The cover story of our first issue of the second decade of the new millennium, already being referred to as the ‘tenties’, represents a leap of faith. The Hyderabad-based Helix Technology Solutions (HTS, estb. 2007) completes its first year of sales operations this month. It’s a new company promoted by a quintet of young IIT-IIM alumni who have quit well-paid jobs to combine business opportunity with altruism, and do their bit to improve learning outcomes in the country’s classrooms to upgrade India’s obsolete school education system.
Undoubtedly and admittedly, these nextgen edupreneurs are relatively late entrants in the ICT (information communications technology)-in-education business, pioneered by the promoters of market-maker companies such as IL&FS-ETS, Everonn Education, Educomp Solutions and NIIT among others. Yet as they argue in this first cover story feature of 2010, the pan-India market for ICT products and services, which eventually has to meet the needs of the world’s largest child population, is big enough for all involved in the noble business of equipping the country’s short-changed and neglected children with the education and skill-sets to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. Moreover the young promoters of HTS believe they have learned from the mistakes and wrong-turns of the country’s pioneer ICT-in-education companies, and have developed more student and teacher-friendly products to disseminate the joy of learning with comprehension.
The altruism, self-belief and confidence of the promoter-directors of this year-old company has prompted us to choose HTS as the first cover story of the new tenties. There is something admirable about their collective decision to launch HTS in the recently concluded noughties, a turbulent decade during which the global economy tottered on the edge of a great depression, and to venture forth into the fast-crowding, innovation-averse, government-dominated education marketplace in India. The business plan, aspirations and dreams of these enthusiastic young edupreneurs are detailed in the cover story. What are the chances that they will realise them? Doesn’t matter, because when enterprises of great pith and moment are undertaken, the effort is as important as the outcome.
The cover story apart, there’s much more in this first issue of the second decade of the new millennium. In the special report feature, our dedicated assistant editor Summiya Yasmeen recounts the education milestones of 2009 — a volatile year for Indian education in which much was promised, but little done to change the status quo. Moreover check out the institution profile of The Daly College, Indore whose enlightened management has built on a firm foundation to create an undoubtedly world class K-12 school.
To all those involved in the great cause of QEFA (quality education for all), a Happy New Year. The force be with you!
