Government boosts incentives to give exports a leg-up as growth picks up for 3rd month

May 24, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Hindustan Times via Indian Economic Business News

The government on April 18th announced a host of measures to boost India’s exports including sops to special economic zones (SEZs). The initiatives announced by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma as part of the annual supplement to the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) are aimed at pushing exports which declined by 1.76 per cent to USD 300.6 billion during 2012-13 and pushed up the trade deficit to USD 190.91 billion. These included easier land requirement norms, simpler exit options, cheaper credit and tax breaks for import of machinery. The new rules for SEZs will allow IT firms to claim tax breaks by moving offshore work to such duty-free enclaves. The earlier requirement of minimum 10-hectares for such campuses has been done away with and IT SEZs can now be set up if the these are spread across at least 100,000 square metres in seven major cities including Mumbai, Delhi and NCR, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata. For category B cities, IT companies can set up SEZs even in a smaller built-up area of 50,000 square metres and for remaining cities in only 25,000 square metres. In view of the acute difficulties in aggregating large tracts of uncultivable land for setting up SEZs, the government also halved the minimum land area requirement to 500 hectares for multi-purpose SEZs and to 50 hectares for sector-specific SEZs. It has also been decided to permit transfer of ownership of SEZ units, including sale of units. Exports in March 2013 stood at $30.8 billion (Rs.1,69,400 crore), compared to $28.8 billion ( Rs. 1,58,400 crore) in the same month of the previous year. Imports dipped by 2.87% to $41.16 billion in March, leaving a trade deficit of $10.31 billion-down from $13.5 billion in March last year.

India introduces Central Monitoring System

May 9, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: The Register

Phone calls, texts, emails and even social media all now snoopable.

Privacy advocates are up in arms after the Indian government began quietly rolling out a Rs.4 billion (£47.8m) Central Monitoring System (CMS) designed to give the authorities sweeping access to citizens’ phone calls and internet comms in the name of national security.

The scheme is initially thought to have been conceived as a response to the threat of terrorism, such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed over 150 people and injured hundreds more.

However, the CMS will not only be used by law enforcement but also the tax authorities and offers the government a single point of access to “lawfully” intercept voice calls and texts, emails, social media and the geographical location of individuals, Times of India reported.

Unsurprisingly the authorities have been pretty quiet about the scheme, although it is thought to have begun operation last month.

Its activities are backed up by legislation – specifically the Information Technology Act 2000 and its amendments – which allows the government to “intercept, monitor or decrypt” any info “generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource” if security and public order are at risk.

Activists are worried because they claim India’s privacy laws are not strong enough to protect individuals in the face of such potentially invasive powers.

The “StopICMS” campaign blog argued the following:

[Government of India] GoI mainly asks Google to remove defamatory content. Why is that? Security for themselves, in the name of safety of citizens? Content removal requests have increased by 90 per cent from the GoI. 33 per cent of the requests from the GoI are about either hate speech, defamation or government criticism. Therefore, we can conclude that after implementation of ICMS GoI will primarily use it against “hate speeches” and government criticism.

While the concerns regarding monitoring of mobile phone calls are justified, the CMS won’t be able to monitor the private social media conversations of foreign services like Twitter and Facebook without a court order.

That said, the Indian government under PM Manmohan Singh has taken an increasingly uncompromising stance when it comes to online freedoms, with the stated aim usually to preserve social order and national security or fight “harmful” defamation.

In response to bloody sectarian clashes across the country last August it banned the sending of bulk SMS messages and blocked numerous Twitter accounts and content sharing sites.

In August last year it even blocked one of its own websites after a controversial court ruling on defamatory content. According to NGO Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2012 report, India remains only “partly free” with a score of 39 – a notable decline from the previous year. By contrast the UK’s score was 25 and the US 12.

Meghalaya government seeks report on Garo Hills rape

May 8, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Times of India

SHILLONG: The state government has sought a detailed report from the West Garo Hills district administration on an incident of rape of a girl by miscreants from neighbouring Assam in Boldamgre village of the Garo Hills.

Social welfare minister Deborah C Marak convened a meeting with principal secretary (social welfare) PW Ingty and other officials in which they discussed the incident. “We have asked the concerned district administration to submit a report on the unfortunate incident,” Marak told reporters.

The state police have also asked their counterparts in Assam to arrest the absconding accused involved in the case.

“On Sunday morning, over a dozen armed miscreants from the Hat-Singimari region of Assam numbering entered the village and raped an 18-year-old girl in the village, about 12 km from Garobadha town. They also went from house to house attacking people and looting them,” a police spokesperson said.

Reportedly, the girl was attacked by the criminals and she was raped by an unidentified person. The dacoits also took away Rs 7,000 from the house of one Gajang Sangma after assaulting his family members.

Meanwhile, several NGOs, including the North East Network, have condemned the rape.

“It’s shocking that despite evidence of increasing sexual violence against women, the state government has not been able to enforce the anti-rape law strictly. The law puts special onus on the police department to act in cases of atrocities on women,” NEN said.

On the other hand, concern over sexual assaults on minors in Meghalaya is on the rise, with even the state home minister, Roshan Warjri, recently voicing her anguish in the state assembly over atrocities on women perpetuated in random in the state, which, ironically follows a matrilineal system.

Investigation is already underway in the incident of gang rape of a school girl in the Garo Hills a few months ago.

India’s cheap food plans to prove costly for government

May 8, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Reuters

India may soon pass a new law to give millions more people cheap food, fulfilling an election promise of the ruling Congress party that could cost about $23 billion a year and take a third of annual grain production.

The National Food Security Bill, which aims to feed 70 percent of the population, could widen India’s already swollen budget deficit next year, increasing the risk to its coveted investment-grade status.

The ambitious bill, a priority for Congress President Sonia Gandhi, will raise India’s annual food subsidy spending by 45 percent. It promises wheat and rice at a fraction of the cost to some 810 million people, expanding current handouts to roughly 318 million of India’s poorest.

Critics say the food bill is little more than an attempt to help Congress, reeling from corruption scandals, win re-election in a vote expected by next May.

The government has already budgeted 900 billion rupees ($16.6 billion) for the scheme in the current fiscal year ending March 2014. If the bill is passed, it will need to come up with as much as 1.3 trillion rupees in 2014/15, adding to a total subsidy burden that already eats up about 2.4 percent of gross domestic product.

“It is very difficult to say whether the government will be able to get the Food Security Bill passed or not, but it is definitely going to further widen the budget deficit,” D.H. Pai Panandiker, head of private think-tank RPG Foundation, said.

“The finance minister is already worried about the budget deficit, and it is going to add to his agony.”

Reducing fuel and fertilizer subsidies would be the best way of mitigating the costs, Panandiker said. Other measures will also be needed to fund the plan, which may include spending cuts and higher taxes.

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in March the rollout of the new food subsidies was unlikely to happen before the middle of the current fiscal year, which started April 1, curbing the financial cost. Chidambaram aims to cut the fiscal deficit to under 4.8 percent of GDP in the current year from around 5 percent in 2012/13.

BULGING STOCKS

Feeding its poor is a matter of urgency for India, home to about 25 percent of the world’s hungry poor, according to the World Food Programme, the food aid arm of the United Nations.

India is one of the world’s biggest producers of rice, wheat and sugar, but it is also one of the largest consumers with a 1.2 billion population. It exports little and builds up stockpiles to cover handouts, which are now overflowing after bumper harvests, which have come close to 200 million tons a year of rice and wheat.

The law would have little effect on India’s export volumes in a good crop year, but “in a year of shortage, there could be some impact” on international markets, a Singapore-based trader said.

The bill will give rice at 3 rupees per kg to the poorest people, less than 10 percent of current retail prices, and wheat at 2 rupees per kg.

The government estimates it would need about 61 million tons of grains, only 3 million tons than it currently makes available, to provide the extra food, hoping better distribution systems and a clamp-down on corruption will reduce wastage.

Last year only about 41.4 million tons was actually distributed by state governments in cheap food schemes.

The Congress party, which leads the ruling coalition, wants to pass the bill by May 10 when the parliament session ends.

But debate this week has been disrupted by opposition parties, which say the government is pushing the populist move as a smokescreen to avoid defending itself over corruption scandals.

Last week, police arrested the nephew of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal in connection with allegations that he accepted a bribe of $160,000 to arrange the promotion of a railway official.

The government may try to pass the bill again in the parliamentary session that starts around July 23 or push it through without a vote when parliament is not sitting, using special constitutional powers. It must then win approval for the bill within six weeks of parliament’s return.

($1 = 54.2250 Indian rupees)

China and India withdraw troops from Daulat Beg Oldie, Ladakh, ending standoff

May 7, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Global Post

The withdrawal ended a 20-day standoff after Chinese troops breached the militarized border. Experts say Beijing’s latest probe could embolden New Delhi.

NEW DELHI, India — Following a three-week standoff, China and India have withdrawn their respective forces from a disputed area of Daulat Beg Oldie, Ladakh, along their shared border.

The agreement was reached after intense negotiations during a flag meeting between Indian and Chinese commanders on Sunday, according to media reports.

