MoU signed for India’s first graphene research and innovation centre signed

Source: Economic Times, 17 June 2022

The stage is set for the first graphene research and innovation centre in the country to become a reality as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the implementation partners here in this regard. Digital University Kerala, the country’s first on-campus digital university, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technologies (C-MET) and Tata Steel NSE 1.43 % are the implementation partners of the innovative initiative.

A translational research centre being established by the Government of India and Government of Kerala to drive research and innovation in the applications of graphene, the India Innovation Centre for Graphene will undertake research and development, product innovation and capacity building activities in the area of graphene and 2D materials ecosystem.

Digital University Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath, C-MET Director N Raghu and Tata Steel Vice-President (Technology and New Materials) Debashish Bhattacharjee signed the MoU in the presence of Finance Minister K N Balagopal and Industries Minister P Rajeeve in a ceremony held in the Chief Minister’s conference hall on Thursday.

Existing industrial organisations could also enhance the quality of their products and services exploring the possibilities of graphene, he said, adding that the state government has already pledged its commitment to initiate projects that could develop Kerala into a knowledge economy.

The Finance Minister also said that it was heartening to note that the implementation partners crafted a unique model where a university, a research organisation and a leading industry house came together to develop a high technology industrial eco-system.

Industries Minister Rajeeve said that the graphene innovation centre offered tremendous opportunities to the industrial sector in the state and it would help strengthen the start-up eco-system and industry of the state.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Group Head Sunita Verama, Chief Secretary V P Joy, Additional Chief Secretary Biswanath Sinha, Tata Steel Senior Vice President Kamesh Gupta, Digital University Kerala Dean (Academic) Alex P James and C-MET Scientist A Seema also were present along with other dignitaries from the government and officials from the implementation agencies, a DUK statement said.

Alex P James, Dean (Academic) DUK, A Seema, Scientist, C-MET and Shyam Kumar Choudhary, Head, Graphene Technology & Applications, Tata Steel are the Chief Investigators of India Innovation Centre for Graphene, it added.

New Education Policy to make India a knowledge hub, says President Kovind

Source: The Hindu Business Line, Sept 07, 2020

New Delhi: The nation’s top leadership on Monday called for more effective implementation of New Education Policy (NEP) to take India forward as per needs and aspirations of 21st century and get the youth better prepared for future.

Addressing Governors on New Education Policy, President Ram Nath Kovind said that it will take the country, especially the youth, forward in accordance with the needs and aspirations of the twenty-first century. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked NEP focuses on learning instead of studying and goes beyond curriculum to focus on critical thinking.

The meeting was attended by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, administrators and education ministers of the States/Union Territories.

What the President said?

President Kovind said that education is the most effective way for social justice and hence the National Education Policy calls for an investment of about 6 per cent of GDP jointly by the Centre and the States. He said the NEP emphasises on strengthening of public educational institutions for a vibrant democratic society and at the same time inculcate respect among students for Fundamental Rights, Duties, Constitutional values and patriotism.

Briefing the Governors about NEP, President Kovind said socially and economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs) have been given priority in this policy through various initiatives. It includes providing foundational literacy and numeracy to all children at primary school level by 2025.

Reiterating the role of teachers in NEP, President Kovind said that teachers will have a central role in the new education system, the most promising people being selected for the teaching profession. With this perspective, a new and comprehensive curriculum for teachers’ education will be formulated by next year, he said.

Talking about the importance of vocational education, President Kovind said that less than 5 per cent of the workforce in India received formal vocational education which is nominal in comparison to the western countries. Hence, in NEP vocational education will be considered as a part of mainstream education and such education will be given equal status which will make the children not only more skilled but will also generate respect and dignity of labour, he said.

President Kovind also observed that it has been widely accepted that the mother tongue should be the medium of primary education and hence the new policy adopts the spirit of the three-language formula. It has the benefit of encouraging the Indian languages, arts and culture which is a significant step in preserving the unity and integrity of our country characterised by great linguistic diversity.

PM’s opening remarks

According to Modi, NEP takes out the pressure from students for taking specific streams. “Our youth will now be able to learn according to their interests,” he said. Earlier, students used to pick a stream beyond their aptitude and they would realise it much later, and these problems have been addressed in the NEP.

“With vocational exposure right from early age, our youth will get better prepared for life,” he said, adding that their participation in the global job market and employability in India will increase with practical learning. The prime minister said that the education policy like defence and foreign policies is not of the government but of the country. “It is our collective responsibility that the policy is implemented in letter and spirit. The more teachers, parents, students are associated with education policy, the more relevant and broadbased it will be,” he added.

Indian universities poised for a structural makeover

Source: LiveMint.com, Jun 10, 2019

NEW DELHI: India’s universities may undergo a significant makeover with the government phasing out the bewildering multilayered system with a simplified one in sync with global practices.

