YUGMA is VANS Skilling and Advisory’s industry-academia collaboration platform. It offers specialised training to college graduates to support their career progression.  In last 13 months, YUGMA has touched lives of 15K+ students from 150+ colleges having 30+ startups, midsized and large organisations collaborating in the process.

Athena Advisors is a boutique consultancy firm promoted by Satish Mehta, a veteran of HDFC Ltd and the founding Managing Director of CIBIL, India’s first Credit Information Bureau, having more than 30 years’ experience in the banking and financial space.

Through its partnership with Athena Advisory, YUGMA will offer specialised courses that will help students understand the nuances of banking and NBFC sectors from industry veterans and be ready to pursue a fruitful career in these sectors. These specialised courses will be a practical add-on to the curriculum, which will give the students an edge in the market that is calling for ‘skilled’ and ‘ready to contribute’ talent.

“With the joint mission to empower young learners, make them learn directly from industry practitioners who ‘have been there and done that’ and bring them the opportunity that helps them to be job ready, we are glad to be partnering with VANS/ YUGMA that is helping young talent explore opportunities in the market with the backing of domain knowledge,” said Satish Mehta, Founder and Director of Athena Advisors.

Former MD and CEO of Shriram Housing Finance, Sujan Sinha, who also mentors this program observed that in the banking and NBFC space, there has been a gap in terms of skills which freshers have and what the industry wants. “The program designed by YUGMA is a well-researched, practical and industry relevant program that will help in relevant placements. This will go a long way in helping students, campuses and companies in the BFSI segment to create a robust talent ecosystem,” he noted.

Commenting on the collaboration, Meenu Bhatia, Co-founder and Director, VANS Skilling and Advisory said, “Our foray into NBFC education is steered by our vision to be a bridge between skills needed in this sector to grow and the current availability of talent who aspires to make a career in this sector.  There is a huge skill gap in this segment which is growing multifold due to various schemes provided by the government to boost financial services in general and housing in particular. The partnership aims to bridge this gap by educating students and organisations on challenges, rules, laws, regulations and technicalities of this sector.  The entire pedagogy is designed by veterans who have grown and are professionally living in this space for many decades.”

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MyLogic in association with BPO and KPO Companies has conducted a research in understanding the skill gaps existing in performing the tasks assigned on the job leading to poor quality of the results delivered by employees without any experience.

To address this issue, MyLogic has developed this Certification Program, which would be guarantee longevity and sustainability in the job.

COpA is a Certification which will make the commerce graduate confidently take up challenges in his/her career front and majorly help to bridge the gap between the Academic Curriculum & Industry requirements & readiness for Today and The Future.

Note: First Batch of COpA classes would commence from 21st April 2021 for more enrolment please do visit: COPA (mylogicvideos.com)

The post MyLogic Business Management School launches Certified Operational Accountant Program (COpA) appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

Over the last four years, Leverage Edu has embarked on the journey of helping students discover the right program, destination and think through college education with an employability lens. Understanding that millions of students struggle with complex applications, VISA, grade conversions, and most importantly making a right choice for themselves, presented a huge opportunity, hence LeverageEdu was founded in early 2017 with Akshay as its first counsellor. The platform helps students match to the right higher education option, with one-touch access to 2500+ personalised mentors and leading global universities.

Outbound student mobility has increased manifolds in the past decade, with certain geographies emerging as clear winners amidst the pandemic, with their government thinking in favor of the global student and launching massive reforms. This has helped the Leverage Edu growth story, the company having served over 3000 students this season.

Leverage Edu has two main parts of its business. First, the company counsels students to select the right program, country based on their mentoring workshops, helping them apply to universities and colleges across the world via its student platform OneView, and then subsequently providing them value-added services like education loan, VISA, forex, accommodation options – making it a one-stop shop for the student.

