Education Technology | Innovations and Insights - Edinbox

India is likely to soon rank flying training organisations (FTOs) here on several parameters such as the average time spent by students there to obtain a commercial pilot licence (CPL) -- who need to fly training aircraft for 200 hours and pass several subject examinations that are administered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Until now, there have been no timeframes in which this process can be done and this process tends to take upto two years or even longer. Due to this, lots of Indian students travel overseas annually to obtain their CPL on a priority basis at a higher price.

DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai is understood to be working on providing "competition, transparency and fairness" between FTOs by way of the planned ranking system. "Our main goal is to provide safety for which spot checks are regularly conducted on and quality of training. But it is time to also consider the issue of ease of becoming a pilot while providing the first two things.".

"Enough is enough. We need a portal for Indian flying schools which provides all their information such as their fleet strength of single & multi-engine aircrafts; incident & accident history; number of trainers & students and how much time their students take on average to finish CPL. On the basis of these factors, various schools will be graded and then students can make a well-informed decision on which FTO they should choose," said several officials who were present at a recent meeting where Kidwai talked about his plan. The regulator is making efforts to make this a reality.

A majority of student pilots belong to middle-class families who have borrowed large amounts of money to provide wings to the dreams of their children. The exorbitant fees of flying schools—Rs 20,000-25,000 per hour for single-engine and Rs 50,000-60,000 for multi-engine—contribute to their financial burden. Even as they wait for flying slots, families continue to pay monthly hostel charges of Rs 20,000-30,000.

With the exception of a few, Indian flying training schools have a spotty record in various aspects such as safety and duration for the completion of CPL.

"Despite shelling out Rs 50-60 lakh, students in most flying schools have to plead for their flying to happen. Misleading assurances regarding timelines; trainer unavailability and aircraft unavailability keep delaying training by months. Students miss out on airline openings, jeopardizing their careers for all the money spent," said some student pilots.

On the other hand, some FTO operators on condition of anonymity aver that they are limited by factors such as trainer shortage. "At times trainers are those who are still waiting for an airline job. The moment they get the same, they quit. Then FTOs poach one another's 'good' trainers. These also have an impact on delays alongside other factors beyond our control.". It is economically prudent for us to train as many as we can and we don't wait for fun or sadistic enjoyment, they stated.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu greeted an NRI student Siddharth Nandyala who created a revolutionary artificial intelligence-based app, 'CircadiaV,' that can identify heart diseases within seven seconds. The 14-year-old boy from Anantapur, who is now settled in the United States, has already conducted trials on patients at Guntur Government General Hospital with a smartphone.

On hearing about Siddharth's achievement, the Chief Minister personally invited him to the Secretariat for a proper discussion and congratulated him on his achievement in person. The discussion went on for almost half an hour, during which Chandrababu Naidu evaluated Siddharth's profile and urged him to continue doing research in artificial intelligence and healthcare innovations. He reaffirmed his vision of Telugu talent across the world contributing greatly to science and technology and promised Siddharth all the support from the Andhra Pradesh government.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also congratulated Siddharth. The young inventor was joined by his father, Mahesh, and Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav at the meeting.

After the encounter, Chandrababu Naidu posted his respect for Siddharth's performance on social media. "This 14-year-old has simplified detecting heart problems! I am totally thrilled to meet Siddharth Nandyala, who is a teen AI enthusiast hailing from Dallas and the globe's youngest certified AI professional with certifications from both Oracle and ARM. Siddharth's application, Circadian AI, is a medical solution that can determine heart-related concerns in seconds!"

The device, which has the potential to transform the diagnosis of early cardiovascular disease, utilizes smartphone recordings of heart sounds and has already been found to be more than 96 per cent accurate. It has already been piloted with over 15,000 patients in America and 700 patients in India, including patients at Guntur Government General Hospital.

Speaking of his admiration, Chandrababu Naidu added, "I am highly impressed by Siddharth's remarkable talent and commitment to applying technology for the good of mankind. At this tender age, he is a role model for us all. I heartily urge him to continue his interest in healthcare technology and assure him of our complete support in all his pursuits."

Techie Sues US University for Racial BiasMr Zhong and his father, Nan, are suing the UC system claiming that the university is prejudiced against high-achieving Asian-American students.

19-year-old Stanley Zhong and his father, Nan Zhong, are suing 16 US universities which rejected his applications even though he was an exceptionally good student. Mr Zhong, with a 3.97 GPA and 4.42 weighted GPA, received an impressive 1590 on the SAT, putting him in the top 2,000 of more than two million test-takers each year.  He even had a job offer to do a PhD-level position at Google when he was only 13, according to the New York Post. Years after, he took up Google's offer of employment and has worked as a full-time software engineer since October 2023.

But his impressive academic history did not assure him a place in his wanted college. In spite of his brilliant credentials, he was turned down by 16 of the 18 colleges to which he applied, including five University of California campuses.

