India to help Vietnamese teachers in English training

New Delhi: Vietnam will be sending teachers to India for English training, besides sourcing English teachers from India, according to the ministry of human resource development. The objective behind the entire exercise will be to prepare 20,000 English teachers in Vietnam over the next few years.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan Thursday presented the proposal to union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

According to secretary (school education), the Central Board of School Education could provide the necessary training in India, through its Sahodaya School network.

English and Foreign Languages University (EFL-U) Hyderabad as well as Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have also agreed to cooperate with Vietnamese institutions.

EFL-U acting Vice Chancellor Amritavalli suggested that the university could prepare 300 master trainers over three years in two batches of 50 Vietnamese teachers every year. University could also send some experts to Vietnam.

India will also aid Vietnam in curriculum development. This cooperation would include the offering of Indian studies in Vietnam and Vietnam studies in India.

Sibal suggested formation of a Joint Working Group which will lay out the programme of cooperation between both the countries. 

IGNOU offers online courses on sustainable science

New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started its admission process for three online courses on sustainable sciences, a statement said on Thursday.

Admissions are open for - Leadership Programme on Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development, Appreciation Programme on Sustainable Management of Ganga - A Scientific Approach and Leadership Programme on Himalayan Ecosystems for the May 2012 session.

"The objective of these programmes is to sensitize policy makers, administrators, scientists and other stakeholders in the emerging discipline of sustainability science," said the statement.

"The aspirants must be graduates in any subject," it added.

As per IGNOU, the courses offer a complete virtual learning environment covering all activities, from registration to certification.

"It consists of integrated multimedia course ware, online counseling and mentoring, 24x7 learner support; group-based online seminar, online project platform and online examination," said the statement. 

Better times ahead for India on job hiring: Study

Mumbai: India is expected to see better times in job hiring in mid-management and senior levels, according to a poll conducted by a job search portal.

"Our latest study indicates that senior professionals are fairly optimistic about job prospects in the year ahead. About 83 per cent of senior professionals expect better times ahead," HeadHonchos.com CEO Uday Sodhi said.

"As a leading career portal, exclusively focused on senior candidates, we pro-actively interact with professionals to understand their mood and view of the future," he said.

The findings of the poll are an important determinant of hiring in the crucial mid-management and senior levels in an
organisation, as positive feedback points towards employee readiness to make a job change, the portal said.

This is in contrast to the mindset during economic slowdowns, when employees play safe and prefer not to shift their present job, it said.

The poll revealed that 39 per cent of the respondents were of the opinion that the economy and the job market will see growth in the year ahead.

It also said 44 per cent of the respondents expectedly the job market to witness fluctuations, but did not have a pessimistic outlook.

Only 17 per cent respondents were apprehensive and felt that the economic scenario would continue to be bleak, with a slowdown in hiring activity.  

Vazhikatti begins at Kovai and Madurai

Kovai/Madurai: Students popular career guidance programme "Vazhikatti", jointly organized by Dinamalar and SRM University got off to a great start in Kovai and Madurai today, which would go on until April 1.

In Kovai, "Vazhikatti" programme began at the Coddissia grounds this morning and in Madurai it got underway at the Lakshmi Sundaram Hall, Tallakulam. Every year, Dinamalar in association with SRM Varsity conducts Vazhikatti to facilitate students completing plus two, towards choosing the appropriate course and career.

Along with Dinamalar, the other co-parterners taking part in this noble venture are Pudhiya Thalaimurai, SVS Group of institutions, Nehru Group of educational institutions, KMCH Group of institutions, Sri Easver Engineerinng college, Sabols water and Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. 

In the three-day programme, eminent personalities provide elite lectures from 10:00 to 11:30 AM and 4:00 to 5:30 PM on wide-ranging topics related to career choices and optional studies.

Assisting students and parents on various colleges, courses, there are nearly 100 stalls in the programme at both Kovai and Madurai, with some specific colleges even providing 'spot admission' to aspiring students.

The delight of the programme is a free entry to everyone with an exclusive career guidance book providing scores of information on educational institutions, courses and lucrative careers.        

Commonwealth Scholarships

University Of Southampton’s Centre for Research on Ageing, UK, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, is offering ten scholarships for students to study on the MSc Gerontology (distance learning) programme for the year 2012-13. The programme aims to train students in ageing over the course of life through the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The scholarships cover the cost of tuition fees (£6,500 per year) for the programme, teaching and learning materials, and travel to the accommodation, and subsistence for the week-long MSc Gerontology (distance learning) residential course at the university in spring 2013. The course will allow students to acquire specialist knowledge in Gerontology and key research skills.

The eligibility criteria is a high second-class (2:1) Bachelor's honours or equivalent degree in the social sciences or in a field relevant to gerontology and ageing. The application has to be submitted online. 

The deadline to apply is May 30.

For details, log on to www.southampton.ac.uk/ageing/postgraduate/scholarships.page

Campus placement in ITM University

Gwalior. As we all know good education doesn’t make your career it’s the right job which also an important element of good and successful career and to provide good placement to its students ITM University organized campus placement. Companies like Unicorn investment, state bank of India, Asian paints set up campus placement to get the best suited candidate to work in their respective companies. 

ITM University once again gave a very priceless gift to its students by organizing campus placement. Big companies like State Bank of India, Asian Paints, and Unicorn Investment etc. were part of this placement.  Placement procedure has three stages first written test, then selected candidates has to go through group discussion and then in the last personal interview. Companies have selected 38 candidates who going to be a part of their company. 


