“Classrooms Personalised need to be

Kate James, Chief Corporate Affairs & Global Marketing Officer, Pearson, on three programmes that can help learners

YOU RECENTLY LAUNCHED VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL K-12 EDUCATION SYSTEM. TELL US MORE ABOUT IT?

Globally, Pearson is dedicated to improving lives through learning and the focus of Pearson India is ensuring the best learning opportunities for students. Education in India is becoming digital and it was the right moment to introduce virtual schooling through International Connections Academy (iNaCA). It provides school counselling focussed on education and career planning; elective courses such as digital arts and sign language; online clubs and activities ranging from robotics to school newspaper to art club that bring students together from around the world. It also provides them with the flexibility to pursue personal development activities outside of school.

WHAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND READ TO KIDS PROGRAM?

Worldreader, a global non-profit organisation which provides digital books to children in the developing world, in partnership with Pearson, launched Read to Kids program in 2015 with the goal of improving school preparedness of Indian children by building their pre-literacy skills. As per the study commissioned by Pearson and WorldReader, 57.5 per cent children in Class 3 are unable to read Class 1 text. This lack of school readiness negatively impacts children’s learning outcomes from the beginning and has contributed to a national learning crisis. Simple interventions such as parents reading aloud to their children in the formative years can be powerful antidotes to poor learning environments.

Read to Kids is a twoyear pilot project in Delhi that seeks to promote a culture of reading to young children, build skills to read to children and contribute to language development by encouraging parents to read to and with their young children. We are empowering parents by providing access to a free digital library and locally relevant books.

HOW BENEFICIAL ARE PEARSON PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS?

Our blended executive education programs span a variety of functions and industries, for participants of diverse seniority levels ranging from junior to top management. We deploy cutting-edge learning technology, classroom infrastructure and pedagogical methods and provide solutions that are cost-effective, flexible, learner-centric, and scalable and are aligned with business goals. In India, employability is a major issue across sectors. Majority of organisations state that the challenging task is to get the right managerial and leadership skills while hiring middle managers. Since the talent pool is limited and demand is high, it is important to focus on training, grooming and developing managers and leaders from within the organisation.