Entries from August 2007 ↓

Eighteen-year-old Arvind Aradhya from the Indian city of Bangalore has stars in his eyes these days. 

He aims to be an astronaut in future and he believes his dreams of reaching the stars are just about to come true. 

Winning a reality talent hunt show on an Indian television channel has given Arvind an opportunity to study engineering at Warwick University. 

The Indian television channel, NDTV, conducted the show - called Scholar Hunt, Destination UK. 

It is a multi-discipline contest which provides opportunities for students in India to win prestigious scholarships to five renowned universities in Britain. 

Arvind is the first winner of this multi-stage television series. 

Speaking with the exuberance and vivacity of a typical 18-year-old, he says that he is “over the moon” to secure such an opportunity. 

His choice of words is apt: Arvind is an aspiring astronaut - and has his eyes firmly fixed on the stars and moon. 

Having won the competition from among more than 10,000 students all over India, Arvind says that it has boosted his confidence immensely. 

“I think that the people at the university believed in me because they must have had really good reasons to award a scholarship worth £80,000 to someone!” he says with a tinge of innocent pride in his voice. 

Students from all over India applied for the scholarship, and were finally whittled down to just four in the final round. 

The show is the first of its kind in India. 

“We wanted to create something that rewards people of merit and intellect,” says Arun Thapar from NDTV. 

“The contestants had to go through various rigorous rounds to ensure there was no compromise with merit. We approached the universities in Britain with the idea of a reality show and they are completely funding the scholarships. 

“The academic standards for the competition were set by the universities themselves.” 

On the question of choosing a foreign university rather than an Indian university for further education, Arvind is candid. 

“The whole approach to education is so different here. The engineering programme at the University of Warwick is a lot more practical with a greater hands-on approach. 

“More importantly, with the line of work - on this planet or elsewhere - that I intend to pursue, international exposure, and exposure to cutting-edge research is all the more essential, making this migration all the more reasonable.” 

India has seen a considerable brain-drain in the last few decades, with top talent opting to study abroad and settle there. 

But with the country emerging as an economic superpower, this trend is beginning to reverse, and many non-resident Indians are heading back in pursuit of lucrative opportunities. 

So would Arvind eventually like to do the same? 

“I would like to pursue my desire to be an astronaut and go wherever that leads me, no boundaries,” he says. 

He argues that the scope of the question should widen to inquire about the planet and not the country that he wants to go to. 

“Of course, I am patriotic and would like for my dream to be realised through an Indian route. Who knows, with the rapid strides the Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO] is making, it might even entail going to space as the first true Indian astronaut.” 

For a teenager yet to see much of the world, he has an amazingly clear-cut approach towards life and his future. 

His success has drawn more attention to reality shows in India - and there have been a deluge of such programmes over the last two years, including Big Boss - on the lines of Big Brother in Britain - and Indian Idol modelled on the British TV show, Pop Idol. 

There has been some criticism of the prurient nature of such shows, but Arvind argues that the “scholar hunt” show does not fall into that category. 

“I had never even thought about an education abroad simply because of the sheer costs involved. Discounting Nepal, the visit to Britain to see Warwick was my first trip abroad.” 

During this brief reconnaissance visit, Arvind had a glimpse of British lifestyle and food. And like many time first-time Indians, he missed the aroma and flavour of Indian food. 

He is now preparing to return to the UK in September to begin his studies. 

Rest assured there will be lots of spices in his bag.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6968986.stm

A top university academic this week urged the private sector to stop criticism of universities saying “we do not criticise anyone so lets get together and work for a common goal”. 

The comments were made by Prof Ananda Jayawardane, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, during a presentation at the Industrial Relations Forum (IRF) of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka on the theme “Importance of University Interaction with the Industrial Relations Forum. He was speaking at the Third IRF, according to a statement of the meeting issued by the FCCISL. 

IRF which was started very modest with just eight members has presently grown to a large representative body and is also focusing on the SME Sector. 

