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Now London Biotechnology Network and ERBI work as one

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

ERBI, the not-for-profit membership company for international life science and healthcare companies, and the London Biotechnology Network (LBN), the business network for London-based life science organisations, have recently, announced a merger. To operate under ERBI name for a while, the combined group will launch a new identity soon at the ERBI Annual Conference on 2nd June. With the merger of the organisations a combination will be made comprising of ERBI's 350+ members with LBN's network of over 400 organisations across a wide range of life science industry sectors. The network represents a powerhouse of commercial, clinical and academic interests with at least 60% of the UK's life science industry base, four of the UK's five Academic Health Science Centres and three of the world's top six universities. The merger is to result in member benefits like a significantly larger pool of companies to support business-to-business interaction; a membership of a cluster of international size, relevance and visibility; and so on. The merged organisation is to have offices in both Cambridge and London, with Harriet Fear as CEO.

ICRI announces a Strategic Tie Up with Medical University of South Carolina, USA to offer Masters in Health Administration Global

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

After the approval of the Foreign Universities Bill by the government, ICRI, the pioneers in Healthcare and Clinical Research education, has entered into an academic/strategic alliance with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to offer Masters in Health Administration-Global. Eminent faculty and administrative staff of MUSC were present during the launch. This alliance would help strengthen the roots of ICRI globally and further the cause of grooming professionals in upcoming healthcare administration Industry in India, to face exciting challenges posed by the Industry and also pave the way for new career opportunities in the field.

Shiv Raman Dugal, Chairman Board of Directors, ICRI commenting on this association said, 'The Indian Healthcare industry is seen to be growing at a rapid pace and is expected to become a US$280 billion industry by 2022. Consequently, there is a need for an appropriately skilled team of hospital administrators who can plan and carry excellent health services. We as an institute are constantly benchmarking ourselves to international best practices in our domain by offering various programs that would cater to the industry needs.' 'With the approval of the Foreign Universities Bill, students interested in Indian higher education are riding a wave of optimism and we aim to provide the right platform by getting into an alliance with MUSC, one of the finest universities in the field of medical health in the United States. The association with MUSC would help ICRI deliver on the growing demand for highly skilled healthcare professionals in India,' Dugal added.

The alliance would further establish domain understanding in the field globally and provide an international framework for structured education. MUSC would undertake responsibility for the quality academic orientation in healthcare management Industry, training methodologies, evaluative studies, project assessment along with the knowledge exchange. On arrival in India and speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mark S. Sothmann, Dean and Professor College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), said, 'I am sure the students will benefit tremendously from this course and we wish them the very best.

The ICRI – MUSC alliance has actually given us an opportunity to address the growing demand for professionals in India. I am delighted to enter into such a partnership. The perfect combination of Institute of Clinical Research (India)'s networking with the Indian healthcare sector and MUSC University's distinctive competences in healthcare management data studies bring immense potential to furthering the cause of healthcare management in India.' Major General Dr. M Srivastava, Director Health, ICRI said, 'With Healthcare Administration being a global industry serving global requirements, educational institutions involved with programs in Healthcare Administration need to have a curriculum which match the high standard requirements of Industry worldwide. This partnership is aimed at imparting such innovative education through an international exchange of knowledge dissemination in healthcare management Industry.'

According to the Investment Commission of India, the healthcare sector has experienced phenomenal growth of 12 % per annum since 2006. Also in accordance to another report by Yes Bank and ASSOCHAM, the healthcare industry in the country is projected to grow 23 % per annum to touch US$ 77 billion by 2012 from the current estimated size of US$ 35 billion. Rising income levels, growing elderly population, changing demographics along with shift from chronic to lifestyle diseases in the country has led to increased spending on healthcare delivery. In order to meet the widening gap between demand and supply of qualified professionals, ICRI aims to provide a global perspective on the health care environment, yielding graduates who would possess an understanding of the universal challenges facing health care managers and the requisite leadership qualities and skills required by a global society.