The second part of Leverage Edu’s business is on the university side, a SaaS-enabled platform called Univalley.com, which helps Universities find best-matched talent for their diverse programs. Plus, it also enables over 500 small-&-medium Study Abroad companies across 35 cities in India, to make the applying-to-college journey easier by giving them access to Leverage Edu’s proprietary tech and access to its 250+ partner universities from world over.

Talking about the investment Rohini Prakash, CEO, Tomorrow Capital, said, “India is one of the largest global suppliers of international students and yet the biggest brands helping students in their admissions come from destination countries like the USA, Canada and Australia, who don’t understand the unique perspectives and problems that the Indian student faces. We believe it is inevitable that the next stellar brand in the global cross-border education space will be a home-grown one. We have a great belief in Akshay as a founder – he has a fantastic roadmap for scaling the business and the passion to build a truly global Indian Edtech brand – and are excited about working with the Leverage Edu team on this journey.”

With focus on solving for students of different parts of the country, from Delhi & Mumbai to Kainth, Ernakulum, Surat, Gurdaspur & Vijaywada, Leverage Edu Founder & CEO, Akshay Chaturvedi says, “In the fast emerging democratised-opportunities world, one’s destiny is not married to where they were born or where they started, but how big can they dream, and where in the world is their talent going to find most respect. It could be culinary arts in Western Europe, or sports management in Sydney, fashion and luxury in Paris, nutrition in Canada – or anything, wherever there is a perfect fit for what a student growing up is best at!”

Akshay added that, “The latest round of funding will be used to accelerate the company’s strategic expansion into newer markets, bring in more product innovation, and deepen our student-first approach with more focus on pedagogy and student-first tools”.

Alongside institutional financing, the company also saw investments come in from an angel consortium led by Karan Khemka which includes Partners of the education consulting firm LEK. Leverage Edu also counts prominent angels like Vishal Gondal of Goqii, Ash Lilani of Saama Capital, Amrish Rau of Pine Labs, Chaitanya Rathi of Sula Wines, among others on its cap table.

“Our immediate goal from here is very clear. We want to focus on a few things and do them really really well. There is also this myth around foreign education being expensive that we’ve now been busting for last four years. 18 months from now, we want to be among the top study abroad companies in India, both by number of students and a roof-hitting NPS – because a happy student is why we are all really motivated everyday to do this!”, said Chaturvedi.

In a country and market where the higher education industry has seen massive fragmentation, Leverage Edu boldly challenges narratives and notions of the old and brings to light its vision of breaking down access to opportunities, and to pursuing dreams to become what you are good at, wherever that be on the map!

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By Pankaj Agarwal, Founder &CEO, TagHive

On the 1st of February, the country rose to the much awaited announcement of the annual budget for the year.

To the relief of some and the dismay of others, the numbers were proposed and the budget was executed, leaving plenty of room for debate and conversation. While we would like to discuss the budgetary impact in various sectors, we reserve our attention to the most important conversation at hand : what does the 2021 budget mean for the education sector?

Economic experts have previously fixed the desired government spending on education at 6% of the total GDP. The Economic Survey 20-21, revealed that government expenditure on education had stagnated at 2.8% from 2014-2019 with a promising hike in 20-21 to 3.5%. The new budget reveals a further 6% decline of funds allocated towards education. On a related, but side note, the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020, proposed the need to progressively double budgetary allotment for a period of at least ten years from 2021.

With so many dynamics at play, educators across the country were left with conflicting opinions about the UB education allotment.

Kiran Bhatty of Centre for Policy Research expressed deep concern for the state of education in an article published by the Wire. The policy expert who specialises in elementary education, stated that, “ The budget 2021 utterly disregards the education catastrophe inflicted by Covid-19”.

With millions of Indian children forced out of schools during the pandemic due to the digital divide, she expressed remorse that the government didn’t provide enough to rehabilitate them through much needed stimulus packages. She also called out the government’s lack of proposal  to keep schools safe post pandemic. “As the demand for education from all quarters has increased, the state’s commitment has correspondingly shrunk”, she opined.

