UGC asks universities to start PhD programmes in AYUSH disciplines

Students will now be able to pursue PhD in traditional medicine courses after the University Grants Commission (UGC) asked all central universities to start a doctorate degree programmes under AYUSH disciplines.

On June 24, AYUSH ministry had written a letter to the UGC requesting it to issue an advisory to educational institutions on the same. AYUSH has announced PhD programmes in AYUSH disciplines from the concerned research council.

The research councils in the field of Ayurvedic Sciences, Homoeopathy, Yoga and Naturopathy among others also conduct clinical and basic research studies

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Kerala schools to get hi-tech internet facility

In a first-of-its-kind scheme in the country, at least 10,000 lower and upper primary Government and aided schools in Kerala are going hi-tech and will start getting internet facilities from November 1.

These schools will be able to get 2 Mbps broadband internet with unlimited data usage powered by BSNL, as part of the ‘IT@School’ Project, the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) arm of the state Education Department.

‘IT@School’ Project has been providing broadband internet connection to close to 5,000 High schools, Higher Secondary Schools and educational offices since 2007. “With the addition of broadband internet to primary section also, the state’s school broadband internet network will cover 100 per cent schools with over 15,000 connections.

This will be the largest and first-of-its-kind in the country,” K Anvar Sadath, Director of the Project, said.

Education Minister, C Ravindranath, said this would be the commencement of upgradation of ICT infrastructure in the primary section. This is in continuation of the High Tech school programme announced by the government through which all classes of Standard 8 to 12 are being upgraded with modern ICT tools. The lower primary schools would get the new ICT Textbooks prepared on Edutainment platform titled ‘Kalipetti’ (play box) in November.

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How to make education a priority to your kids?

Legally, there is no such thing as educational neglect. It is, quite simply, not a recognized type of child abuse. Education is necessary for finding the best outcomes for youth, but when it comes to finding children shelter and food and parents, education tends to fall to the bottom of the list and then to fall through the cracks. The child welfare system exists for the purpose of keeping children safe, and when it comes to safety, it is hard for education to be a top priority in this overburdened system.

However, speaking up for the best interest of children, and not just their safety, means that education is a top priority for CASA. Having just one volunteer on one case means that we are fortunate enough to be able to focus not just on immediate safety, but on a lifetime of outcomes. For children, especially children from hard places, education is liberation, so for CASA volunteers, educational advocacy is key. It is of such importance for youth outcomes that Travis County's family court judges specifically name CASA volunteers as Education Advocates when they are appointed to a case.

School is hard for any child. Balancing classes and homework with clubs and social lives is difficult enough to manage in the best of situations. For children involved in the child welfare system, engaging and succeeding in school presents much greater challenges. Fear, depression and insecurity lead to emotional issues that make it difficult to focus in class and can cause larger behavioral issues. When a child is dealing with the trauma of abuse, has to change homes and schools, or is uncertain of where they might be sleeping, it is easy to see how they fall behind in school. A CASA volunteer has to see beyond the trauma and chaos to help the child succeed in spite of their situation.

Educational advocacy means doing everything we can to ensure that a child in care has the same opportunity to thrive in school as any other child. Just like every other form of advocacy, it takes a different form in each case.

For children receiving special education services, being an Education Advocate means attending meetings with the school to create an Individualized Education Plan, which determines what modifications and accommodations the school must make to meet a child's specific needs. It means working with the child's lawyer when their rights aren't being met.

For children who have just moved schools, being an Education Advocate means meeting with the school officials to make sure teachers and staff understand what children are dealing with and how to best respond to behavior issues so that kids aren't suspended for an outburst that would never have happened if they had a fidget toy or a snack or a five minute break. It means making sure that the school has all of the paperwork they need because sometimes it takes weeks or even months for the files to transfer over and by that point the child has fallen behind because they missed out on services they need. It means talking with the child to make sure they understand the rules and expectations of the new school.

Educational advocacy means meeting with counselors and teachers and assistant principals to keep up to date on how a child is doing. Sometimes it means helping with homework of finding a tutor. It means setting high expectations for children and helping them to meet them. It means talking with the child's therapists to come up with ideas for how difficult behavior can be managed in the academic setting and it means listening to the child and giving them a voice to tell you what they need.

Children in the child welfare system don't have a parent to speak up for them and ensure they have what they need in school and the system is not built to meet that need. If support for those needs isn't available, children are likely to fall further and further behind in school. CASA volunteers fill many roles for the children they serve, but the role of Education Advocate is always a priority. It's a way we affirm our commitment to these children that we are not willing to settle for them simply being safe.  

Source<> http://www.edubilla.com/blog/how-to-make-education-a-priority-to-your-kids-/

JICA offers scholarships to IIT- Hyderabad graduates

Thirty graduating students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad will be offered scholarships by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to study in Japanese universities. The announcement was made during the sixth Edition of the Academic Fair, organised under the aegis of JICA-FRIENDSHIP project, at the IIT-H campus. These scholarships would be offered to 30 graduating students of IIT-H to pursue masters or PhD and would cover tuition fees and logistics, a JICA statement said.

The project has been initiated by JICA to facilitate development of research networks between institutions of higher learning and industrial clusters in Japan with IIT-H “that would lead to excellence in education and applied research in science and engineering”.

FRIENDSHIP connotes Future Researchers at IIT-H to enhance Network Development with Scholarship of Japan. Under the project, scholarships are offered to students of IIT-H to pursue degrees such as PhD at internationally renowned universities in Japan, such as Tohoku University, University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Ritsumeikan University, Osaka University and Kyushu University, it added.

