The curriculum of Indian schools has drawn sharp criticism from the Unesco. The Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2014 states that Indian curriculum is unrealistic and far too ambitious for the child. It says that the curriculum outpaces a child’s learning capacity, thus widening the learning gap. It further points out that completing primary school in not always the guarantee for literacy, saying that even after completing up to four years of school, 90% emerge illiterate. The education scene appears dismal in India, home to the largest number of adult illiterates in the world which is 287 million.
The report also points out that the status of girls is bad. In India and Pakistan, poor girls are least likely to be able to do basic calculations. In Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, one in five poor girls is able to do basic mathematics. One reason for the dismal learning levels is that allocation per child still doesn’t adequately reflect the cost of delivering quality education to the marginalised.
Unesco says Indian syllabi too ambitious
Delhi Lt. Governor assures HC of new nursery admission schedule
Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) told the Delhi High Court that the government would scrap the five points awarded in inter-state transfer cases in nursery admissions and come out with a new admission schedule. The LG’s submission could impact the ongoing admission process, as the drawing of lots for admission of children in unaided private schools would need to be done again.
Presently, out of total 100 points, 70 are given if the child lives in the school’s neighbourhood, additional 20 are given if the child has sibling is studying in the school, five points if either parent is an alumni and five points if it is an inter-state transfer case. Those having 75 out of 100 points are included in the draw, while those having 90 points are automatically admitted.
UGC urges varsities to stop animal dissections
University Grants Commission (UGC) has sent a letter to universities asking them to ensure compliance to its recommendations of ending animal dissection and animal experimentation for zoology and life sciences courses in a phased manner. This was done after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and MP Maneka Gandhi appealed to it to stop animal dissections and to ensure compliance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January 2012.
UGC has asked universities to comply to its 2011 guidelines which state undergraduate students should no longer be required to dissect animals but that one animal could be dissected by the professor for demonstration purposes, and that dissection will be optional for postgraduate students.
Experience – A vital key for moulding business skills
MBA needs to be re-imagined, rebuild, redelivered and reinvented for working professionals, opine Rajul Garg, Director, Sunstone Business School in an interaction with Veena Kurup.
Can you outline us the possible reasons behind individuals opting towards professional management courses like MBA?
Considering the prevalent scenarios, two major trends are being increasingly focused witnessed among individuals who aim to pursue MBA. One major trend is increasing demand and popularity for business skills in any profession. Today, individuals are expected to be more accountable and have a clear understanding of the customer needs and how the business-finance inflow works. In addition, the market is seeking professionals with leadership qualities, wherein an individual need to play roles as a team member and a team leader. Business skills have evolved as a crucial career deciding aspect. Along with these trends, a rising concern over affording professional courses like MBAs is being witnessed among the masses. Hence, the whole idea of MBA needs to be re-imagined, rebuild, redelivered and reinvented for working professionals.
The students who get enrolled at Sunstone for PGPM courses are already having a prior experience or are employed. Hence, their basic motto is to gain a promotion at their present organization or to seek better salary packages. Few of our students also opt toward switching their jobs for more prospective ventures. Overall, the academic support which we offer along with their prior experience supports the students in moulding their career into better shape.
Is experience a crucial issue that needs to be looked upon in MBA courses?
Yes experience is a vital key for moulding business skills and plays an unavoidable role in management courses like MBA, which is purely industry oriented. A closer understanding of the industry can be achieved only through a balance of theory and practical knowledge. Sunstone Business School upholds this value; all our courses are open only for students who atleast has a minimum professional experience of three years.
Do you see deterioration in the quality of students opting for professional management courses over the years?
Definitely, we are seeing deterioration in the quality of the students, the major reason being the lack of adequate professional in-hand experience. MBA is such a course which is very hard to be taught to a completely fresh candidate. By definition itself, MBA is learning all about business activities. For instance, if you are trying to teach an individual about leadership qualities, and when the said person is unaware on how the industry functions or has never been a part or lead the team, then the teaching process becomes an added hurdle. In our country, the bulk of the MBA candidates who are let out from institutions are mostly at the fresh-hand level and this certainly is a grave problem. However, it is not an easy problem to tackle with and requires a more planned approach in resolving this. Culturally also in our country people have an already set-mentality of completing all education and then looking out for job opportunities, this system and belief needs a transformation.
How has been the corporate participation at your placement initiatives and how has the experience of the students contributed in gaining better job prospects?
Placements have been actually very positive and we are receiving a positive inflow of corporate participation. The one best aspect at Sunstone is all our students are either working or they already have a prior experience. With the added management course gained, the students are able to add a better profile for seeking new career prospects. With the help of prior experience and an added management academic support our students are either able now to get better salary packages in the organizations where they are presently employed, or are able to gain new job opportunities.
What are prospects for business schools at smaller towns or regions located at tier-II and tier-III sectors?
Sunstone Business School offers India’s first Open Courses (MOOC) in management, which is our effort to open up the knowledge hub to a larger community by building a continuous and flexible learning environment. 50% of the enrolments at Sunstone MOOC are from smaller cities and towns and is continuously growing. MOOCs provide great alternatives to working professionals and students in tier-II and interior regions who never had access to quality education. Besides, local campuses at these regions don’t have a direct industry connect, and hence such conditions opens prospects for business schools like us to expand our presence and deliver quality education to a wider mass base.
CBSE to offer law, theatre studies
In what may be termed as a big departure from run-of-the-mill courses, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set to offer theatre, legal studies or gender studies as an elective in classes XI and XII, from the academic session 2014-15. The board is offering the subjects after a pilot run in select schools last year.
