The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are among the most prestigious technical institutes in India (and perhaps in the world) for undergraduate engineering education. Admission to an IIT is ...viewed by many Indians as a passport to success, prosperity, prestige, and possibly moving to Western countries for higher studies and/or jobs. This paper examines whether (i) access to the IITs is open to students irrespective of their socioeconomic status; (ii) students' satisfaction, once they enter an IIT, is conditioned by their socioeconomic status; and (iii) students' attitudes towards their future plans are influenced by their socioeconomic status. The paper is based on a survey conducted with nearly 260 students at two out of five original IITs in 2007-2008. Findings reveal that access to the IITs, satisfaction at the IITs, and future plans after the IITs are strongly correlated to students' socioeconomic status. Even though admission to the IITs is based on an entrance examination, most of its students are from the socially and economically well-off families. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Charles Morehead studied medicine in Edinburgh and Paris. Among his teachers were George Jardine (1742-1827) (moral philosophy), Professor William Pulteney Alison (1790-1859) (medicine), Pierre Louis ...(1787-1872) and René Laennec (1781-1826). He joined as Assistant Surgeon in the Bombay Medical Service of the East India Company and was appointed to the staff of Governor Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838). Grant and Morehead founded the Grant Medical College and Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy (1811-1877) Hospital in Bombay. Morehead established standards of medical education at these institutions far superior to those in Calcutta and Madras and, in some ways, to those in Britain. His emphasis on discipline, regular attendance, learning medicine at the bedside, the maintenance of detailed records on all patients and thorough evaluation of the progress made by students were salutary. While in London to recover his health, he wrote his classic book Clinical Researches on Disease in India for Indian doctors and those from Britain entering the Indian Medical Services. He lived in Edinburgh after retirement from India but continued to help teachers and students at his institutions in Bombay.
Early Childhood Education in India derives its premise from its sociocultural context. In spite of policies in place for developmentally and contextually appropriate Early Childhood Education, the ...practices are largely detrimental for this age group. The ray of hope, amidst such a scenario are a few initiatives, one such being the rural preschool “Poo-kal,” situated in a village near the town of silk weavers Kanchipuram, South India. The school’s vision is to provide children with contextual learning experiences through a developmentally appropriate curriculum. The curriculum is flexible and is built keeping in mind interests of the child. Learning is through group activities that promote sustained engagement and collaborative learning in children, which in turn fosters social skills. All learning material is locally available, and is provided by the school. Children engage in productive work which helps them foster creativity as well as a sense of pride in work. The curriculum also provides for quiet time and self-time to help children connect with their inner self. Yoga, traditional music, and art forms help children be connected with their cultural roots, promoting physical and emotional development alongside aesthetic sense. Teachers are engaged learners and act as facilitators. They are patient, kind, and firmly believe that every child is unique and has potential that need to be tapped with love and care. School activities also help foster and strengthen school–community linkages. The school aims for the all-round development of the child body, mind, and spirit by involving the head, heart, and hand in the process of learning.
The original constitutional provision for free and compulsory education, granted under Article 45 stated that it was to be available for ‘all children until they complete the age of fourteen years’, ...but it did not specify the lower age limit nor the stage of education (whether elementary or primary) that would be free and compulsory. This has led to much speculation about the ‘real intentions’ of the founding fathers of the Constitution and even led to ‘policy framing’ in support of various preferred strategies. However, this article, based on recent research that traces the genesis of this clause, shows that the pre-final text of what was adopted in the Constitution of India as Article 45 originated from four sister clauses that together represented the essence of the Sargent Plan of 1944, with the intention of making only the primary stage of education free and compulsory.
Occupational therapists exploring international opportunities should understand how the profession is practiced globally. This paper describes the framework under which occupational therapy services ...can be accessed by families of children with disabilities in urban India. Background information about the country, its health care, and occupational therapy education and practice is presented in brief. To provide the context for school-based services, government and private initiatives addressing general education and special education are described. Currently few therapists are working in schools. Insights regarding facilitating the expansion of occupational therapy in early intervention and schools in India and other countries are presented.
This article’s two aims are to briefly describe the activities of a Hindu nationalist organisation commonly referred to as Vidya Bharati, particularly in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and more ...specifically to analyse and describe the contents and political aims of its ideologically charged social science textbook called Gauravśālī Bhārat (“Glorious India”). Vidya Bharati, that is Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, is a part of a well-known and influential Hindu nationalist organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The author describes how its textbook distorts the vision of history in order to mould the worldview of the students and their vision of contemporary Indian politics and society. The article also states that Gauravśālī Bhārat is probably an edited continuation of the earlier, controversial textbook called Gaurav Gāthā and that Vidya Bharati schools emulate the solutions of Christian missionary schools in some respects.
Distance Education has been growing fast, in a marvelously diverse fashion. The efficiency, effectiveness, validity and utility of distance teaching-learning are on increase. All communities and ...religious groups are making use of distance learning methodology to upgrade their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Christian educational institutions in all the parts of the world are being benefitted by the Christian distance education programme. Christian websites make up more than 80 percent of the websites of the world's five major religions. Globalisation is facilitating many Christian pioneers of multiple denominations to adopt distance teaching-learning beyond all frontiers and barriers. Baker's guide to Christian Distance Education profiles up to 150 Christian degree programmes. Some of the popular programmes are indicated here. Christians who constitute 2.33 percent of Indian population are educationally benefitted by Christian distance education programmes. A major Christian distance education programme is offered by Andhra Christian Theological College. Its four distance courses attract students all over the country. How quality is important in distance teaching and learning is highlighted here. (Contains 2 tables.)
Periodical literature plays a critical role in communicating information to the fashion educators in India. This paper deals with the impact of the changing nature of information needs of fashion ...educators and their usage of fashion periodicals at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Delhi. The paper is in two parts. The first part discusses the transformation of fashion education in India and its impact on the periodical collection in the Resource Centre of NIFT. The second part reports the findings of a survey of preferences of periodicals by the fashion educators of NIFT Delhi. Design faculty used consumer and trade magazines. The findings of this survey can be accepted as a trend among the fashion educators of design departments at NIFT.
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