Inclusive education is the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school, learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. It means all children in the same classroom and in the same school with equal learning opportunities despite their disabilities or languages they speak. Inclusive education system values the unique contributions students of all backgrounds bring to the classroom and allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to the benefit of all—children, parents, society, and country at large.

Inclusive education is about ensuring access to quality education for all students by effectively meeting their diverse needs in a way that is responsive, receptive, respectful and supportive. Students participate in the education program in a common learning environment with support to diminish and remove barriers and obstacles that may lead to exclusion.

The latest provision in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, approved by India’s Union Cabinet in July 2020, encourages, and promotes “Barrier-free access to Education for all Children with Disabilities.” India’s first Education Policy was initially established in 1986 and last revised in 1992. Since then, India needed a change in its entire Education Policy. The New Education Policy describes the much-awaited new reforms that India was looking for. These adaptations are designed with special consideration for children with impairments and those from low-income families. The focus of this new rule’s implementation is on two things– Imparting knowledge and training faculties on how to teach children with specific disabilities. These norms are made keeping in mind the Right of Persons with Disability Act-2016 to provide barrier-free education to children with disability. According to the NEP, children with disabilities will be able to participate equally in all aspects of the educational system.

The major challenge this system faces is the progress of children at a slow pace. All students are different and therefore have different individual needs. Similarly, children with different disabilities have differing needs. Hence, it is important to choose the right type of inclusive education for the students based on their individual needs, and to get appropriate outcomes, the inclusive education system requires amendments at all levels of society, especially at the level of school and teaching instructors. The first and foremost requirement is the teachers’ training. The instructors or teachers dealing with special children must be well trained as per the needs of the children. Thus, under the New Education Policy, a provision has been made that all teacher education programmes must include instruction on how to teach children with specific impairments. Ensuring the inclusion and equal participation of children with disabilities, the students will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education.

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 defines inclusive education as a ‘system of education wherein students with and without disabilities learn together and the system of teaching and learning is suitably adapted to meet the learning needs of different types of students with disabilities’. This Policy is in complete consonance with the provisions of the RPWD Act 2016 and endorses all its recommendations with regard to school education. Barrier free access for all children with disabilities will be enabled as per the RPWD Act.

School buildings must be refurbished and schools will be supported for providing all children with disabilities accommodations and support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs and to ensure their full participation and inclusion in the classroom. In particular, assistive devices and appropriate technology-based tools, as well as adequate and language-appropriate teaching-learning materials (e.g., textbooks in accessible formats such as large print and Braille) will be made available to help children with disabilities integrate more easily into classrooms and engage with teachers and their peers.

The Latest book on CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL, published by PHI Learning, addresses all the above issues and meets the demand of the NEP 2020 to make learning successful. So, if you are a student of education or a teacher at any school in any capacity, Get your copy now and avail our discount offer …!

 

Creative branding is the process of building a company’s brand identity. In your organisation’s digital marketing efforts, developing a strong brand identity is necessary. This is since your branding communicates to potential clients and customers what your organization is all about. It creates an image of your brand in the customers’ minds and helps them visualize your brand’s goals, values, and mission. This is the information which customers are ultimately looking for when they are trying to choose out of several competing brands. Companies must show customers the core values behind their products.

Creative branding is more than a brand image –

Creative branding is the process of establishing your company’s identity. When a company applies innovative and unique marketing strategies, it becomes recognizable. A branding strategy is how your company interacts with customers. It is the process of creating a unique presence in customers’ minds and ensuring loyalty. Your branding is invisible. It is how your company comes across – it is your brand’s public image. Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos defines personal branding as “what people say about you when you’re not in the room”. This definition extends to organizations.

Creative branding is essential –

Good branding tells your story in an instant. It clarifies what makes your brand unique. A great marketing strategy seeks to attract clients with an emotional connection. A personal connection with customers helps a brand gain the reputation it seeks.

Good branding defines your goals both to the customers and the company. It helps guide your company’s advertising and marketing strategies.

