General Update

DU first Indian university to embrace four-year undergraduate programme

The UGC, amidst much criticism, gave its blessings to Delhi University to break from the beaten path and welcome a four-year under-graduate programme, common in the USA. This significant deviation will be monitored closely by a panel of experts initially for successful implementation.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130605/jsp/nation/story_16973160.jsp#.UbLKGeenyP4

Indian tutors go digital to cater to international students

With an almost 50% increase in demand from foreign students and professionals for tutoring help through online platforms, Indian tutorials rise to challenge. The tutorials include both long-term tutoring for GRE and GMAT as well as short-term tutorials for homework, assignments and exam preparations.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/Indian-tutors-go-online-to-earn-big-bucks/Article1-1070008.aspx

Distance education in India gains in popularity
Increasing numbers of distance education aspirants points towards a growing trend in India. IGNOU cites flexibility and ease of mobility as major reasons for its popularity which explains a large number of rural students. It also bypasses cut throat competition as anyone with pass marks can apply.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-04/news/39739572_1_ignou-distance-education-gandhi-national-open-university

Tailor-made courses for international exchange students studying in India

With globalisation gaining ground, Jai Hind college has developed a strong focus on foreign student exchange initiatives. While hosting students from the USA, Australia and England Jai Hind offers courses on Indian culture, history and Hindi language skills. There are plans of extending the programme to include faculty.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-05/news/39763167_1_foreign-exchange-students-exchange-program-visiting-students

Students in Mumbai show increased interest in international boards in a bid for global outlook 

As Mumbai school students prefer international boards to Indian ones, there is seen a desire for international outlook and learning over what the national curricula has to offer. As studying at an international school is not just a visa to go abroad, it is the quality of education, the support system, career choices and guidance that are key factors. With foreign universities recruiting students in India, this trend is looking to continue.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-06/news/39787856_1_ib-coordinator-only-ib-school-curricula

More technical and higher learning centres to uplift education in North Eastern India

HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju speaking at the 15th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati said the premier educational centre should emerge as the regional hub for research and development with more institutions likely to come up in this region. Recognising the region’s strategic importance, the government of India has committed to substantially upgrade the infrastructure in this part of the country in coming years.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/assam/more-technical-higher-education-centres-in-north-east-hrd-min_853766.html

Students throng admission fairs to directly interact with colleges

A number of companies are now organising admission fairs where university or college representatives and students interact directly and can discuss what suits the students the best. The students can check the credibility of the institutions and the college representatives are satisfied with the quality of students attending.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-10/patna/39872073_1_admission-fair-engineering-colleges-btech

MS University in Vadodara opens virtual window to showcase international efforts

MS University’s new website will provide a direct link to all the partner universities across the globe that have collaborated with MSU for student and faculty exchange programmes as well as further MSU's efforts of luring foreign students into its programmes. This will be furthered through social networking communities. The site also provides information on a list of partner institutes from Japan, UK, US and other countries.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-07/vadodara/39813983_1_msu-sharad-bansal-website-lists

MoU agreement to make engineering students job-ready

Fifteen centres across India will train engineering students on the latest trends in the corporate world making them ready to embrace the professional arena. Collaborating for the purpose is Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, which governs all engineering colleges in Karnataka, and National Board of Accreditation who signed an MoU. The focus will be on outcome based education, outcome based accreditation and faculty development programs.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-09/bangalore/39849323_1_engineering-students-vtu-vice-chancellor-h-maheshappa-visvesvaraya-technological-university

Social media connections help build confidence in students to succeed in college

Research findings show Facebook and other social media help young people including students less likely to go to college, feel more confident about their ability to get into college and to succeed there. Interestingly, even if financial means are scarce, a wealth of resources is available through connections on these platforms.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-07/social-media/39814637_1_college-students-college-application-process-facebook-friend

