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Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), global higher education expert and compiler of university rankings, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Intel, have joined hands to announce the launch of the QS Digital Maturity Framework, a new and unique evaluation tool designed specifically for Indian universities and colleges. The QS Digital Maturity Framework aims to provide guidelines for the transformation journey of higher education institutions (HEIs), enhance the learning experience for students, and increase employability by meeting employer needs.

The framework has been designed to accelerate the Indian higher education system to transform and be digitally ready to make high-quality tertiary education available in every state. This includes online and blended formats, and aligns with many other requirements under the National Education Policy 2020.

With approximately 148 million young Indians of higher education age and only about 40 million^{seats available on campus, India has a great need for digital learning capacity. QS, AWS, and Intel are working together to provide the Digital Maturity Framework to eligible Indian universities and colleges.}

The framework has been designed with input from digital learning experts from around the world, to provide a roadmap for university leaders to manage their digital transformation. The framework evaluates the maturity of the higher education institution’s digital learning environment, data infrastructure and usage, technology infrastructure and usage, as well as their digital governance and faculty training within each university.

As part of the collaboration, AWS and Intel have worked with QS to develop the Digital Maturity Framework. They will support HEIs taking part in the framework evaluation with their technology readiness, enable them to progress in their digital transformation journey, and deploy identified solutions by leveraging the cloud.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, President of QS, said, “India’s government is committed to establishing world-class higher education institutions. We have developed a digital maturity framework capable of providing university leaders in India with clear pathways to deliver outstanding digital learning experiences to their students, whilst enhancing the development of their academics and giving employers better hiring outcomes. Our framework has been developed in collaboration with AWS and Intel, as they seek to contribute to enhancing higher education in India, and equip Indian graduates with relevant digital skills.”

Drawing on AWS and Intel experts, the QS Digital Maturity Framework sets out steps for the next stage in the digital journey of participating universities, helping them to minimise the cost of digital transformation and to overcome common challenges.

“AWS is pleased to collaborate with Quacquarelli Symonds to help Indian HEIs reach their digital maturity and enhance the way education is delivered to students. India’s education sector is poised for a significant change, adapting to emerging frameworks, user demands, and learning models. HEIs can leverage the latest cloud technologies to better support students through their educational journey, offer a more personalised learning experience, and empower them with skills for the future,” said Sunil PP, South Asia Lead – Education, Space, NPOs, Channels & Alliances, AWS.

Akanksha Bilani, Global AWS Biz Dev and Go To Market Director, Intel, said Intel is excited to collaborate with AWS and QS in shaping the new era of digital-ready institutions. “Cloud being the ultimate enabler, this initiative is truly game-changing for Indian academic institutions to uplift their digital readiness in order to provide students across the country world-class quality, and universal education with a personalized learning experience at their doorsteps,” she said.

To know more about this initiative