For news/updates related to Educational Institutes in Gujarat.

x-posted from Gujarat Projects

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-gets-500-medical-seats-in-a-week_1554425


Gujarat gets 500 medical seats in a week!

Those who wish to pursue MBBS, here is some good news. The state has got approval for 500 medical seats in a week's time from the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The state had received approval for 150 seats each in the Medical College in Sola and Adani Medical College in Bhuj last Thursday.MCI on Saturday approved 150 medical seats in the new medical college in Ahmedabad, which will be run by Gujarat Cancer Research Society. In addition, 50 seats have been increased in the Medical College in Bhavnagar.

State health minister Jay Narayan Vyas on Sunday said, “Gujarat would probably be the first state in the country to get approval for 500 new medical seats in a year. We are also expecting MCI's approval for the new medical college at Gotri in Vadodara. Next year, 500 more seats will be added to the state's medical education as medical colleges at Patan, Valsad and couple of other institutes will be set up in the state.” “I guarantee that no deserving students will be left out from pursuing medical education because of weak financial condition,” Vyas added.

“In fact, we are receiving offers from banks to open their counters at admission centres to provide education loans to deserving candidates. The state has taken up the mission to ensure that not a single deserving student from Gujarat has to go to other state for medical education,” he said.ic

Gujarat gets 2 new Engineering Colleges (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-16/education/29781452_1_engineering-colleges-aicte-intake-capacity)

The All India Council for Technical Education has approved two more self-financed colleges in Junagadh and Panchmahal.

These two colleges which are self-financed colleges will have the capacity to enroll 300 students each. ACPC officials said three more colleges are pending approval and are likely to get clearance. The three colleges which are pending approval are in Banaskantha, Rajkot and Vadodara district.

This year according to ACPC officials, apart from new colleges, there was also an increase in the intake capacity in the existing college. In the existing 45 colleges, there was a increase of 2,500 seats, said the officials.

At present there are 44,219 seats in engineering which was over 6,000 seats more than last year. Officials said that in the 17 government engineering colleges there was no increase in any intake. The capacity in these colleges remained unchanged at 10,735 seats.

Earlier the AICTE had given its approval for eight new engineering colleges across the state. This was first phase of approval. The technical body had in the first phase approved 2,340 seats in these eight colleges which will be situated in Khedbrahama of Sabarkantha district, Surat, Paladi village of Vadodara, Daheli of Amreli, Rajkot, Patan and Amod in Bharuch.

x-posted from Guj Projects Thread

Gujarat to have one medical college in every district: Modi (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/gujarat-to-have-one-medical-college-in-every-district-modi/747099.html)

Ahmedabad, Jul 3 (PTI) Gujarat government today said it plans to set up one medical college in every district of the state. "We plan to have one medical college in every district of the state," Chief Minister Narendra Modi said.

"The government has focused on making available best medical services to the people as a part of which 15 new medical colleges have been set up," he said. "About 2,115 seats in medical courses during last one decade have been added. In 2001, there were only two medical colleges and 500 seats but now it has increased by manifolds," he added.

Modi made the announcement while inaugurating a hospital constructed in association with GIOSTAR Stem Cell Research Institute of USA at an investment of Rs 35 crore here. The hospital offers stem cell transplantation therapy to the people. The state government has signed a MoU with GIOSTAR, USA, and has set up a special organisation with a view to free the tribal people of Gujarat from genetical diseases like Sickle cell and Anaemia.

Modi appealed the doctors to extend benefits of stem cell treatment to war affected soldiers requiring organ transplantation. "Government is developing the medical services sector on public-private partnership model. I am glad that stem cell therapy is becoming available in Gujarat as an outcome of MoU inked during Vibrant Summit," Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said.

x-posted from Guj Projects Thread

Tech seats galore in Gujarat (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Tech-seats-galore-in-Gujarat/articleshow/8352665.cms)

It is like a blessing in disguise for students aspiring for a career in engineering and pharmacy, as Gujarat emerges the best place to be. This year, the usual brain drain of students heading out of the state might be reversed as Gujarat will have enough seats for wannabe engineers here and then some more.

Not just that, some colleges are actually offering discounts in the fee structure. The reason behind this change in attitude of colleges is best explained by the fact that colleges in Gujarat now have 33,000 engineering seats and 6,000 pharmacy seats to offer. Also there are five new colleges awaiting clearance with 300 seats each.