Both sides withdrew to their respective pre-incursion positions near the so-called “Line of Actual Control” (LAC).

Times of India quoted Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying:

Following the standoff at the border area, China and India with the larger interests of bilateral relations in mind have taken a cooperative and constructive attitude.

The 20-day-old standoff between the Chinese and Indian armies began after 50 soldiers from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) crossed about 10 miles inside the disputed territory and set up a tented post. They subsequently put up four more tents and also deployed Molosser dogs, DNA India reported.

India responded by setting up its own post less than a quarter mile away.

Sources had told NDTV that India, unhappy with the way negotiations were progressing, was considering cancelling an impending trip to China by its External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Meanwhile, the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, is scheduled to visit New Delhi on May 20.

Chinese incursions along the LAC have increased over the past five years.

Indian foreign policy experts say that Beijing is trying to force New Delhi to concentrate on problems within its immediate neighborhood, rather than working to become a regional power.

For China, the forever-fizzling talks to resolve the border dispute are just another tool to keep a potential rival off-balance.

The most recent incident is no different, according to Shrikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“They [the Chinese soldiers] came at their own sweet timing and left almost as abruptly,” said Kondapalli, dismissing claims that the soldiers’ exit was the result of clever Indian diplomacy. “They were driving a lesson [home] to India that India is talking too much without much actual strength.”

As part of its “Look East” policy, New Delhi has over the past few years been taking a more assertive stance in bilateral relations and engaged with countries that China considers to lie entirely within its sphere of influence.

In October 2011, for instance, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to back down from a confrontation over a joint oil exploration with Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea.

Meanwhile, India has been consistently strengthening ties with groups like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). And the United States has pitched for the Indian navy to play an important role in the Pacific, as well as the Indian Ocean, as part of President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia.

In that context, China’s latest probe might have unintended consequences — pushing New Delhi to a stronger position, rather than scaring it into a weaker one.

“This will have an impact on the Indian foreign minister’s visit to China next week and the premier’s visit to India slated for the later half of this month,” said Kondapalli. “Anti-China feelings are strengthening in India with this incident.”

GlobalPost senior correspondent for China, Benjamin Carlson, said China’s retreat was “deeply confusing from a strategic point of view.”

Why Chinese troops crossed the de facto border in the first place is a mystery; why they bulked up their presence after the initial Indian protest is a mystery; and why the PLA eventually decided to stand down is a further mystery.

The whole incursion may simply have been a tactic to gain bargaining power in border negotiations with India, Carlson said, adding:

… it’s difficult to see how this will play in China’s favor as India joins China’s other neighbors in viewing the regional giant’s territorial aspirations with greater suspicion.

Supreme Court Rules AICTE’s Role as Only Advisory

May 5, 2013May 28, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Khaitan & Co.

In a landmark judgement passed on 25 April 2013, the Supreme Court of India (Supreme Court) has held that vis-à-vis universities, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has only an advisory role and cannot issue any sanctions on universities and colleges affiliated to universities.

The Supreme Court in this far reaching judgement has also ruled that affiliated colleges (i.e. standalone colleges which are affiliated to universities) are regulated by the universities to which they are affiliated and are not required to obtain permission from the AICTE to run any technical course as they would be within the regulatory purview of the universities to which these colleges are affiliated.

Analysing prior judgements, the Supreme Court went on to hold that qua a university, the role of the AICTE is merely advisory and accordingly it may only provide guidance and advice to the University Grants Commission and universities in respect of technical courses conducted by such universities and that it does not have any regulatory authority over such courses. The Supreme Court further observed that while Master of Computer Applications is a technical course, the role of the AICTE in respect of such course being offered by a university or its affiliated colleges is merely advisory in nature.

The Supreme Court has also held that MBA is not a technical course and hence, would not be regulated by AICTE in any manner whatsoever.

The judgement has created ripples in the regulatory circle as the AICTE has been rendered a body without any regulatory powers. The AICTE is contemplating filing a review petition against this judgement. Regulators are of the view that such a judgement would lead to the mushrooming of engineering colleges all over the country and they would all go unregulated.

Bangladesh toll reaches 377, building owner arrested

April 30, 2013April 28, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Reuters India

The owner of a factory building that collapsed in Bangladesh killing hundreds of garment workers was arrested on Sunday trying to flee to India, as hopes of finding more survivors from the country’s worst industrial accident began to fade.

Mohammed Sohel Rana was arrested by the elite Rapid Action Battalion in the border town of Benapole, Dhaka District Police Chief Habibur Rahman told Reuters, ending a four-day manhunt that began after Rana Plaza, which housed factories making low-cost garments for Western retailers, caved in on Wednesday.

Bangladesh television showed Rana, a local leader of the ruling Awami League’s youth front, being flown by helicopter to the capital Dhaka, where he will face charges of faulty construction and causing unlawful death.

Authorities put the latest death toll at 377 and expect it to climb higher with hundreds more still unaccounted for.

Four people were pulled out alive on Sunday after almost 100 hours beneath the mound of broken concrete and metal, and rescuers were working frantically to try to save several others still trapped, fire services deputy director Mizanur Rahman said.

“The chances of finding people alive are dimming, so we have to step up our rescue operation to save any valuable life we can,” said Major General Chowdhury Hassan Sohrawardi, coordinator of the operation at the site.

About 2,500 people have been rescued from the wrecked building in the commercial suburb of Savar, about 30 km (20 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.

Officials said the eight-storey complex had been built on spongy ground without the correct permits, and more than 3,000 workers – mainly young women – entered the building on Wednesday morning despite warnings that it was structurally unsafe.

A bank and shops in the same building closed after a jolt was felt and cracks were noticed on some pillars on Tuesday.

Police said one factory owner gave himself up on Sunday following the detention of two plant bosses and two engineers the day before.

Anger over the disaster has sparked days of protests and clashes, with police using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to quell demonstrators who set cars ablaze.

Garment workers blockaded a highway in a nearby industrial zone of Gazipur on Sunday demanding capital punishment for the owners.

The main opposition, joining forces with an alliance of leftist parties which is part of the ruling coalition, called for a national strike on May 2 in protest over the incident.

Built on a filled-in pond

Wednesday’s collapse was the third major industrial incident in five months in Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of garments in the world behind China. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory in a suburb of Dhaka killed 112 people.

Such incidents have raised serious questions about worker safety and low wages, and could taint the reputation of the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports. The industry employs about 3.6 million people, most of them women, some of whom earn as little as $38 a month.

Emdadul Islam, chief engineer of the state-run Capital Development Authority (CDA), said on Friday that the owner of the building had not received the proper construction consent, obtaining a permit for a five-storey building from the local municipality, which did not have the authority to grant it.

Furthermore, another three storeys had been added illegally, he said. “Savar is not an industrial zone, and for that reason no factory can be housed in Rana Plaza,” Islam told Reuters.

Islam said the building had been erected on the site of a pond filled in with sand and earth, weakening the foundations.

North American and European chains, including British retailer Primark and Canada’s Loblaw, a unit of George Weston Ltd (WN.TO), said they were supplied by factories in the Rana Plaza building.

Since the disaster, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has asked factory owners to produce building designs by July in a bid to improve safety.

Commonwealth meet in Sri Lanka ‘accommodates evil’, Canada says

April 30, 2013April 28, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Times of India

LONDON: Canadian foreign minister John Baird has condemned the decision to allow Sri Lanka to host the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in November as “accommodating evil”.

Baird spoke out after his Commonwealth counterparts in London on Friday agreed to press ahead with the meeting despite strong criticism over Colombo’s human rights record.

“We’re appalled that Sri Lanka seems poised to host CHOGM and to be chair-in-residence of the Commonwealth for two years,” the Canadian minister told Guardian newspaper late Friday.

“Canada didn’t get involved in the Commonwealth to accommodate evil; we came to combat it. We are deeply disappointed that Sri Lanka appears poised to take on this leadership role.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada will boycott the November 15-17 meeting unless Sri Lanka investigates suspected war crimes including the alleged indiscriminate killing of civilians by government troops in the climax of the civil war in 2009.

Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma said Sri Lanka had not been on the formal agenda at Friday’s talks but said it had been discussed, and there was no opposition to November’s meeting being held in that country.

It was a “collective decision”, he told a press conference afterwards, adding: “No member of government has indicated remotely that it wishes to change the venue.”

Sharma said the Commonwealth was working with President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime to address international concerns.

And he said he believed Colombo subscribed to the principles of human rights, democracy and rule of law laid out in the Commonwealth charter signed by Queen Elizabeth II last month.

“All member states subscribe to the same principles and values equally,” he said.

“Interacting with them on many fronts — as I have been doing at all levels — I am fully persuaded that they are sincere in subscribing and following those values.”

‘Teachers’ training has almost collapsed’

April 30, 2013May 24, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: News Track India

New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) A shortage of nearly a million teachers is affecting implementation of the Right to Education Act in India. Compounding this is the lack of government-run training institutes which forces aspirants to go to private insitutions, with the result that just a fraction manage to clear the eligibility test.

The Right to Education Act lays down strict guidelines on the student-teacher ratio, as well as on training, according to which the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) should be 30:1 in primary classes and 35:1 in upper primary classes.

