Collaborations: The Main Focus of UKEIRI : Sally Goggin, Director Education, British Council India & Sri Lanka

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May 1, 2011

Sally Goggin, Director Education, British Council India & Sri Lanka, in conversation with Sheena Joseph, details out the various strands of the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) and its achievements during the past five years

Could you provide us with a brief background of the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI)?

UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) was initiated at a meeting between the Indian Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh and the then Prime Minster of UK, Mr Tony Blair. The aim was to strengthen and re-affirm the historical linkages that both the countries have shared in diverse areas. Started in April 2006, the main objective of UKIERI has been to enhance educational links between India and the UK. UKIERI has been successful in covering all segments of the education sector by working with universities, colleges, schools and technical institutions.

After the completion of the first five years, both governments have confirmed funding for UKIERI and the programme aims to now deliver systemic change by reaching out to larger numbers.

The School Partnership Strand of the UKIERI has been contributing significantly towards creating a life-long relationship amongst young people in UK and India. Can you provide details of your K12 initiatives?

UKIERI’s cluster school partnership programme has played an instrumental role in promoting the understanding among schools in India and UK. Interaction and cultural exchanges have strengthened school leadership and have equipped school principals, head teachers, faculty members, administrators and students for life in a global society and work in a global economy.

UKIERI has been working with private and government aided schools in India. We have reached out to more than 127 state funded schools and 148 private schools. The exchange of ideas and values between teachers of schools in India and UK have added value to their learning outcomes and have also provided for good and enriching student learning experiences.

What are the highlights of the higher education initiatives of UKIERI?

UKIERI has got an extension of another 5 years and there will be focus on a number of areas in higher education including leadership and related areas that can help build relationships between both the countries.

The aim has always been to promote collaboration and mutual exchange between higher educational institutes in UK and India through research initiatives and focus on areas in economic, educational and technical interest to both countries. The Collaborative Programme Delivery (CPD) strand of UKIERI was set out to facilitate the development and delivery of UK degrees and professional qualifications in India through institutional partnerships. Over the 5 years of the programme from 2006-2011, UKIERI funding was allocated to 27 separate collaborations, engaging 20 different universities in the UK with 23 partner institutes in India.

What have been the major activities under the professional and skills strand of UKIERI?

The Professional and Technical Skills strand of UKIERI has sought to promote linkages and partnerships between UK and Indian Further Education Centres of Excellence to develop collaborative projects, exchanges and work placements. The major focus areas have been Financial Skills sectors which include banking and insurance, Creative Industry including fashion, textiles, film/television and animation and Petrochemical.

We have facilitated 14 links till now between further education institutes in India and the UK against a target of 6 as set up in 2006. All these partnerships were formed through the process of expression of interest, pre bid workshop and project manager’s workshop. The corporate sector has also contributed funding and in-kind support like strategic expertise, representation on project steering committee and staff engagement on the professional and technical skills strand.

After the completion of the first five years, both governments in India and UK have confirmed funding for UKIERI and the programme aims to now deliver systemic change by reaching out to larger numbers

What are the future plans on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between MHRD, GoI and British High Commissioner for the India-UK Higher Education Leadership Development programme?

The endeavor for the programme was to contribute to the development of Higher Education (HE) leadership in India and the UK by forming working partnerships between Higher Education leaders. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the programme was signed between the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India and the British High Commission.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on behalf of Indian universities was the implementing agency in India and the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education (LFHE) on behalf of UK universities was the implementing agency in UK for the programme. UKIERI has been responsible for the overall management of the programme. The programme has garnered an extremely positive response from participants of both India and the UK higher education Institutes and has completed two phases by 2010. A number of workshops were organised to bring together these senior leaders to engage, deliberate and discuss the issues of Higher Education in the two countries. These regular interactions have resulted into long term collaborative partnerships.

Could you provide us details of the partnering agencies of UKIERI?

The UKIERI programme is a partnership programme that brings together diverse range of stakeholders and institutions in both countries. The programme garnered funding and support from the UK Government including the devolved authorities of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology supported the Research strand of the programme with joint call for bids from year 2007.

Some of the other key organisations that have supported UKIERI have included the University Grants Commission of India, Planning Commission of India, UK Commission for Employment and Skills- UK, Quality Assurance Authority- UK, National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India and Universities of UK.

UKIERI also actively engaged with Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and Ministry of Labour and Employment (MOLE) in implementing various sub activities and events across the programme strands.

