Author: CIEC Author

Source: Times of India via Newswatch India| January 9, 2014

NEW DELHI: Education is what will determine how fast India joins the ranks of leading nations of the world, President Pranab Mukherjee said here Thursday.

“I believe education is the alchemy that can bring India its next golden age,” Mukherjee said in his address at the valedictory session of the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the annual gathering of the Indian diaspora.

“The success we achieve in educating our people will determine how fast India joins the ranks of leading nations of the world,” he said.

Mukherjee said that if India has to attain a growth rate of nine percent per year, as has been envisaged during the 12th Five Year Plan period, “we must put in place enabling factors, most prominent of which is education”.

He pointed out that no Indian from India has won the Nobel Prize since C.V. Raman in 1930, and said educational institutes in the country should focus more on research and development.

“I have been urging our educational institutions to invest more in research and development and to pursue greater international linkages by establishing collaborations with foreign universities and inviting the best of faculty from across the world to come and teach in our institutions,” the president said.

He said the government has prioritized higher education and supported it with increased resources, and enrolment to higher education institutions in the country has increased from 1.39 crore in 2006-07 to 2.18 crore in 2011-12.

“India has today 659 degree-awarding institutions and 33,023 colleges,” he said.

However, despite the rise in the number of higher education institutes, India has very few institutes of global standards, Mukherjee said.

“Time has now come for us to reclaim our leadership position in the world as far as higher education is concerned. Our effort to increase ‘quantity’ must be matched with commensurate efforts to improve ‘quality’,” Mukherjee said.

He said that in a world that is facing increasing constraints on natural resources, innovation was another key area India should focus on.

“China and the US are amongst the countries at the forefront of innovation with over five lakh (500,000) patent applications filed by each country in 2011,” he said.

“In contrast to this, India filed only 42,000 patent applications, which is far behind these countries. As per an international survey, only three Indian companies are amongst the world’s 100 most innovative companies.”

He called on both the industry and higher education institutes to emphasize on research.

“We have only 119 researchers in R&D per million people, as compared to 715 in China and 468 in the US. Out of the total student strength of 71,000 in NITs, there are only 4,000 PhD students. In IITs, there are only around 3,000 PhD students in the total student strength of 60,000,” the president said.

Stating that upgrading the standards of higher education in India should be accorded top priority, he said: “Overseas Indians such as all of you gathered here can play a major role in supporting and supplementing the efforts of the government to remedy this situation.”

He said the Indian economy was more resilient than most other countries.

“I am sure you have (the) confidence in the inherent resilience of our people and the dynamism of our economy which has the ability to overcome temporary downturns,” he said.

TCS Insights: President Mukherjee believes that an increased focus on innovation by the government will improve the ability of India to rank with global leaders. Countries around the world, including Canada, have invested in research and have seen their institutions climb international standings while strengthening themselves economically. India aims to achieve similar results by raising the quality of their educational institutions to meet others around the world.

Business Schools Enhance Job-Preparation Programs

Source: The Globe and Mail, Courtesy of Academica | January 2, 2014

Business schools in Canada have begun to revamp their career preparation services for students in the wake of a tougher job market, reports the Globe and Mail. The Queen’s University School of Business has added more of these services to its redesigned one-year MBA program. The school also recently changed the start date of its MBA program to January from May to create post-program opportunities for paid-internship work experience. Similarly, University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business has its 16-month MBA program students prepare for 2 recruitment seasons – one for a mandatory summer internship and the other for full-time employment after graduation. Sauder also plans to launch a new “e-portfolio” program for its 110 MBA students to market themselves using social media.

TCS Insights: Due to a rapidly changing job market, Canadian business schools are beginning to adapt. To better prepare students, institutions are making internships a requirement so graduates will not only earn a MBA but gain valuable work experience before they seek full-time employment.

Times Higher Education to Add India-specific Parameters to Ranking

Source: The Economic Times | January 6, 2014

NEW DELHI: Indian institutions could improve their scores dramatically in Times Higher Education’s globally cited World University Rankings as the British magazine has agreed to develop and include India-specific parameters for assessment from the next time.

Confirming the development, education secretary Ashok Thakur said the human resource development ministry had asked all groupings of domestic institutions such as the IITs, National Institutes of Technology and central universities to appoint a nodal person to coordinate with Times Higher Education to develop India-specific parameters.

