IIT-Delhi gets new campus

The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) will soon start its extended branch at Haryana. This development is being planned after the Haryana government offered 100 acres of land to the institute.

According to M. Balakrishnan, Deputy Director, IIT-D, before deciding on how to make the best possible use of the land, permission from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has to be obtained on the same. “We have already written to MHRD about the land offered to IIT-D and after we hear from them we will use the land as an extension to our current campus,” he informed.

As per Rakesh Kumar, Registrar, IIT-D, the institute will not conduct BTech programmes at the new campus. It will rather use that land for research related activities and entrepreneurship development programmes. The new campus, when ready, will ease out space-related problems that the IIT is facing now. IIT-D is spread across 300 acres of land out of which 50 acres is forest area.

With the available spread of land already in use, there is no space left to construct facilities like more research labs. Also, the student strength of IIT-D at present is approximately 8000, for which the current campus is not adequate. The other problem faced by the institute is the shortage of faculty. IIT-D is short of almost 200 faculty – as against the sanction.

Source: The Times of India (Education Times), September 5, 2011

QS World University Rankings: The best and the rest

The 2011 QS World University Rankings have been compiled following the most wide-ranging surveys of their kind ever conducted. Universities are complex, and numbers alone do not tell the whole story. While other rankings focus primarily on measures of research productivity such as citations, the QS exercise counterbalances this information with the views of global academic and graduate employers.

In order to harness these views effectively, they must be drawn from a truly representative global sample. To this end, QS has dramatically increased the scope of its surveys in 2011. This year’s rankings draw on the views of over 33,000 academics and 16,000 graduate employers from around the globe.

Despite the expanded sample size, this year’s rankings are notable above all for their stability. The QS methodology has remained unchanged since 2005 (the year the employer review was introduced), allowing for valid year-on-year comparisons . The line-up of the top 50 differs by just two institutions from that of 2010, while there was a turnover of just five in the top 100. Changes to the international balance of power can be traced over the last few years, but as the QS rankings have matured they have largely balanced receptiveness to genuine change with resistance to artificial volatility.

Universities all over the world are competing to attract the estimated 270,000 Indians who study overseas each year, and many will be visiting Delhi on 13th September as part of the QS World University Tour. And with universities from a remarkable 73 nations featuring in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, the range of options has never been wider. Investment pays off The 2011 QS World University Rankings give a clear illustration of the link between investment and results in higher education.

In particular, those countries that have injected funds into their leading universities are beginning to see an impact. China is the classic example, with Peking and Tsinghua universities leading an overall rise in the positions of those institutions that have benefited from a series of huge funding programmes. Japan, South Korea and Germany are among the other countries to have channelled extra support into a limited number of universities judged capable of international excellence. All have seen significant rises in the rankings by at least some of the beneficiaries , while countries that have cut funding for higher education have seen a gradual decline in the international standing of their universities.

In the United States, which remains the dominant force in global higher education, the leading universities are sufficiently wealthy to ride out a drop to their endowments. But state universities have suffered big budget cuts and several have been overtaken in the latest rankings. The United Kingdom, which again provides the leading university – Cambridge – is yet to feel the full force of higher education budget cuts.

Rise of Asian institutions
One of the talking points in 2011 is undoubtedly the performance of Asian universities. Of the leading 25 Asian universities, 21 improve on their 2010 position, with just three moving in the opposite direction. There are 47 Asian universities in the top 300 (two more than last year), and 88 institutions make the top 500. Hong Kong University repeats its 2010 performance by taking the top spot in Asia, moving up one place to 22nd and increasing the gap with University of Tokyo to three places. HKU is joined by fellow Hong Kong institutions CUHK and HKUST in the top 50, while HKU, University of Tokyo and National University of Singapore cement their places in the global top 30.

However, the news for India is less positive, with all of the nation’s universities ranking lower than in 2010. IIT Bombay dropped from 187 to 225, meaning there is now no Indian university in the global top 200. No Indian university ranks in the top 200 for citations per faculty, indicating a lack of research impact. Large class sizes are also reflected in the fact that no Indian university makes the top 300 for student faculty ratio.

However, there is better news among global employers. Four Indian universities were rated as among the top 100 by employers for producing highly skilled graduates, indicating that though they may lack research strength, the best Indian universities are nonetheless doing a better job at equipping students with skills that help them thrive in the workplace. Methodology While no single ranking can ever cover every aspect of university performance definitively, most existing rankings methodologies will provide useful information to the right audience. The QS methodology is devised for a primary audience of prospective students and their parents, and focuses on four key areas of academic life: research, employability , teaching and international outlook.

To measure these areas the rankings use six indicators: Academic Reputation (40%), Employer Reputation (10%), Citations per Faculty (20%), Student/Faculty Ratio (20%), International Students (5%), International Faculty (5%). A full explanation of the QS World University Rankings methodology can be found at http://www.topuniversities.com.
For the full rankings candidates can go to http://www.topuniversities.com/.

This article written by Danny Byrne, Editor of TopUniversities.com.

