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India: Education system in India needs change: National Knowledge Commission, CAT, India Inc, CCEA approves schemeThe National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has pointed out that India needs academic reforms in order to progress as a knowledge economy. The NKC has suggested setting up on new body for higher education. Foreign universities are increasingly looking at partnerships in India. A recent E& Y and FICCI study has suggested Private –Public partnership (PPP) approach to improve the quality and infrastructure for higher education in India. -Chillibreeze Business Research Team
Trends TrendsCAT goes online from 2009 Come 2009 and aspirants appearing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) can look forward to doing away with paper work as CAT, rated as one of the world's most demanding entrance examinations for any graduate institute, is all set to go online from 2009. The Common Admission Test (CAT) will finally do away with its 25-year-old history of the traditional paper-pencil test. You can choose your exam date at this open university It's a revolution! Nearly two million students pursuing education in the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) across India and abroad will soon be able to choose their examination date. The varsity, which has presence in over 35 countries across the globe, said that under the scheme, students, instead of waiting for the six-monthly term end examination, could simply walk into any identified test centres of the university. The results would be processed on a monthly basis. The flexible examination pattern will reduce the possibility of malpractices in the examinations, as each student will get a different set of question papers and examinations will be conducted with camera surveillance. Market economy killing academic profession: Pitroda to PM Shortage of research scholars will hinder India's progress as a knowledge economy, with the market economy devaluing the academic profession, National Knowledge Commission (NKC) Chairman Sam Pitroda has said in a communication to the prime minister. "There is already a severe shortage of well-trained young doctorates to fill existing posts in research institutes and universities. This problem is likely to be even more acute in the envisaged elite new universities," Pitroda has written. "One of the casualties of the expanding market economy has been the devaluation of the academic profession and this is now seriously affecting the desirability of this profession," he wrote in the letter dated Nov 6. He was hinting at how more and more students are opting for professional degrees like Masters in Business Administration (MBA), IT and other such courses. The letter, said the "growth in the number of doctorates has only been 20 per cent in India in the period 1991-2001 compared to 85 per cent in China". "Not more than one per cent of those completing undergraduate degrees currently opt for doctoral studies in India, and a substantial number of students prefer to go abroad. The NKC has suggested that besides giving better remuneration to the teachers, there is need for using technology to bridge the language gap in knowledge dissemination. NKC was set up by the central government in 2005 to advise the prime minister on improving the educational scenario in the country. Its primary target is to devise a road map for transforming India's education system. Pitroda too has suggested that "increased coverage in the media of the different facets of teaching, research, and academic achievements, both nationally and internationally" is desirable. The letter says that academic reforms are a must. "Throughout the world, universities are the natural homes for the interface between teaching and research. But this is far from reality in the vast majority of Indian universities. "In fact, the overall current situation in Indian universities is dismal largely due to the lack of quality infrastructure and the inability to recruit good young faculty and gifted students," Pitroda's letter reads. He has suggested increasing funding to university departments to recruit talented youngsters and periodic peer reviews of these departments. India Inc woos women pros to train graduates Teaching is back in vogue. Two corporates — a retail giant and one of the top three IT companies — are tying to take on board experienced women professionals to pass on their domain knowledge and lessons-learnt-at-work to the student fraternity. In their bid to have industry-ready graduates , the two biggies might actually be able to entice more women to take a shot at teaching , a profession that has, for long, been underpaid , thus, not lucrative enough for well-qualified women. For a few months now, the two companies have been discussing with recruitment firm Avtar Career Creators to take the initiative forward. “While the IT company is keen to deploy 1,000 women engineers in colleges, the retail major has already reviewed about 200 candidate profiles. It is planning to hire them as independent consultants across eight centres in Ahmedabad ,” Avtar Career Creators chief executive Saundarya Rajesh. Chennai-based Avtar, which sells the ‘diversified work environment’ concept, has a database of 5,000 women under the I-Win programme, billed as a flexi-career option for women and an innovative solution for striking a healthy work-life balance. The novel programme could prove to be a win-win for all stakeholders, says Ms Rajesh. “Hiring interim women managers not only establishes a connect between students and the industry , but is also an opportunity to mould young minds, giving them a peek into the work world,” she said, highlighting the newer dimensions of flexi-time careers. For those women who take up the guest lecturer stint, the interaction with students would enable them to update their knowledge and give them a wider experience base with which to restart their