The Controller General of Accounts reported that out of the total budget allocation in 20-21, only 41% had been spent, highlighting poor utilization of resources. Experts who share Bhatty’s sentiments cite the need for accountability to make precious public money available where it is needed the most.

Provita Kundu of the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, remarked that the budget is only one aspect of the problem. How much of it we spend, where does the remaining money go, are all questions she urges Public Interest Litigators to actively pursue. In an article with Down to Earth, she also addressed the intersection between the proposed budget and the NEP.  “This would be the proper time to constitute the inclusion funds recommended within the National Education Policy, 2020”, she remarks.

However, there are others who lauded the government’s otherwise perceived shoestring education budget, as a welcome need of the hour.

Professor (Dr) Atmanand, director of Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, called the budget an execution of clear vision. With the budget proposing the adoption of 15,000 schools to run the pilot model under the latest NEP guidelines, Professor stated that it is the most financially viable option given the pandemic. He is of the opinion that it is a smart move to empower 15,000 schools to then onboard and mentor the others as the need emerges. In an article with  BW Education, he called public attention to the proposed central university in Leh, citing it as an example of providing access to information and opportunity even in the remotest parts of the country.

An ex TFI alumni and program coordinator, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked that critics of the Union Budget are not driven by reason but by defiance. NC said, “The pandemic has been a tough time for everybody with job losses and food security taking center stage. When there was no revenue going into the government coffers for an entire year, where should the government scrap up the money to increase expenditure as such?”, she posed.

She acknowledges that there may be flaws in the budget but that doesn’t divert her attention away from the good that UB 21 has proposed. “This tight budget is what is actually needed to foster a more stringent but much needed regulation in the education sector.” She says that with no money and opportunity to waste, this year could earmark the beginning on an education journey driven by purpose over financial gains. “With economic welfare being the way it is, educators across the country will also be held at higher levels of accountability since the government will be forced to weed out underperforming and expensive man-power.”

We also have a third category of observers who are using the budget as an opportunity to manufacture NEP compliant education products. Our company, TagHive is one such, that has risen to the demands expressed by critics and supporters of the budget alike.

With more and more emphasis on the need for equitable technology as per the NEP guidelines, we see absolute value in catering our AI powered classroom solution, Class Saathi, to government education projects. Having already partnered with the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh governments, we have every reason to believe that our cost effective product will help education goals limber through all perceived budgetary constraints.

All said and done, the criticisms or applause for the budget 2021-2022 are largely premised on assumptions. The education budget will open up more scope for dialogue once it has been executed and analysed. Till then policy hawkers, economists and supporters can only assume from a reasonable distance what the implications of this year’s education budget could really mean.

The post One education fund allotment, opinions many: Union Budget 2021 appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

What is your opinion about the upcoming Union budget?

Indian Education system is outdated and needs an upgrade immediately. With the focus on rote learning, we are building workers with limited practical and professional knowledge. The system needs to adapt self and experiential learning methodologies to enable a stronger economy. Government has to focus on investing in new teaching and learning methodologies which can help learners adapt skills required in real-life problem solving.

Currently, Indian government is investing about INR 94,000 cr on education, but this is not enough considering the population we have. With a higher budget and spending capacity, we can enable better access towards education and nurture intellectual humans, thereby enabling a holistic national development.

The government also needs to focus on enabling public funding for private entities and non-academic education start-ups by having a special quota in place. It should benefit leading educational start-ups so that everyone has an access to quality learning. We are also expecting that government adds some special funds for provisioning technology for distance and home learning.

The post Indian education system needs an upgrade: Siddhant Rishi Prabhakar appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

What is your opinion about the upcoming budget?

Budget 2020 saw an increased allocation for the education sector by 5% of which 40% was allocated to the department of higher education and further 6.4% of this was towards skill development. By 2030, India will have the largest working age population and with an aim to become self-reliant, focus on skill development in order to increase employability is a critical path to success. 

