Now, a parent-friendly App for schools

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September 24, 2014

In a move of technological upgradation that could drastically cut down parents’ worries, schools in Mumbai have now started incorporating an app to facilitate efficient and user-friendly reach to the parents.

Intellinects Ventures, an education service provider, has designed an Android mobile application for schools which will provide parents with information such as news, events, teachers, alumni, PTA meetings, etc. This will lessen the burden of parents to visit schools and help them access the information on their mobile phones.

Kevin Saldanha, director of Intellinects Ventures, said, “With over 900 million mobile users, Indians are more likely to use the mobile to receive information about schools. The updates are delivered notification. The app developed for schools will not only have public view information but private view, which will be secured and cannot be viewed by an outsider.”

Apostolic Carmel Junior College, St Andrew’s High School and Convent of Jesus & Mary (CJM) High School & Junior College are three schools where this app is introduced. “In less than a month, about 30 per cent of the parents have already downloaded the App via Google Play Store,” added Kevin.

Antonette Monteiro, principal of CJM High school and Jr. College, said, “We have created the app on September 5. This is a great idea and the quickest way to provide any kind of information, especially in case of an emergency.”

Intellinects Ventures also plans to set up a group chat called Charcha, which will be a platform for parents and teachers to interact with each other. Learning Management Systems, which will include educational content and games, is also among their future goals. Plans are also afloat to provide similar Apps to more than 20 schools in Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Cambridge partners with Indian institutes for English assessment

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September 24, 2014

In a move that is likely to enhance the English language assessment skills in India, UK-based Cambridge English Language Assessment (a not-for-profit English language assessment department of the University of Cambridge) has signed different Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Hindustan University, the Indian Council for Assessment and Accreditation (ICAA), Vignan University in Andhra Pradesh and BS Abdur Rehman University in Tamil Nadu.

These MoUs were inked at the ‘1stCambridge English – India Partnership Summit’, which saw top educationists, policy makers and heads of educational institutions in attendance.

“We have a wide range of English language examinations. Increasingly, we’re setting up centres around the world, because we realise that you can’t help the world learn English just from Cambridge. You need to do it where the people are learning,” said Saul Nasse, chief executive of Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Under the MoUs, the institutions will get to utilise the wide range of assessment tools developed by Cambridge. According to Nasse, the institutions can also customise these tools according to their requirements.

Cambridge English works with 200 technical institutions and several corporates in India for conducting assessments. The department works with approximately 6,00,000 candidates per year across all primary and higher education schools and is growing at about 20 per cent.

‘Reservation’ to ensure equal opportunities for all: Hamid Ansari

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September 24, 2014

India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari has said that the motive behind issuing reservations in educational institutions is to ensure equal opportunities for all students across the country. “The Indian Constitution ensures opportunity for all its citizens. In case of inequality in certain cases, the state government must intervene to take necessary actions to place them on an equal footing,” Ansari said while addressing a gathering at Sophia College for Women in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The Vice President answered queries on wide ranging topics covering education, sports, role of the media and international relations in an interactive session with the students. The students also posed questions on sports to which Ansari said that the Right to Sport should be implemented as a part of the Right to Education (RTE).

Although parents in Mumbai have complained of their children being denied admissions to schools under several pretexts, interestingly, Ansari seemed to be fairly satisfied with the implementation of the RTE Act. “Through the Right to Education (RTE), the process of admitting children in schools is largely being met, but the school system fails to impart quality education,” Ansari said, adding that the situation could be changed through society’s intervention rather than government initiated measures.

However, a statement from VP Ansari that resonated with his audience is when he acknowledged the stress that education inculcates within students. He said: “The challenge lies in transforming stress into enjoyment.”

He also expressed disappointment over the current representation of women in Parliament. There are only around 60 women in a house of 545. He hoped the Women’s Reservation Bill would be passed in the Lok Sabha soon.

DU has more ad hoc teachers than permanent ones

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September 24, 2014

In spite of the many reforms ushered by Delhi University(DU) in recent years, the issue of ad hoc teachers refuses to go away.

It has been found that in most DU colleges, the number of ad hoc teachers is more than permanent teachers. Colleges have not been appointing permanent teachers for a long time, it has been found.

