Information and Communication Technology Ventures (ICTV), a leading investment company in MENA market, announced recently that it has acquired a minority stake in IT Security Training & Solutions
Launch of IMI campus at Bhubaneshwar
Commemorating its 30th anniversary during 2010-2011, the International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, has announced the launch of its second campus at Bhubaneshwar in Orissa. Located at the IDCO Institutional area in Gothapatna, Bhubaneshwar, adjacent to IIIT, Bhubaneshwar and NALCO Research Centre, the new campus is spread over 16 acres of land. The IMI board has distinguished persons from industry, government and academics headed by Industrialist R.P.Goenka, chairman-emeritus, RPG Enterprises. The new campus will also focus on entrepreneurship development and applied research on public policy into socio-economic issues and best practices in management and governance.
Paperless CAT to be given by 2.4 lakh aspirants
Over 2.4 lakh aspirants will vie for entry to the prestigious IIMs, the Common Admission Test (CAT) for which will be computer-based for the first time this year. The test, which goes paperless from this year, is scheduled between November 28 and December seven, and will be conducted at 105 centres in 32 cities across the country. A total of 2,41582 students will appear for the exam this year, which is a marginal drop as compared to last year when 246,000 students appeared for CAT. To make the students appearing for the exam abreast of the computer-based format, American agency Prometric, which is conducting the test on behalf of the IIMs, has released a practical guide to CAT. The guide serves as a supplement to a YouTube video that gives the students a demonstration of the computer-based test. While the pattern of the exam, the questions and the weightage of subjects, is to remain unchanged in the new format, the test does away with paperwork. The practical guide provides a detailed tutorial into a range of things from using the mouse to navigating through the test paper and how to mark or unmark questions for review.
13 new Colleges to be setup by Punjab
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that 13 new degree colleges would come up in the state by next year at a cost of INR 104 crore. These colleges would be located in the educationally backward districts of Amritsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Nawanshahar, Patiala and Sangrur on the recommendations of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Badal was presiding over a function to mark the silver jubilee of the Government College here, 10 km from state capital Chandigarh. Badal said that to boost higher and technical education, a central university at Bathinda had already started its academic session. Another world-class central university would be set up in Amritsar in over 700 acres of land. He said that the state government had transferred 501 acres of land for setting up the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Ropar, 45 km from Chandigarh. The classes for the IIT have started this year from the building of a government polytechnic.
Distance Learning Admissions open at Bharathiar University
Bharathiar University's (BU) School of Distance Education (SDE) has invited admission to its Undergraduate (UG), Post Graduate (PG), Diploma and PG Diploma courses for its academic session 2009-10 till November 30, 2009. According to its Director, N.Balasubramanian, the aspirants can get themselves enrolled in these courses directly at the SDE or at the city centre of the SDE located at Bishop Appasamy College, Race Course, or any of the learning centres of the SDE. The candidates can obtain the prospectus and the application form by submitting an application along with a crossed demand draft for INR 100 for all courses (except Executive MBA the cost of which is INR 300 ) drawn in favour of the Director, SDE, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore- 641 046, payable at Coimbatore. The application form can also be obtained through post, by enclosing a DD for Rs.350 for Executive MBA and Rs.150 for all other courses along with a self-addressed envelope of size 30X 24 cm. Applications can be downloaded from the university website.
National Awards to young minds on Children’s Day
The Minister of Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath presented National Child Awards for exceptional achievements to 25 children on Bal Divas today at a function at Vigyan Bhavan. The Ministry of Women & Child Development has initiated various schemes and programmes for the welfare of the children. These include universalizing of Integrated Child Development Services programmes, thereby ensuring that an Anganwadi Centre is set up in every village in the country. The Integrated Child Protection Scheme has been launched this year to provide a safe and protective environment for children. The scheme specifically addresses the needs of street children, orphan children and millions of others who need care and protection. On the occasion Kapila Vatsyayan, Karan Singh and Motilal Vohra also addressed the children.
The awards are presented every year to the children between the age group 4-15 years for their exceptional achievements in various fields including academics, art, culture and sports etc. Awards include one Gold Medal with cash prize of INR 20,000 and a citation and 24 Silver Medal with cash prize INR 10,000 and a citation. The Gold Medal was presented to Ms. Shruthi S, from Karnataka for her exceptional skill in drawing and painting. On the occasion the minister also released volume 2&3 of research carried out the NIPCCD on ICDS.
Neemrana to see Green Campus by NIIT University
Spread over 100 acres on the foothills of the Aravali range at Neemrana, the eco-friendly NIIT University (NU) campus was formally inaugurated by its Chancellor Karan Singh on Sunday. The 'seamless' campus comprising 54 buildings with residential facilities for 5,000 students and over 500 faculty members would be built over 10 years at a cost of over INR 1,000 crores. After being given recognition by the Rajasthan government on October 14, the university admitted 19 BTech and 10 MTech students in its founding batch and the founding faculty members include names such as Dr Mashelkar, Dr Kasturi and mathematician professor Dinesh Singh among others. The highlight of the campus has been its environment-friendly designs and initiatives. While NU officials claim 95% of the water is recycled and harvested, there is no use of air conditioners in the two academic and hostel blocks.
Pawar also informed that chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Ghelot would launch the Harit Rajasthan initiative from the NU campus itself. On the inclusive plans of the university, Pawar said that 15% of the total intake would be supported with scholarships and two of the nearby schools will be adopted by the students of NU. While the university started with offering BTech programmes in computer science and engineering, ICT and biotechnology, its MTech programmes include computer science and engineering, ICT, bioinformatics and educational technology. Its PhD programmes include computer science and engineering, ICT, educational technology and bioinformatics and biotechnology. The university has plans for management programmes as well.
Government Plans for Students to receive $37 computers
If everything goes according to the plan and the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has its way, students at the UGC-recognised colleges and universities across the country may soon get low-cost computers to aid learning in anytime-anywhere' mode. The move forms part of the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) that envisages, among other things, computer infrastructure and connectivity to over 18,000 colleges and each department of the 419 universities through the department of telecommunication. The idea is to leverage the potential of ICT in providing personalised and interactive knowledge modules over the internet to learners in higher education.
At the heart of the mission is the effort to enhance the gross enrolment ratio (i.e., the percentage of Std XII-passouts making it to higher studies) from the existing 10 pc to 15 pc by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12). The NMEICT also aims at bridging the digital divide the gap between those who can use computing devices for teaching and learning and those who have remained untouched by the digital revolution in urban and rural areas. In a letter to the vice-chancellors of all universities, HRD ministry's joint secretary (distance learning) N K Sinha has called for acceleration of the NMEICT initiatives to ensure better instruction and reach of the educational delivery system. This is to be achieved through generation of high-quality e-content and connectivity for delivering it.
State-level workshop on ICT-enabled teaching
A three-day State-level workshop on ICT-enabled teaching was held in Mangalore, organised by St. Anns College of Education with financial assistance from the University Grants Commission.
The aim of the workshop was to help integrate ICT into the teaching and learning process at the college level. Dr. Lydia Fernandes, Secretary, The Apostolic Carmel Educational Society said that there is a need to make education globally competitive in this age of information. Speaking at the inauguration of the workshop, she stated that ICT could be a tool to revolutionise education. In the process of traditional systems of teaching giving way to more interactive and collaborative processes, technology could play a major role. Flosy D'Souza, workshop co-coordinator, said that the aim of the workshop was to familiarise college teachers with ICT and web-based teaching.
150 Million for computers in schools
Today Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to unveil a major investment in computers for schools, amid criticism that Irish schoolchildren are losing out in the digital revolution. Cowen is expected to commit about
