All Stories

Financial commissioner and principal secretary for renewable energy S.S. Prasad said Sunday that the kits have been introduced in the state to educate students about the application of renewable energy.

'This kit would be a very informative tool and would consist of mini-fan, LED lamps, solar radio, solar toy car, door bell, house name plate, traffic light signals, road stud, solar pump, thermometer, solar panel and other things,' Prasad said.

Director of renewable energy department Sumita Misra said there were about 3,000 high and secondary schools in the state.

'In the first phase, the solar education kits had been provided in 2,000 schools of 13 districts at a cost of Rs.80 lakh. These districts included Bhiwani, Sirsa, Panipat, Karnal, Kaithal, Rewari, Rohtak, Jind, Jhajjar, Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Ambala and Panchkula. The cost of this project was borne by the state and the central government on a 50:50 basis,' Misra said.

She said the department was also taking up the matter with the central government to provide the central grant of Rs.20 lakh to provide solar education kits in the remaining 1,000 senior secondary schools of seven districts including Hisar, Kurukshetra, Palwal, Faridabad, Narnaul, Sonipat and Yamunanagar which would be covered in the next three months.

The UK today partially lifted a ban on accepting visa applications from students in north India for higher studies, a move that will benefit thousands of aspirants to study in that country.

The UK Border Agency had imposed the temporary suspension from February 1 in north India after it received unprecedented rise in the number of applications.

"The suspension was taken in response to a huge surge in applications over a very short period of time. I am delighted to be able to announce today that, from March 1, this suspension will be lifted for all students wanting to study higher education courses, whether foundation degrees, undergraduate or postgraduate," McFadden, who is visiting India, said here.

However, the temporary suspension remains in place for all those wanting to study at lower levels.

"But we will continue to keep this under review and will lift it as soon as we can, and once the new 'highly trusted sponsor' system for colleges and other educational establishments across the UK is in place," he said.

The Department of Employment and the OPB have signed a pact with the State Bank of India, State Bank of Patiala and Oriental Bank of Commerce to provide education to the students abroad, said an official spokesperson at "Education Fair and Seminar" here yesterday.

"Student interested in seeking education abroad may register themselves on www.haryanajobs.in or www.opbharyana.com.

Other information in this regard is also available on these websites," informed D Ranjan Sharma, authorised consultant of the bureau.

Representatives of different foreign educational institutes and universities participated in the fair, each informing about the commercial and academic courses run in their countries.

Source: The Tribune Govt Turns Facilitator For Oversees Studies

DEGREE OF REVERSAL - Foreign PhDs stay in the US

Newly released data revealed that 62% of foreigners holding temporary visas who earned PhDs in science and engineering at US universities in 2002 were still in the US in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available. Of those who graduated in 1997, 60% were still in the US in 2007, according to the data compiled by the US energy department's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the National Science Foundation. Foreigners account for about 40% of all science and engineering PhD holders working in the US, and a larger fraction in engineering, math and computer fields. "Our ability to continue to attract and keep foreign scientists and engineers is critical to...increase investment in science and technology," Oak Ridge analyst Michael Finn said.

"Data for all available cohorts indicate that `stay rates' of foreign science and engineering doctorate recipients in 2007 are slightly higher than they have been in recent years," Finn said. His findings, which use tax data to track graduates over time, cover the years before the US plunged into a recession that damped job prospects in many US industries and universities.

Other analysts see signs that recent foreign graduates are increasingly likely to return home, particularly in today's weak job market. "I have no doubt that the 2009 data will show a dramatic shift," said Vivek Wadwha, executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, who has been warning loudly about the threat that trend would pose to innovation in the US. In October 2008, Wadwha and others used Facebook to question 1,224 foreigners studying at US institutions at all levels. More than half the Indians and 40% of the Chinese said they hoped to return home within five years.

