Aptech and New Life Group enters a Joint Venture in Phillipines

Corporate Updates

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May 5, 2009

Aptech enters into a Joint Venture (JV) with New Life Group Inc, a Philippines-based company, to expand its retail presence in the country. The JV in favor of New life Group Inc and Aptech will be shared in the ratio of 60:40. The CEO and MD of Aptech Ninad Karpe said that with the joint venture Aptech will be able to carry its brand and expertise to Phillipines and address the retail market with ACCP and other related ICT courses. IT education in Philippines is evolving rapidly and value-added services such as technical support and product troubleshooting along with basic IT and hardware consulting are on the rise.

Aptech programmes will aim to deliver the best benefit to students in terms of enhanced employability options upon their completion. The Phillipine IT market is expected to show good performance in years to come wiyh projected increase in spending from $2.4 billion to $ 3.6 billion. The JV will also serve to expand the scope of the retail and training brands of Aptech, namely Aptech Computer Education, Arena Multimedia, Avalon Academy, English Express and N-Power across Cambodia, Philippines and Laos.

HRD Ministry helpline for ragging victims

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May 5, 2009

The Human Resource Department (HRD) Ministry recently announced the setting up of an anti-ragging helpline and website for ragging victims to lodge their complaints. A special unit will be deployed for investigating and handling the complaints. The website would become functional before June 15, 2009. The helpline is being initiated by the Education Consultants of India in association with NGOs working against the menace of ragging.

An independent unit would assist in investigating all the complaints against ragging. The government is planning to adopt an independent investigative mechanism to ensure that educational institutes do not harass ragging victims for lodging their complaints. 'It has been noticed that action was taken against several students for lodging complaints against ragging,' said a University Grants Commission (UGC) official. The UGC is expected to finalize its guidelines for anti-ragging in a meeting to be held on May 18.

IInd Web challenge by Telco

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May 5, 2009

Smart Communications Inc. public school partners can look upto to another round of online sharing about what's unique in their respective communities with the launch of the 2nd Doon Po Sa Amin Learning Challenge. Currently, Smart is accepting entries from student-faculty teams of partner schools under the Smart Schools Program. Registration of school teams and student groups to the competition will be until Aug. 12. Participants have until the end of November 2009 to finish their entries, publish them online and promote their web projects. The Doon Po Sa Amin Learning Challenge is a search for the richest local content or most unique information uploaded on the worldwide web by student groups and school teams. Besting 34 other entries that made it to the short list, the NCSHS team received the grand prize of P50,000, a trophy and school equipment. Each member also received a Smart Bro prepaid plug-it kit. Their entry also won the Best in Social Science topic category award and got an additional P30,000 in cash and trophy.

The competition is part of Doon Po Sa Amin, a four-year content generation project which Smart launched last year to encourage teachers and students of partner schools to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to generate and share web-based information and educational materials about their respective communities. The official website can be accessed at www.doonposaamin.ph. Under the Challenge, partner schools form a school team composed of student groups mentored by teachers. School teams are tasked to use desktop and Internet technologies to generate information for their websites, as well as local content using community mapping techniques such as participatory research, interview skills, writing, documentation and resource mobilization. Guided by their teacher coaches, student groups from the school teams select a particular area of study as their entry, write stories and publish them online. Each entry must fall under any of seven curriculum-based topic categories, thus allowing participants to analyze and present content using classroom subjects. The categories include mathematics, science and environment, health and wellness, technology and livelihood, language and literature, arts and culture, and social science.

1000 schools with lacuna to be empowered by Nenasa

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May 5, 2009

'Nenasa'- a state-of-the-art Digital Satellite Television based Distance Education Bridge, managed and operated by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education (NIE), was launched by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. 'Nenasa' will connect 1,000 rural schools in Sri Lanka to high-quality rendition of the national curriculum, developed by the NIE over a digital satellite television broadcast medium. The President together with Minister of Education, Susil Premjayantha, launched the broadcast from a classroom in a rural school in the Moneragala District

CTT partners with Microsoft for ‘ICT Generation’ program

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May 5, 2009

CTT, an integrated business education and certification services company, announced the formal launch of the 'ICT Generation' program, which empowers disadvantaged youth through technology training and certification, and guarantees them employment. The program is an innovative response to Peru's dual needs for technical talent to support its rapidly growing information technology industry and for helping young Peruvians who lack financial resources to gain the necessary education and training for technology-related employment. ICT Generation will train 740 youth within the next six months. The first phase of the program launched this month with young people from Lima, Arequipa, and Trujillo. CTT, Microsoft Peru, the Peruvian Ministry of Labor's PROJOVEN program, and the Inter-American Development Bank teamed to design and launch the program. 'We appreciate the opportunity to work with Microsoft, the Ministry, PROJOVEN, and the Inter-American Development Bank in this pioneering program,' said Hermann Gomez, president of CTT S.A.C. Peru. 'By empowering the youth of Peru to gain valuable technical skills and knowledge, we also empower them to transform their country.'

Microsoft is helping to fund, support, and promote ICT Generation. The company's software, technical course materials, examinations, and program design are used to prepare students for earning Microsoft Certified Professional certification. 'Peru's technology sector is growing, which represents an outstanding opportunity for young people to gain employment,' said Enrique Angulo, general manager of Microsoft Peru. CTT has designed and will conduct the System and Support Specialist Program, which includes technical, best practices, and humanistic skills courses. Students will also take courses from CTT that address the Microsoft operating system, network installation, network configuration, customer advocacy, broadband access technologies, installation and support, and personal communications. After completing courses and passing an examination, students earn the CTT Specialization in Service and Technical Support certification, which includes the Microsoft Certified Professional credential as a component.