India News : May 2010

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Education deal between India and Australia

Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on 8th April 2010, made an agreement as the two countries India and Australia signed an education pact. Indian students continued to come to Australia for higher studies and the government had not discouraged them for doing so. An India-Australia Education Council comprising experts from both countries will now be set up. Sibal also reported that he believed the attacks on young Indians had declined. A media report said it was recently revealed that international student numbers were down nationally three percent and 12 % in Victoria.

IGNOU at London and Paris

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is now spreading its wings not only at national level but also internationally, as a part of its plan to spread across the message of education. The university is set to start its centre in London from July this year that aims to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. According to the officials, after London, Paris would be the next destination for expansion. It was also reported that the London venture, despite the university's experience in running centres abroad, might not prove to be an easy task as it is expected to face a tough competition from the UK Open University (UKOU).

300 schools to be established by Zee across country

Zee group, known for providing entertainment and news, recently, announced that it plans to set up 50 schools in just one year across the country and aims to set up 300 schools by 2015. The Chairman of the group, Subash Chandra, mentioned in a statement that within a year the group has set up 50 schools and that it is a strong step being taken towards enhancement of the country's human capital by making children realise their own respective potential. The company had already laid out an investment of INR 350 crore for setting up schools and developing innovative learning content. 

Jindal Global University and Cambridge University Signed a Revolutionizing Education Pact to improve the efficiency of Police Forces in India

O.P. Jindal Global University and Cambridge University signed a formal pact, at New Delhi recentally, to train and teach IPS officers for a knowledge based policing system in India. The course designed by eminent scholars, researchers, academicians from the field of Law and Crime from Cambridge University and JGU would be for the enrichment of the IPS officer which in turn would benefit the entire police force and the society at large. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has awarded this training contract to Cambridge University working with its Indian partner, O.P. Jindal Global University.

Sam Pitroda speaks on next ICT wave in India

While sharing his views on impact of ICT on Indian society and the next phase of ICT revolution, through a video link from Chicago, Sam Pitroda delivered a keynote at the recent conference Microsoft Tech.Ed developer, held in Bengaluru. He described that the ICT revolution in India is about to enter into its second phase that would be based on broadband, data, applications, processes and new infrastructure. This would change the nature of education, health, government services, public delivery systems available in India. He elaborated that in the next two decades information is to play a critical role in restructuring a lot of development in India.

New Director at BITS Pilani

With effect from April 16, 2010, Prof G Raghurama, Professor in the Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has been appointed as the new Director of the Pilani campus of the Institute. He has completed his M.Sc from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), and PhD in Physics from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Later he joined BITS as a faculty member in 1987. He has been the Deputy Director (Academic) in the Institute since January 2007.

States push centre to expend for RTE implementation

The government is constantly facing demands from many states to pick up bulk of the multi-billion tab for implementing the landmark Right to Education Act, that includes other key challenges such as teacher shortage and infrastructure lacunae. It seems that most of the state governments want the centre to increase its proposed share from 55% to somewhere in between 75% and 90%. Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh want the centre to provide 100% funds.

Showcasing Innovations of the Future

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Higher education in India has transformed over time. Till a few years ago, the focus was to create centres of excellence to churn out qualified and technical manpower. IITs and IIMs reflected this trend. Now, the sector is witnessing an influential transformation. The Foreign Educational Institutions Bill has proposed to allow 100 % Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in higher education thereby saving India billions of dollars in foreign exchange outgo. The Ministry of Human Resource Development also plans to set up around 14 Innovation Universities, aiming to promote a “brain gain” policy to attract talent from all over the world.

The recent trend has been for the government to promote the setting up of private universities. Entry of private players will probably pave the way for competitiveness in education delivery, although critiques view it with a skeptical eye. It has lead to wider choices for the students, the flexibility to choose and learn subjects of interest. The sector has started adopting and assimilating best practices, and is not shying away from experimenting with visionary ideas which are specific to the the needs of the learner and the market.

