Education Insider

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INTERVIEW: Pauline Rose, Director, UNESCO’s EFA GMR

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ‘Govt wants to keep people illiterate in Chhattisgarh’ Dr Nandini Sundar

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Good Skill Hunting The 10th edition of UNESCO’s Education For All Global Monitoring Report shows skills deficit among the youth is a serious issue in 161 countries

Volume 1 Issue 8 | November 2012 Editor Ravi Deecee Deputy Editor Sanjeev Neelakantan Assistant Editor Dipin Damodharan Senior Reporters Lakshmi Narayanan Prashob K P Sreekanth Ravindran RESPONSE TEAM Coordinating Editor Sumithra Sathyan Reporters Tony William Biyanka Merlyn John Shalet James Neethu Mohan Design & Layout Kailasnath Anil P John

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Questions Malala would have asked!

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young dove of peace is bleeding and the world is mutely witnessing the horror, with global statesmen and social crusaders merely indulging in what seems like a feeble verbal warfare against the terror machines spawned by extremist fundamentalism.

On October 9, Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize winner and the bloodied Swat Valley’s girls’ education activist Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head and the neck by the Tehreek-e-Taliban’s militant cadre for open defiance of their “nonsensical, barbaric diktats” against rightful living.

While the social networking websites and international fora are resonating with gratifying statements against terror and an unending stream of applauses and unequivocal support for the 15-year-old girl of Swat Valley, the most perceptible fact is that the human collective is going bankrupt in terms of humanism. Or else, why would a world that either backed or silently watched the horrors of September 11, 2001, and two big wars (in Iraq and Afghanistan) fail to question the social, economic and political incompetence of the global powers towards solving the serious existential crises in the dime-a-dozen flashpoints across the world, particularly Pakistan? Why have the US and other global powers failed to force Pakistan into dismantling the terror infrastructure on its soil?

How are the Taliban cadres finding it easy to cross over from Afghanistan into Pakistan’s Swat Valley?

Today, anyone and everyone seem to be standing by Malala. Where were these people when she had been blogging about the vulnerabilities of her people under the shadow of the Taliban? The ground reality in places like the Swat Valley demands much more than mere expression of sympathy, or empathy.

The plight of the girls in Swat Valley shouldn’t be seen in isolation. Millions of children around the world have no entitlement to the basics of life, what to speak of education. Our Cover Story, based on the tenth edition of UNESCO’s Education For All Global Monitoring Report, focusses on the lack of governmental initiative in several developing and underdeveloped countries towards empowering the youth with a sound education system that can give them the required skills to make a decent living.

India is faced with a chronic skills deficit among its youth in numbers that outweigh the concerns of other countries in the world, according to the report.

It’s time we all woke up to the reality.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

CONTENTS 26 COVER STORY THE REGULARS 09 Edu Capsule

29 Cover Story Interview

11 News Plus

Pauline Rose, Director of Education For All Global Monitoring Report, on India’s chronic skills deficit

14 Young Achievers Matt Severson, Pratik Shinde, and Aditya Kapur

15 Personalities Marissa Mayer is the latest celebrity to become a mother

A wake-up call for good skill hunting from UNESCO agency 41 Study Destination The dragon is still the wisest in the world. Learn from this ancient master of wisdom

61 Make your choice Design a career in the gaming world, or become the perfect hostess

70 Motivation National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has a Google connection

35 Ex Quiz Me Tickle your brain

BRAINWAVE 49 Sunit Tandon ‘Press Council of India should be given more powers’

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In developing countries alone, the population aged between 15 and 24 touched more than one billion in 2010. But jobs are not being created fast enough to meet the needs of this large youth population. Around one in eight people aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed in developing and under-developed countries, says the tenth edition of the Education For All Global Monitoring Report of UNESCO

EXPERT INTERVIEWS

COLUMNS 23 Dr B Ashok, IAS Easy tips to overcome the final barrier in the civil services exam

56 Mushfiq Mobarak Bangladesh shows the world how to keep more girls in school

32 Dr T P Sethumadhavan 17 Dr Nandini Sundar An academic and social activist fighting for the cause of the tribals in the hotbed of Maoist insurgency, Dr Nandini Sundar says it’s not the insurgents but the government which has destroyed education in the tribal pockets of Chhattisgarh

Emerging disciplines of science offer great career prospects

COURAGE UNDER FIRE

51 Aditya Malik In spite of the availability of a huge talent pool in India, firms have trouble recruiting qualified workers because the quality of talent is not as good as it could be, says Aditya Malik, the CEO of TalentEdge, a leading IT education and training provider

39 Malala Yousufzai This young peace prize winner and education activist of Pakistan was attacked by the Taliban

INVESTMENT OPTIONS 54 Robotics It’s the age of artificial intelligence, and Robot population’s going up EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

CONTENTS *Cover: Sarah Wilkins/UNESCO

FOREIGN CAMPUS

CHILD EDUCATION 62 Montessori Method An introductory article by educationist Lakshmi Krishnakumar

21 Counterpoint Social scientist Dr Nisha Malhotra speaks on child nutrition

34 VC Speaks 36 Birmingham University This multicultural university, which has been attracting students from more than 80 countries, occupied the 66th place in the recent Times Higher Education World University Rankings

68 Froebel Method An interview with a coach of Germany-based Froebel Group

The Vice-Chancellor of Avinashilingam Deemed University on the values of education

45 Campus Initiative Corporation Bank’s Campus Card initiative covers 200 institutions

59 Management Chennai-based B school LIBA is an institutional brand

46 Edupreneur Sunny Varkey, GEMS Foundation

INDIAN CAMPUS

42 NIT Calicut National Institute of Technology, Calicut, is leveraging the success of its collaborations with several universities of international repute EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

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FEEDBACK

A journal that can bring about social reformation I happened to read the July 2012 edition of Education Insider. It is good when compared with foreign journals. As a journal, it can help in bringing about social reformation in the country. Today’s newspapers are full of unpleasant information. Human development education is the need of the hour through which we can produce social leaders who can bring about social reformation. Media of any type needs to disseminate good news to society. Do not deviate from the path of Dharma.

Prof Samuel C Mathivaanan, Director, Institute for Social Sciences & Research, Vellore, Tamil Nadu

A man with clear vision Scan the QR code with your smart phone to reach us online

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The points that Dr Subramanian Swamy had raised in the interview in Education Insider’s October issue is bloody right. But the politicians don’t bother about it. People are saddened by all that is going on and they can’t do anything. The country has gone to the dogs because of Westernisation!

Advait Veda, Lucknow It’s illuminating, no less! The clarity of thought in the man shines through. Thanks. It was so sweet to hear about the vision Subramanian Swamy has for India. He carries a wonderful aura and a bright mind.

Naren Mopidevi , Austin, Texas Each word of Subramanian Swamy is a bomb, pumping heavy inspiration into one’s grey matter!

Poornima Rama, Cochin, Kerala The interview with Dr Subramanian Swamy was excellent. He rightly points out the problems faced by the Indian education system today. The country needs a Prime Minister like Dr Swamy.

Anand Adhikari, Chennai

The Importance of Arts First of all, I congratulate the entire team of Education Insider for bringing out a fantastic issue in September, based on the “importance of Arts” in education. Nowadays, the subjects of humanities have become boring. Everybody wants to become a doctor, or an engineer, or a manager. Arts are a major source of creativity and innovation. The legendary Steve jobs is a conspicuous example in front of us.

It’s our great responsibility to educate our children about the importance of Arts. We can’t become leaders without Arts. The worst condition of “Innovation and entrepreneurship” is in India. Our policy-makers should stop the grading system on subjects that are very crucial. We focus only on English, Science, and Mathematics. Without innovation, no country can’t lead in any sector.

Manoj Kumar, Banaras Hindu University

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

EDU CAPSULE

Arts education a ‘core subject’ in LA LOS ANGELES: The LA Unified School Board has approved a measure to make arts education a ‘core subject’ as part of efforts to prohibit further negligence of the arts and ensure adequate funding for arts programmes. With the aim of increasing the number of arts teachers in tune with the demand in urban school districts, each middle school will be offered three arts disciplines. Budgeting provisions have been created to help cover teachers’ costs for arts supplies and professional development.

UN primary education initiative NEW YORK: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon recently declared the Education First Initiative that aims to improve the quality of learning, provide educational avenues to children across the world, and foster global citizenship. About 61 million children are not being enrolled in primary schools across the world as of today, according to a report

by UNESCO. According to the declaration of the UN Secretary-General, there have been individual contributions totalling $1.5 million towards this initiative, which aims to achieve universal primary education by 2015.

Entrepreneurship summit in Kerala KOCHI: TiE Kerala, the state chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, will host the first TiEcon Kerala 2012, the largest ever gathering of entrepreneurs and professionals from across the country, at the Le Meridien Convention Centre in Kochi on October 25 and 26 this year. “The conference provides great opportunities for the new and existing entrepreneurs in Kerala to hold pro-active interactions with renowned experts and successful entrepreneurs.

It will enable discussions on different aspects of entrepreneurship, and the opportunities and challenges it provides. About 1,000 delegates will participate in the two-day conference. Many wellknown entrepreneurs from the country and abroad will share their experiences with the delegates,” John K Paul, President of TiE Kerala said.

TiEcon Kerala is being organised as part of the expansion activities of TiE Kerala chapter, which has been functioning in the state for about a decade.

Containing IMR through education NEW DELHI: A woman’s education is essential for the containment of the national infant mortality rate (IMR). A child born to an illiterate woman in India has a 65 per cent chance of

New agricultural education system NAGPUR: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will set new quality standards in agricultural education through accreditation to all universities and affiliated colleges to bring about value and uniformity in the current system. ICAR will identify the lacunae in the current system that is hampering efforts to generate a better crop of trained scientists, teachers, and agriculturists. Experts will also relook into the practical training programmes to improve farmers’ interaction with the universities and facilitate students’ stay in villages to learn more about agriculture EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

dying in the first month of birth, while the postneonatal mortality rate is much higher. A study prepared by the National Institute of Medical Statistics, titled “Infant and Child Mortality in India – Levels, Trends and Determinants”, states that between 1981 and 2005, IMR among children born to illiterate mothers has been consistently higher than those born to literate mothers. The effects of education on post-neonatal mortality are even higher.

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EDU CAPUSULE

Raising a toast to the District of Columbia

WASHINGTON: A recent study states that the District of Columbia is the best education zone in the US, followed by Boston and San Francisco. The New York and Los Angeles metro areas are far behind. The study claims that those who have received a good education are likely to have the mental, social, and other skills essential to be productive workers.

The overall pattern that emerged in the study showed that the coasts, the plains, and the Midwest performed well than the rest of the country.

Free higher education for sportspersons NEW DELHI: University and college students who bring international recognition for the country in sports will be provided free education. Financial assistance for such students will be offered by the University Grants Commission. The universities concerned will also help such sportspersons in completion of syllabus and attendance. A national level university league and university level hockey league will promote sports in Indian campuses. Television channel NDTV will launch this initiative along with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to encourage students interested in sports.

US, UK universities top world rankings

Become an expert in Nepal Studies KATHMANDU: Cambridge International Examinations and the British Council have announced a new qualification test for secondary students who have completed an advanced programme pertaining to studies on Nepal. Cambridge International Examinations, the world’s largest provider of international education programmes and qualifications for five to 19-year-olds, recently introduced its AS Level Nepal Studies programme in several institutions across the Himalayan country. Under the programme, students can learn about various social, economic, and political subjects relating to their own country.

After completion of the programme, they have to appear for a qualification test to secure certification.

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LONDON: The latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings report has said that the US and British universities hold the top positions in terms of academic excellence. Seventy-six universities from the US have retained their place in the top 200 institutions.

Thirteen performance indicators were used to evaluate more than 700 universities in terms of research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. Mediocrity has been a great threat to Britain due to cuts in funding, higher fees, and rising global competition.

Tobacco ban in TN institutions

CHENNAI: All educational institutions in Tamil Nadu, including public and private universities and the School Department, have been directed by the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to become tobaccofree zones. Tobacco chewing and smoking cause cancer and a number of chronic diseases. The Department aims to prevent the use of tobacco and tobacco products among the youth. Institutions have been instructed to enforce the anti-tobacco rules by December this year.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

NEWS PLUS

ISB, Karachi-based IBA launch executive education programme KARACHI: Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB) and Karachi-based Institute of Business Administration (IBA) have announced the commencement of their first joint Executive Education Programme in Pakistan. Titled ‘Leadership Skills for Top Management’, this programme will be the first among a series of initiatives aimed

at helping business leaders, government officials, and CxOs (corporate executives) in Pakistan acquire the leadership skills required to survive in a dynamic global trade, business, and economical setting.

This initiative is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ISB and IBA, inked in Karachi earlier this year. The objective behind the MoU is to bring world class executive education programmes to Pakistan.

Programme participants can be government functionaries, or Directors, CEOs, and senior leaders from across industries, including banking and financial institutions, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, infrastructure development, power, MNCs, and agri-business houses. The collaboration with ISB will expose the Pakistani corporate managers to leading scholars and business practitioners from the world and help them acquire new knowledge and skills.

Guided by the goal of being ranked among the top 10 business schools in South Asia and top 100 in the world, the Center of Executive Education at IBA is collaborating with the world’s leading business schools.

Canadian universities in a state of overhaul to improve on excellence TORONTO: Canadian universities and colleges are working towards improving their academic strengths and converting scientific research into useful, commercially viable products. Proportionately, as compared with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, Canada has more 25 to 64 year olds with a university or college education. And the current initiatives are only aimed at increasing the benchmarks of excellence further.

According to a report of the Canadian Council of Academics, both Canadian scientific and humanistic strides are among the most respected in the world. It states that the proportion of research done in their universities, rather than in the private sector, is much higher in terms of quantity. Seven quantitative sciences are popular in Canadian universities - three (the trivium) based on language, including literature, logic, and rhetoric, and four EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

(the quadrivium) on mathematical sciences, including astronomy, geometry, algebra, and, perhaps, music. In recent years, digital media has been playing an important role in both music and visual arts.

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NEWS PLUS

University of Tokyo introduces degree programme in English TOKYO: University of Tokyo (Todai) strives to strengthen its reputation as a global institute of higher learning with the introduction of an undergraduate degree programme taught in English.

PEAK (Programme in English at Komaba) is the university’s first four-year under-graduate curriculum, where all courses will be taught in English.

PEAK seeks to remove the language barriers and secure a high position for University of Tokyo in the world rankings. As of today, Todai figures in international rankings, but it is behind its Asian counterparts. Over the years, Todai’s visibility has grown in the international education market. Now, the university hopes to consolidate its position as a world class university.

Through PEAK, Todai hopes to wean away talented students from other top colleges and universities. It plans to give a multicultural colour to its international student body with the inclusion of students from other regions. Students have formed an organisation of volunteers called “PEAK Friends”, which helps foreign students in getting acclimatised to the environment in the university as well as Japan.

Corporates to test English language skills NEW DELHI: Corporate professionals better brush up their English language skills. Now, corporate companies and other organisations may ask their employees to take the British Council’s New Aptis Language Test to ensure they have recruited personnel with the right communication skills. The test has been designed and developed

by Cambridge ESOL Examinations, while the British Council is responsible for its marketing. Aptis is regarded as the first self-developed and owned English language test.

The test will assess the language ability of adults in four areas - skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. All clients can change the test parameters, choosing to assess only skills relevant to them. The British Council claims that the results are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Aptis is a paper-based test which can be taken online, or even over the telephone. It delivers accurate and reliable results within 24 hours.

According to Mark Walker, the Director of Exams at the British Council, Aptis is part of a wider project to develop language skills among profes-

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sionals. The British Council has started the project in the Indian hotel sector to help the respective managements identify the English language skills that are essential among their workforce.

The British Council is a long established partner in the International English Language Test System, which is widely used for university entrance and immigration processing. It also administers a range of tests through its network of teaching centres around the world.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

YOUNG ACHIEVERS

From Outreach to School Fund

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ducation plays a vital role in our life. But there are millions of children in the world who do not have a rightful entitlement to education because of their poor social and economic backgrounds. While there are scores of social organisations across the world that are consistently working towards the social and economic upliftment of such children through novel educational initiatives, most of them are faced with financial constraints. Here’s a man who is trying to change all that. Matt Severson, who works with the Education Outreach Team of Google, recently founded an organisation called “The School Fund”. He raises funds for the organisation through a website, while the operating cost of the website is taken care of through contributions from family foundations and Google. Through the website, Matt provides a transparent platform for donors on direct sponsorship, a scanned school receipt system promising accountability, and direct donor-student correspondence through an online journal. The School Fund supports students in several countries, including India, Tanzania, China, the Republic of Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, and the Philippines.

The youngest Indian footballer

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ifteen-year-old Pratik Shinde is the Central Midfielder of Galveston Pirate SC, an American football club. He has been named the youngest Indian footballer. Pratik, who comes from a modest middle class family based in Maharashtra, had to face many difficulties to fulfill his dream of making it big in the world of football. A student of Adarsha Vidyalaya at Chembur, Mumbai, Pratik initially played in his colony football team and then for the school team. The games teacher then sent him to Kenkre Football Academy for formal football training. While there, he got an offer to play for Air India’s under 15 team. After joining Andheri Football Academy, he got an opportunity to play in the Gothia Cup Youth Football Tournament, Sweden, the world’s largest talent hunt. He hogged the headlines after a brilliant performance against the German team. Now, he hopes to represent India in the Fifa Cup.

Lights, Camera, Action... Auto!

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inding a foothold in the tinsel town isn’t easy. Stories of the celluloidobsessive youths trying their luck at the film production houses and returning home with a heartbreak are too common and regular.

Eighteen-year-old Aditya Kapur took a different route to filmdom. He started his career as an actor in a theatre group, TINCAN Kolkata, at the age of 16.