In the corporate sector, Shell, GlaxoSmithKline and BAE Systems have been associated with the initiative as Corporate Champions along with BP which extended support to UKIERI as a Corporate Champion for three years, from 2006-2009 and continued to be actively engaged with the schools strand . KPMG too was associated with UKIERI as the keystone partner for Financial Services Skills Exchange, from 2006-2009, on the professional and technical skills strand.

Vocationalisation of K-12 is the Need Today : Dr Veera Gupta, Secretary- Central Board of Secondary Education

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May 1, 2011

Dr Veera Gupta, Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in conversation with Sheena Joseph, elaborates about the progress of CBSE’s current initiatives in education and also provides snippets about what we can expect from CBSE in the coming months

In order to curb commercialisation, CBSE has recently put restrictions on schools with regard to charging hefty fees. What is CBSE’s mandate in this regard?

CBSE has always supported and worked as per national policy directives. All its policies are directed towards curbing commercialisation of education. Most of the schools affiliated with CBSE are independently managed, having varied fee structures. We have been getting complaints about exorbitant fees being demanded by schools. Also there have been cases where schools have been profiteering through the sale of school uniform and textbooks at the school premises. CBSE will be coming out with a circular to curb such practices.

To address grievances from parents or student bodies regarding the fee structure, CBSE bylaws have prescribed that the school fee should be in consonance with the facilities that are offered at the school. CBSE has been regularly looking into such matters and taking relevant measures.

CBSE has proposed the introduction of ‘Body Science’ as a vocational subject for classes XI and XII. What is the importance of vocationalisation in secondary schools?

Vocationalisation is an emerging issue and since CBSE is a board for secondary and senior secondary education, it will be taking up activities towards the same in this sector.

Secondary education, as has been observed in the last few decades, has lost its character, with it being relegated to the status of merely being a precursor for higher education. Secondary school education in itself does not have an identity, ethos or personality of its own.

However, if we observe the current student trends in India, only 11% of students enter higher education after completion of their schooling. The remaining percentage of students either drop-out before completing secondary education, or might only manage to complete secondary schooling. Entering into higher education may not necessarily be an option for them. Therefore, there has been a need to create a system where vocationalisation of school education is also given adequate importance, with focus on enhancing the skills sets of students between the age of 14-18 years.

Because of its need and requirement in the current situation, there is a sustained effort from policy makers towards vocationalisation. In principle and practice, CBSE will make all efforts to actually implement vocationalisation in its true spirit so that we can reap the advantages of India’s demographic dividend, that is, of being a young nation.

We are going to start a vocational cell which will make concentrated efforts in creating new courses, designing of new curriculum, text books, and evaluation methods to promote vocationalisation.

What is the role of technology in creating a better teaching-learning environment for students and teachers?

ICT is integral to the teaching learning process. In an age where massive expansion of education is required, we cannot do without the use of technology.

ICT is vital for dissemination of knowledge, for evaluation and for keeping data and records. The role of ICT is multi faceted and it has to be exploited to the maximum potential.

The capacity building of teachers in ICT has been a mandate of teacher training colleges and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). They have been taking care of the training needs in ICT.

What is the progress of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) training by the CBSE?

CCE was recommended long back in 1949 as a part of most of the national policies and commissions on education. It was a reform that was long due and CBSE introduced it in 2009. The batch of 2011 will be the first to pass out of the CCE assessment system. CBSE has made all efforts in order to implement it successfully in schools.

We have recently launched a project where CBSE is going to collect evidence of the actual assessments being carried out in schools, by studying the activities done by students under formative assessments. This will provide us with a major feedback on the impact it has made on student learnings as well as the level of understanding and outcomes of CCE among the teachers. The project will be initiated in a few months from now.

Overall, from the responses that we have received, both the teachers and students are satisfied with the entire process. Gradually, fears and apprehensions have allayed.

We have several plans for training of teachers in CCE. Last year we had conducted training of 40,000 teachers all over the country and in this year we are targeting 50,000 teachers.

Could you elaborate on some of the future initiatives that CBSE will initiate in the school education sector?

As expansion in education is high on the national agenda, CBSE is also looking towards expansion, while at the same time ensuring that quality education does not take a backseat. With this in mind, CBSE is going to initiate accreditation of schools which will be separate from the affiliation bylaws. Accreditation will be done by an independent agency which will not rank or rate the school but will accredit it by finding out if they meet the set quality standards. This will go a long way in ensuring quality in school education. This is one of the major initiatives which CBSE is planning in the future.