Prof Jayawardena said that in training graduates to suit the industry one should understand the duty of the universities. He was quoted in the FCCISL statement as saying the situation has however now changed drastically as universities are beginning to understand its role in training the students to suit the industries. 

He said that it was less than 10 years ago that they identified the importance of university-industry interaction and there was a time industry and university worked independently and criticized one another. Although this situation is vastly improved due to various initiatives by some industry sectors and chambers such as FCCISL and some universities, there exists still a gap between the quality of university graduates and the industry expectations. 

Prof Jayawardena said the present university-industry interaction fell significantly short of expectations. He said that universities and industries should not be considered as two different entities when it came to developing of human resources or creating wealth for the nation, but both stakeholders should act as one whole team working together, sharing resources, expertise recognizing and exploiting opportunities for the mutual benefit and benefit to the nation. 

Nihal Rangala, Director, Human Resources Division and Industrial Relations, FCCISL said the forum today is not only the largest and powerful but also the most widely represented industrial relations forum and this National Forum has now gone to the provinces too. 

He said that their relations with the Labour Ministry could be identified as almost an MOU with the latter and they are dealing with 50 units of the Labour Department around the country. 

 Source: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070826/FinancialTimes/ft347.html 

The Indian government’s recent attempt to introduce sex education for school children has provoked a vigorous debate. In the second of two articles, the BBC’s Jyotsna Singh considers the case against a more open discussion of sex in schools. 

The decision to introduce sex education in India’s schools, aimed primarily at creating awareness about HIV-Aids, has generated howls of protests from many quarters. 

Many women’s organisations and religious groups as well as several politicians say exposing children to an open debate on the subject, specially in classrooms, will make them “more permissive”. 

More than 30% of Indian states have rejected the federal government-supported sex education programme. 

The Secondary School Teachers’ Association in Uttar Pradesh state has even threatened to make a bonfire of books if sex education isn’t withdrawn immediately. 

Several teachers and student groups have objected to the teaching aid or kit to be used for educating the pupils in the class. 

One of the main objects that has drawn the ire of the protestors is a flip chart, prepared jointly by the Unicef and government-controlled National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) to facilitate the government’s adolescent education programme. 

The chart, entitled “Knowledge is Power”, contains illustrations and images dealing with issues related to growing up and relationships in the context of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/Aids. 

The chart also contains a chapter on essential skills needed to prevent the disease. 

But protesters say the visuals in the chart are too “graphic”. 

The right-wing Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) blames “a Western mindset behind the move”. 

“We run about 26,000 schools across the country. Our teachers have studied the curriculum and they find it obscene and objectionable,” RSS spokesman Ram Madhav told the BBC. 

“The whole curriculum is designed to suit the lifestyle in Western countries, where there is a general free atmosphere. In our country we live with families.” 

Mr Madhav says: “Giving sex education on the pretext that India has a large number of Aids patients is illogical.” 

He says there are several ways, such as organising separate workshops for Aids awareness for adults, to make people aware of the dangers of leading a “promiscuous” life. 

India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, has problems with the curriculum. 

The party spokesman says the government programme fails to put adequate emphasis on “the Indian value system”. 

“We want our children to get scientific education. But, you have to teach the moral of the subject. You have to teach them that restraint is a must,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told the BBC. 

“This is a value system where you teach them not to have sex till you get married.” 

Mr Javadekar also points to what he considers a major flaw in the way the curriculum has been designed. 

“Do you expect teachers to draw on the blackboard, how to wear a condom? This would be surely embarrassing to our teachers. The curriculum must be changed to suit Indian conditions,” he said. 

Mr Javadekar’s party colleague and former federal education minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, is even more vocal in his opposition. 

”The move should be opposed as the sex education curriculum would disturb the social environment of the country,” he told reporters recently. 

”Sex education should be restricted to the biology class only. It is incorrect and meaningless to render information about sex and condoms to children. It would only disturb the development of a child’s mind.” 

He accused multinational companies of ”pressurising” and ”luring” the federal government to start sex education in schools in order to boost sales of condoms and other sex products they manufacture. 

However, the BJP insists the controversy over sex education is not a political one. 

