The Writer’s Flight

India's villages have been struggling with lack of proper schools and infrastructure, high school drop out rate and lack of good teaching faculty. With digital learning platforms reaching out to the underserved rural markets during the lockdown period, there is hope of solving one of country's biggest problems- that of illiteracy  By Namrata Kohli  For the first time, India has more rural net users than urban. The latest report by Internet & Mobile Association of India (IA-MAI) and Nielsen shows rural India has 227 million active internet users, ten percent more than urban India’s 205 million. The numbers have been boosted by the cheapest internet connections in the world. In addition, there are 71 million kids, aged 5-11 years who go online using devices of family members. This is pathbreaking as school children are warming up to E-learning models like nobody else. A combination of factors such as greater penetration of smart phones, better telecom infrastructure and co...

Smitten by the writer’s bug? Then tune into this exclusive chat with author Reham Khan who talks about her own journey as an author, the different formats available for publishing and how difficult it is to write an autobiography. Her book, an eye-opener to the secrets of Pakistani society, spills the beans on her hi-profile marriage and divorce to cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.. All this and more, in conversation with Namrata Kohli How difficult is it to write an autobiography? You wrote an autobiographical account and lifted the lid on your marriage to Imran Khan. While crisis always makes a good story look great, as a chronicler of your own life how hard was it to press the rewind button or was it catharsis. It was extremely difficult and painful experience. It was tough for me to sit down and edit it and part of the reason why it took so long for the book to come out was, because I would write something and I didn’t want to read it back again. But luckily, I am blessed w...

When the Covid Crisis ends, should schools return to status quo. This is the question dodging the minds of education fraternity in India and elsewhere By Namrata Kohli Is online schooling the new normal. Are virtual classes better than real. Is education system in for a paradigm change. These were some of the questions raised at a webinar hosted by FICCI and upGrad titled 'Global Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for EdTech.' According to Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder and Executive Chairman, upGrad, a niche online education service provider- “Today more than ever before, we are at an interesting crossroads when online is in spotlight and it’s been evangelised by everyone. Even the sceptics are now turning evangelists.” He added that going to any particular institution is a one-time event, but learning is not an event but a lifelong process. And for that, you don’t have a choice but to look at online education.” Industry insiders are of the view that there will be a sea chan...