Ajay Maken, minister in-charge of youth affairs, launched the first public-private sector skill development programme as part of UPA's look north-east policy under Prime Minister's National Skill Development Mission. The ministry will be paying R30,000 per student for skill upgradation whereas the private partner B-Able (Basix Academy for Lifelong Employability) will conduct training and will ensure at least 70 per cent of them get a job.
To support the efforts of Chinese community organizations to create an environment conducive to the learning of Chinese Language and its culture within and beyond schools the Ministry of Education of Singapore will be providing up to $12 million in the form of a 1:1 matching grant for funds raised by the community over the next 5 yearsThis was announced by Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Ms Grace Fu, at the Mother Tongue Languages (MTL) Fortnight at River Valley Primary School. By expanding its current flagship programmes to benefit more students he CPCLL will strengthen its efforts to develop students to become proficient users of the language. In particular, it will expand the number of participating schools for the Cultural Performance Exposure Scheme （文化随意门） from 30 schools in 2010 to 70 schools in 2011 which allows more than 10,000 students to benefit from the programme. The CPCLL will also increase the number of participating schools for the Author-in-Residence Programme （驻校作家计划） from 47 schools in 2009 to 55 schools in 2011 to enable another 1,000 students to join the programme. To support schools in organising the Chinese Language (CL) Fortnight, the CPCLL will introduce a series of new programmes. These include the 'Books Go Around' project for primary schools, the reading project for secondary schools, drama workshops, Speakers' series, Museum Student Guides programme and workshops for parents on promoting reading among children. See Annex A (29kb .pdf) for more details. A calendar of events showing the courses that students can take part in to enrich their learning of language and appreciation of the Chinese culture will also be made available to schools. In addition, the CPCLL will strengthen its efforts to support and enhance pre-school teaching and learning of CL. To cultivate young children's interest in reading Chinese books early, the CPCLL will support pre-school centres through the 'I Love Reading Project' (我爱阅读). Under this project, pre-schools will receive a series of age-appropriate readers. Teachers from these centres will also receive relevant training in promoting reading. At least 20,000 young children are expected to benefit from this reading programme.
Gautam Buddha University's new vice-chancellor SR Lakha has stated the university's vision to fulfill the education need of everybody of 21st century. Talking a meeting conducted by the campus recently, Lakha said that the university looks forward to meet the educational demands of the country and to promote research in the emerging areas in fields such as biotechnology, protection of environment and maintenance of ecological balance and management.
Reacting to the detest among the universities after the HEC devolution by the Pakistan government President Asif Ali Zardari has assured Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan that he will personally look into the issue and try to solve the problem. A fierce reaction from educationists, students and other members of the public who will be affected by the decision of the federal government's to devolve the Higher Education Commission's (HEC) duties pertaining to funding and controlling the higher education system has drawn. The HEC is presently battling for its survival after the implementation commission of the 18th Amendment categorically said that the education system, including higher education, was no more “a subject of the federal government”. The Sindh governor telephoned the president to discuss the HEC devolution conundrum. Ibad informed the president about the stance adopted by the Vice Chancellors of universities in Sindh. President Zardari assured the governor that the issue will be resolved in the best interest of the country and the masses. The decision to devolve the HEC will put the future of over 5,000 students presently studying at various foreign universities at stake and affect public sector universities in the country. Vice Chancellors (VCs) of various universities will be holding a joint conference to oppose the devolution of the HEC.
The federal government of Pakistan's move to devolve the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been opposed by the Vice-chancellor (VC) of the University of Agriculture Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. He has strongly criticized the HEC stating that the decision will affect the quality of education at universities across the country. While briefing a delegation of the Foreign Service Academy, Islamabad, on Friday, the VC said that by shifting HEC's responsibly to the provinces monitoring of the higher education system in line with the criteria set at international level, will also suffer. He expressed the fear that the abolishment of the monitoring system will make students prefer private universities, while adding that the government budget for education was diminishing, and that the trend must be curtailed. While shedding light on some of the facts, he said a total of 130 universities were functioning in the country out of which six universities were giving agriculture related education, with the University of Agriculture topping the rankings in this category.
Amba Research recently announced the approval of the equity investment analyst training programme which has been renewed by the CFA Institute's approved-provider programme . This 10-day programme is a hands-on training programme that is designed to guide its participants through the essential aspects of the entire equity research cycle, including industry attractiveness assessment, earnings forecast model-building , evaluation, and presenting investment recommendations .
Indian Retail School (IRS) is about to launch its postgraduate programme in retail and marketing (PGPRM) and MBA starting July 2011. The two-year programme would equip students with application-based knowledge. The PGPRM and MBA programme is divided into four academic semesters where students will undergo industry internship facilitated by IRS.
Delhi youth will witness a job fair cum assessment camp organized by the Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT). This is one of those employment fairs which are organized by IIJT often to match the job needs to the fresh graduates. The event will be held on April 8 and 9 and is expected to attract people of all age groups. The issue of unemployment in India is the main issue to be discussed in the event. Still so many years after independence unemployment still prevail in India. This event not only links job seekers and employers but also the demand and supply of manpower and bridging the gap across industries.
'Accelerated Leadership Programme', an initiative by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has recently been launched to develop highly skilled professionals who would be equipped to take up senior positions in the organisation over the next few years. Mukesh Ambani and other company heads would mentor the students and make them competent for the world. The programme would comprise a hands-on, two-year leadership experience
The silver screen diva Rani Mukherjee is all set to play a new role as she endorses Procter & Gamble's Shiksha programme. The bollywood queen has urged everyone to educate as many as possible and contribute to the noble cause. Rani, who describes herself as “not such a studious student in school”, feels that education should be made more interesting so that kids grab it more easily. “School is as important as drinking water and education is as important as the air we breathe. So, I feel that initiatives like Shiksha that support the cause of education are incredible, and I feel we should all contribute even if it's a little bit because if we do that India will have 100 per cent literacy rate one day,” Rani told reporters here. “It's my dream too that every child in India is educated because the way India is growing I don't think without education, we can see a very bright future. So if we want a bright future for our country, I think education is foremost,” she added. “It's very important to make education interesting and enjoyable so that students don't drop out. Also, focus should not be only on academics. Alternate interests like painting, music, etc., should also be encouraged,” she said.
