Volume 136 - Apeejay Stya Education Research Foundation

49 Pages·2012·0.75 MB·English

Bulletin No.136 Date: 16th July - 31st July - 2012
CONTENT
Aspect
Announcements
India's Education Sector: Moving Toward a Digital Future
News
ASERF has instituted Dr Stya Paul Young Educationist Award’ 1. State Bank Of India & HSBC Helps In Education Loan
for honouring Young Educationists who have demonstrated 2. Mathematics through technology
their potential by making an impact on Indian education. 3. Central Board of Secondary Education plans flexible assessment
Applications from the eligible scholars are invited for the Award
4. Tech institutes to have grievance redressal body
of the year 2012. Click here to download the prescribed format
5. Relaxation to enhancement of age of superannuation of teachers in state
along with the terms and conditions.
6. Shri Kapil Sibal Launches NIOS’s Mukta Vidya Vani
Apeejay Stya University announces admission for
7. CBSE Bill likely to be tabled in upcoming Parliament session
the session 2012
8. HRD makes ombudsman mandatory in technical institutions
Apeejay Stya University is offering diverse catalogue of 9. Most corrupt in India in top positions
technical, scientific, management and liberal arts courses for
10. More Indian students can opt for research in US'
the Fall Admission 2012-13. Applicants for admission accepted
on the basis of comprehensive merit, judged by their academic 11. Most state engineering colleges in Rajasthan fail to get students
excellence, their extracurricular achievements, and their 12. Shri Kapil Sibal Launches Anti-Ragging Web-Portal
utilization of the resources they have had available. As part of 13. All India Council for Technical Education to blame for poor pass percentage
the application, the University recognize a number of 14. Govt. wants private players to set up medical colleges
examination scores to establish academic excellence,
15. Tagore University work in full swing; committee submits plan
including AIEEE, GMAT, SAT, SAT-II. For more, click here
16. Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace & Sustainable Development
Apeejay Stya University announces Founder's
Analysis/Opinion/Innovative Practice
Scholarship
1. Cultural integration is the key
On the Death anniversary of our beloved founder Dr. Stya
Paul, Apeejay Stya University (ASU), Haryana announces a 2. Educating entrepreneurs
Merit - Based Scholarship Scheme for Undergraduate, Post 3. Autonomy Overruled
Graduate and MBA Courses 4. Essay on Higher Education in India
Please visit our website for more: click here 5. Three keys to make India-US ties soar
Get Involved 6. Do not shackle legal education
7. Medicine 2 Last
Fellowship opportunities
8. Grooming Technology Leaders
Fellowships for six months to two years in variety of fields.
9. Politics, unionism in education cannot be separated: Amartya Sen
Workshops/Guest Lectures
10. The Single Most Important Experiment in Higher Education
Regular workshops and lectures on a variety of subjects.
11. Does the Indian education system teach students how to collaborate?
Scholarships
12. A neoliberal attack on India's schools
Need-based financial aid to deserving student 13. RTE not against home schooling and alternate education: MHRD
Faculty Sponsorships
14. Be optimistic about our country, IIT-ians told
By seeding a named faculty seat or fellowship 15. Affirmative action, not quotas for education
Internships/Mentoring 16. India has vast potential to be regional education hub
Internships can be in diverse areas from services, government 17. Invest in education: Amartya Sen
and nonprofit.
18. Early childhood education: Learning from the Indian model
Please visit our website for more: click here
19. Right to education legislation
Also discover the Apeejay Edge: click here 20. Taking on corruption in international higher education
Partnership
21. Education loans, no charity aid
22. How India can achieve its target of gross enrolment ratio in higher education
Dear Partners,
23. Imbalances plague education
The Apeejay Stya Education Research Foundation 24. Panel wants technical courses through distance learning
(ASERF) invites news, articles, resource material, 25. Empowering young India with digital education
opinions and analyses on relevant educational issues 26. Experts discuss problems in providing pre-school education
that can be highlighted in our by-monthly e-bulletins and 27. Quality pre-school education will reduce dropout rate
on the ASERF portal. 28. Can Odisha become the education hub of India?
We request if you could spare a few moments of your 29. Education key to golden age
valuable time to have a look at our website and guide 30. Higher edu: India lags behind China despite English language advantage
us on our regular initiatives. 31. Higher Education Bill intended to strengthen education system
32. Indian education in state of emergency: Amartya Sen
Editor 33. Miles to go
34. India's Big Problem: Nurturing Entrepreneurs
Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Singh Resources
1. Higher your education, harder it is getting a job
2. India's children neither healthy nor happy: report
3. No Indian educational institution among top 30 in Asia
4. Only 57% engineers can write grammatically correct English sentences
5. Can education make you happy?
6. Percentage of educated girls on top posts remains dismal in India
Apeejay Stya Education Research Foundation
Apeejay Stya House
14 Commercial Complex, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash, Part – II, New Delhi - 110048
Tel. No. (91 – 11) 29228296 / 97 / 98. Fax o. (91 – 11) 29223326
E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.aserf.org.in
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
ASPECT see [technology] as an imperative. A digital
classroom is set to become the bare-minimum
India's Education Sector: Moving Toward a teaching accessory in schools, just like a blackboard
Digital Future is today."
