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Thursday 25 June 2015

Telangana State TS EdCET Exam Results 2015 at tsedcet.org

TS EdCET Exam Results 2015: TS Ed.CET is a common Entrance Exam that is been conducted in the State of Telangana.TS Ed.CET 2015 is been abbreviated as Telangana State Common Entrance Test. The exam is been conducted for these year 2015.

TS Ed.cet Exam 2015 is conducted under the involvement of Convener TS Ed.CET and Osmania University Hyderabad on behalf of the Telangana state Council of Higher Education(TSCHE).

The Education Common Entrance Exam hat is been conducted by Osmania University on behalf higher authority that is Telangana State Council of Higher Education. The Exam conducted by them is popularly known as TS Ed.CET.

Ts Ed.CET Exam 2015 is an entrance exam to for providing admission in to two year B.ED Regular course in all the colleges that are reside in Telangana and facilitated with the B.ED degree course.TS Ed.CET is allows the candidates seeking admission in to a B.Ed (degree) affiliated college.

TS Ed.cet Results 2015

The qualified TS Ed.CET 2015 candidates can take the admission in the two year B.Ed course. Candidates with good rank in the TS Ed.CET 2015 can attain their desired college. TS Ed.CET 2015 acts as a gateway that provides the candidates with best education and best college for B.ED degree. According to the sources the exam will be held every year at 2nd june in various examination centers of Telangana. The results are expected to be released on 25th of this month.

Ts Ed.CET Exam 2015 is CET exam for the academic year 2015 – 2016.The results are going to be declared on 25th june 2015.That is 25th of these month.All the students are excepting good ranks so that candidate with good rank acquire good College. College with Good Education can make the student to attain their desired goals.

TS Ed.CET RESULTS 2015:

All the candidates are so curious regarding the results of TS Ed.CET 2015.There is a huge pressure on the students during B.Ed CET exam 2015.As they have to clear the TS Ed.CET entrance exam so that can move forward in the education.All the students are feeling anxious and Enthuastic for the Results of Ed.CET 2015.Exams are part of Education so the advice from ours is Don’t worry even if you haven’t qualify the Ed.CET 2015 try again with the proper preparation plan and strong determination .Then you will definitely cross all the hurdles in your life and examination.

TS Ed.CET RESULTS 2015:

The online applications forms of Ed.CET 2015 is been taken on 12th march 2015.The exam Ed.CET is the exam for admission in to two years B.Ed.

All the Eligible Candidates are been submitted the required details for the exam from the date 16.03.2015 to 07.05.2015.The Candidates who are applied for the exam through online mode have been appeared for the exam that is been held on 6th june2015.

Ed.CET officials are going officially announce the results for the year 2015 and soon the results are been upload on the Ed.CET portal page.

How to check Ed.CET results 2015?

  1.     Candidates appeared for Telangana state Ed.CET 2015can avail the result by clicking on the official website link that is www.tsedcet.org
  2.     Then check for the Ed.CET Results 2015.
  3.     After you find the appropriate link.
  4.     Click on the link and Then enter your Hall ticket number and date of birth.
  5.     Click on the submission.
  6.     Finally results will be displayed on the screen.

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Online Education Marketplace EduKart Gets $1 Million from YouWeCan Ventures

EduKart is a New Delhi-based company that connects students with educational institutions, has landed $1 million to increase access to learning in India.

The startup was established in 2011 to help make education more accessible in India. Rather than bring learning online, such as MOOCs like Coursera, Udemy and others, Edukart is an enrollment service that aggregates and compiles lists of courses from physical education institutes across the country. Right now, it claims to have over 2,000 course from 90-plus education centers on its platform — they vary from K12, to coaching courses, graduate, and undergraduate studies across multiple disciplines.

“We are a big distribution platform but don’t deliver the course ourselves,” EduKart CEO Ishan Gupta explained to TechCrunch in an interview. “India is a much more fragmented market, but the large middle class is very passionate about education and really looks for options.”