1.    Gati Limited selected 8 candidates
2.     State Bank Of India selected 10 candidates
3.    Unicorn Investment selected 10 candidates
4.     Thomson Press selected 2 candidates
5.     Asian Paints selected 8 candidates      

Monthly scholarship for students in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government announced a monthly scholarship of Rs 500 for economically backward students. 

For the education sector, Gehlot proposed to upgrade 200 higher primary government schools to the level of secondary, as many secondary school to the level of senior secondary and opening of science stream in  100 senior secondary schools and commerce in as many schools. 

He announced a scholarship scheme of 500 per month for such students, who are not availing any other scholarship scheme and with family income is up to Rs 1 lakh annually, till completion of their higher studies or for a period of maximum 5 year. 

One lakh students who are in the merit list of 12th Rajasthan board exams will be given the scholarship, he said. 

Shiv Sena demands suspension of Mumbai University VC

Mumbai: Shiv Sena legislators and a few members of the Mumbai University Senate Friday demanded the suspension of varsity Vice Chancellor Rajan Welukar alleging that he is ineffective in handling the administration of the university.

Led by senior leader Subhash Desai, a delegation met Maharashtra Governor and Chancellor of Mumbai University K. Sankaranarayanan, requesting him to appoint an administrator in Welukar's place.

Citing "many serious irregularities" in the university, the delegation highlighted the recent problem of leaking of question papers of T.Y.B.Com examination, wrong question paper being given to 600 students of Commerce and chaos in the distribution of hall tickets to the students.

The governor told the delegation that he had a detailed discussion with the vice chancellor on various issues raised by the members earlier in the day and that he has directed the vice chancellor to make sure  that no student suffers on account of lapses on the part of the university.

As regards the issue of key university positions such as pro vice-chancellor, registrar, controller of examinations, etc. lying vacant in the university, the governor said he will ensure that the vacancies are filled as early as possible.

Eight IIM-B graduates awarded gold medals

Bangalore: Eight bright students of the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) were Friday awarded gold medals for their outstanding performance in the post-graduate programme (PGPs) courses at the B-school's 37th annual convocation in this tech hub.

Of the 371 graduates passing out from the reputed institute in management course, gold medallists Ritesh Ritollia bagged first rank and Shravan Chandra second rank while Anish Nazimudden was judged for best all-round performance.

In the software enterprise management course, gold medallists Harsh Vitthal Badli secured first rank while P.S. Sanjeev Kumar was honoured for best all-round performance among 96 graduates.

Out of 28 students who passed in the public policy and management course, gold medallist Neelima Rebecca Phillips got the best academic performance.

Of the 62 graduates in the executive management course, gold medallists Vimal Chandra was ranked first while Harish Balkrishna Shetty was selected for best all-round performance.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor D. Subbarao, who was the chief guest at the convocation, presented the degrees to the two-year PGP batch of 571 students passing out in the four main courses.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, who is also chairman of the B-school, addressed the students in the presence of their parents, director Pankaj Chandra, institute faculty and distinguished invitees.

An electrical engineer from IIT-Roorkee, Ritolia will soon join Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New Delhi, while bio-engineer from IIT-Kanpur Sharma has been selected by the global financial services firm Nomura to work in its London office.

Nazimudden, an electronics engineer from Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) at Pilani in Rajasthan, will also join BCG as a management consultant.

Similarly, Badli, a computer science grad from Visvesvaraya Technology University (VTU) at Belgaum in Karnataka, is a geek at Honeywell Technology Solutions Ltd.

Kumar heads solutions engineering for the APAC region at Philips Lighting and Neelima is an additional general manager in the state-run BSNL at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Vimal Chandra, an electronics engineer from Lucknow, has worked in various capacities at Indian Oil and IT bellwether Infosys, and Shetty, an electrical engineer from Mumbai University, will soon join Tata Consulting Services (TCS) in Mumbai.

No hike in H-1B visa fee for next year, says US

Washington: The US government has clarified that there will be no hike in fee for H-1B work visa for professionals next year.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had on March 28 in a press release detailed application procedure for H-1B visa for fiscal year 2013 which was wrongly interpreted as hike in visa fee.
    
Subsequently, USCIS as well as Indian IT industry body Nasscom have clarified that there is no hike in the visa fee.

The US immigration agency announced that applications for the most sought after H-1B work visa used extensively by Indian IT professionals for the fiscal year 2013 would be accepted from April 2.

The congressionally mandated numerical limitation on H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2013 is 65,000, as has been in the previous year.

Additionally, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a US masters degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap.

The USCIS said H-1B applications will be considered accepted on the date it takes possession of a properly filed petition with correct fee and not the date on which it was sent.

"If the number of applications received exceeds the numerical cap, USCIS will randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit from the pool of petitions received on the final receipt date," USCIS said in a statement, adding that it will reject cap-subject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date.

Petitions for new H-1B employment are exempt from the annual cap if the beneficiaries will work at institutions of higher education or related or affiliated non-profit entities, non-profit research organisations or governmental research organisations, USCIS said.
    
The department also listed out the details of fees to be filed by the applicants for H-1B visas, which starts from a base fee of USD 325 for fiscal year 2013.

It is charging USD 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time equivalent employees, and USD 1,500 for employers with 26 or more full-time equivalent employees.

There is another USD 500 listed as fraud prevention and detection fee.
    
A fee of USD 2,000 is to be paid by the petitioner who employs 50 or more employees in the US - where more than 50 per cent of its workers in the US are in H-1B or L-1 non-immigrant status. 

Meghalaya forms advisory council to ensure right to education

Shillong: The Meghalaya government has constituted a state advisory council mandated to advise the government for smooth implementation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), officials said.