The 40 existing colleges too are expecting an increase in their intake capacity by a total of 4,800 seats. The increase in number of seats will be compounded with applications made by several colleges to introduce a second shift in the institutes. No less than 30 colleges of Gujarat have applied for the second shift which will add another 3,000 engineering seats. With the XII (Science) results not being quite up to the mark, the engineering and pharmacy college administrations are looking at a grim future with empty class rooms.

"This year 46,446 students have passed XII (Science) exams. However, not all will be able to apply for engineering courses. More than 5,000 of these students have scored less than 50 per cent marks -minimum qualification required for admission into engineering or pharmacy courses. This minimum qualification required, set by All India Council for Technical Education, is proving to be a bad news for engineering colleges, especially since the number of seats available are more than the students who are inclined to take up engineering," said an Ahmedabad-based engineering college administrator.

Principal of LD Engineering College and member secretary of main admission committee, M N Patel, said: "Minimum 7,000 seats are likely to remain empty. Students will be able to get admission with ease, without any donations. Last year pharmacy colleges had faced a similar situation with 3,000 seats out of total 6000 going empty. Students need not migrate to other states any more."

Trustee of self-financed engineering college near Ahmedabad, Janak Khandwala, said: "We are very apprehensive of seats remaining empty. This is mainly because of the hike in minimum requirement by AICTE to 50 per cent and the increase of seats expected. Rural colleges will be worst hit."

The quality of education in Gujarat seems to be lacking in quality. I remember an article in TimesofIndia a little while back saying that even principals of English-medium private schools in Ahmedabad were sometimes poor in speaking English.

http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/8944039.cms

City schools fail to make the gradeJun 22, 2011, 01.13am IST TNN[ Bharat Yagnik ]


AHMEDABAD: Nisha Mathew, a medical practitioner, was recently transferred to the city from Kerala. Her first priority after taking over her new assignment was to get the right school for her 16-year-old son. But, her "thorough search" went in vain. She had to send her son back to a boarding school in her home state.

Nisha said, "I went to many schools here and realised that the course curriculum in Kerala is much superior to Gujarat. What was more shocking was that many teachers in English medium schools I visited could hardly speak proper English. I was disappointed and worried for my child who is now in the class 11 and is preparing for competitive exams in the science stream. I did not want to take any chance and promptly sent him back."

This case highlights the dilemma faced by families that have migrated to the city recently. And, many of them have chosen to send their wards back to home states - a scathing remark on the poor quality of education and teaching standards prevalent in city schools. Samar Singh, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Indian army from Jaipur, faced a similar dilemma when he reached Ahmedabad. Singh is pursuing a PhD programme, Fellow Programme in Management (FPM), at IIM-A. He wanted his son to be in a standard CBSE school in the city. Singh's hunt for a "good school" for his son, who is now in his class 10, has proved futile.

"The search was quite disappointing. When I asked the schools about the quality of teaching, they showed me their pass percentage and the list of toppers. That is hardly an indicator as most students take tuitions. Most of the six schools we visited had hardly any trained teachers. I also felt that the education system here is more focused on co-curricular activities, less on overall education. My son is from Army school, Jaipur, and I find the level of teaching not up to the mark. However, I had to finally settle, rather reluctantly, for a school here," said Singh.

Purvi Shah, a homemaker, on the contrary was worried about the comfort factor and security in schools before she chose a school for her daughter. "These days teaching can be managed at home. But children should be exposed to a whole lot of co-curricular activities which shape their personalities. "

Link is given above.

http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/8944039.cms

City schools fail to make the gradeJun 22, 2011, 01.13am IST TNN[ Bharat Yagnik ]


AHMEDABAD: Nisha Mathew, a medical practitioner, was recently transferred to the city from Kerala. Her first priority after taking over her new assignment was to get the right school for her 16-year-old son. But, her "thorough search" went in vain. She had to send her son back to a boarding school in her home state.

Nisha said, "I went to many schools here and realised that the course curriculum in Kerala is much superior to Gujarat. What was more shocking was that many teachers in English medium schools I visited could hardly speak proper English. I was disappointed and worried for my child who is now in the class 11 and is preparing for competitive exams in the science stream. I did not want to take any chance and promptly sent him back."

