Page 6 - Higher Education

DU panel to frame guidelines for review of SOL's self-learning material

A Delhi University committee will oversee the review of the School of Open Learning's self-learning material and formulate guidelines for the preparation of future study materials, an official said on Saturday. This comes after repeated issues were flagged in the self-learning material that was presented before the Academic Council. A four-member committee of the South Campus director, Campus of Open Learning director, dean of academic affairs and the head of the English department will be notified by Monday or Tuesday, the official added. "The committee will oversee the review of the School of Open Learning's self-learning material and formulate guidelines for review of the preparation of study materials in the future," Delhi University's South Campus Director Shri Prakash Singh told PTI. A review report of the self-learning material was placed before the Academic Council for approval during a meeting on Thursday. The report was rejected after a council member pointed out grammati

US remains top choice for Indian students pursuing higher education abroad

Number of international students from India to the United States increased by 35 per cent and resulted in an all-time high of 2,68,923 students in academic year 2022-23

Medical education regulator defers decision on MBBS seat cap by a year

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has deferred by a year its decision to cap the number of MBBS seats to 100 per 10 lakh population following protests by southern states. The decision was taken after the Union Health Ministry on November 1 asked the medical education regulator to re-examine the provisions of the ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in states. "It is informed that a decision has been taken by the Undergraduate Medical Education Board, National Medical Commission that the 'objective' clause under Chapter-1 of 'Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses and Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023" (notified by UGMEB on August 16, 2023) shall be implemented from academic year 2025-26," the Commission said. The NMC had in August stated that "After 2023-24 (from the 2024-25 academic year), letter of permission for starting of new medical ...

Narayana Murthy bats for creating 2,500 'Train the Teacher' colleges

Software icon N R Narayana Murthy on Wednesday advocated accelerating the National Education Policy's outcome by inviting 10,000 retired, highly accomplished teachers from the developed world and from India in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas to create 2,500 "Train the Teacher" colleges in the country's 28 states and eight union territories. This course alone is not sufficient, Murthy said. "We must show much respect and pay better salaries to our teachers and researchers. We must also provide better facilities to our researchers. We must honour them. They are role models for our youngsters. That is why we instituted the Infosys Prize in 2009. It is our small contribution to further the cause of research in India," he added. The "Train the Teacher" programme should be year-long, he said at a press conference here, where the Infosys Science Foundation announced the Infosys Prize 2023 in six categories. "Experts tell me that each set of four trainers can

Best of BS Opinion: Drafting security strategy, Regulating AI & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Low-cost higher education

A paradigm shift in mindset is necessary to ensure more options for those who face a choice between low-cost college education and none at all

PM Modi inaugurates development projects in Rajasthan worth Rs 5,000 cr

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched multiple projects worth Rs 5,000 crore in poll-bound Rajasthan, and asserted that they will lead to further development of the state. At a function here, Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects in sectors like road, rail, aviation, health and higher education. The projects started today will lead to further development. Together we have to make Rajasthan a developed and prosperous state, he said speaking at the function. He said till 2014, only 600 km railway line was electrified in Rajasthan while in the last nine years, more than 3,700 km of railway track has been electrified. The prime minister laid the foundation stone of various projects, including a 350-bedded trauma centre and critical care hospital block at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, and seven critical care blocks under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to be developed .

Academic institutions agree to form agri-consortium to boost startups

India's higher educational institutions on Wednesday agreed in principle to create an 'Agri-Consortium' to give a push to startups in the agriculture sector. An in-principle framework in this regard was adopted by participating higher educational institutions (HEIs) during the 'Agri-Entrepreneurship in South Asia' Consortium-2023 that concluded at the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur, on Wednesday. The two-day event was aimed at providing a common platform for academicians, researchers, students, and industry professionals to interact and deliberate on the latest trends and advancements in technology, research, funding avenues and requirements in the agriculture industry, an IIM Kashipur press release here said. The HEIs agreed to share startup databases among consortium members, disseminate startup support programmes, and networking, and share best practices on the platform. The event was organised by the Foundation for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development (FIED), an

UGC NET December 2023 cycle exam dates announced, to begin on Dec 6

"#Announcement UGC-NET December 2023 cycle will be conducted from 6th December to 22 December 2023," the NTA said in a post on 'X' on Tuesday

NTA announces CUET 2024 dates for UG, PG; check schedule, details

The CUET-UG aims to streamline the admission process for undergraduate programs across various universities and colleges in India

