Only technology led English language program created in association with BBC

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September 30, 2009

The English language skill provider, Liqvid, has drawn an ambitious plan to equip 30 lakh Indian students with English language skills every year by 2012. 'English is an essential communication tool now more than ever before. It equips young school and college pass outs with skills that can ensure professional and social success,' says Vivek Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Liqvid, the provider of globally benchmarked, technology-led 'English Edge' program, in association with BBC. 'We hope to leverage our vast expertise and technology edge to scale up operations many fold and train 30 lakh learners in 2012 alone,' Agarwal added. Since the inception of its English Edge program 5 years back, the NOIDA -based company has forged relationships with academic institutions, including universities and Engineering, Management and other professional colleges in North and Central India. The company has created, domain specific English programs for sectors like Finance, IT and hospitality, for the first time in India. This is in recognition of the fact that every student learns the English language to attain a different goal. Many vocational schools that impart skill for careers in Travel, Hospitality, Computer Software and Hardware, Fashion, Retailing have access to Liqvid's 'English Edge' program. Liqvid's has almost ten years of expertise in creating cutting edge technology-led education design and delivery tools and has established a name in the English training field. Liqvid's unique instructional design and multi media course material empowers teachers to quickly master the training tools. It is estimated that around 250 million Indians use English a secondary language of communication with varying levels of proficiency and form the target segment for the company's offerings India's services sector success story is built around knowledge of English and it is generally accepted among employers that if the toss is between two equally qualified Individuals, the one with proficiency in spoken English has 4 times more chances of being selected.

These candidates can also expect from 25%-30% higher salary. In today's global world, English has emerged as a link language. It is the language of commerce and industry. A good command over English has become a must for anyone who wants to communicate better with the world and succeed in this global village. A command over spoken English involves more than just a good vocabulary, it involves correct diction, stressing on the right parts and pausing at the right places. These are skills that are acquired through practice, observation and training. Liqvid believes that a successful language program does not depend on just excellent teaching but also on the depth of the skills it imparts. The traditional method of teaching English emphasizes only on grammar, memorising words, translations etc. It does not foster effective speaking skills. To speak English fluently, learners need specially designed courses, coupled with effective methodology that not only teaches them to speak correctly but also focuses on improving their diction and accent.

Education with quality now easy to access

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September 30, 2009

It comes as no surprise that the ever-eager-to-learn Indian is leaving no stone unturned to ensure quality education for his children, thus 'securing' their future. The awareness of the importance of quality education is even felt by domestic help who would rather forego a meal but ensure their children's fees are paid on time. In the case of educated and ambitious parents, they would like to stop at nothing to provide their children with the best education, which would then take the kids a long way in life. No wonder then, toddlers today, armed with a tiny little schoolbag and an equally tiny water bottle, trod all the way to 'play'school. The idea being that these playschools serve as a venue for young ones to interact with others their age and develop social skills. When it comes to a regular school that will provide education right up to class 10 (or 12 in some cases), there are many options. Parents in their quest for 'quality' education have several boards to choose from – SSC, CBSE, ICSE, IB and IGCSE.

Progressing, we move on to various professional courses that continue to be introduced, almost every year, at the bachelor's and master's level to make students even more job friendly. Courses like Bachelor's in Banking and Insurance, Bachelor's in Computer Applications, Bachelor's in Mass Media, Bachelor's in Management Studies are just some of the 'newly' introduced courses that many youngsters are taking to, like fish to water. Corporates who were contributing a significant amount to causes like natural calamities, environment etc are now channelising their funds towards education. Education, even in modern day India, is looked at as the tool that can secure futures.

IIT fest to be sponsored by Airbus, Adobe, Bosch, Boeing and DRDO

Higher Education

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September 30, 2009

The patron list has just got longer at India's premier tech institute festivals with engineering majors Airbus, Adobe, Bosch and Boeing becoming marque sponsors. Even defence organisations such as DRDO, commodity exchanges like NCDEX and big business groups like Murugappa are marking their presence at these events. Boeing and Airbus are debuting as sponsors at IIT-M's Shaastra. Confirming their participation, Shaastra 2009 event co-ordinator Saranya Kapur said, 'This is the first time they are sponsoring any IIT fest.' She attributes the keenness on Shaastra 2009 being the world's first ISO-certified student event and also on the showcase event, Aerofest. The five-day annual technological festival of IITMadras starts on September 30. According to Shirish Subramanian, IITKharagpur's annual techno-management fest Kshitij 2010's core team head, DRDO is sponsoring a workshop for the first time as well. NCDEX too has moved in by signing up as an event sponsor for Kshitij, again a first. They'll be sponsoring an event called 'Analyst' , as they are keen on something specific to the commodities and derivatives market. NCDEX is eyeing good research analysts and they plan to use the fest as a platform to connect with students. Kshitij 2010 will be held between January 28 and 31. Not only has the sponsor matrix evolved, but firms are looking at fests to scout for managerial talent.

