dance woven around the theme of a vibrant Republic beautifully was choreographed by the music teachers and the students performed beautifully. Inter-house quiz was conducted by the older children on “my India, my pride”. The students gathered information from online content available at school through e-learning facilities.  The day came to an end with National Anthem.Global Indian International School (GIIS) – established under the guiding principles of Global Schools Foundation – is an international network of award-winning institutions, with 21 campuses in 7 countries. Known for their skill-based and learner-centric curricula, GIIS schools offer holistic learning and personality development opportunities for students.
GIIS schools have been honoured with 27 international and national awards over a span of five years for achieving Excellence in School Education.  Today, GIIS boasts a strong multicultural student body, as children from diverse nationalities have enrolled across its campuses. Adopting a holistic approach to learning and character development, Global School Nine Gems model is a proprietary tool to achieve a balance between academics and experience, mental and physical development, fine arts and performing arts, language skills and creativity, personality development, ethics and entrepreneurship. For further details visit – globalindianschool.org.