Jetking to Go Cloud Way with Its Training Courses !

First of its kind initiative in the computer hardware training segment. 

Jetking Infotrain Ltd, India’s No. 1 Computer Hardware & Networking Institute has done it again ! The institute will soon change its traditional method of training in flagship courses like JCHNE and JCHNP to a digitized and cloud platform in its 100 plus centers across the country. With cloud computing based training ‘JCHNE’ courses become all the more powerful with adapting latest technology.

The Cloud technology based training at Jetking has multiple advantages such as:

• Further improvement in Students’ learning and memory retention.
• Standardisation in syllabus and teaching method in all centres across the country.
• Uniform Curriculum ensuring nothing is missed out.
• Making student the latest technology savvy thus most sought after in the job market.

While commenting on the use of Cloud platform in the training Mr Suresh Bharwani – Chairman & Managing Director, Jetking Infotrain Ltd said “The digital push here aims to go far beyond whiteboards, power points, computers and other gadgets. It aims to transform the very nature of the classroom, turning the teacher into a guide instead of a lecturer, guiding and helping students who learn at their own pace on a digitized platform. Equipped with audio video content along with graphical tutorials makes learning fun, faster and easier. A lot of time and skill has been invested to set up the necessary infrastructure to make the complete transition from traditional method to the Cloud based digitized training. With all the necessary softwares and infrastructure tried and tested we are now fully ready to roll out cloud technology based training in our flagship course ‘Computer Hardware & Networking’at our all centres so that the students joining in this academic year can reap the benefits of it”.

“Jetking’s JCHNE course of a one year becomes all the more powerful and effective in achieving our objective : To create maximum number of employable youths with an exposure to the latest technology like Cloud Computing . This new development has certainly taken Jetking at a different level thereby hopping to attract the cream of the industry during our placement season next year” added Mr Siddarth Bharwani – Head, Marketing at Jetking Infotrain Ltd.

Jetking Infotrain Ltd. listed on BSE is  well-known for innovations and has always been pioneer in adding new features to its courses that make students job ready in the market on the completion of the course, for example JetEdge – Smart Learn English Program introduced two years ago has benefited students immensely in securing the desired jobs. Then added ‘Genuine 100% Job Guaruntee’to its course.

JCHNE course now with Cloud technology based training covers four prime modules:
Module 1: Basic Electronics and Office Tool (138 hours)
Module 2: Computer Hardware (166 hours)
Module 3: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Technician (196 hours)
Module 4: Network Administrator (124 hours).   

Toll Free : 1800 209 4010 or write at ho@jetkinginfotrain.com

Maharashtra HSC results out today

The Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education will declare HSC results for the year 2012 on Friday, May 25 at 1 pm. The board chairman Sarjerao Jadhav informed www.myeducationtimes.com that, students can check their results on http://mahresult.nic.in/. Students can enter their seat numberto check their marks. Students can collect marksheets from their respective colleges.

Mass copying suspected in HSC exam at Bhandara

A mass copying pattern has been detected in the HSC chemistry paper held in March at a centre in Bhandara district. The state board office in Nagpur has set up an inquiry committee to investigate the alleged mass copying at Vinod High School and Junior College located in Gosebuj taluka.

Chandramani Borkar, divisional chairman of the state board, said, "We have received an official complaint of a copying pattern being detected. Statements of students, invigilators and other staff are being recorded and final report will be sent to the headquarters soon."

The report is expected to be finished by next week, just before the HSC results are declared. A board official said that proving such cases in the court of law is also an uphill task since every copy is not verbatim. About 200 students were present in the centre for the chemistry exam, but it is not known exactly how many copies are under scrutiny.

Ashish Mate, general secretary of Indian Youth Congress from Bhandara, said, "We are going to call for the answer sheets of the entire centre under RTI and then the truth will be revealed. The education officials on inspection duty that day had mentioned that everything was in order during the chemistry paper, which certainly does not seem to be the case."

And now, schools to teach about birds & bees

The internet and television are fast becoming a major source of knowledge for children. But when a wrong message goes to them, it sends a worrying signal to parents and society. Among serious studies on the computer, children are also taking a peek into the secret world of adults.

Many children have been caught watching pornography while parents thought they were surfing the net for their school projects. No wonder, schools are seriously contemplating sex education in the classroom to assuage their curiosity and to forestall occurrences of teen pregnancy and abortions.