This case highlights the dilemma faced by families that have migrated to the city recently. And, many of them have chosen to send their wards back to home states - a scathing remark on the poor quality of education and teaching standards prevalent in city schools. Samar Singh, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Indian army from Jaipur, faced a similar dilemma when he reached Ahmedabad. Singh is pursuing a PhD programme, Fellow Programme in Management (FPM), at IIM-A. He wanted his son to be in a standard CBSE school in the city. Singh's hunt for a "good school" for his son, who is now in his class 10, has proved futile.

"The search was quite disappointing. When I asked the schools about the quality of teaching, they showed me their pass percentage and the list of toppers. That is hardly an indicator as most students take tuitions. Most of the six schools we visited had hardly any trained teachers. I also felt that the education system here is more focused on co-curricular activities, less on overall education. My son is from Army school, Jaipur, and I find the level of teaching not up to the mark. However, I had to finally settle, rather reluctantly, for a school here," said Singh.

Purvi Shah, a homemaker, on the contrary was worried about the comfort factor and security in schools before she chose a school for her daughter. "These days teaching can be managed at home. But children should be exposed to a whole lot of co-curricular activities which shape their personalities. "

Rubbish article.Most funniest line from article "I went to many schools here and realised that the course curriculum in Kerala is much superior to Gujarat. :lol:
One more joke from article
Most of the six schools we visited had hardly any trained teachers.
What does it mean by trained teachers? Teachers are not qualified?

The quality of education in Gujarat seems to be lacking in quality. I remember an article in TimesofIndia a little while back saying that even principals of English-medium private schools in Ahmedabad were sometimes poor in speaking English.

How you have judged Gujarat is lacking in Education?

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/modi-announces-another-institute-for-teacher/513701/-September 2007

Chief Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on making Gujarat an epicentre of quality teachers who take up the profession by choice and not due to the lack of alternatives.



Addressing the students of Calorx Teachers University (CTU) on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Modi announced



the setting up of Indian Institute of Teachers Education (IITE) in Vadodara. It will be the second institute for teaching in the state after CTU.



“Like the setting up of the Indian Institute of Management (at Ahmedabad), Gujarat will now pioneer in producing world-class teachers who would be given handsome salary packages in future,” the CM said.

Former Chief Justice of India P N Bhagwati, who was in Ahmedabad to deliver the Dr K R Shroff Memorial Lecture at the university on the occasion, emphasised on the need for quality teachers at all the levels.

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/times-of-india-the/mi_8012/is_20110422/modi-launches-voucher-scheme-skill/ai_n57333407/-April 2011

SURAT: Giving importance to skill development, the state government launched a voucher scheme for students on Thursday at the Gyan Shakti Utsav. The festival was celebrated to mark the end of the year-long Swarnim Gujarat celebrations.

Announcing the scheme, chief minister Narendra Modi offered vouchers to some girl students. "To give direct financial aid to students, we are launching the scheme. A student having the government voucher can take training for desired skill and the teaching agency will be paid by government only after the student clears a test for the skill," Modi said.

A large number of college and school students participated in the event at the Indoor Stadium along with faculty members. The event was organised by education department and Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU).

Earlier, the varsity landed in a controversy as the examination of around 4,500 students scheduled on Thursday was cancelled to make sure that the CM's function was well-attended. The varsity officials, however, claimed that the exam was cancelled to keep varsity faculties free on the day for the event.

In his address, the CM announced a plan to set up the Indian Institute of Teacher's Education which will be at par with the Indian Institute of Management. "Aspiring teachers will get admission in the institute after completing school up to XII and can study up to post graduation. On completing the courses, the professionals will get a salary of Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore equal to IIM graduates," Modi claimed.
The CM also announced the setting up of a Children's University in which research for children will be carried out. The government is also working on Incubation Centre project where students will get opportunity to develop a model of a conceptualized product, Modi said.

Finally:cheers1::banana2::nocrook::nocrook:

http://deshgujarat.com/2011/07/01/modi-launches-first-degree-programme-of-iitevideo/-July 1 2011

Indian Institute of Teacher’s Education (IITE), set up by the government of Gujarat, has launched its first degree programme on Thursday. Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, while launching the course said the state government has founded IITE with a view to cater for the need of great teachers. He exuded faith that IITE will prove as model for best teachers producing institute.

Speaking to the principals and faculty members of various universities, Chief Minister said that he envisages a great demand for the pass-out of IITE as it is the case with IITs and IIMs. IITE will prove as a live laboratory, experimenting in human resource development, he said.

