Govt to start nationwide project in Vocational Education

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August 18, 2011

The Union Labour and Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has informed the Rajya Sabha that Government has planned to start a nationwide project in vocational education on different sectors like agriculture, horticulture technology, hotel management, tourism, banking and animal husbandry. Accordingly, Government has operationalised Skill Development Initiative (SDI) scheme with effect from May, 2007 for skill development of school leavers and existing workers throughout the country to improve their employability by optimally utilising the infrastructure available in Government, Private Institutions and the Industry. The objective of the scheme is to train one million persons in first five years and then one million every year.

So far 1260 Modular Employable Skill (MES) courses have been developed in 59 sectors including agriculture, horticulture technology, hotel management, tourism, banking and animal husbandry. The training is being provided through a network of about 6398 vocational training providers and assessment being done by 36 independent assessing bodies throughout the country. On the basis of their assessment, a National Council for Vocational Training certificate is issued which entitles them to work anywhere in the country or abroad.

National School of Leadership adopts My Open Campus for Blended Learning

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August 16, 2011

The National School of Leadership (NSL) announced a collaboration with My Open Campus (MOC), an online resource from Enhance Education, which focuses on bringing cutting-edge technology into Education, to provide a holistic platform for imparting NSL's blended learning based education. This initiative is targeted at providing a comprehensive platform for NSL to bring its leadership education programmes to its students through MOC's revolutionary interface designed to take education to the next level.

Speaking on the development, Dr Satasuryaa K. Sharma, Chairman, National School of Leadership, said, “We are proud to be associated with My Open Campus in this path-breaking initiative. At NSL, we recognize the need for more widespread use of blended learning modules, especially as we consider that most of our students are also working professionals, and have limitations upon their time. The blended learning model which we will introduce in the space will be the first of its kind, designed specifically for such students to focus on their educational efforts without compromising on their professional responsibilities. We believe that in partnership with My Open Campus, which provides a world-class platform, we can cover greater ground in our efforts to bring leadership education to the masses.”

Akshat Srivastava, CEO, My Open Campus, also commented, “Partnering with the National School of Leadership pushes our vision of bringing education to the masses to the next level. We are glad to be associated with NSL and will continue working with them in getting industy relavant content to our students.”

Arun Prabhudesai, CTO, My Open Campus, added, “Building an educational platform that can deliver on the complex requirements of a leadership school was both challenging and interesting considering the degree of detailing required by the National School of Leadership. Working jointly with the NSL team, it has taken a lot of research to launch the platform. We are certain that we can empower millions of students through this technological innovation”

The Blended Learning model adopted by the National School of Leadership is a cognitive neuroscientific technique of education which involves a combination of both interactive classroom teaching and online education. Taking a step further, the MOC platform will be able to blend the best of both techniques of education to bring about a holistic, interactive and synergistic development in the imparting of education.

IGNOU trains teachers to develop online courses

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August 16, 2011

At IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University), it is not just the students who experience the difference but the teachers too are at the epicenter of experiments. IGNOU has organised three-day conference to bring about a change in the way lessons are imparted to the students who are occupied by the teaching materials in one corner, huge chunk of registers on other; supplementary materials on one shelf and their library routine on the other. A dream which is soon taking a concrete shape is to revolutionize the way teaching is largely imparted on the inflexible mode. It is called imparting of education through the tech savvy way or education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) mode.

The Inter University Consortium (IUC) of the university organized a workshop to train the trainers who were invited from various universities in order to address the change which has struck the 21st century teachers and learners. The change is the online learning/ teaching experience which has made easily accessible learning/ teaching material just a click away. Many open universities in the world and other traditional universities are developing online courses to enhance the reach of their university's study materials through videos, web content, internet, satellite or CDROM. Private institutions are also offering online courses. Online education is becoming popular day-by-day, but adapting face-to-face courses for online instruction presents many challenges and IGNOU took the initiatives to address them.