Domestic institutions have long argued that the rankings, which give 55% weight to research indicators and 30% to teaching environment, including 15% to the faculty, do not take into account extenuating “Indian circumstances”.

No Indian institution has yet made it to the top 100 in the rankings, in which Panjab University is the highest ranked domestic institution clubbed in the group of universities ranked 226-250.

India’s premier engineering colleges, the Indian Institutes of Technology, made it to the list last year, with the IITs from Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Roorkee all ranked in the group of institutions between 351 and 400.

The government has been concerned over the poor performance of domestic institutions in international rankings and keen to ensure that the rankings take India-specific parameters on board.

There is little clarity on what exactly constitutes “Indian circumstances” except the constitutionally mandated reservation quotas (15% for scheduled castes, 7.5% for scheduled tribes and 27% for other backward classes) and the cross-cutting quota for physically-challenged persons. But issues including intake of foreign students, foreign faculty, marketing and branding of institutions will be addressed while designing India-specific parameters for assessment.

Academics and analysts argue that it is unfair to compare India’s top institutions with American or other western institutions. Centrally-funded institutions such as the IITs, which have a national mandate, cannot admit foreign students at the undergraduate level, and restrictions on assistantships for international students make it difficult to attract foreign students at the PhD level.

None of India’s publicly-funded higher education institution can hire foreign nationals as regular faculty members since guidelines prohibit hiring of foreigners for jobs with salaries less than $25,000 a year. Moreover, even at higher salaries, international faculty can only be brought in on contract for up to five years.

The ministry had also approached the widely respected Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Rankings to develop India-specific parameters for assessment.

TCS Insights: By using India-specific parameters, Indian educational institutions will be better able to compete with international colleges and universities when ranked together. It is difficult for publicly funded institutions in India to measure up to global competition while unable to take in foreign undergraduate students and competing for PhD students from abroad. Times Higher Education has made it possible for such institutions to compete in a manner that is better suited for them.

Canada Seeks Input for New Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy

January 11, 2014April 22, 2015CIEC Author

Source: Government of Canada News Release, Courtesy of Academica | January 8, 2014

The Canadian government is seeking public input on a new federal Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy, with the launch of a discussion paper to guide the dialogue. The paper asks how Canada can “continue to develop, attract and retain the world’s top research talent at our businesses, research institutions, colleges and polytechnics, and universities” as well as “Is the Government of Canada’s suite of programs appropriately designed to best support research excellence?” Submissions will be accepted until February 7, and then the government will release an updated strategy “in the months following the consultation phase.”

TCS Insights: The Government of Canada indicated in 2013 that it would update their Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy while continuing to invest in research. This revision will be finalized after reviewing public input and is expected to continue the trend of recent achievements that have lead to greater funding of research.

Only 10% of Students Have Access to Higher Education in Country

Source: Times of India via Newswatch India | January 5, 2014

NEW DELHI: Access to education beyond higher secondary schooling is a mere 10% among the university-age population in India. This is the finding of a report “Intergenerational and Regional Differentials in Higher Education in India” authored by development economist, Abusaleh Shariff of the Delhi-based Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy and Amit Sharma, research analyst of the National Council of Applied Economic Research.

The report says that a huge disparity exists — as far as access to higher education is concerned — across gender, socio-economic religious groups and geographical regions. The skew is most marked across regions. Thus, a dalit or Muslim in south India, though from the most disadvantaged among communities, would have better access to higher education than even upper caste Hindus in many other regions. Interestingly, people living in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — designated as the north central region — and those in northeast India have the worst access to higher education. Those in southern India and in the northern region — consisting of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi — are relatively better placed in this regard.

In the age group 22-35 years, over 15% in the northern region and 13% in the southern region have access to higher education. In the north-central region, the number is just 10% for men and 6% for women whereas in the northeast, only 8% men and 4% women have access to higher education.

The report, brought out by the US-India Policy Institute in Washington, is based on data from the 64th round of NSSO survey 2007-08. It throws up quite a few other interesting facts. For instance, among communities, tribals and dalits fare worst with just 1.8% of them having any higher education. Muslims are almost as badly off, with just 2.1% able to go for further learning. Similarly, just 2% of the rural population is educated beyond higher secondary level, compared to 12% of the urban population and just 3% of women got a college education compared to 6% of men.

