India’s earning & Development industry set to triple in next 2 years

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August 28, 2012

The size of Learning & Development (L&D) industry, currently at USD 3.5 billion, is expected to treble in the next two years due to growing demand for experienced professionals, according to global talent management firm DDI.

“In reference to L&D, India is a very sophisticated market as knowledge is highly respected. However, there is a huge dearth of talented professionals, especially at the front line levels,” DDI senior vice president, international operations, David Tessmann-Keys told PTI here.

“But it is in the right path and is expected to triple in current size, which is at USD 3.5 billion, in the next two years,” he said.

L&D is about selecting the right human capital required for a particular business, recognising early the leadership potential and enhancing it for future leadership positions.

In overall scheme of things, India presently stands at par with Mainland China in overall L&D spend among emerging nations, though it is way below the developed economies.

“However, things are changing in India rapidly due to dynamic market conditions…it may outstrip China soon and also the developed countries after it triples the current L&D spend,” Tessmann-Keys said.

Amongst the various sectors which are making extensive use of L&D and also spending considerable amount on it are IT, BPO, technology, banking and the financial sector, he said adding that the concept is emerging in the family run conglomerates like Reliance.

However, he added, there is a lot needed to be done in general manufacturing segment that lacks strong leadership.

L&D in India is strong at senior and the mid level, however, the front line especially employees with just few years of experience are the weak link, Tessmann-Keys said.

“There is too much focus on technical competency, so developing leadership skills is taking a back seat,” he added.

The companies should create programmes that specifically focuses on high-potential employees, he said.

“Ensure that these high-potentials are given distinct programmes that address needs and help keep them engaged with the organisation and sustaining long-term growth,” he said.

This will help Indian businesses which compete with organisations globally, with the same savvy and ability to influence key decision makers as their counterparts from around the world.

Source: PTI

Govt to distribute DVDs of ‘Gandhi’ in CBSE schools

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August 28, 2012

DVDs of films like ‘Gandhi’ and ‘The making of Mahatma’ will be distributed in schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Rajya Sabha has informed today.

“In May, the CBSE had requested National Film Development Corporation ( NFDC) for CDs/DVDs of landmark films ‘Gandhi’, ‘The making of Mahatma’, ‘Sardar’ and ‘Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar’ for distribution in schools affiliated to the Board,” Minister of State in Information and Broadcasting Ministry S Jagathrakshakan told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

“Four DVD sets of the above mentioned films are currently under production for sending them to various schools/ colleges/universities/Research Institutions as per the advice of the ministry of Culture,” he said.

Source: PTI

New R & D Centre on Archaeology at IIT Gandhinagar

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August 27, 2012

The Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, will establish a centre for research and development (R&D) on archaeology with a view to facilitate protection of the national heritage.

IIT-Gandhinagar would join hands with other institutes like Pune’s Deccan College, Chennai-based Sharma Centre for Heritage Education and MS University, amongst others to develop synergy on R&D, and to offer a national facility eventually for conducting cutting edge research in the arena.

“A lot of new science and technology has come, which has changed the way archaeology is being practised. We think we can offer a continum approach right from basic archaeology all the way to science and technology,” IIT-Gandhinagar Director Prof Sudhir Jain told PTI.

“A small initiative has been taken to establish an R&D centre on archaeology here, in this direction. We shall be working in coordination with other varsities and institutes,” he said, adding, that it is important to protect our past.

IIT-Gandhinagar will collaborate with these institutes in the next few months, for which preliminary work has already begun.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Mysore, has a branch that works on deciphering text or languages discovered from ancient sites called-Epigraphy.

In a bid to revive archaeological practices by providing a technological interface, IIT-Gandhinagar has proposed to start offering few post doctoral fellowships to archaeologists and commence a minor programme on Archaeology from the next academic session.

Source: PTI

AP Task Force for technical education to begin work soon

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August 27, 2012

The Task Force formed by the Andhra Pradesh government to check the facilities and quality of education imparted in professional colleges like engineering would begin its work soon.

Deputy chief minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha held a meeting with the members of the Task Force and other officials of Technical Education here on Sunday.

An official release quoted him as saying that admissions into the institutions should be made on the basis of merit and not with a commercial motive.