The typical Indian classroom was once Dhar recalls that one major roadblock for
characterized by students sitting through hour-long Educomp's proposition in the early days was on the
teacher monologues. Now, technology is making price front. At US$4,000 (at the exchange rate of
life easier for both students and educators. Schools Rs. 50 to a U.S. dollar) per classroom, schools
are increasingly adopting digital teaching solutions found the product very expensive. To get over this
to engage with a generation of pupils well-versed hurdle, Educomp quickly decided to make the initial
with the likes of PlayStations and iPads, and trying investment and gave the schools an option to pay
to make the classroom environment more inclusive over a period of three to five years. The strategy
and participatory. worked. Enthused by the market response, in
Take Smartclass from Educomp Solutions, one of January Educomp launched an upgraded version --
the first Indian companies in this space. Smartclass the Smartclass Class Transformation System -- with
is essentially a digital content library of curriculum- more features, including simulations, mind maps,
mapped, multimedia-rich, 3D content. It also worksheets, web links, a diagram maker, graphic
enables teachers to quickly assess how much of a organizers and assessment tools.
particular lesson students have been able to Huge Potential
assimilate during the class. Once a topic is
According to the "Indian Education Sector Outlook
covered, the teacher gives the class a set of
-- Insights on Schooling Segment," a report
questions on a large screen. Each student then
released by New Delhi--based research and
answers via a personal answering device or the
consultancy firm Technopak Advisors in May, the
smart assessment system. The teacher gets the
total number of schools in India stands at 1.3
scores right away and based on that, she repeats
million. Of these, private schools account for 20%.
parts of the lesson that the students don't appear
Educomp's Dhar points out that only around 10% of
to have grasped.
the private schools have tapped the potential of
"Technology makes the teaching-learning process multimedia classroom teaching whereas in
very easy and interesting," says Harish Arora, a government schools, it has barely made any
chemistry teacher at the Bal Bharti Public School in inroads.
New Delhi who has been using Smartclass since
"The current market size for digitized school
2004. "For instance, [earlier] it would easily take
products in private schools is around US$500
me one full lecture to just draw an electromagnetic
million," says Enayet Kabir, associate director for
cell on the blackboard. Though I could explain the
education at Technopak. "This is expected to grow
cell structure, there was no way I could have
at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of 20%
managed to show them how it really functions.
to reach the over US$2 billion mark by 2020.
This is where technology comes to our aid -- now I
However, the market potential then might get as big
can show the students a 3D model of the cell and
as US$4 billion [i.e. if the total population of private
how it functions. Instead of wasting precious time
schools that could adopt multimedia actually adopt
drawing the diagram on the blackboard, I can
it.] Apart from this, the current market size for ICT
invest it in building the conceptual clarity of my
[information and communications technology] in
students."
government schools is US$750 million. We expect
According to Abhinav Dhar, director for K-12 at this to grow five times by 2020 due to the current
Educomp Solutions, more than 12,000 schools low level of penetration in government schools."
across 560 districts in India have adopted
Kabir lists Educomp Solutions, Everonn Education,
Smartclass. More importantly, the number is
NIIT, Core Education & Technologies, IL&FS and
growing at almost 20 schools a day. On average, in
Compucom as dominant players in this sector. New
each of these schools eight classrooms are using
entrants include HCL Infosystems, Learn Next, Tata
Smartclass.
Interactive Systems, Mexus Education, S. Chand
"When we launched Smartclass in 2004 as the Harcourt (India) and iDiscoveri Education. Except
first-ever digital classroom program, it was an for S. Chand Harcourt, which is a joint venture
uphill task convincing schools to adopt it," Dhar between S. Chand and US-based Houghton Mifflin
notes. "These schools had not witnessed any Harcourt, all the others are Indian firms.
change in a century.... It is a completely different
A recent trend is that schools in tier two and tier
scenario now. Private schools across India today
three cities are increasingly adopting the latest
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E - Bulletin No - 136 2 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
technology. Rajesh Shethia, head of sales and Edureach. "We are looking [to add] 3,000 more
marketing at Tata Interactive Systems, which schools this fiscal year and 20,000 to 25,000
launched Tata ClassEdge in early 2011 and has additional schools in the next five years." As of now,
partnered up with more than 900 schools, says Edureach has created digital learning content in
that "more than half of the demand for digital more than 14 regional languages for these projects.
classrooms is from tier two and tier three cities." In the northern state of Haryana, CORE Education
According to Shethia, schools in these smaller and Technologies is implementing a US$59 million
cities realize that it is difficult for their students to ICT project that aims to benefit 5 million students
get as much exposure as students from tier one across 2,622 schools. Five of these schools will be
cities. "[So] they proactively subscribe to solutions developed as "Smart" schools. CORE is also
such as ours, which richly benefit both teachers implementing ICT projects in the states of Gujarat,
and students by simplifying the syllabus.... Even Meghalaya, Punjab, Maharashtra and Nagaland. The
parents want the best for their wards and are not scope of work in these projects ranges from
averse to paying a little extra. They see value in implementation of computer-aided learning in
these initiatives by schools to modernize the way schools, installing bio-metric devices to monitor
teaching is imparted today." Making some back-of- attendance of teachers, and setting up computer
the-envelope calculations Shethia adds: "If we hardware, software and other allied accessories and
consider the top 100,000 private schools in India equipments.
