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The Mamfe Presbyterian Primary School has been presented with ten computers, a laptop and a scanner to facilitate information and Communications Technology (ICT) education. The donation was made by Projects Abroad, a voluntary organisation in Germany, and the items were presented by Dieter Mvelhaupt, the leader. at a ceremony here. Mvelhaupt said 27 more computers would be donated to the school after the completion of the school's computer laboratory. The headmistress, Rosina Ohenewa Asiedu, thanked the organisation and said the equipment would be put to good use to enable the students to acquire ICT skills. She used the occasion to urge parents to care for their wards in school. Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III, the chief of Mamfe, called on parents to renew their commitment towards their children's education since they are the future leaders.
Nene Nagai Kassah III, paramount chief of Agomeda-Shai traditional area, pledged his support for the computer laboratory project. Nene Kassah, also known as Mike Gizo, a former minister of state, reiterated the need for adequate parental care for the students to enable them to realise their dreams in future.
The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has proposed an undergraduate board to set the colleges free from the imperial rule and regulate all the administrative affairs for the smooth sailing of the colleges. With this proposal, the colleges in the country may soon be liberated from the universities. The undergraduate board will look into curriculum, exams, degrees, etc. for colleges. Once the undergraduate board comes into force, universities can lay emphasis on higher education and research work. The NKC has received spontaneous reaction from several states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Puducherry. All these states and Union Territory have already started drafting a bill on the same. The proposed undergraduate board will function like the ICSE or CBSE board, and will execute all responsibilities academic and administrative that university fulfills for its colleges, including curriculum, exams, degrees and finance.
As per NKC Indian universities are no longer able to function efficiently due to immense centralization and politicization. The commission's document added, 'This system of affiliated colleges for undergraduate education, which may have been appropriate 50 years ago, is neither adequate nor appropriate at this point of time. Quality and excellence are compromised in the effort to meet the needs of one and all. The result often is that everything is reduced to the lowest common denominator and fails to meet special needs or the aspirations of bright students.'
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in association with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will launch 'Little Scientists' a programme aimed at linking scientific principles with day to day activities and nature in schools from the beginning of the next academic year. This programme is a modernised version of an experimental research project by the same name that was held in the selected schools last year across the State. 'This is for the first time we have tied-up with IGNOU to provide science education to children,' said John Philip, assistant programme officer and distance education co-ordinator (SSA).
The tie-up is a great step forward and in enhancing the quality of science education in the State,' added Philip. The focus of the science project, slated to kick-start in Palakkad, will be for students of class I to VII.
Almost three lakh students seeking admission into IIMs in November this year will be able to appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT) online, as India's premier management institutes seek to transform the over three-decade-old examination system and provide more flexibility to IIM aspirants by adopting an Internet – based system. The new computer-based test (CBT) will be embraced by IIMs across Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Shillong, and will allow students to select a date convenient to them from a specified period of 10 days. 'CBT CAT will be a candidate-friendly test in terms of flexibility in the selection of test date, ease of registration process, better physical environment and test experience,' told professor Amarnath Krishnaswamy of IIM Bangalore (IIM-B). The new system is also expected to help the IIMs cope effectively with the increasing number of candidates every year. While around 95,000 candidates took CAT in 2003, the number rose to about 250,000 last year, reflecting a growth of over 163% and bringing the administrative system under severe pressure.
CBT will integrate the processes involving programme information, test delivery, receipt of admit cards and score reports apart from ensuring better security through online video monitoring and biometric identification of candidates. A web-based examination system is also expected to help aspirants in remote towns take the test. 'The online CAT ensures that we can reach out in a much bigger way. The exam can be administered in many locations where the internet is available,' said IIM Calcutta dean (programme initiatives) Saibal Chattopadhyay. However, students such as Arvind Sharma who passed out of IIM-B this year say the new system might not help students accustomed to doing rough calculations on paper. Meanwhile, training institutes such as Ahmedabad-based Endeavor Careers, which are focused on helping CAT aspirants through coaching, said they will upgrade their systems accordingly. This is not the first time IIMs have attempted to modernise the examination system. In late 1980, CAT embraced optical machine reading technology for faster evaluation of answer sheets.
The country's first maritime university – the Indian Maritime University (IMU), has announced admissions to its 3-year B.Sc. Nautical Science and 4-year B.E. Marine Engineering courses. The Indian Maritime University (IMU), being the first of its kind in the country, will cater to the educational requirements of the Maritime fraternity.