EduKart also works with corporate companies to assess the learning needs of staff, and it has begun discussions with international educational institutions about adding them to its platform. But, aside from giving education options to would-be students, it also provides value as a network of its own — allowing alumni to network online, find job opportunities and more. (The service also holds the hands of its students via a support team should there be issues with their course.)


EduKart previously raised $500,000 back in 2013, and this time around its $1 million round was pulled together by a range of investors, each of which — Gupta said — provides different synergy. Holostik Group’s United Finsec led the round, with participation from YouWeCan — the VC firm started by Indian cricket legend Yuvraj Singh — as well as 500 Startups. Existing investors Vijay Shekhar Sharma (founder of Alibaba-backed PayTM), Manish Kheterpal (formerly director of Providence Equity Partners), Amit Patni and Arihant Patni of the Patni family (which sold its computer business to iGate for over a billion), and Stanford Business School’s alumni angels also took part.

Holostik, a hologram manufacturer, is a particularly interesting investor when you consider that the future of education is online. Acutely aware of the tides of change, EduKart is moving towards that whilst also keeping its existing model too.

“We have a learning management system,” Gupta said. “Our intention is that, as the market grows and shifts, we will help institutions to go online and deliver [courses] online.”

Gupta wasn’t too specific about when he believes that the needle will shift and online will take priority. Instead, he explained that often it is a case of the methods that each generation is comfortable with for consuming information.

Nonetheless, he is optimistic that the internet can help deliver educational material more widely in India.

“Over time, a lot of courses will go online,” he added. “We’ve seen a number of companies delivering education get funded lately. Online delivery can provide greater engagement, but today it is low, over time it will shift and we are right at the forefront.”

Rather than compete with other players in the market, Gupta — who graduated from Stanford and was Facebook’s first growth manager in India — said that EduKart can work with online learning companies — including MOOCs — because the sheer size of its network of students could help them find more users.

Right now, however, EduKart isn’t revealing how many students it has. But it did say that it is aiming to enroll 100,000 students per year within the next three years. Gupta added that the company is looking to raise a larger round over the next six to nine months in order to more fully tackle the online opportunity, and increase its scale once again.

Smriti Irani releases course material ‘syllabus for yoga’ in govt schools

In a bid to make yoga a more integral part of the physical education programme in central government run schools, the Human Resource Development Ministry on Monday released course material and syllabus for yoga designed by NCERT for classes VI-X, while also introducing yoga as a training module in teacher education programmes.

Yoga is already taught as an optional subject in government-run schools like the Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas under the co-scholastic activity of Physical Education. Sources say the NCERT is soon likely to issue guidelines that would ensure yoga is taught in one out of the three physical education classes that are conducted every week in these schools.

Releasing the syllabus and course material for students of central government run schools at a two-day conference of yoga teachers, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said the subject would not put any additional burden on students with 80 percent of the marks reserved for practicals and only 20 percent for theory.

“Yoga will be taught in upper primary and secondary (Class VI to X). We have decided that 80 per cent will be for practicals. However, I want an assurance from students that they will perform the practicals with full devotion,” Irani said. She later said the states are free to decide on adopting it in their syllabus and linking it with their the course curriculum.

Officials said CBSE is yet to “devise” a strategy regarding the implementation of the yoga curriculum in the affiliated private schools.

Meanwhile, the National Council of Teacher Education, in its revised notification, has made yoga a compulsory training module along with ICT, gender studies and inclusive education.

“We have prepared syllabus for teachers as well. One is diploma in yoga education, bachelors in yoga education and masters in yoga education,” Irani said, adding the aim was to produce a pool of trained teachers in yoga.

Irani said a national-level competition on yoga would be organised here next year where the best performing student will be given a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. “Our objective is that our children go to school happily. Therefore, our aim is to give a push to physical and cultural activities in schools,” she said.

Addressing the event, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Manish Sisodia said the state government is currently working on a project in which it will reduce the main syllabus by 25 percent and replace it with “the most essential subjects of living life” like yoga,music, sports, theatre, etc.

