News and views about the Education in India

Concern over AIIMS alumni migrating to the US, poor infrastructure for education, the stagnation of careers for women without a support system and the need to emphasize Open and Distance Learning drew attention. Also in the news was the declaration by US professors that India was a great learning ground, PIO varsity may come up in Gujarat and Indian scientists get milestone results in Stem Cell Research.

-Chillibreeze Business Research Team

Is AIIMS subsidising American healthcare?

With too many of its former students working in the US, the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi is in some ways subsidising American healthcare. C.R. Soman, who runs the medical NGO Health Action by People, said he was shocked by a recent report that appeared in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Of the 428 students of AIIMS who studied between 1989 and 2000 and were included in the study, 233 (54 percent) resided abroad, the report said. What's more, there was hardly any gender difference in the migration rate.

The migration rate of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students was at 29 percent, said Soman after analysing the article written by Manas Kaushik and other colleagues titled 'High-end physician migration from India'.

Soman said admission to AIIMS came with a virtual guarantee that 54 percent of the successful candidates would end up in the West, of which 85 percent would be in the US. AIIMS is the country's best referral hospital and treats nearly 8,000 patients everyday. It is an autonomous body under the union health ministry, which takes care of its financial requirements but does not interfere in regular administrative matters. As per information provided in the AIIMS and related websites, the total tuition and hostel fees at the institute were Rs.1,250 ($31.8) and Rs.1,500 ($38) respectively for the undergraduate course, he said.

'So in simple terms, for a mere $69, students get the finest medical education in the country with a guaranteed foreign tenure. Isn't that shocking?' asked Soman, a former professor at the Medical College.

'In effect, what AIIMS has been doing all these years is sending high quality undergraduates and post graduates medical education to serve countries like US, totally oblivious to the responsibility towards India's health.'

For those who do not wish to take the first flight to the West, there is a sop - 33 percent of postgraduate seats are reserved for AIIMS alumni. With about 300 postgraduate seats and only 50 undergraduate admissions, almost every student who passes out of this hallowed institution and does not go abroad is guaranteed postgraduate admission with a mere Rs.150 ($3.8) in annual fees.

AIIMS was set up under a special act of the Indian Parliament to serve as a model for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education to set an example for the other medical colleges in the country.

'This education comes with no strings attached like serving the country even for a day after completing medical education at AIIMS. At the same time, the out-migration rate from all medical colleges in the country is a mere 10 percent.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 13, 2008

Cherie Blair inks pact to set up model school in Punjab village

Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Punjab government on behalf of the London-based Loomba Trust for setting up a Rs 10 mn 'Adarsh' (model) school in Dhilwan village of Punjab's Kapurthala district. The MOU was signed on behalf of the Loomba Trust by Cherie with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a dinner meeting here Friday evening. She is the chairperson of the trust set up by London-based non-resident Indian (NRI) businessman Raj Loomba.

The school will be set up in Dhilwan village, nearly 200 km from here. The village is the native place of Raj Loomba who had last week promised to grant Rs 5 mn (Rs 50 lakh) for the school. Badal had promised to pool in another Rs 5 mn as matching grant from the Punjab government. Adarsh schools are a concept introduced by the Badal government to provide better educational facilities for children in select villages in Punjab.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 12, 2008

Book burnt for derogatory comments about Netaji

Hundreds of students and teachers in Orissa's Kendrapada district Saturday burnt copies of a guidebook for alleged derogatory remarks about freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The book, published by Malhotra Book Depot (MBD) of Cuttack, some 25 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, is a guide for students preparing for the Class VII examination conducted by Orissa's Board of Secondary Education.

The latest edition of the book, published in Oriya, has described Netaji as Bhanda Jatiyabadi Neta (fake nationalist leader).

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 12, 2008

Work begins on IIIT at Basar

The work on Rs.1.5 billion International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) on the 150-acre sprawling area at the temple town of Basar in Andhra Pradesh began Saturday. Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation stone for the institute in Adilabad district, about 300 km from here.