as the captive market, the potential is
"The task has not been an easy one," admits Anshul
approximately two million classrooms of which
Sonak, president of CORE. "There are several
currently just about 80,000 have been digitized."
logistical issues. Delivery of equipment to rural
Srikanth B. Iyer, COO of Pearson Education areas is a big challenge in itself.... There is lack of
Services, also sees tremendous potential in the basic infrastructure -- either there are no
smaller cities. Pearson provides end-to-end classrooms or there are ones with no windows....
education solutions in the K-12 segment. Its Some schools don't even have toilets. Moreover, the
multimedia tool, DigitALly, has been adopted in power availability in these areas is often poor and
more than 3,000 private schools across India since we have had to deploy generator sets in many
2004. "DigitALly installations have been growing at schools."
three times the market for the past two years,"
But despite the challenges, educationists are
Iyer says. "Currently, more than 60% of our
optimistic. Rahul De, professor of quantitative
customers are from tier two and tier three towns,
methods and information systems area at the
such as Barpeta (in the state of Assam), Sohagpur
Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore (IIM-
(in Madhya Pradesh) and Balia (in Uttar Pradesh)."
B) believes that "ICT can have a huge impact on our
In order to make its offering attractive to the education system." He points out that ICT can
schools, Pearson has devised a monthly payment result in increasing the reach [of education] and in
model under which a school pays around US$2 per keeping the costs low. "With increasing penetration
student per month. "As the price point is of mobile phones and Internet kiosks, the potential
affordable, schools across all locations and fee is indeed immense," he adds.
structures find it viable to opt for our solution,"
A study conducted by De in 2009 on the economic
Iyer notes. "We focus on tier two and tier three
impact of free and open source software (FOSS) in
towns and cities where penetration is relatively low
India found that it resulted in significant cost
and desire for adoption of technology is high."
savings. "FOSS can play a huge role in education,"
HCL's Digischool program, which launched about
De notes. "In the state of Kerala, it has already had
18 months ago, has also made a strong beginning,
a huge impact in both saving costs and providing
with a client base of more than 2,500 schools.
state-of-the-art access computing to students in
Partnering with State Governments government schools. FOSS has a huge number of
Meanwhile, state governments are also giving a packages for school students, many of which can be
boost to the adoption of technology in schools. ported to local languages and used in schools. It is
Edureach, a divison of Educomp, has partnered also helping disabled students in a big way, by
with 16 state governments and more than 30 enabling them to access digital resources using
education departments and boards in the country, audio-visual aids."
covering over 36,000 government schools and Edureach's Kanti adds that a study by the Centre
reaching out to more than 10.60 million students. for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research in
"Edureach leads the market with 27% of the total Dharwad in Karnataka in 2006 revealed significant
schools where ICT projects have been improvement in student enrolment and attendance,
implemented," says Soumya Kanti, president of
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E - Bulletin No - 136 3 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
as well as a reduction of student dropouts due to also partnered with Pearson and Everonn to make
ICT interventions. "Yet another study conducted by available relevant content for students. Susha John,
the Xavier Institute of Management in director and CEO at Everonn, was upbeat at the
Bhubaneswar in 2007 revealed that computer- launch. "Digital learning facilitated through tablets
aided education has improved the performance of will revolutionize the educational space," John said.
children in subjects such as English, mathematics "Everonn has invested in developing content and
and science, which are taught through computers services targeted toward tablet audiences. To start
using multimedia-based educational content." with, we will offer our school curriculum-learning
All in a Tab modules ... and at home live tuition products on the
Funbook. Students can now have access to good
In line with this increasing interest in technology
teachers, educational content and a great learning
for school education, there has been a rush of
experience anytime, anywhere."
education-focused tablet computers in the market.
The most high-profile of these has been Aakash, At Pearson, Max Gabriel, senior vice-president and
which was launched by Kapil Sibal, union minister chief technology officer, is "focusing on K-12 content
for human resource development, in October 2011. in English to begin with. We are sitting on a huge
The Aakash project is part of the ministry's repository of existing content. Adding the right level
National Mission on Education through Information of interactivity and richer experience will be our
& Communication Technology (NME-ICT). It aims priority." Meanwhile, Educomp is gearing up to
to eliminate digital illiteracy by distributing the launch content that is device agnostic and can be
Aakash tablets to students across India at run on any tablet.
