Experts call for review of research institutes by international panels

PUNE: Developing a good postdoctoral system for research, assessment of leading public and private research institutes by international panels, and assessment of various disciplines of science and social studies, were some of the key issues that dominated the discussions on the concluding day of the National Policy Dialogue, 2012, here on Saturday.

"There is a need to focus on the postdoctoral activity by research scholars," said K N Ganesh, director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), while speaking at the event, which has been jointly organised by the British Council and the Planning Commission.

"We just do not have access to a good postdoctoral system in India," he said, adding," The problem is not as much with the fellowships and money as it is with the dearth of people in the Indian system. Most research fellows tend to move to institutes abroad, which is understandable from the viewpoint of their career, but we need to have a good system of our own," he said.

Rajiv Saxena, vice-president of the South Asia University, New Delhi, said, "The fountainhead of good research work remains in the west, but policymakers in India also need to be sensitised about the various infrastructural and cultural issues that keep a researcher away from engaging in postdoctoral activity in India. It's not just about funding research projects."

Spenta Wadia, director, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, suggested that international committees need to assess the capital input going into leading public and private research institutions in India, and the corresponding output generated by them. "There has to be a correlation between funding and accountability," he said.

Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor S K Sopory suggested that each research institute should have an international advisory committee for such assessment. Focus also needs to be given on the recruitment policy for research institutes, by bringing in greater flexibility to let foreign researchers and faculty work in India for an extended time, he said.

H A Ranganath, director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, said that apart from assessing institutions and individual researchers, disciplines also need to be assessed to find out the state of chemistry, physics and other disciplines of science, as well as social studies.

Mathew Davidson from the University of Bath, UK, listed 11 broad areas for the academic and research community in India, to seek appropriate action from policy makers in higher education and research. This included issues related to translating assessment and ideas into policy and action, research environment and culture, collaboration with industry, building network and alliances, metrics vs expert review approach, availability of research information, importance of teaching in research institutes, large multi-partner projects and diversity of institutions, among others.

Advisor to Planning Commission on higher education matters, Pawan Agarwal, said, "Much of these issues are already incorporated in various plan documents, but what is needed is proper articulation of these views at multiple levels to help shape public policy."

He said, "Various working groups formed at the NPD 2012 will now submit papers on definite topics outlined by Davidson and the same will be forwarded to all vice-chancellors and heads of research institutions for a wider discussion and eventual reflection in the plan panel's 12th Five-Year Plan report."

Earlier, National Chemical Laboratory's former director S Sivaram delivered the keynote address on 'vision and performance of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research'.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Experts-call-for-review-of-research-institutes-by-international-panels/articleshow/12040016.cms

Read More

Indian and British education systems are similar

Caitriona Redding, Head of International Admissions, Oundle School, was recently in India to announce the launch of India Consortium to encourage Indian students to study in UK schools. SANGEETA YADAV talks to her

Tell us about India consortium.

Nine leading UK independent boarding schools have come together and formed an Indian Consortium which aims to provide an opportunity to Indian students to pursue their secondary level of education in UK. We are meeting Indian students, school principals and parents to convince them to send their children to British boarding schools.

Indian parents are ambitious about their children and are concentrating on sending them for foreign education at under graduation level. They can think a little earlier and send their children to pursue their 10+2 education from the elite boarding schools in England. Through this their children will have much better chances of going to top US or UK universities. Moreover, they will be able to make a right choice of studying at their choice of institute and get to know and gel around well with the whole ambience and people.

How many schools are on this exchange programme?

Besides Oundle School there are Headington School, Abbots Bromley, Moreton Hall, Loughborough Grammar School, Ellesmere College, Merchiston Castle School and Tettenhall College.

Tell us about your school?

Oundle School has 450 years of experience in teaching. It is a traditional boarding school. UK schools offer the best solution because they look after a child’s cultural, social and physical development.

What’s the difference between the Indian and British education system?

British education system is similar to Indian system. IGCSEs (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) are the main exams taken by the UK students to complete first stage of secondary or high school education. After clearing IGCSE which is 10th standard of education, students can opt for A level (equivalent to 11th and 12th standard of education) or International Baccalaureate (IB) level of education.

