Status of WODC helped private medical colleges in Kalahandi, Balangir and Rourkela

Following is from Samaja:

The summary of the status is:

• Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi: Good progress, MCI visitor scheduled to visit in September for inspection
• Balangir: Govt. has received 6 proposals after its last call. The proposals are from:
  • Dr.D Meher Education & Health Trust, Balangir,
  • Santhigiri Ashram, Kerala,
  • Sahayata Trust, Hydrabad,
  • supreme Task, New Delhi,
  • Vigyan Bharati Charitable Trust , Bhubaneswar and
  • RVS Educational Trust, Tamil Nadu.
• Rourkela: MOU signed with Bhubaneswar based Vigyan Bharati Charitable trust. (They also run the Hi-Tech Medical college in Bhubaneswar.) Construction has started.

1 comment July 1st, 2009

HRD minister plans to scrap class 10 board exams; will it be good for students of Orissa?

Update: UP to have grading system in class 10 boards; Govt. for single board at all-India level for school education; Govt. plans independent panel to rate schools

Different media sources report on  the idea of central govt. to reform school education system in India. Following is an excerpt from CNN-IBN: 

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has come up with a innovative idea to reform school education system and is planning to scrap the Class 10 board examination. Sibal not only wants to do away with Class 10 board examination but also set up an evaluation system based on percentiles.

 

"We need to de-traumatise it and reduce the burden on parents and children. We could, for instance, think of abolishing the Class 10 board exam. Why does a child need to appear for a board exam in Class 10 if he or she is continuing in the same school?" asked Sibal.

"I think we should not let the students and their parents go through this immense trauma at a such young age. I will be taking forward this proposal and will be discussing it with the state broads too. We already have NCERT recommendations on it and this not new. Many countries don’t have exams but have a different form of assessment. For Class 12, it is different. We need to have exams because the students will be going into graduate colleges, but for Class 10, why should we have percentages when we can have percentile," he added.

 

Sibal also said it this ministry will do its best to implement the Yash Pal Committee report within 100 days. The Committee headed by Professor Yash Pal had been set up to advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education and has recommended the establishment of a National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER).

Add comment June 25th, 2009

Ph.D survey – Students’ perspective of doing Ph.D in India

Following is from http://www.cse.iitd.ernet.in/~jalote/misc/phd_surveyIITK-D-B.pdf linked from Prof. Pankaj Jalote’s home page at IIT Delhi.

Based on the above survey, a simple way to build a private top quality university in India is to pay more than twice the amount that is paid to faculty at IITs/IISERs/NISER (starting with 100K/month to assistant professors) and to pay Rs 40K/month to Ph.D students. These Ph.D students may be asked to help in teaching as teaching assistants in US universities do. That way many top undergraduates will pursue Ph.D in this institute and by paying more than twice to the faculty the institution can attract top faculty.  This could be a a data point for Vedanta University.

Add comment June 12th, 2009

Admission notice of Food Craft Institute Balangir

This institute is established by Ministry of Tourism Government of India and Government of Orissa. This is the only centrally funded institute in the Balangir district.

2 comments May 28th, 2009

Central University of Orissa, Koraput to start classes at COATS Koraput

Update: Hindu also reports on it. In regards to the location of the permanent campus, Hindu says the following:

While speaking very high about the proposed location for establishing the university which is situated between the railway station at Koraput and Danagadeola village over an area of 565 acres of government land she said that over the next five years the university could become one of the major attractions even for the tourists for its unique green campus resembling that of many world class university campuses in the other parts of the globe.

Following is an excerpt from a report in the Pioneer.

Vice-Chancellor of the Central University, Orissa, Dr Surabhi Banerjee informed that the classes in the university at Koraput would start from August this year. The university would function temporarily at the COATS (Council of Analytical Tribal Studies) and the courses would start from under-graduation to higher studies, she said.

…, the VC visited Deola village where the proposed university will be set up over 575 acres of land. … She thanked the district administration to locate such a suitable land and … After visit of the representatives from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the construction work would be carried out on their approval, she said.

There will be an entrance test for taking admission into the university and the entrance test would be conducted in around 15-16 centres all over India and for Orissa in Koraput, Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur. Subjects like English, Oriya, Social Sciences, Anthropology, Tribal Studies and Journalism and Mass Communication would be taught in the university, besides other higher and professional courses. Different kinds of schools will be opened on the campus like the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the head office of the university would function at Koraput and the transit office to recruit lecturers, readers, professors, management and other staff will function at Bhubaneswar, the VC informed.

