Now, school information at click of mouse

In an unprecedented move by the  Central Board of Secondary Education  (CBSE),   parents and students may soon have the opportunity to evaluate a school’s compliance with academic, infrastructural, safety and other CBSE  byelaws — at the click of a mouse. The board has ordered that
each CBSE-affiliated school must start its own website highlighting its levels of compliance of each norm including details of teachers, students strength and contact details of administrators.

In a letter to all affiliated schools, CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi has said that the schools must comply with the order within six months and should prepare annual reports which can be uploaded on their websites.

Over 10,500 schools across India and in a few foreign countries are affiliated to the CBSE.

Schools must also specify timelines by when they will complete compliance with any bye laws they are at present unable to meet.

The CBSE affiliation byelaws relate to the governance structure, land area and other physical infrastructure and facilities, salaries, teacher-to-student ratio, admission policies and fee structures that schools are required to follow. 

The move is a key component of human resource development minister Kapil Sibal’s drive aimed at ensuring greater transparency in educational institutions, sources said. 

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has already ordered technical institutions like engineering and management schools to place on their websites details of teachers, students, infrastructure, fee policy and governance structure.

“The CBSE move will take the transparency drive forward to schools,” a senior government source said.

The CBSE letter mentions that the board decided to make it mandatory for every affiliated school to develop its own website “containing comprehensive information about the school and its management”  at a governing body meeting.

The Central Information Commission, in an order dated August 5, 2010 had also stated that all schools affiliated to the board must place on their websites the status of their implementation of norms.HT


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CBSE will keep track of progress over CCE in over 10,500 schools

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) would use a special software solution to collect and analyse all the data related to Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme.

Sources said that the board had decided to capture data related to CCE from affiliated schools of the board through an application software which would be both offline and online. The software will cover CCE-related data of about 10 lakh candidates from at least 10,500 schools across the country.

“The idea of using technology is to systematise data collection. With the implementation of CCE, data collection has become very important. Every school has a huge amount of data. Technology comes in handy to deal with the vast resources, to preserve and analyse them in a scientific manner,” said a CBSE official.

Sources at CBSE said that the aim of the special software was to standardise the whole process of CCE. “We want to give a universal touch to the whole collection, evaluation and analysis of data, as part of CCE scheme. With the use of high software technology, we will standardise the process of CCE scheme, for both schools and CBSE board,” said an official from the board.

To deploy the technology, the board has asked software firms to bid for a tender to execute its project titled ‘Web-based software development for data collection/capturing of mark/ descriptive indicators/grades for scholastic and co-scholastic areas’ by December 1.

“We are looking for software firms with at least five years of experience with proven track record of software development for educational institutions and domain expertise in education. The bidder firms should have a previous record of successfully implementing CCE solution or equivalent in at least 10 schools. The agency should have its own software team for study, design, testing and implementation of the software and to provide appropriate technical support to the board, as and when required,” said BM Gupta, head (Computer Centre), CBSE .

The decision of the board has been welcomed by schools in Bangalore affiliated to CBSE.

“With the use of technology, data pertaining to CCE scheme will be at the click of a mouse. Moreover, retrieval of data will also become easy now,” said Chitra Sharma, vice-principal, Delhi Public School (South), Bangalore.

The board introduced the CCE scheme for classes IX and X from the academic session 2009-10. It was also introduced in all schools affiliated to the board. Under the scheme, a student has to engage and perform in various scholastic and co-scholastic areas for two years as per scheme of studies.

The scheme, introduced to come up with a holistic assessment of a learner, includes co-scholastic area of life skills, attitudes and values, sports and games, as well as co-curricular activities. One of the main highlights of CCE is that there are no Class X board examination from 2011 for students studying in CBSE’s senior secondary schools and those who do not wish to move out of the syllabus after Class X.

