THE CULVER CITY, USA-BASED XPRIZE Foundation — a non-profit education organisation committed to solving the “world’s grand challenges” by designing and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivised competitive events — launched a $15 million (Rs.92 crore) Global Learning Xprize competition on September 22.
Xprize Foundation chairman and CEO, Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, launched $15M Global Learning Xprize with a presentation at the Social Good Summit in New York. This is a five-year competition challenging teams to develop open source and scalable software which will enable children in developing countries to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic.
The 15M Global Learning Xprize will be launched with a six-month team registration period. Registered teams will then have 18 months to develop their solutions, at which point, a panel of third-party expert judges will evaluate and select the top five teams to proceed in the competition, each receiving a $1 million award. Solutions will be tested in the field across a minimum of 100 villages, reaching thousands of children in the developing world over an 18-month period. The $10 million top prize will be awarded to the team which develops a technology solution demonstrating the greatest levels of proficiency gains in reading, writing and arithmetic.
Tata ClassEdge milestone
THE MUMBAI-BASED TATA ClassEdge — a division of Tata Industries Ltd — which provides digital solutions to teachers through its Multiple Learning Experiences (MLEx™) model, has crossed the 10,000 classrooms (in 1,200 schools) milestone within three years of commencing commercial operations.
According to company spokespersons, more than 40,000 teachers and 500,000 students in several cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Surat, Lucknow, and Bhopal have experienced the Tata ClassEdge way of teaching and learning.
“Crossing the 10,000 classroom mark is an important milestone. But what really matters is the positive change that Tata ClassEdge has managed to bring into classrooms across the country — higher engagement, greater participation and passion for learning. We are proud to be associated with the schools that have taken the initiative to implement Tata ClassEdge in their classrooms to significantly improve the teaching-learning experiences of their teachers and students,” says Nirav Khambhati, CEO of Tata ClassEdge.
Ecophon’s Essex Study
THE ESSEX STUDY (UK), commissioned by the Sweden-based Ecophon Group — a constituent of the Paris-based Saint-Gobain Group — which develops, manufactures and markets acoustic products and systems for ceilings and walls, has recommended several best practices for reducing noise levels in classrooms. The study indicates that usage of Ecophon acoustic products and systems results in lower reverberation and increased sound absorption.
“This improves student behaviour and attentiveness, and leads to teachers requiring less vocal effort to speak to the class. The conclusion derived from interviews conducted for the study, is that there’s a significant improvement in working conditions for teachers and students including better classroom behaviour and comprehension,” says an Ecophon spokesperson.
TRINS–Round Square Welfare project
TRIVANDRUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (TRINS), Kerala recently hosted Beacon of Hope, a detailed service project under the auspices of the UK-based Round Square Organisation. Over 100 students from 11 schools in India and abroad participated in this enterprise.
The two venues chosen for implementing this social welfare project were the Dr. Ambedkar Charitable Trust Old Age and Mental Rehabilitation Centre, Attingal and the Cheshire Home, Trivandrum. At the former, students renovated and repainted the building while discussing safety and personal hygiene issues with residents. At the Cheshire Home, they started a kitchen garden to provide residents with organically-grown pesticides-free fruits and vegetables.
The objective of the Beacon of Hope programme is to inspire all participants to serve the less fortunate and marginalised in society, while appreciating the dignity of manual labour.
Oxford India Business Forum
OXFORD UNIVERSITY, UK’S Said Business School is set to host its 8th annual Oxford India Business Forum on December 9, at the Vivanta by Taj-President Hotel at Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. The forum will provide a platform to debate important issues affecting India’s socio-economic growth.
“For the past seven years, Oxford University has organised this business event in India bringing eminent individuals together to discuss timely and important issues. Once again we will meet to make a fundamental contribution to thinking and policy formulation on an issue of central importance in the 21st century in India and beyond — Responsible Business,” says Dr. Peter Tufano, dean and professor of finance at Said Business School.
The panel of experts addressing the forum includes Prof. Colin Mayer, Prof. Tarun Ramadorai, Dr. Janet Smart and Dr. Felix Reed-Tsochas from Oxford; U.K. Sinha, chairman of SEBI, N. Chandrasekharan, chief executive of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), S. Ramadorai, vice chairman, TCS and Subir Gokarn of the Brookings Institute, India.