Nitin Nain

Category: Startups

  • India’s New Education Policy (NEP 2020) — Key Points

    (Cross-post from schooldesk.io)

    A New Education Policy (NEP) for India was approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020. The policy is forward-looking, inclusive, the right amount of idealistic, and very much doable. There are big changes to the current system in this policy and these are being received very positively by most people, including the opposition political parties. The previous education policy was adopted in 1986 i.e. 34 years ago and this update was long overdue. Here are the key highlights:

    For Schools

    Curriculum

    • 10+2 has been split into 5+3+3+4, covering ages 3 to 18 (instead of ages 6 to 18 previously). Thus, including the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) between ages 3-6. These changes are to be adopted by 2025.
      • 5 years of Foundational Education (Preparatory Classes and Classes 1, 2) +
      • 3 years of Preparatory Pre-School (Classes 3, 4, 5) + 
      • 3 years of Middle School (Classes 6, 7, 8) + 
      • 4 years of Secondary Education (Classes 9, 10, 11, and 12)
    • There will be preschool (ages 3-6) in Kendriya Vidyalayas and other government schools too.
    • Exams in Classes 3, 5, and 8 are to be administered by an appropriate authority.
    • Emphasis on learning in regional language and multilingualism till Class 8: States & Institutions will choose the languages.
    • Focus on Vocational Education that starts from Class 6. Computer Programming classes start from Class 6. Classroom teachings will shift towards competency-based learning.
    Curricular Structure in NEP2020
    Curricular Structure in NEP2020

    Flexible Syllabus (Electives)

    • There will be no rigid separation between arts, commerce, and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, and between vocational and academic streams. Students can select subjects of their liking across streams, particularly in Secondary School. All subjects are to be offered at 2 levels of proficiency.
    • Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials. This has been done to make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.

    Boards and Exams

    • Boards like CBSE, ICSE and the state boards will continue to exist, but they will change to accommodate for the new policy. Boards may, over time, also develop viable models of Board Exams, such as annual, semester, or modular exams.
    • De-emphasize “high stakes” Board Exams: Students can take Board Exams on two occasions in one academic year — one main exam, and a second for improvement, if desired. Instead of just two very important Board Exams at Class 10 and 12, exams will be spread over classes 9, 10, 11, and 12. And there will be a lot of importance given to internal assessment. 
    • There’s a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH. This body will be responsible for setting assessment standards for students across India.
    • SAT-like University Entrance Tests (from 2022): Students can appear for entrance exams twice a year. (The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States.)

    Assessment and Report Cards

    • Report Cards will show credits for vocational studies along with marks for regular subjects.
    • The nutrition and health (including mental health) of children will be addressed. This will be done through healthy meals and regular health check-ups. Health cards will be issued to monitor the same.

    Equitable and Inclusive Education

    • Gender-Inclusion Fund will be set up by the Government of India. The fund will be available to States to support and scale effective community-based interventions. Which will address barriers to female and transgender children’s access to education.
    • National Scholarship Portal for SC, ST, OBC, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group (SEDG) students to be expanded.
    • The policy aims for 100% enrolment till Class 9 by 2030 and 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education (Universities) by 2035.

    For Higher Education/Colleges

    • University Grants Commission (UGC) will be replaced by a new regulator called the  Higher Education Commission of India (HECI),  which will govern the entire Higher Education except for Medicine and Law.
    • 3 or 4 years multi-disciplinary Bachelor’s program.
    • Mid-term dropouts are to be given credits with the option to complete their degree after a break. There will be multiple entry and exit options for those who wish to leave the course before completion.
    • National Research Foundation (NRF): The overarching goal of the NRF will be to enable a culture of research to permeate through universities. The NRF will be governed independently of the government.
    • Open and distance learning to be expanded.
    • National Education Technology Forum (NETF) to be formed that will promote the use of technology in Education.
    • 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education by 2035.

    Analysis

    This new format is seemingly closer to the American, British, Australian, and other western education systems, which could be a great thing for us in order to go further in a global world. It is a good and forward-looking education policy, with the right amount of idealism that is very achievable.

    Here are three important points to note when viewing this policy: 1) A lot of research has gone into building this flavour of education over the years, in several parts of the world. And Indian governments have been making micro-changes for several years as well. 2) it gives Indian students an intuitive understanding of the way western education systems work, thus making it easier for them to work with other countries.  And 3), it makes moving across universities at a national or international level easier. 

