Delivering 21st Century Skills in the Indian Classroom - Triangle ...

AUGUST 2013EducastTMPeriodical with a Sharper Understanding of EducationIncluding an article onstDelivering 21 Century Skills InThe Indian Classroom

Table Of ContentsIn this issueGardner's mi TheorySchooling EmotionsEiHelpingMental HealthPositive RelationshipSupportiveInterventionDemystificationLearnmile Insight Pg 2 AdvocacyPg 5 ScholasticPg 10Challenging Times for EngineeringCollegesDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomUpdating and enriching Teachers:School's in-house teacher trainingTeacher’s day specialGauhati University abolishespaid seats at PG levelPg 13NewsPg 14Market watchPg 19This section covers important newsacross various education domains &disciplines.This section is a financial performancetracker for the education sector,reflective of share scrip movement &financial ratiosAugust 2013 Editionwww.learnmile.com 1

Learnmile InsightChallenging Times for Engineering CollegesIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) has been the dream destination for higher studies for science school pass outstudents and shall perhaps continue to do so in times to come. But Indian higher education space, especiallyengineering (UG course) seems to be going through its ice age. Things seem to have changed and may not getback to old days anytime soon.One such change that I refer to in this article is the drop in enrollments and interest from both students andparents community. Getting through an engineering college is perhaps easier than clearing a Bank PO in today'stime, no pun intended. We need to do some serious reflection on the state of engineering education in thecountry. We have close to 3,500 engineering colleges in India with a capacity of more than 15 lakh seats.Table 1: An approximation of Seats available in variousStates after their first round of admission counseling:This year, 769 students have decided not to join the IITs despite clearing the exam.1As many as 96 candidates havedecided not to come to IIT-Kharagpur for admission counseling this year.3 The reasons shall be discussed aheadbut things with IITs are different, being a Centre-run institution, it can't afford to compromise with the merit listcut off vis – a – vis filling up of seats. As last year too, despite three rounds of counseling, IIT Kharagpur was unableto fill 48 seats and these were left vacant thereafter. For instance in the state of Madhya Pradesh, colleges have todepend on college level counseling (CLC) for filling up vacant seats and thus comprising student quality intake forengineering course and hence loss in importance for the pre-engineering test.Some of the prominent reasons for the fall in admissions can be understood as:1. It is no longer a herd mentality: Indian students doing well with their SAT 1 and SAT 2 exams are looking forcourse abroad, which offer contemporary and industry relevant choices. The choices with streams anddiscipline with in engineering have become ever so strong that students though would want a goodinstitution's brand but will not compromise on their choice of subject / stream. For instance as reported in anational daily “… Most candidates, while citing their inability to come for counseling, have told the IITKharagpur authorities that they have either secured admission abroad or are going to study Maths andwww.learnmile.com Author : Manish Saraf, COO, Learnmile2

Learnmile InsightChallenging Times for Engineering Collegesphysics in institutions like Chennai Mathematics Institute or IISc Bangalore. Some have even said that since3they did not get their preferred stream of engineering, they would rather go to a non-IIT institution.”2. Lack of confidence with young and new institutions: It is not only private engineering colleges but alsosome of the new IITs that are facing the crunch of attracting young minds to study with them. The reasonsfor not joining the prestigious institutions varied from "not having confidence in the new IITs" to "getting5allotments in not-so-popular streams".3. Stress on capacity building and ignoring quality of education: In March 2013, The Delhi High Court hearinga PIL has asked the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), so as to, if there was uncontrolledmushrooming of engineering colleges across the country which was adversely affecting the quality ofeducation being imparted? 15 The apex body in technical education has taken some strict actions but that isafter learning it the hard way. AICTE issued notices to 101 institutions for failure to comply with norms. Butis time now that AICTE wakes up to strict quality norms, and ensure compliances.4. The slowing down of placements: With slowing down of western economy the jobs in technology sectorhave been dwindling. Students who graduate in fields like biotechnology find it difficult to get placements.Placement figures of engineers are not encouraging. According to experts in the placement sector, of the 500engineering colleges in the State of Tamil Nadu, only about 25 attract over 30 recruiters. “Some 50 colleges willhave five good recruiting companies. The rest struggle to get even 20 per cent of their students placed,” said a16senior professor of an institute.www.learnmile.com23