IITE, a pioneering initiative to redefine the field of education, offers 4 years Integrated BSC/BA & B.Ed and 6 years MSc/MA & M.Ed programmes for the first time in India. The IITE aims to create and nurture transformational teachers.

http://www.iite.ac.in/

Link for the above institute.

www.scopegujarat.org

The above is not a university but is still creditable that a state in India has such a clear-cut program to improve English fluency among its youth.

Gujarat to 42 new ME, MPharm colleges (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/Gujarat-to-get-42-new-ME-MPharm-colleges/articleshow/9364230.cms)

There's good news for students seeking admission in masters programme in engineering and pharmacy courses. The state has received permission to start 32 new colleges offering Masters in Engineering (ME) and 10 new Masters in Pharmacy (MPharm) colleges.

This effectively means an increase of 600 ME and 200 MPharm seats. Officials said that from this year, 2,660 ME and 2,200 MPharm seats will be available for aspiring students.

The admission process for these courses will be initiated by the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) from Tuesday, wherein students will be able to buy forms for admission. The students will have to appear for a Common Entrance Test (CET), the fee for which has been fixed at Rs 1,000.

The students will be required to fill and submit forms by August 3. The CET will be conducted on August 7-8. Students in the general category will have to score a minimum 50 per cent in the Common entrance test to be eligible for admission, while the eligibility for students in the served category has been fixed at 45 per cent.

Some engineering colleges in Gujarat may shut down (http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report_some-engineering-colleges-in-gujarat-may-shut-down_1570029)

The second round of admission to engineering and pharmacy colleges in Gujarat will begin by August 1. But given the scenario, experts believe that nearly 10,000 seats are likely to go vacant, presumably leading to closure of few colleges.

While a total of 6239 seats are vacant in degree engineering colleges across the state, 3469 seats are vacant in degree pharmacy colleges and 465 seats are vacant in diploma pharmacy colleges across Gujarat.

Principal of LD Engineering Colleges and chairman of Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC), MN Patel said that few colleges may have to down their shutters. He said that so far around 10,173 seats are vacant for various engineering and pharmacy degree and diploma courses.

"We don't have enough candidates to fill these seats. Even if we wait for supplementary exam results the seats may not be filled," said Patel. He said that if seats are not filled colleges may have to down shutters as was seen with some pharmacy colleges.

"They did not have enough students to fill the seats and had to close down.”

Guj Govt recruits 13000 new teachers (http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report_gujarat-recruits-13000-new-teachers_1583162)

The Gujarat government handed over appointment letters to 13,000 vidhya sahayaks on Saturday. Chief minister Narendra Modi's speech at the function while presenting appointment letters at Tagore Hall in the city was telecast at similar functions organised in various districts of the state.

The chief minister also told the teachers to not become complacent and lazy because of the security of their jobs. He emphasised on the need for willingness to do something in life as the lack of it can be disastrous.

Modi asked the teachers not to suffer from an inferiority complex as people do not have a good impression about government schools. However, he said that government schools do have the potential to produce good students and they cater to education demands of a majority of the students in the state.

Gujarat to get more hands in hospitality plans three institutes (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/gujarat-to-get-more-hands-in-hospitality-plans-three-institutes/448169/)

In order to address the manpower crunch in the burgeoning hospitality sector, the Gujarat government is working towards opening more hotel management institutes in the state and has proposed to start an institute of hospitality management (IHM) at Patan in North Gujarat soon.

The proposed institute will be located in Patan and will be run by the Patan University, which has also given land for the same. With the growing demand for skilled professionals in the hospitality industry , the state government has plans of developing three more such institutes in different cities across Gujarat.

Gujarat government is actively promoting tourism in the state and now students from the state, who aspire to make it big in the hospitality industry, can now look home wards for fulfilling their dreams.
A highly placed source in the tourism department said, "Hospitality is an important sector for the state as we need a strong and employable workforce to take over the reins if tourism is to be developed here. Hence this move comes in the wake of the tourism ministry's many initiatives to increase the tourist footfall to the state and provide a effective workforce for the same. We have proposed a state IHM at Patan to this end. Once it is approved we are planning one in Surat (south Gujarat), one in Rajkot and one in Kutch. We have been communicating with the respective vice chancellors of these universities and they have all agreed to the proposal. So we are awaiting a nod from the Government's side to go ahead with the proposed institutes."

