Financial Express ND 11/03/2010

Computerised CAT a success: Deodhar Ahmedabad Despite the chaos on account of glitches in the first ever computerised common admissions test (CAT) held in the end of last year, the convener of IIM CAT committee Satish Deodhar claimed It was successful, saying that this was the format of the fur are. He strongly insisted that the CAT scores were accurate and appropriately distributed across the pool of candidates. It may be mentioned that more than 2.42 lakh candidates appeared for the computerised CAT examinations. For the first time the IIMs partnered with Prometric to conduct the computerised CAT. But many candidates were not satisfied with the psychometric testing system Introduced by IIMs In association with the prometric system. Financial Express ND 11/03/2010    P11 Nine private varsities face allegations of UGC norm violation New Delhi Nine private universities are facing complaints of violating the regulations of University Grants Commission (UGC), the Lok Sabha was told on Wednesday. They are functioning outside their territorial jurisdiction or within the territorial jurisdiction without the approval of UGC, minister of state for HRD D Purandeswari said in a written reply These institutions are Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, ICFAI University, Dehradun, Global Open University, Nagaland’s, Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning hi Management University, Sikkim, Sikkim Manipal University of Health Medical and Technological Sciences, Gangtok, Singhania University, Jhunjhunu, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, Himgiri Nabh Vishwavidyalaya, Dehradun and Integral University, Lucknow. Hindustan Times ND 11/03/2010 p-11 IIM-A student bags Rs 1.6 crore package Prasad Nichenametla AHMEDABAD: An Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad student has bagged a record offer of nearly Rs 1.6 crore from Deutsche Bank, on par with the package an IIM-Calcutta student had secured on Tuesday. The IIM-A authorities, however, declined to confirm the offer. "We do not want to comment on individual salaries, but the investment bank might have offered almost the same amount (as in Calcutta) here," a student associated with the placement process told HT on Wednesday. IIM-A recorded an average domestic salary jump of 22.5 per cent from last year's Rs 12.17 lakh per annum to Rs 15 lakh this year, signaling that the worst is over for the job market. The average overseas salary also jumped by 33.5 per cent during the four-week-long placement process, which ended on Wednesday. Business Standard ND 11/03/2010, P8 IIMs PASS THE BUCK ON RTIs TO PROMETRIC KALRMOA WVTHAK Mumbai The Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by CAT aspirants may finally end up revealing nothing. In reply to a couple of RTIs, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) said Prometric, the testing and assessment institute, has the answers. But, Pro-metric is not covered under the RTI Act. "We appreciate your concerns. IIMs have assigned the technical job of delivery of CAT and scoring to Prometric. We only have scaled scores and percentiles, which have been communicated to all candidates through the official CAT website. The CAT centre itself does not have any other records or information you seek," said IIM Ahmedabad, in reply to two RTIs filed by aspirants. DM-A also said that to facilitate quick communication in the matter, it has made an arrangement to respond through its candidate-care service, "Prometric will give an appropriate response on behalf of IIMs," the RTI reply added. Though Charles Kernan, chief operating officer of Prometric, yesterday admitted to the lapses and delays in the CAT process, he said, "It is the IIMs that are subject to anyone filing the RTIs." Economic Times, New Delhi 11/03/2010 P-2 Nuke damage liability bill in jeopardy Friends-Turned-Foes Queer The Pitch; Main Opposition Wants Bill To Resemble Price Anderson Act Shah & Urmi A Goswami NEW DELHI THE Congress may be celebrating its success in passing the women's reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha, but it has reenergised the Opposition. The anti-UPA bloc is now all set to intervene decisively in Manmohan Singh's policy menu and its first impact could be felt when the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is tabled in the Lok Sabha. The rebellion by the Yadav chieftains has made the government critically dependent on a mercurial Mayawati, a jailed Madhu Koda and expelled SP member Jaya Prada, apart from a tantrum-throwing Mamata Banerjee. The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is critical for US companies to start nuclear business in India. Mr Manmohan Singh, who was hoping to get it passed before he travels to Washington next month, had taken several steps towards it He had sent NSA Shivshankar Menoh to lobby with BJP leader Arun Jaitley. Besides, Mr Singh personally sought co-operation of BJP at a meeting with Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj. The bill, government managers said, was supposed to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. But with a recharged Opposition determined not to let go off an opportunity that holds the potential of embarrassing the government its introduction may be delayed. The government however, has circulated copies of the bill to MPs. Economic Times, New Delhi 11/03/2010 P-2 Foreign varsities bill before Cabinet today Our Political Bureau THE Union Cabinet is likely to take up five educations bills, including the long-awaited legislation allowing for foreign education providers to operate in India, for consideration on Thursday. Besides the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Act, the Cabinet is expected to take up for approval the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill The National Education Tribunals Bill and the National Authority for Regulation in Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions Bill. These bills form the basis of the government's higher education reform agenda. Times Of India ND 11.03.10 Cabinet to discuss five edu reform bills today New Delhi: Education is likely to dominate Thursday's meeting of the Union Cabinet as it may take up five bills four new and one amendment bill by HRD ministry all related to higher education. All the new bills are part of HRD minister Kapil Sibal's plan to revamp higher education. If cleared, HRD wants to introduce all the new bills next week. Likely to be referred to Parliament's Standing Committee, the ministry expects them to be passed in the monsoon session. The four new bills are foreign education providers bill, educational tribunal bill, accreditation bill and prohibition of educational malpractices bill. The one to be amended is the Architects Act. Though the educational malpractices bill was not on Cabinet agenda, ministry is working to ensure that it does find a place. TNN Forbes India 19 March 2010 p-60-61 RIGHT OF WAY Kapil Sibal’s education bill is ambitious. But he has to convince the states In 1893, the king of Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao III, implemented compulsory primary education in a small taluka in Amralli district. In this nine-village duster, children from the ages of seven to 12 were educated. This tiny experiment was a roaring success and was extended to all 52 villages in the district. Eventually, compulsory primary education was extended to the entire state. This was India's first recorded stab at compulsory education. Today Union Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal is trying to replicate the Maharaja's endeavour through the Right to Education (RTE) Bill. While the RTE Bill was passed in 2002, it is being notified only on April 1 this year. Sibal was also the chairman of the Drafting Committee when the Bill was being formulated during the then HRD Minister Arjun Singh's time.