The India office of the Hangzhou (China)-based Alibaba Group announced the launch of its ‘Mission Million Books’ in association with Crossword, the Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and other Indian partners in Delhi on August 18. Alibaba Group will solicit donations, collect and deliver textbooks to schools and colleges across India. Collected material will be distributed to more than 2,500 educational institutions. A book donation ceremony is scheduled for beneficiary schools in Mumbai in end September.
In addition to mobilising and coordinating with all partners for the Mission Million Books project, Alibaba Group will donate 50,000 books to the campaign, and Alibaba.com and UC Web will provide online marketing support to maximise impact.
Book donations can be made between August 18-September 16, 2016, at the 1,300-plus branches of the Kotak Mahindra Bank, as well as Shoppers Stop, HyperCity, and Crossword stores across major cities in India. Pick-up services from Delhivery are available for donations of 20 books or more. Visit books.alibaba.com for further information.
MGAIT’s China linkage
The Bangalore-based Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE) has signed agreements with China’s privately-promoted Jian Qiao and Nanchang universities for Android apps development education delivery. A batch of third year engineering students and professors from these varsities will undergo rigorous Android apps development programmes in the Manipal Global Academy of IT (MGAIT), Bangalore.
“We are keen on giving our students international exposure and on utilising MGAIT’s expertise in Android apps development training. We believe our students will benefit from this collaboration which will enrich their experience,” says Prof. Su of Jian Qiao University. This 30-day global internship programme began on August 1. Earlier, MaGE was appointed an authorised training partner to deliver Android apps development training in India by Google Inc, USA.
Avery Dennison scholarships
Avery Dennison Foundation, the philanthropic venture of the Glendale (California)-based Avery Dennison Corporation Inc, announced winners of the fifth edition of its ‘InvEnt Spirit of Invention’ scholarships in Bangalore on August 29. This programme recognises and rewards the “spirit of invention” of entrepreneurial and high-achieving undergraduate students in selected higher education institutions in India and China in science, engineering and technology.
The ten Indian winners of the fifth InvEnt Spirit of Invention Contest who were awarded Rs.100,000 each towards funding their higher education are Aakriti Agrawal (BITS, Pilani), Alanckrit Jain (BITS, Pilani), Anirudh Tusnial (BITS, Pilani), Anmol Gupta (BITS, Pilani), Anubodh Yadav (St. Stephen’s College, Delhi), Neeraj Gadi (BITS, Pilani), Shravan Patankar and Shreenidhi Vinze (Priya Vidhyarthi Girls College, Pune), Vaibhav Agarwal (BITS, Pilani) and Vinay Gusain (St. Stephen’s College, Delhi).
CAF Contest 2016
The Camel Art Foundation (CAF) of the Mumbai-based Kokuyo Camlin Ltd announced the launch of its CAF Contest 2016 on August 22, and invites online entries to participate in the contest. Professional artists and students above 18 years of age are eligible to showcase their talent and work.
Entries must be submitted in two categories: professionals and students. Participants can submit two entries using oil, acrylic, drawing and pastels and water media. The last date for submitting online entries is September 30.
“From the entries received, 16 national winners will be shortlisted and interviewed over Skype. In the professionals category four cash awards of Rs.1 lakh will be conferred, while in the students category 12 national cash awards of Rs.50,000 will be awarded. Of the 16 national winners, six-eight will be declared Grand Prize winners, who will also be taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Europe to visit art galleries and museums,” says a Kokuyo Camlin spokesperson.
Damning TeamLease report
Despite government spending more than Rs.30,000 crore on skills training, vocational education and training (VET) is still plagued by low esteem and demand supply mismatch. According to a survey report released on August 29 by the Bangalore-based TeamLease Services Ltd, only 2 percent of India’s workforce opts for formal skills training making it the least preferred stream of education.
The report attributes the low penetration of VET to the “lack of societal appreciation for hands-on training, limited upward mobility, weak labour market linkages and strong perception of labour as inferior which commands mere subsistent wages”. Further, states the report, the vocational education system hasn’t impressed employers either. They tend to regard VET graduates as only marginally superior to untrained employees.
“The skills education system in India is in a shambles. It is perceived as a low value qualification by society and employers. Course correction calls for a two-pronged strategy — building institutions of repute with better employer linkages and adopting a strong advocacy initiative which can communicate improved value as well as credence to all stakeholders,” says Neeti Sharma, senior vice president of TeamLease Services.