Chaired by Education Minister R C Laloo, "the state advisory council is mandated to advise the state government on issues pertaining to the smooth implementation of the RTE in the state," a recent notification in this regard said.

The body will have principals of leading schools and colleges in the state as non-official members.

Eight official members to the council include the executive chairman of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE), officials from law and social welfare department besides the principal secretary of the education department, officials said.

Further, the state government had also constituted a Right to Education Protection Authority (REPA) aimed at safeguarding the rights of children to free and compulsory education.

Kerma Lyngdoh, former Pro Vice-Chancellor of North Eastern Hill University, heads the REPA and assisted by Carmo Noronha, director of Bethany Society and St Edmund's social welfare department head lecturer Farida Warjri.  

The REPA is also mandated to inquire into complaints with regards to the RTE in Meghalaya.

The implementation of the RTE is expected to begin from 2013 onwards in Meghalaya after the government has re-drafted certain parts of the approved rules which stakeholders in education had vehemently opposed to.

The Committee on Subordinate legislation had tabled its report on the floor of the House recently with recommendations and suggestions to effectively implement the RTE rules, 2011. 

Top American universities to participate in Yale Hindi debate

Washington: Students from top American universities, including Columbia, Cornell and Harvard, would participate in the fourth edition of the Yale Hindi debate.

The one of its kind debate with the preliminary on March 30 and final on April 6, the students from these top American universities would debate on theme "Higher education is not worth it".

The debate, a pride for the Yale, was started in 2008 as an internal competition; it has since over the years grown to become a national event, the university said in a statement.

Debate witnesses participation from undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty from Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Pennsylvania, New York University, Cornell, Wellesley, UCLA, Welseyan and Texas. It's a platform for students to debate issues of social, economic and political relevance.

The annual Yale Hindi Debate was conceptualized and founded by Nikhil Sud, a 2006 graduate of St. Columbas School in New Delhi and a 2010 graduate of Yale College who is now studying at the Yale Law School.

"It has been an incredibly gratifying experience to have founded the Yale Hindi Debate and to have been able to nurture it, making it bigger and better every year," Sud said.

In the statement, the university said the Yale Hindi Debate has truly emerged as one of the most unique and significant efforts of the Yale India Initiative and the growth of South Asian Studies in the USA, an initiative that not only bolsters the study of South Asian languages and cultures at the universities, but also transcends it, as the issues debated pertain to society as a whole, not only to members of the South Asian community. 

Gang dupe students

New Delhi: Twelve youths, including eight women, were arrested for allegedly duping a number of students seeking education loans, police said.

Investigators said the gang, including two graduates who worked in multinational banks, siphoned more than Rs 45 lakh from students who were seeking education loans. Thirty-six bank accounts have been unearthed.

"The racketeers had been operating for the past one year and had duped hundreds of students across the country," Ashok Chand, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), said.

The arrests came following investigations into a complaint filed by a student from north Delhi that he was duped of Rs 16,800 on the pretext of providing him easy education loan by a firm Rotomax Finance Pvt Ltd.

"He had seen a newspaper advertisement promising loans. A woman executive told him that that Rs three lakh could be arranged for him. She directed him to send his education qualification documents on email and debit Rs 250 in an account. Later he was told to deposit Rs 5,000 in an SBI account to enable them to verify the documents.

"He deposited the said amount at the given bank account. He again received a call from a lady who informed him that his loan had been approved and their agent will deliver the Demand Draft of Rs. 3 lacs at his home. However, he again received a call and was directed to hand over an amount of Rs 10,000 as insurance against the loan," Chand said.

He handed over the amount to a man at Azadpur Bus Terminal and again he was asked to pay Rs 1,550. "After depositing this, whenever he tried to contact the loan providers on the given mobile numbers his telephone calls were never picked up. Then he approached police," Chand said.

During investigations, it came to light that the mobile numbers were obtained on forged documents as well as bank accounts had also been opened on forged documents.

Police also managed to track down the accused in Rohini Sector-8. Sandeep Kakkar (25), his brother Vishal Deep Kakkar (22) and eight women were first arrested. Their interrogation led to the arrest of Sandeep Bajaj (25) and Ram Avtar (27).

The racketeers used 36 bank accounts opened on forged documents and 27 mobile phone SIM cards also obtained on forged documents. They never operated a bank account for more than a couple of months to avoid detection, Chand said.

The gang paid a rent of Rs 17,500 per month for the second floor office in Rohini, Delhi.  

On an average, they paid each woman employee Rs 10,000 per month plus incentives.  

Bajaj and Avtar, both graduates, worked with multinational banks as marketing executives till about a year ago. He met Ram Avtar and they allegedly started providing forged documents and got opened bank accounts on forged documents. 

UK mission in Delhi receives 6,388 forged student visa forms

London: The spurt in the number of forgeries detected in the student visa applications lodged in New Delhi during 2010 had prompted the British high commission to stop accepting new applications, official sources said here.

A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said that 6,388 forgeries were detected in the New Delhi office, which was a considerable increase compared to the number of such cases detected in previous years: 2,846 in 2009 and 2,153 in 2008.

In February 2010, the UK Border Agency stopped accepting new Tier 4 (students) applications from North India, Nepal and Bangladesh due to the surge in numbers, while it reviewed existing applications.

The ban was lifted fully in August 2010.

The NAO report said up to 50,000 non-EU migrants may have exploited flaws in the student visa system from 2009 because the Border Agency implemented Tier 4 system before key controls were in place.

