YES Institute Hosts ED-TECH Innovation for Impact – First in ‘India for Innovation Series’

YES Institute, a practicing think-tank, under the umbrella of YES Bank, hosted the inaugural ‘India for Innovation Series’ last week in New Delhi.

This is the first in a series of monthly convenings with the aim of the catalyzing role of entrepreneurship and technology in social sectors such as – Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Women Entrepreneurship, CleanTech amongst others.

Taking forward YES Institute’s dialogue, the first convening in the series, titled “ED–TECH : Innovation for Impact” in partnership with EdTechReview focused on transforming the education ecosystem by catapulting new age ‘edupreneurs’ in order to transcend barriers for entry and fill gaps in pedagogies or learning tools. 

Key sector leaders including Mr. Arun Maira (Former Member, Planning Commission and India Chairman, Boston Consulting Group); Ms. Gowri Ishwaran (CEO, The Global Education and Leadership Foundation and Founder Principal, Sanskriti School); Mr. Marcus Brunberg (Academic Head, Kunskapsskolan Knowledge School); Mr. Amitav Virmani (CEO, The Education Alliance) and Ms. Padmaja Ruparel (President, IAN) took part in the session.

The discussions highlighted the fact that

• Parents are same across the globe and want best for their kids which in today’s world is through the knowledge and use of technology;
• Government has some really good practices but faces challenge in scaling them for which need private players’ support to scale from islands of awesomeness to the world.
• In many of the government’s technology intitatives, they miss accountability on their initiatives whereas private players are ready to do things, get examined and evaluated and be accountable.
• If we can help children learn how to learn then technology plays a very crucial role in preparing great learners.

Viplav Baxi, Director – Product and Digital Transformation at Oxford University Press shared how MOOCs got into the picture way back in 2008 with an aim to have a new theory of learning itself – theory of connectivism. He highlighted that making connections actually enhances learning as knowledge resides in the network and that’s where technology has helped a lot in the last few years. 

Mr. Dilip Chenoy (former CEO at NSDC) who is now Board of Management at Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology also shared with the audience how industrial training institutes use technology to train learners at scale and reduce redundant work as training individually is costly and time taking.

Mr. Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, YES BANK and Chairman, YES Institute said, “Technology is transforming India’s education sector and catalyzing adoption and collaborative learning for future generations. We are seeing constant innovation from Ed-Tech Entrepreneurs and India is set to emerge as the ED-Tech capital of the world with the potential to fuel national and global aspirations.”

Ms. Preeti Sinha, Senior President & Glocal Convener, YES BANK & YES Institute said, “The world is comprised of the largest youth generation in history, and as a result education holds the key to the future. Quoting the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, “People are the greatest wealth of any country, but that wealth must be built on quality education”. To achieve quality education, we need to harness technological developments and engrave them within our current education curriculums.  Through harnessing technology, India will automatically elevate the quality of education provided, thereby accentuating the standardized thinking methodologies. In line with this vision, ED-TECH convening aims to promote the new age amalgamation of technology and education that is vital towards catapulting India’s youth to achieve their unrealized potential”.

About YES BANK

YES BANK, India’s fifth largest private sector Bank with a pan India presence across all 29 states and 7 Union Territories of India, headquartered in the Lower Parel Innovation District (LPID ) of Mumbai, is the outcome of the professional & entrepreneurial commitment of its Founder Rana Kapoor and its Top Management team, to establish a high quality, customer centric, service driven, private Indian Bank catering to the future businesses of India.

YES Institute, the practicing think-tank, has been established as a division of YES BANK to focus on channelizing private sector capital towards India’s development. The Institute houses all the knowledge verticals within YES Bank, including: Social Impact, Culture, Natural Capital, Glocal Forums, Sustainable Investment Banking, Micro, Small and Medium enterprises, Food & Agribusiness Strategic Advisory & Research, Inclusive & Social Banking, North-East Region Initiatives, Strategic Government Advisory, Smart City Advisory, Renewable Energy, Responsible Banking, Business Economics Banking and University & School Relationship Management. It is our belief that India’s equitable economic growth will be derived from adopting a robust partnership amongst the public sector governance along with the private sector innovation and entrepreneurship.