IITians in Canada observe day-long fast for Anna Hazare

Toronto: IITians in Canada went on a day-long fast here on Wednesday in support 

of Anna Hazare's crusade for a tougher Lokpal Bill to combat corruption in India.

Members of the IIT Alumni Canada (IITAC) observed fast in their corporate officesand working places.

"We didn't gather at one place in a demonstration. Dozens of us observed the fast in our offices in our individual way. In all, 56 IITians, their spouses and friends were involved in this gesture in support of Anna Hazare's crusade,'' Chander Dhawan, former president of IITAC, told the sources.

He said, "IITians are very happy that Hazare has begun a revolution in India. We are demonstrating our support to his efforts to eradicate corruption from India's public institutions. Though he has ended his fast, only a part of the problem has been addressed. Now we need to support Hazare to get the law enacted and implemented in its true spirit.''

Describing IITs as India's best brand, Dhawan said, "By fasting, we IITians in Canadawant to uphold leadership position we have taken on issues impacting India's public life. Arvind Kejriwal, who is involved with Anna Hazare's campaign, is a proud IITian who played a crucial role in ushering the right to information (RTI) Act in India.

"You may also recall Satyendra Dubey of IIT Kanpur who gave his life in his quest for not allowing corruption in the construction of India's national highway.''

The Canadian IITians said, "We understand that this awakening is just the beginning with many obstacles, including resistance from the current generation of politicians. But we are confident that right thinking Indians with the support of Indo-CanadianDiaspora will continue the struggle till India can hold its head high among the nations of the world with high standards of governance. Let the old India with high moral fibre re-emerge.''

The Canadian IITians are sending a signed memorandum to Kejriwal in support of Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption. IANS

Source: http://indiaedunews.net/International/IITians_in_Canada_observe_day-long_fast_for_Anna_Hazare_13831/

NDA, Naval academy examination on August 21

New Delhi: The National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II) 2011 will be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on August 21, 2011 for admission into Army, Navy and Air Force Wings of NDA.

The courses will commence from June 30, 2012.

For details regarding the syllabus and scheme of the examination, centers of examination, centers of examination, guidelines for filling application form etc. aspirants must consult the detailed notice of the examination published in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated April 9, 2011.

Only unmarried male candidates born not earlier than July 2, 1993 and not later than January 1, 1996 are eligible.

Candidates must be physically fit according to the physical standards for admission to National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2011 as given in Appendix-V of the Commission's notice for the examination published in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated April 9, 2011.

Candidates may apply online using UPSC's official website. Detailed instructions for filling up online applications are also available on the website.

Candidates may also apply off-line in the new Common Application Form (Form "E") devised by the commission for its examinations which can be purchased from the designated head post offices/post offices throughout the country against cash payment of Rs.30/- (Rupees Thirty only).

Each such form can be used only once and only for one examination.

The online applications can be filled up to May 9, 2011 till 11.59 PM after which the link will be disabled. Candidates are strongly advised to apply online well in time without waiting for the last date for submission of online application.

All offline applications must reach UPSC at Shahjahan Road, New Delhi either by hand or by post/speed post or by courier, on or before the May 9, 2011.

However, in respect of candidates residing abroad or in certain remote localities specified in the notice the last date for receipt of application by Post/Speed Post only (not by Hand or by Courier) is 16th May, 2011.

In case of any guidance/information/clarification regarding their applications, candidature etc. candidates can contact UPSC's Facilitation Counter near gate 'C' of its campus in person or over telephone.

Source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Today/NDA%2C_Naval_academy_examination_on_August_21_13832/

8 million children still out of school in RTE Act first year - April 1 is the first anniversary of implementation of RTE Act

New Delhi: The Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act which promises free and compulsory education to all children between the age six to 14, on Friday completed a year since its implementation. However, the fact that more than eight million children are still out of school shows that a lot more needs to be done.

Releasing the RTE report card in the capital on Friday, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said: "It's unfortunate that 81,50,619 children in the age group of six to 14 are still out of school. We have to bring all those children to school."

The report which analyzed the overall primary education scenario of the country, said that the total enrollment in the primary level in 2009-10 was 13,34,05,581 while in the upper primary level it was 5,44,67,415.

The percentage of girls enrolled in the primary level was 48.46 percent while in the upper primary level it was 48.12 percent.

The total number of elementary schools, government and aided, in 2009-10 was 11,20,968. And the total number of teachers was 44,77,429.