The state has registered a growth of 18-20% increase over last year's arrival figures. From getting Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan to become the face of Gujarat tourism through advertising campaigns, to tapping into adventure, religious and beach tourism, the state Government has plans of developing its tourism hubs in a phased manner. These hubs include are Ahmedabad Metro, Ahmedabad Rural (North Gujarat), Surat (South Gujarat), Vadodara (Central Gujarat), Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar (Saurashtra) and Bhuj (Kutch).

"We have received the proposal by the tourism department to develop an IHM at Patan. Once approved if the Government feels that the proposal will infuse a regional balance with respect to the tourism needs of the state then it will invest upto Rs 12 crores for the same. It is in the process of being examined at the moment," said Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism.

Currently the state has only one IHM in Ahmedabad that is affiliated to the National Council for Hotel Management and is sponsored by Ministry of Tourism, government of India and the government of Gujarat and offers degree, post graduate diploma and certificate courses in hospitality management.

That would be a good thing. I had to deal with quiet a few teachers named Matthew and sometimes wondered why the school bothered to bring them all the way from Kerala. Perhaps, This will convince Keralites to stay there and avail 'good' education in their home state.

[QUOTE=Cosmicbliss;81981294]http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/8944039.cms

: Nisha Mathew, a medical practitioner, was recently transferred to the city from Kerala. Her first priority after taking over her new assignment was to get the right school for her 16-year-old son. But, her "thorough search" went in vain. She had to send her son back to a boarding school in her home state.

Who gives a crap? How is fluency in English tied to improvement of any relevant metric?

BTW, u will be a good Times of India reporter. They only need ability to write in English, no ability for critical thinking.

www.scopegujarat.org

The above is not a university but is still creditable that a state in India has such a clear-cut program to improve English fluency among its youth.

Guj Vidyapith to tie up with Mexican varsities (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Guj-Vidyapith-to-tie-up-with-Mexican-varsities/articleshow/10202192.cms)


The sole university in the world set up by Mahatma Gandhi - Gujarat Vidyapith (GV) - is all set to enter into a MoU with three foreign universities for student exchange programs and courses since it was established by Bapu on November 15, 1920.

The university was established at a bungalow belonging to Dahyabhai Mehta in Kochrab and later shifted to the new campus on Ashram road. To start with, the university has agreed to a MoU with three Mexican universities -University of San Luis, University of Guadalajara and the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( UNAM) for the purpose. The deal took almost three years of hectic paper work correspondences and visits of institutional heads. The first part of the program includes coming of students from Mexican universities to Vidyapith to learn Gujarati, while students form GV will be in Mexico to learn Spanish.

"The students will have a first hand experience of community living, which includes lessons in sanitation, meditation, spinning yarn on the charkha, and following the routine of the Gandhian way of life. Besides this, students will be introduced to Gandhian thoughts on peace and conflict resolution, and disciplining oneself," says vice-chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, Sudarshan Iyengar. The example of the Spanish Jesuit priest Father Wallace who spent considerable part of his life in Ahmedabad writing books for children in Gujarati has been a gleaming example of Spanish teachers' involvement in the field of education in the city.

The formalization of the MoU will be completed by December this year while the exchange programmes will begin in 2012. "The MoU is a milestone achieved in the history of the Gujarat Vidyapith. We now look forward to more such MoUs with various foreign universities," says Iyengar.

Gujarat Forensic Science University to start two new institutes (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-forensic-science-university-to-start-two-new-institutes_1597618)

Gujarat Forensic Science University (GFSU), in days to come, will set up two new institutes- Institute of Medico-legal science and Institute of Technology and Management under its umbrella. JM Vyas, director general of GFSU announced this on the occasion of foundation stone laying ceremony where chief minister Narendra Modi performed the ceremony on Monday at the university site in Gandhinagar.

While addressing, Vyas spoke about the progress which the university has made in such a short span of two years. The university has three institutes including Institute of Forensic Science, Institute Research & Development and Institutes of Behavioral Science under it. The new campus of the university will be developed on 50,000 sqm of land.

Modi on the other hand, spoke about taking forensic science education into the schools and rural areas. "We want to introduce forensic science into the curriculum of schools and colleges so that students are able to develop an understanding of the technology and thus keep an option open about using the same in various situations. We also want to make use of this technology in the social service sector and detection of fake fertilisers and pesticides which is being sold to the farmers in rural areas." Modi also mentioned about the decisive use of Gujarat's forensic science laboratory for punishing the culprits involved in wild-life crimes .

