Education Technology | Innovations and Insights - Edinbox

It was an outstanding leadership recruitment when Apple Inc. named Sabih Khan as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) — a testimony to his incredible odyssey, from a Uttar Pradesh village town to the control centre of one of the globe's most powerful tech firms.

Khan's own biography is that of technical competence paired with worldwide aspiration. He has dual undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Tufts University and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Such intellectual foundations have been a launching pad for almost a three-decade-long residence at Apple, where he has been instrumental in overseeing the company's enormous global operations and supply chain.

Born in 1966 in Moradabad, Khan was packed off as a child to Singapore when he was still in school. Early exposure to international systems and cultures could well have given him a problem-solving and innovative thinking model — traits that would characterize his professional life at Apple. Prior to joining the company in 1995, Khan worked as an applications development engineer at GE Plastics, where he had hands-on experience in using engineering to devise practical solutions to real problems. 

Khan rose through the ranks at Apple and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations in 2019 to be part of the executive leadership team of the tech giant. His hand is on all facets of Apple's very intricate, diversified worldwide supply chain — a tightrope act balancing logistics, sustainability, and innovation. Khan will now oversee Apple's entire operations ecosystem as COO, allowing the company to continue to grow into new products, services, and geographies.

His Tufts degree, which ranks among America's top 50 national universities, and his graduate degree at RPI, one of the world's highest-ranked engineering schools, have been key to his achievements. But also key is Khan's quiet effectiveness as a leader. It's something co-workers say will be absolutely critical as Apple moves into the next generation of technology revolution.

In Sabih Khan's professional trajectory, we hear more than corporate advancement. We hear education, global experience, and continuing education, and what they can do for a person, taking him from an Indian classroom to Apple's boardroom.

To fulfill the rapidly changing demands of professional skills for the new age of artificial intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) rolled out the second iteration of its Certificate Programme in Generative AI. Its Continuing Education Programme (CEP) provides the six-month online programme to working professionals seeking state-of-the-art know-how on Large Language Models (LLMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and ethical advancement of AI.

This cross-domain software is intended for applied research, machine learning, data science, software engineering, and digital product management professionals. Educators and practitioners within the field of technology who have an interest in transitioning to high-end AI applications are also invited.

Top AI tools such as Python, NumPy, TensorFlow, PyTorch, spaCy, and Hugging Face are taught to students. Industry-focused capstones and interactive tutorials, which reflect real-world application of AI in healthcare, education, finance, and autonomous systems, form the courses.

The merged curriculum also includes such topics as transformer architecture and neural network building, multilingual NLP, parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) for low-resource settings, etc. Participants also become exposed to more modern model architectures such as GPT, BERT, and T5, and newer techniques such as instruction tuning, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), and higher-level prompting methodologies in an effort to continue to advance model performance and trustworthiness.

Highlighting the broader purview of the programme, IIT Delhi Electrical Engineering Department Professor Tanmoy Chakraborty said, "This programme is premised on our belief that Generative AI would be at the center of the future of innovation and decision-making. We are committed to creating professionals who not just acquire AI technologies but also take ownership of their deployment across industries with depth."

While AI is changing the world, industry reports have also indicated short-term demand for AI professionals. In a PwC study, AI has the potential to add as much as USD 15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. In a BCG study, while investment in AI is on the rise, currently only 26% of organizations are scaling the AI technologies to deliver real value. Conversely, EY's The AIDEA of India report pegs the value of growth with Generative AI at a staggering USD 1.5 trillion by the end of the decade.

The course is instructed through tutored live virtual classes and self-study, consisting of 60 hours of tutored teaching, workshops guided, and a 10-hour capstone project. The students also have the opportunity to taste the flavor of an optional one-day excursion to IIT Delhi campus, showcasing before them the research and academic prowess of the institute.

For the admission, the candidates must possess a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduate or postgraduate degree. After successful graduation, the students will be awarded an e-certificate of IIT Delhi CEP.

With a masterclass on acquiring practical skills and ethical innovation, the course seeks to build the future AI leaders who can drive meaningful change across sectors.

How does one live in New York City on a Rs 1.6 crore salary? Ask Google software engineer and social media influencer Maitri Mangal, who says the experience is not as glamorous as it seems.