For A level, you choose four subjects of your combination and require a lot of focus. The advantage of A level is that you can get a specialisation in your subjects and gain entry to a top UK university. But you need good grades for the same. Those who are not sure about what subject to study, they can opt for IB and go in for general subjects. There is no percentage required to opt for subject or a stream.

What is the fees for the  exchange programme?

Fees per payment period — September to December, January to March and April to July is around £9,530 inclusive of tuition fee, books, boarding, and food. We do not charge for helping with visas.

What is the selection criteria?

The students have to clear  an entrance exam and interview. We are looking for someone who has a good academic record and a strong character.

When is the entrance exam?

Sixth Form (Indian Standard 11, 12) exams are set for November. The Third form exams (Standard 8th) are held in January. The students can use that as a reference while preparing themselves. The interview is largely an informal chat. One can visit the website www.bbsadvisors.org.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhopal/41054-indian-and-british-education-systems-are-similar-.html

Read More

Indian high schoolers brace for exam time

DUBAI - Thousands of Indian pupils will take a high school exam next month that many regard as the fulcrum of their future.

The stakes are so high and the students so taut that schools following the Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum have started counselling sessions for Grade 12 pupils.

The goal is to prevent unhealthy competition for marks and help pupils overcome the pressure surrounding the examinations, which begin on March 1.

"They want to succeed and get into the university of their choice back home," said Rohini Jairam, principal of the Asian International Private School in Al Ain.

"And it's tough competition for places at Indian universities."

Last year, a pupil in Ajman jumped from the first-floor window of his school after learning he had failed two subjects. And in India last year, an 18-year-old girl who feared she had performed badly in her physics exam jumped off a rooftop and died.

The exams, which are conducted by the Indian central education board, play a pivotal role in university admissions and future career options.

Top-ranking universities reserve a limited number of seats for Non-Resident Indians, and they must get marks above 90 per cent to secure one of those places. Most UAE pupils turn to private tutors to help them make the cut.

Svetlana Jose, 17, a pupil at Our Own English High School in Dubai, said there was no option but to join extra classes.

"Most of us take extra coaching classes for certain subjects," said the Grade 12 science pupil. "The syllabus is vast and some of us need to more intense classes to be better prepared."

Sharan Mirchandani, a science stream pupil at the Delhi Private School in Dubai, said he aims to be the top in the UAE this year. "My aim is to get 95 per cent or above," he said.

He wants to apply for medicine at Kasturba Medical College in India and has been attending extra lessons after school.

"Just a week remains for the exams to begin and there is a lot of pressure," he said.

"In school, we try to have group study sessions. It's a good extra push and also eases the tension."

The high expectations result in competition between pupils that can take a toll on their health.

The Indian education system follows a percentage-based assessment in Grade 12, although the procedure for Grade 10 was changed two years ago to grades in an attempt to ease over-competitiveness.

Sharan said he did not prefer a grading system because it did not adequately reflect his hard work.

"It places achievers within categories of grades and does not particularly show how much more I have achieved than the rest of the group."

Svetlana, on the other hand, said she preferred the grade system because it reduces the stress.

"With percentages, every mark counts and pupils vying for the top positions are under great pressure."

Vignesh Krishnamurthy, a classmate of Sharan's, believes accepting the grading system would require cultural change.

"The grade system has worked in other countries," he said. "Our Indian system does not even consider extra-curricular activities during assessment, which is a downside," said the pupil, who has applied for mechanical engineering at 12 universities in the United States and Canada.

He said universities in both countries base their enrolment decisions on pupils' all-round development during school years. "Our system focuses heavily on academics and I had to do a lot on my own to boost my resume and develop my skills."

School heads said parents, too, needed to be educated against pushing their children in an unhealthy way.

Dr Mohammed Aslam Khan, principal of the New Indian Model School in Dubai, said most parents still prefer end-of-year exams with clear marks.

"They want a paper and pencil test where they can see the marks and compare them to others," he said.

He added that it would take time and effort to convince them of the merits of the new method. "We have to make them understand that it is not exams alone that assess a child's ability: it needs to be a comprehensive method that allows us to determine and develop their strengths and skills."

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/education/indian-high-schoolers-brace-for-exam-time#page1

Read More

Indian diplomat asked to pay $1.5 million to ex-maid

A New York City Magistrate Judge on Wednesday recommended that an Indian diplomat, Neena Malhotra, and her husband Jogesh be required to pay out nearly $1.5 million for forcing an Indian girl, Shanti Gurung, at the time said to be underage, to work without pay and meting out “barbaric treatment” to her in their plush East 43rd Street Manhattan apartment.

