The finance sector ruled the final placements process at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) with renowned firms from the field making up 31.3 percent of the offers. “IIM-Calcutta is known as the 'Finance Campus of India', and this year the finance sector contributed the largest number of offers, nearly 31.3 percent. Finance was closely followed by the consulting and marketing sectors,” Pritish Gandhi, recruitment coordinator, IIM-C, told media persons here. “International investment banks like UBS, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Bank of America hired students from IIM-C. Students have already received pre-placement offers (PPO) from firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Royal Bank of Scotland,” said Gandhi. “This year Japanese Investment Bank and Daiwa Securities recruited exclusively from IIM-Calcutta and extended offers to six students,” said Gandhi Consulting firms like Mckinsey and Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Bain and Company and AT Kearney and Essex Lake Group also recruited exclusively from IIM-Calcutta during the March 3-7 final placement process. “All 383 students who participated in the placement process had successfully received job offers by the end of the fifth day,” said Gandhi. For students with considerable work-experience, lateral placements in senior positions saw a huge increase of 57.6 percent in the number of offers, up from 92 last year to 145 this year. More than 50 firms participated in the lateral placement process, including recruiters like Barclays Bank, Olam International, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Shell. They hired in “unprecedented numbers” after modest hiring or completely giving a miss to placements during the recession period, said Gandhi. The highlight of the lateral placement process was the participation of private equity firm Gaja Capital, which recruited exclusively from IIM-Calcutta and selected three students. Additionally, MCap Fund Advisors also visited the campus for lateral recruitments. The IIM-Calcutta this year also introduced “deferred placements” process wherein students who want to pursue entrepreneurship, work in social sector, join a government organization involved in national service or pursue higher education are allowed to sign out of current placement process and join it anytime in the next 3 years.
Semester tussle – DU teachers to hold classes in VC’s lawn
Teachers at the Delhi University have decided to protest aginst the implementation of the semester system in colleges, not by conducting strikes, but by holding classes outside in the lawns. Members of the Joint Action body (JAB) of teachers will on Thursday and Friday, conduct classes in the lawns outside the office of the vice chancellor to draw his attention to the matter of implementing the semesters for undergraduate courses. Karen Gabriel, associate professor at St. Stephen's College and a member of JAB said that JAB currently had around 100 members. Out of these, around 20 are expected to take their classes out in the open. “The classes will be taught on the two days like any normal day and the students have been told about them. The classes would start at around 8:30am and students will only have to come out in the open and then can walk back to the campus for other classes,” she said. She further added that the administration of the university had never consulted the teachers before the decision to implemented the semester system was taken. The university has already implemented the semester system for 13 undergraduate science courses and there are now plans to completely shift all courses to the semester system mode from the upcoming academic session. Teachers from several departments such as economics, English, history and philosophy have already expressed their disapproval during their general body meetings at the switch to the semester system. Teachers have alleged that the content of the courses is being diluted in order to accommodate the new semester system.
Panel submits final blueprint of CET for central varsities
A panel of experts comprising of several vice-chancellors appointed by Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal have submitted their final report and blueprint to the minister regarding the common admission procedure that has been recommended for all central universities in India. According to the blueprint that has been finalized by the panel that is headed by former Jawaharlal Nehru University vice chancellor B.B. Bhattacharya, good under-graduate scores would remove half the pressure on a student of securing a post graduate admission in a central university. This is because 50% weightage will be given to the previous academic performance of a student and the rest will be given to performance in the common entrance test. The blue print for the common admissions will be discussed by the vice chancellors of about 200 central and state universities in India on March 25-26. Kapil Sibal has also planned common admissions to M.Phil. and Ph.D programmes at all of India's 40 central universities from the upcoming academic session of 2011. According to the plans by the HRD ministry, the common entrance test for universities will also be extended for master's programmes in the year 2012 and to undergraduate programmes from the year 2013. Admissions to central universities currently rely only on admission test for selecting students to be admitted for masters, M.Phil and Ph.D programmes. No specific weightage is given to scores achieved by students in previous programmes. According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), an estimated number of 100 lakh students are pursuing undergraduate education currently over 500 central, state and deemed universities. Out of these, about 10 lakh students are studying at central universities. Also, around a lakh are pursuing masters' programmes at central universities and about 5-10,000 are currently enrolled in M.Phil. and Ph.D programmes. Earlier, the panel of vice chancellors headed by B.B. Bhattacharya had considered giving 30% weightage to scores of undergraduate degree programmes for master's admissions master's scored for M.Phil and M.Phil scores for Ph.D. The weightage given to previous scores has been hiked by the panel in its final report. The report adds that only the scores of the final two years of the preceding academic degree course will be considered.