Industry front-runners are now paving the way for innovative and highly competitive, yet rooted and inclusive education models. Pioneers in the field, including Shiv Nadar – Founder and Chairman of HCL Technologies, Azim Premji Chairman of Wipro Technologies, Rajendra Pawar – Co-Founder and Chairman, NIIT Technologies, and other education ventures from Vedanta, Apeejay and Reliance bring with them an enlightened vision on education. The current digitalLEARNING issue brings a detailed coverage of the NIIT University based on the visionary leadership of its founders and seeking to establish an institute par excellence.N Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission, in his interview to digitalLEARNING, provides insights into the future of the education sector. He puts forth strongly that the reforms taking place in the higher education segment is going to place it on a higher pedestal and lead the way for the future. The NUEPA Vice Chancellor, Prof Govinda, elaborates on the role of technology in higher education research in policy and administration, and how NUEPA will be using the same for carrying forward its niche research on policy and practice. digitalLEARNING seeks to highlight new and innovative models in education. The current focus on higher education refl ects our commitment in exploring new ventures, dissemination of best practices, and providing a platform for unique innovations in the fi eld.

digitalLEARNING Education Investment Summit, April 23, 2010, New Delhi

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
The Education Investment Summit 2010,  held on April 23, 2010, at The Claridges, New Delhi, brought together India's top-notch educational entrepreneurs, CEOs, private equity funders, venture capitalists, bankers, advisors and educational consultants to explore opportunities in private equity, venture capital and institutional investments in various streams of education sector.

The Education Investment Summit became a prolific interface between investors and entrepreneurs aspiring to be part of the emerging education growth story of the country. At a broader level, it also helped all stakeholders to explore newer potential for their growth and an opportunity to build new partnerships and refresh existing collaborations.

The summit witnessed high-level participation from leading Private Equity & Venture Capital Funds, Institutional Investors, Entrepreneurs, Policy Makers, Educationists, Senior Management from Schools, Colleges, Universities, Professional Training Centers, Education Technology Vendors & eLearning Companies, IT Solution Providers & Suppliers, Educational Consultants.

Some of the top issues that caught recent limelight includes – 'Right To Education Act'; the Cabinet Committee's approval for establishment of a National Knowledge Network (NKN) to be implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC) of Government of India; announcement of the revised 'ICT in Education Policy' for introduction of computer-based education at secondary and senior secondary levels of nearly 108,000 government and government-aided schools across the country; and National Skills Development Mission.

Emerging Indian Education Sector

NIIT University

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

NIIT University, formally inaugurated on November 15, 2009, is situated in the foothills of Aravali, in Neemrana, Rajasthan. The University is set to become an ideal example of learning in innovation, backed by end to end technical infrastructure in the lap of nature.

“Learn What You Want, How You Want, Where and When You Want. But Learn You Must!”

NIIT University (NU), a not-for-profit academic organisation, is a new and futuristic institution of higher learning. The University is committed towards bringing innovation in learning, in the emerging global knowledge society.

NIIT University is poised to develop around the Four Core Principles of providing Industry-linked, Technology-based, Research-driven and Seamless education. It promises to build great minds and original thinkers, besides ensuring exceptional job opportunities for all its students. The University is focused on developing learning structures that are technology-enabled and research-driven, which will equip learners to solve problems in their daily lives.

According to research by NU, recruiters are increasingly looking for research-driven minds that can bring more innovation into the workplace. Taking a cue from the industry, the University has designed each of its programmes in a way that students are drawn towards research through R&D projects, methodology courses and inspirational lectures by eminent professors and experts.

Formally inaugurated on November 15, 2009, the University is situated in the foothills of the Aravalis, in Neemrana, Rajasthan. The first public announcement about the launch of NIIT University was made on March 31, 2009 and the first session began from September, 2009. The idea of the University was initiated in the '90s, but got mobilised when domain leaders from across academia and industry came together in 2005, and  along with the initial Advisory Board, worked on the core principles and objectives of NIIT University.

The Founding Advisory Board members included, Prof P V Indiresan, former Director, IIT Chennai, the late Prof C S Jha, former Director, IIT Kharagpur,

Dr Kiran Karnik, then President, NASSCOM, Prof R C Malhotra, former Director, IIT Kanpur, Dr R A Mashelkar, then Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Prof. Ashok Misra, (who later became Director of  IIT Mumbai), Prof J R Isaac of IIT Mumbai and Prof M P Kapoor, former Vice Chancellor, Thapar University, among others.

