News and views about the Education in India

Weekly news updates on trends and happenings in the Indian Education scene

Executive education is booming, as corporates and individuals realise that they need to constantly upgrade skill sets to stay in the race. E-learning is another area that is on a roll, with support structures like telecom and satellite technology in place. Meanwhile, the AICTE packed a punch this week, showing the door to US-based Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, saying any technical course needed its approval.

- Chillibreeze Business Research Team

Books, a click away

A reason to rejoice for book-lovers, especially children as Katha Publishers have launched the 'Katha Book Club'. This is the first time that an NGO would be operating a book club. The proceeds will be given to Kathashala, its school, and 57 other communities in Delhi and Arunachal Pradesh, where 1,300 slum children would benefit.

The books will cater mainly to schoolchildren, since the summer vacations are on, besides teachers, professionals and housewives. Till now, Katha's books were mainly sold to literary societies and institutions but with the book club, Katha's books would now be available to individuals and children as well. The club will introduce Indian authors to children, and also create space for regional literature.

The book club will have an initial five-year membership fee of Rs 500. A member will get Rs 10 credit points for every Rs 100 of reading pleasure they buy. These credit points can be redeemed on the next purchase or kept for future purchases. They will also receive an online newsletter of Katha's latest releases and events including storytelling and puppetry. Also, they will receive a coupon to buy the Katha book of the month at a 30% discount. And for every member you enrol for them, you receive credit points of Rs 100.

14 May 2007
Source: The Times of India

Breaking stereotypes

Even as states in India play coy about implementing the NCERT's new adolescence education programme, other countries are going beyond sex education to raise awareness among school children about social issues such as domestic violence.

In Canada an organisation called the White Ribbon Campaign has launched a resource kit to teach children about gender stereotypes. "The Education and Action Kit is used by teachers and students in 3,000 schools across North America. The resource kit promotes healthy relationships and addresses the issue of men and boys' roles and responsibilities in ending violence against women and girls," said Todd Minerson, executive director, White Ribbon Campaign, Toronto. The White Ribbon Campaign was formed by a group of men in 1991 to speak out against violence against women.

Currently the kit is available for middle and secondary schools, in both Canada and the US. The kit has also been adapted for use in Brazil, and several other countries have expressed interest in similar adaptations.

Introducing the resource kit in schools did not come without its challenges. "Initially, there was a natural resistance or reluctance to tackle these kind of issues in the classroom. Teachers either felt that they don't have the skills or abilities, or they felt the subject matter is too controversial," said Minerson. To address these concerns, the White Ribbon Campaign decided to invest in building relationships with school boards, teachers' unions and faculties, to offer training and distribution of the education kit to teachers and students. The efforts have paid off and the kit has also been included in the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum.

In India, the response to domestic violence until now has been to reassert women's responsibility for policing men's violence. Few efforts have taken up the challenge of 'primary prevention,' similar to the White Ribbon Campaign, which intends to stop men and boys from using aggression by educating the youth.

14 May 2007
Source: The Times of India

A cut above the rest

With large corporates and even the armed forces tying up with leading technical and management institutes, executive education is on its way to becoming an industry standard. Executive development programmes are an ideal way to get trained and boost your employability.

Executive development programmes are short-term courses meant for working executives with a few years of work experience, and aim to hone specific skills that are relevant to the participant's job. "There is no specific age or level for which a programme may be held," says Ashish Bhattacharyya, chairman (admissions), IIM, Calcutta.

Most executive development programmes don't come cheap. A typical management development programme at any of the IIMs costs between Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the duration and content of the course. There are certain courses that may cost even Rs 5 lakh. The duration of such courses could range from a day to six months.

While participants receive a certificate of participation, most institutes do not give a diploma at the end of an executive education course. The certificate of participation from the institute, states when a person has attended the programme, and in certain cases, a measure of his or her performance. Since, the institutes are internationally acclaimed; these certificates are recognised by every company operating in India.

The best time to look for such courses is when you are two-three years old in the profession and are looking for a better job in the same industry. Executive development programmes are thus ideal tools to break out of a stagnating career.

21 May 2007
Source: The Times of India

Wanna learn while you earn?

With increased competition for jobs and the trend now being on continuous learning, more and more people are boosting their educational qualifications online.

"Electronic learning market is estimated to touch $ 21 billion by the year 2008. According to our own market research and analysis, e-learning market in India is over $ 200 million, most of which comes from in-house development. As the market matures, outsourcing of e-learning will also gain a strong hold," says Karthik K S, of 24x7 learning solutions. The firm recently launched Referenceware, claiming that it is the largest online book resource offering unobstructed access to thousands of the latest business and technical books.