South India offers the best opportunities for socially inclusive access to higher education including technical education and education in English medium. For instance, the share of Hindu SC/ST in technical education in south India is about 22%, and the share of Muslims 25%. These were the lowest shares among all communities in south India. But this was higher than the share of most communities including Hindu OBCs and upper caste Hindus in most other regions. South India also has the highest proportion of higher education in the private sector at about 42%, followed by western India where it is 22%. The northeast has the least privatized higher education sector and is almost entirely dependent on government-run or aided institutions.

Not surprisingly, government institutions are the cheapest places to study at, with annual expenditures ranging from less than Rs 1,000 to around Rs 1,500, except in north and south India, where the average is above Rs 2,000. Both private and private-aided institutions are quite costly, making them difficult to access for the poor. With little regulation of the quality of education and cost differentials, the poor and deprived are often trapped in low quality education, the report points out. It adds that although free education is provided at school level, it is almost non-existent at higher levels.

The report also compares India’s low 10% access to higher education with China’s 22% enrolment and the 28% enrolment in the US. Since the early 1990s, China’s post-secondary enrolments grew from 5 million to 27 million, while India’s expanded from 5 million to just 13 million, says the report, while emphasizing that higher education has the potential to enhance productivity and economic value both at the individual and national levels.

“The government has to urgently address the geographical skew in the availability of higher education facilities in the two regions of north-east and north-central,” says Shariff. “The central region, comprising Chhattisgarh, MP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha, too needs attention. There is so much talk about a Harvard in India. I say, give two hoots to Harvard. What we need are thousands of community colleges that can offer professional courses so that youngsters can improve their skills and become employable.”

TCS Insights: In regards to the ability to access a higher education, disparities are apparent across a various groups in India. Due to a lack of regulation, in terms of the quality of education provided, not being able to afford a private institution can lead to individuals earning a poorer education because of where they are from, in addition to factors such as religious beliefs and gender. It is thought that increased enrolment in higher education has been linked to both individual and national improvements.

India Confronting Multiple Challenges, Crises in Higher Education: Ansari

Source: News Track India | January, 9, 2014

Lucknow, (ANI): Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Thursday said that India as a nation is facing multiple challenges and crises in terms of delivery in the higher education sector, and warned that if comprehensive correctives are not initiated, the demographic dividend would be severely compromised on the employability front in the years to come.

He said that it was lamentable to note that in spite of the higher education system turning out nearly seven lakh science and engineering graduates every year,industry surveys have shown that only 25 percent of these are employable without further training.

He said comprehensive correctives had to be applied on quality covering students, faculty and teaching, research and assessment standards while delivering an annual convocation address at the University of Lucknow.

He said that any assessment of what ails “our institutions of higher education must begin with the quality of the school leavers that seek admission in them.”

“The challenge here is to modulate the very considerable quality difference between the elite higher secondary schools in the public and private sectors on the one hand and the average or below average ones on the other, a difference that is often camouflaged by the variations in marking standards by different Boards,” he said.

Ansari said that in the 21st century, the world is increasingly moving towards a knowledge economy, where industrial trade relations are being replaced by a complex system of information exchange.

“This has shifted the focus to a nation’s abilities and resources to produce and generate new knowledge that can place it on top of the global power hierarchy. Countries are now required to match the global demand for skills with appropriate supply of human resources in order to remain competitive in the global market place,” he said.

He expressed that a disturbing phenomenon is the lack of focus on research with only one per cent of the enrolled students pursuing research in various areas.

According to data for 2009, India stood eleventh in terms of number of papers published, seventeenth in terms of the number of citations, and thirty fourth in terms of number of citations per paper.

“Our research output as global share of scientific publications was a mere 3.5 per cent compared to 21 per cent of China. The total number of patent applications filed by Indians in 2010 comprised only 0.3 per cent of the total applications filed globally. The picture is no better in social sciences and humanities. In social sciences, India is 12th in ranking with 1.18 percent of global publication share compared to China’s 3rd rank and 5.14 percent share,” Ansari said.

The vice president said that given the structure of the higher education system, the attainments of these objectives would need to be a collective effort of the central and state governments.

TCS Insights: It is said that various sectors of the Indian education system is in need of corrective actions. Ansari claims that further investments in research, similar to those seen in Canada, can make India increasingly competitive in the global knowledge economy.