What are your views on global collaborations among schools in India and abroad?

Diversity is always an indicator of quality. CBSE believes in this idea and this is the reason it has launched CBSE-I (International) which is an international curriculum. Under this we have around 26 schools and the aim is to prepare students for the global environment and culture. We encourage collaborations and would definitely explore opportunities for sharing ideas, expertise, knowledge and excellence globally.

Progressive English Learning with Technology : Jasvinder Singh, CEO- ACTUniv

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May 1, 2011

Language is never learnt. It is acquired. With this philosophy, ACTUniv has taken the language learning for students to the pinnacle of success in a short span of time. In an exclusive interview with Jaydeep Saha, Jasvinder Singh, CEO, ACTUniv talks on various aspect of language learning, and deliverables. Excerpts:

What is the main content that you deliver? How does it enhance education in schools and colleges?

We deliver English Language Lab, the digital content that provides resource on all language aspects serving the needs of the Indian audience. The focus is on development of skills in functional usage of the language, grammar and phonetics besides vocabulary, remedy to regional influences, pronunciation and games. Learners need a practical approach to skill acquisition and a lot of practice. We also provide special content for the Teachers of English and structured curricula besides Trainer manuals and the much needed Training of Trainers. The lessons are practical and represent common practices that are easier for the learner to relate to and comprehend.

What are the basic features that you develop in a child? How competent have they become ever since they are taken care by your technology?

English is a skill and should not be treated like a subject. Our products are interactive and feature several tools for a learner to use and develop the L.S.R.W. skills. It is our endeavour to keep learning simple, progressive and participative. “Leading by example” and “Learning by doing” are the keys. The learners mostly enjoy the freedom to error (with no embarrassment) and remedy such errors with practice. Learners have grown in confidence and are able to express themselves better. The students enjoy learning through language labs and have become passionate about English as a language, which has made the difference.

Over 1100 installations in Indian Institutions and 1000 more by the end of 2011, stand testimony of the products, implementation and training

Please define ILT and CBT.

ILT: Instructor Led Training referring to the training provided by the teacher and CBT: Computer Based Training refers to the self help exercises on a PC. These are the terminology that is associated with e-learning and also with language labs. However, what matters most is the content included therein and the effective use of technology elements to provide training support. In our products we ensure that the teacher as well as the learner is provided with the best of tools to demonstrate, practice and assess covering LSRW and more.

Do your students actually travel through the deserts of Sahara and Rain Forests of Amazon in classrooms? How can an Indian downtrodden suburb primary school benefit from you?

The global orientation is evident in the communication capabilities that we have focused on in our programs, although we don’t take the learners globetrotting, the scenario’s in our product provide exposure to various situations that also compliments other academic subjects.

Our content has been adapted to suit the Indian public especially the majority that is rural. Reaching the rural has its challenges as electricity and computers are a problem and we have addressed these with specialized solutions.

We believe in being practical about functional English and want our learners to be able to use English for everyday chores. The lessons are based on scenarios that are common to every day routine as well as in sync with the ALTE/CEFR framework. The benefit to even the remote school is that their students will be able to understand and use English in conversation. In our experience we have found that the rural students, be it schools or otherwise, are more serious about learning English and are fast learners.

What emphasis do you give on LSRW? How does a language lab work in correcting the vocabulary and pronunciation of a child who uses Colloquial English?

Language is never learnt. It is acquired. If one wants to acquire language, learners must follow natural way of learning things. L-S-R-W is natural way of acquiring language skills. Besides the LSRW, vocabulary and pronunciation aspects, our products provide the much needed remedy to the influence of regional languages. Our products are built with several tools that provide expert audio, graphical patter of voices including the learner’s recorded audio, comparison, intonation and modulation, words and phrases, meaning and association, pictorial reference etc. These tools complement the appreciation of the context.

Please specify your contribution to higher education students in their market-ready attitude. What extra do you put to make them competent?

The Words Worth content is designed to prepare an individual to face the professional environment empowering him with capabilities to face interviews and present their views and expressions through English as a language of communication. Through our initiative more than 1, 00,000 students have benefited. We have also included the much needed soft skills for the students of higher and professional programs.

Please throw some light on RS-CEL and SCOPE. What has been the main content for the uplift?