"It's a very good idea because children are getting wrong information. So schools have to take up the responsibility. We need to handle the psychology of the child as well," said A K Singh, vice-principal, DAV Shyamli. Singh added, "It should be implemented properly. Children are at an impressionable age. The education is best imparted to them in the presence of child psychologists to make them understand better."

Lack of communication from either teachers and parents is perhaps pushing children to the cyber world to find their answers, felt experts. While teachers feel parents are teaching them the basics at home, parents feel teachers are doing the same in school. Actually, it's the duty of both. Since parents shy away from answering some of their embarrassing questions, they get more curious. And when there's no information coming from the teachers either, they become restless and click the mouse, said psychologists.

Sharmistha Kumar, who teaches accountancy and business at DAV Shyamli, said, "Sex education should start from Class IX because by that age students become mature and they can understand better. It's a basic fact of life which should be told to them." She said first the teachers need to be trained as students ask uncomfortable questions. Later on, parents can also be roped in for such sessions.

"It is also important to know how much the child should be told, and so it is best to involve the students, teachers and parents," she said. Students welcomed the idea. "Yes awareness is important. Without any hesitation we need to be told," said Sweety Pandey of DAV Shyamli. Aradhana Tiwary, from the same school, said, "We don't want details, but the fundamentals should be told so that we can learn to protect ourselves."

ICSE, ISC results declared; girls outperform boys

Girls have once again outperformed boys in this year's ICSE Class-X and ISC Class-VII examinations, the results for which were announced today.

In all, 99.15 per cent girls and 98.19 per cent boys passed the Indian Certificate for Secondary Education (ICSE) exam, while 98.35 per cent girls and 96.36 per cent boys passed the Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination.

Madhavi Singh of Carmel School in Dhanbad and Shalaka Kulkarni of Sulochana Devi Singhania School in Thane jointly topped the Class 10 exam, scoring 98.80 per cent marks.

Similarly, Rohan Sampat of Dubai Model High School stood first in Class 12 exams, scoring 99.50 per cent marks.

This year, 1,32,282 students appeared in the Class 10th exam, while 59,356 candidates appeared in Class 12th exam.eared in Class 12th exam.

Delhi University tries to make combined journalism entrance test transparent

The journalism faculty in Delhi University is going all out to make the admission process more transparent and student-friendly this year. To begin with, the faculty has decided to show the answer keys of the combined journalism entrance test (CJET) to candidates soon after the exam is over so that candidates can identify any discrepancy. CJET has been scheduled on June 3 following which the answer keys will be uploaded for two days on the special website created for admission.

"We have decided to provide the answer keys online for 48 hours. If the candidates find any discrepancy, they can bring it to our notice. They will get grace marks if we find an error," said Tarjeet Sabharwal, convener, CJET 2012, and faculty member, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce. The candidates will have to inform the principal of the college which would be their test centre about the discrepancy during those two days who will forward the complaint to the dean of faculty of applied social sciences, she added.

BA (honours) journalism is offered in five DU colleges - Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Maharaja Agrasen College, Lady Shri Ram College, Kamala Nehru College and Kalindi College. Their individual journalism departments function under the aegis of the faculty of applied social sciences. This is the second year that all five colleges are holding a common entrance test for BA (honours) journalism.

The registration for CJET closed on May 18 and the faculty has received nearly 2,250 applications compared to 1,800 in 2011. There are 183 seats plus two seats for differently-abled candidates.

'Textbooks sans cartoons take life out of learning'

Politicians may think a blanket ban on cartoons in school textbooks is a good idea but members of the academic fraternity are opposed to the idea. Cartoons not only help liven up and simplify subject matter but also help children look at things in a different perspective, feel teachers and educationists.

"The government has banned cartoons at a time when we are thinking of introducing digital content in classrooms to teach children better. It is not right to deprive children of visual element in learning," says education consultant K R Maalathi.

The government on Monday said it had issued directions to NCERT to not distribute textbooks with cartoons. The decision comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding a cartoon featuring leader B R Ambedkar, which was removed from textbooks.

"When a cartoon is about national leaders, you need to understand that children don't understand the nuances. But to have a blanket ban is ridiculous," says Maalathi.

Lower and middle school students read textbooks when there is a humorous touch to the content, says K Tanuja, a teacher of Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya. "It works well with science, geography, social studies, English or other languages," she says.

Teachers say that cartoons act as visual aids. "Not every child can go through pages of heavy text. Cartoons make lessons more interesting," says Sara Alexander, vice-principal of Spartan Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Mogappair.