“While designing and developing any online course there are three major areas we should focus on: Instructional Design, Course Management and Instructional Media. The Design should be carefully done and then only development and implementation should come in. There should be judicious use of Multimedia, activities and interactivity among learners so that learning communities can be development for effective online learning,” said Prof. Madhu Parhar, Director, IUC, IGNOU.

The training programme was attended by twenty one faculty members from State Open Universities, Private Universities offering courses through Distance Mode and Faculty of Distance Education Institutes in Formal Universities like Jamia Hamdard (New Delhi), NIMS University (Jaipur), Anna University (Chennai), Karpagam University (Coimbatore), Dr. C.V. Raman University (Chhattisgarh), Institute of Advanced Studies in Education University (Rajasthan), Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (Maharashtra), Lovely School of Open and Distance Learning (Jalandhar), Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (Guwahati), Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Agra), Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (New Delhi) and UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UP).

This training workshop was imparted for awareness and Capacity Building programme to the faculty of universities (Open, Private

Kerala’s IT@School project to impart massive ICT training to parents

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August 16, 2011

Kerala's IT@School Project would be imparting massive ICT (Information Communication Technology) training to parents, as part of 100 days programme of the Government. The innovative programme would commence on 20th August 2011 and would be undertaken at all the High Schools of the State. As part of the programme, a One-day ICT awareness session would be conducted first in a campaign mode wherein parents would get a bird's eye view on the new outlook of the classrooms along with the upgraded educational systems, ICT facilities made available in schools, ICT enabled education, functioning of School IT Clubs, IT Mela, various ICT trainings for students, more about IT@School ViCTERS channel, prevention of Cyber crimes etc. A video detailing the ICT activities in schools would also be demonstrated in all High Schools.

“Through this programme, it is intended to educate parents on the modern ICT tools being used in schools in the State, besides making them ICT literate, and to ensure their participative support in sustaining & upgrading the available ICT facilities in the schools”, says K Anvar Sadath, Executive Director, IT@School Project. Director of Public Instruction, A Shajahan has issued a Circular instructing the conduct of Parental Awareness programmes in all schools to be completed by their respective IT Clubs between 20th August and 13th September. Schools have also been instructed to submit the reports of the programme online. Special recognition would be provided to schools who conduct the programme in an excellent manner. The State level inauguration of the programme would be held on 20th August 2011 at 2 PM at GHSS, Thirurangadi in Malappuram District and Shri P K Abdurab, Minister for Education would be inaugurating the programme.

In continuation to the ICT awareness programme and as part of 'Software Freedom Day' celebrations on 17th September, specific ICT training would commence in all High Schools for those parents who are keen to learn more on ICT. The training would be conducted in batches without affecting the normal functioning of schools. A new training module has been developed for the programme which comprises of usage of Free Software, Operating System, Word Processing, Malayalam Computing, Internet etc. With the acquisition of these skills, the parents would be able to equip with functional knowledge on day-to-day IT activities like working of storage devices, CD-writing, Emails, Malayalam Typing, Cyber security etc. A special documentary on parental awareness programme would be telecast in IT@School ViCTERS channel on 19th and 20th August 2011 at 4 PM.

NCERT, NIOS submit proposal for 24X7 television channel

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August 16, 2011

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have submitted a proposal for launching 24X7 television channel to cater to the needs of school education and adult literary.

The Central Institute of Educational Technology, National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi and the National Institute of Open Schooling, NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh will be the lead partners. The Department of Adult Education and its sister agencies in the States, State Institutes of Educational Technology, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan, Novodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and other educational agencies in the Centre and the States will be invited to participate and contribute.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr. D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question, in the Lok Sabha.

Apeejay Stya University add new programmes in Public Policy Administration

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August 12, 2011

Realising the dearth of trained manpower in various arenas of public engagement, such as Corporate/Government sector, National/Global organisations, Apeejay Stya University adds three new courses, which will open a wide array of alternatives for the students with opportunities in India and abroad, primarily in government, community, development and private sectors.