"21 percent teachers were found to be without professional qualification and nine percent schools were with a single teacher," Sibal said, citing the report.

"It was found that 508,000 additional teachers are required and in 2010 we approved the recruitment of 455,000 teachers," he added.

According to Sibal, the real problem now is no longer access to education but its quality.

"Access to education is no longer the real problem now, it's quality of education and for that we have set parameters under the RTE Act like infrastructure in schools, pupil-teacher ratio and professionally qualified teachers," he said.

The student classroom ratio across the country was found to 32:1. As many as 93 percent schools were found to have drinking water facility, 59 percent with girls toilet and 47 percent with ramps for the benefit of physically disadvantaged children.

Some of the not so encouraging figures came as far as the notification of rules in the states was concerned - 15 states had notified the rules and only 11 had constituted state commissions for protection of child rights, meant to monitor implementation of the Act.

"However the level of commitment in the states is good. This is just the first year, things will be even better next year," Sibal said.

Sounding excited about the latest census data, Sibal went on to say that India will be completely literate by the year 2020.

"The Millenium Development Goal says that India should achieve literacy rate of 72 percent by 2015 but we have already gone ahead of that figure. The census datasays that our literacy rate is 74.4 percent," he said.

"What is even more encouraging is that the female literacy rate has gone up by 12 percent," he added.

source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Today/8_million_children_still_out_of_school_in_RTE_Act_first_year__-_April_1_is_the_first_anniversary_of_implementation_of_RTE_Act_13789/

Book now for Cambridge Teachers' Conference

Come and join us at our annual Teachers' Conference at Robinson College, Cambridge from 11-13 September 2011.

Building on the success of last year’s event, the conference package is more extensive than ever before and offers delegates a fantastic opportunity to discover different approaches to teaching, interact with each other and forge links with teachers from around the world. Last year’s conference brought together over 170 teachers from 44 countries.

This year’s theme is Learning, Teaching and the Brain and we will focus on current research in the developing field of brain research and education. Keynote speakers will look at this increasingly important subject, offering an insight into the latest research and its implications for education. In particular, we will examine what this tells us about learning, thinking, memory, attention and assessment.

Delegates will also take part in interactive workshops, giving you an opportunity to reflect upon your own teaching methods and share ideas. You can tailor the conference to your own specific needs.

Booking is now open, and a discounted rate applies if you register by 15 April 2011.

We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge!

source:http://www.cie.org.uk/news/features/detail?feature_id=37459

Profitable, yet risky trade

THE CRISIS THIS TIME - Socialist Register 2011: Leo Panitch, Greg Albo, Vivek Chibber; LeftWord Books, 12, Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 350.

During the past four decades and more, a group of committed analysts, admittedly with Left leanings, have been bringing out an annual publication, Socialist Register, to make available their interpretation of pressing contemporary problems. The latest in the series deals with the global economic crisis that surfaced in 2008-09 and is still running its course in the United States, Europe, and many other parts of the world.

Even general readers now know that the crisis has been associated with sub-prime lending and the rapid growth of derivatives. What this volume attempts to convey is that the crisis has some systemic features and that it may indeed presage a new phase in the development of capitalism.

Derivatives

Take derivatives, for instance. Thanks to the widespread use of the term, it is common knowledge that derivatives derive their value from other debt-related instruments. But, as financial instruments, what is their special feature, and how do they impact the economic system as a whole and the lives of ordinary people? Are they indeed “financial weapons of mass destruction,” as a writer claimed?

One thing is clear: though derivatives appeared on the financial scene only in the 1980s, now they are the most traded among financial instruments and the latest means of acquiring and holding wealth. The amount of derivatives outstanding currently is multiple times the capitalisation of the world stock markets. Indeed, derivatives are redefining what wealth is. Insofar as they are bought and sold, they are commodities or traded goods. If they are traded, they must have value of some sort, on the one hand, and the right of ownership, on the other.

In an earlier era these two attributes coincided: only goods that had some value of their own — grain, cattle, precious metal, land, etc. — would be considered as wealth or assets. The second phase was when claims to wealth such as paper money, deposit certificates or shares would also be treated as wealth and would become standard forms of holding assets. Derivatives announce the beginning of yet another phase of accumulating and holding wealth. Derivatives are contingent claims on the changes in the future price of an asset without any claim to the asset itself.

