Need to inculcate ethical values in youths:HRD Minister

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January 10, 2013

Instilling a sound value system, besides imparting skill set, is equally crucial to a person’s rounded development,the Minister said

New Delhi: Union Human Resource Development Minister MM Pallam Raju has emphasised on the need to inculcate values in the youth.

Releasing a Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) Desk Calendar in New Delhi, to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, he said it is good but not enough to give only education and skill sets to the modern youth.

Instilling a sound value system is equally crucial to a person’s rounded development. He said the recent incidents of violence against young women is a pointer to the decline in values, and only reiterates the need to strengthen the ethical foundations of society.

Pallam Raju said, Swami Vivekananda, whose 150th Birth Centenary is being celebrated this year, epitomised everything noble and character-building.

The Minister also released NBT’s Wall Calendar 2013 on the theme ‘Indigenous Voices of India’. The Calendar is a celebration of India’s unity in diversity.

It presents a collage of 12 vignettes representing tribal life, synchronising the theme ‘Indigenous Voices: Mapping India’s Folk and Tribal Literature’ of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2013.

BITS Pilani launches multi-campus education

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January 10, 2013

The initiative called BITSConnect 2.0 will connect all campuses of BITS Pilani, making travelling across campuses redundant

Panaji: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, one of India’s premier universities launched a multi-million dollar cross-campus technology initiative named BITSConnect 2.0.

The initiative has been launched with the help from BITSAA (BITS Alumni Association) and presents a unique model of multi-campus in the country.

The initiative comprises Immersive Telepresence, High-definition Video Conferencing and Live Streaming technologies through which all campuses of the BITS ,Pilani will be connected.

This University-Alumni initiative was launched simultaneously at Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses, while being connected to Cisco’s offices in San Jose and Boston, jointly by BITS Pilani Vice Chancellor Bijendra Nath Jain and Raju Reddy, Chairman, BITSAA.

BITS Pilani became one of the first Indian universities to set up IP Telephony, Gigabit Ethernet and Wireless accessibility on campus with BITSConnect 1.0 in 2003.

With this latest initiative, the university has taken a giant leap forward in using technology for education. By bridging the geographical distance across campuses and global knowledge centers, this platform will facilitate collaboration among its faculty, students, industry partners and alumni, for education, research and mentorship.

The BITS Pilani Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “The launch of BITSConnect 2.0 from its three campuses in India signals a significant step forward that extends the boundaries of technology-enabled learning. The Telepresence system provides avenues for research collaboration and knowledge sharing among BITS’ faculty and students, and for face-to-face communication between members of BITS’ leadership.”

This semester, BITS Pilani will offer more than 14 specialized electives to 1000s of students across its campuses by professors working from any of its campuses.

To collaborate, faculty and staff no longer need to travel. Academicians from across the world will be able to collaborate with and mentor research projects in BITS via Immersive Telepresence.

BITSConnect 2.0 is a joint initiative of BITS Pilani and BITSAA that was conceived during the BITSAA Global Meet 2011. Many alumni have contributed significant funds for this project.

New Chairman for Punjab School Education Board

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January 9, 2013

Dr. Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal has been appointed as the Chairperson of the State Education Board

Chandigarh:Dr. Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal has been appointed as the new Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Chairman.

She is the first lady from Education Department to be appointed as the Chairperson of the State Education Board.

Dr. Dhaliwal, is currently serving as the Principal of Guru Nanak College for Girls, Sri Muktsar Sahib (Punjab).She has a vast experience of over 25 years of in the field of education to her credit.

She has also served as a Senate Member, Punjab University, Chandigarh for two terms. She has also remained a member of the Syndicate, Punjab University, Chandigarh, member of Punjab University Sports Executive Committee, Scientific Advisory Committee, Krishi Vigyaan Kendra, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Panjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana and many more.

