Cartoon camp at Kottayam

Cartoon camp at Kottayam

Kerala Cartoon Academy is organising a two-day cartoon study camp for children at Kottayam Public Library.

Being organised by the academy in association with Kottayam Public Library, the camp would be held on May 13 and 14 at the library hall.

Cartoonists Toms, Sukumar, Nathan, Seeri, P V Krishnan, Raju Nair, Thomas Antony, Unnikrishnan and others and Cartoon Academy office-bearers would lead the camp.

The history of cartoon, cartoon-caricature making, and the field of animation would be introduced to the children.

Those who want to participate in the camp should contact Secretary, Public Library, Sastri Road, Kottayam, phone 0481-2562434,

e-mail:kottayampubliclibrary@yahoo.com

World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April 2009

World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 28 April 2009

2009: Health and life at work: A basic human right
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an international campaign to promote safe, healthy, and decent work. This year, as in previous years, tripartite events will be taking place world wide, and a number of products are available from this Web page to support those efforts. You are invited to join us in promoting this important day.

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/worldday/index.htm

Cartoon camp for children at Kottayam

Independent villa for sale at Ernakulam

Independent villa for sale at Ernakulam

Newly renovated 4 bedroom villa for sale near Thevara College, Ernakulam. Interested parties may contact 00 91 944 721 56 88.

Career Awareness, Career Coaching and Selection of Higher Education Opportunities

Career Awareness, Career Coaching and Selection of Higher Education Opportunities

During this time of the year, parents and students often begin to discuss and or finalize the selection of higher education programs to prepare their children for eventual career paths.

My experience over that last five years is that often these decisions are made on the basis of status, family history (someone in the family is in the profession) or on a perception of constitutes a “hot” or trendy career field.

While making selections for professional endeavors and the educational programs that are pre-requisite in this manner is one way to plan for the future, it unfortunately overlooks two important variables. Does the individual have the traits and preferences that fit well with that profession and perhaps, more important in the long run, will they truly embrace that profession with not only their mind but their heart?

Global research and the experience of professional career coaches suggest an intense desire for a career makes all the difference.

I often ask both youth and older career changers the following question: What can you imagine yourself doing for work that would make you jump out of bed every morning with anticipation and joy? What do you enjoy so much that you would do it even if you were not paid for it?

While some think these questions are silly or idealistic, the truth is we do our best work when we can add passion and enthusiasm.

As a trained counsellor, career management consultant and certified level A and B workplace assessor, I can assist in a variety of ways. I use a combination of discussion, imagery and psychometric testing to help people make educational and career choices that are based on their personality preferences, their goals and their self - identity.

I firmly believe, as my graduate school mentor once said: After considering, content, location, work functions, educational requirements, work environments and the current labor market conditions, ask yourself one more question….where is the “magic”? Does this choice have even “magic for the soul and heart that it will propel me through my life?

It’s a question worth asking, and my services can help.


For more information on my background please see my Linkedin profile:

http://www.linkedin.com/myprofile?trk=hb_side_pro

Contact:

Bruncha M Milaszewski, MA

General Manager,Consulting and Training

Capita-Global FZE

PO Box 43755 +971 2 414 6778

Abu Dhabi UAE +971 2699 4848 (fax)

+971 50 561 5497(mobile)

E-mail: Bruncha@capita-global.com

Common Admission Retail Test till May 30

Common Admission Retail Test till May 30

April 12 : The Common Admission Retail Test (CART) 2009, being conducted by the Retailers Association of India (rai) for admission to the Industry-Allied 18-Month Post-Graduate Programme in Retail Management (PGPRM) being offered at 17 B-Schools across India (See http://www.cart2009.com/choice-of-institute.html for the list of Institutions) can be attempted till 30th May 2009.

Candidates applying for CART must hold a Bachelors Degree of any statutory University with minimum 50% marks. Students who are in their final year of Bachelor's Degree education may also apply.

The objective of the test is to assess the aptitude of an applicant for Retail Management Education, including Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Consumer Comprehension.

The examination is being conducted at over 32 centers across India. The full list of centres is given at http://www.cart2009.com/test-centre.html

The CART application forms will be available at retail stores of rai member organisations. Application can also be submitted online at http://www.cart2009.com/choice-of-institute.html Last date for receipt of the Filled up Application forms is 25th May 2009. CART Online Test can be taken till 30th May 2009. Sample questions of CART is given at http://www.cart2009.com/question-paper.html

Details can be had from Retailers Association of India, 111/112, Ascot Centre, Next to Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Sahar Road, Sahar, Andheri (East) Mumbai-400099 or from http://www.cart2009.com/

Advanced Course in Bioinformatics

Advanced Course in Bioinformatics

April 19 : Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh -500607, is conducting an Advanced Course in Bioinformatics (ACB).

ACB is a six months, fulltime course consisting of thirteen modules and an industry relevant project. Continuous evaluation is a part of the course structure where in day to day work of the students would be evaluated based on the performance through assignments and tests. Daily session comprises of 3 hours of classroom lecture followed by 4 hours of lab work.

The fee for the course which includes course material, computer facility & High Performance Computing facility is Rs.40,000/- for General candidates (18 seats) and Rs.50,000/- for Industry sponsored candidates (6 seats).

Applicant should be a B.Tech/BE in Computer Science/Chemical Technology / Biotechnology/Pharmacy/MBBS/BDS/B.VSc/M.V.Sc/ Post Graduation (M.Sc) in Computer Science/ Biological Science (Any branch of Life Science)/ Environmental Science / Biotechnology / Chemistry/Agricultural Science / Mathematics /Statistics/Physics and should have Good Knowledge in Bioinformatics, which requires exposure in Biology, Computer Fundamentals and Programming concepts in C Language.

Selection will be based on the performance in a Common Entrance Test (CET), covering Computer Fundamentals (40 Marks), Biology Concepts (40 Marks) and General Aptitude Test (20 Marks), to be held on 14th June 2009 (Sunday) from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm at IICT ZM School, IICT Campus, Habsiguda, Uppal Road., Hyderabad. Detailed syllabus of CET is given at http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/. Industry sponsored candidates should also appear for the CET. Separate merit list will be maintained for Sponsored candidates.

Application can be obtained from ‘Dr. U.S.N. Murty, Course Coordinator, Head, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, A.P-500 607, by paying Rs.250/- by way of Demand Draft drawn in favour of Director, IICT Hyderabad.

Application can be downloaded from http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/. Those using downloaded form should attach DD for Rs.250/- with filled in application form.

