बुधवार, 30 दिसंबर 2020

It’s the season of giving at NSAM academy


Mumbai, 30 December, 2020 (TGN): The current year has been a tough phase for each and everybody. Educational institutes had to revise their entire module of operation overnight but the essence was something that could have never been altered.


 

NSAM is a fashion and interior design institute founded by a visionary entrepreneur Ms. Neeru Jain who belives in the fact that education should not just be aimed at making scholars rather creating conscious, skilled entrepreneurs for a brighter tomorrow.

Before bidding adieu to 2020 NSAM decided to share some valued knowledge not only with their students but also with anybody with a desire to learn.




Considering the occasion of Christmas in mind, they conducted a session involving a DIY Christmas tree making workshop by faculty member Ms. Suchitra Gavale who teaches PMCG at NSAM. Ms. Gavale designed this activity keeping in mind the theme of a sustainable Christmas and how one can give a new and a better life to things that are otherwise considered waste. The next session was with fashion mentor of the institute Mr. Anees Deen who is an internationally acclaimed celebrity fashion designer. Anees Deen is acknowledged for trend setting fashion in Indian couture. A brand in himself, his fashion label ‘Anees Deen’  created an impact across the continents and have been worn by celebrities as well as fashion aficionados at prestigious events including Cannes Film Festival. Anees spoke to students about how to create their own style statement with whatever you have handy, he also shared tips about how people with various physical orientation can choose for evening parties. The session entertained questions from the audience like what colors are currently in trend and if pullovers are still a go to thing for men. 

There was also a session by renowned make up professional and one of the mentors at the institute Ms. Shirren Merchant, the session covered topics like how to get ready for festive evenings to how to carry it subtle during intimate get together. Tips were shared on how to perfect the winged eyeliners to how to do your hair to suit the occasion. The fourth session was planned considering the fact that life skills like cooking are also a must learn activity and when something sweet is being cooked the pleasure becomes sweeter. Roli Dubey who is the founder of Mom’s cake and member of Thane Super Moms gave a half an hour session to students and showed them how to treat your family with the perfect plum cake.


All the sessions were designed by founder Neeru Jain and director Ayush Jain personally, keeping in mind the fact that the spirit of the festival should never mellow down. And sharing knowledge makes you wiser and the smile on the audience’s faces makes you merrier.

The sessions continued and the students could not have been more excited when renowned fashion designer and  Founder of Fashionpreneur India Ms. Anuradha Nath addressed a session with the students on the topic “why India remains way to achieve designation of fashion capital”


Ms. Neeru Jain shared her excitement said. “2020 has been a tough year for all of us but it is important to be self-motivated and keep going. The only aim behind these sessions was to bring back the festive spirit and those lost smiles back.”


Mr. Ayush Jain who took it upon himself to make the things in place said, “Every end marks the advent of a new beginning, thus why not make this end a meaningful and worthwhile one. We a NSAM believe in sharing skill and making people happy. The sessions were designed with this belief in mind and through this we also will gradually move closer to our aim of "building a better you.” ENDS

शनिवार, 19 दिसंबर 2020

LivePixel Events International curates a one of its kind conference for the ICAI in Muscat - By Sachin Murdeshwar

 


Mumbai, 19 December, 2020 (TGN) : LivePixel Events International  consolidated the 11th annual international conference for The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Muscat Chapter with great panache. The intriguing theme of this one of its kind event was - ‘CA for Change Adapters’. The mission of the conference was to bring together finance and accounting professionals from all across the globe and discuss the varied new possibilities in the field of corporate governance, international trade, digital movement and technology. The event took place virtually thus setting a paradigm example for businesses in the post COVID-19 world. Virtual events are not just safer options during these times but are also far more sustainable in nature. 



“We at LivePixel believe that technology truly is a boon. And during these trying times we have realised that we as a civilization must use our resources wisely and be conscious of our activities. Virtual conferences have been part of the new normal for businesses. But we have elevated this experience by introducing technological advancements that makes events like these better than ever.” Says Ssamridh  S Aggarwal , COO, LivePixel Events International.

The virtual conference was inaugurated by HE Dr Said Mohammed Al Saqri, Minister of National Economy, Sultanate of Oman. LivePixel Events International  has devised unique 3D assets and graphics which were entirely developed in-house by the team for the front end of the event. Multiple computers were put together as a network to capture the video feed and then it was re-routed using professional broadcasting software to appear live. The event witnessed eminent speakers shed light and discuss over topics like the challenges for finance professional in a post COVID world, borderless world business, big data and its importance for finance professionals. The conference was inaugurated by the Omani dignitaries like  and the event had eminent names like Munu Mahawar, Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman as well as CA Atul Kumar Gupta, the President of ICAI and CA Nihar Niranjan Jambusaria, Vice-President of ICAI as guest of honour.