Today, he owns a production house named autorickshawproductions and his team comprises school and college students. His first film, ikolkata, is centred on a schoolboy who is sick of the daily classroom routine and escapes to the city. ikolkata won the best film awards at Spicmacay Kolkata and the Spirit of Kolkata Film Festival. A first year mass communication and videography student at Kolkata’s St Xavier’s College, Aditya has a number of big projects in hand as of today. He’s also planning a foray into Bollywood.

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EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

, w o e N g ! a o o h a Y ’s the newother! that orate m corp

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ahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer is the latest celebrity mother to hog the headlines. This news comes with a tinge of surprise and shock for all expectant mothers, new mothers, and career women in the corporate world as well as maternity experts. How and why? She was back at her office desk after a two-week maternity leave.

She then tweeted, “My first full day back in the office, and I’m excited to kick it off by announcing my new COO, Henrique de Castro.”

Marissa had told the Fortune magazine that her pregnancy won’t be an issue when it comes to official matters. It was on September 30 that she had given birth to a baby boy. Instead of going on a long, well-deserved maternity leave like any new mother working in the corporate world would have, she devised a simple plan that could balance both her professional as well as maternal life. So, is this a reflection of Marissa’s commitment to her professional duties as the CEO? Or, is it merely the confidence of a corporate lady who can handle the duty of motherhood with an equal measure of attention? Will this inspire other career woman to follow suit? Well, it’s purely a matter of personal judgment and choice.

What makes Marissa a celebrity career woman? She got a break at Google in 1999 as the company’s first woman engineer. Her management skills had given a new dimension to Google’s product and service strategies.

She served Google for 13 years as an engineer, designer, product manager, and executive, handling key roles in Google Search, Google Images, Google News, Google Maps, Google Books, Google Product Search, Google Toolbar, iGoogle, and Gmail. She also served as the Vice-President of Local Maps, and Location Services, and Vice-President of Search Products and User Experience of Google. As a result of her corporate performance with Google, Marissa was ranked 14th in the list of America’s most powerful businesswomen of 2012 by Fortune magazine.

Yahoo Inc, one of the internet corporate giants, had appointed Marissa as its CEO in July 2012, when she was six months pregnant. As Yahoo had been going through a crucial phase of growth, the corporate world had expressed anxiety on such an appointment, thinking that she may not be able to continue with her responsibilities after delivery.

Poof! Any more concerns?

Marissa’s plan is to turn Yahoo! into something that users can touch everyday. For this, she is turning the Yahoo! home page into a platform that’s akin to the modern social networking media.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Marissa Mayer PERSONALITIES Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer gave birth to a baby boy on September 30 this year. But that didn’t stop her from being a responsible corporate leader. She returned to the workplace after a two-week maternity leave, causing quite a flutter in the corporate world

by Lakshmi Narayanan

VOICES

“I believe that grading is always a better option to assess a child as it indicates the level of knowledge and achievement of a child. But there are administrative issues of admission into colleges” Vineet Joshi, Chairman and Secretary, CBSE

“We are facing many challenges in management education. We have to strengthen our infrastructure. The second thing is that we have to strengthen our administrative machinery in terms of work culture ” Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, Director of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta

“We are trying get into the Indian higher education sector. We are focussing on institutions which are planning to open multiple campuses in India as well as abroad” Lynnette Whitfield, Director, Education Industry Solutions & Market Development, Asia Pacific, Polycom Inc

“The Indian education system suffers from unfortunate dichotomy, the dichotomy between Central and state universities. The state universities suffer or are victim of this dichotomous process” Dr Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor, University of Calcutta

“A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections… a mere heart of stone” Charles Darwin, Father of Evolution

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EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Dr Nandini Sundar EXPERT TALK

‘Govt wants to keep people

illiterate in Chhattisgarh’ An academic and social activist fighting for the cause of the tribals in the hotbed of Maoist insurgency, Dr Nandini Sundar believes that the civil war has wiped out the very semblance of humanism in the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh.

With more than 20 years of social service in the Maoist insurgent areas, Dr Nandini had been the main petitioner in the case against Salwa Judum, a militia comprising tribal youth that fought against insurgents, in the Supreme Court. Currently the Head of the Department of Sociology at Delhi School of Economics, Dr Nandini says, “In Chhattisgarh, though they blame the Maoists, it is the government which has destroyed education.” She has been striving hard to provide a non-violent space for the civil society, which is caught in the crossfire. Author of critically acclaimed books Subalterns and Sovereigns: An Anthropological History of Bastar, published in Hindi as Gunda Dhur Ki Talash Mein, and Branching Out: Joint Forest Management in India, Dr Nandini has won the much coveted ‘Infosys Prize, Social Sciences 2010’. In an exclusive interview with Education Insider, Dr Nandini talks about the deplorable education scenario in tribal areas

by Dipin Damodharan

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EXPERT TALK Dr Nandini Sundar

In 2005, the government ordered the teachers to come and live in camps, and then the security forces started occupying the schools. The Maoists then blasted some schools. Despite the Supreme Court ordering the state not to occupy schools and return them to the education authorities, the state government is not complying. It seems they want to keep people illiterate

‘‘ The Indian education system is passing through a tumultuous phase. What are the challenges before the system today?

The biggest challenge is ensuring good and equitable primary education for all children. This has different aspects, but all of them require strengthening of the government school system. A common school system would be best because only if middle class children start going to government schools will there be pressure on the system to reform; but even systems like social monitoring and auditing should help increase popular control over teacher attendance, school facilities etc.

Higher education is important, but the government needs to focus on what it wants – on the one hand, they want to promote research. On the other hand, they come up with stupid schemes like biometric attendance and the UGC point system, all of which are bureaucratic

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exercises which have no relation to the actual practice of teaching and doing research.

While it is important to have colleges and Central universities in every state, it is also important to have a certain degree of clustering. In the US, for instance, there are clusters of colleges around the Boston, New York and Philadelphia areas. In India, you get to see this in Delhi.

University faculty need access to good libraries, and an exchange of ideas.

Apart from setting up new Central universities, we need to revive some of our older institutions. It is sad to see the state in which our oldest universities, like Madras University or Allahabad University, are in – while they have beautiful old buildings, they have declined intellectually. One of the small steps that can be taken is to ensure as a rule, that the faculty do not hire their own students.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Do you think the Indian education system needs a massive overhaul?

Yes, we must pay serious attention to primary and secondary education. Despite passing the Right to Education Act with a provision for social auditing, which is key to the implementation of the Act, the government was simply not investing in the funds or infrastructure for this.

What sort of an education model you have in mind?

Excellent government schools in every locality to which all neighbourhood children, regardless of income, can go. Rather than asking private schools to set aside 25 per cent of seats, the government should concentrate on developing its own system.

I would teach in the mother tongue at primary level, but also introduce English as a language. The choice is not between the mother tongue and English, but between EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

good and bad teaching. After all, in many countries, people start learning foreign languages much later, but because the teaching of those languages is done well, they are very proficient by the time they leave school.

What do you think about the losing sheen of arts subjects in India?

Without the arts, you do not really have knowledge or wisdom – you only have technical information. It is the arts subjects which help you think about any situation in a critical and balanced manner, to put a historical perspective on things, to be able to communicate well.

The idea that “if you are a good student, you should take sciences and arts”, is completely wrong. I was shocked to hear that almost no school in Hyderabad offers history at the plus two level.

As an expert on the problems in tribal areas, can you explain the education scenario there? How difficult

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EXPERT TALK Dr Nandini Sundar

would it be to educate tribal children in highly sensitive Maoist areas like Bastar?

In Chhattisgarh, though they blame the Maoists, it is the government which has destroyed education.

Before Salwa Judum, teachers were there in the villages – of course, with normal problems of absenteeism. In 2005, the government ordered the teachers to come and live in camps, and then the security forces started occupying the schools. The Maoists then blasted some schools. Even now, despite the Supreme Court ordering the state not to occupy schools and return them to the education authorities, the state government is not complying. It seems they want to keep people illiterate. An entire generation of children has lost out on schooling because of the government’s war on them. No one is even talking of things like counselling children whose houses were burnt and parents killed

by Salwa Judum.

The situation is extreme in Chhattisgarh. But even in other states like Jharkhand and Odisha, you have the same situation. Security forces occupy the schools and children are unable to study.

On the one hand, they want to promote research. On the other hand, they come up with stupid schemes like biometric attendance and the UGC point system, all of which are bureaucratic exercises which have no relation to the actual practice of teaching and doing research The problem in adivasi schools in normal times is one extreme of the problem faced by all rural schools – no facilities, especially toilets, drinking water etc; teachers are often absent, and there are no books or other teaching aids. But the situation is worse for adivasi kids because a) They don’t speak the state language and the teachers rarely speak adivasi

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Dr Nandini’s vision

Excellent government schools in every locality to which all neighbourhood children, regardless of income, can go. Rather than asking private schools to set aside 25 per cent of seats, the government should concentrate on developing its own system

languages. So, there is mutual incomprehension, and b) The teachers are often outsiders who look down on adivasi culture as backward, and the main result of schooling is to give these children an inferiority complex.

Adivasi education has to take account of their own languages and cultures, even as there is sufficient investment so that this does not become an excuse for teaching cheaply with the help of unqualified teachers. Adivasi children, because of their knowledge of plants and nature, have the ability to grow into the best biotechnologists – they simply need good education to bring out their potential.

Looking at the basics

Revive some of our older institutions The choice is not between the mother tongue and English, but between good and bad teaching Without the arts, you do not really have knowledge or wisdom I was shocked to hear that almost no school in Hyderabad offers history at the plus two level EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Dr Nisha Malhotra COUNTERPOINT

An unmet millennium development goal, child malnutrition is a subject of national shame. What’s the best way to address this chronic health issue? Nisha Malhotra, a social scientist and instructor of Economics at University of British Columbia, says the absence of nutrition as a subject in school education systems has only worsened the scenario. The problem is not just limited to the poverty-stricken. Even parents from well-to-do families are ignorant about nutrition. So, the best way to address this issue is to include lessons on nutrition in the school curriculum

Nutrition: A vital nutrient of curriculum

by Dipin Damodharan

W

hy does child malnutrition persist in India?

We haven’t been able to address any of the issues pertaining to malnutrition, though our economy has been doing well. Anaemia among woman of childbearing age is a serious issue. After talking to people at anganwadi centres, I realised that there is a constant shortage of iron-folic acid tablets and other supplements needed by pregnant woman. Childhood diarrhea is highly prevalent and we need to address this issue by providing clean and safe water and improving the sanitation conditions.

Information on nutrition needs to be disseminated at the time of antenatal care, childbirth, and vaccinations.

And the biggest issue of all is having enough income to be able to afford food in the first place. Be it the public distribution system, food

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

21

COUNTERPOINT Dr Nisha Malhotra stamps, or cash transfers, we, as a country, need to figure out how to make food available for the starving population and make this a priority issue.

How serious is the problem of child malnutrition?

A malnourished child is more likely to fall sick and less likely to survive. There is strong medical evidence to prove that malnutrition at an early age leads to lower intellectual development and coronary heart disease during adulthood. Also, current research shows that women who were malnourished as a child are more likely to be shorter in adulthood, which may result in low birth weight of their child and increase their vulnerability to sickness.

What should the government do?

Extensive nutrition intervention, aimed at educating families about proper infant feeding practices, is the need of the hour. This should be done at multiple levels. The subject of nutrition should be an integral part of primary and secondary education.

Provide clean and safe water. Improve sanitation conditions. Most importantly, try and fix the public distribution system so that poor children do not starve.

What’s the level of awareness among masses about nutrition?

Interactions with women who have attained motherhood and scrutiny of the National Health Survey have revealed that parents are not well-informed about nutrition, especially about semi-solid (mushy) foods and the need for variety. The nutritional value of green leafy vegetables cannot be compensated by mere consumption of grains. I am also a product of the Indian education system and I don’t recall learning about nutrition in school, other than my home science class. Even that did not give much detail on a complete healthy diet.

We, as a country, under-consume fruits and green leafy vegetables. Given that most are vegetarian, it becomes even more important to consume iron rich food combined with other food items that makes iron absorption easier. There are detailed government guidelines on nutrition, but they don’t reach the affected families. Dissemination is a serious constraint.

How is the child feeding practice related to malnutrition?

The Indian government and the World Health Organisation recommend that children, after the age of six months, should be given breast milk and must be offered solid or semi-solid food like boiled rice, daal and vegetables, and fruits. A large number of children under the age of one are not getting enough solid foods. Mothers think that breast milk is enough, but children after the age of six months need to be fed a variety of semi-solid food. Children who stay on breast milk alone beyond six months of age without solid/semi-solid food, including two to three food groups (different varieties like fruits, vegetables, milk products, lentils, grain), are more likely to be stunted (shorter) or wasted (underweight and undernourished).

Moreover, I find that on the whole, nutritional practices for children in India are truly appalling. Even at the age of 10 months, 17 per cent of infants are not given anything other than breast milk, and among the 10-month infants who do consume complementary food, only half get the

22

food from sufficient (three or more) food varieties and sufficient number (three or more) of times.

‘‘

I am also a product of the Indian education system and I don’t recall learning about nutrition in school, other than my home science class. Even that did not give much detail on a complete healthy diet

Indian System

Inequality

Poverty

Hunger

IlIiteracy

Nisha Malhotra

Brought up in Bangladesh, Thailand, England, and India, Canada-based Nisha Malhotra is an instructor of Economics at University of British Columbia. A Master Graduate in Economics from Delhi School of Economics and a PhD in Economics from University of Maryland (College Park), US, Dr Malhotra’s areas of study include population, gender and health, maternal and child health in Asia (mostly India) and Africa.

She has also worked with the Indian Council of Research on International Economic Relations (New Delhi) and the World Bank (Washington DC).

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

INSIDER VIEW Guest Column Dr B Ashok, IAS

Overcoming the final barrier with the right

body language Mere investment of intelligence and hard work into a well-thought out preparatory strategy cannot assure you of a surefire victory in the civil services examination.

The final barrier, an interview with a professional board, will test your character, body language, confidence, and presentation skills.

This time, we focus on the mantras that can help you overcome the challenges of the last hurdle

P

eople expect confidence and composure from their leaders. The beauty is that there are neither 100 per cent fixed measures of confidence, nor an ideal body language for a prospective leader. A great degree of individualism works, and the confident approach of one may be the fully unsure approach of the other. One can only think of some general approaches of better body language, giving an overall positive feel than a sure short success formula that carries the day under ‘any circumstances’. Yet, you find several candidates complaining of poor self-confidence marring their preparation by poor gesturing, walking, or plain simple stammering out of fear (speech incoherence) leading to 2530 per cent lesser scores and failure in the place of success in the examination.

The first rule about confidence is that it stems from thorough preparation. Confidence is not congenital. There cannot be adequate confidence in even the most intelligent candidate, without robust preparation. The finest reservoir of the confidence stream in the exam hall, or the interview EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

chamber, are the total hours logged in the run up to the exam, or interview. The effective contact hours built around the preparatory work will stand you in good stead with the assurance that you cannot be deprived of an excellent performance. The mind assures itself of a ‘minimum guarantee’ and is prepared to risk a few punches. Robust overall preparation also gives the candidate adequate alternatives. If response to one question or two misfires, he can always expect a cordial board to warm up to his later, more successful answers. Even an initial setback need not demoralise if your ammunition is still very much there.

Eyes convey more than half of the body language

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GUEST COLUMN Dr B Ashok, IAS

of the speaker. Imagine President Barack Obama, clearly one of the most involved and impressive speakers of our times, speaking with sunglasses on. Half the impact and the deep passion would be lost completely. So, the eyes must reflect what the speaker intends.

Words are not mere sounds. They harbour the power to change the world. Each word must, therefore, be articulated perfectly, spoken apart from the other. Your brain must concurrently audit and edit your syntax. It is ideal if not an extra word is spoken. Keep sentences short and stick to a conversational style. Remember, an interview is not a speech. You are talking to a small group of four to five experts. They are all eager to hear what you have to say.

Though one member may ask the question, the candidate must answer the full board, all the time.

Eye contact is ideally shifted between the member who asked the question and the other members smoothly. While more focus could be on the questioner, never forget to engage the board totally. Encouraging signals received from other members do boost your confidence and also give positive hints to the other members. Always recognise all the members. It is a collective appreciation that you need.

Remember not to touch your face or hair unnecessarily during the course of the interview.

Frequent touching, especially of the nose, would tell the board instantly that you are not at ease with yourself. It is also unconvincing if you touch your face repeatedly, especially while answering the pressure questions, where you are departing from your clear belief or are being led up a path you do not really want to take.

Fidgeting with fingers, or tapping the chair, must be avoided.

Shifting the gaze too often and looking at one’s own hands in the lap, or blankly sideways, or at the roof, may be avoided. In fact, you must not bother to observe the rest of the furniture, or decor of the room. The forty minutes of your culmination of preparations must be spent focussing on the members who will collectively grade you. Focus on getting their best impression.

Several myths have been periodically propagated about posture and walking steps. Here again, your characteristic gait need not be made into an artificial one like a military style double march with hilarious results. Cool confidence must stem from your walk. You must check whether you suffer from stooping. Stooping shoulders cast an impression of overall lethargy and may be avoided. Holding the head low on the shoulders will also send wrong signals. Take complete advantage of your height. Hold your head high, short of arrogance.

Sitting straight in a calm and composed pose is to be practiced in a dining room chair repeatedly for the most effective position.

I recommend that you do not cross legs, or hands,

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when you face the board. These signal ‘closed’ body positions convey non-receptivity, or implicit resistance to ideas. Ladies can cross their legs, but yet again, not too highly, which will give a haughty impression.