According to a District Information System for Education (DISE) report, in 2011-12 only 34.12 percent of primary school teachers were graduates, while a meagre 17.05 percent teachers were post-graduates.

National convener of RTE Forum Ambarish Rai said the problem is that there are no proper institutions for training teachers.

“There is a huge shortage of teachers, and the RTE mandates appointing trained teachers to fill the gap by 2015. However, the question is: Where will these teachers be trained,” Rai asked while speaking to IANS.

“Teachers’ training has almost collapsed. Today, teachers’ training is being provided by private companies, but the teachers trained by them are not even able to clear the teachers qualification exam,” he said.

In 2012, more than 99 percent of those who appeared for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) failed the exam. The competency test, conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was taken by 795,000 aspirants last year.

Training of teachers is the mandate of The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) formed in 1995. But the council could not perform any impressive task in imparting teachers’ training, says Delhi University Department of Education professor Krishan Kumar.

“Teachers’ training has become an ill sector. The training institutes are in ICU, it is like a situation of helplessness,” Krishan Kumar told IANS.

He said the status of a teacher has been degraded with many north Indian states hiring ill-trained teachers on contract, as adhoc or “para-teachers”.

“In the entire Hindi belt, there is a new phenomena of hiring para-teachers. There is a massive movement going on with teachers across states agitating and protesting on issues like regularisation of jobs and better salaries, but it is not being highlighted by the media. North India has forgotten its teachers,” Krishna Kumar said.

The appointment of lower-paid contract teachers is leading to attrition of talent from the field, he added.

A sample survey by NGO Right to Education Forum revealed that para-teachers now constitute a major chunk in many states.

In Bihar, 50 percent of schools have para-teachers, in Andhra Pradesh the figure is 44 percent and in Jharkhand it is 37 percent. Karnataka (28 percent), Uttar Pradesh (23 percent) and West Bengal (21 percent) also have a large number of para-teachers.

The study also says that one out of 10 teachers are sub-contract or proxy teachers who come in place of government-appointed teachers by bypassing the selection process and with no vetting of their qualifications.

These proxy teachers constitute a substantial chunk in Himachal Pradesh (15 percent), Jharkhand (12 percent), Manipur (9.4 percent), Tamil Nadu (9.6 percent), Karnataka (7.6 percent) and Maharashtra (6 percent).

Experts say the only way to improve the situation is through restructuring the training of teachers.

“There is need to regulate and evolve a methodology for teachers’ training,” said Rai.

He said that recruitment was the second major issue dogging implementation of the RTE as a large chunk of teachers were on contract, while the RTE mandates appointing permanent teachers.

“We have disrespected the teachers’ profession. If we start making teachers count the population for the census and work for elections, we are degrading their status. Their dignity is challenged,” Rai added.

Ladakh incursion: China expresses readiness to work with India deal with differences

April 30, 2013April 28, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Times of India

BEIJING: China on Sunday took note of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks over PLA’s incursion into the Depsang Valley and said that it is willing to work with New Delhi to deal with differences while maintaining peace at borders and forging strategic cooperative partnership.

“We have noted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement,” a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry said.

“The two sides have been in communication through the working mechanism for consultation and coordination on boundary affairs, border meetings and diplomatic channels for a solution to the incident in part of the western section of the China-India border,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the reaction was in response to a question over Singh’s remarks that Chinese troops incursion into the Depsang Valley in Ladakh can be settled through talks.

Singh told media in New Delhi on Saturday that India does not want to “accentuate” the situation in the wake of the recent Chinese incursion in Ladakh and is working on a plan to resolve it.

“We do have a plan. We do not want to accentuate the situation. We do believe that it is possible to resolve this problem. It is a localized problem. I think the talks are going on,” Singh said.

China had denied that its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers had pitched tents in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in Ladakh amounted to trespass and violation of the line of actual control (LAC).

The Chinese statement said “we stand ready to work together with India to properly deal with differences and maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas in a bid to boost the healthy and stable development of China-India strategic and cooperative partnership.”

It said “while actively developing friendly cooperation in recent years, China and India have committed themselves to settling disputes including the boundary question through peaceful negotiation and preventing the disputes from affecting the development of bilateral relations”.

The two sides are currently trying to resolve the issue through border consultation mechanism inked last year even as external affairs minister Salman Khurshid is due visit Beijing on May 9, which officials said would be followed by new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visit to New Delhi.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu agree to share water

April 28, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Times of India

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Ministerial-level talks between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on sharing water under the Parambikulam-Aliyar river pact ended here on Sunday on a positive note with TN agreeing to release 100 cusecs per day to Kerala.

In response to Tamil Nadu’s gesture, Kerala agreed to release 40 cusecs per day to Tamil Nadu from Shiruvani river to Coimbatore.

Briefing reporters after the meeting which was attended by Tamil Nadu PWD minister T Ramalingam, Kerala water resources minister PJ Joseph said the joint water regulatory board, consisting of officials from both states, would meet soon to discuss water sharing from Sholayar river.

The meeting was held against the background of Kerala government’s decision to move Supreme Court to get due share of water from the neighbouring state under the Parambikulam-Aliyar river agreement.

Kerala had accused Tamil Nadu of not honouring the pact by not releasing the due share to Chittor river in Palakkad which was facing acute drought situaion.

Kerala had also brought to Tamil Nadu’s notice the drought situation prevailing in Palakkad and non-availability of water under PAP had adversely affected agriculture sector.

As per the Parambikulam-Aliyar project (PAP), Kerala is entitled to get 7,250 million unit cubic feet in a water year (between July 1 to June 30).

A joint water regulatory board of officials from Tamil Nadu and Kerala release the water under a “fortnightly pattern”.

Dikshit accepts protest letters over inflated bills

April 28, 2013May 24, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Hindustan Times

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday accepted the 10,50,000 letters written to her by the Delhi residents over inflated water and power bills following the protest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at Jantar Mantar in the national Capital.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said Dikshit’s agreeing to accept the letters is “people’s victory.”

Kejriwal vowed that the movement against the inflated bills would continue until the tariffs are brought down, and alleged that both the Congress and the BJP have together cartelised the water and electricity sector in the state.

“At 9 am one of my associates, Dilip Pandey, got a call from the chief minister’s Office saying Sheila Dikshit wanted to talk. Dikshit said she will receive the protest letters. She was compelled to do so because of the people’s pressure. She had to bow down to the people,” said Kejriwal, while addressing a gathering.

Since the chief minister agreed to accept 10,50,000 letters of protest to her written by the people of Delhi highlighting the inflated bills, the AAP activists called off their scheduled march to her residence, AAP spokesperson Aswathi Muralidharan said.

In the afternoon, AAP activists Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas along with 10 other party members boarded a bus, carrying the protest letters from Jantar Mantar and handed these over to Dikshit’s staff around 3 pm at her residence at Motilal Nehru Marg in New Delhi’s VIP area.

Kejriwal said the movement against inflated water and power bills would continue till the bills are either waived off or the charges are reduced.

“Our aim is not just to submit these (over) 10 lakh letters, but we are seeking action on them. Our protest is unlike that of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Vijay Goel who simply protests for limelight. We have said we won’t pay our bills and this movement will continue till these bills are reduced,” he asserted.

Kejriwal said the Congress governments both at the Centre and in the state had failed to address the issue of water crisis in the national Capital.

“Every year, the Prime Minister says that we will provide water to every household in this country. They have not been able to provide water to Delhi in the past 65 years. How will they provide water to the entire country,” he asked.

“Sheila Dikshit has been in power for the past 15 years. Why has not the issue been addressed,” he asked. Most of the water tanker companies are owned by leaders of these two parties, and the government was hand in glove with the power discoms, he alleged.

Earlier, Delhi Traffic Police eased the traffic restrictions they had imposed in Janpath-Sansad Marg area due to protests and demonstrations.

Kejriwal fasted for 15 days earlier this month to press his demand for reduction in water and electricity tariffs in the capital.

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs attends Armenian Presidential Inauguration

April 9, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be attending the inauguration of Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia, on April 9, 2013 where he will convey congratulations on behalf of Prime Minister Harper and Canada.

The Parliamentary Secretary will also meet with the Armenian Foreign Minister to congratulate Armenia on the successful membership bid to La Francophonie and express hope for working closely with Armenia on Canada’s priority themes within this body. These themes include children and youth, equality between women and men, and sustainable economic growth among members.

Mr. Obhrai will also take the opportunity to reiterate Canada’s strong support for the efforts by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations and address historical differences.

Engaging Canada: Emerging priorities for sustainable partnerships

April 9, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

CONFERENCE ON

ENGAGING CANADA:
EMERGING PRIORITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS

To be organized by Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute
at the India International Centre in New Delhi
June 1, 2013

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Institute

The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute is a bi-national organization that promotes understanding between India and Canada through academic activities and exchanges. Its broad-based initiatives support the creation of bi-national links between academia, government, the business community and civil society organizations by funding research, faculty and student exchange, conferences, workshops and seminars. With a membership of 93 leading Indian and Canadian universities and research institutions, the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute has facilitated greater collaboration between Indian and Canadian institutions in the humanities, social sciences, arts, science & technology, legal education, and management studies. The Institute, as part of its mandate, has also supported research on sustainable development and other United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The Conference

The Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute is organizing a Conference at the India International Centre, New Delhi on June 1, 2013, to present collaborative research that has been completed, or is currently being undertaken, by Indian and Canadian universities/research institutions in four focus areas.