“The experience of this event was not the same as a normal on ground event. In fact, it was far better than that. Team LivePixel had less than 48 hours to make this event happen, the apprehension kept lingering in our mind but Ssamridh and his team proved true to their commitments and the experience has been phenomenol.Virtual events with such class and phenomenal technology will be in demand in the future. We would definitely want LivePixel Events International to come on board for our upcoming virtual conferences.” Said Nader Nasser Hamood Al Rawahy, Assurance Quality Lead at ISFU Oman. 

“Our aim with this conference was to stimulate a modern thought process and discuss possible solutions to current issues. We had eminent speakers and dignitaries participating and we were definitely a little nervous as this was the first time that the conference was being conducted live but the event was carried out seamlessly. I am extremely touched and impressed by the commitment to work that these young, bright individuals at LivePixel have showcased.” Said, CA Ramananda Prabhu, Chairman, ICAI Muscat.





About LivePixel Events International

LivePixel Events International provides end to end niche event and experiential marketing solutions to clients across the globe. From event conceptualization, designing to execution and production. 

The Services include brand Strategy, Concept & Design, Event Production, Logistics & Project Administration, Event Coverage and animation, R&R / MICE Experiences, Celebrity / Talent Management, Technology Engagements and Exhibit designs and fabrication. They are also specialized in on ground promotions and experiential marketing, theme-based multimedia design and concept development providing the audience with a surreal experience.

With the use of latest technologies like 3D Mapping Projections, 360 Degree Projections, 3D Holography, Water Curtains etc., we ensure to give life-size experiences to our consumers.

LivePixel Events International embraces high technology vision and understanding of industry needs with core competence being providing customized solutions.

बुधवार, 9 दिसंबर 2020

Mr. Bobby Mohanty appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Mumbai; Mr. Bobby Mohanty is the first person from Odisha to be honoured with this prestigious position

Mr. Bobby Mohanty, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Mumbai along with his wife wife Mrs. Sanghamitra Mohanty.

Mumbai, 
9th December, 2020 (TGN):  Technocrat, entrepreneur and philanthropist Mr. Bobby Mohanty has been appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives (based in Mumbai) and has earned the distinction of being the first person from Odisha to be bestowed with this prestigious position. The President of India has recognised the appointment of Mr. Bobby Mohanty in the letter dated 3rdDecember 2020 and the same will be published in Part 1 Section 1 pf the Gazette of India. Mr. Mohanty’s tenure is valid till 14th November 2023.  

The appointment of Mr. Mohanty is significant as India-Maldives relationship has been on the upswing since the last two years after the visit of India’s Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. India aspires to work closely for the realization of Maldives’ developmental priorities, especially in areas of infrastructure, health-hygiene, connectivity, disaster management and human resources. Maldives has been the biggest beneficiary of GoI’s COVID relief among its neighbours. In order to assist Maldives in its economic recovery, India has provided financial assistance of US$ 250 million to the Maldives in September 2020. Multi-facetted personality Mr. Mohanty will strive to enhance trade, investment and diplomatic ties between the two countries in several key areas.  Mr. Mohanty’s family consists of wife Mrs. Sanghamitra Mohanty, son Barenyam and daughter Bhuvashwa.


Mr. Bobby Mohanty, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Mumbai


Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Mohantysaid, “I shall leverage my appointment to usher in a new era of cooperation between India and the Maldives. India has appreciated the government of Maldives’ ‘India First’ foreign policy and reciprocated the same in full measure by its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy in which the Maldives enjoys a very special and central place. I shall leverage my influence to foster bilateral ties and investment in areas such as core infrastructure, travel & tourism, maritime/ marine, medical tourism, education, healthcare, defence, technology and emerging businesses. As the Maldives ‘reiterated their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific’ initiative undertaken by the US, this paves the way for the Maldives to emerge as an international hub for emerging businesses in the region. I shall also strive to be the bridge to enhance business and social ties between Delhi, Mumbai, Odisha and the Maldives.”

Mr. Bobby Mohanty, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Mumbai along with his wife wife Mrs. Sanghamitra Mohanty


India is Maldives’ 4th largest trade partner after UAE, China and Singapore. Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include a variety of engineering and industrial products like drugs and medicines radar apparatus, rock boulders, aggregates, cement and agriculture produce like rice, spices, fruits, vegetables and poultry produce etc. Indians are the second largest expatriate community in Maldives. To boost trade and investment, an 18 member CII CEO delegation visited Malè in August 2020 to meet their Maldivian counterparts and concerned Ministers in order to explore business avenues.

