Internship to Enhance Employability of Technical Graduates

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January 12, 2018

The technical graduates should take advantage of the various schemes floated under ECI-AICTE joint initiatives to get exposure of the industry, says Dr P R Swarup, Member Secretary, Construction Industry Development Council, Engineering Council of India (ECI), in a conversation with Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).

How the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Engineering Council of India (ECI) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) will help technical graduates?

Engineering Council of India (ECI) has entered into a MoU with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for providing “internship” to students in all disciplines of engineering and management. The MoU is supposed to enhance industry exposure of the engineering graduates and make them employable.

This step is taken to bridge the skill gap between industry requirement and academia which is one of the major causes of increasing unemployability among engineering and management students in the nation. ECI shall be facilitating hands on training/internship for these graduates in their respective engineering stream through its member associations. From academic session 2017-18, AICTE made internships mandatory for engineering and management students to obtain their degrees.

How has been the response for National Proficiency Evaluation Test (NPET)?

The fine-tuning on the scheme is underway and will be announced shortly. From initial discussions with various universities the step is being welcomed by academia also.

Under the 7th Pay Commission, it has been made mandatory for engineering teachers to complete an internship or work with the industries. How do you see it contributing to teachinglearning experience?

It is a standard practice in all advanced countries for teachers to take sabbatical for working in the industry. Similarly, officials from different industries are also invited by the universities to share their experiences along with latest industry requirements and practices. Innovations in every field are making it more important to produce graduates who are industry ready and at the same time self employable.

What are the plans of ECI to encourage entrepreneurship among technical graduates?

We in association with our member organisations are trying to develop plans for promoting the entrepreneurship programs. We do realise that small and medium enterprises employ 60–80 per cent of graduates not only in India but also in developed countries. With India’s large young population, regional economic autonomy may also be required which can be achieved only by inculcating entrepreneurial skills among youth.

One of our first initiatives was coorganising the 1st Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards 2017 to felicitate students and institutions for their innovative ideas.

“AICTE has made the internship component mandatory for graduating engineers and management students, keeping in mind the skills gap present between the industry requirement and the academia which is a major cause of increasing unemployability in the nation.”

We in association with our member organisations are trying to develop plans for promoting the?

We are in touch with our member associations in various streams of engineering to evolve plans for development of entrepreneurship specific to those fields.

Mention the development and promotion of hybrid career opportunities in areas like Drone Technology, Aquifer Recharging¸ and Arbitral Assistants?

Drone Technology – To learn the operational systems to use the unmanned flying vehicles, known as Drones and to use these for multiple purposes like hydrography, Natural Disaster Predictions & management, Manage Biodiversity etc.
Aquifer Recharging – To set up water conservation units through charging of Aquifers.
Arbitral Assistants – To facilitate/ assist the Arbitrators in ODR, IT savvy young professionals.

What message do you have for the technical graduates set to take up career soon?

The technical graduates should take advantage of the various schemes floated under ECI-AICTE joint initiatives to get exposure of the industry. They should get themselves mentally prepared for hand-on training which is definitely going to help them in choosing their career path ahead.

Rajasthan Govt All Set to Bridge Students-Industry Gulf

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digitalLEARNING Network

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January 12, 2018

The State of Rajasthan is set to bring student fraternity and industry closer, facilitating employment opportunities for government college students, writes Dipen Pradhan of Elets News Network (ENN).

The Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Department has plans to set up a placement cell in all government colleges to help graduate and post-graduate students in getting employment. In India, few State governments have initiated direct placement for students.

According to the latest statistics of the department, about 180 government colleges have appointed one nodal officer as in-charge of all the activities in the placement cell. Plans are afoot to appoint nodal officers in all the 224 colleges affiliated to 15 government universities spread across 33 districts of the State.

According to Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Department official, these nodal officers are in liaison with the corporate and industries to find out the portfolios for which the hiring is required and accordingly students may appear for the interview.

