City Today News

~ Forays into the undergraduate market, announces BBA and BCA with Jamia Hamdard University

~ Expands its portfolio to offer Finance & Law with O.P. Jindal Global University

Mumbai, 16th June 2020:  upGrad, India’s largest online higher education company, is entering into the Bachelor’s market for the first time with the renowned Jamia Hamdard University. upGrad will be offering online-offline blended BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) and BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) degrees to school pass-outs. The subsequent Master’s for these programs, MBA and MCA has been launched as well. A government-funded university, Jamia Hamdard (JH) is amongst the top 25 universities in India as per MHRD’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) released last week and is a recipient of MHRD’s letter of intent for ‘Institution of Eminence’ (IoE) status.

upGrad, which is now India’s only edtech major to offer online degrees, with offline basecamps and live classes, also announced its partnership with O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), for two Master’s programs; a 1-year LL.M. in Corporate & Financial Law and a 2-year MBA in Digital Finance and Banking. JGU is India’s No.1 Private University as per the QS World University Ranking 2021 and has been awarded the IoE status by MHRD.

Announcing the launch, Ronnie Screwvala, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, upGrad said “The ongoing global crisis calls for evolution on a recurring basis, especially amid the online education space which seems to be the only way forward, owing to its robustness and accessibility. At upGrad, we bear testimony to constantly evolving with the changing paradigm, and to developing better and better learning solutions. Our degree portfolio will enable learners to continue with their academia, without having to think about the overall crisis that has taken a sharp toll on the offline education system.”

The announcement came, within weeks of FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s advocacy of online education, in a press conference attended by Prof (Dr.) Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard University; Prof (Dr.) C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor, OP Jindal Global University & Founding Dean, Jindal Global Law School; Prof S Sadagopan, Director, IIIT-B, and the three Co-founders of upGrad. To strengthen its foothold in the higher education market which is estimated to witness 41 million enrollments by 2022, upGrad has earmarked an extensive budget of INR 150 Cr for this new venture.

Speaking further on this Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD and Phalgun Kompalli, Co-founder, upGrad added, “At upGrad, we are undertaking a 3-pronged approach to solve the macroeconomic disruption for both learners as well as academic institutions. By bringing in degree programs, upGrad will enable fresh graduates and working professionals to achieve a full-fledged degree while being within the safe environment of their homes. For college students, upGrad is offering paid programs and free certification courses which will allow them to utilise the additional time on hand productively, as only the top of the field will be hired over the next couple of months. For offline colleges and universities, we have provided complete access to the upGrad LIVE platform, LMS (Learning Management System) so they can seamlessly migrate to online at zero cost. 50+ institutes have empanelled with us for the same.”

upGrad has been chosen by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), an MHRD undertaking, to make future-forward topics like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning accessible to all. The company’s programs are accredited by NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation). Additionally, upGrad’s PG Diploma in Data Science became India’s first PG Diploma validated and recommended by NASSCOM FutureSkills. By constantly evolving its program offerings, upGrad strives to enable universities to go online, thereby making online education mainstream.

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HealthifyStudio to get India moving again with accessible and affordable home training options

●      Variety of workout options available including Ashtanga Yoga, Zumba and Dance Fitness, access to top-notch international trainers and price points that are half of what one would pay at an offline studio.

●      Limited admissions per session to replicate the studio environment and ensure meaningful interactions between the coach and all the participants.

●      Anyone with an active gym or fitness membership can join HealthifyStudio for seven top-quality classes by paying just Re. 1.

Bengaluru, June 16, 2020: HealthifyMe, India’s leading AI-led health and fitness app today announced the launch of HealthifyStudio – both in app and on HealthifyStudio.com. The platform brings together leading national and international trainers to offer live, interactive workout experience to people in the safety and comfort of their homes. With the country under an extended lockdown, and consumer hesitation in visiting gyms and public places, HealthifyStudio will enable users to experience immersive studio-style workouts digitally, from the safety and comfort of their homes.

The platform offers a wide variety of workout genres, including Strength & Conditioning, Dance Fitness, Ashtanga Yoga, and Zumba. Some of the leading global trainers on the platform are from Southeast Asia, UK and Europe besides India. To replicate a fitness studio environment and ensure meaningful interactions between the coach and all the participants, each session is limited to a maximum of 30 participants.

Users can also opt for a variety of workout regimes, some of which are dedicated to the management of lifestyle conditions like obesity and hypertension and others that are focused on rehab. HealthifyStudio also has offerings for the entire family with special sessions for children, senior citizens besides live healthy cooking sessions. The sessions conducted on HealthifyStudio will not require any equipment as they have been designed keeping in mind the home setup.

“HealthifyStudio’s value proposition is limited admissions per session and the personal feedback that a customer receives from his/her coach during the workout. As pioneers of the remote coaching phenomenon in India, we want to give our users an elevated experience of being able to work out live with top coaches and like-minded people from the safety & convenience of their homes at an affordable price. We also intend to provide employment opportunities to trainers during these times and have already hired nearly 100 coaches in April and May and intend to hire another 100 in June”, added Tushar.

