Source: NDTV
The HRD Ministry-appointed panel tasked with drafting a new National Education Policy will submit its report in March next year.
education policy
Kasturirangan Heads Panel on National Education Policy
Source: The Statesman
The Prakash Javadekar-led HRD ministry has chosen experts and educationists from wide-ranging backgrounds to be part of the panel that is expected to recast India’s education policy.
NAFSA Publishes International Education Professional Competencies
Source: CBIE News Release via Academica
US-based organization NAFSA: Association of International Educators this week released the International Education Professional Competencies, a list that defines the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of international education professionals. The competencies include skills identified as being fundamental to all international education professionals, regardless of specialization. They are organized into four key practice areas: comprehensive internationalization, education abroad, international enrolment management, and international student and scholar services. The list also includes skills necessary to collaborate across international education domains. The Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), sister association to NAFSA, welcomed the release, noting that while developed from a US perspective, the competencies are applicable in other contexts.
Indian Government to Draft New Education Policy
Source: The PIE News
For the first time in more than two decades, the government of India is drafting a new education policy which will include reforms on the internationalisation in higher education, digitisation of education and skills development.
The government has released 33 discussion themes– 13 for secondary, 20 for post-secondary– to the public for consultation, a process which the government expects could take up to a year.
Speaking about the government’s new approach to internationalisation, Richard Everitt, director of education at the British Council in India said: “It’s not whether it should happen, but how to make it happen.”
Strengthening of vocational education; promotion of languages; integrating skills development in higher education; promoting open and distance learning and online courses; and engagement with industry to link education to employability are among other topics available for discussion on the government’s website until the end of March.
International education stakeholders in the country say the list of proposed discussion themes show the government is taking a relevant approach to modernise the current education environment.
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OECD Publishes 2015 Education Policy Outlook
Source: University World News via Academica | January 27, 2015
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published its Education Policy Outlook for 2015. The report identifies a number of key issues and goals for each member nation, as well as identifying high-level international trends. The report notes that many countries are looking to expand PSE graduation rates as a means to combat unemployment and overcome skills gaps, and that the proportion of persons aged 25–34 with tertiary education was consistently higher than that of persons aged 55–64. The report also identified what is described as a reverse gender gap at the PSE level; 46% of women aged 25–34 have attained a PSE credential, compared with 35% of men of the same age. The report also recommends PSE institutions increase pathways to the labour market. In its look at Canada, the report notes the importance of increasing the participation of minority-language and Aboriginal students in PSE, and recommends improvements to the apprenticeship system. It also notes that improving access and efficiency of funding will be an important goal for Canada. The report highlights a number of specific policy responses to these challenges that have been implemented by Canadian institutions.
Consolidation continues in India’s coaching industry
Source: Mint via PwC – EdLive
The change in education policy makes it imperative for smaller companies to tie up with bigger organizations. The consolidation in India’s fragmented and unregulated test preparation industry continues with small local entities getting acquired by bigger ones.
The latest is the listed coaching company MT Educare Ltd. acquiring a majority stake in Lakshya, a chain that prepares aspirants for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The trend has picked up largely because of three reasons—a change in education policy, the modification of exam formats and efforts by leading test-prep companies to expand their portfolio. For smaller companies it is a question of survival as a merger or partnership with a bigger entity allows them to be competitive in a changing environment. In the last three years, the common admission test (CAT) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) has gone online. The civil service exams have become more like CAT by adopting an aptitude test. In May, the government decided to give 40% weight age to school board marks in engineering college admissions. The implementation of a single, online entrance system for selection into all engineering colleges including IITs has made it difficult for smaller coaching centers without the capability of delivering national-level tests. Adding to this is the stress on English language capability in both CAT and the civil service exams and the growth of a blended tutoring format that combines elements of the classroom with distance education.
According to a Crisil Research report, from 40,187 crore INR in 2010-11 the tutorial business is expected to grow to 75,629 crore INR by 2014-15. Sensing that the business was set to expand, Educomp Solutions Ltd. acquired Vidyamandir classes in 2010 and Triumphant Institute of Management Education Pvt. Ltd. (TIME) took a majority stake in Veta, an English language training chain in south India. The acquisition made Educomp a complete education company catering to students from school to higher education and finally the job market. For TIME, the acquisition was aimed at making its MBA coaching more robust.