Harish Gujarati, placement in-charge (Nodal Officer) of Government College, Beawar in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district said, “Placement cell in our college has been functioning for two years. We have been able to secure placement for at least 12 students per annum mostly in the banking sector.”

For a long time, placements were offered in private institutions only. Later, it started in few major government colleges. Under the direction of Rajasthan Higher and Technical Education Minister Kiran Maheshwari, the initiative is now being implemented in all the government colleges of the State.

Identification of Companies

Currently, the Department is identifying companies and industries for collaboration in this special initiative of the Government of Rajasthan.

“The State government will decide on the type of industries and companies to collaborate with,” said Ashutosh Pednekar, Commissioner of College Education and Special Secretary of Higher Education.

The Department is also in regular correspondence with university vice-chancellors and college principals, inviting inputs to make the initiative successful in providing placement to the students of all the streams like Arts, Commerce, Science and Technology.

The Youth Development Centres, established in the government colleges, are providing soft skills and communication skills to students to help them enhance their employability quotient.

These centres also train students on CV writing, competitive exams, along with conducting mock interviews to provide them hands-on experience of the interviews conducted by the companies and industries before recruitment.

“Technical training facilities will also be improved and it will be imparted in emerging areas to cater to the changing needs and pattern of industrialisation and advancement of technology,” said Pednekar.

Presently, the recruitments in these placement cells are being operated as per industry or company’s requirement. Corporates and industries along with HRs from ICICI bank, HDFC Bank, LIC, LMG, Infosys, Videocon, CAIRN India, Teleperformance, Policy Bazaar, Nav Bharat fertilizers, Rajasthan spinning and weaving mills, Prisma health, Golcha minerals, JK cement, Saraf Infocom, Career Point etc, have conducted interviews of graduate and postgraduate students recently.

Although the initiative is in the implementation phase, it has provided jobs to about 50-100 students, revealed an official.

Furthermore, the department plans to hold mass hiring for students by organising “Job Fair” bringing top companies, industries and human resource organisations across the country. One such job fair is set to be organised in January 2018, said official.

The Higher Secondary and Human Resource Conclave organised by the Department along with Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd on 21 and 22 December in Jaipur has been held on the similar lines.

key parameter	2013-2014	2017-2018
Government Colleges	179	224
No of Universities	Govt 15 Pvt 40	Govt 15 Pvt. 46
Government Girls College	41	37
Private College	1331	1626
No of Institutions	Govt Law Colleges – 15 Pvt Colleges – 1,331 BEd Colleges – 774 SFS Colleges – 2 PPP Colleges – 4	Govt Law Colleges – 15 Pvt Colleges – 1,62qwaa6 BEd Colleges – 897 SFS Colleges – 7 PPP Colleges – 6
Enrollment	Govt College – 329,130	Govt College – 380,397 (2016-17)
Enrollment of Girl Students	Govt College – 136,465	Govt College – 175,221 (2016-17)
Unserved SDO HQ	46	22
GER	19.7	2-.23
Financial outlay on HE	1,038.53 Crore	1380.14 Crore

Development Indicators for Higher & Technical Education

In the academic year 2016-2017, the government colleges of Rajasthan witnessed an enrollment of 3,80,397 students, of which 1,75,221 were girls. In total, 9.32 lakh students were enrolled in both government and private colleges. There are 46 private universities with 1,626 colleges in the State.

In Rajasthan, Agriculture and allied activities still provide over 60 per cent of all jobs, with industry (mainly construction and manufacturing) and services (mainly trade, hospitality, Government and Community Services) accounting for the rest of employment.

A report published by the World Bank says that the employment rate of Rajasthan is reasonably high for both men and women than most of the States in India.

Out of 29 States, Rajasthan is at 11th position in terms of unemployment, according to Fifth Annual Employment- Unemployment Survey (2015-16).