Experts say that CCE would help both the students and parents, who are the primary stakeholders of school education. The board, through CCE scheme, aims at reducing stress and anxiety level among school kids, which is widely found due to the constant pressure to perform.DNAINDIA

Will not make Class 10 exams optional: ICSE

The ICSE board is not going to make the Class 10 board exams optional for its students, the board’s additional secretary and chief executive officer,  Gerry Arathoon, said on Wednesday on the sidelines of a conference of ICSE principals. “It’s a big no,” said Arathoon.  “A student must get the feel of what a board exam is, it’s a preparation for the Class 12 board exam. If they perform badly then, then entry into university will be a problem.”

The CBSE board has made the Class 10 board exam option from 2011.

Arathoon decried the CBSE’s new system of the internal school exam. “Giving all the power to the teacher is a crime,” said Arathoon. “I trust our teachers, but even teachers have their limitations.”

Arathoon said measures that the CBSE board had undertaken such as the continuous comprehensive evaluation for lower classes and extra writing time for students with learning disabilities were already in place for ICSE students.

The ICSE board is in the process of revising its syllabus for Classes 1 to 8, but Arathoon did not elaborate further on what these might be. “It’s in process,” he said. “Changes are made as and when required.”

There are nearly 100 ICSE schools in Maharashtra.

For the past three years, ICSE students’ parents have taken the state government to court over admissions policies for entry to the state-board affiliated junior colleges.

“The state government has lost thrice in the high court, let us see what happens this time in the Supreme Court,” said Arathoon. The case is pending in the Supreme Court.

After the high court struck down the Best-Five scheme for SSC students in July, the state went to the Supreme Court.

In an interim order, the SC ruled in August that for the 2010 admissions, the Best-Five subjects of ICSE students would also apply, excluding the Group 3 subjects that are application-based. ICSE schools and students had been upset by this rider.

“We cannot do away with the group 3 subjects just for Maharashtra,” said Arathoon. “I don’t understand why the state has a problem as far as ICSE students are concerned, there are just 7,000 of them.”

The board has been advising schools to add the ISC (plus two qualification) to avoid the problem of moving from an ICSE school to a junior college after Class 10. “I had no problems, it all went smoothly,” said Prerna, 23, a CAT candidate who appeared for the exam on Monday. “I had a very bad experience last year with my centre suddenly being reallocated. But this year when I saw that the friends of mine who appeared for the exam before me had no problems, I was not really anxious about the process.”HT

CBSE invites applications for MBBS & BDS

Applications are invited for All India Pre-medical/ pre-dental entrance (AIPMT) examination 2011 to be conducted by the CBSE. Students must have completed 17 years at the time of admission or should complete it on or before December 31 of the year of his/her admission to the first year of MBBS/ BDS and must be an Indian national. 

Sale of admission bulletins will start from December 13 and will go until December 31. The online admission process will happen between November 15 to December 31.  

For online applications, visit www.aipmt.nic.in or cal 011-2250 9256-59. Last date to apply is January 7.DNA

'Tough' syllabus stalks students, teachers

With the new syllabus for class XI (science) set to be incorporated in all colleges from the next academic year, students are not the only ones feeling the jitters, teachers and principals are equally apprehensive. The new syllabus, largely based on the CBSE curriculum, is expected to make it smooth sailing for IIT-JEE aspirants. However, teachers are worried that students from the state board will have a tough time coping with the rigours of the new syllabus which even CBSE students find very intensive.


Norina Fernandes, principal of Lilavatibai Podar High School in Santacruz said that students appearing for ISC examinations will not have a problem since the syllabus followed by ISC and CBSE (class XI and XII) is almost similar. "Both boards follow a curriculum which is more application-oriented. There are certain topics that either of us emphasise on and very few topics that might be different. The difference only comes in the way papers are evaluated, but that should not pose a problem," she said. CBSE principals claim that the syllabus followed by the state board is very different from the one that is followed by the central board. "There's very little rote learning in CBSE as most of the portion is application-oriented and very comprehensive," said Avnita Bir, principal of Ramniranjan Podar High School in Santacruz. She added that even students who pass their CBSE class X examination find it difficult to manage the vast Class XI syllabus at times. "But it is not impossible to follow. We have had students from state board schools appearing for CBSE class XI examinations and they have managed quite well."