India ranked above US, UK in IP laws, enforcement practices

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May 5, 2009

India has been ranked as the country with the world's most consumer friendly intellectual property (IP) laws since its copyright regulations allow citizens great freedom to access and utilise information for educational and development purposes. This emerged in a study of 16 countries, including economically advanced ones, undertaken by the Malaysia-based Consumers International, which calls itself the 'world's only global consumer advocacy body.' Consumers International said its first IP Watch List focused on copyright – which has 'the most immediate impact on consumers' access to knowledge and thereby on their educational, cultural and developmental opportunities.' In the listing which saw India come out on top, the other countries with good ratings were South Korea, China, the US and Indonesia. At the bottom of the list were Britain, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. India was rated high (with a B average on a scale of A to F) in terms of its scope and duration of copyright as well as the freedom of access and use it gave to home users, content creators, the press and those in public affairs. However, despite topping the list, India didn't do so well and got a C scale in terms of the leeway it allows for disabled users to access copyrighted work. Likewise, it got only a D when it came to freedom to access and use copyrighted work by libraries. Consumers International called for a 'balanced copyright regime in which the importance of copyright flexibilities and of the maintenance of a vibrant public domain are upheld.' India's strengths and weaknesses of its copyright laws – from a consumer's perspective -were closely studied.

MoU between DST Group, Ericsson and 4 government schools

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May 5, 2009

Students of four schools will be going tech savvy by utilising the latest laptops and high speed Internet broadband following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DST Group and Ericsson with the principals of the selected schools on Thursday. The joint community ICT project which brings about high-speed mobile Internet connectivity to schools, was brought together by DST Group and Ericsson. The selected schools were Tanjung Kindana Primary School, Berakas Secondary School, Pengiran Jaya Negara Secondary School and Sayyidina Othman Secondary School. The laptops and Internet broadband will be stationed in each school's computer labs.

The project recognises that education is an area that is important for the society and with high-speed connectivity and easy access to the Internet, learning can be more efficient. The project includes the provision of DST Go! Broadband high-speed Internet access service and fixed wireless routers and laptops. DST Group Go! Broadband service supports Internet Access of up to 7.2 Mbps. Witnessing the signing of MoU was the Acting Director of Information & Communication Technology Department, Ministry of Education, Awang Haji Mohd Yussof Haji Metassim. Signing on behalf of DST Group was the General Manager, Corporate Services, Awang Haji Matnaruddin bin Ibrahim whilst signing on behalf of Ericsson was the Key Account Manager, Tan Poey Poh. Launch of the project will be held later in the month.

Kalinga Institute inks MoU with Intel Technology

K-12

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 5, 2009

The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and Intel Technology India Private Limited have signed a MoU for promotion of literacy among tribal youth and out-of-school children, sustainable development practices among teachers and innovation among students.

The MoU intends to promote literacy among tribal youth and out-of-school children through the Intel Learn Programme with a hands-on approach to ICT learning for under-served children in the age group 8-16.

Surya Pharma plans to foray into education

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May 5, 2009

Surya Pharmaceuticals Limited is planning to foray into the education sector by setting up an integrated educational campus in Punjab, at an investment of INR 100 crore in the next one year. 'We will be investing a sum of Rs 100 crore for our education venture within one year as we are committed to impart quality education to meet the need of skilled workforce,' told Surya Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Rajiv Goyal. The company said it is targeting a nearly threefold jump in total sales at INR 2000 crore by 2011-12. It had achieved a growth of 45 % in turnover at INR 752 crore in 2008-09.

Affiliated to Punjab Technical University, the campus, which would be set up at 35 acre of land on Rajpura-Ambala NH1 road, would provide education in pharmacy, engineering and architecture and would also run MBA and MCA courses. He told, 'We are awaiting the approval of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to run our venture.' Besides, the company also said it would double its headcount to 2,500 by the end of the current fiscal for the purpose of effective implementation of its retail and other expansion plans. Based at Chandigarh, Surya Pharmaceutical is a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceuticals, API's, Fine Intermediates, formulations, herbal products and Mint/Menthol derivatives.

Draft approved by AMU Exec Council

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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May 5, 2009

At the emergent special meeting the Executive Council of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) approved the draft representation by majority votes. The draft was supported by 13 members and opposed by 8 members. The meeting was presided over by Professor P. K. Abdul Azis, Vice Chancellor, AMU. The meeting was held to consider and approve the draft representation of the University in response to the notice served by the visitor under section 13 of the AMU Act 1920. It was also decided to permit the members of the Executive Council to offer suggestion if any, before 4 p.m. on May 4, 2009 regarding the draft representation prepared by the University for onward transmission to the Visitor through the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

Earlier AMU had received a notice from the Hon'ble Visitor expressing her desire to cause an inquiry to ascertain certain facts in regard to the situation prevalent in the University including certain allegations against the Vice Chancellor as also the counter allegation against some members of the Executive Council. The Ministry has asked the University to make the representation in regard to its notice duly approved by Executive Council by 5th of May so that the same could be forwarded to the Visitor. The University representation includes factual position as per University records on each point raised in the petition. The representation indicates that there are no financial and administrative irregularities whatsoever.

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