Mr. Mohanty has a Master’s degree of Science & Technology and an alumnus of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. He has been involved in Philanthropy and Social Activities with his own hard-earned resources through the Bobby Mohanty Foundation Trust since 2004. He has been the Chairman-Promoter of four private limited profit-making tax compliant companies with Zero Liabilities having offices in Mumbai and abroad. His company TechEngg Project Services & Equipments (India) Pvt. Ltd. is into consulting, trading and marketing in heavy engineering equipment, spares and services. It is also into supply of equipment & services in the field of power, heavy engineering, mining and metals from different parts of the globe. He is also an investor in Start-ups and cutting-edge technologies in India, Indonesia and Singapore. He started his career with the Steel Authority of India Limited and De Beers Group. Mr. Mohanty has been the Joint Secretary, Students Union, Ravenshaw College and the Leader, Post Graduate Group, Applied Geology and Geophysics IIT, Dhanbad. He has recognised experience and expertise in private sector Mining Labour Management & Laws; and International Industrial techno commercial rules and strategy-trade. He has wide influence and contacts across the political & industrial spectrum of Odisha, India and abroad. He is a Member, India International Centre, New Delhi; Member, Cuttack Club, Cuttack, Orissa; Member, OCA Club, Cuttack, Orissa.

As Founder Trustee, Bobby Mohanty Foundation (BMFT), his motto is “Serving the needs, Developing through deeds”.  BMFT has the avowed aim of serving the rural masses and the poorest of the poor of Odisha in Badamba & Narasinghpur blocks. It consistently promotes skill development and awareness to minimize rural poverty. In Education, BMFT has initiated Adult Literacy Campaign (ALC) across 197 villages; and for sponsoring poor meritorious students for Higher Education. BMFT is also involved with promotion of Odia language among IV to VII class students under its “Suddha Odia Pathana, Likhana “O” Kathan Program”. In Livelihood Promotion, BMFT is involved with marketing linkage of finished products acting as a bridge between the producer’s group marketing agency like ORMAS/ NABARD. It facilitated Tailoring Training Center (TTC) - 3-months tailoring training program covering most of the Gram Panchayats in Badamba and Narasinghpur. It facilitated mushroom cultivation training for women in 22 Gram Panchayats. It facilitated Agarbatti (Incense Sticks) making for women; Phenyl & Candle Making for women. In Health/ Hygiene and Sanitation, BMFT facilitated Health Camps with a focus on identifying kidney related diseases. BMFT is actively engaged in creating menstrual hygiene awareness among the adolescent girls. The Foundation is a partner to the National Flagship program Swachha Bharat Abhiyan - constructed model toilets with BMFT contribution; and undertaken several drives to make the village Open Defecation free. In Sports and Materials Support, BMFT facilitates providing sports materials such as Football, Volleyball, Carom and Badminton sets to rural youth clubs. It provides monetary assistance to the youth clubs to promote playground activities. In Social Awareness, BMFT is working as active facilitator of creating awareness among community for hassle free enrolment of their names into various Government Welfare and Security Schemes/ programs. It facilitates promotion of door-to-door campaign to enhance Anti-Corruption movement. BMFT promotes anti-liquor movement with the active involvement of rural women.

BMFT’s other initiatives are as follows: 1) Contribution for building chemical lab, microscopic lab and smart class in Geology Dept. of Ravenshaw University, Cuttack. 2) Support for inmates of Orphanages (Shradhalaya in Cuttack & Servants of India, Choudwar). 3) Provision for entire welfare facility / marriage mandap within the Shiva Temple premises at Sargipalli in Sundargarh. 4) Yearly distribution of water pouch to devotees during Rath Yatra at Puri, Narasinghpur and Badamba. Outside Odisha, the Foundation has done the following: Created Nodal Center for Konark Cancer Foundation, Mumbai for Odisha cancer patients providing them logistic & financial support referred to Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai; Medicine and Health assistance support to Spastic Society in the name of House of Charity, Mumbai on monthly basis.  

During the Covid-19 lockdown, BMFT was instrumental in taking the lead role for supplying PPE kits to the Mumbai Police Force and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). BMFT also supplied ration to100+ families and labour camps through Mumbai Municipal Corporation.Ends.

रविवार, 6 दिसंबर 2020

Flamingo unveils new TVC starring Hrithik Roshan saying “What you do, ultimately matters” in the New Normal

Rajiv Mistry, Founder and Managing Director, Ascent Meditech Ltd. with Hrithik Roshan

National,
7th 
December 2020 (TGN): Ascent Meditech Ltd., an Indian multinational in consumer healthcare space, continues its association with Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan for its flagship brand Flamingo – An Aid for a New Life. In his imitable style Hrithik Roshan features in an international campaign communicating the ideology ‘what you do, ultimately matters’ so very apt in the New Normal. The story in the campaign revolves around the central offering of pain management solutions to various lifestyle problems through four (4) top of the line products viz. Heat Belt, Knee Cap, Lumbar Sacro Belt and Anklet. Flamingo’s 60-sec Hrithik Roshan video is now available over FB for sharing. Link as follows: https://www.facebook.com/FlamingoHealthOfficial    






Rajiv Mistry, Founder and Managing Director, Ascent Meditech Ltd., says, “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going – this saying holds true for Indians as well as for Ascent. While Indians have put up a brave face against all odds and have adapted to the New Normal, we, at Ascent, have supported Indians with the introduction of products, which are of absolute necessity, today. In line with the sudden change in consumer behavior and mindset, brand Flamingo has crafted its new campaign under the umbrella thought of ‘what you do, ultimately matters’. The communication in the new campaign is purposeful and leaves the consumer with a decision to make amongst an existing practice versus a sustainable solution, when encountered with pain.”

