Times Of India ND 19/03/2010, P19

Cong divided on edu bill? Senior Leaders Resent Being Bypassed By Sibal On Measure TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi:  If the Left and the BJP are determined to oppose the foreign varsities bill, the rumbling in Congress on the issue should not be less disconcerting for the government. Even as HRD minister Kapil Sibal is being toasted for the initiative, there are serious misgivings in his own party over the bill, with senior leaders resenting the fact that they were not sounded out on the measure. A senior party functionary spoke out on the condition of anonymity, in what marked a significant in-house dissent over the bill cleared by the Cabinet with considerable fanfare and loud applause from the media. Talking informally, the functionary sought to convey the concerns within the party over the many implications of the   radical step at reforming higher education. Business Line ND 19/03/2010, P18 Engg/MBA grads may benefit from new civil services exam format &Naga Sridhar Hyderabad If you are a technology/management graduate and are interested in a career in All-India Civil Services, here is some good news. The proposed changes in the pattern of preliminary examination being conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from next year are likely to make it easier for those who prepare for CAT or G-MAT, according to experts. The Department of Personnel had recently announced its plans to make changes in the pattern of the Preliminary exam from 2011, based on a proposal from UPSC. The proposed pattern would substitute the subject-based optional paper and another on general studies with an aptitude and decision-making papers respectively, carrying equal weightage. "This aptitude and decision-making tests come close to exams such as CAT and GMAT, besides entrance tests to many premier institutes. That way, management and technology graduates can sail through easily," an expert with Triumphant Institute of Management Education (T.I.M.E) told Business line. Financial Express ND 19/03/2010, P-11 Education bill for greater good EPIL Sibal, minister of human resource development, is full of enthusiasm, as he has cleared the draft for the Foreign Education Providers (Regulation) Bill to be placed before the Union cabinet. Once the cabinet clears the bill, the foreign education providers will be able to offer degree programmes independently in India. But before we talk about the costs and benefits that come as a part of the new bill, we must remember that more recently foreign education providers could, and have operated in India. Actually, even without the bill, it is possible to have 100 per cent foreign-owned educational institutes in India. Besides, about 150 foreign universities already offer degree programmes in partnership with different Indian institutes, where the students study a part of the programme in India. One such successful tie-up is the SSN School of Advanced Software Engineering (SSN SASE) in Chennai in association with the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA for the latter's Master of Science degree programme in IT with specialisation in software engineering (MSIT-SE)." Business Standard ND 19/03/2010, P7 INDIA MOVE FAILS TO EXCITE IVY LEAGUE The new foreign varsities Bill will take time to play out and no one's sure of what will change KALPANA RATHAK & KIRT1KA SUNEJA Mumbai/New Delhi Ivy League and top-rung foreign institutions are not likely to make a bee-line to set up campuses in India, although the Cabinet has given its approval to the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations, Maintenance of Quality and Prevention of Commercialisation) Bill, say analysts. The Bill is likely to be made public in the next three weeks for debate before being tabled in the Parliament, said a ministry of human resources development (MHRD) official who did not wish to be named. MRHD sources say around 50 foreign universities have shown interest in setting up campuses in India. However, education consultants and analysts say there's no strong reason for top-rung foreign universities to rush to India. Consider these figures: In 2008, around 140 Indian institutions and 156 foreign education providers were engaged in academic collaborations. Of these 156 foreign education providers, 90 have university status and 20 have college status. Other institutions are training institutions or those for further education. The total number of collaborations was 225 and with each collaboration having over one programme delivery, the total number stands at 635. Moreover, all major universities have India-specific plans on their agenda. Harvard Business School and Oxford Business School, for instance, have set up India Research Centers in India. Yale, too, has entered into more than 50 collaborations in India and is interested in more such partnerships, according to George Joseph, assistant secretary for international affairs of Yale University. Financial Express ND 19/3/2010, p-7 Cabinet set to take up education Bills today New Delhi Four education reforms Bills of HRD ministry, including one seeking to ban unfair practices in technical and medical educational institutions and universities, are expected to come up before the Union Cabinet on Friday. The other proposed pieces of legislation include the Accreditation Bill and the one to amendment the Architects Act. A Group of Ministers (GoM) has already cleared these Bills. The Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill seeks to check unfair practices, including charging capitation fee, in institutions. Financial Express ND 19/3/2010        MANN DESHIUDYOGINI, A B-SCHOOL DESIGNED FOR UNLETTERED WOMEN, WAS STARTED 3 YEARS AGO Rural B-school in Maharashtra catching global attention Nanda Kasabe Pune A rural B-school in rural Maharashtra, designed for unlettered women, has been drawing international attention. Nearly three years after its inception, Mann Deshi Udyogini (MDU) a business school founded by Chetna Gala Sinha, a Yale University World Fellow, with a $17,500 grant from HSBC is ready to expand. MDU plans to open similar B-schools for rural women adjacent to the upcoming bank branches of the Mann Deshi Mahila Bank. The bank has recently received RBI's approval to expand its operations and the focus will now be on opening up such schools in areas where the bank operates, Sinha said. The Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, which currently has three branches, will soon expand its network to six districts Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and Pune. New B-Schools are planned at Satara and Solapur and these should commence operations in a couple of months, said Rekha Kulkarni, chief executive officer, Mann Deshi Mahila Bank. Business Standard ND 19/03/2010 pg Compete and survive Opening up higher education The opening up of Indian higher education to foreign competition by allowing foreign universities to start campuses in India has the potential to have the same impact as the post-1991 opening up had on the overall economy. A final assessment of the move has to await the enactment of the legislation and the shape it eventually takes. The best-case scenario is global best practices coming in and forcing Indian higher education to reform in the face of competition. The worst case scenario is second-class institutions coming in and that too only in areas with good revenue potential, taking away some of the good teachers from leading national institutions and eventually having little impact on the overall scene in terms of quality or quantity (seats). Some of the leading institutions in the world have indicated that they are in no hurry to come, but this is just the beginning of a long process and the attractiveness of India as a market for higher education and catchment area for good students will only grow over time.