Financial instruments

A concrete example will make this clearer. Since the end of World War II, a major issue was to ensure the stability of national currencies to facilitate international trade. Till the early 1970s, what ensured stability was the fact that the US dollar, which remained pegged to gold, was freely convertible into any other currency. Once this dollar-gold link was snapped in 1971, the values of currencies began to fluctuate, opening up an opportunity to make profits by trading in currencies. Then it became possible to trade in the anticipated variations in the prices of currencies — a sort of derived trade — and derivatives emerged as the financial instruments for such transactions. Since these transactions were on anticipated variations that might or might not happen, they were subject to big risks. In fact, they made risk a commodity to be traded and extended such trade to equities, debts, metals, oil, real estate, etc., and even to such things as the weather, movements of wages and so on.

In all these instances, the ownership (that which one sells) is exposure to the performance of items, including assets, without ownership of the item itself (some of which, like weather cannot even be owned). Evidently, it is easier, and can be more profitable, to trade ownership of an oil derivative than a barrel of oil.

Derivatives, therefore, constitute a new form of trade, a new form of ownership, and a new means to make profit. One of the writers in the volume puts it more technically: derivatives are ‘meta-commodities' and ‘meta-capital'. The commodification of risk permits diversification of risk portfolios and the proliferation of transactions.

Profit-making

Profit-making via risk-trading is the essence of derivatives. They, thus, create new sites for accumulation mainly for those who already have the advantage of large scale ownership — the big corporations (banks, investment firms. etc.) and their top operatives, hedge funds, and the top wealth-owners. But the ‘small man' gets drawn in too — through his growing dependence on debt — voluntarily, thanks to the convenience the credit cards offer, for instance, but more so involuntarily because only by borrowing can he ever hope to have a house of his own, or educate his children. And often, without his knowledge, his pension fund becomes a big player in derivatives-chasing. Thus, those at the top become wealthier; those at the other end go into debt.

What is more alarming is that while individuals may find it possible to pass on the risk, the cumulative burden of risk may turn out to be too big to avoid a collapse as it happened in 2008-09. This is particularly so because the big players know that the public authorities will bail them out. Once it is done, the train will again be back on the rails till another derailment comes sooner or later. Details may differ, but the basic issues will be the same, perhaps become more intense.

If you find this terse summary of the basic argument interesting and helpful, get to the volume itself which deals with how the crisis this time found expression in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, and South Africa, and wait for Socialist Register 2012, which promises to deal with Asia, West Asia, and Latin America.

source:http://www.hindu.com/br/2011/03/15/stories/2011031551181800.htm

Kamala Nehru College to join protest against semesters

Taking a cue from teachers of othercolleges under the Delhi University, teachers from Kamala Nehru College have decided to join in the protest against the implementation of the semestersystem.

Teachers at the college have decided to take classes on the lawns of the college. Earlier, member of the Joint Action Board (JAB) that is a forum created by teachers to fight against thesemester system had decided to take classes in the lawn in front of the vice chancellor's office from Monday.

The JAB had decided to take classes in the lawns in order to seek fresh debate against the implementation of the semester system. They had to cut short their protest because of the two-day university bandh. The teachers will now continue the protest as classes resume today.

Members of the JAB have said that more collegesand teachers are expected to join the protest against the semesters and begin taking classes in the open. 

Delhi University had already implemented the semester system for 13 undergraduate science courses last year. Teachers have said that they would protest against the semester system as they have alleged that the teaching in the science courses has worsened.

source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Delhi/Kamala_Nehru_College_to_join_protest_against_semesters_13689/

GMR 2011: Armed conflict stalls EFA progress

Armed conflict is destroying the hopes and aspirations of generations of children, youth and adults on a previously undocumented scale, reveals the 2011 edition of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR).

‘The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education’ report reveals that armed conflict is a major obstacle to achieving global EFA goals and the impact of armed conflicts on education represents a ‘hidden crisis’ that reinforces poverty, limits economic growth, and destabilises the development of countries.

While acknowledging progress made so far – 52 million additional children of primary school age have enrolled into school between 1999 and 2008 – the GMR also notes that 67 million children remain out of school, while 796 million adults – two-thirds of them women – continue to be denied access to basic literacy skills.

