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Making of a knowledge superpower

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Linking student data to UID will yield a goldmine of insights for MHRD, for educational policy making and regulation

The education sector in India, particularly the higher education segment, is going through a very exciting phase. Not just is investment pouring in, the country's ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is driving major policy changes that would have a long term impact on the overall education sector in years to come.

Sample this: While HRD minister Kapil Sibal recently indicated that India's higher education enrolment will move up to 4.4 crore from the current 1.4 crore by 2020, a Ernst & Young-FICCI report suggests that the segment will grow nearly 13% annually during this period.

The report also predicts that India's higher education spend that is currently pegged at `46,200 crore, would grow at an average rate of 12.8% to cross `150,000 crore in the next 10 years. It also highlights that the country's higher education system has the highest institution to student ratio

Reforming K12 Education in India

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

School education today is undergoing huge transformations. The changes have been reflected in the diverse range of activities that schools are now entering into. New teaching patterns have adopted tools and techniques that promote engagement of students in the learning process and make the entire process more student friendly.
The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system is an innovative and modern way of approaching the problems plaguing school education system today. The system which was earlier based on lecture methods will now encourage greater interaction between the teacher and the student and will give precedence to making education more joyful for learners.

One of the key areas that CCE emphasises upon is on assessing the co-scholastic achievements of students. This can have tremendous potential of not just highlighting the academic abilities but also inculcating life long skills, sporting abilities and social skills. In this respect we see the increasing acceptance and recognition being given to co-curricular activities and skills training for the students. As has been pointed by Prof Yashpal in his interview to digitalLEARNING, education cannot be imposed; it has to be assimilated through observations and experiments.

The School Education Conclave 2010 has been our effort to find out what the stakeholders have to say about the current reforms and how it has brought about renovations in their daily functioning. The overall response from the stakeholders has been positive and encouraging, as the principals themselves know the importance of having student centered reforms. Although need to address some limitations like teacher training and teaching resources was also emphasised.

The participation from the K-12 education community at the Conclave had been overwhelming and the deliberations were insightful and thought provoking.  We seek to carry forward this initiative and forge a lasting relationship with the school education fraternity in achieving common objective of achieving better implementation of education reforms. The coming months will feature more such initiatives.

digitallearning School Education Conclave 2010

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Knowledge Sharing in K-12 Education

The School Education Conclave 2010 was organized with the objective of sharing best practices in academic and institutional excellence and to discuss contemporary issues in K-12 education. It highlighted strategies and steps that will help carry forward the educational reforms in India

By Sheena Joseph

The digitalLEARNING School Education Conclave provided a platform for senior leadership and management teams of various schools to share ideas and learn best ways for achieving institutional excellence and help them in preparing for the demands of the new era in education.

How to get the Education Reforms Rolling

Rajesh Gupta
Director

Corporate News: December 2010

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited invests in CSR

During the year of 2009-10, Kuthethur-based Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) invested INR 12.70 crore on educational initiatives under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. This was a huge jump in the amount allocated, considering that MRPL in 2008-09 spent  `3.69 crore for the same. In the present fiscal year, within the first six months MRPL spent `2 crore, with many CSR projects in the pipeline. It was reported by Lekshmi M Kumaran, Deputy General Manager (Corporate communications and CSR), MRPL that the objective of casting various CSR projects undertaken by the company, a subsidiary of ONGC is education and creation of basic infrastructure for the rehabilitation of project displaced families. 

ViewSonic launches PJD7383i, interactive projector

ViewSonic India has announced the launch of new projector; PJD7383i in its already extensive projector range, directly targeting the education and training sectors. With a multitude of user-friendly features and a convenient classroom set up, the 3D-ready ViewSonic PJD7383i offers important additions to any interactive classroom environment. The interactive PJD7383i negates the need for costly interactive white boards as it allows you to write on any surface and teachers are able to write directly onto the projected image with the included interactive pen without the need for alignment or calibration. PJD7383i is easy to use.

ZICA gives wings to young dreamers for fulfilling career

Zee Institute of Creative Arts (ZICA), one of the leading animation institutes in India, today announced its animation scholarship 'Zee Scholarship'. This scholarship will serve as a gateway for students keen to make a career in the exciting and unbounded world of animation. Under this campaign ZICA will provide scholarship upto 100%, applicable in all ZICA centers across India. The scholarship would be based on first come

Community Radio for Education

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Radio technology was developed in late nineteenth century and was used more often in early twentieth century. It has been a tool that is capable of delivering information to widespread geographic regions and is cost effective

Radio is a cost-effective and has greater learning effect than textbooks or teacher education. Some of the educational advantages of using radio include improvement in quality and relevance, low cost and increase accessibility. The challenges that it presents include lack of dual interaction, lack of clarification, interruptions in transmissions, fixed pace for all and lack of space for reflection on content being taught. Radio is supportive of providing remedial tutorials; providing updates; presenting material in a manner that children can identify with emotions and outlook of the protagonist; and providing an alternate to TV programmes.
 
