Bengal Higher Education to Keep 50 Per Cent PG Seats for Outer Students

June 14, 2012

Bengal higher education council chairman Sugato Marjit has requested state varsities to reserve only 50 per cent of seats for students from affiliated colleges this year. The rest will be open for admissions to candidates from other universities.

It may be noted that in accordance with the Mamata Banerjee government’s pledge, education minister Bratya Basu had already voiced his opinion to conduct a common entrance test (CET) for all state universities and autonomous colleges offering postgraduate courses.

This is, however, a makeshift arrangement. From next year, every student will have to appear in the common entrance test to bag PG seat in any university, even one to which his/her college is affiliated.

“We will advise all university authorities through a letter on Thursday to open 50 percent PG seats to students from other state universities. All prospective PG candidates will then have an equal access. We want to see if the universities agree in-principle to our aim that all students have a right to compete for PG seats,” said Marjit, adding that they have already floated the idea of a common entrance test for PG courses from next year. “We have also requested the universities to depute two representatives for a discussion on CET. A decision will be taken only after a consensus emerges.”

If universities agree to throw open 50% PG seats, they will be given complete freedom to decide on the methods of admissions. “They can hold interviews, conduct admission tests or select candidates on the basis of marks in their undergraduate honours courses. However, since the varsities are autonomous, they will now have to decide if they agree to our suggestion,” Marjit said.

Reasons floated by the government to introduce a common entrance test for PG seats are that it will give due priority to merit and also allow mobility of best brains to centres of excellence. At present, most state universities reserve 95% PG seats for their own graduates. This archaic system is giving rise to some practical problems as well as legal hassles, it added. For example, many students graduating from St Xavier’s College (autonomous) with reasonably high marks fail to get seats in the Calcutta University because of the undeclared 95% reservation for students from its affiliated colleges.

When the unofficial ‘quota’ was introduced, CU had justified it on the ground that its strict marking system would place its own graduates at a disadvantage while competing for PG seats. CU holds admission tests to multidisciplinary PG courses while seats for the rest are filled on the basis of graduation marks. The no-quota rule, once enforced, will also apply on unitary universities such as Jadavpur University and Presidency. Among the arguments advanced by the government in favour of a PG entrance test is that everyone should get an equal opportunity as public money is spent on creating infrastructure in the universities.

EduKart and JECRC University Launch MBA Programme

digitalLEARNING Network

June 13, 2012

EduKart has launched EduKart JU Leadership MBA, which is a full time and residential post graduate management program, focused on leadership development, where candidates with leadership potential will be trained by best-in-class faculty consisting of alumni of some of the leading business schools of the world and industry experts. The two year program will result in a MBA in General Management from JECRC University and a Certificate in Leadership from EduKart.

The leadership focused MBA program will provide global, relevant and industry specific perspective in management education to participants who demonstrate the potential to become effective leaders in their respective domains. The program will stress extensively on developing leadership and entrepreneurship skills, which transform people to become great managers and lead organizations from the front.

The program will have senior graduates from IIMs and world class Ivy League business schools like Stanford University and Harvard University and top notch working professionals from the leading companies as the faculty for the courses. Even before the launch of the program alumni of prestigious business schools such as Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, Indian Institute of Management have enlisted themselves as faculty for various courses.

Speaking on the launch, Amit Aggarwal, Vice Chariman of JECRC University said “While studies and academics is a focus of the MBA program, the program will take leadership development to the next level. There will be two foreign trips included in the cost of program to develop global perspectives in the participants. While one trip will focus on studying the developed economies like the USA or Europe, the second trip will focus on emerging economies of areas like Middle East or South Asia. We are very excited to work with EduKart to create such a world class program and bring it to the city of Jaipur, which is now as an emerging destination from education and growing employment opportunities.”