Steps would be taken to ensure that the institutions followed the guidelines of All India Council for Technical Education and other high standards of education, he asserted.

Source: PTI

Adobe Appoints New Head for its Education Business in India

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digitalLEARNING Network

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August 23, 2012

Adobe Systems Incorporated has announced the appointment of Sunil P P as the Director-Education for its India and South Asia operations. Bringing with him a rich industry experience combined with a strong domain expertise, Sunil will be responsible for driving the education business for Adobe in the region. He joins the company at an opportune time as it looks to expand its footprint in the Indian education sector. The company recently announced the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 6 Student and Teacher Edition, power-packed with tools to easily visualize, understand, and communicate information in creative ways across print, web, video and mobile devices. The new release and supporting educational resources help K-12 and higher education institutions enhance teaching and learning, and better prepare students for their future careers in a digital, global workplace. One of Sunil’s key mandates in his new role will be to drive growth and adoption of the new suite in the education segment.

Adobe outlined a three-pronged strategy for its business in the Indian education sector:

Driving adoption of technology-enabled learning – eLearning, digital skills and communication skills across schools, colleges and universities.
Creating a training and certification program to help Indian students enhance their workplace-readiness and boost employability. Adobe aims to do this by collaborating with content partners.
Building an ecosystem of partners (including education resellers, publishers, solution providers, private and government institutes, etc) to make Adobe’s cutting-edge creativity tools ubiquitous in the Indian educational landscape.

Before joining Adobe, Sunil spent more than eight years at Microsoft where he served in several positions, most recently as Director – Education Sales. He brings more than fifteen years of work experience and extensive expertise in building scalable business models that help create and leverage partnerships to ensure favorable business opportunities for sales and marketing functions. Prior to Microsoft, Sunil worked with Novell Incorporation as the Education and Channel Manager where he was responsible for managing the Novell certifications and training programs.
Peter McAlpine, Sr Director-Education, APAC, Adobe said, “We are very proud to have Sunil joining our Education team. With the paradigm change that is underway in the education ecosystem in India, Sunil will play an instrumental role not only in leading the education team in the country but also towards devising a balanced strategy for Adobe’s business in the education sector.”

Commenting on the appointment Umang Bedi, Managing Director, South Asia, Adobe said,“Education has always been a key segment for Adobe and with Sunil on board, we look forward to further increasing our industry leadership through his proficient business acumen in the public and private education domain.”
Sunil PP, Director-Education, South Asia, Adobe said, “I am very excited to be a part of an organization that is playing a key role in transforming the art of education with world-leading tools and technologies. I look forward to helping drive the adoption of Adobe technologies across the education sector.”

Sunil has gathered valuable experience working with local and state governments to drive progressive policies for ICT in education, as well as successfully forging many opportunities and partnerships within Defence, Healthcare and Education verticals in his previous organizations. Sunil holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Christ University, Bangalore.

Ryan International School Organises INMUN 2012

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August 23, 2012

Ryan International Group of Schools has organised INMUN 2012, which saw participation of 800 delegates. Eight hundred aspiring delegates from various parts of the world resolve to find the best way forward to peace and progress through dialogue and discussions at the 12th Indian Model United Nations (INMUN) 2012 organised by Ryan International Group of Schools. INMUN 2012 is being held between August 23 and August 25, 2012. The theme for INMUN 2012 is ‘For a Better World’.

Talking on open school learning being the future of education as mentioned in the national policy of education, U.N. Khaware, Secretary, National Institute of Open School, said, “Humanly it is not possible to achieve the target of education without open school learning. The ratio of teachers to student in a populated country like ours is shocking, and sometimes the poor people or women do not get access to school. Thus, open school learning provides them the opportunity and bridges the gap for literacy.”

INMUN is organised annually where students from India, Nepal, Indonesia and Sri Lanka represent 120 countries to discuss, debate and form consensus to pass resolutions offering solutions to the recent issues of international importance. INMUN is open to all secondary school students aged 14 to 19 years. Schools normally send between 3 and 7 student delegates to the conference. Some of the important issues discussed on day one were militarization of borders – cheaters in disarmament agreements, Indian Ocean piracy issue, impact of toxic dumping in food resources, developing strategies for currency disputes, etc. “INMUN 2012 aims at providing an environment that is congenial to nurturing a thought for a better world, where there is a happy, healthy and harmonious life. I hope the delegates emerge as global citizens – individuals with self confidence who are able to contribute to community life, build tolerance, accountability and strength to deal with emotional and spiritual quotients,” says Madam Grace Pinto, Managing Director, Ryan International Group of Schools.