    The government will need to come up with a solid plan on how some of the enrolment and quality goals would be achieved. The goal to spend 6% of GDP on the Education sector is an old one; formulated in 1948 right after independence. However, the Education sector currently gets 1.7% of the GDP. The policy aims for 100% enrolment till Class 9 (Secondary School) by 2030 and a 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education (Universities) by 2035. The current figures are 68% and 26%. These are structural issues that would need more dedicated effort and resources. It’s to be seen how the government will go about in order to achieve these figures. The other points about the restructuring of boards, and regulators, and especially about giving choices of what subjects students wish to study, are a welcome change as well.

    If you’re part of a school administration, I would love to learn with you and assist you in planning and implementing NEP changes for your school.

  • Native Vs Hybrid Mobile Apps

    I was recently checking how the Hybrid App frameworks compare to Native iOS or Android Apps.  Here are my observations on few Phonegap Apps that I tried on my phone:

    • The size of Phonegap Apps is big: an app that should have been less than 10MB has a 40-50MB installer.
    • The Apps take longer to boot up.
    • There’s noticeable drop in scrolling performance (less fluid).
    • They lack significantly in giving the native feel.

    And then there are these major shortcomings when it comes to Design and Development Time itself!

    Hybrid Apps’ Design doesn’t match up

    There are different design guidelines for Android, iPhone and Windows Apps. You will observe that many iPhone Apps have a menu at the bottom, but that doesn’t work well with Android Apps. Android has fixed ‘menu’, ‘home’ and ‘back’ buttons at the bottom and it’s inconvenient to have more options there. Then there are subtle differences in icons, fonts etc. that you should take care of.

    You won’t save much (any) development time

    If you’re starting fresh, I don’t think it takes any longer to make a Native app than a PhoneGap, Cordova or Xamarin App. If you already have a Web App, starting with PhoneGap might give you the impression of progressing fast initially; but fixing everything later is definitely going to be very painful.

    I personally love highly optimized code. If something can make my software a bit faster, or use lesser space, within practical limits, I would do that. If you’re particular about have a beautifully designed app, that’s fast and can use your phone’s hardware in the best possible way, in my opinion you should go for the native apps.

    Reference:
    – Explanation of PhoneGap, ionic and Cordova – http://ionicframework.com/blog/what-is-cordova-phonegap/
    – A startup moves away from PhoneGap to Native platform – http://www.fastcolabs.com/3030873/our-html5-web-app-flopped-so-we-went-native-and-havent-looked-back

  • Product Analytics for growing Startups

    For any product company, understanding how their product performs is crucial in achieving growth. And data-driven decision-making can uncover hidden patterns and help align the products with its long-term vision. The Amazons and Googles of the world are successful because they have successfully used analytics at key stages of their product lifecycles.

    Now of course not every startup should act like Amazon Google, or Facebook and there’s definitely something to be said about the gut feel, product aesthetics, and not blindly following data too. But still, when used consciously, data-driven decision-making can be of great help to any product manager.

    It can be overwhelming to analyze fragmented data from multiple sources: so here are key concepts and methodologies which you can use as a guide for incorporating analytics into your strategy:

    1. Vanity Metrics: Avoid the Temptation

    Metrics such as page views or historical total downloads don’t always convey actionable measurements. They might make you feel positive about growth but think hard about whether you want to base your strategy on these. Every product is different! They are often (unfortunately) used to inflate growth figures but do not indicate real engagement or success.

    Example: If a product shows high page views but low conversion rates, you need to investigate user engagement rather than just traffic.

    2. Metrics vs KPIs

    While metrics are measures of specific aspects of your product (e.g., number of users), KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) directly reflect progress toward your business objectives.

    Example 1: your advertising spend is a metric, not a KPI. Advertising might help you get new users but the money spent is just a measure. A KPI could associate the sales increase with the advertising spend, i.e. cost of customer acquisition could be a KPI.

    Example 2: While tracking user sessions is a metric, the KPI might be ‘User Retention Rate,’ which tells you how well your product is keeping customers engaged. Always ask yourself whether a metric drives actionable outcomes or just provides general insights.

    To sum up, all metrics are not KPIs.

    3. One Metric That Matters (OMTM)

    Just like in your daily life, your startup needs focus! The OMTM is the most important metric that your team should rally around. In practice there might be 2-3 metrics that you might have to track, say sales, UX, and tech debt. But definitely keep this very low and below three.

    Of course, your goals will change with time, so your OMTM evolves as your product and company mature.

    Example: Early on, your OMTM might be “user acquisition,” while later it might shift to “revenue per user.”

    4. Segmentation: Granular Insights Lead to Better Decisions

    Segmentation allows you to break down your data by user attributes like geography, device, age, or behaviour. This helps in observing patterns more minutely instead of being lost due to averaging. As your product grows, you will gain an increasing ability to ask complex questions from your data and then you can optimize marketing efforts or product features for specific user groups.

