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| Thursday,
October 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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DUTA executive plans to checkmate UGC move New Delhi, October 23 The DUTA executive noted that the UGC move on Delhi University colleges represented a threat of delinking the colleges from the university. This was evident from the fact that the UGC decision was based on the report of the Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) of the Finance Ministry, which had recommended the withdrawal of the central government from funding recurring expenditure and had proposed that such expenditure as well as management of educational institutions should over a period of time be passed on to the state government and the private sector. Moreover, the ERC report had stated that the funding of the Delhi University colleges distracted the UGC from “a national perspective”, thus denying that these colleges were part of a central university, which by its very definition (and unlike state universities) was supposed to be open to people from all states. The DUTA executive further noted that there had been neither any positive response nor starting of any negotiations with teachers’ bodies on the pending government commitments on the service conditions. The executive agreed on the need to enlarge the struggle by bringing together teachers’ organisations from all across the country on a common platform of demands and action. It also noted that the DUTA had repeatedly approached almost all levels of authority - the UGC, MHRD, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the President - except the Prime Minister. |
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CAMPUS The Western International University (WIU) is setting a precedent in the field of higher education by being the first American university to set up a full-fledged campus in India. The Phoenix-based university is slated to invest close to $ 2 dollars in the New Delhi campus, which is widely being perceived as the first in a series of expected investments from foreign institutions in the higher education segment now that the government has declared its intentions of inviting FDI. The university will offer courses in Business Administration and Information Technology at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The undergraduate course (B Sc in Management and B Sc in IT) will commence in June 2003 while the MBA is commencing as early as November 2002, with the MBA in IT is expected to follow in January 2003. The venture, called Modi Apollo International Institute (MAII), a collaborative effort between Modi Enterprises and Apollo International, is the first of 30 campuses that are being launched in the next decade. WIU has five campuses located in North America and all degrees awarded by the university are fully accredited to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. The university is aiming to harness the existing network of Modi Enterprises and its prominent alliances worldwide to offer students excellent job opportunities. All courses at the university are being offered at competitive cost packages supplemented with attractive financial assistance.
Hero Mindmine ties up with Daksh Hero Mindmine has recently tied up with Dakh e-services to assist the latter in resourcing customer service executives. The collaboration, which seeks to provide Dakh e-services with trained professionals for its voice and web operations, promises to be a great opportunity for all call centre aspirants. Under the programme, Daksh will recruit students trained and certified by Hero Mindmine as well as freshers who measure up to the selection criteria. Dakh e-services is a leading call centre organisation while Hero Mindmine, a division of Hero Corporation, is a seasoned trainer in the field. The two had earlier jointly offered an internship programme wherein students of Hero Mindmine would receive paid on-the-job training at Daksh.
Demand to
review promotion First year students pursuing B Sc (Hons) Computer Science at Delhi University are demanding that the parameters for promotion of students be reviewed and adequate amendment be made on an immediate basis. The call for review comes on the heels of a poor first year result for most students. Delhi University has taken adequate notice of the students’ demands by constituting a committee to examine the current promotion system, which is being headed by the head of the Computer Science Department, Mr
S.K.Muttoo.
Seminar on banking The Department of Business Economics, University of Delhi, recently held its 33rd annual industry seminar. The theme for the seminar was ‘Banking, Financial Services and Insurance’. The seminar was inaugurated by Mr N. S. Gujral, Chairman & Managing Director, Punjab and Sind Bank, who also gave an insight into the banking sector. He visualised the expected road map for the sector’s future. While presenting the expected future of the sector, he termed the banking sector as a sector undergoing great transformation. The keynote address was delivered by B. B. Bhattacharya, Director, Institute of Economic Growth, who spoke at length about the job prospects that existed in the sector and the potential that the sector held for aspirants.
MHRD to increase IIT seats The Ministry of Human Resource Development is considering the proposal to increase the number of postgraduate seats in all IITs across the country by next year. The reputed institution, which figures prominently among some of the best engineering schools across the globe, receives an enormous quantum of applications but due to paucity of seats the number of candidates selected is proportionally small. The decision to consider increasing the number of seats comes on the heels of the 37th meeting of the IIT Council which had placed an increased focus on postgraduate programmes and research work.