Research Infrastructure Receives $63-million Boost From the Government of Canada

Source: CFI News Release, Courtesy of Academica | January 8, 2014

The Canadian government has announced a $63-million boost for research infrastructure under the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund. Currently, the fund is contributing to research equipment, laboratories and tools at over 250 facilities at 37 universities across Canada. “Our government believes significant investments in Canadian research are essential to sparking innovation, creating economic prosperity and improving the lives of Canadians,” says Minister of State (Science and Technology) Greg Rickford.

TCS Insights: The CFI awarded $48.4 million through their John R. Evans Leaders Fund in order to help Canadian universities attract top available research talent. This increase in funding will enable researchers, such as Ryan D’Arcy of Simon Fraser University, make use of portable technologies at sporting events, hospitals and homes.

Canada Announces $43 Million in NSERC Grants

January 10, 2014January 11, 2014CIEC Author

Source: Canada News Release, Courtesy of Academica | January 9, 2014

Canadian Minister of State (Science and Technology) Greg Rickford today announced that the most recent round of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funding will provide $43 million to 77 research teams at universities across the country. The funding will go towards 2 grants: the Strategic Network Grants and the Strategic Project Grants. The funds will help researchers work with companies and other organizations on long-term projects to address industrial and societal challenges.

TCS Insights: The Canadian government aims to use these grants to increase research and training in areas that influence the Canadian economy and environment over the next decade. Additionally, this funding will go towards research that involves interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and institutions such as solar power and cloud-based computing projects.

2013 Developments in Ontario Online Learning

January 10, 2014January 11, 2014CIEC Author

Source: Contact North News Release, Courtesy of Academica | January 8, 2014

A research associate for online education network Contact North has released a review of the developments in online learning in Ontario in 2013. In the review, Tony Bates focuses on: what happened to the MOOC this year, the increasing number of online learning strategies at Ontario’s universities and colleges, the transition of online learning being the responsibility of a few to being included in most departments and faculties, the increased use of hybrid learning, a greater push from government to use online learning to enhance teaching and learning, and the rise of open educational resources. “Let’s hope 2014 will see a more focused approach on using online learning and learning technologies in general to improve productivity while maintaining or increasing the quality of postsecondary education,” concludes Bates.

TCS Insights: This article outlines the rise in online learning in Ontario colleges and universities and the goals of the government continue this trend. Indian institutions can look to this example to continue their effort to make educational resources more accessible to students.

Acsenda School of Management

January 10, 2014March 29, 2016CIEC Author

acsenda Situated in Vancouver, Canada, Acsenda School of Management specializes in leadership and business with a distinct international focus. The school is a small, private institution with undergraduate programs, a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree program with different specialities since 2004 and, beginning in January 2015, a Bachelor of Hospitality Management Degree. Acsenda operates with its own academic governance model modelled to support a strong academic culture.

British Columbia Institute of Technology

January 1, 2014July 20, 2016CIEC Author

BCIT is one of British Columbia’s most popular post-secondary institutions with nearly 50,000 students enrolled. Founded in 1964, the establishment has five main campuses along with additional satellite locations across the province. They offer degrees, diplomas and certificates in an expansive variety of programs. BCIT provides students with theory based learning while working with industry to allow students to apply their knowledge both on campus and in the field. Upon graduation, students will have the skills needed to participate in the workforce immediately.

String of Free Apps Facilitating Online Learning in Mumbai Colleges

December 18, 2013January 8, 2014CIEC Author

Source: Hindustan Times via India NewsWatch, October 14, 2013

Mumbai: An influx of free apps to make online learning more accessible is slowly transforming education in city colleges.

Academicians too are making efforts to bridge the gap between their technologically advanced students and traditional, blackboard learning.

Mangesh Karandikar, professor, Mumbai University’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, has developed a free series of an Android apps called ‘EduSanchar’, which explains communication theories in easy to read formats.

“Communication theories are often difficult to understand. But such tools make them easier. Plus, it is a great way to revise before exams,” said Samantha D’souza, a BMM student from St Andrews College, Bandra. Priyanka Ketkar, a resident of Thane, gives French lessons to students in London via video chatting. “Though class room interactions are essential, online learning is convenient,” she said.

Recently, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT- B) tied up with EdX, a non-profit, to provide online versions of lectures held at IIT to non-IIT students. Before Edx, IIT-B had a centre for distance engineering education programme, called CDEEP.

