IIT Joint Admission Test for M.Sc on May 8, 2011

The Joint Admission Test for M.Sc (JAM) for pursuing post-graduation at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) will be conducted on May 8, 2011 at various test centres in the Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee Zones.

The test will be conducted for admission into various M.Sc. courses at the IITs

The eligibility criteria for all candidates who qualify in JAM-2011 for admissions in IITs is at least 55% aggregate marks (taking into account all subjects, including languages and subsidiaries, all years combined) for General/ OBC category candidates and at least 50% aggregate marks (taking into account all subjects, including languages and subsidiaries, all years combined) for SC, ST and PD category candidates in the qualifying degree.

For candidates with letter grades/CGPA (instead of percentage of marks), the equivalence in percentage of marks will be decided by the admitting institute(s).

Proof of having passed the qualifying degree with the minimum educational qualification as specified by the admitting institute should be submitted by September 30, 2011.

Candidates can apply for the test in two formats, either online or offline. The preferred mode of application process is online. Candidates can obtain a packet containing the Application Form, Information Brochure & Envelope from designated bank branches of Punjab National Bank on cash payment or from the JAM Office, IIT Roorkee after submitting a demand draft for the appropriate amount.

For the online application forms, the payment has to be through demand draft only, drawn in favor of "Chairman, JAM 2011, IIT Roorkee ", on any bank, payable at Roorkee.

The last date for the sale and submission of the application forms is January 31,2011

Source-indiaedunews.net

Now, CBSE schools information at just a click of mouse

In an unprecedented move by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), parents and students may soon have the opportunity to evaluate a school’s compliance with academic, infrastructural, safety and other CBSE byelaws — at the click of a mouse. The board has ordered that each CBSE-affiliated school must start its own website highlighting its levels of compliance of each norm including details of teachers, students strength and contact details of administrators.

In a letter to all affiliated schools, CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi has said that the schools must comply with the order within six months and should prepare annual reports which can be uploaded on their websites.

Over 10,500 schools across India and in a few foreign countries are affiliated to the CBSE.

Schools must also specify timelines by when they will complete compliance with any bye laws they are at present unable to meet.

The CBSE affiliation byelaws relate to the governance structure, land area and other physical infrastructure and facilities, salaries, teacher-to-student ratio, admission policies and fee structures that schools are required to follow.

The move is a key component of human resource development minister Kapil Sibal’s drive aimed at ensuring greater transparency in educational institutions, sources said.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has already ordered technical institutions like engineering and management schools to place on their websites details of teachers, students, infrastructure, fee policy and governance structure.

“The CBSE move will take the transparency drive forward to schools,” a senior government source said.

The CBSE letter mentions that the board decided to make it mandatory for every affiliated school to develop its own website “containing comprehensive information about the school and its management” at a governing body meeting.

The Central Information Commission, in an order dated August 5, 2010 had also stated that all schools affiliated to the board must place on their websites the status of their implementation of norms. (HT)

CBSE, last Date for Compartment, Improvement Exams Extended

Extension of last date for submission of forms and fee for the Candidates appearing under Compartment, Improvement for Class XII & Improvement and upgradation of performance for class X and Additional subject categories – March, 2011 Examinations.

The request of the candidates seeking permission for appearing in the Board’s Examinations – 2011 under Compartment, Improvement for Class XII & Improvement and upgradation of performance for Class X and Additional subject categories received upto 15/12/2010 may be accepted.

The candidates who have already submitted their requests in this regard to Regional Offices may be informed telephonically or by phonograph/ telegram for submission of the application forms along with the requisite Examination fee plus late fee. It may also please be noted that no extension of date is granted for Private Full Subject category candidates. Individual requests on the subject matter received at the Headquarters from the candidates of respective Regional Offices are enclosed for necessary action at your end.

Source-icbse.com

52 candidates admitted to IIT by mistake - Kapil Sibal

Clarifying the withdrawal of offer of admission to 52 candidates from IITs, the human resource development ministry on Friday said that the offers were made "erroneously" to the candidates.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that according to the Joint Admission Board, 52 candidates in the general category were offered admission to IIT though they had not qualified in the test.

"Some candidates who wrote the JEE 2010 were erroneously offered admission. The inadvertent error in course allocation pertained to candidates who had not qualified in the architecture/designaptitude test, were offered admission," Sibal said quoting information from the Joint Admission Board.

"Their admission was later withdrawn and the places were filled by eligible candidates," he said.