Source: Live Mint BY David Wessel,The Wall Street Journal DEGREE OF REVERSAL - Foreign PhDs stay in the US

In 2008-09, Haryana occupies the fourth position. Even if parameters to evaluate EDI have been changed for the 2008-09 survey, Haryana's progress is remarkable from seventh to fourth.

In the composite ranking of primary and upper primary, the bottom five places from 31 to 35 are occupied by Meghalaya, Bihar, Manipur, Jharkhand and Assam, respectively. The annual EDI, developed by the National University for Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) after an analysis of 1.29 million primary and upper primary schools, shows that different states are on top in case of different indicators. A set of 21 indicators were re-grouped into four sub-groups of Access, Infrastructure, Teachers and Outcome.

What is heartening is that small progress has been made in case of computers in schools with 14% having them. The percentage of such schools is as high as 85.88% in Chandigarh, 85.84% in Delhi, 79.93% in Kerala and 89.74% in Lakshadweep compared to only 0.68% in Bihar and 3.59% in Uttar Pradesh.

The overall statistics also show that the number of schools imparting elementary education (class I to VIII) has increased from 8.53 lakh in 2002-03 to 12.85 lakh in 2008-09. Of the total schools, about 87.3% are located in rural areas. Jharkhand has opened as many as 16,102 primary schools/sections (class I to V) which is incidentally the highest among all the 35 states and UTs of the country. On the other hand, UP opened the highest number of upper primary schools (class V to VIII).

Forty four educational institutions with close to two lakh students on their rolls are likely to lose their deemed to be universities status, but the government said it will protect the interests of students who may be affected.

In an alarming report, a review committee constituted by the human resource development ( HRD) ministry found that only 38 of the 126 institutions it scrutinised could justify their continuation as deemed universities.

The committee recommended revocation of the deemed university status granted to 44 institutions and a three year timeframe to 44 others to work on certain deficiencies to preserve theirs.

Derecognised 44 Deemed Universities (Image From Indian Express)

The list includes three governmentrun deemed universities Nava Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda in Bihar, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology in New Delhi.

On Monday, the HRD ministry informed the Supreme Court that it had accepted the review committee's recommendations. The interest of students, however, would be protected, the ministry claimed. It said it had constituted a task force to prepare a plan to safeguard the interests of students enrolled in these institutions.

The task force report said defaulting institutions would have to seek affiliation from state universities to help students get degrees from the affiliating university. If an institution failed to get affiliation, the management would have to bear the entire cost of migration and rehabilitation of students, the ministry said in an affidavit before the court.

The affidavit was filed in response to an order by the court directing the government to update it on the steps taken to preserve the quality of deemed universities.

Source: Mail Today By Gyanant Singh LAKHS TO BE HIT AS 44 UNIVS FACE DERECOGNITION

The directorate of education in Delhi had issued an advisory last week asking schools to close down till class VIII till January 16. Following this, all government schools as well as some private schools like DPS RK Puram, DPS Vasant Kunj, and Apeejay Pitampura had suspended primary and middle school.

In absence of any further direction on Sunday, most schools will reopen even as the Met officials predict another day of heavy fog. "No decision on extending the break has been taken. We will see the situation on Monday and decide accordingly,'' said a senior government official.

D R Saini, principal, DPS R K Puram, confirmed that the classes that were shut nursery to class VIII will now reopen. "We have already had too many holidays. There hasn't been any further direction from the government. So we will reopen from Monday,'' Saini said.

In Gurgaon, the revised school timings 10.00am to 3.00pm will stay for one more week from Monday. District magistrate Rajender Kataria issued orders in this regard on Sunday. The timings were changed around two weeks ago for all schools, private as well as government, from 10.00am to 3.00pm instead of 8.00am to 2.00pm.

MDI becomes the first B-School in the world to start a course on Smart Grid. Devender Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India inaugurated the course as a part of curriculum of energDevender Singhy management programme running in the institute.