Source: The Times of India (Education Times), September 5, 2011

QS World University Rankings 2011: India Invisible

University of Cambridge retains its number one spot ahead of Harvard, according to the QS World University Rankings 2011, released today. Meanwhile, MIT jumps to the third position, ahead of Yale and Oxford. While the US continues to dominate the world ranking scenario, taking 13 of top 20 and 70 of top 300 places, 14 of 19 Canadian universities have ranked lower than 2010. As far as Europe is concerned, Germany, one of the emerging European destinations in recent times, has no university making it to the top 50 despite its Excellence Initiative.

Asian institutions – particularly those from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and China – have fared well at a discipline level in subject rankings produced by QS this year – this is particularly true in technical and hard science fields.

Despite the Indian government’s efforts to bring about a radical change in the Indian higher education sector, no Indian university has made it to the top 200 this year. However, China has made it to the top 50 and Middle East in the top 200 for the first time.

According to Ben Sowter, QS head of research, “There has been no (relative) improvement from any Indian institution this year. The international higher education scene is alive with innovation and change, institutions are reforming, adapting and revolutionising. Migration amongst international students and faculty continues to grow with little sign of slowing. Universities can no longer do the same things they have always done and expect to maintain their position in a ranking or relative performance.”

As to the participation of Indian universities, Sowter points out that India remains one of the most difficult places to glean good data from. He adds that greater openness and responsiveness from Indian institutions would better reflect their strengths.

Further, as he explains, there is more to why India is lagging behind. The average top 200 universities in the world have the following characteristics – about 26,000 students, 187 years old, teach both undergraduates and postgraduates, qualify as either ‘very high’ or ‘high research intensity.’

In India, Sowter adds, the majority of institutions are ‘highly specialised’ or on an entirely different scale – University of Delhi has over 145,000 students. “Also, in these changing times, when we have a great exposure to university websites, we see little or no improvement in the international projection of institutions in India online. To an untrained eye, one could be forgiven for concluding that Indian institutions are not especially interested in competing internationally,” he says.

However, the IITs could be one consolation. Throughout the summer, QS has published rankings in 26 specific subject disciplines for the first time, and the IITs have fared well in the technical disciplines ranking of relative performance.

Source: The Times of India (Education Times), September 5, 2011

IIT-Delhi’s course for professionals

Missed out on a seat at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)? Don’t fret, because you still have a chance to study at the renowned institute for a semester. IIT Delhi’s programme for working professionals allows them to study any topic taught in any of the 450 regular courses.There is one eligibility criteria though.

“Any professional can apply provided s/he has an educational background in the field,” said Surendra Prasad, Director, IIT Delhi. “This provision has been around for a long time. We took in students only if they approached us and that too after reviewing whether they really needed to study the course. Now, we are inviting applications from students as it is a great way for professionals to upgrade their knowledge base,” added Prasad.

So what does a professional need to do during the course? Three hours per week is what one is required to give to classes and the course lasts one semester — usually 14 weeks. The candidate does not require a no objection certificate from his/her organisation.

The response to the course has been lukewarm in the last few years and the institute gets around 50 candidates per semester. Professionals usually don’t come for basic courses. Advanced courses or new courses are more popular. “This is mainly because we never told professionals about this option. It was only on the basis of need and request but looking at the number of innovations that have happened in the field of technology and management we decided that it should be available to all eligible professionals,” Prasad said.

Candidates will have to appear for exams and submit assignments like regular students. “It may seem fun but courses are tough and the standard is high,” added Prasad.

Source: Hindustan Times, September 5, 2011

Jindal University signs MoU to promote knowledge exchange

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed here between Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) and the Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) and Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP).

According to Jindal University, the MoU provides for student exchanges, faculty exchanges, a non-credit executive programme for Indian professionals at USA’s Indiana University, joint lectures via long-distance ‘global classrooms’, and joint research by scholars from SPEA and its two partner Schools from the O.P. Jindal Global University.

JGU and Indiana University also jointly organised an international conference on “Globalisation, Professional Education and Knowledge Development in the 21st Century”. It was attended among others by a distinguished panel that included Indiana University President Professor Michael McRobbie, Union Minister of Corporate Affairs Veerappa Moily, Planning Commission Member Dr. Narendra Jadhav, and JGU chancellor Naveen Jindal.

The meet brought together public figures, intellectuals and scholars from the US and India to further knowledge exchange between the two liberal and democratic societies. Indiana University has committed itself to deepen a growing relationship with the O.P. Jindal Global University by holding a joint conference on issues of mutual transnational concern to India and the United States. Some of the world’s most renowned authorities on law, business, international relations and public affairs gathered for this conference.

Source: The Hindu, September 5, 2011

Haryana may have to wait longer for its IIT

The Haryana government, which is keen to get Delhi’s Indian Institute of Technology’s (IIT) second campus in the state, may have to wait for some time before the Centre gives its nod to the project. The idea of the country’s premier IIT having a satellite campus has been floated for some time and Haryana has been zeroed in because of its proximity to Delhi.

