Pearson India, a subsidiary of the globe-girdling Pearson Plc, London (estb.1844), launched MyPedia Reader Storybook — a compilation of 42 stories written by young authors — on November 29. The volume features stories of the winners of MyPedia Reader Creative-writing Contest 2017, organised by Pearson India.
For the contest, Pearson received more than 1,500 stories from students across the country with the youngest author in this selection being an eight-year-old class IV student. These stories were judged by a three-member jury comprising Santhini Govindan, children’s writer, Arundhati Venkatesh and story-teller Indira Ananthakrishnan.
“Imagination and creativity is crucial to adequately equip the next generation for the future. We at Pearson, love stories, and have designed MyPedia Reader which is an endeavour to share children’s best stories with the world. We provided a platform to children to share their stories and ended up with a path-breaking learning solution for reading and writing of the English language,” said Ujjwal Singh, vice president (products & innovation) of Pearson India, speaking on the occasion.
Samsung E.D.G.E 2017
Team ‘Athena’Z’ — comprising Sudarsan M.S, Saurabh Sinha and Makesh S. of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras — was adjudged winner of the Samsung E.D.G.E 2017 national finals staged in Gurgaon on December 1. Teams from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L) were ranked #2 and #3.
Samsung E.D.G.E 2017 attracted participation of 2,370 students from 19 higher education institutions. The winning team was awarded Rs.3 lakh as prize money and a Galaxy Note8 smartphone each while Team NID received Rs.1.5 lakh and Team IIM-L received Rs.75,000. Moreover, members of Top 10 finalist teams were awarded Samsung vouchers of Rs.10,000 each.
The annual competition gives student participants an opportunity to interact with the Samsung leadership, work on real-world business problems and ideate unique solutions. This year, the Top 10 teams worked on ideas around Samsung’s intelligent interface Bixby, growth opportunities in smart cities, designing devices for young single-person households, online skilling and certification models and marketing.
“At Samsung, we strive to encourage young minds and nurture the spirit of innovation among them. We are overjoyed by the level of enthusiasm and ideation of student participants at Samsung E.D.G.E. 2017,” said B.K. Lee, director (human resources) of Samsung Southwest Asia.
Mindlogicx launches IntelliPAD
Mindlogicx Singapore Pte Ltd launched the “world’s first anti-fraud device-based solution” at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Singapore on December 1. According to a company spokesperson, the invention is a fool and tamper-proof e-ink invention that enables exam administrators to conduct high-stakes tests using biometric and encryption technologies.
The launch of the device, christened IntelliPAD comes amid a global rise in exam malpractices including question paper leakage, candidate impersonation and other illegal practices for obtaining question papers for personal use or resale. Mounting pressure on examination boards has led to calls for tighter surveillance and security on exam production and delivery.
“Top universities and professional certification providers have witnessed an epidemic of exam fraud in recent years. We are pleased to have pioneered the world’s first device-centric solution for this phenomenon. I believe it heralds a new era in education and test-taking,” said Suresh Elangovan, CEO of Mindlogicx, speaking on the occasion.
SIF-Parikrma agreement
The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Parikrma Humanity Foundation (PHF) signed a three-year partnership agreement in Bangalore on December 8 to enhance teaching standards of mathematics and science in Karnataka. This curriculum enhancement project will be led by a team of Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs) who are at the forefront of primary education in Singapore.
Through the duration of the project, educators from Singapore will work with their counterparts in Bangalore to raise the professional expertise of teachers, and facilitate interactive and active learning classrooms, as well as promote knowledge-sharing between professionals in Singapore and Karnataka’s education sector. Over the next three years, up to 700 Indian educators of PHF and government schools in Bangalore with 5,250 school-going children are expected to benefit from the collaboration.
Speaking on the occasion, Jean Tan, executive director of the Singapore International Foundation, said: “We hope that through sharing our resources and knowledge in primary education, we are able to contribute to a crop of educators who will be able to deliver high-quality teaching practices to benefit children’s development.”
“We are excited to work together with SIF to raise the teaching standards of our mathematics and science teachers and enhance children’s learning in primary schools. This collaborative effort will also serve to nurture a pool of highly-trained educators who can go on to share their acquired knowledge and skills in this sector,” added Shukla Bose, founder of the Bangalore-based Parikrma Humanity Foundation which runs four free-of-charge schools in the garden city.