Pouring Quality in Indian Education System

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January 9, 2013

Pouring Quality in Indian Education System

Accreditation of educational institutions will make it easy for students to assess the quality of programmes, courses, infrastructure and faculty in an institute

By Ruhi Ahuja Dhingra, Elets News Network (ENN)

To improve the quality of higher education in the country, the government has decided to make accreditation mandatory for all higher education institutions by February 2013. This means that any new university or institute of higher education will need to get accredited mandatorily by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore, before it opens, to get funds from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for its research and academic programmes. The existing colleges will be given a few years to get accredited.

The decision came after the government failed to get the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority Bill (NARA) passed in the winter session of the Parliament. The bill has been lying in the Parliament for more than two years.

• Less than 15 percent of the universities in India are accredited
• The decision came after the Centre failed to get the NARA bill passed in the Parliament
• More than 33,000 colleges and 10,000 technical institutes are likely to get affected by the decision
• The UGC and the AICTE will be preparing benchmarks for the process of accreditation which will certify the academic quality of an institute
• The Indian Board of Accreditation will accredit and develop quality metrics in
different courses

Prof HA Ranganath, Director, NAAC, said, “With all this expansion etc, if higher education has to succeed, the country needs a robust accreditation process and it should be a successful venture.”

More than 33,000 colleges and 10,000 technical institutes are likely to get affected by the decision. At present, because accreditation is not mandatory, only a small percentage (less than 15 percent), of the 612 universities in India are accredited. The lack of accreditation and the rising number of private varsities offering technical and higher education in the country is making it difficult for admission seekers to judge the quality of education that is being provided in these institutes. Prof Dr SS Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), said: “The massive growth in the technical education system in India has spawned the need for quality. Thus, getting courses accredited is also gaining importance.”

Accreditation of educational institutions will make it easy for students to assess the quality of programmes, courses, infrastructure and faculty in an institute. Another advantage is that students who graduate from accredited universities do not face difficulties in getting jobs and are easily chosen by potential employers who are sure that the students have received quality education.

Talking about the new system of accreditation that will add value and quality to education, Dr Mantha said: “Unlike the earlier practice of quality as a measure of inputs that are required to run an institute, the new accreditation process seeks to measure outcomes. Across the world, outcomes are measured to ensure quality. Education has to be student-centric and hence, the value addition that a student gets through education needs to be measured.”

The lack of accreditation and the rising number of private varsities offering technical and higher education makes it difficult for admission seekers to judge the quality of education

According to the the Minister for Human Resource Development, MM Pallam Raju, both the UGC and the AICTE will be preparing benchmarks for the process of accreditation, which will certify the academic quality of an institute. The ministry will be writing to state governments to set up more accreditation bodies that will monitor institutions on these benchmarks.

The AICTE is setting up another agency for accreditation, the Indian Board of Accreditation (IBA), to accelerate the process. The board will accredit and develop quality metrics in a wide variety of courses, said Dr Mantha. The board will help the existing National Board of Accreditation (NBA) in examining higher and technical education institutes. It will follow best practices from different countries across the world and come up with new processes of evaluation.

digitalLEARNING’s view

The education sector in India will certainly welcome the decision of the government to make accreditation mandatory for new and existing institutions but if the unaccredited private players that constitute a major share of participation in technical and higher education in the country, will willingly accept the move lies in ambiguity. Parents spend huge money to ensure that their child receives good education. Therefore, satisfaction in terms of quality of education is what they must get. Continuous review of the institutes by the accreditation organisations every few years is a must.

And, in order to ensure that all the institutes are complying with the required standards and are meeting the acceptable levels of quality, every institute must be made to go through each step of accreditation every time it is reviewed.

ICT in Education

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January 9, 2013

“As government officials, it is our duty to work in such a way that we can achieve the right results in the most cost-effective manner,” says Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary to Chief Minister and Department of Information Technology, Government of Madhya Pradesh

The challenges in the education sector are huge, and we should avoid the tendency of getting bogged down by numbers as it makes it challenging to reach the ultimate objective. As government officials, it is our duty to work in such a way that we can achieve the right results in the most cost-effective manner. When it comes to education, we have a cause to worry, and also a cause to be optimistic. We are working with better goals in mind, but the task before us is so huge that we have to strive to do even better.

