NES College tie-up with ABE, UK
NES College of International Business Studies, Mumbai, promoted by the Mumbai-based National Education Society (NES, estb.1963), has received accreditation from the Association of Business Executives, UK (ABE), enabling the college to offer the latter’s business management study programmes. The ABE business management certificate, diploma and advanced diploma programmes offered by NES College include business management, human resource management, marketing management, business information systems, financial management, travel, tourism and hospitality management.ABE’s head office in London is supported by a team of representatives in over 90 countries with 25,000 students worldwide enrolled in ABE approved programmes which are recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as also the ministry of education, UK.
"NES has always believed in keeping pace with the fast-moving business world, reflecting the latest and most relevant educational thinking and hence has taken the step towards offering ABE qualifications which are relevant, recognised and respected globally," says Dr. R. Varadarajan the promoter chairman of NES which together with its affiliated Saraswathi Vidya Bhavan trust comprises 47 education institutions offering KG-Ph D education in five complexes, spread over Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra.
Online English learning program
The Bangalore-based skills assessment major MeritTrack has teamed up with the US-based Cengage Learning to provide English language competence to Indian youth through an online learning program christened e-English for Enhanced Employability. Included in the program package (price: Rs.3,650) are a textbook, online training module and subsequent skill assessment service by MeritTrack."Several studies have pegged proficiency of English communication of Indian talent at just 10 percent for workable learning solutions, which means many lost opportunities. The progressive erosion of communication skills highlights grammar learning deficiency which needs to be a focus area. Our partnership with Cengage will offer an online flexible, interactive learning process. Students can vastly improve their English language communication skills which will help them in their careers and life," says Madan Padaki, co-founder and CEO of MeritTrack.
"Indian academia has begun to realise its folly of according less importance to English, lack of proficiency in which has embarrassed the whole university system in India," said K.K. Agarwal vice-chancellor of G.G.S. Indraprastha University, Delhi speaking at a press conference called in Delhi on April 9, to announce the launch of the online English learning package.
British Council ICT workshop
British Council, New Delhi hosted a four-day workshop on ‘Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education’ under the auspices of UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) from April 16-19. The workshop was attended by two British and two Indian representatives from each cluster in the first year of their partnership. The schools division of UKIERI has linked up 245 schools in India and UK to work collaboratively on mutually agreed projects in subject areas such as environmental sciences, sports, languages, etc. ICT guru Ewan McIntosh of Optima, UK and Dr. Baldeve Singh of Image Education, UK were facilitators of the workshop. "ICT-based learning is becoming increasingly relevant and affordable in school education. Therefore schools must prepare and train teachers in creative use of collaborative technology through use of digital video diaries, blogging and podcasting," says McIntosh.
P&G-CRY launch Shiksha 2008
Procter & Gamble (P&G) in partnership with the Delhi-based Child Rights and You (CRY) has launched the Shiksha 2008 school education programme for underprivileged children. Shiksha, a national consumer movement project, is now in its fourth year.
Promoted under P&G’s corporate social responsibility programme, Shiksha 2008 facilitates consumers to help educate underprivileged children by purchasing P&G’s large packs of washing powder (in the months April-June). However, irrespective of sales, P&G has committed a minimum of Rs.1 crore to CRY, which will be allocated to projects focused on enabling childrens’ right to education.
"As the economy grows by 8 percent-plus per year, we need to ensure that we build a strong foundation for its growth by continuing to invest in educating the future generation. In this context, P&G companies around the world are committed to the cause of educating children through our common ‘live, learn, thrive’ programme," says Shantanu Khosla, managing director of P&G (India).
Adds Irwin Fernandes, director (western region) of CRY: "The financial support P&G, its media partners and consumers provide to CRY’s work is invaluable. Even more critical, however, is the awareness of child rights that Shiksha helps create. India will achieve her true potential, only when we make child rights our topmost national priority."
To date the Shiksha programme has facilitated the education of 67,000 children across 435 communities at an aggregate expenditure of over Rs.4 crore.
Woodstock felicitation for Tom Alter
The Woodstock School, Mussoorie (estb. 1852) staged a function on April 2 to celebrate and felicitate former Woodstock alumnus Tom Alter, for being awarded the Padma Sri by the government of India. The award will be conferred by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi on May 10. On April 2 the Woodstock community and guests gathered in the school quadrangle to acknowledge and applaud Alter’s success and distinguished career in cinema, television and theatre.A celebrated actor with over 200 feature films to his credit, Alter was born and raised in Mussoorie. His parents and grandparents were American missionaries, and he attended Woodstock School from primary to high school. A graduate of the National Institute of Film and Television in Pune, Alter became a citizen of India in 1974.