Learnmile InsightChallenging Times for Engineering Colleges5. Skill mismatch: In an article in Economic Times (ET) dated 18th June 2013, it read “Somewhere between afifth to a third of the million students graduating out of India's engineering colleges run the risk of beingunemployed. Others will take jobs well below their technical qualifications in a market where there are fewjobs for India's overflowing technical talent pool...”.We may factor in the view of Industry here, a keystakeholder in absorbing the talent from engineering colleges. There inputs on the curriculum and skillsshould be made part of the delivery system. While I would agree with Prof. H C Gupta, of IITJEE, Delhi, whichwas the organizing IIT this year, when he says “… Streams like mining, metallurgy and ceramic are cryingfor good students and the country needs such engineers…”3But would want to add here that lets createproper counseling systems and awareness for our students to understand how are such courses bettercareer prospects in years to come.The downward trend in admission and enrollments are early signs on the current state of preference for thecourse and engineering as career. More so for the private, self financed institutions. There can be no quickfix solutions; there is a clear need for a long term thought through vision around quality education. We haveseen and read how the viscous cycle of quality education, employment, admissions, if goes wrong leads tosocial and economic strain in the society.The core then is not admissions but quality education!References:1. http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/EDU-iit-jee-advanced-2013-769-students-refuse-to-join-iit-4316279-NOR.html2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/3464-engineering-seats-still-up-for-grabs/articleshow/21010050.cms?3. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Students-skip-IIT-counseling-to-study-abroad/articleshow/21011122.cms4. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/10339-engineering-seats-vacant/articleshow/20987135.cms5. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/IIT-seats-go-vacant-as-769-refuse-to-join/articleshow/20997337.cms6. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-23/nagpur/39474741_1_engineering-admissions-colleges-seats-aicte7. http://www.academics-india.com/panjab%20admissions.htm8. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/demand-for-engineering-colleges-has-come-down/article4732192.ece9. http://education.oneindia.in/news/2013/06/28/around-69k-seats-left-vacant-after-engg-counseling-005577.html10. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130724/news-current-affairs/article/80000-bachelor-engineering-seats-go-vacant-tn11. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-11/news/39898355_1_engineering-colleges-engineering-seats-vacant-seats12. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-30/nagpur/40285851_1_new-colleges-vacant-seats-58-colleges13. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-04/kochi/41056930_1_management-quota-tuition-fee-self-financing-colleges14. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/80000-seats-fall-vacant-in-engineering-counselling/article4964507.ece15. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Delhi-HC-seeks-AICTE-s-view-on-Engg-colleges/Article1-1033939.aspx16. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/engineering-colleges-fudge-placement-figures/article4482532.ece17. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-06-18/news/40049243_1_engineers-iit-bombay-batch-sizewww.learnmile.com24

AdvocacyDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomIn last month's introductory article in this series, 21st Century Skills were identified as the set of qualities studentsneed in order to be successful in the 21st century workplace. This article addresses the key question: as educators,how shall we prepare our teachers, processes and infrastructure to deliver 21st Century Skills effectively?Go beyond traditional patterns of teachingTo lay the ground for delivering 21st Century Skills to students, schools must first go beyond simply teachingstudents to “reproduce” what they are taught. Some might ask: how will it be possible to do so while still coveringthe syllabus? The solution is to re-focus the curriculum by emphasizing a focused set of knowledge and conceptsthat can then be taught in much greater depth.Second, consider this: around the world, most students today are still taught using the “Transmission” model ofeducation. Teachers transmit factual knowledge to groups of pupils via lectures, utilizing textbooks and othersources for reference. The problem with this is that while students can memorize information, they don't getmuch – or often any – scope to apply the knowledge. To be impressed into young minds, knowledge must beapplied to new contexts, communicated in complex ways and used to solve problems.“Learning 21st Century Skills gives students a platform to develop creativity”,says Mr. Vamshi, Correspondent of Sri Lakshmi School in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. “Besides, the ocean ofinformation available around is increasing exponentially, and access to it is at every student's fingertips via theinternet. Teaching students what to do with the information is now a valuable commodity”. Mr. Vamshi hasobserved students in their school's 21st Century Skills program (implemented in partnership with Creya Learning),and tracked the visible manifestations in the creativity and analytical skills of their students.Skills in focusEmployer surveys# suggest that the most important 21st century skills to be taught are:The ability to solve new problems and think critically;Strong interpersonal skills for communication and collaboration;Creativity and intellectual flexibility; andSelf-sufficiency, including the ability to learn new things when necessary.Author: Terrie Rust, DTE, is the Director of Academics, at Creya Learning5

AdvocacyDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomImage credits - www.bcourey.files.wordpress.com/Graphic: 21st Century PedagogyIn surveys #, employers thought it much more important that new hires come from a pool that is comfortablefacing a problem with “no right answer,” than facing problems with one right answer, which suggests thatschools must find more ways to give students more complex and unstructured problems and fewer multiplechoice questions.More than knowledge, students need application literacy—the ability to apply their learning to meet real-world challenges. This crucial skill applies to all subjects. The keyissue is how to meet the challenges of delivering content and skills in a rich way that genuinely improves outcomesfor students.www.learnmile.com6

AdvocacyDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomTeachers FirstWhen a school decides to undertake delivering 21st century skills to its students, the paramount criterion towardssuccess is teacher training.Teachers should possess 21st century skills before delivering them to students. In order to teach, teachers must betrained to learn, to do. There must be a structured plan by which teachers can succeed.Here are the questions to consider when designing teacher-training programs for 21st Century Skillsdelivery:All or Some? Will all teachers at the school who teach students be required to deliver 21st century skills?This would include the Computer Science teacher, Art teacher, Hindi (or other language) teacher,Physical Education teacher, etc. 21st century skills teaching and learning need to be part of all aspects of astudent's course of study; they are not taught as stand-alone subjects. If all the teachers will not deliverthe skills, careful consideration must be given to which teachers will be part of the initiative.Timing: Extensive training (initial intensive training plus multiple update/review sessions over the schoolyear) would need to be planned and scheduled for teachers of various standards and disciplines to learnthe methods for incorporating 21st century skills into their existing teaching; it must be done specific tocourse and grade.Who will train the teachers? Locating experienced trainers could be a challenge since 21st century skillsteachingis a new concept.Specificity: Training should include development of specific lesson plans that deal with the high cognitivedemands and potential classroom management problems.Administrators Too: This individualized training would also involve administrators, since they would beoverseeing and assessing the teachers' delivery.Digital Tools Training: All 21st Century Skills teachers must be comfortable in using and deliveringinstruction through digital tools like computers, tablets and use of internet.www.learnmile.com 7

AdvocacyDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomAssessing Learning OutcomesAssessing students of 21st century skills also requires teacher training in new methods of determining the depth,breadth, application and transfer of learning. 21st century skills must be assessed through observation methods,rather than through pencil and paper tests.On the part of the program administrators, assessing students for 21st century skills competency requiresadditional training in digital tools to track and monitor program success.stPBL in 21 CProject Based Learning (PBL) is the demonstrably the most effective method of delivering 21st Century Skills tostudents. This involves incorporating activities in which students must solve problems, think creatively, andcommunicate their work to others using multiple types of mediums.Incorporating such activities requires significant changes in the way teachers are trained. For instance, teacherswould play a very different role in the PBL classroom to what they have been in traditional classrooms: they wouldguide the process of knowledge construction.ComponentClassroom LayoutClassroom LayoutTeacher as a facilitatorFailure is an option!The Digital ComponentCommentsMust accommodate clusters of studentsworking co-operativelyClassrooms of 24-32 students work best.If the classroom size is beyond 40, it shouldbe broken into two groups.Classrooms of 24-32 students work best.If the classroom size is beyond 40, it shouldbe broken into two groups.Classrooms of 24-32 students work best. Ifthe classroom size is beyond 40, it shouldbe broken into two groups.Classrooms of 24-32 students work best. Ifthe classroom size is beyond 40, it should bebroken into two groups.www.learnmile.com8