Bhavnagar University to be renamed as Shri Krishnakumarsinhji Gohil University

http://deshgujarat.com/2012/01/26/bhavnagar-university-to-be-renamed-as-shri-krishnakumarsinhji-university/

Two US schools, Indian foundation to build international Plastic university at Vapi in Gujarat
(http://deshgujarat.com/2012/02/08/two-us-schools-indian-foundation-to-build-international-plastic-university-at-vapi-in-gujarat/)

According to a Plastic news report, the state of Gujarat will have an international-level university for polymers at Vapi. The first phase of the university will be able to open by 2-14 or 2015. The new university will come up over 50-acre campus.

India’s largest plastics trade association Mumbai-based Plastindia Foundation and two American universities the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and the University of Wisconsin with prominent plastics engineering and material science programs signed an agreement February 3 during the Plastindia trade show to build this Plastindia International university. The India based foundation still needs to raise most of the $30 million needed to fully build out their vision.

According to Shri Goel, President of PlastIndia Foundation, they have master plan done and have the partners identified. The land is in their possession.The project will be entirely privately financed, he said. The American universities are not putting in money but will help develop curriculum to international standards.

Lowell is one of the more prominent plastics engineering programs in the United States. An official from Wisconsin’s plastics program said the university was the first in the world to offer a course in plastics engineering, in 1946, and sees this as a unique chance to help build a new program.

Goel, in a speech at the ceremony, said the PIU will seek certification under the state of Gujarat, rather than the national system in India, because national rules are unclear and Gujarat is offering more flexibility.

Plastindia employed American architectural firm SWA Group to prepare preliminary designs, and in a presentation at the ceremony, an SWA architect showed a potential campus design for 2,000 students, with housing for students and staff, and that would use green practices such as rainwater harvesting and water recycling.

ASER report on rural primary education 2011. Most obv trend is the poor performance in tribal districts.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8223/aser2011.jpg

Screenshot taken from data split by Districts, that along with Full report (inc methodology/sampling) available here (http://www.asercentre.org/ngo-education-india.php?p=Download+ASER+reports)

They have some interactive chart tools for data going back a few years available here (http://www.asercentre.org/ngo-education-india.php?p=Query+ASER+data), kinda interesting to play about with.

Australian University to set up Ahmedabad campus (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-09/news/31041283_1_uow-brand-ambassador-branch)

Australia-based University of Wollongong (UOW) is planning to establish a 72-acre campus in Ahmedabad, an official from the varsity said.

Indian students have a major presence in our country. So, we thought why not establish a campus here which will allow them to get the Australian flavour of education without having to leave their shores, Craig Peden, director, corporate relations, UOW, said.

Peden also said the university was mulling to establish a branch of Innovation Campus (IC), a technology and research precinct developed by it. With a view to forge partnership with India in the field of RD in areas like advance manufacturing, energy storage etc, we are looking for a suitable place here to establish a branch of the IC, added Peden.

IC's brand ambassador and Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist had visited New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore last year to scout for a suitable place for the Indian branch.

The facility will be the UOW's second international campus alongside Dubai.

IIT-Gandhinagar to set up Rs 1,200cr campus

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/IIT-Gandhinagar-to-set-up-Rs-1200cr-campus/articleshow/12127920.cms

The new campus of Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-GN) will be constructed at the budget of Rs 1,200 crore. The work is set to begin within six to nine months, and the campus will flaunt some of the most environment-friendly green buildings in the country.

IIT-GN, which is one of the six new IITs set up in 2008-09, has been allotted the campus of Vishwakarma Government Engineering College at Gandhinagar for the time being. The institute has been allotted a 450-acre plot in Palej village of Gandhinagar district for its campus.

"The preparation of the master plan for the new campus is underway. We are planning to erect buildings with the least amount of carbon emission possible. The facilities and plans for the entire campus are being visualized along these lines," said director of IIT-GN Sudhir Jain.

The master plan for the new campus is being prepared by a Delhi-based consultancy firm. The institute had floated a competition for consultancy firms for the preparation of the master plan. More than 60 domestic and international firms applied for the project.

"Among other criteria, we shortlisted the entries and selected them based on their expertise and experiences in the area of handling green campuses. We are planning to make the movement of vehicles will be limited inside the campus and most of the campus will be pedestrian zones," said Jain. Other plans for the institute's buildings include air-cooling systems instead of air conditioners.