When teachers are guides

There is no doubt that IT is going to bring about a paradigm shift in education. In June this year, Shri Sam Pitroda was in Bhopal and we had a very good interactive session with him. One very pertinent pointthat he said was, “Let’s not presume that kids these days need teachers. Actually, children don’t need teachers anymore; they only need guides, enablers, and mentors. Give the modern kids an opportunity and they will learn things themselves.” This is a very profound statement to be made by man of Shri Sam Pitroda’s stature.

In a class, the teacher asks the kids how Lord Hanuman managed to find Goddess Sita. One child raised his hand and innocently replied, “Very simple, through Google search.” Solutions to many of the questions that arise in the child’s mind are found on Google search. The kids of today are computer savvy; they know how to look for answers on Google. So if we give them an opportunity, they will look for solutions.

All of us who have children at home know very well that whenever a new gadget comes to the house, it is the youngsters who are the first to master the nitty-gritties of running that gadget. You don’t need to teach a child how to operate a remote. The kids know that automatically. They don’t go to any classroom to learn how to operate a gadget. All we need to do is provide our kids with an enabling IT environment and they will be able to learn on their own. This is very easier said than done.

The problem is that so far, we have not been able to create that IT backbone that can reach out to majority of the children who are in need of education. In villages, the IT infrastructure is yet to make a mark in a significant manner. It is not in tier-I and II cities and towns that we are facing the crunch of IT infrastructure for education. The crunch is being felt in the remote villages, towns and districts. All the PPP projects in education that we have launched are unable to reach the remote areas, as we don’t have network in those areas.

Building digital networks

A vast majority of our education applications need the network to run in a proper manner. So, digital education can take the root only when the network is
able to expand to each and every part of the country. We have a State Wide Area Network (SWAN) in place in Madhya Pradesh that has now reached up to the block level. We are strengthening SWAN by the use of lot of technological innovations. We are also trying to expand it to our primary schools. Under this project, virtual classrooms are being set up in different parts of the state. In phase one of the project, we are connecting 313 block headquarters. In each block, we have picked up at least one school. About 100 colleges have also been picked up.

Each school or college is being provided with a virtual classroom with the entire set up consisting of a projector, an LCD screen, computer, microphone, etc. A studio has been created in Bhopal. The best teachers will be teaching in the studio and the lessons will get digitally transmitted to all virtual classrooms located in different parts of state. Through this, a much larger number of students will be able to tap into the teaching skills of the best teachers. It is possible that all the 313 virtual classrooms could be simultaneously attending the same lecture. As the system is interactive, the children will be able to ask questions and get answers from their teacher.

There are lots of challenges that we have to overcome to bring perfection in the digital system of imparting education. The primary challenge is to connect all the virtual classrooms with the studio. In about a month’s time, the system will be in place to cater to the needs of the few schools and colleges that we are connecting. However, it is not as if we have achieved the ultimate objective in education with this initial step. The truth is that the number of schools, which require this kind of technological solutions, is really large. About 4000 institutions require virtual classroom in government institutions.

Connecting schools

One good thing that has happened is the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). For laying the fibre optic cables, the government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a number of states. The Government of Madhya Pradesh was one of the first states to sign the MoU with the Government of India.

There are lots of challenges that we have to overcome to bring perfection in the digital system of imparting education. The primary challenge is to connect all the virtual classrooms with the studio

The Government of India has approved on 25th October 2011, the setting up of the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) to provide connectivity to all the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. This would ensure broadband connectivity with adequate bandwidth. This is to be achieved by utilising the optical fiber existing up to block level and extending it to the Gram Panchayats.

If an optical fibre network is reaching the Gram Panchayat, many of the villages en route will also get connected. Madhya Pradesh has around 23,000 Gram Panchayats, all of which will be connected. Surely, this represents a landmark opportunity to revolutionise the education sector in the country. The concept of virtual classrooms can simply be replicated in 23,000 Gram Panchayats. This is a very cost-effective way of ensuring that children in even the remotest villages have access to quality teaching material.