Shoes, or soles of shoes, may be hidden from the view of the board under all circumstances. Never put your elbows on the table while answering questions. It will be an unintended act of aggression by invading the personal space of the board members. Also, please do not fiddle with your pen, or roll the paper weight. Keep away from playing/touching with any object on the table unless the board asks you to do so as to try out an exercise. However, do not hesitate to use drinking water if need be.

The moment you finish the interview is as important as the moment you walked in. In fact, departure is all the more important since the board will discuss your merits and demerits the very next second. The facial expression must not turn tense, or worse. Relax fully as you bid goodbye. Thank the board in good humour and wish them good day as you depart. Your face must be serene and contented as far as possible. No obsequiousness must be shown. Never bow, or bend the frame of your body. These are strict no-nos before a professional board. There can be occasions when the board expresses unhappiness over an answer or an altitude shown. Please do not turn despondent, or negative, at that. Ask forgiveness (Please excuse me, may I try again?) and try to apply yourself better.

Emotions are best kept out of the board room. Easy emoting is not a virtue. If the board suspects you of acting up too much, your authenticity is suspect. Your authenticity flows from your originality and stable character. These, alas, cannot be obtained on the eve of the interview. So, if you have adequate time, try and develop a simple but authentic delivery style clear off pretentions and hyperbole. Sincerity is the key value any board is looking for. Give it adequately and your success is assured.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

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COVER STORY UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report

A wake-up call for UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report reminds us that education is not only about making sure all children can attend school. It is about setting young people up for life, by giving them opportunities to find decent work, earn a living, contribute to their communities and societies, and fulfill their potential. At the wider level, it is about helping countries nurture the workforce they need to grow in the global economy, says Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, while unveiling the tenth edition of the Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report. This edition focusses on the third EFA goal, the development of 161 countries through nurturing of skills of the youth

by EI Bureau

T

hough young people are more numerous than ever in the developing and under-developed world, consecutive governments and policymakers have failed to effectively create jobs for the youth, reveals “Youth and Skills: Putting Education To Work”, the tenth edition of the Education For All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, an independent annual publication of UNESCO. In developing countries alone, the population aged between 15 and 24 touched more than one billion in 2010. But jobs are not being created fast enough to meet the needs of this large youth population. Around one in eight people aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed in developing and under-developed countries, says the report.

Demanding immediate attention from all leading policy-makers across the world, the report highlights the needs of millions of young people who lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. “These young people are often working but earning wages below the poverty line in the urban informal sector, or farming smallholdings in a context of everdecreasing access to land. Their voices are seldom heard in protests. Providing them with opportunities to escape from low skilled, low paid work should be at the core of every skills development strategy.”

The report also identifies three types of skills that all young people need: Foundation skills: At their most elemental, foundation skills include the literacy and numeracy

26

skills necessary for getting work that can pay enough to meet daily needs. These skills are also a prerequisite for continuing in education and training, and for acquiring transferable, technical and vocational skills that enhance the prospect of getting good jobs.

Transferable skills: Transferable skills include the ability to solve problems, communicate ideas and information effectively, be creative, show leadership and conscientiousness, and demonstrate entrepreneurial capabilities. People need these skills to be able to adapt to different work environments, thereby improving their chances of staying in gainful employment.

Technical and vocational skills: Many jobs require specific technical know-how, from growing vegetables to using a sewing machine, laying bricks, or using a computer. These skills are important as any skilled worker should constantly update himself/ herself with the latest developments.

Challenges Ahead

Around one in six of the world’s people aged between 15 and 24 are disproportionately concentrated in some of the poorest countries. The youth population is particularly large and fastgrowing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Around two-thirds of Africans are under 25, compared with less than one-third in rich countries such as France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By 2030, there will be three-and-a-half times as many young EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

good skill hunting

(Bangladesh Š UNESCO/Save the Children/Jeff Holt) Eti, aged 14, continues her education with training courses on Industrial Sewing Operation at SUF vocational training centre

people in sub-Saharan Africa as there were in 1980. There are also large numbers of young people living in the Arab States, and South and West Asia, where around half are under the age of 25. To accommodate the growing youth population in the Arab States, South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, an additional 57 million jobs need to be created by 2020 just to prevent unemployment rates from rising above the current levels.

Before that the governments must address the enormous skills deficit that leaves young people unemployable, or trapped in subsistence work. Creating more jobs will not fix the problem if a sizeable proportion of young people do not have the skills needed to fill them, cautions the report.

Poverty, the main reason

The report says that poverty is the main barrier for the youth of developing countries in attaining education and skills. “Many children and adolescents do not attend school because of poverty and are working instead. In 2008, an estimated 115 million five to 17-year-olds were engaged in

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

hazardous work worldwide. Without the ability to acquire skills, they are trapped in low paid, insecure jobs for life.�

In African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three in five young people have never been to school by the time they reach age 15 to 19, and so are highly unlikely to ever have the opportunity to acquire skills. In many sub-Saharan African countries, those who make it to school often drop out before completing primary school.

In Rwanda, while most have some experience of primary schooling, almost half drop out before the end of the primary cycle.

Even in countries (India, Indonesia and the Syrian Arab Republic) where half of those aged from 15 to 19 have completed lower secondary, there are many who have never been to school, who dropped out before completing secondary school, or who are still only in primary school.

Gender discrimination

The report says that gender discrimination is also contributing to unemployment woes. In most poor countries, girls are less likely than boys to achieve

27

COVER STORY UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report

(Bangladesh © UNESCO/ BRAC) A group of adolescent girls is learning about basic computer operating system at SOFEA computer basic training program in Rajshahi TARC

foundation skills. In low income countries, larger gender gaps appear for richer families while opportunities are extremely limited for both boys and girls from poor households. In Burkina Faso, almost 60 per cent of boys from richer households reach lower secondary school, compared with 40 per cent of girls. Even in middle income countries, gender discrimination occurs among the poorest households, but most young people from rich households, whether boys or girls, are able to acquire foundation skills. In Turkey, there is gender parity among rich families, but for poor households, 64 per cent of boys attain foundation skills, compared with 30 per cent of girls, adds the report.

Advent of economic crisis

The report mentions that the ongoing economic crisis has contributed to the already worsening unemployment situation across the world. “Since the economic downturn has set in, opportunities for young people have diminished, and those with lower levels of education have been particularly affected.

There were about 29 million fewer

28

jobs globally in 2011 than before the economic crisis,” says the report.

Indian Scenario

The report mentions the disturbing situation in India, which has the most young people in the world without the skills they need for work; these are skills obtained at primary and lower secondary school levels. The region has 91 million people affected by skills deficit, the highest in the world.

While in developed countries, this ends up racking up unemployment rates, in developing countries, young people are forced to take whatever work they can find in so-called ‘informal labour’, often earning no more than the poverty line. This ‘informal sector’, where there are no work conditions, or regulations, or promises of decent pay, is the main employer in the region. In India, 41 per cent of both men and women in urban areas were self-employed in 2009-10, and 17 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women were casual labourers. India’s urban areas were estimated to have 10 million street vendors in the mid2000s. Indeed, the decline in public sector jobs and the persistence of

the informal sector in India has increased job insecurity for the disadvantaged youth even further, pushing more into unregulated work. In India, the number of workers employed in the formal sector rose from 54.1 million in the 1999-2000 period to 62.6 million in 2004-05, but this represented only 14 per cent of total job creation, and most of the jobs created in the formal sector offered little, or no job security, or social benefits, says the report.

Having not focussed on this area before, it now means the overwhelming majority of urban youth have no training. The skills shortage risks hampering the country’s growth and reinforcing inequality unless it is tackled, the report points out.

However, according to the report, the Indian government has recognised the need for skills training (it stands out in recognising the need to provide training to the informal sector – hardly any other countries do) and, since 2008, embarked on an ambitious strategy to raise the number of skilled workers to 500 million by 2022.

Investing in skills for prosperity

The report argues that skills development is vital and the only way to resolve unemployment, inequality, and poverty, and promote growth. It is also a wise investment – for every $1 spent on education, as much as $10 to $15 can be generated in economic growth. If 75 per cent more 15-year-olds in 46 of the world’s poorest countries were to reach the lowest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) benchmark for Mathematics, a skill-based subject, economic growth could improve by 2.1 per cent from its baseline and 104 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty, says the report.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Interview

Skills deficit: India’s

chronic problem In an interview with Education Insider, the Director of Education For All Global Monitoring Report (GMR), Pauline Rose, touches upon the most crucial portions of the tenth edition of GMR

by Sanjeev Neelakantan What are the reasons for skill deficiency among India’s youth?

Despite huge advances in getting children and young people into schools in the country since 1999 and the start of the ‘Education for All’ goals, there are still millions who have not had the chance of an education, often because of money, because they are girls, or because they live in a remote area with limited access to schools. One child from India we had interviewed while writing our report told me, “Earning money was more important for me than going to school”; the reasons why many are not benefiting from an education are not complicated.

These millions of children are now young people and are facing the world without the skills they need to find good jobs. Without skills in a country like

Bangladesh © UNESCO/Save the Children/Jeff Holt

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

India, many young people will be trapped in working poverty, earning little more than $1.25 a day. In the 2000s in India, for example, there were an estimated 10 million street vendors in the country. Around one in five in urban parts of the country are casual labourers.

Like many other countries, India’s training policy historically focussed on the formal sector and operated on a small scale. By the mid-2000s, the overwhelming majority of urban youth had received no training. It is this chronic skills deficit which, our report shows, has to be tackled with urgency.

What kind of specific skills are we talking about since the report links them with primary and secondary education?

The evidence in our Global Monitoring Report shows that young people need foundation skills learnt at primary and lower secondary school to get work that can pay enough to meet daily needs.

These skills are needed for continuing in education and training, and for acquiring other skills that enhance the prospect of jobs that are stable, secure, and pay a decent wage.

Continuing in school after lower secondary education can give a child transferable skills too; these are not learnt from textbooks, but include the ability to solve problems, communicate ideas and information effectively, be creative, show leadership, and demonstrate entrepreneurial capabilities. People need

29

COVER STORY UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Report

Interview

(Bangladesh © UNESCO/ G.M.B. Akash/Panos) A former child labourer at a vocational training school in Dhaka, Bangladesh

these skills to be able to adapt to different work environments, thereby improving their chances of staying in gainful employment.

The report also recognises that many jobs require specific technical know-how, from growing vegetables to using a sewing machine, or being a nurse. These skills can be taught in upper secondary school, or for those who do not have the chance of formal schooling, these can be learnt through schemes such as traditional apprenticeships, or through farmer field training schools for those who are in agricultural work.

Which countries have a good track record in skill development programmes?

The Republic of Korea is a country which sets a good example of how investing in skills and education can result in economic growth.

30

The state upgraded the skills of the whole population by achieving first universal primary, then secondary education, and subsequently focussed on industries that could deliver better lives for those people, both jobs that need lower skilled people, and jobs that are more knowledgeintensive. In short, the state played a key role in matching skills supply to demand. By tying its education and training policies to plans for economic development, the country witnessed an improvement in the GDP growth rate since the 1970s.

Despite a history of neglecting to invest sufficiently in youth skills, India also has an ambitious programme to train 500 million people by 2022. The government intends to roll out short-term training courses of no more than six months, delivered by either public or private providers to help young people learn new skills for work. Initially, the programme had a strong focus on delivering training to people who were working in informal employment – core to addressing the vast numbers of the poorest in the country without skills. However, at the moment, India’s principal focus remains on formal training institutions, working with high growth sectors such as automobiles, textiles, food processing, tourism, and banking. Access to such training and employment remains difficult for marginalised urban youth, who lack foundation skills gained through primary and lower secondary schools, who cannot take time off even for free training and whose mobility is constrained by genderor caste-based discrimination. It is crucial the government’s ambitious plans to train people in the country target the most disadvantaged; without this, the country’s development will not be sustainable, and inequalities will be reinforced.

Will the skill deficiencies in Asian countries lead to the introduction of new programmes by the UN agencies?

The social and economic challenges of recent years have focussed attention on skills deficits amongst young people. The challenges of rising youth unemployment, economic downturn, and a growing youth population in certain regions brought about a sense of urgency to this issue and made it an evident focus of our annual report. The urgency of the challenge has been highlighted by the ILO and by the OECD in their reports and global missions at the moment.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

The increased awareness of skills deficits of young people today is also one of the reasons why the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, launched a new global initiative, ‘Education First’, to get all children into school and help them learn while they are there. We must make sure this crisis does not affect another generation of young people in the future.

Aside from the role of UN agencies, however, we hope that this year’s Global Monitoring Report will encourage governments, donors, and the private sector to prioritise skills training for the most disadvantaged young people. Governments have the ability to develop policies and ring fence funding to provide a second chance education for young people so that they can escape from working poverty and find prosperity through work. Donors can support governments’ plans, and help fill the financing gap.

According to our calculations, it would cost $24 billion to send all children and young people to primary and lower secondary schools. The private sector, a key beneficiary of a skilled workforce, should also step up to fill the gap.

What should countries having high school dropout rates do to leverage the role of education in improving social and economic conditions?

Countries with large numbers of children dropping out of school, or failing to make the transition from primary to secondary school, must look at the reasons for the problem. Targeted financial support can stop those dropping out because of poverty, creating links between primary and secondary schools can create continuity between the two, and there is still a need for more government schools in rural areas.

Flexible learning such as distance or online programmes are also a practical solution to respond to the needs of the disadvantaged youth, including those living in remote areas. In India, like the rest of the world, most of those facing extreme poverty live in rural areas. Dwindling farm sizes mean that the average landholding can only feed around six people. Skills programmes, that combine training in basic literacy and numeracy with practical skills in entrepreneurship and finance, have helped young people in some parts of the world to set up their own small, profitable businesses in these areas. This gives them opportunities beyond agriculture to make rural life more attractive to them and avoid or slow down migration to urban areas.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Skill deficient nations PAKISTAN

Thirty-six per cent (13.3 million) of Pakistanis aged 15-24 have not completed primary school and do not have the skills they need for work.

ETHIOPIA

Fifty-five per cent (almost 10 million) of 15-24 year olds have not completed primary school and lack the skills for work. Almost two-third (64 per cent) females aged 15-24 have not completed primary school and lack the skills for work as compared to 46 per cent males.

BANGLADESH

A quarter (27 per cent) of young Bangladeshis never completed primary school and are left without the skills they need for work. That totals over eight million 15-24 year olds in the country

NIGERIA

In Nigeria, there is a vast gulf in education opportunities between the rich and poor in both urban and rural areas.

Almost all the urban rich get at least as far as lower secondary, compared with less than half of the urban poor.

In some areas in the North West of the country, over 86 per cent of poor females have less than two years of schooling.

Almost one in four among 15-24 year olds have not completed primary school and lack the skills for work.

(Vietnam © UNESCO/ Stefan Erber) Students attending practical mechanical training at a local technical college in Vietnam

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Prospective courses abroad-Part I GUEST COLUMN Dr T P Sethumadhavan

Emerging science offers

great career prospects Some of the potential areas of research in developed countries are Biomedical Science, Nanoscience, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Veterinary Science, Dairy Science, Conservation Science, Environmental Engineering, and Climatology. These subjects offer good career prospects

Dairy Science Being the largest milk producer in the world, India offers bright career prospects in the field of Dairy Science. The Government of India, with assistance from the World Bank, has provided a budget allocation of Rs 25000 crore for dairying in the forthcoming 12th Plan period. Dairy Science and Technology is one of the agriculture-related courses having immense research and career potential in India and abroad.

Graduate programmes in Dairy Science include BSc in Dairy Science, Dairy Science and Technology, and BTech in Dairy Engineering. Those who have completed graduate programmes will be absorbed in private sector or public sector dairy plants, food processing units, dairy science colleges, banks, retail management centres, etc. Nestle, Amul, Wall’s, National Dairy Development Board, etc are some of the leading firms in the national dairy sector associated with the value addition of milk. Dairy graduates can work as dairy extension officers in the dairy department of a state. Milk marketing federations in the country need dairy experts in the

32

areas of Dairy Engineering and Quality Control.

Dairy Science graduates can also pursue postgraduate programmes in Dairy Cattle Production, Dairy Microbiology, Dairy Chemistry, Dairy Farm Management, etc. Moreover, they can work as consultants in the leading dairy farms and dairy plants.

Veterinary graduates can specialise in Dairy Science and Technology so that they can associate with veterinary services, procurement, and marketing of milk and milk products. As a sequel to globalisation, there is immense potential for export of milk and milk products. But strict quality control measures should be adhered to. In order to maintain quality of the products, leading dairy product firms and dairy plants will employ dairy microbiologists.

Hi-tech dairies are also coming up in the country. The fully computerised Chitale Dairy Farm of Pune is an example. They need qualified dairy technologists.

Dairy experts have got immense career potential both in the Middle East and developed countries.

Many leading dairy plants of the UAE require qualified dairy technologists. Globally, there is enough market potential for milk chocolates and dairy products. Dairy Science graduates can do post-

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

graduation and research from the US, the UK, and Canada. Dairy Technology is the best course in New Zealand, Switzerland, and Denmark.

Along with Agricultural and Veterinary graduates, Dairy Science and Technology graduates can join the four-semester post-graduate programmes in Agri Business and Supply Chain Management. Dairy Science and Technology graduates can do post-graduation and research from abroad as well. The US, the UK, and Canada are the best destinations for higher education and research in this field. Apart from these countries, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, and

Malaysia have started recruiting students from the country.

Academic excellence, global edge in faculty and students, better facilities and resources, variety of options, flexible curricula, cutting edge technology, hands-on training, better support services, financial assistance, challenging research opportunities, and adaptation to different social environment are some of the major advantages. Good academic merit, individual capabilities, including analytical skills, suitability to course and college, and proficiency in English language are required.