careers if they choose to get back to an active professional life. Flow of American students to India increases by 24% in 2006-07 The flow of students from the US to India has increased by 24 per cent in 2006-07 over the previous year, according to an official survey. The number of students from the US pursuing higher studies in India was 2627, according to the Open Doors report published by the Institute of International Education with support from the US Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. The number of American students studying abroad in that year increased by eight per cent to reach 2,41,791 in 2006-07. There has been a significant growth in American students coming to China, India, South Africa, Argentina and Ecuador, the report said. This increase is fueled in part by an increase in new programme opportunities and partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and abroad. Short-term programmes serve the largest number of Americans studying abroad. The top three major fields of study for Americans studying abroad are social sciences, business and management and humanities. Government PolicyPanel on varsity functioning may focus on regulation instead A panel set up by the government to review the functioning of the two top regulators of the country’s education sector, which have come under widespread criticism for their restrictive policies and sometimes opaque functioning, may actually not look at the details of how these two entities function and instead suggest ways in which universities can regulate themselves, according to its chairman. The panel was set up by the ministry of human resource development that oversees both regulators, and its findings could reflect the desire of the ministry to “play it safe”, say two persons familiar with the issue, who asked not to be named as the findings are yet to be made public. The National Knowledge Commission (NKC), an advisory body to the Prime Minister, had, in 2006, recommended the restructuring of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The ministry of human resource development didn’t act on the recommendation till September last year when it was asked to by the Prime Minister’s Office. Earlier this year, it set up the panel, headed by Yash Pal, a noted physicist, to review the functioning of the regulators, a first since the creation of UGC in 1956 and AICTE in 1987. Yash Pal said the panel was looking into larger issues of curriculum changes and academic structures at universities than involving itself with the “nitty-gritty of the functioning of the UGC-AICTE”. CCEA approves scheme to strengthen Agricultural Education The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for strengthening and development of Agricultural Education at a total cost of Rs.2276.65 crores during the Eleventh Plan period. Of the total cost, Rs.1125 crores will be spent on developing and strengthening of Agricultural Universities, Rs.135 crores on niche area of excellence, Rs.250 crores on experiential learning and Rs.125 crores on libraries. The rest of the amount will be used in other areas including educational quality and reforms (Rs.3 crores); human resource development (Rs.216.70 crores); and modernization of Agricultural University farms (Rs.421.95 crores). The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Headquarters Agreement between India and South Asian University and also gave its approval for issuing a notification under the United Nations (Privileges & Immunities) Act, 1947. The Headquarters Agreement will provide an overall framework for the smooth and unobstructed functioning and operation of the University and for regulating the relations between the University and India. "The decision for establishment of the South Asian University would be a path-breaking achievement for India manifesting its commitment to SAARC. The project will showcase education and technical process within the region. The jurisdiction of the University will extend to the whole of India and to campuses and centers established outside India in the SAARC region. "The University will advance a sense of South Asian Community by bringing together the future generations from neighbouring countries and expose them to quality education", the official further said.The first session of the University is scheduled to begin in August 2010 in New Delhi. The University will be the first international University to be hosted by India to disseminate the advance knowledge, wisdom and understanding by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit. The University will have full functional autonomy and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement for the establishment of South Asian University signed at the 14th SAARC Summit. Government for foreign investment in education – Sibal The Government wants to free education from bureaucracy and permit foreign investment in education but could not do so as the Left was opposed to it, Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal. "Unless we free education from the bureaucracy and permit foreign investment, we cannot develop talent the way we should," Sibal said at a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum India Economic Summit . He said Rs.5 trillion will be needed to be invested in the health care sector by 2020 to create a health care system that will take care of India's entire population. This presented great opportunities to investors. Corporate PlansForeign universities seek partnerships in India Foreign universities are now increasingly looking forward to partnerships with Indian universities specifically institutes of higher learning and research with a view to expand their programmes and outreach. Recently, during the Belgian King Albert II’s visit, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, signed a contract with the Universite’ libre de Bruxelles for cooperation in micro-finance research. Additionally, the Universite’ catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve signed a MoU with The Energy Research Institute (TERI) so as to collaborate on projects related to energy, climate change, environment and sustainable development. Last week, a large delegation visited India from the university of Cologne, Germany led by its mayor Fritz Schramma. The university rector, Axel Freimuth and his team went around the country seeking partnerships with the university of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIM Ahmedabad, University of Pondicherry, IIM Bangalore and the National Law School, Bangalore. Keeping in view the prevailing situation, Ficci-Ernst & Young study has said, “despite government initiatives, there exists a significant gap in the demand for higher education and the supply of infrastructure facilities. The government needs to step not only through improvised regulatory framework but through a different form of strategy—public-private partnership (PPP).” According to the study, higher education institutions (HEIs) can operate as a not-for-profit basis like as a trust or a society. Few HEIs that operate as a company registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act are not recognised by the UGC and AICTE. The participation by the private sector in HEIs has been on the rise in recent years but the scale of demand and opportunity has led to signification lapses in quality and governance. Hence an effective PPP model backed by appropriate regulation can resolve the issue. The proposed regulatory framework should also facilitate the entry of foreign institutions. With a view to take this concept further the apex industry body, Ficci along with the Canadian government has planned a two-day higher education summit in Delhi. University of Waterloo, Association of Community Colleges of Canada and representatives from a number of universities and colleges of Canada are expected to participate. Training ITs guns Here’s someone who’s willing to put his money on West Bengal despite the current atmosphere of industrial uncertainty. Prateek Agrawal, in fact, gave up a very successful career as senior consultant with Capgemini in New York, to move back to Kolkata last year and has set up a niche IT training institute, Ivy Professional School. “I have always felt that Kolkata has huge potential in terms of human capital, with low entry barriers,” says the 30-year-old Agrawal who represents the modern face of a Kolkata-based business family with its roots in Rajasthan. The pullout of the Nano project has not dampened Agrawal’s spirits because he sees the IT sector still enjoying a big advantage in Bengal. “The state chief minister made a commitment towards supporting the IT and education sectors in the state during the opening ceremony of our new facility, his first public speech after the Nano pullout,” he says. As the exclusive training and education wing of Orion SEZ, Agrawal feels that his firm enjoys an edge over IT training companies that follow the franchisee model and spread themselves too thin. “Companies located within the SEZ will be looking for specialised skill-sets and that’s exactly what we’re out to provide. Our courses are highly specialised, and include a data analytics and research-based KPO finishing programme, a corporate finishing programme and one on ethical hacking,” he says. Agrawal has ambitious investment plans lined up for his company over the next few years despite the economic downturn. “We have planned for a staggered investment of Rs 20-25 crore ($5 million) over a period of three years,” he says, adding that he plans to start operations in Siliguri by the end of 2008 and a third centre in Rajarhat near Kolkata in 2009. “While our North Bengal centre will be spread over 7 acres and will have the capacity to train over 10,000 students; the Rajarhat centre is envisioned as the biggest professional IT training campus in Bengal,” he says. Agrawal is also looking at tapping his overseas networks for tie-ups with specialised training institutions. Surveys and ReportsCreating partnerships key to transforming education PARTNERSHIPS, ESPECIALLY public private partnership (PPP), are imperative for expansion of higher education infrastructure and accessibility of higher education in India. This will be critical in order to enhance the state of higher education in the country, underlines the FICCI-Ernst & Young report ’Leveraging partnerships in India’s education sector’. The report will be launched at FICCI’s Higher Education Summit 2008, on November 25, 2008. The FICCI - Ernst & Young report points out that without adequate funding from the government, public institutions find it difficult to develop infrastructure to enhance student intake and expand enrollment. The report said that despite government initiatives, there exists a significant gap in the demand for higher education and the supply of infrastructure facilities. The government needs to step in not only through improvised regulatory framework but through a different form of strategy — PPP. The report emphasises that PPP is one of the key approaches to infuse the required investments in the education system from the private sector in cooperation with the facilitating regulatory supervision of the government. According to Dr Amit Mitra, secretary general, FICCI, “Restrictions have to be liberalised, policies updated and a new strategy has to be implemented to tackle the challenge of providing adequate higher educational infrastructure. The government needs to play a proactive role towards PPP and expedite the approval process.” Amitabh Jhingan, partner, Ernst & Young India, “The concept of PPP in education is not new, the real challenge we need to overcome while establishing sustainable partnerships in education is the ability to implement this concept successfully. This view is also endorsed by the Planning Commission in a recent discussion paper on PPP in higher education.” With a total eligible population for education at 460 