Can you imagine the state’s best mathematics teacher can be sitting in classroom located inside a studio in Bhopal and he would be teaching students in 23,000 classrooms located across the state? This is the kind of revolution that ICT will lead us to.

A dedicated IT cadre

To bring efficiency in actual implementations of e-Governance, the state government has started creating a dedicated IT cadre. Now at every block and tehsil level, we have Assistant e-Governance Managers, and at every district level, we have District e-Governance Managers. They have been recruited through a process of online examinations that entail very little paperwork and many of them have already joined the jobs.

The private sector, too, has a lot of talent. But as a government official, how do
I take advantage of that talent? If a private company comes to me with a very efficient model for virtual classroom, I cannot straightway take that virtual classroom and start deploying it. The scales at which the government works are enormous. We need to go through a transparent procurement process. So, it is much better if the private sector, instead of bringing their products directly to the government, get their products tested with the private schools. Once the application gets popularised, a demand for the product will get created and then the government machinery can create an ecosystem and procure the solution through a transparent mechanism.

Education just a click away!

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January 9, 2013

The metamorphosis of education technologies is leading to the creation of many new avenues for knowledge economy, writes Ruhi Ahuja Dhingra

Too busy to take up an MBA, or do not want to travel to far flung cities to pursue the course of your choice? Switch on your computer, connect to the web and experience online education refine the way you learn. Welcome to the digital age!

Whether it is communication, work or shopping, people across the world are becoming increasingly dependent on the Internet. Thanks to the digital revolution. In today’s world, people can easily learn and teach too, right from elementary education to the university level, sitting at home. Reports say that the market of online education stands at $20 million today and is expected to get twice as large by 2017.

Universities in India and the world over are offering online courses that help students learn from the best of faculty and mentors from across the globe. The Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have formed a nonprofit partnership, edX, to offer interactive online courses for free to students. Other universities are also partnering with online education companies to provide eLearning courses along similar lines. This eliminates the need to go to a university’s campus and pay huge money to take at least a course that does not demand hands-on training.

“Online education can prove to be very effective for any course that does not require lab work or is not too technical like engineering and medicine. Therefore, the objective of access to education can be achieved through online education, and it will also create an equitable order, whether you can afford it or not,” says Prof (Dr) Ranbir Singh, Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Delhi.

The upsurge in the demand for online education can be attributed to various factors like flexibility, ease of learning, low cost, interactivity, and multiple choices of subjects and courses. eLearning courses are also used by corporate to keep their employees abreast of the latest technology.

How effective is online learning?

“There are three important points in education: access, equity, quality. Every student in the country does not have the access or the means to come to a college. There is a huge gap between Education those who can afford education and those who can’t. Online education will fill up that gap,” believes Dr Singh.

Even in the US, the eLearning market is one of the fastest growing segments. With a lot of more K-12 schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) adopting online education, the demand has risen rapidly in the past five years. Not just this, the high penetration of devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets, has also made a significant contribution in the development of online learning across the globe. A few innovative mobile learning solutions too, have been piloted. They have very little success in pockets and still need to go a far way before they become an established solution.

One of the leading online education providers, Hughes Global Education, has tied up with a lot of renowned institutions like the IITs and IIMs in India to provide online education and training programmes to students and professionals. It offers degree, diploma and certificate programmes and connects the students and teachers through a professional studio.

Universities too, have realised the immense potential that eLearning holds and have thus begun to offer online programmes that help the students in learning themselves and at their own pace.

The winning proposition

Online learning is the best way to learn important courses like Management, Engineering, Finance, Economics, English Literature from professionals from across the world even if you are working. There is a wide array of courses you can choose from and learn them from wherever you are. You can also choose which method of study you want to opt for and the time when you want to study: a different world of learning with convenience and ease. Once a student receives the course material, he can learn by interacting with mentors via chats, emails and discussion forums.

Virtual classrooms also provide instant scale of delivery. They can be very effective if used appropriately in an eLearning programme. In today’s market, there are cost effective solutions which reduce the cost drastically.