AdvocacyDelivering 21st Century Skills InThe Indian ClassroomFuture Perfect?Progressing from the “transmission” model to the "21st century" model will involve entire educational systems.As educational purposes change, curriculum frameworks, instructional methods and assessments must changeas well. This will require teachers, administrators and policymakers to utilize and practice precisely the skills thatwe deem critical for students. Perhaps most important, we need the political will to ensure that educators directlyinvolved in transitioning to the 21st century model have the time, support and resources they need to make it asuccess.One of the ways for schools to kick-start the process for preparing their teachers on 21st century skills is to partnerwith Creya Learning. Creya Learning offers amply researched, well-designed programs supported by professionaldevelopment programs and aids for teachers. Creya programs can be seamlessly integrated into the academicschedule and curriculum of K-12 schools from CBSE, ICSE, State Boards and even international boards like the IBand IGCSE.Terrie Rust, DTE, is the Director of Academics, at Creya Learning, a pioneering provider of K-12 programs for 21stCentury Skills and STEM education. She can be reached at terrie@creyalearning.comFor more on how to integrate 21st Century Skills into your school environment, visithttp://www.creyalearning.com/21stcenturyNext in the series:What kind of programs do schools need for delivering 21st century skills?# Defining a 21st century education By Craig D. Jerald for the Center for Public Education July 2009www.learnmile.com 9

ScholasticUpdating and enriching Teachers:School's in-house teacher trainingTry telling a teacher, “ You need to go for adevelopmental programme”, all one would get - is a dirtylook from the teacher.But, this is something that is close to my heart. As ateacher, I would wait for such programmes. As a head ofan institution, I was eager that such developmentalprogrammes happen.Before we really get into the topic, let us ask why weshould have teacher development programmes. Aren'tteachers qualified enough? Why do they have to give up their personal time for such events/ activities?The only reason that comes to my mind is : updating and enriching. A teacher may have all the essentialqualifications or more, still she needs to be contemporary. Updated and equipped.Enrichment and supplementary activities can happen at two levels : at the individual level and at theorganizational level.This brings us to the issue: what is the role of a school for in-house teacher development.Every progressive school, every proactive principal would wait and want for such eye-opening sessions.What then is required?·······Time and planning / organization of the developmental activitiesFinance/ MoneyResources – men and materialsTeachers and Teacher MotivationInfrastructureIncentiveManagement supportThe teachers need to be provided enough time off their schedule to attend these sessions. The head needs tostudy each teacher's allotment – off classes and in-class sessions and ensure that the teacher attends theprogrammes. At times, it is necessary that the teacher may have to spend some of her personal time. This may notalways happen as easily said or wished.www.learnmile.com Author: Matt Dr. Jyothy Damon, Ramachandran, Hollywood Actor Academic Council & Digital Learning Specialist Schoolguru Eduserve Pvt Ltd. 210

ScholasticUpdating and enriching Teachers:School's in-house teacher trainingA mere one session would not bring in desired results and changes. The principal should plan periodicaldevelopmental programmes because1. Small chunks help2. Training euphoria wears off3. Newer issues / problems would get solutions in the next sessions thereby helping the teacherThe head needs to motivate the teacher to ensure regularity and participation. Not an easy task, though. Therewould be a challenge to bring in the buy-in from our team.Finance has an important role to play for the success of such developmental activities. If the school is monetarilystrong, there would be no issues. If not, the principal/ head needs to look around for financial help- from high netindividuals or corporate world.Schools may charge a nominal fee to make the teachers accountable and be part of the sessions. Anything givenfree will not be respected.If the school management is not able to bear the bill, then it can charge the teacher, payable in installments/regular deductions from salary.Infrastructure in terms of airy and spacious rooms, proper lighting etc, boards and chalks, bulletin boards, paper,furniture etc. would contribute in a big way.But my experience says that sometimes if the topic is made interesting by the resource person and the audience“wants” it, nothing can come in their way. It becomes a “cherished” session.The principal needs to identify appropriate resource persons to lead the discussions and talks. Approachability ofa resource person keeps the teacher in touch for doubt clarifications. This in turn would motivate the teacher tobe part of the activities.The resource person(s) need to interact with the teachers before hand to understand the “deliverables” basedon the needs of the target group.The school can announce some incentives to the teachers who attend such enriching activities linking it tostudents' achievement or even mere participation. According to me, the main incentive is the individual teacher'sintrinsic motivation.The school has to be careful about the receiver's perspective rather than the giver's. Somebody may “feel” that aparticular training development is essential. If the teachers don't want it, the programme would fall flat and alsogreat discontentment.Author: www.learnmile.comMatt Damon, Hollywood Actor 26 11