According to the ministry, 41 of the candidates were provided admission in the second list while the rest 11 could not be taken as "they had not filled a large number of choices even though they has been advised to do so during their counseling".

The minister also said that two of the candidates had gone to court.

"The JEE system has introduced additional checks in their procedure so that such an error does not recur," Sibal added. IANS

Don't screen children, admissions should based on first-come, first-served basis or a lottery system, schools told

Guidelines for admission into schools, issued under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, prohibit screening of children and interviewing their parents.

The guidelines issued by the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry have also asked the schools to adopt a random selection process. “The schools have to adopt an admission procedure which is non-discriminatory, rational and transparent and that schools do not subject children and their parents to admission tests and interviews in order to decide whether they will admit a child or not.''

This procedure can include admissions based on a first-come, first-served basis or a lottery system, but interviewing parents and children will not be permitted. Institutions run by minority groups will also have to comply with these screening provisions in case these schools fall within the meaning of Section 2(n) of the Act.

However, institutions, including Madrasa and Vedic Pathshalas, especially serving religious and linguistic minorities, are out of the purview of the Act as they are protected under Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution.

These norms were formulated after the Ministry received representations from several unaided and aided schools seeking clarifications on the procedure to be followed for admission.

Accordingly, admissions to class 1 (or pre-primary class as the case may be) under Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act in unaided and ‘specified category' schools shall be through a system of random selection out of the applications received from children belonging to disadvantaged groups and weaker sections for filling the pre-determined number of seats in that class, which should be not less than 25 per cent of the strength of the class.

For admission to the remaining 75 per cent of the seats (or a lesser percentage depending upon the number of seats fixed by the school) each school should formulate a policy under which admissions will take place.

As per the norms, this policy should include criteria for categorisation of applicants in terms of the objectives of the school on a rational, reasonable and just basis. There shall be no profiling of the child based on parental educational qualifications. The policy should be placed by the school in the public domain and given wide publicity.

The Hindu

IIM Indore announces admission for PGPMX

IIM Indore has announced the admission for the Post Graduate Program in Management for Executives (PGPMX). This is a program of two year duration, the classes of which are held in alternate weekends in Mumbai. “PGPMX is designed to provide flexibility to working executives to be engaged in their respective professions and at the same time to upgrade their knowledge base simultaneously,” IIM Indore says. The fee for PGPMX is Rs. 10 lakh.

Eligibility
In order to apply for the PGPMX in IIM Indore, a candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in any discipline. They should also have CAT scores of 2009 or 2010 or GMAT scores obtained between October 15, 2007 and February 1, 2011. In case the candidate has taken neither CAT nor GMAT, he/she has to appear for Business Aptitude Test (BAT) to be conducted by IIM Indore. The pattern of BAT will be based on the pattern of CAT. The candidate should also have at least five years of experience in managerial, entrepreneurial or professional levels after graduation.

Selection process
The selection process will be done on the basis of interviews of the short listed candidates based on eligibility criteria. Apart from the exam scores of CAT or GMAT or BAT and the performance in the interview, academic performance, professional and academic achievements and work experience will be considered.

Important Dates
The last date to apply is Tuesday, February 1, 2011. BAT will be held on Sunday, February 13, 2011. The classes will commence from Saturday, April 2, 2011.

Application procedure
A PGPMX Application form needs to be filled for applying to PGPMX Program. The online application form can be downloaded from our website www.iimidr.ac.in. Candidates applying through CAT scores should mention their CAT registration number and those applying through GMAT scores have to mention the GMAT score in the PGPMX Application form. The application fee is Rs. 5000.

Source- mbauniverse.com

Single Test to replace multiple Engineering entrances

In order to reform the present system of multiple entrance examinations, a committee has been constituted to explore the possibility of having a single exam in place of the Indian Institute of Technology - Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE), All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and other state entrance examinations.

This was stated by Minister of State for Human Resource Development D. Purandeswari in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

According to Purandeswari, the Acharya Committee headed by IIT Kharagpur Director Damodar Acharya, which had been constituted for the purpose, has already given several recommendations.

One of the main recommendations of the committee is that the scores of Class 12 qualifying examinations should be normalized appropriately across all Boards. They should also be used to capture the School Science Performance (SSP).

Another recommendation is the introduction of a National Aptitude Test (NAT) that would be used to capture parameters of interest in a student such as raw intelligence, aptitude general awareness, comprehension and written communication skills.

