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Education Policy and Norms

1) Six-year D. Pharm course proposed by the Pharmacy Council of India  
Speaking at a seminar on ‘Future Prospects and Perspectives of Pharm-D programme’ organised by the A.P. Private Pharmacy College Managements Association (APPCMA), the president of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) said that pharmacy education in India required to look global given the opportunities worldwide and measures needed to be taken to strengthen pharmacy education to provide global standards. The proposed Pharm.D course of six years’ duration would plug that gap and prepare Indian students at the global level. This Pharm.D course will be in addition to the existing four-year B. Pharm course and the two-year M. Pharm course.
For more information click on:  http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/04/stories/2008020457830200.htm

2) University Grants Commission (UGC) wants academic reforms in all varsities to be effective from 2008

As a follow-up of the Washington Accord to which India was granted temporary membership last year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has advised all universities to initiate certain academic changes that are to be effective from 2008. The reforms include a merit-based admission policy, semester system for exams, grading system for evaluation, curricular flexibility, credit system and a uniform academic calendar. All central, deemed and private universities under the UGC are expected to adopt the reforms, which are aimed at having a uniform education pattern and increasing the employability of undergraduates and postgraduates. The Washington Accord is an international agreement between countries accrediting academic engineering programmes at the university level. The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and the All-India Council for Technical Education were granted a provisional membership of the accord in June 2007. This would facilitate mobility of engineering graduates and professionals at the international level. Graduates from NBA-accredited programmes will be automatically accepted for education and employment in other member countries such as the US, UK, Germany, Russia, Japan and South Korea.
For more information click on:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1149530

3) Bombay High Court shuts down 20 colleges in Maharashtra

Twenty private colleges in Maharashtra will have to close down following a directive from the Bombay High Court as they failed to obtain approval of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). Nine colleges in Mumbai including IMET, Malad, Hindustan Institute of Technology, Borivli, St John’s Paramedical College, Dadar, and Global Institute of Management Science, Santacruz have been asked to cease operations. Others include three institutions in Pune including Industrial Research Institute, one in Thane, one in Navi Mumbai, and six long distance education institutes. In addition, 13 colleges have been asked to close admissions for the next academic year in 2008. These include KC College of Management Studies, Hospitality Education Trust, Ryan College of Engineering and Management, and International College of Financial Planning.
For more information click on:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1148403

4) Central Board of Secondary Education to introduce course on Financial Market Management at the higher secondary level.  

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to introduce a course on Financial Market Management (FMM) at the higher secondary level. This step was taken to keep pace with the changing needs. Presently, specialized courses in finance are available only after graduation level. The move is expected to create a whole new genre of 'financially adept' students at +2 level. The course is in agreement with the Indian Government's emphasis on vocational education and the need for imparting employability skills. The new course would impart various important skills in subjects like Accounting for Business, introduction to Financial Markets and Computer application in Financial Markets.
For more information click on: http://www.indiaedunews.net/Today/CBSE%5Fto%5Flaunch%5Fnew%5Fcourse%5Fon%5Ffinance%5Ffor%5FPlus%5FTwo%5Fstudents%5F3341/

5)  Jadavpur University in West Bengal to relax rule for foreign study

In an effort to prevent students from losing a year when they want to pursue an academic programme abroad in the middle of their course, Jadavpur University (JU) has modified and relaxed its rule. Inward transfer of credit will enable undergraduate and postgraduate students in the university’s science, arts and engineering faculties to study in foreign universities without interrupting their JU courses. The credits awarded to students by the foreign universities will be added to their credits here.
For more information click on:  http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071231/jsp/calcutta/story_8715297.jsp

Competitors' Update

1) Indo-French Educational Consortium established and 21 agreements in education signed
France is now aggressively wooing Indian students and establishing links with educational institutes in India with the establishment of an Indo-French educational consortium. 21 inter-university agreements have been signed. One of the academic initiatives announced on the occasion of the Indo-French education seminar was the setting up the Indo-French Consortium of Universities that will initiate projects of joint research and enhanced cooperation at the Masters Degree level.  The 21 agreements signed at the seminar in the presence of the French minister were in the field of student and faculty exchanges at masters and undergraduate levels. Compared to 17,000 Chinese students enrolled for higher education courses in France, there are only 1,700 Indian students. According to French officials, visa rules for Indian students were recently liberalised to allow them to work part-time while pursuing their studies.
For more information click on:  
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14595449

2) China new education hub for Indian students
China is becoming a higher education hub for Indian students. More and more students from India are studying in Chinese universities. Easy admission systems, affordable fees and high standards of facilities are the chief attractions for Indian students in China, who now number more than 6,000. The dominant choice of Indians is medicine. The Tianjin Medical University has 400 Indian students on its rolls studying medicine. The average tuition fee in a Chinese medical university is $2,000-$3,000. Another $1,000 is needed for board and lodging. This is a fourth of what one would spend in India. But Indians returning home are expected to pass the Indian Medical Council test.
For more information click on:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indian_students_new_education_hub_-_China/articleshow/2733447.cms

