Quota formula for colleges scrapped by Bombay HC

Higher Education

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June 18, 2009

The Maharashtra government's proposal to reserve 90 % of college seats in the state for students from the state board, was struck down on Monday by the Bombay High Court. The government had proposed only 10 % of seats in junior colleges for students from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian School Certificate Examinations (ISCE). The rest were for students passing the Class 10 exam conducted by the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. Spelling a major setback to the state government, a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari also lambasted the authorities for taking a 'hasty decision' in the matter.

This is the second time in two years that the court has pulled up the government for its attempt to ensure that over 200,000 students of the state board get the measured share of seats and that the 25,000 students from other boards did not get an upper hand in admissions to prestigious colleges. The judges' ruling came in the final hearing of a plethora of petitions challenging the government resolution on the 90:10 seat sharing formula, which they termed as 'arbitrary, un-constitutional and taken without application of mind.' The judgement was welcomed by parents of students hailing from the CBSE/ICSE boards who were anxiously waiting for the admissions to begin for the junior colleges for the academic year 2009-2010. The court felt that the classification of students as coming from the state board and non state boards was 'artificial and imaginary.'

Schools from Australia combine for $146 million broadband project

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 18, 2009

Announcing the agreement, Telstra CEO, David Thodey and the Chair of Catholic Network Australia Limited (CNA), Francis Moore, said a AUS$146 million national broadband network would link more than 1,550 catholic schools in what they said was a 'irst for any school sector in Australia.' Under the agreement, over the next two years, Telstra Internet Direct will progressively connect five data centres Australia-wide as Telstra's network is installed, with Catholic Education offices around the country able to share and exchange resources. Thodey said the project would dramatically increase the reach and capacity of broadband connectivity to Catholic schools and provide a diverse range of services for teachers and students.

And, the director of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Melbourne and CNA Board member, Stephen Elder, said it was envisaged that CNA would eventually provide a single network for all Australian Catholic agencies and parishes, with increased flexibility. Elder said benefits from the broadband network would include a reduction in total costs for individual Catholic networks and agencies, the opportunity for Catholic schools to be at the forefront of ICT provision and capacity in education, and the opportunity to share exemplary practice, content and resources across all Catholic schools Australia-wide. According to Elder, the new broadband network would also assist Catholic agencies to respond to the increasing accountability requirements of all governments and assist Catholic culture through the creation of online learning communities.

Card Payment for fees at Venkateswara College

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 18, 2009

Two credit machines will be set up at Sri Venkateswara College so that parents and students can deposit their fee using credit and debit cards. Fees can also be submitted through demand drafts, cash and online through the Delhi University website www.du.ac.in.

'We are taking up this initiative to expedite the admissions process and to cut down on long queues. We will accept all types of debit and credit cards, of all the banks, except American Express,' said Principal Hemalatha Reddy. Nirmal Kumar, the admissions conveyor at Sri Venkateswara said, 'It takes hours to count cash. Besides, parents and students have to wait in long queues. We also often get complaints of duplicate 500 rupees notes. This computerised system will prevent that as well.' He added that this will also aid in reducing the paper work.

Gandhian studies gain momentum at Panjab University

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 18, 2009

There has been a change in trend with the department of Gandhian and Peace Studies in Panjab University (PU) being swamped by aspirants. It is flooded with unprecedented rush of students seeking admission to different courses it offers for the 2009-10 session. 'This year we have received far more applications for admission if we compare the number with last year. On an average, we have received 14 applications for one available seat,' told Jai Narain Sharma, Chairperson of the Department.

To meet the increasing demand of students PU authorities have increased the seats in Gandhian studies department from 25 to 29. Last year also the seats were increased from 20 to 25, seeing the interest among students. This year seven students of the department sat for the civil services preliminary exam, of whom four qualified for the main exam and one was selected in the interview. Students from diverse backgrounds like arts, commerce, science and business studies and even working professionals are applying for the course. At present eight foreign students from Iran are studying in the department. The Department of Gandhian Studies came into existence in 1965. Initially there was only a one-year certificate course in Gandhian philosophy but now the department is offering M.A, M.Phil and PhD courses in different branches of Gandhian studies. Admission is based on academic record and an aptitude test. Students passing out of this department are placed in various renowned NGOs and self-help groups all across the country. Under their subject Literacy Mission, Gandhian studies department has adopted a village, Mahadev Pura, in Haryana. Its students go there every year and work for the upliftment of underprivileged kids of the village. There is a full-fledged library in the department with more than 6,000 books. There is a series of books written by Mahatma Gandhi and books based on his life and experiences. PU, one of the oldest universities of the country, was established in 1882 at Lahore and was shifted to Chandigarh in 1956.

Colleges to see increase in English cut-off with increase in application for CATE

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June 18, 2009

Increased rush for application forms for the Combined Aptitude Test for English (CATE), the cut-off for English (honours) is expected to go up by 0.5-1.5 points this year, at least in the first list. Moreover, admission officials feel that English cut-offs may also be affected by those high scorers who fail to make it to the honours programmes in BCom and economics. The department of English, Delhi University, has termed the rush for CATE forms as unprecedented and is anticipating a greater rush on June 15, the final day of form sale and submission. Looking at the rush, the department has added three more centres, Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women and Maitreyi College, to the original list of four test venues and is thinking of two more centres.