ScholasticUpdating and enriching Teachers:School's in-house teacher trainingThe highs of having an in-house arrangement :Saves on time, moneyLess problems related to commuting, spaceallows flexibility in time,allows easy permutation and combinations for allotting teachers and providing substitute teachersteachers are in their own comfort zone hence would feel less inhibited.The lows -the team may want an “outing'” in terms of place, hence may not react positively to such an arrangement.High Familiarity of the resource person may not attract the groupNevertheless, teachers need to be updated and equipped. The schools cannot expect results after suchdevelopmental activities. Time needs to be given to the teachers and students to be benefitted. Instantgratification may not be possible.The success of such development activities depend ona. Proper planning of timeb. Precise and ad hoc sessions at appropriate intervals of timec. Need based allotment – for individuals and groupsd. Appropriate infrastructure -need not necessarily be fancy and expensivee. Effective and qualified resource personsSchools / Principals need to touch the “child” in the teacher for such developmental activities so that the teachersdon't say “awww….no” but “oh! Yes!!”Dr. Jyothy RamachandranMember, Academic Council & Digital Learning SpecialistSchoolguru Eduserve Pvt Ltd, MumbaiAuthor: www.learnmile.comMatt Damon, Hollywood Actor 26 12

EducastTMSEPTEMBER 2013Teachers day specialTeachers foster the future,empower learners every day.It is perhaps one of the most challenging responsibilities.Through this journey, as a teacher,we also note several anecdotes, incidents and experiences.Some of them leave an indelible mark on us and some arebest cherished in moments of light hearted fun.What has been one such experiencefor you being a teacher.Learnmile invites teachers to share your experiences in200-300 words along with a picture. Some chosenexperiences shall be shared in the Teacher's day specialissue of Educast in september.Feel free to write in to us at solutions@learnmile.com.The last date for entries is 4th Sept'13.

News & TrendsICFAI, Virtusa to sign pactThe ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education andVirtusa, an information technology company hasdecided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.The objective is to impart technical knowledge oncertain platforms which are required by the industry.A separate elective course will be offered with aspecial focus on industry-academia interaction.Students will have the opportunity to do internshipwith Virtusa.The MoU will be signed by Mr.Keith Modder, ChiefOperating Officer, Virtusa Colombo and Dr J.Mahender Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, ICFAI inHyderabad. The IT company also hires students fromICFAI as part of their campus recruitment process.The highlights of the partnership will include trainingof faculty of science and technology of ICFAIUniversity, student internships and placements inVirtusa, a release said.Source: The HinduLast year, with an objective of spreading awarenessabout importance of NAAC accreditation, thedepartment had formed a state-level qualityassurance cell (SLQAC). The cell was assigned to holdworkshops and seminars to teach educationalinstitutions about benefits of accreditation from theNAAC.Citing benefits of NAAC, department officials said:“The NAAC accredited institutions may come to knowits strengths, weaknesses and opportunities throughan informed review process. Besides, agencies canfund the accredited comfortably as they have allinformation about institutions on the basis of NAACaccreditation.”In case of losing UGC grants, colleges won't be ableto upgrade infrastructure and other such importantwork on the campus.Source: TOI100 colleges may face UGC actionAround 100 colleges in Madhya Pradesh are likely tomiss annual grants of University Grants Commission(UGC) and face action including de-recognition fromnext session for their failure to get accreditation fromNational Assessment and Accreditation Council(NAAC).Despite instructions from the Higher EducationDepartment to send online requests for NAACaccreditation by July 19, several colleges have notapplied so far.Of 353 government colleges in the state, only 80colleges have the NAAC accreditations. Around 50colleges have applied for the NAAC accreditation sofar.NTPC to set up engineering college in MadhyaPradeshPower producing major NTPC, will be setting up atechnology institute in Madhya Pradesh as part ofplan to contribute to the community development ofthe state.“Setting up of the engineering college at Shivpuri willenhance the accessibility of local people to technicaldegree courses which will be of help to the people ofthe State besides contributing in overall developmentof the district. This gesture of NTPCBSE -0.95 % ofpartnership in setting up of this engineering collegewill help in further enhancing the cordial relationshipwith the Madhya Pradesh Government,” NTPC said ina statement.Madhya Pradesh Government has been interactingwww.learnmile.com 214