 

As a consumer healthcare organization, Ascent Meditech Ltd. has always been early in reading the mind of consumers.  The start of pandemic unearthed the need of security and protection among Indians. Flamingo, being a trusted brand among consumers was quick to reciprocate this need and introduced FlamiMask, FlamiMask Plus and Flamitizer at value for money prices, thus entering the Personal Protection space. With this recent category extension, Ascent Meditech Ltd., is now present across five (5) categories, earlier four (4) being Orthopaedic Soft Goods, Healthcare, Mobility and Wound-care.

Flamingo’s Lifestyle range boasts of top of the line products under Heat Therapy, Cold Therapy. Heat Belt, the flagship product of the brand offers ultimate pain relief during joint pains while Cold Therapyproduct viz. Cool Pack offers relief post injury and reduces swelling. Flamingo’s range of lifestyle products can be used by people across all age-groups for regular day-to-day activities; be at home or at work. Included in the category of preventive care yet lifestyle is our Regular & Premium Knee Cap, Regular & Premium Anklet. Knee Cap provides support to the knee and offers mild compression. It is recommended in sports injury, old age etc. Anklet is recommended in edema, sports injury, mild to moderate sprains & strains and old age. Flamingo’s offering towards back pain, Lumbar Sacro Belt offers uniform compression and provides support to the lower back thereby offering relief from pain and improving posture respectively.

Ascent Meditech Ltd. earlier unveiled its new customer-centric single and two-coloured variants for Flamingo’s range of pain management products across categories – Black, Beige and a combination of Black & Orange for the Regular range; and Turquoise Blue for the Premium range of products giving it a trendier, sporty and contemporary look, appealing to the younger and millennial customers.

The Company launched its e-commerce platform www.flamingohealth.com making its flagship brand Flamingo products available anytime, anywhere across the country. The Company's e-commerce platform flamingohealth.com has most of its products (available in multiple SKUs) out of the total portfolio of over 350+ products. The product mix maintained for the e-commerce platform comprises of OTC as well as RX products, with majority being OTC products. Products across the  categories are available at a discount of 10% to the MRP. There is a flat 10% discount for all purchases made on www.flamingohealth.comOn purchase of Rs. 350 and above, consumers need not pay any Delivery Charges.

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jio6zHLaixA

For more information, follow FlamingoHealth Social Media Links on: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Flamingo-Health-308040376624556/?ref=br_rs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flamingo_health/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLlSZHVbhOklkHm0gOaOuuQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flamingohealth

बुधवार, 25 नवंबर 2020

Zaggle wins the best Fintech Corporate Innovation Program award at The ETBFSI Innovation Tribe Awards


Mumbai, November 26, 2020 (TGN): Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services was conferred the best Fintech Corporate Innovation Program award at The Economic Times BFSI Innovation Tribe Awards 2020. In its third edition, The Economic Times BFSI Innovation Tribe Awards recognize leading financial institutions, solution providers and Fintech companies that are helping in building a robust ecosystem for the financial services sector. 




Entries for the awards were evaluated by IBSI, a group company of Cedar Management Consulting International in association with ETBFSI. IBSI was set up in 1991 and has since been publishing cutting edge research consumed by various stakeholders in the financial space including bankers, investors and suppliers. 


Commenting on the success of the company, Raj N – Founder, Zaggle said, “We are indeed proud to have been recognized by the Economic Times for our contribution to the financial services space through our products and services. Innovation has been at the heart of all progress and we continue to strive for providing innovative support to organizations.”  


Speaking about the awards, V Ramkumar – Senior Partner, Cedar Management Consulting International said, “The evaluation of the participants in the awards was based not just on the services that have been provided, but also on the basis of the excellence that has been delivered and the impact that it has resulted in for the customers which include banks as well as the end customers.” 


Currently in its third edition, the framework for the evaluation of participants was originally designed by PwC by first identifying 16 categories to celebrate excellence and innovation in the Fintech space. The basis for the evaluation lies around 6 identified methodologies and framework elements associated with business impact, market growth potential, the degree of innovation, the applicability of the solutions, how does it really help in enhancing the overall ecosystem and the customer benefit perspective. 


105 Fintech companies participated in this year’s Innovation Awards which were ranked on the basis of the evaluation metrics with an eminent jury comprising of representatives from Banking, Technology, Private Equity as well as members from the Fintech space. 


About Zaggle:


Zaggle is an award-winning FinTech company digitizing spends to unlock value and drive business growth. Zaggle uses Deep Tech and Artificial Intelligence to provide platform solutions to businesses for expense management & employee reimbursements as well as for rewards & recognition. Additionally, Zaggle is working with a number of banks, other Fintech companies and networks to build a state-of-the-art open banking platform for small & medium size businesses (SMBs).


