MAM
Brics Educational Film and Media Association appoints Syed Sultan Ahmed as vice-president
Indian education reformer to boost film and media learning across Brics
NEW DELHI: The Brics Educational Film and Media Association has appointed Syed Sultan Ahmed as its Vice-President, signalling a renewed push to strengthen educational film, media literacy and cross-border school collaboration across Brics and Brics+ nations.
Ahmed becomes the first Indian educator to actively support Befma’s expansion across the growing Brics+ network. In his new role, he will steer strategic programmes aimed at building a more inclusive and innovative media education ecosystem, enabling educators and students to not only consume content thoughtfully but also create it with confidence and global relevance.
“I’m honoured to join Befma at a moment when film and media are becoming vital tools for education and global conversation,” said Ahmed. “I look forward to working with educators, filmmakers and young creators across Brics to expand access, deepen media literacy and give learners the means to tell their own stories to the world.”
Ahmed is widely regarded as a pioneer at the intersection of cinema and education. An education reformer, social entrepreneur and Indian National Award-winning filmmaker, he has spent more than two decades weaving life skills and storytelling into school leadership and curriculum design.
He currently serves as chairperson of The Association of International Schools of India, where he works closely with international curriculum schools to strengthen governance and professional development. He is also the founder and chief learner of LXL Ideas, the organisation behind School Cinema, a film-based pedagogy that integrates curated films into school timetables to teach empathy, emotional intelligence and global awareness. The initiative has reached millions of students across countries.
In addition, Ahmed curates the School Cinema International Film Festival, bringing global cinema into classrooms and encouraging young people to engage critically and creatively with the world around them.
His creative credentials are equally impressive. Ahmed has received seven National Film Awards from the president of India, including honours for Best Educational Film, Best Film on Family Values and Best Film on Sports. His films have travelled to more than 575 international film festivals, earning acclaim for blending artistic storytelling with educational purpose.
With Ahmed stepping into a global leadership role at Befma, the message is clear: in a world shaped by screens, the classroom is no longer confined to four walls. Through film and media, it can stretch across borders, languages and cultures, bringing learners closer to the world and to one another.
Brands
UpGrad to acquire Unacademy in share-swap deal, founders confirm
Proposed share-swap could unite two edtech rivals as sector eyes consolidation
MUMBAI: The Indian edtech sector may be inching toward another wave of consolidation, with online learning platform upGrad signing a term sheet to acquire rival Unacademy in an all stock transaction.
If completed, the deal would bring together two of the country’s most prominent education technology companies at a time when the sector is adjusting to slower demand and a sharper focus on profitability after the pandemic driven boom.
UpGrad founder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that Unacademy co-founder and chief executive Gaurav Munjal would continue to lead the company following the acquisition.
“We at upGrad have signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in an all stock deal, with founder and ceo Gaurav Munjal staying on to build Unacademy and focus on what it does best, creating online education products that learners love,” Screwvala wrote.
He added that the agreement includes a break fee provision if the transaction fails to close. Screwvala also said the combined entity could strengthen upGrad’s integrated learning model spanning K12 education, professional training and lifelong learning.
Unacademy confirmed that the proposed transaction will be executed through a 100 per cent share swap, with the valuation to be disclosed only after the deal closes and regulatory filings are completed.
Announcing the development on X, Munjal described the agreement as the beginning of a new chapter for both companies and the wider edtech ecosystem.
He noted that Unacademy had spent the past year reshaping its operations to focus more sharply on online education products. Among the steps taken were consolidating company operated offline centres with franchise partners and launching a Rs 50 crore employee stock ownership plan buyback, in which around 40 per cent of former employees have already participated.
Munjal also highlighted the traction gained by Airlearn, the company’s language learning product, which he said is expanding in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.
“Our cash reserves as of today are more than $100 million,” he said.
The proposed deal also marks a turnaround from earlier talks between the two companies that had stalled over disagreements on valuation and structure. Previous discussions had placed Unacademy’s valuation in the range of $300 million to $400 million, according to media reports.
If the transaction goes through, Munjal will continue as co-founder and chief executive of Unacademy, focusing on building online learning products for students in India and global markets.
For upGrad, the acquisition would broaden its footprint across the education spectrum, from school level learning to professional upskilling and lifelong education.
The move comes as India’s edtech sector enters a more sober phase after years of rapid expansion. Companies across the industry have been trimming costs, restructuring operations and seeking scale to build more sustainable businesses.
Against that backdrop, the potential combination of upGrad and Unacademy could signal that the next phase of edtech growth may be driven less by blitzscaling and more by strategic partnerships and consolidation.
