News and views about the Education in India

Initiatives are on to open new universities and academies to promote education in newer fields. Quotas Bill agreed upon in Tamil Nadu. Mid Day meal scheme to be extended while Delhi University is promoting the concept of ‘earn, while you learn’.

-Chillibreeze Business Research Team

Mid-Day Meal scheme for upper primary extended

The central government has extended its mid-day meal scheme for upper primary classes, comprising children studying in Classes six to eight, to 3,479 Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) of the country.

About 17 million upper primary children will be covered under this extension, a ministry of human resource development spokesperson announced Monday. He added that the centre had released the required financial assistance to the respective states for the scheme's extension.

A sum of Rs.70.32 bilion was provided in the budget for the current financial year for the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) programme, representing a 37 percent increase over the budget provision for the previous financial year.

October 22, 2007
Source: indiaenews.com

Earn, where you learn

Delhi University (DU) may soon incorporate a trend quite popular abroad, if the administration approves it.

According to N K Chadha, director, Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, academic proficiency alone is not sufficient for the students. "It is equally important for the young adult to understand the professional world and be successful at whatever he undertakes. And what better way to teach him than in the protected environment of the university itself," he stated.

These jobs only include those that are part-time or temporary and would not extend beyond a period of four months. Anyone is eligible to apply for them.

As per the white paper, the jobs can be planned as a roster system, with each student working between 25 to 30 hours a month. It need not be the same day or even the same time everyday. Students can take responsibility for whatever time slot convenient to them. The paper also lists, in detail, the jobs available. These include positions of research associates, assistants, technicians, website and database developer, counsellor, physical education trainer, swimming coach, hostel caregiver, gardening jobs, staff vehicle driver and security personnel.

October 22, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

UP to get six new agriculture universities

In an effort to encourage education and research in the field of Agriculture, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government has decided to setup six new agriculture universities in the state.

Minister of State for Agro-Education and Research, Mr. Yograj Singh said, "Six new agriculture universities will be established at different paces in the state including Saharanpur and Agra to give a boost to education in the field."

October 22, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

Panel suggests single school board in Tamil Nadu

An expert committee in its report tabled in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday recommended there should be only one board of school examination in the state instead of the four organisations functioning currently.

The committee, headed by S. Muthukumaran, vice-Chancellor of the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, said four educational boards were not necessary after the introduction of uniform syllabus for school education.

Schools affiliated to the pan-Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) are exempt from this essentially levelling exercise.

October 23, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

Tamil Nadu okays quota bill

The Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday passed a bill providing for 3.5 pe rcent reservation each to Backward Class Christians and Muslims in government jobs and education.

This quota will be within the overall 49 per cent reservation allowed by the Supreme Court and has been carved out of the existing 30 per cent quota for Backward Classes.

October 23, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

New Hyderabad airport to host aviation academy

An international aviation academy will come up at the upcoming Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad near Hyderabad.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), the developer of the airport, has tied up with Sabena Flight Academy, one of the world's leading independent flight academies based in Brussels, Belgium, to set up the academy at the airport.

The academy will start functioning in 2009. More than Rs.4.5 billion will be invested over the next three years on the academy, covering infrastructure, including accommodation for more than 200 trainees per year, six flight simulators, cabin trainers and engineering tooling.

The academy will offer complete training packages for aviation-related activities, including pilot and cabin crew training, engine engineers, technicians and aviation consultants, said a statement from the GHIAL.

Training for airport operations staff such as passenger and ramp services agents will also be provided, thus bridging the demand-supply gap in these areas.

October 24, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

Four new private universities for Rajasthan

Four new private universities are to be set up in Rajasthan that will offer over 3,500 seats to students in courses ranging from biotechnology to hotel management. Governor S.K. Singh has by an ordinance allowed Jaipur National University and Amity University, Singhania University and Sir Padampat Singhania University to start operations. The universities are expected to offer direct and indirect employment to at least 5,000 people, the minister said adding that proposals for 21 more such universities were under consideration.

October 24, 2007
Source: indiaenews.com

Delhi University To Get 'facelift' Before Commonwealth

Delhi University (DU), which will serve as one of the venues of Commonwealth Games-2010, will get a 'facelift' before the games, Chief minister Sheila Dikshit said on Wednesday.

'The campus will see many changes as it will host important sports events during the Commonwealth Games and the infrastructure developed for the event will be utilised by DU for physical education later,' Dikshit said after presiding a meeting on the subject. The campus will have a gymnasium and a practice track for athletics events.Roads will be widened, laid afresh and free areas will be beautified.

October 25, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

Mobile beauty schools for women in Rajasthan

Mobile beauty schools will soon be launched in Rajasthan as a unique state government project to train women to enable them to augment family income. The beauty schools would run in buses, and offer technicalities and tips on beauty treatment to girls and women in different parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the state government is also going ahead with its plan to launch computer education on wheels.
'The state government with the support of global and local partners, has taken effective steps towards bringing information and communication technology (ICT) in education to empower students and enhance quality of education in the state,' a senior education department official said.

In this direction, the government intends to provide computer literacy through mobile vans through public private partnership (PPP) for which there is a plan to operationalise 32 buses, one in each district fitted with IT infrastructure and other teaching aids. 'We have invited expression of interest (EOI) from interested parties,' he added.

EOI were invited from non-governmental organisations, hospitals and private health institutions for managing mobile medical units in Rajasthan.The mobile medical units have been envisaged with an objective to take health care to the doorstep of the public in rural areas. These mobile medical units would be provided in all the districts of the state and these vehicles would be run and maintained by the NGOs, hospitals or private health institutions under the control of district health society.

October 25, 2007
Source: indiaenews.com

Anil Ambani promises to make Bhopal academic hub

The chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Anil Ambani, here on Friday announced that his group would develop Bhopal as a major education centre.

"The Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Communication would be set up as the first unit of this ambitious project", Ambani said, addressing the Global Investors Meet organised by the Madhya Pradesh government here.

Disclosing that his group is willing to play a significant role in energy, infrastructure and education sectors in Madhya Pradesh, Ambani said that concrete initiatives would be taken to make Madhya Pradesh the energy centre of India.

October 26, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com

IIT-B to set up its first extension centre in Ahmedabad

A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Government of Gujarat and the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay (IIT-B) for setting up an extension centre of the institute in the state. The Government of Gujarat had earlier invited the elite technological institute to set up a satellite campus in Gujarat, but the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry chose to keep the proposal pending.

However, IIT-B Director Ashok Mishra has confirmed that the Centre has granted the institute a go-ahead signal for the extension centre in Ahmedabad and hence a MoU in this respect was signed on Wednesday.

The centre will initially be operated from the Government Engineering College, Chandkheda and will be shifted to a new campus after its construction is completed. It would initially start offering continuing education and management programs.

October 27, 2007
Source: indiaedunews.com