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Tatas
give 65,000 new books to poor US
kids
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The
Tata Group North America has joined
First Book, a non-profit organisation,
in a programme to distribute 65,000
new books to children from low-income
families across the US. Second grade
students from Dodge Park Elementary
School in Maryland were the first
students to receive the brand new
books Wednesday with the support
of the Tatas. The students participated
in reading circles with Tata company
representatives to celebrate First
Book's mission to provide new books
to disadvantaged children. Kyle
Zimmer, president of First Book,
said: "First Book is tremendously
grateful for the generous support
of the Tata Group and its companies,
which will help to share the joy
of reading and learning with thousands
of children in need across the United
States. "Through the magic of books,
First Book and the Tata Group are
helping children to discover new
worlds and realise brighter futures."
David Good, chief representative
of the Tata Group North America,
said: "The Tata Group has a long
heritage of focussing on education
in the communities in which it operates.
We believe that doing good is doing
good business and this is a good
example of how we use our resources
constructively to invest in future
generations. "The Tata Group is
proud that so many of our companies
have pooled their resources and
attention to make a difference in
the education of so many children."
First Book, a non-profit organisation
with the mission to give children
from low-income families the opportunity
to read and own their first new
books, has provided more than 50
million new books to children in
need in thousands of communities
in the US. As the largest India-headquartered
multinational in North America,
Tata has more than 80 offices in
the US and Canada and more than
15,000 employees. With more than
60 years of experience in North
America and a century of leadership
in India, Tata Group companies generate
more than $25 billion in annual
revenues and employ more than a
quarter million people across 85
countries and six continents.
Courtesy:
www.msn.com, February 28, 2008
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Teaching
students in California from Mumbai
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A
researcher from the University of
California in San Diego (UCSD) is
teaching a course at his campus
about designing technology for the
developing world. But he is not
necessarily standing in the classroom.
Instead he is giving lectures from
halfway around the world in Mumbai
via a remote Desktop. This interactive
course is taught by Derek Lomas
using various forms of web-based
technologies, including wiki sites,
video streams and e-mail. The course,
"Design for Development: Developing
Technologies for Developing Economies",
aims to connect UCSD students to
the problems of the developing world.
"It is a practicum class with a
diverse set of undergraduate and
graduate students whose varied 'majors'
include engineering, computer science,
economics, biotechnology and art,"
UCSD said. Lomas first traveled
to India in July 2007 to work for
QUALCOMM Inc, and stayed on because
he was inspired to teach the course
from an international perspective.
Students of the course meet once
a week in Atkinson Hall, the headquarters
of the California Institute for
Telecommunications and Information
Technology, where Lomas is a researcher
and gives his three-hour lectures
via a webcam. "I'm really used to
being able to motivate students
in person. This has been a major
learning experience," he said. Lomas
expressed that one of the benefits
of teaching the class from Mumbai
is that he is able to provide students
with a first-hand account of what
life is like in India. "It increases
the sense of connection with the
people we are trying to serve,"
he said while adding that he has
able to capture footage of the streets
of Mumbai by wearing sunglasses
that record video. "I am able to
show them the street life by walking
through crowded markets and letting
students see what a rickshaw driver
sees," he said.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, February
25, 2008
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Every
distt to have rural development
and training institute
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Union
minister for rural development,
Raghuvansh Prasad on Friday announced
that the Centre has decided to open
one rural development and self employment
training institute in every district
to fight unemployment. Speaking
at the inauguration ceremony of
the seven-day "Panch Kalanak Mahotsava"
in the city Prasad said, "This institute
is being run successfully in Tundla
and we have decided to open one
Rural Development and self Employment
Training Institute in every district
of the country by the year 2010."
These institutes will not only help
in promoting rural tradesmen but
also in combating unemployment,
he said. The minister also released
a book Jamboo Swami Chariu written
in Apbhransh Bhasha (language which
cannot be understood easily) of
the first century on the occasion.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, February
23, 2008
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Pune
varsity to set up campus in Dubai
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The
University of Pune will soon be
the first Indian state university
to establish a full-fledged campus
outside the country, with plans
to unfurl its banner in Dubai this
academic year. While individual
colleges like Mumbai's S.P. Jain
Institute of Management and BITS
Pilani have ventured abroad, no
state university has expanded its
frontiers beyond the nation's borders.
The Dubai outpost is likely to be
modelled on the lines of the 60-year-old
Pune campus. It will offer 30 degree
programmes and all the courses taught
locally. Faculty members from Pune
will be regularly flown to Dubai
to conduct classes. Students who
graduate from its portals will get
a University of Pune degree certificate.
Vice-chancellor of the Pune University
Narendra Jadhav confirmed that the
university did have offshore plans
subject to "permissions from the
state and the union governments".