Indians reap the benefits

A lot of Indians, who never had access to high quality education, and also the students in prestigious institutions in the country, can now learn a wide array of subjects from professors from universities like the MIT and Stanford. The videos are extraordinary and different from those in the physical classrooms in India. Students can watch these videos at any time, participate in discussions and take the tests and exercises. Onlin education is sure to have a lot of impact on India as a huge number of students in our country, especially those in rural areas, yearn to get access to good quality education that paves the way for a brighter tomorrow.

There are so many parts of India that do not have schools. Moreover, a lot of schools in the country face shortage of faculty. Online education can fill that gap too. You can prepare good lectures and material and put them up online. Therefore, for a country like India, online education definitely has a lot of relevance, says Dr Singh.

A joint initiative of seven Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), aims at enhancing the reach and the quality of engineering education in the country through free video and web courses on YouTube. It had about 260 courses in its first phase and has proposed more than 1,000 for the second phase. The courses can also be downloaded for viewing offline.

The online education market stands at $20 million today and is expected to get twice as large by 2017

A huge market

According to a report by the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT), the sale of personal computers went up by 16 percent in 2011-12, spurring the growth of eLearning in the country. Since online education is embracing all distance education and virtual universities, there certainly is a huge market with tremendous potential. “Considering the huge expansion that is happening in India, online education can be really effective,” adds Dr Singh.

In one of its studies, the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said that the education sector will attract an investment of a whopping $1 billion from private equity and venture capital firms. The report also said that a majority of this investment will be in technology-enabled education initiatives.

Online education providers too, predict that the online education market in India will continue to expand in the years to come. Over the next few years there will be a push to consolidate among subscale players. New entrants will continue to look at micro markets. The larger players will look at expanding beyond their current strong holds into adjacent areas.

Online education: The future

Let’s think about the bigger picture. Online education cannot replace a teacher in a physical classroom, but can certainly supplement the formal education system. Since all the course content: lectures, research papers, notes and case studies; is just a click away, education is sure to revolutionise. Knowledge can be gained at any anytime and from anywhere and is not confined to the four walls of a classroom.

Most of the academic leaders believe that online learning is a critical part of their institutions’ long-term academic strategy. Online education providers are also constantly exploring new ways to enhance the way education is being imparted to the masses across the world.

With one in three students opting for at least one online course, online education is growing at a tremendous pace and is here to stay.

Employbility-Outlook Report 2013

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January 9, 2013

Delhi and NCR

The report intends to help organisations and enable organisations to take informed decisions on manpower planning, hiring and resource allocation

Wheebox and PeopleStrong HR Services Employability Outlook Report is intended to help organisations and enable organisations to take informed decisions on manpower planning, hiring and resource allocation. Wheebox and PeopleStrong HR Services Employability Outlook Report is based on an independently conducted online assessment, carried out with a total sample of 7,380 Students of Bachelors of Engineering in 53 Campuses across Delhi and NCR India. (Invitation was sent to 90 Selected Campuses)

The data and claims are based the online assessment on core engineering domains, Cognitive Abilities and English Comprehension Skills conducted across Bachelors of Engineering. Individual number of student rating for employability index varies depending on number of students in each domain.

On the basis of the assessment study, the report tries to map the available skilled resources to various demographics. This will help the employer know exactly whom and from where to hire.

Methodology

The report is a culmination of a Domain Based, Cognitive Abilities and English Comprehension Skills Assessment for 60 minutes using Online Assessment Platform of Wheebox. These tests were conducted on invitation and 7,380 students from final year of Engineering Colleges in Delhi and NCR participatedin different streams of the test. Students registered online for the test at their respective college venue before taking the test. The assessment used an adaptive testing system and was conducted in a proctored environment.