The introductory price for HealthifyStudio starts at Rs. 3000 for 20 sessions in a month and goes up to Rs. 12,500 for 360 sessions per year. The company has also launched an introductory offer on their website that allows anyone with an active gym or fitness membership to join HealthifyStudio for 7 top-quality classes for just Re. 1.

Rise of inactivity amongst Indians during the lockdown

As per data by HealthifyMe, basis its userbase of 17 million people, the months of March, April and May, when the country was under lockdown, have seen the inactivity levels rise sharply among Indians. While in February, before the lockdown, 52% of Indian women and 44% of Indian men were inactive (burnt less than 50% of their calorie budget), the inactivity levels rose to their peak in the month of April with close to 70% women and 65% men being inactive. The situation has improved slightly in the month of May, yet there exists a yawning gap between the pre-lockdown activity levels and now. This can be largely attributed to unavailability of gyms and consumer hesitation to visit public places due to fear of contracting infections. With HealthifyStudio, HealthifyMe aims to help people work out from the comfort and safety of their homes and improve their activity levels.

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• Aakash PrimeClass to conduct one and two-year courses for JEE and NEET aspirants for Class XI, XII and XII Pass
• Long term Foundation courses will also be offered to students from Class VIII, IX and X
• The extended course aims to “Bridge the Gap” and provide the best test preparation for students irrespective of their geographical location
• Live streamed through the Internet to a classroom equipped with audio-visual equipment, Aakash PrimeClass is a two-way interactive medium
• It will enable students to study in a classroom sitting in their town/city interacting with the Faculty@Aakash based in Delhi live on screen

Bengaluru, 15^th June 2020 : Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), the national leader in test preparation services, has launched “long-term courses for students” from Class VIII to Class XII and XII Pass through Aakash PrimeClass, a one-of-its kind Extended Classroom course delivered through New Age Satellite Technology. While one to two year Foundation courses will be offered for students from Class VIII to Class X, courses will also be conducted for one and two years for students from Class XI and XII and XII Pass who wish to become doctors and IITians.

Students can log in at www.primeclass.aakash.ac.in for more information.  Specific information on courses for JEE and NEET aspirants can also be seen at https://www.aakash.ac.in/prime-course-jee/and https://www.aakash.ac.in/prime-course-neet/

Giving prime importance to the safety of the students during this unprecedented time, sessions will be live streamed to the student’s home through YouTube. Aakash PrimeClass is a two-way interactive medium that will enable students preparing for Olympiads, JEE and NEET to study in a classroom environment while being in the safety of their home interacting with the Faculty@Aakash based in Delhi live on screen.

The program aims to impart an integrated learning experience to aspirants who are preparing for ‘Boards’ and competitive exams. The classes are delivered through a unique AV setup using a high-definition projection system and high-resolution classroom camera. AESL faculties also use smart assessment system, audio-video facilities, smart attendance system etc. to see, hear and talk to the students. They can see, listen and participate in a lecture while interact and raise queries to the faculty spontaneously as in a regular classroom set up.

Commenting on the launch of the long-term courses, Mr Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO of AESL, said, “During this challenging time, we want to ensure full cooperation to students preparing for JEE and NEET exams as well as Olympiads, irrespective of the geographical location. At Aakash PrimeClass, Innovative learning experience coupled with continuous testing and analysis will give students better insights and exposure to improve their academic performances. Our sessions will be interactive, allowing students to clear doubts, ask questions and be able to address their queries and concerns. We hope that students and educators will take advantage of this unique initiative.”

The Aakash PrimeClass courses will be delivered through the national network of AESL. The centres are VSAT-enabled and with the help of state-of-the-art studios & telecommunication facilities, they will channelize audio, video and data-enabled high-quality, faculty lectures to students.

Advantages of Aakash PrimeClass

• Aakash faculty is among the best in the country and have produced stellar results year-after-year
• The study material provided by AESL is acknowledged as the best among peers & is highly sought-after by discerning aspirants
• Web-based Text and Multimedia lessons are used to set the pace for upcoming topics along with PLA (Pre learning assessment)
• In-Class exercises are conducted to assess the learning of in-class teaching. It also enables Learning-Gap Analysis and Corrective action by student & faculty
• Post Class Assignments are provided for recall, revision as well as higher-order preparation
• A dedicated team is set up to resolve the doubts of students
• Planners are providedto inform and make visible class schedule, tests, and assignments
• All sessions conducted are recorded and are available in the students’ id which can be used for later review. Parents can also have a look at all the sessions
• Online review sessions are conducted to jointly review performance and plan accelerative or corrective steps
• Academic Help Desk forQuery record and query tracking
• E-mail/SMS alerts are shared on events, changes, scores, assignment completion/ Incompletion, to parents and faculty

With Aakash PrimeClass available in their hometown, students from small towns will no longer need to shift to a bigger city for their preparation. They will get tutelage of the most experienced faculties of Delhi. Best in class content, tests, 24×7 doubt resolution and video archives will also be available. Plus it takes away the worries of parents about their child’s health, safety and security. 

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