Conservation Science The rapidly growing human population places extraordinary pressures on ecosystems like large-scale environmental destruction, habitat conservation, habitat fragmentation, and pollution.

All these pressures have enabled the emergence of Conservation Biology, an assemblage of scientific disciplines that are focussed on sustaining biodiversity through co-operative synthesis of ideas, information, and approaches. Biodiversity is the key to maintenance of life systems. Developed countries are giving more importance to research on Conservation Biology. There is immense potential for biology students to do conservation research abroad. Post-graduates in Zoology and Botany can do MS and PhD from the US and the UK. They can start preparing for overseas education during their post-graduate study period itself. Students are required to complete TOEFL and GRE for admission to American universities. They can also join a one-year MS programme in the UK after completing IELTS with a score of minimum 6.5.

The concept of genome resource banks is a not a new concept. Large-scale organised repositories of germplasm are more common for plants than for animals, since it is easier to store plant than animal germplasm. The livestock sector has benefited from large-scale sperm and embryo cryo preservation for the purpose of improving meat and milk production.

Moreover, a few programmmes bank biomaterials from animal models used in biomedical research to protect the long-term availability of standard genotypes of mice, rats, hamsters, rabbits, and cats and dogs, ensuring that researchers are working with uniform animal models which will give repeatable results.

Transgenic technology, that is, the ability to incorporate novel genes into injected embryos, has also resulted in production of thousands of new animal models in the world. Although this technology has hastened research opportunities, the byproduct is a proliferation of animal colonies that EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

require expensive housing and care. The usefulness of banked germplasm and embryos from humans, livestock and laboratory animals depends on assisted reproduction procedures like artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and in-vitro fertilisation. These procedures are sometimes enhanced by other techniques, such as intra cytoplasmic sperm injection, in which an individual sperm cell is microinjected into an oocyte to create an embryo.

(Dr T P Sethumadhavan is working as Academic Consultant & Officer on Special Duty at the Directorate of Entrepreneurship, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University)

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VC SPEAKS Dr Sheela Ramachandran

‘We should care for the marginalised sections’

On education

Education should be like fire to kindle. It should stimulate a student towards learning more and more.

It’s about self-learning. It’s about learning by looking around you, and it’s about constant learning. There are three different types of education: The first is the traditional system of education, under which one masters a programme, or curriculum; The second is the transitional system of education, whereby one picks up communication and analytical skills; and the third is the transformation-based system of education, which ensures harmonious development of a student’s personality.

Role of a Vice-Chancellor

A Vice-Chancellor should be a leader with a clear mission and vision for the university. I would prefer a decentralised system of functioning rather than a top down version in all activities of a university.

Rich-poor gap

In the Indian scenario, we have ‘n’ number of self-financing institutions than government-aided or government-funded institutions. As long as we have reservations, government-funded institutions, a proper fee structure, and scholarships for the needy, we will be able to work for the marginalised. We should raise our voice for the marginalised groups as well as the impoverished sections of society. The reservation system in self-financing institutions is a welcome move.

Dr Sheela Ramachandran is the ViceChancellor of Avinashilingam Deemed University for Women. A PhD holder in Food and Nutrition from Bharatiar University, Dr Sheela did her post-graduate diploma in Food Science and MSc in Food and Nutrition from the then Avinashilingam College under Madras University. Appointed as the ViceChancellor in 2010, she tells Education Insider that universities should have the potential to emerge as centres of excellence As told to Neethu Mohan

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Role of university

Each university should evolve as a centre of excellence and knowledge creation through research, consultancy, and innovation in education. Universities should not restrict themselves to dissemination of knowledge, but also mentor different institutions which come under their respective jurisdiction.

Entry of foreign universities

Education is a service industry under the World Trade Organisation norms. We should first understand the trends in our education sector before marketing them.

Foreign universities should not dictate as to what is workable and what is not. While trying to build our brand image, we should attract foreign universities by sensitising them about the latest trends in the Indian education system.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

EX QUIZ ME

Answers

1. “I studied in the light of a kerosene lamp, in a dusty village that had no power, no doctor, no school, or college. I used to walk miles to go to the school,”...these are the words of a world famous Indian economist.

Identify him.

2. He controls the multi-commodity stock exchange MCX Stock Exchange Ltd. He has built an empire of nine exchanges. Name him.

3. He is an English business maverick, the founder of Virgin Group, which consists of more than 400 companies. The man we are talking about is...

4. Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded a globally acclaimed brand on May 7, 1946, in Kōnan Minato, Tokyo. Which is the Japanese brand?

5. N V Tyagarajan, popularly known as Tiger Tyagarajan, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of a famous outsourcing firm. Which is the firm?

6. Howard Mark Schultz is an American businessman. In 2012, the Forbes Magazine ranked Schultz as the 354th richest person in the United States. He is also the CEO of a very popular brand. Which is the brand?

7. At Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886, the first sale of a very popular brand of today’s age took place. Which is the brand?

8. Nokia gets its name from……………?

9. After Parveen Babi in 1976 and Aishwarya Rai in 2003, he has become the third Indian actor to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. Name the actor?

10. This is a project undertaken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to identify fake currencies. What’s the name of the project?

1.Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 2. Jignesh Shah, 3. Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson, 4. Sony, 5. Genpact, 6. Star Bucks, 7. Coca-Cola, 8. From the Finnish river Nokiavirta, 9. Aamir Khan, 10. Paisa Bolta Hai

Questions

Win exciting prizes

Mail your answers at

educationinsideronline @gmail.com 1. This is the logo of a famous global bank. Name the bank.

2. This is a popular American brand. Identify it.

Monthly winners to get one-year free subscription of Education Insider magazine and mega winner (once in six months) to get an exciting prize. Mega winner will be selected from those who furnish maximum number of correct answers in six months Prepared by Dipin Damodharan

3. Identify this global media giant.

Winner of last quiz Adarsh, Calicut

FOREIGN CAMPUS Birmingham University

Sharing honours with the best in the

world

Established in 1900, Birmingham University is one of the earliest modern universities in the world. The recent Times Higher Education World University Rankings has placed it at the 66th position in a league table of the world’s best 200 universities.

The university also bagged the 10th spot in a list citing the 29 best universities in the United Kingdom. Two years ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit, famed for its quality-of-life index of major world cities and its global forecasting tool for the world economy, included this university in its global list of the top 100 institutions of excellence that offer MBA degrees. The university’s MBA programme, that featured in the 2010 Financial Times Global Top 100, was ranked 75th globally and 13th in the UK

by Sreekanth Ravindran

B

irmingham University has always been a popular choice for students from the United Kingdom as well as overseas. Over the years, this multicultural university has been welcoming students from more than 80 countries, including China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Central African Republic, the Maldives, Turkmenistan, and the European Union (EU).

language tuition from French to Mandarin. Students get the chance to pursue their studies across a range of cultural, literary, historical, and socio-political perspectives. The college offers under-graduate, post-graduate, and research programmes in almost all humanities subjects and languages. There are also programmes in Archaeology, Law, Different Cultures and Languages, Theology, Philosophy and Religion.

College of Arts and Law

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

The College of Arts and Law has over 5,000 students from the UK and across the world. It offers a supportive learning environment, internationally recognised teaching and research, and exciting initiatives in new fields of study. The Department of Modern Languages has a strong tradition of research and interdisciplinary study and offers a breadth of

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The College covers a broad range of world-leading research, from developing micro-engines to particle physics research at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, Geneva). The College, which hosts excellent departments of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, has strong links with major UK employers, including Rolls-Royce and EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Here’s what we offer our students An article by Birmingham City University International Manager Charles Magee

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Airbus. The college offers under-graduate, post-graduate and research programmes in various branches of science and engineering. While students of pure sciences can opt for Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, and Astronomy, engineering specialisations include Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy, and Material Engineering.

Life and Environmental Sciences

The College of Life and Environmental Sciences consists of four schools: Biosciences, Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Psychology, and Sport and Exercise Sciences. Each school offers a portfolio of academic learning, fieldwork and excellent facilities to ensure that students gain valuable skills that provide access to a wide range of careers.

The institute’s excellent reputation for research and teaching is recognised throughout all schools. In particular, the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences achieved a first equal ranking in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, and the School of Psychology is ranked among the top three Psychology departments in the UK. The Lapworth Museum of Geology, affiliated to the Earth and Environmental Sciences department, is recognised as one of the finest geological museums in the UK. Graduates are equipped with a range of transferable skills, which can lead to exciting career opportunities ranging from ecology to cancer research and forensic psychology. Each department has strong links with major employers. In recent years, graduates have gone on to EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

ith about 25,000 students, Birmingham City University is a major UK university and one of the most dynamic in the sector. Students discover a vibrant and diverse learning community that is supported by world class research, cutting edge teaching, and enviable links to business and industry.

The University works with a range of organisations, including national public sector bodies like the NHS, as well as international brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Morgan Motor Company, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, 02, Cisco, and Cartier.

Working with these organisations underpins the University’s commitment to practice-based learning, which places great importance on the need to develop professionally qualified graduates with industry-relevant skills, giving them a real world advantage at the modern workplace – indeed, the Sunday Times University Guide 2012 placed the University in the UK top 30 for the number of students in graduate level jobs.

This partnership with the industry is underpinned with a multi-million pound investment in facilities to provide students with a state-of-the-art learning environment, helping them develop skills that will last them a lifetime. The University is mid-way through a £180-million investment plan, which includes a new building at the city centre campus for art and media students and a new home for the Conservatoire, all of which has helped put the University in the UK top 10 for spending on facilities (Complete University Guide 2012).

Students are encouraged to get involved in every aspect of University life through initiatives such as the innovative Student Academic Partners (SAP) scheme, which teams up students and staff on projects to improve the teaching and learning experience. SAP won a Times Higher Education (THE) award for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ in 2010.

The University now intends to build on this strength with its ‘Investing in Students’ programme, wherein students will be offered the opportunity to take up part-time paid work within the University, giving them valuable work experience and the chance to feel a greater sense of pride and ownership.

Student involvement and representation were highlighted as key strengths of the University in its latest audit by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), which praised the “close and sustained partnership” between the University and its students and declared its confidence in the University’s management of academic standards and the quality of the learning opportunities available to students.

Overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS) for 2011 was 80 per cent; top performers included Initial Teacher Training with a satisfaction rating of 94 per cent, accounting with 93 per cent, and media studies with 93 per cent.

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FOREIGN CAMPUS Birmingham University

work for global majors such as GlaxoSmithKline and the British Heart Foundation.

Medical Sciences

The Medical Sciences School focusses on the scientific basis of medicine, and has been training world class medical researchers since its inception. The school’s programme places a high value on understanding the fundamental basis of human biology and behaviour, apart from emphasising on academic skills.

The school offers under-graduate, post-graduate, and research programmes in a range of degrees including Biological Sciences, Human Biology, Psychology, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Biochemistry, and in particular, Medical Science. These courses provide an excellent foundation for career development in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Library facilities

The Main Library is one of the UK’s largest academic libraries. Students can access over 2.7 million books and periodicals. Further, eight libraries and resource centres offer specialist materials for every subject studied at Birmingham.

The library department has been assembling these collections for over 100 years, according to university officials.

Support for international students

International students receive a red carpet welcome at Birmingham. They have access to a free, confidential advice and information service, specifically tailored to the needs of international students and their families. The university’s International Student Advisory Service (ISAS) provides advice on immigration, employment, bringing dependents to the UK, possible sources of funding, academic and personal matters, and a range of practical advice on living in the UK. ISAS also co-ordinates activities and events for international students that provide exciting and interesting opportunities to learn about life in the UK and at Birmingham. These

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activities can also introduce students to new cultures among the 140 nationalities on campus, and help them develop and improve knowledge and use of the English Language.

In addition to the support available from ISAS, the International Students’ Officer in the Guild represents the interests of international students across the University, and the English for International Students Unit can offer English language support even before a student arrives in the UK.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Malala Yousufzai COURAGE UNDER FIRE

Fifteen-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, hailing from Mingora town in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, was shot in the head and neck by Pakistani militants owing allegiance to the Taliban while returning home from school on October 9. The incident sent shockwaves across the world, inviting the wrath of the global statesmen and social crusaders against the Taliban. This was a desperate attempt by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to silence a simple schoolgirl who had turned into Swat’s very own envoy on education, empowerment, and gender rights and discrimination by writing a blog for BBC Urdu that repeatedly questioned the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education, among other nonsensical, inhuman diktats. As is the case with the immediate mass reaction to any tragedy, the world seems to be rallying behind Malala for now. Will the global powers make a concerted attempt to force Pakistan into dismantling the terror infrastructure on its soil for the good of all?

by Dipin Damodharan

“

I

felt hurt on opening my wardrobe and seeing my uniform, school bag, and geometry box. Boys’ schools are opening tomorrow. But the Taliban have banned girls’ education.” – An extract from the jottings Malala

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

made for BBC Urdu, dated February 8, 2009 “I am Malala. Shame on the Taliban.” The whole world is speaking in one voice, throwing their weight behind a little schoolgirl from Pakistan who dared to defy the Taliban and advocated for the liberation of girls’ education from the clutches of the militia. Being aware of the humane

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COURAGE UNDER FIRE Malala Yousufzai

element of the social, economic, and political issues and mechanisations is one thing. Advocating for equal rights upon realisation of the values of human life is another thing. Being conversant in both these aspects of life at a tender age of 11 is a great feat that can put to shame even the accomplished statesmen and social crusaders. The eldest among three siblings, Malala Yousufzai is the daughter of a school owner and education activist in Mingora town in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

At the age of 11 in 2009, Malala had begun writing a diary for BBC Urdu, speaking boldly about the vulnerabilities of life under the extremist diktats and gun of the Pakistani followers of the Taliban.

The following year, a documentary

by The New York Times on this precocious girl introduced her to a wider global audience just when the Pakistani military made interventions in the Swat valley for peace and order. She soon started giving interviews in the print and electronic media and took on the position of the Chairperson of the District Child Assembly Swat.

Malala’s advocacy of education, empowerment, and gender rights and discrimination brought her global acclaim. While South African rights activist Desmond Tutu nominated her for the International Children’s Peace Prize, the Pakistani government honoured her with the National Youth Peace Prize, recognising her efforts to promote education under hostile conditions. “Education is a must thing, if we don’t have an educated people, the Taliban will come to our area. If we have educated people, then they won’t come,” Malala had said in one of her writings. And in an interview with CNN’s Reza Sayah in November 2011, she had said, “I thought that my people need me. If I don’t raise my voice now, then when

40

will I raise my voice? I have the right of education. I have the right to play, I have the right to go to the market, I have the right to speak up!”

As Swat got its very own envoy for peace and rightful living, the Pakistani Taliban had been cowering under the growing might of this schoolgirl. They have been banning TV, music, girls’ education, and women from going out for shopping. On October 9, when she was returning home, Pakistani Taliban militants shot her in the head and neck. Two other children were injured in the attack. Now, Malala has been shifted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK, for specialised treatment. Dr Dave Rosser, Medical Director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: “She is not out of the woods yet...

But at this stage, we’re optimistic that things are going in the right direction.”

As Malala is battling for life, hundreds of global leaders and ordinary people have come out in support of her bold campaign. On the other hand, the Tehreek-e-Taliban has issued a statement, justifying their attack. “In Islam and Pashtun traditions, there is absolutely no room for an attack on a woman of pure virtues. But in cases where a woman is seen as a clear sinner, who stands in defiance of Sharia, such a woman is not only allowed to be attacked but there is an obligatory instruction for such an action,” says the statement of the Tehreek-e-Taliban.

A fitting reply to this would be this statement of Malala: “I will show you Quran, will read what Quran says, it didn’t say girls are not allowed to go to schools!”

Life in Swat is steeped in tension and misery. Swat valley, the headquarters of Tehreek-e-Taliban, has been a conflict zone for the past few years, suffering under assaults both from the Pakistani Taliban and from the undeclared ‘Drone War’, sanctioned by Pakistan and executed by the US. Though the government agreed to a ceasefire in 2009 with the Islamist hardliners, the region is still controlled by the Pakistani wing of Taliban, which has set up courts, executed residents, and shut down girls’ schools. Will the global powers take some collective action?

Batting for Malala Get well soon, Malala. Don’t give up the fight. Girls of the world depend on you and your immense courage. Thank you for the hope and passion you have inspired in us.

Polly Nash

The world is with you. We are proud of you and your fight!

Karina Moura Killaa I salute you for your bold step against the brainless controlling ones. Hope you get well soon.

You started a revolution. By god’s grace, you will bring the change.

Alberto Ferreira The desire always wins in the end. Be strong, the world needs you.

Kleberson Junio Serique You need to be strong. You cannot give up on your dream.

I know you can!

Erica Delvalle My daughter is the same age as you and your story is an inspiration to her and all of your generation. We are praying for you.

Tracy Lynn Rushton EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

China STUDY DESTINATION

Make the most from

Dragon’s wisdom The wise, smart, aggressive, competitive dragon of the world is all smiles. After all, it’s the first time that a Chinese author, Mo Yan, has won a Nobel Prize in Literature. It only goes on to show that China’s not just an economic and cultural heavyweight, but also a land where the wisdom of the ancient times has been blended well with the learning methodologies of the modern day

by Biyanka Merlyn John

A

well-known destination for pursuing higher education, China has over 2,000 universities and colleges, with more than six million enrolments to its credit. Chinese institutions offer a degree system, including Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees, as well as non-degree programmes to foreign students.

China has become the sixth largest country in the world in terms of international student traffic since 2007. Students come from Korea, Japan, the US, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, India, Indonesia, France, and Pakistan. According to an estimate, about two lakh international students are studying in China as of today. As part of consistent efforts to improve the quality and global relevance of the Chinese education system and to strengthen ties with institutions of repute around the world, universities and institutions have been roping in internationally trained scholars.

