Education Briefs

The Orchid International School (OIS), Nashik invites admission applications for the academic year beginning August 2007. Promoted in 2006, OIS is an ISO 9001:2000 certified co-educational, residential, English medium international school. Sited amidst the hills of Anjaneri village on a 62 acre campus 25 km from Nashik, it is located near the source of the river Godavari.

Currently affiliated with the Delhi-based Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), OIS will soon introduce the primary, middle and secondary school programmes of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, Geneva.

"The school’s mission is to provide high quality education to all its children as part of a continuous development process which encourages students to achieve their maximum potential and prepares them academically, socially and spiritually for life. Our idyllic, picturesque and pollution free surroundings make OIS an ideal environment for study and children’s growth," says Shanta Tendulkar, principal of the school.

Students of the Delhi-based Narayana Group of Educational Institutions (NGEI, estb. 1979) which provides supplementary coaching for public entrance exams, have fared brilliantly this year.

NGEI students were ranked second in IIT-JEE and first in CBSE-PMT, AFMC and AIEEE. A total of 1,149 students of NGEI passed the IIT-JEE written exam, 185 cleared CBSE’s PMT and 4,550 were selected for central counselling. NGEI students also registered impressive results in other entrance examinations (DPMT-124, DCE-280, WBJEE-81, AMU-54, BHU-24, AFMC-11, MAHE-35, GUJCET-24 and VMMC-10).

Currently NGEI manages more than 88 campuses across the country with an aggregate enrollment of 90,000 students. The group also runs its own medical and engineering colleges and several residential schools.

"Our teachers are our real assets. They are specialists in their subjects and many of them are authors of well-known textbooks. As the torchbearers of education they believe that every student has the potential to succeed. Yet this potential needs to be brought to fruition through the sustained hard work of students with appropriate guidance," says Dr. P. Narayana, chairman of NGEI.

The Mumbai-based Pidilite Industries Ltd has designed a new broad-based creative learning programme to encourage, nurture and showcase talent in art and crafts. One of the first initiatives under this umbrella programme is the International Creative Craft Contest — a competitive programme that appreciates and rewards excellence in art and crafts.

"The International Creative Craft Contest is a large-scale school contact programme with a real time participation of more than 800,000 children. In the past two years since its inception, the contest has reached 3,000 schools. This year we are expecting to reach at least 2 million students in 10,000 schools in 100 towns across India and ten international locations. A ten day Craft Festival will be organised during the international finals to be held in Mumbai," says Sanjay Panigrahi, marketing director of Pidilite.

Pidilite invites entries from schools, principals and students for the contest. Please send your entries to Pidilite Industries Ltd, Regent Chambers, Mumbai 400021.

Edexcel, a Pearson Group (UK) company offering vocational and academic qualifications s also testing services to more than 25,000 schools, colleges and learning centres in 112 countries worldwide, has tied up with the Mumbai-based Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training to provide its globally recognised BTEC HNC (Higher National Certificate) qualifications. With growing pressure to produce employable graduates with globally transferable skills, several education institutions, including Frankfinn, have chosen the Edexcel BTEC course to provide hands-on practical training to students.

"India’s airline industry has experienced substantial growth in recent years, resulting in an ongoing need for trained employees who are able to settle quickly into the workforce. Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training provides training in aviation, hospitality and travel. Thousands of students have already graduated with BTEC HNC qualifications with a large percentage pursuing successful careers with airlines all over the world. Many students use their BTEC HNC and HND qualifications to progress to degree courses in India and abroad," says a Frankfinn Institute spokesperson.

Edexcel works closely with key decision-makers in education around the world to ensure qualifications remain up-to-date, valued and recognised. They include governments, academic institutions, professional organisations, and employers internationally. "The choice of BTEC qualifications by large training companies like Frankfinn shows a determination to ensure that its local workforce has access to training which is recognised as an international qualification," says an Edexcel spokesperson.

The National Institute of Creative Communication (NICC), Bangalore announced the launch of a new study programme — Retail Design plus MBA (Retail Mgmt), on August 1. Comments Dr. Akash Rose, founder director of NICC: "The retail industry in India is booming and there is a dearth of qualified manpower. It is our aim to produce world-class professionals for this fast growing industry. Our live-project teaching environment enables the creation of practising design professionals rather than just graduates." The MBA component of the programme is offered in academic association with Universal College, Bangalore.

The two-year diploma offers a combined course in retail design and management which is recognised by elite institutions worldwide. NICC also offers placement assistance to its graduates. Among the companies which have hired NICC alumni are RK Swamy BBDO, the Anand Bazar Patrika Group and Spenta Media, say NICC spokespersons.