MHRD’s ‘IMPRINT’ Project to address Engineering & Technology Challenges

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November 5, 2015

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in a unique move, created the first of its kind initiative involving all the IITs and IISCs of the country. The project will address the major engineering challenges the country must address and champion to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance.

The project aptly called IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology or IMPRINT will address 10 Technology Domains as grand engineering challenges.

The project, created at the behest of HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, in the first phase defines two-fold mandate of a) developing new engineering education policy and b) creating a road map including infrastructure readiness to address the challenges.

The domains and coordinators of IMPRINT, steered by IIT Kanpur (as the national coordinator), are:

Health care: IIT Kharagpur
Information and Communication Technology: IIT Kharagpur
Energy: IIT Bombay
Sustainable Habitat: IIT Roorkee
Nano-technology Hardware: IIT Bombay
Water Resources and River systems: IIT Kanpur
Advanced Materials: IIT Kanpur
Manufacturing: IIT Madras
Security and Defence: IIT Madras
Environmental Science and Climate Change: IISc, Bangalore

Project IMPRINT is launched by President Pranab Mukherjee on November 5, 2015 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.

Addressing the occasion, the President said that it is a proud moment for all of the citizens that Indian universities are now been in the top 200 in the world — with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore at rank 147 and IIT Delhi at 179.

The President said it is necessary to develop in our students a scientific temper, which allows the flight of imagination beyond the realm of grades and classrooms.

“Promotion of research at the undergraduate level would assist such an objective. The link between progress and innovation is direct. History is witness to many nations low on resources emerging as advanced economies only on the strength of rapid technological development,” he said.

India 92 in education among 142

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November 4, 2015

India ranks 92 in education among 142 countries that have been assessed in numerous sectors,the Legatum Prosperity Index 2015 stated.

The country, though, is nowhere near the top 10 countries when it comes to economy, entrepreneurship and opportunity, governance, education, health, safety and security, personal freedom and social capital. As per the Legatum Prosperity Index 2015, India ranks 99 in these sectors.

Education is an essential thing for developing any country. Many other countries are surging ahead such as Malaysia 51, Sri Lanka 59, and Philippines 76 etc.

The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking, developed by the Legatum Institute, of 142 countries. The ranking is based on a variety of factors including wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life.

List of Top 10 Countries in Education Sector as per the Legatum Prosperity Index 2015:

Iceland

United States

Ireland

Finland

New Zealand

Norway

Netherlands

Denmark

Canada

Australia

Academicians unhappy with NEP new panel

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November 4, 2015

The academicians and former HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju seems to be disappointed on the composition of the panel who will draft the New Education Policy. They feel that the panel is overloaded with bureaucrats and lacked proper representation from the field of education.

The panel comprises five members, four of whom are retired bureaucrats. Former NCERT Director J S Rajput is the only academician in the body being headed by former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian.

In reaction to the disappointment by the academicians, the officials from the HRD Ministry informed that the members would be well supported by National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA), which will act as its secretariat of the committee.

The members have been asked to finalise their report by December 31 and submit as framework for action.

Improve quality of teaching for global ranking: President

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November 4, 2015

Laying stress on the standard of teaching in the country and hoping to step up educational institutions ranking globally, President Pranab Mukherjee has opinated on the requirement to structure the education sector.

The President says that it is not that our country lacks the requisite talent or merit but there are gaps that needs to be filled. “Concerted efforts over the past few years have shown some good results and recently, two Indian institutions found a place among the top 200 universities as per an international ranking.”

He was hopeful of other institutes improving their ranks in the future, a release issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

Mukherjee was speaking after receiving first copy of a book on “The President of India and the Governance of Higher Education Institutions” from the founding chancellor Naveen Jindal and founding vice chancellor Professor C Raj Kumar of O P Jindal Global University, at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Maternity cause for poor basic education, says Guj government

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November 4, 2015

Highlighting the reason for the state’s poor status on basic education, the Gujarat government in its draft report of the National Education Policy (NEP) has stated that the schools in the region are devoid of quality teachers when they go for maternity leaves.

According to the government records, more than 96,000 teachers are women and a woman teacher gets 180 days of maternity leave, while a man gets only 15 days of paternity leave.

High number of women teachers and subsequent maternity leaves were listed among the 70-odd factors affecting elementary education, said the draft report, which was prepared by state education department.

It suggested to create a reserve of teachers to combat the problem of frequent maternity leaves.

It also cited “illiterate parents”, “lack of motivation among students” among the reasons for poor results. Besides suggesting penal action on parents whose children are irregular in school, the education department proposed implementation of “equal work, equal pay” rule as a measure against underperforming teachers.