Universities, currently classified as unitary universities, affiliating universities, deemed-to-be universities, central and state universities etc, should be bundled into a single category—higher educational institutions (HEI)—a government committee has suggested.

The suggestions which are part of the draft new education policy report, underline that a university has only one definition worldwide, namely, a multidisciplinary institution of higher learning that offers undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programmes, and engages in high quality teaching and research.

Draft policy opens the door for foreign universities

Source: The Hindu Business Line, Jun 29, 2016

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday invited public comments on the measures that the Ministry of Human Resource Development aims to take under its much-awaited New Education Policy. It has uploaded the Draft National Education Policy proposals through its citizen engagement platform MyGovIndia and the last date for inputs from the people is July 31.

The measures include setting up an Education Commission every five years, creation of an Indian Education Service, Central Educational Statistics Agency and reorienting the National Council of Educational Research and Training, apart from possible for a foreign university to offer its own degree to the Indian students studying in India.

New education policy soon, says Smriti Irani

Source: Business Standard, May 17, 2016

New Delhi: Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani has said the government will unveil a new education policy soon.

“We have received suggestions from people living in 1.10 lakh villages and over 1,500 municipal bodies. We have prepared a document with the help of experts, including advice by education councils, to improve our education system. It will be unveiled in 15-20 days,” Irani said in an interview to All India Radio on Monday.

She said it is for the first time that a National Education Policy was being prepared after consulting people living in villages and far-flung areas.

International aid to education in India nearly doubled to $806 million

Source: LiveMint.com, April 28, 2016

New Delhi: International aid to India for education is rising, bucking a global trend, data from the United Nations showed on Wednesday.

Data compiled by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) in a global education aid monitoring report showed that India received $806 million in 2014, nearly twice the $421 million it received in 2013.

HRD Ministry allows foreign aspirants to take entrance exams

Source: The Economic Times, Jan 15, 2016

NEW DELHI: Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are poised to open their gates wider to foreign students this year. The human resource development ministry has accepted a proposal to allow overseas aspirants to undertake entrance examinations for admission to the premier engineering institutes and even hold these standardised tests abroad.

Candidates aspiring for admission to IIT are required to undertake the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at the bachelor’s level and the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) at the master’s and PhD levels. HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who is also chairperson of the IIT Council, has cleared the proposal and her ministry has issued a memorandum to all IITs.

The memorandum asks each institute to place the proposal before its senate or board of governors for approval. The proposal aims at adding about 10,000 seats in 18 IITs across the country as part of the drive to attract foreign students, mainly from South Asia, Africa and West Asia, especially at postgraduate and doctorate levels.

India and Australia Sign an MoU on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Training and Research

Source: IBEF.org, Aug 25, 2015

New Delhi: India and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research. The MoU was signed by Smt. Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India and Mr. Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Education and Training, Government of Australia after the 3rd meeting of the Australia-India Education Council (AIEC), held in New Delhi today. The MoU will help intensify existing partnerships between India and Australia in higher education & research, including technical and professional education, schools, vocational education and training and will open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.

A Joint Communiqué was also issued at the end of the AIEC meeting. The Communiqué commended the significant progress made by the Working Groups across the key areas of skills, higher education and research, student mobility and welfare, quality assurance and qualifications recognition, and welcomes the extension of collaborative activity to include engagement in the schools sector. It highlights the development of the credit transfer database, hosted on the Australia India education links website (www.australiaindiaeducation.com ), as a practical way to encourage student mobility between Indian and Australian universities.

EMC to set up 100 centres of academic excellence in India

Source: Times of India, Feb 13, 2015

Chennai: IT storage solutions company EMC Corporation plans to establish 100 centres of academic excellence in India this year.These centres of academic excellence will be set up in leading IT institutes across the country to give students an opportunity to learn and practise key skills in the areas of cloud, data science, analytics, IT infrastructure and other leading technologies, a statement from the company has said.

Through its Academic Alliance initiative, EMC will offer the technical expertise, resources and study materials required for setting up the centres.Fast-paced increase in demand has resulted in a massive shortfall of skilled industry-ready professionals.

India and the United Kingdom Agree to further strengthen the cooperation in education

Source: IBEF.org, Nov 14, 2014

New Delhi: The Sixth India-UK Education Forum Meeting took place in New Delhi today. Smt. Smriti Irani, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and Mr Greg Clark, the Minister for Universities, Science and Cities of the United Kingdom co-chaired the meeting. Both the countries discussed the existing bilateral cooperation initiatives in education and also agreed to further strengthen it by taking up several new initiatives. Both sides also acknowledged the cooperation mechanism through joint UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).

Both sides also discussed the Chevening Scholarships for Indian students; two-way student mobility; Generation UK-India programme which will support up to 25,000 young people from the UK to come to India over the next 5 years and initiatives supported by DFID. The UK delegation confirmed that they will put in four times more resources for the Chevening scholarships for Indian students and make it the largest Chevening Programme in the World.