"Based on college enrolment rates and changes in application patterns, the NAO estimates that, in its first year of operation, between 40,000 and 50,000 individuals may have entered the UK via Tier 4 to work rather than to study," the report said.

The highest number of forgeries in student visa applications were detected in Islamabad, New Delhi, Dhaka and Chennai, the report states.

The NAO said that the Border Agency had taken little action to prevent and detect students overstaying or working in breach of their visa conditions because the Agency regards them as low priority compared to illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers.
"The Agency introduced new controls in 2011 and a fully-documented compliance strategy in December 2011 that are likely to reduce the number of problem students.

"But it will not be possible to determine the value for money of the Points Based System for students, unless the Agency establishes ways to measure its success in tackling abuse, including how it deals with overstaying, and to establish the full cost of its Tier 4 related activities", it said.

Criticising the David Cameron government, Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said: "This is one of the most shocking reports of poor management leading to abuse that I have seen.  

The agency needs to get a grip and fix the way it deals with student visas."

But immigration minister Damian Green said: "This government has introduced radical reforms in order to stamp out abuse and restore order to the uncontrolled student visa system we inherited."

Green added: "These include tough new rules on English language, working rights and dependants to ensure only legitimate students come to the UK.

New restrictions on post-study work mean that all but the very best will return home after study."

Claiming that the new measures were “beginning to bite”, Green said that the number of student visas issued had dropped considerably in the second half of 2011, compared to the same period in 2010. 

ETT supplementary exam postponed

Chandigarh: Supplementary examination of physical education paper for third semester of 2009-11 and 2010-12 session of Elementary Teachers Training, that was scheduled for March 29, has been postponed to April 17, officials said here.
 
The practical examination of ETT for 2011-13 session has also been postponed to March 29, they said. 

Revised schedule of Matric exams announced

Cuttack (Odisha): Giving a much-needed relief to matriculation examinees of Odisha, Board of Secondary Education (BSE) announced that the suspended examinations of regular stream students would resume from April 17 and continue till April 26.
 
After hectic deliberations for last two days, the examination committee fixed the new dates of the examinations with English on April 17, Third Language on 19, Mathematics on 21, Physical Science on 23, Life Science on 24, History on 25 and Geography on April 26, officials said.
 
The MIL paper of the students was over on March 19 before the examinations were suspended on March 21 after some question papers were stolen from a centre.
        
"The new timetable of the examinations has been endorsed by the government and we are working on modalities on how to keep the question papers safely at examination centres so that this type of unfortunate situations are not repeated again", Board president Satyakam Mishra said. 

H-1B visa applications to be accepted from April 2

Washington: Applications for the most sought after H-1B work visa – used extensively by Indian IT professionals – for the fiscal beginning October 1, would be accepted from April 2, a federal immigration agency announced.

The congressionally mandated numerical limitation on H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2012-13 is 65,000, as has been in the previous years.

Additionally, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a US masters degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said H1B applications will be considered accepted on the date it takes possession of a properly filed petition with correct fee and not the date on which it was sent.

"If the number of applications received exceeds the numerical cap, USCIS will randomly select the number of petitions required to reach the numerical limit from the pool of petitions received on the final receipt date," USCIS said in a statement, adding that it will reject cap-subject petitions that are not selected, as well as those received after the final receipt date.

Petitions for new H-1B employment are exempt from the annual cap if the beneficiaries will work at institutions of higher education or related or affiliated non-profit entities, non-profit research organisations or governmental research organisations, USCIS said.

Petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries who will work only in Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are exempt from the cap until December 31, 2014.

Employers may continue to file petitions for these cap-exempt H-1B categories seeking work dates starting in FY 2012, it said.

USCIS said that up to 6,800 visas are set aside from the cap of 65,000 during each fiscal year for the H-1B1 programme under the terms of the legislation implementing the US-Chile and US-Singapore Free Trade Agreements.

Unused numbers in this pool are made available for H-1B use for the next fiscal year.

The federal agency cautioned applicants from filing duplicate applications.

To ensure fair and orderly distribution of available H-1B visas, USCIS will deny or revoke multiple or duplicative petitions filed by an employer for the same H-1B worker and will not refund the filing fees submitted with multiple or duplicative petitions, it said.

In another statement, USCIS listed out the details of the fees to be filed by the applicants for H-1B visas. It starts from a base fee of USD 325 to USD 2,000 by the petitioner which employs 50 or more employees in the US where more than 50 per cent of its workers in the US are in H-1B or L-1 non-immigrant status.

Such a move is expected to hit majorly Indian IT companies.

USCIS this year is charging USD 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time equivalent employees, and USD 1,500 for employers with 26 or more full-time equivalent employees.

There is another USD 500 listed as fraud prevention and detection fee.

And employers seeking premium processing service, in which application is processed within 15 days, need to submit an additional USD 1,225, it said. 

UP Govt orders teachers to inform DMs before leaving districts

Lucknow: In a bid to strengthen primary education in the state, Uttar Pradesh government asked teachers to inform concerned District Magistrates before venturing out of the districts.
 
Informing Basic Education Minister, Ram Govind Chowdhury about the government decision, said, if any Basic Shiksha Adhikaris leaves his concerned district without prior information, strict action would be initiated against him.
 
The Minister also directed various officers of the Basic Education Department to ensure publication of academic books, to be distributed among the children, before the commencement of next session in July. 

Soon, English language labs for NCC cadets

LUCKNOW: For overall personality development of its cadets, the National Cadet Corps will set up English language labs in its academies. An announcement to this effect was made by NCC director general P S Bhalla, who was in the city on Thursday.