“As far as the Centre’s yoga syllabus is concerned, we will implement it completely or partially in Delhi schools from this session itself,” he said, adding there should be no politics involved when it comes to yoga and assuring the centre that the Delhi government will extend its cooperation in the matter. “In a country like India, all of us from different segments need to understand yoga. We will have to wipe out these fractions of creeds, politics, and governments. When these will be wiped out, only then yoga is possible. This is the first condition of yoga,” he said.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/yoga-a-compulsory-subject-in-govt-run-schools-teacher-training-courses-smriti-irani/99/

Friday 19 June 2015

The American India Foundation (AIF) raises Rs 20 crore to educate, empower children

New York: The American India Foundation (AIF) held their Annual Spring Awards event at the historic Cathedral of Saint John Divine where over 500 successful leaders across various sectors, including successful executives and philanthropists from the Indian diaspora, came together to raise funds and awareness for AIF's Learning and Migration Program (LAMP). The program is aimed at educating and empowering children of Indian seasonal migrant workers. Nearly Rs 20 crore was raised at the event.

"This event demonstrated how bringing people together from across all sectors and from all walks of life can have a huge impact," said AIF CEO MA Ravi Kumar. "The funds pledged will go a long way in educating these children in India and giving them a chance at a brighter futurem," he said.

The program is aimed at educating and empowering children of Indian seasonal migrant workers. Nearly Rs 20 crore was raised at the event.

The AIF honoured Founder/CEO of 5-Hour Energy - Manoj Bhargava and CEO Tyco International - George Oliver. Both eminent figures were recognized for their corporate and philanthropic leadership, as well as their investment in India. Bhargava, an Indian-born entrepreneur, has had an illustrious career in launching various successful companies, including Living Essentials; this company developed the product 5-Hour Energy, which has become a prominent brand in the energy drink market.

Bhargava is also well known for his philanthropic work. He has started multiple foundations, including the Hans Foundation, as well as signed the Giving Pledge, which will commit over 90% of his wealth to charitable causes.

The special guest of the evening was actor and activist Rahul Bose. He commended AIF on its innovative work in disrupting poverty in India and talked about how receiving an education can have a powerful impact in a child's life. The emotional highpoint of the event came when Jashobanti Mahanand, a 19-year-old young woman from Orissa, shared her story about working in migration sites in Andhra Pradesh.

"Tears come down my eyes when I remember those days," said Mahanand. "In the brick kilns, children were involved in the work; my job was to flip the half dried bricks in the hot sun." In 2005, AIF's LAMP program gave Mahanand the opportunity to receive an education and to live in a hostel with other children of seasonal migrant workers. Ten years after taking part in the program, Mahanand is now a first-year college student studying political science. "Because of LAMP, I have the drive to complete my education and become a teacher, so that I can provide support to the children in my village."

Across India, approximately 72 million people migrate from their villages in remote rural areas every year in search of labour, uprooting entire families for up to eight months at a time in hazardous work sites. All too often, children are forced to migrate with their parents, leaving behind their schools, friends, and communities. The LAMP Program was launched in 2003. To date, the program has educated 352,599 children in 9 states in India.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/world/american-india-foundation-raises-rs-20-crore-to-educate-empower-children-of-migrant-workers-1007597.html

Anuna Education Launches eEntreprenuership Training Program

Anuna Education, a partner of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), with a mandate to train over 1.1 lakh students, announced today the launch of their eEntreprenuership Program in collaboration with eBay India.

Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses are the back-bone of any growing economy. From the days of the silk-route, India has had its fair share of entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Today the market growth is shifting towards Rural and Small Towns, with new global business opportunities being made available through Web & eCommerce technologies. There are growing examples of new home-based entrepreneurs, retailers, wholesalers & manufactures who are finding new avenues of growth through eCommerce.

“Anuna Education is committed to infusing international grade ‘Managerial & Entrepreneurial Skills’ in the Indian Skill Development landscape,” said, Mr. Amit Iqbal Srivastava, CEO & Founder, Anuna Education. “We are happy to find a partner like eBay India who are helping us teach eCommerce in a more practical sense than ever attempted before,” he further added.