According to reports the Malhotras induced Ms. Gurung to “work without pay by seizing her passport and visa, restricting her ability to leave their apartment, and constantly warning her that if she traveled on her own without their permission, she would be arrested, beaten, raped and sent back to India as ‘cargo',” in the words of Magistrate Judge Frank Maas.

In 2010 Ms. Gurung's lawyer, Mitchell Karlan, had said to The Hindu, “Shanti's story is one of almost unimaginable cruelty. Over three years without pay, without a passport, without freedom to leave, without friends or family, and unable to speak English to get help.” He added that she continued to live with the emotional scars of this ordeal.

The recommendations by the Magistrate will be subject to approval by Judge Victor Marrero, who is overseeing judge in the case. In December 2010 Judge Marrero granted Ms. Gurung a default judgment against her former employers, who had by that time returned to India.
No response

While Ms. Malhotra was said to have been in the continuing employment of the Ministry of External Affairs, the first ruling in the case against her and her husband was aimed at expediting the serving of legal papers to them in New Delhi, after repeated attempts to do so through authorised agents and official channels for several months had failed to elicit any response.

Outlining the initial lawsuit filed by Ms. Gurung, Mr. Karlan said that during the time in question Ms. Malhotra served as the Counselor of Press, Culture, Information, Education and Community Affairs at the Consulate General of India in Manhattan.

In her lawsuit Ms. Gurung alleged that in bringing her over to the U.S. in 2006 on an A-3 visa Ms. Malhotra instructed Ms. Gurung to tell the U.S. embassy in New Delhi that she would be paid $7 per hour. She also “asked Ms. Gurung to lie about her birth date, so that she would appear to U.S. officials be eighteen, not her actual age of seventeen”, according to the filing.

With a steady deterioration in her living conditions from June 2006 onwards, Ms. Gurung was required to “perform substantially more duties than had been represented at the time of recruitment,” and this included cooking and cleaning, daily massages for Ms. Malhotra, grocery shopping and laundry, and waiting upon guests for dinner parties that the Malhotras regularly held, which often went on until 3 a.m., the lawsuit alleged.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2925053.ece

Read More

Care India ropes in corporate bigwigs for girl education

New Delhi : Food products major General Mills and pharmaceutical giant MSD have joined hands with an NGO Care to help raise funds for girl education and health in India.

Kickstarting the NGO Care's project "Join My Village" aimed at connecting masses through social media in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, the two corporate houses have pledged to donate one dollar for every click on the website.

Actress Juhi Chawla launched the project 'Join My Village' here that will connect masses through social media.

"It is great to see such big corporate groups coming ahead to give girls a better option to life. Join My Village is about engagement with the people in an age when we all are digitally connected," Chawla said at the launch ceremony.

"Every single click on the like button on the Facebook page of Join My Village will get us a dollar for the development of the girl child. Almost everybody is connected through Facebook. It is good to use technology this way," the Bollywood actress added.

Through the click-to-commit initiative, the partners aim at collecting around 2.5 million dollars by the end of this year. Started in 2009 in Malawi, Africa, Join My Village has helped the NGO pitch in $1.4 million to help over 2,000 families.

The expansion to India will start with Barabanki, in the heart of Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh.

"Our project will revolve around maternal health and education. We will look for expansion of the field projects after analysing the success of our project in Barabanki," said Muhammad Musa, Care India country director.

He added that that Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have always been the focus area for the NGO.

 http://twocircles.net/2012feb24/care_india_ropes_corporate_bigwigs_girl_education.html

Read More

US Ambassador lauds India’s IT sector

Stressing better US-India relations in the educationl area, particularly the IT sector, US Ambassador to India, A Peter Burleigh today said that India is now capable of facing any challenge in the IT sector.

Burleigh was attending an interactive session with university students as well as the teaching staff at Tezpur University some 20 km from Tezpur town.

Stating that the US has been an ultimate destination for bright students from across the world, the US high official said US President Barack Obama and the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh had met a number of times on the issue of development of the IT sector.