Other principals also added that students will have to work extra hard to understand the new syllabus. Rita Bose, biology teacher at Sathaye College said "The chemistry and physics syllabus have increased by 100% and it's impossible to complete teaching them in the given academic time. While there isn't a vast difference in biology, in maths there has been a bit of shuffling around. But we all know that teaching in classes XI and XII will not be the same anymore and we are gearing up for the change."


Some students are worried the change may cost them a seat in a college of their choice. Sanai Babu  is not only worried about which college he'll manage to get a seat in, but also what to expect when he finally joins that college. "I will have to score very well in my examinations because I'm really keen on getting a seat in the best medical college. But I am worried now because with this new syllabus, I'm not sure if this will be possible as everything will be new to us," said the Class X student of Holy Family High School in Andheri (E).


Many colleges are supporting the change in syllabus which they say, will help students when they appear for examinations at the national level. "This new syllabus will iron out a lot of the hurdles for students appearing for competitive all-India level examinations like the IIT-JEE, CAT, CET and the like. There might be some problems in the beginning, but standardisation is important to avoid problems in the future," said Mehak Gvalani, vice-principal of K C (junior) College, Churchgate. She also added that workshops will be held for teachers to train them according to the upgraded syllabus.


"CBSE syllabus is easier than SSC or ICSE and once students get the accustomed to it, they'll find this easier. This new system gives more stress on objective type questions instead of descriptive. Also, pretty soon, the degree college evaluation system is about to change so it'll be a smooth sail for these students," said Kirti Narain, principal of Jai Hind College.


To standardise the syllabus across all boards, the class IX syllabus (maths and science) was upgraded in the current academic year, but class X students are still new to the concept. "Class IX students and parents have shared with us their problems on coping with the upgraded syllabus. But Class X students are still new to these changes and this might create problems for them," said a principal from a state board school.


"The portion will be new and a lot different from what the state board follows. It's a grade higher and even CBSE students at times face problems coping with it. Students have no alternative to hard work," said Jose Kurien, principal of DAV International School, Kharghar.TOI
 

Cover Your CBSE Syllabus Well To Get Good Score In AIEEE

According to what I have found giving the AIEEE examination  myself, that students who do reasonably well in their school will also tend to do well in their All India Engineering Entrance Examinations. It is advisable that in case you are not ready to take the burden of entrance preparations, then just doing well in CBSE can help you score a lot in AIEEE.

I have seen a lot of students who did reasonably well in their cbse 10th class however were not able to face the burden of entrance preparations and near to failing in their 11th class. Preparing for entrance examinations takes a lot of time and effort and its just hard for many who are not that efficient.

So in case you think that IITs are not for you, you still have a big chance to score in AIEEE which are much easier than IIT JEE. Just study well for your CBSE examinations and hopefully you will get in a university that takes students through AIEEE.RF

Few takers for CBSE Class X no-test option

Most students would jump at the idea of not writing the class X exam. But here are students who actually want to take an exam even though they have an option not to. 

The Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE) decided to give students of Class X students an option not to take board exams if they wish to continue in the same school. The Union human resource development ministry had come up with the idea of optional exams, starting this year. The schools are to conduct board exams only on demand. This was considered as a move to save the students from the stress and pressure of exams. 

Despite this 'easy way' out, most of the schools whom TOI spoke to said majority of students have decided to take the exams. There are various reasons for that. Parents think exams will discipline their wards. If a student wants to opt for PUC, or any other board, then the class X exam results would be relevant. Also, exams are not a stress because they carry only 40% marks and it is only the second term portions that the students have to study. 

Some schools like National Public School, Indiranagar, Gear Innovative International, Geethanjali Vidyalaya, Deva Matha Central School said not a single student opted for the new method of skipping the exams. 

