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AICTE
fee hike irks pvt institutions How
repetition helps child’s vocabulary Campus
Notes
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AICTE fee hike irks pvt institutions THE Union Government’s target to enhance the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GRE) for higher education from the existing 11 to 15 per cent by the end of the XI Five-Year Plan appears to be a tall order. According to the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission, this would require opening of 1,500 odd-universities having a cluster of colleges under them to achieve this target. Though maintenance of quality is an important issue, the central regulatory authority All-India Council for Technical Education’s (AICTE) recent move to enhance the processing fee of various technical institutes by 200 to 500 per cent for new professional colleges would deter opening new institutes. In accordance with the new fee structure, an engineering college would have to deposit a Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) of Rs 90 lakh as against the earlier amount of Rs 35 lakh. Similarly, for MBA, pharma and other colleges, the FDR has been enhanced from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. This hike, ranging from 200 to 500 per cent, would put a spanner in the expansion process of a large number of private institutions and the move aims to be deterring private institutes from opening new colleges. An MD of an education group at Solan opined, “This step will halt the process of expansion because it is an indirect way of deterring expansion activities. No doubt it will ensure that the existing colleges benefit, but instead of this indirect curb, the AICTE should dwell on improving quality.” He added that the notification had been forwarded to the state government, so that they could revise fee structure of these professional courses. This move has drawn flak from the managements of educational institutions who feel that the cost recovery from students is already in the range of 40 to 50 per cent and hence, generating additional resources from fee would be difficult. Moreover, they would have to convince state governments to effect an abnormal fee hike which would put a strain on students. The AICTE’s move is also contradictory to the government policy of expanding higher education in rural and backward areas. Dr Anshu Kataria, chairman, Aryans Group of Colleges, Chandigarh, while resenting this fee hike, said this would put a halt on all expansion activities in the private sector that wish to expand in other disciplines. With the processing fees to be paid by an institution to start a new project also being increased to Rs 7,50,000 from the earlier amount of Rs 1,00,000, new institutes would have to rethink expansion, Dr Kataria added. Interestingly, at a recent national conference of Vice-Chancellors held by the University Grants Commission on “Development of Higher Education: Expansion, Inclusion and Excellence”, the Vice-Chancellors had opined that the GER of 20 per cent should be achieved at the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan instead of 15 per cent as proposed by the government. They had also laid stress on the need for setting up new institutions and enhancing the capacity of the existing ones to achieve the objective. The Vice-Chancellors had also unanimously stated that the new universities should be set up away from metropolitan cities and state capitals in backward and rural areas where the GER is lower than the national average. This objective would, however, fail to be achieved with the AICTE enforcing such norms, as it would deter new professional colleges. This move is also contrary to the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission, which had proposed that most of the new universities would need significant initial financial support from the government. Instead, the move would put a severe burden on institutes to spare funds in the form of FDRs of one crore as against the earlier amount of Rs 35 lakh for opening an engineering college. Lack of institutes of higher education is also leading to a higher dropout rate in the country and the lone way to check this is to ensure opening of more institutes in the rural and backward areas. However, this could only be achieved by relaxing stringent norms and facilitating new professional institutes.
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How repetition helps child’s vocabulary IT may be boring for parents — but reading the same book over and over again to children is the best way to develop their vocabulary. Researchers at Sussex University have found that repetition is more likely to help them improve their reading skills. “What we think is happening with reading is that each time a child hears the book, they are picking up new information,” said psychologist Dr Jessica Horst, who conducted the research. She added: “We know that children who watch the same television programme over and over again do better in comprehension tests afterwards.” The researchers devised an experiment with three-year-olds in which they were exposed to two new words to test the theory. Each word was a made-up name for an unfamiliar object — such as a “sprock”, a hand-held device for mixing food. Over the course of a week, one group heard three different stories with the same new words. The second heard only one story with the words. Each contained a drawing of the new objects. What happened was that those who had heard just one story were much better at remembering and recalling the new words when tested at the end of the week compared with those who had been read the three different stories. “We know that the more books you have at home, the higher the academic achievement,” said Dr Horst. “But what we haven’t understood is actually how that learning happens. “This research shows that it’s not the number of books but the repetition of each book that leads to the greater learning.” Margaret Morrissey, of the parents’ pressure group ParentsOutloud, said: “To a degree I could go along with that. The most important thing is taking the time to read to your children every night in the first place.” She added: “It is important, too, to allow them to choose the story to read. If you do that, nine times out of 10 they will probably choose the same one.” However, she warned that it was imperative there were enough books in the home to allow the child a choice. The research is by Dr Horst, Kelly Parsons and Natasha Bryan and is being published in Frontiers in Psychology later this month. Meanwhile, a row broke out yesterday over plans to use non-words to test children on in the government’s proposed new reading test for six-year-olds. The test is designed as a phonics-based progress check to tease out those children who will need extra help to keep up in class. The Department for Education is aiming to pilot the tests this summer. Phonics focuses on sounds rather than whole words. The UK Literacy Association said: “The inclusion of non-words is counter-productive since most six-year-olds expect to make sense of what they read.” However, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “The new phonics-based reading check for six-year-olds will ensure that children who need extra help are given it before it is too late and then they can enjoy a lifetime’s love of reading.”