“The lectures are very informative for students who couldn’t make it to IIT. The IITians who have missed a lecture can also listen to it online,” said Aman Chowdhery, a second year student at IIT-B. School education is not far behind. MT Educare, the parent company of Mahesh Tutorials, a coaching institute, has developed a unique e-learning tool called ‘Robomate’. “It’s a study friend for students who are shy and don’t ask doubts in class,” said Chhaya Shastri, director, MT Educare.

According to Basanti Roy, educationist and former secretary of the state board’s Mumbai division, technology and e-learning are needed to supplement education.

“The national policy is encouraging technological advancements in education. However, virtual mediums cannot replace class room interaction since it is very important for students to have peer groups and socialise,” said Roy.

TCS Insights: India is one of the largest consumers of distance education in the world. Canadian academic institutions can look to partner with Indian companies to deliver online courses across a broad range of sectors. Such courses and their assessment and training tools can be customised for corporations to enable employee recruitment and training, as well as generic courses for graduate/post graduate studies.

Indian Govt Sets up Panel to Boost Planned Research

December 17, 2013December 18, 2013CIEC Author

Source: The Indian Express, via India NewsWatch, October 6, 2013

Pune: In a bid to get rid of random disbursement, the government is planning a selective approach in allocating research support for academic institutions. This will also ensure that resources for research are used to the best advantage.

This has been one of the mandates given to the special committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to improve research performance of academic institutions.

The 18-member committee, headed by chairman of Centre’s Department of Biotechnology, has former heads of UGC, AICTE, and NCL. The heads of NAAC, NBA, IISc Bangalore and JNU are among other educational establishments.

“As India moves in the global knowledge economy, building awareness about critical global rankings, research evaluation and targeted and competitive research funding would be central to the country’s strategy to improve its research capacity and performance. The government has decided to constitute a committee to drive up the research performance of academic Institutions,” a MHRD notification reads.

Review of existing arrangements for funding of research, both core funding of research facilities, infrastructure and project funding in academic institutions, to identify gaps and create a framework to evaluate research and rankings are some of the key objectives the government has laid down before the committee.

TCS Insights: In a bid to eliminate random disbursement, the Indian Government is planning a selective approach in allocating research support for academic institutions. The move is also expected to ensure that resources for research are used to the best advantage.

This is a progressive move by the Indian government towards more application based research and from traditional research focused on publishing papers in journals. This approach has the potential to create opportunities for Canadian academic institutions to focus on high quality research exchange programs with Indian counterparts.

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service’s education team has connections with a range of academic institutions in India across the areas of social science, physical science, engineering, technology, management, finance etc. and can facilitate discussions.

B-School Slump

December 17, 2013December 18, 2013CIEC Author

Source: Financial Chronicle via India NewsWatch, October 19, 2013

The economic slowdown has hit smaller management schools in India big time as campus hiring drops sharply, forcing many of them to shut shop. “Business schools are closing down due to poor quality of education, lack of right kind of faculty and dearth of proper infrastructure to run them,” said N K Dhooper Professor emeritus, IMT Centre for Distance Learning, Ghaziabad.

It’s a piquant situation for those managing or running B-schools in India. And there are over 3,500 of them. A majority of these schools had come up over the past decade or so on the back of the economic reforms that ushered in large-scale foreign direct investment into manufacturing and other sectors. These schools came up to cash in on the increasing demand for management graduates. But the demand has been sluggish in the recent past, due to the economic slowdown.

On one hand, there is a severe shortage of trained faculty, which varied industry estimates place at a high 50 per cent of the actual requirement. As a result, several of these schools are opting to fly down experienced faculty from developed markets to conduct core classes as well as short-term courses. Even some of the top-notch B-schools in the country seem to be facing this problem, albeit of a lower degree.

On the other hand, a number of B-schools have either been closed down or are facing closure due to their inability to attract sufficient numbers of students to get enrolled year after year.

While many B-schools have been closed down due to lack of basic infrastructure, a few others had to beat a retreat due to their inability to place their students with leading companies.

With the economic slowdown hitting corporate balance sheets across the board, a large number of B-schools other than the top 15-20 institutions like the IIMs are going through hard times on account of a sharp 40-50 per cent drop in campus hiring and a similar decline in the number of students opting for fresh admissions, said a recent study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).