“The State Government has been creating a number of job opportunities under various sectors, but the increase in the job has been more than offset by the rapid growth of population,” said Pednekar.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is focusing on every opportunity to bring education sector of the State at par with global standards. Her government has allocated Rs 1,380.14 crore for Higher Education.

“Expansion in education, medical and health, and housing facilities are envisaged creating new opportunities for self-employment,” Pednekar added.

Literacy rate in Rajasthan, as per 2011 census, was 66.11 per cent. Of this, male literacy stood at 79.19 per cent while female literacy is 52.12 per cent.

Latest Initiatives for the Higher and Technical Education, Rajasthan

– Implementation of e-Governance in Higher Education through Higher Education Portal

– Availability of Smart Classroom in colleges

– Provide Wi-Fi facilities to students and faculty

– To encourage Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

– Library computerisation in higher education institutes (HEIs)

– Spoken tutorials for FOSS courses

– Digital classrooms in girls colleges under CSR

– Establishment of smart science labs

– Establishment of Crowdsourced Social Platform for education

– Linking colleges with INFLIBNET facility of UGC

– Promotion of industry-academia linkages.

– Bhamashah Sahyog link at HE Portal

– App-based Dishari initiative for guiding students for competitive exams

– Learning English through UPER app

– To conduct skill-oriented courses in Government colleges with IGNOU.

Placement Initiative in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Government has set up Jawahar Knowledge Centres (JKCs) in reputed engineering colleges in collaboration with the IT industry providing technical skills, soft skills, project management skills and communication skills to students.

JKC conducts Campus Placement Mission, in which students are made aware of the recruitment process of different companies. Mock group discussions and interviews are conducted for the students.

Currently, there are 43 JKCs in 23 districts with 164 participating colleges and 40 IT companies. According to its official website, JKC has provided job placement to 1,862 students for the year 2014-2015.

Reserve 25% of seats fo poor children under RTE act: Gujarat High Court

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By

Akash

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January 10, 2018

The Gujarat High Court has directed the State government to ensure that the schools affiliated to the State Board implement 25 per cent reservation for poor children.

The court has asked the schools to implement the above order under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The schools have been asked to begin the implementation from the next academic year.

The court also asked the Government to take action against the schools which will found violating the norms. The court also instructed the government to take up the cases of children left out from the admission process under the scheme.

According to the court, the RTE Act was introduced to enable children from economically weaker families to have equal opportunities of basic education. Hence, it is important for the Government to check that the Act is implemented successfully or not.

Cambridge University launches Occupational English Test (OET) for nursing professionals

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Akash

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January 10, 2018

Cambridge Assessment English (part of the University of Cambridge) and Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, Australia, are jointly offering Occupational English Test (OET) for nursing professionals planning to take up practice in United Kingdom and Ireland.

“OET is a standardised English test which has been developed for this industry exclusively. The recognition and acceptance of the test in the UK and Ireland opens up a world of opportunities for the nurses seeking to work in these countries”, Cambridge Assessment English’ Regional Director for South-Asia T K Arunachalam said.

The healthcare professionals who want to practice and register overseas can use OET as a tool to assess their language proficiency. Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust owns the Occupational English Test which is a venture between Cambridge English and Box Hill Institute, Australia.

Nursing and Midwifery Council, United Kingdom and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland has accepted the OET as proof of English proficiency for trained nurses.

Presently, OET centres are located in 11 cities of UK and the test can also be taken up in over 40 countries.

Need for 21st Century learning techniques in schools

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By

Akash

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January 9, 2018

The use of Information Technology has changed the learning methodologies positively. In coming years, technology will become an integral part of the global education system. Atul Temurnikar, Co- founder and Executive Chairman, Global Schools Foundation, writes about such trending technologies in education for Elets News Network (ENN).

Finland, a northern European nation is inspiring educationists from across the globe. The country well known for its unique 21^st century teaching techniques is inspiring many countries to reinvent its education system. Indian education system, particularly the schools with global parentage are reinventing the wheel and implementing international best practices in the sector.

