| |
Delhi
firm to make New Delhi best knowledge
city
|
| |
|
Delhi
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today
emphasized that engineering professionals
have to nurture not only individual
excellence but must also excel as
a group so that their capabilities
could be utilized for nation building.
While addressing the annual Convocation
of Delhi College of Engineering
at Bawana North-west Delhi, Dikshit
said Delhi Government is firmly
committed to make Delhi as one of
best knowledge cities in the world
for technical education. Dikshit
expressed her satisfaction that
the Department of Training and Technical
Education and Delhi College of Engineering
have developed a well thought perspective
plan for the growth of quality technical
education in Delhi. She invited
the young graduates to seriously
deliberate on how they, as young
engineering professionals, can help
create an upsurge of world-class
small and medium enterprises. Among
the other present on the occasion
were, Vice Chancellor of UP Technical
University Prof. Prem Vrat, Vice
Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi Technological
University, Bhopal, Prof P B Sharma,
Secretary Technical Education, Govt
of Delhi G Narendra Kumar and Principal
of DCE, Prof Ashok Bhattacharya.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 30,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
At
a time when Indians are rushing
to teaching shops to learn angrezi
with a Yank accent, the turnout
of foreigners at the Kendriya Hindi
Sansthan (KHS) in Agra comes as
a pleasant surprise. Here, an unusual
mix of 70 Chinese, Korean and Russian
students learn the Indian national
language with an enthusiasm that
is impressive. Mahadevi Verma, Premchand,
Sumitranandan Pant and other greats
of Hindi literature leap off their
tongues as they converse with each
other in a language that was till
the other day alien to them. Says
Wang Li Li (adopted Indian name:
Subhadra) from China: "You can relate
to what they have written, especially
the poets." All of this is said
in chaste Hindi which is the undeclared
official language at the KHS. So,
it is always 'vaartalaap' instead
of 'baatcheet', 'karyalaya' instead
of office. Started as an initiative
to popularise Hindi among foreigners,
the Union human resources development
ministry, with some help from the
Indian Council of Cultural Relations,
now bankrolls these students. According
to members of the KHS faculty, interest
in Hindi has increased in recent
years with multinational companies
opening shop in India. So, if there
were 50 students in 2007, the sansthan
has this year taken in 70-and would
like to enrol more. Says Prof Ashwini
Kumar Srivastava: "We get 200 applications
every year, and have a tough time
selecting candidates." It is an
exercise that involves the missions
abroad, the MEA and the HRD ministry
which sift through the applications
choose eligible candidates for the
course. The HRD ministry, spends
Rs 40,000 on tuition fee for each
student annually.
For
many, Agra as well as the KHS comes
as a culture shock. The 70 foreign
students who enrolled in this academic
year are still to get used to the
idea of separate hostels for male
and female students. As adults,
they are also resentful of the fact
that the two sides have to seek
permission before they meet each
other in the hostel. Another thing
that bothers women students is the
attitude of Indian men. Irina from
Russia, who loves Hindi movies,
says she gives back as good as she
gets when she is teased or harrassed.
Says she: "Sheer politeness stopped
me at first but gradually I decided
to deal with it in my own way. I
abuse them in their own mother tongue."
The sight of white-skinned women
abusing in Hindi halts people in
their tracks, she insists. The sansthan
has devised a four-level syllabus
which is taught in the course of
a year. The students work their
way up gradually and end with a
certificate course at the completion
of a year. The syllabus is structured
with an introduction to the Hindi
alphabet and gradually progresses
towards grammar and spoken and written
Hindi. There is much emphasis on
the spoken language. The students
have language laboratories. A typical
class begins with spoken or maukhik
Hindi. New words are taught with
the help of audio-visual aids and
the students are encouraged to speak.
Says Li: "When I started, I could
only string one sentence-Mere naam
Lee hai. But now, I can communicate
much better." The foreign students
learn Hindi for different reasons.
The South Korean students say the
language will help them land jobs
in companies back home which have
interests in India. As for the Chinese
students, they are here to teach
the language back home. Incidentally,
the Chinese want to send at least
10 students each year. But can chaste
Hindi help the students on the shop
floor of a factory in Pune or Delhi?
It does sound outlandish but as
the students say once you have the
basic grip on Hindi you can learn
the popular spoken form when you
begin using the language. In Agra,
the class of 2007-08 have been testing
their skills in the markets and
the city buses-with mixed luck.
Courtesy:
Outlook, Apr 21, 2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
e-learning
set for a vertical take-off
|
| |
|
Catering
to both school & college students
as well as working professionals,
industry experts claim that online
education currently generates about
$200 million in revenues - and this
is estimated to shoot up to $1 billion
by the turn of the decade. Moreover,
riding on high disposable income
levels, more and more people are
able to afford a personal computer
for their homes. According to the
Manufacturers' Association of Information
Technology, more than 7.25 million
personal computer (PC) units will
be sold in fiscal 07-08. In financial
year 2006-07, about 6.34 million
PC units were sold in the country.