UGC rules state that the number of ad hoc teachers cannot be more than 10 percent of total teacher strength, but most DU colleges have been found to be flouting this rule. Teachers have been found to be teaching in ad hoc capacities for as long as ten years without getting a permanent position. This has prompted them to form a forum to put forward their case.

DU, however, says that the delay has been due to changes in the rules for appointment of teachers. The points-based system introduced by UGC in 2010 was opposed by DU as well as other universities and had written to the Ministry of Human Resources for reconsideration. The recommendation of a committee constituted by the Ministry to look into the issue were notified only in 2013. Due to it, there weer no appointments in the intervening years. But with the recommendations being notified, colleges may start hiring teachers on a permanent basis.

Medical colleges face a catch-22 situation after SC relief

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September 24, 2014

The recent Supreme Court order to provide interim relief to medical colleges is proving to be a double edged sword.

Supreme Court had recent allowed medical colleges that had been de-recognized by the Medical Council of India(MCI) to admit students for medical courses, but with a lot of strings attached. MCI had refused to resocnize nearly 40 medical colleges after they had failed the surprise tests conducted by it. The colleges had spproaced the courts for relief, but a three-judge bench at the Supreme Court while permitting them to admit the students, laid down conditions that may not be acceptable to them.

The Supreme Court has asked the erring colleges to submit an undertaking saying that all the shortcomings found by MCI during its surprise inspection had been corrected. If the undertaking was found to be untrue, then the college could lose its Rs 10 crore bank guarantee.

In addition, the private colleges cannot admit students on their own accord. In stead, the respective state governments will admit the students from its merit list. The students thus admitted will pay the fees fixed by the state instead of that charged by the private colleges. This is proving to be unacceptable to the private colleges, as the state-fixed fees are considerably lower than their fees. Private colleges are wary of surrendering their seats to the government.

The next hearing date of the case is October 1.

UGC calls off MoU with Health Ministry and BHU

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September 24, 2014

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between with the Health Ministry and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to set up a Regional Geriatric Centre in the Institute of Medical Sciences at BHU, Banaras under the National Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE) has now been called off. The decision was taken by the University Grants Commission after the Health ministry refused to make financial commitments for the set up any further than 2017.

The decision was arrived at a meeting of the full Commission on September 22. Among other decisions, the Commission approved the were a series of proposals suggested by the Smriti Irani led dispensation at the HRD ministry’s guidelines for Knowledge Upgradation centres for Skilled Human Action and Learning (KUSHAL) and Guidelines of Swami Vivekananda Single Girl Child Scholarship for Research in Social Sciences besides Guidelines of schemes like ‘Development of Women Studies in Indian Universities and Colleges’ & ‘Capacity Building of Women Managers in Higher Education’. Guidelines for the Modi government’s flagship Swachch Bharat mission were also approved.

Other proposals approved in the Commission meeting include the setting up of a ‘Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education’ to be established by National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) New Delhi; revised remuneration provided to Chair Professors to also attract serving Professors; establishment of Diaspora Chair in Goa University and the inclusion of “transgender” as “third gender” under various scholarship/fellowships schemes of UGC.

UGC says no to Symbiosis off-campus

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September 24, 2014

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has rejected an application by Pune-based Symbiosis University to set up an off-campus centre. In the Commission meeting held on September 22, the UGC reconsidered the Expert report on the Symbiosis University and decided “not to recommend the proposal of Symbiosis International (Deemed to be University) to set up an off-campus Centre at Mamidpally, District Mahabubnagar, Telengana”.

The university had earlier approached the Supreme Court challenging the UGC’s decision after being denied permission in July this year. The UGC had then denied permission to Symbiosis citing the union HRD ministry’s policy that restricts expansion of deemed varsities.

Only last week, the apex court had asked the UGC to re-look at Symbiosis University’s request. The court had also pulled up the HRD ministry for interfering with the functioning of the UGC. The UGC counsel had informed the court then that the final decision to deny permission for an off-campus to Symbiosis was taken after taking into account the views of the HRD ministry.