Jashoda Sundar, English teacher at Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya, says that cartoons help children look at subjects with a different perspective. "Many English textbooks have stories in the form of comic strips. Oxford University Press has brought out books like these for class IV, V and VI," she says. "And children are excited by it as textbooks are usually dry."

She says that the reaction of the government to the Ambedkar cartoon is excessive. "Ambedkar's grandson has come out and said that the leader would not have objected to the cartoon. But I think that we, as a nation, have lost our sense of humour," she says. "Withdrawing textbooks and introducing new ones would mean great expenditure."

However, some academicians differ. "I feel cartoons should be banned in textbooks because books are sacred. There should not be any mockery of leaders," says Revathi Sridharan, former principal of Chinmaya Vidyalaya. "But there can be cartoons in primary school books as children will like them."

The govt on Monday said it has issued directions to NCERT to not distribute textbooks with cartoons. The decision comes after a controversy over a cartoon featuring B R Ambedkar

177 Indians to participate in Fullbright programme

Altogether 177 Indians would participate in the Fulbright programme of the US-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) this year which is aimed at promoting mutual understanding between the people of the two countries, the Foundation said here.

The scholars, hailing from various cities across India, will pursue Fulbright projects in the US during the 2012-13 academic year in a variety of disciplines, including energy, agriculture, economics, education, environment, international relations, management and leadership development, media and communications, public administration, public health and science and technology, it said.

The USIEF is hosting a pre-departure orientation for the Fulbright scholars in Hyderabad from May 13-15.

"The Fulbright programme is one of the most prestigious educational and cultural exchange programmes around the world. Since its inception in 1950, USIEF has administered over 8,900 Fulbright fellowships to Indians and Americans. Thanks to the generous support of the Indian and the US governments, this year 177 Indians will participate in the Fulbright programme.

"We are happy to be hosting this year's pre-departure orientation for Fulbright scholars in Hyderabad", USIEF Executive Director Adam J Grotsky told reporters.

Upto 7-yr jail proposed for teachers committing corporal punishment

Taking a tough stand on corporal punishment and ragging, the government has proposed changes in the law that would send offenders to up to seven years in jail. The changes will be made to the Juvenile Justice Act, which is being renamed as the Child Justice (Care, Protection and Rehabilitation of Children) Act.

This is the first time the government has defined corporal punishment and ragging in the proposed changes. For corporal punishment, a jail term of up to a year is being proposed in cases of simple injury and emotional distress to the child. For subsequent offences, it would be three years. A second conviction would also mean dismissal from service.

A five-year imprisonment has been proposed if a child is grievously hurt or subjected to severe mental trauma. A repeat of such an offence would invite a seven-year term.

There have been many cases of Corporal punishment in the country. To put things in perspective, a 2009-10 survey by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights among 6,700 students in seven states saw around 99% of them confirming punishment at the hands of their teachers.

Tough measures have also been proposed to check severe ragging — up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rs. 10,000 or both. Ragging by an institution’s staff would put them at the risk of dismissal and a bar on working with children in the future.

The jail terms proposed are higher than those under the Indian Penal Code.

[Source: Hindustan Times]

Higher Education in India at a Glance - by UGC

University Grants Commission (UGC) - the apex regulator for higher education in India has come out with a report and sent it to all the universities in the country stating present scenario of higher education in India. The report, ‘Higher Education in India at a Glance’ prepared by the Chairman, Ved Praksah and other senior UGC members, states the vital statistics pertaining to higher education in the country in terms of number of institutions, type of degree awarding institutions and the enrolment ratio etc in past 61 years (1950 to 2011). The report highlights encouraging figures in the growth in number of institutions and enrolment ratio but it also shows that this growth is more in professional streams. It also potrays a dismal picture on the research and development front.

As per the report, presently there are 634 degree awarding institutions in the country with Tamil Nadu leading the chart with 59, followed by 58 in Uttar Pradesh, 48 in Rajasthan, 44 in Maharashtra and Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal having 42, 36, 28 and 26 respectively. The eight states of North-East have 40 such institutions with Assam having 10, Meghalaya, 9. Rest of the six NE states Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura having 5, 4,3,3,3 and 3 respectively. The small number of institutions in these states can be due to the small size of these states. But we also have to admit that many students from this region move to different central universities thereby raising questions on the quality of higher education being provided by these institutions.