Zaggle works currently with three banks RBL Bank, IndusInd and YES Bank and works closely with VISA, RuPay and MasterCard Networks to craft these solutions and to constantly innovate to bring value to its users.


The company was founded in 2011 by Raj N, a serial entrepreneur and seed investor. The word ‘Zaggle’ stands as an antidote to ‘Haggle’. As a founder of the brand merchandising and corporate gifting company eYantra, Raj realized that customers were looking for choice and flexibility. When corporates started approaching him for a solution, he decided to tackle it with a platform on which the merchants, corporates and consumers could seamlessly interact - and this is how Zaggle was born.


Zaggle today has over 200+ employees, a presence in 10+ cities, 3500+ Clients, 10,000 merchants, and 4.5 million users. The Zaggle platform connects its customers through Expense Management & Employee Reimbursements and Employee Rewards & Recognition.


Zaggle’s platform solutions include:

  • Zaggle Propel: An easy to use system to manage all your reward programs from a single integrated platform to increase productivity, greater profitability and reduced attrition.

  • Zaggle Save: An all in one business expense management and employee reimbursements platform that helps businesses unlock value and helps their employees save taxes and manage their expenses better. 


Over the years, Zaggle has received several recognitions. Some of these include the following.

  • Best Prepaid Card of the Year at the Payments and Cards Summit, 2019

  • Best B2B Enterprise for Zaggle SAVE at the HYSEA Innovation Summit, 2019

  • Best IT Company at the HMTV Business Excellence Awards, 2019

  • Best Prepaid Card Solution at the IAMAI Indian Digital Forum, Jan 2019

  • Best Growth Strategy Award at the Ascent Awards, 2017

  • Best Service Provider at the Bayer Awards, 2016

World Record: Many Indian schools become CARTE BLANCHE Digital Schools 2020

 


Tech Avant-Garde, Microsoft set new benchmark for Indian schools with the CARTE BLANCHE DIGITAL SCHOOL 2020 GRADUATION

MUMBAI, 26 NOVEMBER, 2020 (TGN): Tech Avant-Garde (TAG), technology powered Ed-Tech company and Microsoft’s Global Partner in Education, is setting a new benchmark for Indian schools with the Carte Blanche – 2020 Digital School recognition. Select schools will be honoured with Carte Blanche Digital School graduationat a special function to be held post Diwali in November with the active participation of school trustees, principals, teachers, parents and children amongst various stakeholders.

The list of Carte Blanche – Graduating schools 2020: Litera Valley Zee School - Hosur; TCIS Bangalore, Sarjapur Road Bangalore; Arya Gurukul – Nandivali, Kalyan; The Blossoms School – Aligarh; Mathakondapalli Model School(MMS), Hosur; Cambridge Public School, HSR Extn. Bangalore; GS World School, Chikkaballapur; The Green School Bangalore; Huddard High School, Kanpur; Sri Aurobindo International School, Hyderabad; Greenfield Public School, Bangalore; The Orbis School – Keshavnagar, Pune; Lawrence High - HSR Layout, Bangalore; Mind Tree School - Ambala; Sunshine Worldwide School - Goa; Samsidh MLZS School - HSR Layout, Bangalore; Bunts Sangha RNS Vidyaniketan, Bangalore; Dr. Virendra Swarup Eduacation Centre – Shyamnagar, Kanpur; Oxford Grammer High School, Hyderabad; TCIS Bangalore – Whitefield, Bangalore; Carmel School, Bangalore; SJR Kengeri Public School, Bangalore; Little Aryan's – Kalyan; DAV Public School, Ambala; Samsidh MLZS School  - electronic city, Bangalore; Priyadarshini School – CBSE, Pune; The Regency Public School, Bangalore; St. Thomas School – Gopiganj, Bhadohi; Samsidh MLZS School – Horamavu, Bangalore; VLS International School, Bangalore; The Orbis School Mundhwa, Pune; Subbaiah Central School, Tirupur; Arya Gurukul – Ambernath; Jubilee School, Bangalore; Vagdevi Vilas - Marathahalli , Bangalore; Samsidh MLZS – Vidranyapura; Priyadarshi  School - Moshi; SJR Public School – HBR, Bangalore; Lawrence High School – Koramangala, Bangalore; St Thomas School, Gyanpur, Bhadohi; Cresent High School and Jr College – Pune; Samsidh Mother Tressa Intl School  - Kanakapura; Priyadarshini School – SSC, Pune; Florence Public School, Bangalore; St Mary School  - Kalyan; International School - Hyderabad; Clarence Public School, Bangalore; Embassy Public School, Bangalore; Samsidh Mount Litera Zee School  - Vellore; Auden Public School, Bangalore; Aryan Presidency, Bangalore; Royal Public School, Bangalore; SBBM Middle School, Ambala; Samsidh International School  - Vizag; Auden School, Bangalore; SJR Primary & High School, Bangalore; SDM TPP, Titilagarh  Odisha; St. Philomena's School, Bangalore.



