Posts filed under ‘Higher Education’
Top US school looks at India as Asian hub:IANS
Following is a report by IANS published in http://www.thaindian.com:
By Arun Kumar
Washington, May 2 (IANS) A top American school of public administration associated with training India’s future administrators is now looking at making the country a hub for its activities in Asia in concert with the growing India-US strategic partnership.
Starting with a Ford Foundation initiative in the 1950s to help the then newly formed Indian government face administrative challenges, Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has tied up with several top institutes in the country, including the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the partnership with IIMB in New Delhi, Syracuse University wants to “position Maxwell as one of the top international schools sought by India to help develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of public administration”.
Simultaneously, it’s looking at “growing India as a hub for Maxwell activities in Asia”, Dan Nelson, programme manager for India, told IANS in an e-mail interview.
In 10 years of partnership between the Maxwell School and IIMB, “We have developed a sustainable model that demonstrates one example of how US and Indian universities can work together to address the higher education needs within India,” he said.
“The partnership has enriched the policy discussion at both institutions, provided valuable examples that have helped develop teaching and research interests, and provided a solid foundation for future developments,” Nelson said.
Well aware that Indian students represent the largest group of foreign students studying in the US, Maxwell is also “watching the current discussions closely” over the Indian government’s proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India.
“While at present there are no specific plans to set up a Maxwell campus in India, we do feel there is a lot to be gained by strengthening our ties with India and continuing to consider various options,” Nelson said.
With India emerging as a global power, “Our programmes with India have evolved so that both parties are better positioned to learn from each other’s experience as we jointly address many common global issues and look to gain new insights on issues that are unique to each country,” he said.
Asked what role he foresaw for Maxwell in furthering the US-India strategic partnership, Nelson said: “We feel the ties between the US and India will continue to expand and deepen in future and are grateful for the chance to study various aspects of this strategic partnership.”
Maxwell has been recently awarded a three-year contract to train mid-career professionals at the Indian Forest Service.
Custom-made for India, the programme will “focus on developing the officers’ understanding of the changing landscape for environmental policy making and implementation, both globally and domestically,” said Larry Schroeder, professor of public administration at Maxwell School.
“Our training is about sharing global best practices and also our knowhow,” he said noting there is a “growing realisation within the Indian government that the environment is a global issue to which India must contribute significantly as a developing nation.”
In the 1950s, the Maxwell School was asked by prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to study and recommend various civil service reforms. Later Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who served as US ambassador to India during 1973-75, joined the Maxwell School to further the school’s interests with India.
Today “one of the strongest area studies programmes in Maxwell School is the South Asia Centre which includes a multi-disciplinary curriculum and outreach activities in the community,” said Schroeder.
“Currently we attract a steady stream of senior Indian officials to earn an executive masters of public administration degree or one of various specialised certificates.”
“One programme of particular note is our partnership with IIMB to deliver the post graduate programme in public policy and management (PGPPM), which has been running for eight years,” Schroeder said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Second IISc campus will come up in Karnataka: B S Yeddyurappa
Bangalore, Apr 26 (PTI) The proposed second campus of Indian Institute of Science would come up in Chitradurga district of Karnataka as planned, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today said.
“The IISC campus is very much coming up in Chitradurga.
The district administration has already granted nearly 2,000 acres (at Kudapur village in the district) for it,” he told reporters here on the sidelines of a Police Investiture Ceremony.
He denied recent media reports that the proposed campus of the Bangalore-based premier institute was being shifted to Andhra Pradesh.
To another query, he said that the government was taking all measures to ensure regular supply of drinking water in Bangalore city.
Second campus of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, likely to come up in Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh
Following is a report by IANS published in http://sify.com:
The second campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is likely to come up in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district.
Union Minister for Human Resources Development Kapil Sibal in a letter to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Saturday said the central government was examining a proposal of Andhra Pradesh in this regard and had discussed the idea with IISc, Bangalore.
The IISc, Bangalore, has informed that internal discussions have been held and initial proposals were to create an advanced research centre, a science park and an incubation centre, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.
Sibal wrote that a Memorandum of Understanding for the sale of land, the time frame for making available the basic infrastructure, among other things, was under preparation and further developments would be communicated on receipt of fresh inputs from IISc, Bangalore.