Creative branding can help differentiate your brand from competitors. Here are 5 creative marketing strategies –

Make an emotional connection – A powerful brand strategy appeals to clients’ emotions. People act on instinct more often than they make rational decisions. Focusing on your clients’ core values and beliefs brings them closer to you.

Your branding is how clients perceive your business. Your marketing strategy should be centered around the emotional value of your product. This establishes what your brand stands for.

A great example is Nike’s Marathon Runner ad which salutes the last place runner. The ad promotes bravery and overcoming challenges, making the brand relatable to everyone. It attaches emotional depth to Nike’s products.

Have a unique positioning – A company’s positioning is the image of it in the minds of its customers. It is how the customers tell a company apart from its competitors.

A unique positioning involves offering a customer experience that competitors do not. This could be a trademark design or an innovative customer service strategy. A unique position sets your company apart from competitors. It is your brand’s selling point.

Focus on a niche – Another branding strategy is to target customers through a niche product. This method is separate from positioning. Positioning involves offering a unique product in a competitive market. A niche is a segment in a competitive market that has less competition.

The more unique your niche is the less room for competition. An urban planning company could find its niche in sustainability through solar power. An interior design company could offer a particular form of minimalist design.

Set yourself apart in your industry through expertise.

Optimize the customer experience – A brand should connect with customers on a personal level. One method of doing this is by segmenting your audience to optimize the user experience. Practice “omnichannel” marketing by providing services on all marketing platforms. Your brand should cater to each audience segment and each platform.

This method helps provide a personal touch to the customers’ experience. It focuses your marketing strategy on customers’ needs, encouraging customer engagement and loyalty.

Offer a competitive product – “Word of mouth” is a very effective marketing strategy. Satisfied clients are likely to promote your brand to their contacts. This form of reach is invaluable.

Your brand should update its products in line with the latest technology. Have a competitive product, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service. Your brand identity is your promise to your customers. Good branding is when you keep this promise.

Creative branding connects the service and the client

Creative branding is essential to companies in Digital Marketing. This is because the industry offers a service that should suit clients’ personal needs. In this sector, companies create clients’ and customers’ identities in the market by managing their online channels Your Digital Marketing strategy should align with your brand’s needs to build your brand personality and meet your organization’s goals. A clear and concise branding strategy ensures the company communicates well with clients and customers. A strong brand identity establishes its core values in an instant.

Interested in strengthening your organization’s brand identity and image? Check out some of our excellent Digital Marketing textbooks to learn all your need to know about how to effectively build your brand. Log on to www.phindia.com.

 

 

 

India, a land of sages and seers, is well known for its rich cultural heritage and exuberant diversity. Also, it is known as one of the oldest civilizations in the world. In addition, great scholars and scientists of ancient India gave birth to various scientific theories that laid the foundation for modern science and technology. One will be surprised to know that many theories of modern day mathematics were already known to Indians in ancient times. But due to lack of proper documentation or knowledge dissemination to the counterpart or next generation, as compared to the Western world, contributions made by Indians did not find the place they deserved. Still some of the groundbreaking contributions by them have been acknowledged, some are still unknown to most.

Snorkelling deep into the sea of scientific discoveries, one can find that the Indian calendar is considered the oldest in the system. It divides an approximate solar year of 360 days into 12 lunar months of 27 or 28 days. The resulting discrepancy was resolved by the intercalation of a leap month every 60 months. Time was reckoned by the position marked off in constellations (nakṣatra) on the ecliptic in which the Moon rises daily in the course of one lunation and the Sun rises monthly in the course of one year.

India has always been the land of great mathematicians. The value of pi, used in calculating the area and circumference of a circle, was first calculated by Baudhayan. What is known as Pythagoras theorem today already appeared in Baudhayan’s Sulva Sutra, which was written many years before the age of Pythagoras.

