The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

campus
IGNOU courses to help set up radio stations
as entrepreneurs
Smriti Kak

Indira Gandhi National Open University has announced the start of two academic programmes in broadcasting for students aspiring to join media as professionals or set up radio stations as entrepreneurs.

In a statement issued here, IGNOU said the move follows recent privatisation in the field of radio and broadcasting, community radio centres and growing FM popularity, which have unleashed ‘’immense’’ professional opportunities.

It was pointed out that IGNOU has developed a Postgraduate Diploma in Audio Programme Production in English and Hindi and Radio Prasaran Mein Snatakottar Diploma in Hindi in collaboration with Prasar Bharti.

Each programme will last one year and be open to graduate in any discipline. The programmes are intended to impart skills required in radio writing, presentation, programming, production and managing and help upgrade skills of those already working in media organisations or those planning to set up radio stations.

Besides theory, the courses will contain practical components to be conducted by All India Radio, the statement said.

FEDCUTA secretary

Prof Jaswinder Singh, secretary, DUTA has been elected the secretary of Federation of Central Universities Teacher’s Association (FEDCUTA) for the years 2004-06.

A national executive meeting of the FEDCUTA was held where the members took a serious view of the recent UGC moves to impose a common entrance test for admissions to professional courses and the model act for universities.

In a statement issued, FEDCUTA said that the proposed Act, “aims at a total withdrawal of state funding from institutions of higher learning and forcing them to mobilise financial resources to become self-sufficient”.

The Model Act, it was added, proposes to force universities to, “incorporate commercial culture and corporate culture”.

Further it said, “As these cultures completely undermine the social role of education in India, this philosophy will totally deny the weaker sections of society the access to higher education. The Concept paper of the Act lays emphasis on the replacement of classroom teaching by distance education. The creation of the private and virtual universities with proposals of jurisdiction not being relevant anymore will result in some of the important disciplines such as Social Sciences and Humanities being totally wiped out.”

Among other issues deliberated were the restoration of promotion to professorship in colleges, parity of librarians with teachers and implementation of pay scales from 1996.

It also sough the option of switching over from Contributory PF to General GPF as is practised after the notification by each pay commission.

A decision to observe a bandh on the 22 of this month over the proposed Model Act and common entrance test was also mooted. The participation of karamcharis and students of all Central universities would be solicited.

Chifley Business School

The Chifley Business School, one of Australia’s largest business schools, based in Melbourne, has announced the launch of a Diploma in Business, for working professionals seeking to enhance their skill set and upgrade their existing qualifications.

The programme will be conducted via the distance-learning mode and will also have 100 house of face-to-face sessions with some of the industry’s leading experts in the field. The six-month programme has been especially designed for frontline managers, supervisors, technical professionals and team leaders at the junior and middle management level. The programme has been endorsed by FICCI.

The programme content covers a comprehensive range of topics required for today’s managers in this changing economic environment—the strategic role that managers play in assisting their organisation; the abilities required to manage people, information and both financial and physical resources; and the achievement of business objectives in a team-based environment..

It was pointed out that the programme aims to develop a clear understanding of the emerging profile and the critical role of managers, as well as the motivational needs of employees to deliver organisational success.

Since it is being conducted via the distance-learning mode, the Chifley Business programme allows tremendous flexibility and the ability to customise the study pattern depending upon one’s lifestyle, professional schedule and geographical situation.

Students doing this Diploma will also get articulation into the full-time MBA offered by APESMA and LaTrobe University and hence, candidates can acquire a degree in management at any later stage.

The Chifley Business School was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA). Accredited by the Australian Vocational and Training System, Chifley’s Diploma in Business has received national recognition in Australia as well as an alignment with the Australian National Training Authority’s (ANTA) national competency framework it was claimed.

MBBS course

The Armed Forces Medical College, Pune has invited applications for admission to its MBBS course commencing from July 2004.

The total number of seats is 130, including a maximum for 25 girls. All candidates admitted to AFMC, Pune have compulsory liability to serve as commissioned officers in the Armed Forces Medical Services on graduation.

The type of commission will depend upon the vacancies available and merit-cum-option at the final MBBS examination.

The liability of the SSC officers passing out of AFMC to serve the Armed Forces Medical Services would be seven years. All candidates admitted to the college are required to execute a bond to this effect for an amount of Rs 15,00,000 at the time of joining the college. Students removed from service liability due to any reason will have to pay the bond money as per conditions laid down by the government of India.

Ten seats are reserved for SC/ST candidates who also have the above-mentioned service liability and have to fulfil the requirements of medical fitness, age, education and qualifying the entrance examination.

The government will provide free accommodation and rations, second-class railway fare from college to home and back during vacations, a book subsidy of Rs 8,000 during the entire training period.

Candidates must have passed the XII standard/pre-professional/premedical examination or equivalent examination of statutory Indian University/Board or any other recognised Board/University as a regular student in all the subjects opted for in first attempt with English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology securing not less than 60 per cent marks in aggregate in the three science subjects taken together, not less than 50 per cent marks in each of the science subjects and not less than 50 per cent marks in English. They must have also passed an examination in Mathematics at least of the matriculation standard.

Candidates will be required to appear for the competitive written test of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Intelligence, Reasoning and English language comprehension on May 2, 2004 and selected candidates will be called for an interview at Pune in June 2004.

Completed application forms must be sent to the Officer-in-Charge (Admission cell), Armed Forces Medical College, Pune by February 17, 2004. Last date for request of forms by post is January 30, 2004.

Global exhibition on education

Education Worldwide 2004, an international exhibition on education will begin in Delhi from February 4-7 at the Ashok Hotel and will showcase around 100 foreign and Indian universities as well as ancillary industries.

Backed by education planners and organised under the guidance of luminaries drawn from academia as well as industry, the exhibition is expected to generate 6,000 footfalls in each of these cities.

This exhibition will witness the participation of over 100 universities from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and others.

The exhibition will provide and showcase courses on Management, IT, Engineering, Polytechnic, Fashion Schools, Medical, Coaching Institutes and Language Schools at graduate and postgraduate levels.

The coming together of ancillary industries such as banks, immigration counsellors, insurance companies, money changers, visa consultants and travel agents for the first time would help the students obtain a better understanding on the involvement of legal and financial formalities.

Says Mr D.K. Jain, Director of Global Events & Expositions, promoter of Education Worldwide, “Education Worldwide aims to bridge the gap between students aspiring to go abroad and universities looking for Indian students, providing a much-needed interface between the two.”

He added, “This is an opportunity for Indian students to make themselves aware of the options available in different countries other than the US and the UK and that too at a fraction of the cost.”