These labs will first be set up at headquarters' level and then taken to other levels. Each lab would be provided with computers having special software. Teachers will also be appointed to impart lessons to the students. "Most of our cadets want to join the services. But very few are able to make it. Lack of knowledge of English language is one of the main reasons that hamper their growth. This shortcoming needs to be addressed so that more cadets could realise their dreams,'' he said.

Roping in more girl cadets is another important aim of the NCC, said the officer.

He added that as of now, 24% cadets are girls, but the defence ministry wants to increase their number so that they form at least 36% of our cadet population.

"For this, the ministry is working to open more units, some of which will be all-girls units. Like other states,  several units will be raised in UP. In fact, talks are on with the state government in this regard," he said.

ITM University organizes a seminar on Clean energy resources and its value

Gwalior. ITM University organizes seminar on the topic ‘Clean energy resources and its value’. On this occasion Chief Guest ITM University’s vice-chancellor gave vital information to students about the 3rd and 4th generation elements and how they are important in generating energy.

On the second day of National Science Day celebration ITM University organized a seminar on clean energy sources. Delhi University’s A.S. Hashmi said that in order to get rid off pollution we should concentrate on vehicles which runs on electricity rather then relying on vehicles which runs on petrol or disel, as they are the major cause of pollution. 

Jiwaji University’s Prof. A.K Shrivastav informed students about the nuclear energy and its important to save our nuclear resources. With   this two days celebration of National Science Day got over and prizes were given to students who came first in their respective competition.

 In painting competition Ujjwal Saxena came first, Pinky Thakur stood first in debate, in poster making it was jointly won by Pinky Thakur and Maya Dubey.

Nine more private nursing colleges raided in Jodhpur

Jodhpur: Cracking the whip on private nursing colleges running in violation of norms across the state, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) today raided nine more colleges in the city. 

Out of the nine colleges raided today, six were either non-existent or lacking basic infrastructural facilities as prescribed by the Indian Nursing Council, ACB Pratap Singh said. 

"We went to the addresses, these colleges had given to the state government and surprisingly, two of them not even had any building at the mentioned address," he said. Other four colleges had incomplete infrastructure and were lacking in either equipments, laboratories, rooms or other amenities. "We have seized their records and are investigating them," he said. 

The ACB has collected registration and other documents from all 200 nursing colleges in the state to find out if they had committed any irregularities. The ACB had raided over 50 nursing colleges in the state recently. 

The Rajasthan Private Nursing College Federation had condemned the step and had called a one-day bandh of nursing colleges across the state on March 17.

Maha opposition demands suspension of Mumbai Universitys VC

Mumbai: Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned twice today after the Opposition strongly demanded suspension of Mumbai University's Vice-Chancellor Rajan Welukar for a series of good-ups. 

Soon after the debate on the Budget got over, Shiv Senas Deepak Sawant through point of order apprised the House about blunders committed by the university recently including leaking of a paper in the university exam. 

"Some students did not receive hall tickets on time, some students complained of change in examination centres without intimation. Besides, there was a paper leak," he lamented. 

Demanding immediate suspension of Welukar, Opposition MLCs Vinod Tawade, Diwakar Raote, Ramdas Kadam, Neelam Gorhe among others went to the well of the House and shouted slogans vidyapeeth bachao, Welukar hatao(Save the University and sack Welukar). 

The Opposition MLCs also demanded the Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope to make the announcement of Welukars suspension today itself, leading to adjournment of the House twice. 

The proceedings of the House began after Tope assured the House that the sentiments of the legislators would be conveyed to the Governor K Sankarnarayan who is also the Chancellor of the Universities. 

Student tries to commit suicide after failing in one paper

Lucknow: Apparently depressed over failing in his physiology paper, an MBBS student of the Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University today allegedly tried to commit suicide by consuming a poisonous substance. 

Neeraj Kumar, an MBBS student of 2010 batch, was found unconscious in his hostel room this morning after which he was rushed to the Trauma centre, where his condition was stated to be stable. 

The students, who secured admission in the reserved category had alleged caste bias in the campus claiming that they were deliberately failed. Kumar was also a student in the reserved category. 

Kumar, a gold medalist of his batch in the anatomy discipline was not able to move to the second year because he has been repeatedly failing in his physiology subject since 2010. 

His batchmates said that he was upset after not being able to pass the physiology paper. University Vice Chancellor D K Gupta had written to the Medical Council of India last asking for permission to pass students of reserved category who could not clear their first professional exams for several years

Gemba school of HR conducted career counseling for students

Chennai: Most college students are baffled with one question -“What is my calling in life? ” which rattles them to the core.  

Its never been easy to find ones calling. Todays students have to be educated about various career options and counseled to select the right career. Choosing the right career is paramount importance to achieve success in life.

Apart from possessing employable skills, students require the right counseling about career options that would suit ones traits.

“Career Counsel 2012 ”- an event conceptualized and conducted by Gemba School of HR provided an ideal platform for students to understand what career building is all about and how one can effectively get transitioned from college to corporate environment. 

The event was held at Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Chennai on 2nd March 2012. Students from various Arts & Science and Engineering Colleges in and around Chennai participated in the event.

Eminent speakers from corporate fraternity enlightened the students about making right career choice and also highlighted industry expectations from the students. 

This event also comprised of an interactive session on “Campus to Corporate ”- How to survive and thrive in corporate world. 

Briefing on the occasion, Dr.R.Karthikeyan, Director of GEMBA School of HR, emphasized students to realize the importance of passion to achieve career success.

Students also showcased their talent in public speaking skill and the winners were awarded for their performance.