According to the Post, Mr Zhong was turned down by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell University, Georgia Tech, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan, the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. He was accepted into only two schools - the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Maryland.

Disappointed by the rejection, Mr Zhong and his father, Nan, have sued the UC system, claiming that the university discriminates against high-achieving Asian-American applicants. Interestingly, they are proceeding with the case without the aid of lawyers, as several law firms refused to accept their case.

The Zhong family has so far sued the University of California system and the University of Washington, claiming that these universities practice discriminatory admissions policies that discriminate against highly qualified Asian-American applicants. They intend to sue other schools as well.

In the 300-page complaint written with the help of AI software ChatGPT and Gemini, the family accused him of being denied admission to several University of California campuses based on racial prejudice.

For the time being, the teenager has shelved plans for college but not ruled out going on to higher education later. After internet criticism over his lawsuits, he's opted out of media spotlight.

A Google techie from Hyderabad has posted that after getting drained of energy conducting interviews on behalf of the technology giant, she realized that it was more draining to conduct interviews than to give them. Anu Sharma, aged 22, informed Moneycontrol that she had conducted over 15 candidates' interviews within the past two months as her additional community contribution. These job interviews take approximately 45 minutes to one hour and are done outside her work time.

"Having done over 15 job interviews at Google, I've found interviewing is more tiring than being interviewed," Sharma said. She said she has been doing two to three interviews a week and has done about 20 of them in her time at the tech giant. "Interviewing at least you're coding and solving something. Interviewing, you have to sit and listen intensely. I'd rather code."

Responding to a question regarding the average length of each interview, she stated it takes "45 minutes, but it goes on like 5-10 minutes". Sharma further added that another challenge in carrying out interviews is "actively solving the problem along with the interviewee".

As her post started attracting eyeballs -- it had got over 40,000 views -- Sharma soon started getting bombarded with requests from job hunters and curious onlookers about what type of questions Google asks in job interviews.

An X user wrote, "Please upload the interview questions." Sharma said, "I can't."

It did not seem to discourage others from attempting.

"At least can you say from what are all the subjects the questions were asked normally?" another user inquired, while a third one chimed in, "I am in my 2nd year of my college pursuing my BSc in computer science. Can you please inform me what I should study to obtain an internship at Google in my third year and a job upon graduation as a software engineer?"

The Education Ministry has criticized Congress leader Sam Pitroda for his "reckless" claim of hacking while interacting with students at IIT Ranchi. Pitroda claimed that someone hacked into the session and played objectionable material, disrupting the event. The Ministry clarified that there is no IIT in Ranchi and that Pitroda has not been invited to any seminars or conferences. The Ministry emphasized that the reputation of IITs is based on the merit, toil, and success of numerous students, teachers, and academia.

The authenticity of Pitroda's alleged statement could not be independently confirmed. In a release, the ministry stated that any effort to harm the reputation of the prestigious institution would be subject to legal action.

"It is hereby clarified that there is no IIT in Ranchi. Hence, the statement made in that video is not only unfounded but also smells of ignorance.". It is relevant to mention that there is an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Ranchi. But IIIT, Ranchi, has also asserted that Sam Pitroda has not been invited by the institute to any seminar or conference, either in person or online," the ministry said in a statement released late on Wednesday night.

Such a callous statement appears to be a bid to tarnish the reputation of an extremely respected institution of the nation. This institution has weathered the storm of time and given birth to some of the brightest minds of the nation. In contrast to such an ill-informed individual, the reputation of IITs is based on the merit, toil, and success of numerous students, teachers, and academia," the ministry added

PhysicsWallah has raised ₹200-300 crore in funding from WestBridge Capital, giving the company a valuation of approximately ₹2,000-2,500 crore, which is a major boost to India's edtech industry. The company intends to expand its income five to six times over the next two years, and the increased capital will be used to support marketing, expansion, and technological advancements.

PhysicalWallah plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) in the next two to three years, with a target price range of ₹5,000 to 6,000 crore. With an estimated IPO size of ₹5,000–6,000 crore, the brand plans to go public in the next two to three years. An important step towards becoming a publicly traded company is that the company has already submitted its draft documents to SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India).

Part of the funding round, PhysicsWallah has also made an ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan) buyback of ₹100-150 crore, which enables employees to share in the financial success of the company. This choice shows that the business is committed to recognizing and keeping talent as it grows.

Alakh Pandey, the company's founder, expressed optimism about the future of the business, stating, "This funding round will enable us to reach our growth ambitions and reach more students." 

Started with the aim of providing affordable, quality education, PhysicsWallah is an online coaching institute for JEE and NEET aspirants. Its affordable courses, interactive teaching approach, and result-oriented strategy have earned it a student base that remains loyal to the company.

PhysicsWallah wants to solidify its position as a leader in India's edtech space with this fresh investment and its upcoming initial public offerings.