The Strategic Advocacy Group on Education (SAGE) was established in 2011 by Intel Education in India to support the government's goal of transforming education. SAGE consists of eminent education experts and helps identify innovation trends and research efforts to optimize ICT's potential in education. It aims to connect stakeholders, provide leadership on critical issues, and disseminate best practices. SAGE will focus on research, curriculum development, policy analysis, and capacity building to help chart strategic frameworks and action plans that strengthen coordination and lead to greater impact on education policy and programs in India.

1. Role of SAGE in Facilitating Education Transformation
Background
With the start of the new decade, Intel Education in India is focusing on the next paradigm shift that
includes Intel’s proven, adaptable, and robust models for education transformation. Intel intends to
support the Government’s goal and vision for Education Transformation across 5 identified verticals,
namely, Policy, Curriculum & Assessment, Professional Development, ICT, and Research and
Evaluation.
There are few areas where Intel can drive and some it can facilitate and others only advice upon. It was
important to create appropriate vicinity to mull over Intel activities towards education transformation and
even more critical was the careful choice of people to work together in that vicinity in a strategic group.
Working towards this need of good strategic planning making and making intelligent impact possible, Intel
Education in India established the ‘Strategic Advocacy Group on Education (SAGE)’ in April 2011
consisting of eminent educationists, educational administrators and professionals.
The SAGE has been the result of an evolutionary process built on existing practices and learning faced in
the early phase of Intel Teach Program in India. In the early years Intel had constituted a National Core
Committee (NCC) which was more an informal body working as Research Task Force. The National Core
Committee (NCC) recognized the critical role of teachers in improving the quality of education. It
supported and it also influenced the agenda for ICT integration and Education Transformation in the
country. SAGE is its natural successor and comprises of highly recognized experts and leaders from
government, education apex bodies and institutes. It has a strategic role for identifying new and emerging
innovation trends in education and technology, as well as for research efforts in Intel Education initiatives.
The SAGE members drawing on the collective wisdom, wide range of experiences and deliberations with
various stakeholders and community, will seek to connect government, various apex institutes, colleges,
other educational institutes and stakeholders on policy matters and implementation strategies on matters
concerning education especially in optimizing the potential of ICTs for achieving quality educational
provisions. The Group intends to make systematic and coordinated efforts towards education
transformation by providing leadership and direction to the critical issues in education transformation; link
them to global good practices and suggest appropriate interventions. Apart from this strategic role at the
operational level the SAGE group would encourage innovations and facilitate links, undertake research
and development activities and disseminate through appropriate forum good practices and latest
knowledge and skills all aimed at maximizing the potential of new technologies and pedagogical
approaches for achieving quality education.

2. Vision/Mission
The SAGE will:-
Increase visible participation in the response to education and technology needs; in
partnership/collaboration with government, government apex bodies, NGOs, local educational
institutes, and other stakeholders.
Drive research as an advocacy tool; share knowledge; communicate information and ideas; in
order to develop evidence-based policies and programs.
Advocate for the recognition of technology mediated education.
Advocate for the development of Intel education networks; unite and mobilize; build and
strengthen capacity.
Work Plan
The SAGE will follow an annual Work plan which will list activities to be implemented during the year. The
work plan will be consistent with objectives of INTEL and the SAGE and will include advocacy and
representational activities as appropriate when they arise. All activities undertaken by SAGE will have
appropriate principles built into the structure of activities, so that clear outcome can be assessed with
maximum benefit.
Long-term Plan
As mentioned earlier SAGE will offer its services in all the five areas listed above but would be more
directly engaged in research, curriculum enrichment materials, policy analysis, alliance and capacity
building including linking and networking and working collaboratively with various stakeholders ensuring
coherence in the areas of work. The agenda of the Ministry of HRD, UGC, NCTE and NCERT on
Inclusion, Equality and Excellence and the progressive changes in assessment practices (CCE) along
with INTELs core objectives in supporting these agencies and initiatives will become the base for SAGE
to chart out conceptual and strategic frameworks and to formulate operational strategies and develop
action plans.
It is, therefore, expected that
1) The breadth and depth of SAGE insights around shared and changing goals will increase
common platforms for education transformation.
2) Coordination and communication mechanisms will be strengthened, leading to better
orchestrated and timed interventions.
3) Group activities/Coalitions will develop and implement focused strategic plans, leading to
appreciably increased awareness of educational issues, and ultimately to greater impact on policy
outcomes, locally, regionally as well as nationally.
4) Altered objectives will reflect a well-informed strategy for engaging with major national or regional
processes or actors that impact on the national educational policy and programs context.
5) Focus on Research and work out a broad framework for conducting researches including
supporting internships of M.Ed., M.Phil and Ph.D students. This would serve both the capacity
building of the existing professionals and improve the quality and quantity of human resources in
the sector.

3. Short-term Plan
1. Interact more often either F2F or online through webinars to take the initiatives/plans forward and
to update on new curriculum resources developed by Intel.
2. Facilitate and advocate alignment of Intel’s curriculums with National Curriculum Frameworks of
NCTE and NCERT.
3. Disseminate research reports, studies, success stories, best practices as well as published
papers among all the beneficiaries and associates of Intel.
4. Share, contribute and advocate policy interventions that have been done in India and outside
India on education in general and teacher education in particular.
5. Share and contribute to various initiatives coordinated/facilitated/supported by INTEL such as the
UNESCO ICT Policy Toolkit and Evaluation and other such initiatives
6. Brain Storm on Education Transformation initiative- through focus groups, offline and online
forum, participating, organizing and facilitating workshops and conferences with support from
INTEL.
7. Advice and suggest Intel in developing their strategies, implementation plans and on appropriate
interventions and areas especially in integration of ICTs in education for enhancing the
effectiveness and efficiency of education delivery.
Formation of advisory and working committees including other support groups within the SAGE may
be considered in an advanced stage in order to assist in representation, advocacy and other strategic
activities.
Members of SAGE:
New members:
 Prof Anita Priyadarshini, Director DEP SSA, IGNOU
 Dr Anjlee Prakash, CEO Learning Links Foundation
 Dr D. R. Goel, HOD CASE Baroda
 Dr. JH Pancholi, Dean, Bhavnagar Unviersity
 Dr. K Rama, Senior Advisor NAAC
 Dr. Kuldeep Agarwal, Director Academics, NIOS
 Dr Latha Pillai, Pro VC IGNOU
 Prof. Louis Vernal, Dean Department of Education, Principal GVM College, Goa
 Dr. Meera Balachandran, Ex Principal Ramjas School
 Prof. PT Manoharan, Head Raman Chair School of Sciences, IGNOU
 Prof. Ramesh Ghanta, Dean Faculty of Education, Kakatiya University
 Prof. Sanjeev Sonawane, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Pune
 Dr. TKS Laxmi, Ex Dean Banathali
 Dr. Veera Gupta, Secretary CBSE
 Prof V Sudhakar Dean CIFL
 Mr. Ashutosh Chadha, Director- Corporate Affairs Group, Intel South Asia
 Ms. Shweta Khurana, Manager Education K12, Corporate Affairs Group, Intel South Asia
 Ms Nisha Dua, Senior Manager Education, Learning Links Foundation