An estimated 89% of K-12 students in India do not have proficiency in reading literacy at or above the baseline level needed to participate effectively and productively in life. This has been established as one of the root causes that is adversely impacting the quality of education in India’s schools and the confidence levels of many children.
Stones2Milestones (S2M) is building an English Operating System for the world. Just as a computer needs an operating system, the world needs an OS for English as a second language. S2M’s flagship product is fREADom – an english learning ecosystem for children of ages 3-12. This ecosystem comprises an app, a live online group class, a live 1:1 class, a blog, and a YouTube channel. fREADom was launched in 2016 as a reading-as-a-life-skill product. S2M believes that one can achieve true freedom only when one can read.
Mathematics is called the queen of all subjects and also the mother of all sciences. But for millions of students Maths elicits fear. India has displayed its love for mathematics since the Vedic period. India’s contribution to the world of mathematics includes the discovery of zero, the decimal number system and negative numbers.
The National Achievement Survey 2017, conducted by the MHRD, to assess learning outcomes among children across India in different subjects shows class 3, 4 and class 5 students getting 64%, 53% and 42% respectively in the mathematics test. This shows a trend of declining interest in mathematics. More concerning is the fact that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) confirmed that only 21% students passing class 10 opt for mathematics at the senior secondary level.
Math Buddy aspires to change this. The company provides schools and students with comprehensive maths learning solutions for Grades 1-10. Its offering includes hands-on activities and online practice, and it also prepares students for Math Olympiads. The activities covered by Math Buddy are mapped to the approved curriculum. It sets up dedicated maths labs in schools, and its hands-on activities make the concepts simpler and enjoyable to imbibe. The concepts are then reinforced through continuous practice, with a dashboard providing granular data to students, parents, and teachers on progress made by students against each of the concepts.
Today, 65% of youth in India are in the working age group. This demographic advantage can be harvested through skill development of the youth so that they add not only to their personal growth, but to the country’s economic growth as well.
Leap Skills was launched to provide project-based skill training and placement to motivated, undergraduate students from tier-3 cities and rural areas of northern India. Course content was developed in partnership with a few leading corporate partners, covering the IT, retail, hospitality and BFSI sectors. Leap Skills later added an employment-focused English communication program for young graduates, and partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide upskilling and training for already-employed informal sector workers.
With the advent of technology and the emergence of new sectors, there has been an explosion of career options for students to choose from. However, due to lack of relevant information and guidance, students make career choices that don’t suit them. In a survey conducted by an online platform, of the 10,000 students in the age group of 14-21 years, 93% were aware of just 7 career options. Likewise, parents too lack awareness about professional and vocational pathways available for their children. In addition, 93% of schools in India do not have a dedicated professional counsellor, and consequently, students from middle and low-income households do not get the career guidance they require. Between 2020 and 2030, India will add 101 million people to the working age group. A key enabler to utilise this enormous demographic dividend is career guidance, and this will play a vital role in building a better skilled and more satisfied workforce.
iDreamCareer.com (iDC) is a career guidance and counselling company that guides students towards achieving their most suited careers. iDC has a database of well-researched content on more than 570 career pathways, 25,000 colleges and 1000 entrance exams and scholarships. The iDC online portal has more than 1000 hours of career content while the iDC app provides personalized content based on the student’s context and aspirations. This content is complemented with a psychometric assessment that makes students aware of their aptitude, personality type and interest areas. This is followed by one-on-one counselling sessions with certified career counsellors. Counselling guides the student through a career fitment process of assessing the most suitable options, both in terms of next steps in education and longer-term careers. Once chosen careers are defined, iDC has a college application program that supports the students in profile building, scholarship information, helpline support on colleges, and live counselling.
In 2016, India ranked as a global leader in the number of students graduating university, with around 78 million graduates. However, of these only 2.6 million or 3.3% were STEM graduates. Later, by the year 2018, India had almost 32% students picking up STEM learning. This upward trend of STEM education is directly linked to the employability rates among Indian graduates: STEM degrees like Bachelors in Engineering or Bachelors in Technology had the highest rate of employability. However, despite an array of advantages, India still has a gap in skilled workforce when it comes to STEM.
Various research reports have shown that learning levels for students from low-fee private schools and government schools are consistently below grade level. These gaps are particularly evident in Maths and Science. There are different types of learners with different learning styles in one classroom. Therefore, a variety of learning methodologies (experiential learning) and technology (personalized learning) need to be leveraged to close the learning level gaps. This could include activities and labs for science and hands-on manipulatives for math.
Curiositi Learning Solutions creates high-impact solutions that help students learn the fundamentals of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. They have an extensive range of STEM technology, kits, and games that encourage children to problem-solve, innovate, and create.
With 260 million school-going children and alarming drop-out rates, delivering grade-level learning requires significant changes in current teaching methodologies. It needs to be supported by an innovative pedagogy that uses interactive technology and advanced learning tools to deliver creative and critical thinking, which is crucial to the development of students into confident and lifelong learners.
Chrysalis is one of the leading full school solution providers. As an integral academic partner to schools, it provides books, question-based learning materials focused on cognitive development, teacher assistant tools, tech-enabled granular student assessment, ICT activities to engage parents, and home learning applications. Their flagship product – Think Room – creates transformative learning experiences.
When it comes to Textbooks vs Think Room, Chrysalis is way ahead. Regular textbooks are filled with chunks of texts with no activities. The questions in classroom textbooks are such that they promote rote learning, while in the think room, the information is presented through colourful images and activities so students understand and retain what they’ve learned. Sub-activities and questions ensure that concepts are thoroughly understood. In Thinkroom, plain text is minimal and they look like colourful comics that students will be eager to pick up even when they are not in the classroom. Simple and easy to understand, Think Room takes care of knowledge, understanding, application and skill building.