The 100 acre, fully-residential green campus of NIIT University is situated around 100 kms from Gurgaon and 130 kms from Delhi and Jaipur, on the Delhi-Jaipur NH-8 Expressway. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, cutting-edge teaching methodologies and a strong research and development infrastructure.

NIIT University offers BTech Programmes in Computer Science and Engineering, Information and Communication Technology and Biotechnology; MTech Programmes in Pervasive Systems, Embedded Systems and Bioinformatics and Educational Technology. PhD programmes in Computer Science and Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Educational Technology and Bioinformatics and Biotechnology are available to students.

The University has also recently announced its MBA Programme, a two year course that meets and exceeds the academic requirements of typical management degrees. The NU-MBA program aims to equip students with the new age skill sets required to seamlessly navigate through the challenges faced by today's business leaders , and also expose them to the vibrant Asian and African economy that are poised to become pivotal economies of the future.

The NU-MBA has a unique initiative by which every student is assigned a mentor from industry who guides him throughout the program. This has brought together 16 CEOs from some of the most reputed companies in the country. Names like Manoj Kohli (Airtel), Raghupati Singhania (JK Industries), and Bhaskar Pramanik (Oracle India) are a few who have agreed to mentor the NU-MBA students through structured personalised interactions. The Mentorship Program is supplemented by other distinctive industry-linked elements, so that students are immediately productive at their post-MBA jobs.

The programme encompasses 36 courses over six terms (trimesters), of which nine are Electives, and requires a specialisation in one out of the six Concentration Areas offered.

Driving towards a futuristic model of education

The aim of NU is to provide students with occupational, spatial and temporal mobility demanded by today's globalised economy. It is about maximising the choices of  students  and giving them an all-round, holistic education with no artificial constraints. The academic structure and educational process at NIIT University are based on the Four Core Principles of providing Industry-linked, Technology based, Research-driven and Seamless education,  derived from the best examples of the global knowledge society.     

Industry-linked:

Extensive connectedness with industry is the hallmark of the NIIT University because of the focus on building great careers. This deep-connect is visible through initiatives of:

  • Six months, or a full semester, devoted to Industry Practice for undergraduates or an Internship for post graduates ensures rich hands-on experience in the workplace
  • Creating an advisory board constituted by industry experts and accomplished academicians, to update the curriculum regularly and ensure regular tutorials by  industry professionals
  • Encouraging students to participate in industry-sponsored R&D projects in the latest industry research
  • Guiding students extensively in career development with the help of a dedicated career development team
  • Establishing an incubation centre to catapult successful R&D projects into commercialisation by implementing them as live projects, or through patenting, licensing and technology transfer. Twenty-five acres (25% of the total campus master plan) is set aside for Incubation and allied activities.

Four Core Principles of NIIT University

The founding philosophy of NIIT University is based on Four Core Principles that aim to  establish a technologically-enabled University with a holistic learning approach.    

Core Principle I: Industry-linked

NIIT University is focused on building extensive connectedness with the industry to remain more relevant and train industry-ready graduates.

Core Principle II: Technology-based

NIIT University is committed to using cutting-edge technology in all its activities to improve transparency, convenience and to sharpen the professionals skills of students. 

Core Principle III: Research-driven

Creating knowledge-based education is the approach of NIIT University. Students from the orientation course are trained to examine problems through the eyes of  researchers and innovators. NU's goal is to inculcate the habit of research, analysis and documentation in students and build a research culture on its turf.

Core Principle IV: Seamless

Seamless is a word that is applicable to NIIT University academic programmes and operations, administrative processes and external linkages. Higher education in India needs reforms, that are tuned to the global knowledge society. NU will work cohesively in institutionalising seamlessness, and changing the prevailing practices in higher education within the existing regulatory framework.

