Srimati Ram Rati Gupta Women’s Polytechnic, Rampur-Maniharan (UP)
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Blessed with a visit by former US President Bill Clinton, this polytechnic (estb.2000) has transformed a remote rural environment where women suffer extreme deprivation and discrimination
When charismatic former US President Bill Clinton visited India in his capacity as president in 2001, he paid a lightning visit to Rampur-Maniharan, a sleepy village about 18 km from Saharanpur town in western Uttar Pradesh. Clinton’s prime purpose was to lay the foundation stone of the William Jefferson Clinton Science & Technology Center (WJCSTC) in this tiny village (pop. approx 25,000) which is still awaiting an all-weather road and is electrified for only three hours per day.
Clinton selected this off-the-beaten track village at the behest of US-based technocrat billionaire Vinod (‘Vin’) Gupta, promoter-director of InfoUSA, the ‘king of American databases’, a close family friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton and reportedly a major donor of the Democratic Party in the US. An IIT-Kharagpur graduate who migrated to the US in 1967, Gupta was born in Rampur-Maniharan where he attended its Gochar Krishi Inter College. "When Vinod Gupta visited his village in the late 1990s, he was aghast to see the deplorable state of labs in his alma mater, and the village school in a shambles. He chose to improve the standard of education in Gochar Inter by donating the WJCSTC, whose objective is to produce quality technocrats and professionals and to establish the centre as a model for emergent rural India in the new global order," says Maj. Gen (Retd) M.M.R. Narang, director-projects of the Vinod Gupta Charitable Foundation (VGCF — estb.1997).
A committed believer in the power of education as a liberator, in 1993 Gupta also endowed the Vinod Gupta School of Management at IIT-Kharagpur, at an estimated cost of US $2 million (Rs.8.8 crore). Currently VGCF is in the process of establishing a Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Law, which will offer postgrad and doctorate programmes in intellectual law at IIT-Kharagpur. This first-of-its type legal studies and research institute is scheduled to admit its inaugural batch in 2008.
However the only operational education institution that Clinton visited during his celebrated tour of Rampur-Maniharan was the Srimati Ram Rati Gupta Women’s Polytechnic (SRRGWP) promoted by Gupta in the year 2000 and named after his mother. Last year this polytechnic affiliated with the Uttar Pradesh Board of Technical Education and DoEACC (Department of Electronics Accreditation for Computer Courses) of the government of India, held its sixth convocation. In the past six years since inception, the polytechnic has facilitated several success stories in this remote rural region where women suffer extreme deprivation and discrimination.
"SRRGWP was established with a mission to empower women through vocational training leading to financial independence. From time to time, we have added new study programmes to the curriculum to prepare our women students to avail of new sectoral employment opportunities. Recently we became the first institution in UP to be granted affiliation by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, Mumbai for our diploma courses in banking and finance," says Raj Kamal Saxena, an education alumna of the Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, USA) and IIT-Kharagpur and incumbent principal of SRRGWP.
Sited on a six-acre campus with an aggregate annual intake of 550 students, Srimati Ram Rati Gupta Women’s Polytechnic offers study-cum-training courses in five categories (see box) with its programmes approved by the UP board of technical education, DoEACC, Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, Mumbai and the National Council for Teacher Education. Moreover a new building for teacher training, and a play school (to be managed by VGCF) are under construction.
Inevitably this pioneer institute has played a major catalyst role in this backward area of India’s most populous — and perhaps most socio-economically backward — state. "We regularly hold workshops and seminars on women’s issues to discuss empowerment. Moreover we’re proactively engaging with various agencies like the local Indian Air Force base and our local municipality for whom we do design, data entry and other work," says Saxena.
Built to last and influenced by American best education practices, SRRGWP offers an in-campus hostel facility, a vegetarian restaurant, a gym, several recreational and sports options and placement assistance. Its hi-tech computer labs offer 24/7 broadband internet connectivity. Comments Vinod Gupta: "Within a short span of time, the polytechnic has become a dynamic institution which combines continuity with innovation, tradition with technology and growth with stability."
To give a further boost to women’s education, Gupta has purchased 24 acres of land adjacent to the polytechnic to house a proposed Hillary Rodham Clinton Mass Communication Center (foundation laid by Bill Clinton). "Our hope is to establish a deemed university and bring all our institutions under it," says Saxena.
Fair winds!
Admission and fees
The Smt. Ram Rati Gupta Women’s Polytechnic offers several diploma programmes ranging in duration from six months to two years. They include:
Courses approved by UP Board of Technical Education: Postgrad diplomas in textile design, computer applications, information technology and diploma in office management & secretarial practice (two years). Admission is through a joint entrance exam conducted by the board. Tuition fee: Rs.15,820 per year.
Courses approved by DoEACC: O & A Level (computer science). Applicants must complete Plus Two for ‘O’ level and bachelors degree for ‘A’ level courses (eligibility criteria prescribed by DoEACC). Tuition fee: Rs.12,365 per year
Courses approved by Indian Institute of Banking & Finance, Mumbai: Diploma in banking & finance and diploma in banking technology (six-month programmes). Graduates are admitted directly by the institute as per IIBF guidelines. Tuition fee: Rs.9,000 & Rs.7,500 respectively
In-house courses offered by SRRGWP: Certificate (one year) and diploma (two-year) courses in computer science, fashion design, textile design, teacher training and secretarial practice. Tuition fee: Rs.6,400-7,900
Hostel facilities are available for non-resident students at Rs.1,500 per month including meals.