Ishan Gupta, CEO of EduKart and an MBA from Stanford University added “We want to ensure that when the students graduate from this program, they will be ready to take leadership roles in large and small organizations and lead from the front. In order to prepare for the challenging road ahead, we will have intensive focus on building a holistic personality with activities like Golf Training, Dining and Dressing Etiquettes, Business Communication, Negotiation Training, Improvisation Theatre, Meditation and more. Such activities, foreign trips and other initiatives will also ensure that the classmates bond with each other and form long lasting relationships so that they can help each other as part of the alumni network. The beautiful campus of JECRC University will be an ideal place for such relationships to form and nurture over the period of two years.”

AICTE Approves Five Year Course for AUCE

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digitalLEARNING Network

June 13, 2012

The All-India Council for Technical Education has approved five-year integrated courses of Andhra University College of Engineering (A) from this year.

The self-financed courses that got the approval are: electronics and communications engineering, electrical and electronics, civil, software and computer systems and networking engineering.

Disclosing this at a press conference, AUCE Principal G.S.N. Raju said the college now proposed to introduce course in metallurgy, chemical engineering and instrumentation technology from the next academic year.

The second phase of counselling for this academic year would be resumed soon.

On the improvement of amenities, he said the Wi-Fi connectivity was now extended to all hostels, a lift will be provided to the second floor to help the physically challenged and reverse osmosis plants set up to provide better quality of water.

Dr. Raju said the college had been chosen for the phase II of Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) funded by the World Bank for post-graduate courses and research. The Rs.12.5 crore, three-year project will enable the college send its staff for training within the country and abroad.

The college had already completed the phase I for TEQIP for undergraduate courses and laboratories.

Dr. Raju said AUCE was selected as the “Best Government Engineering College in India” by ABP TV news channel. He will receive the award on June 30 in Mumbai. The panel was led by NASSCOM Chairman and reputed professionals. The college was selected for the award in recognition of its leadership development in college, industry interface, making innovation in marketing, among other things.

The college also received 10 projects worth Rs. 3 crore towards research and development and consultancy services.

CBSE Introduces Fitness Courses for Class XI and XII Students

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digitalLEARNING Network

June 13, 2012

With the objective of giving due attention to Sports Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched fitness and gym operation courses for Class XI and XII students with the aim of developing students’ physical and mental ability. Schools have been asked to set up in-house gyms so that students can exercise every day.

Vocational qualifications are work-related ones and they are designed to allow a student to learn skills employers are looking for, said the assistant education officer (physical education & sports), CBSE, Pushkar Vohra.

The board has come out with course content that consists of five units in theory and practical element focusing on working in a gymnasium. Schools have been asked to appoint a permanent post-graduate teacher in physical education.

Students would undergo 15 days in-house internship training in the gym the board designates during summer holidays as they go from Class XI to Class XII. Schools or students can bear the cost for attending the internship training.

India, US to Form Eight Educational Partnerships

digitalLEARNING Network

June 13, 2012

For the first Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative awards, eight institutional partnership projects, four each led by either country were announced.

The goal of the initiative is to further strengthen, through faculty exchanges, joint research, and other collaboration, partnerships between American and Indian institutions of higher education in priority fields, including food security, climate change, sustainable energy, and public health, the US State Department announced on Tuesday.

Each project will receive an award of approximately $250,000 that can be utilised over the three-year grant period to encourage mutual understanding, educational reform, and economic growth, as well as the development of junior faculty.

Indian-led Partnerships:

Mahatma Gandhi University: An Interdisciplinary and Community Oriented Approach toward Sustainable Development in partnership with Brown University, Duke University and Plymouth State University.

Banaras Hindu University: Paradigm Shift in Energy Scenario for the 21st Century toward Renewable Energy Sources required for both India and the US in partnership with University of Pittsburgh.

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur: International Programme for Sustainable Infrastructure Development in partnership with Virginia Tech University.

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi: Resource Building for Ecosystem and Human Health Risk Assessment with Special reference to Microbial Contamination in partnership with Drexel University.