The report also says that out of the total degree awarding institutions 47 per cent (297) are state universities followed by deemed universities with 20 per cent share (129). The central universities and institutes of national importance and other university level institutions standing at 7 and 10 per cent each. Interestingly, the private universities are just 100 in number accounting for 16 per cent share.

Detailing about the growth of higher education institutions in India in past 60 years the report says that in 1950 the total number of universities were 30 (most of them government run or funded) and the number of colleges at that time were 695 which means on an average 23 colleges per university. In 2011 the numbers of universities has grown 30 folds and are 634 while the numbers of colleges are 33,023, averaging 55 colleges per university, thus putting huge pressure on the university administration in managing these institutions. It is also to be mentioned that out of these 634 universities, 100 are private.

While talking about the growth in student enrolment the report states that in 1950 the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions was 3, 97, 000. The growth witnessed is steady till 2001 and stood at 83, 99, 000 but saw an unprecedented surge in next 10 years. In 2010-11 it stands at 1, 69, 75, 000 a figure that has almost doubled in the last decade. Representing the enrolment of girls during the same period, the report states in 1950 the figure was 43, 000 and in 2001 it stood at 33, 06, 000 while in 2010-11 it reached 70, 49, 000.

On the much debatable topic of research, the report paints a dismal picture stating that the student enrollment in this area is not encouraging. Talking about enrolment by stages, the report says that 86 per cent students complete their Graduation, while only 12 per cent opt for Post-Graduate programmes and only 1 per cent opts for research thus making it clear that the students either do not have zeal for pursuing post graduation and research or have better career option available after graduation. The rest 1 per cent go for diploma or certificate courses.

The report goes in detail and states that maximum numbers of students from both the sexes choose Humanities stream followed by engineering by boys and girls choose science while management or commerce stream is still the third preference. Meanwhile, programmes in Agriculture, Education and Veterinary sciences have very few takers.

Talking about the public expenditure in education the report states that in 1950 education had 7.92 per cent share of total public expenditure which was 0.64 per cent of the GDP. In 2009 it stood at 13.63 per cent of total public expenditure and 3.77 per cent of GDP. Of this the higher education got 32.3 per cent.

It can be concluded from the findings of this UGC report that despite of growth in terms of number of colleges and enrolment the numbers are not sufficient enough to cater to the education needs of increasing young population of this country. It is also evident from the above report that there is lack of interest among students to opt for research projects that could be attributed to the reason such as they prefer lucrative jobs which could fetch them more money than spending years in doing research and getting very little compensation during that period. The reason could also be that there is lack of motivation to do research and the teaching community cannot shy away from the fact that they are not able to generate that motivation and interest among their students. The onus also lies on the bodies like UGC and AICTE and the universities to provide adequate facilities to young researchers along with good compensation for them to proceed in that direction.

Delhi University sends wrong paper for semester exam

Delhi University possibly goofed up again on Monday. Students of BA (honours) courses were prepared to attempt the contemporary English paper in the second semester but were instead given the question papers for another credit course called individual and society. They were shocked, anxious and angry even as college officials ran up and down to figure out the next step.

Students had to wait for up to two hours before the correct question paper could be delivered at all colleges. At some places, the exam began as late as 12 noon when it was scheduled to get over.

"It was our first exam on Monday. As soon as we got the paper, we realized that it was not our course. For half an hour after that, nobody seemed to know what was to be done. The exam finally started around 11am. We felt really let down as we had to waste so much time," said a BA (H) economics student at Shri Ram College of Commerce.

While students of BA (H) English study individual and society, those pursuing other BA (honours) programmes take contemporary English as their language credit course. Though earlier it carried only 50 marks, the total marks have been increased to 100 from this time.

In November last year, students writing a paper called 'reading Gandhi' were told midway through the exam that the paper would carry 75 marks instead of 50 and that they were to do one more question. Several students had left by then.

Vinita Chandra, English faculty, Ramjas College, said they could start the exam only around 12 noon on Monday. "The university faxed us a handwritten copy of the correct paper after which we had to make 400-500 photocopiesDifferent colleges got the correct paper at different times. Where was the secrecy?" she questioned. The DU exam authority blamed the English department for giving the same code to two papers. "The exam branch is only a facilitator and the paper is set and tagged by the department. They gave the same codes to both papers and the exam branch ended up picking the wrong one. We will order an inquiry," said a senior official.

He added that the paper was handwritten as it was lying in the storage. "At least the exam branch could salvage the situation by locating the paper and sending it to colleges within an hour and a half," said vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh.