Higher education bill not to impact powers of bar council: Government

New Delhi: Amid opposition from BCI to the Higher Education and Research Bill, HRD Ministry made it clear that present powers and functions of the council with respect to legal education will not be affected by the proposed legislation.

The Ministry said the Bar Council of India (BCI) shall have the powers to lay down minimum standards for grant of degrees leading to professional practices.

Ministry officials said an overall consensus was arrived on these issues following a meeting between the bar council and HRD Ministry chaired by Kapil Sibal.

The BCI had contended that certain provisions of the proposed bill might have an adverse effect on the autonomous functioning of the body as well as of the universities providing legal education.

The bill proposes to create an overarching body in the higher education sector subsuming several other bodies including the UGC and AICTE.

Officials said BCI shall be the designated accredited agency with respect to evaluation of minimum standards and also have the powers to determine fees to be charged from institutes for the purpose of accreditation.

There was also a consensus that the council shall follow norms and process of accreditation as set out by the government or by appropriate statutory authority.

BCI, the apex body representing 1.7 million lawyers in India, had earlier submitted a memorandum to Sibal drawing his attention towards certain provisions of the draft Bill which are not acceptable to them. 

AICTE signs MoU with TISS

New Delhi: Adding value to government's skill development initiative, the AICTE roped in Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to conduct studies on skill requirements and develop content for various sectors.

TISS will not only conduct research into vocational education but will develop teaching methodologies and pedagogy, work in the area of training the trainers and develop methodology for skill assessment and skill  accreditation, AICTE chairman S S Mantha told reporters here.

An MoU was signed in this regard between the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and TISS in the presence of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

Mantha said the role of TISS will broadly be based on the mandate of the National Vocational Education Curriculum Framework (NVEQF) which the AICTE is spearheading.

He said the AICTE has agreed to support the school of vocational education of TISS with financial assistance up to Rs 10 crore over a period of three years.

Mantha said TISS will form centres of excellence, one each for industry vertical, to develop a standardised pedagogy for each trade in the vocational sphere.

TISS also proposes to incubate a national vocational training university, starting as a School of Vocational Education, offering a two year certificate course where a student will pass out as 'Technician', he said. 

Indian student wins Space Lab Asia Pacific contest

Washington: Indian student Sachin Kukke has won YouTube Space Lab 2012 contest for the Asia Pacific region and is one of the six global winners of the competition.

In a meeting with Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao, Sachin shared his experience of conceptualizing and carrying out innovative scientific experiments.

At the meeting, Sachin, a student of mechanical engineering at the BMS College for Engineering in Bangalore, was accompanied by Lee Hunter, head of brand marketing for YouTube, and Claudio Lilienfeld, senior policy manager for Asia Pacific at Google.

Congratulating Sachin on his highly commendable achievement, Rao said that in India - a country engaged in rapid economic development - "students like Sachin symbolize the hopes and the potential of a dynamic, resurgent India and it's young population".

She encouraged Sachin to pursue his goals and interests in the specialized area of aerospace engineering and wished him the very best for the years ahead.

Sachin's experiment explores transfer of heat in ferro fluid - a special liquid that gets magnetized when subjected to a magnetic field.

The study can benefit development of advanced cooling and heat transfer systems.  

Rao was informed that nearly 40 per cent of the total number of entries from all over the world came from India alone an indicator of the skills and level of interest in the field of exploration of outer space among the youth in India.

YouTube and Lenovo, in cooperation with Space Adventures, NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) had announced a worldwide challenge 'YouTube Space Lab' in October last year, asking students of 14-18 year age group to design a new scientific experiment that can be performed in outer space. 

Chennai students win TOEFL scholarship 2011

Chennai: Two students from Chennai were beyond ecstasy when they won the esteemed TOEFL Scholarship 2011.

Sruthi Chandrasekaran, an IITian and Gaayathry Ravikumar, a Chemical Engineer from NIT, Trichy were the two who won the prestigious scholarship of $ 10,000 each for the year 2011.

Sruthi Chandrasekaran, a resident of Chennai completed her undergraduation from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Madras, is currently pursuing MSc in Comparative Social Policy at the oldest University in the English-speaking world, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Gaayathry Ravikumar, also a resident of Chennai, completed her chemical engineering from National Institute of Technology, Trichy and is presently pursuing her Masters in Product Development at University of California, Berkeley. 

Britain announces 60 new scholarships for Indians

Mumbai. British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday announced 60 new "Jubilee Scholarships" to be awarded in India for one-year masters course in Britain, a statement said.

Funded by the British Council and the British government, the scholarships have been launched as part of the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The aim is to enable exceptional talent from across India to come and study masters courses in business, administration, manufacturing, science or technology.

"We're delighted that we're able to offer this opportunity for sixty Indian scholars to study in the UK. A scholarship is a fitting way to mark the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee, as it is the creation of new opportunity - not just for the student, but for the host institution to benefit from Indian perspectives and ideas, for new friendships to be made and new links to be created and fostered between our two countries," said Rob Lynes, the British Council's director in India.

The awards will be open to applicants from all over India, and the scheme aims to include students from every Indian state among the awardees. Each award will cover university tuition fee, living expenses for the duration of the scholarship (maximum 12 months), a month-long internship in the Britain, return airfare and a British visa.

The last date to apply online is April 30. Further details are available on the British Council's website: www.britishcouncil.org/india-scholarships-jubilee_scholarships.htm

Govt promises action on commercial exploitatn of school spaces

Mumbai: Maharashtra government today told the Legislative Assembly that strict action would be taken to curb the growing trend, especially in south Mumbai, of closing down the schools and using the premises for commercial purposes.

