Maharashtra

New World Knowledge Centre

The multi-billion dollar London-based Hinduja Group has been given the green signal for constructing a World Knowledge Centre in Mumbai which envisages development of an integrated world-class healthcare and education institution. “We have been successful in being allotted land for setting up the World Knowledge Centre,” G.P. Hinduja said at a dinner hosted in London on May 21 in honour of Indu Shahani, sheriff of Mumbai.

Hinduja said the proposed centre will draw on the excellence India, the UK, USA and other countries have to offer in “healthcare and scientific research and development”. “India’s rapid economic growth, thanks to the present government’s reforms, has led to greatly increased commercial and economic exchanges between the two countries (UK and India). This needs to be matched by a similar growth of exchanges in the educational, scientific and cultural areas. We have been working actively to promote this much-needed development,” said Hinduja.

Elaborating, Sir Michael Burton, president of the Hinduja Foundation, said, “The World Knowledge Centre, a brain-child of S.P. Hinduja, chairman of the group, will be sited on ten acres in Mumbai for the development of a world-class integrated health centre and top class hospital, with facilities for medical students to acquire better education and training. This ambitious project is designed to make India a preferred destination for healthcare and education.”

Arunachal Pradesh

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scandal

The Congress-led government in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh (pop. 1 million) has admitted to financial irregularities in the administration of the Centre’s ambitious Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (compulsory education for all children aged six-14 years) at the state level.

On May 19, education minister Tatar Kipa admitted that a sum of Rs.43 lakh was paid to a private contractor before he had completed construction of pre-fabricated structures for seven schools in Kurumkumey district. The financial irregularity was brought to light by the opposition BJP national vice-president and former Union minister Bijoya Chakravorty at a press conference in Itanagar on May 10. Chakravorty alleged that the amount was paid within one day of issuance of the work order.

Kerala

Board exam results manipulation charge

Kerala Congress (Mani) leader K.M. Mani alleges that the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has manipulated the SSLC class X exam results in the state and has demanded a judicial inquiry. According to Mani, the LDF government manipulated the SSLC results to show that “everything was okay under LDF rule in the state”.

Speaking to reporters in Kochi on May 15, Mani called upon Kerala chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan to institute a judicial probe to bring to light all details regarding the suspiciously high percentage of students who cleared the state board’s class X examination.

Orissa

Another board of education scandal

Following a marksheet forgery scandal which forced a cabinet minister out of office and landed three officials of the state government’s Board of Secondary Education (BSE) in jail in 2007, this year another scandal has surfaced in BSE, involving the board  president’s son. Allegations were made on May 25 that rules were bent to allow BSE president Arun Kumar Samantaray’s son to write an examination at the last minute. Coincidentally the son also secured highest marks in the test in his zone. “We have requested the crime branch to investigate the matter and the culprits will invite harsh punishment,” says BSE controller A.S. Bhol.

According to dissident BSE sources, although the last date for submitting application forms for the Oriya language test was April 30, the BSE president’s son Anjan submitted his form on May 17, a day before the exam. Though his application was rejected by the scruti-nising staff, following an order from the examination committee, Anjan was allowed to write the test in which he scored the highest marks among all the 69 students from Cuttack zone.

The test is conducted by BSE twice a year to ascertain the Oriya language proficiency of students enrolled in English medium schools. It is essential for English medium school students to pass this examination to become eligible for government jobs in the state. It is alleged that several other candidates who had sent their application forms late were not allowed to write the test.

Karnataka

MAHE to build first PIO varsity

India’s first and much-awaited NRI/PIO university will assume shape and form in Bangalore and will be constructed and administered by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) under the supervision of the Union ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA).

Following invitation and evaluation of bids from educational institutes, MAHE was selected to build the university whose objective is to provide affordable and high quality education to children of non-resident Indians (NRI) and persons of Indian origin (PIO) living abroad, Vayalar Ravi, minister of overseas Indian affairs, told reporters in New Delhi on May 23.

Under the terms of the licence granted to MAHE, the NRI/PIO university will be classified a deemed university de novo under s.3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 and designated an institution of excellence. Fifty percent of admissions will be reserved for PIOs, with Indian students permitted to apply for the remaining seats.
According to MOIA, the varsity will help in developing India’s links with over 130 countries where an estimated 25 million PIOs have migrated.

Promoted by the Manipal (Karnataka)-based Manipal Education Group (MEG), which manages over 55 institutions of education with an aggregate enrollment of 88,000 students, MAHE (also known as Manipal University) was accorded deemed university status in 1993. A pioneer in providing professional education, MEG has promoted medical colleges in Malaysia and Nepal.