Last date for receipt of filled up application by Dr. U.S.N. Murty, Course Coordinator, Head, Biology Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, A.P- 500 607, is 20th May 2009.

More details can be had from http://www.iictindia.org/zacb/

PhD in Computer Science at IIITD

PhD in Computer Science at IIITD

April 19 : The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Delhi has invited applications for the full time collaborative PhD Programme in Biometrics, Data Management and Software Engineering. Applicant should have good programming expertise, solid foundations in CS/Mathematics and interest in pursuing research in one of the above mentioned areas.

Applicant should have graduated within the last two years with a BTech/BE/MTech/MS/ME in CS/IT/ECE/EE with a good academic record (at least a CGPA of 7.5 or equivalent in IITs/NITs, or in the top 10% in his/her CS/IT/ECE/EE batch from other institutions). Requirements may be relaxed for candidates with publications/ R&D/software development experience in their area of interest. MCA/MSc(CS/IT/ECE) students are also eligible to apply with the condition that in their UG Course (B.Sc) they should have Mathematics as one of the courses, obtained first division marks in it, and have keen interest/capability/commitment in pursuing research. Students in their final semester of BTech/BE/MTech/ME are eligible to apply. Students in Electronics branch are also eligible to apply

Interview for admission may be done jointly by IIITD and the partner group. The main supervisor will be from IIIT Delhi and a co-supervisor can be had from the partner group. After completing the course work and starting the research, the student may spend 3 months to 1 year with the co-supervisor at the partner group/institution.

Stipend in first year is Rs 20,000 per month. It can be up to Rs 25,000 per month from the second to the fourth year. While at the partner group or organization, the partner will pay the stipend as per the norms. Institute will provide financial support to present papers in National and International conferences

Application can be downloaded from http://www.iiitd.ac.in/phd2009.php
Duly filled application form with 2 recommendation letters and a Cheque or DD of Rs. 200/- in favor of IIIT Delhi should reach ‘PhD Program Coordinator, IIIT Delhi, NSIT Campus, Azad Hind Fauj Marg, Sector-3, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078’, by April 28, 2009.

Test/Interview will be held at IIITD between May 15 and 16, 2009. The Results will be put on the website on May 22, 2009. Detailed information of the programme is vailable at http://www.iiitd.ac.in/Collaborative_PhD_programOfIIITD.pdf

When prison is not the right penalty

When prison is not the right penalty
Mahmoud Habboush, THE NATIONAL, 22 APRIL 2009

Last Updated: April 21. 2009 / A minister yesterday said that two types of common offences – traffic violations and antisocial behaviour – could soon be punishable by community service.

A draft law was recently approved by the Cabinet that would give courts the power to order people convicted of minor crimes to work in the community instead of serving jail time.

Speaking to members of the Federal National Council yesterday, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Minister of Interior, for the first time specified the category of offences and types of community service that could be included.

It remained unclear, however, exactly what crimes would be covered.

Referring first to antisocial behaviour, he said community service could help address the fact that the federal Government had no plans to follow some emirates in introducing a code of conduct.

He was responding to a question by an FNC member from Abu Dhabi, Ahmad al Dhahiri, who complained about the lack of a federal code of behaviour.

Dubai, for instance, has introduced such a code. Among other things, it says that people can be warned or fined for public displays of affection.

In severe cases, they can face jail terms and deportation.

The emirate’s code also calls for people to respect the local culture and religion, and urges visitors to avoid wearing clothing that “exposes parts of the body”.

“The ministry has taken an important step which is the alternative penalty law that will be brought before your council ... soon,” Sheikh Saif said.

“Community service was suggested for simple crimes committed by individuals instead of sending them to prison.

“People who face penalties are members of the society, and sometimes prison doesn’t achieve the punishment that the Government is seeking, and therefore community service is suggested.”

Responding to a suggestion by Mr al Dhahir that the Interior Ministry distribute a booklet explaining to foreigners how they should behave in the UAE, Sheikh Saif said: “I can’t make people read the criminal law.”

Instead, he said, a new department at the ministry, expected to start operating in the second quarter, would be responsible for promoting respect for the law.

He suggested it would take some time to educate visitors: “We can’t educate people in one or two years.”

Turning to community service for traffic offences, Sheikh Saif said: “They would be sent to schools to talk to pupils about their mistakes or would be told to spend time in the emergency rooms at hospitals to see for themselves the danger of their actions.” In the US and the UK, among other countries, community service is imposed for a range of offences.

Service can involve working in teams with other offenders, tidying up scenic spots, removing graffiti or carrying out anti-crime measures, such as installing gates and security locks. Others could be ordered to work in charity shops, for instance.

Also during yesterday’s session, the Minister of Health, Humaid Mohammed Obaid al Qattami, promised that more jobs would be created in the coming year for doctors and nurses in hospitals and clinics across the country.

Mr al Qattami was answering a question by Salem al Naqbi, a member of the Federal National Council from Sharjah, who said that Emirati doctors were doing jobs that were below their qualifications. The member also said hospitals and clinics were understaffed.

The minister said measures were being taken to “improve the conditions” of ministry staff. He said the ministry had more 1,766 job openings in 2008, most of which have been already filled.

“Hopefully, in co-operation with the Ministry of Finance in the coming weeks the conditions of more than 700 employees will be improved,” Mr Qattami said.

The FNC members also passed a draft amendment of some articles of a 2006 law on the banning of production, storage and use of chemical weapons. It calls for the creation of a national committee to monitor and regulate the use of dangerous chemical substances and chemical weapons. The committee would be also responsible for enforcing the law.

No News 16th edition - Reflections of Warriors

Dear Friends,

Welcome to read the 16th issue of No News. In the olden days, it was a tradition for elders to sit with children and tell them stories. Mostly this happened in the evening and a group of 7 to 8 children gather around to listen a story, a short one with a moral ending. In those days, it was the natural formative way to groom the children to a responsible citizen. As we progressed and as the combined families shrunk to single family and single child, this tradition had a slow death. The busy schedule of both working parents and limited opportunities to interact with relatives and friends killed the age old tradition of story telling. Children, where do they go and what do they do to pick up precious pearls of wisdom?. TV cartoons or serials?. The importance of school libraries and regular reading lessons gets prominence at this stage. More libraries and reading opportunities should be made available for our children. A point to ponder.