subsidized rates. While the project itself has But even as schools in India are going through this
become mired in delays and controversy, it has transformation powered by technology, one key
generated a lot of awareness and interest among question is how big a role technology will play in the
students around the educational tablet. education sector. In an earlier interview with India
Meanwhile, DataWind, the Canada-based firm that Knowledge@Wharton, S. Sadagopan, founder-
partnered with the union government for the director at the International Institute of Information
Aakash project, has also launched UbiSlate7, the Technology in Bangalore, pointed out that there are
commercial version of Aakash. "The opportunity for four parts to learning -- lectures, library, laboratory
low-cost tablets in India is huge. In the next two and life -- noting that, "Technology plays a critical
years, it will exceed the size of the computer role in all these." Kabir of Technopak adds another
market in India i.e. 10 million units per year," says perspective. "Despite numerous studies on the
Suneet Singh Tuli, president and CEO of DataWind. impact of ICT in education, the outcomes remain
In April, technology firm HCL Infosystems launched difficult to measure and open to much debate. It
the MyEdu Tab, which is priced at around US$230 needs to be understood that technology is only an
for the K-12 version. The device comes preloaded enabler and a force multiplier and cannot be treated
with educational applications and also books from as a panacea. We believe that impressive gains in
the National Council of Educational Research and teaching-learning outcomes are possible only
Training, a government organization. Anand through an integrated approach rather than a
Ekambaram, senior vice-president and head of piecemeal intervention."
learning at HCL Infosystems, is in the process of Don Huesman, managing director of Wharton's
partnering with more than 30 educational institutes innovation group, recommends caution in
across India for MyEdu Tab. "MyEdu Tab has considering potential investments in educational
content offline and can be accessed over the cloud. technologies. "These are very exciting times for
It allows students to learn at their own pace," online and distance education technologies, but
Ekambaram notes. "With a topic revision there are risks facing parents, educators and policy
application and a self-assessment engine, students makers in evaluating the opportunities these new
can evaluate their skills and knowledge on their technologies, and their proponents, represent."
own. Teachers can upload content, which can be
Huesman points to the recent growth in high-
accessed by students and parents for tasks such as
quality, free, online educational courseware offered
homework and progress reports on their respective
on websites like the Khan Academy and the Math
devices. The parent can monitor the progress of his
Forum, as well as the work of the Open Learning
or her child through the cloud-based ecosystem."
Initiative in developing intelligent cognitive tutors
Earlier this year, Micromax, a leading Indian and learning analytics. "But such technologies,
handset manufacturer, also launched an available from a global network of resources, only
edutainment device called Funbook. Micromax has provide value when understood, chosen and
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E - Bulletin No - 136 4 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
integrated into a local educational community," he loans for Indian students. The present interest rate
says. As an illustration, Huesman offers the is around 12% per annum with respect to the total
example of cyber kiosks, provided in recent years amount applied for.
by foundations at no cost to rural communities in Loans up-to Rs. 1 crore are provided against
India, exacerbating the "gender divide" in many residential property. The property must be in cities
traditional communities in which young women like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai,
congregating at public cyber cafes, also frequented Mumbai, NCR Region, Jaipur or Pune. Rs 5 lkahs is
by young men, would be considered taboo. the minimum amount offered by HSBC.
"Interventions by governments and NGOs must be
Students speak :Prashant Singh, who is a B.A
inclusive of local community concerns and aware of
Physics stduent at Melbourne University says "The
local political complications," Huesman notes.
service is what blew me away. I went to 2 other
Source: 19 July, 2012/ India Knowledge Wharton banks prior to HSBC but their loan representatives
were so unenthusiastic. HSBC was quite different,
NEWS
with good knowledge and offers.
State Bank Of India & HSBC Helps In How to Apply:The minimum age for primary and co-
Education Loan applicants is 18 years, while the maximum age is
Other than the well known HDFC and Axis 60years. Eligible candidates need to provide
banksthere are options of other banks where you relevant documentation, collateral and application
can try for an Education Loan. Yes! The State Bank forms in order for the loan amount to be granted.
of India and HSBC Banks are also helpful in Co-applicants can only be parents or spouses for
providing a Education Loan. Here are a few details Indian nationals. It is vital to provide official
on these banks you can look for. documentation from the university stating expected
tuition, lodging, food, books and transport costs.
SBI (State Bank of India) :All students applying for
their higher studies eligible to be funded by the SBI The loan amount granted will be in Indian rupees
Education Loans. The bank has no upfront charges. over the course of applicant's academic career. For
Current interest rate is 11 to 13.75% per annum. more details please click on HSBC Bank.