Campus recruitments have fallen drastically. As a result, a large number of B-schools are unable to attract students. About 190 B-schools were closed down in 2012 in major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun, among others.

Another 165 are struggling for survival, said the study.

The number of B-school seats for MBA programs in India grew almost fourfold from 95,000 in 2006-07 to 3,60,000 in 2011-12, resulting in a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 30 per cent. A lot of B-schools have either been closed or are facing closure due to their inability to attract sufficient numbers of students to get enrolled year after year. Apart from the IIMs and a handful of other top B-schools, it will be difficult for other business schools to get 100 per cent placements in the future. This capacity was built based on the projection of a 9-10 per cent economic growth. Unfortunately, job opportunities for MBAs have not grown in the same proportion during this period, thanks to the global financial crisis and the economic slowdown that followed.

“Business schools are closing down due to poor quality of education, lack of right kind of faculty and dearth of proper infrastructure to run them. Over the years, B-schools mushroomed minus the credentials and without verifying the potential for the right kind of students,” says N K Dhooper, professor emeritus & adviser at IMT Centre for Distance Learning, Ghaziabad.

Sankaran P Raghunathan, professor of international business and dean of The National Management School, Chennai, puts it in perspective. “B-schools are no different from businesses. The supply needs to be bought by the consumers for it to survive,” he says.

According to him, B-schools think they are making MBAs and students are the consumers. Whereas in reality, education is the product here and the industry, which recruits these management graduates, is the consumer. As a result, there is a mismatch between the expectations of the industry and the actual product being offered to the market.

The Assocham study said the global uncertainty affected placement patterns at B-schools. The number of placements has been fewer and average pay packages have been flat. Apart from the IIMs and a handful of other top B-schools, it will be difficult for other business schools to get 100 per cent placements in future.

B-schools have to improve infrastructure, train their faculty, work on industry linkages, spend money on research and knowledge creation and pay their faculty well in order to attract good talent, the study pointed out.

From the student’s point of view, the way one looks at an institution has changed in the present scenario. He is looking for a 1:1 match between the fee he pays for a course and the salary he is likely to get after the degree.

As a result, B-schools that charge low fees do not attract students, who think they will end up getting a lower salary. On the other hand, institutions that charge higher fees do draw students, but there are not enough jobs that offer high salaries.

“There is a complete mismatch in expectations among the three segments – B-schools, students and the industry. The expectations of each segment simply do not match that of the other,” says Sankaran.

A part of the blame also lies with the pathetic undergraduate education system. About 67 per cent of general graduates are not employable. Having wasted four years of their prime and finding themselves unemployable, they turn to MBA programmes. “But the B-schools find it difficult to make them learn in two years, especially after wasting four years. Hence, the input itself is a problem,” Sankaran points out.

Questions have also been raised as to whether the B-schools are doing a good job of imparting education and if they are delivering it in the right format?

People who run the undergraduate institutions also end up running MBA courses. As a result, the problem persists. “We as a country have failed to groom quality teachers over the past 25 years, because the system itself runs on approvals, and not on accreditations. As a result, anyone can teach anything in India. Thus, there is an input problem, process problem and hence an output problem,” Sankaran explains.

On its part, the industry needs to join hands with the B-schools to decide on what needs to be imparted to make these management graduates employable. The faculty problem has been there for several years, and it is only going to magnify over the next 10 years. In the US, people are trained to teach; India has failed to do this. Singapore focused on this area long before and it took 25 years for that country to establish itself as a leading player in the international education market. An estimated 44 million students study outside their home countries every year and industry estimates pegs the revenue potential of this industry at $44 trillion. “As a result of the country’s failure in establishing a proper system, we are now a leading importer of this service, instead of being an exporter,” Sankaran points out.

Education can be an economic engine, not only to meet our demand but also to take it to the overseas market, as it happened in the case of the IT industry, which today accounts for seven per cent of the country’s GDP and 30 per cent of exports. It should be noted that even the IT industry suffered for the initial two decades due to lethargy on the policy front. “Let us not do that mistake on the education front. The need of the hour is to invest on creating the right system,” says Sankaran.

According to Dhooper, when there is a shortage of really competent faculty, the recruitment of the right faculty becomes even more difficult for institutions. At the same time, it becomes very difficult to retain good talent. “In fact, recruiting faculty through references is a more reliable mode of recruitment; but finding such reference is not an easy task,” he feels. As for the newfound trend of flying down overseas faculty, Dhooper says this could at the most be an interim arrangement and not the end solution. Flying down professionals may be a temporary solution or maybe an add-on flavour to teaching.