The committee has also suggested that a Composite Weighted Performance (CWP) score, that will be a summation of the Class XII as well as the NAT scores, should be computed for screening purposes.

Source-indiaedunews.net

Don't make class X optional : ICSE

Even as the ICSE schools in the country welcome the idea of having a common syllabus across boards, they are vehemently opposed to Union education minister Kapil Sibal’s suggestion of making Std X board exams optional.

On Wednesday, officials from the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) announced that ICSE schools won’t do away with Std X board exams. The council also announced that the curriculum for ICSE schools set for a major change from the coming academic year.

Gerry Arathoon, additional secretary and officiating chief executive and secretary of CISCE, said, “Std X boards allow students to experience a public exam before taking the Std XII exam, which is important for them in the professional sphere. Std XII board exams are the gateway to higher and university education, and need to be treated seriously.”

Arathoon added, “Leaving a student’s evaluation in the hands of his teachers is a crime. They should be given importance, but not the complete responsibility, as they have limitations. It is observed that though the CBSE board has made exams optional, a significantly large number of students still want to take them.”

Arathoon was interacting with the media at the 53rd
Annual Conference of Association of Schools for Indian School Certificate. The three-day conference, organised by Ryan International Group of Institutions at Powai, was inaugurated by the governor K Sankarnarayanan on Wednesday.

The council is, however, forthcoming about the curriculum changes proposed by the Centre. “We are doing away with environment education from Std IX to XII, and the content will be fused in other subjects. From the next academic year, the curriculum for both ICSE and ISC (Std XII equivalent) will change,” said Arathoon.

For ICSE, the curriculum will change for subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, commerce studies, geography, economics, economics applications, home sciences, etc. While in the ISC, subjects to undergo changes include physics, chemistry, biology, geography, sociology, economics, biotechnology and home science.

The council appeared gung-ho about a common curriculum across the country in maths, science and commerce in Std XI and XII. With the exclusion of environment education from the core subjects, ICSE students will also have six subjects to read.

“Though the changes will be introduced in the syllabus from 2011, the students will appear for the board exams for the new syllabus only in 2013,” added Arathoon.

The curriculum for students from Std I to VIII in ICSE schools is also set to change. “The inter-state board representatives are working on it. The curriculum for subjects read in the lower classes need to incorporate the local aspects as well,” said an official. The details of the changes in lower classes are, however, not known.

Speaking about the admission-related problems faced by students in Maharashtra, officials from the ICSE board claimed that they were not included in the decision-making process by the state.

Arathoon said, “We were never called for discussions on percentile or the best-five issues. The state government has never bothered to take our opinion on these important decisions.” He refused to talk about the best-five issue as the matter is subjudice.

Source-dnaindia.com

All India Merchant Navy Entrance Test 2011 Dates & Notification

Admission notice 01/2011

All India Merchant Navy Entrance test for admission in

1. B.Sc Nautical Science

2. B.Tech Naval Architecture

3. G.P. Ratings

4. Diploma of Applied Science (deck watch keeper) by AMSA

5. B.Tech Marine

6. MBA (Shipping and Logistics Management)

To be conducted by Bharat Shipping Limited for admission in above mentined courses in the country run by the institutes approved by D.G. Shipping, govt of India or other national/international authorities

Eligibility criteria:

Only Indian nationals are eligible to apply

Eligibility as per criteria mentioned in prospectus

The prospectus is available in selected branches of Axis bank and must be read by the applicants before applying

The cost of application-cum-examination fee is Rs 2500/-. Prospectus-cum-application form can also be obtained by post, by sending a crossed bank draft of Rs 2600/- drawn in favour of controller of examinations, AIMNET-2011

The request should reach the controller of examinations, Bharat Shipping Limited, 26/32, Pal Mohan Sadan, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008 on or before 07th December, 2010

The address at which application form-cum-prospectus is required should be written clearly in capital letters and with pin code

The following words should be written on top of the envelope request for application form AIMNET-2011

BSL will not be responsible for delay/non-receipt of application form caused by illegible or in complete address

Prospectus can also be obtained by hand from the reception counter of examination section, BSL against bank draft of Rs 2500/- in favour of the controller of examinations, AIMNET-2011 as specified above payable at New delhi

Indian postal orders, money orders, cheques or cash will not be accepted for postal/counter sale

Important dates

Sale of application form (by post): 17th November, 2010 to 07th December, 2010

Sale of application form (by hand): 17th November, 2010 to 12th December, 2010

Sale of application form (by Axis bank): 17th November, 2010 to 12th December, 2010

