EDUCATION NEWS – FEBRUARY 2009

Monday, February 02nd 2009
Associate degree programme approved by IGNOU
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has approved an associate degree programme which will help student drop outs to re-enter the regular university system. IGNOU will offer the associate degree with the help of community colleges. It plans to begin the programmes within a period of five months. IGNOU plans to start its own set of community colleges and also provide recognition to some of the existing ones to offer the associate degree. There are around 100 such community colleges spread across the country. It has been proposed that anyone who completes the associate degree programme from one of these community colleges should qualify for lateral entry into the third year of a regular degree programme under any university.

Tuesday, February 03rd 2009
JEE center in Singapore rejected by HRD ministry
The Human Resources Department Ministry of India has rejected a proposal by the IITs to have a Joint Entrance Examination center in Singapore. The JEE is the entrance test for admissions to the engineering courses at the Indian Institutes of Technology. The proposition has been termed as an expensive affair and the ministry feels that there is no scope or place for the IITs to conduct the JEE in other nations. The first overseas JEE center was set up in Dubai last year.

Thursday, February 05th 2009
CAs from India and Australia to be mutually recognized
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and CPA Australia Ltd. have signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The MRA will ensure that the training and qualification for accountancy professionals received in both countries is recognized mutually through a bridging mechanism. As per the MRA the members of the ICAI who are graduates would be eligible for the CPA Australia membership on clearing one paper on 'Business strategy and Leadership'. In case of CPA members wanting to be members of ICAI, candidates will have to clear two papers on 'Corporate & allied laws' and 'taxation' and two more papers on 'Advanced auditing & professional ethics' and 'financial reporting'.

Thursday, February 05th 2009
Microsoft center for law launched at IIT Kharagpur
On February 3, the Microsoft Center for Excellence in Intellectual Property Laws was launched by the Rajiv Gandhi School of intellectual property law at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. So far the Rajiv Gandhi School of intellectual property laws has been the only institute to offer a dedicated programme on IP laws. IIT Kharagpur has now joined hands with Microsoft for an initial period of three years for this venture. It has received a funding of Rs 66 Lakh for the project which will cover all areas of outstanding research. The center will have foundation courses in IP laws and will also carry out various research projects.

Saturday, February 07th 2009
Infosys ties up with Cambridge for research
Infosys, one of India's leading IT companies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Cambridge for joint research projects in the areas of engineering, management and business, architecture and pharma. The collaboration is set to benefit those engaged in academia and at Infosys, thus creating appropriate solutions through research projects. The Memorandum was signed by Mr Narayan Murthy, chairman of the board and chief mentor, Infosys technologies and Prof Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

Wednesday, February 11th 2009
MHT-CET-2009 for all health sciences, Eng and Pharma courses
The Maharashtra Government will conduct a common entrance test MHT-CET 2009 for all health sciences, engineering and Pharmacy courses in the state on May 7th 2009. The Director, Medical Education and Research, Mumbai will be the competent authority for the entrance test. However the selection process for each of the professional courses will be carried out separately by different competent authorities. A single application form and three brochures (Health Science, Engineering and Pharmacy) will be made available from the 13th of March – 25th of March 2009. For information and the brochures log on to www.dmer.org/ or www.dte.org.in/fe2009 or www.dte.org.in/ph2009 

Wednesday, February 11th 2009
Campuses across India to have international centres
The growing number of foreign students in many of the Indian University campuses will now have an International centre near them which would cater to their needs. The government has planned to open International student centres which will help international students with deciphering regulations and provide help in terms of boarding and lodging facilities on university campuses. The move will be implemented for the new academic session which begins later this year.

Wednesday, February 11th 2009
100% winter placements at IIM Shillong
IIM Shillong seemed to have used the current global meltdown to its advantage at the recently concluded winter placement season. The current batch have got 100% placement in the winter internships. The 64 member batch got multiple offers from 35 companies. Since most companies are used to summer projects, the winter project seems to have worked to the institute's advantage.

Wednesday, February 11th 2009
PG-Agri science to have a common syllabus 
In what seems to be a first-of-its-kind development in India, post graduate studies in agricultural sciences will have a common syllabus across the country. The syllabus which has been prepared by a 12-member committee headed by Haryana Agricultural University, Vice Chancellor J C Katyal will be made effective from the academic year 2009-10 starting in July. So far agricultural universities in the country did not follow any uniform structure for their post graduate programmes. The uniformity in the syllabus and grading will help students while applying for research. After the uniform syllabus is implemented, the universities will have a grade point average of 6.0 for the MSC degree and 7.0 for PhD programmes.

Wednesday, February 11th 2009
Degree courses at Polytechnics
The Department of Polytechnics of the Delhi government will offer degree courses in affiliation with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU). Beginning this academic year students can choose to pursue Bachelor's programmes such as B Sc (Interior designing), BBA (Office management) and BBA (Sports management) at select government polytechnic colleges. The joint registrar (Affiliations) at GGSIPU stated that the upgradation of a few of the diploma courses to degree courses offered at these colleges has been facilitated due to the availability of infrastructure. GGSIPU has begun its application procedures for the new academic year. Application forms and brochures for all its courses will be available from February 11, 2009. Forms can be availed from 55 designated branches of Punjab & Sind bank across the country. Admission to 50 academic courses will be done through 27 Common entrance tests this year. The last date for obtaining and submitting filled in application forms is 31st of April. Applications can also be made on line by logging on to www.ipu.ac.in

Tuesday, February 17th 2009
ABBS formed at the BRICS B Schools conclave
At the recently held BRICS B Schools conclave at the Xavier Institute of Management Education. The first of its kind consortium was headed by J Philip president of XIME. The two day conference held on January 30 and 31st yielded a common forum for B Schools from the five countries. The forum is called the Association of BRICS Business Schools (ABBS); an agreement to form this association was discussed and signed at the consortium. More institutions from the member countries are expected to join this forum in the future. 

Friday, February 20th 2009
Lateral placements at IIM A feel the global heat
According to early reports, the lateral placements at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM A) have been affected by the global meltdown. This is what Director at IIM A Prof Samir K Barua is reported to have said, "The lateral and pre-placement offers coming to IIM A have been affected by the global meltdown. Pre-placement offers have been from the financial sector but they are also showing signs of decline this year." Mr Barua expects the bulk of placements to shift from financial sector to marketing this year. The pre-placements are still in the process of being completed.

Saturday, February 21st 2009
IIM C hikes its fees
As B Schools feel the heat due to global recession in its placements, skyrocketing prices and increase in expenditure has forced the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta to hike its fee for the 2009-11 batch. The new batch of students will now have to pay Rs 9 Lakh for the PGDM programme – Rs 4 Lakh in the first year and Rs 5 Lakh in the second year. Existing students of the batch of 2008-10 will have to pay Rs 4 Lakh in the second year. At Rs 9 Lakh, the IIM C programme is still less expensive as compared to the PGDM programmes at IIM A (Rs 11 Lakh) and IIM B (Rs 9.5 Lakhs).

Monday, February 23rd 2009
Indian Railways top officers to get training at ISB
The Indian School of Business has obtained a five year contract from the Indian Railways to train some of its top officers on campus. The railways will send 200 of its officers who are above or at the rank of Additional Divisional Railway Managers (ADMR) from across the country to ISB for a period of one week every year for a custom-made residential training programme. The focus of the training would be on ways to minimize costs and to expedite decision making process in the organization. Earlier, the railways would send its top officers for similar programmes to INSEAD and Stern School of Business.