Terming this as a panic measure on the part of the students, Satpathy feels students have kept English as their 'plan B', just in case they don't get the subject of their choice. Last year, the first cut-offs for English were 93% for LSR, 90% (for humanities) and 98% (for non-humanities) at Hindu, 87% (for humanities) and 94% (for non-humanities) at Miranda House and 84% (for humanities) and 92% (for non-humanities) at Sri Venkateswara.

Online Degree Programmes in Uganda

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June 17, 2009

Faced with insufficient infrastructure and the ever-growing student population, Makerere University is to start online and tele-education degree facilities to ease congestion. The move comes after the varsity's Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (ICT) and the University of Hertfordshire School of Computer Science entered into a partnership to introduce online and tele-education degree programmes at Makerere. The Dean Faculty of ICT, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, said the programmes will help to reduce on the number of students who trek long distances to get lectures at the university and also reduce the burden of accommodation fees.

Courses earmarked include: BSc in Computer Science, BSc in Information systems, MSc Computer Science, MSc in Distributed Data Management, MSc in Distributed Systems and Networks, MSc in e-Learning Technology, MSc in Mobile Computing. Others are MSc in e-Learning Technology, MSc in Human Computer Interaction, MSc Multimedia Technology and MSc in Software Engineering.

Online Photography competition by eLearning Africa

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 17, 2009

In order to understand, the change in lives of people that has taken place through use of technology including mobiles, Internet, computers and audiovisual media, eLearning Africa has launched an online photography contest. People have been invited from Africa to submit images that show how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have helped them improve upon their lives, respectively. The tops three entries are to win a photo camera, a mini camcorder and an iPod.

The other ten best photographs will be displayed in an exhibition at eLearning Africa conference. The largest pan-African conference on ICT for development, education and training, will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 26th

802.11n network to make Benedict College go fully Wireless

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 17, 2009

Benedict College in Columbia, SC is deploying a campus-wide, indoor/outdoor 802.11n network. Currently being rolled out across the entire 100-acre campus, the network will blanket the school to support voice, video, and data applications, according to college representatives. Thirty buildings are being outfitted with the Smart wi-fi gear, including a 10,000-seat stadium, on- and off-campus student housing, libraries, administrative buildings, and classrooms. Benedict is replacing legacy Cisco 802.11g access points. The college has selected Ruckus Wireless gear for the move, including 168 dual-band 802.11n ZoneFlex 7962 Smart Wi-Fi access points along with the ZoneDirector 3250 WLAN controller.

Dynamic beamforming uses constant feedback from the client to ensure that the path selected is performing properly using standard acknowledgements built into the standard 802.11 protocol. The idea is to construct an adaptive system that provides better performance and longer range and that automatically adapts to environmental changes without IT staff having to perform manual tuning. Previously Benedict had deployed Cisco wi-fi access points on a limited basis throughout some administrative buildings, but had not made a strategic commitment to the technology.

Nutrition security programme launched by IGNOU

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 17, 2009

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched an online 'Leadership Programme on Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development'. D. Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for HRD, launched the programme and its website. The function was presided over by Professor M.S.Swaminathan, Honorary Chair, Chair for Sustainable Development, IGNOU and Professor Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor IGNOU. The gathering was addressed by Kerry Pelzman, Acting Mission Director, USAID, Dr. Rajiv Tandon, Coordinator, Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India, Professor Latha Pillai, Pro-VC IGNOU and Dr. M.K. Salooja, School of Agriculture, IGNOU. This Nutrition Security programme can be completed in a minimum period of one month and maximum six months. It is intended to sensitize and guide policy and programme leaders to rely more on evidence based programming for achieving nutrition security and sustainable development.

This programme is open to candidates who are graduates or equivalent in any discipline from any recognized University. There is a special focus on candidates working in the health and nutrition sector, including policy makers and programme implementers, civil society and public health nutrition professionals.

JSAS softwares in school by Education Minister

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June 17, 2009

Education Minister, Andrew Holness (left), is assisted with the cutting of a ribbon, signalling the official opening of the Penwood High School computer laboratory, by Board Chairman, Alden Brown, during the formal handing over of the facility at the institution's campus, in St. Andrew, on June 18. Holness was guest speaker at the function. Education Minister, Andrew Holness, has announced plans by the Ministry to roll out the Jamaica Schools Administrative System (JSAS) software in over 600 schools island wide. This, he said, is to equip administrators with the tools to make informed decisions regarding effective management of, and timely performance measurements at all levels within these institutions. The JSAS, which was developed by the Ministry, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), assists schools in capturing data on student enrollment, academic performance and behaviour, as well as the scheduling and planning of activities.

Education Minister, Andrew Holness (left), presents Chairman of the Penwood High School Board, Alden Brown, with one of 20 laptops that have been placed in the institution's computer laboratory, by the e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, symbolizing the formal handing over of the facility to the school. The presentation was made during an official handing over ceremony at the school, in St. Andrew, on June 18, at which the Minister was guest speaker. Holness pointed out that the older Version 6 format, which is deployed locally on computers in the schools, will be rolled out first, to facilitate familiarization with the software over a one year period. The Minister pointed out that the newer programme format, in addition to benefiting the schools, will facilitate the Ministry's accessing real time information on developments in the institutions.

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