"These factors present tremendous
scope for growth of online education,"
states Gaurav Bhatnagar, senior
vice-president, Educomp Solutions,
a New Delhi based education company.
Educomp's online math tutoring service
MathGuru provides solutions to students
of classes 6-12 following the Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
system. Though no real tutor is
involved, Bhatnagar says that a
video file provides solutions to
all sums in the syllabus. Expanding
online education in the world of
working professionals is 24x7 Learning.
The firm provides self-help online
courses to employees of about 150
companies in different verticals
like C++, java, and Six Sigma. As
some of the companies that are registered
with 24x7 learning belong to sectors
like infrastructure, retail, realty,
etc the firm also provides relevant
course in the concerned domains,
adds Karthik. "The growth in India
is high as many MNCs have started
hiring people from smaller towns
who need to sharpen their English
skills. Currently, about 5% of our
revenues are from India and we expect
a 20-30% growth of user base in
the country," says Deepak Desai,
CEO of GlobalEnglish Corporation.
Courtesy:
www.sify.com, April 19, 2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Despite
the sharp fee hike by the Indian
Institute of Management Ahmedabad
(IIM-A) - from 4.5 lakh to Rs 11.5
lakh for a two-year course - IIMs
remain among the cheapest options
for a world-class MBA. The other
six IIMs will also more or less
double their fee structure by the
start of the new academic year.
The one-year MBA programme at International
School of Business, Hyderabad, costs
about Rs 20 lakh. Ivy league business
schools such as Harvard Business
School charge a fee of $43, 800
(Rs 17.52 lakh). Stanford tuition
fees is even higher at $48,921 (Rs
19.57 lakh). The total cost of business
education is much more in the US,
because of the cost of living and
health insurance, etc. Given the
fact that an IIM-A graduate can
command an average starting salary
of Rs 17.85 lakh, IIM students will
certainly accept this hike.
Courtesy:
Business World, April 8-14, 2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
For
the first time IIT entrance exam
held outside India
|
| |
|
Dubai
became the first venue outside India
where the Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs) held their joint entrance
examination this year. "Dubai is
the first venue outside India to
hold the IIT joint entrance examination,"
an official at the Indian consulate
said. "A total of 182 students appeared
for the test which was held at the
Indian High School in the city on
Sunday," the official said. The
Gulf is home to around 5.5 million
expatriate Indians and Central Board
of Secondary Education (CBSE)-affiliated
schools are spread across the six
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 14,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Smitha
Prasad in conversation with Bhooma
Krishnan, who has started a one-of-its-kind
e-learning company that aims to
provide better education to the
youth. All who have meditated on
the art of governing mankind have
been convinced that the fate of
empires depends on the education
of youth. (Aristotle) This idea
is the lodestar of Ms Bhooma Krishnan's
e-learning services company. She
is of the firm belief that for any
country to succeed as a global player
in the contemporary scenario, quality
education imparted to its youth
is of paramount importance. Bhooma's
joie de vivre and her passion for
education are palpable. She is brimming
with enthusiastic ideas to modernise
the present education model. Her
approach to education is holistic.
In pursuit of her penchant to impart
superior education using modern
technology, Bhooma started her own
company 'Knowledge Quotient Education
Services India Pvt. Ltd' in 2007.
Bhooma is one of the very few woman
entrepreneurs in the field of e-learning
services. Social empowerment of
old age homes is also a part of
Bhooma's vision for her company.
