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May 2008 | |
 Welcome to the India Partnership newsletter! |
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 Education Policy and Norms |
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01) New framework of rules and regulations to govern international schools The Indian HRD minister Arjun Singh has now shown intent on giving the sector - international schools and policies governing them, a framework of rules and regulations to begin with. So far this sector is operating without any proper guidelines. The minister wants to route their approval through the HRD ministry and further wants to limit the number of foreign teachers in such "international" schools to 20% of the total strength. Most importantly, the minister wants to ensure that all international schools operating in India will have to inculcate values relating to Indian culture, secularism and diversity in their curricular and co-curricular activities. The number of schools affiliated to International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has grown from 2 in 1998 to 33 in 2006 and number of schools affiliated to Cambridge International Examination (CIE) to 148 the same year. The HRD ministry has noted that many of these schools have been established without approval of the central government and are employing a large number of foreign teachers. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 02) National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship scheme to arrest high dropout rate at secondary-level In an effort to strengthen secondary education in India, the Central Government approved the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship scheme for students from classes IX to XII. The scheme seeks to arrest the high dropout rate at secondary-level by offering financial support to economically backward students. Scholarships will be awarded to meritorious class IX students from economically weak sections every year. Monetary support will continue till the students reach secondary stage and complete class XII. The government has also proposed a revamped scheme for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools. It will provide computer-aided education and ICT literacy with broadband connectivity to secondary and higher secondary government, local bodies and government-aided schools. Besides these the government also proposes to launch National Education Mission through ICT to provide Broadband connectivity to all the institutions of higher learning. With this initiative, high-quality e-content would be made available to about 400 university-level institutions and over 20,000 degree colleges in India. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 03) Indian Government approves fee hike in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) The Indian government has approved the proposed fee hike in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) even as the issue of increase in fee in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) remained unresolved. The HRD Ministry has approved that the fee for B.Tech and M.Tech courses be raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 per annum. The new fees structure will be effective from the new academic session. The hike was necessary for IITs to cope with the rising cost of education and running the Institutes. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 04) India's Higher-Education Minister, concerned about 'third-Grade' foreign universities wanting to come to India India's Higher-Education Minister, Mr Arjun Singh expressed his concern over inferior Western universities wanting to come to India because they could not compete in their own countries. He said he was not opposed to foreign institutions, but the 'third-grade’ foreign universities that were not interested in complying with the country’s higher-education regulations. The higher-education minister made it very clear that his government opposes the unrestricted entry of foreign higher-education providers, is against large tuition increases at India's public universities, and is in favor of government controls on admissions and tuition rates at the country's private higher-education institutions. |
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 Competitors Update |
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01) The German Academic Exchange Service announces scholarships for Indian working professionals The German Academic Exchange Service has announced scholarships for Indian working professionals to pursue postgraduate subjects at universities in Germany. The scholarships are available in 42 different courses in the areas of economic sciences, business administration, political economics, development co-operation, engineering and related sciences, mathematics, regional planning, environmental sciences, agricultural and forest sciences, public health, veterinary medicine, education and sociology. Ulrich Podewils, director, DAAD, Delhi, explained that these scholarships were for postgraduate courses that have special relevance to developing countries. DAAD is looking for candidates with at least two years of related professional experience in order to qualify for a scholarship. Students can pursue these courses both in English and German but basic knowledge of German language will be required. The candidates, up to 36 years of age, will be awarded full or partial scholarships depending upon the course. For more information click here ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 02) Singapore, Hong Kong gaining popularity as study destinations for MBA aspirants Besides the much-sought-after B-Schools in the US and the UK, countries such as Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong too, are becoming popular destinations for aspiring management graduates. In 2007, there were over 86,000 students of 120 nationalities in Singapore, an increase of 7.5 per cent over the preceding year. India contributes the fourth largest number of international students in Singapore. Many Indian and international institutes of repute have opened campuses in Singapore and Dubai that ensure quality management degrees recognised both locally and nationally. The Hong Kong University (HKU) is also gaining considerable recognition. In the US, the average cost of an MBA course is between INR 20 - 30 lakhs, depending upon the state and university. For the same degree from Singapore or Dubai, this could vary between INR 6 - 12 lakhs. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 03) New stringent immigration policies in the US may scare off foreign students The fields of science, technology, engineering, and math lack adequate home students in the USA, thus making foreign students a boon to American colleges and universities in these fields. However, stringent immigration policies can discourage foreign students who want to study in America. Federal officials are now making changes to crack down on abusers and better help students who follow the rules. Associate dean for international students at MIT, was concerned that if the new procedures prove bothersome, they could send an unwelcoming message to exceptional students this country needs resulting in the United States losing many foreign students to Canada, Australia, or Britain. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has outlined a proposal to increase visa fees, to pay for improving the student visa database and hiring more staff to help schools and conduct investigations. Student fees would go from $100 to $200, and school fees would go from $230 to $1,700. Added staff and a better database could benefit students by speeding up the bureaucratic process, as long as these measures didn't scare people off by overemphasizing security. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 04) Work permit without a job offer letter for international students in Canada International students pursuing higher studies in Canada will now be able to obtain a work permit without producing a job offer letter. These students would be able to obtain open work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program with no restrictions on the type of employment and no requirement for a job offer. Canada has announced changes to work permits for international students who graduate from eligible programs at certain Canadian post-secondary institutes. The increased flexibility offered by the expanded programme will benefit graduates and employers alike as the programme will help international students get important work experience while responding to Canada's labour market needs. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 05) Proposed fee shift to force Australian Universities to recruit more overseas students The Australian Federal Department of Education has asked Australian universities to provide details of its commitment to replace full fee-paying domestic students with government-funded places. University students will no longer be able to buy their way into prestige courses under changes introduced by the Labor Government. As per Australian Universities, the end to full fee-paying places will force them to recruit more international students to make up for the lost revenue. International students pay up-front fees for their courses. More than 200,000 foreign students are enrolled in Australian universities and almost all pay full fees for their courses. About 11,000 local students pay full fees and are typically enrolled in subjects such as veterinary science, law, medicine and dentistry. Universities stand to lose millions of dollars when the new government's ban on full-fee students comes into force next year. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 06) Germany's share of foreign-student market begins to stagnate Although the number of foreign students in Germany has risen every year for the past decade, some key figures have begun to stagnate. The report, “Internationalization of Higher Education - Foreign Students in Germany - German Students Abroad,” was prepared for Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research. As per the report, the overall number of internationally mobile Chinese students more than doubled from 2002 to 2005, from approximately 182,000 to more than 400,000. Germany’s share of that fast-growing group increased from about 17,000 in 2002 to around 27,000 in 2005, but declined in percentage terms from 7.7 percent in 2002 to 6.7 percent in 2005 because more of the Chinese students went elsewhere. The report raised concerns because increasing foreign-student enrollment is a central aim of German universities. A national program, spearheaded by the federal government, is intended to make the country's universities more internationally competitive and attractive to foreign students. |
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 Market Trends |
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01) Clinical research firms battle shortage of skilled taskforce The problem of finding skilled taskforce is more acute in areas like clinical research, where domain knowledge is of utmost importance. Clininvent Research, a Mumbai based clinical research organisation (CRO) visited at least 4-5 institutes that provide courses in clinical research in the country to search for clinical research (CR) professionals. According to a study by consulting firm McKinsey & Co, by 2010, India would need 50,000 CR professionals. As against this, there are a little more than 10,000 professionals available. About a 1,000 such candidates are likely to be added annually. Clinical trials are a big business opportunity. India is fast becoming a global hub for the clinical research industry, with pharma companies planning to spend about $1.5 billion for clinical trials by 2010, as per the McKinsey study. CR professionals form the bedrock of the INR 35,000-crore domestic pharmaceutical industry. