Education Briefs

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has metamorphosed into Manipal University. The board of management of the 54-year-old MAHE unanimously approved this nomenclature change which will be applicable to all MAHE campuses globally. From the next academic year Manipal University will also introduce online entrance tests for admission to its professional courses.

Addressing a press conference to announce this identity change, Dr. H.S. Ballal, pro-chancellor of Manipal University said: "In 1993 MAHE was granted the privileged status of a university by the Union government. However the word ‘academy’ does not indicate the status of a university. This created confusion in the minds of people, particularly in foreign countries. Hitherto deemed universities were not permitted to prefix or affix the word ‘university’ to their names by the University Grants Commission. However upon our request, UGC by its notification No.F.6-1(II)/2006 (CPP-I) dated September 13, 2006, permitted deemed universities to append the word ‘university’ to their names."

Elaborating on the online entrance exams for admission to MBBS, BDS, BE and other professional graduate programmes of Manipal University, Anand Sudarshan, group president of Manipal Universal Learning, said: "Online tests for admission have been introduced bearing in mind students who often have to face the possibility of writing two or more entrance exams on the same day. Now students can write only one entrance exam, which reduces their choice. In Manipal University we will allow candidates to write our tests at their own convenience, allowing them greater flexibility."

EW-Oxford Bookstore seminar

Dr. Shekhar Seshadri, professor of child psychiatry at NIMHANS, Bangalore and Anu Monga, principal of the Bangalore International School, addressed a seminar on ‘Pushy Parents Driving Kids over the Edge’ in Bangalore on January 5. Jointly organised by EducationWorld and Oxford Bookstore, the seminar attracted parents, teachers and students from across the city.

Addressing the seminar, Dr. Seshadri advised parents to accord respect to children. "In Indian society adult-child relationships are built around instruction, expectation and control. There’s a conspicuous lack of a culture of discourse or recognition of the personhood of children," he informed the sizeable audience.

Anu Monga, principal of Bangalore International School stressed the need for schools and teachers to provide enabling environments for children to develop their individual personalities. "Today a whole range of new career options has become available to students. Therefore parents and teachers don’t need to pressurise students to excel to enter IITs and IIMs," she said.

A delegation led by Rice University (Houston, USA) President David W. Leebron which included Sallie Keller-McNulty, dean of Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Kevin J. Foyle, senior director of Development for the Office of Resource Development, visited Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore in late January. The delegation met with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and heads of several technology institutes including IIT-Bombay and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. "Rice University is looking for vibrant collaborations with universities, and research institutes and centres in India," said Leebron.

According to Leebron, Rice is one of America’s largest research universities and is ranked among the nation’s best teaching institutions, particularly in the field of nanotechnology.

Rice University is all set to launch a Center for Asian Studies — "a major initiative that will take an already robust programme into the international sphere". This research centre will focus mainly on India and China.

To provide additional value to parents of children enrolled in Kidzee pre-primary schools, the Zee Network Education Group has joined hands with ICICI Bank to launch a co-branded credit card that will provide them a host of privileges. Among them: a 10 percent discount on annual tuition fees, discounts on Gini & Jony children’s wear, Asian Sky Shop products and Apollo Clinic health check ups. The card also offers features like Xpress reward points, 52 days of credit etc. "This is a first-of-its-type partnership in which a credit card issuing bank has tied up with a chain of pre-schools in India, a compelling proposition to parents of Kidzee students. At Kidzee we consciously try to be socially responsible. This association with ICICI Bank is an expression of that commitment," says Arun K. Khetan, chief executive of Zee Interactive Learning Systems and Kidzee.

Adds Sachin Khandelwal, general manager and head of cards products at ICICI Bank, "We are delighted to be associated with Kidzee. At ICICI Bank, enhancing customer benefits and building goodwill has always been our goal. It is our constant endeavour to be present in new and emerging segments. Education is one such segment and Kidzee being a pioneer, we have contracted this strategic tie-up."