Satyabadi Education Summit: Op-ed in Samaja
April 6th, 2008
Archive for April, 2008
HDF (Human Development Foundation) making a B-School with difference
The Chairman of HDF is Dr. Dhanada Mishra, Ph.D in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Among other credentials, Dhanada is the state coordinator of Pratham, an AID Saathi, SEEDs board member and a decent human being. He is the Chairman of the Human Development Foundation (HDF), which is in the process of establishing a business school with difference. With him at the helm of the HDF School of management, HDF’s vision of "an empowered and proactive community enriched by quality human resources" and mission of "facilitating a participatory movement to strengthen development initiatives by promotion of quality human resources and encouragement of shared leadership", and with Dhanada as the chairman of the board of trustees of HDF, I think this B-School will not only be a top-notch B-School in the country but will also be a B-School with difference. To understand what I mean by a B-school with difference, let me copy and past the Chairman’s message below.
Dear prospective students;
Welcome to HDF School of Management!
As you consider your choices for higher education in Management Studies, I would like you ponder for a moment about the kind of institution that you would like to spend two precious years of your life in. As you look at the options I am sure you will realise that you are faced with two very stark choices. On one hand you have public sector institutions offering programs at affordable costs to students selected in highly competitive admission process. It is no doubt that some of these institutions are world-class. Unfortunately, most of the public sector institutions provide poor environment for overall growth of the individual in the sense that they lack the entrepreneurial spirit which is reflected in weak placement effort, lack of up-to-date curriculum, weak industry linkage and so on. These aspects are more pro-actively addressed by the second group of growing number of institutions promoted by edupreneurs in the last one and half decade. However, it may not be an exaggeration to say that most of these second set of institutions are characterised by high fees, unethical commercialisation, lack of transparency and poor quality.
In the above scenario, Human Development Foundation (HDF) is making an attempt to create a third alternative where the best characteristics of public and self-financed education can be offered to the students. The Foundation itself is based on the deep concern of a set of individuals for the over-all development of the society through creation of high quality and ethical human resource to tackle our myriad problems. The School of Management is but one of the several ventures to offer students high quality education at a modest fee. It is driven by highly qualified and motivated faculty. It provides opportunity to students for exposure to social sector development projects for hands-on feel for one’s responsibility towards society beyond career aspirations. Thus, it aims to create a balanced, competent and wholesome individual equipped with the best tools of the trade, ready to engage with the society be it through the corporate sector or through the development sector.
The vision of the foundation, ‘an empowered and pro-active community’, can only be achieved by creation of high quality human resource on a scale matching the enormity of our future needs. We believe that through our passion for this vision, hard work, team effort and dedication we will create an environment where you can achieve your true potential as a management professional of highest caliber ready to take on the world.I look forward to meeting you in near future.
Dhanada Kanta Mishra, Ph. D. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor)
1 comment April 5th, 2008
School of Life Science, four star colleges and an infectious disease research unit
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer. (See also this report in New Indian Express.)
Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal on Friday said a School of Life Science would be established in one of the universities of the State.
Addressing a Press Conference here, Sibal said the Centre would provide all help in establishing the Infectious Disease Research Unit in the premises of the SCB Medical College, Cuttack. He was here to lay the foundation stone for a new research building of Institute of Life Science
Sibal further said that the Research Unit would be set up with the help of the Institute of Life Science. "Four existing colleges will be given the status of star college in Orissa," he announced, adding that the star college would be equipped with all sorts of modern facilities and technology. Students would be encouraged to take up research works particularly in the field of bio-technology. "Biotechnology has to play a key role in the country’s development," he said.
April 5th, 2008
PHFI to establish a public health training center in Bhubaneswar – Sambada. Why not an IIPH?
April 4th, 2008
MOU for five textile training centers
Following is an excerpt from a report in Pioneer.
the State Government and Apparel Export Promotion Council on Thursday signed an MoU to set up apparel training and design centres.
As per the MoU, five satellite centres would be set up at Berhampur, Rourkela, Baripada, Sambalpur and Cuttack. Three centres at Berhampur, Baripada and Rourkela would start on 31st May, 2008. The two other centres at Cuttak and Sambalpur will be taken up in the next phase.
As per the scheme, the initial capital expenditure of Rs 30 lakh for setting up the institution will be provided by State Government. The assistance will come from the State Employment Mission which works with the objective of skill generation for creating employability among rural and urban youths. The Government will also make available for the Centre floor area of 5,500- 7,500 sq feet suitable for undertaking training and housing equipments. The AEPC will be responsible for other recurring expense for running the institutions including recruitment of personnel and other staffs as well as the day-to-day.