Educating disabled children The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) has announced the launching of a foundation course through distance learning for current teachers on ‘how to educate disabled children’. The course has been developed in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Bhoj University and will be launched on November 7. The course is aimed at equipping teachers – with an interest in teaching the disabled – with the requisite skills. The course provides the teacher with the flexibility of accumulating credit in any specific disability area as per his or her interest/requirement. The course entitles the teacher to procure a diploma/degree in special education under the distance learning mode. The RCI had earlier launched courses at the undergraduate level in special education as well as a 45-day foundation course in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Residence for women in DU The University of Delhi has established an International Students’ House for women near North Campus. The residential accommodation is meant for foreign female students enrolled in Delhi University at the undergraduate, postgraduate or research level. The effort seeks to address the growing need for accommodation for foreign students as well as the increased security demanded for female students. The bulletin of information along with the application form is available against payment of Rs 100 at the counter or Rs 150 by post. |
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Commodify education, govt’s new mantra Focus on higher education has always been a controversial issue in India with the opinion ranging from “first let us provide primary education and then worry about higher education” to “it is only through investment in higher education that we can effectively harness the potential of our human resources.” Those propagating both opinions have numerous reasons supporting their respective cases. Adding to the argument is the expected role of the public sector – should the government invest in higher education or should it leave the task of providing higher education to market forces, allowing the private sector to meet the demand. If the government does leave it to the private sector the issue of quality standards and accountability surfaces while the inability of the government to search its coffers and find additional funds for the sector seems unlikely. The only thing that can be treated as sacrosanct amid these divergent issues is that the state of higher education in India is deplorable and is not getting any better. The proportion of students pursuing higher education in India stood close to 450 per 1,00,000 students in 1980 and in 1996 (a whole 16 years after) this number has increased to just over 500. The gross enrolment ratios in higher education stood close to 6 per cent in 1997, witnessing a marginal growth over the 1985 figure. Compare this to the phenomenal growth managed by the rest of the Asian continent – from 25 per cent to 40 per cent. Further, the world average of enrolment ratios witnessed an increase in the 1985-1997 period, which was four times the increase in ratios in India with even Latin America managing an increase, which was twice the increase in India. The general analysis of these UNESCO and World Bank figures implies that the state of higher education in India is worse than most regions, including Latin America, widely perceived to most closely resemble the socio-economic set-up of India. The alarming conclusion is that while most regions of the world continue to improve, the trend in India is the either the opposite or does not measure up to the world scenario. The government on its part has been struggling to fulfil the role of providing higher education at greatly subsidised cost to the students. The fees in most universities, including Delhi University, continues to remain marginal when compared with the costs incurred by the universities, the deficit being made up through the General Development Grants. But, facing a constriction of funds, the government has been forced to pull back funding by prioritising elementary education, reflected in a decline in public expenditure in proportion to total government outlay – about 10 per cent in 1997 as compared to the levels in 1985. When the government decides to curtail expenditure of certain heads (such as teachers’ salaries) so as to promote a more efficient means of functioning, it is met with a stiff opposition as in the case of the teachers’ workload case, which was met with a month-long agitation by DUTA. The government has also decided to promote the proliferation of self-funded courses and financially sustainable universities, which do not require the amount of grants that are provided currently. But, this policy move has come in for widespread criticism. The DUTA president, Dr Shaswati Mazumdar, said, “The government is commodifying education and thereby compromising on the standards as well as strangling the reputed and well- established universities by throttling the funds available to them.” The government is now attempting to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the sector of higher education and promote the concept of ‘twinning programmes’, wherein students study in India with the option of studying certain modules in a foreign university and the eventual certification coming from the foreign university. But these measures have also met the same fate with widespread opposition being leveled from various fronts. The ABVP has launched a major campaign to promote ‘Indianisation of education’ and is strictly opposed to the government policy of curtailing funding. ABVP General Secretary Ramesh Pappa said, “The government is treating the education sector as an industry, expecting it to yield returns, and since it is not receiving adequate returns it is planning to disinvest in it.” While the universities yearn for more funding and students complain of declining academic standards – an outcome of inadequate funding, as cited by university authorities – the government finds itself in a fix to devise a policy measure which would serve as an amiable solution to all parties involved. Various proposals have been considered – private investment, foreign investment, increased public contribution (fees) and curtailing expenditure (which was met with a staunch resistance by the teachers) – but no positive outcome has emerged so far. Whether the government is able to arrest the declining standards in higher education or not will greatly depend on its ability to construe a policy, which either satisfies all parties involved (a seemingly impossible task) or mobilise the opinion that a compromise on personal interests is essential in the best interest of Indian higher education.. SG
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MDU professor elected secy of Rohtak, October 23 The conference was attended by more than 700 delegates from all over the country. Prof Vinayek had also been the executive committee member of the Indian Commerce Association. |
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First daily Punjabi soap goes on air today New Delhi, October 23 The central theme of the serial revolves around relationships, which are the main source of sentiments. The serial projects the premise that each sorrow that emanates in our life is due to the upheavals and hardships faced in relationships while every joy is also an outcome of human relationships. The characters of the serial portray the real life situations that each one of us faces, while making, breaking or strengthening relationships. It also seeks to drive home the fact that each moment of sorrow is balanced with a corresponding moment of happiness, and in the eventual analysis life has a way of balancing out. Penned by Delhi-based writer Lakhwinder Singh, the serial has been produced by Rachna Krishnan and directed by Bharat Chopra with the ensemble of actors including Dinesh Verma, Kumkum Jain, Saran Kohli and Nimi Singh among others. The serial is an attempt by Asian Ad Age to project and promote the rich cultural heritage of Punjab, while at the same time putting forth a unique opportunity to pose as a platform for talented singers. |
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