Suggest school syllabi to boost innovation: Irani to IITs

NEW DELHI: The government plans to formulate a national innovation policy that would stress on innovation at the school level, according to human resource development minister Smriti Irani. 

Apprising directors and chairmen of 16 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) about the policy at a retreat in Goa Sunday, Irani asked them to suggest curriculum changes at the school level that would not only align with higher education institutions but also help set up innovation labs at the district level across India with a view to infusing a culture of research and innovation among students. 

Irani asked the institutes to set up cultures of excellence in central universities, said a ministry statement. 

The day-long retreat focused on issues related to deepening research and technological innovation for meeting the national development agenda, enhancing industry-academia collaboration and expanding the massive open online courses (MOOCs). 

It also stressed on framing a ranking system that would reflect national concerns and leveraging alumni networks, the statement added. 

Irani said the IITs need to come up with at least 10 goals that India should reach, both nationally and internationally, in a time-bound manner. 

"A committee consisting of directors and chairmen of IITs has been constituted to map various disciplines with respect to their requirement for meeting national manpower goals," the statement said. 

Irani also asked the IITs to develop a "special programme" for students from the northeast and said they need to be "exposed to the best of the institutions like IITs in different parts of the country". 

She asked the director of IIT Guwahati to coordinate efforts in this direction and submit a report by the middle of August. 

She also highlighted the need to develop "quality faculty" not only for the new IITs, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) but also for other institutions in the country. 

Urging the IITs to leverage their alumni network, Irani asked the chairmen and directors to suggest policy constraints and strategies to involve the institutes' alumni for contributing towards the institutes' development and also the nation.

10 things you must know about Delhi University’s four-year undergraduate programme

NEW DELHI: For the past one year, Delhi University's four-year undergraduate programme has been in the news for various reasons. City-wide protests by students and teacher organizations, the fact that DU in fact admitted students into the programme last year despite the uproar, and finally the stepping in of University Grants Commission (UGC) to scrap FYUP are the key highpoints underlining this controversial programme.

On Tuesday, Delhi University colleges, slowly but surely started switching back from the controversial four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) to the three-year course. On Tuesday — a day that was dominated by an unseemly drama over whether or not vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh had resigned — 57 of the university's 64 colleges quietly communicated to UGC that they were moving back to the three-year course.

BTech students call off their stir

NEW DELHI: The only group of students which had been opposing the rollback of the FYUP has called off its protest after an assurance by the University Grants Commission on Tuesday. 

Students demonstrating outside the UGC office and on North Campus were told that their course would not be scrapped even if the three-year format is restored.The students were opposing the rollback as they won't be left with any specialization after finishing their course. 

About 3,000 students are pursuing BTech in various colleges introduced along with FYUP. The UGC directed the university and its colleges to restore the earlier format and ensure migration of the FYUP batch to 3-year structure. 

In that case, BTech students would have graduated with a BSc degree. DU was told to enrol new applicants under the earlier courses, failing which the UGC might freeze funds to the university. 

The standing committee proposed that these students should be allowed to complete the fourth year and be given the degree . There is still no clarity on whether the courses will be offered.

DU colleges defer admissions as FYUP impasse continues

NEW DELHI: The continuing face-off over the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) earned Delhi University a dubious distinction on Monday. For the first time in the varsity's 92-year history, principals of all constituent colleges on their own decided to defer admissions for 2014-15 till the FYUP issue was resolved.

READ ALSO: DU can do what it wants: FYUP camp

Admissions on the first cutoff were to start from Tuesday. However, the complete silence of the University Grants Commission and DU authorities through the day meant college principals were left with absolutely no directions on how to set the cutoffs. Needless to say, the anxious wait continued for students seeking admission.

READ ALSO: Crisis leaves first batch in a bind

Meanwhile, the 10-member committee set up by UGC to prepare a roadmap for the transition back to a three-year undergraduate programme held its meeting on Monday. It suggested that all courses that existed prior to FYUP be restored but said the interests of students enrolled under the BTech programme should be protected.

As ambiguity continued, the DU principals' association convened a meeting at Khalsa College. By then, several colleges had already decided cutoffs, some were already holding meetings and the rest had deferred the process. Instead of waiting for DU to decide, the 36 principals who attended the meeting passed a resolution in favour of deferring the process.