“The Modi Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, along with, creation of a separate Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, all point to the fact that India needs more young entrepreneurs to drive the economy,” said Mrs. Ruby Srivastava, COO Anuna Education. “Our program is custom designed to train, fund and incubate first generation, as well as, family business entrepreneurs and help them reach their potential,” she added.

Anuna Education’s eEntreprenuership program, certified under NSDC & MSME is offered as a six month fast track & 1 year extended course. As part of the program, AnunaEducation will train budding entrepreneur to sell their products on eBay globally in collaboration with eBay India. Practical training will also be given to entrepreneurs on how to sell their products to global buyers.

Hon. State Minister, Shri Arvind Kumar Singh Gope, launched the program in the state of Uttar Pradesh and said, “The great state of Uttar Pradesh has inherent entrepreneurship in its people. We need more companies like Anuna Education & eBay India to come together to foster an eco-system which is inherent to the growth of entrepreneurship in the state. The state government is already committed to the skill development eco system and now people will have additional venues to become self-employed.”

Hon. State Minister further stated “Many people are reluctant to start their own businesses especially in the online space due to lack of know-how, guidance mentors, & funding. I am glad to see that Anuna Education & eBay India have taken care of all these points while designing this program.”

Mr. Navin Mistry, Head Retail Export & Lifestyle Categories for eBay India, said, “eBay India has enabled businesses for over 65,000 merchants of all sizes and it has been our constant endeavor to expand the seller base. However, the widening skill gap would become an impediment to the growth of the ecommerce industry. We hope that through our partnership with Anuna Education and the eEntreprenuership program will not only build an employable workforce, but will also contribute towards the ’Make in India’ campaign.”

“According to the eBay India Online Business Index, the online domestic entrepreneurs employ an average of 4.8 full time staff & 1.6 part time staff. This is projected to increase to 5.2 full time staff & 2.1 part time staff. The eEntreprenuership program will help to bridge this gap as well,” added Mr. Mistry

About Anuna Education

Anuna Education is an organization working to bridge the skill-gap in India by creating well-rounded professionals, who outshine their competition in India’s growing work-force. “Anuna” is a Sanskrit word mentioned in one of Buddhism’s greatest work – The Heart Sutra – and is used to refer to something which is “Great” & “Superior.”

​Anuna Education is an authorized partner of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), part of a group active in skill development since 1985 and is founded by California, USA based NRI Businessmen& Educationists. The organization provides specialized training & financial aid programs for Entrepreneurs, International Diploma Programs for Managerial Job Roles in Operations, Sales & Finance, as well as, certificate programs in Healthcare, Animation, Agriculture & Retail.

Anuna Education operates in the state of Uttar Pradesh through a network of 50+ centers with a capacity to train over 10,000 students on annual basis.

About eBay India

eBay India (www.ebay.in) is a leading online marketplace and shopping destination in India where thousands of entrepreneurs list over 3 crore products across Electronics, Lifestyle, Collectibles and Media categories. eBay India is a 100% subsidiary of eBay Inc.

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/companies/anuna-education-launches-eentreprenuership-training-program-joins-hands-with-ebay-india/85633/

Making India An Education Hub: What the Government Needs

Hiuen Tsang, the 7th century Chinese traveller had responded to the fellow Buddhist scholars in Nalanda who beseeched him to stay long by saying, "Who would be so unfortunate as not to spread the message of enlightenment elsewhere in the world." India, over centuries had kept its doors open to imbibe and disseminate knowledge. There were times when this openness was subverted for narrower ends. Policies cannot be driven by fear or insecurity but a quest to seek the best, innovate and improve our economic conditions. Improving educational outcomes is rightly back in focus.

An important issue in regard to higher education is the access to foreign educational institutions. There is an increasing recognition that India must not lose out on its comparative factor advantages to become a Global hub for higher education.  

