Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Director signs MoU with the British Council for classroom project

K-12

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July 25, 2006

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) director has signed a MoU with the British Council on Monday to implement the Connecting Classroooms project in Tamil Nadu. The agreement was signed by R Venkatesan director SSA state project and Sally Goggin, director-education, British Council (India and Sri Lanka). The programme is designed to build cultural awareness and skills among young learners to help them develop into global citizens, the programme will build on leadership development skills, especially of district education officers and state-level officers.

The programme comprising of capacity building training sessions on Information and Communication technologies (ICT) and an overview of Connecting Classrooms project will begin in 40 schools in Thiruvallur. Sixteen schools will be selected to participate in the programme directly while the training sessions will cover all the schools in the neighbourhood. The 16 schools, split into two clusters, will be linked with four schools each in the UK and work together on collaborative projects. The project gives opportunities to the government officials, head teachers and ICT teachers to visit the partner schools in the UK during the next academic year and vice-versa. The visits will enable the teachers to get an accurate picture of the education scenario and plan joint projects better.

Texatex donates computers to school at Adum

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digitalLEARNING Network

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July 25, 2006

The Presbyterian Junior High and Primary schools, at Adum in Kumasi, are on their way to becoming model schools in the metropolis, as individuals, corporate bodies and institutions continue to support them in diverse ways. Last Friday, Texatex Enterprise, dealers in computers, presented three computers and accessories, through the Adumhene, Baffour Adjei Kesse V, to the two schools. The proprietor of Texatex, John Boadu, said the gesture was in response to an appeal by the Local Assembly Member, Albert Osei Banahene, to support the school in enhancing ICT studies. The presentation brings to 18, the computers so far donated to the two schools for its computer laboratory. Presenting the computers to the school, the Adumhene urged the school authorities to ensure the effective teaching and learning of ICT and other areas of study, to equip the pupils to face the challenges of the modern era. He called on commercial outlets to support the school, which happens to be the only one in the vicinity. The Regional Manager of the Presbyterian Education Unit, Rev. Anokye Nkansah, received the items on behalf of the two heads of the schools.

The JHS has received two computers from the former Member of Parliament for Subin, S. K. Boafo, three from the PTA, one from the Otumfuo Education Fund, and lately, two from Texatex, while the primary school of 676 pupils can boast of eight computers from Boafo (2), the PTA (1), Lexatex (1) and four from a foreign donor. Stephen Kwaku Owusu, Headmaster of Adum JHS, thanked the donor and called on other institutions to consider supporting the school acquire stabilisers, printers and photocopiers.

IGNOU Silver Jubilee celebrations with Presidential Inauguration

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July 25, 2006

In an effort to serve and fulfill the dreams of our Late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi along with that of many aspiring learners who are unable to access higher education, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), yesterday completed 25 years of its existence. Celebrating the Silver Jubilee in memory of her birth anniversary yesterday, President, Pratibha Devsingh Patil at the inauguration ceremony in the Convention Centre at IGNOU delivered a speech upon emphasizing the importance of education.Following the vision of Indira Gandhi, IGNOU has grown extensively in the 25 years of its existence. It has over 15 % of all learners enrolled in higher education in the country and offers a wide range of programmes and courses through its vast network of learning centres across the country. Enumerating the importance of its Regional Centres, the President said that it could play a very important role in reducing disparities in education by extending education opportunities in villages and remote areas.

Bringing together the strengths of face-to-face conventional education and the flexibility of open and distance learning IGNOU has recently started a 'convergence scheme' upon which the President congratulated the university. While broad basing access to education is important, one must not lose sight of the utmost importance which should be paid to the quality of education being given to students and the need for equity, she felt. Distance education offers an opportunity to those already in employment to upgrade their knowledge base, so that they can more effectively contribute to the productivity of work in their organizations. Studying, while in employment, also offers opportunities for enhancement of career opportunities. IGNOU and the Indian Army have decided to work together to create a process of certification of higher education of soldiers. Launching the 'Flexi Learn Platform' yesterday at the function she marked it as a significant step to provide an opportunity for prospective learners to sample a course before enrolling and thereby, help them in choosing appropriate courses and programmes. From this year onwards, the University has instituted the Rajiv Gandhi International Prize for Technology in Education and Development. The Prize would be given to an individual or an institution that has made significant contributions to educational technology for development in the developing world.

Colleges replacing landlines with wireless for students

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July 25, 2006

Colleges and universities have always made money from offering dorm room landline phone services to students, but those profits have turned into money pits recently. Many students have turned to cell phones, which means they aren't buying phone services from the school. To counter this trend, many schools are aggressively entering the wireless business.

The University of Cincinnati in America, for example, has started a programme which offers every incoming freshman a free Nokia phone. Students pay for airtime, but can also access academic and campus information, and campus emergency services on the phone. Montclair State University goes a step further by giving freshmen a phone and a semester of free service. Phone service for the second semester costs USD186.

Montclair students can use the phone to check class schedules of news, check out specials at campus bars and restaurants and can even use GPS to locate shuttle buses. The phones also have a Guardian service which students can activate to let school officials track their location via GPS if they feel threatened.

Placements extended at Indian School of Business

Higher Education

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July 24, 2006

The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad ranked among top B-School in the world has extended its placement season for the first time since it came into existence. The effect of the global economic meltdown has also been seen here. Out of total 440 students of 2009 batch, only 250 have got placement so far. The placement drive began at ISB in January. The institute has also witnessed fall on the annual average salary offers from INR 18-20 lakh to INR13-15 lakh. 416 students were made 581 offers in 2007, however, 657 offers were made to 421 students in 2008. Placements should have been completed by the end of March, and the campus would have been readying for graduation day in the first week of April. Over the years, the placement trends analysis and results announcement used to take place on graduation day as scheduled on April 4. This year,it is unlikely to happen.