Universities in China generally select their students based on students’ performances in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Since 2010, there has been an attempt to introduce certain aspects of an American style liberal arts curriculum. The entrance scores demanded by public universities

for admission are much higher than those of the private universities, which have attained a special place in the education sector only in the recent decades.

Towards meeting China’s immense demand for modernisation of the post-secondary education sector, US, European, and Australian universities hold partnership programmes with Chinese universities, enabling mutual economic benefits, recruitments, and study exchange initiatives. Still, China faces great challenges in the field of education. Chinese universities exhibit a great need for regulation, more academic programmes, teaching expertise, and a better understanding of social changes and technological advances.

The impact of the Cultural Revolution on education must be reversed to achieve success.

As decentralisation and semi-privatisation have led to further inequity in terms of educational opportunities, the country is facing an issue of funding and equity. The political leash on creative and artistic freedom and the lack of real world experience during the formative years negatively impact the Chinese students’ ability to adapt to the global business environment.

Well, the Dragon is a quick learner. And being in the company of quick learners always helps.

INDIAN CAMPUS National Institute of Technology, Calicut

Giving students the edge in employability

Leveraging the success of collaborations with universities of international repute, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, is providing students the best modules of learning in technical education

by Neethu Mohan

N

ational Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) is one of the premier technical education institutions in the country. Established in 1961, NITC, known in its earlier avatar as Calicut Regional Engineering College, acquired more national importance in 2002. It is an institution of national importance under the NIT Act, 2007.

Ranked among the top national technical institutions, NITC offers 10 under-graduate programmes, 25 post-graduate programmes, and several PhD programmes. The institute has an annual intake of 1,066 students for the under-graduate programmes, 631 students for the post-graduate programmes, and more than 100 students for the doctoral programmes.

Courses

The under-graduate courses include BTech and BArch programmes. The post-graduate courses include MTech programmes, Master of Computer Applications, Master of Business Administration, and Master of Science.

Specialisations in disciplines figuring in the under-graduate and post-graduate programmes are offered at the PhD level.

Students for the under-graduate courses are admitted through the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE), while admission for MTech are based on the scores secured in the Graduate Aptitude Test (GATE). Students for the MCA

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programme are selected through the NIMCET, and admission to the MBA course is based on the Common Admission Test (CAT) score.

Facilities

With 13 hostels, NITC is a fully residential institution.

With more than 1.25 lakh books, the NITC Central Library is one of the largest technical libraries in the country. NITC also has a digital library called “Nalanda” (Network of Automated Library and Archives), which provides access to about 17,000 journals, databases, electronic thesis, dissertations, and online courses. The institute hosts a Super Computer of its own, named Purna (Parallel Universal Remote Numerical Analyser). NITC hosts two major annual events – ‘Tathva’, one of the biggest techno-management festivals of South India, held in the monsoon semester, and ‘Ragam’, a cultural festival popular throughout India, held in the winter semester.

Self-appraisal

“Be it faculty excellence, reliability of laboratory facilities, or infrastructural support, NITC meets the best standards in the world. The support given by our faculty members is beyond words. Much to our good fortune, we do research projects under their guidance. Admission to NITC guarantees you the EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

K Suresh, MTech student

NITC’s faculty members are not ring masters trying to lord over the students. They are caring friends and leading guides. Various departments of NITC provide an academically strong platform for science, technology, and management aspirants who want to leave a lasting impression in their areas of interest

best employment,” says Tijo Jose, a second year MTech student, who secured placement in Google at a salary of Rs 70 lakh per annum this year.

“NITC is one of the best technical institutions in the country, enjoying the 13th position in India and the third place among the 30 NITs. It not only churns out the best engineers, scientists, and managers, but also helps us in evolving as responsible human beings,” says Shyam Mohan, an

NITC is one of the best technical institutions, enjoying the 13th position in India. It churns out the best engineers, scientists, and managers, and also helps us in evolving as responsible human beings

MTech student.

According to K Suresh, another MTech student, “NITC’s faculty members are not ring masters trying to lord over the students. They are caring friends and leading guides. Various departments of NITC provide an academically strong platform for science, technology, and management aspirants who want to leave a lasting impression in their areas of interest.

Lack of quality, proper funding are key concerns What are NITC’s unique features?

Our students’ employability and acceptability rates are very high. Core departments with major intake have almost 100 per cent campus placement for BTech, and on the average, more than 50 per cent for the established MTech programmes for the last many years. This year, one of our MTech students, Tijo Jose, secured a job at Google with an attractive salary of Rs 70 lakh per annum. Our Department of Architecture is the sixth best in the country. Doctoral level research and the volume of research papers being produced have increased in recent times.

What kind of reforms are required to impart technological education more efficiently?

The present generation of students has plenty of reasons to distract from studies. They have wider exposure in various global events. The cyber world compels their minds to be engaged with various activities other than academics. They are not interested in the conventional university curricula, classroom teaching style, and the evaluation policies.

Revolutionary academic reforms are required to motivate students to focus more on studies for their EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Shyam Mohan, MTech student

V K Govindan, NITC’s Dean (Academic), is not a man resting on laurels. In an interview with Education Insider, he says in clear terms that NITC understands the urgency of a timely overhaul in the technical education system and that the government should provide adequate funds for expansion of educational programmes and adoption of more research projects

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INDIAN CAMPUS National Institute of Technology, Calicut

overall development. NITC is already in the process of bringing innovative reforms to motivate the students to develop themselves with an international calibre. There are arguments supporting the traditional university system, holding that the present system is a time-tested one, and hence that should not be changed. NITC, with 50 plus years of tradition in adapting good aspects of top level technical institutions, has about 80 per cent of faculty members who have taken at least one of their degrees from top level institutions like IISC/IITs and a few trained from internally reputed foreign universities.

People with experience and exposure in institutes like NITs and IITs will not have much resistance to reforms.

Lots of brainstorming and brainwashing are required to adapt and adopt academic reforms in institutes with major number of faculty members who have taken their degrees from traditional universities.

Ours is a credit-based academic system. I think we need a flexible grading system. For example, elimination of a pass-fail discrimination in individual courses may motivate students to focus more on the courses of interest, and excel in at least one of the areas. We should calculate the aggregate scores on the basis of the grades obtained in various courses (subjects) to decide whether the degree can be awarded to the student. Proper norms shall be introduced for assessing teaching effectiveness.

How do the modern teaching tools, especially IT assisted ones, help in improving the quality?

Faculty members also shall be motivated to bring the research outputs in teaching. There is a need for restructuring the existing programmes, especially at the post-graduate level with industry participation.

Are you satisfied with the common entrance for both IITs and NITs? I totally agree with the common entrance system.

Allocation of more exam centres will only increase the accessibility rate, especially for students from the rural pockets.

Recently, a Union minister made a statement that almost all of India’s reputed institutes have brilliant students but not a brilliant pedagogy system. Do you

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agree with this?

I don’t fully agree with this statement. We need more technical and trained workforce. Quality should be the final word. It is true that improvements are needed in the pedagogy system.

What is your vision on education?

Our mission is to develop high quality technical education and personnel with a sound footing on basic engineering principles, technical and managerial skills, innovative research capabilities, and exemplary professional conduct with the highest ethical values.

Does NITC have any tie-ups with foreign universities of repute?

The institute has collaborative programmes with different organisations within and outside India. Many faculty members have interactions with different universities/institutes across the world.We have signed memorandums of understanding with Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, Auburn University, US, and Lunghwa University, Taiwan. Leeds University is our academic partner through a UKIERI programme.

We have close interaction with the IITs, the Indian Institute of Science, and other major universities within the country.

What are the challenges faced by the Indian education sector today?

Top level foreign universities, when they offer campuses in India, may be a threat to Indian universities.

There’s not a single IIT that has attained a position among the top 400 Universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2011. This is shocking. Our education system should be updated.

Lack of academic quality, poor resource management and procedural delays due to old style bureaucracy are the key issues. Many of our new projects and plans are pending due to procedural delays and lack of funds.

Academic institutions must be freed from financial auditing for spending in low budget R&D projects and purchases.

The government should provide adequate funds for the infrastructural developments in line with modern technology in government-funded institutions. The government should also permit the self-financing institutions to collect adequate fees to acquire sufficient infrastructure and quality human resources for them to sustain. Institutions like IITs/NITs have already initiated reforms to compete with top level foreign universities.

In the 2012 global ranking, the fact that three of our IITs have found place among top 400s gives us traces of hope.

What are the future plans?

The Computer Science & Engineering Department is planning to introduce three post-graduate programmes: Image Processing, Applied Computing, and Web Technology. The Chemical Engineering Department also has some expansion plans. A post-graduate programme in Architecture is also in the pipeline. We are also planning to start more new programmes and revamp the existing programmes once the fresh recruitments to faculty positions and the mega hostel projects are completed.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Corporation Bank CAMPUS INITIATIVE

Multipurpose

Campus Card a

big hit Nationalised in 1980, Corporation Bank has been the forerunner in terms of evolution and adaptation of the financial sector reforms. In 1997, it became the second public sector bank in the country to enter the capital market. The bank has many firsts to its credit - cash management services, gold banking, m-commerce, online approvals for educational loans, compliance with Core Banking Services, and more recently, its pioneering efforts to take technology to the rural masses through low-cost branchless banking. The bank recently launched a novel campus card for the student community. Education Insider interviewed A M M G Nair, the Deputy General Manager of Corporation Bank (Kochi zone), to gather the finer details about this initiative

by Tony William

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

What are the unique features of Corporation Bank’s Campus Card initiative?

In our endeavour to provide unparalleled convenience to the student community by avoiding the hassles of holding multiple cards to meet his/her college and banking needs, Corporation Bank had introduced this unique initiative. The campus card is like a regular debit card and is issued to Corp New-Gen (Students) account. In addition to all the banking functions which are available on a debit card, the campus card can be used as an identity card as the college name, logo, and background image are printed on the card. Student details like course, branch, roll number, blood group, date of birth, and address are also personalised on the card.

Which all states and universities are covered under the card scheme and how many students have availed of this card?

Campus cards can be issued by any of the branches of the bank.

As of 30.09.2012, the bank has issued more than 57,000 cards and this covers around 200 educational institutions across the country.

How does this card system help you in your outreach initiatives?

A high percentage of India’s population is below the age of 25 and the bulk of this form the student community. ‘Catch them young’ is our mantra. CorpBank has always been a pioneer in introducing innovative solutions and this is another product which will add to the tech-savvy image of the bank, particularly in the eyes of the student community. We are of the view that customers will be loyal to their first bank and will continue to bank with us even after their student days.

Can you provide us details on the technological aspects of the campus card?

The card is issued in association with Visa and is similar to a debitcard. The card can be used for cash withdrawal at Corp Bank ATMs and for shopping transactions at POS/ Internet/IVR. Besides, cardholders can access a host of value added facilities in CorpBank ATMs like mobile recharge, LIC premium payment, NEFT, Visa fast funds etc.

Do you intend to expand the initiative with the incorporation of new banking plans under the scheme?

Yes. In the days ahead, the bank intends to provide features like online fee payment and payment of other college dues either through the Internet or ATM. Since the product has now stabilised, we plan to aggressively market it in the months ahead.

Do you have any new savings plans targeting the student community?

CorpBank is presently offering Corp NewGen accounts targeted at the student community. Changes will be made to the existing account features as and when required.

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EDUPRENEUR Sunny Varkey

Sparkling like a

GEM in education

by Sreekanth Ravindran

Sunny Varkey leads a value-driven educationoriented group called GEMS Foundation. Through successful universalisation of the curriculum in tandem with the accepted norms in the global education sector, the Group runs schools in China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the UAE, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and attracts students from more than 150 countries. For Varkey, education is the sole means to craft solutions for today’s conflicts, prejudices, poverty and intolerance

B

eing the Goodwill Ambassador for Education Partnerships for UNESCO is no mean achievement. It only magnifies the immense contributions of a person to the cause of child empowerment through subsumption of multiple learning systems across the globe in a school education network drawing students from more than 150 countries. Honoured with the Padma Shri for his contributions to the field of education, Sunny Varkey occupies a special place within the elite NRI community.

Keeping up the family’s intellectual legacy in the field of education, Varkey made a small beginning in 1980 by taking over a school established by his parents. “My father was employed with the British Bank of the Middle East.

My parents taught English during spare time before setting up their own school. I took over the school in 1980 and ever since we have been striving to make education affordable and accessible to students belonging to every segment of society,” says Varkey.

Dubai-based Varkey’s gradual rise in the education sector can be compared with the Middle Eastern city’s experiments with modernity and profound models of economic growth and its emergence as one of the most liveliest business centres in the world.

Varkey is the Founder-Chairman of GEMS Foundation, whose formulae for creating an education system based on excellence has enabled it to build a global network of internationally acclaimed schools that provide high quality holistic education to more than 110,000 students from 151 countries. The operations are managed by

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EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

a workforce of about 10,000 education professionals, specialists, and other staff.

The GEMS Group runs schools in China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the UAE, the United States, and the United Kingdom. GEMS has a world class leadership team that combines business and educational expertise from across the globe. “Our primary goal is to improve the accessibility to education, which can, in turn, reduce conflict, prejudice, poverty, and intolerance,” asserts Varkey, whose parents had moved to Dubai from India in the late fifties.

GEMS Group of Institutions, which has a working relationship with The Blair Foundation and the Bill Clinton Foundation for inter-cultural and religious understanding, has been successful in extending relevant cross-cultural learning tools to its students. “We celebrate Christmas, Eid, Ramzan, and all national festivals, from the British Independence Day to the Indian Independence Day. Students at GEMS schools learn about the civilisational dynamics of people living in various parts of the world from an early age, developing an awareness of different cultures and countries. By exploring the world through learning modules, they become more socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally

aware, preparing them in a better manner to develop a global perspective and bring about a difference in the global community. Our Universal Values Programme (UVP) helps students develop values, principles, and ethics that are respected, admired, and accepted in all cultures around the world. Students are educated about healthy social attitudes and the spirit of humanity, which provide them the ethical foundations and social skills required to guide them throughout their life,” says Varkey.

On the role of the private sector in education

As an educationist, Varkey observes that the private sector needs to play an equally important role in improving the educational scenario of any region. “We are a bit different from the government schools. I believe the private sector can work with inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, and governments powerfully to provide more education (opportunities) to those less fortunate. The fact that 67 million children around the world have no access to education is intolerable.

Education is the most important issue in the world today and we, private players, should supplement the efforts made by various governmental organisations and international agencies for the betterment of educational systems throughout the world,” says Varkey.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, Former US President Bill Clinton, Founder and Chairman of GEMS Education Sunny Varkey at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York announcing the Varkey GEMS Foundation-UNESCO’s largest School Principals’ Training Programme

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

47

EDUPRENEUR Sunny Varkey

Global accreditations and affiliations

GEMS schools are members of the Council of International Schools (CIS), an international school organisation dedicated to ensuring the highest standards of education. CIS is one of the world’s most widely recognised international accrediting organisations.

Dubai American Academy, GEMS Wellington International School, and GEMS World Academy are part of the GEMS Group, offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, both at primary and higher secondary levels. GEMS schools offering Indian curriculum are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, or the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (ISC), New Delhi.

According to Varkey, GEMS’ multi-curricula expertise includes the National Curriculum for England, the American Curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Programme, the CBSE curriculum, and various other local and regional curricula. Students can opt for any of these in accordance with their requirements and demands.

“GEMS students, irrespective of their syllabi, have been top performers in the respective exams. GEMS students at British curriculum schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have outperformed their counterparts in England in the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) category and A-Level Examinations in the academic year 2011-2012 by about 20 percentage points, according to one of the latest analyses of the GCSE examinations. The average marks attained for the ISC at GEMS schools was 84.8 per cent and the average for the ICSE examinations was 89.1 per cent. One of GEMS students has set a record for the highest score in the exams since the ISC examinations began in 1958.

“Of all plus two CBSE students who took the exams from GEMS, 99.9 per cent passed as compared to the CBSE pass rate of 80.1 per cent. Twenty per cent of students received 90 per cent and above in the grade 12 exams. Two students from our CBSE curriculum achieved a mark of 97.2 per cent in the Science stream, while another achieved 95.2 per cent in the Humanities stream,” explains Varkey. As per the latest estimates, GEMS Group is worth around a billion dollars.

Grooming future leaders

Varkey says that grooming future leaders is the top priority at GEMS Group of Institutions. “We encourage students to explore, question, seek solutions, make informed decisions, solve problems, demonstrate tenacity, and express themselves confidently,” says Varkey.

“GEMS aims to develop each student’s potential in tune with his/her abilities. We offer extensive opportunities for students to assume leadership roles. We promote the mindset and skills that equip individuals for entrepreneurship. We look to find the strengths in every individual and encourage every student to aspire to be the best they can be in their own special areas of excellence.

Our educational programmes help students to become flexible thinkers who can question existing thinking, and adapt and creatively meet the demands of the future.

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Students are provided with opportunities to develop their Information and Communications Technology skills and expand horizons through enquiry, exploration, and decision-making,” says Varkey, who recently hogged the limelight following the purchase of Centum Learning, Bharti Group’s education venture, which has presence in more than 21 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

GEMS students are involved in charitable activities.

They participate in a number of programmes that serve not only the local community, but also the wider international community in a variety of student-led events. Over the past 30 years, GEMS students, teaching staff, and corporate staff have raised over $40 million for charities around the world. The Varkey GEMS Foundation is a non-profit charitable organisation and the philanthropic arm of all schools. Former US President Bill Clinton is the Honorary Chairman of the Foundation.

GEMS Education has also committed $30 million to the Middle East-based charity Dubai Cares, considered to be one of the world’s largest NGOs dedicated to primary education in developing countries.

Varkey remarks that edupreneurs are different from venture capitalists, who are merely guided by profits.