MBBS cut-off marks may go down

The cut-off marks for MBBS admissions are likely to go down this year, giving higher chances of admissions to students from the previous batches, academicians say. The sale of applications for MBBS will begin on May 15 and the counselling will start on July 2.

On Monday, health minister V S Vijay said students will be able to download MBBS application forms or buy them from May 15 and submit them till June 2. Random numbers will be declared on June 15 and the merit list will be released on June 20. The first phase of counselling will begin on July 2, he said.

Educational consultants forecast the scores in Physics and Biology to be lower this year as the papers were tough. "This is likely to bring down the cut-off by 0.5 to 1.25 marks. It will give an edge to students of previous batches," said educational consultant Jaya Prakash Gandhi.

Tamil Nadu government allows students of previous batches to apply for the courses this year and there are no limitations on the number of seats that can be granted to students of previous years. In the last three years, the cut-off for MBBS admissions has been increasing by 0.5 to 1 mark, making it tough for students of previous batches.

This year, the state is likely to add 285 seats in the government medical colleges. Vijay said MCI permission was likely to come for a new medical college in Sivaganga. The state has asked MCI to increase seats in four medical colleges, including Madras Medical College and Stanley Medical College in Chennai. At the Madras Medical College, the seats are likely to increase from 165 to 250 in Madras Medical College and at Stanley Medical College, it may go up from 150 to 250. There will be 50 seats each in Chengalpet and Kilpauk Medical College.

Tamil Nadu has 17 government medical colleges with 1,945 seats. "Once the MCI gives the permission, the student intake will be increased in these colleges," the minister said. The state government was taking all steps to upgrade the infrastructure facilities before increasing the number of seats in medical colleges. Apart from improving infrastructure, steps are on to increase faculty strength and procure modern medical equipment, he added.

Mayo College opens doors for poor children

The prestigious Mayo College, Ajmer will now admit 25 per cent students of weaker sections from its vicinity under the RTE Act and will provide free eduction to them.

The institution along with un-aided private schools and others of Rajasthan had challenged the constitutional validity of the Act in the High Court.

However, with the Supreme Court verdict on April 12 upholding the validity of the Act, the Mayo College today submitted before the high court that the institution is bound by the apex court judgement.

The education institution, also known as the Eton of the East, will open doors for poor students from the current session.

Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had issued a notice dated November 21, 2011 to Mayo administration to scrap the admission procedure after it was reported that had conducted entrance test and screening as also interviews of parents on December 21 and 22 last year in violation of RTE Act.

Besides, the local administration had also served a notice on the school to comply with the mandatory provision under Right to Education Act.

The Act mandates that poor, weaker section and disabled students should be given free education in their neighbourhood by all private schools. However, the minority run institutes are exempted.

It was contended by the College at one point that the boarding and residential schools are not bound to follow the mandate of Act and it was free to interview parents and students.

The school administration had also contended that Navoday schools and military schools all admit students by way of screening test.

Nearly 50,000 teachers will take Teachers' Aptitude Test today

Nearly 50,000 teachers will appear for the Teachers' Aptitude Test (TAT) examinations on Monday conducted by Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB). The test is being held for recruitment of teachers for class IX and X.

Officials said that the TAT exam will be held in main center of each district to facilitate more teachers from rural areas to easily take the test. The test will be held in two parts. Paper one will be test general knowledge while the second paper will subject based.

Officials said that blind teachers will be given permission to have writers to write their papers. However, the writers will be only class VIII pass. Blind candidates will be allowed 20 extra minutes for the first paper while 15 extra minutes will be allowed for the second paper.

Officials said that certain officers will be deployed in all the centers to curb copying. It needs mention that this is the second TAT exam which will be held. Earlier, 95,000 candidates had appeared for TAT in December to qualify for the position of secondary teachers for classes VIII, IX and X in government and grant-in-aid schools.

However, recruitments following the first TAT exam ran into rough weather after majority school managements refused to issue appointment letters to the teachers recruited by the state education department following TAT exams saying that the schools were not given any say in the recruitment which was unacceptable.

Central Educational Institutions Act amended by Rajya Sabha

From now on, some of the central institutions will be exempted to implement the other backward castes (OBC) quota, after the Rajya Sabha passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006.

The amendment is applicable to institutions where implementation of the Act exceeds the 50 per cent reservation limit fixed by the Supreme Court.

As per the amendment, if seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a central educational institution exceeds 50 per cent of the annual strength permitted, the institution need not make any reservation for OBCs.