A cut-off had been assigned at 60 percent for the graduates to qualify for employability. Graduates meeting or exceeding the cut-off scores are the ones eligible as employable in the report. Six different streams from Engineering were tested, where students from their own streams undertook their respective test domains. The window was open for 90 days and it was mandatory to register before taking the test. The streams were: Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical, Information Technology, Computer Science and Civil Engineering.

digitalLEARNING Shiksha Ratna Awards 2012

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January 9, 2013

digitalLEARNING Shiksha Ratna Awards 2012

Shiksha Ratna Awards felicitated schools and higher education institutions that have carved their niche in the development of education in Madhya Pradesh. The Awards recognised the remarkable work done by the schools and higher educational institutes to make leaming innovative and student centric for the holistic development of learners

Shiksha Ratna Awards For School Education

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best International School: Gyan Ganga International Academy, Jabalpur

With an emphasis on all round development of a child, Cyan Ganga International Academy, jabalpur, has carved out a curriculum that lays equal emphasis on academics and personality development. It is one of the unique international educational institutions in the state. The school focuses on continual development and the process is led by a quality management system. A dedicated team of quality professionals has been appointed to assist students to achieve excellence.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Teacher Training Programme in School: Gwalior Glory High School, Gwalior, M P

The motto of Gwalior Glory High School, Gwalior, is to nurture its students into caring and capable individuals with an adaptability to their environment, both natural and socio-cultural. The school has well-equipped science laboratories, a hi-tech computerlaboratory and a playground for basketball, handball, Kho-Kho, tennis courts and a 200-metre track. The school has immensely focused on teacher training programmes.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best School: The Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal

The Sanskaar Valley School, Bhopal is affiliated to the leSE board and plans to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) in the coming years. It won the Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best School for its deep sense of commitment to provide innovative education and overall growth of the students by integrating sports, hobby activities, special day celebrations, commu-nity service, eco-friendly initiatives and excursions in its curriculum. The school is a member of the Round Square Organisation, and encourages its students to participate in the International Award for Young People (IAYP) programme.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Emerging School: Global Indian International School, Indore

The Globa! Indian International School. Indore, provides global exposure and insights through international knowledge-exchange programmes. GlIS worldwide has won many awards for academic excellence and best practices. GIIS imparts world-class education to its students across 22 campuses, spread over three continents and seven countries.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Sports Facility in School: WendySchool Junior College, Gwalior

Wendy School Junior College is one of the premier educational institutions of Gwalior. It has the best of infrastructural facilities, high-tech labs, well-stocked library and medical room, playground, cafe, etc. The prerequisites that make for a wonderful school life are available, by default, to all Wendyites. The school has transformed all the traditional classrooms into smart classrooms equipped with the latest technology.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for Academic Excellence in School: Green Wood Public School,
Gwalior

Green Wood Public School is one of the outstanding schools in-Gwalior. Its aim is to mould the personality of a child by developing his mind, sharpening his intellect, nurturing his creativity, strengthening his body, and above all, imparting him the values that make him a good human being and a good citizen, The school has continuously delivered excellent results over the years.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best ICT-enabled School: Gyansagar International School (GSIS), Sohagpur

GSlS, Sohagpur, has technology-enabled classrooms with 28 digi classrooms, The level of lCT implementation in the school is commendable. At the beginning of the new session every year, the school gives training to its teachers in order to facilitate more aids for teaching and to help them cope up with the new and fast changing education technologies.

Shiksha Ratna Awards For Higher Education

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for Leading Private University: AI SECT University

The AISECT University. Bhopal. is one of the leading private universities of Madhya Pradesh. It is committed to academic excellence and overall development of its students. The university focuses heavily on research and encourages students to excel and strive through education that emphasises on the power of discovery and the foundation of critical thinking. It aims to deliver not only world-class education in state-of-the-art facilities. but also an environment for holistic learning that will help groom students into confident and smart individuals.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Engineering Institute: Truba Institute of Engineering and Information Technology

Truba Institute of Engineering and Information Technology engages in imparting quality education in the field of technological development. The institute not only focuses on the curriculum of the university. but the faculty members have also made it dynamic in nature. The institute gives appropriate attention to theory and field work. The Center of Innovation of Truba promotes students’ great ideas and helps bring them to reality.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Higher Education Institute: NIIT Foundation District Learning Centre