He says, “Contributing to the overall development of society is of utmost importance to any educationist. Hence GEMS’ education (initiative) is expressed through core values which are woven into every curriculum offered by GEMS Schools and are at the core of our DNA. They are not symbolic. We live and breathe them. We encourage independent learning, empowering students to take on responsibilities.”

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Sunit Tandon BRAINWAVE

‘PCI should be given

more powers’ Sunit Tandon is the Director General of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and the former CEO of Lok Sabha TV. He is still remembered as a prominent newsreader on Doordarshan. An Economics graduate from St Stephen’s College, he has also been actively involved with radio broadcasting, television, theatre, and films. In an interview with Education Insider, the former General Manager of the National Film Development Corporation Ltd talks about the need for proper balance, perceptiveness, and attribution in the media sector

by Neethu Mohan Can you appraise the role of India’s fourth estate?

The fourth estate (the media) is one of the most important pillars of the Indian democratic set-up. It absolutely plays a vital role in informing the general public about issues concerning them, governance, and policies that affect our lives. The fourth estate is essential for Indian democracy. Without it, our democratic system cannot exist.

Which is the most memorable event in your career?

I have about 200+ memorable events in my career. One is, of course, helping to set up the new public service channel called Lok Sabha Television. Another memorable event is organising the International Film Festivals of India. I was in-charge of film selection and programming. I think we achieved a certain amount of success in organising them very professionally. Another major challenge I have undertaken is to help upgrade the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) to the level of a university.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

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BRAINWAVE Sunit Tandon

Do you find any deficiencies in the modern day journalist?

It is not correct to generalise. There are excellent journalists and there are some who may have deficiencies. But if you look at journalism as a whole in India, I think there is a large room for improvement. There are too many pressures on journalists that take them away from the path of objective, dispassionate, and balanced reporting and writing. Secondly, by the nature of the profession, journalists have to meet deadlines. Many of them do not check facts or do their homework as much as they could possibly do in the interests of fairness and balance.

Do you think the fourth estate is playing its role responsibly in checking corruption and misgovernance?

I think it is, to a large extent, and that cannot be doubted. The fourth estate is helping to bring them (issues of corruption and misgovernance) to light in a large measure. It is not the media’s duty to correct injustices and set things right, but it is their duty to highlight them. Sometimes, they are biased, and at times, they misuse their power. But by and large, it would be absolutely correct to say that the fourth estate is playing a significant role.

Do you think the print media has succeeded over the electronic medium in sustaining public interest?

The print medium has succeeded largely in sustaining public interest despite the onslaught of the electronic media. By electronic media, I mean the traditional broadcast media, not the social media. The print medium has sustained and even strengthened itself through the period of expansion of the electronic media. The period of expansion of television has also seen the expansion of newspapers in India. Now, I think in the next 15-20 years, the print media might take a beating eventually. But this will first take place in the English language and later in the regional languages. So, we can say that so far, the print medium has sustained itself along with the electronic media.

Do you think the journalistic code of ethics is a toothless tiger?

Toothlessness is a term that cannot be used for a code, but it can be used for institutions that are meant to enforce the code. For instance, the Press Council of India (PCI) should be given more powers. There is no standardised code of ethics that I am aware of. There are certain generally accepted norms by which journalism should be practiced. The values of balance, perspective, attribution, and cross-checking of facts are taught everywhere but seldom practiced in the real world. In every democratic developed society, there has to be some agency for enforcement of ethics and codes, without suppression of the freedom of expression.

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What was your inspiration to become a journalist?

I always wanted to be a communicator. I was interested in public speaking, presenting, and exploring ideas. My areas of interest were news and current affairs and for disseminating these, a medium is necessary. That’s how I chose the broadcasting media. It was a slow process of transformation, from a communicator to a journalist. This is a very responsible job. One should be well-informed and balanced. I love this profession.

What’s your message to budding journalists?

Enter into the journalism field only if you are passionate about it, prepared to put up with a lot to retain your integrity and ethics, and have deep interest in understanding issues and presenting them in a fair and balanced way for the public to understand. You should not become a judge or a jury and present an issue from a single point of view.

As the Director of IIMC, what innovations and changes have you brought about at the institute?

We have been doing three major things. One, expanding the reach of the institute. When I took over the institute, we had only one main branch in New Delhi and one in Dhenkanal in Orissa. Now, in the last two-and-a-half years, we have set up four more branches which will grow and develop over the years. These are in Jammu, Aizawl in Mizoram, Amaravati in Maharashtra, and Kottayam in Kerala.Side by side, we are also working to upgrade the institute into a full-fledged university. We have drafted an Act of Parliament which will be put before the Cabinet for approval. Thirdly, we have plans to upgrade our programmes, courses, and facilities.

Why have the government-run news broadcast systems failed to garner public interest?

I don’t think I agree with that. Many people are reverting back to some of the government-run news broadcasting systems for their greater degree of balance and coverage. And as Doordarshan and AIR refresh their presentation, I’m sure they will attract an even greater audience.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Aditya Malik INDUSTRY EXPERT

Indian techies in

great demand TalentEdge, one of India’s leading ISO 90012008 certified IT education and training providers, is a premium registered brand of Arrina Education Services Pvt Ltd. A pioneer in imparting training in cutting edge technologies, it has trained more than 300,000 students and professionals in 90 locations worldwide through its training centres in India, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In an interview with Education Insider, Aditya Malik, Chief Executive Officer of TalentEdge, observes that India’s youth is its strength. Hence the developed world and other emerging countries have no option but to rely on Indian talent

by Sreekanth Ravindran What are the latest trends in IT education and how are you meeting the market demand?

Some of the latest trends in IT education are: Programming and Application Development: Companies want to hire employees with programming and application development skills by next year. Those who have experience in Java, J2EE and .Net are at an advantage as these skills will be heavily demanded by companies in the coming time. Talentedge has full-fledged programme offerings on Java, J2EE, Struts, Hibernate, and .Net 4.0. All these programmes are mapped to international certifications with placement assistance for eligible students.

Project Management: Project management will be in huge demand next year as many companies have mentioned that they will recruit project managers in the EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

next 12 months. The rising demand for candidates with this profile is due to increase in the complexity of such projects. Besides, applications are now more connected.

TalentEdge is in the process of developing a programme on Project Management, ready for delivery by the start of 2013.

Help Desk/Technical Support: IT recruiters want to hire IT help desk professionals within the next one year.

Such companies’ focus is to not only develop modern systems and solutions, but also to help end users to access them easily, hence the emphasis on the technical support skills. TalentEdge has programmes like A+ and N+, which will help students take up assignments of technical support.

Security: IT security also seems to be high on the IT companies’ agenda. They are on the lookout for

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INDUSTRY EXPERT Aditya Malik

professionals with skills for safeguarding systems and data. Therefore, it’s high time that candidates in the IT security industry brush up their knowledge on deploying firewalls, threat detection tools, encryption technology, and other security systems. TalentEdge has 400 hours’ programme on Information Security with Project and Placement Assistance. The programme can be completed in 77 days with 38 hours per week delivery.

Business Intelligence/Analytics: Big data is a major concern for IT firms, which is why many companies are looking for business analytics professionals. While hiring personnel for this domain, recruiters will keep in mind technical know-how, business knowledge, and strong statistical and mathematical backgrounds. TalentEdge offers Business Intelligence on Microsoft, Oracle, and Cloud.

Cloud/SaaS: IT companies will hire employees who are proficient with cloud computing capabilities.

Cloud services/Software-as-a-Service are set to become the next big thing in the IT world, according to research firms like Gartner, and professionals who have the requisite skills will be high in demand

Mobile Applications and Device Management: This is a fairly new job title, but will grow at a rapid pace with the increase in the penetration of mobile devices in the life of consumers. With the increased growth in mobile apps on various consumer devices, professionals on Mobile Application Development on platforms like IOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows 8, and Native Apps Development will be very much required in the coming years. TalentEdge is catering to all the above mentioned technologies by providing training on the same.

Data Centre: Data centre professionals are still in demand as their skills are essential to server management. Sixteen per cent of the companies surveyed by Computerworld will hire personnel with data centre management and data back-up capabilities. TalentEdge is partnering HP and Microsoft for their Data Centre products.

Do you think the much talked about saturation in the IT sector will affect IT education?

The IT industry has become one of the most robust industries in the world. IT, more than any other industry or economic facet, has an increased productivity, particularly in the developed world, and,

The information technology (IT) industry has become one of the most robust industries in the world. IT, more than any other industry or economic facet, has an increased productivity, particularly in the developed world, and, therefore, is a key driver of global economic growth next year. TalentEdge offers 400 hours/77 days’ programme on Cloud Computing with Project and Placement Assistance.

Virtualisation: IT companies plan to hire professionals with virtualisation skills in 2013.

However, their biggest issue is that they usually find inexperienced candidates with half-baked virtualisation skills. To enhance skills of students on virtualisation, Talentedge offers a programme on Hyper V-based Microsoft Virtualisation technology.

Networking: IT recruiters are also looking for experienced professionals with networking capabilities. Though the demand for networking personnel has declined by 50 per cent over the past three years, the prospects for such professionals are still good for coming times. TalentEdge has a comprehensive programme on Networking, which includes A+, N+, Microsoft Networking, Cisco Networking and Linux.

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therefore, is a key driver of global economic growth.

Economies of scale and insatiable demand from both consumers and enterprises characterise this rapidly growing sector. Owing to its easy accessibility and the availability of a wide range of IT products, the demand for IT services has increased substantially over the years. The IT sector has emerged as a major global source of both growth and employment.

Tell us about the training methodologies and the pedagogical system at TalentEdge.

Training methodologies used by TalentEdge are: • The Audio-Lingual Method • Handouts and Note-Taking • Simulations • Industrial Projects TalentEdge follows need-based extensive and intensive training pedagogies.

Benefits of Intensive: EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

1. Shorter training hours facilitate on-the-job training.

It doesn’t affect operations 2. Shorter training days allow for more time to apply the skills and revisit them 3. Smaller batch size enhances individual attention among participants in the bottom quartile who need to show greater traction 4. Greater individual attention allows the participant to expedite the learning process 5. No time is wasted on skills that have been imbibed; Instead, problematic skills are addressed with greater intensity Benefits of Extensive: 1. Longer training hours ensure greater control in terms of participants’ performance enhancement 2. Longer training days make way for sustained learning and natural learning curves 3. A batch size of eight to 20 is ideal for healthy group interaction, learning, and peer feedback 4. Greater interaction between a participant and a trainer enables strong bonding, which is conducive for a more enriching learning experience What have been your contributions to the IT education sector and what are the challenges you are facing?

TalentEdge is among the FIRST MOVERS in terms of introducing the latest technologies in training space, including cloud, mobility, and security. TalentEdge has been in the IT training education space for the past 20 years, and it has trained more than 250,000 IT aspirants.

Last year, we had trained more than 110 corporates.

TalentEdge engages an average of 10,000 students per year via its University Learning Solution business.

Challenges: • IT hiring has reduced since 2008 hurting the sentiments of IT aspirants • CS & IT intake in technical institutions has slowed down • Students placeability quotient is not encouraging Is India’s IT sector facing any challenge from other emerging markets?

In spite of the availability of a huge talent pool in India, companies have trouble recruiting qualified workers because the quality of talent is not as good as it could be. By looking closer at the workforce available, it is estimated that only 25 per cent of Indian professionals EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

possess the skills required by companies. The skilled candidates are highly attractive, mobile, and willing to switch industries in order to play different roles and increase their salary. What is more, foreign companies operating in India have to compete not only with Indian companies, but also with companies from Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong who are poaching the best Indian talent.

As the population of these three countries is becoming old very fast, many companies from there are turning their attention to the Indian workforce.

Tell us about TalentEdge’s global expansion plans.

• Launched the first African centre at Lagos, Nigeria, in 2006 • By 2010, grown to a network of 30 centres and over 100 schools/colleges in Africa alone • Trained over 25,000 students in three years in Africa • Distributed scholarship worth $ 1 million in Nigeria • Launched centres in Oman in January 2010.

• Launched a centre in Republic of Benin in May 2011 • Launched a centre in Cameroon in April 2012 • MOUs signed with Business Partners in Equatorial Guinea, Angola, South Africa, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka • A centre in Vietnam was launched in October 2012.

• Future plan is to expand in Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya Do you have any tie-ups in the education and IT sectors?

TalentEdge’s technology partners are Microsoft, Oracle, and HP; Our assessment partners are Prometric and Pearson VUE; Our university partners are IGNOU, PTU, SMU, and MGU; SHRM India is our industry partner.

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INVESTMENT OPTIONS Robotics

I

Robot population

to touch 8.37 m by 2013 A few years ago, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates had predicted in an interview with the magazine Scientific American that by 2007, the robotics industry would take off the way the personal computer industry did 30 years ago. Well, he wasn’t off the mark. Today, some of the world’s best minds are trying to solve the toughest problems in robotics, and the good news is that they are succeeding. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the world’s robot population has reached 4.49 million, and that should nearly double by 2013 to 8.37 million. The industry needs heavy manpower to run the robotic world. In proportion, the number of students opting for a career in Robotics is also on the rise. This is the right time for strategically positioned educational investors to invest in Robotics and simplify learning modules in the greater interests of the skilled student community

by Lakshmi Narayanan

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n almost all spheres of life, human resources are gradually being replaced by machines. In this age of artificial intelligence, the science of robotics is emerging as a subject of greater interest among the student community. The present day student ratio in the field of robotics engineering is a testimony of the technological advances being made in this branch of science. The study of Robotics trains, educates, and empowers a student in the field of artificial intelligence, computeraided manufacturing, computer integrated manufacturing system, computational geometry, robot motion planning, digital electronics, and micro processing. The learning span in the field of Robotics is not merely limited to building robots. It extends to the development of hardware, software, and intelligence control and adaptive control systems involving Robots.

A graduation or post-graduation in Robotics educates a student on maintenance, development of new applications, and gives wings to his imagination in the field of research.

Specialising in design and control in Robotics is close to mechanical engineering. So, it is very vital for any investor in this field to provide the best teaching faculty. The increasing, multiple use of robotics in daily life cannot be underplayed. Robots are being used everywhere today, from households in the West and Japan to various commerce, security, and rescue platforms, weather information systems, exploration of unknown locations, and military as well as space applications. While India also has the technological prowess, it has not been able to replicate the success models of the West or Japan.

A recent survey showed that Robotics has been one of the main investment areas across the world for the past two-three years. Private investors like Acharya Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, RVCE Bengaluru, and PSG-Coimbatore have collectively invested Rs 50 to 100 million on Robotics. Data shows EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

that the investment in this field will be higher than other engineering courses in the times to come. There’s another reason why the strategically positioned educational investors need to be proactive: institutions providing courses in Robotics are a few in the country, while the demand for Robotics experts is going up.

Scope of Robotics studies

“According to the International Federation of Robotics,

about two million personal Robots were in use around the world in 2004, and another seven million were installed in 2008. The number has been doubling over each year. In South Korea, the Ministry of Information and Communication hopes to put a Robot in every home by 2013. The Japanese Robot Association predicts that by 2025, the personal Robot industry will be worth more than $50 billion a year worldwide against today’s $5 billion. The world’s Robot population has reached 4.49 million, and that number should nearly double by 2010 to 8.37 million, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

These are the potentialities of Robotic science which attracts educational investors,” says Dr H D Maheshappa, Principal, Acharya Institute of Technology, Bengaluru.

In India, a candidate having an ME degree in Robotics can get job opportunities in space research organisations like ISRO and also in industries

Specialisations in Robotics • • • • • • • • • • •

Automation Micro Robotics Bio-Cybernetics Medical Robotics Signal Processing Robot Manipulators Computational Geometry Artificial Intelligence Computer-aided Manufacturing Air Traffic Management Systems Computer Integrated Manufacturing System • Digital Electronics and Micro Processors • Design and Control • Robot Motion Planning

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

which manufacture microchips. Indian Robotic firms include Precision Automation Robotics India Limited (PARI), ABB, Kuka Robotics, and DiFACTO Robotics and Automation.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also looking for high-level Robotics experts for its research and developmental studies.

The US is a major employer of Robotics experts abroad. US-based Plastech is a big firm which recruits Robotics experts from various countries.

Research fellowships as an intern with ATR, a premier research institute, emphasises on Humanoid Robotics and Computational Neuroscience.

Besides, companies like Intel recruits Robotics and artificial intelligence specialists for microchip manufacturing.

The Robotics Industrial Association in North America also provides job opportunities in Robot manufacturing and maintenance systems integration.

Lastly, NASA is the ultimate job destination for those interested in applying Robotics to space science.

Points of reference

Educational investors need to look at four crucial points before investing in Robotics: the quantum of investment, the industrial scenario, the human resources at hand, and availability of highly specialised laboratories.

Due to the diverse specialisations in Robotics, the area of application also varies from one field to the other. A decade ago, Robot applications were limited to the automotive and electronic sectors. The growth in material handling orders indicates that the Robotics industry is exploring new avenues, particularly in consumer goods (food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals, medical technology, Robot cars, and defence technology etc).

India has the highest youth population in the world, and a major section of this community has the scientific aptitude to become major stakeholders in Robotics.

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ANALYSIS THE ENROLMENT PUZZLE Mushfiq Mobarak

Bangladesh shows

how to keep more girls in school

For years, developing countries have been trying to increase parents’ incentives to make them send their children, particularly girls, to school.

This column looks at the success of Bangladesh, where the number of girls in schools today exceeds the number of boys. It argues that money talks, but it’s the money that educated children will earn once they leave school that leaves a lasting impression

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O

ver the past decade, the school enrolment rate of Indian children has risen substantially, both at the primary and secondary school levels. This has been particularly true for girls, whose share in total enrolment has increased from 47.52 per cent in the 2004-2005 academic year to 48.46 per cent in 2009-2010. However, as recently reported, there are still gaps in both enrolment and attendance: the gross enrolment ratio for secondary education is only 60 per cent, and the attendance rate in primary schools is just under 70 per cent.