What are 21^st Century learning techniques?

Atul Temurnikar, Co- founder and Executive Chairman, Global Schools Foundation

The four C’s of 21^st century learning– communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity are imperative in the age of technological disruptions, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

While 21^st century learning include traditional curriculum, it also inculcates learning’s on societal responsibility and global developments, financial education, health related awareness and environment literacy. Social education is a must in modern times so that children can imbibe the understanding of their social and civic responsibilities.

In a globalized economy there is a need for children to understand diverse cultures, ideologies and religions. Financial literacy and health literacy addresses the set of skills individuals need to have in order to make informed economic and personality development decisions.

International schools like–Global Indian International School incorporating the global best practices and learning’s have developed their proprietary learning tool –‘Nine Gems Framework’. The school’s Nine Gems model helps holistic personality development of a student which enables them to achieve a balance between academic, mental & physical development, language skills, creativity, ethics, entrepreneurship, fine arts & performing arts along with skills and competencies such as problem-solving, critical, analytical & creative thinking, and teamwork.

Innovative learning & teaching techniques

In the age of digital disruption there is a need to increase the use of digital devices in schools. Teaching techniques across schools and colleges need a revamp driven largely by practical assignments and project learning. Online learning tools help students grasp concepts easily. Graphical and visual representation of complex topics and concepts make learning easy. It is necessary to evolve newer teaching techniques with digitization and information technology developments serving as an enabler. Teaching is no more limited to chalk and board. Teachers use power points and case studies to connect with students. This has to be incorporated in day to day learning.

Project-based learning helps in boosting creative thinking among students and innovative teaching methodologies should be introduced to promote out-of-the-box thinking. There is need to promote use of desktop, laptop and I Pad learning at schools.

Installing LED screens in classrooms would help teachers interact and connect with students better. Technology can bring down teaching time which in turn would help teachers to not only complete syllabus within the stipulated term but also dedicate more time on each student and define Individual Development Programmes for them.

Technology and Infrastructure

Adopting new technology and developing infrastructure is a must to the success of 21C learning techniques. India is seeing rapid growth in digitization given the governments thrust on Digital India initiative.

It is the right time for schools in India to take the leap and digitize learning in India. International schools with campuses in India can operate virtual classrooms. Virtual classrooms today are a reality – Thanks to technology. Through virtual classroom, international faculty can take special classes and students in India can benefit from it.

A very common complaint of children in India is burdening students with heavy school bags. Few international schools, in association with technology companies and governments, are finding ways of developing e-books. Children can download these e-books on I Pads and laptops which could ease the pressure of carrying heavy bags to some extent.

Giving a boost to such changes in the education sector, the internet penetration in India has improved drastically with the increased competition in the telecom space. Express Wi-Fi services in India are work in progress which will only add to the way we will be progressing towards digitization.

For the success of digitization in education, schools will have to ensure continued access of high speed Wi-Fi services to students. Whether it’s new tablets or any other device, Wi-Fi as a service enables schools of any size to successfully embrace technology.

Think beyond the blackboard & books

With increased usage of social media and mobile phones it may be time for educators to maybe develop online games that stimulate analytical thinking. International schools provide extracurricular activities to promote all around personality development. Culinary class, music labs and sport facilities help personality development of students.

Inculcating creative thinking in early childhood is something that international schools like ours focus on. Entrepreneurial boot camps can be one such example. These boot camps help students learn the skills of team work, innovative thinking and business acumen.

Need for 21^st Century learning

Technology is a disruptor, the requirements of the real economy is changing with the evolution of technology. Skill requirements have also undergone changes. 21^st century learning techniques ensure we make our children future ready. Government and schools with international parentage have a huge role in promoting new learnings techniques to create future leaders.