It is a teaching and affiliating University which will offer degree, post graduate degree and research programmes in all disciplines of the maritime sector. Setup on the patterns of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo (Switzerland), IMU aims at promoting Maritime studies, research and extension work with focus on emerging areas of studies including marine science and technology and marine environment. The IMU is also expected to solve the bottlenecks faced by training institutes and colleges in the maritime sector for university affiliation. India is traditionally a maritime nation and has a rich maritime heritage. History documents trade links of India had with other nations of the world from the ages of the Harappan Civilization. With a long coast from West Bengal on the East to Gujarat on the West, India today moves 95% of its traded goods by volume to the rest of the world. Ports and Shipping form the integral part of the maritime sector contribute greatly to the economic growth of the country. The setting up of a Maritime University will contribute greatly in exploring the vast maritime resources available to the country and studying their impact on the economy.
The British government on Tuesday introduced a new strict visa regime for students from outside Europe amid a 30% rise in the number of Indians studying in Britain. International students in Britain last year paid tuition fees worth a total of 2.5 billion pounds. The British home ministry said the new system will make the visa process simpler, more objective and more transparent while preventing abuse of the immigration system. From Tuesday, all British schools and colleges taking in international students from India and other countries outside the European region will need to be registered with the UK Border Agency.
More than 2,100 universities, independent schools and colleges have applied to be licensed sponsors, undertaking responsibility for ensuring that international students comply with the conditions of their visas while they are in Britain. However, the Guardian newspaper said that the UK Border Agency has turned down around 460 of these applicants in a crackdown on bogus institutions and students. Under the new visa rules, students will need to ensure that they have an unconditional offer of a study place, and show that they has sufficient funds to cover course fees and living costs. A record number of Indian students are now going to Britain. In 2008, almost 29,000 Indian students received visas – a 30 percent increase on 2007 figures.
The Universities Grants Commission (UGC) has been implementing a scheme, namely, Special Development Grant for Universities in Backward Areas to strengthen their available infrastructure and to create additional basic infrastructure in backward/rural/remote/border areas. Schemes are being implemented by the U.G.C to assist colleges located in the rural/ backward / remote / tribal areas for providing accomodation for teachers and students on rental basis, development of location specific curricula, and for providing conveyance allowance to eligible poor students.It is in lieu of this initiative that various steps have been taken by the government to ensure the tribal areas do not lag behind.
Indira Gandhi National Tribal Open University in Madhya Pradesh, has been established as a teaching and affiliating university to promote opportunities of higher education and research for the tribal population in the country. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is responsible for enhancing education through distance mode including in remote tribal areas, and for promoting coordinating and determining standards in open learning and distance education Systems.
The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology(ICT) is a centrally sponsored scheme to leverage the potential of ICT in teaching and learning process for the benefit of all learners in Higher Education Institutions. The XI th Plan envisions to provide financial assistance to state governments to set up a model degree college in each of the 374 educationally backward districts identified by UGC in the country in the where the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education is less than the national GER.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics have decided to start a Masters programme in 'Indirect Taxes.' The programme has been initiated to meet the needs of the rising demand of skilled professionals in this area. 'The main purpose of the M.Com programme is to address the steady flow of expert professionals in indirect taxes that generates 50 percent of the country's revenue,' said an IGNOU faculty member.
IGNOU had recently announced the starting of skill building courses for students to enhance their employability. This comprise of courses in travel and tourism, security and fire safety course, spoken English and personality development courses. Apart from this, IGNOU has also tied up with UCLan to provide university level education to the deaf and speech impaired students in different countries. It is the first-of-its-kind course provided by any institute across the world.
Ed tech developer, Blackboard, has released a new LMS tool for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. The free application, Blackboard Learn for Apple iPhone, allows users to access information in their Blackboard accounts and to receive notices through their iPhones. The new application is Blackboard's first entry into iPhone development. It lets users receive alerts about grades, tests, and assignments and access various other kinds of information and resources, such as course materials, rosters, course maps, and other educational tools. Students can only receive information from courses in which they're registered, and administrators have the option of limiting or blocking access to certain types of information.
'Many students and learners today live in a mobile world, and now they can learn in one too,' said Michael L. Chasen, president and CEO of Blackboard, in a statement released today. 'The iPhone application is part of our focus to help students more deeply engage in the educational experience by creating learning opportunities that are not bound by time or place.' Blackboard Learn for Apple iPhone is available now through the Application Store and it can be downloaded free of charge.