— Independent
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Campus
Notes HARYANA Agricultural University and the University of Western Australia (UWA) will collaborate in teaching, research and other activities under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two universities. The MoU was signed by K.S. Khokhar, Vice-Chancellor of HAU, and Prof. Alan Robson, Vice-Chancellor of UWA. Khokhar revealed that the agreement would be in force for five years. He said the agreement would encourage exchange of faculty, students, academic material and information apart from joint research activities, including organising conferences and academic meetings. He said under the agreement, all collaborative programmes would be initiated with the consent of each university, whereas in the absence of any specific agreement to the contrary, all expenses of salary, living and allied costs would be determined at the discretion of the visitors' home university. At HAU, the administration of this agreement would be overseen by Registrar S.S. Dahiya and at UWA, by its Director of International Centre.
Training course concludes
A three-week advanced training course on "Molecular Basis of Host Plant Resistance" organised by the Centre of Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT), Department of Entomology, Haryana Agricultural University, concluded recently. Sucheta Khokhar, Dean, College of Agriculture, while chairing the valedictory function said the resistance level of plants against harmful insect pests could be enhanced through deeper understanding of the mechanisms responsible for it. She said innovations biotechnology could help in deploying resistant genes responsible for developing resistance in plants which affected arthropod herbivores in different ways. She said since the host plant resistance was an eco-friendly technique, it would not only help in preserving the ecological balance but also contain environmental pollution. Presiding over the function, HAU Director of Research, R.P. Narwal, appreciated the efforts of the Entomology Department in organising such advanced training courses for refreshing and updating the knowledge of the entomologists of the country. This was the 25th training course organised by the CAFT in which 25 scientists from 10 states of the country participated.
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary
and Animal Sciences, Hisar Dr Gyan Singh, Assistant Professo, Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, has won the best poster presentation award at the 11th Indian Veterinary Congress and 18th annual conference of the Indian Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Research and National Symposium on "Veterinary Science and Education on Move: Critical Gaps and Needs". The conference was organised by Apollo College of Veterinary Science, Jaipur. Dr Singh had presented a research paper on "Conjoint Twins in Farm Animals". These twins are that cause dystocia at the time of parturition and affect the prognosis of the case. Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohatk The Department of Public Administration of the university will organise a two-day regional seminar on "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: Its Implementation, Problems and Prospects in North Western Region in India" from February 22 to February 23. According to Prof. S. S. Chahar, Head of the Department, the seminar is being sponsored by the North Western Regional Centre of the Indian Council for Social Sciences Research (ICSSR), Chandigarh.
Admission notice
The Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) of the university has issued the admission notice for various IT and Management programmes for the 2011 session. According to a university spokesperson, admissions are open for BCA, M.Sc (Computer Science), MCA, APGDCA, BBA, MBA, Master's in Retail Management, Diploma/PG Diploma in Corporate and Industrial Security Management, and PG Diploma in Application of Psychology courses. The last date for the submission of application form is March 31, 2011. Application forms can also be downloaded from the university website www.mdudde.net, said the spokesperson. — Contributed by Raman Mohan and Bijendra Ahlawat
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Admission Deadline IIT – Guwahati, Guwahati
781039 (Assam) MTech: PhD in all departments above and in Design / Biotechnology / Computer Sc & Engg / Electronics & Electrical Engg / Mechanical Engg / Civil Engg / Chemical Engg / Design / Chemistry / Physics / Humanities & Social Sc / Maths / also in the Centres for Environment / Energy / Nanotechnology. Application Form: Send request for application with a stamped self-addressed envelope (24 cm x 15 cm) to the Deputy Registrar (Academic) at the above address by 04 April 2011 / download from website. Superscribe "Request for PhD / MTech / MDes / MA Application Form" on envelope. Details: Website Application Deadline: 13 April 2011 Directorate General,
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in Industrial Safety 2011-2012 (1
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Management (IIM-L), Prabandh Nagar, Off Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226013
(UP) 1) Senior Management Programme for Global Leadership (1 year) 2) Executive Programme in Sales and Marketing Mgmt (1 year) Eligibility:
For 1: Bachelors degree with minimum 10 years of work-ex Application Deadline: 28 February 2011 ABV-Indian Institute of