The schools eligible for the CARTE BLANCHE DIGITAL SCHOOL 2020 graduation are those that have subscribed towards the MASP PRO / Digital Transformation and Holistic Learning Program (DTHL); wherein school teachers have been trained on Digital Teaching; where the school is conducting online classes daily for all grades; where teachers are MIE (Microsoft Innovator Educator) certified; and where teachers have trained the participants in the Knowledge L'avenir Conclave Webinars.

The benefits to the school due to Carte Blanche graduation are as follows: The school will be certified as Digital School - Carte Blanche 2020; The Management will be awarded with Transformist Certification; Principal will be awarded with Change Maker CertificationDTHL Coordinators will be awarded with Digital Catalyst CertificationKnowledge L'avenir Conclave presenter will be awarded with Adroit Mentor Certification;Teacher with digital skills will be presented with Empowered Educator Certification; Students will be presented with Connected Learner Certification; The parent will be presented with Participative Parent CertificationSchool will be eligible to become Microsoft Showcase School; Teachers who have given presentations in Knowledge L'avenir Conclaves will be trained to become MIE TrainersSchool will get six month's free Digital Fee Collection subscription from BBPS(Bharat Bill Pay System) on Efeeonline.

Dr. Kulbhushan Sharma President, NISA and Director SBBM Middle School, Ambala, says, "The Government should declare this year 2020 as the Digital Year for Primary and Secondary Education. Four lakh Budget schools in India need to create Smart Students of the 21st Century by Digital Transformation and Holistic Learning by empowering teachers who are the central figures. Prime Minister gave a digital vision and roadmap with Digital India long back and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also continued the momentum for digital education and empowered schools. Parents cooperation and mindset is the key to success. We need all stakeholders including public and private players to come together to pool in for fulfilling the needs of children and their teachers in terms of digital devices and other elements. We would like to thank Microsoft and and Tech-Avant-Garde."

Mr. K. V. Vincent, Principal, Huddard School Kanpur, said, “Those who had got used to customary classroom teaching never imagined that they would reimagine themselves and their methodologies in a crisis or calamity. They not just overcame the crisis but also moved forward. This is a great effort by resourceful teachers. They took several initiatives and interacted with their teams. Teachers have done a wonderful job of coming out of their comfort zone; facing difficulties and tough times. We are happy that our school received the Digital School certificate and the Carte Blanche graduation certificate. We moved beyond expectations in terms of the digital transformation and holistic learning thanks to Microsoft and Tech-Avant-Garde.”

Mr. Ali Sait, CEO, Tech Avant-Garde, says, “India is the first nation in the world where educational institutions have fulfilled the requirement of Knowledge Age by becoming a ‘Connected Learning Community’. In history any nation or a society, which adopts modern education practices, becomes the most progressive society of the world.  India has the head start we hope it maintains the lead."

Mr. Krishank Malik - Director-IT - Arya Gurukul, said, “The future is all about hybrid merging physical and online teaching models. Now is the time to plan a long term foundation for the future of our children. Tech Avant-Garde’s platform eliminates fear as collaborative learning starts with digital connectivity. The CLC paves the way for Happy Teacher, Happy Child, Happy Learning! Everything is online --- Ganesh Chaturthi, Independence Day, Environment Day, Digital Admissions, etc." He added, “CLC can help us become part of the global world. We can adapt and adopt digital technologies, methodologies and mindsets. KLC has touched every educator and inspired him/her. It has exposed us to new 21st tools, empowered autonomous and collaboration. We all are now working as one cohesive entity. School teachers are becoming students and emerging as 21st century teachers.”

The principals and teachers had mixed feelings and emotions. Some like Ms. Priya Anand - Head of School - TCIS Whitefield, Bangalore,said that they were moving from darkness to light. Others said that after all the talk and fears, KLC had propelled them towards the much-awaited action of becoming digital citizens of the world. Yet others said they felt nice that they were not moving blindly in a digital world. And some others felt that they started the process of conquering many more digital learning frontiers. Some felt that every cloud has silver lining and COVID-19 had transformed caterpillars into butterflies. Most teachers felt that they were on Cloud 9.

Principals were happy that children in their schools had not missed a single class and had not been deprived of learning during the pandemic lockdown. They were happy that teachers had finally embarked upon the journey of becoming lifelong learners with digital classroom learning/ teaching. They were happy that digital tools were helping teachers forge new relationships with peers from across India and the world. Others felt that they were happy and relieved to do admissions online by building a robust ERP system. And finally, they noted that Parents had started writing letters complimenting schools instead of usual letters of complaints.