There are other schools where the majority have opted for exams. For instance, in Delhi Public School South, 167 students opted for boards and 30 for internal test; in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Malleswaram, 110 of the 150 class X students are appearing for the exam. In Oxford Senior Secondary School, only 30% of students opted for school (internal) test.TOI

Experts raise concerns over new curriculum in CBSE schools

The continuous and comprehensive evaluation system was seen as a big break for the education system in India, but has the change been introduced too quickly?

This question was deliberated by the heads of several schools at a gathering here today.

While lauding the features of CCE, a new system of assessment introduced by CBSE a year ago, education experts called for more focussed deliberations as well as creating robust mechanisms for feedback and training to ensure its success.

"Ever since we introduced the system, there has been a stark improvement in the education sector. The rate of drop out has decreased and the pass percentage has increased," said Delhi Education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, quickly adding that the system, however, still had a long way to go to attain international standards.

"Yes the new system has done a lot to boost students' confidence but a lot still needs to be done. We need to explore new methodology through this system. Any policy we take should be in the interest of students," he said.

Nation faces massive task in education

Kapil Sibal said on Friday that improving the education system of India was a very complicated issue but we are moving in that direction. He also said that the whole nation must come together and work towards improving the quality and quantity of education in India and thus empower the country.

Explaining the complicated nature of the problem, Sibal said that access to education in India had different hurdles at different places like in the North East, in the Naxal affected areas, villages etc. However, the problem of access was not there in some urban centers where it was available to all.

Speaking about improving the quality of education in the country, the minister said that it depends on the kind of students we want to produce in our institution. He said to improve education we need to change the change the curriculum and for that we need to train the teachers. He said that the problem was different at the higher level as many of the training institutions in the field of medical, engineering etc were private ones and many of them were not of very good quality. He also expressed the need for change in people's mindset for improvement in the quality of education.

Explaining the magnitude of the problem, the minister said that about 220 mn people go to schools in India out of which only about 13 million reach college. As we don't have a critical mass of students going to college, we don't get enough intangible wealth of knowledge. So it is important that a critical mass of people go to school and also a critical mass of students go from elementary to higher level of education.

The minister further said that all this was not an easy task but we are moving in the direction and hope that from the present about 13-14 mn million students about 45 million students will go for higher education by 2020.

Here, he pointed out the need of private help. The minister said that there was a need to increase online education in a big way and for that the country needs more broadband and for that a huge investment. The minister said once that happens any child can take any course in India and can also choose the teacher he wants even if he is in a different city.

After explaining his plan till 2020, the minister said that still about 150 million students won't go to college in India.

To meet this problem, Sibal said that the nature of education must change and we should put in place National Vocational Policy Framework. He said that CBSE will give vocational certificates and teach vocational courses to students between class VIII and XII.

Explaining the magnitude of the problem, the minister said there was a need for the civil society, NGOS and many other such organisations to come together on education to empower India.HT

CBSE to provide special papers for visually challenged

Factoring in the needs of visually impaired students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to introduce separate question papers for these students without visual elements.

Keeping in mind that visual elements in question papers prove a disadvantage for the visually impaired, the CBSE will offer specially designed question papers for them starting 2011. While the school board was already doing so at senior levels for History, Geography and Economics, in order to enable these students to opt for Science stream, the CBSE will now also offer separate question papers for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.

CBSE already permits visually challenged students to use typewriters/computers for writing their answers. That apart, the examination guidelines say that seating arrangements for dyslexic, blind, physically handicapped and spastic candidates be made on the ground floor as far as possible. Additional time is also given to these students to complete their papers.

CBSE-International launched by Indian Schools.

