At a crowded press conference held in Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi on June 25, newly sworn-in human resources development minister Kapil Sibal outlined a heavy agenda for radical reform of India’s school and higher education systems. Excerpts:
School Education
• Enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill. Notification of the 86th Constitutional Amendment.
In the past three months over 17 Indian students have been assaulted in Melbourne and Sydney in a pattern of crimes which have become infamously known as “curry bashing”. Since then the 95,000 strong Indian student community in Oz has suffered a disproportionate share of violent crimes. David Wightman reports from Canberra
A private sector pioneer in the provision of high-quality professional (engineering, medical, business management, pharmacopeial, nursing etc) education, and perhaps India’s sole higher education multinational with campuses in Nepal, Malaysia, Dubai and Antigua (West Indies), the Bangalore and Manipal-based Manipal Education Group (MEG) has taken a great leap forward in new technologies-enabled distributed, aka distance […]
The huge hue and cry raised in India alleging institutionalised racism in Australia, following a wave of robbery-driven attacks on Indian students in Melbourne this summer, has provoked wry comment from African, and students from our own north-eastern states who suffer routine discrimination in this country.
For several decades a small minority of liberal publications within the […]
Ramanujam Sridhar, chief executive of the Bangalore-based Integrated Brand-Comm Pvt. Ltd (estb. 1998), a well-known public relations firm, is a multi-skilled missionary of brand management. Apart from overseeing his firm, which has 80 employees on its muster roll and boasts blue-chip corporate clients including Omega Healthcare, Indus League, Manipal Education and Big Bazaar, Sridhar delivers […]
Against the backdrop of multiplying violent robberies being perpetrated on Indian students in Australia, particularly in the city of Melbourne (pop. 3.9 million) which hosts half of the 95,000 students studying in Oz, the government, police and institutional managements have devised a safety code for ethnic minority students. Some of the recommended safety measures include:
In 1988 only 55 student visas were issued by the Australian high commission in India. Since then the number of Indian students bound for Australia has spiraled to 27,000 annually (2008). Sensitively priced, quality education in scenic college campuses, a favourable exchange rate, English language instruction, strong emphasis on vocational and professional education, and aggressive […]
Poverty, community pressure and the low quality of education mean that 25 percent of children in Afghanistan aged seven-14 are at risk of leaving school and drifting into exploitative work environments, according to a new report by a Kabul-based think-tank. A report by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), published in late May, includes […]
The ethics of Chinese scholars have come under intense scrutiny following a recent scandal in the country. In mid-February, 80 people in Guangzhou city were poisoned after eating pork that contained ractopamine, a drug that ensures pigs grow big and lean. It has been banned as an agricultural food additive in China for seven years.At […]
Vice-chancellors in nigeria (pop. 140 million) have agreed to set up a quality-assurance system in a bid to drive up standards and boost the Nigerian university sectors global standing. At a workshop organised in late April by the countrys National Universities Commission (NUC) in Nigerias capital, Abuja, the vice-chancellors agreed to introduce a national system […]
Two months ago, six-year-old Sushma Walimbe, a cherubic girl who carries a broken doll with her wherever she goes, spent her mornings playing on heaps of gravel and sand on the construction site of a huge residential complex in Pune. Now, she has a fixed routine and from 9.30 a.m to 12.30 p.m, does her […]
For the first time in living memory, the appointment of a Union human resources development (aka education) minister has created as much excitement and attracted as many newspaper headlines as has the swearing-in of high-profile Congress party spokesperson and legal eagle Kapil Sibal to this vitally important, but traditionally devalued ministry. Suddenly cleansing the huge […]
Fortuitously Indias best bet — its hitherto much-maligned human resource base — is transforming into a huge opportunity for the skills development and training industry. Given that the vast gap between the inputs of Indian academia and requirements of industry is expanding continuously, skills development and executive training firms are multiplying. Training is a long-term […]
After completing my B.Tech (computer science) degree in 2010, what study programme would you recommend — M.Tech or MBA?Vijay Raghavan, Chennai
Both degrees — M.Tech and MBA — are stepping stones to successful careers. However, if youre not enjoying the B.Tech curriculum, you should opt for an MBA which offers a great future, particularly with […]
The new age generation is living in the most exciting times of human history, within increasingly diverse communities and cultures, newer and fast-evolving technologies and ever expanding horizons. Against this backdrop, the challenge confronting school managements is to ensure that their students evolve into sensitive, responsible citizens of the new world. Therefore, it is vital […]
Following the return to power in Delhi of the Congress-led UPA-2 government and the appointment of Congress party heavyweight Kapil Sibal as Union HRD minister, there’s new hope that the education sector, completely bypassed by the socio-economic reform process of the past two decades, will be given top priority. Dilip Thakore reports
The managements of the Lavasa Corporation Ltd and Christel House India Pvt Ltd have signed an agreement to construct and operate a school for underprivileged children in the Lavasa hill station township being developed near Pune. Christened Christel House, Lavasa, the school will be constructed by Lavasa as per the design principles specified by Christel […]
The Nagaland state government’s education department has commiss-ioned an NGO to undertake an assessment project to grade schools. The project on quality education and students development was launched on April 29. The survey, conducted by the Mayangnokcha Award Trust, will cover Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung districts.
“As of now, only 0.37 percent of GDP is spent on higher education. This has to increase if academic reforms are to take place.”
UGC chairman Sukhdeo Thorat (Business Standard, June 8)
“The focus of the Indian government should be on science education in high schools. You just cant talk about science and innovation. Youve got […]
Parents of students, if not students themselves, enroled in Maharashtras 192 upscale schools affiliated with the Delhi-based CISCE (Council of Indian School Certificate Examinations) and CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Educa-tion), are reeling with shock following a June 8 announcement made by Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the states education minister. Patil announced that the government will reserve […]
First off the blocks in the race to showcase some achievement after completion of the first 100 days in office by the new Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA-2) government, which was sworn in on May 22, is Kapil Sibal, the new incumbent of Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi which houses the Union HRD ministry. Within 27 […]
Nishtha Lakhani, a second year IBDP student and Jal House Captain of Garodia International Centre For Learning Mumbai (GICLM) thrives on the excitement of continuous .....Read More
- Baishali Mukherjee Changes are afoot in the upcoming ICSE and ISC board exams to increase subject matter proficiency. According to the developments in the .....Read More