The NlIT Foundation District Learning Centre works for the unreached. uncared and unattended for ensuring inclusive development. It aims to be the global pathbreakers in employability training. gainfully employing at least two million underserved youth every year. It has begun a number of programmes that would positively impact the underserved of the country through various educational interventions.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Management Institute: Sanghvi Institute of Management and Science

The Sanghvi Institute of Management and Science. Indore. was started with the motto to give a new direction to the entire learning process to meet the futuristic needs despite cultural and infrastructure constraints of Madhya Pradesh. It believes that education is about growing as a human being with the right knowledge. skills and attitudes.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Emerging Institute: Gyan Ganga Group of Institutions, Bhopal

Gyan Ganga Group of Institutions, Bhopal, is dedicated to create knowledge leaders. Being one of the largest group of institutions of its kind in Central India, it aims to enhance its leadership stance by proving quality education. Now, it has seven institutes under its flagship having courses in the areas of engineering, management, computer application, information technology (BEd). and school education etc.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Faculty in Institute: PIMR Indore

The Prestige Institute of Management and Research, Indore, has been rated as an A-class management institute by the AAC. It has also received international accreditation from the International Accreditation Organisation. In recognition of its performance and high standards in providing quality education. the institute has been conferred the autonomous status by the University Grants Commission as well as the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Infrastructure Development by the Institute: SIRT, Bhopal

The Sagar Institute of Research & Technology (SIRT) is creating new avenues for the corporate world to explore the academia of the country and to foster industry-institute partnership. Its massive infrastructure. well-equipped labs. state-of-the-art networked computing labs. national and international journals in the li brary. and ample opportunities for students to showcase their talents in extracurricular and cultural activities. make it a true learning centre.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best lCT-enabled Institute: Sri Aurobindo Institute of Technology, Indore

Sri Aurobindo Institute of Technology, Indore, aims to be the best seat of learning in the respective disciplines it offers. At SAIT. the clear intent is to produce engineers for the 21” century. who are competent to face the challenges of the global economy.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Technical Education Institute: Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV)

Over a sprawling campus of about 247 acres. the Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya is marching towards development into a center of excellence in the arena of technical education. research and innovation. There are 5 UTDs . 217 affiliated engineering colleges. 95 pharmacy colleges. 88 MCA colleges and four architecture colleges under its umbrella. It won the Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Technical Education Institute.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Vocational Education Institute: Virtual Voyage Institute of Design Media ‘and Management

Virtual Voyage Institute of Media and Management has a clear and focused vision. It strives to provide world-class training and filling up the gap of required skilled human resources. The institute focuses on new and smart courses that suit the demands of the new age and are in sync with the talent of individuals as well as offer a promising future. It won the Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Vocational Education Institute.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Government Initiative: Centre for Research & Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP)

The Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance (CRISP). Bhopal. has been established in the year 1997 as a society under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation agreement. The organisation has excellent infrastructure in terms of sophisticated laboratories in various fields. It is one of the preferred service providers in the areas of Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET). training institution management. and entrepreneurship development.

Madhya Pradesh Shiksha Ratna Award for the Best Private Sector Initiative: Rumi Education

Rumi Education provides comprehensive and sustainable education solutions that enable schools. teachers and students reach their full potential through effective and innovative teaching methods. It aims to be the market leader in providing education solutions that empower talent and develop creativity as the foundations of a prosperous society. Its innovative teaching methods and programmes are designed to support teachers and students in their desire to improve and succeed.

Core Issues in Education-The Dawn of New Hopes :: January 2013

Magazine

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

January 9, 2013

EDITORIAL
New Year is time for New Ideas in Education

HIGHER EDUCATION
Policy Initiatives Higher Education in 2012

Pouring Quality in Indian Education System

HIGHER EDUCATION – LEADER SPEAK
Measuring Outcomes is Critical to Achieving Quality
(Dr) SS Mantha, Chairman, All Indian Council for Technical Education

SCHOOL EDUCATION – FEATURE
Nourishing the Roots

Assistive Technology is must for making inclusive education a reality
Dr Uma Tuli, Founder, Amar Jyoti School

SCHOOL EDUCATION
Foss is the Way to Inclusion
Krishnakant Mane, Social Engineer, IIT Mumbai, and a Free Software Advocate

FEATURE – ONLINE EDUCATION
Education Just a Click Away!

