Bihar
First BLISS graduates
The Bihar state government felicitated 120 teachers trained in English teaching under the British government-spons-ored Bihar Language Initiative in Secondary Schools (BLISS) project, at a ceremony in Patna on July 3.
Speaking on the occasion, Bihar’s education minister P.K. Shahi said: “We have a staggering 20 million students in classes I-X to whom we must provide quality education and equip with linguistic skills to enhance their pros-pects. We must address the aspirations of our students for better education. Otherwise we are sitting on a volcano.’’
In January, the state’s education ministry signed an agreement with the British government’s Department for International Development (DFID) to provide English teaching programmes for teachers in Bihar.
Rob Lynes, director, British Council (India), said the BLISS project will provide English teaching skills to teachers by way of in-service training.
Odisha
Higher education quality push
The Union government will give a major push to improve the quality of higher education during the Twelfth Plan (2012-17) period under its Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) programme. “It is a stark reality that quality, particularly in higher education, is not of international standards. Therefore the Central government is taking a slew of measures to improve the situation,” Union human resource development minister M.M. Pallam Raju said in Bhubaneswar on July 2.
Addressing a press conference, Raju said RUSA’s focus will be on improving teaching-learning quality and enabling research. “RUSA will fund colleges and universities, and transform them into centres of academic excellence.’’
Elaborating, the minister announced that 20 new Central universities and seven IITs will be promoted under RUSA during the 12th Plan period, adding that deserving institutes will also be conferred the status of Central universities.
With particular reference to Odisha, Raju said the Centre’s allocation to the state for school education schemes during the period 2009-13 aggregated Rs.6,488.77 crore against which the allocation in 2013-14 is Rs.837.12 crore.
Punjab
Rural higher ed initiative
The punjab government is examining a proposal to provide free higher education to meritorious students of poor families in rural areas of the state. The programme, under active consid-eration, is envisaged in the PPP (public-private partnership) mode in association with several renowned private sector education institutions in Punjab.
“The state government is determined to provide free-of-charge high quality higher education to merit students from poor rural households. We are currently engaged in discussions with several reputed education institutions to partner with the state government,” said Punjab education minister Sikander Singh Maluka, speaking to media personnel in Chandigarh on July 4.
Uttar Pradesh
IIM-L-SMU concordat
A memorandum of understanding has been inked between the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L), and Singapore Management University (SMU). Under the terms of the MoU signed in Lucknow on July 29, the two institutes will support each other in the pursuit of excellence in global business education. “Both IIM-Lucknow and SMU will closely collaborate in research, executive education, faculty and stud-ent exchange programmes. With globalisation, opportunities will be created in various domains of learning. Moreover, research cannot be confined to geographies. We have joined hands with one of Asia’s leading institutions to share our expertise and learn together,” said Devi Singh, director of IIM-L who signed the agreement on behalf of the institute.
“Another important feature of this collaboration will be joint design, development and delivery of progra-mmes leading to certification from both SMU and IIM-L,’’ added Prof. Rajendra Srivastava, provost and deputy presi-dent of SMU. “As the world becomes globally connected, unification of professional education enriches the process of learning and invests it with greater potential,’’ he said.
Himachal Pradesh
Private colleges crackdown
The himachal pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPEIRC) will grant approval to courses run by private universities and institutions of higher education. “Private universities will have to fulfill eligibility criteria, minimum standards of instruction, and adhere to HPPEIRC norms for courses and programmes. Moreover, the commission will ensure that duly qualified teaching staff and academic infrastructure facilities are in line with norms prescribed by UGC and AICTE, before granting approval,’’ Sarojini G. Thakur, chairman of HPPEIRC, informed media personnel in Shimla on July 11.
Stating that the commission will apply stipulated norms rigorously, Thakur said HPPEIRC recently slashed the capacity of the M.Pharma progra-mme from 72 seats last year to 18 in 2013, because private universities are yet to get requisite AICTE approvals.
Assam
CBSE school education model
The CBSE model will be followed by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) for all schools in the state, Tarun Gogoi, chief minister of Assam, said in Guwahati on July 11. “I have asked SEBA to follow the CBSE model by making adaptations for local conditions. Since a ready model exists, it is unnecessary to try out a new one and spend time improving it later,’’ Gogoi told reporters.
On the reported lacunae in SEBA, he said an enquiry committee comprising the vice chancellors of Gauhati Univ-ersity and Assam Agriculture University, had been constituted to examine them.
Gogoi said improving the quality of education statewide is high priority. “We are increasing the funding of teachers training institutes in the state and stressing employability of students,’’ he added.