In line with this, the new National Education Policy (NEP) recommends an increase on education spend from 10 % of total government expenditure to 20% by 2030. We are hoping to see the 2021 budget cater towards this critical suggestion made in the NEP. This budget will need to set an example of executing the NEP not just in spirit but in action.

In the upcoming budget, we hope to see not just an increase in the spend on higher education but a sense of direction towards driving the NEP to success. This will help the entire ecosystem come together and strengthen India’s education system so we become a model for the world to emulate. Anthology has always maintained that the right use of technology as a backbone is critical towards greater student success and overall development of the education system. 

The post The Budget needs to execute the NEP: Raj Mruthyunjayappa appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

As the budget 2021 is just a few days away, and almost every sector is harbouring some expectations from the budget of 2021. After covid-19 pandemic has gripped the world the budget 2021 has become all more important. Every sector is looking up to Budget 2021 for getting the most awaited relief. And amidst these things, one sector that has been scaling new heights and also pivoting is the education sector which has its own demands and expectations from the Budget 2021.

Thus, Budget 2021-22 announcements within the education sector could prove to be a decisive milestone in the lives of India’s youth.

Booster for edtech: This pandemic has laid bare the wide fissures existing in the education sector. The inadequate infrastructure for online education in the midst of a pandemic posed a formidable challenge for the students, especially in rural India. Thus the 2021 budget which is being dubbed as a pandemic budget must address this issue. 

Thus the most important steps should be taken first. These most important steps constitute an improvement in internet accessibility all across India. The government’s step in consolidating the edtech infrastructure during this pandemic has attracted a fair share of praise but this budget should address the gaping holes and loopholes prevalent in the edtech sectors.

One initiative that everyone is expecting the government to come up with is to give financial assistance to students from downtrodden sections of the society who could not continue their education as they did not have access to gadgets and stable internet connection.

So the government should not squander the opportunity to revamp the digital education infrastructure and make it in such a way that in future any big disruption could not adversely impact the education system.

Boosting Spending On Schools

Another fall out of this pandemic- that it will lead to lakh and crores of people plunging into poverty and debt traps. So that would also lead to the falling literacy ratio amongst the poorer section of the society. And even many reports have brought to the fore that the students drop out ratio has risen substantially. Thus those who can’t afford the expense of private education will resort to the govt schools and colleges. Thus in this pandemic budget the government should step up expenditure on schools and colleges and should also open up new schools and colleges especially in rural India and this would be beneficial not only in the pandemic times but also have a positive impact in the post-pandemic world.

Stepping Up Expenditure on Research 

We all know how science and research played a crucial role in at least mitigating the damage unleashed by this pandemic. From testing kits to vaccine everything was a brainchild of the researchers and their efforts. As we know India’s research and development have touched many new milestones but one thing that is pretty clear is that India has not been able to unlock the full potential of bright minds across India. The reason can be attributed to not adequate research infrastructure. Also, the Indian education system has not pushed research to an extent that it should be pushed for. So in this budget, the education sector is expecting that the current dispensation sensing the need for R&D will step up spending on research infrastructure across India and will also strive to shape up the research-oriented curriculum.

Assistance For Poor and Disadvantage

In India, there is a huge section that leaves education in between due to the lack of resources and because of being financially weak. That phenomenon is equally pervasive in urban and rural India. To boost India’s literacy rate and to stride India on the path of development, in this budget the government should try to allocate more for the assistance of needy and poor people who really can’t afford the education.

So in this budget, the education sector is looking for more assistance programmes and more scholarship schemes both for rural and urban poor.