“IIT Delhi’s satellite campus is to be set up in Haryana and we hope to bring it at Rohtak,” Deepender Hooda, MP from Rohtak told FE. A senior official from the premier institute said though a satellite campus is being considered, but Rohtak might be a little far. “Our’s is a small campus and our activities are growing. The blueprint is on paper and no allocation has been made as yet. This is work in progress,” the official said.

The IIT has requested the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for its consent and has received “positive response”. However, the ministry is not so enthusiastic about the expansion of IIT Delhi. According to a senior MHRD official, there is no formal proposal about the project and land is also not being offered free of cost.

“The state government is not welcoming the IIT with open arms. Moreover, if a financial element is involved, then we will have to take up the matter with the finance ministry also,” the official added. Incidentally, the IIT at Delhi is not the only one to spread its wings. In addition to its main campus, IIT Kharagpur has two extension campuses — one in Kolkata and another in Bhubaneswar. The extension campuses provide venue for continuing education programmes and distance learning courses.

IIT Roorkee inaugurated its Greater Noida Campus in April this year and it also has another extension center in Saharanpur. In fact, IIT Kanpur is all set to join the big brigade of top educational institutions at Noida which will provide students with short-term management courses and refresher courses meant for distance learning.

Source: The Financial Express, September 5, 2011

Everonn mess rattles education sector

Last December, when Everonn Education received the best ‘Franchisable concept of the year 2010’ award under the education category from Franchise India, industry players looked at emulating its growth path.

Last week, when the company’s shares plunged 20 per cent after the arrest on a bribery and tax evasion charge of its managing director, P. Kishore, and resignation of its shocked Chairman, Jamshed J. Irani, industry players started questioning its rise.

Opinion is divided on what this means for the sector. An executive from a professional services firm which has advised companies on various business ventures says, “Sector players like Educomp and Everonn have grown very fast. What has happened with Educomp (income tax raids in its offices) and Everonn will certainly affect the fast-growing education companies. Everonn was a tall player and many companies looked at emulating its model but this development will not do any good for the sector.”

Many investors, however, say though the event highlights corporate governance issues in the company, their belief in the sector’s growth story remains strong. Ramesh Venkat, chief executive of Reliance Equity Advisors, a private equity arm of Reliance Capital, said, “These are mere compliance issues which hit across sectors in India. These have no direct connection with the education sector.” In this backdrop, PE investors should do thorough due diligence on promoters and target companies, he added.

Reliance Equity Advisors had invested about Rs. 100 crore (Rs. 1 billion) in Pathways World School, a primary and higher secondary school in 2010. Venkat agrees there are concerns over the education sector which would pull back future investments. “There are no big-sized deals available in Indian education space for PE investments. Also, some institutes which are working under the corporate structure remain a concern,” he said.

Private equity/venture capital investors remain bullish on the education space. Milestone Religare, a 50:50 venture between Milestone Capital and Religare Enterprises, with focus on education and healthcare, has plans to raise a $200-million offshore fund. It started with a Rs. 400 crore (Rs. 4 billion) corpus and has invested Rs. 25 crore (Rs. 250 million) in IMS Learning Resources and Rs. 60 crore (Rs. 600 million) in Resonance Eduventures. Last month, InOpen Technologies, an IIT Bombay-based start-up, developing content and teacher training solutions, raised about $500,000 from VenturEast, an early stage investor.

Everonn
Everonn was incorporated in 2000 and became a leading education player in a decade. The Blackstone Group invested $42 mn in Everonn in 2009. The increasing penetration of satellite-enabled courses in colleges and schools, classroom software in schools and government contracts enabled it to scale up its education business rapidly.

The company’s growth can be attributed to two major segments — ICT (information and communications technology) and ViTELS (virtual and technology-enabled learning solutions) platforms. It is predominantly focused on ICT for revenue. The segment involves setting up of computer laboratories in government schools under the built/own/operate/transfer (BOOT) model, typically for five years. Schools run by the state governments are its customers. The central government has been funding this initiative under its Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and ICT@Schools programmes.

The Everonn ViTELS segment involves delivering soft skills or non-curriculum courses in colleges through VSAT (satellite)-based platforms and providing multimedia-based curriculum content in schools. Non-curriculum courses in colleges mainly include courses on English speaking and personality development.

In 2010-11, the company had added 1,455 schools against 1,017 during 2009-10 and 1,920 colleges against 1,567 in 2009-10. The number of government schools it was working with till the end of 2010-11 was 6,628 against 5,862 the year before. During the year ended March 2011, revenue was Rs. 301.6 crore (Rs. 3.01 billion) and net profit was Rs. 72.9 crore (Rs. 729 million). During the quarter ending June, revenue growth was 45 per cent at Rs. 98.2 crore (Rs. 982 million) and net profit was Rs. 9.7 crore (Rs. 97 million).

One reason for education service providing companies to grow has been the central government’s increased allocation. In the 11th five-year plan, it was over Rs. 3 trillion, six times higher than that in the 10th Five-Year Plan. A part of this outlay, Rs. 83,500 crore (Rs. 835 billion) or four times more than in the 10th Plan, was to be spent on SSA, an initiative to improve public education and upgrade it by including computer literacy (ICT).

Source: Business Standard, September 5, 2011