Bradley Williams Chief of Oracle, who visited from USA to grace the occasion, to deliver a key note address on Smart Grid has assured all his support to this course. Raghu Cavale, Senior VP, Infosys, who is also one of the course coordinators, along with Ms. Bridgit Heartland Johnson announced that Infosys will provide technical know-how and expertise to the course module.

Prominent among those present at the event were experts from prominent industries such as Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Ferrantie, Datagen, AREVA, NDPL, PGCIL, CEA, and others from MoP and USAID etc. The function which lasted the whole day added a new feather in the cap of MDI School of Energy Management.

With the culmination of the recent climate change summit at Copenhagen, energy efficiency and conservation are two important issues that have been attracting international attention in the recent times. Smart Grid is a movement in this direction which involves the up gradation of the power grid using Information Communication Technology.

State project director of SSA, P K Das, said H aryana will start a pilot project in 40 schools two schools each from every district and once the model becomes successful, it would be extended to all government primary schools in the state. ``This is a scheme easily spoken about than being implemented properly. We are putting in efforts to ensure that the project not only takes off but also brings the desired results. We are going to make budgetary allocation for this,'' Das added.

The initiative will include learning outside the four walls of classrooms, with more fun-filled activities, which will help a child gain knowledge. ``We will impart necessary training to teachers after identifying schools that are ready to adopt this and can also be easily monitored. The teachers could take the students out and learn things by experiencing. We will also rope in parents to make them understand the reason behind the initiative,'' Das said.

A SSA official said the classroom activities would have to be redesigned so that students complete all their study-related activities in the school itself and there is no homework for them. ``But this might not go down well with parents since many of them will feel the schooling is not happening the way they expect.

So, we will involve them and ensure that the child also learns things at home without books and notebooks,'' said another official. Schools implementing this project will assess the students' learning in one academic year. Officials said without conducting formal and informal tests, the project outcome cannot be evaluated.

He disclosed that under this "first of its kind project" special schools or institutes would be set up at district level for the benefit of the blind, deaf and dumb, physically challenged, mentally retarded and senior citizens He said another scheme, "Gharaunda", has been implemented for the benefit of the mentally retarded to provide them shelter for life. It is being implemented on a 50:50 basis by the National Trust and the State Government.

The NGO’s chairperson, Ms Rashmi Mishra, recalls how, 25 years ago, the enterprise originated in the back verandah of her house on the IIT Delhi campus, when she undertook to teach five girls, daughters of labourers. The initiative gradually expanded to encompass other people, including volunteers, donors, corporate houses and a growing target group. VIDYA today benefits deprived communities in Delhi, Mumbai and Haryana. Its greatest contribution is that it gives a real chance to children in their formative years and with impressionable minds, to shed social baggage and embark on the journey of life after sound schooling. Compare this with the shoddy services provided by State-run schools, with their students either dropping out or graduating to poorly-paying jobs, or, in the worst eventuality, taking to a life of crime. It is a vicious cycle, perpetuated by sub-standard education.

While recent Government efforts to reform the education system are commendable, its insistence on doing it alone is a throwback to the past. It took over six decades for the Indian Parliament to pass a Bill in early August, which gives effect to the constitutional promise of universal and compulsory education for children up to 14 years.

Source: The Pioneer By Anuradha Dutt The power of one

Presently, about 80 per cent institutional deliveries had been done in the district while the Health Department has fixed a target of 85 per cent by 2012.

This was disclosed at a monthly meeting of district officers held here today. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria.

Twenty nine delivery huts are functional in the district to facilitate expectant women in far-flung areas. Civil Surgeon Dr SS Dalal mentioned that the state government would launch Referral Transport Scheme on November 14 under which a control room with phone number 102 on the pattern of police would remain operational 24 hours seven days of the week.

Source: The Tribune Gurgaon ranks second in institutional deliveries

The government is planning to permit corporate houses to set up higher educational institutions — like multi-disciplinary universities and colleges — by floating a separate not-for-profit entity under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956.