The UGC, however, stayed firm on its refusal to grant permission to Symbiosis for its off-campus. The minutes of the UGC meeting record that “the Commission reconsidered the matter in the light of the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and keeping in view the deficiencies pointed out in the UGC’s Expert Committee Report and the accreditation based on temporary injunction of the Hon’ble Court and not on the basis of re-accreditation by NAAC, as mandated in UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010 resolved not to recommend the proposal of Symbiosis International University”.

In a related move, the Commission has, however, allowed Delhi based Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan – a Deemed to be University – to set up an off-campus centre at Agartala (Tripura) citing its high academic standing.

CBSE asks schools to ensure screening of Mars landing

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September 24, 2014

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a circular to all affiliated schools asking them to make all “necessary arrangements for students to view the programme collectively”. Doordarshan’s live telecast of the event starts at 6.45 am. With the success of the mission, India has become the only country to send a probe to Mars in its first attempt.

“It is a proud and rare event that has utmost importance… the programme will provide important scientific knowledge to students, whet their curiosity and enable them to cherish this rare scientific event,” a CBSE circular said.

The HRD ministry had earlier instructed authorities at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to ensure live telecast of the Mars move on September 24 between 6.45 and 8.45 am.

Justifying its instructions, the CBSE said it will inculcate scientific temper in the children. The schools, however, have found it tough to follow through. Several schools, where examinations are underway for senior students, have either made separate arrangements to watch a recorded version later or have had to forfeit the idea altogether.

In some states, the circular with instructions reached concerned authorities only by the end of day on Tuesday making it extremely difficult for them to make arrangements.

On its part, the HRD ministry circular had only “suggested” that schools make appropriate arrangements for the live screening of the Mars manoeuvre of the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission. It may be recalled that the HRD ministry had sent a similar circular to all states to ensure that students were in schools to catch PM Modi’s speech on September 5. Though the ministry circular had maintained it was not mandatory, it did seek feedback on attendance.

No end in sight to IIT-UGC turf war

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September 24, 2014

The row between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) over degrees does not seem to be reaching an end anytime soon. In the latest development, the IIT Council has decided to set up a three-member committee to look into the matter. This committee will consist of Ashok Thakur, Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), UGC chairperson Ved Prakash and scientist Anil Kakodkar.

The IITs maintain that the UGC had no business writing to them to give degrees only approved by the Commission. They claim that IITs are governed by an act of Parliament not the UGC.

UGC, on the other hand, says that the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961, stipulates that IITs can institute courses of study, hold examinations and grant degrees/diplomas and other academic distinctions or titles. ‘Courses of study’, according to the UGC, does not mean ‘degrees’ since the two phrases are used at different places in the IT Act, 1961 and that provisions of the UGC Act 1956 and IT Act should be understood in a harmonious manner rather than to the exclusion of the other. “It would be more appropriate if IITs list the various degrees which they feel are not in conformity with the list of UGC-specified degrees. The exact mismatch between IIT Kharagpur degrees and the UGC-specified degrees may have to be reviewed jointly and an appropriate solution worked out considering the students’ interests at stake,” the UGC has said.

The IITs, however, insist that they are entitled to “institute courses of study” without UGC’s approval.

Private players to improve education in South Delhi Government schools

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September 23, 2014

In order to improve the quality of education at the government run schools and raise their standards to that of private English-medium schools in the city, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) is planning to outsource the management of several of its primary schools to non-profit private organisations on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The development comes in the backdrop of an increasing demand among parents from the low-income parents for quality education. To begin with, 35 of 588 primary schools managed by SDMC, which have extremely low enrolment with less than 40 students attending them, will be handed over to private players on a 15-year contract. No fees will be charged from students and the curriculum will be solely decided by the civic body. The private organisation will hold the responsibility of running and managing the schools, improving the quality of education, and bringing in new teaching and learning methods. For the first year, the private organisation will work without any pay and their work will be assessed by SDMC before continuing contract.

Ashish Sood, chairman of the education committee, SDMC said: “We have categorised the schools. There are around 35 schools which have low attendance. There are around 189 schools where infrastructure is sufficient but lack quality education. There are another 130 schools that require infrastructure and better quality education. Before drafting the proposal we examined the policy being adapted by Gujarat and Mumbai.”

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