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 02) The Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) expands courses in Qatar The Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) off campus centre, MES Indian School, will soon be providing undergraduate courses in science and doctorate programmes. IGNOU, based in New Delhi, India, is the largest university in the world with about 1.8m students in 35 countries apart from India. It offers about 148 programmes, both in the modular and credit systems, adding about two courses every month. It offers courses from the certificate to the doctorate level. The MES off campus centre, started in 2000, offers many courses, including the much sought after bachelor's degree programmes in education, commerce and business administration. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 03) University of Mumbai to set up new Centre for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology The Centre for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, University of Mumbai (CNNUM) has undertaken R&D and Training Programs to meet some of the challenges of nanotechnology development. University of Mumbai will focus on R&D in Nanosciences and Nanotechnology leading to industry-ready technology and development of human resources to implement the technology. The new Centre for Nano-sciences and Nanotechnology will endeavor to attain a position of leadership among the top few centers in the world, by recruiting top most scientists, engineers and technologists, with trans-disciplinary infusion of ideas; and attract student body from all over the country and overseas and will also promote excellence by undertaking research of international caliber and national relevance in collaboration with industry by establishing an Innovation Park; increased collaboration and partnership with other national and international institutions and universities. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 04) Accelerated MBAs are gaining ground as US B-schools consider one-year MBA programs like those in Europe. US B- schools considering one-year B-school programs like those in Europe. For some business school students, the idea of being out of the job market for two years and paying two years of tuition is a serious burden. One option familiar in Europe but uncommon in the U.S. is the one-year MBA program, and schools that have such programs say their enrollments are growing strongly. The programs, which are offered by perhaps a dozen of the top U.S. B-schools, are generally tied into the schools' two-year programs. Students start in May and continue through the summer. They then join second-year students in the fall. Unlike two-year programs, they generally don't include an internship component. Admissions to many one-year programs are up substantially this year, said several admissions officers, with application rates in some cases outpacing their two-year counterparts. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 05) After Mauritius NIFT to open overseas centres in Malaysia and UAE National Institute of Fashion Technology was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, has emerged as the premier institute of Design, Management and Technology developing professionals for taking up leadership positions, fashion business in the emerging global scenario. NIFT is exploring the possibility of setting up of overseas centres, one in the UAE and the other either in Singapore /or in Malaysia in collaboration with reputed partners having an established presence and credentials in the respective regions. The first overseas centre of NIFT in Mauritius is likely to be operational from July, 2008. NIFT Act 2006 published in the Gazette of India on 14th July, 2006 confers Statutory Status on NIFT and empowers the institute to award degrees and other academic distinctions. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 06) After Harvard, Stanford comes to India to hold executive education programmes Indian executive education market continues to attract top international institutions. After Harvard Business School, which conducted its executive programme in Hyderabad, The Stanford Graduate School of Business is coming to India with its courses. Stanford GSB will be holding a programme named 'Creating Emotional Engagement with Customers and Employees' in New Delhi and Mumbai in December 2008. The programme will be lead by two Indian faculty members at Stanford. Stanford University and its Graduate School of Business are leading institutions with long history of innovation and thought-leadership. Stanford has produced many of the world's greatest business innovators. Since its creation in 1925, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with a faculty that includes three Nobel laureates, has established itself as a global leader in management education and has built an international reputation. |
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 Agent Zone Update |
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We are happy to announce the launch of a new Education UK India Agent Zone on the Education UK site. Around 450 Agents from India have already registered on the Zone. We have set their information live for all the UK institutions. For us to set the Zone live for student population we need a confirmation from you indicating that agents’ information pertaining to your institution is valid. In case we do not receive a response from you we will assume that all details provided by the agents are correct.We will check the confirmation status and plan to set the new Agent Zone live for students by mid June 2008. |
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 Opportunities for India Partnership Members |
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Promotional Visits: |
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