Energy & Environment
Public Health
Food Security & Sustainable Development
Bi-lateral Trade and Investment

Objectives

Emerging opportunities and strategies to address challenges in these four areas that have been identified as priority sectors by both the Indian and Canadian governments will be the themes of this Conference. One of the objectives of this Conference is to gather experts and a new cadre of researchers to discuss their contributions to higher learning while weaving academic and institutional collaborations between Canada and India. It is expected that strategic recommendations will be derived from the Conference that will contribute to sustained academic and institutional partnerships.

Call for Papers

Papers are invited from faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and doctoral students from Shastri member institutions, as well as faculty/researchers from non-member institutions to present and share work that has been completed or is currently progressing in these four areas. The papers could be the outcome of research funded by the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute or by other agencies, universities or research institutions. We particularly encourage submissions that develop inter-disciplinary themes.

Abstract of Papers must be submitted by April 30, 2013, to Dr. Prachi Kaul, Programme Officer, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute by email at [email protected]. Authors must indicate the focus area for which they would like their paper to be considered.

Important Dates

April 30, 2013: Deadline for Submission of Abstracts
May 15, 2013: Acceptance Notification
June 1, 2013: Conference

Travel and Accommodation

Economy class air-fare within India, and local accommodation in New Delhi, will be provided to out-station scholars whose papers have been selected for presentation at the Conference. Travel and accommodation arrangements/ reimbursements will be done according to the travel and accommodation policy of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.

Conference Coordinators:

Dr. Biju Paul Abraham, IIM Calcutta, and Dr. Ravishankar Rao, Mangalore University
Executive Council

Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

5 BhaiVir Singh Marg,
New Delhi – 110 001, India.
Telephone: 91-11-2374-6417/3114, Fax: 91-11-2374-6416.
Website: www.sici.org.in
Email: [email protected]

Canada – A growing destination for Indian students

April 7, 2013May 18, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

By Avinav Sharma

Canada has never been so popular with the Indian students as it stands now. It is all thanks to the great and impactful reforms done by the Government of Canada to make Canada an attractive destination for International Education of 21st century. A fact concreting is that in 2012, for the first time Canada welcomed a record number of international students. A first in history, international students in Canada crossed the number of 100,000.

Students from India are very much interested to pursue their studies in some of the best countries of the world. There is no dearth of talent in India. USA and UK have always been old preferred destinations, but now Canada is slowly making its way to the list of most preferred destinations for the Indian students. Canadian institutions are fast gaining popularity with Indian students. Some of the Canadian universities had long been coming to India since the 90s and been engaging with students and educational institutions. Student exchange, faculty exchange and research collaborations have been part of it.

With the passing time and globalization, more and more Canadian institutions have entered Indian market to search for the best and smartest talent. The engagement of Canadian polytechnics and community colleges is increasing with institution representatives doing recruitment events at various cities of India and entering into alliances with reputed and trusted educational agents. Institutions and education agents are working closely on a common goal of matching the students’ academic interest and their educational pursuits to programs available at the institutions.

The quality of technical and professional education is very high in Canada. Strengthening the interest of Indian students is the low tuition fee structure of the institutions. Lower tuition fees and the high global ranking of Canadian universities are of much interest to Indian students seeing the growing cost of getting quality education in India. Another attractive aspect is the Cooperative Education which most of Indian students are not aware of. Co-op as a term is relatively new to students and at first instance students are not able to understand it. With more and more information coming into Indian market on Canadian education, the Canadian education system and terms are being familiarized but a lot needs to be done in this field. Most of the students choose their program unaware of co-op opportunities and realize that later on. Even the students who choose the co-op are not aware of the real value and benefit of a co-op. They end up not maintaining the required GPA or percentage that will entitle them to be placed into the co-op by the institution.

With educational opportunities and systems differing from province to province in Canada, Indian students find it difficult to map their academic interest and choose an institution that can best cater to their needs. Official website like that of AUCC try to bridge this gap by providing comprehensive information on universities, programs offered and their contact details. Still the information is not reaching in that amount in which it should, primarily because of unawareness among Indian students. The university admission procedures, steps involved, international credential evaluation are highly complex and time consuming as compared to the admission systems of countries like Australia, UK and New Zealand which are fairly very simple and easy to understand. The entering admission requirements are also a bit high and some of good and genuine students are not successful in making to their university of choice because of it. With the presence of different central and state school boards and higher education institutions in India, a student’s academic score can vary and not present a true picture of his capability of successfully completing his intended program in Canada. This one aspect should be taken into consideration by the universities and institutes of Canada.

Research opportunities are tremendous in Canada and with funding opportunities available to deserving students at every step; Indian students are now getting attracted to research master and doctorate degrees in Canada. Numerous choices of specializations and research areas available help Indian students choose the field that they may not have even thought of pursuing. It just does not stop here. The flexibility of Canadian institutions also allows student to come with a completely new field in which he may want to pursue research and the institution fully support the students with their research ideas and makes them available proper resources.

I can say that a lot more is still to be traversed in promoting Canadian education among Indian students and making them understand every bit of it. It has to be a continuous and result oriented process.

Avinav Sharma is the Country Head — Canada of Kangaroo Studies Private Limited, India.

Canada to spend $10M to woo foreign students

April 2, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Ottawa Citizen

Tenfold increase in recent budget wins plaudits from cash-poor universities

The Canadian government is hoping to corner the market on foreign students by making a significant investment into Canada’s education brand.

The recently tabled federal budget directs $10 million over the next two years to the effort – a large increase from the funding it set aside for marketing education from 2007 to 2012, when it budgeted $1 million each year.

Efforts will focus on strengthening the “Imagine Education au/in Canada” brand, a program that aims to promote the high quality of a Canadian education to international students.

Foreign Affairs spokesman John Babcock said the extra funding is a “very positive signal,” and that the federal government will continue cooperating with the provinces to strengthen the international education strategy.

Canada is already a top destination for foreign students. According to the budget, some 239,000 students in 2010 contributed $8 billion to the economy, making them a rich vein for colleges and universities to tap.

The University of British Columbia, for instance, has almost 4,000 students from 120 different countries. Foreign students’ tuition is, on average, five times higher than what Canadian students pay.

“It’s a lot more than about economics,” said UBC president Stephen Toope. “They really bring a richness to the educational experience that all Canadian students benefit from.”

Jennifer Humphries, vice-president of membership, public policy and communications for the Canadian Bureau for International Education, said the Canadian education strategy to attract these students has several facets.

“The brand is all the things Canada does,” said Humphries, adding that immigration regulations, tourism campaigns, the schools themselves and even the Vancouver Winter Olympics are all a part of the marketing effort.

“I still think, and the government seems to agree with us, there needs to be more investment and more work on establishing a brand, because we aren’t where we need to be,” she said.

The budget also included $13 million for Mitacs Globalink, a Vancouver-based program that matches international research students with schools.

“We’re unique in being able to make sure that students are being put into labs that will be really interesting to them,” said Arvind Gupta, CEO of Mitacs Globalink. “They know that when they come to us that we will have a good project for them.”

The Imagine Education campaign has only been around a short time, so it remains to be seen how it affects recruitment.

Man attempts suicide after India education loan denial

April 2, 2013March 11, 2015Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: gulfnews.com

Father consumes poison in bank over refusal of loan for daughter.

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: A middle-age man in Agali in Palakkad district attempted suicide by consuming poison in front of a public sector bank today, apparently to protest the denial of an education loan to his daughter. The man was identified as Rajan and his condition was reported to be critical.

Initial reports said the man had approached several banks over the past few months to arrange an education loan for his daughter to pursue graduation but had been denied the loan by all of them.

The education loan issue has been a sore point for banks and students in Kerala, with students and parents arguing that banks frequently turn a blind eye to education loan applications and banks taking the stance that repayment of education loans can often be problematic.

The issue had caught state-wide attention in 2005 when a girl student, Rajani S. Anand jumped off a multi-storey building in the state capital, stating that she was taking the extreme step because no bank was willing to offer her an education loan. The uproar over the incident prompted the state government to exercise pressure on banks to be more lenient towards advancing student loans.

Canada gets an ‘A’ in education, but needs to fix links between post-secondary schooling and workforce

March 27, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Canada Newswire

OTTAWA, March 27, 2013 – Canada’s system of education and skills remains one of the best in the world, but needs to do much better at matching what Canadians learn to evolving labour market needs.

Canada ranks second only to Finland among 16 developed countries in The Conference Board of Canada’s Education and Skills report card. As part of its overall “A” grade, Canada earns “A”s on seven of 20 indicators – including the second-highest rate of high school completion, and the top rate of college completion.

“Canada gives its students a first-rate education at the primary and secondary levels,” said Daniel Muzyka, President and CEO, The Conference Board of Canada. “Our priority must be to build on this strong foundation to make Canada more innovative, competitive, and dynamic.”