Technology-based and Synchronous:

The NIIT University believes in using cutting-edge technology in all activities to improve transparency, convenience and to sharpen student's professional skills. NU ensures that:

  • All its programmes cover the latest technological developments, so as to keep students abreast of industry developments
  • Synchronous learning technology is available, that brings students face-to-face with professors and industry leaders from across the world
  • All students are provided extensive computing facilities, with over 1.3 nodes per student even in the first year and computer access throughout the campus
  • There is seamless integration in administration, education delivery and assessments through online software to improve the administrative process and reduce paperwork
  • An AV Studio transmits lectures from the campus to learning centres and facilitates the preparation of professional quality educational material
  • Advanced IT-enabled science labs facilitate computer-assisted learning
  • There is a readily available campus-wide Gigabit LAN and universal Wi-Fi Internet, that provide anytime, anywhere access 

Research-driven

At the NIIT University, creating knowledge starts from Year 1. Minds trained to approach every problem through the eyes of a researcher are the need of the hour in today's complex and fast-changing Knowledge Society. This training of the mind is manifested through distinct attributes such as the habit of critical inquiry, hypothesizing, analyzing, experimenting, creatively discarding and documenting. NIIT University is building this 'research culture' through a variety of means:

  • Courses like Problem Solving, Design of Experiments, Research Methodology and Scientific Method for BTech students
  • Extensive R&D Project and Research Methodology courses for all PG students. Already four patents have been granted, eight patent applications are under review, and 29 papers have been published in international journals
  • Guidance from highly experienced mentor professors in courses and co-curricular activities. Lectures by outstanding researchers are a part of the mentoring process
  • Creating a research advisory board constituted by researchers in industry and accomplished academicians, to advice and actively engage with NU on all research related matters

The Synchronous and Seamlessness Learning at NIIT University

“The concept of knowledge is increasingly being looked upon from a holistic rather than a sectional point of view. The rigid demarcation into departments and disciplines is giving way to inter-disciplinary approaches, whereby students can not only take advantage of the latest technology, but also ground themselves in our rich, pluralistic, multi-faceted spiritual and intellectual heritage. This green-field university being built by the creative team led by Rajendra Pawar and his colleagues, represents a new and innovative approach to knowledge in the 21st century. NIIT University gives a glimpse of what future education institutions should be. It is my hope and vision that one day this will become a unique centre of holistic learning, not only for India but for the whole world.”  

Seamless

Seamlessness is an all-pervasive concept that will manifest across the NIIT University program structure, curriculum, academic operations, regulations, teaching-learning strategies, modes of education delivery and external linkages. Seamlessness is about maximising students' choices and ensuring that they receive all-round holistic education with no artificial constraints. The key dimensions of seamlessness to enhance the core student experience include the following:

  • Students must construct a significant portion of their own curriculum. While BTech students select 23%, MTechs decide on 55%of their overall course credits
  • More than 50 percent of the BTech curriculum comprises lateral integration across knowledge disciplines, including basic sciences, mathematics, technical arts, humanities and languages
  • Each students audits two co-curricular activities from physical education, performing arts, community engagement, crafts or languages
  • There are courses like Research Methodology and Contemporary Issues to bridge a wide variety of disciplines within one single course
  • The delivery of teaching is through a rich blend of methodologies including classroom learning, interactive learning, e-Learning, project-based learning and open-ended problem solving

The Eternity of the Mobius Ring

The power of knowledge is universal and eternal. 'Learn What You Want, How You Want, Where & When You Want. But Learn You Must!' – The emblem of the NIIT University depicts a mobius ring, symbolising eternity. The mobius ring greets everyone who enters the campus and takes a curve towards the entrance of the academic building atop of a hillock. The sides of a mobius ring merge in and out, back and forth to create the most graceful, seamless and complete structure imaginable to the human mind. The ring is engraved with Anadi-Anant, an ancient concept implying that the Universe is eternal

digitalLEARNING &lsquo:Higher Education Summit&rsquo:, April 9, 2010, New Delhi

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Higher education in India is currently going through a transitional phase while coming across a critical era of development and turmoil. Witnessing and getting into the process of upholding the glory of the developmental phases, digitalLEARNING magazine organised the Higher Education Summit with the aim of stimulating debate and shaping strategies to deal with the rising challenges of the inclusion of ICT in the higher education sector on 9th of April, 2010. The Summit whirled debates on the key developmental agenda that will revolutionise the application of ICT in learning and administrative facilities for higher education institutes across India.