“B-schools should look for industry experts having a taste for teaching on sabbatical or on a visiting basis, besides recruiting academicians from other B-schools or universities. They can also have arrangements for exchange of faculty to supplement or complement their pool of talent” says Dhooper.

NSB’s Sankaran is not so enthusiastic about using industry experts. “Institutions recruit people with industry experience in order to overcome shortage in faculty. But these people end up sharing only anecdotes, which do not really add much value,” he says.

Technology could be an option for B-schools to focus on in order to overcome faculty crunch, feels Dhooper. “Faculty shortage can be overcome by B-schools to a great extent by using technology and internet by having bipartite arrangements to help each other, wherever they can through exchange of faculty, without loss of time and without physical presence in the class through video conferencing,“ he says.

TCS Insights: This article highlights the growing gap between the top tier and the next level of academic institutes. It also highlights how Tier 2 institutes are not able to address student expectations such as quality education delivery and employment opportunities.

This presents an interesting opportunity for Canadian colleges to tap into those students who have not been successful in getting into the top Indian institutes due to limited intake. It also represents an opportunity for students as potential recruits for quality programs in Canada.

KPMG

October 14, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

KPMG international exists as a group of member firms that offer audit, tax and advisory services. These members include corporations, non-profit organizations, public-sector agencies and governments. By working closely with these clients, KPMG aids them in reducing risks and the most of opportunities while providing industry insight and regional knowledge. KPMG firms employ more than 155,000 people in 155 countries around the world; each with the goal of maintaining and elevating the quality of the company.

Pearson PTE Academic Testing

October 10, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

What Is PTE Academic?

PTE Academic is Pearson’s computer-based language test for international students wanting to study in an English-speaking environment. The test measures the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing.

The test is endorsed by, and the preferred test of, GMAC® – the owners of the GMAT®.

Benefits of using PTE Academic

• Fast results – in 5 business days, allowing your students to fulfil their English language requirement of their offer in days, not weeks.

• Accepted worldwide – approved by the UK and Australian governments for student visas, as well as universities and colleges worldwide, giving you confidence that they will meet all the requirements for entry.

• Flexibility – tests can be booked within 24 hours of a test date, giving your students a real choice on the test date and time that suits their schedules.

• Transparency – students can see their score before deciding whether to send it or not, giving you the ability to recommend the best college or university to help them develop.

How do students register for a test?

Students can check real-time test availability at www.vue.com/pte/sa. If no date is available, contact us to discuss an on-demand session or alternative testing locations.

Registration and test booking is done online at www.pearsonpte.com/register

• Payment is made by credit or debit card

• A passport is not needed when registering but it must be taken to the test centre on the day of the test

• If a student’s passport is not available due to an ongoing visa application, they should ask for it to be returned for the purposes of taking the test

• Students should read the Test Taker Handbook, available on www.pearsonpte.com/register before the test date

• Students should arrive at the test centre 30 minutes before the appointment to allow enough time to complete check-in procedures

• Personal items are not allowed in the testing room and must be stored in a locker. It is recommended that valuable items are left at home

Preparing for the test

It is very important that students spend some time familiarising themselves with the format and content of the test before test day. We offer a number of resources designed to help students prepare. If they don’t prepare then they may not get the score they were hoping for.

Our resources include:

• The Official Guide to PTE Academic containing over 200 practice questions, analysis of sample responses and test-taking tips

• Practice tests with sample answers

• A free test tutorial providing a detailed overview of the test

Visit www.pearsonpte.com/prepare to access the latest resources, including FAQs and test preparation advice.

Checking and sending scores via our secure website

PTE Academic is a secure English language test. Students must send their score reports electronically to universities, colleges and government agencies via our Score Report Website. Students can view and then send unlimited score reports to their chosen institutions, or use their score to support their student visa application from their online Pearson account, free of charge.

How students send scores:

• Log into the Pearson VUE website using the link provided in their welcome email

• Click “send scores”

• In the “Institution/Organisation/Department/School” field, type the name of the organisation they want to forward their score to (e.g. for the UK Border Agency, put “UKBA” in the field and leave all others blank)

• A list of organisations matching that name will appear – tick the ones that apply and click “Next”

• On the next screen, click “Next” again to confirm. The scores will then be sent

Where can students write the test?