Rosaiah thanked United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sibal and IISc, Bangalore, for the move to establish the second campus of IISc in the state. He said it would be a boon for the backward district of Anantapur.
The chief minister said the entire credit for this goes to former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who made efforts to get the IISc campus.
YSR, as the late chief minister was popularly known, had even identified 1,000 acres of land in Anantapur district, about 70 km from Bangalore International Airport.
Post-graduate law degree may become one-year course:Indo-Asian News Service
Following is a report by IANS found in http://www.indiatalkies.com:
New Delhi, April 21 – A post-graduate degree in law may become a one-year course instead of the current duration of two years, Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari said Wednesday.
‘A proposal to restructure the existing post-graduate programme in law from that of two years duration to a one-year duration programme with selectivity in admission to attract the brightest graduates in law towards this programme is under consideration with the University Grants Commission (UGC),’ Purandeswari told the Lok Sabha.
‘The proposal would be considered in respect of other post-graduate programmes of study which are amenable to restructuring by reducing the time duration of the programme for award of degree without compromising on the quality of education,’ she added.
20 Indian Institute of Information Technology to come up on public-pvt partnership mode
New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The HRD Ministry has prepared a public-private-partnership model for setting up 20 IIITs under which the expenditure could be shared in the ratio of 85 to 15 between the government and industry.
According to a note prepared by the Ministry for these projects, each Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) would be set up at an investment of Rs 200 crore and the government would bear 85 per cent of the expenditure.
Of the 85 per cent spending, the Centre would provide for 50 per cent and the state government would bear 35 per cent of the expenditure. It means the Centre will provide Rs 100 crore while the state government will give Rs 70 crore and the industry will provide Rs 30 crore for setting up of each IIIT.
“The ministry has prepared 50-35-15 funds sharing pattern between the Centre, state and industry.
Anand to set up National Academy of Magic and its brances in every state capital
Hyderabad, Apr 16 (PTI) A magician today said that he had applied to the Centre to set up a National Academy of Magic with branches in every state capital.
The process to set up the project, which is pending before the Human Resource Ministry, is likely to start by 2011, Jadugar Anand told reporters here.
“The Government has not yet recognised magic as an art, though we fulfill all criteria as other recognised arts.”
“An academy of magic not only creates employment opportunities for many by producing world class magicians, but also generate awareness about the art,” Anand, president of the All India Magic Federation, said.
The magician, who is in the city with his son Akash, will kick off with the breathtaking ‘Chris Angel’s Challenging Escape’ on April 18.
Maharashtra Government plans to bifurcate all universities in the state
Mumbai, Apr 7 (PTI) Maharashtra Government plans to bifurcate all universities in the state to improve the quality of education and administration.
Replying to the debate on budgetary demands of the higher and technical education, minister Rajesh Tope told the legislative assembly that a committee has been set up to study the issue and recommend to the government on how to move ahead with the proposal.
The report would be submitted in three months, he said, adding the aim will be to have 250 colleges affiliated to one university. There can be campuses of universities like Mumbai, Pune in different parts of the state with an independent pro-Vice Chancellor.
To improve the quality of education, Tope also said he will convene a meeting of all vice chancellors to discuss having a uniform curriculum for all the universities in the state.
Centre to increase enrolment ratio in education from 12.4 percent to 30 percent by 2020
Following is a report by IANS published in http://www.thaindian.com:
Shillong, April 3 (IANS) The central government proposed to increase its gross enrolment ratio (GER) in education sector from the current 12.4 percent to 30 percent by 2020, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said here.
“Education is not only a vehicle of growth but it is also an effective and reliable tool to ensure social justice,” Mukherjee said while addressing the first convocation of the Indian Institute Management-Shillong here in Meghalaya.
The IIM-Shillong also became the first business school in the country to webcast its first convocation ceremony live. As many as 63 students were conferred degrees Saturday.
The 63 graduates have got job offers, with an annual average salary of around Rs.10 lakh with the highest pay package being Rs.34 lakh.
Top recruiters included Deloittes, E&Y, KPMG, PwC, Ogilvy & Mather, Viacom, Warner Brothers, AC Nielsen, Cadbury, Citigroup, HDFC, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Tata AIG, SBI Cap, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Siemens, Bosch, Ford, Honda, Lafarge, Hero Group and ONGC.