A recent study (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, May 2014) suggests that almost two lakh Indian students are currently studying abroad; Australia and the US being the preferred destinations. Surprisingly, Europe is not such a favoured destination any more. This is in sharp contrast to the meagre 28,000 foreign students studying in India. It is thus, no surprise Indian students spend roughly Rs. 45,000 crore on foreign education each year. This is thrice the amount allocated by the Union Budget (2014-15) for higher education.

The attraction of foreign universities for Indian students emanate from multiple factors. First and foremost, the brand value; a persistent belief that employment prospects and value added employment increases significantly with foreign degrees. Second, supply constraints inhibit the number of students who can secure admission to high-quality colleges in India. Given the competitive nature of the selection process, the cut-off points for securing admission in higher education institutes is now a daunting challenge. Last but not the least, is the poor ranking of Indian universities.

When we compare global rankings, Indian universities fair rather poorly. Out of the top 500, it has just 1 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), 6 in QS World Universities Rankings (QS-WUR) and 4 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE-WUR), and none featuring in the top 200. That Brazil, Russia and China, the other BRICS nations, have at least one of its universities in the list makes India's absence even starker.

So why have international high quality institutions not flourished in India? This is notwithstanding the student-teacher ratio in several IITs and IIMs being close to acceptable international norms. Is it the absence of autonomy? Or is it inflexibility in hiring and the emolument structure being not aligned with their domain knowledge and an unfavourable regulatory framework? Ironically, our comparative factor advantages with a young demography and supply side responses should make India a preferred as a global educational destination.

This mismatch between factor endowments and existing reality must spur policy makers for priority action. The UPA government had initiated The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010. Its key features include regulating the entry and operation of such institutions. Foreign educational providers have to maintain a corpus fund of at least Rs. 50 crore, and up to 75% of any income generated from this fund is to be utilized for developing its institution in India, the rest being ploughed back in the surplus. This bill failed to generate adequate consensus for it to be passed into law.

Multiple bills in the education sector introduced by the erstwhile UPA government met with the same fate. As a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, the one persistent failure, I observed, was the absence of adequate dialogue with stakeholders, unacceptable Central bias, inadequate participation by domain experts and an excessive bureaucratization in the regulatory framework.

In respect of the Foreign Universities Bill, what are the key unresolved issues? Should policymakers consider a revised bill to facilitate entry of foreign universities? After all, it is argued that if Singapore has benefited from franchisee agreements with Wharton and INSEAD, what is the flip side by our providing a similar regulatory framework? The issues however are more complex.

First, even if foreign universities have an Indian presence, it would at best make a marginal dent in the outflow of Indian students seeking educational opportunities abroad. Students seek foreign universities both for quality but more importantly the brand value. The brand value of Ivy League institutions or the traditional ones of Oxford, Cambridge and London School of Economics is believed to dramatically improve employment prospects. It also gives students added pride. Can these brand values be replicated in India? The modest fee structure of these franchisee institutions would enable students from less affluent backgrounds to seek improved opportunities. There is no substitute however for creating a brand value for several Indian institutions which have received well-deserved global recognition. Encouraging our few globally recognized institutions to improve quality and benchmark higher brand value must receive active support and encouragement.

Second, what kind of regulatory structures could enable these foreign institutions to optimize outcomes? If the norms are to be differentiated than those governing Indian institutions, the nature of such preferred discriminatory arrangements would need to be transparently evolved.

Third, during the course of the hearings of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD. I was surprised when the student unions expressed apprehensions about lack of high quality faculty. The danger of leading foreign institutions garnering our best faculty can be debilitating for existing institutions. While competition is generally healthy, the prevalence of unbridled market forces can have serious unintended consequences. Incentivising and enhancing the talent pool of higher faculty should, many believe, precede the opening of the Indian market to foreign institutions. There is also the broader issue of balancing the need to preserve our heritage, culture and educational ethos with pedagogy aligned to serve contemporary and evolving employment opportunities, both domestic and foreign.

