Duolingo & Next Genius initiative
Mumbai, april 26. The US-based Duolingo Inc, which has designed the global Duolingo English Test (DET), a modern English proficiency assessment for international students and institutions, and its India partner, Next Genius Foundation, are embarking on an Inspiring India Tour to visit 1,000 high schools across 50 cities in India over the next two years. The tour is an initiative to introduce DET and other educational resources to students and counsellors across India.

Comments Dr. Neeraj Mandhana, founder of the Next Genius Scholarship Program: “English proficiency tests are mandatory for admission into most universities and colleges abroad. Next Genius is happy to partner with Duolingo to reach out to more students and schools, spread awareness about DET and our scholarship programme to support students’ academic and professional aspirations. India is the largest market for DET with people taking English proficiency tests in 1,200 cities and towns in the past year, making the Inspiring India Tour initiative timely and relevant.”

“Our goal is to provide modern English proficiency assessment that’s accessible to the broader Indian population.” says Tara Kapur, India Marketing Head of DET. “DET is recognised by over 4,000 institutions in over 50 countries, and is trusted by top universities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia,” she adds.

Semiconductor industry program
Bengaluru, april 24. The Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering (E&C Engineering) at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal, in collaboration with Semi-Conductor Laboratory, has launched a new course — B.Tech Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology). This programme is specially curated to support creation and scaling up of an ecosystem for manufacturing semiconductors in India.

A four-year undergraduate programme, it will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the subject. The course curriculum covers a wide range of topics such as digital electronics, VLSI design and testing, analog and mixed-signal circuits.

“Through this programme, students will not only gain knowledge, but they will also acquire hands-on experience of cutting-edge technology, allowing them to excel in their future careers. The semiconductor industry is expected to require 20,000 qualified professionals by 2025 and our programme aims to close this gap by providing students with the competencies to work in this thriving industry,” said Cdr (Dr.) Anil Rana, Director, MIT Manipal, speaking on the occasion.

CleverTap-Barefoot partnership
Mumbai, april 18. CleverTap, the world’s #1 Retention Cloud, announced a partnership with Barefoot Edu Foundation to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in budget private schools (BPS) in Mumbai. This partnership intends to develop fully operational STEM labs in 12 BPS citywide.

These labs will enable students to demonstrate increased retention of textual subject knowledge through formative and summative testing. Six of the 12 STEM labs will be exclusively for girl children. Students will be given resources to demonstrate their creativity in applying textbook concepts to real-world problems through engaging activities like melas and competitions.

“At CleverTap, we are true believers that ‘a brilliant mind can come from anywhere’ and hope our efforts can help create a conducive environment for young aspirants to become leaders of tomorrow,” said Sidharth Malik, CEO at CleverTap.

Added Subhankar Paul, Director and Co-founder of Barefoot Edu Foundation: “At Barefoot, we are fully committed to providing a strong foundation for children to think, feel, dream, and thrive. CleverTap’s contribution will go a long way in making STEM more accessible to students, especially young girls. Building the appropriate infrastructure to facilitate an environment of learning is the first step towards changing the way society approaches education.”

Drones Excellence Centre
Bengaluru, april 10. Bengaluru-based Aereo Pvt. Ltd, an Indian end-to-end drone solutions startup, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SJC Institute of Technology, Bengaluru (SJCIT, estb.1986) to extablish a Centre of Excellence. The centre will serve as a platform where students learn the fundamentals of drones, drone mapping, GIS, data processing, and a certified remote pilot training programme.

SJCIT claims to be the first to provide holistic drone education in India as also fundamental remote pilot training. The Centre of Excellence will help students build a career in India’s booming drones industry. The courses will be taught by highly experienced industry experts.

“This Centre of Excellence will lay the groundwork for drone education in the country. We look forward to providing top-notch drone education to the youth of Karnataka. Lack of high-skilled workforce is a major bottleneck of the Indian drone industry. By imparting holistic drone education along with remote pilot training, we aim to create thousands of new drone-related jobs and pave the way for R&D in indigenous drone technology. It will equip students with real-world experience and skills required to forge a lucrative career in this industry,” said Vipul Singh, co-founder and CEO of Aereo speaking on the occasion.