"In view of the recent developments and the seriousness of the situation regarding the conflicting guidelines of University of Delhi and University Grants Commission regarding admissions... the principals' association has no option but to resolve to defer the process of admissions till unambiguous guidelines are received by the colleges from the competent authority," said a statement by the association.

Make them job-ready

India's young population has a great responsibility — to make the country the next superpower. With 50% of its population below the age of 29, India is poised to become the world's youngest nation by 2020. However, this 'demographic dividend' may end up being a 'disaster' if employment opportunities are not provided to the youth. Young Indians will play a significant role in shaping the nation, provided they have relevant opportunities to prove their worth. 

Today's generation is focused and determined to participate and contribute in every sphere, be it technology, politics, sports, education or entrepreneurship. The past decade has seen small ideas being transformed into billion-dollar businesses. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook, which not only made him a billionaire but also changed the way people communicated with friends and family. 

The scenario 

Understanding the urgency for economic reforms, the new government is expected to take the necessary steps to bring the growth rate back to its previous best. Steady and continuous economic growth would ensure more jobs across all sectors. But the big question is whether the youngsters are equipped with the skills required for various jobs. 

Recent policy changes have given an impetus to skill development. A similar boost to entrepreneurship would ensure young citizens an opportunity to be an integral part of India's growth story. 

The challenge 

After schooling, youngsters can choose a conventional three-year degree or a four-year professional programme. The absence of shortterm programmes that focus on providing competencies required for the job market forces them to take up jobs in the unorganised sector or makes them vulnerable to exploitation. 

Almost 20 million students enrol in various colleges every year. According to various studies, 75% of technical graduates and more than 85% of general graduates are unemployable by India's most demanding and high-growth global industries, including information technology. This shows that India offers the world's largest pool of technically-skilled graduates who are not industry-ready. 

Possible solutions 

It is time to act fast in this rapidlychanging world. So, here are some possible solutions to the multiple challenges before the nation: 

Focus on providing vocational training to high school students and introduce them to various career options available to them if they wish to discontinue formal education. The first step in that direction, the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF ), aims to formally integrate vocational education with its current conventional educational streams in school and higher education. 

Introduce short-term (one-or two-year ) government-approved courses and encourage existing educational institutions to provide them alongside conventional degrees. This would give the youth an option to choose from an array of courses and degrees. Also, this would ensure every enrollee in a one-year course an opportunity to bag a job after completing it. 

Keeping in mind the huge gap between the demand and supply of skilled workers across sectors, increase the capacity of existing training providers besides empanelling new training organisations. In addition, all agencies that support skill development initiatives must focus on placements of candidates trained under various schemes. Map courses to gaps in a demandand-supply analysis across sectors and job roles. 

Encouraging entrepreneurship is essential to fuel growth across sectors. Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of a country's economy. Besides providing local employment, they create a market for local produce. However, India is ranked 134 in the World Bank index on 'Ease of doing business'. Drastic policy changes and minimising delays in giving out licences to micro, small and medium enterprises are required if young India's aspirations are to be fulfilled. 

—Chandrajit Banerjee (The author is member trustee, India@75 and DG, Confederation of Indian Industry)

We'll devise a new education policy, Smriti Irani says

NEW DELHI: Nearly three decades after the last such exercise was undertaken, the Modi government will formulate a new national education policy "reflecting the aspirations of India now and opportunities in the next decade", HRD minister Smriti Irani told TOI in an exclusive interview, her first to the English media after assuming office. 

Irani said the new policy will be put together after extensive consultations with all stakeholders. "It will be my endeavour to help India emerge as a knowledge-based economy," she said. The current education policy was formulated by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986.

CBSE schools triple as board’s popularity grows across India

MUMBAI: The landscape of school education has for long promised a variety of options. Almost half-a-dozen school boards—local, national and international—offer Indian students a choice of academic algorithms for careers ahead. But of them all, CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), which was largely designed for those who moved home and could not be loyal to a state board, is picking up popularity across the nation.

In 1996-97, there were 4,843 affiliated schools to the CBSE board, which has grown to 15,000 institutes now, with most of the growth coming from independent private schools, indicating the way the wind is blowing. While every year thousands of Indian parents find it tough to decide which board their child must sign up for, new school managements too face the same quandary when they start operations.


READ ALSO: ​Most schools flaunt 100% pass rate in CBSE Class X results