The board will also offer Chinese language for the middle school, pilot run of which is underway in 25 schools. Among other subjects available to senior secondary students are NCC, human rights and a unique “Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India” which combines various disciplines of study.
The first batch will take their board exams in these subjects in March 2015.
CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said theatre studies is now going to be offered in all schools after their pilot run on first-come-first-served basis in 2013-14. Theatre can also play an important role in reinforcing and furthering the learning of other academic subjects which are taught in conventional ways.
Joshi added the board wants to give a competitive edge to students who wish to prepare for a career in law. Prior to opting for law in higher studies, students will get an idea about the subject and their own aptitude. Based on the response during our pilot run, we are extending the option to all schools who would like to offer the subject.
The course will include theory and nature of political institutions, nature and sources of law, historical evolution of Indian legal system, civil and criminal courts and processes, family justice system, arbitration, tribunal adjudication and alternate dispute resolution, human rights in India, the international context and an overview of the legal profession in India.
Government launches Rs 600 Cr scheme to up Muslim literacy
The Government of India recently launched a new programme called ‘Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan’ for educating adult Muslims, targeting over one crore of them.
The programme was launched by Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor. It aims at imparting functional literacy, vocational skill development and continuing education to one crore Muslim adults with an outlay of Rs 600 crore. Besides that, the programme also promises to offer opportunities for up-scaling basic education to around 2.5 lakh adults and skill development training to around 3 lakh people.
The government issued a statement saying that 410 Sakshar Bharat Districts would be covered with a financial outlay of Rs 600 crore during the current Plan Period.
In the statement, the government also claimed that the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language is undertaking many activities to promote, develop and propagate the language in the country. The affirmative interventions made under various schemes for promotion of education of the minorities has shown encouraging results.
It further claimed that enrollment of Muslim children at primary level as percentage of total enrollment has increased from 9.4 per cent in 2006-07 to 14.2 per cent in 2012-13, and at the upper primary level, from 7.2 per cent to 12.1 per cent during the same period.
IIT Madras connects with German Varsity to offer joint PhD
From the new academic year, IIT Madras (IIT M) will offer a joint doctoral degree programme in collaboration with the University of Passau, Germany. The two institutions will jointly train doctoral researchers who will be awarded two doctoral degrees- a PhD from IIT M and a doctorate from the University of Passau.
Students admitted to the PhD programme will have an opportunity to visit Germany twice for a 6 month periods while scholars from the University of Passau will have similar stints at IIT M. Faculty exchange will also be facilitated in this programme that can admit upto 15 students in the first year.
Indian students will receive scholarships from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) that cover their travel and living expenses, including insurance. Incoming German students will in-turn be supported by IIT M. The doctoral scholars will receive a tuition waiver.
Finance Minister attracts students for education loans
Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram announced a moratorium period for all education loans taken up to March 31, 2009, and outstandings as of March 31, 2013 while presenting the interim budget for 2014-15 in Lok Sabha. He further said that the government will take over the liability for outstanding interest as Dec 31, 2013, but the borrower would have to pay interest for the period after April 1, 2014.
Nearly 900,000 student-borrowers would benefit to the tune of around Rs 2,600 crore. The minister said that Rs 2,600 crore will be transferred to Canara Bank, the nodal bank managing the interest subsidy scheme on educational loans. He added that the interest subsidy scheme was introduced in 2009-10 for education loans disbursed after April 1, 2009, while students who had borrowed prior to that date deserve some relief. The education loan portfolio of nationalised banks as Dec 31, 2013, stands around Rs 57,700 crore in 2,570,254 accounts.
The DMK also tried to attract around 25 lakh educational loan borrowers by demanding writing off of educational loans. With the educational loan portfolio growing and bank officials not managing the scheme as per the guidelines, students are put to great difficulty in getting the loans, interest subsidy among other things.
Optional board exam for Class 8th introduced by Rajasthan government
Rajasthan government has announced the formation of an education board for Class 8th. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting in Bharatpur. The cabinet also decided to introduce the option of exams for class 8th students in government schools.
Talking about the decision by the cabinet, Minister Rajendra Rathore said that following the implementation of RTE (Right to Education), no exams are being held for students up to Class 8th. However, this has brought down the standard of education. Hence a proposal has been made to hold the optional exams. The final decision would be taken by students or their parents.
During the cabinet meeting, the ministers also cleared the proposal for a medical college in Bharatpur, which would be set up at an expense of Rs 189 crore.
Mood at IIM Bangalore upbeat as global job offers double
It’s celebration time for the 2012-14 batch at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. The final placement process saw a total of 425 job offers being bagged by 388 students of the sought-after Post Graduate Programme (PGP). Compared to last year, international placements offered to the students doubled, from 20 to 41.
The average salary received by the students this year is Rs 19.5 lakh per year, a 13 % increase from last year’s average of Rs 17.2 lakh.
The average work experience of the batch was 22.3 to 24 months. The average salary for students with no prior work experience is Rs 17.4 lakh.
The final tally of 425 offers includes 117 pre-placement offers (for those who were offered jobs in companies where they interned) and 127 lateral placement offers (for candidates with more than 22 months of work experience).
Break-up of the offers:
Top sectors
- Consulting 27%
- Banking & finance 19%
- IT & technology 17%
- General management 14%
Key recruiters
- Amazon
- Samsung
- IBM
- Coca-Cola
- PepsiCo
- Reliance Industries Ltd
- Flipkart
LinkedIn, Akshaya Patra Foundation and 39 other companies visited IIM-B this year as first-time recruiters.