In the 6th Edition of the Academic Fair, The University of Tokyo, The University of Usaka, The University of Keio and The University of Ritsumeikan along with 23 Japanese Companies participated and shared insights on the various opportunities offered by JICA.

Japan’s Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu also attended the event and delivered his speech to encourage students to visit Japan and study there.

Source<> http://www.edubilla.com/news/foreign-studies/jica-offers-scholarships-to-iit-hyderabad-graduates/

Stanford University to waive fees for poor students

Our highest priority is that Stanford remains affordable and accessible to the most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances, said Provost John W. Etchemendy in a statement.

In what appear as a respite for thousands of student and also as a lenient tuition fees policy, Stanford University, USA, has lately decided to waive tuition fees for poor students.

Our highest priority is that Stanford remains affordable and accessible to the most talented students, regardless of their financial circumstances, said Provost John W. Etchemendy in a statement.

Our generous financial aid program accomplishes that, and these enhancements will help even more families, including those in the middle class, afford Stanford without going into debt, added Etchemendy.

Those students whose family annual income is less than $ 125, 000 are exempted from tuition fees and whose families assets does not exceed $300, 000 are eligible. Family assets includes home equity except retirement saving accounts. Tuition fees can go up to $46, 000 annually while accommodation charges to $ 14,000 per year. However,  students coming from a family whose annual income doesn't exceed $ 65, 000 will not have to pay accommodation fees.

Stanford University will not exempt the entire fees. Students have to pay at least $ 5,000 by means of part-time jobs or summer jobs to the varsity.

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Tips to help your child with career choice

Students are confused about their career choices, simply because these choices change with alarmingly rapid frequency. Here are some simple strategies that have often worked well for parents:

1. Provide Exposure

Parents should try and play the role of a co-investigator, rather than just agreeing or accepting different careers that a child may be talking about. If the career interest is from your area, describe and discuss your own experiences with them. If it is not a field you are familiar with, research what it is all about, its scope, specialisations and prospects along with your child. Be an active participant in this career exploration.

2. Connect

Help the child get a real life picture of what this career is all about. Connect them with friends or relatives in that area and mine your networks to see who your child could possibly talk to. You could proactively explore for an interview or internship opportunities. A better understanding of what professionals in a particular field do on a daily basis, what inspires them, what are the challenges, how they can build their careers will go a very long way in helping a child (and therefore you) figure whether this career will work for them or not.

3. Create mentors

You may be the most encouraging and helpful parents on Earth, but when it comes to exploring and building careers, have someone else become the person your child could also turn to for advice. A friend, a relative or someone senior in the field who has taken a shine to your child can be a trusted advisor and sounding board - for you as well. Their unique insights and another perspective into the career can prove invaluable.

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Bangalore University launched students adoption scheme

Bangalore University has launched a students adoption scheme for students who cannot afford higher education including students from the weaker sections of the society and orphans. The varsity recently announced free education to master degree courses to those students who are orphans and to those cannot afford higher education. 

According to the students adoption scheme by the Bangalore University, orphan students will be offered free of cost education and boarding facilities.

The university will be offering post graduation and Ph.D programmes under this scheme. According to the reports 2 girl students are currently pursuing post graduation courses under this scheme. According to a senior official in BU, the teaching faculties of the university will be donating money to provide free education under the scheme.

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No admission to foreign students in medical colleges

Hundreds of foreign students who had enrolled this year for undergraduate programmes in private medical colleges in India now face an uncertain future due to a “tricky” domestic legislation regarding entrance examination for them. Foreign students in India come to pursue MBBS or BDS courses either through an institutional quota system, like in government colleges, or by directly applying to private colleges.

But, due to the recent ruling of the Supreme Court on making the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) mandatory for admission to private and deemed institutes, they are now facing uncertainty as they do not fall under the NEET criteria.

The NEET eligibility criteria says only Indian nationals or Overseas Citizens of India can take the exam. It does not have any mention of foreign nationals. The colleges have allegedly asked foreign students to leave the campuses by “next week”.

Tilak Silva, father of Shenali, who came from Colombo to pursue BDS at Manipal University, said, “My daughter and other foreign students are suffering now only because there is this tricky NEET procedure. First foreigners cannot write NEET exam and now these students are being compared with domestic ones. Where should we go now as we have been asked to leave the campus by October 14. The career of our children has been jeopardised.

Silva also alleged that after the apex court’s ruling, the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Dental Council of India (DCI) have been “pressurising” colleges to allow only those students who have taken NEET. How can the decision be so blanket. I have already intimated the Sri Lankan High Commission in Delhi and the Foreign Office in Colombo about this situation. We also appeal to the authorities and the Indian Prime Minister to allow some stop-gap arrangements for this 2016-17 batch so that their year is not wasted, he said.

When contacted DCI President Dr Dibyendu Mazumdar said, It is the verdict of the Supreme Court, what can we do about it. Colleges have to abide by it.

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HRD to Organise Smart India Hackathon 2017

Prakash Javadekar led Union HRD ministry is planning to hold a unique ‘Smart India Hackathon 2017’ in January-February next year, which would reach out to 30 lakh students from all technology institutes in the country.

It would be the world’s largest event, official sources told. Smart India Hackathon is a 36 hours non-stop digital programming competition during which student teams will compete to offer innovative solutions for any given problem statement, sources said.

And the aim of this initiative is to harness the creativity and technical expertise of young minds studying in technology institutes to think out of the box and come up with innovative and disruptive tech solutions for some of the daunting problems faced by our nation, a senior official said.

Sources said that recently, Higher Education secretary in the HRD ministry VS Oberoi, had written to his counterpart in other ministries asking them to assign officers to identify around 30 problem statements which are of relevance to them so that they can be put to the contestants.

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