The Programmes namely BBA in Public Policy and administration, MBA in Public Policy and Administration and MA-Public Policy and Development Studies are designed to focus on understanding changing expectations about the government along with the changing modes of delivering public services. The BBA in Public Policy and administration is a Bachelor program designed for duration of four years. Five year integrated programme Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Public Policy and Administration, aims to produce graduates who will understand and apply relevant theories and concepts; develop skills to define and resolve issues in public policy and management; and blend theory and practice by working throughout the course on a wide range of practical issues. MA-Public Policy and Development Studies is another five year program which has been developed due to the arising need of professionals having expertise in the particular area. This is a result of the commitment of Apeejay Stya University to provide well rounded professionals to the society who will have a focused approach towards Governance and development.

“The programmes first give students a comprehensive exposure to a variety of fields and different schools of thought through a set of 'Core' disciplines that enhances their broad understanding of the domains of science, technology, arts, literature, philosophy and language. The 'Core' combined with the 'Liberal Arts' approach of ASU, develops the students' ability to excel in cross-functional roles, collaborate across boundaries, and analyze and communicate effectively. This is followed by a thorough grounding in public policy concepts and frameworks that prepares them to solve complex policy challenges, gain an understanding of finance, macro-economics, strategic management, HR, governance and effective administration.” says Sushma Berlia, Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University

Schools to use Mobile handset for assessment

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August 12, 2011

Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 or Option 4 – which ever you feel is the correct answer, dial the number and submit your answers! This is how assessments are happening in schools these days where the students are submitting their answers through a mobile phone.

A part of the Detailed Assessment (DA) process, offered by Ahmedabad-based educational research organisation, Educational Initiatives (EI), almost 60 schools across the country will now be using the mobile handsets as a tool to submit their answers for their periodic tests.

“Through the detailed assessment, we provide the schools with diagnostic, descriptive test reports for each individual student and the whole class. The normal tests in school usually provide an indicator of past performance but do not provide feedback on where and how to improve. Also this process takes a few weeks, resulting in loss of crucial time,” said Vinay Chousalkar, product head at EI. “Using the mobile handsets, schools will save on this time and the analysis of the test results can be provided to students and teachers within 24 to 48 hours. Teachers will use this feedback to conduct immediate and effective remediation for the entire class thus increasing the effectiveness of assessments dramatically”, he added.

EI provides a kit containing 40 mobile phones to the school that connect to the handset of the teacher via Bluetooth. The teacher handset in-turn sends the data to the EI server using the GPRS and SMS platforms. The students are given tests papers generated by EI and they have to choose their options and submit their answers through these mobile handset. Once all the students have submitted their answers, these answers are uploaded to the EI server, where the analysis begins.

“The diagnostic report does not simply say which student scored how much, but pin-points three common misconceptions in the test and how the class and each student has fared on those. It also gives a set of remedial actions and suggested activities to clear those misconceptions, performance in the sub-topics and finally the score sheet,” said Chousalkar. There are 13 schools in Bangalore that will be using the mobile handsets for assessments. These include DPS, Bangalore (South), Presidency School, SSB International School amongst others. Other than Bangalore, there are schools in Chennai, Hyderabad and Madurai among other cities in southern India that have opted for this assessment tool.

Suchita Shah, managing trustee of Amrit Vidyalaya, Kalol near Ahmedabad said, “For us, a standardized external test was important, especially because at the end on the test we find out what our students are lacking in and what direction the teachers need to take. It also is a great way to find which topics the teachers should take up, teaching them in new innovative ways. As a school we opted for this for the instant and great incite we will get”.

Chairman of Children's Academy in Mumbai, Rohan Bhatt, said, “The instant feedback will ease the load on the teachers who are in constant pressure of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) introduced by CBSE. DA will not only find the misunderstandings in our classes but scientific analysis. Before introducing this tool, we even discussed with the parents who are extremely supportive on the tool”.