Taking the cue from the requirements and demands of higher education in the country, the challenge is to 'gett it right,' into delivering rightly the core business of teaching and learning, research, and contribution to the industry, community and above all the society.

But as the world is now a global village and India is standing at the threshold of that increasing and grasping stage of globalisation, it can be anticipated that the higher education system shall be operating in an increasingly challenging, competitive and complex world.

Competition is everywhere in today's world and higher education is one of the rapidly evolving sectors in the field. Therefore, the competition has become imperative. Further to that, aim of the summit has been tagged with the goal to enable the CIOs of the higher education institutions to share the best practices of supporting the academic mission, meeting the increasing demands of ICT in their organisations.

The objective of the summit is to bring together the stakeholders of the higher education sector and the technology providers on the same platform; to stir debates on the rapid technological changes and to bring forth the assumption that the most creative, innovative and challenging in the leadership will emerge as the winner in the difficult climate. 

Pointing towards the necessity

The summit had stimulated discussion on some of the key topics including using technology for implementation of examination and assessment in an unified way; teacher training and refresher courses in technology for updating teachers; creating a technology map for a higher education institution; future priorities for higher education IT development; the role of technology in supporting off-campus education; enhancing the online admissions process; managing multi-site data centres

Empowering Through Technology – NASSCOM Foundation

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

NASSCOM Foundation (NF) has spearheaded many programmes that leverage the power of ICT for the benefit of the society and development of communities as a whole.

NASSCOM Foundation works as the catalyst between the IT-BPO industry and the society by making opportunities accessible to the grassroots. NF has in India grown in terms of number of states it operates in and the number of organisations and individuals impacted. It has ensured to sustain a relevant purpose and vision by pioneering numerous innovative programmes and initiatives. NF aims to achieve this purpose through some of its various robust programs like NASSCOM Knowledge Network, ConnectIT and Poverty Alleviation Programme.

Building Capacities of the Underserved – NASSCOM Knowledge Network 

The NASSCOM Knowledge Network (NKN) centres provide public access to Information and Communication Technologies for educational, livelihood, social and economic development.

NKN, a dynamic network of telecenters or knowledge centers across 646+ villages in 90 districts and 13 states of India, gained further momentum in the past year. The programme now boasts of  280+ NKN centres which have provided skills training to 30,000+ and reached over 1,44,000 community members since its inception. NASSCOM Foundation continues to draw up a long-term sustainability plans for the centers to provide content and services that address the needs of the local communities.

The NKN centres are set up and managed through multi stakeholder partnerships among NGOs, CBOs, for profit organizations and NASSCOM Foundation.

  • NF brings ICT infrastructure, content, connectivity, training, and strategic inputs for the programme with support from NASSCOM member companies and beyond. NF through its other programmes and partners assist with software and hardware donations.
  • Resource partner, mainly corporate, bring funds and socially relevant services for the centre.
  • NGOs provide human and other resources to run the centre.

Facilitating Livelihood Skills for the Under-served – Poverty Alleviation Programme

Poverty Alleviation programme is aimed to provide employability and encourage micro-entrepreneurship to rural youth and people from under-served communities including women, people with disabilities as well as unskilled workers. NF currently facilitates this through Anizooms and CEDAT.

 The animation training project, called Anizooms, was initiated to build livelihood skills for under-privileged youth. The project began as a skills building course for Muslim girls at the NASSCOM Knowledge Network in old city of Hyderabad; where Technology for the People (TFTP) was training adolescent girls and women in various animation skills since 2005. This, is in line with NASSCOM Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of the under-privileged, thereby providing NF an excellent opportunity to scale up the efforts of this Hyderabad centre. NF together with Accenture came forward to support the centre with resources.

Case Study 1:
NF initiative helps youth club win President’s award

Siripur is a small village in Puri district of Orissa. Some youth club members of Friends Club, Siripur wanted to develop the economic condition of the village. In this regard they wanted to set up an ICT based information center at the village. They approached NASSCOM Foundation for assistance. NF established the Gyana ‘O’ Soochana Kendra (GSK) in association with Forum for Integrated Development and Research (FIDR), NF’s NGO partner in Orissa. The GSK started many activities at the center which included computer education for underprivileged youth, computer aided learning for school children, livelihood training for unemployed youth and health awareness training. The GSK gave training to the village youth and farmers on mushroom cultivation among the livelihood trainings it conducted.