SBI also provided special loans for girl candidates. Source: July 16, 2012/ Education on India
The financial support provided by SBI is been very
Mathematics through technology
helpful for the needy candidates. For studies in
The Ramanujan Foundation for Initiatives in
India the maximum loan amount is Rs. 10 lakhs,
Mathematics Education (RFIME) recently organised
while it is Rs. 20 lakhs for studies in abroad. The
a conference in the Capital for mathematics
repayment perio is up-to seven years. No security
teachers, titled Enabling Mathematics Learning
is needed for amount less than Rs. 4 lakhs.
through Technology . The conference was
Student speak:A student named Karthick Mathew a
inaugurated by Vineet Joshi, chairman, Central
B.A English student at Oxford University says "My
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The
friends approached private banks but I decided to
inaugural function was facilitated by Shayama
take a loan from SBI because there are many
Chona, chairperson RFIME. Jonaki B Ghosh, the
concessions you can avail of only at Public banks".
conference convener, introduced the theme of the
Procedure to apply:Applicants must be an Indian conference by emphasising the role of technology in
nationals and have already been granted admission making mathematics learning meaningful. Eminent
to an institute of higher education. Students mathematicians such as R Ramanujam, Institute of
seeking vocational training and diplomas in India Mathematical Sciences Chennai; Shailesh Shirali,
and Job oriented professional courses abroad are Community Math Centre, Rishi Valley School and
also eligible for loans in SVI. Inder K Rana, IIT Powai, Mumbai, were the plenary
Besides from academic documents and a speakers of the conference and delivered talks on
completed application form, all loans taken must various aspects related to mathematics education
be secured by parents, guardians or spouse. The and the use of technology in teaching mathematics.
bank is extremely stringent when it comes to the While Ramanujam talked about 'Mapping the School
format of documents submitted. Please be sure to Mathematics Curriculum' that focused on the logical
check ahead before submitting your final loan and pedagogical structure of the curriculum ,
application. For more details please click here on Shailesh Shirali talked about the role of technology
State Bank of India. in facilitating experimentation and discovery in the
mathematics classroom.
HSBC Bank: This bank is in partnership with Global
Student Loan Corporation, which aims to provide
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E - Bulletin No - 136 5 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
Rana spoke about making mathematics learning The SA-II , which will be held in March 2013, will
more relevant through real-world problems. The not be based on blue prints and sample questions
conference also deliberated on various issues papers and will rather follow a more comprehensive
related to integration of technology in mathematics structure of examination and flexible patterns.
instruction and provided participants with hands-on The structure of examination along with unit wise
experience in using some technology tools for weighting for English, Hindi, Sanskrit,
teaching mathematics. 120 teachers from schools mathematics , science and social science together
across Delhi and NCR participated in the with pools of exemplar items will be shortly
conference. available on the academic websites of CBSE
Source: July 16, 2012/ Times of India (www.cbseacademic .in) and will also be circulated
to all the schools affiliated to the board.
Central Board of Secondary Education plans
flexible assessment Source: July 16, 2012/ Times of India
CBSE has planned to discontinue the publication of Tech institutes to have grievance redressal
blue prints and marking schemes in all major body
subjects (classes IX-X ) from the Summative Students of technical institutes will now have a
Assessment-II of this academic session. Vishakha platform to address their grievances.
Sharma reports
With a view to rising confrontations between
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students and management, the All India Council for
that used to issue blue prints, sample question Technical Education (AICTE) has directed all
papers and marking schemes in all major subjects universities and colleges to appoint an ombudsman
for classes IX and X to provide a model template to and a grievance redressal committee.
serve as a guide for entailing uniformity in
The institutes feel a great need for a grievance
assessment, proper coverage of the curricula and
redressal cell in times of turmoil.
validity (and therefore reliability) of assessment
"The committee and ombudsman have assigned
has decided to put an end to this practice.
powers to investigate complaints. Students will also
According to Vineet Joshi, chairman , CBSE, the
be able to register complaints against their own
board decided to discontinue with this process after
institute/university," said the directive.
noticing that a large section of students and
The issues like conducting examinations, declaring
examiners punctiliously follow these documents,
results, sexual harassment, disputes among
which results in precluding open-ended approach
students and management will dealt with by the
and diversity in expression, style and content. The
cell. These cells will have to address the complaints
blue print further micro-categorises items into
within a stipulated period of seven days.
difficult , average and easy with specific allotment
of marks to each category , which again limits the If the college fails to address the problem the same
framing of a particular type of question from a will be sent to the ombudsman.
particular topic/chapter. Moreover, the release of "Though I have not received any letter in person
blue prints and the sample question papers but I have checked it online. RTU will seek
indirectly promotes teaching to the test. compliance on the report at the earliest," said RP
"In order to address the above issues and to Yadav, vice chancellor, RTU.
further discourage the practice of 'teaching to the The move will help the state's growing technical
test,' the board has decided to discontinue the education to get away from various law and order
practice of providing blue print, sample question situations. For instance:
papers and marking schemes in classes IX and X
This year a student of Amity University were
with effect from Summative Assessment-II (SA-II )
stabbed to death by three other students followed
of 2012-13 ," says Joshi.
by violent protest by students. This happens due
The weightings in the revised format will be
Every institution must maintain a registry in which a
assigned to entire units as mentioned in the
student can record a complaint.
curriculum as an alternative of chapter wise
When a complaint is received the ombudsman must
weighting given earlier.
seek an explanation from the institution concerned
There will be a more flexible design or structure of
within seven days and conduct proceedings and
assessment instead of a detailed blue print, which
dispose of the case within a month.