“These are the suggestions received from various stakeholders. The report tried to involve everyone associated with education, even from villages. We have sought suggestions on improving quality of education from various stakeholders, including media houses,” said state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

Revaluation results should be declared soon: MHRD

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November 4, 2015

Ministry of Human Resource and Development has directed Sate Boards to give priority to the revaluation applications of the candidates of class 12 who are seeking for engineering test. This will help them in getting a fair trial in the top colleges including IITs.

It is noted that class 12 marks carry a good weightage in admission to IITs and NITs as 40 per cent weightage is given to board scores when entrance tests are evaluated. According to the officials, there have been cases where students’ score have improved dramatically after revaluation, which in turn affect their overall ranking.

The ministry has suggested the board to prepare a necessary plan and give students priority so that their results can be finalised before submission to JEE. To take action further, the Centre will need a written consent of the boards for the suggestion.

The revaluation results should be declared on priority to save the year of a student. The ministry also asked the state boards and CBSE to declare the class 12 results before May 31 so that the admissions to engineering colleges are not delayed.

Fostering Early Years

Interviews

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November 3, 2015

Targeting the early childhood education sector, Dharmesh Kapasi, President, Shanti Juniors started his pre-school with a vision to nurture holistic development of a child. With the concerted efforts to provide qualified team of teachers, Shanti Juniors has expanded to 200 pre-schools pan India in just five years of its running

What was the rationale behind venturing into the pre-school segment?

Shanti Juniors pre-school is an initiative started by Chiripal Group, (a Gujarat based Rs. 4000 crore conglomerate) started with a clear objective of working towards the welfare of the society. Targeting the early childhood education sector, they believed that this is being the most unorganised segment of education with minimal guidance from the central or state government and also absence of quality education at the founding years of a child. We felt, there is a correction needed there.

The whole idea and objective of starting Shanti Juniors was to contribute towards nurturing holistic development of a child along with the celebration of childhood in the pre-primary sector of education. Our journey had started in the 2010 gradually by setting up a team of highly qualified development and research team. This team launched 6 pre-schools together in Ahmedabad. Today, it has franchised more than 200 successful pre-schools across India.

How do you perceive the pre-school market in the country?

Pre-school market in India had tremendous growth in recent past and the future also seems productive. India being the second largest populated country in the world and with the highest number of youngsters makes it one of the potential markets for pre-school.

Rise in disposable income, increasing working couples, working mothers, nuclear families, escalating demand for high quality pre-school education for toddlers are other several reasons which are raising the demand for pre-schools.

What are the growth opportunities that you foresee in this segment in the future?

There are huge opportunities in the pre-school segment but there are challenges, which need to be carefully analysed and counter measures needs to be planned. Pre-school being the most lucrative segment of the Indian education market, there are lot of young entrepreneurs who want to invest in this segment.

Hence, franchising became a wonderful concept of expanding the idea in a planned and structured manner which is resulting in pre-school franchising. It’s catching up fast as a business model. We have a vision to become one of the largest pre-schools of India and based on the same we have set our Y-O-Y targets.

What role does quality pre-school education play in shaping the minds of the students?

As these are the most important and founding years of a child’s education tenure, quality pre-school plays a very important role. It is even proven scientifically that 75 per cent of child’s brain develops till the age of five, therefore pre-schools play a very important role in shaping the minds and future of India.

The early three years, parents will be the main influence in a child’s learning experiences. What they do and expose their child to will have a vast impact on his/her developmental journey.

What is the lacuna, as per you, in the pre-school segment in the country? How can they be rectified?

The industry in India falls divided between the organised and unorganised sector. Recruitment of under qualified and in-experienced academicians is the challenge. There is a challenge of safety of children, because of non-regulation or absence of governing body in this segment.

As there is no guidance from the government in terms to curriculum or academics for the early childhood education, the local pre-schools take the advantage of the system as they do not have the strength or capacity to invest on the research and development of the early childhood programmes.

A joy to learn

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November 3, 2015

Pre-school is the foundation of learning for a child. Anurag Vij, Director, The Chintels, says that the early years of learning helps in making a bond of proximity which is knit rightly not only between the child and the school, but makes a strong association between the school and the guardians

What was the rationale behind venturing into the pre-school segment?

The Chintels School was established in the year 1988 in Ratanlal Nagar, Kanpur. Back then, there was no good pre-school in that area. I had been working as a principal to a pre-school prior to opening my own venture. I wanted to give my abilities a test in which I knew my trust in God, my strong positive will, my love towards children and my administrative skill would surely make my school and my children stand out. Indeed, our school today is counted as one of the finest schools in the city.

How does an established pre-school help in the growth of the child in K-12 segment?