Traditionally, many programmes targeting education have focussed on simply improving the school infrastructure, under the theory of ‘build it and they will come’. In recent years, however, a growing number of programmes worldwide (including in India) have attempted to directly increase school EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

enrolments through ‘conditional incentives’ – rewards dependent on school attendance. Some of these seek to target the direct costs of schooling, offering subsidies for uniforms, school supplies, and tuition (in areas where education is not provided for free). These programmes assume that parents want to invest in their children’s education, but are unable to do so because they simply cannot afford it.

Randomised evaluations in Kenya have shown positive effects from these programmes: in one programme, the attendance increased by six per cent after schoolchildren were provided with free uniforms, with a larger increase (13 per cent ) for those who had no uniform prior to their participation in the programme. Other conditionality-based programmes focus their efforts on changing the incentives to parents.

Implicit in the design of such programmes is the

the direct costs or the indirect opportunity costs – does not address the long-term value that parents place on education and, therefore, their willingness to invest in education for their children. If the job prospects in the area are as dismal for those with an education as they are for those without one (or if just basic literacy skills will suffice for most available jobs), it is no wonder that parents – even ones who could afford to do so – choose not to send their children to school.

In a new study, using data from Bangladesh, Rachel Heath and I examine the impact of job availability on parents’ decision to invest in their children’s education. Bangladesh provides a unique case study, as it is one of the few developing countries to have met the third Millennium Development goal of achieving gender parity in education. Numerous studies have attributed this impressive feat to the introduction of the Female

idea that the ‘opportunity costs’ of schooling – the best alternative forgone – in terms of lost jobs and income are prohibitively high. The programme offsets these costs by providing immediate cash rewards for keeping the child in school. For instance, in Mexico’s Oportunidades Programme, low-income families receive cash transfers that can be worth almost a quarter of their income, and the grants increase in size as the children age, to reflect the increased opportunity cost of keeping an older child out of work.

Yet, while many of these programmes have had considerable success in improving enrolments and attendance, reducing the costs of attending – either

Stipend Program (FSP) in 1994, a conditional cash transfer programme that gives a monthly stipend to female secondary school students contingent on maintaining a minimum attendance rate and GPA, and remaining unmarried. However, little empirical data exists on the FSP, and only two other researchers that we know of have attempted to rigorously evaluate the impacts of the FSP. Just prior to this policy change, the Bangladeshi economy had begun to undergo a huge growth in its export sector, particularly in the area of readymade garments. This new sector has had its largest impact on the availability of jobs for women: approximately 80 per cent of garment

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

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ANALYSIS Mushfiq Mobarak

workers are female, and garment jobs represent the best – and sometimes the only – option for women to work outside home. Such jobs also provide a strong incentive for girls to stay in school, as they typically require literacy, numeracy, cognitive skills to be able to work in a teamproduction environment, and some ability to read and identify clothing labels in English.

This coming together of economic and social policy change provides a unique opportunity to examine the relative importance of each in increasing school enrolment rates. To isolate the effect of the growth in the garment sector job availability, we use a ‘triple difference’ strategy. That is, we look at the difference in enrolment rates between children in villages within commuting distance of a garment factory and those which are not, the change over time as the garment sector grew and more jobs became available, and the difference between girls and boys within the same family, as access to garment jobs disproportionately affects females. Similarly, to estimate the effects of the FSP, we look at the difference in enrolments between those who have been in school for at least six years (and are, therefore, eligible for the programme) and those who have not, the difference before and after 1994 (the year of programme implementation) and, again, the difference between girls and boys in the same family, as the programme was only available to girls.

We find that, for girls aged five to ten, a 10 per cent growth in the garment sector employment increases the probability that the girl will be enrolled in school by one per cent, and this is statistically significant. Meanwhile, availability of garment jobs actually decreases the likelihood of enrolment for girls over 16, presumably because at this age, they drop out in order to take the jobs. This is not the case for boys in the same age groups.

Although this figure may seem small, it translates into a 27 percentage point gain in overall girls’ enrolment over the last 30 years as the industry flourished. A rough backof-the-envelope calculation suggests that this increase in schooling demand associated with the garment sector growth accounts for nearly all the gains in enrolment in villages close to garment factories, and between 20 and 25 per cent of the gains in enrolment nationwide.

In contrast, when we look at the results of the

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Female Stipend Program, we fail to find any statistically significant positive results. In fact, since the growth in female enrolment rates pre-dates the introduction of the FSP, it seems likely that previous evaluations attributing this growth to the FSP may have conflated the programme effects with pre-existing trends, such as those caused by the growth in the garment sector.

Importantly, the effects of garment industry jobs go beyond just increased education for young women. We find that, for a 10 per cent increase in garment jobs, a girl’s propensity to be married before age 18 decreases by 7.3 per cent. Her likelihood of having a child before age 18 also decreases, although these results are not statistically significant at conventional levels. These changes are of interest because other research has shown that early marriage and childbirth can have negative effects on child development and women’s well-being.

Lessons for India and beyond

These results have important implications for education policy in developing countries worldwide. They suggest that, while improving the quality and quantity of educational inputs may be important, parents’ willingness to invest in their children’s education may be an even stronger determinant of child school enrolment. And rational households would only be willing to make this investment if there are positive returns to schooling, that is, if jobs that require education and pay better wages are actually available. Thus, the education policy is tied to the trade and industrial policy that creates skilled job opportunities.

In the case of Bangladesh, a high-performing export sector that created positive returns to educating girls was able to readily overcome any traditional ‘cultural’ biases against educating girls. In summary, ‘money talks’. And now girls’ school enrolment rates in Bangladesh exceed that of boys.

(Mushfiq Mobarak is an Associate Professor of Economics at Yale University, New Haven, USA. He is a development economist with interests in public finance (environmental and political economy) issues) Note: Reprinted with permission from Ideas for India (www.ideasforindia.in) EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Loyola Institute of Business Administration MANAGEMENT

Enabling forward march of backward students…

Established in 1979, Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), managed

by Loyola College Society, Chennai, is one of the prestigious B schools enabling holistic development of the self. Approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), LIBA has a track record of 100 per cent student placement in the creme de la crème global corporate companies.

It has collaborations with more than 20 international universities and recruitment pacts with a number of multinational companies. One of the primary objectives at LIBA is to train, empower, and transform the average performers and students from humble backgrounds in such a way that they can become as good as the best management professionals. The innovative learning and training modules of LIBA make it one of the top institutes in business management in India. LIBA’s curriculum has incorporated two principles, excellence and ethics, in each aspect of learning. In an interview with Education Insider, LIBA’s Director Fr Dr S Peter, and Dean and Deputy Director Fr Dr Emmanuel Arockiam tell what it takes to build an institutional brand that is helping weed out inequity from the social matrix EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

LIBA Director Fr Dr S Peter (left) with Dean & Deputy Director Fr Dr Emmanuel Arockiam

by Tony William What makes LIBA one of the top business institutes in India?

LIBA is an institutional brand. It is unique in the sense that it provides quality education. Right from the beginning, we have been driven by our social priorities. We could have easily taken in the best students. But that went against our ethos. So, we ensured that 50 per cent of our students are from the minority, or socially and economically backward communities. We want them to come up in life. Our curriculum is one of the best. Special orientation is provided to these students. We constantly update our syllabus to provide students maximum exposure.

At LIBA, the emphasis is on development of the whole self. On Wednesdays, a guest lecturer visits the campus. The visiting faculty also includes top management professionals such as CEOs of well-known organisations. Earlier this year, we had introduced a lecture programme involving the students themselves. A student with expertise or knowledge in a certain field would take classes. Three students good at photography are taking classes as of today. You can train a student intellectually in a field beyond his/her area of daily engagement. At LIBA, the focus is on the whole self.

Irrespective of the management or leadership positions one would vie for in future, we give importance to harmonious development of the personality. We provide a platform called LIBA Premier League (LPL), which like the IPL in cricket, showcases the cultural talents of the youth. Due importance is given to sports activities as well.

LIBA is known for a positive atmosphere within the campus. We never need to enforce discipline. To us, discipline is a part of our culture. It is a natural extension of our students’ endeavours. We also have a successful mentoring system, whereby each student is assured of utmost care, undivided attention, and monitoring of

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MANAGEMENT Loyola Institute of Business Administration

progress. More than an educational institution, Loyola is an international brand where quality education is imparted. We have a tradition of training ourselves constantly to ensure adaptation of new methodologies in education.

How does LIBA promote self-entrepreneurship?

We have a cell for encouragement of entrepreneurial skills among students. Identifying, sharpening, and monetising one’s own professional potential is more easy than finding the right job. So, the focus is more on developing and encouraging entrepreneurial skills. We have made entrepreneurism a vital component of the regular course, though it is not compulsory, according to AIU. Everybody must be trained in developing entrepreneurial skills. One of our students has made us proud by becoming an entrepreneur of solar

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power and panels. He has put up solar panels at LIBA as well.

Tell us about the student exchange programme at LIBA. LIBA’s student exchange programmes provide students a broader perspective and understanding of international cultures and business realities in different countries. We have a memorandum of understanding with universities in almost all the continents. We are keen to promote programmes that offer scholarship to our students. Or else, they may not be able to afford studies there. Last year alone, four students from foreign universities visited our campus, while two of our students visited foreign campuses.

LIBA has international collaborations with Rouen Business School, France, Saint Joseph’s University, USA, Bordeaux School of Management, France, University of Antwerp, Belgium, and several other universities around the world.

How do your students gain industrial experience?

Other than the summer internships, we arrange special sessions through which top business leaders motivate our students by recounting their success stories and the way they had surmounted challenges. Top entrepreneurs also share their experiences.

After internship, some of the companies seek extension of our students’ services for some more time, which is a proof of our excellence.

Companies like Ford, RBS, and Sankara Nethralaya regularly extend chances of internships to our students, giving them a good exposure of the industrial practices.

What’s the thrust on research at LIBA? During the first summer vacation, students are supposed to do their internships, followed by the submission of their research papers.

Students are required to submit case studies based on the business models of different companies/organisations after thorough research. We insist on student evaluation of a business model. Special emphasis is also given to research in the syllabus so as to develop a research mentality among students.

Several research papers have been published in international peer reviewed journals.

LIBA has also taken certain other initiatives to ensure that our students gain industrial experience. For instance, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd had approached us for a study that could suggest a better marketing strategy for its Aavin products. So, projects such as these enable us to give due importance to research and practical experience.

EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

MAKE YOUR CHOICE What is game designing?

Game designing is a part of graphic designing. It is a process of designing the contents and rules of a game in the pre-production stage.

It includes the techniques of game play, environment, storyline, and behaviour of the characters. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as well as documentation that explains such a design. You need artistic and technical competence as well as writing skills to be a game designer.

The scope

Design a career in gaming Are you aspiring for a job that can combine entertainment, fun, and brain-teasing activity? You just need the right mix of talent and kid brain to design visually and intellectually appealing games What does the job entail?

An airhostess has to take care of the needs of passengers. In short, good hospitality is the key to success.

Duties of an airhostess?

Check boarding passes and direct passengers to their seats; Advise passengers on safety regulations; Distribute reading material and serve meals and drinks; Provide first aid treatment and assist sick passengers; Give special attention to elderly passengers, parents with infants, and the disabled; Be alert during emergency landings and evacuation of passengers.

Qualities of an airhostess?

Responsibility, presence of mind, initiative, good physique and appearance, patience to work for long hours, communication skills, team spirit, and positive attitude.

Eligibility criteria?

You can apply for training courses after plus two. Other criteria: • Age: 18-26 • Height: 157.5 cm (without EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

• • • •

Mode of entry

Plus two is the minimum qualification for admission to designing courses. An advanced diploma in game designing, diploma in gaming, or game design, can be obtained.

Where to study?

• • •

It’s not just children, even adults are interested in computer and video games. There is a great demand in the market for innovative game designers. Besides, talented designers always have the option of starting out on their own or freelancing.

•

Pay scale

•

Talented game designers can get an annual pay package of Rs 2 to 3 lakh in India and $40,000 to $70,000 abroad.

Sumeru Academy of Digital Arts, Pune Krazy Pixel School of Animation and Games, Ahmedabad Aakriti Institute for Art, Animation & Gaming, Noida Fractions and Frames, Hyderabad

Study abroad • •

•

Glasgow Caledonian University, UK London South Bank University, UK RMIT University (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia Tallahassee Community College, USA

slippers/shoes) Weight: In proportion with height Marital status: Unmarried Complexion: Fair to clear Normal eyesight

Pay scale?

A junior airhostess gets a monthly salary of Rs 25,000- 40,000, whereas a senior airhostess gets Rs 50,000-75,000. Foreign airlines pay up to Rs 2 lakh for skilled airhostesses.

Where to study?

• • • • •

Air Hostess Academy, New Delhi Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Mumbai Livewel Academy, Mumbai SISI-CMTES Hospitality and Aviation School, Secunderabad Kingfisher Training Academy, Mumbai

Study abroad • • •

Hammersmith College, West London Oxford House College, London University of Reading, UK

Playing the perfect host Do you like playing the perfect host to your guests? Do you enjoy flying? Well, then a career in an airline as an airhostess is the perfect job for you

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CHILD EDUCATION - MONTESSORI METHOD Educationist Lakshmi Krishnakumar

Education as help for life

William Wordsworth rightly said that the child is the father of man. The future of the human race always hinges on a healthy child education system. Since it is a sensitive exercise of self-discovery that requires a deeper, serious understanding of the child’s needs, nature, interests, and talents, educators, from the kindergartens to the primary and secondary levels, must compulsorily learn the basic ideas concerning the psychology, development, and education of the child from two historic figures who had contributed immensely to the field of education – Friedrich Froebel and Dr Maria Montessori. This piece, anchored by Lakshmi Krishnakumar, focusses on the Montessori Method of Education. It is followed by an interview with an educationist associated with the Froebel Method of education

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s a Montessori parent, teacher, and trainer, I’ve heard scores of people giving all kinds of fancy interpretation to the term “Montessori Method”. It has both annoyed and saddened me. Most of the time, parents relate it to a young child and early schooling years. It is most unfortunate that those in the field of education call it a “play-way method”, restricting it to very young children. They have not made much effort to understand that it is based on the strong tenets of Montessori Philosophy, which encompasses the whole human life and shall never be outdated.

Dr Maria Montessori, the architect of the Montessori Method, an Italian by birth, was the first lady to graduate as Doctor of Medicine in Italy. Her successful work with a group of children, thought to be mentally afflicted, prodded her to translate the work to normal children. The breakthrough came her way and she started Casa-Dei-Bambini (House of children) in 1907 in the slum quarters of San Lorenzo in Rome. Her life and work hardly revolve around her personal achievements; instead, it deals with the discoveries made by her regarding ‘the child’ and his (the generic pronoun) innate plan for development. She adopted a scientific, humble, and humane approach in her study and accepted the discoveries with caution.

The manifestations occurred repeatedly, disregarding

Learning Arithmetic: Picking up linear counting and symbolisation skills EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

most of the established theories about the nature of the child. Her respect and humility showed in the dignity she awarded to the child as ‘the constructor of his own personality’. Hence found it obnoxious to call the child as a ‘kid’ and equate him to a baby goat (till date, most Montessorians abhor calling children as kids).

Maria Montessori applied certain tested educational methods to the children who had their upbringing in the slums. Every day was a special day with phenomenal manifestations unfurling. Dr Montessori received them with an open mind and the scientist within her was trying to understand the innate psyche of the children. She realised that they had great potentialities hidden within them and with the right conditions, these were manifesting as behavioural patterns for which children hitherto were not given any credit. Paradoxically, these were the (mentally) rich children of the poor!

Dr Montessori did not theorise a system of education; she realised that she would not be able to help the children until she had a complete understanding of them. She used the simplest and yet most effective method of Observation as means of comprehending the children.

In a free environment, the children subtly expressed their needs, which Dr Montessori fulfilled with great enthusiasm. This was followed by stupendous manifestations which were

Sensorial activities: Making constructive triangles EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

profoundly important to understand human nature in all its glory. Thus, it was the complete understanding of the child’s psyche that enabled her to arrive at the Montessori Method of Education.

Though her realisations were not new to this world, they have been ignored during the formatting of various other systems of education for children. I shall traverse the route of presenting Child Psychology (Developmental Psychology) before visiting the pastures of Montessori Method of Education.

Dr Montessori realised that from birth, the latest, the baby goes through an intricate pattern of building up his personality; the task of “Self-formation”.

She termed the period from birth to six as “Formative Years”. During these years, she identified certain vital factors in the child’s life which draft the blue print for the future manifested personality. During the first three years, the child is exclusively self-absorbed, a kind of egocentric nature which facilitates that he builds up himself.

Though surrounded by all the elements of society, he is still untouched by it.

Dr Montessori realised that in the absence of a functioning Intellect, there is a special asset which the child possesses from even before birth, enabling him to draw from the environment what he needs for his self-formation. Due to lack of a technical term, Dr Montessori called it

“the Absorbent Mind”. Much later in her life, she conceded that the process of maturation and creation of human qualities enable the Absorbent Mind to assume the characteristics of the Intellect; just as a raw mango ripens into a juicy fruit. An older child, or an adult, learns about the environment through their Intellect.

The Absorbent Mind, functioning exuberantly, is like a porous sponge absorbing the environment with all its elements and is different from that of the Intellect with its multifacets such as Intelligence, Memory, Recollection, and Imagination, and so on.