News & Trendswith various central public sector undertakingsoperating in the state to set up professional institutesin the state. It has been desired that NTPC shouldconsider the establishment of such an institute inview of its big plans in the state. The NTPC respondedfavourably on account of its commitment to thedevelopment of technical education in MadhyaPradesh.The NTPC Western Region II operates three superthermal power stations in Madhya Pradesh andChhattisgarh contributing 9340 MW from its 2600MW Korba , 2980 MW Sipat and 3760 MW fromVindhyachal.Source : The Economic Timesagony of taking multiple entrance exams, would helpend the confusion caused by seats blocked bystudents who are selected in many colleges and thenopt for the best,” said a government official.The top court's verdict on Thursday to scrap thecommon entrance test restored the powers ofprivate colleges to admit students as per their ownnorms. But the SC said this year's admissions will notbe disturbed.Source:HTCommon medicalexam may be backCommon medical exam may be backThe Centre made clear its intention to explore alllegal and legislative options to reverse thecontroversial Supreme Court judgment scrapping thecommon entrance test for admission to medical anddental colleges.“We will go to any extent to get the commonentrance test restored,” said an official. The NationalEligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which was heldfor the first time this year, was taken by more than 7lakh students.The options being explored by the governmentinclude filing a review petition in the Supreme Courtand taking the matter to Parliament if unanimityemerges among political parties.Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad met officials in hisministry to discuss the judgment's ramifications. “Alot of time and money was spent on conducting theNEET. The decision to scrap it is troublesome forstudents,” he said, adding the judgment was againststudents' interests.“The common test, apart from sparing students theJindal university to train civil servantsThe O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Haryana'sSonipat district will conduct state-specificprogrammes for civil servants of various states.JGU registrar Y.S.R. Murthy Sunday said the universityhas completed a one-week intensive trainingprogramme on “Public Policy and Governance” at itscampus, 50 km from Delhi, for Odisha AdministrativeService (OAS) officers.The training programme was evolved by the JindalSchool of Government and Public Policy (JSGP) toaddress public policy and governance challengespertinent to Odisha, Murthy said. The programmeincluded a familiarisation visit to Delhi Metro RailCorporation (DMRC), known for its successful policymakingand execution.Vice chancellor C. Raj Kumar said JGU had conductedtraining programmes for IAS and IPS officers earlier.He affirmed the university's commitment todeveloping public policy and governance capacities inthe country.Lt. Gen. Rajesh Kochhar, head of Jindal Institute ofLeadership Development and Executive Education,said the training programmes are two-way processeswww.learnmile.com 215