The present stalemate needs decisive action. A three-step approach needs to be followed. A revised Foreign Universities Education Bill needs to be drafted. It must be subjected to intensive consultation with all stakeholders. Consultations need to be undertaken with foreign institutions since it should be our objective to attract the best among them while discouraging fly-by-night operators. The revised road map should be presented to Parliament for early enactment. This road-map must be articulated with imagination, innovation, out-of-the-box solutions, and in bi-partisan spirit.

India has the potential to become a vibrant educational hub. Repositioning India as a country of academic excellence must have a high priority with the Modi government.

http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/making-india-an-education-hub-what-the-government-needs-to-do-772586

Thursday 18 June 2015

Bridging The Gap Between Education And The Future Workforce

The school year has come to an end. For newly minted college graduates it can be a tumultuous time filled with anticipation, anxiety, happiness and disappointment. Although some college graduates will find their first, degree-related job right out of college, it’s not the case for most.

The prospect for adequate employment has been dismal for millennials as a whole — and often means going back to their parents’ home to embark on a multi-month job search that often ends in underemployment. The reason, as 73 percent of hiring managers point out, is that colleges are not completely preparing students for the working world and there is nothing filling the teaching gap.

The underemployment rate has improved from 46 percent to 44.6 percent in the last year, but we must keep in mind that the rate is still quite high compared to historical numbers. It was only at 38 percent in 2000 and held a 41 percent average before the recession. Yes, a healthier market has created more opportunity, but it is only making a small dent in the underemployment increase that has occurred not only because of a weaker economy, but also because of the technologically fostered change in the nature of jobs today.

In fact, a recent study found that the concern for employment is so ubiquitous for the millennial demographic that it has become the most important presidential campaign issue for the group. It’s a rising concern, as the same study found that more millennials than ever plan to vote in next year’s election, as well as it being the first time the entire millennial population will be voting as part of the working-age group. So what’s the root of this problem? How will it be addressed?

    Colleges are not completely preparing students for the working world.
To get back to pre-recession levels, or better, we need to do more than just see what an improved market does. Instead, we must spur on progress through new programs and restructured educational infrastructures — or never catch up. Traditional education can no longer keep up; it’s time we take a new approach in preparing the future workforce.

The Problem: A College Education Doesn’t Necessarily Prepare for a Job

Some, like Peter Thiel, have come out with bold proclamations saying that people need to forget about college. That they’re be better off taking independent courses online, doing boot camps and taking a hands-on approach to gain the relevant skills needed for their desired roles. While I don’t agree completely — as college is invaluable for gaining life experience, finding a good network and becoming critically apt at various tasks — he’s partially right.

Universities continue to dwell on the theoretical in favor of the practical, and it doesn’t bode well in results-driven industries. According to research from Accenture, eight out of 10 recent graduates are optimistic about future career-oriented employment, while nearly half (49 percent) of their 2013 and 2014 predecessors report being underemployed.

Students and colleges think they are doing enough, but the numbers tell a different story. It’s a major problem for businesses that want to hire employees that can hit the ground running, especially considering the amount of competition many companies face today.

But employers are also partially at fault. Many companies have opted out of providing comprehensive training programs — especially in the startup environment where funds are a hot commodity. But it can be a pitfall, considering that only 15 percent of recent graduates — who are often underprepared as noted by employers — would opt for a large company instead of small one. This, coupled with universities’ inability to fully prepare work-force candidates, equals a reduced pool of adequate new hire contenders. In other words, the problem does not rest on colleges alone.

The truth is that rapid changes have made it difficult for educational institutions to adapt and, in turn, have created a disconnect between higher education and the workforce while employers fail to step in. This is happening now, especially in the non-STEM-related majors (science, technology, engineering and math).

For example, you may be going to one of the best higher education institutions in the country, but a degree in marketing or communications won’t pay off by the time you enter the workforce. Most top universities don’t offer Facebook or Google-search marketing courses that matter for today’s market; instead, they opt for commercial creation or branding strategies that no longer widely apply. Congruently, most employers also fail to deliver on the training.