"The new campus will be like a township and will have all required facilities like dispensaries, shopping complex, banks, faculty quarters, students' hostels and so on. The first phase of construction that will begin in around six to nine months from now will be able to accommodate 2400 students. However from the experience and history of other IITs it is clear that the institute will have to accommodate more students and we will have to expand the facilities further."

"Once the master plan is ready, we will be floating a competition for architects. The experience of the architects in the area of green buildings will again be one of the most important criterion for shortlisting them," said Jain.

Awesome news... the location of the IIT is about 5kms north of the GIFT City project. Sounds like they are aiming for similar smart-city/eco-friendly design features for the campus as well.

I hope the facilities in the IIT will be on the standard as the universities around the world. A friend of mine graduated with an aerospace degree and a Masters from iit-b but unfortunately he said that the labs at IITB were not the greatest and a lot of the equipments did not work. Hopefully this one has better facilities with the latest equipment.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-
economy/marketing/article2999347.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy


TeamLease varsity starting in June 2013

Staffing solutions company TeamLease will start coaching its first batch of students at its university in June 2013.

Last year, TeamLease had announced the intention to establish the country's first vocational training university in Gujarat.

Mr Ashok Reddy, Managing Director and Co-founder of TeamLease said that students seek the social acceptability of a ‘degree' in vocational training and the university would give individuals the corridor effect of a ‘certificate' after the training programme.

TeamLease Skills University would offer short, mid and long term courses in finance, IT, hospitality and mechatronics. Although the main campus would be located at Ahmedabad, the university would also establish four community colleges this year that would offer associate degrees programmes. “In about 3-4 years, we plan to have a total of 22 such colleges,” Mr Reddy said.

Last April, TeamLease had raised Rs 100 crore in private equity funding from ICICI Venture and Gaja Capital Partners. A part of this fund would be used for the university, the company had said.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-18/vadodara/31074400_1_charotar-institute-charotar-university-charusat


This US-based technocrat pays back for a better future
Prashant Rupera, TNN Feb 18, 2012, 11.31PM IST


Tags:
US-based technocrat|Education trust|Charotar University
VADODARA: If somebody is hungry you don't provide him fish, you provide him a fishing rod. It is with this motto that 63-year-old NRG Ashok Patel from United States is supporting education sector in Gujarat.

Seven years ago, Patel had donated Rs 3.25 crore, which helped education trust Charotar Vidya Mandal (CVM) fulfill its dream of setting up a state-of-the-art biotechnology institute in New Vallabh Vidyanagar, a satellite campus adjacent to educational town Vallabh Vidyanagar.


Now, Phoenix-based Patel will be donating another Rs 5 crore to support Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT) dream project of starting Charotar Institute of Physiotherapy (CIP) at education campus Changa.

"It is said that if you give a man a fishing rod, you feed him for a lifetime. I don't own any industry where I can employ youngsters so that they earn. Instead, I support formation of such institutes which can nurture future generations. And hence, I am paying back at two places - Changa (my native) and Vidyanagar (from where I graduated)," Patel told TOI on Saturday.

After completing his schooling from small village Changa, Patel completed his bachelors in civil engineering from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya (BVM) and later moved to US where he completed his masters in water resources engineering in 1972.

"I love both Changa and Vidyanagar because they are responsible for my growth," says Patel, whose first donation led to the establishment of Ashok & Rita Patel Institute of Integrated Study & Research in Biotechnology & Allied Sciences as Gujarat's first institute providing MSc (integrated) biotechnology course.

On Thursday, Ash Patel, as he is fondly called, donated Rs 1.20 crore as token amount for construction of CIP Bhavan during a foundation stone laying function organized by Shree Charotar Moti Sattavis Patidar Kelavani Mandal, the educational trust which manages CHARUSAT educational campus. Acknowledging this contribution, the trust has decided to name CIP as Ashok and Rita Patel Institute of Physiotherapy.

And it is not just about one-time donations. "Whenever I come back, I go and talk to youngsters. I tell them that I am going to help you, but only if you promise me that you will help others. We need to develop a culture through which standards of our educational institutes are uplifted," he says.