News & Trendsthat benefit trainees as well as resource persons,government and academia, that enrich both practiceand theory.Source: Business Standardstudents from the School of Biotechnology, KIIT, thespokesperson said.Founded by leading social entrepreneur AchyutaSamanta, KIIT is a group of professional institutes –KIIT University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences– that provide free education and vocational trainingto more than 20,000 tribal students.Source: Business StandardOdisha-based KIIT inks pact with eight universitiesaboardBhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of IndustrialTechnology (KIIT) University announced that it hadentered into agreements of mutual cooperation withsix Korean and two African universities.“The pacts were signed during the World EducationLeaders' Forum held in Busan, South Korea recently,”a senior university official told IANS.KIIT signed the pact with Jungwon University,Hanbuk National University, Kyungpook NationalUniversity, Chosun University, Dong-A University andDong Uie University in Korea, and Kenyatta Universityand Open University of Tanzania in Africa, he said.According to the provisions of the agreement,students of KIIT University would get an opportunityto visit the partner universities in Korea and Africa.Travelling expenses would be partially borne by KIIT,while lodging and boarding would be taken care of bythe host universities.The secretary-general of the forum Lee Hakchunexpressed his desire to establish a Korean EducationCentre at KIIT University, he said. He also showed hisinterest in 2+2 system between KIIT University andthe Korean universities, besides opening a cyberuniversity for long-distance learning.Emmanuel Dolo, National Youth Policy Advisor to thepresident of Liberia expressed his desire to sendstudents to KIIT.Tolly Mbwette, vice chancellor, Open University ofTanzania would be visiting KIIT in September this yearto strengthen ties between the two universities.Similarly, Young Woo Jin, chief executive officer ofUNHWA Corporation, a South Korean researchorientedcompany, showed keenness in recruitingFinally, IT finds place in engineering vocational listThe hundreds of students who were deprived ofengineering admissions only because they had takeninformation technology (IT) as vocational subject forjunior college can breathe easy now.After two months of confusion, the stategovernment has issued a government resolution (GR)stating that IT has now been included in thevocational list like chemistry/biotechnology/biologysubjects. The state government has directed theinstitutes to admit such students.IT was not listed under Directorate of TechnicalEducation (DTE) as a vocational subject despite itbeing listed in the All India Council for TechnicalEducation (AICTE) vocational subject list.Admitting the delay in recognising IT as a vocationalsubject for first year engineering admissions, ministerfor technical and higher education Rajesh Tope said,“There was some confusion over it and thus the delayhappened.”Speaking to DNA, Tope said, “Actually, there weretwo strong viewpoints regarding the inclusion andexclusion of the subject for FE (first year engineeringadmissions). We tried to find a balance betweenthem on the lines of the rules and regulations ofAICTE.”Source: DNAwww.learnmile.com 216

News & TrendsGauhati University abolishes paid seats at PG levelBowing down to pressure from the students' union ofGauhati University (GU), the authorities have decidedto do away with the practice of admitting students ondonations.The decision came after the Post Graduate Students'Union (PGSU) launched an indefinite strike on theuniversity premises on Friday demanding abolition ofthe paid seats in 11 postgraduate courses. Theuniversity authorities gave a written assurance to thestudents' union that the paid seats in the postgraduatecourses will be abolished from 2013-14academic sessions itself.According to officials, there were nine paid seats inthe education department, six in biotechnology, six incommunication and journalism, five each in English,library and information science and statistics, foureach in psychology and electronics andcommunication, three in instrumentation and twoeach in philosophy and environmental science.“There will be no paid seats in the postgraduatecourses of the university from now onwards. Thestudents' community was against reserving seats andafter discussing the matter we have decided toabolish the paid seats. It was also decided to convertthe paid seats into general seats,” said A K Das,secretary (in-charge), university classes of GU.Source: TOIBaddi University collaborates with IBM to offerjob-ready coursesHimachal Pradesh-based Baddi University hascollaborated with IBM to offer joint BTech ComputerScience & Engineering (CSE) program with industryvertical & technology specialisations through theirSolan campus. The joint initiative is aimed to makestudents from the university employment readywhen they graduate.As part of the partnership, IBM will design and deliverthe new set of technology & domain courses andtrain the faculty on the same. The university willengage with students and deliver these courses aswell as provide the marketing & infrastructuresupport to run these programmes. IBM will provide aweb based courseware, webinars and subject matterexpert to visit to the campus.Lovi Raj Gupta, vice chancellor of Baddi Universitysaid, “The new paradigm in the education domain isthe 'out of the box thinking'. However, nobody isdefining the box. With this initiative, Baddi University,along with IBM, have defined the box and arebringing together what is best for the students andthe industry.”The program has been extended to their existingstudents and offered to the upcoming batches ofBTech CSE students amounting to nearly 1,000students over the next 4 years.A press statement on this collaboration said that theavailability of job-ready graduates will also help fillthe gap within the IT industry, where fresh graduatestake long unproductive time to get deployed oncustomer sites or projects.Gauhati University abolishespaid seats at PG level“Today, there is a greater demand for skilledtechnology professionals. This initiative will equip thestudents, at Baddi University, to adapt to thedynamics in the industry and drive technology andbusiness innovation. These courses will imbibe deeptheoretical knowledge in students, coupled withbroad-based industry alignment, interaction, talentdiscoverability as well as excellence in theirprofessional practice,” said Subram Natarajan,Executive – Systems Solutions Center, DeepComputing and STG Education, IBM India South Asia.Source: Business Standardwww.learnmile.com 17