IIT Mandi takes disciplinary action against 72 students for ragging juniors

IIT Mandi has suspended 10 students and taken disciplinary action against 62 others for allegedly ragging their juniors during an event at the institute, officials said on Wednesday. "Recently, an incident of ragging came to the institute's notice. It was found that some B. Tech students were involved in ragging freshers. Disciplinary action is being taken against 72 students involved in the incident," a statement issued here by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi said. IIT Mandi is committed to ensuring that all students on campus feel safe and are not exposed to any form of harassment. The institute encourages students to report such incidents immediately to ensure corrective action is taken and such incidents are prevented on campus, it added. Three office-bearers of the institute's student body are among the 10 students who have been suspended from academics and hostel till December 2023. Fines ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 and community service of 20 to 60

Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy releases Rs 680 cr to empower higher education

The Jagananna Vidya Deevena scheme was introduced to ensure 100 per cent fee reimbursement so that financial inability doesn't come in the way of pursuing higher education, he said

Scheme for student loans at 1% interest will ensure higher education: HP CM

The Himachal Pradesh government has implemented a new scheme this financial year to provide educational loans to eligible students of the state at an interest rate of one per cent, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday. The government is committed to providing quality education and the 'Dr Y S Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojna' will ensure that no youngster of the state is deprived of higher or professional education due to financial constraints, he said in a statement. In his Budget speech in March, Sukhu announced that education loans would be provided at the rate of one per cent to students of the state. Students from families having an annual income of less than Rs 4 lakh are eligible to avail loans under this scheme, he said. The age limit to avail of the loan has been fixed at 28 years as of registration and admission date. Sukhu said a corpus will be maintained at the level of the deputy commissioner in the districts for cases in which the money is required to be ...

JNU professor Gobardhan Das appointed as new director of IISER Bhopal

Gobardhan Das will be the institute's third director since its inception in 2008

Varsities should develop rational thinking, not religious ideas: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday emphasised that universities should develop scientific and rational thinking among the graduates, who should not be influenced by any caste, religion or language. Addressing vice-chancellors and officials of the Higher Education department at Vidhana Soudha on Monday, Siddaramaiah said it ws not possible to bring a uniform education system in our country with diverse language and culture, a statement issued by the CM office said. "Any activities and actions, which are against the Indian Constitution, should not take place in the universities. If the students coming out from universities are still ignorant and clung to the castes, then what they have got cannot be called education," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying. The Chief Minister said education given in universities should not be religious and conservative but scientific and rational. Noting that he has come across some meetings and ceremonies held in some universities, which ...

Nursing students can now opt for foreign language as optional subject

Further, as per the notification, there will be no nominal fees charged from students who desire to take up any additional language module

IIT Guwahati, ICWA partner to enhance intl affairs & foreign policy skills

Indian Council of World Affairs and IIT Guwahati have signed an MoU to expand awareness and knowledge on international affairs and Indian foreign policy

Visitors Conference 2023 concludes with focus on National Education Policy

Five different groups also deliberated on such broad themes as international cooperation in education as part of G20 efforts, diversity and inclusivity in nation's premier HEIs

'India must revamp education system to make globally employable workforce'

India needs to revamp and improve its higher education system to take advantage of the declining working age population in developed countries like the US and European nations, former NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagryia said on Wednesday. "The global picture... what is happening really is that the populations in most of the countries are ageing, and as a part of this working age population -- 15 to 64 -- is declining in most of the major countries. It's going to decline in China, the United States and European nations," he said. India is really going to be the only large country aside from Africa, which would be contributing positively to the working age group of the world, he said at the release event of the report titled 'The Rise of India's Middle Class'. Citing the United Nations Population Division numbers, he said, India would be adding something close to 150 million individuals in the working age population category 15 to 64 by 2040. Given the shortages that could occu

First objective qualitative improvement of education in Bengal: Governor

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday said his first objective is the qualitative improvement of university education in the state. Bose, who held a meeting with the vice-chancellors of 10 state-run universities at the North Bengal University in Siliguri, said that they had a resolution for a commitment that their primary duty is to the students and the second and third duty are also to the students. "Our first objective is the qualitative improvement of university education in Bengal. Universities in Bengal should be the best in the nation," Bose told reporters after the meeting. He said that the universities will strive together, holding hands with the government, to see that the new generation of Bengal becomes the best in the world. "We will strive to achieve the goal of Bengal becoming the educational hub of the nation," he said. Stating that the vice-chancellors have the freedom and confidence, the governor said that whatever is to be done in the universities wil