The APEC will be responsible for other recurring expenses for running institution including recruitment of personnel and other staffs as well as the day a to day management. In selection of trainees, local candidates will be given priority and selection will be made from the candidates of Orissa only. These five centres will able to generate about 5,000- 6,000 employment in the garment sector only and 20,00 -26,000 over the 11th plan period.
1 comment April 4th, 2008
ASBM to offer PG courses in investment portfolio
Following is an excerpt from a report in New Indian Express.
Leading business weekly ‘Dalal Street Investment Journal’ (DSIJ) has zeroed in on city-based Asian School of Business Management to launch a post-graduate programme in investment portfolio management, the first of its kind in the country.
The journal, owned by Ramdeo Media Enterprises, will provide the course content and other expertise. ASBM … Both the organisations signed an MoU on Thursday to launch the course. It would first be offered in ASBM’s upcoming Hyderabad campus and later on here.
… the magazine had approached ASBM to leverage on its core strength and run the programme which would eventually meet the increasing demand for qualified professionals in the expanding equity market. A recent report by the journal had, in fact, highlighted the acute shortage of managers in handling the swelling base of investment portfolio.
Signing the agreement, director (marketing) Deepak Jhangiani too highlighted the manifold growth of the investment community in the country which has expanded to the tune of 3.2 million within a short period.
As per prediction, about 1,000 mutual fund companies are expected to come up in the subcontinent. The course will stretch over 18 months and have six months of internship programme in investment firms.
April 4th, 2008
IIT directors urge govt to give new institutes another name
Excerpts from an article in the Business Standard:
Directors of some Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are understood to have written to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia urging the government to give the proposed IITs some other name.
They are of the view that calling the new institutes “IITs” would dilute the brand image of the existing premier institutes, which figure among the world’s 100 best technology universities and are compared with the likes of MIT, California University and Berkeley.
If true, this is an unfortunate development. I do not think increasing the number of IITs from 7 to 16 is going to have any impact on the existing IITs, if done right. IIMs don’t seem to mind any "brand dilution"; the elitist attitude of the IITs is rather shocking.
IMHO, existing IITs are so good because of their students, faculty, and funding. If the government is willing to invest in the IITs and is careful in hiring the faculty, then the proposed IITs can have equally good infrastructure and faculty compared to the old ones. As far as students are concerned, doubling the intake is not going to impact the quality of students drastically. I believe that the top 6000 IIT JEE rankers are as good as the top 3000 rankers (or however many students are admitted these days). Finally, existing IITs are nowhere near MIT or UCB, so its not really a big gap to bridge for the proposed IITs.
April 4th, 2008
Excerpts from “The Higher Educational Transformation of China and Its Global Implications”
Following are some excerpts from the paper "The Higher Educational Transformation of China and Its Global Implications" by Yao Li, John Whalley, Shunming Zhang, Xiliang Zhao.
… The number of undergraduate and graduate students in China has been grown at approximately 30% per year since 1999, and the number of graduates at all levels of higher education in China has approximately quadrupled in the last 6 years.
… Much of the increased spending is focused on elite universities, and new academic contracts differ sharply from earlier ones, with no tenure and annual publication quotas often used.
… The educational transformation underway in China seemingly differs from that in other low wage economies at either similar or earlier stages of development, in focusing heavily on tertiary education rather than on primary or secondary (unlike, say, India).
… A further feature of recent Chinese higher educational policy has been both to promote so-called "elite" universities and also to consolidate other universities and reduce their numbers.
… The focus of policy is to elevate a small number of Chinese universities to world class status, and both strengthen them and make them bigger.
… In many of China’s major cities there has also been consolidation of universities, with, say, 4 or 5 small universities in the city consolidated into a large single entity as a way of improving their ranking.
… For example, Beijing Medical University was incorporated into Peking University and was formally renamed Faculty of Health Science,
Peking University in 2000. Eventually, the Central Arts and Design College was incorporated into Tsinghua University and was renamed Faculty of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University in 1999.… institutions of high education in China are now subject to extraordinary pressures to upgrade themselves in terms of objective rankings. High priority is placed on international rankings taken as publications in international journals, citations, and international cooperation.
… It is now accepted as important for universities and related institutions to achieve publication in journals of good ranking and what is generated by publication citations counts equally for Chinese scholars in appointment, maintenance of position, and promotion.
… It is not uncommon for an annual target of three international publications to be set for faculty members, with termination of
employment to occur on non fulfillment.… The primary stress on education attainment is on traditional academic disciplines, especially sciences, but social sciences and business also enter.