According to the amendment, if such an institution is located in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Assam's tribal areas, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will not be reduced from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the Act's commencement.

In case the institution is in any other area, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will be reduced to 50.

Source: Economic Times

IIT answer sheets to be posted online

IIT aspirants will now get to see their evaluated JEE answer scripts even before the result is declared on May 18. IIT Delhi, which organised JEE on April 8 this year, has decided to upload the checked optical response sheets of every candidate on the JEE website to maintain transparency and avoid any errors. It is for the first time that the candidates will get a chance to go through their answer sheets to see if they have been evaluated properly.

If a candidate finds any discrepancy, he or she can lodge a complaint online. These evaluated answer sheets will be available online from May 5 to May 10. The facility to submit requests for revision will close at 5pm on May 10 after which representatives of all IITs will meet to consider the requests. If found correct, the responses will be updated by May 14. According to IITD director, R Shevgaonkar, it may happen that the scanner does not pick up correct responses if a candidate has not filled the response bubble completely.

"In such a case, they can simply lodge a complaint and we will go through it before the preparation of the final merit list," he said. However, candidates will not be allowed to change their responses or question the answer keys provided by IITD. The facility is only for highlighting any technical glitches.

Over 17,000 students secure middle school scholarship in Maharashtra

A total of 17,552 students have secured the middle school scholarship in the state, exam for which was held by the Maharashtra State Council of Examinations on March 18.

A statement issued by the council here on Wednesday said the result of the middle school scholarship for std IV was announced online on May 1.

The scholarship examinations for middle and high schools in the state went hi-tech from this year, with the introduction of Optical Mark Readable (OMR) answer sheets for objective type papers, as is done in common entrance tests for engineering and medical courses. The compilation of results was done by way of a computerised data entry process. The OMR sheets, which can be read by a computer, ensured an even faster processing of the results, the statement said.

About 7.43 lakh students had registered for the exam of which 6.99 lakh appeared. About 3.62 lakh students cleared the examination and 17,552 students were selected for an award of scholarship. The statement said that each district has been awarded 10 scholarships on line of national general scholarships besides the quota for rural and urban students, those from the scheduled caste, children of landless farm labourers, rural tribal students and those from the Vidarbha region.

The merit list for rural areas containing 116 names and merit list for urban areas containing 106 names, plus a merit list of 50 students from CBSE/ICSE boards have been put up on the exam council website www.mscepune.in

Suggest innovative ideas to teach kids

Opening its doors to innovation, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) has called for out-of-the-box proposals that can be implemented in classrooms.

The innovation guidelines published have asked government, semi-government and NGOs working in the field of education to suggest unique ideas. The state government is responsible for collecting and sending them to the Project Approval Board (PAB). The ideas should be tested before implementation.

Speaking at a seminar on 'Inclusive education and bridging the widening societal disparities', Toby Linden, lead education specialist, World Bank, New Delhi, said: "At present, innovation is possible only within norms defining each expenditure category. There should also be the option for states to be creative without the constraint of norms and for non-state agencies to be involved in designing new ideas".

"How will schools that need approvals from management committees even purchase desk and chairs or identify diversified needs of children and impart education? Most of the money that goes to schools reach late and is sometimes used in the next financial year. There is a rush to spend the funds then. Governance at district levels and below needs to be improved," said Ambrish Dongre, senior researcher, PAISA (Planning, Allocations and Expenditures, Institutions: Studies in Accountability).

Speaking on education in tribal areas, H Sudarshan, honorary secretary of Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra, said: "Don't force mainstream education on these distinct groups. It's their right to get education in their own dialect."

CBSE allows absentees till May 5 to register online

If for some reason you were unable to make it to your All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) offline centre on April 29, here comes a second chance.

The CBSE, the body which conducts the exam, has decided to allow anyone who was absent on that day to appear in the online version scheduled to start from next week. The online test will be held only for the B.E/B.Tech courses, as the B Arch subject test was available only in the offline mode.

The online exam will be held twice daily and on multiple days, so candidates who want to appear for the exam will now have to register online at www.aieee.nic.in before May 5. Though the first online test will be held on May 7, the absentee candidates will not be able to choose that date option. Candidates can choose any one date from May 12, 19 and 26 but the CBSE will allot one based on availability.

Nagpur is a totally online centre for AIEEE but an overwhelming majority of candidates from the region had opted for the offline version. In Amravati, which was the nearest offline centre, almost 21,000 candidates appeared for the exam.