A not-for-profit entity is one that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders. It, instead, reinvests these in the institute. Many private universities in India have been set up under Section 25 of the Companies Act. However, deemed universities are not covered by the Act.

“We have received requests demanding this route. The government is exploring the possibility, as it could be allowed under Section 25 of the Companies Act,” confirmed Sunil Kumar, joint secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), on the sidelines of the Ficci summit on higher education. MHRD officials, too, acknowledged that the Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal was keen on the entry of companies through this route.

At present, educational institutions in India can be set up only by trusts, societies or companies, and it is not possible for non-profit companies, like industry associations, under Section 25 of the Companies Act, to set up institutions and get recognition from the University Grants Commission. In the primary and secondary education space, however, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) allowed companies registered under the Act to start private unaided schools last year.

Source: Business-standard Companies may be allowed to set up universities

Amit Sachdev and his wife had struggled long and hard last year to secure a seat for their son in nursery in a school of their choice.

"By the end of the whole exercise, I had made a resolution that I would make an effort to simplify this maddening process for other parents," said Sachdev, who managed to get his son admitted into The Banyan Tree School in Gurgaon last year.

His resolution has finally materialised and taken shape of an admission fair, which first starts from Gurgaon on Saturday.

Called Schoolex, the exhibition, which is a first of its kind in the Capital, is a two-day affair and has close to 50 schools in Gurgaon participating in it.

Similar fairs in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Noida, Mumbai and Pune will follow the Gurgaon chapter.

The fair is being organised by Hindustan Times in association with Edubition, an organisation founded by the Sachdevs.

"Principals and teachers will be there to represent their schools. Parents can register themselves, pick up prospectus and fix interaction dates with the school. Some institutions will also be offering forms and on-the-spot admissions,"
said Sachdev.

Information on teachers, seats, student-teacher ratio, timings, admission schedule, will also be available to parents.

List of 50 participating schools include names such as Amity International School, Delhi Public School, Sushant Lok, DAV Public School, Salwan Public School, Shalom Hills International School and Swiss Cottage School.

"We're trying to provide all the information one needs under one roof. So, apart from schools setting up stalls, different education boards such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Central Board of Secondary Examination and Council For The Indian Schools Certificate Examinations will make presentations on their curriculum, so parents can make informed decisions," he added.

Rakesh Gulati (36), a resident of Paschim Vihar in west Delhi, for instance, wants to send his daughter to Heritage School in Gurgaon.

"We've a house in Gurgaon too," he said. "If she gets through, we'll move there and I won't bother applying in schools here."

Nursery admissions start relatively early in Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

While Delhi schools are not going to start the process before December, Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad, and Suncity World School, Gurgaon, started selling admission forms on Tuesday.

"Impressive board results, proper infrastructure and a healthy teacher-student ratio have brought these schools in satellite towns to the notice of Delhi parents," said Rajan Arora, who runs nurseryadmissions.com, a website offering help to parents gearing up for the admission grind.

Source: Hindustan Times Delhi parents feel the pull of NCR schools

The approval for HRD Minister Kapil Sibal's plan for making class X exams optional to students who want to continue studies in the same schools and the new procedure for appointment of vice chancellors came at the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) comprising state education ministers, union HRD ministers and some other ministers.

Sibal said that after the class X exam is made optional in CBSE, the states may follow the pattern based on the experience of the central board. He said the collegium for selection of vice chancellors will be an autonomous body comprising experts and eminent academics and will suggest possible names for the posts.

"The collegium will put forth names for the post of vice chancellors before the government. If the government rejects it, then the matter will be referred to the collegium again. But there will be no interference from the government side in the appointment," Sibal told reporters.