US-led partnerships:

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey: Capitalising on the Demographic Dividend: Enhancing Talent Development Capacity for India and the US in the 21st Century in partnership with Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

University of Montana: Impacts of Climate Change and Changes in Socio-Economic Structure on Traditional Agriculture and the Development of Sustainable Communities among Indigenous Populations in partnership with Bangalore University.

Cornell University: Implementing Reformed Curriculum in Emerging areas of Agriculture and Food Security in Two State Agricultural Universities of India in partnership with University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut.

University of Michigan: The Joint Development of a Master’s Degree in Education for Health Professions Faculty in the United States and India in partnership with Maharashtra University of the Health Sciences.

The next request for proposals for grants from the Obama-Singh Initiative announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama in November 2009 will be announced in July 2012.

Sibal, Pitroda Talks About ‘Meta Universities’

digitalLEARNING Network

June 13, 2012

At the last hour of the India-U.S. Higher Education Dialogue, Washington, Kapil Sibal, Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications and IT, emphasized on “meta-universities.” Besides, community colleges and vocational education were also the talking points.

The Minister made a fervent pitch for more investment into India’s higher education space even as he attended a blitz of events organised by some of the top institutions here in the India-U.S. space, including a lecture organised by the Carnegie Endowment and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and a luncheon hosted by the U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

A constant theme that Mr. Sibal and his colleague, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Adviser Sam Pitroda, alluded to was the need for “frugal innovation” that could provide low-cost solutions to benefit those at the bottom of the pyramid in India. High on the list of such innovations was the option to develop universities based in cyberspace, Mr. Sibal argued, as it was not feasible to develop U.S.-style graduate colleges that charged $120,000 or more per year.

This initiative could lead to multiple universities coming together in cyberspace to grant a single degree, saving students enormous costs by substituting physical attendance on college premises with distance learning via the Internet.

With a strong focus on leveraging India’s untapped potential for rapid infrastructure development in the IT space Mr. Sibal also touted a plan to set up data centres throughout the nation, the premises for which the government would provide to entrepreneurs free of cost. It would however then be up to these entrepreneurs to hire software engineers and other physical infrastructure, he added, thus setting up data “hubs” that could be accessed by the “spokes,” including local universities or technical education institutes.

In this context, Mr. Pitroda, who spoke alongside Mr. Sibal at various events, sought to paint India’s prospects for continued economic reform and growth in a positive light. At events sponsored by the USIBC, Mr. Pitroda said that a growth rate of “8-10 percent for the next 20-25 years” was on the cards for India.

Alluding to the growing disenchantment of India’s “miracle growth” story in certain circles in Washington, Mr. Pitroda made a plea for “a little patience” as his government grappled with the imperatives of coalition politics in a bid to get India back to a higher growth path.

AICTE Pharmacy Courses Get PCI Disapproval

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digitalLEARNING Network

June 12, 2012

The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has said that it will not approve several provisions announced by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) regarding the pharmacy courses in the country.

“Some of the provisions made by AICTE in their Approval Process Handbook 2012-2013 relating to pharmacy course are contrary to the provisions of ER- 91 and are not acceptable to PCI,” the PCI has clarified. PCI’s clarification in this regard comes close on the heels of AICTE releasing the Approval Process Handbook- 2012-2013 in which the technical education council has brought in several provisions regarding the pharmacy course which the PCI has found to be contrary to its provisions of Education Regulation-1991 (ER- 91).

Cautioning the aspiring pharma students against being carried away by the AICTE’s announcement, the PCI has said that it approves D. Pharm, B. Pharm and Pharm. D Pharm. D (P.B.) courses only in accordance with the provisions of the ER-91 and the Pharm. D Regulations, 2010 under the Pharmacy Act, 1948 for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist. “Any pharmacy course studied/undergone/conducted otherwise than in accordance with these regulations shall not be treated as an approved course for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act,” PCI said.

