India : Zeeko, an Enterprise Ireland backed high-potential start-up (HPSU), has joined hands with Next Education, a fast-growing SaaS-based technology-driven company that is changing India’s education system to benefit of educators, schools, and students. The partnership introduces Magical Leaders, a peer led entrepreneur programme, delivered through their innovative online 3D world to schools in the Middle East and India.
This partnership was announced by Ireland’s Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Mr. Roderic O’Gorman, as a part of his visit to India. He said, “India has always been an important partner for Ireland, whether it be in terms of promoting quality education, cultural integrity, or fostering entrepreneurial ventures. With technology coming in as a dominant player in the global education landscape, a kind of global education has been made accessible to all irrespective of their geographic locations. The partnership between Ireland’s Zeeko and India’s Next Education is very important for us, and marks another significant way that Edtech has contributed to the cultural exchange between the two countries.”
The Indian Government has been working towards promoting digital education in recent years, and this can be seen in the growth of edtech firms and startups. In fact, the ‘Education for All’ agenda, which outlines the framework of NEP 2020, gives global partnerships in the edtech sector high weightage. The partnership between Ireland’s Zeeko and India’s Next Education illustrates one such initiative of this digital and educational transformation.
Mr. Joe Kenny, CEO and founder, Zeeko said, “We are very excited to be working with Next Education. This partnership is a great opportunity to provide secondary school students with transferable skills that will help them deal with an ever-changing and unpredictable world. The programme has been developed by educational specialists and teachers, and is aligned to the new education policy in India. Our innovative digital learning experience helps in teaching and nurturing 21st century skills in an engaging and interactive way, to enable students to reach their full potential.”
Educators who participate in Zeeko’s Leadership Programme will gain access to Next Education’s ed-tech SaaS platform to deliver engaging and interactive digital learning experiences to their students. Additionally, the platform can be customized to include modules and resources like digital citizenship and online safety, which can help students become responsible digital citizens.
Mr. Dipesh Sakaria, Vice-President of Sales, Next Education said, “We look forward to a closely knit partnership with Zeeko by which we can provide excellent opportunities for students to explore, experiment and learn 21st century skills with gamified ways of learning. Furthermore, this partnership will open up immense opportunities for educators to deliver new age skills to their students in a fun and interactive way.”
The partnership was facilitated by Enterprise Ireland, the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. Ms. Wendy D’Souza, Senior Vice President, Education and Edtech at Enterprise Ireland said, “This partnership between Zeeko and Next Education is a powerful step in the ed-tech space and the schools, which not only brings an immersive digital learning experience but also instils values of leadership and digital responsibility among educators and students of India.”
Zeeko, an Enterprise Ireland high-potential start-up (HPSU), is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin. Next Education is a SaaS-based technology-driven company seeking to transform the education system in India. Their partnership, along with their Magic Leaders programme, is geared to bringing innovative digital transformation to India’s education landscape.