News & TrendsPanel formed to draft new law for universitiesThe state government has constituted a committeeof experts to draft a new law for universities,incorporating all the ingredients of Bihar StateUniversities Act-1976, Patna University Act-1976, thelegal provisions needed in the present context and allthe regulations of the state and central governmentframed from time to time for the universities of thestate.The committee will draft the new law against thebackdrop of the government's stress on making theNational Higher Education Campaign under the 12thfive-year Plan a success.The committee has six members, including N RMadhwan Menon, A Lakshminath, Venkatesh Kumarand Tej Bahadur Singh. The draft will be submitted tothe state government, according to sources.Source: TOIFewer B-schools opt for CAT, thanks to riggedscore rowAfter the controversy over rigged scores of severalcandidates a month ago, the charm of CommonAdmission Test (CAT) seems to be on the decline.Only 93 management institutes have signed up forCAT this year as compared to 138 a year ago.Conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management(IIM), CAT is a test for admission into a two-year MBAcourse in the 13 IIMs. Due to its high credibility, top B-schools in the country too give admission on the basisof CAT scores.about inflated scores on the CAT website. Thewebsite was managed by a private web-hostingagency.Source: DNAIIM-Ahmedabad to admit fewer engineers from2014With CAT-2013, there may be fewer engineers amongnew students given admission at the Indian Instituteof Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).In a significant change in its admissions policy, thepremier management institute has decided toincrease the number of students from nonengineeringbackground to 18% from the current 4%.Further, under the new system, the number ofstudents without work experience or a postgraduatedegree is also set to increase in the personalinterview round at IIM-A as the institute will not giveany points for work experience or for a master'sdegree. Currently, fresh graduates constitute around27% of a new batch.According to the institute, over 96% of students in the2012-14 and 2013-15 batches have an engineeringbackground. To reduce this figure to the mid-80s, IIM-A has proposed two major changes in CAT-2013 thatwill have considerable impact on the composition ofthe batch: the formula for calculating the applicationrating has been changed, and a provision for directshortlist for the written analysis and personalinterview (WA-PI) round for top performers in thefive academic categories has been included.Source: TOIAs per the CAT website, only 93 institutes haveregistered till now. The registration for candidateswas to start from July 29 but it will now start on Aug5.CAT was engulfed in a controversy in June this year,five months after declaration of the results for 2012,when IIMs were alerted by an anonymous callerwww.learnmile.com 18

Market WatchCompaniesShare scripScripmovementP/E ratioEPSEPS(Previous qtr)Qtrly Revenue(in crs)Net OperatingMargins %Net OperatingMargins(previous qtr)MONTH : AUGUSTEducompTreehouseEveronnZee LearnNIITAptechBirla ShlokaCore EdutechEdserveJetkingCareer Point19.20252.9026.118.0518.2062.002.8318.13.0240.7065.003.23%1.00%4.61%1.12%4.00%0.98%4.81%4.93%4.86%4.91%0.84%1574NA120NA8128NA15231.323.42-31.660.15-0.520.771.322.34NA2.712.860.62–-59.11-0.21––0.13.77NA23.17125.37*40.88^13.77”33.52^126.84^25.41^53.37”278.50”2.33*6.86”18.83*12.58%30.10%-502.72%9.68%-6.75%14.80%5.19%9.57%-82.73%16.87%27.54%5.26%–-826.98%-20.18%–--0.44%15.28%-6.93%10.37%31.59%# As on 12th August'13 from BSE India$ movement w.r.t previous day closing*Quarterly revenue for quarter ending Dec'12"Quarterly revenue for quarter ending Mar'13^ Quarterly revenue for quarter ending Jun'13www.learnmile.com 219

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