The PCI further clarified that it does not approve the courses such as post-diploma course in pharmacy of duration of 1.5 year/two years; Diploma programme in Clinical Pharmacy/Diploma Medical Lab Technology/ Pharmaceutical Science/Pharmaceutics; Post diploma programme in Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy; and Degree programme in Pharma Technology/ Pharmaceutical Science/Pharmaceutical Technology/ Pharmaceutics for registration as a pharmacist u/s 32(2) or entry of additional qualifications u/s 35 of the Pharmacy Act or for the purpose of teaching pharmacy subjects in pharmacy institutions approved u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

Contradicting the AICTE’s approval for more admissions for pharma courses, the PCI has said that the approved number of admissions by PCI in pharmacy courses run by pharmacy institutions approved for the purpose of registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948 are 60 for D. Pharm, 60 for B. Pharm (in the first instance) and 100 in already approved B. Pharm institutions after verification of the facilities, 30 for Pharm. D and 10 for Pharm. D (PB) courses.

“Any admissions made over and above the sanctioned intake by the PCI/ admissions made in second shift/additional shift/evening shift are not eligible for registration as a pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act and the entire consequences of the same shall rest on the institution and the PCI will not be responsible for the same,” PCI has clarified.

Regarding the qualification of the teaching staff in pharmacy institutions approved by the PCI, it has been clarified that the qualification of teaching staff for teaching in pharmacy institution approved u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948 is governed by Appendix-B of Education Regulations, 1991 and Pharm. D Regulations, 2008.

In all institutions which are approved by the PCI u/s 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948, appointment of teaching faculty shall be done only with graduates & postgraduates in pharmacy who have qualified from the institutions approved under section 12 of Pharmacy Act 1948. The institutions are required to appoint teaching faculty only with graduate and post graduate qualifications in pharmacy who have qualified from the PCI approved institutions for consideration of approval under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

Kapil Sibal Rules out Rollback

digitalLEARNING Network

June 12, 2012

The Union Human Resources Development minister Kapil Sibal has said the government has no intent to impinge on the autonomy of the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs) and he has virtually ruled out going back on the new proposal.

Defending the decision to have one nationwide common entrance test, which is being opposed by IIT Kanpur among others, Sibal said this has been taken in accordance with the IIT Act passed by the Indian Parliament.

Sibal said this is a unanimous decision of the IIT Council.

“There is no intent to impact on the IIT system autonomy. The exam that is being contemplated is to be set by the IIT itself,” Sibal said. “We have no desire to anyway directly or indirectly. To protect the autonomy of IIT,” Sibal said and argued that the decision of the IIT Council is in tune with the international practices.

Sibal is leading a high-powered Indian delegation to co-chair the India-US education dialogue with the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Sibal had on May 28 announced that from 2013, aspiring candidates for IITs and other central institutes like NITs and IIITs will have to sit under a new format of common entrance test, which will also take the plus-two board results into consideration.

The minister had claimed that it was approved without dissent at a council consisting of the IITs, the IIITs and the NITs.

Senate of the IIT-Kanpur has rejected the Centre’s ‘one-nation one-test’ proposal and decided to conduct its own entrance exam from next year.

Sibal said that on his return from Washington, he would study the decisions being taken by the IIT Kanpur.

In his remarks, the minister said India, having a young and dynamic population, is facing enormous challenge in the higher education sector, and in order to provide college education to all the country in the coming years as many as 800 new universities and 40,000 to 50,000 new colleges.

“It is not an easy task. It is a monumental task. But there are enormous opportunities there.”

“We need to look at solutions which are out of the box, which are Froogle innovations,” Sibal said, adding that how to ensure that enough people go to college is one big challenge.

The country, he said, needs another 800 universities, and between 40,000 to 50,000 colleges, a goal he said is tough to achieve.

Sibal argued that the same quality of education can be provided with the communication revolution taking place.

“I think, globally we have to thank the way we think,” he said.

“Time has come for educational institutions to think differently,” he added.

Sibal said not much foreign investment is not coming in the country’s education sector.

This is quite surprising.”I still can’t fathom,” he said.

India would be setting about 100 community colleges in India from 2013 with the help of the United States.

