Odisha HRD

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ad with statistics (by the central government)

July 11th, 2007

Lalit Patnaik’s message on Agamee odisha meeting about KBK University

Dear Friends,

To day, a meeting was convened by Agamee Odisha in Jaydev Bhawan about “KBK University and related railways and other Development of KBK Districts. The Dias was empty of any chair except the banner for KBK University. People went from the assembly spoke and came back. A very new concept by our President.

The meeting was opened by the address of our President Shree DK Ray, Ex Chairman OERC and Income Tax Commissioner, who welcomed one and all with warm hands. Dr Kasturi Mohapatra, VP of National Child Health Care Foundation, deliberated about Mission & Vision of Agamee Odisha.

Continue Reading July 11th, 2007

Orissa JEE counselling time table

Orissa JEE counselling time table for 2007 is available at Orissa JEE website.  It is a long drawn out process. Best wishes to all the participants.

25 comments July 11th, 2007

Two articles and a slide show on Vedanta University in the Chronicles of Higher Education

Chronicles of Higher Education has two premium articles ( one needs a subscription to read the full article) and a slide show. Following are links to those articles and excerpts from them.

• Slide show with 11 nice pictures
• Article 1: For Planners, the Opportunity of a Lifetime
  By LAWRENCE BIEMILLER
  Baltimore

  In an office a few feet from the chop of the Baltimore harbor, architects are drawing plans for a vast university campus on the east coast of India that would be shaped like twin blossoms, bordered by a lake, and entered through any of 34 gates, each with its own name and symbolism. As beautiful as a mandala and as intricate as a postgraduate mathematics problem, it’s almost certainly the most ambitious campus plan ever conceived.

  On more than 7,500 acres, Vedanta University and its environs would accommodate a liberal-arts program, an engineering school, an agriculture college, a medical campus, Olympics-grade sports facilities, townships for faculty and staff members, parklands, a resort, and even its own airport. At the behest of Anil Agarwal, an industrialist who has pledged $1-billion toward its construction, the campus is being designed to house 100,000 students and to fulfill the donor’s dream of creating an institution that is Indian and world-class at the same time. … MORE

• Article 2: In Rural India, an Ambitious Academic Vision:

  A mining mogul with big ideas is determined to build an elite, American-style university for 100,000 students in Orissa. Farmers, who own the land he wants to develop, plan to resist.

  By SHAILAJA NEELAKANTAN
  Bhubaneshwar, India

  A few miles outside the town of Puri, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, lies Beladala, a farming village of thatch-roofed homes. One recent afternoon a group of farmers sat on the porch of the village’s small school eating a lunch of rice, lentils, and vegetables on plates made of broad leaves. … MORE

1 comment July 9th, 2007

Existing Central Universities in India: speculations on where the next ones will be and should be

As per the UGC site following are the existing central universities:

Continue Reading 4 comments July 9th, 2007

Education in the 11th plan: higher education working group recommends medical schools in each central university in the north eastern region

Earlier we touched upon the working group recommendation in the 11th plan. Going through the report of the higher education working group we noticed the following recommendation (in Section 3.4.3 page 20) with respect to central universities in the north eastern region.

• Faculty of medical studies needs to be established in all central universities in the north eastern region.

I think the proposed central university in Koraput should be treated at par with central universities in the north eastern region.

July 8th, 2007

KIIT plans an autism center at KIMS

Pragativadi reports that the KIIT foundation plans to establish an autism center at KIMS (Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences). Following are some excerpts from that report.

The workshop was inaugurated by Prof Nalini Menon, head of Rainbow Centre for Autism, Bangalore.

In his opening address, chancellor of KIIT University, Dr Achyut Samant said that KIMS would soon have a modern centre for treatment and research on autism to be set up under able guidance of Menon.

Stating that a majority of the patients from Orissa have to go to Bangalore for the treatment of this disorder, Dr Samant said that the proposed autism centre at KIMS would be immensely beneficial for the patients as we as researchers in the field.

Addressing the workshop, Prof Menon said that Autism is not localised in India but prevalent in all parts of the world.

In his speech, Dr Kailash Chandra Panda, former principal of the Regional Institute of Education, said that autism is a pervasive developmental neurological disorder, which is detectable from age of three onwards in affected children.

The proposed autism center at KIMS would be the first of its kind in the state, he informed.