used to divide the curriculum into exceedingly
narrower parts. Source: July 17, 2012/ Times of India
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E - Bulletin No - 136 6 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
Relaxation of condition relating to State Governments should first disburse the arrears
enhancement of age of superannuation of and then seek reimbursement from Central
teachers in state institutions consequent of Government to the extent of 80% of these arrears.
the implementation of the revised pay scales Source: July 20, 2012/PIB
on the basis of 6lh Pay Commission
Shri Kapil Sibal Launches NIOS’s Mukta Vidya
recommendations
Vani
The Cabinet today approved the proposal to relax
Mukta Vidya Vani, a pioneering initiative of the
the condition of enhancement of age of
National Institute of Open Schooling, (NIOS) for
superannuation of teachers to 65 in state
using Streaming Audio for educational purposes,
institutions for the implementation of the revised
was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Human
pay scales on the basis of 6th Pay Commission
Resource Development, Sh. Kapil Sibal , on the
recommendations and become eligible for receiving
occasion of the 22nd General Body Meeting of the
Central share of 80% of the arrear payment.
NOS Society held here yesterday. Mukta Vidya Vani
It also decided that reimbursement of 80% of the
on the World WideWeb is a modern interactive,
Central share of the arrears be paid in 2-3
participatory and cost effective programme,
installments to those States who have already
involving an academic perspective along with the
made the payment and submitted their proposals
technical responsibilities of production of audio and
for reimbursements to the Central Government.
video programmes, which are one of the most
The decision of Cabinet is expected to provide relief important components of the multi channel package
to teachers in State institutions with the payment offered by the NIOS. This will enable a two way
of arrears. It will also benefit State Governments, communication with any audience having access to
who will be able to make the arrear payment in an internet connection, from the NIOS studio
installments and also claim reimbursements situated at its Headquarters in NOIDA.
simultaneously.
The new NIOS website which has been designed in
Background: such a way that it not only meets the needs of its
Following the revision of pay scales of Central learners but is also disabled-friendly, was also
Government employees on the recommendation of launched on the occasion.
the 6th Pay Commission, the pay scales of teachers An MoU was also signed between the NIOS and the
and other equivalent cadres was revised and age of National Informatics Centre (NIC) with the objective
superannuation was enhanced to 65 in December of developing skill-based courses on web designing
2008. The scheme of revised pay scales was in accordance with the guidelines for Indian
essentially for teachers in Central Educational government websites. This will provide vertical and
Institutions. However, provisions of the Scheme lateral mobility of learners from the school level in
could be made applicable by State Governments, the web designing course.
to Universities and Colleges coming under the
Addressing the gathering, Dr.S.S.Jena, Chairman,
purview of the State Governments, provided the
NIOS mentioned 1127 learners had qualified for
State Governments adopt and implement the
counseling in AIEEE and 267 qualified for counseling
scheme as a composite scheme, including the
in B.Arch and 9 learners qualified for counseling in
enhanced age of superannuation.
the AIPMT exam from the NIOS.
The Central Government decided to provide
Source: July 20, 2012/PIB
financial assistance to the extent of 80% as
reimbursement to those State Governments, which CBSE Bill likely to be tabled in upcoming
may opt for these revised pay scales for the period Parliament session
1.1 2006 to 31.3.2010 The remaining 20% was to A bill seeking to make CBSE a statutory body is
be met by the State Government from its own expected to be tabled in Monsoon Session of
resources. The Central assistance was subject to Parliament even as HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has
the condition relating to the enhancement of the started meeting Opposition leaders over other
age of superannuation of university and college pending legislations related to reforms in higher
teachers to 65 years. education.
Many State Governments had requested the The passage of the Central Board of Secondary
Central Government to waive the condition relating Education (CBSE) Bill will give the Board more
to enhancement of age of superannuation of administrative and financial autonomy and widen its
teachers to 65 years as they were finding it difficult functioning.
to accept the condition relating to enhancement of
age of superannuation and the condition that the
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ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
The statutory status will enable CBSE to take its The grievance could include those related with the
own decisions through its board of governors. standards of education, irregularity in the admission
Besides, its orders will have stringent implications process adopted by the institute, refusing admission
after it becomes a statutory body, officials said. in accordance with the declared admission policy,
At present, CBSE is a registered as a society, withholding or refusing to return any document, and
conducting board exams in its affiliated schools. It demanding money in excess of that specified in the
functions directly under the HRD Ministry and takes declared admission policy.
decision in consultation with the ministry on all According to the All-India Council for Technical
important issues. Education (Establishment of Mechanism for
The move to introduce the Bill comes even as Sibal Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2012, issued by
faces a big challenge for passage of over eight key AICTE, each technical university shall appoint an
legislations on higher education which are pending ombudsman whose order would be mandatory, and
in Parliament. failure of compliance could lead to withdrawal of
AICTE approval and withdrawal of grants or financial
Sources said he has already met senior BJP leaders
assistance from the Council.
like Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma
Swaraj as well as Arun Jaitley recently. The regulations have been issued even as two Bills
related to curbing malpractices — Prohibition of
Some of the key bills including the Educational
Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational
Tribunals Bill, the Higher Education and Research
Institutions and Universities Bill that seeks to make
Bill, the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical
educational malpractices like charging capitation
Educational Institutions, Medical Educational
fee, and overpricing of prospectus a criminal offence
Institutions and Universities Bill, the Foreign
— and the Educational Tribunals Bill for dispute
Education Bill, the National Accreditation
redressal — are pending in Parliament.