“It has been exciting to see the transformation that has taken place over the four decades since then. There have been a lot of changes, but I think one of the most exciting, one of the most promising changes, is the manner in which the youth of India are playing an increasingly proactive role on issues that matter to them, whether it is education and the economy, or corruption and governance, or environmental protection and energy,” he said.

“President Barack Obama’s concept of educational development has helped India to increase the number of Indian universities as a result of which at present there are altogether 2,300 US students in India as the different Indian institutes have been able to attract the students hailing from across the world,” Burleigh said adding that as there has been an exchange of ideas in the area of educational development, there are one lakh Indian students in various US institutions.

Burleigh added that IITs have been opened in India with the influence of America and at present the IT sector in India is largely developed.

Replying to queries from the students regarding placement of students in the USA from India passing out from different departments of the academic area, Burleigh further stated that they have been dealing with the issue very sincerely so that students rushed to the USA from India could be provided placement.

Regarding the employment crises all over the world the Us Ambassador said that not only in India, even in a developed country like USA during the last four years the unemployment problem is looming large, and “for the mitigation of the same we have been trying to find out certain commendable mechanisms like the exchange of views in educational line. And as part of the same we can term this US-India as one of those agendas.”

He further said that the US-India relationship is about the big picture. “We are building one of the most far reaching and ambitious partnerships in the world today. We both seek a world that is safer, freer and democratically aligned and that allows its citizens to pursue their dreams of education, prosperity and freedom. We see this unfolding in numerous aspects of the partnership, and we are focused on areas that will bring mutual benefit,” he said.

The IT sector is a good example of this mutual benefit. The IT sector in India largely developed through provision of services to US customers. Today, the IT sector is expanding through shared US and Indian efforts to develop increasingly complex applications and service increasingly intertwined economies. The mutual benefit to jobs in India and the US is enormous, he added.

“As good jobs in both countries raise living standards and increase buying power, both economies continue to grow and become more deeply intertwined. There is no sector that better illustrates the mutual benefit of our relationship better than education, a priority sector in both the US and India,” Burleigh said.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=feb2512/state07

Read More

Budget 2012: Education sector expects another big push

India has one of the world's largest education systems, including 1.3 million schools, 30,000 colleges and 542 universities. According to the Education Division at Technopak Advisors, the size of the public education sector is $40 billion and the private sector amounted to $60 billion in 2011. In last year's budget (2011-2012), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee allocated Rs 52,057 crore for the sector.

This year, members of the sector again expect a big push in expenditure especially related to the effective implementation of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act). "It (RTE Act) is a big challenge for the government. Many issues like setting up of neighbourhood schools and infrastructure require money," says Dhiraj Mathur, Leader of Education at PwC India.

Hopes are high. "My top wish for education sector in the coming Budget is that companies be given an accelerated tax break of 150 per cent of their investment in education infrastructure," says Shantanu Prakash, MD & CEO, Educomp Solutions. This, according to him, will push capacity creation. "The other (wish) is to allow companies to set up education institutions freely and simultaneously set up a regulator for quality and compliance," he adds.

Riad Joseph, a tax Partner at Ernst & Young, feels that this Budget should address rationalisation of higher education regulatory framework through passage of key pending legislations such as the Foreign University Bill, Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill and Education Tribunals Bill, as well as ensure timely constitution of an effective single super regulator for higher education in the country [i.e. NCHER].
Additionally, there should be increased emphasis on the public private partnership model to compensate for the shortfall in government resources such as specific budgetary allocations for PPP projects, financial and fiscal benefits for PPP projects.

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), another simple way to attract private investment in higher education, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), would be to make certain amendments in the Foreign Currency Regulation Act (FCRA).

Current law allows 100 per cent FDI in education. For-profit entities are not allowed to get licences from the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or function as private universities under Acts of different state governments. Hence, the investment vehicle is often a Society or a Trust or a Section 25 company.

Industry observers say that investment in a Section 25 company, being in exchange for a share subscription, does not come under FCRA, but investors are jittery since the FCRA legislation has harsh penal provisions.

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/budget-2012-education-sector/1/22699.html

Read More

British Council to organise education fair in May

British Council will organise an education fair in the city in May to create awareness among the students about education opportunities in United Kingdom. The Council organised a seminar on education opportunities in UK here on Wednesday. On the occasion, British Council Head Education (South India) L. Dhanasekaran said that the education fair was being organised in view of response at the fair organised in Hyderabad. Many of the students who turned up at the education exhibition in Hyderabad were from Vijayawada. It is being organised with a view to provide an opportunity to the students who could not make it to Hyderabad, he said.

