We In The Government Are A Facilitator Of Online Learning In India: NITI Aayog CEO

Bertelsmann India Investments and Bertelsmann India Corporate Centre organised its annual flagship event - Bertelsmann India Summit in New Delhi. The Summit was designed to drive high-powered interactions with Education ecosystem players - an exciting mix of Policy Makers, Thought Leaders, Educators, Investors, etc. 

Amitabh Kant, CEO- NITI Aayog was the honorary Chief Guest who underlined, “Less than 20% graduates in India are employable and therefore it is important to push for the teaching of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence in IITs and engineering colleges of India to increase their employability. At the school level, India needs to move away from the Anglo-Saxon system of education to provide AI-based personalized and adaptive learning opportunities for children. Having said that, the Indian education system needs to be more innovative and driven by new tech, therefore, we are actively facilitating online learning at the Government level.”

Focused on Bertelsmann’s core values of entrepreneurship and creativity, the Summit witnessed participation of its core leadership team including Shobhna Mohn, Executive Vice President Growth Regions, Bertelsmann; Jörn Caumanns, EVP Mergers & Acquisitions & CFO Bertelsmann Investments; Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director, Bertelsmann India Investments & Bertelsmann India Corporate Centre; Pranjal Kumar, Head of Education Fund Investments & CFO and Rohit Sood, Principal at Bertelsmann India Investments..

Commenting on the event, Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director – Bertelsmann India Investments& Bertelsmann India Corporate Centre said, “The Bertelsmann India Summit comes at a very opportune time as India’s education sector is witnessing massive transformation marked by the emergence of several innovative new-age businesses that are integrating education and technology across all levels. We have always strategically focused on scaling up education brands, both in India and globally and with an escalated approach, we are also working closely with the ecosystem makers including the Government to usher the next phase of growth for the sector. This Summit is our sincere effort  to reach out to the right audience to redefine the way India will be educated tomorrow & beyond.”

Themed as ‘Innovation in Education’, Bertelsmann India Summit is an initiative by Bertelsmann India Investments to strengthen dialogues surrounding the growth of education in the country. As a global player in education with investments in companies such as Udacity, Relias, HotChalk, etc. Bertelsmann, through its India investment arm- Bertelsmann India Investment, is looking at bringing global practices from other markets into India’s education’s sector.

It aims to do so by leading dialogues and creating accelerated engagement with the Government of India on education policies and global initiatives that can help redefine education across all segments. Some of the Indian startups that Bertelsmann India Investments has been associated with as a growth investor are Eruditus Executive Education, iNurture, amongst others.

The event deeply discussed topics across the entire education landscape across the themes: 

• Higher Education- Building the next Ivy League University 
• Redefining higher education – access & quality
• Skilling & Professional Learning: Shaping the Future of Work for Indian Millennials 
• Discussion on ‘Evolving future of Work for Indian Millennials’ 

Shobhna Mohn, Executive Vice President Growth Regions, Bertelsmann said, “We believe that the Education sector has the potential to grow exponentially and we are actively engaging with stakeholders to drive positive impact. India, as a market, offers exciting possibilities and opportunities for businesses to scale and we are thrilled to be working with some of the brightest minds in building an ecosystem that fosters creativity and entrepreneurship.”

Bertelsmann is associated with a diversified portfolio of global companies in innovative skill-based education and training, such as Relias, Udacity, HotChalk, and AfferoLabs has established the Bertelsmann Education Group worldwide, which manages the companies. With this summit, Bertelsmann India Investments will create more essential conversations about the education sector and aim to involve itself as the education sector of the country progresses to its zenith.