… There are three separate sources–government funds, commercial income fiom university-owned companies and entities, tuition and other educational charges such as fees paid by students and parents, …
… In 1998 under a special "985" I’roject,l4 10 of China’s leading universities were given three-year grants in excess of 30 billion RMB (current price) for quality improvements (Wang, 2002). Included in the first round of 985 Project grants were Peking, Tsinghua, Fudan, Zhejiang, and Nanjing Universities. l5 Peklng and Tsinghua universities, the top two ranked institutions, each received 1.8 billion RMB. Afterwards, the Ministry of Education cooperated with provincial or municipal governments and other departments to also develop Shanghai Jiaotong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Science and Technology University of China and Harbin Industry University …
… In addition to government funding, higher education institutions in China, also generate significant support by engaging in commercial activities. These include companies and other entities owned by the institutions and which the institutions operate.
… Table 9: Education funding for elite universities in China (2004)
… The main tasks for the higher educational development strategy in the 1 lth 5-Year Plan are as follows. The gross enrollment rate of higher education is to reach 25% of each entering age cohort by 2010 and the total enrollment of higher education is to hit 30 million.
… The "211 Projects" and "985 Project" are to be continued, with an emphasis on technology innovation, cultivating talents with creativity, and improving the capacity for self-innovation, so that top universities in China become an important force in an increasingly innovative nation.
… The educational component of the llth 5-Year Plan is clear in providing for large injections of funds into China’s tertiary educational system. Education is a major focus over the 5 year period of the plan, with the proportion of education expenditures to GDP increasing to 4% in 2010, from 3.4% in 2002. Much of the additional spending is focused on the elite universities, a group of around 20 universities in China, which are thought to have the best students and the capability to grow and mature into major global educational institutions which are comparable to those in the OECD. The research component of university activities is also seen as a central element in generating new ideas and eventually process and production methods which will improve profitability. Educational improvement in both research and student generation is thus seen as a central element of a continued high Chinese growth process.
… The prime emphasis which is now placed on international publications in China has already resulted in large increases in paper submissions to international journals and paper submissions are likely to grow further in the next few years. According to a recent study "Key Figures 2007 on Science, Technology and Innovation", China is now one of the largest producers of scientific output as measured by its share in the world total of peer reviewed scientific articles.
… Evaluated by the most frequently cited papers, China is ranked seventh, lower than South Korea, but still higher than other large developing economies, such as India and Brazil.
… The contractual arrangements in universities in China are a further element of China’s educational transformation, and portend future global change.
… , the tenure system for professors in universities and colleges has been changed significantly. The first changes were made by Peking University in reforming its deep-rooted academic tenure system, and this was followed by other Chinese elite universities. These reforms were implemented in February 2004. Taking Pelung University as an example, the reforms are that only professors enjoy lifelong employment, and the university does not offer tenured positions to associate professors, lecturers and assistant professors. Associate professors in arts and sciences and lecturers in all subjects are offered employment contracts up to 12 years. If associate professors and lecturers fail in their promotions after appraisal and examination of their academic attainments within the contracted period, they are dismissed.
… It is now common for researchers and scholars in many Chinese universities to receive only 3 year contracts and these contracts differ sharply by individual circumstance. And individuals receiving contracts are often given quotas in terms of the number of the publications in designated journals which should be attained within a limited period of time. It is not uncommon for these quotas to specify 3 papers per year in international journals, although what is accepted as an international journal varies sharply from institute to institute.
April 3rd, 2008
ICAR Bio-safety level 3 animal lab near Jatni
Following is an excerpt from a report in Kalinga Times.
A high security laboratory, which would be one of its kind in Southeast Asia, will be set up in Orissa this year to fight foot and mouth disease that affects about 470 million domestic livestock annually.
"The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an autonomous national organisation under the central government, recently approved the establishment of the laboratory at Jatani on the outskirt of the capital city Bhubaneswar," director of the state animal husbandry department Bishnupada Sethi told IANS Sunday.
It is going to be the first such centre of India and one of its kind in Southeast Asia with the Bio Safety Level (3+) facilities which will work for proper control and containment of virulent, pathogenic and mutagenic foot and mouth disease viruses, he said.
Bio-safety Level 3 facility expands the capability of researchers to conduct research on potential viral agents that do not currently have vaccines or therapies.
… People working in laboratory wear special protective suits with filtered air supply and work within airtight cabinetry.
Foot and mouth disease is endemic in India. It is present almost in all parts of the country and occurs round the year. It also hits free-living and captive ungulates and elephants.
… The disease samples will be received from the entire country as well as from abroad for proper identification and characterisation of the biological pathogen that caused the disease.
It will also serve as a repository unit for various serotypes – a grouping of viruses of the foot and mouth disease, Sethi said.
The research will help in manufacturing of foot and mouth disease vaccine through proper inclusion of emerging strains of concerned virus, he added.
… The state government has already identified an area of 116.325 acres located 25 km away from the state capital to be given to ICAR for the laboratory.
The centre, which will also serve as a referral laboratory for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), will be more technologically advanced than the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, said B. Patnaik, a scientist.
April 1st, 2008