Education industry experts were happy that the customary classroom had transcended beyond four walls! They had never imagined that the pandemic crisis will lead to edu-warriors becoming resilient and overcoming the calamity into an opportunity for reimagining and reskilling! They lauded the great efforts and resourcefulness of Indian teachers and principals. They appreciated that teachers have done a wonderful job of coming out of their comfort zone and overcoming difficulties and tough times. They want them to build on the same do better in terms of being more effective, enjoyable and enlightening…

Mr. Deepak Khaitan of Sunshine Worldwide School Goa expressed that he was amazed watching teachers deploy the latest Microsoft tools and techniques. He wants them to forge ahead in the digital world. Goa is known throughout the world as a tourist hub and now its teachers will get connected to the global education community after getting digitally qualified and certified, he said.

Mrs. Saman Sherwani of Blossoms School, Aligarh, said, “Aligarh has always been the seat of progressive learning. KLC boosted the confidence of our teachers. Teachers are now exploring a new digital learning world beyond class walls and also textbooks using VR, AR and mixed reality.”

A Principal from Agra reminisced about how school teachers were stuck during pandemic but when this KLC program came, it got them all excited and they participated wholeheartedly. “Agra is known to the world thanks to the Taj Mahal but now our teachers are making themselves known to the world. The technological inputs is ushering in a new era of Digital Transformation and Holistic learning with MIE certified teachers becoming not just tech-savvy but implementing and executing digital classroom teaching programs.”

Dr. Sunanda Jettiof SDM TPP, Odisha, said, “We were apprehensive but thanks to KLC we feel connected to our peers in India and abroad. Puri and Kaling have always been the seat of learning and now with Carte Blanche Graduation, our schools and teachers have shown our progressive ways and how we are ahead of our times.” 

Ms. Brinda of St Thomas Gopiganj Kanpur.said, “Digital classroom training is now a necessity. Knowledge sharing has become easy thanks to technology. Microsoft has a robust syllabus, tools and techniques in education thanks to its global presence. It is bringing the world to Indian teachers. It is helping teach as well as assess students. It is helping upcountry school manage difficult challenges.”

Mr. Santosh Kannavali, Principal, Subbiah Central School Tirupur, said, “Microsoft ASPIRE school teachers learn great deal. The experiences at KLC comprised best practices --- teachers take great strides to becoming digital natives and innovators. As MIE-certified Microsoft teacher, CLC takes us global on a 24x7 basis. We can also do networking or scheduling or organising at a click of a mouse.”

Ms. Asha Shrinivas Reddy, Principal of Priyadarshi Moshi School, Pune, said that their teachers had always idolised Satya Nadella and becoming MIEs were a proud moment for them. In the beginning, they were nervous of whether they would be able to deliver the same quality as they did in traditional teaching. They have now decided to take it further for the benefit of students. The teachers got to know things, which they were not familiar with! They experienced cohesive learning being part of a global learning community. Now they were not restricted to same four walls but could explore the world beyond.”  

Young Principal from IT background Arockia Jerald MMS (Mathakondapalli Model School) High School Hosur (ISO 9001:2015 certified) said, “Our motto is ‘Liberating Creativity’. This journey of KLC urged us to liberate the latent creativity within our teachers and this led to many success stories despite trials and tribulations. Our teachers teamwork is praiseworthy. We are proud that our teacher Anamika brought laurels to our school. We thank our management for their continuing freedom and support.”

Ms. Rekha Sinha, Principal, Samsidh MLZS Horamavu Bengaluru, said that their journey of a digital classroom started three years back. “The pandemic provided a silver lining and enhanced the teacher’s digital learning process. They can now handle tech with much more confidence. KLC is a solid platform, which has boosted confidence. Getting MIE certified is a great achievement and teachers grown as a learning community. We are honoured to be part of this community.”

Mrs. Judith Singh, Principal of Cambridge High School Bengaluru, saluted the bravery of teachers, who are now adept at online classes. She said that the teaching staff now explored an elevated and enhanced teaching methodology. They learnt digital software at KLC and it was a great experience.”

Mr. Asif Daruwala Director Crescent High School Pune, said, “Teaching has now become more relatable to students. It’s a role reversal of sorts. Teachers have now become students. They can now give personalised feedback on students to parents. KLC and MIE training enhanced the versatility of the school and teachers. saving time and increasing efficiency. Everything now happens in real time.”

TAG started MIE Trainer training program for the teachers who were given presentation in the Knowledge L’avenir Conclave. This program will be conducted over a period of 12 days. The participants were trained on the topics mentioned below and guided on how to achieve badges on each topic from Microsoft Portal. Once the participants completed the MIE Trainer Academy course, they were guided on how to get certified as MIE Trainer. They were also trained on Presentation Skills & Digital Persona. This was a wonderful opportunity for teachers to get themselves qualified as MIE Trainers. 

Empowered Schools: The school in the Connected Learning Community is education’s home base, operations center, and data center.  It is where teachers and students meet, discuss projects, establish learning goals, solicit help from one another and embark on new missions of discovery and creativity.  These schools have embraced technology and made the organizational changes necessary to use it effectively. Schools can continuously improve and provide efficient service: With a ubiquitous network, enterprise software can help schools track inputs -- such as finances, procurement, inventory, schedules, human resource information and student demographics -- and outputs, such as performance information on pre-determined benchmarks and goals.