“A pressing need is to strengthen the links between high school and the post-secondary system. Within the post-secondary system, we must improve coordination among offerings, thereby creating better pathways to workplaces, jobs and careers. And Canadian employers need to step forward with increased resources for education and retraining of their workers.”

HIGHLIGHTS

Canada delivers a high-quality education to people between the ages of 5 and 19 with modest spending compared to its peers.
Only 21 per cent of Canada’s university graduates are in science, math, computer science and engineering, the third consecutive year that this share has declined.
The gender gap in education has reversed: only 83 men graduate from Canadian universities and colleges for every 100 women.
Canada’s current educational approach is inadequate for many people who, for one reason or another, have not acquired skills in traditional school settings.

Canada’s university completion rate is a “B” grade. In the United States, which gets an “A” grade on this indicator, people may be more motivated to compete university because of the high returns on their university investments.

Canadian university graduates get a comparatively lower payback for their educational investment, according to two new indicators. Canada gets a “B” for return on investment in post-secondary education (women), and “C” for return on investment in post-secondary education (men). On another new indicator, Canada has relatively significant gender gap in tertiary education – for every 100 women who graduate from universities and colleges, only 83 men do so.

And Canada continues to get a “C” grade for percentage of university graduates in science, math, computer science and engineering, and a “D” in the number of PhD graduates.

“Even though the number of PhD graduates has grown by three per cent annually over the past decade, we are still second-to-last among our peers on the PhD graduate rate, and our share of graduates in math, science, computer science and engineering is declining,” said Muzyka.

The Conference Board of Canada is launching a Centre on Skills and Post-Secondary Education to investigate how Canada can meet its rising skills needs through broad changes to its post-secondary system.

Canada earns an “A” grade on two other new indicators to the report card:

the difference in reading test scores between 15-year old students in the most and least disadvantaged schools; and
equity in learning outcomes in reading between Canadian-born students (who speak the language of the test at home) and the children of immigrants (who do not speak the language of the test at home).

The final two new indicators are the foreign student index, where Canada gets a “B” grade; and adult participation in non-formal job-related education, where Canada gets a “C” grade and ranks 10^th of 15 countries.

This relatively low grade on non-formal job-related training illustrates how Canada lags in workplace skills training and lifelong education. Canadian employers’ investments in workplace training programs lag far behind European and U.S. competitors, and only a very small percentage of what they do invest—less than two per cent—goes to basic literacy skills.

How Canada Performs is a multi-year research program at The Conference Board of Canada to help leaders identify relative strengths and weaknesses in Canada’s socio-economic performance. The How Canada Performs website presents data and analysis on Canada’s performance compared to 16 peer countries in six performance categories: Economy, Innovation, Environment, Education and Skills, Health, and Society.

Attract the best students? Canada won’t even buy a glass of water

March 27, 2013April 22, 2015Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

The Harper government boasts that foreign students brought $8-billion into the Canadian economy in 2010. When you consider what’s at stake, and the federal government’s goal to double the international student intake by 2022, it borders on the absurd to think that in promoting Canadian education abroad, the Canadian government is short of funds to serve a glass of water.

Such is the way Canada frequently presents itself as an international student recruiter.

This was on display recently when the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade held a major Canadian education promotion event in Lagos, Nigeria, in January.

In a venue where the air conditioning is hit and miss, it not only wouldn’t provide any food for the university and college representatives who paid thousands of dollars and came all the way from Canada – it said it couldn’t even provide water. It was deemed to be “not in the budget” by DFAIT officials in Nigeria to offer to the parched representatives.

“Put it in the feedback form,” was the best advice and the closest thing offered as relief by junior staffers in Lagos, according to one of my colleagues who attended.

Is a glass of water really a big deal?

It is a canary-in the-coal-mine example of how far Canada has to go to achieve the kind of brand consistency and recognition that befits the magnitude of the opportunity Canada has before it.

When the British Council blows through town promoting Education UK, you know it – advertisements, aggressive school outreach programs, and first-class event venues proclaiming ‘brand Britannia.’

The U.S. State Department regularly sponsors significant cultural and other outreach programs to raise the profile of American culture and education in countries around the globe – often bringing in top artistic and academic talent to work with local high school students.

Juxtapose the February 2013 DFAIT press release trumpeting the success of International Trade Minister Edward Fast’s trade mission to Africa. The minister crossed paths with the Canadian education events on at least one occasion in Nigeria, yet made absolutely no mention of the education outreach events at all. This is the norm for how poorly Canada coordinates its efforts. When we consider that Canada spends a tiny fraction of what its competitors do on promotions, making the most out of a little is critical.

Canada has an excellent global brand, but fails to take advantage of this by attracting enough quality students to its world-class public universities (most of Canada’s recent self-proclaimed foreign-student recruitment success is a result of mediocre students filling classrooms in colleges or in foundation pre-university programs).

Canada’s international student recruitment is akin to Apple computers circa 1990 – a superior product but inferior marketing and hence a miniscule market share (if only Canada had a Steve Jobs to market the Maple Leaf abroad!)

Some relief could be in sight: Last week’s federal budget did pledge additional funds to recruiting international students. Yet the 2011 budget made a similar pledge – of $10-million spread over two years – and there was little evidence of this spending visible abroad. And these funds are miniscule compared to those being spent by our competitors, especially Britain and the United States.

If the doubling of international student numbers is achieved in Canada by 2022, it means an estimated $18-billion contribution to the Canadian economy in that year alone. That’s a big-picture, big-ideas scenario, not one allowing room for the sort of execution that does not provide a glass of water to its participants.

Yet that moment was not an exception. One weekend this winter, when Canada was holding another such no-frills education fair in Nairobi, Kenya, the U.S. State Department flew in top Broadway performers hold a glamorous concert, featuring Academy and Grammy award winners spending the better part of a week working with local high-school musical talents and spreading word about their EducationUSA brand.

Americans have been hugely successful in international student recruitment for generations – and, no doubt, they had plenty of water available during their performance.

Mel Broitman is managing director of the Canadian University Application Centre and the editor of Overseas, Overwhelmed, where this article first appeared

Fix education so we don’t have people without jobs, conference told

March 27, 2013March 27, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: MetroNews

Canada must fix its educational system to ensure that a looming demographics shift doesn’t leave result in a “people without jobs and jobs without people” scenario, experts warn.

“The demographic time bomb that’s ticking is getting louder and louder,” said John Manley, president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, which hosted a conference on the issue in Toronto on Monday.

“There’s a mismatch between the training and education that’s being offered, and the jobs that are being created.”

The influence of the postwar baby boom generation has long been known, but the potential impact is staggering. According to Rick Miner, former Seneca College president, by 2036 those under the age of 15 and over the age of 65 will represent 65 per cent of the Canadian population, compared with 44 per cent in 2010.

“That means nearly two-thirds of the population will be over 65 or under 15, compared to the population working full-time. That’s frightening,” Miner said.

These demographic changes can be mitigated by getting more people into the workforce who have been traditionally under-represented including immigrants, aboriginals, women, those with disabilities, those in their early 20s and older workers.

Miner also believes there also needs to be a revamp of post-secondary education, where institutions must work together.

He noted high school students sometimes do an extra year to get into a particular university program. And even after university, some graduates can’t find work so they return to do a community college program — meaning it can be as many as six or seven years of schooling, post-high school.

Others at the conference also cautioned that preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow is difficult, especially given that 25 per cent of today’s jobs didn’t exist 30 years ago.

Linda Hasenfratz, chief executive officer of auto parts company Linamar Corp., added that young people are often encouraged to study something they love, with promises they’ll find a job in the end.

“It doesn’t always work out that way,” Hasenfratz said, adding sometimes they discover they studied what they love, but they can’t get a job that gives them the level of income they want.

She believes more training needs to be done in secondary school, where students can be exposed to skills used by carpenters and machinists as a building block for learning.

They might then choose a skilled-trades apprenticeship or community college to become an engineering technologist, or university to become an architect, based on initial exposure to carpentry, she said.

Others also warned that job demands can fluctuate dramatically so governments and educational institutions must react carefully to deal with shortages. For example, teachers were desperately needed, so more teacher training spots were added. But now universities continue to graduate new teachers even though there are few job openings.

CAW economist Jim Stanford added that the top three jobs of the future are truck driver, retail clerk and health care assistant.

“We should be realistic about where the jobs are,” he said, adding if society needs truck drivers, those jobs need to be valued with appropriate wages and working conditions.

“There is a cultural bias against blue-collar occupations against the idealized white-collar occupations,” he added.

EU courts foreign students with new visa rules

March 27, 2013May 13, 2015Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Deutsche Welle

EU countries make it too difficult for foreign students and scientists to come to European universities. The EU Commission wants to change visa processes and entry requirements – yet deeper problems remain.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, had just informed journalists about a Cyprus bailout plan when a young student from Benin, a small country in western Africa, walked up to the microphone.

Bellarminus Kakpovi is currently studying political communications in Belgium’s capital. His path to a European university was not an easy one.