    Example: A product targeting millennials may realize that users from urban areas have higher engagement rates than rural users, leading to more targeted marketing efforts.

    5. Funnels & User Journeys: Mapping Key Milestones

    A funnel breaks down the steps users take as they move toward conversion. It helps you understand where users drop off and identify pain points in the user journey.

    Example: If your signup funnel shows a large drop-off after the email verification step, it may indicate a cumbersome process or unclear instructions, providing an opportunity for improvement.

    6. Retention

    User retention is one of the most telling metrics of your product’s long-term health. Simply acquiring users isn’t enough if they don’t stay. By cohorting users (grouping them based on when they signed up), you can measure how product changes impact different groups over time.

    Example: If users who signed up after a recent feature launch show lower retention rates, it may be an indicator that the feature has usability issues.

    7. Data Points: Focus on What Matters

    A Data point is a measurement that can be represented numerically or graphically. Here’s a more detailed Wikipedia definition. While it’s easy to get lost in data, not all data points are relevant to every decision.

    Example: Focus on the key data points that align with your KPIs and business goals. Instead of simply tracking ‘all actions,’ narrow it down to those that affect revenue, user satisfaction, or growth.

    Implementing Analytics for Your Product: A 3-Step Approach

    There are three broad steps you need to perform to setup analytics for your product:

    Step 1: Plan

    • Define Product Vision: Ensure you and everyone in the team understand the problem your product is solving.
    • Identify KPIs: What metrics will indicate progress toward your vision?
    • List Critical Metrics: Prioritize those that will guide your strategy.
    • Plan the Funnels: Decide what actions matter most along the user journey.
    • Data Points: Further drill down on where and how you’ll collect the metrics.

    Step 2: Measure

    • Use Established Tools: Focus on your core product instead. This is not the time to get political, whether AWS and Google Analytics are being monopolistic or not. Leverage tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Hotjar for tracking. You can always reflect on these once you have substantial size.
    • Collect & Store Data: You might want to set up separate databases to run regular queries for fetching metrics over time. Set up automated dashboards where possible.

    Step 3: Report

    Mark Actionable Insights: Focus your reports on KPIs, comparing trends with competitors, or tracking user behavior changes. Summarize the findings to share with stakeholders and guide future decisions.

  • 10 fields to consider for startup ideas and inspiration

    June 1, 2013

    People generally have a limited vocabulary when talking about internet businesses. I think learning to categorise online businesses properly is important to find inspiration for new ideas; especially for those who are just starting to explore options of their own.

    If you’re bitten by the startup bug, consider the following different fields of online business that have been successful in the last few years:

    1. Big Data / Analytics

    Big Data is basically the huge amount of data generated on the internet, by sensors, by electronic devices etc. which is difficult to process, store or analyse by traditional computing methods. There’s no dearth of topics that you might chose to analyse: Sports, Politics, Consumer behaviour, Demographics, Economics, Financial Markets. In my opinion, a certain disposition for analytics and understanding of tools used for data analysis is important to start in this field. 

    2. Hardware Startups (Internet of Things)

    Talks of smart homes and connected devices have been around for several years: but only now have some really interesting new gadgets begun to take shape: check out — Fitbit, Nest, Leap Motion, BodyMedia, SmartThings.

    If you are interested in starting something on these lines, you may find ideas around use of advanced sensors, remotely controlled devices, smart homes and wearable gadgets. The returns vs. invested capital (as in the case of the clumsier but cool humanoids) is always a sticking point. Getting the pricing right and the right PR is crucial. Moreover, the adoption in countries with low PPP tends to be low, so most probably you might have to build something for the global markets, which would be a huge project. A solid plan and good funding would be necessary to execute this. Consider Arduino and Raspberry Pi as interesting kits to carry out initial experiments on. (Also, consider how Micromax, Karbbon et al. manage the supply chain.) This article has some interesting points.

    (Nest, priced at $249, has a 1GHz ARM processor capable of supporting Linux and Android OSes)
    (Nest, priced at $249, has a 1GHz ARM processor capable of supporting Linux/Android)

    3. E-commerce

    Buying or Selling anything over electronic media. Shopping sites are all over the place now: Amazon, Flipkart, PepperFry, Fab, Etsy and many more. You might want to look at the WordPress WooCommerce plugin or the Magento platform to quickly integrate shopping cart like features into the website. Also, understand how the purchasing decision works. It’s nice that the logistics infrastructure has already got a priming. Btw, I find selling fashion online to be tricky; it’s difficult to prove the product to the user without them knowing how it fits and feels in hand. The sector is abuzz still, and there’s so much that could be done here!

