Page 26 - EW April 2023

Education Briefs

NIFCO-NSDC initiative secondary school children in South ity among teachers and school admin-
Asia and 45 percent of primary school istrators for using PARAKH results to
Delhi, march 29. The Yokosuka City children in Latin America. improve teaching-learning practices.
(Japan)-based NIFCO (Nippon In- “GISA gives us an excellent plat- “This partnership will help us in
dustrial Fastener Corporation) Inc, a form to promote the benefits of in- bringing international best practices
global manufacturing company and ternational schools in India and in assessment design and admin-
an IoT (Internet of Things) solutions highlight how we can work alongside istration to India and enhance the
provider with battery-less devices, the national system to promote high quality and relevance of PARAKH
and the Delhi-based NSDC (National standards and educate the next gen- assessments,” said Prof. Indrani
Skills Development Corporation) In- eration of leaders,” said Christopher Bhaduri, head of PARAKH-NCERT,
ternational, a company engaged in Short, managing director, Nord An- speaking on the occasion.
building global job opportunities for glia Education, India, speaking on the
Indians, signed a Memorandum of occasion. Lodha-Ashoka Genius
Understanding (MoU). Some of the biggest names in glob-
Under the MoU, the two companies al K-12 independent education have Programme
will encourage migration of skilled hu- united to form GISA’s executive board,
man resources from India to Japan. which will shape its strategic direc- Mumbai, March 9. Macrotech Devel-
“This MoU is signed to establish a tion. They include Andrew Fitzmau- opers (aka Lodha Group) launched
cooperative framework to promote, rice, CEO of Nord Anglia Education; the ‘Lodha Genius Programme’ in
enable opportunities for Indian pro- Sunny Varkey, founder of Gems Edu- partnership with Ashoka University,
fessionals in Japan and contribute to cation; Nadim Nsouli, founder, chair- Sonipat, India’s high-ranked private
support the education environment man and CEO of Inspired Education; research and teaching university, to
in India. The companies will also fo- Frank Maassen, Group CEO of Cog- nurture the country’s brightest young
cus on conducting various hybrid and nita; Brian Rogove, Group CEO of minds to achieve their potential.
physical promotional seminars in In- XCL Education; and Dino Varkey, The objective of the programme
dia and Japan for knowledge sharing Group CEO of GEMS Education. The is to address the acute shortage of
and skills mapping,” says a NIFCO Inc association was launched with a call high-quality talent in the country by
spokesperson. to action to attract members from supporting academically bright high
NSDC International is a 100 per- around the world, “whether they are school students from class IX onwards
cent subsidiary of NSDC that is pro- a single classroom private school in a through academic, financial mentor-
moting Skill India international objec- low-income country, a school run by a ing, mental health, and other enablers
tives to make India a global source for charity or foundation, or a school op- to help them excel in their chosen
quality talent. erating within a multinational chain”. areas. The pioneer Lodha Genius
Programme will provide customised
High-powered GISA launch NCERT-ETS-PARAKH treaty long-term support to gifted students
to build the next generation of leaders
Gurugram, march 29. India’s estimated New delhi, march 29. The National for India. The programme will entail
340,000-plus independent (private) Council of Educational Research on-campus seminars and projects,
schools were urged to join forces with and Training (NCERT) has signed together with continued off-campus
schools around the world in the first a Memorandum of Understanding mentoring.
meeting of a worldwide representative with the US-based Educational Test- The Chair of the Ashoka Science
body for the K-12 independent educa- ing Service (ETS) to strengthen the Advisory Council will guide the pro-
tion sector — the Global Independent PARAKH (Performance Assessment, gramme. Students from classes IX-XII
Schools Association (GISA). A critical Review, and Analysis of Knowledge can apply for the programme online
objective of GISA is to improve edu- for Holistic Development) online plat- (www.lodhageniusprogram.com).
cation provision throughout the world form for assessments. PARAKH was “Guided by our philosophy of ‘Do
by sharing knowledge. launched by NCERT in 2020 to assess Good, Do Well’, we recognise our re-
According to a press statement is- the learning outcomes of students in sponsibility to build a better society
sued by GISA, this global association classes III-X in schools across India. and stronger nation. And for that,
seeks to co-ordinate, represent, and ETS will support NCERT in en- we must identify and nurture India’s
give a voice to the global K-12 inde- hancing the quality and validity of rich pool of highly able students and
pendent education sector — filling a PARAKH assessments, developing nurture them to become successful in
“representation void” of schools that test items, and conducting research on their chosen fields,” says Abhishek
educate 350 million children around assessment methodologies. ETS will Lodha, managing director of Macro-
the world — including 52 percent of also assist NCERT in building capac- tech Developers.

26 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2023