“I had to wait for my Belgian visa for more than three months,” he said. “Students who wanted to go to France had their visas after two weeks. I don’t understand [why] there are such different rules in the EU.”

The student is in fact the invited guest of Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs. Befor Malmström spoke, she allowed the student from Africa to take the floor and talk about his experience with European bureaucracy. Malmström is now introducing a program for improved conditions for students from non-EU countries.

Member state difficulties

Every year, more than 200,000 students and researchers from non-EU countries come to Europe to study. But the visa application process differs from one EU-member state to the next. Each country has its own rules about allowing foreign students and scientists to come to that nation’s universities. Transferring from one member-state to another can be difficult as well.

The EU Commission wants to make the European Union even more desirable as a center for higher education, on par with the US and Australia. To that end, the Commission aims to standardize entry requirements and improve conditions for young academics. In the future, member states should handle visa applications in no more than 60 days, the Commission says. Transfers between universities in different member-states should be easier, and students should be allowed to work at least 20 hours a week.

More measures are necessary

Ulrich Grothus at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) also believes that Europe still has to become more attractive for students from non-EU countries. He sees other issues besides entry requirements and visas, though.

“The demand for English-language graduate programs is much higher than the supply in Germany,” he told DW.

Furthermore, foreign diplomas allowing students to apply for university need to be looked at individually, and not by country, he says, to see whether they should be recognized by EU-countries. “With a high school diploma, an American can apply to some of the best universities in the world in her home country. But it doesn’t qualify her to study in Germany,” Grothus said.

He’s in favor of an exam to individually test foreign university applicants. But different educational systems in EU member states, it will be hard to find an EU-wide testing standard.

Step in the right direction

Sandra Haseloff, head of the division for scientific cooperation at the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, sees the EU’s new suggestions as an important step. “I think and hope that things will be easier. That goes for the handling time of visa applications as well as for the inner-European mobility for students – for example, when they’re in an international PhD program.”

Haseloff thinks that working 20 hours a week while being a full-time student is quite a lot. German law allows foreign students to work 120 full days – or 240 half-days – a year. That includes internships, even unpaid ones. At the EU level, however, there are no such laws.

The European Parliament and the European Council will now discuss the propositions put forth by Commissioner Malmström. The Commission hopes the new laws will come into effect as early as 2016.

And while that may not help Bellarminus Kakpovi from Benin, who will most likely have graduated and received his Belgian diploma by then, it may help students like him.

‘India is compelling example for Commonwealth’

March 23, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: The Economic Times

LONDON: India is a compelling example for the Commonwealth nations on issues of human rights and democracy, Canada’s special envoy for the 54-member grouping has said.

Describing India as a “powerful, significant and important player in the Commonwealth,” Senator Hugh Segal, Canada’s special envoy for Commonwealth renewal, said, “We believe that both on issues of human rights and democracy India is a compelling example for the rest of the Commonwealth.”

He said “India’s presence is fundamental. India’s influence around the world is increasing because of the power of its economy, remarkable exports in terms of trade and technology and skills sets. It is one of the fundamental pyramids of the Commonwealth and fundamental to its survival and success.”

“Canada has always viewed India as an important bilateral ally and we see them as partners in efforts to modernize the Commonwealth and make it as effective in people’s lives as humanly possible.

“India has been a partner of growing significance. It has invested in the Commonwealth. It has been very active on issues like Commonwealth scholarships and technical assistance.”

He said aid from India to other Commonwealth countries has been a great value and importance and “we believe that the interest India has taken for championing human rights and other issues as it relates to Sri Lanka is a very constructive force.”

“A constructive force of engagement and we respect Indian participation and contribution. We also feel India can do even more.”

Canada keen on collaborative projects in India

March 23, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: The Economic Times

KOLKATA: Canada is keen on investing in joint projects with India especially in tourism, agriculture, IT and education sectors.

At a meeting with a multi-sectoral gathering organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here today, a delegation of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), which included some senators and MPs of Canadian Parliament, said the size of trade between the two countries had grown to 5.2 billion dollars last year from 1.75 billion dollars in 2010.

“By 2015, this (trade between the two countries) is expected to touch 15 billion dollars, a target set by the Canadian Prime Minister,” Russel Hiebert, MP, said.

There was immense scope of widening ties in education and agriculture sectors between India and Canada, he said.

The opportunity in education sector lay in the fact that in India 500 million people are under 25 years of age and to cope up with the added demand of quality education it needs another 1,000 universities for which the two countries could collaborate.

There was scope of partnership between the two countries in the agriculture sector as 24 per cent of pulses consumed in India are grown in Canada.

Canada, he said, would like to offer technological collaboration in the area of exploration natural gas for which India has got abundant resources.

Canada supports Safe Drinking Water Project in India

March 15, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Connect – Canada in India

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Québec non-governmental organisation (NGO) SOPAR are working with Indian NGO Bala Vikasa on a unique project to provide safe drinking water, in a cost-effective manner, in many villages in Andhra Pradesh, India. With the first plant installed two decades ago in Gangadevipally, Canada has supported Bala Vikasa in setting-up over 250 such water systems. A noteworthy recent development on the project has been the use of Any Time Water machines, which dispense 20 litres of water by swiping a card at the machine, similar to the principle of an automated teller machine (ATM).

Richard Bale named as new Consul General for Canada in Mumbai

March 15, 2013March 11, 2015Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Connect – Canada in India

Taking over as the new Consul General for Canada in Mumbai on March 5, Richard Bale said, “Canada has great potential for collaboration in the Indian market in the areas of education, energy, agriculture and infrastructure. I look forward to working with Canadian and Indian organizations and people to increase the linkages between our two countries.” As Head of Canada’s mission in Mumbai, Consul General Richard Bale leads the charge in promoting relations between Canada and Western India, including the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.

Welcoming the new appointment, Stewart Beck, High Commissioner for Canada to India, said, “Canada and India are working together towards achieving the ambitious goal of increasing bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2015. We are happy to welcome Richard to India and are confident that he will play a significant role in helping us not only to meet our objectives but to surpass them.”

Canada’s Minister of State for Tourism in India

March 15, 2013March 15, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Connect – Canada In India

Maxime Bernier, Canada’s Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), led a tourism delegation to India, from February 25-28 to promote Canada as a destination of choice for Indian travellers and highlight Canada’s bilateral relations with India. During his visit, Minister Bernier met with his counterpart, Dr. K. Chiranjeevi, India’s Minister of State, in Delhi, and, attended Focus Canada–India 2013, hosted by the Canadian Tourism Commission, in Jaipur. Minister Bernier also led a discussion on ways India and Canada can work together to facilitate travel and trade between the two countries.

GMAT Mobility Patterns Reveal Global Talent Flows, Program Diversity

March 6, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

RESTON, Virginia (February 27, 2013)—Graduate management education is becoming more global and more diverse, as a broader range of global applicants are sending their GMAT scores to different types of programs in different parts of the world, according to a trio of student mobility trend reports out today from the Graduate Management Admission Council.

“Test takers today have an increasing number of study opportunities with quality schools emerging all across the world, and more types of graduate level programs to consider,” said Alex Chisholm, GMAC director of statistical analysis. “Test takers sent scores to a record 5,281 programs in 2012, up 21 percent from 2008, reflecting growing interest in a variety of programs and study destinations.”

A record 286,529 GMAT exams were administered in testing year 2012 (ending June 30, 2012), with 831,337 score reports sent to MBA and other types of graduate management programs, according to the GMAC World Geographic Trend Report, which is being released along with the European Geographic Trend Report and the Asian Geographic Trend Report.

The record volume partially reflects increased interest in the GMAT exam with the addition of the Integrated Reasoning section on June 5, 2012. Historically, test volume rises just before changes are made to a standardized exam as test takers opt for a familiar format at the transition. GMAC administers the Graduate Management Admission Test, used in graduate business and management programs worldwide.

Within the latest numbers are signs of increasing diversity. Key trends:

GMAT testing outside of the United States continues to grow quickly, with tests taken by non-US citizens rising 19 percent from 2011 to 2012 and representing 59 percent of global GMAT volume.
More test takers are sending their GMAT scores to specialized master’s degrees in business, such as master of accountancy, finance and management. In 2012, 29 percent of all scores were sent to specialized masters programs, up from 17 percent in 2008.
The percentage of exams taken by women hit 43 percent in 2012—a record for the third straight year. Women made up the majority of test takers for citizen groups in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia.
More younger people are taking the exam, as the percentage of tests taken by those younger than 25 was 47 percent in 2012, up from 38 percent in 2008. More than half the Asian and European citizens taking the GMAT exam were under 25.
GMAT testing in the United States picked up slightly in 2012 after falling from recessionary highs recorded in 2009. The percentage of US test takers sending their scores to US schools remains a world-leading 98 percent. The US remains the top score-sending destination, with 76 percent of score reports sent to the US.

With 58,196 exams taken in 2012, Chinese test takers are the second-largest citizenship group after the US and represent 20 percent of global testing. The proportion of scores Chinese citizens sent to the US was up slightly (78 percent in 2012, compared with 77 percent in 2008) as their interest in specialized master’s programs has increased — from 43 percent of scores sent in 2008 to 64 percent in 2012.