Tripura to Have Northeast India’s first IIIT

digitalLEARNING Network

June 12, 2012

Frequently called as a forgotten state of the country, Northeast is going to get some attention from the central government this time. The Union Human Resource Development and Information Technology minister Kapil Sibal has announced in New Delhi that Northeast India’s first IIT would be set up in Tripura.

Tripura Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty informed, “Union Human Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal informed at a meeting in New Delhi that northeast’s first IIIT would be set up in Tripura. The HRD ministry has decided to establish 20 more IIITs in the country in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. In the first phase, five IIITs would be set up in different parts of India, including one in Tripura”.

Currently, there are four IIITs in India — Allahabad, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Kanchipuram. These autonomous institutions are providing undergraduate as well as postgraduate technical education.

“The central government has decided to provide more financial aid to the northeastern states than the other parts of the country to set up the IIITs,” Chakraborty added.

On an average, Rs.128 crore would be invested to set up each IIIT.

“To establish the IIITs in the northeast, the central government would provide 57.5 per cent share of the total cost while the state government would give 35 per cent share and the private or industrial houses’ share would be 7.5 percent,” the minister said.

To set up the IIITs in the other parts of India, excluding the northeast region, the central government’s share would be around 50 per cent and the industrial share would be around ten per cent.

The Tripura minister quoted Sibal as saying that “as India is emerging as a global player in the field of information technology and the IT industry is expanding rapidly, manpower requirement is growing exponentially. In order to develop manpower for different areas of the knowledge economy, education and training of information technology, the centre has decided to set up more IIITs in the country.”

Sibal chaired conference of state and union territories’ education ministers in New Delhi.

Rajasthan Coming Up As Higher Education Hub

digitalLEARNING Network

June 12, 2012

Rajasthan has been moving fast to become the higher education hub of the country. The education system in Rajasthan has been changing very fast owing to initiatives taken by the state government.

Providing equal, qualitative as well as professional qualification to girls and boys, the state government is keen to introduce various educational courses across the region.

In continuation of providing better education, Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to establish eight universities in a year. They include:

1. Alwar- Matasaya University,

2. Bharatpur- Braj University,

3. Sikar – Sekhawati University.

4. Jaipur – University of Journalism and Mass Communication

5. Jaipur- Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Law University,

6. Jodhpur- Sardar Patel Police and Security University,

7. Udaipur – Rajiv Gandhi Tribal University.

8. Sumerpur- Pali Agriculture University.

The state Government has also sanctioned a grant of Rs.10 crores each for the launching of two universities in Jaipur.

Apart from the promotion and pursuit of academic excellence, the state government is also planning to impart social education by providing facilities such as libraries and related tools and exposing young minds to information technology.

Having realized the growing demand for IIT’s and professional courses, an innovation and incubation centre for IIT is proposed to set up in full swing at Jodhpur.

A nano-technology centre at Kota Technical University is also being set up to promote the use of nano-technology in the state.

For providing better management education, construction work related to the new Indian Institute of Management (IIM) is in full swing in Udaipur.

Apart from these educational institutes, a Triple IIT in Kota, Centre University in Ajmer and World Class University in Jaipur , will start operations soon with the sincere efforts of Chief Minister Gehlot .

The state government is also launching new primary schools and colleges to converting the existing primary schools into upper primary higher secondary schools.

The recent state budget for the year 2012-13 has also seen a plethora of advancement in the field of education.

Plans to initiate around one thousand primary schools and convert about 600 primary schools into upper primary schools will surely help to impart education to more and more children.

The state government has been trying to motivate the young generation to excel in academics, especially in the class tenth and twelfth.

The government is planning to distribute laptops to the first ten thousand students, under the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Digital Students Plan.’ Along with this, students who secure first place in class eighth will also get learning laptops.

At least 12000 schools have libraries and to ensure that this facility is provided to the remaining 12,000 schools, the state government will spend Rs.16 crores.

Coaching centers are also in demand, especially for aspiring BPL students of the state wanting admission to engineering colleges.

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