It is not easy to preach and not at all easy to practise what we preach. I myself had a good experience two days ago. As a strong advocate and follower of traffic and safety rules, I try and make sure to follow the rules. They say, there is always a secret eye watching you and this happened after I parked my car in front of a road side villa. After finishing my work, I was taking my car and there comes a hand stopping me. A traffic warden walked from nowhere and handed over to me a parking violation ticket. He continued, Sir, you have parked in front of a no parking zone!. I looked around and could not locate any no-parking signs. Enquiring a little more about the locality I discovered that previous day, many drivers double parked in that area and created traffic obstructions for the residents and their complaints caused this decision of reinforcing an old no-parking situation in that area. I drove away accepting it as a good source of permanent reminder to stay away from future violations.

Participating recently in a photography competition by Malayala Manorama newspaper gave me an opportunity to experience the intensity associated with all those children taking part in various reality shows and events. Apart from having talent, they and their entire team should have the motivation to sustain their interest and efforts during the period they compete. To generate continuous interest amongst the audience is not an easy task. It is at this challenging time that innovative and inventive creative qualities within a person blossoms. This automatically becomes a grooming ground of future real time man management for the child. A look at the leading participants of any of the major competition will give you an idea about them and their academic skills and added value of extra-curricular talent.

Incidentally, this also brought in front of me another startling factor from a series of music reality shows concluded recently. As many as 5 children belonging to a small community – warrier’s - came to the finals of various regional singing reality shows. Arun Gopan, Mridula V R, Durga Warrier, Parvathy and Rashmi Vijayan. It is nice to see parents promoting children and their talent to blossom along with their academic progress. A new set of real life winners are being groomed and let out to the society to rule the future world of talent. How important is the role of parents here in the success achieved by each one of them? I really applaud them for supporting their children to come out and perform to their best.

On a similar platform, I look at the opportunities available to our children and those left un-explored by them. In our specific case, www.talentshare.blogspot.com initiative gives children the perfect platform to expand their non-performing talent. With a small effort of sending a creative work by email in jpg form, a child’s expressive thoughts gets into a history of his/her life. Imagine the feeling he/she gets after sending it across to his favourite uncle or grand parents across the world. Regular participation in it provides a self progress report for the growth of their creative career as they could analyse by themselves the creative efforts before, now and after. Please do not miss this opportunity to groom your child to participate in future at bigger venues whenever it is made available.

Higher education options for children are getting competitive than ever. The current economic scenario world-wide have reprioritised the demand in the field of education. Interests in arts, economics and language have gained back prominence. Specific job oriented courses have come up and even professional courses have direct admission facilities for students to join them straight from their high school. www.cbseplus.blogspot.com is dedicated to bring out the best support role for students. Several links with the objective of giving maximum guidance to children have been included in it. Parents, teachers and students are kindly requested to utilise this site to the maximum benefit they could reap from it. Nothing comes easy and free. Here, all the above are free for use. May be that is the reason it does not get the right value expected out of it. This is why each time a parent support his child to participate in the Talent Share objective gets rewarded. Because, without their support, children will never be able to participate in it.

With immense honour, I include a part of the answer provided to the media by H.H.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Ministre of UAE. On asked about how he juggles his political and non-political roles and what he does for fun, he answered: “The day has 24 hours or 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. For me, this is sufficient time for work, hobbies and sports. It works if you respect time and you know how to organize your schedule. Whoever enjoys his work, it seems that you add five days to your week. I enjoy my work, which is my existence in my life: the service of my homeland and my people. My joy increases when I see the progress and prosperity of my homeland and my people. I do not work alone, I have a team whom I lead and encourage and on whom I rely. Within each human being there is an inexhaustible source of potential, but there is no human being with unlimited capacity. What is important is to know your capacities - and how you should use them. For fun, I spend my time with my family at the beach or in the desert. I love to read. I ride horses. My love for horses is indescribably enormous; it is part of my soul and history.

True words of wisdom from a leader who utilise each minute of his life for himself, his family and the society. Reflection of a true warrior. As do all the others who devote time for their children, family and society. What more one need? See the whole picture, enjoy it’s complete beauty and give your best positive efforts to your life and society around.

God Bless and have a great week ahead.

Ramesh Menon
22042009 / e-mail: team1dubai@gmail.com

Admission to MBBS and BDS Courses

Applications are invited form eligible Candidates for admission to MBBS and BDS Courses at SRI RAMADHANDRA MEDICAL COLLEGE AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE and SRI RAMACHANDRA DENTAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL for the academic year 2009-10.

Eligibility for M.B.B.S. and B.D.S is H.S.C. (+2) or equivalent qualification with English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology (or) Botany & Zoology with marks as prescribed by the respective statutory Councils.

Selection will be made on merit, based on the marks secured in the Entrance Examination conducted by the University on All India basis. Course will be allotted through counseling.

Prospectus and Application Form for Entrance Examination may be obtained either by downloading from the website www.srmc.edu or from the Registrar on requisition with a Demand Draft for Rs. 1,100/—(Rupees one thousand one hundred only) drawn in favour of “The Registrar, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai 116” or in person by paying Rs. 1,000/-(Rupees one thousand only) at the University Office.

Application forms will be issued from 23,03.2009 (Monday). The last date for issue of Application forms is 24.04.2009 (Friday). Last date for receipt of filled in Application forms is 06.05.2009 (Wednesday). All India Level Common Entrance Examination will be held on 24.05.2009(Sunday) from 10.00. a.m. to 1.00. p.m in Examination Centres at BANGALORE, CHENNAI, DELHI, KOLKATA & PUNE.

For more details vist: www.srmc.edu
SRI RAMACHANDRA UNIVERSITY
(Declared under Section 3 of the UGC Act. 1956)
Accredited by NAAC with ‘A’ Grade
Porur, Chennai-600116. Ph: 044 -24769816 Fax: 044 -24765995

Note:
1. Candidate belonging to any State in India are eligible to apply.
2. Candidates appearing for H.S.C. (+2) Examination in March/ April 2009 can appear for the Entrance Examination.
3. The University shall not be responsible for any postal delay or loss in transit.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers

7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers

Blogging is IN!

And it's here to stay!

Blogs are easy to set up and use.

And you can create a good blog by writing out the thoughts that roam in your mind and presto - and you'll be blogging like a pro before you even know it!

Here are 7 essential habits you should develop if you want to be a highly effective blogger:

Blogging Habit #1 - Determine Your Purpose

Highly effective bloggers blog with a clear purpose in mind.

So decide on a purpose for your blog.