So as a member of the BVM Alumni Association, he is spreading the word on how small contributions from each of the 15,000-odd engineers who have passed out from Gujarat's first engineering college can bring a big change. Interestingly, at retirement, Patel, who was so far in engineering consultancy business at Arizona, has also decided to go for formal education to follow his passion for arts, paintings and digital photography.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-08/news/29751942_1_universities-manipal-group-students


Manipal Group to set up five new universities
Rituraj Tiwari, ET Bureau Jul 8, 2011, 11.51am IST


Tags:
Sikkim Manipal University|Manipal International University|Manipal group

JAIPUR: Manipal Group is in active talks with Gujarat and Orissa governments for setting up universities in these states. This is part of group's plan to have a footprint in all parts of the country. The chain plans to roll out five universities in next five years.

Manipal Group advisor – strategy and development – Sudhakar Rao told ET that all these universities would ideally come up across 200-300 acres each with a total investment of over Rs 6500 crores.

Volkwagen - Gujarat Govt open Auto workshop for skill training (http://deshgujarat.com/2012/03/24/volkswagen-gujarat-govt-open-automobile-workshop-for-skill-training/)

Senior Minister of Gujarat government Shri Vajubhai Vala today dedicated a state-of-the-art automobile workshop at ITI Saraspur.

This workshop has been set up at a cost of Rs 70 lakh by Volkswagen group as per the MoU signed with the state government.

The workshop will train the youths for highest level of skill in automobile manufacturing and repair.

An official of Volkswagen company gave away a key of Zeta car, while Audi company’s Shri Anil Matval and Skoda’s Shri NN Sharma presented certificate of VG-TAP authorized training centre to Principal Shri GB Jadeja of Saraspur ITI.

These kinds of skills training centres are def much needed as Industrial/Manufacturing is a big part of our Economy.

Gujarat's first marine institute to be operational from Aug: GMB

Gujarat's maiden Maritime Training Institute, supported by the state's port regulator Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), will become operational from August this year, a top official said.

"The first batch of 40 students will be joining the institute in August this year. The institute has been created with a view to meet the requirement of marine engineers," GMB Chief Nautical Officer S C Mathur said.

A marine engineer is in-charge of operations and maintenance of all machinery on board merchant ships.

The institute, which is set up in collaboration with U V Patel Engineering College in north Gujarat, a constituent of Ganpat University, is backed by the Gujarat government which had signed a MoU for the purpose in 2007.

"It was a long-felt need that an institution to offer a B.Tech degree, leading to a career as an officer in Merchant Navy, should be established in the state, which has the longest coastline of 1,600 km," Mathur said.

We are tying up with shipping companies like Adani, Essar, Ocean Sparkle, Shahi among others so that students can get on-board sea-time training in the fourth year of their course, a prerequisite for securing a degree, he said.

The main objective behind setting up this institute was to check outflow of local lads to other states, and train them here itself, Mathur said.

The mandatory clearances required to establish and run the institute from DG Shipping, and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) have been secured, he said.

The GMB also plans to start offering a B.Sc level course in nautical sciences, for which it has signed an understanding with Chajjumal Trust of Vadodara and expects the college to come up in next one year.

Veer Narmad South Gujarat University admission goes high-tech

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dE9ZVVetIV4/SkSq5weBUGI/AAAAAAAAD0s/pYmChSVnnRY/s400/VeerNarmadSouthGujaratUniversity.JPG

Fresh from its success in providing online admissions to BEd course, the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) is now preparing to introduce online admission system for other major courses. The manual admission process would be converted into an online one from the coming academic year. Online admissions would also be done for BCom, BA and BSc courses that account for maximum number of students at VNSGU. So far, the university was following a centralized admission procedure for which the students had to go to its admission centre.

In south Gujarat, a large number of students are from remote, tribal areas. They were forced to come to Surat with their parents. However, the online admission system would make things easier for students living in far-flung areas.

"The centralized admission process was very troublesome for families of the students from remote areas as they had to travel long distance. They had to visit the university campus again and again till the admissions were finalized," said VNSGU vice-chancellor Dakshesh Thakar.

The admission process was a costly affair for the university too. "Centralized admissions meant involvement of a large number of university staff. The university had to spend a huge amount of money on the entire process. We will be saving money by introducing the online admission system," Thakar added.

The students will just need to log on to the university's website and apply for admission and also for reshuffling.

"Online admission system will help students to reshuffle their courses sitting at home. They would not have to visit the university even for paying fees. They can submit the fees in banks authorized near their houses in different villages and towns of south Gujarat," Thakar added.

Apart from major courses, online admission system would also cover courses like BCA, MCA, MSc, MCom courses too.