Community Radio

Mainstream media is very vast and its approach is very generic and not suited to local needs of the people. Community radio's are yet another tool which is used by the local communities who are the creators and disseminators of the information required by the local community. They produce and centre the information/ discussions on local issues. For running community radio training is provided to children/ adults and can be executed easily. It supports children to speak their mind, in line with Convention on the Rights of the Child. Community radio propagates not only knowledge but also sense of responsibility and morality amongst children. In December 2002, the Government of India approved a policy for the grant of licenses for setting up of Community Radio Stations to well established education institutions including the IITs and the IIMs. Later the government also included other civil societies such as NGOs and voluntary 'non-profit' organizations.  Government has also prescribed principals and guidelines for setting up the community radio such as three years of compulsory experience of the non profit organisation in providing service to local community; including only those programmes for broadcast that are relevant to the educational development, social and cultural needs of the community; the civil society must be registered under societies' act or other relevant act. Government of India showed its keenness to open 4000 community radio 2008 stations.

At present, All India Radio forms first tier; private FM form the second tier; and community radio forms that third tier. It is a form of empowerment given to the operators – that is community people at it aids them to voice their needs, desires and intentions. It involves community participation and ownership. It helps them to get education and entertainment in their own language and based on their manner of living, at low cost. In hands of children, it can help them give opportunity to be the decision makers and responsible for their act and gain an understanding that they can make a difference. According to W Jayaweera, Director, Communication Development, UNESCO, Community Radio is not just about broadcast content; it is mostly about the process of community engagement. Community radio is about social skills, business skills, creativity, IT skills, local democracy, hard to reach groups, involvement of women and young people and involvement of hundreds of volunteers. Community Radio is about harnessing the tremendous potentials media can offer to engage people and change their lives. It is about ordinary people having a stake in the vast broadcasting landscape and becoming responsible and accountable citizens.

Media literacy comprises of demanding accountability from media. It implies understanding the process of transmitting information. It activates community members to participate and own the content they need and spread

Media Literacy

Community Media Centers are the places where opportunities for operating media tools such as community radio are available. Such initiatives encourage the understanding of usage and effects of media over a community. It implies engagement of the local community people, giving them a stake in the dissemination of knowledge. Media literacy comprises of demanding accountability from media. It implies understanding the process of transmitting information. It activates community members to participate and own the content they need and spread. Awareness about media and its potential is another component of literacy. Government formulated policy at different times. In December 2002, the policy was formulated and revamped in 2006 with only difference being that initially only reputed educational institutes were allowed to operate community radio's while lately, NGOs, CSOs of good repute have been allowed to operate on the same.

For spreading awareness, workshops are being conducted to train not only adults but also children. Making a good Community Radio
Station involves participation of community with only guidance from the external world. Its infrastructure involves a space and a building making a studio with transmission facilities. It involves regular recruitment of different people from community, who are trained to use the transmitter equipment and content that is being developed.

Maintenance of studio and equipment used is of importance in order to avoid breakdown of transmissions, which is equal responsibility of each person in the community. Community Radio Forum and government agencies come forward to provide license and funds to provide for CRS. Any help from outside the community should be limited to provide for the hardware and training related to daily operations but not recurring expenses such as honorarium.

According to provisions for the license, the programmes being broadcasted have to be preserved for six months for scrutiny at later stage. The CSR cannot be monitored from one place, however, violation of rules implies penalty for the community to pay. Free expression is a right that community enjoys but rules are to be followed by all. Even FM channels are not allowed to broadcast news and current affairs, whereas private TV channels are allowed to do so. Furthermore, community radio technology is based on inexpensive technology comprising of equipment supported by CR policy and UNESCO.

Radio as a Potential ICT Tool

Often it is said that multi-media help teachers and education system to go beyond talk and chalk method to impart knowledge in most suitable way. So the issues that rise alongside use of multi media are

Learning with Soul : Seema Jairath, DLF Public School,Sahibabad, India

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Seema Jairath, Principal, DLF Public School, Sahibabad in conversation with Yukti Pahwa, shares that the school believes in striving to give every pupil the balanced learning, by blending Indian cultural values with the finest modern curriculum and follows the philosophy of ‘Looking Inwards to Excel Outwards’.

What according to you are the challenges and opportunities that RTE presents to education sector?