In 2004, India launched the EDUSAT, a dedicated satellite for education and hence opened up new resource to spread education. IGNOU conducts satellite- based education in India.

Another player in satellite education is Everonn System, which has tied up with a number of institutes offering courses ranging from MBAs to school level coaching for different subjects. The firm has tied up with IIM Bangalore has a special studio in the IIM campus, from where the recording is done and is simultaneously, aired to the client’s computer. It also has a studio in Chennai from which it airs other courses.

Even as satellite education spreads its footprint, mobile-based learning is also spreading. Experts add that e-learning is better than correspondence learning.

Traditional correspondence learning delivers the same lessons to everybody. However, e-learning can provide individualised, adaptive lessons. The feedback loop is greatly shortened (to a few minutes) instead of the few days or weeks of correspondence learning. e-Learning is also more interactive as one can communicate with the teachers instantly. e-Learning is also spreading because of the interest shown by the corporates who want their employees to stay updated all the time and due to several government initiatives.

There are several players in the e-learning field. WIZDOM.in provides coaching materials to students for exams like GRE, SAT, GMAT and Aptitude Tests on their mobile. British Council, which provides online English education has found that interest in their online programmes is picking up. Amity University, the largest private university in the country provides both correspondence and e-learning besides regular classes.

All estimates indicate that e-learning can be delivered at one-third the cost of traditional assisted learning in a sustainable manner. With careful service, the quality can well exceed almost any form of learning. This makes e-learning very important and perhaps the most dominant form of learning in future.

21 May 2007
Source: The Economic Times

Arjun at it again: Moots a law to control IIMs

If Arjun Singh has his way, India’s revered B-schools can no longer practice what they teach. The government is working on a law that would seriously limit the financial freedom enjoyed by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

The proposed Institutes of Management Act, modelled on the Institutes of Technology Act 1961, would make it virtually impossible for the B-schools to have recourse to funds outside of annual grants from the government.
In late April, following the fiasco over the 2007-08 admission issue, HRD minister Arjun Singh asked his ministry to examine the possibility of such a law. This would mean that every year the B-schools will have to submit their financial accounts, after it has been examined by the government auditor, to Parliament. These moves will make the IIMs much more answerable to Parliament than at present.

Alarming as the prospect of such a law may seem, IITs have been governed by a similar law since 1961. The IITs receive block grants within which they function.

At present, IIMs can retain all of their earnings—fees , consultancy, donations and grants. They were allowed to do this through a Cabinet decision of the early 1990s. The general practice is for all earnings by government institutes to be kept in the Consolidated Fund and institutes in turn receive an annual grant. This is what happens with IITs. And should the proposed law be put in place, IIMs too will have to put all their earnings in the consolidated fund.

23 May 2007
Source: The Economic Times

AICTE ask CFA to stop executing

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), a government of India body, has asked the US-based CFA Institute to stop operations in the country. The reason - any technical education programme, be it certificate, diploma or degree, being run in India needs AICTE approval. The CFA programme officials argument that the CFA wasn’t a technical education programme has failed to convince it.

As a result, the CFA first, second and third year exams (Level 1, 2 and 3), scheduled for June 3, have been cancelled. Jeffrey J. Diermeier, CFA, president and CEO, CFA Institute, said, “The AICTE decision is an unfortunate development for the Indian financial profession and especially for the more than 6,800 candidates enrolled in India for the global CFA Programme who have already dedicated more than 250 hours of intense study to prepare for the upcoming CFA examinations.”

The Charter of Financial Analyst (CFA) is the premier qualification for those who want to become fund managers or equity researchers. The three-year course is considered equivalent to a masters degree in finance, and costs almost Rs 1.5 lakh.

Tthe CFA Institute has offered the candidates three options - cancel the enrollment and take a refund, defer the exams in the hope that it will held perhaps in December or travel abroad to take the exam. The nearest centres for this exam outside India are in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong or United Arab Emirates.

The local chapter of CFA holders is looking at legal options. Says Sunil B. Singhania, president, CFA Institute, “We are trying to get a stay and conduct the examination on the day or defer it by a few days. The notice came only last night and we are seeking legal clarifications on the same.” But the CFA candidate fraternity is not confident about the chapter’s chances

23 May 2007
Source: The Economic Times