Receipts of filled in application form: 17th November, 2010 to 15th December, 2010

Online test: 19th December, 2010 to 21st December, 2010

Result declaration: 22nd December, 2010

Counseling and medical: 27th December, 2010 to 31st December, 2010

Note that after the last date application received by courier or by any other means will not be accepted irrespective of the date of booking

For enquiry call 09212622666 or log on to website www.bharatshipping.com

Source-successcds.net

HCL introduces new range of educational laptops & computers for kids

In order to tap the children's computing market, technology and computer hardware company HCL Infosystems, on Tuesday launched the children's educational computer series which is also India’s first wireless desktop for kids. The pricing of these computers start at Rs 1,099.

These wireless kids' educational desktop and kids' educational laptops are especially designed for children in the age group of three to 12 years.

The computers are packed with a variety of education and fun contents, such as piano keys, games, music besides educational content designed especially to promote learning among children.

Branded as the HCL ME Topper and Junior Topper series, these products are available in four models: HCL ME L1- 30, priced at Rs 1,099, L2- 36 priced at Rs 1,390, HCL ME L1- 88 priced at Rs 1,590 and D1- 48 priced at Rs 1,690.

The company claims that the affordable price range and specifically designed programmes will make it a leader in this segment, which has a huge opportunity of growth.

The laptop is packed with various packages for testing skills in language, mathematics and memory. Besides, it contains special packages to teach history and geography through maps.

" This interactive experience has been designed to enable affordable computing for kids, backed with interactive content to sharpen the intelligence quotient of the developing minds of children," the company said in a statement.

According to George Paul, executive vice president, HCL Infosystems Ltd, " Technology brings new ways to aid education and with the rapidly transforming environment it is imperative that newer interactive ways through the latest technology are devised to reach out to the next generation early." " With computing becoming the future mode of education, we believe learning devices backed with rich education content will engage kids to develop their intelligence and thinking ability that quickens their learning curve," he added.

These educational computers will be available at various retail outlets, toy shop and HCL ME Exclusive stores.

All HCL ME kids' educational computers are built on the green technology platform with the products being recyclable.

Source-Indiatoday.in

About one lakh to appear for AIEEE online on first-come-first-served basis

The All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE Online) will be conducted on a limited scale next year for admission to technology institutes and deemed universities, the Central Board of Secondary Education said Monday.

The exam conducted by the CBSE will have the option for around one lakh candidates to appear in the exam online on a first-come-first-served basis.

While the usual written exam will be held April 24, 2011, the online exams will be held from May 1-15 for about one lakh candidates.

Candidates can either opt for paper pencil test or computer-based test this year. Students who are planning to take the test were happy that the new version is optional. “I am happy that the online test is not mandatory for us. Many candidates have been preparing for the paper-pencil test. Switching to a new format might affect the speed and accuracy rate,” a student said.

'For the first time, the board has also made a facility available for appearing in online examination for one lakh candidates on first-come-first-served basis in select 20 cities, with a maximum of 5,000 per city,' a CBSE official said.

Information on the exam next year will be available at various banks, educational institutions and regional offices of the board from Dec 15.

The facility for submission of online application will be available from Nov 23 on the AIEEE website.

The AIEEE exam is held for admission to the National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Information Technology, several deemed universities and some state institutions.

Many private colleges also accept AIEEE ranks for admission.

More than 11 lakh candidates are expected to appear for AIEEE examination in its 10th edition next year seeking admission to engineering courses.

IANS

Restriction to use Internet by students, IIT-K

Perturbed over back-to-back cases of students committing suicide at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K), the institute authorities may put restriction on the round-the-clock internet facility available to the students on the campus during late night hours.

At present the students have freedom to access internet all through the day.

"This 24-hour freedom to the students of using the internet facility seems to be affecting their studies and leaving them fatigued. With incomplete sleep and lack of concentration in the classroom, the students fall in depression," said one of the faculty members of IIT-K, who was a part of a fact-finding team in one such suicide instance.

"Hostelers keep surfing the internet throughout the night. When they go for the classes, they are tired due to lack of sleep. Thus, they are not able to concentrate on academics. This leads to stress," said SS Kashalkar, registrar, IIT-Kanpur.

Therefore, soon the internet service provided to the students at their hostel rooms may be suspended from 12 in the midnight till 8 in the morning, he said further.