The debating skills and knowledge that comes with the MUN help the students aspiring to pursue courses like political science, history, international relations and related subjects.

Eminent speakers present at the INMUN 2012 were G. Balasubramaniam, former director (academics), CBSE; Prof MM Pant, educationist; Peter Vrooman, Press Attaché/Embassy Spokesperson, Embassy of USA; J.K. Dadoo, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; U.N. Khaware, Secretary, National Institute of Open School, among many others.

Punjab Gvt upgrades 200 Middle and Secondary Schools

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digitalLEARNING Network

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August 23, 2012

Punjab government has upgraded over 200 middle schools to secondary schools in deficit areas with a view to achieve Universalisation of Secondary Education (USE) in Punjab

Sikandar Singh Maluka, Education minister, Punjab has said the Education department has upgraded 222 middle schools to secondary schools under RMSA with a vision to make quality education accessible and affordable to all students in the age group of 14-18 years.

This is part of the implementation of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme (RSMA), which is aimed at improving the standard of education being provided in classes VIII to X by ensuring a secondary school within a radius of 5 km for every neighbourhood.

According to Maluka, this project is for the bright future and careers of the children, visualising attainment of 75 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2012-13 and 100 per cent GER by 2016-17 ensuring universal access of secondary education by 2017 and universal retention by 2020.

Punjab is one of the four states approved by the Central government to implement RMSA in 2012-2013. For this the state government will spend Rs 369 crore to provide inputs in terms of additional classrooms, teachers and other facilities in these upgraded schools to meet the challenges.

Bharti group sells Centum Learning to Everonn Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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August 23, 2012

The Bharti group has sold off its group company Centum Learning to Everonn Education and made its exit from the education business.

The deal is in line with their objective of focusing on core businesses and exiting non-core businesses.
The Bharti Family Office, which manages investments made by the promoters of the group in their personal capacity, will receive a combination of cash and equity shares in Everonn. The size of the deal is not disclosed by the Bharti group.

With this acquisition, Everonn will expand its reach in the Indian training space by adding corporate training, the flagship product of Centum, as a new vertical.

CBSE launches IGNITE 2012

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digitalLEARNING Network

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August 22, 2012

With the motive to strap up creative and innovative talents of school children, Central Board of Secondary Education had launched IGNITE in 2007 in alliance with National Innovation Foundation and Honey Bee Network.

CBSE has planned to initiate IGNITE 2012 with NIF, with an aim to promote creativity among children.

Students from 25 states and union territories of the country had participated in IGNITE-2011. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President, gave the awards in an exhibition cum award function at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

HC seeks CBSE response on engineering aspirant’s plea

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August 22, 2012

A student, who was unable to get through the All India Engineering Entrance Exams (AIEEE) 2012, has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the CBSE merit list alleging four questions were wrongly framed due to which he scored less mark.

Seeking an order to the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE), which had conducted the entrance exams, to prepare a fresh merit list, one city-based Pranshu Gupta filed the petition through his counsel Ashok Aggarwal alleging four questions were “wrongly framed” in the AIEEE 2012 as a result he got 20 marks less and also got low rank.

Issuing notices to CBSE and also to three engineering colleges, which Gupta had preferred in the form to do his B Tech course, Justice G S Sistani recently sought their response by September 12 on Gupta petition.

In his plea, Gupta contended saying “the present petition is against the impugned action of CBSE in framing wrong questions being Question Nos 21, 27, 32 and 47 in the question paper for AIEEE-2012 held on May 19 and in assessing the marks of petitioner (Gupta) on the basis of the answer key which provides wrong answers to the said questions resulting in lowering the rank of the petitioner.”

He also sought the court to quash the entire merit list as prepared by CBSE and direct the board to prepare a fresh merit list after deleting those questions.

Gupta claimed he had chosen the correct options for all the four questions in view of the text book on the subject but the answer key had provided wrong answers and his marks were assessed as per the answer key.

Source: PTI

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