 NASSCOM Foundation provided the basic training module, and cultivation started on an experimental basis. Now with the help of GSK, NF, Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), and Orissa Universal Agriculture Training (OUAT), the Friends Club of Siripur has started producing mushroom seeds. The village has been selected by NYK, Govt. of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and OUAT of Orissa as a model village.


The district administration, district agriculture department, NYK, Puri, academicians, and students of  OUAT saw the impact of GSK and NF on the farmers and decided to support the development of the entire Simili Panchayat comprising Siripur, Ansara, Nuagaon, Kadalibadi, Paikarapur, Matiapada, and Paitaban. The unemployed youth of Simili Panchayat are thus becoming independent and financially secure in earning their livelihood.

Being witness to this laudable work of Friends Club and GSK, the Nehru Yuva Kendra, Puri bestowed them with the state level Best District Youth Club Award. Their work reached the national spectrum  when Ramakrushna Mohanty, President, Friends Club, Siripur and Manager, GSK, Siripur, and Sri Rashmi Ranjan Rautaraya, Member,  received the National Award from the Hon’ble President of India. The Award was presented at the National Youth Festival held on January 12, 2008 at Chennai.

 

Two new Anizooms centres followed the Hyderabad centre in 2009, one in Sangli and one in Chandni-Chowk in Delhi.  The centres have upgraded curriculum including extensive pre and post production training, internship with Animation firms and placement at the end of training. The students selected for these centres come from under-privileged backgrounds.

Hyderabad Centre: 45 girl students have completed the training and 25 more are undergoing training at the moment. The training has given a new lease of life to the girls from under-privileged background that now look forward to earning a livelihood from the centre itself.

Sangli Centre: Over 20 youth are going through the training program. They also receive soft skills and communication training. An advanced IT training is also provided as a part of this course to help them compete better in the job market.

Delhi Centre: The centre initiated in November 2009 has started the training with 17 students. The students are also going through spoken and communication English courses along with animation course to prepare them for the industry.

The Center for Executive Development and Training (CEDAT), a 100 hour weekend program spread over six months, was initiated to train People with Disabilities (PwDs) in conversational English, IT skills and Personality Development. NF has collaborated with MBA Foundation, an NGO that has the domain expertise on working with PwDs.  Four batches of around 60 students have so far been trained and placed at various companies. The 5th batch commences from March 2010.

Training NGOs & Government Officials to Use Technology for Development – ConnectIT

 In view of the government’s National e-governance plans as well as other initiatives like NREGA, RTI and others, NASSCOM Foundation started a three year nationwide initiative called ConnectIT to provide the much needed advanced IT training support to NGOs and government officials at an advanced level.

There are demonstrated successes of ICT enabled skills development interventions, which have helped in functional scale-up organizations and enhanced the outreach and impact of their activities. Some of the well-acknowledged benefits of the use of ICTs include: increasing productivity; improving communication and collaboration; organizing critical information and facilitating technology enabled skills development training. Worldwide, experiences have shown that ICT use is relevant and useful, even in highly traditional settings.

The relevance of building IT skills among local government officials has gained importance manifold with the roll out of the government’s national e-governance programme and has created a need for IT skilled government officers who can align with the vision of the government. NGOs support the government and in contributing to development. Although an estimated million NGOs are operational in India, only a few thousands use ICTs in their day- to-day operational and management activities and only a few hundreds use them in their development programmes.

The ConnectIT programme, supported by Microsoft and NASSCOM, is aimed at increasing the capabilities of NGOs and social development organizations in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for social development initiatives.

ICT for Development – ICT helps underserved communities access information, services and opportunities that collectively build their capacities to realize their goals. NF brings together implementing agencies, industry, government bodies and people at the grassroots for integrated development through the use of ICT.