There is a huge dichotomy in India today. We need to reduce this gap that has developed in our society, that is, the inequities. RTE can be a mobilising tool for reducing this difference. But we also need to understand that there are lawyers and agencies in India such as media, who are very eagerly willing to attack the schools, if the schools raise the fees. It should be understood that if a school takes in 25% of children as students who come from disadvantaged group, it would need extra resource pool which has to be gathered from other 75% children. Therefore, if the fee is raised then acceptance is required from all – the parents, the regulatory bodies and agencies such as media. For implementation of RTE it is important that commitment for it comes not only from school but also the whole society.

Kindly share your opinion on the CBSE introduced grading system.
The system has already begun to take shape with the first batch of results out this year. The difference that has come up is in terms of increased confidence, amongst increased number of students who scored a good CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average), instead of any one student scoreing the highest marks, according to the conventional marking system. It has made students happier with themselves and with one another, without any ill-will amongst each other.

There can be thousands of reasons even for the minutest difference in marks that students score. So, deciding that one can be the topper and not the other one who perhaps scored a few fractions less than the former, is incomprehensible. I, celebrate and welcome the grading system because it frees us as evaluators of certain biases that can come up while different teachers check papers. It is a fairer system.

What do you opine about the role of ICT in school education?

Initially people use to say that ICT can replace a teacher completely. That is not true, but it surely is a powerful tool to augment classroom teaching. And that is why the smart boards and the software that is being availed, helps teachers in numerous ways to make teaching multi-dimensional and interesting.

Students from different walks of life, some linguistically strong, some intellectually strong, and so on, enjoy and participate more in presence of such multi-media equipments. Earlier teaching was confined to teacher teaching the textbook and students looking at the teacher.

But today, nobody wants long drawn monotonous processes and ICT supports speeding up the process giving different variations and visual angles to lessons. ICT is used within classroom in a moderated manner. Moving beyond ICT, social networking sites or allowing children to have unsupervised access to Internet gives rise to problems.

Social networking sites, specially are huge drain on children’s time, mind and energy. These facilities therefore, require supervision at school and home as well.

Is your school ICT equipped?

Yes, certainly. We have a multiple pronged approach. First of all, we have software that teachers use. There are 15 smart boards in school, at various locations

"Cubicalisation of Knowledge Hampers Creativity" : Prof Yash Pal, Department of Science and Technology, India

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

A Physicist by training and educationalist by passion, Prof Yash Pal has served as distinguished space scientist with |SRO and also as the Secretary with the Department of Science and Technology. This former Chairman of UGC, is also the first Chairperson of the New Delhi-based Modern School and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan. In an interaction with Dr Ravi Gupta and Sheena Joseph, the man who has been steering the higher education reforms in the country talks about the current educational systems and what the country should do for driving innovations in India. Excerpt:

Innovations happen only when people work together. Universities should promote in-house research and creativity and should not limit their actions to importing a few scientific equipments and ideas from Abroad

What are your ideas of promoting innovations in Indian education?

Innovations have to grow in universities. Innovations cannot be sown by building infrastructure or by the use of high tech gadgets.  It can come only from the beginning of a deep rooted understanding of scientific concepts and a sense of curiosity.

Curiosity and freedom should be inculcated among students so that they learn and do what they naturally want to do.

 The first step in innovations is to make universities completely autonomous, so that students can pursue research on topics which they themselves choose and, in case the resources are inadequate, can seek resources from other universities. Not only universities but departments within universities should also become more autonomous.

Universities are free to collaborate with each other and with other research institutions and industries in order to share resources and promote knowledge sharing.

 Innovations happen only when many people work together. Universities should not limit their actions to importing a few scientific equipments from abroad. It should promote in-house research and creativity and not be limited to importing foreign ideas.

With information and knowledge being available everywhere for students, especially through the media, how do you see its impact on education?

 It is true that in today’s time, distance communication and use of the internet is very crucial but if it completely eliminates the intimacy and engagement in learning, it becomes counter -productive. A mix of both face-to-face and distance learning has to be achieved. Proximate should not be killed.  A lot of innovations have occurred with proximate and distance learning working together.

We should use internet not for studying things that is already available in books. But in positively subverting education in such a way that its dimensionality increases, and promotes the discovery of new things and enables moving in different directions.  Technology is what makes things look attractive and eye-catching, but  it has to be used wisely.