Each child who comes to the Chintels pre-school joins a community of children, families and teachers engaged in the joy, work and wonder of childhood. When this little wonder is growing up we make sure that the spark is not lost in digging the heads inside the text books. If a child enrolls in pre-school the bond of proximity is knit rightly from the early years not only with the child and the school, but also a strong association is built between the school and the guardians and vice-versa. This results in better grooming of the child in all spheres.

How do you perceive the pre-school market in the country?

‘Anything you do with full heart and full believe is sure to become a success’

Every individual understands the importance of education, and lately have also realised that a strong foundation is very important for a successful tomorrow.

Pre-school where the building blocks are laid have immense opportunities in the education market. Though, competition has increased for the same but so has the demand of good pre-schools where a child enjoys coming and exploring the fun opportunities of learning varied things.

What are the growth opportunities that you foresee in this segment in the future?

‘There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.’ Growth in the pre-school segment is moving at a rapid pace. Opportunities in this field in terms of growth are immense. Our school at present has nearly 650 children. The way of expansion what we are now looking forward to is through franchise model. Likewise, many pre-schools running across the country started with a single school and now have franchise throughout the country. Parents look forward not only for a name but also in this competitive era they look for quality where the child learns in a play way.

What role does quality pre-school education play in shaping the minds of the students?

Pre-school act as a potter to the argil. Researches have shown that how early childhood learning is embodied in the child’s mind can change its architecture. Early lessons definitely leaves lasting impressions and visionaries do begin at the age of two. 80 per cent of a child’s brain develops during the age of 2-5 years.

These pre-school years give a foundation to the future learning. In some countries of the world in pre-school it is judged that where or which field a child is most interested in and then the child is trained in that specific field as well. Lessons of life- like sharing and caring are taught at a very early age so that the child when grows up continues to share his things.

Right from holding the grip of a pencil to scribbling with a crayon, drawing the first standing and the sleeping line to the first fancy dress competition, listening to fairy tales and mythological tale, every little bit is embibed in a child’s brain which keeps on developing and as we know that the tallest building has strongest foundation.

What are the lacunas, as per you, in the pre-school segment in the country? How can they be rectified?

‘No matter how perfect a thing looks if you see deep it will have a mark’

As the scope of pre-school education is gaining importance lot of pre- schools are opening up without a proper knowledge. Pre-schooling is quite beyond ABCs and 123s. Sometimes children are restricted to just four walls of classrooms and the journey of rote learning begins right from childhood, which is quite a sad stage. Children are not made to explore rather it is like what pre-school education should not be ‘filling up of pail’.

There should be a team of board which can provide certain guidelines on how to teach children in a playful manner. The head of the institute should take care that the child is not under pressure of any kind. Pre-schooling should be all about learning while having fun.

UAE Education Ministry Recruits Engineers To Encourage Students

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October 28, 2015

Focussing on the STEM education and to guide students towards careers in science and technology, the Ministry of Education, UAE, has recruited 27 engineers.

Speaking at the Education and Development: Towards a Modern Education System conference, Minister of Education, Hussain Al Hammadi, said that nurses and retired teachers were also being hired to teach the new school curriculum, which emphasises on science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem subjects) for grades 10, 11 and 12.

Engineers can teach the children how to apply knowledge like algebra and geometry in the workplace.

The education minister said that professionals are needed as role models and to offer vocational guidance. “We require engineers, nurses, and teachers to interact with each other for the sake of the students. They should support each other to encourage the students to be more innovative and creative,” he said.

The new public schools curriculum launched this year enables students to choose between general or advanced courses.

The Minister wanted to see about 40 per cent of students selecting the advanced stream by 2021. In 2014, 78 per cent of high school graduates enrolled in the foundation year, a year-long course to build their English-language skills ahead of starting their degree programmes.

The foundation year will end in 2018, therefore, one of the ministry’s targets for 2021 is to prepare students for direct entry to the university.

‘Educational Excellence Without Borders’

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October 28, 2015

With the focus to explore opportunities for collaborations between the Indian institutions and foreign universities, the eighth edition of Indo Global Education Summit will be held on November 14-15, in Hyderabad. The theme of two-day summit is ‘Educational Excellence Without Borders’.

This is the first time in the Summit that a delegation consisting of vice-chancellors from 14 universities of Sudan is expected to participate.

The event will provide a platform for the foreign universities and Indian institutions to find opportunities for collaborations between them. The participants will have discussions on collaborative research programmes, distance education and vocational education programmes, joint/dual degree programmes, twinning and transfer programmes, study abroad in India programmes, faculty and student exchanges, and other academic partnerships.

The summit is being organised by the Indus Foundation in association with OMICS International and FTAPCCI and will cover varied subjects including Engineering and Applied Sciences, Business and Management, Information Technology, Agricultural Sciences, Clinical and Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Education and Teacher Training, Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences.

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