The case for social media in Indian schools

The recent episode of the bullying video going viral in Delhi has only made the case for social media in schools stronger, in my opinion.

Just think about it. If a student hadn’t recorded the incident and circulated the video, would the nasty case have been viewed by thousands or even treated with the seriousness that it deserves? Or would it have been brushed under the carpet like countless bullying episodes that take place in our schools on a daily basis.

Remember the eleven-year-old girl who died in Kolkata last year after being bullied by seniors? Were the bullies taken to task? No. Instead parents unleashed their fury on the school’s principal. None of the newspapers named or shamed the bullies who slipped away into the comforting cover of anonymity. Some punishment that.

Instead of banning mobile phones and treating social media tools such as WhatsApp and Facebook as a detriment, schools and educators in India (and elsewhere) need to educate students about using social media in a positive way. While it’s true that there are many dangers online, there are risks offline as well. Parents and educators need to make children aware of these dangers and help them use social media and mobile phones to enrich their lives and also, in cases such as bullying and harassment, make them more secure.

Social media, when used correctly, can be a powerful tool. It's time to educate our children.

India to become Washington Accord member

In a development that can only augur well for Indian engineers looking for employment overseas, India will become a full-fledged member of the Washington Accord by June this year. This will facilitate global recognition of Indian degrees and improve mobility of students and engineers.

The Washington Accord, signed in 1989, is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programmes accredited by those bodies and recommends that graduates of programmes accredited by any of the signatory bodies be recognized by the other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.  Some 16 countries are signatories to it.

The Indian government plans to set up the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA) to improve quality and meet international standards. "After acquiring full status of the Washington Accord, employability of Indian engineers in other countries will go up substantially. This will help our students pursuing technical education," explained Ashok Thakur, Secretary Higher Education.

According to Thakur, India has been a provisional member of the Washington Accord since 2007 and is confident to get the full-fledged status by June when a meeting of the body is due to take place. Two members have been deputed by the Washington Accord to help India align its accreditation norms with the best international practices.

Click your way to an online MBA!

MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are fast becoming popular in India. India is the second biggest market for MOOCs, after United States. MyBskool.com is a Chennai-based startup that is pioneering the MOOCs concept in India. Latha Venkitachalam, Chief Operating Officer, myBskool.com talks about the company and shares her insights on India’s burgeoning e-learning landscape.

Debeshi: Can you tell us more about myBskool?

Latha: myBskool.com is a 3 year young startup based out of Chennai, started in October 2010 that is pioneering the MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) concept in India. In lines with the MOOCs initiatives of Stanford and Harvard that has revolutionized the higher education eco-system worldwide by attracting millions of students from across the globe.

Debeshi: What are your company’s e-learning offerings?

Latha Venkitachalam

Latha: myBskool offers online management courses to students. Early this year, we launched a free 100-day Mini MBA in partnership with Madras Management Association (MMA) with content co-created with Indian Institute of Management Ranchi. The programme was offered on a portable classroom model with access from PC, tablets and smartphones. We got a fabulous response from the student community. Over three lakh students have registered for this course, thereby making us India's largest online business school.

Debeshi: What are the programmes that you offer in collaboration with other schools?

Latha: We have the Online Mini MBA in partnership with Madras Management Association and content co-created with IIM Ranchi. We offer an Executive Diploma in Business Administration from Mahatma Gandhi University. Then, there is an Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management from IMT Ghaziabad and Short Term Certificate programmes in partnership with MMA and IIM Ranchi.

Debeshi: Your insights into India’s e-learning industry in higher education

Latha: E-learning is the most convenient option for individuals who cannot take a break from work and continue education. This is also a great opportunity to be updated on the subject and keep in touch with the ongoing trends. Moreover, it is the easiest and cost-effective mode of learning.

Debeshi: What are some of the bottlenecks faced by companies in this space?

Latha: Education is linked to employment and recognition of online courses in the employment market is a challenge. Online learning is not accredited by Government bodies. Also, the Internet penetration in our country has not been that fast. People do not want to pay for certification and there is an attitude that anything that comes via the Internet has to be free.

