Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on 8th April 2010, made an agreement as the two countries India and Australia signed an education pact. Indian students continued to come to Australia for higher studies and the government had not discouraged them for doing so. An India-Australia Education Council comprising experts from both countries will now be set up. Sibal also reported that he believed the attacks on young Indians had declined. A media report said it was recently revealed that international student numbers were down nationally three percent and 12 % in Victoria.

IGNOU at London and Paris

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is now spreading its wings not only at national level but also internationally, as a part of its plan to spread across the message of education. The university is set to start its centre in London from July this year that aims to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. According to the officials, after London, Paris would be the next destination for expansion. It was also reported that the London venture, despite the university's experience in running centres abroad, might not prove to be an easy task as it is expected to face a tough competition from the UK Open University (UKOU).

300 schools to be established by Zee across country

Zee group, known for providing entertainment and news, recently, announced that it plans to set up 50 schools in just one year across the country and aims to set up 300 schools by 2015. The Chairman of the group, Subash Chandra, mentioned in a statement that within a year the group has set up 50 schools and that it is a strong step being taken towards enhancement of the country's human capital by making children realise their own respective potential. The company had already laid out an investment of INR 350 crore for setting up schools and developing innovative learning content. 

Jindal Global University and Cambridge University Signed a Revolutionizing Education Pact to improve the efficiency of Police Forces in India

O.P. Jindal Global University and Cambridge University signed a formal pact, at New Delhi recentally, to train and teach IPS officers for a knowledge based policing system in India. The course designed by eminent scholars, researchers, academicians from the field of Law and Crime from Cambridge University and JGU would be for the enrichment of the IPS officer which in turn would benefit the entire police force and the society at large. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has awarded this training contract to Cambridge University working with its Indian partner, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Sam Pitroda speaks on next ICT wave in India

While sharing his views on impact of ICT on Indian society and the next phase of ICT revolution, through a video link from Chicago, Sam Pitroda delivered a keynote at the recent conference Microsoft Tech.Ed developer, held in Bengaluru. He described that the ICT revolution in India is about to enter into its second phase that would be based on broadband, data, applications, processes and new infrastructure. This would change the nature of education, health, government services, public delivery systems available in India. He elaborated that in the next two decades information is to play a critical role in restructuring a lot of development in India.

New Director at BITS Pilani

With effect from April 16, 2010, Prof G Raghurama, Professor in the Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has been appointed as the new Director of the Pilani campus of the Institute. He has completed his M.Sc from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), and PhD in Physics from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Later he joined BITS as a faculty member in 1987. He has been the Deputy Director (Academic) in the Institute since January 2007.

States push centre to expend for RTE implementation

The government is constantly facing demands from many states to pick up bulk of the multi-billion tab for implementing the landmark Right to Education Act, that includes other key challenges such as teacher shortage and infrastructure lacunae. It seems that most of the state governments want the centre to increase its proposed share from 55% to somewhere in between 75% and 90%. Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh want the centre to provide 100% funds.