Students of 2008 batch got 280 jobs from IT's, finance and real estate sectors. All these sectors have badly been hit by the economic slowdown. Considering all these factors in notion, the school had started taking initiative for attracting the new companies to come in for campus recruitment in November this year. 'We will continue to explore avenues till all students find the right job in accordance with their qualifications and work experience,' said an ISB spokesperson. ISB has six months to plan for the placement of the new batch after collecting the profiles of the students, their preferences for a sector or function, location choices and so on.

H.K Firodia Award to be conferred on Yashpal and Annadurai

Higher Education

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July 24, 2006

Scientist Yash Pal and Project Director of Chandrayaan-1 M. Annadurai have been selected for H.K. Firodia awards for 2009. Professor Yashpal has been chosen for his contribution in the field of education and communication technology whereas M. Annadurai will get the honour for his role in the moon mission.The awards were announced by the former Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), R.A. Mashelkar, and chairman of the Firodia Group Arun Firodia. Besides Dr. Mashelkar, the selection committee comprised scientists Anil Kakodkar, Vijay Bhatkar and Govind Swarup.

The Firodia awards were instituted in 1996 in memory of the doyen of automobile industry H.K Firodia. The purpose of the award is to acclaim scientific achievements in the country, inspire the youth to pursue a career in science and reach the benefits of science to the people. Professor Yashpal made path-breaking research in astronomy, astrophysics and space technology for which he is to be honoured. Annadurai's contributions include first ever software satellite simulator for an ISRO mission and automation of spacecraft operations.The awards will be presented in Pune on December 23. The earlier recipients include A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, M.S. Swaminathan, Jayant Narlikar and Samir Brahmachari.

Course in Applied Sign Language launched by IGNOU

Higher Education

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July 24, 2006

Bachelor of Arts programme in Applied Sign Language to prepare hearing-impaired students for higher education has been launched by IGNOU. The Programme aims to create sign language teachers and professionals to support the hearing impaired students since there is a lack of teaching assistants and interpreter trainers in India. International Centre for Sign Languages and Deaf Studies, University of Central Lancashire in Britain has assisted IGNOU in creating the programme. The course will develop the confidence of the students and empower them educationally so that they can stand up for their rights. Under the programme the students are given training in sign language and English. It also includes theory classes and practical lessons. Computer lessons are also imparted to assist them in learning and teaching. The duration of the programme is 1+3 years in which the first year constitutes the foundation course which will culminate in the four year dfegree programme

Everonn aims big in satellite education in India

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July 21, 2006

Everonn Systems, a fully integrated education and e-learning solutions company in India, has set up two studios as part of its Zebra Kross programme which provides virtually interactive, satellite-based remote education to various institutions.

The inauguration of the studios was witnessed live by more than 12,000 students from 120 colleges across Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The company set up its own V-SAT based studio two years back in Chennai to offer a gamut of educational and training programmes to the varied segments in schools and colleges. Virtual and Tech Enabled Learning Solutions (ViTELS) offered curriculum and job oriented courses to colleges and schools under the company's own brand, Zebra Kross. Everonn is in partnership with HughesNet Global Communications Ltd to bring management courses from premier business schools, offered under the brand name, Direcway Global Education.

Everonn is presently involved in providing educational programmes in nearly 1,541 schools in the country, employing 2,500 teachers. Zebra Kross provides interactive learning solutions to both schools and colleges in 114 across India. Through its strong content tie-up with premier institutes, Everonn Systems covers a wide array of topics, which includes training for entrance examinations, such as IIT – JEE, AIEEE, MBA, CA, English enhancement courses, certified programmes in networking, software testing course and bioinformatics, among others. Everonn has implemented the V-SAT-based distance learning in 106 engineering, arts and science colleges, thereby reaching out to nearly 12,000 students in the country. The company is aiming to reach 5 million students by 2010.

Rural school in Kenya sets pace in IT

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July 20, 2006

A primary school in a sleepy rural setting has become a pioneer in information and communication technology (ICT) in Africa. Kikambala Primary School, whose transport mode from the main road is the bicycle taxi, is now a leader in e-learning in the continent through the initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).

And credit goes to the management of Sun N' Sand Beach Resort in Kikambala, for taking a shot at a Nepad e-schools programme targeting secondary schools.
Now the school has become the first primary school in Africa to have the e-learning facilities that include a Vsat connection, 27 branded computers, a fully furnished room and a smart board that could be the envy of any institution offering computer lessons. The smart board acts like a blackboard that operates when it is touched.
The Microsoft Consortium and Ministry of Education support the initiative launched on June 26. The concept is aimed at equipping learners, teachers and members of the local community with relevant computer skills. So far 51, have been trained. Pupils will have to wait a little longer for the training for teachers and the community members to be completed before they can start theirs. The e-school programme, launched in Kenya in September 2005 by President Mwai Kibaki, is intended to nurture the appropriate capacity for sustainable development of the continent.

The 10-year Nepad flagship e-schools initiative involves establishment of an Africa-wide satellite network that will connect the schools to the internet as well as to points within each country from which, educational content will be fed to the schools on a continuous basis. It also involves ICT training of teachers and students, content and curriculum development, community involvement and participation, and establishment of health points. The Nepad e-schools demonstration (demo) project has been identified as a critical initial step for the implementation of e-schools project. Six schools, from each of the participating countries, will initially benefit from the demo.

One laptop per kid not feasible for India!

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July 20, 2006

India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education.

Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman.

A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks.

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