In addition to these startling figures, EI is also concerned about the teacher gap of 1.9 million professionals who are needed to achieve universal primary education by 2015, and the potentially negative impact of the emerging trend for governments in many countries to hire unqualified or under-qualified teachers

The GMR reveals 42 per cent of out-of-school children live in conflict-affected countries. The scope and breadth of systematically violent attacks on schools, students and teachers, including sexual violence against girls and women, the recruitment of child-soldiers, continues unabated in far too many parts of the globe. The consequence is an increased fear among children about attending school, reluctance among parents to send their children to school, and a perennial fear among teachers about the repercussions of delivering their lessons.

The GMR also paints a stark picture of the state of education in refugee camps. Education remains the most neglected area of an under-financed and unresponsive humanitarian aid system, while many countries refuse refugees access to public education or other basic services.

Conversely, military expenditure is diverting aid resources from many donor countries. The GMR observes that 21 developing countries currently spend more on arms than on primary schools. If they cut military spending by 10 per cent, they would be able to provide 9.5 million more children with school places. The GMR also reveals that it would take just six days of rich countries’ total military expenditure to close the US$16 billion EFA external financing gap per year.

The targeting of civilians by statutory and non-statutory parties involved in armed conflict, the mis-use of school facilities to instill intolerance and prejudice, or to spread endemic violence are clearly violations of international law and the ethos of education.

EI insists that all schools, learners, teachers and support staff should be protected from violent conflict and attack, and supports the GMR recommendation that attacks on children and teachers should be documented, with perpetrators of heinous crimes prosecuted.

EI also agrees that education has the potential to act as a powerful force for resolution and argues that schools should promote peace-building, national healing and tolerance.

Commenting on the 2011 GMR, EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, said: “Schools must be safe sanctuaries or safe havens that guarantee the peace and security of all children, girls and boys, teachers and support staff and communities.

“EI is urging every member organization to lobby their national government, the UN and the international community to ensure that schools, learners and teachers are protected from violent conflict and attack.”

EI has joined UNESCO, UNICEF, Save the Children and other partners in the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attacks, to raise awareness of threats to education, to cultivate public support for safe education, and to strengthen existing monitoring and reporting systems.

source:http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1540&theme=educationforall&country=global

International Women’s Day (8 March) - a chance to tackle gender disparities in education

“This year’s International Women’s Day is inspired by the theme of ‘Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.’ This goes to the heart of UNESCO’s mission.”

--(Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO)

Concerning equal access to education how do women and girls fare? There has been undoubted progress – more girls are enrolled in school than ever before, from primary to tertiary education. Gender parity in primary school enrolment has greatly improved in the countries that started the decade with the greatest gender gaps. However, two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women and discrimination still continues: less than 40 percent of countries provide girls and boys with equal access to education and more than 55% of out-of-school children are girls. Special efforts – from recruiting female teachers to making schools more girl-friendly – are needed to redress the balance.

Girls’ and women’s education has a positive impact on the achievement of all the MDGs, from improved health and better prevention against HIV and AIDs to higher income. UNESCO emphasizes a gender-sensitive approach and works with Member States and partners to increase women’s literacy, develop curricula that challenge gender stereotypes and policies that promote of them participation in secondary and technical and vocational education. Learning materials about HIV and AIDS give girls and women the knowledge and skills to cope with the pandemic.

Most recently, UNESCO has promoted gender-sensitive approaches to literacy research, engaged in innovative new partnerships with the private sector and focused on the integration of girls into national technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes.

Source:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/single-view/news/international_womens_day_8_march_a_chance_to_tackle_gender_disparities_in_education/

Delhi's slum children to get Australian degrees

Delhi's slum children will now be able to study in Australia under an exchange programme between the University of Melbourne and voluntary organisation Asha, officials said here Tuesday.

'This is going to be the first-of-its-kind Asha model as we focus on urban poor, mainly slum children, to give them access to higher education from a country other than India,' Asha founder Kiran Martin said.

A new India-Australia partnership to support the needs of Delhi's urban poor will operate in three areas - research, education and community engagement.

'This is going to be a unique programme in terms of catering to the needs of the urban poor, who can't even afford the basic education. We also aim at finding solutions to the needs of urban poor as we begin interacting with the students,' said Amitabh Mattoo, director of the University of Melbourne's Australia India Institute.

The collaborative programme will fund 40 projects during 2011 across areas such as resource and environment, contemporary India, regional relationships, health, education, economics and business.

'A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne, and Asha community health and development society has also been signed,' added Martin.

The programme will be launched by Human Resource and Development Minister Kapil Sibal here Wednesday.