million, only about 63 per cent are studying in India. This percentage is very low when compared to other BRIC nations like Brazil and Russia where 88 per cent and 89 per cent of the eligible education population are studying, The report draws attention to India’s low GER of 11 per cent in higher education as compared to about 60 per cent in the US and Canada and around 21 per cent (average) in BRIC countries. The higher educational infrastructure in India can enroll only 7-8 per cent of the college-age students of the country. The report highlights that while public expenditure on education has increased, the percentage share of GDP spent on higher education has come down from 0.77 per cent in 1991 to an estimated 0.7 per cent in 2008. The share of expenditure spent on higher education as a percentage of total education expense has remained stagnant at around 13 per cent for the past three years. Further the report said, the Indian higher education system suffers from imbalanced reach of education institutions across the country, which in turn impacts the GER. For instance, the rural areas of the country, which represents about 65 per cent of the total population, have just 20 per cent of the total professional colleges. New record: 94,563 Indian students in US Indian interest in an American degree remains unabated, notwithstanding random accidents and homicides involving students from India in the United States. For the seventh year running, India is the leading source of foreign enrolments on US campuses, sending a record 94,563 students during the academic year 2007-2008. Indian students now constitute 15 per cent of the total US university foreign enrolment which stood at 623,000 in this academic year, a 7 per cent increase over the 583,000 foreign students who came here in 2006-2007, according Open Doors, the authoritative annual report on the subject released on Monday. The Indian increase of 13 per cent (up from 83,833 in 2006-2007) is only marginally overshadowed by the resurgence of interest in the US from Chinese students, whose numbers jumped up from 67,723 in 2006-2007 to 81,127 this past year, a 20 per cent increase. But since 2001/02, when it took over from China, India has remained the leading place of origin for students coming to the United States. South Korea (69,124), Japan (33,974), and Canada (29,051) round off the top five countries sending students to the US, together accounting for 49 per cent of all international students. The surge in foreign enrolments has relieved and pleased the US administration, which was under criticism from the academia for instituting stricter controls that led to a momentary decline in foreign students after 9/11. Tougher US procedures had led many foreign students to countries such as Canada, U.K, Australia, and Singapore, but the US has evidently regained ground. Foreign students are also a major source of revenue for US universities. The report also looks at the trend of American students going abroad to study and finds that this has increased by 8.2 per cent over the past year and almost 150 per cent over the last decade. A record 242,000 US students studied abroad in 2006-2007, with UK, Italy, France and Spain taking the top four spots. But there was a surge in US students' interest in China, and a 11,000 went there to study, up 25 per cent from the 8800 who went in 2005-2006. Along the same lines, there was also a 25 per cent increase in US students who went to India, but it was only around one-fourth the number who went to China. Around 2600 American students went to India in 2005-2006 compared to 2100 in the year before. Other highlights of the Open Doors report: The top ten most popular fields of study for international students in the United States in 2007/08 were Business and Management (20% of total), Engineering (17%) and Physical and Life Sciences (9%), Social Sciences (9%), Mathematics and Computer Science (8%), Fine & Applied Arts (6%), Health Professions (5%), Intensive English Language (5%), Education (3%), Humanities (3%), and Agriculture (2%). For the seventh year in a row, the University of Southern California is the leading host institution with 7,189 international students. New York University hosts the second highest number of foreign students (6,404). Other campuses in the top 10 are: Columbia University (6,297), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (5,933), Purdue University (5,772), University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (5,748), University of California - Los Angeles (5,557), University of Texas - Austin (5,550), Harvard University (4,948), Boston University (4,789), and University of Pennsylvania (4,610). California remains the leading host state for international students (84,800, up 9%), followed by New York (69,844, up 6%), Texas (51,824, up 6%), Massachusetts (31,817, up 11%), Illinois (28,804, up 12.5%), Florida (26,739, down 0.5%), Pennsylvania (26,090, up 12.5%), Michigan (22,857, up 8%), Ohio (19,343, up 4%), and Indiana (15,548, up 8%). 17 of the top 20 leading host states experienced increases in total international students, with Washington (21.5%) and Virginia (13%) showing the largest percentage increases. FICCI calls for public-private partnership to boost education Public-private partnership can boost higher education in India and give chance to over 170 mn students who are currently left out, the industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) suggested. "Partnerships, especially public-private partnership (PPP), are imperative for expansion of higher education infrastructure and accessibility of higher education in India," said a new report prepared jointly by FICCI and consultancy firm Ernst & Young. The report emphasises that PPP is one of the key approaches to infuse the required investments in the education system from the private sector in cooperation with the facilitating regulatory supervision of the government. "Despite government initiatives, there