Blogs exist to filter information, organize business information, share news and profitable content, establish professional identities and bonds, discuss social issues, or muse about life in general.

Beginning in a focused manner is one of the best ways to start a blog.

And knowing your 'mission' will help you accomplish more with your blog.

Blogging Habit #2 - Define Your Audience

Highly effective bloggers understand their target audience.

Their wants, needs, likes and dislikes, and possible reactions and responses.

So always reflect on your anticipated audience.

You conduct yourself differently with friends than you will with professional associates, strangers, customers, or family members.

Knowing who you're writing to beforehand, allows you to adopt acceptable and appropriate tones in your blog journals.

Blogging Habit #3 - Blog With Passion

Blog with passion!

And the best way to achieve this is to write on a topic you are most passionate about.

And the more you're passionate about a topic, the more it'll show in your writing.

Remember, a blog is the place for voicing opinions - Your Opinions!

So, engage your readers with a passion and make your writing interesting.

Blogging Habit #4 - Blog Frequently

Highly effective bloggers understand the importance of blogging frequently.

Your aim, as a blogger, is to get interested readers to return to your site to see the latest scoop, what's new and what's not, the 'ins' and 'outs'.

To this end, aim to post several times a week.

If not, at least once a week.

Frequent posting creates dialogue that invites your readers to return to your blog.

It will increase the 'stickiness' of your blog i.e. the ability to attract returning visitors.

And they'll keep coming back if they like what you write about.

Blogging Habit #5 - Blog Honestly

Credibility counts, so be honest.

Respect your audience and all bloggers.

Words can live forever on the net so be courteous too.

Manners never go out of style.

Ethics and integrity are necessary and keep your own standards high.

So stick to them!

Blogging Habit #6 - Encourage Interactivity

Blogs should not be a 'one-way' communication tool.

As far as possible, always encourage feedback by encouraging your readers to comment on your blog postings.

Allow your readers to air their own views.

Whether or not they agree with you.

Turn your blog into a virtual community and platform for exchanging of ideas, views and opinions.

Blogging Habit #7 - Link to Other Blogs

Highly effective bloggers understand the importance and value of linking.

Linking to other blogs allow your readers to expand their realm of knowledge and experience beyond what you can offer.

Because you want your readers to have more than a 'single' opinion of the topic in question.

And readers will appreciate your openness and reward you through return visits to your blog.

Bloggers actually amplify each other's voices when they cross-link with each other, forming a grassroots network of information sharing that can form social alliances.

Most blog audiences start with small numbers, but with frequent and regularly scheduled updates, your audience should grow.

Put into practice these 7 blogging habits and transform yourself into a highly effective blogger starting today!

About the Author

Fabian Lim is a Web Analytics & Internet Marketing Consultant.He helps organizations and individuals succeed online. Visit his website at http://www.BizSuccessOnline.com and blog at http://www.fabianlim.name

Source: http://www.4hb.com/20050316070411.html

Happy Easter

Med. Admissions at St Johns, Bangalore

Med. Admissions at St Johns, Bangalore

Feb, 22 : St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore has announced the schedule for admission to the various courses of the Institute for 2009-10.

MBBS: Application & Prospectus for admission to the MBBS Course at St.John's Medical College Sarjapur Road, Bangalore-560034 will be available from 3rd March, 2009.

The Cost of the Application form is Rs. 550/-. For Indians who passed the qualifying Examination abroad and NRI Students, the cost of the application form is Rs. 1500/-.
The Last date for Issuing/Receiving Application forms is 4. 5.2009. The Entrance Test is scheduled for 24.5.2009.

Visit http://www.stjohns.in/medicalcollege/courses.html#eligibility_mbbs for details.
Nursing Courses at St.John's College of NursingB.Sc Nursing: Application & Prospectus available from 11.3.2009. Cost of the Application form is Rs. 350/-. The last date for Issuing/Receiving Application forms is 30.4.2009. Entrance Test will be held on 7.6.2009.

P.C.B.Sc Nursing: Application & Prospectus available from 11.3.2009. Cost of application form is Rs. 350/-. The last date for Issuing/Receiving Application forms is 6.4.2009.
General Nursing: Application & Prospectus available from 11.3.2009. Cost of the Application form is Rs. 250/-. Last date for Issuing/Receiving Application forms will be 15.5.2009. Visit http://www.stjohns.in/nursingcollege/ for details.

Application Forms & Prospectus can be obtained from the Admissions Office by submitting a DD for the prescribed amount in favour of ‘ST. JOHN`S MEDICAL COLLEGE’, payable at Bangalore.

Diploma in Dramatic Arts at NSD

Diploma in Dramatic Arts at NSD

March 18 : National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwandas Road, New Delhi-1, an autonomous institution, under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India has invited applications for admission to the 3- Year Diploma Course (full-time residential) in Dramatic Arts, starting in July 2009.

The programme is aimed at training students to become professionals in the area of acting, design and other related disciplines of theatre. The medium of Instruction is Hindi/English.
Applicant should be a Graduate in any subject from a recognized University in India, should have participation in at least 6 productions, should have working knowledge of Hindi & English. Applicant should be at least 20 years of age and should not be over 30 years of age as on 1.7.2009. The upper age limit is relaxable by 5 years for SC/ST candidates.

Out of 23 seats, 3 seats are reserved for SC, 1 for ST, 3 for OBC except Creamy Layer as notified by Government) and Physically Disabled persons, as per Govt, of India rules.

Selection will be based on the decisions of the Expert Committee constituted by the School which will assess the aptitude and talent of the candidate. A preliminary test will be conducted at Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai & Guwahati. Those qualifying in this test are to attend a workshop of 4/5 days in the School premises for their final selection, for which they will be paid DA and II class train/ bus fare from the place of their residence to Delhi & back by the shortest route, on submission of ticket/ cash receipt and will also be provided accommodation on modest sharing basis.

All selected students will be given monthly scholarship of Rs.3000/- to meet their academic and other expenses. The students selected for admission will undergo a medical test for physical fitness. The preliminary selection is subject to the clearance of fitness test.

Application Form & Prospectus will be available from the Book Shop of National School of Drama from 20.3.2009 to 20.4.2009 on payment of Rs.150/- in cash, between 10 am and 1 pm & 2 pm and 4 pm.

Application form and Prospectus in English & Hindi (bi-lingual), can be obtained from ‘Assistant Registrar (Academics), National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, Bhagwandas Road, New Delhi-1’ by sending a request with a Crossed Demand Draft/Pay Order, for Rs. 225/- in favour of the Director, National School of Drama, New Delhi, payable at Delhi.

