Following is an excerpt from a report in the New Indian Express.
BHUBANESWAR: City-based Asian School of Business Management (ASBM) and logistics giant Gati have joined hands to set up a centre of excellence in logistics and supply chain management here, arguably the first in the country.
It will be exclusively devoted to carrying out high-end applied research in developing best practices in global supply chain management and enhance quality of delivery mechanism. The centre would go into operation shortly on the ABSM campus.
The institute would be infusing Rs 1 crore for the centre over a period of three years and Gati about Rs 20 lakh. With some of the best brains in the field working here, it would also be offering expertise and consulting work in the country and abroad.
January 18th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in the New Indian Express.
The State Government and the Director- General of Employment and Training (DGE&T) have decided to upgrade four ITIs into centres of excellence with World Bank assistance.
The DGT&E has identified the ITIs at Berhampur, Hirakud, Balasore and Talcher for upgradation. While the ITI at Berhampur deals with automobile sector, the institute at Hirakud is for the process plant maintenance sector.
The ITI at Balasore deals with the electrical sector while the one at Talcher is for production and manufacturing. Though the proposal was floated in 2006-07 financial year, it could not be taken up because of delay in release of funds.
The DGE&T has agreed in principle to provide finance during the year for the project. An MoU was signed between the State Government and the DGT&E on December 17 for implementation of the scheme with World Bank assistance.
January 18th, 2008
The following is from http://www.google.co.in/jobs/womeninengineering/award/index.html. (Thanks to Abi for the pointer.)
Google has one overarching mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. With a user base in the millions, Google’s point of distinction is anticipating needs not yet articulated by our global audience, then meeting those needs with innovative products and services that set new standards.
Therefore, Google aspires to be an organization that reflects the globally diverse audience that our search engine and tools serve. We believe that, in addition to hiring the best talent, the diversity of perspectives, ideas and cultures leads to the creation of better products and services. This diversity of employees and partners serves as the foundation for us to better serve our diverse customers and stakeholders all over the world.
As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to encouraging women to excel in computing and technology, we are pleased to introduce The Google India “Women in Engineering” Award to recognize and reward deserving women students in Computer Science and related majors, and inspire them to become active participants and leaders in creating technology.
The awards are based on the candidates’ academic background and demonstrated leadership. A group of female undergraduate, graduate and PhD student finalists will be chosen from the applicant pool, and award recipients will receive an award of INR 75000 via cheque.
Other Links:
January 18th, 2008
The New York Times (NYT) is running a story on Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2007. Following are exceprts from the NYT story.
Sixty years after independence, with 40 percent of its population under 18, India is now confronting the perils of its failure to educate its citizens, notably the poor. More Indian children are in school than ever before, but the quality of public schools like this one has sunk to spectacularly low levels, as government schools have become reserves of children at the very bottom of India’s social ladder.
The children in this school come from the poorest of families — those who cannot afford to send away their young to private schools elsewhere, as do most Indian families with any means.
..
That they remain ill equipped to do so is clearly illustrated by an annual survey, conducted by Pratham, the organization for which Mr. Ghosh works. The latest survey, conducted across 16,000 villages in 2007 and released Wednesday, found that while many more children were sitting in class, vast numbers of them could not read, write or perform basic arithmetic, to say nothing of those who were not in school at all.
Among children in fifth grade, 4 out of 10 could not read text at the second grade level, and 7 out of 10 could not subtract. The results reflected a slight improvement in reading from 2006 and a slight decline in arithmetic; together they underscored one of the most worrying gaps in India’s prospects for continued growth.
Education experts debate the reasons for failure. Some point out that children of illiterate parents are less likely to get help at home; the Pratham survey shows that the child of a literate woman performs better at school. Others blame longstanding neglect, insufficient public financing and accountability, and a lack of motivation among some teachers to pay special attention to poor children from lower castes.
January 18th, 2008