The university is developing a one-year
foundation course for high school
graduates in Dubai to prepare them
for the university system. The course
will include a beginner's guide
to history, communication skills,
maths and basic English. American
universities who opened in the UAE
also had similar courses to orient
local students to the new educational
system. The campus will be at the
sprawling Dubai International Academic
City (DIAC), an extension of the
Knowledge Village, which is where
BTIS-Pilani is located.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com,
February 23, 2008
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Hindi,
Bengali to get more prominence in
UK schools
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The
teaching of Hindi and Bengali in
British schools should have the
same priority as European languages,
education officials have said. The
economic rise of India and China
in recent years has forced education
officials consider giving more importance
to their languages so that British
youth are able to connect with a
more globalised world. The Office
for Standards in Education, Children's
Services and Skills (OFSTED) has
recommended that languages spoken
by minority communities in Britain
must be given more prominence on
school timetables, bringing them
into line with the major European
languages, such as French, German
and Spanish. A spokesman for the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
(QCA) said that the policy was effectively
in place already. Following a review
of the national curriculum, secondary
schools are able to treat all languages
equally. "It's already happened.
From this year there is no distinction
between the languages that schools
want to teach. If they want to teach
a particular language they are free
to do so," he said. The announcement
follows a Government review by Lord
Dearing last year, which said it
would be crucial to teach more global
languages as China and India grew
in economic influence.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com,
February 21, 2008
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Ansal
API, Educomp join hands for schools;
to invest Rs 250 cr
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Real
estate firm Ansal Properties & Infrastructure
on Monday announced a tie up with
education services provider Educomp
Solutions to manage 17 schools to
be developed by it, which will entail
an investment of Rs 250 crore in
3-4 years. The real estate major
would develop 17 school properties
across the country through its subsidiary,
Knowledge Tree Infrastructure (KTIL),
in which Educomp has agreed to pick
up 5 per cent stake. KTIL has earmarked
a budget of Rs 250 crore to set
up the chain of schools under the
'Millennium School' brand, Ansal
API Vice Chairman and Managing Director
Pranav Ansal told reporters here.
"As we know, Tier II and III cities
have huge shortages of schools.
We will set up 15-17 schools in
our townships at an investment Rs
15-20 crore per school. The proposed
schools will come up in the next
3-4 years," he said. Ansal API would
provide the land and also bear the
construction cost, while education
service firm Educomp Solutions would
be responsible for managing the
schools, he said. As per the agreement,
Educomp's subsidiary, Edu Infra
Pvt Ltd (EIPL) would tie-up with
various independent trusts to operate
and manage the schools under CBSE
curriculum for a lease period of
30 years, extendable by another
30 years. "The tie up between KTIL
and EIPL will be on the basis of
a fixed lease rental and a revenue
share on the gross earnings from
the school," the Vice Chairman said
without divulging further details.
Ansal is currently running two schools
in 'Sushant Lok' and 'Palam Vihar'
townships in the national capital
region. These two schools would
be run by Educomp from the next
academic session in July.
Courtesy:
www.economictimes.indiatimes.com,
February 18, 2008
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Govt
eyes to expand primary and secondary
education
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The
Union Ministry of Human Resource
and Development today proposed the
Consultative Committee of Parliament
to create a secondary school within
a radius of five kilometres and
a higher secondary schools within
a radius 7 to 10 kilometres in every
block in order to universalise education
in the country. Eying to expand
the umbrella of education and meet
the target of 'education for all',
the Ministry of Human Resource Development
has outlined some ground breaking
programmes. In a presentation made
by the MHRD to the consultative
committee of Parliament, the key
objective of the expansion of secondary
education in the country were discussed
which would be available and accessible
to every child within five kilometres
for secondary schools and within
7-10 kilometres for higher secondary
schools. The Consultative Committee
meeting chaired by Human Resource
Development Minister Arjun Singh
also emphasised on the improvement
of quality of education provided
in the running schools. In the meeting
it was decided that the universalisation
of secondary education will be ensured
by the end of the Eleventh Plan
which includes strengthening of
existing schools to achieve prescribed
norms; expansion of capacity of
existing schools; upgradation of
higher primary schools to secondary
level; expansion of facilities for
open distance learning and stepping
up allocation to secondary education
from 0.9 per cent of GDP to 1.5
per cent. The members of the Consultative
Committee offered several suggestions
which were targeted to make special
efforts to reduce drop-outs specially
for girls, creation of social and
parental awareness, and accessible
and affordable education. The members
were apprised that as a follow up
of Prime Minister?s Independence
Day announcement, 6000 new high
quality schools will be opened at
the rate of one school per block.