Maharashtra’s 100 international schools expected to have a separate education board

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By

Akash

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January 8, 2018

Maharashtra government has planned to set up Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) for proposed 100 international schools in the State. The board will act as an autonomous body to decide curriculum for the schools and conduct examinations.

According to Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde, the board will have the autonomy to take every decision related to the international schools.

Other than Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), MIEB will be the second board of the state.

The Government has decided to establish 100 international schools in the state at par with global standards to provide quality education to Maharashtra’s students. The schools are likely to start from the next academic year.

“In the first phase, we want to start 100 international schools that will impart international-level education. All these will be existing government schools, which will be affiliated with the MIEB,” Tawde said.

For the first time, Maharashtra is going to have its own has international boards international board other than International Baccalaureate (IB), headquartered at Geneva, and the Indian General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), run from Cambridge, UK.

According to an official, the schools affiliated to MIEB will be in languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Telegu, Kannada and Tamil. MIEB will also have the authority to affiliate schools from other states and even international schools.

Appointments on the board are expected to start soon and to decide curriculum for affiliated schools, a committee will be formed, said the official.

Kendriya Vidyalayas students in Odisha to use tablets for studies

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By

Akash

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January 8, 2018

Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in Odisha are likely to introduce tablets for the students of class VII and VIII under digital learning scheme from next academic session.

“We expect that the scheme will be rolled out in at least five more KVs, including Berhampur, in the state from the next academic year. We are planning to submit a proposal in this regard to the KVS soon,” said KVS Bhubaneswar region Deputy Commissioner ALV Jaganadha Rao.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan (KVS) launched the scheme in one of its schools at Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar on pilot basis. KVS is now likely to introduce the scheme on 61 Kendriya Vidyalayas of Bhubaneswar region.

Under the scheme, the students of class VII and VIII will use tablets for almost all activities like accessing reading materials and submitting assignments for science and mathematics.

According to an official, the students will enhance their learning experience through videos and animations along with accessing text books online through ePathshala -A joint initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is a mobile application developed for showcasing and disseminating all educational e-resources

Around 160 students of the two classes in the school in Bhubaneswar have been provided tablets free of cost by the KVS, he said. Digital learning is a part of the Centre’s flagship programme Digital India, an official said.

Aadhaar disclosure helped MHRD identify 80,000 ‘ghost’ teachers

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By

Akash

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January 6, 2018

Aadhaar disclosure has helped the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to identify 80,000 ‘ghost’ teachers who are faculty members of three or more higher education institutions in the country. However, none of them are from Central Universities.

Union HRD Minister revealed the above information at the release of the final All India Survey on Higher Education 2016-17 (AISHE) report.

Acording to MHRD, so far, 85% of the teachers have given their Aadhaar numbers, the number is likely to increase when all the teachers comply.

“There are certain ‘ghost’ teachers who use proxy methods and are apparently teaching at multiple places as full-time employees. After the introduction of Aadhaar, 80,000 such teachers have been identified and action will be taken against them,” Javadekar said.

In order to prevent duplication, MHRD has asked all the universities across the country to provide Aadhaar Numbers of all their employees and students.

“Sharing Aadhaar number is like sharing your mobile number or Email ID. Sharing your mobile number doesn’t mean the person you give it to can see your text messages. Aadhaar works the same way. It is protected,” Javadekar said.

The report has highlighted a significant increase in the student population of higher education between the age of 18 and 23. From overall enrolment of 27.5 million youth in 2010-11, 35.7 million youth have taken admission to higher education institutes in 2016-17.

The report has also indicated improvement in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in age group of 18-23, from 19.4% in 2010-11 to 25.2 in 2016-17 which is a significant achievement.

In last five years, there has also been a considerable rise in the number of universities and colleges with the state private and public universities having the biggest share. Among the colleges too, majority of them are privately owned.

Bengaluru has emerged as the major education hub with the biggest cluster of colleges (1025), followed by Jaipur and Hyderabad with 635 and 487 colleges respectively, the report stated.