Regulatory Authority Bill are among those to be
passed. The ombudsman, who would be a retired judge, not
below the rank of a District Judge, or a retired
The crucial Educational Tribunals Bill, 2010 has
professor who has at least 10 years of experience,
been passed by Lok Sabha but is pending in the
can also recommend the affiliating university for
Upper House for almost a year now.
withdrawal or affiliation or withdrawal of status as a
This Bill along with the Prohibition of Unfair
university of a Technical university, if established
Practices Bill and the National Accreditation
under a State Act.
Regulatory Authority Bill are inter-twined with each
The ombudsman will also hear the complaints of
other, each giving strength to the other.
alleged discrimination by students from Scheduled
Sibal, who has expressed concern over delay in
Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBC, women, and
enactment of the Bills on several occasions, had
minority or disabled categories. Harassment and
met leaders of UPA allies besides the Opposition
victimisation of students, including sexual
camp ahead of the Budget Session to evolve a
harassment, will also fall under the purview of the
consensus on these legislations. MPs, including
ombudsman.
those from ruling Congress, have raised doubts
However, no application for revaluation or
over certain provisions of the key Bills which have
remarking of answer sheets shall be entertained by
led to their deferment.
the ombudsman.
The Budget Session, though, proved to be an
S. Vaidhyasubramaniam, Dean (Planning and
eventful one for the HRD Ministry as about six Bills
Development) of Sastra University, said the
were passed. The Universities for Research and
proposed ombudsman regulation seems to be a
Innovation Bill, 2012 was introduced during the fag
backdoor entry, as the two Bills related to it are still
end of the Budget Session.
pending in the Parliament.
Source: July 22, 2012/ Indian Express
Source: July 22, 2012/ The Hindu
HRD makes ombudsman mandatory in
Most corrupt in India in top positions
technical institutions
A seminar was organized in Chandigarh on Saturday
Every technical institution in the country, approved
by the Centre for Legislative Studies, Chandigarh,
or recognised by the All-India Council for Technical
on the topic ‘Nationalist Movement in India -
Education (AICTE), will have to provide for an
Challenges and Solutions’.
ombudsman, as part of its grievance redressal
mechanism. Speaking on the occasion, member of the central
executive committee of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS), Indresh Kumar, pointed out that the
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E - Bulletin No - 136 8 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
most corrupt people in India are seated at the Haas said education opportunities in the US were
highest positions in India’s legislature. Kumar, the increasing. "The US is a preferred destination for
main speaker of the seminar, touched upon various Indian students going abroad for higher studies.
national issues such as female foeticide, higher They can look for opportunities in fields of research
education, national identity, secularism and India’s and higher studies. Besides, there are student
relations with its neighbours, all of which he said exchange, faculty exchange and scholarship
make up the nationalist movements in India. He programmes. India and the US are cooperating to
also said that it is undemocratic and non-secular to develop good ties in the field of education," he said.
refer to the head of the state as ‘rashtrapati’. Students should begin planning well in advance so
With regard to identity, Kumar said, “It is a fact that they find a suitable course and the right
that one’s identity is related to one’s nation alone”. university, he said. They should consider factors
He added that the controversial area in Kashmir including course structure and its orientation and
should be called ‘Pakistan Occupied India’ and that the fees while deciding the programme.
calling it Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) is an To find out accurate, comprehensive and unbiased
“attempt to rape the country”. information the students should also gather relevant
Talking about higher education courses like MBA, information about their visa through authorised
CA and CS, Kumar said that they teach students mediums and websites. This will help students to
how to ‘represent illegal accounts legally’ and that avoid any technical problems in the later stages, he
they should not be encouraged. Kumar condemned said.
the increasing number of female foeticide cases, President of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education
especially in Haryana, saying that it is immoral to Society P A Inamdar said students should
kill those who give us life. concentrate on research and pursue higher
Member of the Rajya Sabha Tarun Vijay also spoke education.
at the event. “Unfortunately, the successive Source: July 25, 2012/The Indian Express
Congress governments in the country have not
Most state engineering colleges in Rajasthan
been able to give a positive direction to the people
fail to get students
for moving towards a homogenous nation,” he said.
He said that because of narrow political Technical education in the state has again received
considerations, the party has only divided people a setback as engineering colleges failed to fill 100%
on the basis of caste and religion by giving a totally seats this session. The first counseling ending on
distorted version of the word “secularism”. Saturday has left 30,000 seats vacant, the highest
The seminar was also attended by Pravesh Khanna, since inception of the Rajasthan Technical University
General Secretary, Forum for Integrated National (RTU) in 2005.
