The initiative aims to deliver quality Data Science education in niche areas, catering to tech professionals who want to transition to an AI/Data Science/ML focused career and students interested in beginning their career in the AI domain. The Data Science Initiative is aimed at supporting students, right from school to University, and working professionals to make inroads in the area by understanding and working on the topics. When it comes to Technical education, less than 1% of the student community in India have the opportunity to attend the IITs/NITs and other top engineering schools. We have noticed that a vast majority of the students pursuing their Computer Science/Information Science degree in city colleges receive sub standard quality of education where the ultimate aim is only to get placed in a service consultancies. In India, the number of Computer Science and Information Technology students graduating each year is more than the population of several smaller countries! Yet, we are so far behind in the number innovative projects, original paper publications, number of start-ups competing at a global level. This has resulted in a cheap labor creation system for the so called Service based Indian IT honchos. The attrition rate in these companies is alarming, to say the least. With the number of colleges and Universities, we have the required infrastructure and most importantly, we have the students. What we lack is quality teaching, as the best of engineers either go abroad or come back with Phds and teach in IITs/NITs. Technologies keep changing rapidly and one cannot stick to curriculum formed years ago, except for the fundamentals. The good news is, in this age of Information, one doesn't really have to be dependent on their college faculty to learn something, as long as he or she has a good internet connection. We want to encourage students across India and elsewhere to stop depending on their institutions' faculty and pursue their interests independently. We cant help you invest your time into building your expertise in Data Science. Don't know where to start? We'll help you get started. Bring out fresh ideas! We'll help you build them. Be a part of the Data Science Initiative!
