India joins the 100 million mobile club

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June 9, 2006

India has become the fifth country in the world to have more than 100 million mobile subscribers. While China has the highest number of mobile users with 404 million subscribers, India crossed the 100-million milestone at the end of May when operators added close to 4.2 million new mobile users.

The US with 185 million subscribers, Japan with 150 million and Russia with 140 million mobile users are the other countries ahead of India. Germany, Italy, the UK and Brazil are the countries behind India in the top-10 list. In terms of percentage growth rate, India is the fastest growing market, and in terms of absolute numbers, India is the second fastest with 4 million new users being added every month on an average.

The Government has now set a target of reaching 500 million telephone subscribers by 2010. Announcing the achievement, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Communication and IT, said that Government policies have resulted in declining tariffs and improving affordability of service and handsets.

Nasscom online test rollout from November

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June 9, 2006

National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) is planning a nationwide rollout of the NAC (Nasscom Assessment of Competence), a national assessment and certification programme modelled on the lines of GRE, from November this year.

Nasscom and Hewitt Associates, in collaboration with BPO firms, have designed NAC, an online test for assessing skills in six different categories such as spoken and written English, analytical ability, keyboard skills and logical reasoning. The aim is to create a continuous pipeline of talent by “transforming” workforce into an “employable” workforce, according to Kiran Karnik, President, Nasscom. Announcing the completion of a pilot project, wherein 6,000 candidates took the test in select states, Karnik said the proposed nationwide rollout would see participation from BPO firms and state governments. The BPO firms that would hire the NAC-certified candidates are expected to bear the cost of their online test. The ITES-BPO industry, which clocked revenues of USD6.3 billion in 2005-06, is expected to face a potential shortage of about 3.5 lakh candidates by 2010, according to Nasscom-McKinsey. The NAC will provide insights into the real training and development needs of talent and hence help companies, governments and universities develop customised talent-development initiatives and programmes.

UNESCO chairs to open in Azeri varsities

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June 9, 2006

Azeri Ministry of Education is going to start the 'Opening UNESCO chairs in higher education institutions' programme.

At present, cooperation between the Ministry and UNESCO results in a number of programmes, in particular 'Education for all', 'Associated schools' and 'professional technical education development'. Cooperation with UNESCO especially influences the programmes aimed at development and reformation of education system in Azerbaijan. The main aspects of cooperation with UNESCO are equal access to quality education, modernisation of education management system, update of education programs at all levels, teachers certification, ICT implementation in education system.

HU Master

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digitalLEARNING Network

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June 9, 2006

A new Master of Science (MS) in Information Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) degree program at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is intended to educate information and communication technology leaders who can manage, as well as engineer or re-engineer, the current, and next, generation of digital enterprises. The program's director, Amjad Umar, notes that the degree program can play a crucial role in transforming the region's economy. 'Central Pennsylvania needs to transform its current industrial base to a highly flexible IT enabled enterprise model and attract high tech companies to compete and succeed in this highly digital global economy,' said Umar. 'This transformation requires enterprise engineers and managers who can plan, integrate, secure and administer these digital enterprises where nearly all significant business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees are digitally enabled and key corporate assets are managed through digital means.' The new Master of Science in Information Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) program can help students acquire the skills to plan for and integrate technologies with processes and people that are key to the success of an organization in today's complex, digital world. The 36-credit-hour degree program is the only one of its kind in the region, and it uniquely combines systems thinking, management expertise, and engineering with emphasis on digital enterprises.

The core courses of the program will provide the student with a strong background in the most recent thinking in systems engineering, strategic IS planning, business strategy and management, service science and management, systems analysis and design, and enterprise architectures and integration. The student can take elective courses that span topics such as project management, leadership, egovernment, mobile computing and wireless communications, ICT infrastructure, business simulations and games, multimedia systems and visualization, information security and governance, business process modeling, modern systems development, and others. Additionally, research-oriented students can pursue independent studies and master's thesis projects to investigate areas of individual or professional interest. This program is designed for managers and information technology professionals who recognize the personal and professional value of an advanced degree. And it can prepare graduates for positions such as systems engineer, architect and integrator, business systems analyst, management analyst, software engineer, IS manager, and security planner and manager. The ISEM degree program is intended to educate IT leaders in the digital age. At Harrisburg University, Umar also leads the Management and eBusiness program and his areas of specialization that span ebusiness, IT planning, enterprise architectures and integration, mobile computing, and information security.

Blind inventor makes web accessible

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June 8, 2006

A new device that will make internet content available to blind people without the need for computer skills is to be launched in a few months' time. The SpeakOn gadget has been developed by Chris Mairs, a blind entrepreneur who has founded an assistive technology charity called A-Technic.

The device will be able to access MP3 music files, radio stations, podcasts and website content normally available only as text, like online newspapers. Mr Mairs says blind people currently have to use assistive technology called a screenreader to interpret what is, essentially, a visual concept. The SpeakOn is being developed in two phases. The first is to produce a simple interface for people who already know how to use a computer. The device is being specifically designed for visually impaired people who are, in Mr Mairs' words, “technologically frail”.