Mukherjee stressed the need to create a system in education that allows access and inclusion without diluting quality.
“This will require effective partnerships with all stakeholders and collaborative efforts,” Mukherjee said.
In order to achieve the 30 percent gross enrolment ratio, there is a need to have additional infrastructure and increased capacities in higher education system, the finance minister said.
“The government has initiated action towards structural transformation in education sector to ensure expansion, inclusion and excellence,” Mukherjee said.
On IIM-Shillong, one of the youngest B-Schools in the country, Mukherjee said the institute has marked itself out by its unconventional thinking and innovative ideas.
“The IIM has tried to develop and provide an educational framework that would have sustainable management education as the core thrust area,” he said.
He, however, said there is a need to alleviate poverty and to ensure that the benefits of growth and development percolate down to every section of society.
“The centre seeks to ensure that local communities imbibe the best management practices and become partners in India’s economic growth and success story,” Mukherjee said.
He also praised the institute for its emphasis on research and development activities.
“Research combined with extension activities can help in nation building by facilitating the benefits of sound technical education to reach more people,” he said.
A. Dutta, the director of the institute, said that the mandate of the institute was to challenge conventional wisdom, integrate traditional knowledge and create a framework for management education.
The institute took in its first batch of students in July 2008 and is looking at increasing the number of seats to “anything between 90 and 120″ this year. It started in 2008 from a makeshift campus and still functions out of an interim facility.
Surrounded by pine trees, lush green lawns and mountains in the backdrop, the institute is functioning from the Mayurbhanj Complex – the erstwhile summer palace of the kings of Mayurbhanj, Orissa.
The Meghalaya government has allotted a 120-acre plot on which work is underway for a state-of-the-art academic-cum-residential campus.
The institute will also hike its annual fees for the next academic session. The board of governors will take the decision in April.
India needs at least 800 more universities
Following is a report by IANS published in http://www.deccanherald.com:
India needs at least 800 more universities in addition to its current number of 480 to boost higher education, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday.
“Currently the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in India is 12.4 percent, and we intend to take it to 30 percent in the next few years,” Sibal said at an education conference organised by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
This means, he said, only 12.4 students from every 100 students eligible are pursuing higher education in India. The effort is to take this tally to at least 30 for every 100 students in the age group of 18 to 24.
“For this, there is a need for 800 more universities and 35,000 more colleges,” he said. The minister said India was far behind the global average of GER, which is 23 percent.
“In developed countries, it is above 40 percent. In some countries it is 53 percent,” he said, adding that for economies growing at 8-9 percent per annum the demand for quality manpower is high.
Unless there is a huge pool of qualified human resource, there will be “mismatch between economy and the potential that serve the economy”, he said.
This is the first ever contact group meeting of parliamentarians on education organised by the Unesco for countries like India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
All secondary schools in India to have an IT teacher, says Sibal
Following is a report by IANS published in http://www.thaindian.com:
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) All secondary schools in India will have a computer teacher each and the central government will bear the related expenses, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal said Thursday.
“We have now a policy. All schools will have an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) teacher. We will pay their salary, which is Rs.10,000 per month,” Sibal said to highlight the need for technology to better educational scenario in the country.
“We are open to any technology solution (provided by private sectors) but it should not be elitist. The real problem is in rural India and we must keep that in mind. I think, the private sector can collaborate with government and train these ICT teachers,” he said.
“Our focus is on giving every child an opportunity.”
Sibal also said that all states should chip in to improve education and make right to education a success.
“It is not about politics, it is about education… it’s about every single child. We need a system in place for quality education and quality teachers.”
The minister also said that India will be most educated country in the world by 2030 and it will be the key to provide intellectual capital to all countries.
“India in 2030 will be most educated in the world. The world must realize that future human capital will flow from India. They should make our population literate and take the benefit,” Sibal said in an event organized by computer giant HP and TV channel CNBC.
He also reiterated his point that his ministry is in touch with Nandan Nilekani, the chief of Unique Identity Authority for an UID for every single student.
“Nandan has told me that he will work with us.”
Sibal also stressed the need for an education finance corporation, which will help refinancing education with a long-term goal and provide education loans to all needy students.
