A MoU was signed between Brunei Darussalam and Thailand as part of an effort to further boost the educational ties. The two countries will see an exchange of educational knowledge as well as human resources and students in the future. This would be one of the main agenda's set during the flagship educational project visit to Thailand, which is to take place between January 24 and February 2.
A delegation comprising three officers from Universiti Brunei Darussalam
A specialist education division of Northgate, who provide managed services and solutions in the UK, the company has been appointed an Apple Solutions Expert for Education (ASE). Manage Oracle Database Users and Roles Centrally in Active Directory or Sun Directory: Download nowNorthgate sees the Apple Mac's popularity as an education tool growing in recent years, particularly in creative art subjects such as art, music and drama, and will now be supplying computers to schools as part of its managed service. Apple offers a range of resources and educational discounts for schools and institutions in the UK including a dedicated Web site for teachers and students. iTunes U offers learning from within and outside the classroom, with a range of educational focused content from hundreds of schools, universities and museums.
Mac's are designed to support and enhance teaching and learning in schools, however as they traditionally do not run Windows operating system, until now they were not fully supported in a managed service says Northgate. However, the division along with Bristol Brunel Academy and the Apple Education Management Team has recently has conducted a pre-pilot research project and pilot testing to enable the use of Macs in schools. That scheme has proved a success and working with Apple and Bristol Brunel, Northgate was able to successfully integrate Macs as part of a Macintosh Managed Service provision. 'The Mac computers supplied as part of the trial integrated really well into our managed service at Brunel. The students found using the Macs a very positive and rewarding experience, the simplicity of use and the way the software and hardware seamlessly integrated together means they can concentrate on their creativity rather than on learning how to use the system,' said Richard Goucher, E-Learning Director, Bristol Brunel Academy.
The government of India plans to launch a toll-free helpline for small and medium businesses, which would offer assistance on issues like taxation, finance, laws, marketing and other relevant topics. This was communicated by Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Government of India, at a conference on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IndiaMART.com, India's largest online B2B marketplace here on July 10. Reiterating the government's commitment to SMEs, Rai said, 'The toll-free helpline is part of our resolve to assist SMEs in day-to-day operations, finance, marketing, legal, banking and taxation domains.' Rai also underlined a plan to run a National Skill and Development Centre (NSDC) to create a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. The conference was attended by 500 well known entrepreneurs and professionals from various industries. Distinguised personalities like Dinesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com, Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Government of India, Rajiv Sodhi, Director, Emerging Geographies, Microsoft India, Gurmukh Singh, Head Business Marketing, Intel South Asia, Harish Bahl, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Smile Interactive Technologies Group, were among those present. Rajiv Sodhi, Director, Emerging Geographies, Microsoft India, educated the audience on the power of ICT for innovation and acceleration of business in time of recession. Speaking on the much-publicized 'Project Vikas', Sodhi reiterated Microsoft's commitment to help SMEs, by offering tailor made software solutions to aid in operations, maximizing revenues and creating relationships with customers and partners.
Two annual conferences of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, the 45th SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) and the 5th ASEAN Meeting of Ministers of Education (ASED), are being hosted by the Philippines at the Shangri-La Hotel in Cebu on January 26-29. The aim of the back-to-back conferences is to foster stronger cooperation on education among Southeast Asian countries and beyond. The 10 collaborative projects of the SEAMEO member states that aim at providing education to the poorly-served communities in the region, have been given the top priority in the agenda. Additionally, the objective of the conferences is to address the issues related to integration of climate change in the school curriculum, harmonization of higher education in Southeast Asia, building capacity on maximizing the use of language in teaching, integration of ICT in teaching and learning, and strengthening visibility of SEAMEO, among others. The Department of Education (DepEd) said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will grace the opening ceremony as the guest of honor on January 27.
India has seen to have overtaken India not just in agriculture but in doctoral degrees (PhDs) too. Even as the debate rages over Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal's reforms in school and university education, the National Knowledge Commission has asked the HRD ministry to go in for an immediate revamp in the way universities go about awarding PhDs. Their fear is not unfounded. The growth in the number of doctorates in India is a mere 20% as compared to 85% in China! Worse, not more than 1% of students who complete their under-graduate degrees opt for doctoral studies in India. The NKC's survey across India has thrown up these facts at a time when our research laboratories are crying for well-trained young doctorates.
Though the exhaustive survey was completed early 2009, it was revised recently to take into account the new changes in the higher education sector. As a first step, NKC has recommended introduction of well-planned four-year courses to enable direct entry into PhD programmes. This apart, to provide flexibility for those with a bent of research, there must be multiple pathways for entry into PhD. At present most of the universities or elite institutions in the country are involved in training for the Masters or PhD degrees. To put India on the global map in research, NKC has recommended that NRI/PIO scientists conduct cutting edge research in India and create joint PhD programmes between universities both within and outside the country.
The global financial meltdown may have forced the Yale University in US to slash its overall endowment from US$24 billion to US$17.5 billion and reduce its workforce by 300 people, but that has not affected the university's initiatives in India, told a senior varsity official. A group of parliamentarians from the country, cutting across party lines, will leave for US in June to take part in the third edition of the India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme 2009. 'The group will be led by veteran parliamentarian, Abhishek M. Singhvi (Rajya Sabha MP),' told George Joseph, assistant secretary of international affairs at the Yale University. The group will also comprise Rajya Sabha MP Shobhana Bhartia, said the Yale official.