But the SpeakOn is very unlikely to provide access to all internet content – what is planned is more like a “walled garden”. Mr Mairs says that being able to render the content of so many websites in a sensible form would not be technically feasible. The box will require a broadband connection and the developers hope to link up with a service provider that can offer a complete support package. If successful, the SpeakOn should help to tackle the problem of digital exclusion which affects some older and disabled people.

MoE, Brunei, signed contract with e-ICT Systems

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June 8, 2006

Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) on behalf of the Ministry of Education (MoE) signed a contract with eICT Systems, a local ICT vendor. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The supply, delivery, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of reliable hardware and software infrastructure for ITB is part of the Ministry of Education's e-Education initiative to ensure that its departments are amply supported with ICT equipment to enable them to deliver effective ICT services to its clients. With this implementation, ITB will be able to augment its ICT resources to cater for its academic needs, particularly with the impending arrival of the new intake in July 2006.

A grant of US$800,000 for Cambodian secondary girls from ADB

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June 8, 2006

Eyeing at the drastic fall in the enrollment of girls in secondary school level, Asian Development Bank grant US$800,000 to help increase access to upper secondary education for poor girls in Cambodia through the provision of residential facilities with media learning centres. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Barbara Lochmann, an ADB Social Development Specialist said that the evidence shows that the expansion of such residential facilities to learning centres, which provide life skills training through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), has the potential to broaden the knowledge of girls, thus improving their chances of career development. The enrollment rates for secondary education have dropped drastically over the last six years to 17percent for boys and 8 percent for girls in upper secondary grades. Poor families cannot afford to keep their daughters in school. In addition, for reasons of personal security, girls are generally not permitted to travel long distances and live away from families to attend upper secondary schools because there are no secure residential facilities away from home.

Bromsgrove students to avail new Diploma

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June 8, 2006

Through a research it has been shown that 20% 0of students in the West Midlands want to continue in education for longer than previously planned to increase future job prospects. The good news is that students in Bromsgrove and Redditch will now have more options thanks to new Diploma subjects. Last year students could choose from just three subjects: creative and media, engineering, and information technology. Now students can choose from a further five including construction and the built environment, business, administration and finance, hair and beauty studies and hospitality. The Diploma offers an alternative to traditional qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels. As well as learning about a specific sector, Diploma students can continue to develop skills in English, maths and ICT as well as get an additional route to higher education and employment.

Schools and colleges in Redditch delivering the Diploma include Arrow Vale High School, Woodrush Community High School and NEW College. While in Bromsgrove Waseley Hills High School and Sixth Form Centre, North Bromsgrove High School and South Bromsgrove Community High School will be delivering the Diploma.

India set to churn out more techies, an IIT in each state

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June 7, 2006

An Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in each state is the ministry of human resource development's latest ambitious plan to improve the quality and quantity of technical manpower in the country. The proposed 20 institutes will open their doors from July next year, as per the ministry's plan.

The ministry's detailed project report will require funding of Rs 3,700 crore over a period of six years. The plan, submitted to the Planning Commission, says Rs 2,500 crore will be by way of plan expenditure. The government's plan has also been endorsed by National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). Each of these institutes is expected to accomodate 1,000 undergraduate and 1,000 post-graduate students at any given point of time, and will require a faculty strength of 200 and a support staff of 300. The proposal reworks the concept of IIITs, by moving away from pure information technology-related education.

Instead, it is based on the understanding that “an information technologist is required to understand the information content of a system and be an expert in handling the information.” The institutes will offer a four year undergraduate programme , as well as masters and doctoral programme, which would be comparable to any internation technical university. The institutes will also be networked with IITs, NITs and IIMs. To maintain uniformity in quality, the government proposes admissions through a centralised all India examination like the All Indian Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). The ministry's roll out plan aims at an intake of 75 students in the first year (July 2007), with a subsequent increase till the undergraduate intake goes up to 250 in the sixth year. While the master's programme will be rolled out in the second year, the doctoral in the third, and post doctoral in the fourth. By the sixth year, the total intake will go up to 635.

Educational initiatives announced by Australia

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June 7, 2006

Australia's visiting Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, on Tuesday launched the Australia-India Institute, to be located at the University of Melbourne, with a view to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations. She announced AUS$8.106 million (INR 32 crore) funding to support the Australia-India Institute. The University of Melbourne and its university partners in Australia, the University of New South Wales and La Trobe University, will invest another AUS $2 million (INR 8 crore) in the Institute, bringing the total investment in the project to more than AUS $10 million (INR 40 crore) over the next three years. The three universities bring to the Institute strong partnerships with leading Indian universities and research centres that will be crucial for the delivery of the Institute's programs.

The Institute will work closely also with the Australia-India Business Council to support mutual trade and investment. It will also support research, graduate training, executive briefings and policy advice for the benefit of both countries. The Institute would operate as a national epicentre of information on India. It will also provide consultancies on issues of national priority, and host international conferences, community engagement and cultural dialogues. Gillard told that several areas of priority research of interest to both countries have been identified. Joint workshops, involving researchers and policy makers, are already scheduled to initiate the Institute's programs for water security under climate change and for cooperation in public health.

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