Out of these, 2500 schools will
be in Public Private Partnership
(PPP) model. Another vital component
of the expansion of secondary education
is the proposal for establishment
of at least one girls? hostel of
capacity 100 in each educationally
backward block (EBB). The members
were also informed that one lakh
Merit-cum-Means scholarships of
Rs 6000 per annum would be awarded
each year from class IX to class
XII.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, February
15, 2008
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IGNOU
launches certificate course in organic
farming
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Indira
Gandhi National Open University
- the premier institution of the
country for distant learning - in
collaboration with the Agricultural
and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) today
launched a certificate course on
organic farming. The six month course
has been named as Certification
in Organic Farming. The course would
provide study materials to students
enrolling for the course at 134
centres of the open university spread
across the country. According to
an estimate, about 80 per cent of
the total organic producers in India
are devoid of any such certification,
which hampers the marketability
of the products. It is expected
that by 2010, the world market for
organically produced items would
grow upto $ 100 billion. In that
context, the decision of IGNOU and
APEDA is a welcome step because
the course would be a good platform
for such producers to learn the
nuances of the related sector. Launching
the programme at IGNOU campus in
the Capital, Union Minister of State
for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, said
the certification had been the most
important component of the organic
farming in the country. "Organic
products are in great demand in
developed countries, especially
in Japan and US. But the certification
of our products by default is very
important. It will increase the
penetration of organic products
in world market." Underlining the
role that can be played by educational
institutions in this regard, the
vice-chancellor of IGNOU, V N Rajasekharan
Pillai said that similar centres
can use their reach to fetch the
desired results. "There are 13 other
state level open learning centres
in the country. They can help in
translating this material into regional
languages, so the maximum numbers
of students can be benefited by
it. We can also identify and use
laboratories of institutions for
this purpose," said Pillai. The
theoretical classes of the course
would be backed up by practical
classes and counseling for the students.
The course would be available through
the different study centres of IGNOU
with active support from different
agricultural universities, Krishi
Vigyan Kendras, NGOs and institutions
of Indian Council for Agricultural
Research.
Courtesy:
www.headlinesindia.com, February
15, 2008
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NRI
surgeon to donate USD 1mn to college
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An
NRI neurosurgeon has announced the
donation of USD one million to Jackson
Community College (JCC) to establish
an endowed scholarship for supporting
financially backward students. The
announcement came as a relief for
JCC as it prepares to open the renovated
Justin Whiting Hall with its new
nursing and allied health programme
instructional areas. While emphasising
on the education, Dr Harish Rawal,
a resident of Michigan, admitted
that he was excited about beginning
of the fulfilment of their commitment
to the community. Lauding the efforts
of Dr Rawal, College President Daniel
Phelan said he understands the importance
of education and JCC's effort to
elevate our technologies and curriculum
to enhance student learning. Rawal,
a graduate from B J Medical College
in Ahmedabad, has practiced medicine
in Jackson for nearly 30 years now.
The state-of-the-art simulators
have been installed that program
a robot to simulate many medical
conditions that would be seen in
an emergency room, the college said
in a statement.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com,
February 05, 2008
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India's
soft power is on the rise: Shashi
Tharoor
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India's
ability to manage diversity in the
age of globalisation has resulted
in a rise of its soft power internationally,
especially among the neighbouring
countries, former UN under Secretary
General Shashi Tharoor has said.
"India's soft power is on the rise.
For example Bollywood films are
enjoying a great international audience.
A diplomat friend of mine said that
in Syria, the only portraits that
you get as large as former president
Hafiz Assad are those of Amitabh
Bachchan," he said. The television
mega-serial "Kyun ki Saas Bhi Kabhi
Bahu Thi" has become India's biggest
asset in Afghanistan where it is
watched by 94 per cent of Afghans,
he said. "The serial has been able
to trigger discussions in a society
where women traditionally are kept
under the veil," Tharoor said after
a felicitation by the alumni association
of his alma mater St Xavier's School
here. India's achievements in the
field of education is also being
acclaimed internationally. "These
days, the US puts the IITs on par
with, say the MIT," Tharoor said.
Citing statistics, he said although
India still remained a country of
contradictions, its diversity was
its biggest asset and could propel
it towards becoming a great power
among nations if this diversity
was not undermined by religious
intolerance and political opportunism.
Courtesy:
www.economictimes.indiatimes.com,
February 03, 2008
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Indian
students to help top scientists
study climate change
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Top
scientists across the world studying
environmental changes would now
get some professional help from
India's school children as well.
In a unique initiative, the school
children across the country, along
with those around the world, will
provide vital data about their area
online to top scientists, helping
them in their study of climate changes.
The students are connected to the
scientists and over 100 million
children of primary and secondary
schools across the world through
'Globe Programme' online, sharing
data on weather and vegetation of
their particular country. In India,
the Environment Ministry on behalf
of Globe Programme has launched
the concept in over 1,600 schools
in 16 states including Jammu and
Kashmir, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Delhi, Punjab, Goa, West Bengal
and Tripura so far. School children
are asked to study four main earth
science investigations namely atmosphere
(chemistry, weather and climate)
hydrology (water quality measurements),
soil (moisture, temperature and
general characteristics) and land
(mapping and biometry) on the regular
basis. "Then they report their observation
to Globe website 'www.globe.org'
which is monitored by the scientists
across the world," Avinash Tiwari,
Globe scientists for India said.
Southeast Asian expert on soil science
Eric Stonebraker from USA, Water
expert Peters from Australia, Atmosphere
expert from Thailand Krishna Dev
are some of the scientists on the
panel of the Globe Programme keeping
a tab on the data provided by the
students.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com,
February 03, 2008
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