Schools, colleges in city to remain closed today

Ludhiana, Dec 05: In view of the prevailing tension in the city following the clashes between the migrants, and the police, the schools and colleges in the city will remain closed tomorrow. This directive was issued by the deputy commisioner, Vikas Garg today.

Corporal punishment: High Court summons top education officer

Kolkata, Dec 05: The Calcutta High Court has directed Director of School Education, Dibyen Mukherjee, to appear before the court next Friday and file a status report on corporal punishment in schools across the state.

Delivering the order, the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattachayra and Justice Prasenjit Mandal expressed displeasure over the failure of the Director School Education to file a status report and an action taken report on corporal punishment in compliance with the order passed on October 30.

Health minister defends 3-year medical diploma

Kolkata, Dec 05: Facing criticism from doctors and the Opposition over the proposed West Bengal Rural Health Regulatory Authority Bill 2009 that provides for a three-year medical diploma course, state Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra today defended the Bill saying it would help fill in the vacancies in rural healthcare system where qualified doctors were not willing to go.

The Bill, to be placed in the Assembly in the winter session, aims to create a pool of health care practitioners who would provide preliminary services to the rural people.

200 UoP colleges without principals

Pune, Dec 05: Around 200 colleges out of the 600 affiliated to the University of Pune are still without full-time principals though only six months remain for the May 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court to ensure all colleges appoint them.

A handful of colleges has been running without full-time principals for over a decade, some since inception.

Confusion over cat exams

Hyderabad, December 05: This is with reference to certain news reports published on December 4, 2009 in connection with CAT exams 2009 in Hyderabad.

A press release by Prometric clarifies the tests are being held at all test centres in Hyderabad.

The candidates do not have to go to other cities to take the exam.

Candidates who have not been able to take the test due to various reasons will be given new dates in the same city where they were to originally take the test.

Australia invites Indian universities to open branches

New Delhi, December 05: Recognising India’s excellence in education, Australia has invited “elite Indian institutions” to set up campuses there and help Adelaide become a “University City”.

Some of them are already on the table, a senior minister of South Australia said.

“We are now inviting elite Indian universities and institutions to set up campuses in our province,” Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education in the provincial government of South Australia Michael O’Brien told media.

Sibal for making secondary education a right of every child

New Delhi, Dec 05: After elementary education, the government aims to make secondary education a right of every child in the country in the next five years, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said on Friday.

The Parliament passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill in the last session, making education a fundamental right of every child in the age group of six to 14 years.

Virus attack: IIMs extend CAT by a day

New Delhi, Dec 05: IIMs have decided to extend the 10-day Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 by one more day. CAT 2009 was scheduled to run for 10 days from November 28 to December 7 but with over 8,000 students unable to appear for the exam on scheduled days owing to virus attacks forcing cancellations of CAT at several centres, it has been decided to extend the CAT until December 8.

CAT schedule extended by a day only in 20 cities

New Delhi, December 04: After the online Common Admission Test (CAT) collapsed in several places, creating confusion among thousands of B-school aspirants, the authorities conducting it Friday extended the exam schedule by one day but only in 20 cities.

“Prometric and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) have extended the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 till Dec 8. CAT 2009 was scheduled to run for 10 days from Nov 28 to Dec 7, 2009,” the US headquartered Prometric said in an official communique.

CAT schedule extended by one day

New Delhi, December 04: After the online Common Admission Test collapsed in several places, creating confusion among thousands of B-school aspirants, the CAT authorities today extended the exam schedule by one day.

“Prometric and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) have extended the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2009 till Dec 8. CAT 2009 was scheduled to run for 10 days from Nov 28 to Dec 7 2009,” the US headquartered Prometric said in an official communique.

Aus group ask for freeze in registration of new colleges

Melbourne, Dec 04: An Australian group of colleges in Victoria has asked for immediate freeze in registration of new private colleges for international students until the State Government’s emergency audit of 41 high-risk colleges is complete.

Victorian TAFE Association’s executive director, David Williams, said the “failure of the international education market” had damaged the reputation of TAFE colleges, according to ‘The Age’ report today.

Final decision on crashed CAT on Dec 7

Kolkata, Dec 04: A decision on extending or rescheduling the CAT will be taken once the entire process draws to a close on December 7, said Sekhar Chowdhury, Director of IIM-Calcutta.

“We are all aware of the problem. Right now we cannot take a decision on this. We will have to go through the entire process, collect information from Prometric and then take a decision,” said the director on the sidelines of an international finance conference in the city.