Across the country 10 lakh students had opted for the offline version while another 1.64 lakh chose the online version. When TOI spoke to CBSE officials they were unable to provide the exact number of absentees in the offline test. The central board has clarified that even after the applications from absentees are received, the details will be verified to ensure that no one is misusing the second chance being offered.

In Nagpur, preparations for the online exams are well underway but the number of centres and student enrolment figures are not being divulged. TOI tried to contact Beena Gokhale, who is the facilitator for Nagpur, but she did not respond to our calls or SMS.

Navneet Singh Tuli, who heads Guru Nanak Group of Institutions, said, "From the information I have, it seems about 7,000 students will be appearing for the online tests. My two online centres will have a capacity of 1200 students alone and all the preparations have been made."

Genuine students are welcome

Sam Murray, Regional Communications Manager, UK Border Agency (UKBA), South Asia, on the recent changes in the post-study work visas for international students in the UK

You have probably heard that we have made changes to the rules for those wishing to study in the UK. The changes are designed to ensure that those coming as students do so primarily to study and not to work, are suitably qualified to do so, and protected from the activities of some fraudulent colleges.

We continue to welcome all Indian students who wish to study at UK education institutions and meet the new criteria. The new visa rules are in place to support them.

The reforms have been introduced gradually in 2011 and 2012. The last set of changes was introduced on April 6. This included a change to the arrangements under which many international students may remain in the UK and work after their studies.

We understand that for many Indian students being able to work in the UK after they graduate is central to their ability to finance their studies there. And we want talented Indians working in our country.

So, whilst we no longer have the Tier 1 poststudy work visa, we continue to have arrangements under Tier 2 of the points based system whereby students who graduate from a UK university will be able to take up graduate level jobs in the UK with registered companies paying a minimum of £20,000 a year, and work for three years, with the possibility to extend this for a further three years. These jobs do not form part of the annual limit on Tier 2 visas, nor are they subject to the usual resident labour market test. For further information about applying for a visa under Tier 2, please refer to the current published guidance on the UK Border Agency's website at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visasimmigration /working/tier2/general In addition, we have introduced a brand new visa for graduate entrepreneurs. This will allow students who have world class innovative ideas to stay in the UK and develop their business. There are up to 1,000 places this year. Further details are available at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visasimmigration /working/tier1/graduate-entrepreneur Finally, as a degree level student at a university, your ability to work during your studies remains unchanged. You may work up to 20 hours per week during term time and full-time in the holidays. Please take time to read the Tier 4 guidance carefully so that you understand what is required when you come to make your student visa application. Do not rely on rumours. Please apply for your visa in good time, fill out the application forms fully and honestly - you now need to do this online at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk and submit the correct documents. If you do this, the visa process should be straightforward.

Rights of children with disabilities

The Right to Education Act (amendment) Bill passed recently in the Rajya Sabha to widen the beneficiary net for children with disabilities is a retrogressive step since it defeats the very purpose of the Act, which is to promote social inclusion in elementary schools. The amendment is in contradiction of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the recent Supreme Court judgment (April 2012) on RTE, since it seems to suggest that home-based education may be the best option for children with 'severe disability.'

The very notion of what constitutes 'severe disability' is a contested term and the assumption that 'certain children' may be best educated at home rather than schools, defeats the very premise of inclusive education that espouses the belief that every child, including those with differing abilities have an entitlement to study with their peers and not be excluded from mainstream education. Even if we were to presume that certain parents 'choose' home-based education for say their child who has severe medical complications with impairment , how would the state governments find the human resources to make home-based education a reality?

Currently, there are a total of 415 institutions which are recognised by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) to run rehabilitation councils, and the total number of registered rehabilitation professionals in the country is approximately 35,000, with special educators included in this figure.

A recent study has highlighted that in 2007, the total number of special teachers' requirement for all categories of children with disabilities stood at 1,79,116 ( IAMR, 2009) - a current shortfall of approximately 1.4 lakh special teachers. According to MHRD, the number of out-of-school children with disabilities remains a high 35% (SRI-IMRB , 2009) and currently coverage of children with disabilities stands at 26.4 lakh in mainstream schools and 2.4 lakh through home-based education. Is homebased education going to be the vehicle to legitimatise rejection of children with disabilities from schools?

The above mentioned figures are based on Census 2001 estimates of 2.3% of the population with disability . Census 2011 results are due and expected to show an increase in the national population of children with disabilities. Is exclusion and segregation going to be the path that India chooses to meet the fundamental right to education of children with disabilities in the country? This is a contradiction to India's commitment to ensure access to quality education for all children including those with disabilities.