Indian citizens, the third-largest citizenship group, took 30,213 GMAT exams in 2012, and test takers are sending a higher percentage of scores to programs in India, the United Kingdom, Singapore, France and Canada.

European citizens sat for 24,847 GMAT exams in 2012, up 26 percent from 2008, and they sent more than 60 percent of their scores to programs in Europe, the highest level ever. Citizens of Germany, France, Russia, Italy and the UK together sat for more than half the region’s exams in 2012.

The World, Asian, and European Geographic Trend Reports are available at gmac.com/geographictrends.

Highlights and Impact of the Union Budget 2013-14 on the Education sector

March 6, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Canada-India research centre builds healthier communities

March 4, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada via Indian Economic Business News

Communities in Canada and India will be the first to try out new technologies related to water quality, infrastructure and public health, owing to the new India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability (IC-IMPACTS). The centre was announced in November as the winner of the Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence competition, an NCE initiative introduced in the 2011 federal budget. “Canada needs to be connected to an international supply of ideas, research, talent and technologies in order to prosper in an increasingly competitive global environment,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in announcing the competition results. “This new Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence will build stronger bilateral research ties and create valuable learning opportunities while generating positive economic and social benefits for both countries.” Major Canadian and Indian universities, as well as various private and public sector partners in Canada and India, will pool their expertise in IC- IMPACTS’ efforts to develop and implement better ways of providing safe drinking water, building sustainable and affordable infrastructure, and preventing and treating diseases in the two countries.

CBIE response to Citizenship & Immigration Canada: proposed changes to International Student Program, February 13, 2013.

February 19, 2013February 20, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: CBIE / Canadian Bureau for International Education

“…We believe that you will find our recommendations supportive of the objectives of the regulatory changes. Several suggest changes in language for purposes of clarity. Others are more substantive, for example, seeking to recognize that secondary school and pathways programs are increasingly important components of international education in Canada. As we noted in our letter last July in response to the notice of proposed changes, a third of international post-secondary students in CBIE’s 2009 national survey said that they had studied either at a Canadian secondary or language school prior to entering a Canadian college or university.

We appreciate CIC’s consultative approach over the past few months. Our Immigration Advisory Committee members took part in meetings in several provinces. CBIE and our partners in the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing (CCIEM) appreciated the opportunity to provide views during the meeting held last week in Ottawa.

Moreover the Consortium values our ongoing relationship with CIC. We believe that discussion of issues and possible solutions in our quarterly forum will be even more important once the regulations are finalized and signed into law, and when implementation takes centre stage.

As noted in the attached Comments and Recommendations document, we understand that a Working Group will be established to examine operationalization issues. We would be pleased to contribute our expertise to this effort.

In closing, CBIE values its partnership with CIC and looks forward to continued dialogue in support of our shared goals in international student policy and practice.”

View their recommendations.

Synergy 2013 Education Conference

February 18, 2013March 29, 2016Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Post-Event Report

October 3 & 4, 2013

Hilton Garden Inn (Toronto Airport West) • 1870 Matheson Blvd • Mississauga, ON • L4W 0B3

On October 3 & 4, Canada India Education Council (CIEC) was the proud host of ‘Canada-India: Synergy in Education’ Conference 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Toronto. Participants exchanged ideas & experiences, explored opportunities, highlighted their programs and networked with stakeholders active in both markets, resulting in many valuable connections.

‘Conferences, such as this one, are crucial to Canada-India relations, because they allow for growth and promoting knowledge between the two countries… I wish the 7th Annual Canada-India Synergy in Education Conference much success and hope all participants will thoroughly enjoy and enlighten themselves at this event.‘

– Hon. Deepak Obhrai, P.C., M.P., Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights

To view Synergy 2013 Presentations, click here. To view Synergy 2013 Photos, click here.

Key points & highlights

Need for a strategy for promoting overlooked sectors of education within the Canadian education system to international students, which include career colleges / skilled trades & technical education
Patterns and sources of student growth & prospects and challenges of increased activity in the Indian education sector
Reenergized National strategy for promoting ‘Brand Canada’ overseas & opportunities for involvement

This year, CIEC introduced the ‘brainstorming’ session called ‘A Suggestion or Two’ that captured what key players such as academics, government & education agents want to see done to further optimize educational ties between Canada and India. Some of the ideas suggested include:

Importance of keeping sight of international students’ needs both before and after they reach Canada
The critical value the Synergy Conference brings to all stakeholders and need to reach a wider audience as the Synergy / CIEC brand grows
NACC engaged in groundbreaking work and Career colleges must offer incentives to international students to overcome an unfavorable perception created by UK and Australian career colleges
Academic institutions’ need for ethical education agents and iCARE’s (CIEC’s Agent Membership Category) growing & much-lauded role in meeting this demand through our unique agent peer-review screening system where agents are graded in key areas by Canadian college and University references

Session summary

CIEC Chair Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew’s opening address stressed the need for educational ties as a valuable bridge between nations, even in matters of national security, their usefulness in the promotion of ideas and national growth, as well as the effects of globalization and a shrinking middle class in a changing world. Prof. Balbir Sahni from Concordia University followed with his Inaugural Address: ‘Sustainability of India–Focused Academic Linkages: Prospects and Challenges’ – a look at the path ahead in terms of gauging the true value of and optimizing MoUs while increasing student pull. Hon. Akhilesh Mishra, Consul General of India-Toronto discussed the critical role education plays in bridging the gap between Canada and India while Prof. Margaret Walton-Roberts from Wilfrid Laurier University presented Synergy attendees with a much-lauded session on the intersection of immigration & education in the Canada-India corridor, after which Synergy attendees enjoyed an Indian buffet lunch / networking session.

Rachel Lindsey, Senior Policy Analyst Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada reflected on AUCC’s ‘India strategy’ and Husain Neemuchwala, CEO of CIEC provided an update on CIEC upcoming activities which include our India ‘Mission 2014’ and the tremendous success of our iCARE (agent membership & screening process) initiative. Paul Bailey, Deputy Director, Edu-Canada, Foreign Affairs & Trade Development (DFATD) provided an update from Edu-Canada on their efforts in the promotion of Canada as a study destination. Dr. Shanthi Johnson, President, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute followed with the session ‘The road ahead: Challenges & Opportunities in the Canada-India education corridor,’ and Synergy attendees shared a laugh during the popular, interactive ‘Speed Dating’ session that offered them a change to introduce themselves & what they would like to achieve (partnerships, joint programming…).

Synergy 2013 participants enjoyed traditional Indian dessert during a short networking break and returned to hear Dr. Nemkumar (Nemy) Banthia, Univ. of British Columbia provide an overview of the new Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence announced by Hon. PM Stephen Harper in Nov 2012 called IC-IMPACTS. Devinder Shory, MP & Co-Chair, Canada-India Parliamentary Association concluded Day 1 of the Conference by raising a toast to its continued success.

On Day 2 Career Colleges Canada’s informative session discussed NACC’s role in raising the bar for career colleges and filling the skilled trade shortage. As part of their new focus on international students, they discussed the work they are doing working with the Canadian government on areas of student visas, work permits, and possible immigration as well as the new ISP program and its groundbreaking inclusion of career colleges. Kam Rathee, Vice Chair, CIEC interjected with an observation that while immigration is important to students, India’s lack of quality institutions will always be the driving force behind international students’ seeking education abroad. For this reason Canada’s primary focus must remain on providing world-class education. Patrick Brown, MP & Co-Chair, Canada-India Parliamentary Association followed with a quick update on the Government’s ‘Internationalization’ plans & the ‘Education Consortium’. Brad Butt, MP for Streetsville, Mississauga stopped by to provide greetings from Ottawa as he did last year and called the Conference to a close. He thanked the work undertaken by Husain and the entire CIEC team and offered the support of his office, either locally or in Ottawa.=

CIEC thanks our esteemed presenters and all participants for making this year’s event yet another tremendous success with a special acknowledgement to Sophiya Consultants and Study Plus Consultants and Education Services, CIEC’s newest agent members, for contributing their voices to the discussion and coming from India to collect their iCARE certificates.

We look forward to seeing you at Synergy 2014!

