Education and Career

New Delhi, January 05: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s daughter Upinder Singh was one of the recipients of the inaugural Infosys Prize who were felicitated at a function, attended by Singh as well, here on Monday. Vice-President Hamid Ansari was the chief guest.

Instituted by Infosys, the prize “seeks to boost confidence of scientists, doctors, social scientists and other researchers already engaged in exemplary work, for despite a number of stellar achievements in recent times, research carried out in India in pure and applied sciences has not been given its due”.

Mumbai, January 04: Two minors and a medical student are suspected to have committed suicide here, sending shock waves across the city Monday.

A 20-year old medical student, whose identity was not immediately known, was found dead in her flat at Chaitanya Nagar in the upmarket Powai area of north-west Mumbai, police said, adding that prelimanary investigations suggest it could be a suicide even though no note was found at the spot.

Hyderabad, January 04: Planetary Society-India, which works for promot i o n o f space sciences in the State, is org a n i s i n g mass observation sessions at various schools for students to witness the annular solar eclipse to occur on January 15.

The eclipse, which will be partially visible in major parts of India, will be the best until 2019.

On the occasion, the Planetary Society-India is launching the Annular Solar Eclipse Campaign to impart training in `Student Space Simulators’.

New delhi, January 04: The Union Public Service Commission has decided to induct 965 officers this year through its all India level exams.

This was declared by a notification for Civil Services Exam 2010 issued by the Commission. Around 900 officers were inducted till last year.

UPSC selects officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other central government services through its All India Examination. The preliminary examination is scheduled to be held on May 23 this year.

New Delhi, January 04: The Centre plans to revive the ancient university of Nalanda, which was once a world renowned seat of knowledge in Asia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today.

“One of the initiatives in higher education will be to establish the Nalanda University that will revive India’s ancient academic and intellectual links with East Asia,” Singh said after launching the Higher Education Scholarship Scheme of the Kerala Government in Thiruvananthapuram.

Pathanmthitta, January 03: Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA) is to launch an indefinite agitation, protesting against the delay on the part of the Government in implementing the revised pay scale of University Grants Commission (UGC) in the State.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, KPCTA State president, Khader Mangad and secretary, M.C. Dileepkumar, said the association decided to observe a token strike on January 7.

New Delhi, January 02: The Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) has published the results for Research Admissions in M.Phil./Ph.D.

The GITAM results 2009 for in M.Phil./Ph.D has been available on its official website http://www.gitam.edu/.

The successful students can get the admission for the session 2009-10 at GITAM.

The GITAM university was established in the year 1980 in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

—Agencies

New Delhi, January 02: As a New Year gift, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) today declared that it will provide free education to prisoners henceforth.

“All jail inmates in the country will now be able to access free and quality education according to their choice,” a senior administrator of IGNOU said.

In a notice to all its regional directors, heads of schools, divisions and centres, the registrar of the university said that the decision was pursuant to approval by the university’s apex controlling body, the Board of Management (BoM).

New Delhi, January 02: With government’s flagship Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme showing encouraging results in expansion of elementary education, the World Bank has come forward with an offer to provide additional funding of $ 500 million for the programme.

The World Bank has proposed the government to provide the money as soft loans to be paid over a period of 35 to 40 years with lesser interest.

The World Bank had provided soft loan of $ 600 million for the scheme which aims at universalisation of elementary education.

Mumbai, January 02: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) on Friday announced the second phase of the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 — to be conducted on January 30-31 — for candidates who faced disruptions during the test and eventually could not complete the test.

The first phase of CAT 2009 was from November 28 to December 8th, 2009 but a virus attack and computers crashing in centres across the country led to chaos with the test being disrupted for the first few days.

Lucknow, January 01: The Lucknow University (LU) will confer a doctorate degree on eminent nuclear scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India Anil Kakodkar at its convocation in February, an official said today.

“The decision to award Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) has been taken by members of the varsity’s executive council,” said LU proctor A.N. Singh.

“Kakodkar will also be the chief guest for the ceremonial function and deliver the convocation address,” he added.

New Delhi, January 01: A government employee is entitled to continue in service if he withdraws the voluntary retirement notice before the date of his actual release, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has held.

The tribunal passed the order while hearing the plea of Sub-Inspector Chander Pal Arora, challenging the Delhi Police order which accepted the voluntary retirement of the officer even after withdrawing the same within a specific time period.

New Delhi, January 01: As a New Year gift, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Thursday declared that it will provide free education to prisoners henceforth.

“All jail inmates in the country will now be able to access free and quality education according to their choice,” a senior administrator of IGNOU said.