The IIIT will admit students from the academic year 2008-09. The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was to come up in the town famous for Saraswati temple but in December 2006 its the location was shifted to Isnapur in Medak district. And Basar was chosen for the IIIT.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 12, 2008

Yoga to be started in all Madhya Pradesh schools

Madhya Pradesh decided Saturday to integrate yoga into the school curriculum from the next academic session. The chief minister was reportedly 'enthused' by the 'tremendous response' he received during his one-day 'Surya namaskar' initiative on Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.

'Yoga would be part of school education from next academic session and Vivekanand Jayanti (Jan 12) would henceforth be observed as 'yoga diwas'', Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced.

The Surya namaksar (prayer to the sun) programme and Pranayam (breathing exercises) were held in schools across the state Saturday morning. Singh joined the programme at a stadium in the state capital here.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 12, 2008

India a big learning ground, say US students, professors

India may have many legal hassles and bureaucratic bottlenecks but today it also provides the best learning opportunity about the global economy, says a group of business students and professors from the US.

'India's economic growth, the increasing stake of Indian companies in the global business scenario and a successful democracy are drawing international attention,' said Rajiv Vaidyanathan, a professor at the University of Minnesota.

India's economy has been growing at the rate of nine percent. 'The country has grown tremendously in the last 15 years and we are really eager to see India 10 years down the line. It will be an economic superpower by that time,' Vaidyanathan, an Indian American, told IANS. Vaidyanathan, a professor of marketing, was in Mysore along with a group of management students from the university to study the business scenario in India.

They were learning about India at the SDM Institute of Management Development (SDM-IMD), a leading B-School in Mysore. The theme of the course is 'On a clear day you will see India everywhere - India drives the world economy'.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 11, 2008

ABVP activists assault Ujjain college principal

Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of Madhya Pradesh's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have beaten up a college principal for not allowing copying during an examination.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 11, 2008

Aptech gets global recognition

The Chennai-based Aptech Ltd has been awarded the Global Registered Education Provider status by the American Project Management Institute. The firm will now be able to offer PMI recognised project management training and professional service to project management professionals.

Aptech has planned to train 5,000 professionals this year in PMI-REP, a company statement said here. Its flagship programme in computer education, Aptech Certified Computer Professional (ACCP), has also been selected as the 'Best ICT Training programme' in the 'Best ICT Choice of Mongolia 2007' competition.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 10, 2008

Bhilai Steel Plant gives land for tech university

The Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) Thursday agreed to give 250 acres to the state government to set up the Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University (CSVTU).

The Bhilai plant, the flagship unit of public sector Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and India's largest steel plant in the public sector, is based 30 km west of state capital Raipur.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the land transfer was signed by S.K. Kujur, state's technical education secretary, and P.K. Agrawal, the BSP's executive director. Chief Minister Raman Singh was present on the occasion.

The state government established the CSVTU through an Act passed by the Chhattisgarh assembly Jan 21, 2005 to ensure systematic, efficient and quality education in engineering and technological subjects. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the university April 30, 2005.

According to the MoU, the plant would provide Rs.500 million ($12.76 million) besides the land to the state government for developing infrastructure for the university.

The state government would reserve 50 percent of the seats in postgraduate studies in certain courses such as steel technique and material handling for SAIL employees while a few seats would be reserved for SAIL employees' children in other courses.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 10, 2008

Adequate infrastructure required for all schools – Purandeswari

Mrs. D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development has said that the challenge before us is to provide adequate infrastructure in every school irrespective of its location and backwardness, have every teacher trained in the enabling environment of ICT and make every school a hub for its community in exchanging information.

The MOS has also said that keeping in view of its critical role in ensuring education of good quality, Government of India plans to augment the allocation for the programme by about four times higher than the current year's budget provision of about 62.50 million dollars for the next fiscal.

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

Kerala student to become music composer at 13

A 13 years old student from kerala is all set to achieve a rare distinction by becoming the music composer for a Malayalam feature film.

The talent of this young student was first discovered by Vimal Viswanathan, the director of the film, while he was participating at a cultural show staged by a voluntary organisation.

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

Women's unsatisfaction in professional career due to lack of family support – study

A study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has claimed that women in their academic career perform well but when it comes to profession they lose out to their male counterparts.