Source:http://www.sify.com/news/delhi-s-slum-children-to-get-australian-degrees-news-education-ldbt4peddgb.html?scategory=education

Armed conflicts rob 28 million kids of education

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Calling it a 'hidden crisis', a UN report has found that armed conflicts are robbing 28 million children of their right to education while subjecting them to sexual violence.

The report, The Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education, prepared by Unesco warns that the world is not on track to achieve by 2015 the goal of providing education to all that 160 countries signed in 2000.

'In conflict-affected poor countries, 28 million children of primary school age - 42 percent of the world's total - are out of school,' said the report released Tuesday.

It warns that children in conflict-affected poor countries are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday as children in other poor countries.

'Only 79 percent of young people are literate in conflict-affected poor countries, compared with 93 percent in other poor countries,' it said.

Over 43 million people are reported to have been displaced mostly by armed conflicts though the actual number is probably far higher.

Refugees and internally displaced people face major barriers to education, according to the report.

The report calls for a determined international response to tackle the crisis. 

 

Source:http://www.sify.com/news/armed-conflicts-rob-28-million-kids-of-education-news-education-ldcu4hchicd.html?scategory=education 

India rejects US offer for English teachers for Madrassas

The Indian Government has turned down an American offer to provide experts for teaching English in the Indian Madrassas.

The Human Resources Development department has flatly refused the US proposal of sending Americans to teach English to the Madtrassa schools in various parts of the country.

The US proposal, which came through the ministry of External Affairs, has been rejected on the ground that the Indian government does not want to interfere in the functioning of Madrassas. “Our policy is of non-interference. The Indian government does not play any proactive role and simply monitors educational schemes for Muslims through its minority cell,” Times of India reported quoting the HRD sources as saying.

In India many Madrassas, where Urdu is taught, have already started teaching English.

India has about 7,000 registered Madrassas with some 3.5 lakh students on their rolls.

Another reason, though unstated, is the fear of evoking a political outcry.

“US is seen as an aggressor by Muslims. Any attempt to bring American teachers in madrassas would have been seen as interference,” a source was quoted as saying.

Source: http://news.worldsnap.com/education/india-rejects-us-offer-for-english-teachers-for-madrassas-99985.html

India No. 4 in World's Best Education Destination list

It is an ill-kept secret that Indian education standards are among the best in the world. But now, it's official. India stands at number 4 in the list of most desired education destinations.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the body which conducts GMAT recently conducted a survey, which pegged the United States and the United Kingdom at No. 1 and 2, but what has come as a real surprise is India's rank. The third most powerful Asian nation has been placed at the 4th most desired place to study management courses.

GMAT is one amongst the top B-school entrance test which is conducted at global level. Canada has secured the third position in the lot. Even Spain and Israel have appeared in the list among the top preferred destinations for B-schools.

 

Source: http://education.in.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4611231

CBSE board exams on, physics paper disappoints students

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations started on Tuesday on a disappointing note to many, with several class-12 students complaining that the physics paper was too lengthy to finish in three hours. According to students, the physics paper, though easy, could not be completed as the questions marked 2 and 5 were a bit too lengthy.

"The paper was easy but lengthy and I could attempt only 70 percent of the questions," said a nervous looking Ankit Kumar, a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in the capital.

Some of the students found the questions twisted.

"There were no direct questions and we had to draw graphs in several questions. It took a long time. I only wish the other papers are not too lengthy," Rajul Pandey, a student of Balwant Rai Mehta Vidya Bhawan in Greater Kailash II.

According to teachers, students were not satisfied with their performance on the first day.

My students are really not happy. Most of them could not attempt all the questions," said Asha Singh, physics teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, JNU.

Parents accompanying their wards were also seen trying to calm them down after the examination.

"I told my son to forget the physics paper and start preparing for the March 7 chemistry paper. I hope he does well from now on," Manisha Singh, mother of a class-12 student, said.

Some residential schools held prayer meetings for students appearing for the board exams.

"Before the start of the exams, we held a prayer meeting in the school and students chanted the 'Saraswati Mantra'," said a psychologist-cum-counselor with a residential school in south Delhi.

Over 1.8 million students are sitting for the board examinations across the country and abroad.

This year, 1,061,566 students of Class 10 will appear for continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE) under the CBSE.