5 Reasons why students fail exams

Your son or daughter has just got a mock exam/test result and has failed miserably. He/she did lots of revision, but said he/she had a complete blank when faced with the paper. So what went wrong? Here are the top reasons why students fail.

1. Not Enough Revision
First things first, revision does not = reading. Revising is an active process. Students really don’t understand what they are reading. They should know what every word means, be able to analyse every diagram, bullet point, graph and date. Mind maps, mnemonics, highlighting key point and notes summaries on cards are all useful ways of doing active revision.

2. Starting Revision Too Late
The path to success lies in good planning. Start revision early. Little and often is better than a mad panic at the end. Revision should be started so that there is enough time to understand, learn, memorise and to practice past papers. Students should create a revision timetable and stick to it. This will ensure that all the topics are covered and not just the ones the student likes. They should go over work a day later and then a week later.

3. Stressing Too Much
Students can put themselves under unnecessary pressure during exam season. Parents can relieve the burden by making sure that they are eating regularly and getting enough sleep. Tiredness makes revision ineffective and affects performance in exams. Revise for maximum 30 minute intervals and then have a 5 minute break.
The exam should be treated as a normal school or college day, other than that they are doing an exam. Follow your normal routine will help you relax.

4. Running out of time in the exam
Students should answer all the easy questions first and then go back to the ones they have missed out. They should spend more time on high mark questions and only answer questions they are asked to.

5. Misreading the question
It’s one of the first lessons our teachers teach us, but it is one of the most common reasons why students fail. They did not understand what was required from the examiners and therefore didn’t answer the question. Students should get hold of a stash of past papers and make sure they also have the answers to check their understanding. Then familiarise themselves with exam questions and the language used and always ask themselves “What do they want me to write?”. They will be less likely to misunderstand if they have come across similar questions before and being confronted with an exam paper won’t freak them out.

Indian students contribute to the British student experience

Jo Beall, director of education and society at the British Council, tells Tirna Ray, UK is not just welcoming, but enthusiastic in hosting Indian students

Indian students are concerned about the withdrawal of the Post Study Work (PSW) route. What do you have to say to them?
The first thing we have to say is that we support the government's concern to only admit genuine students, to attract the best and to go for quality rather than quantity. We are not interested in students to make money out of them. Instead, we are interested in having students in our universities because they want to be in British universities because they contribute to the universities' research and student experience.

We have had a number of problems related to bogus colleges that we had to tackle. However, having said that, it is a shame that by putting in place very complex visa regulations , we have created the 'perception' that the UK is not open to international students. We are categorically working towards reversing that perception towards demonstrating that the UK is open for business, study and in some cases, even for work.

We are asking the government to think about the wider implications for British cultural relations and British economy, while at the same time, strongly supporting the reasons behind the decision and the changes that have been made.

As to the issue of 'perceptions,' we are working closely with the British government and trying to address 'perceptions,' demonstrating that UK is a welcoming environment - not just welcoming, but enthusiastic in hosting Indian students who are among the brightest and the best.

Why do you think skill education is becoming so important globally?
The global focus on skills is partly to do with the recession and 'recognition .' Recognition that we need to provide people with the opportunities they want and to help people meet the aspirations they have. That applies both for employment and entrepreneurship . If you think of our work in Africa, a large population of the urban dwellers makes a living outside of formal employment. So, I think there is a recognition that skills-support is important for people to make a living, to be innovative, creative, and so on. Also, some of the events in the Middle East have demonstrated to the world that this is what the young people are asking for. When we listen to young people in North Africa and Middle East, it becomes clear that what they want are skills for employability, skills for entrepreneurship, and education that is going to give them jobs in the real world.

What is the scope for India and UK to work in the skills area?
There is a huge scope vis-a-vis actual sectors. While the UK has a lot of expertise in the oil and gas sector, at another end of the spectrum, we have a lot to offer in the area of hospitality skills or even livelihood related to tourism. Secondly, we can look at the education system itself for further/technical education and how we can - through a system-to-system approach - work together to enhance quality, look for ways to jointly accredit and jointly deliver courses of study.

The ambitions of the Indian government are to hugely enhance the offering of higher and further/technical education. And to reach those huge numbers, to extend access, I think India needs to draw on all the support it can get. And UK is very willing to work in partnership with India, to support that quest.