The Absorbent Mind has no discrimination, choice, or course of action identified. With a young child, the senses take the leading role and the impressions perceived and absorbed feed the innate potentialities (some are specie specific and some inherited from the race and the family) towards being actualised; like a seed becoming a tree. In contrast, the intellect uses the senses to selectively gather the impressions to arrive at wellinformed choices and conclusions. The Absorbent Mind gradually begins to discriminate, bring an ordering effect, and categorise the mental impressions.

It gradually transforms into a conscious Intellect functioning with discrimination and reasoning power. The Co-relative Exchange between the Absorbent Mind and the environment via the senses lead

Language activities: Improving spelling skills

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CHILD EDUCATION Montessori Method

the child to gain a sensorial dominion over the environment. This kind of absorption needs the total involvement of the child and this explains his egocentric nature during the formative years.

Much later, with advent of the Intellect, this gets translated into an Intellectual dominion. It is redundant to say that the quality of help rendered to the Absorbent Mind via the environment is the determinant factor regarding the quality of the Intellect.

As further support, during the formative years, special time periods, called the Sensitive Periods, occur, drawing him towards certain elements in the environment. A Dutch Biologist, Hugo De Vries, had found them in the behaviour of other living beings. These are clearly identified in childhood; though not very blatant in the lives of older human beings.

Sensitive Periods are time spans when a child is urged from within towards mastering a developmental milestone which shall remain a life skill for the rest of his life. Interestingly, they occur in the lives of all human beings.

During these periods, the child feels an obsessive attraction to certain elements of the environment to the exclusion of the others. He gathers a host of impressions which remain as personal experiences.

These are vital for his development, as it is the functioning of the Absorbent Mind during the Sensitive Periods that results in the creation of the human functions and mental faculties which characterise the human being. Since any interference on part of the adult world will drive him towards a deviated path, it can only serve by removing all obstacles so that the Sensitive Period and the special energies the child experiences are optimally utilised.

The study of all the above constitute Developmental Psychology, and Montessori Philosophy respects them all and identifies the child as the author and the sole constructor of his personality. The environment and the adult community are considered as facilitators in that order. The total knowledge of the child, his powers and potentialities, needs, and the required developmental elements paved the way for the methodology. Though a genius, Dr Montessori’s humility shows in her awarding the complete credit to the children, who, she believed, showed her the way.

Consider the manner in which the developmental needs are fulfilled - firstly, his mother’s womb before birth, and then, his home after birth. He gradually feels the need for a supplementary environment; either a day care, or a pre-primary set-up. Most parents do not understand that it is not any but a carefully prepared environment which can cater to the

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Culture activities: Children in a group exploring the map of India task of self-formation. Most often than not, their focus is on the immediate goals of directing the child towards learning the 3 ‘Rs’ (Reading, Writing, and Reckoning). So, they send their children to certain schools which are hell bent on teaching the children to read, write, and count,

Consideration of the Sensitive Periods, the Absorbent Mind, and the egocentric nature of the child without adhering to any structured curriculum, while preparing the environment, ensures that it is conducive to development

rather than let them flourish naturally. In total contrast, Montessori House of children is not any environment but carefully and meticulously prepared keeping the child’s needs in view. It is in these environments that Montessori Method is EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

le

Profi

Lakshmi Krishnakumar

I

found as dedicated practice. Consideration of the Sensitive Periods, the Absorbent Mind, and the egocentric nature of the child without adhering to any structured curriculum, while preparing the environment, ensures that it is conducive to development. Such an environment not only nurtures the development of the human functions such as Language, Independence, Movement, and Social Behaviour, but also the mental faculties viz., Intelligence and Will. Gradually, between the age of three and six, the secondary level faculties, such as memory, recollection capacity, and imagination develop. These lead on to reasoning, creativity, and logic during the primary and secondary school years.

Assigning the primary importance to the Prepared Environment, Dr Montessori relegated its integral parts, the apparatus, and the Adult Educator (however well-trained he or she may be) to the secondary and tertiary levels respectively.

The Prepared Environment must compulsorily include certain elements. These are the abstract and concrete means of development. If the former qualifies the environment, the latter quantifies it.

The Abstract Means of Development include: • A well-trained, humble Adult Educator with respect for the child, faith in the child and nature, regard for human values, and a positive work attitude well reflected • Structure and order • Beauty and balanced representation of nature EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

hold a bachelor degree in Mathematics from Osmania University. I came into contact with the Montessori Method of Education when I took up the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Primary Level Training as a mother of a two-year-old son. The whole world seemed to change as I could witness in my son’s behaviour all that I heard in the course. What started as an academic course became a passion.

I worked as a teacher and administrator for about 12 years and then decided to move on to working in close contact with the parent community. I took up AMI International Primary Level Trainer’s Training. Having completed the extensive and hands-on training, I started the Montessori Training courses with The Montessori Training and Research Trust, Hyderabad, in 1997. I’ve given training to about 500-odd students by holding 13 such courses. I’ve organised AMI Children’s House Assistant courses, refresher courses, and workshops for both teachers and parents. On many occasions, I had the privilege of being the AMI-appointed Chief Examiner at other training centres.

I’ve also helped establish 15 Montessori Houses of Children in Andhra Pradesh and other states of India. I’ve been a speaker at many public seminars, conferences, and television shows. Some of these have been conducted in countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. I was officially invited by the Education Ministry of Thailand to offer a foundation course in Thailand under the aegis of AMI. At present, I concentrate more on freelance work and offer Education about the ‘Montessori Philosophy’ to people from all walks of life. With school and college days being very mundane, I’d decided not to ever explore the field of education. Interestingly, destiny seemed to think otherwise. What started as an interest from being a parent eventually became a passion and now has become a way of life.

•

Freedom and scope for spontaneous choice, activity, and repetition leading towards interest and concentration In contrast to the traditional school system, the Adult Educator does not teach. With the help of the art and technique of Observation, she recognises the needs of the child during the Sensitive Periods and subtly nudges the child towards suitable aspects of the environment.

The Adult Educator also has the responsibility to maintain a clean and beautiful environment without overdoing it. She takes care to

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CHILD EDUCATION Montessori Method

Dr Montessori believed in addressing the child’s needs holistically. The Montessori Philosophy in principle and the Montessori Method in practice, as ‘Education as help for life’, define the human being’s role in all clarity

incorporate structure and order in the environment so that at all times, the child has easy access to what is required without being dependent and inconvenienced. She also provides within the environment various representations of both natural and man-made world. She projects a positive work attitude and a natural joy with

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regard to all her choice of duties and activities.

She ensures that the environment has freedom so that the child can make independent choices, work, repeat as long as he desires, provided it does not in any manner impinge on the interests of the others, or cause disturbance to the structural order of the environment. Dr Montessori termed such an Educator as a ‘Directress’.

On the concrete level, the Montessori Method includes a number of Montessori materials. These are not didactic apparatus with the help of which the Directress imparts a lesson to the children.

These are indeed ‘Means of Development’ which enable the child to explore the concept hidden within. These are mainly meant for the child’s hands for manipulation so that the senses can perceive the impressions to enable him/her to absorb the concept. In the absence of an Intellect, this is the most effective way of passing on concepts to the child. The Means of Development are divided into five major categories.

Daily Life Activities: These are familiar to the child and help build up the basic skills, Independence, and Intelligence. These are culture specific and are the primary initiation to the child’s own culture.

Sensorial Activities: The child has amassed impressions from even before birth which are chaotic and need to be categorised so as to be utilised. The process of utilisation requires that the child use his senses in an orderly manner and thus train them to cater to the Intellect when it manifests within the child. The Sensorial Materials are meant for this purpose. Well-trained senses perceive the environment more accurately and thus, the child is able to acquire a qualitative appreciation of the environment. Deeper and aesthetic appreciation of the environment leads to Imagination and Creativity, which is strongly bound to reality.

Language activities: The child experiences a human need to share the above mentioned appreciation with other members of the community. Hence the child is given support to communicate through spoken language, to begin with. Thus, language becomes not only a means of self-expression, but also leads to socialisation.

When the child gains confidence over his spoken language, he experiences a further need to explore related skills viz., Writing and Reading.

Mathematics: A branch of Mathematics, geometry is introduced initially as appreciation of shapes. Much later, Arithmetic is introduced EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

Gardening activities so that the child can gain a quantitative appreciation of the environment. This leads to exactness, higher mental order and clarity, memory and recollection, reasoning and logic.

Activities related to areas of culture: These throw the doors of the tangible world open to the child for free, conscious, deeper and qualitative exploration of the environment. These activities mostly are extensions of Sensorial and Language areas and include Botany, Geometry, Geography, Zoology, History etc. These encompass all elements of the world which are taught as academic subjects in the primary and secondary school years.

All these are presented to the child through specific manipulations of the materials called “Presentations’ by the Directress. The concepts are not presented directly. When the child repeats the manipulations and the whole activity, all by himself, the concepts unfold.

This is why the Montessori Method is said to be totally based on the principle of ‘Auto-Education’.

Healthy socialisation is promoted without ever bringing in the ‘sense of competition’. In the same manner, rewards and punishments are totally erased out by cultivating within the child the ability to recognise errors and rectify them without being ashamed about it. Yet, a very important and obvious facet of the environment is the ‘Provision of Mixed Ages of children’. Unlike the traditional schools, where all the children are grouped on the basis of their chronological ages, the Montessori Environment houses children of the ages ranging from two-and-ahalf to six years. This promotes healthy socialisations where the older and the younger balance their mental competencies.

Dr Montessori believed in addressing the child’s needs holistically. The Montessori Philosophy in EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

principle and the Montessori Method in practice, as ‘Education as help for life’, define the human being’s role in all clarity. Whereas every living species by living its life maintains cosmic harmony, the human being has a predominant role and needs to prepare himself consciously and deliberately for it. The task begins from even before birth. During the formative years, he builds up all basic human skills and mental faculties. His limited life skills just permit him to take a peek at the world and definitely do not allow him to become aware of the universe beyond. During the primary and secondary school years (6-12 years), the child develops his Intellect to a vast extent that Dr Montessori believed that nothing less than the universe would suffice. She considered it the period meant for ‘Cosmic Education’. At this point of time, the child’s attention is extending towards the whole world and even beyond.

Then the next set of six years of adolescence is meant for cultivating and nurturing the right sentiments toward the whole cosmos. This period is the last phase of development of an integrated human personality before the curtains come down. Following this, once the human being enters into adulthood, he can only give finishing touches before totally detaching from all aspects of the environment and move on to exercising a greater dominion over the environment. At this stage, he is all geared up to take up responsibility of his life and contribute towards society. He is indeed ready to be an Educator for the younger generations who are traversing the same path that he had undertaken. Conclusively, contrary to popular thinking, Montessori Method encompasses all these stages of human development and ensures that the child from birth moves towards becoming an Integrated Human Personality.

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CHILD EDUCATION Froebel Method

The child, the garden,

and an attendant

gardener A German pedagogue, Friedrich Froebel (April 21, 1782 – June 21, 1852) coined the word ‘kindergarten’. He laid the foundation for modern education on the premise that children have unique needs and capabilities. He developed educational toys known as “Froebel Gifts”. Education Insider got in touch with a consultant, Alison MannionGhanbari, at Germany-based FRÖBEL Group, which runs a number of kindergartens, nurseries, and family counselling centres rooted in Froebel’s principles. An information manager, English trainer, and systemic supervisor and coach born in England, Alison taught in France before moving to Germany 16 years ago. A consultant in the area of personnel development with focus on bilingual education, she has a Masters in Modern Languages. She gives an insight into the Froebel method of education

by EI Bureau

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Can you explain the basic tenets of Froebel’s method of education and tell us how you have incorporated his philosophy in your learning modules?

“Children should not be housed and told what to do, but rather happily grow, strengthen, and develop in the sunlight, opening up like a flower under the careful hand of an attendant gardener” is a quote from Friedrich Fröbel. This child-centred, play-based approach is something we continue to follow in our kindergartens. We believe in the holistic nature of learning and support children in their natural curiosity and enjoyment in discovering the world by themselves.

Tell us about the FRÖBEL Group’s main thrust areas.

The FRÖBEL Group’s main foci are bilingual education (following immersion principles), music, and healthy living.

What’s your presence in Germany’s educational system today?

The FRÖBEL group has kindergartens across Germany and in Australia. We focus particularly on improving quality and have a cooperation with the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences, where we support the early childhood education degree courses. FRÖBEL is one of the few kindergarten organisations which has its own training division.

Do you have any tie-ups with educational agencies in other countries, especially Asia?

At present, we have FRÖBEL Australia. Although we don’t have any direct connections to Asia, we do have a number of employees from India who work in our centres. Our bilingual education concept is about introducing the child to a new language in an enjoyable and stress-free setting. Having contact with another culture at an early age also supports multiculturalism.

What’s the basic structure of learning in the kindergarten institutions run/ supported by the Frobel Group?

Our kindergartens are run on open group principles. Although all of our kindergartens have the same main foci, an interesting feature of the German system is that each individual centre will have its own concept which the team members will have developed together. In the open system, the children can choose themselves which particular activities they want to take part in. The bilingual concept and offerings in English are a EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

good example of this. All children will experience the new language in routine situations, when the context is clear, such as getting ready for the garden, mealtimes, free play. Those children who are more interested at a particular point in time will choose to take part in more specific activities, for example, as part of an art project, with the English-speaking educator. This method strengthens the feeling among children that they are responsible and involved in their own learning – a feeling which will set them in good stead for a future in a society where life-long learning will play a large role.

Have you improved upon the concept of Froebel Gifts by including more elements of friendly learning?

Rather than following a set method, we observe the children’s interests and act on their impulses.

Projects are developed in accordance with the child’s interests.

Have you come across flawed kindergarten systems in any part of the world? What are the shortcomings or flaws in such systems?

A system in a particular country depends very much on the history and culture of the respective country and this is something which always has to be respected. Germany is a country which has lots of families EDUCATION INSIDER I November 2012

who are not native Germans – an understanding of their backgrounds, what kindergarten systems are like in their countries of origin, the values which are lived through these systems helps all children and their families to feel at home in their centre and is again an intercultural skill needed in today’s society.

An awareness on the part of the educator that our German curricula are culturally based is also extremely valuable within our multicultural society. A very positive aspect of our bilingual education programme is that children experience that it is normal to have more than one language; they see that these languages are treated and valued equally. Germany has been a monolingual country for many years.

Although the EU has recommended learning foreign languages from an early age, any cultural change takes its time. I remember running a seminar on bilingual education and one of our English speaking staff, a lady who speaks perfect English and grew up in India and England, laughed and said, “Goodness! Do the children only have two languages? I had five when I was growing up!”

Is the Frobel Group into research activities as well? If so, what are the focus areas?

An educational process is a self-education process – the more a child is actively involved in his/

her own learning, the more he/she will continue to enjoy learning. In his book ‘The fifth Discipline’, Peter Senge draws our attention to the fact that we don’t actually have to teach children to learn – they do it for themselves. It is our job as educators to support this.

What’s your message to the new breed of kindergarten schools?

Listen to the children, support them, and respect them. Over the years as an English trainer, I have often experienced that. For example, German business people have said, “I’m not good at English”. When asked why, they replied, “I wasn’t good at school.” Maybe some people have more aptitude than others at languages, but as my colleague from India would say, we are all capable of learning more than one language – worries and concerns prevent a lot of adults from doing this though – and often the seeds of these concerns were sown in childhood. This is something which we want to avoid at FRÖBEL. Starting English, for example, in kindergarten and allowing the children to choose how much contact they have, and incorporating English in fun activities which they would enjoy doing anyway, or making sure that the meaning is clear from the context, aims to provide the children with a good and confidence-boosting start to learning languages.

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MOTIVATION Tijo Jose

Logging in with 70lakhannualpay @google.co.in

T

hough our professional educational institutions churn out thousands of technicians and engineers every year, only a few have the skillset to set out on an adventure into the unchartered terrain of innovations.

Tijo Jose, an MTech in Computer Science (Mathematical Foundations and Algorithms) and student of National Institute of Technology, Calicut, is an innovator in the making. He has been recruited by Google Inc, one of the world’s most successful IT, media, and entertainment giants, in its product design team. With a jaw-dropping annual package of Rs 70 lakh, Tijo is set to join Google at its Mountain View office in the US. “This is a unique opportunity.

I am looking forward to join the Google team, which is one of the best companies in the world, known for its innovations,” says Tijo, whose first passion is Mathematics.

Tijo, who is banking on his Mathematical genius to make the first cycle of harvest from innovations at Google, hails from Vazhakulam, a small town in Ernakulam district famous for having secured the geographical indication for pineapple cultivation. Earlier, the 22-year-old had done his BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology.

The road to Mountain View

has not been a cakewalk for this extraordinary boy from a middle class family. More than luck, hard work and perseverance helped him make the grade at Google.

Recalling the recruitment process at Google, Tijo says, “After a preliminary written exam, I was shortlisted from a group of 30 students for the second round (an interview), which was further divided into seven sub-stages.

The written exam consisted of 25 multiple choice questions covering all aspects of Computer Science.

Only three candidates were chosen for the second round of interview, which was conducted in Bengaluru.

“Ninety-five per cent of the questions in the interview were based on Algorithms and Data Structure.

The duration of each session was one hour, and I never felt that I was attending an interview. It was more like an interactive session. There was not even the slightest hint of tension or pressure,” says Tijo.

“My family, friends, and teachers have inspired and supported me in my endeavours. More than technical preparation, mental preparation was what I wanted and my family succeeded in providing me with the emotional support I needed.”

So, what’s Tijo’s tip for the aspiring candidates? “One should not look at studies only from the exam point of view. There’s more to the personality than just intellect.”

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra” - Jimmy Johnson, Author of Turning The Thing Around

by Neethu Mohan

Tijo Jose

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21st – 23rd November 2012

Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre Dubai, UAE