The Indian Economic Development and Research Association (IEDRA) conferred Lina Asher, chairperson of Kangaroo Kids Education Ltd, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Educational Excellence at the seminar and awards function of National Economic Growth and World Peace, in Delhi on December 1. Asher was felicitated for her pivotal contribution and pioneering role in redefining pre-school and nursery education. The award was presented by Joginder Singh, former director CBI; former election commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy and O.P. Verma, former Supreme Court judge.
“I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. It has special meaning for me and my team as this recognition reinforces our resolve to work harder. We wish to break the boundaries that restrict millions of children from getting a full and fair education,” said Asher speaking on the occasion.
Promoted in 2006, IEDRA encourages the economic and social development of individuals and organisations in India and abroad.
Iken ScientificA–Season III
The Mumbai-based Mexus Education Pvt. Ltd, an education innovations enterprise, has tied up with the National Geographic television channel (NGC) and the Union ministry of science and technology to present its Iken ScientificA 2009-Season III programme. Iken ScientificA 2009 is India’s largest and only hands-on science and technology competition in which 200,000 students from 700 schools in 14 cities are expected to compete for Rs.50 lakh in prize money in end January.
NGC will air a live broadcast of the national finals, and feature the competition winners in a special programme titled Student Icons for India. This unique competition for class V-VIII students comprises three rounds, viz the school round, city finals and national finals. It consists of scientifically designed quizzes and activities which test students’ ability to translate scientific knowledge into practice.
Comments Saurabh Saxena, director of Mexus Education: “Iken ScientificA is a platform for students from across India to demonstrate new hands-on ways of learning. Its aim is to reward budding scientific talent and stimulate lateral thinking and experimentation. Following our success in 2007 and 2008, we are happy to unveil its third avatar in association with NGC and the Union ministry of science and technology. This partnership will firmly establish Iken ScientificA as India’s premier science and technology talent hunt.”
Project Edukid for rural India
The Indus International School, Bangalore has adopted a unique project to bridge the urban-rural school education divide. Designed by Ayan Agarwal, a class XII student in collaboration with Ashutosh Khetan, the project named Edukid is being supported by Bhoruka Charitable Trust, a non-profit organisation and M.L. Mehta and Anil Bordia, pioneers in the field of rural education in Rajasthan.
“The Edukid project is targeted at urban school students aged between 13-17 years, who will volunteer to teach children in rural areas. Through this project, we aim to raise rural school education standards. We have devised an eclectic ten-point curriculum in consultation with professionals to cover topics including resource conservation, adolescence issues, IT, sports, and English language skills development. We intend motivating urban students to help students in rural schools,” says Agarwal.
A comprehensive booklet which extensively details Project Edukid is available for students and educators interested in working with the programme to expand its reach.
For further details e-mail agarwal.ayan@gmail.com.
CREMA programme in healthcare
Crema (Clinical Research Education & Management Academy) has tied up with University of Dibrugarh, a state university, to present a two-year full-time MBA programme in healthcare. The university is approved by UGC and accredited by NACC.
“Indian hospitals and healthcare establishments will need the services of 1 million healthcare professionals by 2012 against the 200,000 available currently. Therefore, this is the right time to pursue an MBA in healthcare. Our course is designed in consultation with the healthcare industry to conform to highest quality standards. Some of the major institutes offering MBA in healthcare today have deemed university status, whereas Dibrugarh is a full-fledged university,” said Vijay Moza, chairman of CREMA and a pioneer in introducing clinical research education in India.
Admissions for CREMA’s MBA programme have begun, with classes scheduled to start in January 2010. The programme will be conducted on CREMA campuses in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad and is open to graduates and postgraduates in life sciences, medicine, homoeopathy, ayurveda, physiotherapy, and to medical lab technologists.
Pearson-Educomp concordat
Two Delhi-based companies, Pearson India and Educomp Solutions India Ltd, have teamed up to launch IndiaCan to provide vocational training to youth countrywide. The joint venture adopted its new name at a brief ceremony on November 26, attended by Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson Plc (UK) and Shantanu Prakash, the promoter-managing director of Educomp.
Formerly known as Educomp Vocational Education Pvt. Ltd, IndiaCan has also formed prestigious partnerships with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the country’s leading trade association, and TranSmart, a logistics company with a pan-India presence. Under the CII partnership, IndiaCan will deliver certification programmes designed by Edexcel, the accreditation and certification unit of Pearson, to students in India. CII will endorse certificates issued by IndiaCan.
In the second deal, IndiaCan will train 2,000 TranSmart employees/contractors across India over three years to international standards, and also prepare them for a BTEC qualification. This will position TranSmart as a productivity leader in the logistics industry.
Says Sharad Talwar, chief executive of IndiaCan: “Educomp and Pearson will provide training and certification on a par with the best globally. That’s exciting because in the process we’ll be creating a globally mobile workforce.”