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(An Autonomous Institute of Govt. of India) MBA Eligibility: BE / BTech / Maters degree in (Sciences / Operations Research / Computer Sc / Economics / Commerce) with Maths / Stats as one of the subjects in Bachelors Selection: CAT / JMET scores; GD & Interview Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 04 March 2011 Medicine Amrita Institute of
Medical Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, AIMS Ponekkara PO, Kochi
682041 (Ker) (Deemed University) Amrita Entrance Exam –
Medical 2011 Eligibility: For
1: 10+2 (60% in English and 60% in Physics, Chemistry & Biology) Section: Entrance
Test: For 1: 22 May 2011 Application Form: Send Rs 1570/- by DD favouring "Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham" payable at Kochi to the Manager at the above address / Download from website. Details: Website Application Deadline:
For 1: 30 April 2011 Recruitment Indian Overseas Bank,
Central Office, 763, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002 (TN) Probationary Officer in Junior Management Grade-I (1000 posts) Eligibility: Bachelors
Degree: Arts (60%), Non-Arts (65%); Computer literacy / Diploma
in Banking & Finance preferred Selection: Written Test: 22 May 2011; Interview Application Form: Apply online till 01 March 2011 Details: Employment News (12 – 18 February 2011) / Website Application Deadline: 01 March 2011 Scholarships United States Educational
Foundation in India (USEFI), Fulbright House, 12, Hailey Road, New Delhi
110001 Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral & Professional Research Fellowships (1 year) Eligibility: Indian
Citizen; working on their PhD; Masters degree with substantial work-exp Fellowship: The fellowships provide a monthly stipend / limited health insurance / round-trip economy class air travel / applicable allowances / modest affiliation fees, if any. Selected scholars will have opportunities to audit non-degree courses / conduct research and gain practical work experience in suitable settings in the U.S. Application Form: Download from website Details: Website Application Deadline: submissions begin 01 May 2011 Global Indian
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years) Eligibility:
Class 10 pre-board, Stds 8 & 9 final exams (85%), under CBSE / IGCSE
/ ICSE / state board Selection: Test: April 2011; Interviews: June 2011 Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 09 March 2011 Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR), V Ramalingaswami Bhawan, Post Box No 4911, Ansari Nagar,
New Delhi 110029 Indian Biomedical
Scientists International Fellowship for 2011-12 Eligibility: MD
/ PhD with 3 years teaching experience for young scientists and 15 years
experience for senior scientists Fellowship: For
1: US$ 2400 pm; Contingency Grant: Rs 15,000/-; return economy class
air ticket. Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 15 March 2011 Sciences – General Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), Bangalore 560012 (Kar) 1) Research Programmes (PhD / MSc Engg) 2) Course Programmes (ME / MTech / MDes / MMgt) 3) Integrated PhD Programmes (Biological / Chemical / Physical / Mathematical Science) 4) External Registration Programmes (PhD only) Selection: Entrance Exam: 24 April 2011 Application Form: For 1, 2 & 3: Send Rs 700/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore", with 2 addressed slips (stickers), details of qualification and programme to which admission is sought to the Deputy Registrar (Academic), Admission Unit at above address by 18 March 2011. For 4: Send Rs 1500/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore" to Deputy Registrar (Academic), Admission Unit at above address by 21 March 2011. Details: Employment News (12 - 18 February 2011) / Website Application Deadline: 21 March 2011 Sciences – Physical Jawaharlal Nehru Centre
for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore 560064 (Kar) 1) Integrated PhD
Programme (Materials Sciences) 2011-12 Eligibility: Application Deadline:
For 1: 11 March 2011 Sciences – Social International Institute
for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088 (Mah)
(Deemed University) 1) Diploma in
Population Studies Regular (1 year) / Correspondence (1-3 years) 4) Master of Population
Studies (Correspondence, 2 – 4 years) Eligibility: For
1: Bachelors degree For 4: Masters
Degree in (Social Science Subject / Health / Maths / Statistics or
allied subjects) Details: Employment News (12 – 18 February 2011) / Website Application Deadline: For
1, 4 & 5: 01 August 2011 University Banasthali Vidyapith, PO
Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan 304022 (Raj) UG & PG Courses
(Various) in Departments of: Application Form: Send Rs 600/- by DD favouring "Banasthali Vidyapith", payable at Banasthali / Jaipur to the Secretary at the above address / Download from website. Details: Website. Application Deadline: 05 May 2011 SRM University, SRM Nagar,
Kattankulathur, Kancheepuram 603203 (TN) BTech (several
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Nanoscience / Nanotech) / MBA / PGPM / PGPRM / MCA / PhD (all
disciplines) Selection: Entrance Test: For Engg, MBA, MCA: 23 April 2011 Details: Website Application Deadline: 05 April 2011 Madurai Kamaraj
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625021 (TN) IT / Degree / Professional / PG Courses / PG Diploma / Diploma / Certificate Courses / Pre Degree (Distance) Application Form: Send Rs 150/- by DD favouring "the Director, DDE MKU" payable at Madurai with a covering letter mentioning your name & address at the above address / Download from website. Application Form & Details: Website Pervin Malhotra,
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