The Central Government has approved the university for five years for the time being and the classes would start in the COATS which is being managed by Sabara Srikshetra Jagannath Mandir Management Committee and the existing Gyan Mandir, library and tribal museum are an added advantage for the students of the university, she said.

Among others, Registrar BK Mishra, Financial Advisor P Pati and Liaisoning Officer and Coordinator Ganesh Chandra Roul attended the Press conference.

2 comments May 25th, 2009

Institute of Mathematics and Applications to train 52 tribal students from KBK for IIT/NIT/NISER: Ad in Dharitri

1 comment May 14th, 2009

Post-matric scholarship for SC/ST students

1 comment May 13th, 2009

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

Following is from http://www.iisc.ernet.in/kvpy/about.html.

ABOUT KVPY

The "Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana" (KVPY) is a program started during 1999 by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India to encourage students of Basic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to take up research careers in these areas. The aim of the program is to identify and encourage talented students with aptitude for research.

This program strives to assist the students to realises their potential and to ensure that the best scientific talent is developed for research and growth in the country. Generous scholarship and contingency grant is provided (up to the Pre-Ph.D. level) to the selected students.

In addition, summer programs for the KVPY Fellows are organised in prestigious research and educational institutions in the country.

The KVPY is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The program is administered by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc, Bangalore), through the overall control of the Chief Executive (SID). The selection of students from those who are studying +1, +2, any U.G. Program including First/Second year Engineering/Medicine are carried out by IISc (Bangalore), IIT-Bombay (Mumbai), and ICMR (New Delhi), respectively, in association with two Zonal Centres one at Kolkata (Indian Institute of Science Education Research, Kolkata) and another at Mumbai (HBCSE, TIFR). There are special groups or committees set up at IISc, IIT and ICMR which screen the applications, conduct interviews at various centres, make the final selection and attend to follow-up matters.

The Department of Science and Technology – the nodal agency of the Government has entrusted the overall responsibility for organising the scheme to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and set up a National Advisory Committee (NAC) for overseeing its implementation. A Basic Committee and a National Scientific Committee has been set up to monitor various aspects, both administrative and academic, of the KVPY Program.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Request for Application Form

a. Each Stream has its own application form. Students who wish to apply for more than one Stream should submit separate applications.

b. Applicants may apply either by Hard copy or Online. (http://www.iisc.ernet.in/kvpy).

c. Application forms may be down loaded from the KVPY website. Those who are unable to do so, may request for a Hard Copy.

d. Hard copy of the application form can be obtained from KVPY on request by sending a processing fee of Rs. 200/- (Rs. 100/- for SC/ST) by means of remitting Rs. 200 (Rs. 100/- for SC/ST) “to any core banking branches of STATE BANK OF INDIA, payable at all branches in India. Paid into the credit of Administrative Executive, KVPY A/c. No. 10270577392” and send the “pay-in-slip” along with the request, clearly indicating the stream (i.e.SA, SB, SP etc.) on the envelope

e. The SC/ST – candidates should provide a copy of the caste certificate issued by a competent authority in the prescribed proforma.

f. The completed application form along with the

1. Caste certificate in the case of SC/ST candidate

2. Project report in the case of SP/Basic Sciences/ Engineering/ Medicine

 3. copy of the marks statement of the qualifying examination(s), in the case of SP (Engineering), SP(Medicine).

4. The original copy of the challan of processing fee of Rs. 200/- (Rs. 100/- for SC/ST)

should reach KVPY on or before 11.9.09 (Friday).

g. KVPY will not be responsible for postal delays in receiving completed application.

h. Last date for receipt of the request for application form.

1.	By post	:	01 September 2009
2.	In person at IISc	:	10 September 2009
3.	Last date for receipt of the completed application (both Online/Hard Copy along with cast certificate, project report and processing fee )	:	11 September 2009

 

All correspondence should be addressed to:
The Convener
Kishore Vaigyanik  Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore 560 012.

Add comment May 11th, 2009

NASA Space settlement design contest

NASA organizes a space settlement design  contest for high school students and students from all over the world, including from India, participate in it. This year a team from Orissa won the grand prize. The 2009 contest page has this to say about it. (Some name corrections are made using a tathya.in article about this.)

The Grand Prize winning submissions for 2009 went to Eric Yam, Pooja Bhattacharya and Swastika Bhattacharya.
Eric is a student of Ms. Gillian Evans at Northern Secondary School in Toronto Canada. His project was named ASTEN [PDF file 12 MB].

