The Mumbai-based ThinkLABS Technosolutions Pvt. Ltd (estb.2006), which bills itself as “a pioneer in the field of hands-on science and technology education in India”, is set to conduct a series of camps on robotics and virtual robotics between October 30-November 13 for school children in the metropolis. The camps will be held in five Reliance World stores in the country’s commercial capital.
Comments Gagan Goyal, promoter-director of ThinkLABS Technosolutions: “For the past four years we have been introducing robotics to school and college students and the results are very encouraging, with robotics becoming popular within the student community.”
In the proposed camps christened ROBOCAMPTM, besides exposing them to robotics, students will be introduced to several principles of science and mathematics through demonstrations and hands-on robot building sessions. “This year ThinkLABS is introducing a brand new concept — virtual robotics — that will enable a student to create her own computer games using the principles of human-machine interaction and animation,” says Goyal.
Edu-Excellence schools conference
Edu-Excellence — an education development initiative of a group of former IIT students (estb.2008) — organised its second three-day conference entitled ‘Excellence in School Education’ at IIT-Delhi on October 26-28, which attracted 600 principals and teachers from schools across the country. Over 100 papers were presented by education experts from India and abroad at the conference which concluded on October 28 with an address to the conclave by Kapil Sibal, Union minister for human resource development.
Conceptualised by Prof. Harish Chaudhary of IIT-Delhi’s department of management, the objective of the conference was to bring together leaders and decision-makers to discuss challenges confronting K-12 schools in India. “The broad objective of this conference was to explore new trends in leadership, systems, processes, curricula, pedagogy and assessment in K-12 education around the world. This workshop was the outcome of a training programme conducted by Edu-Excellence and Aspire Trust, Liverpool (UK) where nearly 50 principals participated and visited a large number of British schools. This conference is an attempt to share the distilled findings of the training programme ‘All our Futures’ conducted in June this year,” said Chaudhury speaking on the eve of the conference.
GEMS-GVS management contract
The India arm of the Dubai-based Global Education Management Systems (GEMS) Pvt. Ltd, which describes itself as the world’s largest private K-12 education provider, has signed a management contract with the Greater Valley School (GVS), Greater Noida. Under the agreement inked on October 18, GEMS will manage GVS providing full academic and administrative support. Currently GVS sited on a “safe, caring and stimulating” six-acre campus in Greater Noida, offers pre-nursery to class VII education to 304 boys and girls who follow the CBSE and CIE (UK) curriculums.
Comments Ajey Kumar, country head (India) of GEMS: “It gives me great pleasure to announce our association with Greater Valley School. We are grateful to the school’s management for believing in GEMS and our ability to provide education with a difference.”
Abhinav Shukla, director and promoter of GVS, is equally enthused about the GEMS-GVS collaboration agreement. “With its strong brand lineage, global presence and high quality education specialists, I am sure GEMS expertise will enable students of Greater Valley School to achieve their drea-ms and emerge as world leaders. I envisage a long and fruitful association between GEMS and the school,” says Shukla.
Yale-IIM-K leadership concordat
On the eve of US President Barack Obama’s landmark visit to India, Yale University, USA (estb. 1701) and the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K, estb. 1997) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch the Yale India Leadership programme. Under the agreement IIM-K will establish a Centre of Excellence in Academic Leadership (CEEAL) at its Kozhikode campus. The MoU was signed by Dr. Richard Levin, president of Yale and Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, director IIM-K, on October 30 and will become effective from January 1 next year.
Under the terms of the agreement, Yale will collaborate with IIM-K to launch a series of academic leadership programmes in India with the university providing content and programmes related to faculty development, leadership training etc, to CEEAL to hold workshops for vice chancellors, directors, deans and other academic leaders.
“While emphasis will be given to analytical skills with global perspective and cross-cultural matching of ideologies, business demands make it imperative to grow and foster international corporate leaders. This MoU will create seamless boundaries for higher education and globalise Indian thought leadership while giving leaders an edge in global businesses,” said Chatterjee speaking on the occasion.
Million dollar scholarships
The University of Cincinnati, USA is offering scholarships valued at $1 million (Rs.4.5 crore) to deserving undergraduate Indian students for September 2011 admissions. “India is the first beneficiary country of the University of Cincinnati Global Opportunity Scholarship Initiative launched this year,” says Jonathan Weller, director of international admissions of UC. “This scholarship will provide complete funding to academically gifted, but financially disadvantaged students from India.”
The scholarship covers full tuition, housing, meals, airfare and is available for students entering UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science in September 2011. In addition, the university is also offering ten half scholarships to talented Indian undergraduate students. The total scholarship amount offered is worth approximately US$ 1 million. For half scholarships, students may apply by December 1, 2010 on http://www.admissions.uc.edu/india.html.
UC has also partnered with Lend-A-Hand India (LAHI), an NGO, to identify two underprivileged Indian students for full scholarships. LAHI, an NGO based in India and USA, will ensure that the scholarships are awarded to students who meet the programme’s overall objective.