MAM
STEPapp to revolutionize K-12 education in India with gamification of learning
Mumbai: Mr. Amitabh Bachchan gave a clarion call of ‘Apna Kal Khud Banao’ to students as India's first-of-its-kind Gamified Learning Ed-Tech app, STEPapp was unveiled with an aim to revolutionize K-12 education in the country.
STEPapp was unveiled in Mumbai by Mr. Praveen Tyagi (MD, PACE IIT & Medical; and Founder CEO, Eduisfun Technologies) in the presence of distinguished academicians and corporate honchos – Mrs. Manisha Verma (IAS, Principal Secretary, Tribal Development Department, Government of Maharashtra), Mr. Sainath Durge (BMC Education Committee Member, MCGM), Mr. Brian D. Seymour (Principal, G D Somani School, Cuffe Parade), Mrs. Jyoti Gupta (Principal and Head K12 – DPS), Mr. Ramakrishnan Ramamurthi (Chief Executive, Polycab India), Mr. Ashish Katta (MD, iCollege Group), Mr. Vineet Rai (iCollege Group), Mr. Sanjeev Tyagi (IPS Officer, SSP Bijnor), Mr. Vijay Raaz (actor), Mr. Sandeep Singhal (B.Tech IIT Roorkee), Chief Business Officer of EduisFun Technologies, Corporate icon Mr. Deepak Parekh (Chairman, HDFC Group) and advertising icon Mr. Piyush Pandey (Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman, India, Ogilvy Group) shared their views on video.
STEPapp’s vision is to provide universal access to quality education to every child in the country via technology. And this app is the first STEP in their mission to create a bank of meritorious children for the country, removing the barriers of social, economic, gender, region and learning inequity. The app works on the most basic smartphone with minimal data requirement. The pricing is such that it is accessible to most people in India.
STEPapp will launch many other apps in the future to gamify education and introduce newer ways to learn. STEPapp comes from the IITian’s PACE family, a group which has 20 years of experience in creating success stories for kids, some of whom are now change-makers at leading companies across the world. It is this experience which makes STEPapp confident about the learning methodology it is introducing to revolutionize the K-12 education in India.
STEPapp starts with building Math and Science proficiency via two programs – STEP Scholar and STEP Learn.
· STEP Learn is the learning program for grades 5-11 mapped to complete math and science syllabus of CBSE and ICSE. It breaks down tough concepts into easy to understand capsules and then tests the children on their learning – in a gamified format. Students cannot move on to next learning capsule until they answer all question correctly. And hence it ensures that the kids have conceptual clarity before they move on.
· STEP Scholar is the scholarship program which gives an opportunity of a lifetime for students to build their own future with scholarships ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1 crore from a total pool of Rs. 50 crore.
· As an introductory offer, the first 1 lakh students of each grade will receive STEP Learn (worth Rs. 5,000) gratis for their current grade.
· In addition to the big scholarships, students can also win next grade’s STEP Learn free basis their performance.
· Mentorship and guidance for the winners through 400+ IITians and Doctors will be continuous. Once STEPapp identifies merit, they will handhold these kids to success.
· Registrations for STEP Scholar program have already begun. Students from 5th to 11th standards are eligible to register in this program.
Mr. Praveen Tyagi, Founder & CEO, Eduisfun Technologies Pvt. Ltd., said, “STEPapp redefines Ed-Tech in India by giving children universal access and a level playing field by leveraging gamified learning, story-telling, scholarships and benefits for all stakeholders such as parents, teachers and education policy makers. Accessible to every child in the country, anytime and anywhere, STEPapp inspires students, engages parents and empowers educators, to ensure that students achieve their full potential. Our Student Talent Enhancement Program (S.T.E.P.) will help create a bank of meritorious children, who will be the assets and future of our country.” He added,”STEPapp has 4 Aces – it is Accessible, Affordable, Adaptive and Attractive for those who want to build their own future. STEPapp's Board syllabus is mapped to the curriculum of school boards such as ICSE and CBSE. Students can get conceptual clarity in a fun way and their speed and accuracy is gauged. Parents and teachers get detailed reports of the student's progress, strengths and weaknesses via sms-email on a real time basis. STEPapp will make every child reach their fullest potential and convert them into a national asset who contributes to a better country and planet.”
STEPapp has several prominent strategic alliance partners such as YES Bank as banking partner, PACE as knowledge partner, PayTM and iCollege as strategic alliance partners. STEPapp is energised by 400+ IITians and Doctors from PACE IIT & Medical Entrance Coaching.
Mr. Amitabh Bachchan said, “The future of our country lies in the education of our children. Praveen Tyagi's STEPapp has made learning interesting and rewarding for students. Teaching children through games is an innovative step. My best wishes are with Mr. Tyagi's team comprising 400 IITians, who have helped create an innovation like STEPapp.”
Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC Group, said, “India has tremendous growth and one of the pre-requisites to achieve this kind of growth is education. We have to make education acceptable and enjoyable for students by transforming teaching. The entire education system has to change towards storytelling and gamified learning. One more interesting way is to induce competitiveness in the game form where students compete with each other to solve the puzzle in quick time and then the winners get prizes or recognition. I wish Eduisfun and Praveen Tyagi best of luck in their endeavour.”
Mr. Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman, India, Ogilvy Group, said, “Along with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, I am privileged and honoured to be part of the fantastic journey of a lifetime that Mr. Praveen Tyagi has embarked upon with STEPapp. I grew up in a middle class household with 9 siblings but our father gave us three things – education, exposure and opportunity. India has a fantastic tradition of good teachers but we are unfortunate that these teachers are not sufficient to cater to the large number of students. In many parts of India, bright students have to make a hard choice between the pen and the Parivar (family). STEPapp’s Student Talent Enhancement Program is a fantastic way of gamified education – inexpensive, friendly and futuristic."
STEPapp has been successfully implemented in 16 Eklavya Model Residential Schools run by The Tribal Development Department under the Maharashtra Government. All Andheri Municipal Corporation Schools will run the STEPapp after running a trial with the students.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