Pooja Bhattacharya and Swastika Bhattacharya were instructed by Ms. Itishree Nanda of St. Xavier’s High School in Orissa India. Orissa Design Inspired Systems and Aerovehicles was the title of their submission.

Their project is not available in that site. However, the projects of many of the grand prize winners are available. Following is a list from the page http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/Contest/.

• ASTEN [PDF file 12 MB] 2009 (tie)
• Orissa Design Inspired Systems and Aerovehicles 2009 (tie)
• DACIA’S 2008 [PDF file 8 MB]
• APIS 2007 (tie)
• EVA Project 2007 (tie)
• PINTA 2007 (tie)
• Vademecum (2006)
• Temis (2005)
• LEDA (2004)
• Teba 1 (2003)
• Æther (2002)
• Avalon (2001) tie
• The Centurion Space Settlement (2001)
• DaedalusaL4 (2000)
• ClC1 (1999)
• The Babylon Project (1998)
• SCORE: Self Contained Off-world Residential Environment (1997)
• Tango III : A Space Settlement Design (1996)
• Well, you start with a Rock … (1995 technical merit)
• Princess Ishtar (1995 artistic merit)

Add comment May 11th, 2009

How not to do rankings?

Recently Educationtimes.com, a part of of Times of India, together with Gfk Mode, has done a ranking of universities across India in various disciplines. There methodology, in their own words, was as follows:

This survey was open to prominent universities across India and invitations were sent to 225 universities.

Among the 225 prominent universities invited, 136 participated. This constitutes around 61% participation.

Some universities refused to participate. Whereas many universities could not provide the required information within our time frame.

The contact persons at the universities were: the registrars, deputy registrars, principal, dean or the administrative heads.

That is it. They sent the surveys. Regardless of whether people participated or not; regardless of the veracity of what was given back; they made a ranking.

The parameters they used may seem reasonable to many, but to me there is a very simple way to rank Universities and Colleges in India. Just use faculty quality as the first parameter and if their is a tie then use the student quality as the second parameter. That’s it!

2 comments April 1st, 2009

Revision of faculty Salary in India – links to various reports

• 6th pay commission reports for central government employees
  • Gazatte Notification: http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2008/aug/6th_payNotification.pdf.
  • Resolution on 6 CPC: http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2008/aug/6th_payResolution.pdf.
• Recommendation of the pay review committee of UGC for faculty: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=43395.
• Goverdhan Mehta Committee for pay revision for faculty at IISc, IITs, IIMs, IISERs and NITs: http://giridharmadras.googlepages.com/Mehta_report.pdf .

Add comment March 30th, 2009

Central University of Orissa classes to start in June from a temporary location; VC Prof. Banerjee will be tested on her ability get one of the 5 medical and engineering colleges to her university

Update: The news item in Samaja.

Tathya writes about this. Following are some excerpts.

Central University of Orissa (CUO) will begin classes from June. … While CUO will have its campus in Koraput, to begin with a temporary campus near Bhubaneswar is being looked out to start classes from next Educational Year.

That is why Professor Banerjee has requested the Government of Orissa in Higher Education department to provide a rented accommodation.

Mr.Padhi has agreed to provide all out support for the institution.

Professor Banerjee is interested to make it a different institution and is inclined to start at least 30-35 departments in the newly carved out Centre of Learning.

However to start with the CUO will have 5 subjects and later it will go on including further, said sources.

… Those CUs, which has not identified land for the institution in the designated place, those can start it from the Capital City of the state, said sources.

So Professor Banerjee is busy in organizing things for facilitating classes from next June. Faculty hiring is the foremost in her mind and as she is eager to make it a top class university, the VC wants to rope in best of the talents from the country.

She is also interested to open Medical College in the University, but it will take time. 

… Professor Baral of Arizona State University said only five of the 15 new central universities will have a medical college in the first phase (i.e.,during the 11th plan).

So the ability of the VC Professor Banerjee will be tested in whether she is able to get a medical and engineering college to the Central University of Orissa, feel the educationist.

Considering that the CUO is to be located in Koraput, in the most backward area, KBK, of India, Prof. Banerjee must do her best to make the right arguments at the earliest and get a medical and engineering college to this university, argued Professor Baral.

Page 522 of the document at http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/11th/11_v3/11th_vol3.pdf given below shows that only 5 of the new central universities will have medical and engineering colleges in the first phase, I.e., during the 11th plan.

Add comment March 25th, 2009