Jamia organizes
Dr. K.R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit & Minorities Sudies, Jamia Millia Islamia in collaboration with Delhi Education Society is going to organize a “Women's Empowerment Festival” on Sunday, March 13, 2011 from 09.00 AM to 05.00 PM. Mrs. Ameena Jung shall be the Chief Guest and will inaugurate the feastival. The festival is scheduled to be held in Anglo Arabic School Compound, Ajmeri Gate, Delhi and is the first of its kind to be organized in the walled city.
Extreme Networks expands vista for Mobile World
Extreme Networks, Inc. today announced its vision for network mobility in the enterprise that reduces infrastructure and operational complexity and creates a network capable of providing pervasive, predictable access, powerful awareness and control for IT.
Expectations of the network have changed. With explosive growth in mobility driven by increasing diversity in the number and breadth of tablets, smartphones and media expected to continue, the burden on IT continues to increase. The network has to converge into a single platform that simplifies the user experience, automates tasks for IT, and enables the expansion and diversification of services.
Mobility is no longer relegated to the portability of devices connected to a wireless network. Mobility today means that the network must orchestrate the movement of people, machines and content connecting to it, while adding intelligence to events, policies and business processes. “Extreme Networks’ vision addresses the expectations of CIO’s in tackling mobility in the network as part of what we label the Anywhere Networking Revolution,” said Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president and distinguished research fellow at the Yankee Group.
“Extreme Networks has traditionally delivered mission critical connectivity, and for the mobile world, its vision raises the bar for organizations to transition from disparate network infrastructures and begin to embrace the exciting future of mobility, creating a fluid enterprise from the converged edge to the data center and cloud.” “Extreme Networks solutions are geared for the new mobile world by helping to eliminate inconsistencies, meeting the expectation of users however they connect, while also maintaining our firm commitment to best-of-breed networking,” said Oscar Rodriguez, president and CEO of Extreme Networks. “From the campus network to the cloud, our extensibility and features delivered with ExtremeXOS
Goa to set up campus counseling centres
The Goa cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up of counseling centres for students who are victims of stress, often linked to poor academic performance. The decision comes less than 48 hours after a Class 12 girl student committed suicide after she answered the chemistry paper badly in the board examination. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said that Rs.1.14 crore has been set aside to set up campus counseling centres in government schools and state-aided schools. “In the past, there have been instances of student-suicides and one incident happened recently. The counseling centres will be handled by empanelled non-government organizations who will counsel students in need,” he said. Each organization will be paid Rs.15,000 monthly for their services, the chief minister added. Seventeen-year-old Sayani Pandit was on Tuesday found hanging from the ceiling at her home in Ponda, 30 km from Panaji. She had come home disappointed after her Class 12 chemistry examination, according to police.
UGC identifies 21 fake universities, 350 unapproved institutions
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has identified 21 fake universities and educational institutions function in different parts of the country in contravention of the UGC Act, 1956. 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 today. Out of the 21 fake universities and institutes, 8 are in Uttar Pradesh, 6 in Delhi and one each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has also identified 350 unapproved institutions running technical and management courses/programmes in violation of the AICTE Regulations. Out of these 350 unapproved institutions, 75 each are in Delhi and Maharashtra, 52 in Andhra Pradesh, 34 in West Bengal, 30 in Uttar Pradesh, 27 in Karnataka, 17 in Haryana, 14 in Tamil Nadu, 9 in Chandigarh, 4 in Gujarat, 3 in Punjab, 2 each in Bihar, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Goa, and one each in Uttarakhand and Kerala.
The name of such fake universities and unapproved technical institutions has been included in the list maintained by the UGC and the AICTE, respectively and is placed on their respective official websites for information to the students and general public. Further, the state and union territory governments have been requested to take action under Indian Penal Code against these fake/unapproved universities and institutions. A legislative proposal to prohibit unfair practices in higher educational institutions has been already introduced in the parliament.
