The managements of the Lavasa Corporation Ltd and Christel House India Pvt Ltd have signed an agreement to construct and operate a school for underprivileged children in the Lavasa hill station township being developed near Pune. Christened Christel House, Lavasa, the school will be constructed by Lavasa as per the design principles specified by Christel House India.
Christel House will offer services related to the operation and management of the school in accordance with the comprehensive standards and expectations set forth in the Christel house policy and operations manual. The first phase of construction will be completed by April 2010. The school will become operational from June 2010 as a primary (K-class II) for 120 children to begin with, and will be gradually expanded to cover 780 children upto class XII by June 2014.
Lavasa is free India’s first and largest hill city being developed by the Mumbai-based Hindustan Construction Company Ltd around the lakes and picturesque surroundings of the Sahyadri hills. Over 12,500 acres of land situated around the 20 km long Warasgaon Lake is currently under development. Lavasa is a three-hour drive from Mumbai and an hour from Pune.
Dalai Lama wows IIM-Indore
His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited IIM-Indore on June 10 to bless the commencement of the second year of the postgraduate programme of the class of 2010. Dr. N. Ravichandran, director of IIM-Indore, L.N Jhunjhunwala, the chairman and members of the board of governors, faculty and students received His Holiness on the institute’s campus.
The Dalai Lama was welcomed to the dais with a huge roar of applause. In his discourse on the subject of ‘Compassion and non-violence’, he said that there’s potential in India to build a new peaceful and compassionate society of the 21st century. “Mutual respect is the only way to create genuine harmony between all religions of the world,” he said.
Dismissing all claims made on his behalf of his divine status, HH described them as false. “I have no healing power, I am not a divine person, I don’t do magic. I am talking to you as a fellow human brother, trying to convey my message,” he said, highlighting the importance of truth and trust in all interaction. Concluding his historic address to the faculty and students, HH advised them to lighten up. “Smiles break all language barriers. It is the humanness in all of us which enables us to connect with each other,” he said.
Pearson’s two new ventures
The London-based education publishing and communications transnational Pearson plc announced investments totaling $30 million (Rs.144 crore) in two of India’s leading education companies — the Bangalore-based TutorVista Pvt Ltd, and the Delhi-based Educomp Solutions India Ltd, on June 24.
Under the agreement with Educomp, Pearson will acquire a 50 percent equity stake in the former’s vocational training business. The new business will deliver a full span of world-class training, assessment and accreditation across a variety of skills and industries at a time of strong and growing demand for effective adult learning opportunities. Pearson will contribute its world-leading educational content, faculty and assessor development services to maintain quality of training. Educomp will bring its deep experience in recruiting and training faculty, as well as its pioneering expertise into satellite-based distance education and its partnerships with various governments, to provide employability training to youth at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. The joint venture will provide training in essential professional skills, including English.
Investment in TutorVista adds an international online tutoring platform to Pearson’s education services.
AEPC launches new multi-varsity
India’s first multi-varsity for the clothing and apparels industry, the Institute of Apparel Management (IAM), opened its doors on May 27, 2009 in Navi Mumbai. Promoted by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) to expand its education and training programmes, IAM will commence academic operations on August 10.
Explaining the rationale of the multi-varsity, Rakesh Vaid, chairman of AEPC says: “In a country where the textiles and apparel sector accounts for 14 percent of total industrial production and 48 percent of total export revenue, there is a natural urgency for mobilising resources to take on the growing and emerging challenges that have arisen due to rapid technological development.”
India’s apparel exports revenue crossed US$10.1 billion (Rs.48,572 crore) in 2008-2009 and the industry’s ambition is to earn $25 billion (Rs.120,245 crore) by 2015. But currently industry-ready professionals, especially for small and medium enterprises among garment exporters, are in short supply. IAM’s international collaborators include Edexcel UK, Wolverhampton University UK, RMIT University Australia, George Brown College, Canada and the Ontario College of Design, Canada.
ICICI Prudential AMC scholarships
The Mumbai-based ICICI Prudential AMC (Asset Management Company) has announced scholarships valued at Rs.27.9 lakh which will benefit 112 students under the ICICI Prudential Child Care Plan, out of which scholarships valued at Rs.3.1 lakh have been awarded to students in Maharashtra. The scholarships have been awarded on the basis of class X and XII SSC results to meritorious students for the academic years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. The objective of the scholarship scheme is to provide financial assistance to deserving students to help them with their future education.
The ICICI Prudential Child Care Plan (‘the scheme’) was launched in 2001 for the benefit of unit-holders under the ICICI Prudential Child Care Plan. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company constituted a trust — the ICICI Prudential Young Student Education Trust — to institute and administer this scholarship scheme for deserving students, with an initial corpus of Rs.500,000. The AMC contributes an amount equivalent to .1 percent of average net assets of the plan under this scheme. Over the past eight years since commencement, the programme has awarded scholarships to 117 students.