The post What India’s Education Sector wants from the Pandemic Budget? appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on all sectors, including education. The previous year proved to be gamechanger for the education industry by drastically replacing traditional classrooms with online teaching methods. The Union Budget for 2021-2022 is a much-awaited one as it will be the first since the New Education Policy was introduced last year. The vision set by the government, through NEP 2020 will be vital in achieving the objectives of an effective and inclusive education system.

The Union budget 2021 should give guidelines on the ‘NEP implementation plan’ and further strengthen the focus and investment in Edu-tech to enhance experiential and immersive learning and reinforce the skill development process at par with the global education standards. Education in India needs to be recognized as an equalizer as a crucial instrument that can bridge the socio-economic divide in our country. Income inequality in India stems from the enormous disparity in learning outcomes after completion of education. And, to address this gap, reallocation of resources from other sectors need to be made and re-routed towards building a level-playing field for all students.

Budget 2021 needs to focus on investments towards building a robust system of accountability, checks, and balances to level-up the delivery and quality of higher education. The stakeholders are eyeing the Budget 2021 with a lot of expectations as the government has already signalled allocation of 6% of the GDP towards education. This can be a healthy start towards strengthening the sector. Aligning with it, we expect the government to introduce a framework for formalizing the online education coupling it with exhaustive provisions for bridging the digital divide between both ends of the education value chain.

The post Focus on investments: P.C. Chhabra, Sanskriti University appeared first on Higher Education Plus.

“Given the strict nationwide lockdown the Government had imposed on 25th March 2020, it was expected that India’s economy will shrink in the FY2020-21Q1, but the quantum of decline at -23.9 percent is extraordinarily deep. This is lower than any of the G7 countries. A better context will be to look at other emerging economies in Asia. Malaysia’s GDP declined at 17.1%, Thailand dropped 12.2%, Indonesia contracted at 5.3%, while Vietnam actually grew 0.4% increase in the same quarter. This is even more worrying since the Indian economy grew at 5% or lower in the preceding four quarters. Recovery will not be easy or fast. As is well known, in emerging markets the trend itself can be lower for a period of time. India runs the danger to enter a low growth period for a prolonged time.

The decline is all around. Consumption (-26.6%) and exports (-19.8%) have fallen at a rate comparable to that of GDP, but the biggest fall has been in investments. Gross Fixed Capital Formation has fallen by a massive -47% and is now only 22.3% of GDP compared to 33% a year back, even with the sharp contraction of GDP itself. Imports have also fallen by -40%. All this is hardly moderated by a 16% increase in Government Expenditures.

The government needs to take urgent action. The first and foremost is managing the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that countries which have done well in managing the pandemic has also limited the damage to the economy. If the government is able to do that, it will bring back confidence among investors and households alike, giving a boost to consumption and investments.

The government has so far focussed mostly on liquidity measures. This has not prevented from large scale closure of firms, particularly MSMEs, and the corresponding job losses. The government has to think of innovative policies like paying employees of small firms, waiving off interest payments, etc. The government has done well in managing the fiscal deficit so far, but right now more important than fiscal deficit management is boosting the growth rate. There is a scope for the government expenditure to go up. This is an extraordinary situation, and extraordinary measures have to be taken”.

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In a statement issued to media persons, Assistant Controller of Examinations Rakesh Roy said the newly launched courses include four evening diploma courses on GST, retail and sales management, insurance risk management and Spanish language. Two Integrated Masters Degree (IMD) courses on commerce and chemistry are also being launched along with the one year diploma programmes in the university.

Describing the new courses as a novel, Dr Roy stated that these would open up new ways of employment for students. Students who have already qualified their Higher Secondary or its equivalent examinations with at least four subjects including English from any recognised education board or council would be eligible to seek admission in these new courses.

Each of these new courses will allow 60 students to take admission by August 31. The admission process for intake in these programmes have already commenced in the meantime. Courses fees for the one year evening diploma programmes in GST, retail and sales management, insurance risk management and Spanish language were set in self-financing mode and candidates would have to shell out Rs 23,000 per semester for these courses.

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