Prakash Javadekar: Primary level dropout rate 4.13% in 2014-15

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By

Akash

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January 6, 2018

Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has informed that the annual average dropout rate at the primary school level in the country was 4.13 per cent in 2014-15.

According to the data provided by the minister during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, the dropout rate among boys at primary level was 4.36 per cent higher than that of girls’ 3.88 per cent. For the same period, 4.03 per cent was the dropout rate in upper primary level while the same for secondary level was 17.06 per cent.

He said, due to no detention policy, there are many cases of children dropping out at the ninth class level.

The minister said that exams are held in Class 9 and students do not know much, observing that many schools had just become midday meal schools, where children came, had a meal and left while their education suffered.

The ministry to resolve this problem had brought in learning outcomes and trained around 15 lakh teachers, he said.

Javadekar said that the present government in its first year has taken steps to resolve the issue of non-availability of separate toilets for girls. It was one of the major reasons for higher dropout rates.

There was no shortage of teachers in the country rather their deployment issues resulted into lack of skilled teachers in certain places, Javadekar added.

Answering a question, the HRD minister said that measure like attendance through biometric system has been taken to make teachers present at the schools.

Indian Education Trends of 2017

Article

By

Akash

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January 3, 2018

The education sector in India has seen several trends that helped the sector to improve the processes and to bring its standard at par with the global level. Rahul Belwalkar, CEO, SecUR Credentials, writes about such trends of 2017 for Elets News Network (ENN).

The youth hold the key to the future, and with India being the second most populous country in the world, comprising majorly youth, it is imperative that they are provided with quality education to enable them to become successful entrepreneurs or servicemen.Here are three trends to leverage to this effect-

Gamification in e-learning

Rahul Belwalkar, SecUR Credentials — Rahul Belwalkar, CEO, SecUR Credentials

Gamification in e-learning allows for a better learning experience coupled with a high level of engagement. The strategies incorporated in gamification lead to an increase in the knowledge recall and retention levels in the minds of the students. The environment provided is also effective for an informal learning environment that aids in allowing learners to practice real life circumstances and tests. Once students are exposed to this they also are privy to instant feedback that tells them what they should or should not know. Gamification can be also be applied to fulfill most learning needs and impact learners positively, thereby creating significant performance gain for companies in the future.

Safety and Security Measures

Another emerging trend is that more and more schools are opting for background screening for their teaching and non-teaching staff. As a background screening company we have observed that there is a growing tension across the nation with regards to the safety and security of students across schools. Without the protective confines of the school compound to ensure their safety, picnics and school trips can often prove to be extremely dangerous for kids, if the proper measures aren’t taken by parents, teachers, as well as school authorities.

The potential for sexual violence and other dangers has been increasing rapidly in recent years, and often done by the very people that students are familiar with and who have been deemed trustworthy by parents as well as school authorities.

However, measures must be put in place to ensure their safety at such classes, lest they come across potentially dangerous individuals. Parents must make sure that the tutor teaching their ward has his credentials in order and has cleared appropriate background screening tests.

AADHAAR Linking

Another key trend observed in 2017 is the AADHAAR linking initiative. The Central Government has made it mandatory for all important documents to be linked to AADHAAR, which is an individual’s unique identification number. To add to this, another idea is to link Aadhaar to the performance record of students—marks sheets, merit certificates, and migration certificates, among others—from Class X onwards. This move will, in addition to helping students and employers, will go a long way n tackling the fake educational degree menace in India. Fake degrees are a big problem in India. Verification of educational credentials is not easy in India because of the sheer number of students, colleges and institutions.

This system is largely unorganised and conducting background screening of candidates at times is very challenging. Aadhaar Linkage will help create transparency in the system and eliminate the risk of fraud to a large extent. There is a growing demand for verification of educational qualifications, and an Aadhaar-linked system will lead to the reduction of fraud.

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