In today’s era, education is a fundamental necessity for everyone. Devoid of education none can lead a comfortable life in this world. However, the quality of education is at its lowest point in many regions including Africa, Latin America, Asia, and even rural India. Many companies are targeting only developed and growth markets to gain more profits. The Founder and CEO of FortunaPIX, TC Ashok believes that every child deserves a quality education and no student irrespective of their region, language or social status should be denied opportunities to pursue quality education.
FortunaPIX team is transforming educational institutions and their eco-systems by transitioning them successfully from Print to Digital. They are at the forefront of revolutionary digital transformation in education by leveraging niche technologies. Today, the CEO is proud to say that with their solutions, students in even poverty-ridden countries are using advanced tablets with Digital content and eBooks. Commenting on this, he states, “We will be able to build an education eco-system where children would grow up to be sensible, smart and responsible global citizens.”
The inspiration behind the Foundations of FortunaPIX
Ashok is a successful entrepreneur based out of Silicon Valley, US and Hyderabad, India with an impressive proven track record of building cutting edge software products and solutions companies. Having over 35 years of experience, the visionary leader has been instrumental in launching innovative products that are years ahead of their time. He started FortunaPIX with an aim to revamp the way education is delivered globally. However, the idea to establish his company dawned on him when he observed his father’s 20-year-old personal assistant. The assistant was illiterate and used to watch only educative channels such as National Geography, Discovery, and sports after completing his daily work.
Eventually, the assistant was able to read English newspapers and gained more knowledge of sports, environment, technology, etc. Watching his growth, the CEO realized that if this person had a formal education, his life would have been on the fast track. This inspired him to associate with the education industry so as to transform lives all around; deliver quality education globally through technology. This inspiration pushed him to establish FortunaPIX.
In yet another venture, TC Ashok is looking forward to using AI in healthcare to address the serious issues of inequality between urban and rural health services. “The serious lack of access to qualified healthcare providers has caused the alarmingly low quality of healthcare in rural areas. I believe that AI medical techniques could improve healthcare outcomes in rural areas,” says CEO Ashok.
Best Influencer in the CEO’s Life
The versatile leader thinks that people in real life have influenced his thinking more than books and movies. For him, the biggest influencer in his life has been Satya Sai Baba. “If you look at Him as an individual, imagine the way he has built an organization, from a small village in remote Andhra Pradesh, that has spread over 150 countries worldwide providing the best education and healthcare services,” says Founder Ashok. He further sheds light on the fact that many global governments have adopted Satya Sai’s human value-driven education to create better citizens and society. The CEO Ashok is inspired by how Satya Sai Baba brought a social transformation for millions globally without travel and technology but through commitment and perseverance for decades.
A Pioneer in the Digital Education
Established in 2012, FortunaPIX is a leader in digital education with strong technology and global delivery capabilities. The company believes that education is a universal right and that every child in the world, independent of gender, geography, environment is entitled to quality, world-class education. Impressed by FortunaPIX ’s impact on global education, Co-Chair Policy & Strategy Group of the UN The World We Want, mentioned that ‘FortunaPIX is not just bridging the learning divide; In fact, through use of technology, it is also able to address problems associated with conflict resolution, gender equality, preventive care, and refugee upliftment. FortunaPIX will play a very critical role in addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal—Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’
Innovative Education Solutions
Based on its firm belief, FortunaPIX has developed “OneLern” to bridge the gap where many cultural, political and infrastructure barriers deprive quality education’s reach to the grassroots level. With OneLern, schools have witnessed higher student attendance, better performance and teacher empowerment, and convenience. The solutions provided by the company have allowed numerous governments and large institutions to migrate from print-only to digital-only systems with significant enhancement in student’s attention and performance rates through measurable outcomes.
Moreover, FortunaPIX has created an eco-sensitive digital book solution “LernBook”. This solution overcomes the challenges of poor infrastructure, sporadic net connectivity, limited online visibility, and non-qualified teachers that are predominant in new, under-developed and under-served markets. It also increases the quality of education to be at par or even better than many educational ecosystems in developed countries. Today, LernBook successfully substitutes traditional print driven non-engaging static education with digital-only interactive education reducing the costs by half. This is accomplished with minimal investments in digital infrastructure in both offline and online mode delivering localized curriculum content.
FortunaPIX has also developed other products: LernBag, LernWise, and LernPrep to make learning more accessible, inclusive and engaging. The company’s products and solutions are deployed even in remote and diverse geographies such as war-hit regions of Afghanistan, drug-torn areas of Mexico, remote reaches of the Caribbean and Africa, all in local languages and curriculums including cultural alignment.
Importance of Strong Leadership in the Education Sector
Leadership in the education industry brings massive responsibility. In other industries, once a product is marketed and sold, it only needs occasional maintenance thereafter. On the other hand, in the education sector, the leaders need to be observant of what the child is gaining through learning and how these learnings are going to impact the outcomes for these children. CEO Ashok believes that every parent and teacher needs to invest in a child’s learning and honing.
Additionally, technology and globalization are significantly changing the way humans live and work. However, the education industry has remained mostly static and under-invested for decades in many countries. The Founder presumes that in EdTech the continuous investment and development to content and technologies are important alongside the services and support, which could stagger for years. “It’s a long horizon and value creation business. Leaders in education should persevere such gestations compared to other industries,” remarks FortunaPIX CEO Ashok.
Establishing a Strong Global Footprint in the Future
Since its inception, FortunaPIX has used out-of-the-box business models to successfully demonstrate and deliver digital education in some of the toughest markets. The company brings global education to the local ecosystems literally to the doorstep of schools, teachers, and students. To further enhance this model, FortunaPIX is planning to establish its footprint in more than 20 countries with over 3 million students using its products, particularly in the frontier and underserved markets in the next five years.
Mistakes Made By Students, Teachers, and Parents
According to the CEO, children tend to get into a shell due to the enormous pressure and expectations from their teachers and parents. As a result, they make common mistakes. Parents and Teachers to make a few mistakes in being too judgmental and possessive about children. The following are some of the mistakes that can be addressed easily with better orientation from teachers and parents.
- People should know the difference between studying and learning.
- Parents and teachers should agree that education must accommodate knowledge and skills and not mere grades.
- Stigmatizing and magnifying a failure as life failure must be discouraged.
- Encouraging creativity without over prioritizing uniformity and conventional approaches.
Considering that all children are the same when it comes to learning is incorrect and that appreciating a child’s special talents and unique skills are important.
Also read: The 10 Futuristic Education Leaders, 2023