Test centers are located in the following locations:

• Xenitis Technolab Pvt Ltd Horizon Building, 3rd floor, #57

• Pearson Professional Centers-Mumbai Building No.9, 1st Floor

• Pearson Professional Centers-New Delhi, 4th Floor, Building No.18, Ramnath House

• Pearson Professional Centers-Hyderabad 1-10-72/A/.2, Pochampalli House

• Pearson Professional Centers-Bangalore # 45, 3rd Floor,Trade Center

• Pearson Professional Centers-Chennai 6th Floor, Nelson Chambers, E, Block

• Rajagiri College Of Social Sciences Rajagiri School of Management

• UPTEC Computer Consultancy Ltd 2nd Floor, Lekhraj Gold

• A1 Professional Assessment Center 118, 1st floor,Satyam Mall

• Think Education Advisory Services LLP 4 C/2 – Court Chambers (4th Floor)

• The Chopras (Delhi) A-9, 3rd Floor, Opp.City Square Mall

• The Chopras (Bangalore) C Wing Ground Floor, Mittal Towers

• India Storm Group 3rd floor, Jasti Towers

• Edwise Consultants Pvt.Ltd. 2, Sethna Building

• India Infinity Academy Amravati Complex, Circular Road

• Jetking – Chandigarh Magnum Business Centre

• Positive Solutions 5, Kapil Vihar Aptech Building

Partner with us to find tailored solutions to your testing needs

For more information visit www.pearsonpte.com or email [email protected]

College of New Caledonia

September 24, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

cnc With their main campus found in Prince George, the College of New Caledonia has served a crucial role in educating the citizens of northern B.C. since 1969. CNC currently offers more than 50 programs to students spanning fields from health sciences, trades and technologies, social services, business and university studies. The institution also provides affordable tuition and hands-on learning experiences with no more than 37 students in each class. In less than a year, students can acquire the skills they need for successful careers.

Destination Canada

September 23, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

prep Destination Canada’s “Prepare for Canada” program provides prospective immigrants with opportunities to prepare for success in Canada through seminars and information focusing on job readiness and the first steps required for settlement along with operating overseas and in-Canada through online and in-person activities. Their desire is to make a difference in immigrants’ integration into Canada and build bridges among Canada’s diverse population for a better future for the entire country.

Herzing College

September 20, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

Herzing College has been helping students develop marketable business, design, healthcare, legal and technology skills since 1968. Their curriculum has been shaped to with the input of local employers to keep pace with the evolving requirements of industry. The goal at Herzing is to equip gradates with what they need to acquire financially and emotionally rewarding careers. The career development department provides students with resources and training to help them find success after graduation as their commitment to students is a top priority at Herzing.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

September 17, 2012August 31, 2020CIEC Author

KPU was formed in 1981, after separating from Douglas College. The university then took over the campus south of the Fraser River, where KPU continues to be present today.

In 1995, the institution became a degree-granting university college, and in 2008 became a polytechnic university.More than 20,000 students annually (over 12,000 full-time equivalency students). 57,000+ registered alumni around the world.

KPU is Canada’s only polytechnic university. We focus on hands-on skills, in addition to traditional academics. There are a total of 140 programs available at KPU, many of which include work experience terms, practicums, or cooperative education options.

Contact Information

E-mail
[email protected]

Phone
604-599-2866

Website
KPU.ca

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

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Langara College

September 17, 2012March 29, 2016CIEC Author

langara Established in 1970, Langara College aimed to become a community leader for accessible, quality education. Decades later, Langara ranks among the top undergraduate institutions, delivering exceptional learning opportunities through a wide range of certificate, diploma and degree programs. With the contributions of staff and faculty, their programs and services continue to grow while continuing to meet the needs of the community.

Simon Fraser University

September 7, 2012September 15, 2016CIEC Author

Formed in 1965, Simon Fraser Univeristy has established itself as the lead comprehensive university in Canada. With campuses in three of the largest municipalities in British Columbia and connections to partner communities in the province and around the world, SFU aims to be the most community-engaged research university in the country. SFU is among the world’s top research and teaching universities with more than 30,000 students, 6,500 staff members and 120,000 alumni while also ranking on the Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 list of universities.