Science can be learnt well through observations and experiments. In addition if it completely eliminates the intimacy, then it proves to be counterproductive. I have always mentioned that Science can be learnt only from observation and experiments. The rest is memory and not learning.  The objective of  school programmes  should be to help children realise that there is science everywhere, be in the kitchen,  the open sky, in bicycles, bullock carts, flying birds, trees, winds

MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology celebrates Kannada Rajyotsava 2010

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

The Rajyotsava function began with the Flag hoisting by the Chief Guest Arali Nagraj along with Dr MS Narasimha Murthy (Writer, Former Director). The dignitaries were honored by MSRIT Director Dr M.R Seetharam, MSRIT CEO S M Acharya, MSRIT Principal Dr K Rajnikanth and Dr Bette Gowda the MSRIT Sports Director.  Divya Rani, a college student, delivered the welcome speech and gave a warm welcome to the dignitaries. Also Manoj Kumar and Yuvraj, students of the college formally introduced the Chief guests. This was followed by the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries accompanied by the students singing the Nad gita 'Hachevu Kannada Deepa'. Following this, Arali Nagraj and our Principal Dr K Rajnikanth gave away the prizes, that of the events conducted on the previous 2 days i.e. 25th of November and 26th of November, 2010.

After the prize distribution, Dr MS Narasimha Murthy took the stage by storm and delivered a humorous yet thought provoking speech, he spoke about how the people of Karnataka were actively involved in keeping their tradition alive and their friendly nature. He spoke about how we all could contribute whatever we can to keep the Kannadiga tradition alive. His speech was followed by a speech by Arali Nagraj, who very beautifully spoke about how important and great the history of Kannadigas was. He also spoke about how Kannadigas were so friendly and peace loving and welcomed people of all languages to their state. After his inspiring lecture, three Foreign students of MSRIT, Omar, Sayed and Sabeena spoke in Kannada and amazed the dignitaries with their fluency and praize for Kannada as a language. The Crowd cheered them on as they also sang a song. Dr MR Seetharam, Dr K.Rajnikath and SM Acharya spoke to the students and showered them with their ever inspiring words.

After the ceremony, the students of the college took over the show, Sanjay Kini sang some folk and filmy songs and amazed the crowd with his beautifull voice. This was followed by Mimicry by Vishvarath who enthralled the audience with his talent. Not to forget, Shravan, Padmashree Bhat, Madhav Nayak and Group who perfomed Yakshagana and left the audience dumbstruck. Folk orchestra followed, which was performed by Gurunandan, Shravan, Amogha Varsha and others who showed the audience how diversely Indian percussion could be played and enjoyed. Finally, the day ended with Karaoke and Distribution of sweets to the crowd. All in all, it was a very uplifting and successful Kannada Rajyostava by the students of MSRIT.

IIM Kozhikode to partner with Chinese varsities

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

According to some officials, soon Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode will sign Memorandum of Understanding with top 10 Chinese universities. Recently, a tripartite agreement was signed by IIM-K with US' Yale University. Debashish Chatterjee, IIM-K Director also mentioned that IIM-K was looking at other universities, beyond US, in the east. The institute presently has collaborations with 20-25 foreign universities which is likely to go up to 50 in a year's time, said Chatterjee, who recently returned after a four-day visit to China.

The tripartite MoU entered between the Yale university, IIM-K and IIT-Kanpur, to launch the Yale India Leadership Programme, would expose university and academia leaders in India at the level of Vice Chancellors and Deans to the best practises of academic institutional management in the US. As a part of this partnership, IIM-K will facilitate setting up of two Centres of Excellence in Academic Leadership (CEEAL) at IIM-K campus and IIT Kanpur; and starting a leadership programme to train national and international faculty, deans, directors and vice chancellors. The five-year collaboration with Yale university will permit launching of a series of exchange programmes in academic leadership for faculty development and leadership training between Yale and CEEAL. The funding is likely to be from US president Barack Obama's Obama Knowledge Initiative. This would be finalised during Obama's visit to India next month.

Government schools to have Internet and emails

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Computer education in Bangalore schools are soon receive a shot in the arm if the third phase of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), an initiative by the directorate of primary and secondary education, gets implemented. e-Mahiti Sindhu and the Revised Class projects were the earlier initiatives that the department had implemented to introduce computer education in schools in the state include, followed by the first two phases of the ICT. ICT phase III aims to provide students exposure to internet and e-mail and provide instruction via computers.

The project is being implemented at a cost of `426 crore and 4,396 schools across the state, including 1,763 government secondary schools under Mahiti Sindhu project, 11th finance commission and Revised Class projects, and 2,633 government-aided high schools will be brought under its ambit. Schools having lesser than 300 children on rolls will be classified into category A and those having more than 300 children into category B. Category A and category B schools will be provided with 10 and 15 desktops respectively. This is in addition to the computers that were supplied to the schools under the Mahitya Sindhu project. The primary and secondary education department will provide desktop computers to 108 students in 34 districts who had excelled in the SSLC exams this year.

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