Startup
How technology is transforming educational institutions into futuristic campuses
In today’s fast-evolving world, technology is revolutionising almost every sector, and education is no exception. Educational institutions, particularly those aiming to prepare students for the future, are embracing technology to build what we now refer to as “futuristic campuses.”
These technologically-driven campuses are equipped with advanced systems and tools that simplify administrative processes, enhance learning, and create a more transparent and efficient environment for both students and staff. A crucial part of this transformation is the integration of digital platforms that improve fee management, smart identification systems, rewards, and financial literacy education, all of which are collectively empowering educational institutions.
Simplified fee collection and management
One of the most impactful changes technology has brought to educational institutions is in the area of fee management. Traditionally, fee collection was a cumbersome process, often requiring manual paperwork, in-person submissions, and long waiting times. This old-school approach not only caused delays but also created inefficiencies.
Modern campuses are adopting digital fee management systems, which streamline the entire process. These systems enable institutions to automate fee collection, set up flexible payment plans, and send real-time notifications to parents and guardians. The integration of these platforms eliminates manual errors and allows institutions to track payments instantly. Students and parents no longer have to worry about missing deadlines or enduring the hassle of long queues.
Furthermore, fee management platforms often come with real-time insights that offer a clear overview of the institution’s financial health. Administrators can access detailed reports on fee collection, pending payments, and student-specific financial records. This ensures full transparency, and data-driven decisions can be made to improve the overall financial stability of the institution.
Smart ID cards
As part of the ongoing digital transformation, educational institutions are leveraging smart ID cards to create a more secure and seamless experience for students. These cards go beyond simply identifying students. They are embedded with technology that enables contactless access to various parts of the campus, including classrooms, libraries, labs, and hostels.
Smart ID cards also play an essential role in tracking attendance. With traditional methods requiring manual attendance sheets or time-consuming roll calls, smart cards have enabled automatic attendance recording systems. Students swipe their ID cards while entering classrooms or libraries, and the system records their presence. This automated process saves time, ensures accurate record-keeping, and allows teachers to focus more on the lesson rather than administrative tasks.
Moreover, smart cards often function as digital wallets, allowing students to make cashless payments in canteens, bookstores, and other on-campus facilities. This not only enhances convenience but also teaches students the basics of managing digital payments, an essential skill for the future.
Enhanced transparency and real-time insights
One of the defining features of futuristic campuses is the level of transparency they offer. Technology allows institutions to provide all stakeholders—administrators, teachers, parents, and students—with real-time insights into every aspect of campus life. Whether it’s fee collection, attendance tracking, academic performance, or behavioural records, data is accessible at the click of a button.
This transparency builds trust between the institution and parents, as they have instant access to important information regarding their child’s progress. Real-time dashboards give parents a clear view of their children’s daily activities, academic standing, and financial obligations, allowing them to stay engaged in their child’s education.
For administrators, the availability of real-time insights simplifies decision-making processes. With accurate and up-to-date information, they can better allocate resources, manage budgets, and identify areas that need improvement.
Conclusion
The transformation of educational institutions into futuristic campuses is more than just a trend—it’s a necessary evolution driven by technology. With the integration of systems like digital fee management, smart ID cards, and many more, schools are creating environments that are more efficient, transparent, and focused on the holistic development of students.
By embracing these advancements, educational institutions are not just preparing students for academic success but also equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in a digital world.
(Rohit Gajbhiye is the MD and Founder of LEO1, a fintech startup)
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)
Startup
Jack Dorsey-led Block’s Bitkey crypto wallet launches inheritance feature
Bitkey, the self-custody crypto wallet from Block Inc, founded by Jack Dorsey, has launched an inheritance feature on its platform to enhance control and privacy for its users.
The feature is set to roll out in December and launched widely in January 2025.
Bitkey hopes to disrupt the current landscape with the new offering that enables people who hold keys to their Bitcoin to have full control of their money. The company said that its inheritance ensures that the funds being held in a Bitkey wallet are transferred to a designated beneficiary after the passing of the owner.