“It is not a party issue. It is a social issue and that is why objections have been raised by non-BJP governed states as well,” Mr Javadekar said. 

The BJP’s assertions are borne out by objections raised by several non-BJP ruled state governments. 

Protests by left-wing student groups in the state of Orissa forced the government to withdraw the subject. 

Protesters want the government to adapt the syllabus to local conditions before introducing it in local schools. 

One women’s group in Karnataka state, Akhila Bharatha Mahila Samskruthika Sanghatane, has questioned the concept behind the move saying it would naturally make children more curious about sex. 

And there are parents who echo similar fears - that too much exposure may make children more adventurous about sex. 

“I don’t think so much exposure is desirable for children at a tender age of 10. Everything should happen on time. Curiosity might lead to the desire to experiment,” says Sadhna Aiyer, the mother of a 13-year-old girl. 

“I believe children lose their innocence if exposed early to this kind of education,” she says, feeling relieved that her daughter’s school in a Delhi suburb has not included the subject in their curriculum. 

Meanwhile, the RSS says it will continue to fight to stop young children being exposed to the subject of sex. 

With an increasing number of states ready to drop sex education from the curriculum, the RSS does not seem to be facing an uphill struggle.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6949714.stm  

The Secretary of the Ministry of Education informed court that Visakha Vidyalaya had organised a raffle at Rs. 200 a ticket and issued ticket books to the current students to be sold at Rs. 4000 each failing which they had to pay Rs. 4000 on their own.
Court observed that the past pupils could donate what they wanted to the school but the school could not force the current students to make such donations.
If they do organise a raffle should first must get prior permission from the Education Ministry authorities.
This recommendation was also was to be added to the circular.

Source:http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/08/30/news/18.asp

The Supreme Court yesterday having approved the draft Policy framework for school admissions for the year 2008 directed the Education Ministry Secretary’s speedy action to present it to the Cabinet of Ministers for their sanction.The Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Ariyaratne Hewage tendered the draft Policy Framework to the court.

The Court directed the Secretary to submit to the court any reservations by the Cabinet of Ministers in order to consider whether such reservations could be incorporated in the Policy framework.

If there would be none the Secretary should take steps to have it published as a circular to be applicable for 2008.

However, the Court observed that the authorities are at liberty to refer the matter to the National Education Committee to formulate a policy framework for the school admissions for the succeeding years.

In terms of the new draft the total points given to a child would be 60 instead of 100 ,out of which 20 would be given to the suitability of the child. Twenty marks will be given if the child lives in the feeder area i.e. the administrative district.

In case of the parents being past pupils of the school this will not apply.A total of 20 marks could be given in case of a parent being a past pupil.

If the child’s brothers and sisters attend the same school five marks would be given. Parents employment in the public and private sector would carry another five marks. The parents who are members of the Police and three Armed Forces are also entitled to 10 marks.

The suitability of the child in terms of the new draft would be considered on the basis of the observations of the activities of the child i.e. the identification of colours, objects and the ability to respond etc. In case of the parents being past pupils, two marks would be given if they are members of the Past Pupils Association.

A maximum of 10 marks would be given to their period of studies in the school. Four marks would be given to either co-curricular or the extra curricular activities and another four would be given to contributions made to the development of the school.

In terms of the draft,the school committee would determine the number of the vacancies in the school. The Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva PC and Justices Nimal Gamini Amaratunga and Jagath Balapatabendi.

The petitioners, Past Pupils associations of the leading schools in Colombo sought to quash the notification to admit the children to grade one by the Secretary to the Ministry of Education.

They also sought interim orders to stay the operation of the notification and the selection process for year one until the determination of his application.

They argued among the other matters that the new circular failed to provide provisions to maintain the religious identity of the Vested Schools at the time of the vesting and would deny the equal opportunity to the Buddhists to be admitted to the National Schools in the Colombo Municipal area.

The petitioners also contended that the new circular limiting the feeder area to the Local Government area is irrational and that it would eliminate children of the past pupils.The rights applications were accordingly terminated.

Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/08/30/news16.asp

CIMA (The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and ICTA (the Information and Communications Technology Agency of Sri Lanka) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to help foster the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in Sri Lanka.
The future wealth creation for most of the developing world is slated to be through knowledge based industries. Business process outsourcing brings with it not only foreign direct investment but also provides significant opportunities for the creation of a large number of skilled jobs.
CIMA Sri Lanka is a leading membership body that offers an internationally recognised professional qualification in management accountancy. CIMA currently supplies the BPO industry of Sri Lanka with a pool of qualified professionals, all of whom have the expertise and business acumen to help drive the industry forward.
ICTA’s vision is to harness ICT as a lever for economic and social advancement. It is hoped that the potential Sri Lanka has to become the destination of choice for the BPO industry coupled with CIMA facilitating further engagement that this vision can become a reality.
As part of the MOU, ICTA will work with CIMA to facilitate national interest programmes related to the BPO industry and will also facilitate and partner in CIMA’s BPO Investment Forum to be held in January 2008. ICTA will also provide resource personnel to create awareness within the current CIMA student population to promote the BPO industry and its potential amongst current students.
CIMA will organise joint seminars on issues related to the BPO industry and facilitate engagement with the industry, whilst exploring the possibility of developing soft skills and English training programmes amongst CIMA students.
The BPO industry, particularly in the finance and accounting sector, is marked for significant growth in the next 10 years. Together, CIMA and ICTA will strive to harness the potential of this industry as an agent for economic and social advancement in Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the signing of the MOU at the Trans Asia Hotel, CIMA Sri Lanka Division’s President, Aruna Fernando commented that ‘the BPO industry has great potential to enhance the economic landscape in Sri Lanka. It presents great opportunities for direct foreign investment, as well as improved career prospects for the youth of Sri Lanka. Many CIMA students and members are already working within the BPO industry and are a testament to the rewards and prospects this industry can bring. We are delighted to partner with ICTA in this very worthy endeavour.’
Reshan Dewapura, Chief Operating Officer and Director of ICTA added: ‘The BPO industry has the potential to transform Sri Lanka into a knowledge based economy and to create significant amounts of employment. We are delighted with this partnership with CIMA and we are confident that together we will be able to achieve great things.’
Source: http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/08/29/ft/12.asp

The reformulated draft of the National Policy on Grade 1 admissions based on the guidelines recommended by the Supreme Court will be presented to the Court for a final order tomorrow with minor revisions.
The reformulated draft was presented to courts yesterday. The Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, Justices N.G. Amaratunga and Jagath Balapatabendi.
The amended draft would thereafter be presented to the Cabinet the same day. The representatives of Past Pupils’ Associations, Parents’ Association and the Education Ministry Secretary are to meet today to facilitate the inclusion of the amended revisions.
Past Pupils’ Associations of popular schools like Ananda, Nalanda, Pannipitiya Dharmapala, Royal, Kurunegala Maliyadeva, Visakha Vidyalaya, Matara Rahula and Southland Balika Galle were the petitioners in the case.
They asked the court to set aside the latest guidelines for the admission of students to Grade 1 for 2008.
Consequent to a lawsuit, the Supreme Court on March 29 delivered its judgment declaring as null and void the School Admission Circular dated May 23, 2006 and court held that the matter of formulating a National Policy on the admission of students to State schools is vested with the National Education Commission and directed the Secretary to the President to obtain the recommendation of the Commission and submit a draft proposal to the court for examination.
After three months, the National Education Commission submitted to the President a Policy framework which was purportedly inconsistent with the Supreme Court judgment.
32 Past Pupils’ Associations formed the Joint Committee of Past Pupils’ Associations and submitted their recommendations to the President.
The Joint Committee submitted a draft circular for consideration of the court in accordance with the guidelines formulated by the Supreme Court.
The petitioners alleged that contravening the court order the Education Ministry Secretary had published guidelines which were a total deviation from the criteria laid down by the court.
President’s Counsel Manohara de Silva appeared for Old Boys’ Association of Ananda College and Sanjeeva Jayawardane with Rajiv Amarasuriya for Old Boys’s Association of Royal College. Dusit Jesudasan appeared for Matara Rahula Vidyalaya and Deputy Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam for the State.