We all know that Aryabhatta, a pioneer in the field of Mathematics, was the first to devise a decimal system of numbers and place value system writing numbers the way we do in these modern days. He wrote Aryabhattiya in the fifth century. Discovery of zero enabled Aryabhatta to find out the exact distance between the earth and the moon. Also, he contributed immensely in other areas of Mathematics including trigonometry and Beejganita (algebra) — the topics of modern day Mathematics.

Brahmagupta was the first mathematician to give the formula for the area of a cyclic quadrilateral in the seventh century. His contributions to geometry are significant. In his multiplication method, he used place value in almost the same way as it is used today. He introduced negative numbers and operations on zero into mathematics. He wrote Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta through which the Arabs came to know our mathematical system.

Jain gurus knew how to solve quadratic equations. Guru Mahavira or Mahaviracharya, in the ninth century, wrote his book, ‘Ganitsarasangraha’ which is the first ever text on arithmetic in present day form. The text explains rules for adding fractions of unequal denominators by finding niruddha or L.C.M (least common multiple). Thus, long before John Napier introduced it to the world, it was already known to Indians.

Indians made remarkable contributions to the field of Astronomy, called Khagolshastra in ancient India. Aryabhatta contributed greatly to the field. Astronomy was studied to have accurate calendars, a better understanding of climate and rainfall patterns for timely sowing of crops, finding the dates of festivals, navigation, calculation of time, and sketching of horoscopes. The traders used this knowledge to study tides and the stars before crossing the oceans and deserts, especially during night.

Furthermore, age old traditions in India like greeting people in Namaste form, wearing toe rings by women, throwing copper coins into rivers, applying tilak on the forehead, bells in temples, applying henna in hand and feet, eating while sitting on floor etc. are all based on scientific reasons.

Jantar Mantar Jaipur, a stone sundial built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734 is famous for its meticulous architecture and mathematical accuracy. This astronomical observatory has amazed scientists and astrologists worldwide. The structure was used to tell time in the ancient days based on the position of the Sun and the direction of the shadows. It has been designed skillfully to also predict the movement and position of other celestial bodies in space.

If the history of medical science is traced back to its origin, it probably starts from an unmarked era of ancient time. Many techniques practiced today have still been derived from the practices of the ancient Indian scholars. Sushruta is considered the “Father of Plastic Surgery.” He lived in India sometime between 1000 and 800 BC, and is responsible for the advancement of medicine in ancient India. Charaka, the ‘Father of Ayurveda’, in his book ‘Charaka Samhita’ had mentioned about 340 plant types and about 200 animal types. The book contains ancient theories on human body, etiology, symptomology and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases. Charak Samhita is the most referenced treatise in Ayurveda by students, scholars, teachers, physicians and researchers.

In view of creating awareness among students about these valuable discoveries and contributions made by ancient Indians that created and strengthened the fundamentals of modern science and technology, Ministry of Education, Government of India has established IKS division with a vision to promote interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on all aspects of IKS, and disseminate IKS knowledge for further innovations and societal applications. Moreover, the New Education Policy (NEP) has also provided a clear trajectory for imparting IKS in the higher education curriculum, necessitating a book of this kind in several higher education institutions in the country in the days to come.

Further, a course on IKS has been mandated by AICTE, and PHI Learning, in support of the policy, took initiative to publish the first-ever text on this interdisciplinary subject for holistic development of students. This unique text is a culmination of multiple efforts of the authors to fill in the gap for offering a required course on Indian Knowledge System (IKS).

The book seeks to introduce the epistemology and ontology of IKS to the Engineering and Science students in a way they can relate, appreciate and explore further should there be a keen interest in the matter. Beginning with the key concepts and a concise introduction to IKS, the book provides certain foundational concepts applicable across all domains of Science and Engineering. Hence, the readers are invited to navigate through all four sections of the book step by step….

Click https://www.phindia.com/Books/BookDetail/9789391818203/introduction-to-indian-knowledge-system-bhat-mahadevan-nagendra