In a notice to all its regional directors, heads of schools, divisions and centres, the registrar of the university said that the decision was pursuant to approval by the university’s apex controlling body, the Board of Management (BoM).

New Delhi, December 31: As a New Year gift, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Thursday declared that it will provide free education to prisoners henceforth.

“All jail inmates in the country will now be able to access free and quality education according to their choice,” a senior administrator of IGNOU said.

In a notice to all its regional directors, heads of schools, divisions and centres, the registrar of the university said that the decision was pursuant to approval by the university’s apex controlling body, the Board of Management (BoM).

New Delhi: A quota of a different kind awaits medical students who are keen to pursue a post graduate course in medicine. The Union Health Ministry is mulling reservation of 25 per cent seats in PG courses for MBBS doctors who have practised for three years in rural areas.

The proposal, which was forwarded to the Health ministry by the Medical Council of India (MCI), is one of the many steps which the government is planning to take to address the problem of few doctors being keen to practise inrural areas.

Kanpur, December 31: Coal India Limited (CIL) will provide “special” scholarship to 100 meritorious students from the below poverty line and offer them jobs as management trainee later in the company.

Another 25 scholarships will be offered to those whose land were acquired by the CIL and left with no source of income.

Lucknow, Dec 31: The Lucknow University (LU) will confer a doctorate degree on eminent nuclear scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission of India Anil Kakodkar at its convocation in February, an official said Thursday.

‘The decision to award Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) has been taken by members of the varsity’s executive council,’ said LU proctor A.N. Singh.

‘Kakodkar will also be the chief guest for the ceremonial function and deliver the convocation address,’ he added.

Aligarh, Dec 31: Riaz Ahmad, a teacher at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has been conferred the Scientist of the Year Award-2009 by the National Environment Science Academy in New Delhi, an AMU spokesperson said Wednesday.

‘The award carried a gold medal and a plaque as a token of appreciation for the contributions of Riaz Ahmad in the area of biochemical and molecular genetics,’ AMU’s assistant public relations officer Zeeshan Ahmad told reporters in Aligarh.

Hyderabad, December 30: Following the University Grants Commission’s declaration that distance education courses run by deemed universities such as the Institute of Advance Studies in Education (IASE), Vinayaka Mission and JRN Rajasthan Vidya Peeth are not valid, the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) has notified that the degrees awarded by these institutions are not valid.

New Delhi, December 30: In a New Year bonanza, the government today cleared a proposal for a wage hike for faculty members of premier medical institues like AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh bringing them at par with their counterparts in IITs and IIMs.

The proposal, which will cost Rs 91.60 crore to the exchequer, was cleared by a Union cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, official sources said here.

The new pay-scale will be implemented with retrospective effect from January one, 2006 while the allowance will be paid effective from September one, 2008, they said.

Coimbatore, December 29: IGNOU plans to increase the number of “community” colleges from the present 160 to 500 across the country in next two years, its Vice-Chancellor Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai said here today.

He was speaking after IGNOU launched its skill development programme through community colleges, at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Institute of Textile Management, here as part of bridging the gap in the skill levels currently prevailing in the apparel and garment industry.

Muzaffarnagar, December 29: A madarsa teacher, who allegedly strangulated a 12-year-student after sodomising him, was sent to 14 days judicial custody, police said.

Abad was strangulated yesterday by his Arbi madarsa teacher Shahzad (23), at Bunta village in the district, they said.

The madarsa maulvi was soon arrested after incident and the body of the victim was recovered, Deputy Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi told reporters.
–PTI

New Delhi, December 29: Jamia Millia Islamia is trying to shed the widely perceived “superior madrassa” tag, says Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung, asserting that his job is to position the 90-year-old university as a modern, secular institution of learning for one and all.

“We are not a superior madrassa. I don’t know why many people think we are some kind of a Muslim university,” Jung told IANS in an interview at his well-appointed campus office. “We want to change that mindset of people. That tag. I am convinced of it.

New Delhi, Dec 29: The Central Board of Secondary Education has announced the schedule for the Class X and Class XII Board examinations. The exams commence on March 3, 2010.

Class X students will have their first exam — Music — on March 3. It will be followed by Social Science on March 5 while the second language papers will be held on March 8. The Mathematics examination will be on March 11; Home Science March 15; Hindi March 19; English March 23; Science theory March 26, and practical examination which is also the last, will be held on March 31.

Panaji, December 27:The Goa Congress chief feels ministers with a tainted background are like school children who had to be given “opportunities to improve”.

“One has to be given a fair chance. I have been a teacher. They are like students, they need to be given opportunities to improve,” Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhash Shirodkar said Sunday when asked about the state party unit welcoming tainted education minister Atanasio Monserrate into the party fold.