MES Indian School is launching CBSE-International curriculum from today. The day will also see the introduction of e-Learning at the school. 
To begin with, the international curriculum will be introduced in two sections of Class IX and one section in Class 1.
Informing this at a briefing held at the school in honour of the visiting CBSE controller of examinations Mahesh Chandra Sharma, school principal A P Sasidharan said the school was among the 25 selected educational institutions outside India for starting the CBSE International curriculum.
Head of the school’s English department, G Rajkumar has been appointed as the CBSE-International co-ordinator.
Eventually, more sections would be added to the international curriculum if there is a growing demand from students.
Speaking later, Sharma said the international pattern introduced in the selected schools, mostly in the GCC states, is different in content and topics for each subject were chosen  after a detailed exercise.
Sharma said along with English, equal importance is given to the student’s mother tongue in the CBSE–International scheme, when the student reaches Class IX. Asked if no importance is attached to India’s national language, Hindi, the official said the impetus is on the mother-tongue even though one is free to choose any language.  “The mathematics being taught in International is both core and elective,” he said.
In the history part of social studies, only the world history and native history are taught. “So in Qatar, children would be asked to learn Qatari history instead of Indian history,” explained Sharma.
In science, different components of the subject, all of which are essentially skill-based, would meet the requirements of students, said the CBSE official.
Answering a question, the CBSE official said CBSE-affiliated schools are operated in 22 countries. 
“However, it is mostly the schools in GCC states which have added CBSE-International curriculum to the mainstream CBSE,” he said. Inquiries for its introduction are coming from schools in Singapore and Thailand also, he said.
Asked if it is possible to revert a child to the CBSE mainstream from the CBSE International if he or she found the latter uninteresting, the official could only say that the whole of the CBSE is very flexible and the new system would help the students meet their educational requirements in an effective manner.
Later, MES School announced the introduction of e-Learning system in the institution. 
The school president M K Abdulrahman said as part of the exercise to be launched in the coming year, 200 class rooms starting from KG to Class 8 would be equipped with necessary tools to prepare children for the programme.
To launch the programme, MES has signed a contract with Delhi-headquartered S Chand Harcourt India.
As part of the contract to be signed later this month, the Delhi firm would implement the licensed content and learning management system (LMS) in the school for both its  CBSE and CBSE-International programmes. 
The company would also provide training to the teachers and support school staff on the operations of the IT infrastructure system and on how to integrate the licensed content into their current teaching methods and classes.
The school president said the QR300,000 contract for the introduction of e-Learning at the school would cover its operations for the next five years. After the initial introduction in 200 class rooms between KG and Class 8 next year, the programme would be introduced at higher classes the following year, said the president.
Abdulrahman also disclosed that the CBSE-International classes which are being launched today are already equipped with e-Learning tools.
The Delhi company officials Sanjeev Gupta and Veena Ranjan said their software had already been successfully implemented in a couple of large schools in the UAE, apart from several schools in India. 
“At one of the Indian schools in Dubai, our software is meeting the requirements of more than 7,000 students in about 300 classrooms,” said Gupta.
MES School governing body members A K Usman, P K Mohamed, K P Mohamed Ali, A T Usman and M C Mohamed, head of different sections and other officials were present.GT

What makes a good teacher?

Teachers can’t be made, or designed, or engineered. They make themselves. Teachers, to use a mechanical metaphor, auto-construct. In other words they make and constantly remake themselves throughout their professional lives. Sometimes reading a book in the summer holiday will stimulate change, or a conversation in a staff room, or, more rarely nowadays, staff training. But whatever the trigger, it is always the teacher who actively decides on change.

This might appear to be a rather obtuse first point to make, but I would suggest that it is the founding principle on which our discussion should begin. Sadly, most recent attempts to ‘make’ good teachers have approached them as if they were programmable drones, to be deployed in some horrific youth containment exercise. Ministers and their mandarins in Whitehall – and too many compliant teacher educators – have sought to develop teaching machines. In their managerial fantasy, these machines are activated by OfSTED’s pedagogical punch card, whose instructions, in case you didn’t  know, always read as follows: all teaching units must start by stating the learning objectives, this should be followed by Q&A, an activity combined with learning checks, and finally a plenary.