English is the language of the economy, much needed by a progressing country and even more to India that is in the lead. SCOPE is an initiative of the government of Gujarat and RS-CEL is that of Government of Rajasthan. These are India’s largest state sponsored capacity building initiatives to enhance capacities of the masses with proficiency in English. These programs are a great success as proficiency in English enhances the job prospects of an individual by 300 per cent. The Words Worth content and methodology is deployed in these projects. We are about to introduce a self learning English language tool, which reduces the dependency on teachers in one of these projects.

Please say something about your take on foreign universities, including Cambridge and Trinity. Why PTE-G?

International Language Certification is important as it provides a measure the learner’s knowledge and usage of the language on par with international level. We follow the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and encourage learners with tests based on these frameworks.

The Pearson Tests of English (PTE-G) certificate is equivalent to IELTS and TOEFL and has been accepted by over 70 universities in Europe for both immigration and study abroad purpose. In India there is a Boon for “Spoken English” but there is no certificate provided for General English by institutes to prove an international validity and certificate for the course. We create “Test centres” of the existing Schools, Colleges, and Universities and private vocational training institutes. By doing so, they can train and provide certificate to their students and raise their linguistic bar.

What and where next in India and abroad?

In India, we intent to reach every corner through our various delivery mechanisms. We have content for both urban and rural markets. There are inquiries from abroad that we are examining and hope to connect in this financial year.

SAE-AAT Media College to offer B.Sc in Visual Communication

Higher Education

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April 28, 2011

Access Atlantech Edutainment (I) Ltd. (AAT) Media College and SAE are offering UGC recognised Bsc. Visual communication graduate course, affiliated to the Dibrugarh University, Assam. This course will cover the vast area of media studies with compulsory major Elective in Audio Engineering or Digital Film Making, or Animation and VFX from the fifth semester. This visual communication degree on offer will be the first in India, which will offer employable electives in the final year of study. With audio engineers, film makers and animators much in demand this course will see employers recruiting media professionals who graduate with job equipped skill-sets. The course is offered while keeping in mind that media design is the most dynamic area of visual design, requiring both creative and technical skills. It is structured to equip the student with high – level design ability, an understanding of current technologies, and professional communication skills in the context of current and future media industries. It also aims at producing visual design and media content for online, offline, interactive and multimedia applications. Development of design solutions for cross-platform and developing a professional portfolio of work in preparation for career in media design is also included in the curriculum. Mr.Rathish Babu, CEO, AAT(I) Ltd said, “AAT has always acted keeping the requirement of students and industry in mind. Demand for specialised graduates is the need of the entertainment and media industry for content making. After a couple of years of research and market surveys we have come up with a concise industry oriented curriculum for B.Sc. Degree in visual communication. This course shall see a new vista opening for AAT and the most sought after choice for students looking at joining a course which combines arts, aesthetics and technology.” The degree course is scheduled to commence in July 2011 and application and prospectus would be available in all AAT centers across India.

MNIT students empowering rural youths

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April 26, 2011

Special councelling sessions on career, healthcare and education have started with an initiative of the Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, students who regularly visit small towns and villages to hold workshops for the youths. Ganpat Yadav, a second year student of MNIT and his group started a project, Polishing Village Diamonds (PVD)', to empower village youths after being aware of an inspirational job of a group of engineering students working for rural development in all National Institute of Technology (NIT) across the country under the banner of National Institute for Technology for Villages (Nvil). Yadav is a resident of Mundro village in Sawai Madhopur district. Being well acquainted with the problems faced by rural students, he came-up with the project to create awareness on the various career opportunities available after Class XII. Currently, the group has 13 members. The group held many counselling sessions in nearby villages. “The high drop-out rate in villages is attributed to the lack of job opportunities for village students,” said Yadav sharing his experience. His group has also tied up with government schools and civic bodies in the villages visited and has plans to hold workshops for teachers. Among their activities is conducting street plays to educate farmers, women and students on various government policies meant for them. “There is clear divide between the urban poor and the rural poor. The latter is completely devoid of schemes in the absence of civil society support,” Yadav said. Pawan, a member of the group, said they have devised a quiz competition with the help of a psychologist to expand the imagination of students. “We have identified some villages with high drop-out rates. This quiz competition will be introduced in these villages at the start of admission season,” he said. The group is also chalking out plan to popularise RTE Act in villages. They felt that this Act meant for the economically disadvantaged groups, primarily live in the rural areas and are left out in absence of an awareness campaign. “This (RTE Act) is the biggest tool for the rural people to empower themselves by sending their wards to premier schools,” Yadav said. The creative arts society of MNIT has extended its support to the group. The society will bear expenses on posters, banners and travel allowances.

