Father-daughter duo's free app helps students master arithmetic skills
Ms. Ottaplackal developed MyLQ in 2022 based on her training for the Common Admission Test (CAT). 'We found that arithmetic skills were the key to cracking competitive examinations like the CAT,' she said.
Consequently, she started MyLQ, an online tool to help students master the arithmetic skills required in schools and competitive exams. Dr Joseph joined her, helping to start programmes across India. This year, they decided to redouble their efforts within Kozhikode. After discussions with Mayor Beena Philip and Krishna Kumari, the Town Planning Standing Committee Chair, MyLQ's trial run was launched in February.
Three schools from Ms. Krishna Kumari's Naduvattam division participated in the trial. The Naduvattam councillor said that the programme was free of cost for government schools and that she was pleasantly surprised by its reception. She said, 'Since it's similar to a mobile game, the students took a liking to it and their speed has improved.'
Sidharth K., a Class V student at Govinda Vilas Aided Lower Primary School, said that he liked the arithmetic programme. 'I can solve problems faster now,' he said. His classmate, Safdar Hegal M.K., agreed, saying, 'Now, I can do around 15 addition sums in 10 minutes.' Both students said that they did not find practising tedious. Ms. Krishnakumari said that she would be taking feedback from teachers in July to see how the progress had translated into the classrooms.
The trial run comprised a total of 11 schools under the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and recorded an average of 211% improvement in single-digit addition among 1,775 users. Dr. Joseph hoped that government schools would adopt MyLQ to their arsenal of teaching tools. 'Our goal is 100% numeracy,' said Dr Joseph. The duo hopes to implement MyLQ in more schools in the coming years as part of their project dubbed 'Ganitha Nagaram' (City of Arithmetic).
Earlier this year, the State Cabinet upgraded the Kerala School of Mathematics, Kunnamangalam, as a Centre of Excellence in a move expected to expand the institute's research programmes. As the Kozhikode Corporation unveils new projects as part of its City of Literature tag, these initiatives show that mathematics has not been relegated to the back bench.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- The Hindu
Father-daughter duo's free app helps students master arithmetic skills
Dr. Thomas Joseph, a former associate professor at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Udaipur, and his daughter, Emy Ottaplackal, an MBA graduate from IIM Kozhikode, are on a mission to help students with MyLQ, a free-of-cost learning programme for economically disadvantaged children. Ms. Ottaplackal developed MyLQ in 2022 based on her training for the Common Admission Test (CAT). 'We found that arithmetic skills were the key to cracking competitive examinations like the CAT,' she said. Consequently, she started MyLQ, an online tool to help students master the arithmetic skills required in schools and competitive exams. Dr Joseph joined her, helping to start programmes across India. This year, they decided to redouble their efforts within Kozhikode. After discussions with Mayor Beena Philip and Krishna Kumari, the Town Planning Standing Committee Chair, MyLQ's trial run was launched in February. Three schools from Ms. Krishna Kumari's Naduvattam division participated in the trial. The Naduvattam councillor said that the programme was free of cost for government schools and that she was pleasantly surprised by its reception. She said, 'Since it's similar to a mobile game, the students took a liking to it and their speed has improved.' Sidharth K., a Class V student at Govinda Vilas Aided Lower Primary School, said that he liked the arithmetic programme. 'I can solve problems faster now,' he said. His classmate, Safdar Hegal M.K., agreed, saying, 'Now, I can do around 15 addition sums in 10 minutes.' Both students said that they did not find practising tedious. Ms. Krishnakumari said that she would be taking feedback from teachers in July to see how the progress had translated into the classrooms. The trial run comprised a total of 11 schools under the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and recorded an average of 211% improvement in single-digit addition among 1,775 users. Dr. Joseph hoped that government schools would adopt MyLQ to their arsenal of teaching tools. 'Our goal is 100% numeracy,' said Dr Joseph. The duo hopes to implement MyLQ in more schools in the coming years as part of their project dubbed 'Ganitha Nagaram' (City of Arithmetic). Earlier this year, the State Cabinet upgraded the Kerala School of Mathematics, Kunnamangalam, as a Centre of Excellence in a move expected to expand the institute's research programmes. As the Kozhikode Corporation unveils new projects as part of its City of Literature tag, these initiatives show that mathematics has not been relegated to the back bench.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Indian founder cancels ₹22LPA job offer over candidate's LinkedIn remarks: ‘Derogatory towards religious communities'