In the real world, good teachers rip up the punch card and get on with their job: engaging young minds in the wonders of culture. And they do this by exemplifying as individuals the critical intellectual spirit we hope the next generation will adopt. Those who follow teaching scripts handed down from on high can never be good teachers, as they are in fact pseudo-intellects, fakers and impostors, who are acting out, rather than embodying, cultural engagement. Students can easily spot a hypocrite.

However, none of this means that teachers should be left in intellectual isolation, or in subject ghettos. Teaching is necessarily an individual act, in which the teacher themselves is the medium of instruction, but education is social, and teachers have a great deal to learn from others. How should this be done?

Teaching is far more than a craft skill. It is a social, political and moral activity and therefore it has an ethic. It is a cultural transaction that assumes adult wisdom and children’s ignorance. Teaching, most typically, involves distinct subjects, and so pedagogues themselves need to know what a subject is and is not. Put all of this together and it becomes clear that all future teachers in fact require education. Training is not enough.

Providing all future teachers with an education in education itself will not guarantee good teaching, as individuals alone retain responsibility for their practice. But it can ensure that all teachers understand what education is and are fully aware of its cultural significance. For me, the best, and now neglected way of doing this is to introduce teachers to the great theorists of education, writers such as Paul Hirst, Michael Oakeshott and Brian Simon. This is what is missing from teacher-training today.

Educating the educators will not resolve all the problems schools face, but it just might light a few intellectual fires in the minds of next generation of teachers and this should encourage them to kindle similar fires in minds of the young.

Board exam or school test? Choose carefully

Central Board of Secondary Education Class 10 students may forego their chance of continuing in their current school in Class 11 if they choose to appear for the board-conducted examination in March, the CBSE has warned. Though individual schools may still agree to admit their former students, the
CBSE will not intervene to ask schools to admit students who opted out of the school-conducted test, the board has said.

Class 10 students will this month, for the first time, have to choose between the CBSE- conducted examination and the summative assessment individual schools will conduct, senior board sources have confirmed.

This is the first year that the decades-old Class 10 board examination has been made optional.

Students will need to inform their schools in writing whether they intend to take the summative assessment conducted by their school at the end of this term or the board-conducted public examination. The written statements of all students will be forwarded by schools to the CBSE. But students – and their parents – must be extra cautious while making their choice because at stake is the possibility of continuing in the same school and even in the CBSE system in Class 11, the board has warned.

Only students who leave the CBSE and join Class 11 in schools affiliated to other boards need to take the CBSE-conducted examination. The school-conducted examination is adequate for all those who pursue Class 11 in CBSE schools — whether or not the school is the same as the one in which the students completed Class 10.

But students and parents will not have the luxury of keeping both options — CBSE and non-CBSE schools — open for Class 11 and should make a “conscious decision”, the Board said in a set of responses to frequently asked questions it has prepared.

“Having given in writing that you are going to leave the CBSE system, you may probably forego your priority in admission in Class 11 in the same school,” it said.

hindustantimes

CBSE Declares Industrial Relevant Courses For Class 9 to 12.

With growing demand of skilled professionals in different industries in the country, CBSE is ready with its new proposal to start vocational courses, relevant for various industries in all the schools from classes 9 to 12.

According to Vineet Joshi, CBSE chairman, CBSE has made a three member panel that is looking forward to submit its proposal in three months. He also cleared that two meetings have already been conducted by the panel with the agenda to focus on requirements of local industry in India.

“Strong industry-academia linkages will help students come up with low-cost solutions for industrial problems, while getting acquainted with industry requirements and culture. The syllabus will be designed to match latest the industry requirements, with emphasis on industrial training,” he said.

“Schools intending to offer vocational courses will obtain permission from us, while students will have to attend additional classes for that.”

There will be course certificates, improving employability. Short-term skill improvement modules will also be offered, with add-on certificates.

Admitting the Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation (CCE) programme introduced last year had evoked only a mixed response from the stakeholders, Joshi said a two-tier monitoring system had been started to ensure proper compliance.

My News

CBSE designs aptitude test for its students

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has devised a tool to calculate students’ global aptitude index. The index will help students in deciding their career choices as taking board exams is not mandatory any more.