Kashalkar further informed that a proposal to this affect will be sent by the counselling cell to the faculty members and the student senate for approval.

Meanwhile, when TOI spoke to a few IIT-K students about the snapping of the internet facility, they expressed their disagreement over the proposal.

"Do you think imposing ban on use of internet during the midnight hours will stop students from committing suicide," questioned an MTech student while talking to TOI.

He further added, "Internet usage varies from student to student. For some it might be a source of entertainment only but for others it is of a great help in studies. Thousands of students on the campus make use of internet and banning it at the time of our studies is not acceptable."

Interestingly, there were several other students who were not in favour of placing ban on the use of internet.

"In today's age, our authorities are thinking of restricting the internet during the time when most of the students here study. It is surprising. This is not the right solution to prevent suicides from taking place here in the institute. The students in stress and depression need counselling service and help from psychiatrists and restricting internet will not give any good results," said another IIT-Kanpur student on the condition of not being named.

Though on the other hand, the IIT-K professors were on an opinion of restricting the use of internet for the students.

"If internet service is restricted during midnight, it will help students in focussing towards their academics during the class hours," said a senior IIT-K professor.

TOI

National Aptitude Test in Architecture - 2011

The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is a national level examination for admission to undergraduate courses in Architecture. NATA is conducted by National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA) which is a body of Council of Architecture, New Delhi. NATA is without doubt the most important exam for architecture aspirants. Most of the universities and institutes including the state level universities provide admission to their undergraduate courses through NATA scores. Every year a large number of candidates appear for NATA.

The Union Government holds National Aptitude in Architecture that is designed to generate different scholarship for the poorest candidates. The candidates can find the program to be a great boon as the rural part of our nation especially gains from this all. The candidates who belong to the rural area are the one that primarily gain from this exam, however this in no case means that candidates who belong to the urban area avail less opportunities. The entrance test offers high standard as the number of seats offered as very less and the number of appearing candidate are quite high.

After NATA the further admission process is conducted by the institutes/universities/admission committees who use NATA scores for short listing candidates for admission. NATA can be given at any day from 1st January to 30th September every year at designated test centers across the country based on a prior appointment. Candidates can appear for NATA as many times as they want.

Eligibility criteria:

Candidates should have passed class 12th with Mathematics as a subject or done diploma from a recognised institute/university/board with atleast 50% aggregate marks in 12th/diploma. Candidates with International Baccalaureate Diploma having 50% aggregate marks and Maths as a subject can also apply. The candidates should be resident of India and should have attained a minimum age of seventeen years as on 01st of July of the ensuing year of the entrance test. Furthermore, the candidates should be mentally as well as physically fit during the admission process.

How to Apply:

For appearing in NATA candidates have to fill a pre-registeration form which is available at the NATA website www.nata.in and also at the designated test centers. Candidates then have to take an appointment from the test center by paying the test fees. Candididates will be finally given receipt cum appointment voucher with date and time from the Test Center.

The candidates that are interested in earning their application form through post have to send the requisite letter to the given address, and provide their registration number at the top of the letter. The candidates are also advised to provide a specimen of their signature at the back side of the Demand Draft.

Examination pattern and syllabus:

NATA is conducted in two parts: Paper based drawing test and Computer based online aesthetic sensitivity test. Paper Based Drawing Test is of two hours consisting of two questions with one question containg two sub questions. Computer Based Aesthetic Sensitivity Test is an adaptive test of two hours consisting of 40 Multiple Choice Questions.There is no negative marking. These tests measures candidate’s drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability.

Contact details:

Council of Architecture

India habital Centre, Core 6-A, 1st Floor, Lodhi Road, New Delhi- 110003

Tel: 011-24648415, 24654172,

Fax: 011-24647746

E-mail: coa@ndf.vsni.net.in

Website: www.nata.in

Source-entrance-exam.net

AIEEE - 2011 exam on april 24

The 10th All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for admission to various NITs, IIITs, Deemed Universities and for few State Institutions will be conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education on April 24, 2011 for admission to B.E./B.Tech. and B.Arch./B. Planning

Sale of Information Bulletin will start from December 15, 2010 from various branches of Banks/Institutions/Regional Offices of the Board. However, for those willing to apply online, the facility for submission of online application will be available from November, 23.

This year, for the first time, the Board has also made facility available for appearing in online examination for one lakh candidates on first come first served basis in select 20 cities with a capacity of 5000 per city. For detailed information students can visit www.aieee.nic.in (HT)