With better management information, schools can make better decisions. However, such data management requires an organizational commitment from the highest levels of leadership. Schools support teachers, students, and families and reorganize to take advantage of technology. Using technology, schools encourage teachers to experiment with team teaching, longer class periods, experiential learning, or other pedagogical models.  Such organizational change can unleash the power of teacher and student creativity. 

Administrators must ensure that teachers are equipped with the information resources that they need such as just-in-time information on students, local and state standards, lesson plans and content reviews.  Administrators must also ensure that parents have the information that they need such as on-demand, convenient access to student grades, absences, learning goals, school projects and other information

TAG became the first company in Indian education sector to partner with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conceptualized system, for online payment of fees in schools and other educational institutions. Due to the pandemic educational institutions are experiencing two issues - one is to transform their teaching learning process the other is the fee collection process. TAG fostered Efeeonline is collaborating with Bharat Bill Pay System (BBPS) to enable digital fee payments. Efeeonline is a bespoke management system, which helps educational institutions to transform their legacy manual fee collection system to a digital system. The fees can now be paid from anywhere, any place or on any device.

Today about 18,000 schools are uploaded on this platform for fees collections. TAG has an MOU with NISA (National Independent School Alliances), which has 55,000 school as its Members; and TRESMA (Telangana Private School Association), which has 9,000 Members Schools. The above associations have mandated TAG to transform their member schools into a Connected Learning Community (CLC) vision of UNESCO. TAG and ICICI Bank, Axis Bank are collaborating to give unique solutions to schools.

TAG is helping the Government of India in its efforts to promote digital classrooms, digital payment mode throughout the country through the BBPS mechanism for enabling contactless and digital payments through NPCI’s integrated, accessible and interoperable recurring payments services to consumers and parents via digital bank channels as well as through a network of agents and bank branches. One single step of onboarding on BBPS makes any school discoverable and accessible on all BBPS enable channels, including BHIM, UMANG, Banks website, all major UPI enabled Apps and Wallets. This enables parents to pay education fee easily from their preferred Banks/Mobile Apps/Wallets.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) vide Circular no. CBSE/SECY/SPS/2016 has issued directions to the affiliated schools regarding collection of fees from students only online or through non-cash mode. Hence, all schools affiliated with the Board are advised to on-board on BBPS for to enable, safe easy and contactless digital payment of school fees.

On 5th September, TAG started the record-breaking Knowledge L’avenir Conclave (KLC) webinars in association with Microsoft, Knowledge Key Foundation, LYCEE Corp, Efeeonline and Roshini Social Schooling. Th­e largest congregation of teachers (5,000) took a ‑first-of-its-kind test and 3,750 of them became Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) certified in a single day (27th September)! Till 30thNovember, they will train 150,000 teachers from 72,000 schools with a student-teacher-parent population of 7.6 crore. Ali Sait-advocated ‘Carte Blanche’ schools are the new gold standard in delivery of virtual education and early adopters of the Digital Transformation and Holistic Learning Program. Th­e 4Cs of diamond equivalent of digital classroom teaching-learning in the future are the Change, Connected Learning Community, Conclave (Knowledge L’avenir Conclave) and Carte Blanche Graduation; and Certification for School teachers. TAG unveiled NEP-compliant Learning Management System (LMS) software called AZVASA, which helps teachers with STUDY, REVISE & ASSESSMENT modules. AZVASA Connect is a complete School Management Solution having Teacher - Student - Parent Connect in one platform. Schools undergoing Digital Training & Holistic Learning program to make the school & teachers future-ready, will be graduated in a ceremony is called Carte Blanche 2020 to a ‘Connected Learning Community’, which is a utopian concept and Shangri-La of education.

 

TAG fostered Lycee Corp to meet the needs of every educational institution to transform from the four walls of the classroom to a Connected Learning Community (CLC). In CLC, students, educators and parents have anytime, anyplace access to learning; Learning is relevant, individualized and personalized; Schools have information systems that support accountability and efficient management; Schools, campuses, homes, libraries, businesses and global resources are connected in a dynamic, collaborative learning environment. It’s 2020 Vision of UNESCO. The product Lycee- Cyber Academe was developed under the fostering program of Tech Avant-Garde. From the stable of Lycee Corp, Roshini launched Efeeonline-Bespoke Fee management system for educational institutions. Now, Efeeonline has a co-sell program with Microsoft called MASP Pro. Efeeonline has the following facilities: The ERP Platform: Using this facility the fees formats, receipts, dues and reports could be generated. Parents Dashboard: parents can pay the fees, get the fee receipts and can track the dues using this facility. Which is available online and as a mobile app on IOS and Android. E-Governance: Using this facility, the school administration can do realtime tracking of the online fee collection and settlements. Efeeonline is also available on Microsoft Aspire School Program offering as MASP PRO. This is a value-based offering, which has dual advantage - it enables digital teaching learning process and is also enables digital fee collections.ENDS