The CBSE will be having a series of tests for Standard X students, which will check their social, scientific, numerical, art and behavioural science aptitude and other interest areas.

It will be a paper and pencil test for not more than two and a half hours. The board decided to have such a test after conducting a random survey in schools to check if parents were aware of aptitude tests.

The survey results were shown to a psychiatrist, psychologist and experts in psychometric, after which the index was designed. It will be an aptitude and interest test designed specially for the CBSE students.

Deepshikha Srivastava, principal of Rajhans Vidyalaya, Andheri, said, “Since the choice of subjects for students was based on the scores they got in Standard X board exams, it was a need of the hour. Parents believe that high scorers should be opting for science, even if they do not have the aptitude for the subject. Subjects in arts and commerce are not sought after by high scorers.” She added that the schools have been asked to submit the list of students who are in Standard X for the test. The last date for submission of names is November 15.

The board, however, specifies that the index should be just considered an indicator and not the final aptitude. “It should initiate a dialogue between the teachers and students or between counsellors and students,” said an official.

DNAINDIA

Obama, Singh seal higher education summit to take forward ties

India and the US will hold a first ever official higher education summit next year to take forward their ties in the sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and American President Barack Obama announced on Monday. HT had first reported – on November 5 -- that India and the US were discussing


the proposal for summit level talks between the two countries as a deliverable from Obama's visit.
The summit level talks will witness top leaders of the two countries discuss areas of cooperation and concerns and is aimed at providing greater momentum to reforms that can facilitate further deepening of ties in the sector, sources said.

Indian American groups and societies have held Indo-US conferences on higher education in the past, including one in Mumbai earlier this year. The summit next year will be the first time that the governments of the two countries will hold summit level talks on the subject, reflecting the uniqueness of their relationship in the sectror, sources said.

"Cooperation in the field of education holds great promise because no two other countries
are better equipped to be partners in building the knowledge economy of the future," the Prime Minister said today, in opening remarks at a joint press conference with Obama at Hyderabad House.

Obama said the summit and the Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative which the two leaders announced last November during the PM's visit to the US, were key indicators of the deepening Indo-US ties in education.

Both Singh and Obama are understood to have emphasized the need to focus on collaboration in education as a key component of the Indo-US partnership which both leaders have defined as one of the "defining partnerships of the 21st century."

Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal was a part of the delegation level talks at Hyderabad House today where the proposal for the higher education summit – moved by the US – was finalized.

The presence of several US university presidents in Obama's delegation is a key indicator of the role of education in the partnership between the two countries, sources said. Close to 100,000 Indian students are studying in US higher educational institutions and research laboratories.

The presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Cornell University and senior representatives of Boston University, Arizona State University and Rutgers University are a part of Obama's delegation.

Hindustantimes

Canadian universities coming to woo Indian students

Presidents of 15 Canadian universities embark on a seven-day mission to India on Monday to woo students from the second fastest growing nation in the world.

It is the biggest mission to India by Canadian educational institutions after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on higher education during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here in June.

Though more than 150,000 Indian students go abroad for higher education each year, Canada gets only about 3,000 annually.
Thus, Indian students account for a fraction of more than 90,000 foreign students who enrolled in Canadian universities last year.

With foreign students paying more than $15,000 in fees each and collectively pumping more than $6.5 billion into the economy, Canada is looking to a big jump in enrollment from India.

Organized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the Canadian education mission will travel to Pune and Delhi for meetings with educational institutions, the private sector and administrators to usher in new era in ties in this sector between the two nations.

Its major engagements in India include a roundtable with Indian university presidents, which will also be attended by Indian human resource minister Kapil Sibal and his Canadian counterpart Gary Goodyear.

The mission will also participate in the higher education summit being organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

"This mission is a way for us to get to know India and its needs more deeply - and to make sure that when Indians think of research and higher education, they think of us,'' said AUCC president Paul Davidson before the mission's departure for India.