Despite the apparent problem, eliminating the entire college experience would be a huge detriment to job seekers, affecting everything from their future professional networks to their intercommunication and comprehension skills. Boot camps and the like are great in their own right, but cannot deliver the sense of community or “real-world” training one gets from being on their own for the first time.

The solution is not in cutting out the college experience but complementing it. This means supplementing the university experience and bolstering in-class experiences with third-party courses that are relevant to students’ long-term career goals. For example, practical courses on Facebook marketing, Twitter marketing and Google marketing already exist.

The Solution: Bolster Higher Education with Practical Supplemental Training
I’m imagining a new brand of schooling model that complements traditional structures with on-demand learning based on current need or future aspiration. This would also continue beyond the university environment and into a lifetime of learning for all professionals.

LinkedIn is already jumping on the idea with the acquisition of Lynda.com. It is merging a giant networking and recruiting platform with a service that can seamlessly help users learn the skills they need for an appealing job posting.

Udemy, which announced it has closed a $65 million Series D financing round, offers courses in the same vein, and aims to provide long-term learning opportunities for anyone with the appetite. Notably, Udemy’s course, “The Complete Apple Watch Developer Course – Build 14 Apps,” which opened in late February in anticipation of the Apple Watch’s release in April, was extremely successful for both the instructor and the students. It exemplified the ability for such courses to quickly address an entirely new subject with speed and efficiency.

And it’s becoming more important than ever, as companies like Facebook, Morgan Stanley and Twitter use services like HackerRank or Gradberry to hire and place developers based on their demonstrated ability. It’s no longer about a brand name university or resume, but about results and competency.

In short, new players like Udemy, Lynda.com and HackerRank among others are helping overcome both the current millennial employment hurdle and nationwide unemployment problem. Monolithic educational structures are losing stride with the new work environment, which often lacks the resources to ramp up new employees, and everyone is paying the price.

It’s time we revamp the way we teach and learn and adopt a new system that takes personal needs and sudden developments into account. And this is not only for those in college; anyone can and should apply to continue a life-long journey of learning based on need and curiosity.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/18/bridging-the-gap-between-education-and-the-future-workforce/#.djlvjj:KVYN

Monday 15 June 2015

Nine Indian universities made it to the Top 100 of the Asia University Ranking 2015

Only nine Indian universities have made it to the Top 100 of the Asia University Ranking 2015 by Times Higher Education.

Last year, it had 10 institutes. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru is the number one in India and held the 37th position globally while last year's leader, Panjab University, is at the 38th position.

Five Indian institutes of technology, led by IIT-Roorkee (joint 55th), and followed by IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Madras, have also found mention among the top hundred, along with Aligarh Muslim University (90th) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (96th).

Phil Baty, editor, Times Higher Education Ranking, said it was a cause for concern that India had lost ground in the league table. It has one fewer representative this year and most of those that made it have fallen down the list.

Baty added though it has two fresh entries, including a new number one university, it is worrying that three representatives that comfortably made the top 100 last year - the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Jadavpur University - have exited the ranking altogether this time.

"With the country's massive numbers of under-25s putting further pressure on educational resources, it is more crucial than ever that India invests in research and strengthens its academic links with other nations - or face being left behind," said Baty.

University of Tokyo, Japan, topped the list, followed by National University of Singapore and University of Hong Kong.

This year's tables reveal that China has overtaken Japan as the continent's higher education powerhouse. Although the latter still boasts the region's number one institution, the University of Tokyo, many of its representatives have lost ground; to make matters worse, its ranks are thinning, with 19 universities in the list, down from 20 last year and 22 in 2013.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/9-indian-institutions-in-times-top-100-asian-university-ranking-115061100032_1.html

How useful is CELA for students and job seekers in India?

Director of Operations, South Asia, Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA) , Angela ffrench, was in Hyderabad recently to interact with school principals, educationists, institutions and State education officials to discuss on a host of issues ranging from communication skills, Cambridge examinations and of course, the English language.

