Former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Saturday interacted with rural students in Masuri town of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, inspiring them through a motivational lecture. Kalam was the chief guest at Rahat Educational Society in Masuri in an event on developing rural talents. He urged the children to set clear aim for their future and commit themselves to it. S.M. Khan, director general of Press Information Bureau, presided over the function. Rahat Educational Society, headed by lawyer Kunwar Ayub Ali, organised the interactive programme to inspire its students on talent development.
Federation of Muslim educational institutes launched
Aiming to modernize the community's educational centres, including the madrasas (religious schools), the Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Saturday launched an association of the management bodies of Muslim educational institutes. The new Federation of Muslim Educational Institutes (India) will be an umbrella body of these institutes. Jamat-e-Islami Hind is a prominent Muslim body that works for the welfare of the community, especially in the field of education, though it is sometimes criticized for its conservative views. “The idea is to improve the quality of education and make it uniform to match the modern day needs. Besides, there are a lot of government schemes for the welfare of minorities that the managing bodies usually are unaware of,” JIH spokesperson Mujtaba Farooq told the sources. The federation will also provide training to teachers serving in madrasas and schools to equip them with modern education, he said. About 2,000 NGOs running schools and colleges in various states have already registered as members. However, among the leading madrasas, only Jamiatul Falah in Azamgarh has come on board. Other leading madrasas, including Darul Uloom Deoband and Nadwatul Ulema in Lucknow, did not attend the meeting even though they were invited. “Niyaz Farooqi and Abdul Hameed Nomani from Jamiat Ulema and someone from Nadwa were supposed to come. They did not turn up, but the federation has their blessings,” said a JIH source. “Modernization of madrasas is a part of this programme not its only aim,” he added. Prominent Muslim leaders, including former parliamentarian Syed Shahabuddin, retired bureaucrat and chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University Syed Hamid and Justice Sohail Siddiqui, took part in the proceedings.
DU colleges asked to install surveillance systems
After the recent Radhika Tanwar incident that has given rise to a massive outrage, the Delhi University (DU) has recommended all colleges and hostels under it to install electronic surveillance systems such as closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in their premises to increase security for students. The move by DU comes after the Delhi Police had issued an advisory for colleges to install CCTV cameras in their premises. DU Proctor H.P. Singh said, “The Delhi Police had sent us an advisory for installing surveillance systems three weeks ago. We have already sent letters to colleges as well as hostels in the North Campus to install surveillance cameras. Letters are also being dispatched to colleges in the South Campus.” He further added that the installation of the surveillance systems would be a good step in ensuring the safety of students as it would prevent untoward incidents from happening and also help in investigations. The university has also said that it is ready to provide monetary assistance to hostels and colleges to help them in setting up the system. DU has also asked colleges to avail funds from OBC infrastructure grants for installing the systems. Singh said that if some colleges have exhausted their infrastructure funds, they can send the university proposals requesting financial assistance. These colleges would then be helped on a case-to-case basis. The university will also be assisting the hostels as they don't get OBC infrastructure funds. Principals of various colleges said that they have already begun taking action in compliance with the Delhi Police's advisory. Hansraj College Principal V.K. Kawatra said that the college's campus, canteen and other open areas already had cameras for some time and CCTV cameras in other places would be installed within a month. Principal Pratibha Jolly of Miranda House said that they had already installed CCTV cameras at the canteen and entry-exit gates at the insistence of students after 26/11. “We have received the advisory and will enhance the scope of installing surveillance cameras in more areas of the college,” she said.