October 3

9:30 - 10:00 a.m.	REGISTRATION & NETWORKING (COFFEE/COOKIES)
10:00 - 10:20 a.m.	Opening address by Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew, PC, Chair, CIEC
10:20 - 10-:30 a.m.	Synergy 2013 overview by Husain F. Neemuchwala, CEO & Executive Director, CIEC
10:30 - 11:15 a.m.	Inaugural Address: Sustainability of India–Focused Academic Linkages: Prospects and Challenges’ by Prof. Balbir Sahni, Professor Emeritus-Economics, Concordia University
11:15 - 11:30 a.m.	NETWORKING BREAK I
11:30 - 11:45 a.m.	‘KEYNOTE ADDRESS’ by Hon. Akhilesh Mishra, Consul General of India-Toronto
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.	SESSION II: ‘Exchange of ideas’ with a contextual reference to the intersection of immigration & education in the Canada-India corridor by Prof. Margaret Walton-Roberts, Wilfrid Laurier University
12:45 - 1:30 p.m.	WORKING ‘INDIAN BUFFET’ LUNCH
1:30 - 2:00 p.m.	SESSION III: Reflections on AUCC’s ‘India strategy’ and updates from Rachel Lindsey, Senior Policy Analyst Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
2:00 - 2:10 p.m.	IV: Update on iCARE (Indian Canadian Academic Advisors Representing Excellence)-CIEC’s agent ‘membership’. Announcing CIEC’s webinar series, India ‘Mission 2014’ and announcements of CIEC’s members’ events and activities
2:10 - 2:45 p.m.	SESSION V: Updates on from Edu-Canada on promotion of Canada as a study destination by Paul Bailey, Deputy Director, Edu-Canada, Foreign Affairs & Trade Development (DFATD)
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.	SESSION VI: The road ahead: Challenges & Opportunities in the Canada-India education corridor by Dr. Shanthi Johnson, President, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute
3:30 - 3:50 p.m.	SPEED DATING: 1 minute self introductions of attendees & what they would like to achieve (recruiting, partnerships, joint programming...) Interactive session with the audience & an opportunity to learn from and about each other.
3:50 - 4:20 p.m.	DESSERT & NETWORKING BREAK
4:20 - 5:00 p.m.	SESSION VII: Making ‘IMPACTS’: An overview by Dr. Nemkumar (Nemy) Banthia, Univ. of British Columbia of the new Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence announced by Hon. PM Stephen Harper in Nov 2012
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.	COCKTAIL RECEPTION (1 drink incl.) Toast by Devinder Shory, MP & Co-Chair, Canada-India Parliamentary Association

October 4

9:30 - 10:00 a.m.	NETWORKING (COFFEE/COOKIES)
10:00 - 10:10 a.m.	Welcome back remarks by Husain F. Neemuchwala, CEO & Executive Director, CIEC
10:10 - 11:30 a.m.	SESSION VIII: Career Colleges Canada: Examining their role, the pending legislative changes & their place in ‘Internationalization’ initiatives by National Association of Career Colleges (NACC)
11:30 - 12:30 p.m.	WORKING LUNCH. Update on the Government’s ‘Internationalization’ plans & the ‘Education Consortium’ by Brad Butt, MP & Patrick Brown, MP & Co-Chair, Canada-India Parliamentary Association
12:30 - 12:45 p.m.	VOTE of THANKS by Hon Kam Rathee, Vice-Chair, CIEC

CIEC has negotiated a special rate for delegates staying at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, which will also provide complimentary airport transfers. To take advantage of the discounted hotel rate, reserve your room by clicking here.

For delegates arriving from India, CIEC is pleased to provide a 1 night FREE stay at the Hilton Garden Inn.

If you wish to attend this year’s much-lauded event, please register online today.

The theme of the 2013 ‘Synergy’ Conference is an “exchange of ideas” to further the interests of those already involved or contemplating involvement in the dynamic Canada-India education corridor.

Submit Your Proposal

Benefits of Sponsorship

Synergy Sponsorship is $2500 for the following benefits:

2 event registrations (Value ~$800)
1 VIP seat at lunch table
Logo on menu, agenda and screen (when not in use)
Recognition from the podium
Distribution of 1 piece of collateral/article or souvenir with event kit

Please contact CIEC for more information.

Payment Options:

Pay by Wire (Favour of: TD Canada Trust; SWIFT Code: TDOMCATTTOR; Branch/Transit: 15942; Bank/Institution: 004; Account: 15945220107)
Pay by cheque/bank draft/money order (Payable to: Canada India Education Council; Mailed to: First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, 5700, Toronto, ON Canada M5X 1C7)

Please refer to the following information and useful links regarding entering Canada & obtaining a VISA – Courtesy of Citizenship and Immigration Canada:

Participants will need a valid passport or an appropriate travel document to enter Canada.

Citizens of the United States

US citizens should visit the Department of Homeland Security website for a list of acceptable documents to re-enter the US.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

Information on visiting Canada:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp

Do you need a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to visit Canada (see for list of countries):

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

Visiting Canada – Important information for visa exempt travellers (including US Citizens):

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visa-exempt.asp

Where to send your application for a (TRV):

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/apply-where.asp

Video Tutorial on completing the Temporary Resident Visa Application Form (IMM 5257)

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/multimedia/video/imm5257/imm5257.asp

Visa Offices outside of Canada:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions.asp

Visa application processing times:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp/visitors.asp

* In order to avoid disappointments, applicants should submit their application as soon as possible.

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New regulations proposed for student visas in Canada

February 18, 2013May 3, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: ICEF Monitor

As Canada rises up the ranks of leading destination countries for international students, its federal government is planning some important changes to the Canadian student visa system, with the goals of establishing improved protection for students, greater accountability in the visa system, and prevention of fraud.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has just announced that in January 2014, the following changes will take effect for student visas (also known within Canada as “Study Permits”):

All Study Permit holders will be required to be enrolled and actively pursuing a course or programme of study at a designated education institution after arrival in Canada, in order to maintain legal status;
Provincial/territorial governments will designate institutions that are eligible to receive international students, and only students admitted to those institutions will be able to secure a Study Permit;
Designated institutions will have to report to provinces/territories and CIC on international student enrolment and good standing status;
Only those students attending designated education institutions will be granted access to Work Permit programmes;
Work Permit programmes will also only be accessible by full-time students who are enrolled in and actively pursuing an academic, professional or vocational programme leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate;
Full-time international students with valid Study Permits will be allowed to work off-campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week without a Work Permit (that is, Off-Campus Work Permits would no longer be required for such students).

Those institutions that do wish to be designated as eligible to host international students will have to minimally comply with a set of common standards:

Be recognised by the provincial/territorial government as being in good standing;
Have adopted policies and put procedures in place that protect international students including a transparent tuition-fee refund policy made available to all incoming students;
Have clear and well-communicated policies re: language proficiency and credential assessment and recognition for international students;
Have sufficient administrative capacity to provide services that meet the unique needs of international students;
Undertake promotional activities authorised by the province/territory and in line with the Education Canada brand;
Publish a policy that outlines what it takes to be a student in good standing (and this must be consistent with provincial/territorial requirements);
Maintain enrolment-reporting requirements and have a designated individual responsible for confirming the initial enrolment of a student with a Study Permit and reporting on the ongoing enrolment status of all international students with Study Permits at the institution.

Who is eligible?

There are a number of questions arising from the proposed CIC changes but a key one is which institutions will be designated as eligible to receive international students.

If provinces are designating eligible institutions, it seems likely that most will emphasise institutions that are directly under their jurisdiction — that is, those that are regulated in one way or another by provincial or territorial governments in Canada.

This tendency is reflected in the official CIC release that anticipates eligibility for the following categories of institution:

Public post-secondary learning institutions recognised by the province (as well as private post-secondary learning institutions in Quebec that operate under the same rules as public ones there);
Private post-secondary learning institutions recognised by the province but only when students are enrolled in a study programme that leads to a degree as authorised by the province;
Learning institutions within a public school board or district that are funded by and accountable to the province;
Independent or private learning institutions that deliver provincial curricula.

Canadian language institutes, which are not commonly regulated at the provincial level, do not appear on this list. This raises the question of how such programmes would be recognised under the new regulations and what the implications may be for students engaged in longer-term studies, or any language programme requiring a Work Permit, in 2014.

Gonzalo Peralta is the executive director of Languages Canada, the Canadian accrediting association for language institutes. In a recent discussion with ICEF Monitor, he noted:

“If all the stakeholders work together — governments, institutions, associations — we should see an outstanding environment for international students in Canada.

At the same time, we don’t want this new policy to have a negative impact on our sector. Language education is not recognised in the proposed regulations — the provinces have been asked to designate eligible institutions but they do not regulate language instruction — and our top priority is to have this recognition established before the regulations are implemented in January 2014.”

To that end, we have established cooperative agreements between Languages Canada and the federal government and also with provincial governments across the country. We are also participating fully in CIC’s consultative process for the new regulations.”

Consultation before implementation

CIC is now entering into a consultation process with all stakeholders who will be affected by the changes, including provincial/territorial governments and education associations. The intent of the consultations will be to fully communicate the extent and intended interpretation of the changes as well as to refine the regulations further as required.

While questions around the implementation of the proposed changes remain, CIC’s goal of increasing the integrity and accountability of Canada’s International Student Program is being supported by most stakeholders.

Languages Canada is entirely supportive of [the proposed changes] as they pertain to issues of quality assurance, protection of students, and prevention of fraud,” says Peralta. “The devil, as they say, is in the details.”

Canadian Ministers visit India

February 18, 2013February 18, 2013Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: Connect – Canada in India

During his January 7-12 visit to India, Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, visited several cities and participated in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Vibrant Gujarat.

BULGING STOCKS

Built on a filled-in pond

CONFERENCE ON

ENGAGING CANADA: EMERGING PRIORITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS

The Institute

The Conference

Objectives

Call for Papers

Important Dates

Travel and Accommodation

Conference Coordinators:

Key points & highlights

Session summary

October 3

October 4

Who is eligible?

Consultation before implementation

ENGAGING CANADA:
EMERGING PRIORITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS