West Bengal to develop technical education

Kolkata, July 30: The West Bengal Government has approached the World Bank to prepare a road map for the development of technical education in the State, Mr Rabiranjan Chattopadhyay, State Technical Education Minister, said here on Saturday. According to the Minister, the technical education department is in the process of identifying and introducing 100 per cent job oriented training programmes. He was speaking at a seminar organised by the CII on employment and employability focus in the State.

Bengal to set up IT hubs in Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri, Haldia

Kolkata, July 26: The West Bengal Government will set up IT hubs in tier II towns of Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri and Haldia, State Commerce, Industry and IT Minister, Mr Partha Chatterjee, said. He added that the State Government will take steps for revival of the Indian Institute of Information and Technology (IIIT) scheme in the State. The State Government had received a proposal from the Centre to set up an IIIT in the State. Pointing out that providing proper infrastructure for IT units is the need of the hour, Mr Chatterjee said a cluster approach should be taken in consideration for development of the sector. He even added that the state government would try and increase the venture capital corpus to support start-ups (Small and Medium IT Enterprises).

Common entrance test cause for concern

The Centre's decision to conduct a common entrance test (CET) for admission to MBBS courses at all government and private medical colleges across the country has left the medical education authorities in state worried. "Our main concern is what will happen if a sufficient number of students from Orissa don't qualify in the all-India test," said Dr P K Das, the state director of medical education and training. The Union health ministry and the Medical Council of India (MCI) reached a consensus on Monday that the CET would replace all other entrance tests for admission into the 271-odd medical colleges, including over 130 private institutes, in the country. The proposed test will be held by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), ensuring uniformity in medical education across the country. The MCI will prepare the course structure for the test, sources said. As per MCI guidelines, students have to secure at least 50% marks in Plus II as well as in the entrance test. Though the 50% qualifying mark in Plus II is not being seen as a problem, the authorities fear an adequate number of students from the state may not get 50% marks in the all-India entrance test. "In such a scenario, seats meant for our students may be transferred to students from other states," Das said.

OBC students be given 27 percent 'solid' quota: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday said the purport of the reservation for OBCs in central educational institutions was to ensure that they get 27 per cent "solid" quota to enable them to "catch up" with candidates of general category over a period of time. "What is given (in the law) is 27 per cent solid," a bench comprising justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik said about the law which had been upheld by a constitution bench of the apex court on the issue of quota for OBCs. The remarks were made by the bench which also raised questions on various facets of the quota law and put a poser to the contesting parties that "can we take that that those OBCs qualifying under the open category will also be covered within the 27 per cent". It said all these facets need to be dealt with as "the purpose of the legislation is that sufficient number of them (OBCs) take the benefit".

How healthy is your school? Chandigarh to show way

CHANDIGARH: Toilets, disaster preparedness, first-aid knowledge; these are among various criteria to help categorise many Chandigarh schools under a unique initiative to ensure healthy surroundings in these institutions, government or private. Called Health Promoting School (HPS), it will be implemented within three years in 185 schools and benefit over 225,000 students. Schools in this union territory (UT) will be the first in the country to adopt this scheme. For the pilot project, 21 schools have been selected and over 37,600 students will be involved. It will be funded by the health department in collaboration with the World Health Organisation.

New Cambridge-India lecture scheme set up

LONDON: A visiting lecture scheme has been established between the University of Cambridge and Yusuf Hamied, chairman of Indian pharmaceuticals major, Cipla, to stimulate exchange of ideas and academic collaboration between India and the university. The scheme, named Cambridge-Hamied Lecture Scheme, is named after its founder Yusuf Hamied, who is an alumnus of the university's Department of Chemistry and Christ's College. Professor Ashwinin Nangia of the University of Hyderabad recently visited Cambridge under the scheme, a university release said. Professor Nangia spent five weeks in the laboratory of Professor Bill Jones, Head of the Department of Chemistry, to interact on research topics related to solid state forms of drugs, solubility improvement in pharmaceuticals, analysis of drug forms and tablets, and related issues.

Gujarat education system takes Swiss turn

AHMEDABAD: Each year thousands of NETWORK children are forced to mug, rote and finally reproduce what they have crammed during exams. This education system, in place since the British Raj, is going to change - at least in Gujarat. The state education department's Swiss connection may ensure that. For, children in the age group of 6-14 years will now

hone their creative and analytical skills in the manner made famous by child development specialist Jean Piaget. The idea is to make teaching and, as a corollary, learning more creative, innovative and fun too. The Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) in 2012 will implement a teaching module for primary and upper primary sections based on Swissborn Piaget's principles that took shape in France and became a global model for primary education. Draft versions of special textbooks have already been prepared. And, the system is already being tried out in a few hand-picked government schools.

UP govt approves free education to 6-14 yrs kids

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday finally approved the Right to Education in letter and spirit. The state cabinet proposed an expenditure of Rs 3,056 crore on free education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years during the current financial year. The fund spent by the state will be in addition to the grant given by the Centre, which has enacted this law in 2009 and made it binding on all states from April 1, 2010. Although UP also had adopted the RTE in April 2010, the state government had not released its share so far. The decision hopes to cover vast majority of nonschool going children, most of them hailing from Scheduled Castes.

IGNOU to spread e-literacy at grassroots level

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) hosted a day-long brainstorming session to create awareness about information technology (IT) and its utility in all walks of life, a university statement said Tuesday. Held Monday, the session was organised in collaboration with the ministry of human resource development's Human Resource Development Division and the ministry of communication and information technology. "The objective is to enhance the use of IT in areas of a citizen's interest by adopting simple and commonly used practices and methods," a varsity official said. According to IGNOU vice chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, the varsity has chalked out an action plan involving participants from all over the country for a brainstorming session on IT mass literacy. "By eliminating the digital divide, we are eliminating all sorts of divides. The programme would be available in e-learning mode and would aim to impart IT knowledge at different levels of IT literacy," he said.

Employment through computer education

Computer literacy has become almost a mandatory skill in the 21century to flourish in the job market. Students begin early from school, and go on to more specialised computer education, being offered by several institutes. One such institute is the Oxford Software Institute, which provides job-oriented learning certified by the ministry of labour and employment, government of India.

Computer education is much more than just being familiar with basic programmes like keying in text, several specialised courses are available such as multimedia - web and animation course. In this tech era, every organisation and institute wants to get recognition through the internet. That's the reason why the corporate world always requires people who can design and maintain websites for organisations. Students, who are creative and interested in the web, can opt for a web-animation course.

Indians spend more on kids' education

NEW DELHI: Indian families are investing heavily in their children's education and spending more on healthcare at the expense of basic needs like food, reveals a recent NSSO survey report on spending patterns of households. Between 1999 and 2009, expenditure on food increased by about 70% among rural families and 78% among urban ones. But the spending on education jumped up by as much as 378% in rural areas and 345% in urban areas. Even after correcting for inflation, the expenditure on education increased by a phenomenal 162% in rural areas and 148% in urban areas during the decade. Compare this to the overall household expenditure on all items, which increased by a mere 8% in rural areas and 20% in urban areas after adjusting for inflation. And, it is not just the same people who are spending more on their children's education. In 2004-05, when the previous such survey was carried out, 40% of rural and 57% of urban families said that they were spending on education. The latest survey records a big jump in these numbers - 63% of rural and 73% of urban families were getting their children educated. Expenditure on health too has shown a considerable increase though not as much as education. At current pssrices, spending on medical care in hospitals increased by 152% in rural areas and by 136% in urban areas. The corresponding figures after adjusting for inflation are 38% and 31%. Spending on non-institutional medical care - medicines, tests, fees etc - jumped up by 60% in rural areas and 102% in urban areas. After adjusting for inflation, this works out to a decline of about 12% in rural areas - possibly an effect of the National Rural Health Mission - and a modest increase of 12% in urban areas. As in the case of education, the increase in the proportion of families accessing institutional facilities is remarkable. From a minute 1.3% of rural and 1.5% of urban families getting institutional care in 2004-05, the proportions have risen 10-fold to 13% in rural and 14% in urban areas. The proportion of families reporting non-institutional spending remains at about two-thirds of the total. The 66th round of NSSO's survey, carried out between July 2009 and June 2010 covered 2,01,649 households. Only key data has been released this month and detailed reports covering various aspects of India's family economics will come out over the year.

Microsoft, Anna University sign MoU

CHENNAI: A memorandum of understanding for a new programme promising to kindle innovation and develop entrepreneurial skills among students was signed between Microsoft and Anna University on Friday. Named 'I Spark', the programme will provide designer softwares to 5.7 lakh students of Anna University and its affiliated colleges at no cost. Students can download and use any of the 25 software packages categorised under developer tools, servers, etc. "Microsoft has no short-term expectations from this. We just want to give students friction-free access to technologies to explore their potential," said Microsoft senior vice-president S Somasegar. The programme will not be used for commercial interests, Microsoft insists. "We will have virtual training centres where students can learn new technologies. It will stimulate local software economies by providing skills and entrepreneurship training keeping in mind the industry's requirement," said Somasegar. A Microsoft survey of 100 students found that none wanted to go to the US for work. "About 43 said they would go abroad only when they had no other choice. It thus becomes important that those who stay here get all the resources," said Microsoft director of academia Pratima Amonkar.

IGNOU plans IT Literacy at all Levels

A Session on the awareness of the Information Technology (I.T) and its importance in our Daily life was organized at Indira Gandhi National Open University (I.G.N O .U). Ministry of Human Resource and Development and Ministry of Information and Technology were involved in the Session. As Per a Statement by the Vice Chancellor of (I.G.N.O U) Mr.V.N Rajshekhran Pillai,the varsity has chalked out a plan of involving Participants from all over the country for a brain storming Session on (I.T) Litracy.He also said that By Eliminating the Digital Divide, We are Eliminating All Sorts of Divides-Learning would be made available at all the Levels.

Mr. C. Muralikrishna Kumar, senior adviser of the Planning Commission Said that, to Enhance Employment and Skills E-Literacy Can Play a Major Role in the up-coming 12th Five year Plan(2012-2013 -2016-2017). As per the Statement of the Official of I.G.N.O.U Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan,rural Development Programmers at Block Level Should be involved .I.G.N.O.U has around 3000 Study centers and Tele Centers they Should be also utilized to spread the knowledge of (I.T) in day to day life. The Aim and objective of this program me should be, Maximum usage of this Technology to Simplify the Lifes of a Common Man.

All India MBBS CET likely from 2012-2013 session

The Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Health Ministry have finally reached a consensus to hold a All India Common Entrance Test for MBBS Course in all government run medical colleges, Private medical Colleges and Deemed Universities from 2012-2013 academic session. The meeting on Monday was attended by MCI , CBSE and Helth Ministry officials, reports the TOI. This all India Common Entrance Test would help MBBS aspirants to prepare and apply for a single Entrance Test rather that sit for over 5 to 6 mbbs entrance exams conducted by different Institutes /States/Universities. All Medical Colleges in India offer over thirty thousand seats per year and approx 8 to 10 lakh students appear for over 17 different MBBS Entrance Tests. The Common Entrance Exam will be held for MBBS courses offered by all 271 medical colleges 138 run by governments and 133 under private management. Officials of the Health Ministry have informed that the modalities for conducting this Common Entrance Test (CET) are being worked out and a formal announcement may come out in the coming months.

No Entrance Test for B.Ed Admission in Punjab Varsities

Admission for the BEd course this year, in recognised and affiliated colleges of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala and Lovely Professional University, Phagwara in the state will be held online by Panjab University as per the orders of Governor of Punjab as stated by Indian Express. This process will include admission to BEd and BEd Yoga also in the colleges situated in Chandigarh.Other significant decisions taken in the meeting were that admissions will be held on the basis of merit of qualifying examination. There will be no entrance test.

CBSE introduces vocational courses oriented towards career in sports

The CBSE Board has introduced new vocational courses for classes 11 and 12 like Body Science, Fitness, Aerobics and Health. The only idea to propose these courses to the students is that they can also pursue a career in sports. The course is also expected to create more awareness of sports in the country. An education consultant said, these courses are available under the Cambridge Board of Education and they are offered to students from class 9 onwards. But the international curriculum can be accessed only by the cream of our society, whereas the CBSE addresses the masses. So I am sure such a course would be of great use to those aspiring to become sports persons. The report informs that yet the course details mentioned, it is expected to contain elements currently being offered by EduSports, one of the first organisations to come out with a specialised programme for physical education and sports.Fitness and health components are also expected, in addition to tips on how to become a sports entrepreneur. Schools opting for the course should either have a gym or a tie-up with a facility nearby where practical classes can be held for students. A PG teacher in physical education is also required. The CBSE has also proposed to introduce another vocational course on sports journalism if the body science course gets a good response from students.

Computers to monitor midday meal scheme

Quality of food, stocktaking and complaints. All these and more will soon be streamlined with the central government finalising plans for a computerised monitoring system of the midday meal scheme that reaches out to 110 million children across the country. The worlds largest school feeding programme, which covers children in 1.5 million schools and educational institutions and has helped increase literacy, will soon be more effective, promise officials. Of the 11 crore (110 million) school students that come under the midday meal scheme, 37 percent or four crore (40 million) children are extremely poor and belong to very needy families, Amarjit Singh, joint secretary in the human resource development (HRD) ministry, told IANS. To make the midday meal programme more effective and purposeful, computerised monitoring systems of the scheme are being introduced across the country, he stated. The National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the union ministry of information technology, has developed an Integrated Voice Response System (IVRS) as a monitoring tool.

Two-year course on Childhood Education

BANGALORE: VHD Central Institute of Home Science Institute is offering two-year (4 semesters) post graduate course through the Bangalore University titled Early Childhood Education and Administration, from this academic year. The course offer will equip students to set up and manage child-care centres like creches, preschools, nursery schools and day care centres in public sectors, voluntary organisations as well as offer avenues for self-employment and entrepreneurship. Graduates from any recognised university in India, having completed Bachelors programme in any discipline with 50 per cent aggregate marks can apply for the course.Admission to the course is made on the basis of marks scored in the qualifying examinations. The total intake is 30 seats, with three seats earmarked for professionals sponsored by recognised institutions in the field of early childhood and administration.

Academic mission to strengthen India ties

Senior Scottish academics are visiting India in an effort to strengthen links between Scotland and one of the world's fastest growing economies. The British Council Scotland mission to Bangalore and Ahmedabad is designed to build partnerships that could improve Scotland's future business prospects. The delegation will showcase Scotland's expertise in finance and business education to Indian counterparts. The visit follows a recent similar mission to Tianjin in China. Bangalore, which is based in the southern state of Karnataka, has a population of 5.5 million, while four million Indians live in Ahmedabad in the west-coast Gujarat state. Six Scottish universities are taking part in the visit, including Dundee, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt and West of Scotland. The mission comes as the Scottish government prepares this week to put forward its external affairs proposals in the Scottish Parliament, with an emphasis expected on building links with the so-called BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The British Council Scotland hopes the mission will increase the number of students flowing between Scotland and India, as well as research collaborations and academic exchanges. It also hopes these partnerships could act as a springboard in the longer term for commercial links in high-growth sectors, particularly financial services. Scottish exports to India currently total around 200m a year, but the Scottish government is looking to increase this. Julia Amour, director of British Council Scotland, said: "This week's mission to India is part of our activity to promote Scotland and its unique educational offering in the world's fastest growing economies. "With our specialisms in key areas including finance, education, energy and life sciences, Scotland is well placed to reap the benefits of being part of a better connected, globalised world. "By helping to build closer ties with major emerging markets like India, which are in many ways untapped, the British Council can act as Scotland's gateway to the world." Education Secretary Mike Russell said: "India is an important education market for Scotland which is supported by the many existing research collaborations and partnerships. I am sure both Scotland and India will benefit from even greater links after this visit."