Students rush for college admissions in Kashmir
As the new academic sessions begins in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the state is witnessing a huge rush of students seeking admission to colleges and universities. The Class 12 results for the state had been declared a few days ago. A teacher at a college in the Kashmir valley said that the college had seen thousands of students who had passed the class 12 exams and had come to seek admissions in various courses. “In some courses, the number of seats is limited so we have to conduct entrance tests for students,” she said. Most colleges saw that the number of female students that were seeking admissions to colleges was higher than that of the males as the pass percentage of girl students was higher than the boys'. An official from the Education Department of the state said that not all students opt for admission to colleges after passing class 12. “several students wait and prepare for combined entrance examinations for admission to various medical and engineering colleges in the state,” he said. Another official from the admission section of a university in the state said that the University of Kashmir offers several courses and the admission to them is based on an entrance test. The University of Kashmir has also been seeing several students who are seeking admission to postgraduate courses. The admission procedure for the University of Kashmir is convenient for students as it is transparent and the results of the admission are posted online to allow easy access for everyone. Students usually apply to more than one courses so as to ensure admission to the university. Besides the University of Kashmir, students are also making a beeline for admission to the Islamic University of Science and Technology in Awantipora.
AICTE makes minor changes in admission norms for b-schools
The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) on Friday made minor changes in its norms that had been formulated for admission to postgraduate diploma in management and postgraduate certificate in management. The apex body in India for technical education regulation has clarified that the B-schools can now chose the Common Admission Test (CAT), Management Aptitude Test (MAT) or the examination conducted by the states for providing admission to students. B-schools will also be allowed to pick students for admission using a combination of these tests. The AICTE had recently released controversial norms for management institutes, which had been criticized by b-schools. The AICTE has now offered a minor concession in norms but has not addressed the major demands of b-schools, for which they had even approached the Supreme Court. The state governments which will be managing the admission procedure will then offer seats to students in Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) institutions which would be based on the combination of tests that have been picked by the b-schools and ranking of the student according to that. The notification by the AICTE on December 30, 2010 that had proved to be controversial had directed that the state governments would decide whether students would be admitted to b-schools through CAT, MAT or the state government's test. The latest decision of the AICTE regarding the admission process for b-schools does not address several concerns that had been raised by b-schools after the December 2010 notification. Institutes have argued that giving the state governments the power to manage the admission procedure for b-schools, including the decision of where a student will finally get admission was an attempt to taking away their autonomy. They also said that this could lead to corruption and red-tapism.
Private university violates green norms in Himachal
A Punjab-based private professional university that is setting up its campus in Himachal Pradesh has violated environmental norms, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said on Friday. “Environmental violations have been done by Rayat Bahra University in the construction of phase-II campus in Waknaghat (near Shimla),” Dhumal, who also holds the environment portfolio, said in a written reply in the state assembly. He said violations have been observed by the government as university authorities flattened the hill by 10 metres against the permissible limit of 3.5 metres. “Cognizance of this offence has been taken by the Special Area Development Authority of Kandaghat and a notice has been issued March 9, 2011, under the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act of 1977,” the minister said. The HP Pollution Control Board had also issued notices to the university authorities last year for polluting water and air, but these were rectified later. However, Dhumal said there was no violation of cutting the hill during the construction of phase-I of the campus. Dhumal's statement is significant as the opposition Congress party has been leveling allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party state government for relaxing environmental norms and Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land reforms Act. These norms barred any non-agriculturist, including bonafide Himachalis, from purchasing land without special permission from the government. The Congress party has also been raising the environmental violations by the upcoming Rayat Bahra University.
Tobacco control may be part of medical courses soon
If everything goes according to plan, India may soon introduce “tobacco control and cessation” in the curriculum for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). The Dental Council of India (DCI) had accepted a proposal for the introduction of the subject to the curriculum in its last executive committee meeting. The final approval is now lying pending with the union health ministry. A draft syllabus on tobacco control and cessation in dental clinics has also been formulated for being incorporated into the BDS syllabus. According to a ministry note, dental practitioners are the first point of contact for patients who maybe suffering from pre-cancer lesions and oral cancer, apart from discoloration of teeth and diseases of the gum. The note says that the existing curriculum for BDS courses does not adequately address issues such as tobacco use and cessation. It further adds that the DCI is seeking approval from the union ministry of health for the inclusion of the topic tobacco control in the syllabus for community dentistry. “The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) that was recently released revealed that around a third of adults in India consume tobacco. 26% of these consume smokeless tobacco. India has the highest rate of oral cancer in the world at 80%-90%.” Introducing tobacco control and cessation as part of the MBBS course is also being considered by the MCI. The plan would mean introducing tobacco as part of courses such as pharmacology, community medicine, psychiatry, surgery, pathology and biochemistry.