The study found that only a meagre 3.3 per cent women get elevated to the topmost positions in their entire professional career while 17.7 per cent women end up to the middle levels. The study titled as "Women Top in Education Why Miss Top Positions" - said over 78.9 per cent which is the largest segment of working women remained at the lowest working level without getting promotions and other facilities. Due to lack of family support, the women get less recognition from their male bosses, the study said.

The main challenges, the women face in their professional career, come from their family. The study claimed that about 73 per cent women felt that their husbands were not supportive enough and family responsibilities stopped them from giving their best to the work field.

The study claimed that women face an increasing bias at the workplace as the male bosses do not give them the approval compared to the male professionals.

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

HRD demands free education for Dalits up to PhD

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, in its recent recommendations, has asked the centre to provide free education to Dalits up to PhD level.

The ministry has also demanded an annual hike of Rs 65 lakh per district under a key provision of the flagship Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), catering to remedial teaching for SC/ST students. The demand for increasing the SSA component from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 80 lakh per district per annum, to provide remedial coaching for SC/ST, would cost an additional Rs 390 crore.

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

Indian stem cell scientists find clues to birth defects

In a discovery that could have a far-reaching impact on the development of drugs, scientists in Karnataka's Manipal town have for the first time found clues to how defects occur during foetal growth.

Researchers from the Manipal Institute of Regenerative Medicine have discovered that the presence of very low amounts of an endotoxin, a potentially toxic natural compound, in the foetal environment can cause defects in the development of tissues in a growing foetus.

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

Mumbai hospital ties up with US college for AIDS research

Aiming to improve HIV-related research in India, a government-run hospital in Mumbai has joined hands with a New York-based medical college to hold a clinical training course in AIDS research.

A team of five faculty members, including two Indian Americans Sarita Shah and Neel Gandhi from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is conducting the course at the B.Y.L Nair Hospital to promote a culture of research among healthcare professionals in the developing world as part of the AIDS International Training and Research Programme. The team will also take up a pilot project at Kamathipura, Mumbai's red light district, on the prevalence of AIDS and conduct a demographic study on commercial sex workers

Source: www.indiaedunews.com
January 10, 2008

Modi offers to host PIO varsity in Gujarat

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, basking in the glow of a landslide victory in state polls, Wednesday sought to showcase Gujarat as India's number one state and offered to host the first People of Indian Origin (PIO) University in the state.

Modi, attired in a dapper suit, made a strong pitch for attracting investment from NRIs and exhorted them to make the most of the $100 billion Japan-funded industrial corridor that would cover a large part of Gujarat.

In a rare speech in English, Modi acted invoked the patriotic spirit of the NRIs, particularly expatriate Gujaratis, asking them to contribute to the state's transformation so that it can compete with any developed country of the first world.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 9, 2008

IT centre for women opens in Rajasthan

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Wednesday unveiled the Artech-Dalmia Centre for IT at Banasthali Vidyapeeth, a women's university in Banasthali, some 70 km from the state capital. The centre proposes to impart undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the field of IT in collaboration with Banasthali University so as to empower women with cutting-edge technologies and to give them an equal footing with men in this sector.

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 9, 2008

Madhya Pradesh to provide land for AIIMS branch

The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to hand over a 154-acre plot in a village near here to the union health ministry for building a branch of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The decision to hand over the plot in Pipaliya Pende Khan village adjoining Bhopal was taken Monday at a cabinet meeting

'The cabinet has also decided to upgrade 56 primary health centres to 30-bed community health centres, 50 sub-health centres to primary health centres and to establish 16 new sub-health centres. For these centres, creation of 1,446 posts has also been approved

Source: www.indiaenews.com
January 8, 2008

Expanding ODL on the agenda

The National Knowledge Commission (NKC), in its letter to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was also sent to the vice-chancellors of open universities later, recommended massive expansion of the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system in order to attain a gross enrolment of 15% by 2015.

In its recommendation, NKC had raised concerns regarding the quality of higher education provided by the ODL system, saying that it is not sufficiently recognised. Also, that ODL provides educational opportunities not only to those who discontinue formal education on account of social or economic compulsions, but also to young school graduates who are simply unable to secure admission in conventional universities and therefore, there is a need to improve the quality of distance education and make it appropriate to the needs of the society.

Source: educationtimes.com
January 7, 2008