Foreign companies recruit Indian students

Students in Hyderabad are being wooed by companies in UK, US, Japan, Canada and other West Asian countries as they are hiring MBA and B-Tech graduates from the city's institutes to cut the high hiring costs. Students are being sent to work in head offices after short direct training to improve skills. Companies like Deloitte, Amazon, GE, Cognizant technologies, Toshiba and Ensign Energy Services are among those recruiting.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-07/hyderabad/39814016_1_placement-annual-salary-osmania-university

More practical skills than theory—demand students in India

College students prefer courses which are more practical and focus on skills than theoretical. They feel the current education system has turned their minds into a hard disk that only stores data. To be on the top of this competitive world, practical knowledge is absolutely necessary. Undergraduate students of humanities face most theoretical work and now want the universities to modify their education systems by making subjects more practical in nature. The teachers too have realized the need to make appropriate changes in the curriculum.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-19/ludhiana/40069432_1_courses-political-science-hard-disk

Students would rather choose courses over colleges

Students have to make a critical decision where they are torn between choosing the desired course over a college where they usually prefer the latter. The choice becomes all the more tough when a top college and the brand value it carries comes in play. However, a small, but growing, number of students are going against the trend where they choose the course over the brand of the institute. The choice becomes tougher when a top college and the brand value it carries comes in play.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-18/mumbai/40047556_1_professional-courses-hr-college-podar-college

India's first technical university for women in Delhi

For women interested in higher education in the fields of technology and research, the country's first ever technical university for women was inaugurated in Delhi. The Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University (IGDTU) has been upgraded from the erstwhile Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology which was set up in 1998 and will offer four B.Tech courses and five M.Tech programmes that include masters in computer application. The university hopes to “provide women with knowledge to gain equitable status and enable them to become torch-bearers and successful entrepreneurs”.
http://zeenews.india.com/home/india-s-first-technical-university-for-women-in-delhi_854814.html

DU on top of Best Colleges list in India for 2013

Delhi University re-establishes its prominence in educational stakes this year in the latest India Today-Nielsen Best Colleges survey, in which it has emerged at the top in arts, commerce and science streams. The university has beaten the rest of the country in three other streams as well where AIIMS, IIT-Delhi and NIFT-Delhi have been ranked the best in medicine, engineering and fashion, respectively.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-university-reigns-supreme-in-india-today-nielsen-survey/1/280314.html

Punjab University preferred destination for international students

Not to be left far behind, Punjab University in Chandigarh and its local affiliated colleges are emerging as a favourite destination for the international students with nearly 408 students applying from different countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal. High quality education, job-oriented courses and favourable study atmosphere is attracting the international students in large numbers which has increased to more than three times in the past three years.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/PU-most-preferred-destination-for-international-students/SP-Article1-1075959.aspx

Varsities respond to need for student employability

Universities in Maharashtra are trying to reorganize the higher education system in order to increase the employability of students as educationists feel this to be the need of the hour as the traditional courses fall short in equipping students with requisite skills to become employable. The academia is actively seeking industry inputs or joining hands with foreign collaborators to design new and relevant courses. BAMU and SNDT Women’s University are some institutions which are signing MoUs with leading foreign universities for creating new career channels for their students making them employable.
http://zeenews.india.com/exclusive/varsities-vie-to-augment-student-employability_6424.html

Social Networks and Smartphones are choice of communication for students

Harnessing the power of Internet, about 75 per cent of India’s youth prefers social media over phone calls to communicate, with more students using the internet for school-related tasks, according to a TCS survey. The findings, reveal today’s youth are collaborating through social networking tools and building virtual communities aided by affordable bandwidth and smart devices. Facebook and Twitter are the primary and clear favourites among today’s youth to connect with their peers with 92 per cent of the respondents preferring Facebook. With the growing popularity of smartphones, almost 70 per cent of the students surveyed carry a handset.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/students-prefer-communicating-through-social-networks-tcs/article4819977.ece