Filled in Application must reach the Assistant Registrar (Academic) on or before 20.4.2009.
Those who have been applying for the last 3 years but could not qualify in the preliminary interview need not apply. However the applicants who qualified in the preliminary interview but could not clear the final interview during the last 2 years may apply.

More details can be had from www.nsd.gov.in

KRLM Entrance on May 24th

KRLM Entrance on May 24th

March 21 : Karnataka Religious & Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges Association (KRLMPCA) has invited applications for the Under Graduate Common Entrance Test (UG-CET), 2009-10 (Medical/Dental/Engineering), for admission to the member institutes of the association.

Eligibility Criteria:

Medical/Dental: Applicant should have passed II PUC/10+2 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry Biology and English with 50% marks in aggregate in PCB.

Engineering: Applicant should have passed II PUC/10+2 or equivalent with Physics, Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with Chemistry/Bio Technology/Computer Science/Biology/Electronics as optional subjects with English as one of the languages of study and obtained minimum aggregate of 45% in the optional subjects.

Applicants will be ranked based on the marks secured by them in UG-CET. Those securing less than 50% aggregate marks in the UG CET will not be eligible for admission and hence will not be included in Rank List.

The UG-CET will be held at Bangalore, Belgaum, Delhi, Gulbarga, Guwahati, Mangalore, and Raichur on 24th May, 2009 (Sunday), between 9 am and 3 pm, as per the following schedule.
Physics: 9.30 am to 10.30 am, Chemistry: 11 am to 12 pm, Biology: 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm and Mathematics: 2 pm to 3 pm.

Detailed address of the examination center would be made available on the admission tickets which could be downloaded by entering the name of applicant as user name and date of birth as password, from the Association’s website www.kmca.info. The downloading of Admission Ticket would be allowed from 2nd May, 2009. Username is to be typed in small letters only, as filled in application form with out any space in between.

UG CET will carry maximum of 60 marks in each subject, with multiple choice questions, mostly based on I/II PUC syllabi prescribed by the Department of Pre-University Education, Karnataka State. Candidates have to mark the answers on the OMR Answer sheets using blue or black ball point pen only. There will be no negative marking for wrong answers. Candidates can take with them, the replica of the OMR Answer paper, after the examination.

Answer Keys will be uploaded on 25th May, 2009. Objections, if any, are to reach Chief Examiner latest by 5 pm on 28th May, 2009 along with all the supporting documents, only by Post. Results will be announced on 15.6.2009 and put on the website. Details of Fee structure for the year 2009-10 would be put on the website at a later date.

Applications will be available till 19.4.2009 at www.kmca.info/PDF-UG-2009/Application%20Form-UG-2009.pdf for downloading. Information Brochure can be downloaded from www.kmca.info/Calendar-UG.htm

Filled applications along with a DD of Rs.1000/- drawn in favour of KRLMPCA payable at Bangalore, should reach ‘The Chief Examiner, Karnataka Religious & Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges Association (Regd) (KRLMPCA), Flat No.143, 4th floor, ‘Suryamukhi’, Garden Apartments, # 21, Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, Karnataka-560 001, by 21.4.2009.
Website: www.kmca.info

Ph.D at Centre for DNA Finger Printing

Ph.D at Centre for DNA Finger Printing March 21 : The Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad has invited applications for admission to the Research Scholars programme leading to PhD in the filed of genetics, molecular and cellular biology, molecular pathogenesis and computational & structural biology.

Eligibility : MBBS or Masters degree in any branch of Science, Technology or Agriculture. Applicants other than MBBS must have cleared CSIR / UGC/ DBT/ ICMR/ ICAR- NET JRF. Admission is based on written test and interview. Apply online through the website www.cdfd.org.in before 20th April 2009. The list of eligible applicants will be displayed on the website on 27th April 2009. Eligible candidate will be called for written test on 31.5.2009 at CDFD Hyderabad and those qualifying in the test will be interviewed on 1.6.2009.
For more details visit www.cdfd.org.

Admissions at BITS Dubai

Admissions at BITS Dubai

March 29 : BITS, Pilani, Dubai (BPD), a branch campus of BITS Pilani, Rajasthan, has invited applications for admission to the Undergraduate BE (Honours) Engineering Programmes in Computer Science, Electrical & Electronics, Electronics & Communication, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Chemical and Biotechnology for the Academic Session 2009-10, commencing on 30th August 2009.

Admission is based on candidate’s merit, his/her preferences, facilities available and availability of seats in the discipline preferred. The merit position of the candidate will be based only on the overall aggregate secured by the candidate in the Qualifying Examination. Admissions are open to all nationalities.

Applicant must have passed the Qualifying Examination, which is the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination of Ministry of Education, UAE or Senior School Certificate Examination of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi, India or its equivalent from any recognized State, National or International Board, with a minimum 60% aggregate of marks.

For all programmes, applicants must have studied and passed Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in the Qualifying Examination and must have a minimum aggregate of 60% in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics. If letter grades or GPA are awarded or the results are given based on any other form of evaluation, their equivalences in marks will be decided by BITS, Pilani- Dubai. Good proficiency in English is essential for admission. Those applicants who have completed their qualifying examination from Non-English Medium Schools must have secured a TOEFL Score of 500 in paper based test or 61 in Internet based test or should have an IELTS Score of 5. If necessary, they will also be assessed by an institute-committee for English Comprehension.

Application can be collected in person from the Admissions Office, BITS, Pilani - Dubai, Dubai International Academic City, P.O Box 500022, Dubai or can be obtained by sending a request on e-mail to admission@bitsdubai.com or may be downloaded from www.bitsdubai.com

The filled application form must be accompanied by Copy of mark sheet of the Qualifying Examination, such as General Secondary Education Certificate of Ministry of Education, UAE or Senior School Certificate of CBSE, New Delhi, India or its equivalent, Copy of 10th grade certificate, Copy of the Birth Certificate or any other document for proof of date of birth, Passport copy (first 3 pages and last 2 pages), the copy of Passport of parent residing in the GCC country with valid Residence Visa stamp in case of those applying under the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) category, TOEFL Score Report (for candidates from Non-English medium schools only), Application Fee of Arab Emirates Dirhams (AED) 150.00 only by Cash / Cheque / Crossed Demand Draft, drawn in favour of ETA-Network of Education and Training, payable at Dubai.