Kapil Sibal meets Malaysian Deputy PM
The Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal met Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd. Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, here last evening. During the talks, discussions were held on a wide range of subjects. On vocational education, Sibal explained to the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia that the HRD Ministry is in the process of preparing a National Vocational Educational Qualification Framework. He said that the NVEQF will have nine levels of certification, with the flexibility to move into the general education system. The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister expressed interest in the NVEQF. Sibal also, during the talks, brought up the subject of the need of a roadmap of equivalence between degrees of the two countries.
Shridhar University Pilani, NIESBUD Noida partner for Social Inclusion Training Programmes
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of enterprises and 60%-70% of employment, and generate a large share of new jobs in OECD economies. SMEs play a vital role for the growth of Indian economy by contributing 45% of industrial output, 40% of exports, employing 60 million people, create 1.3 million jobs every year and produce more than 8000 quality products for the Indian and international markets. SME's Contribution towards GDP in 2009 was 17% which is expected to increase to 22% by 2012. There are 26.1 million MSME Units in India and 12 million persons are expected to join the workforce in the next 3 years. SMEs are the fountain head of several innovations in manufacturing and service sectors, the major link in the supply chain to corporate and the PSUs. By promoting SMEs, the rural areas of India will be developed. The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) was established in 1983 by the then Ministry of Industry [now Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)], Government of India, as an apex body for coordinating and overseeing the activities of various institutions / agencies engaged in Entrepreneurship Development particularly in the area of small industry and small business. NIESBUD mission is to Promote, Support and Sustain Entrepreneurship and Small Business through Training, Education, Research, Consultancy and other interventions throughout the Globe. For more details about NIESBUD see http://niesbud.nic.in/ Way to Transform Shridhar University Pilani has joined hands with NIESBUD for conducting training programmes in Mobile Repairing, DTP etc for Scheduled Caste candidates in and around Pilani. Inaugurating the programme on March 4, 2011, SDM Chirawa Shri Narayan Singh appreciated the role played by Shridhar University for the cause of local development. Prof BR Natarajan Pro Vice Chancellor welcomed the gathering and highlighted the importance of SMEs and the role of NIESBUD. Mr Pankaj Sharma Coordinator presented the details of the training programme to the participants. Prof Nesamurthy Registrar proposed vote of thanks. For more details see http://www.shridharuniversity.ac.in
Apeejay organized National Workshop on ‘Building a Play’
Apeejay in association with UGC organized two days national workshop cum seminar on “Building a Play” at Apeejay College of Fine Arts where famous Indian playwright Mr. Mahesh Dattani shared his experiences with students. On the occasion Sahitya Academy winner Mr. Mahesh Dattani addressed to the students on building play. The workshop was organized by Dept. of English of Apeejay College of Fine Arts at Jalandhar which gave an ultimate knowledge to students of arts about play. On his first ever visit to Punjab during the national seminar, during the interactive round Dattani said, “Drama has helped me to discover my identity and my roots as an urban Indian. It is my third parent”. He said that his parents hailed from Gujarat but had migrated to Bangalore before his birth. So, he was born and brought up in Bangalore and his exposure to theatre from early childhood helped him to develop a taste for theatre. Talking about the theme of the seminar which was related to building a play, Dattani remarked, “Conflict is to theatre, what sound is to music”. He has written many stage plays, radio plays and written and directed films. His oeuvre includes 17 plays. He is a master craftsman who depicts the predicament and predilections of ordinary people. His works deal with social problems and social outcast, and other things. Dr. Rana Nayyar, Professor, Department of English, Punjabi University, Chandigarh who is known for his translations, and has had a long association with theatre along with Dr. A. S. Khushwa, Dr. Sonia Khushwa, and Dr. Saraswat were the session chairs during the two technical sessions. Papers were read on a wide range of concepts related to theatre. After the report reading, Certificates and Mementoes were presented to the guests.