Foreign varsities bill opposed by MCI
The Foreign Educational Institutions (FEI) Bill that had been proposed by the government has been opposed by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The bill had been proposed as a means to allow and regulate the entry and functioning of foreign universities in India. The MCI had written to the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry regarding the bill, which is considered critical for several top foreign universities to partner with Indian institutions for setting up campuses in India. Several top global institutions in UK and the US have been keeping an eye on the Indian educational system especially as the higher education system in these nations had been suffering a major financial crisis. Foreign universities currently cannot set campuses in India or collaborate with other educational institutions here. MCI has raised its opinions against the bill when the Parliament Standing Committee on HRD had already finalized its report on the Bill. The panel had today summoned the University Grants Commission to discuss the bill. According to sources, the Bill has the support of the UGC. However, the opposition being faced from the MCI will not be easy to ignore as the council will be the designated statutory authority for recognizing foreign educational institutions that would like to set up campuses in India. Sources have said that there might be a chance that the MCI may be convinced into granting its approval for the FEI Bill. The medical council has argued that any foreign educational institution that would want to offer its medical degrees in India would have to undergo rigorous inspection by the council.
IGNOU announces 2 new courses in gender, women’s studies
Celebrating the centenary of the International Women's Day, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced new programmes in gender and women's studies. The university had organized a day-long function at the IGNOU campus on March 8 to celebrate International Women's Day. The new programmes include development of a project to be converted into Certificate/Diploma in Gender and Nutritional Security, Certificate/Diploma in Gender & Labor and Certificate/Diploma in Gender in Cinema. Other new programmes in design and development stage include Certificate/Diploma programmes in Gender & Law, Gender & Science and Gender Agriculture & Sustainable Development. “When we look at the relation between education and women empowerment, we find that several kinds of social evils, like female feticide, dowry, etc., are still prevalent in the society. There is an urgent need to critically look at the sort of education provided to women today,” said Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, while inaugurating the celebrations at the Convention Centre. The occasion was hosted by the School of Gender and Development Studies (SOGDS), in association with the IGNOU Committee Against Sexual Harassment (ICASH), School of Humanities (SOH), School of Translation Studies and Training (SOTST) and School of Performing and Visual Arts (SOPVA). The celebrations included a painting exhibition, a musical prelude, a street play (by the students of SOPVA) and a seminar on 'Feminist Writings In Indian Literature' eulogizing the importance of women in the society. “Marking a date in the calendar as International Women's Day started in the year 1911. Today, the entire IGNOU community celebrates 100 years of great aspirations, which have remained undiminished,” said SOGDS Director Prof Savita Singh. While delivering a lecture on 'Women's Writing in Kannada', Prof U.R. Ananthamurthy, Chair Professor, Tagore Chair for Indian Literature, IGNOU, distinctly differentiated between the way women are treated in classical and folk literature. “You have to see how certain things are preserved. Many other Indian languages were influenced by Sanskrit when it was in decline. Later writers used to develop only 'alankars', which were meaningless most of the times. What was decadent in Sanskrit became alive in Indian languages,” he said. SOTST Director Prof K. Satchidanandan elucidated his thoughts on 'Women's Writing in Malayalam' by remembering renowned English author Virginia Woolf's famous work 'A Room of One's Own'. Quoting the author, Prof Satchidanandan said, “Had Shakespeare been a woman, he wouldn't have become Shakespeare. It is because he wouldn't have traveled London, as traveling was very difficult for women during those times; he wouldn't have got acquainted with people and thus would have never acted.” Prof Satchidanandan drew attention to four major movements in women's fiction in Kerala by four women authors namely K. Saraswati Amma, Lalithambika Antherjanam, Kamala Das and Sarah Joseph. “There is a vibrant women's literature in Kerala, which talks about everything significant to the lives of women today,” he added. SOH Director Prof Rita Rani Paliwal highlighted feminism in Hindi literature by remembering Mirabai as the first woman litterateur of India. Further, there were similar discussions by Prof Satyakam and Dr Malti Mathur from SOH, which were followed by paper presentations by the Research and Training Assistants (RTAs) of the University.
Punjab varsity to hold job fest
The Punjab Technical University (PTU) is holding a job fair from March 12-13 here, the first such event in collaboration with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Thousands of students from nearly 300 colleges are expected to interact with companies. According to university officials, over 25 companies have confirmed their participation. “It will provide a wide range of opportunities to the students of PTU affiliated colleges,” said dean A.P. Singh. “Companies like Aegon Religare, Gates India, India Mart, Lupin, Maruti Suzuki, Pfizer India and RedAlkemi have confirmed their participation. The idea is to bridge the gap between recruiters and students from technical courses. Similar fest will also be organized in other Punjab cities.” Students pursuing courses in telecom, banking, insurance, hotel management, media, engineering and manufacturing can participate. PTU was established in January 1997 to promote technical education. A total of 71 engineering and architecture colleges, 117 management and hotel management colleges and 32 pharmacy colleges are affiliated to it.