Applicants, who do not possess a valid Passport at the time of sending the Application, must enclose a declaration along with the Application, that they will fax the required Passport pages on or before August 10, 2009.

Completed Application Form along with necessary enclosures must be submitted in person or sent by courier to ‘The Admissions Office, BITS, Pilani - Dubai, P.O. Box 500022, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates’ to reach there latest by 5 pm on 16th June 2009 in case of GCC Candidates and latest by 5 pm on 4th July, 2009 for Non-GCC Candidates.

On receipt of the Application, a unique Application Number will be allotted and informed to the candidate, which must be quoted by the applicant in all subsequent correspondence with the Institute. Details of Fee Structure, Scholarships available, Admission Bulletin etc, are available at www.bitsdubai.com

Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test : Regn from April 1

Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test : Regn from April 1

March 29 : Anna University Chennai has invited applications for the Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET) 2009, to be conducted by it on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu, for admission to M.B.A, M.C.A, and M.E/M.Tech/ M.Arch/M.Plan Degree Programmes in Tamil Nadu for the year 2009-10 offered at University Departments of Anna University Chennai, Anna University Coimbatore, Anna University Trichy, Anna University Tirunelveli, Govt. Engineering, Arts and Science Colleges, Govt. Aided Engineering, Arts & Science Colleges, and Govt. Quota seats in Self-financing Engineering, Arts & Science Colleges/standalone Institutions. Some Universities and Self–Financing Engineering Colleges may also opt to admit the candidates on the basis of TANCET. Other State candidates can also appear for the entrance tests but, admission will be subject to the eligibility conditions of the admitting authority/University.

Applicants for MBA should have a pass in any Degree under 10+2+3 or 4 years or a pass in any Degree with 10+3 (Diploma) +3 years pattern.

Applicants for MCA should have passed in any recognized Bachelor’s Degree of minimum 3 year duration (10+2+3 or 4 years pattern) in any discipline with Mathematics or Business Mathematics at +2 level (or) should have passed in any recognized Bachelor’s Degree of minimum 3 years (10+2+3 or 4 pattern) duration in any discipline with Mathematics or Statistics as any one of the subjects.

The detailed eligibility conditions for admission to M.E/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan courses are available at www.annauniv.edu/tancet2009

Those who are appearing for final year/semester examination of the qualifying examinations in April/May 2009 can also apply.

The Entrance Test for M.B.A will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on 30.5.2009 (Saturday).

The Entrance Test for M.C.A would be from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m on 30.5.2009 (Saturday).

The Entrance test for M.E./M.Tech./M.Arch./M.Plan couses will be from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on 31.5.2009 (Sunday).

The Test will be held at Chennai, Coimbatore, Chidambaram, Dindigul, Erode, Karaikudi, Madurai, Nagercoil, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Vellore, Villupuram and Virudhunagar.

There is a common applications form for all the three entrance tests. Candidates have to submit only one application even if applying for more than one Programme. The Test fee is Rs.300/- (Rs.150/- for SC/ST candidates belonging to Tamil Nadu, on production of a copy of Permanent Community Certificate) for any one of the Programmes (M.B.A or M.C.A or M.E/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan). For every additional programme applied, applicant has to pay additional Test fee of Rs.300/- (Rs.150/- for SC/ST candidates belonging to Tamil Nadu) along with the filled-in application.

Registration for the entrance test will be either through ‘Spot Registration’ or ‘Registration through Internet’, both of which will commence on 1.4.2009.

Under Spot Registration, Hall Tickets will be issued to the candidates registering in person at one of the following Co-ordinating Centres, with cash or D.D for the required amount towards Entrance Test fee and a copy of 10th Std. Mark Sheet.

Examination Centre, Anna University Chennai, Chennai
Govt. College of Technology, Coimbatore
Annamalai University, Chidambaram
PSNA College of Engg. & Technology, Dindigul
Institute of Road and Transport Technology, Erode
Alagappa College of Engg. & Technology, Karaikudi
Thiagarajar College of Engg., Madurai
Govt. Polytechnic College, Nagercoil
Govt. College of Engg., Salem
Kunthavai Naachiyaar Govt. Arts College for Women, Thanjavur
Govt. College of Engg., Tirunelveli
Anna University Trichy, Trichy
Thanthai Periyar Govt. Institute of Technology, Vellore
University College of Engg., Villupuram
Kamaraj College of Engg., Virudhunagar

Registration through Internet will be at www.annauniv.edu/tancet2009
Demand Draft should be drawn in favour of ‘The Director, Entrance Examinations, Anna University Chennai’, payable at Chennai, to be obtained from any nationalized bank, taken on or after 29.03.2009. The last date for Spot Registration at Co-ordinating Centres, other than Anna University Chennai, will be 20.04.2009. Last date for Spot Registration at Examination Centre, Anna University Chennai, is 25.04.2009.

The last date for Registration through Internet is also 20.4.2009.
The completed application in respect of those who registered through Internet, should reach ‘The Secretary, TANCET, Examination Centre, Anna University Chennai, Chennai 600 025’ latest by 5.30 pm on 25.04.2009.

For more details, visit www.annauniv.edu/tancet2009

Refresher course in Library Science at University of Kerala

Refresher course in Library Science at University of Kerala

April 1: Applications have been invited by the Academic Staff College for a refresher course in Library Science from 2nd to 22nd May and is meant for college teachers. Application forms can be downloaded from www.ugcasc.keralauniversity.edu Filled applications along with the certificate from the principal concerned will have to reach the Director, Academic Staff College, Golden Jubilee Building, University of Kerala, Karyavattom - 695 581 on or before 15th April 2009.

Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Courses at Dr DY Patil University

Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Courses at Dr DY Patil University

Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Dr DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai, has notified the admissions to their B.Tech/M.Tech/M.Sc Programmes for 2009-10. The Graduate Programmes include B.Tech in Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Biomedical Engineering and Integrated M.Tech in Biotechnology.

The Post Graduate Programmes offered are M.Tech in Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and M.Sc in Genetic Engineering, Biotechnology.

Admissions to B.Tech Programmes are based on the All India Entrance Test-AIET-B Tech 2009, and to the PG Programmes through All India Entrance Test- AIET-M. Tech to be held on 17.5.2009 (Sunday) at Padmashree Dr DY Patil University, Nerul, Navi Mumbai – 40070

Eligibility:

B.Tech (AIET-B.TECH 2009): Applicant must have passed HSC Science or equivalent examination from a recognized Board, securing minimum aggregate of 50% marks in PCB/PCMB group with English as a subject. Those with Mathematics will be eligible for B. Tech Bioinformatics/B.Tech Biomedical Engineering courses.