In a now-viral video interview with podcaster and author Kushal Lodha, Mangal gave a frank glimpse into one month of her expenses in one of the world's most expensive cities—showing that even with a seven-figure salary, rent and living expenses can still make it a tight squeeze.

Lodha, sharing the clip on social media, had captioned: "What's the average package at Google? I asked Maitri, a Software Engineer at Google, and she told me it's about Rs 1.6 crore on an average for overall roles." But it was Mangal's open description of how much she spends every month that really caught the internet's eye.

Standing in her Manhattan apartment, Mangal disclosed that she spent around $5,000 (approximately ₹4.2 lakh) per month. An astonishing $3,000 (₹2.5 lakh) is paid only to rent. The rest—the food, entertainment, groceries, and transport—vary from $1,000–$2,000 (₹85,000–₹1.7 lakh), with transport alone taking up to $200 (₹17,000).

"New York living on this wage is comfortable, but it's not extravagance people would imagine," Mangal said. "It's balancing lifestyle, saving, and experiences."

Most social media users responded with a mix of feelings—some shocked at the high expenses, some others appreciative of the candor in opening up about what it really is like to spend and earn in a global tech city.

With more than 173,000 Instagram followers, Mangal frequently posts about career in tech and living in the U.S., giving a glimpse behind the check of high-paid tech careers.

Her video is a wake-up call for aspiring professionals: high paychecks tend to be accompanied by equally high bills.

A good example of how digital infrastructure can fill educational gaps, students of the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Peddapalli district's Adavi Srirampur village are embracing state-of-the-art artificial intelligence tools like Perplexity.ai, thanks to high-speed internet availability under the T-Fiber project of the Telangana government.

T-Fiber, the flagship project of the government, aims to connect each home with affordable, high-speed broadband. With its Proof of Concept deployment, Adavi Srirampur is one of four pilot villages experiencing the force of digital inclusion.

A new video created by the T-Fiber team presents students at the Adavi Srirampur school utilizing Perplexity.ai, an AI-based research assistant, to question, clear confusion, and learn more about topics beyond their textbook through voice-based queries. The video drew praise from Perplexity Co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas, who reposted it on social media platform ‘X’, noting: “It is great to see schools in India having their students learn with Perplexity as a tutor. Our founding mission is to make the world’s knowledge accessible, and I’m glad it’s having its impact.”

Responding to the post, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu recollected encountering Srinivas in August last year and reaffirmed the government's determination for technological parity.

Min: 1 cr houses getting T-Fiber

Through our administration, one crore houses are being connected with T-Fiber to introduce Silicon Valley-standard technologies like Perplexity.ai to even students of remote villages like Adavi Srirampur (200 km away from Hyderabad). A school girl of a government school performing Perplexity in her classroom is proof that this vision is being realized," he said.

T-Fiber MD P Venu Prasad underscored the larger picture of the initiative, saying, "This is a glimpse of what can be achieved when we bridge the unconnected. With T-Fiber, we are not merely offering the internet; we are offering opportunity, access, and a platform for rural students to thrive in the digital world. Telangana is determined to leave no village behind."

Apart from Adavi Srirampur, the Proof of Concept deployment of T-Fiber also spans three other pilot villages, namely Hajipalle in Rangareddy, Maddur in Narayanpet, and Sangupet in Sangareddy districts.

A Chennai startup that is working on fiber-optic sensors to monitor aging infrastructure took the first prize of 3 lakh at Sangam 2025, the global innovation and alumni meet of IIT Madras and its alumni association.

Folium Sensing emerged victorious at the startup pitchfest held on July 4 in Bengaluru. 20 deep tech and AI startups presented their ideas to over 250 venture investors and capitalists there.

The product of the company is based on fibre-optic sensing technology, which monitors infrastructure in real-time, whereas its scalable product allows it to detect structural gaps in factories, bridges, and buildings. Its technology has the ability to transform infrastructure safety, particularly that of ageing urban infrastructure.

Q-AXIS MOTORS AND ZENTOR MEDTECH WINNERS TOO

Q-axis Motors ranked second by creating India's first sub-100rad precision gimbals that are designed to be utilized in the defence, drone, and surveillance industries. Their precision motion control products deliver stunning enhancements in targeting and stability to unmanned vehicles and platforms.