Mr. Dhanasekaran said that education opportunities were galore in the UK. As many as 125 universities and more than 600 colleges were offering various courses in many fields, including engineering and medicine. The UK Government has introduced a new scheme to allow the students to take up jobs. A student could earn up to 20,000 pounds per annum at graduate level. The new scheme would be implemented from April 20 onwards.

Misconceptions

There were misconceptions among the students that securing a visa to UK was very difficult. In fact it was not true. The students could visit websites like www.ukvisas.gov.uk, www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyintheuk, and www.vfs.uk-in.com to know about the visa to UK. The other useful websites include: www.educationuk-in.org, www.ukcisa.org.uk, www.ucas.ac.uk.

British Council Manager Education (South India) Nim Bahadur R said that a seminar would be organised at Guntur on Friday.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article2923924.ece

Read More

‘Most Indian women doctors in UK don’t opt for specialisation’

“WHILE a large number of doctors in the UK is from India, the percentage of women among them is very low. Also, most women doctors end up as general physicians rather than going in for specialisations,” said International Federation of University Women (IFUW) president Marianne Halsegrave at the colloquium on ‘Leadership of Women in Higher Education in India’.

The meet was organised by the Indian Federation of University Womens Association (IFUWA), affiliated with IFUW. Halsegrave, specialises in reproductive health. She added that a big factor is the fact that while men take their families along when they go abroad, husbands rarely move if wives get jobs in another country.

“This leads to women either giving up careers or limiting their progress as they tend to shift their priority towards families rather than careers,” she said. The IFUWA and IFUW have identified key factors that act as barriers against women moving up the ladder in academics.

Halsegrave said, “While women may have the same academic experience as men, in very few universities all over the world do we find women vice-chancellors or deans. One of the solutions that seems to have worked in the UK is to form an informal network of women holding such top jobs, with the aim of them acting as mentors for contenders for such positions.” IFUWA gives out annual scholarships up to Rs 15-16 lakh for undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral programmes taken up by women in India, with three major scholarships each year.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Most-Indian-women-doctors-in-UK-don-t-opt-for-specialisation-/915610/

Read More

For their poor brethren, Brahmins seek 10% quota in education

Brahmins are now demanding 10% reservation in education for economically backward members of the community. Brahmsena, a community organisation, has organised a Brahm Choryasi, community lunch, in Ahmedabad on Sunday and expects to bring together 11 lakh Brahmins.

More and more communities in India are demanding reservation for their community. Brahmins, one of the most progressive communities in the country, are looking for reservation in education sector for poor members of the community. "We are going to convene a meeting of all the Brahmin organisations in the country and pass a resolution demanding 10% reservation in education sector for economically backward Brahmin students," said Bhavesh Rajyaguru, president of Brahmsena.

Brahmsena also plans to connect with community members through Closed Users Group (CUG) mobile network and are in talks with a telecom company. "We have received 25,000 applications for joining this network," said Rajyaguru. The community will be able to save Rs100 crore annually towards mobile expenses, he said.

Brahm Choryasi, mass Yagnopavit ceremony and Vevai Pasandagi Melo (Marriage Service) have been organised for the community on Sunday. "We have received an overwhelming response for the programme and are expecting the participation of around 11 lakh Brahmins from across Gujarat," said Deepak Bhatt, media in-charge of Brahmsena. The organisation will prepare 33 lakh laddu for Brahm Choryasi and 1.11 lakh kilogram vegetables will be consumed. Around 20,000 volunteers will provide their services during the programme. The organisation has created separate sitting arrangement for senior citizens.

The Brahmsena has also invited office-bearers of other communities to the programme. Moreover, it will felicitate people from the community who have got achievements in personal life and have worked for the community, apart from feting people who have cooperated in organising the programme.Rajyaguru said that the organisation will also be demanding that Mangal Pandey's statue be put up in the city and declare Vasant Panchami, birthday of Jagadguru Shankaracharya, a
public holiday.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_for-their-poor-brethren-brahmins-seek-10pct-quota-in-education_1653892

Read More