As many as 769,929 students - 454,131 boys and 315,798 girls - are appearing for class 12 board exams. IANS

 

Source:

 http://indiaedunews.net/Today/CBSE_board_exams_on,_physics_paper_disappoints_students_13623/

Germany expands nanotechnology funding with new action plan

Germany’s federal government recently introduced its Nanotechnology Action Plan 2015. The comprehensive approach extends and expands upon a previous programme, which provided 400 million euros in public funding for nanotechnology research in 2010 – the highest level in Europe.

“Nanotechnology reaches across industries and research disciplines. In Germany, excellent cooperation between academic institutions, research establishments, and industry players creates excellent chances for foreign investors. With nanotechnology, we can better address a range of global challenges from mobility and energy to healthcare and communication,” according to Rainer Mueller, Senior Manager for Nanotechnology at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

German nanotechnology activities are the most intensive in Europe in terms of public and private funding, patents, active companies and targeted initiatives. With nearly 2,000 players, Germany is the European frontrunner in both research and commercialisation of nanotechnology products and processes. A total of nine national nanotechnology clusters have developed.

Source:http://www.german-info.com/edu_shownews.php?pos=Germany_expands_nanotechnology_funding_with_new_action_plan&pid=215 

Higher education, lower blood pressure: study

"The study focused on systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure because “systolic hypertension is substantially more common than diastolic hypertension, and systolic blood pressure contributes more to the global disease burden attributable to hypertension than diastolic blood pressure."


WASHINGTON: The more advanced degrees a person has, the lower their blood pressure, a study published online Sunday found.

An analysis of some 4,000 patient records from the 30-year Framingham Offspring Study found that, controlling only for age, women with 17 years or more of education — a master’s degree or doctorate — had systolic blood pressure readings 3.26 millimeters of mercury lower than female high school drop-outs.

Men who went to graduate school had systolic blood pressure readings that were 2.26 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) lower than their counterparts who did not finish high school, the study, published online in the open access journal BMC Public Health, says.

The same inverse relationship between education and blood pressure was also seen, although to a lesser degree, in men and women who got associate’s or bachelor’s degrees at university but did not continue on to graduate school.

They showed greater blood pressure benefits than high school drop-outs but lesser benefits than holders of master’s degrees or doctorates, the study found.

Even after controlling for influences such as smoking, drinking, obesity and blood pressure medication, the benefits persisted, although at a lower level.

The study could help explain the widely documented association in developed countries between education and lower risk of heart disease, said lead author Eric Loucks, an assistant professor of public health at Brown University in Rhode Island.

Blood pressure is “one of the biological underpinnings of heart disease,” said Loucks, urging policy-makers who want to improve public health to think about improving access to education.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/28/higher-education-lower-blood-pressure-study.html

University creates William and Kate scholarship

LONDON (AP) - The Scottish university where Prince William and Kate Middleton met and studied is giving the royal couple an early wedding gift - a scholarship in their honor.

The University of St. Andrews will present the scholarship Friday when the couple visits it to launch its 600th anniversary fund-raising campaign.

The scholarship - which has not yet been named - will pay for up to 70,000 pounds (about $115,000) in tuition costs, accommodation and living expenses for a four-year undergraduate degree in science, arts, medicine or divinity.

It will be open to applicants of all nationalities, and will be awarded annually to a student who would have been unable to attend the university without such financial support.

'This will be the first scholarship of its kind at St Andrews and a reflection of this university's commitment to ensure that we find, attract and support the most gifted students from anywhere in the world,' said Louise Richardson, the university's principal and vice-chancellor.

William and his fiancee will attend a reception at the university Friday and about 600 staff and students will greet them.

The couple studied history of art together and shared a house in the town.

William graduated in 2005 in geography after switching subjects, while Middleton graduated with a degree in art history.

Source:http://www.globalgoodnews.com/education-news-a.html?art=1298750679117948447

Education Series on Australia

Australian Trade Commission has plans to work for the energy and food security of India. Michael Carter, Consul-Commercial, Australian Trade Commission, who was here in connection with 'Australian Education Excellence Showcase 2011,' an education series organised by the Australian Government, said that some of the Indian companies already acquired coal mines in Australia.

“Australia has been known for advance agricultural practices and we are ready to transfer the same to India,” he said. In the educational sector, the Curtin University of Australia already entered in to a collaboration with Chennai Business School.

