Page 91 - EducationWorld May 2021

creditation in 2022, Cyboard (Online Teaching & Learning) — cus-
School follows a hybrid tomised to meet the objectives of the
model, mixing online classes recently released National Education
with safe classrooms to Policy (NEP) 2020.
overcome the drawbacks of History. A mechanical engineering
full-time online education. graduate of the privately-promoted
“Our management team Manav Rachna University, Farid-
comprises mentors, tech- abad, Khanna began his professional
nopreneurs, curriculum career in 2008 as a software develop-
and content development ment professional with the blue-
experts and administrators. chip ICT multinational, HCL Ltd.
Together we have designed a However, his entrepreneurial instinct
curriculum that leverages AI led him to search a “more fulfilling
(artificial intelligence). We option”. He went solo and promoted
believe that adaptive blend- Bros Singhal: blended learning model Les Transformations in 2010.
ed pedagogies will eliminate In 2013-14, the company was
the need for supplementary percent share of the country’s K-12 selected by the Central Board of Sec-
tuitions altogether. Students will be market by 2025 — quite possible ondary Education (CBSE) — India’s
given time slots to raise and clear given our low tuition fees — Cyboard largest national school-leaving exams
doubts during and after classes,” will become an online education board — for a capacity building
says Rajat. heavyweight within the next few programme of teachers. Under this
History. Professionally qualified, years,” predicts Rajat. project, Les Transformations trained
practising chartered accountants, Dipta Joshi (Mumbai) around 20,000 teachers. This as-
the Rajasthan-based brothers’ native signment, along with experience of
entrepreneurial spirit has prompted training over 50,000 teachers across
them to promote several business Teacher training India, provided his team with valu-
ventures. Among them: EAZY ERP able insights into the skill deficits of
ers are active members of Confedera- evangelist teachers and prompted him to rope
Technologies. Moreover, the broth-
in his brother Ankit, an engineering
tion of Indian Industry (CII), and alumnus of NIT, Jalandhar, to jointly
promoter directors of the bricks-n- ISHAB KHANNA is the design and develop a sophisticated
mortar City Public School. Within founder-CEO of surasaa.com, online teacher training and develop-
three years of establishment, this Ran edtech platform providing ment platform christened surasaa.
currently K-8 budget private school internationally benchmarked teacher com, in early 2018.
(annual tuition fees: Rs.21,600- development programmes in India Direct talk. “My investigative study of
30,000 per annum) has enrolled its and abroad. Designed and developed education systems around the world
full complement. by Les Transformations Learn- over five years indicated that while in
Direct talk. Despite being committed ing Pvt. Ltd, a company registered Khanna: renewed India focus
champions of online education, the in Karnal, Haryana, surasaa.com
Bros Singhal believe that develop- was launched in 2018 and provides
ing children’s communication and online teacher training and profes-
interpersonal skills are of paramount sional development programs to
importance. “We will facilitate city aspiring and in-service educators in
and inter-city interactions of chil- India, Dubai and the UK.
dren through camps spread over 30 Newspeg. After a hiatus of three
days per year. Our blended learn- years during which the company
ing model provides for personality proved the efficacy of its suraasa.com
development and other co-curricular platform in Dubai and the UK, Les
activities,” says Kunal. Transformations established its first
Future plans. According to the broth- India teacher development centre in
ers, the annual revenue of India’s Bengaluru in early 2021. Simultane-
online K-12 education segment is ously, the company has launched two
projected to rise from the current new India specific programs — Cer-
$1.16 billion (Rs.8,700 crore) to $4.3 tificate in Teaching (Assessment and
billion by 2025. “If we can attain a 1 Evaluation) and Award in Teaching

MAY 2021 EDUCATIONWORLD 91