Education News
NSDC & IRMA collaborate to promote startup growth in rural communities through skill training
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a strategic implementation and knowledge partner for Skill India Mission, working under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, has collaborated with the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) to create a conducive environment for accelerated growth of startups particularly among the underserved communities of rural India through training in professional management skills. The collaboration will also focus on knowledge-sharing for technology trends, industry insights, and more, through joint programmes, events and thought leadership sessions, among others. NSDC and IRMA will share their networking and technical capabilities for conducting joint research on various topics during this collaboration. IRMA is focused on creating management professionals who can bring about sustainable, ecologically friendly, and equitable growth by applying their management acumen at the grassroot level and influencing the public policy narrative at the national and global levels.
Education News
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham announces all-India coding competition for girls
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, which is India’s fifth-best university as per NIRF, has announced a virtual coding competition for female school students from Classes 8 to 12, called the ICPC Algo Queen Girls’ Programming Cup. The first-of-its-kind event, sponsored by IBM Quantum, is intended to encourage girls in India to take part in coding competitions by providing them training in competitive coding and quantum computing. Educational sessions, workshops, multi-tier competitions, and career advisement events will be organized online every week as part of the event till the finals in February 2023. These would enable students to participate flexibly, improve their algorithmic skills, learn how to program quantum computers, and earn credentials from ICPC’s top-level international events.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been hosting the world’s largest collegiate programming contest, the ICPC, for the past 15 years in India and the new coding competition is an attempt to extend the playing field and take it as an opportunity to train more girls in the field of programming.
Education News
IISc signs deal with HDFC Bank Parivartan to build not-for-profit hospital on campus
HDFC Bank Parivartan on Tuesday committed to investing Rs 107.76 crore in the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital being built in IISc Bengaluru campus. Cardiology, radiology, and emergency medicine are the three hospital departments that will receive financial support from the bank, as per a statement. On its Bengaluru campus, IISc is building the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital, a multi-specialty, not-for-profit hospital with 832 beds, as well as a Postgraduate Medical School.
By the end of 2024, the hospital is anticipated to be completely operational, and the first group of MD/PhD students will be accepted in 2025. Group Head, ESG & CSR, Business Finance & Strategy, Administration and Infrastructure, HDFC Bank, Ashima Bhat, said, “The new hospital and the medical school will not only bolster the healthcare needs of the entire region but will also provide a new generation of physician-scientists.”
Education News
Govt school principal in Agra siphons Rs 11 crore of midday meal scheme
A school principal of the basic education department of Firozabad has been booked for allegedly siphoning Rs 11.46 crore of the Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme, as stated by the police on Tuesday. The teacher used fake documents to register an NGO and used Rs 11.46 crore of the Mid Day Meal with the help of the officials and staff of his department and banks, said the Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), Agra. Alok Sharma, SP (Vigilance), said “A case of corruption has been registered against the teacher of the Basic Education Department of Firozabad district Chandrakant Sharma. He is a resident of Shikohabad in Firozabad district. He is working as a principal at Primary School in Jajupur in Tundla in Firozabad district.”
He said the teacher was booked on July 27 along with a few other employees of the basic education department and banks at the Vigilance Police Station in Agra. Chandrakant Sharma swindled the money through ‘Saraswat Awasiya Shiksha Sewa Samiti’, an NGO registered in Shikohabad in Firozabad.
According to the FIR, the teacher had made his father the president of the NGO, his mother the manager and secretary, and his wife a treasurer. He also designated positions to other family members and relatives in the NGO. Later, he declared the death of some members of the NGO, including that of his mother, police said. However, the mother of the teacher is alive, reads the FIR. After declaring her mother, or the then manager and secretary, dead, Chandrakant Sharma made his wife the manager and secretary of the NGO and himself took the responsibility of treasurer of the Saraswat Awasiya Shiksha Sewa Samiti using a fake name Sunil Sharma.
Education News
DU to start research centre to promote study of freedom movement & partition
Delhi University is planning to start a research centre to promote the study of India’s freedom movement and partition. The university has constituted a seven-member committee, headed by DU director (South Campus) Prakash Singh, to provide suggestions to develop the centre. Singh said there has been a dearth of study material regarding the Independence struggle and the contribution of unsung heroes. Moreover, courses at the university do not teach about the Independence period in depth, he said. “So the university felt the need for research in the domain. And to promote the research, we are planning to start a centre which will purely focus on the research around Independence and Partition,” he said.
At the centre, freedom movements will be studied afresh and information about unsung heroes will be collected. Singh said “This year, we are celebrating 75 years of Independence and the university is celebrating a 100-year centenary celebration. We know there has been very less research in this domain. Many developments, which happened during the freedom movements, are not known to the world. Many people helped the Partition victims. Many colleges at DU were also started during this period. Deshbandhu College and Dayal Singh College were established for the refugees. Camps for refugees were set up inside various forts in Delhi. Many colonies were established. This centre will focus on all these aspects.”
Education News
AIOBCSA urges UGC Chairman to immediately disburse National Fellowship for OBCs
The All India OBC students association (AIOBCSA) has requested the University Grants Commission (UGC) to immediately disburse the National Fellowship for Other Backward Classes (NFOBC). In a letter addressed to the UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, AIOBCSA said, “The fellowship amount is not disbursed to the PhD/ MPhil scholars of National Fellowship for Other Backward Classes (NFOBC) holders for five months. It will be difficult to continue research without the fellowship amount as most of them are from socially, educationally, economically backward communities.” The OBC students group also urged the UGC chairman to disburse the fellowship amount every month.
The UGC has been implementing the scheme of National Fellowship for Other Backward Classes as entrusted and funded by the ministry of social justice and empowerment. The scheme is open to candidates who belong to OBC category and are pursuing higher studies such as regular and full time MPhil and PhD degrees in sciences, humanities, social sciences and engineering and technology. The number of slots allocated for OBC candidates by the ministry of social justice and empowerment (MoSJ&E) is 1000. The number of intake of JRF was enhanced from 300 to 1,000 per year to undertake advanced studies and research leading to MPhil, PhD degrees, who have qualified UGC NET, UGC-CSIR. The official website reads, “There is a provision of 3% reservation for slots for consideration of award of fellowship to research scholars for Persons with Disability (PwD) who belongs to OBC category.”
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