    4. Software Services

    A model that has worked well in India: you can start by taking up contract job for creating or managing website or mobile apps. Building momentum for a company is tricky though. You need to have staff to get good clients and vice versa. Chicken and egg story! And to sustain in business, you would need people who can deliver — a recruiting and HR challenge!

    5. Social Media

    The talk for the next big Facebook is always on and new social networking sites such as Airbnb, Pinterest, 500px keep springing up every year. It’s not easy to bump into a fresh idea here, but who knows, you might soon be gunning for a $1Bn deal.

    6. Web / Mobile Apps

    Basically a frictionless service that you can create over the connected web. Communication apps, taxi service, Mobile payment systems, etc.

    Btw, consider issues from Local/National scope. There’s a reason why the American muscle cars won’t work in the streets of Rome, just as the small European car doesn’t jive with American roads. For India, my favourites are the likes of Redbus.in, PayTm.com and Practo.com who addressed the local markets and have seen strong growth.

    7. Finance related

    If you understand the Financial Institutions, Banking systems, Stock exchanges, Payment systems well then there’s a lot of potential here. The systems are archaic and can be challenged. They are also very regulated, huge and laden with security/trust concerns though, which makes entering into this field quite tricky.

    8. Ad-Tech / Digital Marketing

    Algorithms/Databases to help companies with targeted advertising, or just assist them with their online marketing needs. If you’re entering this domain, think hard how you want to position your company, there’s lot of competition in this field already.

    9. Design Consultancy

    Ok I’m fatigued of reading the “We’re a creative design firm” line, but there’s scope of course. Maybe differentiate yourself in a particular aspect, say logos or sites or mobile UX or whatever. You would want to design everything, but I think it’s not an easy position to sell to your clients.

    10. Games

    Computer games have sustained for years as a form of entertainment and it sustains against odds. There are big companies (like king.com) that exclusively make Mobile games and are performing very well.

    So those are the top 10 that come to my mind. Did I miss something important?

  • Startup Festival Bangalore

    The Startup Festival held at Bangalore from 7-10 March 2013, was an interesting peek into a lot of the startup companies based at Bangalore. Here’s what I saw.

    The Good

    I wasn’t expecting to see such a big turnout! A shoutout to the organisers (Vlad, Shashidharan, and the volunteers) for the well-organised event. It was a great place for entrepreneurs to meetup and know how the startup scene is shaping up, and possibly collaborate on each others’ skill-set. Met some interesting people. There’s so much effort people are putting, I hope the government starts embracing small private companies and entrepreneurs.

    Though, the best part was that it set my expectations around the idea of starting up in India correctly. It was nice to get a sneak peek into business practicals and to size up the number of people involved.

    The Bad

    It’s sad that the Indian market just doesn’t have the kind of funds that SF, London or Berlin have. Many companies are self funded, which considering the low PPP in India means having to cut down on the basic infrastructure i.e. home offices and no Macs. Bootstrapping might have a potential advantage but I still feel that there has to be more funding to have world class innovations, especially at an early stage, and the government needs to pitch in.

    Also the network effect of the IITs is rather overwhelming. The funding is very unevenly spread within a small set of colleges. 

    It was also a bit overwhelming to see so many people running after the same ideas. Of course, execution differs and matters a lot. It would be cool if people addressed the right market gaps. I was a bit disgruntled by the cockiness of a few founders.

    The Ugh

    There was a stage for presentations: During presentations, Some pitches/presentations were quite lousy. This was an opportunity to highlight your company! At least prepare a good pitch. Oh, and the run down questions “how should I start?” or “what’s the risk in starting a business?”

     

    Here’s a small personal log of the 4 days:

    Day 1: at Indranagar, Bangalore

    Attended talks at Exotel, Red Bus and Collaborative Community and few of the Powerhouse sessions at the main auditorium.

    Day 2: at Jayanagar, Bangalore

    The biggest takeaway of the day was that I figured out Jayanagar and JP Nagar’s roads. Both companies I attended delivered very flat talks.

    Day 3: at Koramangala, Bangalore

    Beard Design’s founder gave a good talk. The 7 person company is located at Goa! The Unreasonable at Sea team was in India, and they came up to Bangalore for the event; it was cool to hear their stories.

    Day 4: at Pebbles, Bangalore

    A nice closing party at Pebbles and Kitsch Mandi.

    It was an interesting peek into the startup community. There’re talented folks out there, hope the scene stays bouyant and more funding flows into the market.