Pearson takes over Schoolnet for US$230mln

Corporate Updates

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April 26, 2011

Education technology company Schoolnet is now under Pearson after the latter acquired it for US$230 million. Pearson said that Schoolnet's data-based solutions will complement its products and services to help boost student achievement through diagnostic tools and tailored instruction. Schoolnet supports the course, evaluation and other services to help individualise instruction and improve teacher effectiveness. “Being able to offer a connective digital spine for learning has been Pearson's goal for years, Schoolnet has shared our passion, and together we can make that spine more flexible and powerful for schools, teachers and students,” said chief executive of Pearson Marjorie Scardino. Jonathan Harber will continue to serve as Schoolnet's chief executive and as a senior executive at Pearson. The acquisition is set to be neutral to earnings per share (EPS) in the current year. Schoolnet currently serves more than 5 million US pre K-12 students through partnerships with districts and states, supporting about one-third of America's largest urban cities. Shares in Pearson climbed 1.3 percent to 1,145 pence on the announcement.

Many UK schools spend less than

K-12

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April 26, 2011

Many primary school pupils are going without up-to-date Information and Communication Technology (ICT) learning tools as 1804 schools across England and Wales spend less than

IT career in limelight

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April 26, 2011

Career service websites noted that rapid technological developments have created many tools and software for companies to use, so staff who can make use of these tools for the companies' advantage are in demand. There are many helpful hi-tech tools and software now, including smartphones and tablets, and human resources who can develop new applications for their platforms are needed, besides the popularity of social media among businesses has also raised demand for employees with IT skills. The demand for IT and computer personnel is higher, but the number of graduates from these fields to fill the growing demand is not enough, Vichien Shnatepaporn, CEO of Top Gun Group said adding this trend is likely to continue for 10 years. A programmer who is a new graduate from a leading state university could start with a Bt18,000 (S$740) monthly salary in a local company and up to Bt30,000 (S$1,235) in a multinational company. New graduates working in other fields earn around Bt12,000 (S$494) Bt14,000 (S$576) maximum. Besides computer and IT skills, more job opportunities would open up for those with green technology expertise. Environmental engineering graduates would have an advantage, but personnel familiar with environmentally friendly technology should also improve their knowledge. It is expected that scientists, technicians and researchers would be desired in the next five or six years, as innovations and medicine would have to respond to people's needs. On the other hand, accounting still faces a shortage of personnel but vocational education is recommended because industry could not find enough workers, besides staff with human resources (HR) and administration skills would be popular.

Nigerian biotech to boost ICT

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April 26, 2011

Taking advantage of the escalating biotech industry, the Nigerian government and private sectors should gear up to highlight and boost the biotech background of the country in order to create a solid new IT sector, said Reuben Jaja, Chairman of Ijaw Foundation. “Our job is to change the present situation and upgrade the resource we have to create conditions for formation of powerful biotech sector in Nigeria,” said Jaja adding the importance of the Regional Center for Bio-Enterprise Development (RCBD) as an institution that could help move the country into the forefront of the biotech industry worldwide should be the focus. It comes as his foundation launched a series of workshops to help educate and improve on the knowledge of biotech in the country. The regional center for bio-technology enterprise development was created by the Federal Government and the emphasis for developing it was pushed by government as a way of promoting the industrial base of the Niger Delta communities by way of supporting industries that focus on non-oil resource areas.

Jaro Education launches IFRS, Route2jobs

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April 25, 2011

Jaro Education launched two distinctive online courses– International financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Route2jobs. To deliver the best quality education, JE joined hands with United Business Institute (UBI) Belgium. While IFRS covers all the basic concepts of international accounting standards, Route2jobs is meant for all employment entrance exams. Inaugurating the two courses, actress and model Dr. Aditi Govitrikar said, 'Unlike the past, there is plethora of opportunities for Indian youth. But at the same time, they require appropriate guidance for preparation of various entrance exams. Huge number of people will certainly be benefited by Route2jobs”. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Sanjay Salunkhe, Director Jaro Education said “The world is becoming excessively competitive and it is important for all working professionals to stay abreast with the latest developments in their respective fields. IFRS is an online diploma for accounting professionals to learn International accounting standards, which help them position themselves in the international markets.” Lucien Van Dievoet, Director and UBI Mr. Dirk Daenen, Dean, UBI were also present during the inauguration.

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