An Indian startup founder is drawing attention online after revoking a job offer to a candidate who impressed the team with their skills and initiative. The entrepreneur claimed that the role, offering ₹ 22 LPA, was rescinded after a background check revealed the candidate's LinkedIn remarks that were 'derogatory towards religious communities.' The Indian founder who revoked a job offer based on a candidate's LinkedIn remarks. (LinkedIn/Mohammed Ahmed Bhati ) 'Cancelled the offer letter based on derogatory comments made on some LinkedIn posts. After our viral post on reddit regarding 12000 hires and 450 Interviews none selected, this candidate reached out to us and applied, to further impress us even created his resume with Jobbie and highlighted steps to improve the platform,' Jobbie founder Mohammed Ahmed Bhati wrote on LinkedIn. He referred to a post on Reddit where the company claimed that candidates who applied for the junior developer role relied heavily on AI tools for coding without grasping the logic behind their work. The founder continued that, impressed with the candidate's skills and initiative, the company rolled out a letter of intent with a salary of ₹ 22 lakh per annum, two lakhs above its set budget. However, things changed when the candidate's background check was conducted. 'No matter how skilled someone is, respect and basic decency matter to us more. Talent gets you in the door. Values decide if you stay (sic),' the founder continued and shared screenshots of two emails. One email shows the letter of intent sent out to the candidate. The other is the rejection letter that says, 'As mentioned earlier, we carried out a routine background check before proceeding with the offer. During this we came across some recent public posts on Linkedin that included comments from you which will deeply hurt religious sentiments of certain communities.' How did social media react? The post received mixed reactions on social media. While many sided with the founder, some had opposing views and claimed that rescinding a job offer only based on a few social media remarks is harsh. Also Read: IIM-educated founder rejects 4 IITians who wanted to join his startup: 'Something didn't click' An individual posted, 'Only a fresher can understand the importance of this position. There is so much to do and learn. Education makes a human being grounded, teaches gratitude, and keeps him humble. But now I know why the cultural round is important.' Another added, 'I heard this reason for cancelling the offer letter for the first time.' A third commented, 'Revoking an offer letter for a professional position based on someone's social media activity shows how this 'cancel culture' can affect organisations when the wrong people get into leadership positions. And posting it here isn't virtue signalling, either. It simply shows how immature and insecure you are as a leader. Good luck finding good candidates.' A fourth wrote, 'The amount of hate this post is receiving is unreasonable.'
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Time of India
Sorry techies, in a few years plumbers, electricians will have ‘more pricing power' in market in AI era, IIM alumnus's shocking prediction
In a world where degrees often decide respect and salary, one IIM-Mumbai graduate is shaking the table. Lokesh Ahuja recently took to LinkedIn with a bold prediction that's making India's white-collar workforce pause: in the near future, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters may be more valuable than coders and product managers. Why? While AI is rapidly replacing knowledge workers, hands-on skills are still irreplaceable. Reflecting on how society celebrates IIM grads making crores but ridicules creators doing the same, Ahuja highlighted the real driver of wealth: supply and demand. "There are over 2 lakh IIM grads in India, but fewer than 10,000 creators with over a million followers,' he wrote. Those few creators who make it big aren't just influencers—they're CEOs of their own attention engines. But this wasn't just a post about the creator economy. Ahuja's real warning lies in what comes next: the quiet yet inevitable rise of skilled manual labour in the age of AI. As automation sweeps across industries, traditionally 'safe' jobs like analysts, writers, and even coders are becoming vulnerable. With supply surging, value drops. Meanwhile, plumbers and electricians—jobs that can't be automated (yet)—might soon have more pricing power than your average MBA. 'The hard truth is: it's not about what you studied. It's about whether the market still needs it,' Ahuja concluded. Ahuja further added in the comment that this shift in value isn't new—it's just the next wave. 'Not the first time we've seen this kind of shift,' he wrote. 'In the 90s, coders out-earned bankers. In the 2000s, startup founders with no degrees leapfrogged CXOs. Now, it's creators and researchers.' According to him, every few decades, the job market resets, moving away from rigid, linear career paths to reward impact over pedigree. 'The rules change,' he added.
