I am a passionate educator and mentor @ PassionEdx. Growing up, studying and working in India from a small village to a metro city has enabled me to experience the needs of people from different strata with respect to education. I have also witnessed the technology boom and its impact on education as a student as well as an educator.
I earned MSc and PhD (Plant Physiology and Biotechnology) from Saurashtra University, India by actively participating in research and publishing several research papers in peer-reviewed journals of repute. I have served as an Assistant Professor at Kishinchand Chellaram College, Mumbai, India from 2003 to 2017 teaching Undergraduate and Post-graduate students inside and outside the classroom up to my own and their satisfaction. Interaction in the class and laboratory was always our most cherished time.
Our family decided to relocate to Singapore in 2017 for advancement. I am a mother of 2 children and took this opportunity to spend more time with my children. This time also gave me an opportunity to critically think and reflect on my experiences, learning, limitations and strengths. The more I read and thought about it, the more I was convinced that in today’s ever-changing world, learning should be the way and not the goal of life. In order to do that one should be able to afford and enjoy the process of learning.
I am an IT professional and proud owner of an IT Company since 2003. I have done B.Sc. (IT) along with a Bachelor of Commerce, backed by prestigious certification courses like Microsoft Certified Professional & CCNA.
I run my own business successfully since 2003 and have good experience with practical requirements to set up a venture. More important is I love to help others and wish to do something remarkable to give back to society. I strongly believe that when we start something with good intention and robust planning, will get all the required support from our surroundings.
Story of PassionEdx Foundation
Sonal is an enthusiastic follower of online courses and loves to learn at a comfortable time and place. However, during the transition from classroom teaching to online learning, the missing factor experienced was direct communication. With amazing courses available online by reputed institutions on a variety of platforms, information is no more a limiting factor. In spite of the range of choices available, surprisingly, research suggests that the rate of completion is very low though the majority of people taking online courses are educated and highly motivated to learn!
This triggered several questions regarding the efficiency of online teaching and maximizing the use of resources available for the betterment of society. After taking several surveys we figured out that most of the people start learning very enthusiastically, however, find it difficult to remain motivated and needed more interaction.
We believe communication and collaboration are the key skills one needs to develop and should be an integral part of the learning process. Today’s youth need an ear to hear and a heart to understand apart from a brain to explain. It probably helps them to remain focused and motivated as will be answerable to someone. Our aim is to achieve this for as many learners as possible without limitations of location and financial status.
Vishal and Shruti had a perfect solution for the same especially when everyone has become more comfortable with technology after the pandemic. PassionEdx is trying to maximize the benefits of the technology revolution by creating an opportunity to have live video interaction of interested mentees with passionate mentors who are experienced to be trusted advisors for youth. This will be a blessing for the mentee especially during the learning breakdown that everyone experiences as a part of the process of learning.
We are trying to use available technology effectively to develop an affordable platform where mentee centred sessions can take place and our mentors, who are voluntarily committed to the wellbeing of the others can guide as per their individual requirements. Each individual will have a different learning style and there cannot be anyone formula that suits all. At PassonEdx Foundation, mentees can discuss their problems freely with caring mentors and can experience active learning with our mentors and peers (against pre-recorded videos).
Our aim is to spread the joy of learning by making personalized education available and affordable to all. This seemingly impossible task is possible only because of our committed team of mentors who are ready to teach, coach, inspire or be a guide on the side depending on the requirements of the mentees. We are also blessed with a great team who are not mentors @ PassionEdx Foundation, however, supports in all possible way to make sure that learning goes on.
We intend to raise money in this process of establishing a strong connection between our mentor and mentee, which is being used for the education-related needs of less privileged children (who do not have access to the technology needed) without asking for donations.