Replying to a debate started through a calling-attention notice, School Education Minister Rajendra Darda said the government did not allow closure of schools for taking up commercial activity. Also, stringent measures were being planned to limit the number of CBSE and ICSE board schools in Mumbai, he said.

Members complained that CBSE and ICSE schools were coming up in the vicinity of slum areas as well, and even the SSC board schools were switching over to CBSE. Norms for giving permission to start CBSE schools will be announced within ten days, the Minister said. "Every year two to four schools shut for renovation. But no school is allowed to carry out commercial activities.

A school shut for make-over will have to continue educational activities on the premises," he said. The calling-attention notice had been moved by BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Saying that prominent institutes in South Mumbai were shutting down the schools for exploiting the place commercially, Lodha asked what action government was taking. Even the Speaker, Dilip Walse-Patil, said that not only schools, but even some colleges in South Mumbai were in the process of closing down, for commercial gains.

"It is a serious issue. The government should take a policy decision to curb such activities," the Speaker added. Darda said he would put the issue before the Cabinet. The Minister also announced that a committee comprising himself, Minister of State for Education, Mumbai municipal commissioner and local MLAs will be formed to look into the complaints of use of educational premises for commercial gains, donations, exorbitant fees, etc. 

Admission process kicks off in Jamia

NEW DELHI: Jamia Millia Islamia is going to begin its admission process for the 2012-13 academic session from Wednesday, while entrance examinations for various courses will start from the last week of May. This would be the first time that Jamia would be conducting its undergraduate admissions under the semester mode. Besides, BA (H) Turkish and MTech (nanotechnology) have been introduced in Jamia from this year. 

Simi Malhotra, media coordinator of Jamia, said, "We are introducing BA (H) Turkish from this year. The new nanotechnology centre will offer an MTech course from the new academic session. All undergraduate courses will follow the semester system from this year." 

While sale of prospectus will begin on March 28, the last date for submission of forms as well as entrance tests will differ from course to course. The application forms can be downloaded from the university website. Around 6,500 seats are up for grabs in various undergraduate and postgraduate courses. 

In all courses - except those offered by the faculty of engineering and technology, architecture and ekistics, and faculty of dentistry - admissions will be based on merit, which will be determined by a written test followed by an interview. The entrance test and the interview will have 85% and 15% weight, respectively. Eligibility qualifications for international students in each course/ programme will be the same as that for Indian students. Ten per cent of the supernumerary seats will be earmarked for foreigners. 

Eligibility test must for new CBSE teachers

NAGPUR: The CBSE has now mandated that any new teacher recruited for standard I-VIII must have cleared the government-approved teachers' eligibility test. The central board has amended its affiliation by-law number 53 with immediate effect to implement the new guidelines across all schools in the country.

As per the decision, teachers who want to join any CBSE -affiliated school (for std I-VIII) must have passed the Central Teachers Eligibility Test (CTET) or the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) which is conducted by the state government.

The newly introduced CTET is already proving to be a 'killer exam' going by the results of the two tests held so far. In the first edition of CTET held in 2011, about 87% teachers failed while 93% failed in the test held earlier this year.

Even though the new recruitment rules give an option to new teachers to clear either CTET or the much easier TET, in reality there is no choice. Since CTET is conducted by the CBSE itself, every affiliated-school management would prefer recruiting candidates who meet the central board's criteria. This has now become a big challenge for schools that have already started the recruitment process.Teachers react strongly against CBSE decision

NIIT launches NGuru Math Lab at city corporation High School

Chennai: Launching a breakthrough initiative that aims at making the vital subject of mathematics simpler,  easier and fun to learn for school students, NIIT installed the state-of-the-art ‘NGuru Math Lab, at Chennai Corporation High School, Mylapore in Chennai.

Chennai Corporation Mayor, Thiru Saidai Duraisamy inaugurated the revolutionary concept.

‘NIIT NGuru Math Lab is a novel concept that enables school students to learn and explore mathematical concepts and verify mathematical facts and theorems using tools such as the Geometers Sketchpad. Structured on NCERT guidelines, this is a dynamic construction and exploration tool that spans the mathematical curriculum from Standard 1 to 12, being made available to Indian schools by NIIT.

Speaking on the revolutionary teaching learning solutions from NIIT NGuru,  NIIT MindChampion Viswanathan Anand said, “With a vision to create ‘schools of tomorrow, NIIT has designed complete education and technology solutions to engage students, teachers and parents alike in the whole process of learning. This pioneering initiative by NIIT will help the young generation script many success stories in their life ahead. Math Lab has been specially designed to add a fun quotient to the subject that is usually feared by students.”

In addition to providing greater scope for individual participation in the process of learning and becoming autonomous learners, the Math Lab also enables the teacher to demonstrate, explain and reinforce abstract mathematical ideas by using concrete objects, models, charts, graphs, pictures, posters, etc.

PG Programmes from the varsity of Wales, UK

Chennai:  Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) announced admissions to 3 post-graduate programmes from the University of Wales (UOW), UK.

Programmes offered by University of Wales has great recognition across the globe with most of its students placed well with lucrative pay package.

Open for 3 intakes in April, July and September 2012, all the 3 programmes, Masters in Business Administration and Master of Science in Management (Banking & Finance / (Marketing) are popular with overseas students not only from India but from countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Korea.

Mr Mark Narusberg, Validation Officer, University of Wales, states, “Over the years, University of Wales has emerged as the second-largest degree awarding body of validated academic programmes in UK with nearly 70,000 students from all over the world pursuing courses of Wales University. Our association with MDIS is now into its thirteenth year.  Each year, over 150 Indian students enrol for the UOW Post-graduate programmes offered at MDIS Singapore”.  