2 Indian students amongst twelve others, selected for internship abroad

Business Standard

A group of 14 students, including two from India's O P Jindal University, have been selected to participate in an innovative global internship programme on human rights and governance in Europe. The students from various universities, including Oxford University, Harvard University and O P Jindal University (India) are undergoing a six-week internship in the field of human rights and governance which started last month. It is being organised by the Open Society Foundations and School of Public Policy at Central European University. The programme promises to build a dedicated alumni network that will support innovative policy making in the rights and governance fields.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/12-foreign-2-indian-students-selected-for-internship-abroad-113061700691_1.html

Competition update:

Raju's visit enhanced US-India educational relations: US

Union Human Resources and Development Minister M M Pallam Raju's visit has laid the groundwork for refining and enhancing educational partnership between the United States and India, an US official has said. "His visit laid the groundwork for refining and enhancing our educational partnership and conversations begun during the Minister's trip will feed directly into June's Dialogue," said Tara D Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/raju-s-visit-enhanced-us-india-educational-relations-us-113060400111_1.html

Scholarship for Indian students by Deakin University

Deakin University, Australia is offering scholarships and bursaries for Indian students applying for admissions to Deakin University for the years 2013 and 2014. These scholarships have been designed for specific courses and are based on students meeting the required academic criterion.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-18/news/40047846_1_indian-students-deakin-university-scholarships

France to debate introduction of more English-speaking courses

Under a 1994 “Toubon” law defending the French language, French must be used in classrooms from right through nursery to university, barring lessons in a foreign language and visits from foreign guest teachers. The law also obliges public bodies to find French alternatives to Anglicisms, such as “mercatique” for “marketing”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10068769/France-to-debate-introduction-of-more-English-speaking-courses.html

US colleges offering 45% Discounts on average to attract students

Since long years, US has been successful in attracting Indian students for Higher education. It now opens doors for more and more opportunities for students across the world than ever before. In order to draw more students and as a response to a changing financial environment the US Private nonprofit colleges are now offering an average discount of 45%.
http://education.oneindia.in/news/2013/05/07/us-colleges-offer-45-discounts-average-attract-students-004892.html

Foreign students happy to be here, but it costs

The high cost of living is an increasing cause for complaint among international students, who are otherwise pretty happy with their decision to study here.
Only 51 per cent of overseas students in Australia for higher education were satisfied with living costs, according to just-released results from the 2012 International Student Survey.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/foreign-students-happy-to-be-here-but-it-costs/story-e6frgcjx-1226637074905

EU looks to woo international students including Indians

The European Union is considering changing existing policies to woo international students to pick its member nations for education. Greek Ambassador Ioannis Raptakis said that the EU countries also wished India would make it easier for European students to come here for education. Many EU countries realized they would have to consider and adopt new guidelines to make EU more attractive for students. The major problems faced by students are visa or residence permit issues, family members cannot accompany students and curbs on mobility within the EU.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/eu-mulls-new-guidelines-to-woo-international-students-113061401127_1.html

Japan provides financial aid worth 174.8 million dollars to IIT Hyderabad

Japan is all set to step into the Indian education market as it provides support to IIT Hyderabad as a loan for development purpose. They are all set to raise nine state-of-art buildings, a special technology centre, new academic blocks and a research centre and will increase student capacity as well.
http://education.oneindia.in/news/2013/05/31/iit-hyderabad-receives-174-million-aid-from-japan-005201.html

China sets up first overseas varsity campus in Laos with plans of expansion

In the capital of tropical Laos, two dozen students who see their future in trade ties with neighbouring China attended Mandarin classes as part of China's first university campus abroad. Education officials in China are promoting the notion of the country's universities expanding overseas and tapping new education markets. China so far has been on the receiving end of the globalization of education, with Western institutions rushing to China to set up shop. In addition to the emerging Laos campus, there are plans for what may become one of the world's largest overseas branch campuses in Malaysia and an agreement by a Chinese university to explore a joint campus with a British university in London.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/china-sets-up-first-overseas-varsity-campus/1/279546.html