ACADEMIC SPEAK – ONLINE EDUCATION
Delivering Life-Long-Learning Support
Prof (Dr) Sandeep Sancheti, Director, National Institute of Technology, Delhi

INDUSTRY SPEAK – ONLINE EDUCATION
e-Learning will Continue to Germinate in India
Anand Nagarajan, CEO, Dexler Information Solutions Pvt Ltd; Co-Chairman National Council on HRD, Education & Employment, ASSOCHAM

Growing Mandate for e-Learning in Medical Colleges
Rohit Kumar, Managing Director-South Asia, Elsevier Health Sciences

CORPORATE DIARY
“Education can put One’s Life into a Different Orbit”
Anju Banerjee, Chairperson and Managing Director, EdCIL (India) Limited

2013 to Spur Growth in Projector Market
Vineet Mahajan, General Manager-Professional Display Division, Panasonic India Pvt Ltd

SPECIAL FEATURE
Sowing the Seeds of Inclusive Education
Aravind Sitaraman, President Inclusive Growth, Cisco

Education on the Cloud

Revamping Vocational Education through Station-e Model
Dr Haresh Tank, Director, Station-e Language Lab

SPECIAL REPORT
Employability-Outlook Report 2013

EVENT REPORT
Madhya Pradesh State Education Summit Addresses Gaps in the Education Sector

School Education Track
Vocationalising Education, and Capacity Building of Teachers

Alternative Assessment Strategies and Innovative Approaches in Evaluation

Creation of Inclusive Learning Environments in Classrooms

Right to Education and its Implications for Schools

Higher Education Track
Employability Skills and Proficiency Levels amongst Youth Best Practices and Next Practices

Changing Dynamics of Higher Education – Envisioning Strategies for the Future

Emerging Trends in use of Technology in Education

Technical Education in India – Challenges, Opportunities and Insights

digitalLEARNING Shiksha Ratna Awards 2012

POLICY MATTERS
ICT in Education
Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary to Chief Minister and Department of Information Technology, Government of Madhya Pradesh

Technical Education in India – Challenges, Opportunities and Insights

Magazine

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

January 9, 2013

The session opened on the note of several challenges in one of the fastest growing sectors of our country. It brought into light the fact that employability is the biggest challenge in the technical education sector in our country. It pointed out some of the phobias and assumptions made by the industry, academia, parents and students

Dr Mukesh Pandey, Dean-Industrial Technology, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya

The principal challenge with the massive expansion of technical education is maintaining the quality. The premier institutes in our country like the IITs, NITs and even the RGPV, have failed to inspire or nurture innovation, entrepreneurial skills, and path breaking technological ideas as generated in foreign universities like the MIT or Stanford. We need to reposition our institutions and universities in response to the global changes that are happening on a day-to-day basis.

Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, Vice Chancellor, Baddi University

The major challenge in technical education is getting a good job. Factors like employability, quality of teachers, and less practical exposure are associative. The need of the hour is to think out-of-the-box. We need to define the box today and the rest will be done. The society has already taken in the privatisation in school education and senior secondary education. Most of us send our kids to private schools. But still, the society has not gulped in the privatisation of the higher education sector.

Dr Rajeshree Dutta Kumar, Vice President – Strategies and Alliances, Mosaic
Network, India

Twenty five percent of the population of India is still illiterate. Only 15 percent of Indian students actually go to high school. Out of those 15 percent, only seven percent are able to make it to the graduate level. Population is not a challenge for us; it is an opportunity. Even though about 3.5 lakh engineering students graduate in our country every year, we are unable to optimise on the existing talent pool that we have.

Shiksha Ratna Awards For School Education

Shiksha Ratna Awards For Higher Education

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