Tackling terrorism course in India for the first time

Higher Education

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September 30, 2009

An initiative of Pune-based NGO Sarhad that works in insurgency-battered Jammu and Kashmir, the two-year post- graduate course called Counter Terrorism and Peace Management starts on October 2 – the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi – at the Sarhad Research Centre in Pune. Sarhad runs a chain of colleges, including technical institutions. This course will be run by Sarhad Research Centre for Counter-terrorism and Peace Management. They have applied for recognition of the course by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The brainchild of Sanjay Nahar, the founder of Sarhad, the course was designed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Of the 18 students, four girls and 14 boys, many are masters in business administration (MBA), hotel management graduates and media professionals. The course fees are INR 30,000 a year. The center has received a good response from people abroad also. However, due to some legal technicalities none of them is enrolled in this batch. The centre is planning to accommodate them in the next batch. Nahar said they had contacted some 10 five-star hotels and 200 companies for campus recruitment and a majority of them have shown interest. The first year of the course will include the etymology and philosophy of terrorism, terrorist ideologies and modus operandi, national policy and role of the print and electronic media. The second year will focus on different terrorist groups, socio-economic factors that mould a terrorist's mindset, control strategy, retention camps, drugs and arms trafficking. There will be visiting faculty from other terror-affected Asian countries — Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iraq.

5 chances to pass CBSE examination

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September 30, 2009

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that the practice of declaring 'Compartment / Fail' in a subject will be discontinued from the current academic session. As a part of its Examination Reforms, which will also see the implementation of the nine-point grading system, CBSE has introduced the system of awarding of 'Qualifying Certificates' to successful students. Those candidates, who obtain the qualifying grades (D and above) in all subjects excluding the Additional subject, will be awarded a Qualifying Certificate. Students who obtain grade E1 or E2 in a subject will have to improve their performance through subsequent five attempts.

For example, a candidate who appeared in Board's examination in March 2010, can appear in July 2010, March 2011, July 2011, March 2012 and July 2012 only in subjects in which he / she has got grade E1 or E2 till he / she gets qualifying grades (D and above) in all the subjects excluding additional subject as per Scheme of Studies and becomes eligible for award of Qualifying Certificate. Only those who get Qualifying Certificates shall be eligible for admission in higher classes.

Business Proficiency Skills need of the hour for India

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September 30, 2009

In an eye-opening survey conducted by the renowned & noted research organisation, 'Frost and Sullivan' on behalf of ISIL-Indian School of Integrated Learning released their report on Employability skills of graduates. The surprising results show that over 40% of the students have given more importance to Employability skills over domain knowledge. This research is an attempt to identify, describe and produce an analysis of the interacting factors which influence the learning choices of students and to develop associated solutions. This in turn has assisted ISIL in designing apt courses for job aspirants and will hence help them compete on the competitive global stage! These programmes have been designed by ISIL's international associate 'Speak First'-UK has been helping people around the world to communicate more effectively in business.

Using the proven training methods of Speak First, ISIL will be offering the necessary employable skills to the students through their one-year Advanced Diploma Course and another four-month Certificate Course both in Business Proficiency Skills. Students will be trained in topics such as effective communication, presentation skills, personal impact training, media skills, interviewing techniques, cultural awareness and many more soft skills solutions, which have already been tried and tested across the globe. On Friday, when companies recruit employees, they look for more than technical expertise, skills or knowledge. This survey conducted by 'Frost & Sullivan' focuses on the need gap in the Business Proficiency Skills Training & Development amongst the students and the required skill set for employability. The study is based on survey conducted around 1,000 students from three major cities includingMumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, across 20 educational institutions. Rating on the chart of skills set lacked by students from these three different cities, Delhi students have considered domain knowledge and presentation skills more important. While Mumbai students have rated themselves less proficient on Communication and Decision skills. All skills are considered much more important by Bangalore students as compared to other centers. Indians undoubtedly are very competent in their technical skills, but this does not suffice anymore to make them globally competitive. Hence, Indian companies today are emphasizing the importance of soft skills training. ISIL programmes will be conducted by experienced corporate trainers, professional managers and behavioral specialists. ISIL plans to impart these soft skill lessons to the young Indians at its four fully equipped training centers, enhanced with the wi-fi technology at its Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad centers.