“With this inheritance solution, we are offering customers a safe and simple way for them to pass their assets onto the next generation,” said Jason Karsh, Business Lead for Bitkey, in a statement. “Bitcoin is a multi-generational asset, and we think Bitkey should be multi-generational, too. We designed inheritance to be simple for beneficiaries to transfer, access, and manage their inheritance when the time comes.”
Bitkey’s inheritance feature will be initially clubbed with the purchase of Bitkey hardware devices. To set up the feature, the owner can invite a beneficiary through the Bitkey app. Once accepted, the inheritance plan will be created.
The company also added that to protect against any fraudulent claim, it has put in a six-month waiting period that must be completed before a beneficiary can access these funds.
Introduced by US-based Block, Bitkey is a self-custody Bitcoin wallet that can be accessed through a mobile app, a hardware device, and a set of recovery tools.
In 2023, the company entered the Indian market with Bitkey.
Startup
India’s digital public infrastructure finds many takers globally, says NISG CEO
The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) of India is now truly going global, as an increasing number of countries are seeking assistance to implement this technology platform to deliver various citizen services.
“There is a huge opportunity of taking it (DPI) globally,” said Rajiv Bansal, CEO, National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) during a panel discussion on the topic “Digital Public Infrastructure of India going Global” at the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2024.
DPI in India has become the driving force for delivering services from both the government and private sector. These include the nationwide Aadhar identity and the unified payment interface (UPI) for financial services.
According to Bansal, NISG is engaged with several countries to come out with pilot projects or provide consultancy services on how they can implement DPI. Sri Lanka is undertaking a nationwide ID project, while other countries like Gambia, Myanmar, Belize and Fiji are keen to implement DPI to deliver several citizen services.
NISG is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 2003 by the Indian government, based on a public-private partnership model. It aims to assist governments in ushering in smart governance, process reforms and digitalisation.
Bansal said the DPI framework has achieved a certain level of maturity where it is based on fundamentals of open source technology, interoperability, subject to regulation and offering services for social welfare.
The greater interest for India’s DPI has largely come from developing countries who are looking at this platform for setting up a national identity setup similar to Aadhar. According to Bansal, developed economies are also interested in DPI but for other kinds of services.
However, Sharad Sharma, Founder – iSPIRT Foundation, was of the belief that the various functionalities from DPI till date in India are early iterations, and there is a vast scope to deliver numerous other services especially in the area of healthcare.
Startup
Deepinder Goyal clarifies Chief of Staff role is salaried, Rs 20 lakh condition a filter
Deepinder Goyal has clarified that Zomato does plan to pay the candidate selected for the Chief of Staff role, and the condition of paying Rs 20 lakh to initiative was merely a filter as the company has no plans to collect the amount.
In a post shared on X, the company’s co-founder and CEO also announced after closing the application deadline for his chief of staff opening.
This comes a day after Goyal put up the job posting on the social media platform. To make the offer not as lucrative, he announced that the role would not have any salary, at least for the first year. Not only this, the selected candidate would have had to contribute a sum of Rs 20 lakh to Zomato’s Feeding India initiative.
Any salary discussion would only happen from the second year, he said in the original post. During the first year, Zomato would also offer Rs 50 lakh to the charity selected by the candidate.
Zomato received more than 18,000 applications and closed the process at 2 pm earlier today.
The foodtech executive had claimed that the opportunity offers 10X more learning than a two-year degree from a top management school.
Goyal, in an earlier post, had highlighted that applicants came from a diverse mix of financial backgrounds, categorising them into those who have all the money, those who have some of the money, those who claim they don’t have the money, and those who genuinely don’t have the money.
It is unclear what the Chief of Staff’s duties will be as the job description is vague. The job would entail “anything and everything to build the future of Zomato (including Blinkit, District, Hyperpure and Feeding India),” the post read.
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