M.Tech (AIET–M.TECH 2009): Applicant should be a Graduate with minimum 50% marks in B.E/B.Tech Biotechnology/Bioinformatics/Chemical Engineering/Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Biomedical Engineering/Bioprocess Technology/B.Pharm/MBBS/BDS or M.Sc or equivalent.

M.Sc (AIET– M.TECH 2009): Applicant should be a Graduate in Zoology/Botany/Life Sciences/Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Microbiology or equivalent, with minimum 50% marks.

Application from and Prospectus for AIET B Tech 2009 and AIET M Tech 2009 can be obtained from Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Plot 50, Sector 15, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai-400 614 from 6.4.09. The cost of Application Form and Prospectus is Rs. 500/-. The Entrance Test fees is Rs. 1000/-.

Application form and Prospectus will be available at http://www.dypatil.in/ also from 6th April, 2009. Downloaded Application Forms from web site has to be submitted with a fee of Rs. 1500

Payments can be made by cash or by DD from a Nationalised Bank in favor of ‘Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University’, payable at Navi Mumbai.

Last date for receipt of completed Application form at Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil University Plot no 50, Sector 15, CBD Belapur Navi Mumbai-400614, is 11th May, 2009 (Monday). It will be accepted with a late fee of Rs.500/- till 14th May, 2009 (Thursday).

Visit http://www.dypatil.in/ for more details

Biotechnology/ /Bioinformatics at Amrita

Biotechnology/ /Bioinformatics at Amrita

April 04 : Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Clappana P.O, Kollam, Kerala-690525, has invited applications for admission to various Under Graduate and Post Graduate Programmes for 2009.

The courses offered are (i) B.Sc. Biotechnology & B.Sc Microbiology (3 years, 6-Semesters) (ii) M.Sc Biotechnology (2years-4 Semesters) (iii) M.Sc. Microbiology (2 years-4 Semesters) and (iv) M.Sc Bioinformatics (2years -4 Semesters)

Eligibility:

(i) B. Sc. Biotechnology/ B.Sc Microbiology: Applicant should have passed the Higher Secondary Examination with a minimum of 60% aggregate in Biology, Physics and Chemistry from any State Board, CBSE or equivalent.

(ii) M. Sc. Biotechnology: Graduate Degree in any discipline of Science including Mathematics, Engineering or Medicine with a minimum of 60% aggregate. Background in Biology is preferred.

(iii) M. Sc. Microbiology: Graduate Degree in any discipline of Science including Mathematics, Engineering or Medicine with a minimum of 60% aggregate. Background in Biology is preferred.

(iv) M. Sc. Bioinformatics: Graduate Degree in any discipline of Science including Mathematics, Engineering or Medicine with a minimum of 60% aggregate. Background in Mathematics or Computer Science is preferred.
Selection will be based on Academic Record, Entrance Test (for M.Sc Biotechnology) and personal interview.

M.Sc. Biotechnology Amrita Entrance Examination will be held on 10th May, 2009.

Application fee is Rs. 550/- which covers the cost of Application form and Brochure. They may be collected in person from the Admission Office of School of Biotechnology Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Clappana P.O, Kollam, Kerala-690525 by paying cash.

Application materials can be obtained by Post from ‘The Admission Coordinator, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Clappana P.O, Kollam, Kerala.-690525’, by sending a written request for the same, indicating complete postal address and a Demand Draft for Rs. 550/-, from any Nationalized bank drawn in favour of ‘Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’, payable at Kollam.

Application can be downloaded from http://biotech.amrita.edu/admission.html. Filled up downloaded application has to be submitted along with a Demand Draft for Rs. 550/-, from any Nationalized bank, drawn in favour of ‘Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’, payable at Kollam.

Applicants can register online at http://biotech.amrita.edu/admission.html. On submitting the form, a confirmation slip will be obtained, which should be mailed along with a DD for Rs. 550/-, from a Nationalized bank, drawn in favour of ‘Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’, payable at Kollam.

M.Sc. Biotechnology applicants, who download the application form from website, have to fill the Admit Card for the Entrance Examination and submit it along with the completed application form.

Filled-in application form can be hand-delivered or should be sent by Speed Post/ Courier to ‘The Admission Coordinator, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Clappana P.O, Kollam, Kerala.-690525.

Last date for receipt of completed application form for M.Sc. Programmes is 30.4.2009 and that for B.Sc. Programmes is 16th May, 2009.

Visit http://biotech.amrita.edu/admission.html for details.

Refresher course in Music at University of Kerala

Refresher course in Music at University of Kerala

April 9: Applications have been invited by the Academic Staff College for a refresher course in Music from 1st May to 1st June and is meant for college teachers. Application forms can be downloaded from www.ugcasc.keralauniversity.edu Filled applications along with the certificate from the principal concerned will have to reach the Director, Academic Staff College, Golden Jubilee Building, University of Kerala, Karyavattom - 695 581 on or before 20th April 2009.

Refresher course in Environmental Science at University of Kerala

Refresher course in Environmental Science at University of Kerala

April 9: Applications have been invited by the Academic Staff College for a refresher course in Environmental Science from 9th May to 30th May and is meant for college teachers. Application forms can be downloaded from www.ugcasc.keralauniversity.edu Filled applications along with the certificate from the principal concerned will have to reach the Director, Academic Staff College, Golden Jubilee Building, University of Kerala, Karyavattom - 695 581 on or before 20th April 2009.

Short term course in Language Technology at University of Kerala

Short term course in Language Technology at University of Kerala

April 9: Applications have been invited by the Academic Staff College for a short term course in Language Technology to be held from 18th to 23rd May and is meant for college teachers. Application forms can be downloaded from www.ugcasc.keralauniversity.edu Filled applications along with the certificate from the principal concerned will have to reach the Director, Academic Staff College, Golden Jubilee Building, University of Kerala, Karyavattom - 695 581 on or before 20th April 2009.

