The premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) say the recommendations of the Goverdhan Mehta committee report on the pay scales for the premier institutions were not fully accepted by the government. However, the author of the report, Goverdhan Mehta, believes that while the angst of the IIT faculty members is understandble, they should not have acted in an unbecoming manner, especially since it could affect the image of Brand IIT. In a chat with Leslie D&rsquo;Monte and Kirtika Suneja, he explained, inter alia, the challenges and limitations while drafting the report.

'This is no way academicians should express their angst'

Business Standard

The Human Resource Ministry&rsquo;s (HRD) decision to permit even non-PhDs to take up a lecturer's post at the premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), is being perceived as another blow to IITs. It was only a few days back that the professors expressed their dissatisfaction and registered their protest with the government against its decision to ignore the full recommendations of the Goverdhan Committee and pay &quot;lower salaries&quot;.

Non-PhD lecturers could lower IIT standards, rue faculty members

Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), in the 56th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) plans to chalk out an extensive agenda for education in the country. This would be Kapil Sibal&rsquo;s first meeting with the CABE in which the recommendations made by the Yashpal Committee report on &lsquo;Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education&rsquo; will be deliberated upon.

Sibal, advisory board to chalk higher education agenda

Social gatherings, tours and adventure sports are not only fun but also help B-school students get jobs and internships.

B-school students play to land jobs

IIM-Calcutta (IIM-C) has seen a 36 per cent increase in the number of students over the past two years. Shekhar Choudhuri, the institute&rsquo;s director, tells Pradipta Mukherjee that the institute is making temporary arrangements to accommodate the additional number of students, while remodelling of the campus is in full swing to bring it on par with international standards and meet the increased load due to quota implementation.

'We are committed to Rs 200-cr campus expansion and remodelling project'

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: Kapil Sibal categorically asserted that the Foreign Education Bill makes sense (with certain regulations). The Foreign Education Bill, if passed, will allow 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in universities. As Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal told this paper earlier that &quot;...foreign institutions should also be entitled to invest in education within a regulated framework. (However), these should not be for profit enterprises to subsidise education abroad&quot;.

Challenges that Union HRD minister faces

Management Development Programmes at IIMs are becoming popular once again as the economy recovers.

Post slump, IIMs resume focus on MDPs

When the Eleventh Plan was made public, it came as manna from heaven for the overall education sector, with a four-fold increase in the budget outlay. The higher education segment was perceived as a clear beneficiary with the government significantly increasing the outlay, creating additional higher institutes of learning, laying an emphasis on a 36 per cent increase in the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 2015, defining concrete steps to refine the quality of education in colleges, and proposing ways to increase faculty.

Higher education gets boost but has miles to go

Patiala-based Thapar University (formerly Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology) plans to set up two campuses over the next five years &mdash; one on a 14-acre campus near Chandigarh by 2010, and another in Chhattisgarh.

Thapar University to set up two campuses

GTTI focuses on all aspects to get the students well-placed.

George Telegraph focuses on increasing employability

If the Cabinet allows for 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in higher education, it will not only help in providing cheaper yet better quality education but also save India billions of dollars by way of foreign exchange (forex) outgo.

FDI in education can save country billions of dollars

IIT-Bhubaneswar, which found its mentor in IIT-Kharagpur in July 2008, will start its maiden academic year in Bhubaneswar from July 22 this year. In an interview with Pradipta Mukherjee, IIT-Bhubaneswar Director Madhusudan Chakraborty says the institute is investing in building a residential campus to accommodate nearly 2,500 students and 280 faculty within the next 3-4 years.

&#39;Our aim is to encourage product designing, product creation&#39;

It&rsquo;s nearing the end of July and time for Indian B-schools to start getting pre-placement offers (PPOs) or pre-placement interviews (PPIs) from companies.

Slow pre-placement season at B-schools

Education seems to be turning out a favourite among graduates of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). After the likes of Educomp and CEON Solutions, which were founded by IIM alumni, couple of IIM-A graduates are planning to offer real interactive e-learning tools for colleges using multimedia simulations and animations, through their company Edukite Learning.

IIM-A grads set to enhance e-learning

The UK-based Leeds Metropolitan University is setting up its first international campus in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The campus, being set up in association with JSWS, a non-profit making registered society in Bhopal which operates educational institutions, is the institution&rsquo;s sole destination in South-East Asia.

Leeds to set up first Indian campus in Bhopal

IIT-Bhubaneswar plans to set up three separate schools &mdash; School of Materials and Mineral Engineering, School of Ocean and Environmental Sciences and School of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering.

IIT-B'swar to set up 3 schools

Violating the government's directions, educational institutions continue to deny refund of fees to students who withdraw from courses. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has received 1,456 complaints regarding non-refund of fees or non-return of original certificates by June this year. Of these cases, 656 were not related to AICTE and have been forwarded to the organisations concerned.

AICTE takes action against non-refund of fees

The University of Pune (UoP) has signed agreements with leading universities from countries like France, China, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Austria and South Africa, apart from some Latin American ones, too.

Pune varsity becomes first to go international

Almost a year after its inception, the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGn) has got its own director in Sudhir K Jain. An expert in earthquake engineering, Jain graduated with a BE in civil engineering from IIT Roorkee before he went on to pursue a masters degree, as well as PhD in structural engineering. In an interview with &nbsp;VINAY UMARJI &amp; CHITRA UNNITHAN, Jain talks about his plans of making IITGn &ldquo;one of the finest institutions in the world&rdquo;.

&#39;It may take us two years to get a permanent location of our own&#39;

The University of Western Australia (UWA), which is a member of the Australian &lsquo;Group of Eight&rsquo; research universities, plans to tie up with Osmania University, J&amp;K University and Chennai&rsquo;s Anna University by September of this year for long-term student and faculty exchange programmes. &ldquo;These collaborations are also for research purposes. We already have tie-ups with IIT-Delhi and IIT-Madras.

Australian university to tie up with Indian varsities

Going by the experience of several engineering colleges which found it difficult to place students due to the slowdown, the National Institute of Technology, Warangal (NIT-W) &mdash; a centrally-funded higher education institute &mdash; has introduced interdisciplinary courses for students who would graduate in 2010.
Speaking to Business Standard, NIT-W director YV Rao said IT students would be given a course or two in civil, mechanical or electronics as an optional in the third year of the

NIT-W introduces interdisciplinary courses to improve job prospects

Education News: Stay informed with the latest education news in India. Get updates on exam dates, board exam results and more. Visit Business Standard for timely updates.

Education News India | Latest Updates on Exam Dates, Results, Admit Cards | Business Standard

Stay informed with the latest education news in India. Get updates on exam dates, board exam results and more. Visit Business Standard for timely updates.

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