Security and Satya Pal Jain, former Member of Many eligible candidates, who have cleared RPET
Parliament. entrance exam, had given a miss to the first
Source: July 22, 2012/ Indian Express counseling sessions held for admissions in the
engineering colleges affiliated with RTU. About
'More Indian students can opt for research in
75,000 students were declared eligible for
US'
admission in 54,000 seats of 150 engineering
More Indian students can take up research and colleges in the state.
higher education in the US with opportunities Only, 24,000 students had appeared in the
opening up, the US's consul general Peter Haas counseling leaving a big survival question for many
said on Tuesday. of engineering colleges. There is little hope left as
More than one lakh Indian students are studying in the second and third counseling had always been a
various US universities, the second highest after failure to attract students," an admission official
China, he added. He was speaking at a special said.
session organized by the Maharashtra The situation this year is so bad that about 30
Cosmopolitan Education Society on US Education.
colleges had not even touched the second digit in
Vice consul Joy Peters, cultural affairs officer
terms of admissions. Off the total colleges, only
Angela Gemza and representative of US-India
eight including five in Jaipur, are lucky enough to
educational foundation (USIEF) Ryan Pereira were
register the magical figure of 100% admissions.
also present. The programme focused on
"I am shocked by the response. But it was expected
procedures and education and visa formalities that
considering the previous years responses. It has
students would want to know.
primarily nothing to do with quality but with the
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E - Bulletin No - 136 9 July 16 – 31, 2012
ASERF E News Bulletin on EDUCATION
demand and supply mechanism," said R P Yadav, The web portal is a term being used for all
vice-chancellor of RTU. background software development that is necessary
The poor response will leave many colleges to for smooth functioning of the Ragging Prevention
declare 'zero session' again this year. The Program and comprises of the following
management of these colleges has failed to components:
understand the disinterest of students against • All calls received by Anti-ragging Helpline
these colleges. (18001805522) will be managed and followed up
This situation has sent jitters to the upcoming in a structured software system.
educational institutes. Since 2007, the technical • Customized E-mail Management systems of the
education institutes had seen a growth of 30%
Call Centre
each year. This year, the department of technical
• Complaints follow up, log creation and display
education had granted permission to 20 new
system on the web. Students can see the progress
management colleges and 50 engineering colleges,
of their complaint any time on www.antiragging.in
including 24 evening colleges.
• Online anti ragging affidavits can be downloaded
Notably, a vacant college amounts to waste of
government land, which is given to institutes at by students from www.antiragging.in
cheaper rates. Yadav feels that the government • Creation of the colleges and universities data
should have allowed engineering and management base.
colleges to come up in the small towns and cities.
• Reporting and statistics
Most of the students who go to other states for
The Web Portal is a medium of managing
higher education complaint that the state technical
complaints, follow up of complaints and escalation
university doesn't offer branches which are very
of unresolved complaints to regulatory authorities,
popular in the market like aviation, nano
enhanced communication with colleges and
technology, automobile and petroleum among
universities, developing various kinds of data sets,
others. For management, barring a few colleges,
displaying status of complaints, displaying various
the rest of them fail to give corporate environment
kinds of reports, development of various data sets
necessary for their growth, the students said.
etc
Source: July 25, 2012/Times of India
Source: July 26, 2012/PIB
Shri Kapil Sibal Launches Anti-Ragging Web-
All India Council for Technical Education to
Portal
blame for poor pass percentage
Minister of Human Resource Development
As many as 16 engineering colleges in Western
inaugurated the Anti-Ragging Web Portal here
Tamil Nadu have a pass percentage of 35% or
today. The portal has been developed by the
lower. In fact, in one Salem-based college the pass
University Grants Commission (UGC) in
percentage was below 10%. Academicians blame
collaboration with Ed.CIL (India) Ltd. and Planet E-
the sorry state of affairs on the All India Council for
Com Solutions.
Technical Education (AICTE), the top most statutory
The Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgment dated
body for technical education in the country.
8th May, 2009, while expressing great concern on
They say that even though the quality of the
the increasing incidences of ragging in educational
engineering colleges is suspect, the AICTE keeps
institutions in the country ordered implementation
approving them. "It is really a pitiful situation.
of a ragging prevention programme comprising,
Students are the ones who stand to lose the most.
inter-alia, setting up Toll-free Anti-Ragging Helpline
For everybody else, it's a win-win situation. The
/Call Centre, Database of institutions/students,
AICTE doesn't care for the quality of the colleges.
engaging an independent non-government agency.
Money is exchanged and education in the country
Pursuant to these directions, the government has
has become a commercial affair," said a senior
taken various measures which includes regulation
academician.
by UGC to curb ragging and similar regulations by
"We have been asking the AICTE to stop approving
other regulatory bodies, set up toll-free anti-
new colleges. Many colleges are little more than
ragging helpline/call center. The database has to be
sheds. They should take a look at the infrastructure
created out of the affidavits affirmed by
and faculty before approving new institutions. Now
students/parents, and to be stored electronically.
the academic results are there for everyone to see,"
Such database shall also function as a record of
he said.
complaint received and the action taken.
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E - Bulletin No - 136 10 July 16 – 31, 2012