IT Empowerment Scholarships for 20,000 Nigerians

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September 23, 2009

KarROX Nigeria, an Information Technology (IT) company, in partnership with Microsoft has concluded plans to award IT empowerment scholarships to no fewer than 20,000 Nigerian students. Business Development Manager of the company, Pritesh Zaveri, said out of 80,000 applicants, 20,000 students qualified for the scholarship, adding that the test was based on general aptitude, intelligence of students, while interviews were conducted at all karROX Computer Education and Training Centres nationwide for the qualified candidates. Managing Director of the organisation, Sunil Dhanuka told that the scholarship programme, now in its 4th year, was an opportunity for individuals, who desired the best of IT education to become professionals, adding that it was poised to support individuals who had the zeal and desire for quality IT education/career.He said the training would cover various software, networking and security modules with multiple platforms and technologies offered by ICT world leaders like Microsoft, CompTIA, Sun, Microsystems, among others. Microsoft Development Platform Manager, Ken Spann, said his organisation was excited about being part of the empowerment scholarship for 2009, saying since ICT was on the rise, the country was seeking to increase ICT capacity among students and workers both in the public and private sector.

EDUSAT to enhance knowledge base of students of north-eastern India

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September 23, 2009

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Students in India's northeast will soon have satellite-based educational facilities to enhance their knowledge base. Three states – Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland – will be included in the first phase of the hi-tech facilities using the services of EDUSAT.

EDUSAT, a dedicated satellite for education, launched in 2004 by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). With the help of EDUSAT educational programmes through satellite would reach some of the most interior and inaccessible hilly areas of Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland through video-conferencing. There will be a hub and a studio each in the three states. These resource centres will be located in blocks, higher secondary and middle schools, district institutes of education and training. The teachings in the studio can be seen and heard in the classrooms on large screens or big television sets with cameras and audio equipment available at both ends for communication. NESAC is coordinating with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the launch of the project. The new venture is expected to bring down the dropout rate among school students in the region.

India plans internet kiosks for education

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September 23, 2009

The government in India may initiate a cyber revolution in the education field by introducing a high level of electronic content and testing mechanism. Recognising constraints of limited number of faculty and physical infrastructure, the Planning Commission has suggested the government to set up internet kiosks, imparting higher education.

The model is suggested for subjects that do not require laboratory works. According to the draft approach paper to the Eleventh Plan “Pre-recorded selection of lectures, tutorials and standardised tests available at internet kiosks, which students can access at will, can be helpful”. The Planning Commission has submitted the draft to the Prime Minister for his approval, before a policy in this regard is framed for the next five-years. The paper suggested the government to develop “autonomous institutions” with the responsibility of testing and examination. Higher education in India is still to evolve. Only 8% of the relevant age group go to university level, whereas this figure goes up to 20-25% in many developing countries. It suggested to set up new colleges and universities and to strengthen the existing institutions to bridge the gap. At least 20 universities, with the potential for excellence, may be upgraded in the Eleventh Plan (2007-12).

i-flex to build Decision Support System to monitor education quality in Indian schools

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September 23, 2009

Banking software maker i-flex solutions has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Karnataka in India to build a Decision Support System (DSS), for the state's department of education. The DSS will help the department monitor the quality of elementary education in schools across the state.

Estimated to cost approximately INR One Crore, the DSS is being developed by i-flex's Center for Business Intelligence (CBI) in two phases. The first phase has just been completed and has helped the Karnataka State Quality Assessment Organization (KSQAO), a part of the Department of Education; analyse the quality of education of around 19 Lac children in 41,000 schools, in around 2100 clusters, in around 200 taluks in 32 districts of the State of Karnataka.

H. D. Kumaraswamy, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, launched in a different ceremony the 'Karnataka Schools towards Quality Education' program, and released the results of the analyses from the assessment of schools conducted using the DSS. i-flex will also work with the Policy Planning Unit and e-Governance unit of the Education Department, and provide Project Management Support to implement Information Analytics, Data Warehousing and Decision Support System. The DSS helps the Karnataka State Quality Assessment Organization (KSQAO)

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