Courtesy:
www.deccanherald.com, April 12,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
US
varsity offers fellowship in memory
of Mahato
|
| |
|
The
Duke University in the US has established
a fellowship in the memory of the
slain Indian graduate student, Abhijit
Mahato. Informing the media on Saturday,
varsity president Richard Brodhead
said: Â"The Abhijit Mahato Memorial
Fellowship will provide financial
support to an international graduate
student studying engineering at
the university in Durham, North
Carolina, with preference given
to a student from India.Â" The announcement
came at a meeting of Board-heads,
which was attended by Indian American
community leaders and friends of
Mahato. Mahato, 29, originally from
Tatanagar, Jharkhand, was an IIT-Kanpur
alumnus doing PhD in engineering
at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering
when he was found shot dead at his
residence near the campus on January
18, 2008. Two men since then have
been charged with his murder. In
a letter to Mahato's parents, Broad-head
noted that the university's trustees
had approved the setting up of a
memorial and expressed his sorrow
over their son's death. Â"I attended
the memorial services where your
son's professors and his many friends
described him with glowing admiration,Â"
the university president wrote in
the letter. Welcoming Duke's move,
Swadesh Chatterjee, a prominent
Indian American leader who lives
in the area, said: Â"We as Indian
Americans are moved by the establishment
of the Abhijit Mahato Memorial Fellowship,
which will enable international
graduate students to continue their
education in engineering at Duke.Â"
Â"We commend Duke's bold initiative
and feel that Abhijit's hard work
and diligence at Duke - so tragically
cut short - will live on through
the fellowship and the many international
students it will benefit,Â" he added.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 07,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
Office
of Vivekananda Kendra International
inaugurated in Delhi
|
| |
|
"There
has to be darkness before the dawn;
the more prolonged the darkness,
more brilliant will be the dawn,"
said Shri P. Parameswaran, national
president of Vivekananda Kendra,
Kanyakumari, on March 20. He was
addressing an assembly of eminent
intellectuals at the grihapravesham
ceremony of Vivekananda Kendra International
at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi. The
atmosphere was such that some of
the participants expressed that
they felt as if Swami Vivekananda
has returned from the Chicago World
Parliament of Religions. Some of
the distinguished persons who attended
the event were former Lt. Governor
of Delhi Shri Vijai Kapur; former
Lt. Governor of Andamans and Nicobar;
Shri Ishwari Prasad Gupta and former
director of IB Shri Ajit Doval.
Housed in a 32,000 square feet area
in the prestigious diplomatic enclave
of Chanakyapuri, the Vivekananda
Kendra International will continue
the work that Swami Vivekananda
carried out in the World Parliament
of Religions in 1893 at Chicago
in the genre of Inter-Civilisational
Dialogue. Earlier, in the day, elaborate
house warming poojas were conducted
in the premises led by Shri Khandeshwar
of Saraswat tradition.
Courtesy:
Organiser, April 06, 2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
A
village girl tops 5th standard board
exam
|
| |
|
It
really does not matter which area
one belongs to and what sort of
facilities he gets; if one has the
potential and a desire to achieve
his goal, no barrier can stop him.
Santo, a little girl of a border-area
village Doda Nanki, and a student
of Government Primary School of
the same village, has proved this
right. Santo has topped the board
examination of standard 5th, conducted
by the Punjab School Education Board.
Block Primary Education Officer,
Hans Raj Thind, told that Santo
has secured 446 marks out of 450
and has got the first position in
the whole state. The news made Santo's
family and school extremely happy.
Her father said that she has always
been brilliant in studies but this
achievement has made them feel proud
of their daughter. Her school teacher
praised the little achiever and
mentioned that it was a great thing
to have and feel. Santo expressed
satisfaction over her result. She
gave the credit of her success to
her family for their full support
and blessings. She also acknowledged
her achievement to the faculty of
primary school who made her work
so hard.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 03,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
AISECT
aims to open 2000 centers in Punjab
|
| |
|
The
All India Society For Electronics
and Computer Technology ( AISECT)
held its first state meeting in
the city at DAV Senior Secondary
School, Sector 8 on Tuesday. Addressing
the meeting, Director Amitabh Saxena,
announced that more than 2000 (AISECT)centers
will be opened across the state.
 Sanjeev Sarpal, State coordinator
of the organisation said that the
(AISECT) has started its center
in 2003 in Punjab and now it has
more than 100 branches across India.
Revealing the mission of the NGO,
Sarpal said AISCET aims to promote
the information and communication
technology in the rural and tribal
areas of the country and moreover
it looks forward to open 50000 multipurpose
centers in the country. Member of
Parliament, Avinash Rai Khanna,
was the chief guest on the occasion.
He encouraged the organization to
work in the state to enhance computer
literacy.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 02,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
Bharathiar
University to have Confucius Centre
|
| |
|
The
Bharathiar University of Tamil Nadu
on Monday announced that it would
set up a research centre in May
2008 for Indian students to study
Chinese culture. The announcement
to this effect was made by Vice
Chancellor of the university G Thiruvasagam.
The university has also decided
to name the center after great Chinese
philosopher Confucious. "Confucius
has had a great influence on the
Chinese education system and lifestyle
and our university wants to set
up the Confucius Centre for Indian
scholars to get better acquainted
with his teachings," Thiruvasagam
said. The centre will be supported
by the Chinese government. The university
has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with China's Huaihua University,
which will provide a professor and
two lecturers to support the centre.
The university also announced that
influenced by the Chinese education
system, it will increase the number
of short-term and vocational courses
it offers. Minimum attendance will
no longer be compulsory for students,
however teachers will be judged
by a student assessment process.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, April 01,
2008
Back
to Index
|
| |
|
|
|