NIIT Foundation launches Career Development Centre to enhance employability among youth

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August 11, 2011

NIIT Foundation (NF) to provide education and training to the under-served communities unveiled NIIT Yuvastar Career Development Centre at Civil Lines, Delhi. The centre was inaugurated by P Rajendran, Chief Operating Officer, NIIT. Also present on the occasion were Raghubans Bahadur, Past-President, Aruna Jain, President, Anita Gupta, Honorary General Secretary, and Purnima Rai, Honorary Treasurer, from Khairati Clinic Society and Sapna Moudgil, Implementation Head NIIT Foundation. The space and infrastructural support for the CDC will be provided by Khairati Clinic Society.

NIIT Yuva Star, the Career Development Centre (CDC) will serve as a vocational training centre providing English, Comuter, and employability skills to under-served youth in the age group 15-25 years. The eligible youth will then be placed in jobs in various industry sectors such as retail, BPO, and IT.

Speaking on the occasion, P Rajendran, Chief Operating Officer, NIIT Ltd. said, “I am delighted to unveil this state-of-the-art centre at Civil Lines. This is yet another initiative by NIIT to unleash the power of youth from urban slums and contribute to development of the nation.”

NIIT Yuva Star is an initiative by NIIT Foundation to empower the youth in urban slums. This is the 20th such centre to be established in Delhi since 2008.

Government increases budget for Quality Education in Madrasas

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August 10, 2011

The budget provision for the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarasas (SPQEM) has progressively increased from Rs. 50 crore in 2009-10 to Rs. 104 crore in 2010-11 and Rs. 150 crore in 2011-12. The SPQEM seeks to encourage traditional institutions like Madarsas and Makhatabs to introduce Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum, so that children studying in these institutions attain academic proficiency.

SPQEM is a scheme for educational empowerment of children in Madarsas and Makhtabs. The introduction of modern subjects is voluntary. The Government has conducted several workshops to spread awareness about the scheme, and provided enhanced annual outlays for its implementation.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari, in a written reply to a question, in the Lok Sabha.

IGNOU inks pact with Aditya Birla Group

Higher Education

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August 8, 2011

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has inked pact with the Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited's wholly owned subsidiary Madura Fashion and Lifestyle Limited to impart necessary skills and training in garment stitching to the community members who are unemployed/ under employed and are residing mostly in the rural, suburban and disadvantaged locations.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both IGNOU and Madura Fashion and Lifestyle Limited will launch three Short Term Non Credit (STNC) courses namely: Basic Certificate in Garment Stitching for one month, Advance Certificate in Garment Stitching for two months and Advance Certificate in Garment Stitching and Quality Control for two and a half months. All of these programmes will be coordinated by IGNOU's Regional Center of Delhi-1 at Mohan Cooperative Estate.

The MoU was signed by the Registrar of the university U.S. Tolia and R.S. Balasubramanyam, Head- Corporate Social Responsibility, Aditya Birla Group in the presence of Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, VC, IGNOU, in the board room of the VC's office of the university.

The VC on the need to ink the pact said that, “Many organizations are looking for trained human resources and are training them as a part of their corporate social responsibility. They require a certification which is provided by IGNOU. Learners may even want to pursue these courses at a certificate or diploma level which may be provided to them in the later stages.”

Under the MoU, Madura F&L shall enroll at least 200 students per year as per IGNOU approved eligibility conditions and conduct programmes at approved learning centresonly. Balasubramanyam announced a special study center at Bangalore for the conduct of these courses.

“Certificates for all STNC programmes would be issued by IGNOU RC Delhi- I as per its standardized process and format,” said Dr Sanjeev Pandey, Regional Director, RC Delhi-1.

“This initiative is undertaken as a part of company's corporate social responsibility programme to actively contribute to the social economic development of the communities particularly of the marginalized sections of the society living in the rural and far flung areas. Such training would enable the individuals to have gainful employment in the industry and would also promote self employment,” said R.S. Balasubramanyam.

The company would be responsible for developing the teaching methodology for each programme based on its specific curriculum and learning objectives. It shall also provide practical and library facilities and shall also do the assignment evaluation, as per the guidelines and norms of IGNOU. A Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) would approve the teaching and training methodology. Madura F&L would accordingly organize teaching and learning as required at its centres and industry exposure through internship as per guidelines of the JCC.

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