"Educators and business people in India need to know that Canadian universities are open to building successful partnerships that will enrich experiences for students, strengthen links between our countries and advance international research collaboration,'' he said.

The Economic Times

Obama for better ties in education sector with India

US President Barack Obama expressed the need for increased America-India partnership in the field of education, both in his speech at the Oberoi's Trident Hotel here and at a private meeting with a select group of people from Mumbai Saturday evening.
Among those present at the meeting with the select group was the head of Ryan International Group of Schools, Mumbai, Grace Pinto, who spoke about the contributions in the field of education in the US by her group in the past few years.

'I briefed him about our education projects in India and US, and other parts of the world. President Obama appreciated the efforts and said we were doing a great job,' she said.

'He asked us to continue with the same zeal to spread education among the largest possible number of students, especially those from the deprived sections.

The Ryan Group is the co-ordinator of the US-India Business Council's education initiative which has, among others, Pepsico chief Indra Nooyi as one of the advisory panel members, said Ryan Pinto, group chief operating officer, international operations.

IANS

Physical education must be provided every day: CBSE

Now physical education is set to get more importance in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools. CBSE has made it mandatory for all affiliated schools to dedicate a period every day for it.

However, with schools racing against time to complete their portion before exams, principals say that having a physical education period every day will be difficult.

A government resolution issued by CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi on October 27, gives unprecedented importance to physical education and sports.

Schools will now have to set aside at least 40-45 minutes for physical activities or games for students of standards I to X daily.

For standards XI and XII, 90 to 120 minutes will have to be dedicated every week for physical education. In the past, CBSE also promoted physical education across all its schools by directing them to set up health and wellness clubs.

But, principals say that the schools cannot afford to waste a period every day for sports especially the higher secondary classes.

“We conduct two physical education periods every week, but it’s not feasible to do it daily. We ask students to exercise during the morning assembly itself,” said Deepshikha Shrivastav, principal of Rajhans Public School, Andheri.

Principals say there is a need to widen the definition of sports to include activities like dance, aerobics, etc.

“Any kind of activity that brings out the energy in the child must be included in sports. These are the activities that children enjoy doing instead of the mundane hand and foot exercises,” said Avnita Bir, principal, RN Podar school, Andheri.

The circular states that children lead happier lives as a result of being actively involved in sporting activities and it has long been established that fitness and improved academic performance go together.

Physical education and sports activities during school hours reduce boredom and help keep students attentive in classrooms.

dnaindia.com

ISRO will concentrate on Education and Health

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will now on concentrate on education and health, said a top official.

"The future thrust areas for ISRO will be in food and water security , weather and climate , environment and ecosystem , sustainable development, support for informed decision making , education and health care, skill development and rural communications , as well as disaster management," said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the organization.

He was delivering the 11th Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Silver Jubilee Lecture on 'ISRO Saga Forward'.

The eminent scientist also elucidated upon the vision of ISRO for the next 20 years, viz. space applications, space exploration, space assets and access to space.

"ISRO is working on GSAT 5P and RISAT-1 , the satellite Aperture Radar , which enables the satellite to look at the earth , even in the presence of cloud cover," he said.

Stating that India joined the elite group of countries, having re-entry capabilities in 2007, Radhakrishnan also spoke about ISRO's plans and efforts to put man on the moon.

Stressing on the need for good minds, he spoke about ISRO's Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology at Trivandrum.

"The batch of B.Tech students will pass out in June 2011. Those getting good grades will be absorbed in the institute," said Radhakrishnan.

Calling both ISRO and IGNOU examples of 'learning organizations', the eminent scientist spoke of India's space programme from 1963 to the present and its vision for the future.

He said the Indian space programme as a society- driven one.

"In the 1960s, India was beset by several problems, like illiteracy. Hence the focus was on how communication satellites could be used to solve these immediate problems. This vision was shared by the entire organization and other successors of Dr Vikram Sarabhai," said the ISRO chairman. --IBNS
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