NASSCOM Foundation is a charity registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 and under Section 12A of Income Tax Act. NF is the social development arm of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), the internationally recognized trade body of the Indian IT-BPO industry. NASSCOM and its members are committed to social development through the application of ICT and beyond. NF is passionate about the cause and takes pride in holding the unique opportunity of leading the IT-BPO Industry towards changing the social development landscape of India. 

Interactive Learning for Reaching the Masses : Saurabh Saxena, Mexus Education, India

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

To begin with, can you expand on Axiom’s philosophy and vision?

Axiom Education, a global education venture by the Bilakhia group seeks to transform education into being fun-filled, innovative and student friendly. The vision is to expand the horizons of learning by introducing innovative methods and sources that are not confined to classroom education. By unifying education and entertainment, Axiom is set to deliver highest quality of educational content through platforms which make anytime, anywhere learning a reality.  

Kindly expand upon contribution of ICT in field education.

The use of technology as a medium for imparting education has not been a norm in our education system till date.  Axiom seeks to promote learning in the most innovative and enjoyable manner.

  Axiom has been constantly evolving interactive learning instruments. The lessons are imparted through graphic novels, toys games, puzzles, mind-maps, motion films and interactive online tools.  All this is delivered through various technology based platforms that allow for step by step assessment and feedback for continuous improvement.

With the belief that, “Every kid and all humans love to learn when not forced” Axiom has introduced its new age formula

Cloud to Support New Generation of Academicians and Learners : Vishal B Shah, Thotmatrix Solutions

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

What are the strategies that Thotmatrix has adopted to provide end to end technological solutions to the education sector?

We provide cloud-based solutions, strategic consulting and technology mana-gement services to help institutions visibly improve performance. By combining people, processes and technology, we work with colleges and universities to help them advance their IT infrastructure to support new generations of academicians and learners. Our solutions cover a wide spectrum of an institution’s technology needs including online admissions, virtual placements, alumni network and a series of customised applications ranging from student records management to reporting grades & transcripts.

With our Admissions Cloud suite, institutions can manage all their applications in one, powerful easy-to-use system. They can nurture their applicant relationships and realise true efficiencies throughout their admissions process. Our greatest differentiator is the Institutional Portal that allows admissions officers to electronically search & sort applications, schedule interviews and update status.

Through Alumni Cloud, universities can manage their alumni relations efficiently; provide an online registration and subscription renewal portal; broadcast newsletters, periodicals and donation requests; provide electronic job posting facilities; create a virtual platform for current students to interact with past alums.

What makes your solutions unique?
Our greatest USP is that we provide cloud based solutions. This implies that for the given  institute, there is no requirement for any software or hardware, or even maintenance expenses. Traditional service providers give solutions that have a lot of maintenance costs  including technical managers, support specialists etc. We taken everything off from there. All the institution needs to have is a good internet connection. We deploy services on the cloud
which is managed by our server partners, which is the number one cloud computing provider of the world. Users will have no problem while working on these servers. Who we can create any application tailored to meet the institution’s specifi c needs. This includes integrated  systems for academic services and student administration that can help the university streamline the management of information through centralised data repositories. The greatest advantage of using our cloud is worry-free computing where applications are  available on-demand.

How does Thotmatrix ensure that the clients are well trained in the usage of their  applications and solutions?
Thotmatrix provides introductory training sessions and 24/7 access to our comprehensive  online knowledge center to all our clients absolutely free. In addition to our free introductory  training, our experts also come on-site to provide detailed, hands-on training to the team to help institutions maximise the returns on its investment. We also offer a premium support  plan to our clients with 24/7 call center and email support combined with a dedicated account manager who will be available to resolve any technical diffi culties that may be  experienced.

What is your opinion about platforms such as digital LEARNING magazine which  work towards promoting the cause of ICTs in education?
ICT in education solution providers need a forum where stakeholders can be engaged in  iscussing issues and challenges. The focus that digitallearning has on ICTs is absolutely  ssential especially for companies like us, as it helps us to come up with solutions that are better   eared to suit the user community requirements. It will also help us get in touch with  nstitutions that are looking  for such solutions. DigitalLEARNING is a good platform to engage  with the government sector and the education sector towards this end.

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