11 comments July 8th, 2007

Opportunities in retail management and logistics

With new malls opening up in various places there is a lot of job opportunity in the areas of retail management and logistics. New Indian Express reports on this and about some business schools that offer courses on this topic. Following are some excerpts.

How about making a career in logistics? Industry estimates that the sector, going through acute manpower shortage, could create employment opportunities to the tune of 50,000 in the next five years.

The mushrooming malls and the expanding chain of retail stores on the neighbourhood are indicative of growing need of skilled hands.

With an annual growth rate of 25 percent, this is one sector that would see more and more avenues opening up in the times to come.

Gati, a leading player in the sector, has already offered placement letters to the first batch students of PG programme in Logistics and Supply Chain Management being offered by city-based Asian School of Business Management (ASBM).

“Our aim is to hire graduates who intend to assume leadership positions in supply chain management and contribute to the competitiveness of the firms globally,” said managing director of company Mahendra Agarwal while giving away the letters and kicking off the programme on the ASBM campus here on Friday.

It is the first of its kind in the country and has been jointly designed by ASBM and Gati. Students would have the advantage of working in Gati’s warehouse for hands-on experience after 14 months of the course.

While 30 students have been enrolled in the first batch, the institute plans to raise the strength in the coming years.

So what would the sector expect from you? According to Agarwal – who was decorated with the ‘logistics man of India’ on the occasion – you ought to possess an analytical mind to succeed in this field.

4 comments July 8th, 2007

Planning Commission: Report of the Oversight Committee to Monitor Implementation of Reservation in Higher Educational Institutions.

July 8th, 2007

Naveen requests setting up of a jems and jewellery training institute in Ganjam

Following is Pioneer’s report on this.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to the Central Commerce Minister demanding to set up a Gems and Jewellery Training Institute in the State. In his letter, Patnaik made it a point that a large numbers of artisans in Ganjam district, who are engaged in cutting and fining gem stones in far away at Mumbai and Surat, would not migrate to these States if a Gems and Jewellary Training Institute is set up in Ganjam district.

There are numbers of gem stone mines in Orissa and the gems and jewellery products of Orissa artisans hold a considerable demand in foreign markets.

The proposed institute will positively play a leading role in enhancing the artisans’ skills and will also bring improvement in export of the items, said Patnaik. However, the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council under the Central Commerce Ministry seems to be interested in setting up of the institute. The Chief Minister also has agreed to provide the land and other facilities for the institute.

3 comments July 8th, 2007

Special school for child laborers

Odisha.com reports on a special school for child workers that has been started in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

July 7th, 2007

Cultural dimension of education

The book "Cultural dimension of Education" is a collection of essays available on-line on this topic.

2 comments July 7th, 2007

Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: EGS (Education Guarantee Scheme) and its follow-up

Quoting from http://ssa.nic.in/ssaframework/

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an effort to universalise elementary education by community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country. The SSA programme is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children, through provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode.

EGS is one of schemes that has been used for the above effort. Now that the central govt has asked some aspects of EGS to be changed the Orissa government plans to develop an alternative. The following article in Samaja elaborates on a proposal that is under consideration.

July 7th, 2007

Distance Education programs offered by Berhampur University

22 comments July 7th, 2007

SCB got back the 43 seats it had recently lost

Dharitri has reported that SCB has got back the 43 seats it had recently lost.

July 7th, 2007

Two central universities per state

Following are excerpts on this topic from a Business standard report:

The government has allocated Rs 1,920 crore for setting up 16 central universities in states which do not have one so far . The plan was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently.

Once these universities are in place, the government plans to have two central universities in each state.

“The government has set aside Rs 1,920 crore for setting up 16 central universities in 16 states that lack such varsities till now,” an official in the Ministry of Human Resource Development told Business Standard.

The allocation would take care of non-recurring costs like infrastructure and recurring costs like salaries and other yearly expenditures throughout the Eleventh Plan period.

“While Rs 60 crore is the non-recurring cost to set up a varsity, an yearly amount of Rs 12 crore would be made available for five years to take care of the recurring costs of a university,” the source said.

While estimates point that setting up one full-fledged central university costs around Rs 400 crore, the ministry expects the amount of Rs 120 crore to take care of the initial expenses like the construction of buildings and staff salaries. Since the state governments are expected to provide the required land, the amount is being considered sufficient for now. …

The source said that once the 16 universities were in place, the government would go ahead to set up two central universities in every state. There are 20 central universities in the country at present.

July 7th, 2007