According to Carter, the collaboration with Indian and Australian Educational institutions will take a fast face once the Foreign Education Bill under the consideration of Indian Parliament is passed.Leading Australian universities participated at the education fair in Kochi to disseminate contemporary information about Australian education, especially on the academic programs, scholarships, student experience, safety measures and career paths in Australian educational institutions to prospective students from India.The showcase featured senior representatives and faculties from over 15 leading educational institutions from Australia, including the Curtin University, RMIT, Deakin University and University of Western Sydney.

Source: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/kochi/education-series-on-australia/251907.html

Education key to a longer life

Washington, Feb 28 : Your granny was right after all in insisting that being attentive and studying hard at school and college helped you live longer, besides fending off risks of cardiovascular disease

Education is now also being correlated with lower blood pressure (BP), decrease in alcohol consumption, smoking and weight gain, according to latest research.

Researchers followed 3,890 people for 30 years from the Framingham Offspring Study, regarding their education levels, status of heart disease, the journal BMC Public Health reports.

Eric Loucks from Brown University department of community health, who led the study said: "Even when adjusted for socio-economic variables, education is inversely correlated with high blood pressure..."

Educated men (with more than 17 years of education) had a lower body mass index (BMI), a height to weight ratio, smoked less and drank less than men with less education, according to a Brown University statement.

Similarly, educated women also smoked less, had lower BMI, but drank more than their less educated sisters (however, they still drank about half as much as the educated men).

For both men and women, each extra level of academic study completed further reduced the incidence of high blood pressure.

--IANS

Source:http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-157287.html

Making progress in academic reform

Despite many odds, the University of Calicut has made gains on the academic and administrative fronts during the last four years under the stewardship of its Vice-Chancellor Anwar Jahan Zuberi, reports ABDUL LATHEEF NAHA.

Making progress: In the last four years, the university sanctioned 65 new affiliated colleges as well as 161 courses; a view of the university's administration block.

The University of Calicut is set to launch some prestigious and ambitious initiatives, even as its Vice-Chancellor Anwar Jahan Zuberi is preparing to pack her bags. She will complete her tenure on February 25.

Prof. Zuberi led the university to newer heights of academic excellence in the last four years. According to her, the last four years have been a time of unparalleled progress for the university. The university saw many academic, infrastructural, administrative and social initiatives. But seldom did the university succeed in cashing in on the good work it did.

When only two of the universities in Kerala went for NAAC re-accreditation in 2010, Calicut University got top score, pushing Mahatma Gandhi University to the second position.

In the Budget presented by Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac last week, the State government allotted Rs.15 crore for Calicut University — an increase of more than 50 per cent from last year. The university is all set to introduce a ‘school system' which will convert various disciplines and departments into cohesive units and bring them together under an academic roof. “This reorganisation is designed to facilitate inter-departmental cooperation, inter-disciplinary teaching and research, and the pooling of resources and expertise for greater academic effectiveness,” Prof. Zuberi said.

All teaching departments of the university are being restructured into 12 schools. They are the School of Bio-Sciences, the School of Business Studies, the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, the School of Information and Communication Studies, the School of Education, the School of Language and Literature, the School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, the School of Performing Arts, the School of Legal Studies, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Engineering and Technology, and the School of Earth Sciences.

When the university introduced the new Departments of Nano-Technology, Environmental Studies, Computer Science and Political Science last year, it is going to open three new centres such as Inter-University Centre for Plant Biotechnology, Institute of Tribal Studies and Research, and Centre for Classical and Traditional Studies. “Some of them will be the first of its kind in the country,” said Prof. Zuberi.

Some of the new courses the university launched this year include Master of Hospital Administration, MA in functional Hindi, M.Sc. aquaculture (Lakshadweep), M.A. in Arabic (Lakshadweep), and M.Sc. in mathematics (Lakshadweep).

In the last four years, the university sanctioned 65 new affiliated colleges as well as 161 courses. It opened overseas centres in countries such as Kuwait, Ras-al-Khaima, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Above all , the university takes pride in the introduction of choice-based credit semester system (CCSS) in a time-bound manner. “It is sure to bring greater academic choice and curricular flexibility. Thus it will be an immense benefit for students,” Prof. Zuberi said.

First, the university introduced CCSS for postgraduate programmes in the university teaching departments in 2008. In the next year, the university introduced CCSS for undergraduate programmes in affiliated colleges. The following year saw the introduction of credit semester system (CSS) for postgraduate programmes in colleges.

And the coming academic year will see lakhs of private and distance education students taking CCSS — an achievement no other university in the country can boast of. According to the Vice-Chancellor, we got to wait for some more time to gauge the results of the academic reforms.