Source: http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/08/28/front/06.asp

An education system that provides for different mediums in schools should not be allowed to split students, Malaysian Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said. “We have the national schools, Chinese and Tamil schools, religious schools, private and international schools. Like it or not, this is the reality of our education system today. 

“But we cannot allow our education system of various mediums to divide our children,” he said at the national-level Student Leaders Unity and Integration Programme. 

Hishammuddin pointed out that because of the country’s history, rural and urban areas and the divide-and-rule policy of the colonialists, the nation had established schools of different mediums. 

As such, he said the six-day programme was borne out of a pragmatic and realistic idea of allowing students of various races to interact and work with each other. 

The programme also allowed the students to get to know each other better, he added. 

Hishammuddin also said that although the younger generation was now labelled as having negative perceptions, a majority of the students were trustworthy and could be entrusted with responsibilities. 

They could be depended on when defending the sovereignty and independence of the nation, he said.  

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/27/nation/18704400&sec=nation

Amending (and re-amending) the criteria for Grade One admissions has now become such a recurrent activity for the education authorities of this country that now it is a ritual like taking the daily bath. Education Secretary will be modifying his criteria again today, we have been told, but please do not take bets that would be final. The process might be repeated tomorrow, the day after…well, it is like a perpetual machine now.
 

To make the job of the Education Authorities let us present some FACTS (NOT opinions, but concrete facts) they have to take into account of they want to stipulate a criteria which will not be as uncertain as, say, the prices of essential items in a country facing hyperinflation.
 

q       The ‘quota’ system has already being ruled out. So reverting to it will only result in one of the stakeholders raising fundamental rights, so everything will be back to square one.
 

q       Old boys/girls, whether one likes or not, still very much a part of the game. They cannot be taken out of the equation. They are the ones, not the government that financially runs the so-called ‘popular schools’. The government only pays the teachers. Take old boys/girls out, the government has to find means to provide funds to run these schools, from already curtailed budgets.
 

q       The criteria, whatever they are, should not only be fair by everybody, but also practically measurable. Even if we ignore the logic of evaluating the 5 years olds for their IQ, it would simply be impractical to test their IQ (or EQ or SQ or whatever) conducting individual verbal tests. (Written tests would not be possible)
 

q       The state schools are run by the tax payers money comes from the national treasury. Not from any provincial, district or municipal budget. This yields it is gross unfair to restrict the admissions within selected areas. (A similar argument was the basis for the first fundamental rights case)
 

q       Making the residential address of the parents a ‘qualification’ for a child to enter into a school, is as illogical as making parents’ education or occupation a ‘qualification’.
 

The only way out of this might be a radical decision, but the question is our Education Authorities would be brave enough to take it.
 

Source: Contributed by one of our regular readers, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Open for discussion.

The Indian IT Training and Education market, which is currently $656 million, is growing at a rate of 64 per cent.

However, the Indian IT e-learning market, which is currently $122 million, is growing at a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of 73 per cent, said Navug Mohnot, CEO of India QAI, while announcing education ventures in this space under the name - Edista.

QAI, the leading process consulting organisation, has decided to foray into this space in order to meet the growing need for IT training and education in the country.

Quoting interesting trends in IT education, he said 29 per cent of all IT training is on demand: e-learning, as it meets just-in-time training requirements, has maximum reach and no geographical boundaries, offers homogeneity and consistency in content which can be easily upgraded.

Forseeing a huge potential in this space, QAI has launched The Edista learning, an on-demand, web enabled curriculum that offers learner centric online curriculum with real time collaboration, Singh said.

The Edista Testing Institute,which is launched in India, is aimed at addressing the fast growing software testing segment, he said. The Indian software testing segment market was two billion dollars and expected to grow at eight billion by 2008 while the size of the testing training market here was $6.6 million and expected to grow at a CAGR of 50 per cent.

Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com