The government would bring a bill for setting up of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER), which will have the provision for setting up of the collegium for appointment of vice chancellors, he said. "CABE approved the proposal of a self-selecting collegium of eminent persons for greater objectivity and assistance to search committees in selection of chairperson and members of the proposed NCHER and in the selection of vice chancellors and other eminent academic and research positions,"Sibal said.

Source: Hindustan Times It's official, CBSE Class 10 exams become optional

He disclosed that under the scheme, "Anusuchit Jati Chhatra Uchch Shiksha Protsahan Yojana", scholarships ranging from Rs.5,000 to 14,000 per year would be given to girls belonging to Scheduled Castes studying in Science, Commerce and professional streams in aided, unaided and government institutions in graduate and post-graduate classes provided their annual family income was between Rs.1 lakh and 2.40 lakh. Mr. Hooda said the Government had also expanded the scope of the Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatra Yojana to cover 25,100 students belonging to SC and backward classes.

He added that by launching the former Yojana and by revising the Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatra Yojana and Skill Development Scheme, major steps had been taken to push education among the Scheduled Castes and backward classes students.

METHOD OF ADMISSION

• As per the guidelines of the DoE, every school has to come out with the break-up of points for different parameters like distance, sibling in the same school, alumni, first child, girl child, parents' academic qualifications, single parent, special needs and minority status
  
• Parents are called for an ``informal interaction'' where school officials talk to them about their expectations, parenting, child's habits etc
  
• Schools come out with a merit list on the basis of points scored by the child based on the parameters

DoE announces the schedule for nursery admissions and most schools follow it. Those which follow their own schedule have to get it approved by DoE. Last year, most schools started the nursery admission procedure in November-December

• Check with the child's playschool for the dates for sale of forms in different schools
  
• Keep a tab on the websites of schools
  
• Look for ads in newspapers
  
• Register with online forums for admission updates

Source: Times Of India NURSERY ADMISSIONS NO CHILD'S PLAY

"The element of optional board exams exists only in the sense that while students of schools up to class X would have to sit for boards as that would be the sole assessment tool available to them, those in senior secondary schools with classes up to XII need no class X board certificate to graduate to another class in the same school. They can still take the exam if they want," top HRD ministry sources yesterday told The Tribune.

On assessment front, a consensus has been reached on evaluating the students on academic and non-academic fronts throughout the year. No student will fail. The students with lowest grade - proposed as E2 - will be allowed to take a reappear. Those who are ill can take the exams later, and every child would have to clear four subjects in five.

While academic grading will be based on the "indirect and absolute" nine-tier grading system (teachers will first give marks and then translate them into grades for students), non-academic grading will factor in student's intelligence, creativity and social skills and will happen through various modes of assessment through the year like group work, class tests, oral evaluation and projects. The nine-point system is being practised in several western countries and even in Kerala and Nagaland.

Source: The Tribune Class X CBSE exams to be scrapped

The court also asked the parents against calling their forum Scottish International School Parents' Association.

Reacting to the school taking objection to their forum, Vinay Prakash, a Gurgaon resident whose child studies in Nursery, asked, "What is wrong if we call our association Scottish International School Parents' Association when our children study in that school? Schools -- be they private or government -- are public institutions and have to be responsible to the society; they can't run like shops."

He said the forum was a means to protest the "unfair and fraudulent ways of fleecing parents by charging fees under false heads". As a result, he said, the school authorities are now harassing these parents with threats of criminal cases for defamation.

"The parents have been sent legal notices, and I am worried for my child," he added.

The parents' association also claimed lack of transparency in the accounting process. They said invoices were earlier made in the name of `Scottish High' but are now being made in the name of Ruptech Educational. The invoices also do not have break-up of free structure now. Another parent, who did not wish to be named, said the attrition rate of teachers make it difficult for children to adjust in the middle of a session.

School principal Sudha Goel and chairman Kartike Saini were not available for comments despite repeated attempts. Shamila Das, school coordinator (admissions), said, "It is a sub judice matter and I would not want to comment."