School principals told to have weekly feedback about teachers from monitors

Ludhiana, Dec 04: Now the principal and headmasters of government senior secondary schools of the state will conduct weekly meetings of class monitors, who will give feedback about the teachers to the school heads. These instructions have been issued by Krishan Kumar, Director General, Sarv Shiksha Abhiya, Punjab, under “Monitor diary” project of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Punjab.

Security forces vacate Lalgarh school building

Kolkata, December 3: Security forces Thursday vacated a school building in Lalgarh area following an assurance given by the West Bengal government to the court.

Classes in the Gohamidanga High School were suspended since June 18 as the security forces had set up a camp in the building because of its strategic location.

The students and teachers had been agitating against the camp and demanding the security forces leave the school.

Colleges to be shut down for 15 days

Hyderabad, December 03: With the movement for separate statehood for Telangana taking a violent turn, the Andhra Pradesh government Thursday declared a 15-day holiday for all colleges and universities in the region.

All junior, degree and university or post-graduate colleges in Telengana, which comprises 10 districts, including Hyderabad, will remain closed for 15 days from Dec 4, the government said in an order.

All government, aided and private colleges including engineering, MBA, MCA, Pharmacy and Law colleges will remain shut till Dec 18.

Jamia Millia not a minority university

New Delhi, December 03: As the debate over the minority status for Jamia Millia Islamia rages, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry today said the institution is not a minority central university.

“Among the central universities, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) which has been defined as ‘the educational institution of their choice established by the Muslims of India’ has been so recognised by the central government,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said in response to a Lok Sabha question on the number of universities located in the country for minorities.

No proposal to privatise engineering colleges: Assam CM

Guwahati, December 01: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today clarified that there is no proposal to privatise government engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes in the state.

“There is no such proposal. It is a wrong propaganda and a communication gap. I am making it clear that there is no proposal to privatise engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes,” Gogoi told reporters here.

All new schools, varsities to be disable friendly

New Delhi, December 02: All new schools and universities that will be established in the country will be disable friendly, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Wednesday.

“All new schools and universities from here on have to be disable friendly. They will be absolute access in educational institutions,” Sibal said on the sidelines of a book launch here.

“We will see how appropriate access is provided to these people in existing universities,” he said.

The minister said his ministry would appoint a committee on measures needed to be taken for inclusive education.

PM’s daughter his inspiration for preservation of monuments

New Delhi, December 02: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said his daughter was his inspiration to try and improve the preservation of historical monuments.

Speaking at the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology, Manmohan Singh said his daughter Upinder Singh was highly impressed with the US’ management of historical sites.

Sibal to rope in Nilekani to map disabled

New Delhi, December 02: Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Wednesday said the government is in talks with Unique Identification Authority chief Nandan Nilekani to map disabled children in the country to record their educational growth.

“We are talking to Nandan about it. If we can map these differently-abled people, then their educational growth can also be recorded,” Sibal said here.

CAT remains largely hassle free on day five

Ahmedabad, December 02:The first computer-based Common Admission Test (CAT) across the country’s 104 centres remained largely hassle free today on the fifth day barring the two labs which remained closed as declared earlier, IIMA officials said here.

“We have been told by Prometric, the agency conducting the test on behalf of all IIMs, that tests were hassle free today at all centres,” CAT convener Satish Deodhar told PTI.

“Barring the two labs which remained closed, as declared yesterday, test went on smoothly,” he said.

Centre to set up committee on inclusive education

New Delhi, December 02: The government will set up a committee on inclusive education which will suggest, among other things, special measures required for educating the disabled children, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said today.

“The round-table will look at all problems, including those faced by the physically challenged persons. We will also speak to the Unque Identification Authority of India for conducting a mapping of the disabled people so that the data can be used during policy formation,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a book release programme.

Large-scale vacancy in teaching posts in IITs, IIMs

New Delhi, December 02: Centrally-funded technical Institutions, including IITs and IIMs, are suffering due to about 25 per cent shortage of faculty, the Lok Sabha was told today.

The vacancy has arisen due to retirement and resignations in these top institutes, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said in a written reply.

Giving details of the vacancies, he said the faculty position in the IITs stands at 2,983 against the sanctioned strength of 4,267. Similarly, there are 388 faculty members against the sanctioned strength of 468 in the IIMs.

Online course in leadership and democracy for women

New Delhi, December 02: For women wanting to learn the basics of politics, help is now just a click away.

The Centre for Social Research in association with Central Government and UN agencies have launched an online certificate programme in leadership and democracy for women.

The course — which can be accessed through www.womenleadership.in — is free of cost and provides basics for political participation, gender politics and leadership.

According to the organisers, the course seeks to bridge the information gap and empower women to become future leaders.