The university had launched the India-Yale University Parliamentary Leadership Programme in 2007 in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the India-US Forums of Parliamentarians. 'It educates leaders in government, business and the functioning of the civil society,' said Joseph. 'The common perception is that if your endowments have shrunk, then it will impact the university's initiatives and commitment to preserving and increasing faculty, improving the quality of education and overseas initiatives. But we are not allowing cost-cutting measures to affect the quality of staff, education or the initiatives. Some universities in US have cut cost by as much as 50 percent,' said Joseph, who is responsible for the university's international affairs in Asia barring China. Joseph said there has been no decrease in financial grants for overseas students. The university this term has admitted 14 Indian students for under-graduate courses and all of them have confirmed their enrollment, told Joseph.
The Distance Education Council (DEC), New Delhi has set up the National Accreditation Committee for Open and Distance Learning (NACODL) to accreditate institutions offering education through distance mode on the lines of conventional universities. DEC is the statutory body responsible for the promotion and coordination of the Open University and distance education system. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, chairman of DEC, said, 'Like conventional universities are accredited by NAAC, a statutory body of UGC, institutes of distance education will be accredited by NACODL.'
DEC's call for accreditation is also an attempt to restore the parity between distance and conventional degrees. Distance learning is considered as inferior to class room learning by various students, academicians and employers. Infrastructure and human resources, student support system, relevance of programmes, employment opportunities, research and consultancy and governance will be assessed during the accreditation by NACODL. NACODL has academicians and administrators from various distance and open learning institutes and government officials as their members. Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) of Mumbai University is in the process to get accreditation.
India's first-ever comprehensive research report to understand the future of examinations the EDGE-ValueNotes report, `Examinations and the Role of Technology: Emerging Directions', was released at the EDGE 2010 conference by Dr. Arun Nigavekar, Former Chairman UGC and Dr. William G Harris, CEO of Association of Test Publishers (ATP), USA. This report, the first of its kind in India, endeavors to look at the issues with traditional paper-pencil examinations and the potential benefits of leveraging technology to deliver such exams. The report provides insights into the awareness, perception, readiness and experience of key stakeholders in Indian higher education with respect to technology solutions to assessment, primarily online examinations. The study was based on an exhaustive, countrywide survey of more than 75 key decision makers including vice chancellors, exam controllers, university registrars, academic experts, etc.
'It was heartening to note that decision makers are not only aware of the benefits of using technology for assessments, but they have also indicated positive intent with regards to implementation of online assessment,' says Dr Arun Nigavekar, Former Chairman, UGC and member MeritTrac Education Advisory Panel. The study also includes a student perception survey
Blackboard announced on Tuesday that it has acquired ed tech developer Terriblyclever Design, the maker of MobilEdu, a campus communication application designed for iPhone and other mobile devices. MobilEdu is a standalone tool that lets users connect with professors, receive news updates, browse course catalogs, e-mail other users, receive schedule updates, view a map of their campus (with GPS support), and engage in other forms of communication. Uses can also access iTunes U and YouTube through the software and view video content, such as course lectures. And it offers open APIs to allow institutions to customize their interfaces for use with MobilEdu.
As Blackboard described it today, 'MobilEdu allows education institutions to deliver a rich set of campus life services and content to mobile devices, uniquely branded for each institution, to better connect current students, parents, faculty, prospective students and alumni to the campus experience in a way that wasn't possible before.' MobilEdu is available on mobile platforms that have built-in Web browsers. 'We're proud of the technology we've developed, and excited about the prospect of bringing it to a wider community of institutions,' said Kayvon Beykpour, co-founder of Terriblyclever, in a prepared statement released by Blackboard today. Beykpour has joined Blackboard as vice president and, according to Blackboard, will now lead the company's mobile education technology efforts. 'We started MobilEdu because we wanted to empower students and faculty by allowing them to engage with their university in a powerful and mobile way. Joining forces with Blackboard was the best way to work towards that vision, and we couldn't be more excited.'
The Union Budget 2009-10 has declared a scheme to provide full interest subsidy during the moratorium period on education loans taken from scheduled banks for pursuing any of the approved courses of study in technical and professional streams from a recognized institution in India. The scheme will be available to students from economically weaker sections to access higher education. Besides, the tax deduction under IT Act 2000-section 80E allowed for interest on loans taken for pursuing higher education in specified fields of study, has been now extended to cover all study fields, including vocational studies. The budget has a provision of INR 900 crores under the ‘Mission in Education through ICT’ scheme, besides an additional provision of INR 495 crore for establishing of new and face-lifting of existing polytechnics colleges under the ‘Skill Development Mission’.
The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun has received a special one-time grant of INR100 crore from this year union budget. A sum of INR 827 crore has been also been allocated for opening one Central University in each of the uncovered states and amount of INR 2,113 crore have been allocated for IIT and NIT institutions, including a provision of INR 450 crore for setting up of new IIT and NIT institutions.