Even when the university filled almost all teaching vacancies by hiring 75 new teachers and promoting 50 teachers to higher posts, three new Chairs of study and research are being opened up on the campus. The Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer Chair is sponsored by the State government. The UGC sanctioned Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Chair. And the

C.H. Mohammed Koya Trust has sponsored the C.H. Mohammed Koya Chair for the Study of Developing Societies.

Prof. Zuberi was fortunate to sign the Ph.D. certificates of 613 scholars as well as to host some major international lectures and seminars. When Frontier Lecture series crossed 90, the recently introduced Erudite Scholars in Residence Programme did 10 in a row.

The Departments of History, Education, Philosophy and Chemistry have won the Special Assistance Programme (SAP) funding from the UGC for their research and developmental activities.

The Vice-Chancellor was happy that she could set up a Board for student grievances, providing a platform for students for redressal of their problems. Student grievance cells too have been set up in all departments.

The university will soon have a renovated guest house and a refurbished Senate House. The State government has sanctioned enough funds for it.

The opening of a large multi-purpose building at the entrance of the university on February 25 by Education Minister M.A. Baby will be yet another feather in the cap of the current administration. It will be a building exclusively meant for the well being and comfort of the students.

The ongoing modernisation of the Examination Wing has already had encouraging results for the university. Registration for examination has been made online. Distribution of hall-tickets is also online. Calicut has become the first university in the State to introduce bar-coded answer scripts, greatly reducing the delay in the publication of results.

“Examination results are now available to our students through SMS,” Prof. Zuberi said, explaining how the modern technology was used for the benefit of the students. Similarly, the university is making use of the mobile technology to inform employees of their monthly salary details.

The C.H. Mohammed Koya Library of the university has undergone a facelift in recent months. The library has an ICT centre for the visually-challenged. Among the other reforms the library underwent were the beginning of a digital resource centre with UGC funds, and introduction of a master catalogue system.

All teaching departments on the campus have smart classrooms with laptops, projectors, large LED screens and teacher interface. The University Botanical Garden has grown to newer fames in recent years, especially with the setting up of a Ginger Villa and Poly House.

The university campus saw Wi-Max communication even before BSNL introduced it in Kerala. “Extensive digitization of palm leaf manuscripts collected in the Thunchan Manuscript Repository is under way with the expertise of Keltron,” Prof. Zuberi said. The university is on a mission to preserve 60,000-odd ‘taliyola' records for posterity.

“We have made great strides in international academic collaboration too,” Prof. Zuberi said. MoUs have been signed with Charles University of Prague and Tubingen University of Germany.

(Info) Introduction of Competency based vocational courses at Senior Secondary level 2011

Subject: Introduction of Geospatial Technology, Food Production, Food & Beverage Services, Mass Media Studies and Media Production as Competency based vocational courses at Senior Secondary level.

As you are aware, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), keeping in view the acute shortage of trained professionals and development of employability skills among the students, has been offering a number of courses under vocational Education at Senior Secondary level. In recent years, the CBSE has started collaborating with various industries/ institutions for introducing competency based joint certification courses as per the present needs of society and the relevant industries. In pursuance to this policy of exploring the new domain of knowledge and skills that have bright employment prospects as well as career opportunities, the Board has introduced the following new Vocational courses at senior secondary level.

• Geospatial Technology.
• Food Production (Hospitality and Tourism)
• Food and Beverage Services( Hospitality and Tourism)
• Mass Media Studies and Media Production.

The aforesaid courses were introduced in few selected schools in class XI from the Academic Session 2010-11 on pilot basis. Based on the feedback received from the Pilot schools and on the basis of overwhelming response from the other independent schools, the Board has decided to open it to all affiliated schools in the country and abroad form the academic session 2011-12 for class-XI. The detailed objectives and the salient features of such courses are enclosed at Annexure-I to III. The schools that are interested in introducing those new courses in class-XI from the academic year 2011-12 may fill in the proforma enclosed at Annexure-IV and may forward to “ Sh. S.K. Jena, Asstt. Education Officer (Voc & Edusat), CBSE, Shiksha Sadan,17, Rouse Avenue, New Delhi-110002 on or before 5th March 2011 or Email to cbse.edusat@rediffmail.com copy to skjena.cbse@gmail.com The letter of willingness in Annexure – IV should reach by 5th March 2011 to enable the Board for processing the applications further.

Website: www.cbse.nic.in

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