“Singapore has always remained a favourite destination for students from India. MDIS is among the oldest  educational institutions in Singapore. Established in 1956.  Adherence to highest standards in teaching methods and techniques, highly qualified faculty, a vibrant and environment-friendly campus has led to great patronage from students and parents worldwide. It is a matter of great pride to MDIS that over 13,500 students from 74 countries study at the MDIS Campus in Singapore” says, MDIS General Secretary, Dr Theyvendran.

Ms Nitya Rani, alumni of 2010, recalls days at campus. “The decision to choose MDIS for my MBA degree from University of Wales, UK was a sound one I realised, no sooner than I landed in Singapore. A curriculum tested over time taught by experienced and engaging faculty helped students gain tremendous self-confidence. Regular presentations and case-study oriented teaching taught us to work as a team, besides giving us an ‘industry-like situation within the campus.” 

Gateway to study in US

Chennai: Educational institutions in United States attract scores students from India and across the globe for its advanced education set up and its worldwide recognition.

Speaking exclusively to kalvimalar.com, an official from United States India Education foundation, provided minute details on the various steps to make it to educational intuitions in United States. 

“There are more than 7 lakh international students currently pursuing their education in the United States, out of which a little more than 1 lakh are from India according to the Open Doors report. The excellent academic curriculum, wide range of courses, flexibility, facilities, faculty profile, availability of scholarships and assistantships, Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) options are some of the factors attracting  millions of people from around the world to study in the United States. 

The application process to US universities can be summarized through five easy steps. Here are some tips for you to make your journey to a U.S. university easier and simpler.

Step 1 Research your options There are more than 4000 accredited colleges and universities in the United States offering a wide range of programs (courses) in all major fields of study. Accreditation is a concept in the U.S. by which universities are tested for quality and only those that meet certain high standards are given accreditation. It is important that you choose an accredited college/university. Log on to the website of Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org) or the Association of Specialized & Professional Accreditors (www.aspa-usa.org) to check the accreditation status of a university/college. Websites like www.educationusa.state.gov and www.petersons.com are also important resources to know about different universities and colleges and the programs offered.

Almost all the colleges and universities in the United States require scores from SAT and TOEFL for undergraduate studies and from GRE/GMAT and TOEFL for graduate studies in most of the disciplines. Registrations for these tests can be done online at www.collegeboard.org, www.ets.org and www.gmac.com. 

After completing the tests, narrow down your choice of universities by carefully researching the accreditation, program description, course content, faculty profile, cost and the acceptance rate of the colleges. We recommend that you apply to at least 6 to 8 universities.

Step 2 Complete your Application Now that you have short listed universities, your next step will be to complete your application. An application package includes a completed application form (online), attested academic transcripts, standardized test scores, college application essay/ statement of purpose, two or three recommendation letters, a resume or CV and financial support documents. Make sure that the entire application including the test scores reaches the university before the deadline which begins as early as December of the previous year for the Fall (August-September) intake.

Pay close attention to the statement of purpose/essay and letters of recommendation, because they give a unique perspective to a students application and helps differentiate between candidates with similar marks and academic background. They are as important as your academic marks and test scores and can influence your chance of admission to a university.

Step 3 Finance your studies Calculate the cost of your undergraduate/graduate education and work out a plan. Start by pooling in all your resources and consulting your parents.  Apart from your own funds, universities may provide scholarships and assistantships to help fund your education.  Scholarships are highly competitive and are purely based on academic merit.  Assistantships are also competitive and are available for teaching, research and graduate or administrative purposes. You could also explore educational loans offered by banks in India.

A years tuition fees may range anywhere between $15,000 and $40,000 (or higher) excluding living expenses. Living expenses vary according to the place of stay; the cost of living in the coastal areas is typically higher than the interior parts of the U.S.  You can also choose from a range of public universities which may charge less tuition and fees when compared to private universities. Websites like http://www.fundingusstudy.org/ and http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid are good sources of information on scholarships that are available to international students.

Step 4 Apply for your student visa After receiving an I-20, that confirms your admission at a university, you can start the student visa process.  The official website for information on student visas is http://Chennai.USConsulate.gov for people in South India. The American Library, U.S. Consulate Chennai conducts an orientation every second Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. which includes FAQs on Visas and is open to all. Interested students and parents are welcome to attend this orientation. Visitors are required to present an original valid photo Identity like a driving license or passport to enter the American Consulate, Chennai.

Step 5 Prepare for your departure After getting your visa, you can start making arrangements for your travel to the United States.  Book tickets , assemble the necessary documents like your passport, visa, mark sheets with degree certificate, medical records, birth certificate, acceptance letter, I-20, SEVIS receipt etc. EducationUSA centers conduct Pre-departure orientation sessions during the first week of July every year where student alumni and other experts give advice on academic and cultural life in the  United States, immigration formalities and port of entry regulations. Pre-departure orientations also provide an opportunity to network with students going to the same university", she said. 

In India, United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) is the official source for information on higher education in the U.S. For over six decades, the EducationUSA advising centers at USIEF have been guiding thousands of Indian students interested in pursuing higher education in the United States. EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the U.S. Department of State

To know more about USIEF services to students, please contact the USIEF Chennai office on tel. 044-28574423/4131 or email: usiefchennai@usief.org.in.  You can also call the USIEF toll-free help-desk number: 1-800-103-1231 from Monday to Friday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to speak to a trained Education USA Advisor, who will answer your basic questions on studying in the USA.