Debeshi: What are your growth plans in the next five years?

Latha: We want to increase our collaborations with foreign universities in areas such as faculty exchange. We are also looking at expanding into verticals such as IT and Healthcare. We want to be known as India’s best online learning company.

Thomas Cook launches University Tours

Travel company Thomas Cook has launched University Tours in collaboration with education consultancy firm The Red Pen College Tours in the United States. The Tours will take Indian students on a tour of select colleges and universities in the US to help them decide where they want to pursue their higher studies.

Students will be taken to campuses of leading universities such as Stanford University, University of California - Los Angeles, Harvard University, New York University and Princeton University.

According to a release from Thomas Cook, traditional route of online research and word-of-mouth has fallen short of providing Indian students and their parents a realistic and hands on perspective.

The University Tours are expected to give prospective students and their parents a glimpse into university life experiences with visits to the US colleges, interactions with students and university admission advisors.

The tour operators promise customized sessions and workshops at some universities, a pre-departure workshop on the US university admission process and on how to select a university for parents and students, workshops to guide students on how to select majors and careers, how to prepare resumes and individual counselling after the trip.

According to the release, Shibani Phadkar, senior vice-president and head, Leisure Travel (Outbound) Products of Thomas Cook (India), says: "This initiative is aimed at giving students a vibrant firsthand perspective of what to expect when pursuing their undergraduate studies in America. On-ground counselling and interactions with local students and counsellors make for engaging sessions while ensuring selection of an apt university."

Study in Latvia centre opens in Chennai

Latvia is the newest name in a growing list of foreign study destinations for Indian students. A conglomerate of seven Latvian universities launched a "Study in Latvia Centre (SLC)" in Chennai last week. 

Latvia University

According to Professor Leonids Ribickis, the Rector of Riga Technical University, Latvia offered "vast education opportunities and international exposure." Imants Bergs, Vice-Rector in Turiba University said that a cooperation agreement between the Governments of Latvia and India enabled mutual recognition of issued qualifications, besides allowing Indian students to apply for Latvian government scholarships.

The Centre is founded by Riga Technical University, Turiba University, Liepaja University, Latvia University, B A School of Business and Finance, Latvia University of Agriculture and Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration, all based in Latvia.

For information on tuition fees and living expenditures, take a look at the University of Latvia information sheet on fees for 2013-14.

Netherlands Fellowship Programmes

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation is offering Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) for developing country applicants. NFP offers fellowships for master’s, PhD and short courses. Applicants can apply for Master’s degree programmes and short courses in the application period of December 2013- February 2014. Students must be a national of one of the countries in the NFP country list valid at the time of application. If for whatever reason a candidate stays in another country other than his or her home country for more than 90 days before the start of the course and/ or programme, he or she is not considered to be living and working in his or her home country. Nuffic receives thousands of fellowship applications each year. Only a small percentage of these applications are eventually granted a fellowship. Application should be submitted till 4th February 2014.

Study Subject(s): Fellowship is provided to learn any one course offered by Dutch institution (applicant should be employed in a subject area to which the study will make a relevant contribution)

Course Level: Applicants can apply for Master’s degree programmes and short courses in the application period of December 2013- February 2014.

Scholarship Provider: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation.

Scholarship can be taken at: Netherlands

For more information, go to: http://scholarship-positions.com/netherlands-fellowship-programmes-developing-countries-applicants-nuffic-masters-degree-phd-research/2013/07/29/

Engineering Careers

Engineering has traditionally been a popular career choice for students in India. The Open Education Database (OED) is a useful resource for students interested in studying and working in the field. The site is dedicated to providing educational/career-oriented resources to those interested in pursuing an online education.

The website features a Guide to Engineering Careers. The guide itself profiles the best locations for a job/degree, the average salary, and general career information for a variety of different fields. The guide also features a section for those looking to pursue a career and/or degree in engineering.