exists a significant gap in the demand for higher education and the supply of infrastructure facilities. The government needs to step in not only through improvised regulatory framework but also through a different form of strategy - PPP," notes the report. FICCI has noted that without adequate government funding, public institutions find it difficult to develop infrastructure to enhance student intake and expand enrollment. "Keeping in mind the demand-supply mismatch in the available educational infrastructure ... there exists a need to revamp the existing regulatory framework and its substitution with a system comparable with international standards," said FICCI secretary general Amit Mitra. "Restrictions have to be liberalized, policies updated and a new strategy has to be implemented to tackle the challenge of providing adequate infrastructure. The government needs to play a proactive role towards PPP and expedite the approval process," Mitra added after releasing the report. According to the report, over 170 million students eligible to pursue higher education in India are out of its ambit and the poor and uneven infrastructure is one of the key reasons behind it. "With a total eligible population for education at 460 mn, only about 63 percent are studying in India. This percentage is very low when compared to other nations like Brazil and Russia where 88 percent and 89 percent of the eligible education population are studying," the report underlined. The industry lobby has advocated that tax exemptions should be provided to corporate and individual contributions to attract private investment into higher educational institutions. FICCI is organizing a two-day higher education summit in partnership with Canada. Higher educational institutes from 10 countries including Britain, Singapore, Australia and the US are participating in the summit beginning here Nov 25. Holistic approach towards skills development needed in India A holistic approach is needed to address the problem of skills shortage in India. This was the unanimous view of the panelists at the session named A Skills Shortage after the Brain Drain at the 24th India Economic Summit, jointly organized by the World Economic Forum and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). OthersICRISAT signs MoU with Nandan Biomatrix The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nandan Biomatrix Limited to initiate the functioning of the NutriPlus Knowledge Centre in the Agri-Science Park (ASP) located within its premises. Nandan Biomatrix, which had already established research and development facilities in the ASP, now, would be handing over its equipment to the NutriPlus Knowledge Centre. JNU inks MoU with two European varsities The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Agreement of Cooperation (AoC) with two universities from Germany and United Kingdom (UK) to accelerate the process of integration of higher education. The AoC was been signed between Axel Freimuth, Rector, Cologne University and JNU Vice-Chancellor, B.B. Bhattacharya on behalf of the Institute of Indology & Tamil Studies of University of Cologne, Germany and JNU's School of Language respectively. It was signed in the presence of Fritz Schramma, Lord Mayor of Cologne. Another MoU was also signed between JNU and Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom. IGNOU relaxes MBA entrance criteria In a bid to enable more management aspirants obtain MBA degree, IGNOU has relaxed the minimum cut off marks for eligibility to get admission in its MBA programme to 50 per cent for general category students. IITs may spread out its wings to surgery The renowned Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) may soon have doctors, historians and policy makers at its campus just like several universities in the United States. The meeting focused on how the IITs can offer more than just programmes in science and technology - like medicine, developmental studies, history, psychology, policy development and more. "Currently, the IITs are premier undergraduate engineering schools doing some postgraduation and research work. Now, we want to give them a bigger role", Yash Pal said. "A range of undergraduate courses are offered by all noted universities across the world. Our IITs can't be great unless they think in that direction. If MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) or Caltech (California Institute of Technology) can offer a wider range of programmes that are well-known, why not the IITs? Our IITs have produced wonderful engineers for the country. It's time they looked at offering more," added Yash Pal. Sky is the limit for ISB students Students at the Indian School of Business (ISB) may well turn out to be jet-setting management professionals who also know how to fly. Amid their grinding academic schedules, many of these budding professionals are taking flying lessons from a fellow-student who happens to be a training instructor. The student’s initiative, called Hi-Flier , is reckoned to be a stress buster and comes without a fee. Their instructor is none other than an ex-serviceman of the Army Aviation Corps — Lieutenant Colonel Gourav Ray. He is now pursuing an MBA and finds it easy to groom his peers. Initial sessions focus on giving a pilot’s perspective to the students. They also identify the risks and hazards involved in flying. Armed with the basics, they would move on to a simulation flying session. The more courageous students can then take to the skies. Ray’s efforts are being complemented by the Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy which is providing the infrastructure support.. Currently, 60 students have undergone the training and will be airborne by the end of the academic year. The B-school is now hoping to enroll more professionals from the air-force . Of course, they will have to qualify in the exams to double up as students and instructors.
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