The top Cambridge official for South Asia believes that to be able to survive and achieve success in the corporate world, be it in India or elsewhere, an understanding of English is mandatory. During her visit, Angela ffrench interacted with M. SAI GOPAL and spoke on the role of Cambridge assessment tests, what the industry wants and what needs to be done.

How useful is CELA for students and job seekers in India?
At Cambridge, we have been developing high quality examinations in English for over 100 years. We have students taking our exams from all over the world because our tests are internationally recognised markers of English language competence.

There are a good number of people in India who speak and have fantastic communicative ability in English. However, there are also an aspiring number of Indians who would like to improve their English for better job prospects. So, one of the things that we do is to help such people improve their job prospects. My experience is that India has incredible talent but many have difficulty in expressing their knowledge. Our exams are there to really help such brilliant brains and enable hem to share that knowledge.

What are the kind of exams that CELA has?
We have English tests for young children between 7 and 12 years. These tests make language learning fun and everybody passes. Such tests are aimed at getting an indication of how good they are in four skills i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (LSRW). We also have exams for older schoolchildren of 12-16 age group. We are the examining board that produces examination papers for IELTS and validate scores of candidates.

Then, we have another series of examinations that are particularly important in India for students in higher education. So this range of qualifications is called Business English Certificate (BEC). These are typically used across the country by students who are about to leave their college and are going for employability.

How do exams like BEC help students who are seeking work?
There are 20,000 institutions and industries that recognise our examinations worldwide. That means a company, for example, Cognizant, knows the significance if a candidate in a job application says that he or she has BEC certificate. The company understands that applicants have a particular level of LSRW skills in English. There are IT companies who have made it mandatory for applicants to have BEC qualification. In fact, in China if you apply for P&G, their online admissions website asks applicants whether they have BEC or not.

So what is the difference between Cambridge exams and exams of English language courses offered by schools and universities?

Cambridge exams treat English as a skill and not as a subject. So, we don’t test someone’s understanding of Shakespeare, Wordsworth or Milton. We don’t test their ability to write a good novel or a story. What we test is their ability to write a report, a review or perhaps a proposal. Sort of things that are needed while one works in this world. We test whether someone can speak for an extended period than just superficial chit chat.

Does one need to prepare for such exams?
Students with good English language skills could appear for the tests without any extra preparation. However, they would need to be familiar with the kinds of questions one has to face in the test.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/cambridge-exams-treat-english-as-a-skill/article7316852.ece

Wednesday 3 June 2015

California Assembly Moves To Expand Sex Education In Schools

California state’s sex education curriculum might soon include information about same-sex relationships, provided California Assembly Bill 329, a bill that would expand the school program, is approved by the Senate.

The bill was approved 47-24 by the state assembly on Tuesday, sending it to the Senate.

Democratic assemblywoman Shirley Weber wrote the bill to combine voluntary sex education courses with mandatory HIV prevention education for grades 7 through 12. Weber wants to expand the curriculum so not to exclude LGBT students, describing the current courses as outdated.

Republican assemblyman Devon Mathis argued that lawmakers should not be allowed to decide what other people’s kids learn about sex. Although the bill would give parents the option to excuse their children from class, it would block districts from having opt-in policies requiring their explicit approval.

http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2015/6/03/california-school-include-gay-relationships-sex-education-class

Cameron Diaz, Paula Abdul join arts education program

NEW YORK — Cameron Diaz, Paula Abdul and Macy Gray are joining a White House-sponsored initiative to help struggling schools through arts education.

The President's Committee on the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education are announcing the expansion of the Turnaround Arts initiative Wednesday.

Turnaround Arts started in 2011 with eight schools in eight states. The program is being expanded to 49 schools in 14 states.

The committee's executive director, Rachel Goslins, says some of the original schools in program were on the brink of being closed.

Goslins says test scores improved at all the schools after arts instruction was introduced. Additionally, attendance increased and disciplinary problems decreased.

Diaz, Abdul and Gray are among the artists and performers who will help boost arts instruction at individual schools.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_28241656/cameron-diaz-paula-abdul-join-arts-education-program