Third place went to Zentor Medtech for its breakthrough of the world's first patented solid-state laser technology for ophthalmic surgery. The technology offers enhanced precision and safety of ophthalmic treatments, offering a substitute for conventional laser systems with the solidity of dependability.

CELEBRATING AI, INNOVATION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Organized on July 4 and 5 in Bengaluru, Sangam 2025 had more than 500 delegates from the entrepreneurial community, faculty, alumni, and investors. The issues of interest covered Artificial Intelligence, innovation, and entrepreneurship that reasserted IIT Madras as a national leader in deep tech research and commercialisation.

Talking about the event, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said: "I have observed the passion, the enthusiasm, the good ideas and the desire to attempt the new, the curiosity with which all of you have conducted your work, it actually makes all of us proud of your work a lot that now, after already allocating the entire first tranche of 'Fund of Funds' of Rs. 10,000 Crore in the last budget, now extra Rs. 10,000 Crore has now been approved as Tranche 2."

He also instructed that a $12 billion (Rs 1 lakh crore) interest-free loan has been approved by the Cabinet for the Department of Science and Technology to fund next-generation technology by providing flexible funding schemes to be reinvested again as success builds innovation.

IIT MADRAS POURS PRESSURE FOR 'VIKSIT BHARAT 2047'

Last week, while delivering a speech, IIT Madras Director Prof. V Kamakoti had mentioned, "IIT Madras will spearhead the efforts to translate 'Viksit Bharat 2047' into reality. Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the top of its agenda and are the ones that drive National progress. The upcoming 'Sangam 2025' event is a reflection of the vision in the form of a well-thought-out series of events to make India a country of entrepreneurship and product innovation world champion."

Other dignitary guests are Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Axilor Ventures & Co-founder, Infosys, Dr S Somanath, Vikram Sarabhai Professor and ex-Chairman, ISRO -- both eminent alumni of IIT Madras -- and Shri Tejasvi Surya, Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Bengaluru South.

The conclave also featured top-level interactions with Aparna Chennapragada (Microsoft), Srinivas Narayanan (OpenAI), Tarun Mehta (Ather Energy), Kris Gopalakrishnan (Infosys), and Dr S Somanath (former Chairman, ISRO) -- all IIT Madras alumni.

FROM STARTUPS TO GLOBAL IMPACT

The Pitchfest witnessed the presence of AI, health, biotech, quantum computing, logistics, and climate tech startups. All the shortlisted startups will now be incubated by the IIT Madras Innovation Ecosystem, which has incubated more than 500 startups in the past decade.

As Shyamala Rajaram, President, IIT Madras Alumni Association, aptly put it: "Sangam 2025 is the collective strength of IIT Madras and its global alumni -- driving audacious debates on innovation and entrepreneurship."

Through all such initiatives, IIT Madras is reasserting itself as a center for technology of global transformation and economic development.

ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan honored Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday during his visit to Lucknow.

The move was a day before the scheduled visit of Dr. Narayanan to the state capital and was a demonstration of ISRO's heightened drive to strengthen regional coalition in space research, tech, and education. The move was seen as a sign of Uttar Pradesh's heightened interest in building science and generating student interest in the study of space.

The two dignitaries, according to reports, had talks to enhance the presence of ISRO within the state of Uttar Pradesh. On the agenda was the initiation of space awareness programs in government institutions and colleges and encouraging more students to study in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with emphasis on space sciences.

The class comes at a critical moment for ISRO, which itself is ramping up its operations with satellite mission success and prospects of carrying out interplanetary missions. As India's space mission picks up across the world, Uttar Pradesh states are moving ahead to be a part of the nation's vision by introducing space studies in school curriculum.

It was the department of science and technology senior government officials, department of education members, and scientists from local research institutes that attended the session. The exercise itself underlined the shared commitment to democratizing science and equipping the next generation with employment opportunities in the high-technology industry.

This dialogue is expected to lead to further dialogue between ISRO and Uttar Pradesh in terms of capacity building programs, school infrastructure, and talent identification at the rural and semi-urban level.