3) Studying in the US no longer easy for Indian students
US is no longer the preferred destination for Indian students who want to study abroad. As per reports, even the Indian students settled in America are finding it difficult to get admission in reputed institutions and, as a result, those wishing to study abroad are looking at destinations like Australia and UK. The rising number of Asian applicants has increased the competition for college admission. Government is cutting down financial support and making visa rules difficult. However, the Indian students are still the second-largest community among foreign students, followed by China. The delegation that arrived to participate in the 2nd International Conference on Management of ICFAI Business School, shared their views with students gave tips to those who were interested in studying in the US. Management still remains a hot subject with the Indian students in America. However, Americans are shunning subjects like hard sciences and management, which is throwing up good opportunities for Indian students.
For more information click on:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Study_in_US_is_no_more_easy_for_Indian_students/articleshow/2667351.cms

4) Chennai biggest market for US as per student visa figures
‘American Education Expo 2008’, organised by the U.S. embassy in collaboration with the International Student Network (ISN), was held in Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Representatives from 20 colleges and universities across the U.S. participated in the expo. Chennai has the biggest market in India disclosed ISN. According to U.S. Embassy figures, last year 15,000 students from Chennai received a student visa, making up the largest number of students from any State in India. Last year, 20 per cent of the total applicants tried for undergraduate programmes. The effort this year was to promote undergraduate courses and improve this figure.
For more information click on:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/07/stories/2008020758560500.htm

5) New wave of foreign students fuels record university levels in Canada
A federal report issued shows foreign enrolment is booming at Canadian universities. University enrolment across the country hit a record high for the fifth year in a row, fuelled in part by an influx of foreign students, Statistics Canada reported. There were 80,200 foreign students enrolled nationwide in 2005-2006, which is the last year for which national figures are available. Stats Can reported that half of the foreign students were from Asia - nearly a quarter from China. There were increases in students from India, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. According to the report, strong economic growth in Asian countries, new university marketing strategies, changes in immigration policies and provincial agreements with other countries have fuelled the growth in foreign students.
For more information click on:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/city/story.html?id=9ecfd784-92e7-40d2-9efe-3610567d4ea6

Market Trends

1) Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur to set up new centres of excellence in Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure Design and Management, Steel Technology and Telecommunication Engineering
The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur is setting up four new centres of excellence — School of Entrepreneurship, School of Infrastructure Design and Management, Steel Technology Centre, and Centre of Excellence in Telecommunication Engineering. The new centres of excellence are expected to be functional by the 2009 academic session. The course modules are currently being worked out. The School of Entrepreneurship will provide appropriate knowledge and skills to the aspiring entrepreneurs.  Students desirous of taking admission to the entrepreneurship course will have to clear the regular IIT-JEE. IIT-KGP’s entrepreneurship course will be a dual-degree programme — a Bachelor of Technology and a Master of Entrepreneurship — at the completion of the course.  Admission to the Steel Technology Centre would be open to graduates of disciplines like mechanical engineering, civil, chemical or metallurgical engineering.  The centre of excellence in Telecommunication Engineering is expected to address all kinds of next generation telecom network needs and relevant infrastructure development.  
For more information click on: http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=6&subLeft=8&chklogin=N&autono=312752&tab=r

2) Petroleum Management students in demand as energy sector buoyant
The energy sector is buoyant and it is reflecting in the first campus placement of India’s only petroleum management institute. The giants from the energy sector have selected 30 students of the Institute of Petroleum Management-Gandhinagar (IPMG). The average salary offered has been at par with other premier management institutes in the country. The campus placements have had leading companies queuing up for recruitment. Companies include Hindustan Petroleum, Indian Oil, Cairn India, Reliance Group, Punj Lloyd, Hindustan Oil Exploration Company, ICICI Lombard, Weatherford and Gujarat State Petronet.
For more information click on: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Jobs/Petro_management_students_pocket_B-school_salaries_now/articleshow/2762794.cms

3) Huge scope for management students to take to the world of creative sciences
With India emerging as the key driver for pushing the global entertainment and media industry to $2 trillion by 2011, by dint of being the fastest growing market in the world, coupled by the fact that it needs professional management and research, there is a ‘huge’ scope for management students to take to the world of creative sciences. This was the opinion of the speakers at the Entertainment and Media Conclave organised as part of Manfest 2008, the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow’s annual business conclave.
For more information click on: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/-Huge-scope-for-management-students-to-take-to-the-world-of-creative-sciences-/260843/

4) Commodity Research Centre to be set up in Delhi University
Even as the government is taking measures to liberalise India's commodity futures trading, educational training and research in commodities has become much sought after. Sensing that the future is bright for commodities in India, Delhi University and National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) have decided to jointly set up a new NCDEX-DFS Centre of Commodity Markets and Derivatives Research in the Delhi University Campus. Officials of the Delhi University said that the Commodity Research Centre would be housed in the Department of Financial Studies (DFS). It will undertake research, education, build awareness and deepen understanding in the area of commodity and derivatives. The centre is also expected to create a platform for collaboration among academia, practitioners, policy-makers, industry and other stakeholders.
For more information click on: http://www.commodityonline.com/news/topstory/newsdetails.php?id=5320

Opportunities for Indian Partnerships

Promotional Visits: Please send us details (dates, venues, time and programme) if you are visiting India for a promotional visit through one of our offices or your agent. We offer a free listing on our website to India Partnership institutions.
Please send details to- moneesha.gupta@in.britishcouncil.org