For more information contact the Director, SRRGWP, Rampur-Maniharan, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh; Ph: 01336 252222/ 252875; e-mail: rrgwp@rediffmail.com
Autar Nehru (New Delhi)
NHTV-Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Claiming to be the world’s largest institute for tourism and leisure management education programmes, this university is leading the Dutch charge into india
Until recently, indian students opting for foreign qualifications tended to restrict their search to English-speaking Britain, the US and Australia. But of late outward bound students are looking further afield at higher education institutions in France, China, Russia, and the Netherlands which offer value for money and high quality study programmes in the English medium to foreign students. The Netherlands (aka Holland, pop.16 million), is the newest entrant into the Indian marketplace where the demand for foreign qualifications is rising exponentially.And leading the Dutch charge into India is the NHTV-Breda University of Applied Sciences, which claims to be the world’s largest institute of tourism and leisure management education programmes. An accredited member of several international organisations, including the education council of the UN promoted World Tourism Organisation, NHTV is among the first institutions in Europe to receive the TedQual Certificate from WTO for its bachelor’s programme in tourism management. Moreover it also offers four-year international undergrad programmes in hotel management, game architecture and design, media and entertainment management, leisure management, traffic management and logistics and transport management in the English medium. At the postgrad level NHTV offers three programmes in tourism destination management, imagineering and European tourism studies, in the English medium.
Founded in 1966, NHTV has an enrollment of 6,500 students from over 50 countries, tutored by a highly qualified faculty of 320. All its internationally accredited tourism and leisure management education programmes include a strong practical component with a large number of visiting lecturers drawn from the global leisure and travel industry. NHTV is also known for providing ample international exposure to students. Most students get the opportunity to conduct projects in foreign countries, or participate in exchange programmes with institutions in the US, Australia or the UK.
"NHTV is the world’s leading provider of leisure and tourism management education and a WTO recognised centre for excellence in tourism education. Our curriculum is rigorous, applications oriented, extremely specialised and in sync with the requirements of the world’s fastest growing service industry. Currently this fast-track industry is experiencing a grave shortage of professionally qualified personnel. NHTV’s objective is to develop professionals ready to assume leadership positions in leisure and tourism companies and organisations around the world," says Dr. Jan Bergsma, director of international tourism management studies at NHTV, who was recently in India on a market exploratory tour.
According to Bergsma, NHTV is particularly suitable for Indian students. "Our annual tuition fees for undergrads are currently the equivalent of only Rs.1.5 lakh per year and for Master’s programmes it’s Rs.3.5 lakh per year. Living expenses in the Netherlands are very reasonable too," he adds.
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reda. Sited in the south of the Netherlands, Breda is 100 km from Amsterdam and Brussels. Students make up a considerable portion of the population (168,000, of whom 17,500 are students) in this historical city. While the official language is Dutch, English is widely spoken and understood by local inhabitants. This student-friendly town hosts over 900 pubs and restaurants and numerous cinemas, theatres and discotheques. The city centre boasts a large shopping district and entertainment centre and has many old monuments and places of historical interest. The climate in Breda is pleasant in spring and summer (between 20-30oC), but can get very cold in the winter (-10o-5oC).
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ampus facilities. The spacious and modern campus of NHTV is located close to the centre of Breda. All the facilities are concentrated in three main buildings. Study facilities include a very well equipped (according to WTO standards) multi-media library comprising international volumes, journal subscriptions apart from electronic material, computer rooms with wi-fi internet connectivity, audio-visual studios and a newspaper reading room. Moreover NHTV students have access to the facilities of the Breda Students Sports Foundation. For Euro 45 (Rs.2,610) per year, a student can buy a sports card which entitles her to practise a variety of sports, such as various ball sports, steps, capoeira, combat, bodyshape, squash and swimming. The international students association — Compass — supports foreign students and organises activities inside and outside Breda.
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dmission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into NHTV’s international bachelor degree programmes is successful completion of Plus Two and proficiency in English language (a minimum TOEFL score of 550 is acceptable). Some programmes may require additional skills. Since NHTV is a state promoted institution, foreign students have to complete an NHTV application form, which can be downloaded from www.nhtv.nl. The completed application form together with an application fee of Euro 82.50 (Rs.4,785) should be mailed to the International Office, preferably before April 15.
For further information contact the International Office, NHTV, P.O. Box 3917, 4800 DX Breda, The Netherlands; Tel: +31-76-5302203; E-mail: international.office@nhtv.nl; website: www.nhtv.nl.
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ccommodation. NHTV does not offer on-campus housing but helps foreign students find accommodation in Breda. Over 70 percent of students who study at the university live in student ‘digs’ in Breda. Overseas students can expect assistance from the International Office to find suitable accommodation. Accommodation costs vary between Euro 250-350 (Rs.14,500-20,300) per month. D
egree programmes. NHTV offers undergrad and postgraduate programmes in tourism and leisure management in the English and Dutch mediums (see box).
Scholastic options at NHTV-Breda
NHTV offers the following international undergrad and postgraduate
programmes in tourism and leisure management in the English medium:
Undergrad programmes (four years duration): International game architecture and design, international media and entertainment management, international hotel management, international leisure management, international tourism management, international logistics and transport management, international traffic management
Postgrad programmes (one year): European tourism management; imagineering; tourism destination management
Tuition fees (per year): Euro 2,275 (Rs.1.32 lakh) for undergraduate programmes; Euro 7,000 (Rs.4 lakh) for one year postgraduate programmes
Personal expenses (per month): Euro 600-700 (Rs.34,000-40,000), including accommodation, travel and food expenses.NB Euro=Rs.58.
Summiya Yasmeen