Teaching the world, online from India

TutorVista - an online tutoring service based in India - although he had no experience of the education sector. Despite this, the company has seen strong growth since it launched in 2006. "Our youngest is a six-year-old student from the US and the oldest is a 64-year-old man from Korea who comes to learn English," says Mr Ganesh. He adds that TutorVista now provides remote tutoring via the web to as many as 2,000 college and school students in the US alone. The media and education giant Pearson acquired a controlling stake in the business in early 2011.

Computers changing the global classroom

Australia-India council meet discusses students' mobility
The first meeting of the Australia-India Education Council saw extensive discussion on mobility of students between the two nations. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said student mobility could be ensured only if there was assurance regarding quality of education and if qualifications were recognised. Terming mobility of students as key to any successful collaboration between the two countries, the Minister said the two sides agreed on a number of issues during the bilateral talks. About the issues under discussion with the visiting Australian delegation, Mr. Sibal said: A whole range of issues were discussed between the vice-chancellors to ensure that quality education is imparted in the university system to allow student mobility.

Indian PM: Children With HIV Should Not Be Denied Admission To School
AsianScientist (Jul. 4, 2011) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today that efforts should be made to decrease the stigma faced by those living with HIV/AIDS. There are an estimated 2.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in India. However, despite having the worlds third-largest population suffering from HIV/AIDS, the AIDS prevalence rate in India is still lower than in many other countries. A UNAID report released on June 3, 2011 found that the rate of new HIV infections in India had fallen sharply by more than 50 percent. Singh said that the governments AIDS control program has been successful in keeping the prevalence of HIV/AIDS low with only 0.3 percent adult prevalence and an epidemic concentrated largely among high risk groups.

Animated Film Gets PETA India Award For Green Message

AsianScientist (Jun. 24, 2011) The animated childrens film The Green Chic Finding Dad has been given an award for conveying the message of compassion for animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India awarded the film its Proggy Award (Proggy stands for progress) for being most animal-friendly. The award recognizes animal-friendly achievements in the fields of commerce and culture. The film shows children that animals are as loving and devoted to their families as humans and that they deserve to be respected, not abused, said PETA India chief functionary Poorva Joshipura. Filmmaker Koffee Break Pictures Ltd., the company which also made the popular childrens movie My Friend Ganesha, will receive a framed certificate and will be featured on PETA Indias website.

Punjab, India Promotes Education Of Girls With Free Schooling

AsianScientist (Jun. 22, 2011) In light of the upcoming elections in February, the Punjab government recently made education up to the 12th standard free for girls. They will also distribute bicycles to 146,000 girls who are admitted in the 11th and 12th standards this year. These changes are welcomed as a step forward in improving the girl-to-boy educational ratio, as Punjab and Haryana have the worst girl-to-boy educational ratios in the country. The steps taken by Punjab are still less than what is offered by Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Haryana has long since made education up to graduation free for girls, and Himachal up to post-graduation. Furthermore, Haryana has also been giving bicycles to girls who are admitted in the 12th standard.

Pujabi state deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced that the free education, for which Punjab has committed Rs. 26 crore (US $5.8 million), will start from July and covers all government and government-aided schools. Female students will not have to contribute to any local funds, admission fees, re-admission fees, amalgamated funds, parent teachers association funds and sports funds. The state will also spend Rs. 75 crore (US $16.7 million) to purchase bicycles.

A Science & Spiritual Quest At The 2011 All India Students Conference
AsianScientist (Mar. 18, 2011) In association with Delhi Technological University (DTU), the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Kolkata, organized the 6th All India Students Conference on Science and Spiritual Quest (AISSQ2011), with this years theme, Integrating Capabilities with Values from March 12-14, 2011. During the inauguration, H.E. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the President of India.