Certificate in Yoga & Meditation at KU

Certificate in Yoga & Meditation at KU

April 9: Applications have been invited for a certificate programme in Yoga & Meditation and is offered by Centre for Continuing Education & Extension. Those with atleast Pre-Degree are eligible to apply for this three month course. Course fee is Rs 3500. Classes will be held from 7 to 9 am. The last date of receiving applications is 20th April 2009. For more details: Director, Centre for Continuing Education & Extension, Vikas Bhawan PO, PMG Junction, Thiruvananthapuram - 33

NRI Admissions for B.Tech/B.Arch at NIT- C

NRI Admissions for B.Tech/B.Arch at NIT- C

April 10 : National Institute of Technology Calicut, NIT Campus PO, Kozhikode, Kerala- 673 601, has invited applications from Dependants of NRIs for admissions to B.Tech/B.Arch Programmes for the session 2009-10.

Admission is offered only to sons/daughters of NRIs. Applicant in this category should have passed the final examination of 10+2 (Class XII) or its equivalent qualifying examination, given in Annexure I of the Prospectus available at http://www.nitc.ac.in/ and should be eligible for Central Counselling of the Central Counselling Board as per the results of the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE--2009).

For admission to B.Tech, applicant should have studied Physics & Mathematics (compulsory) with one among Chemistry / Biotechnology / Computer Science / Biology at the qualifying examination. For admission to B.Arch, applicant should have studied Mathematics as a subject at Plus Two and should have passed 10+2 level examination with 50% marks in aggregate.

Maximum age for admission is 25 years as on October 1, 2009. For applicants of SC/ST/PH categories, upper age limit is relaxable by 5 years. Maximum age for them will be 30 years as on October 1, 2009. There are 5 seats each in Civil Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, 2 in Chemical Engineering, 1 each in Production Engineering, Biotechnology and B.Arch, under NRI category.

Application has to be submitted online by clicking here . After submission of the details, a print out of the online application has to be taken. A passport size photograph taken not earlier than 3 months from the date of notification is to be affixed on the Application Form. The photo in the application should be self attested. (Eight more copies of the same photograph and one stamp size photograph should be produced at the time of Counselling/Admission).

The following documents should be enclosed with the print out of the online application form:

(i) Attested copy of proof of date of birth
(ii) Attested copy of the mark lists and pass certificate of the qualifying examination, if available
(iii) Course and Conduct certificate from the Head of the institution last attended
(iv) Attested copy of AIEEE-2009 Admit Card.
(v) Attested copy of NRI certificate, format of which is available in Appendix III of the Prospectus
(vi) Demand Draft for Rs.2000/- drawn in favour of ‘Director, NIT Calicut’, payable at State Bank of India, NIT Calicut Branch (Code No: 2207) towards Registration fee.

The attestation on the documents is to be done by a Govt. Gazetted Officer or Head of the Institution where the candidate has studied for the qualifying examination.

The print out of the online application form with the enclosures specified should reach ‘Chairperson-UG Admissions, National Institute of Technology Calicut, N.I.T.Campus P.O., Kozhikode, Kerala-673 601’, by Registered Post/Speed Post latest by 29.05.2009.

Admission will be based on the Rank obtained in the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE-2009), conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi.

The counselling/admission will be tentatively in July 2009. The date of counselling/admission will be notified at www.nitc.ac.in. The eligibility for counselling/admission and call letter for counselling should be downloaded from the website after login, using Application number and date of birth. No separate call letter will be despatched to applicants in this regard. Applicant will have to produce the original certificates and other documents at the time of counselling.

Those offered admission will have to remit the fees on the day of counselling failing which the offer shall be withdrawn forthwith. Tuition Fee (for 2 Semesters) is US$ 4000 (US $2000 for SAARC). Details of fee payable are given in the Prospectus.

Visit www.nitc.ac.in for more details.

Bracing up for the IIT-JEE?

Bracing up for the IIT-JEE?

Going by the sharp increase in applicants -- 3.95 lakh -- as against 3.2 lakh in 2008, the ‘IIT dream’ has certainly not lost its sheen, writes DEEPA KURUP

Photo: M. Vedhan

TAKING NO CHANCES: Students are busy with last-minute-cramming, strategising and brushing up on their year-long efforts for the IIT entrance test.

The joint entrance examination, used as a benchmark for admissions to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, is just round the corner. Young IIT aspirants, who have just completed their pre-university or 12th standard examinations, are busy with last-minute-cramming, strategising and brushing up on their year-long efforts. Going by the sharp increase in applicants — 3.95 lakh students applied, as against 3.2 lakh in 2008 — the ‘IIT dream’ has certainly not lost its sheen.

And with 13 IITs to choose from, and two others in Indore and Himachal Pradesh set to open admissions this year, for many their dream college has only moved closer home. Needless to say, competition will be stiff; and with news reports constantly talking about the low recruitment scene in your average engineering college, the rush to Brand IIT is likely to increase. News reports have attributed this surge to more students applying under various reserved quotas — nearly 1.55 lakh, as against around 50,000 last year. Last year, there was a total of 6,752 seats on offer in the seven old IITs and the six new ones. However, with several of them not having separate campuses, students are sceptical about them. For instance, IIT Bhubaneswar is operating out of IIT Kharagpur. Bhuvana Anil Kumar of the Triumphant Institute of Management Education, a coaching centre chain, says that students were apprehensive last year. “Like any other brand when we have more chains – more valid in educational institutions – people look at it with a bit of caution,” she explains. However, she feels, that the IIT brand name will prevail, and those who don’t make it to the older institutes will pick the new IITs over a regional college.

Cut-offs

Until last year, subject cut-offs were not a matter of concern for this exam considering cut-offs were as low as zero and two. With the mode of calculating cut-offs back to the national-average method, the figure is likely to be a double digit number.

This means that students cannot afford to neglect any subject, and must do reasonably well in all sections. “Don’t forget that the subject cut-off will be higher this year. So don’t hesitate to give more attention to a subject in the Paper 2 if you have not attempted that subject to your satisfaction in Paper 1.

Tips to use

The difficulty of this exam is because the questions are unique, and requires both an in-depth knowledge of subjects and the skill to apply various questions in combination. Several websites forums provide data analysis of trends, section-wise break-ups and JEE pattern changes over the years. The Hindu Education Plus spoke to experts to put together some tips for the fresh IIT aspirant.

Firstly, relax. The pattern hasn’t changed for three years, and is not likely to change Ms. Anil Kumar says: “Only possible change could be in the type of questions in some sections. Last year, section 1 had questions with multiple right answers, and Section 2 had matrix-match type questions. Except for such minor changes, things will be the same.” Hence, the most important thing is to read the instructions carefully.

Use your model papers, that you have worked out, and go through the flow of questions and marking scheme, Experts remind students that marking schemes are subject to change. Saurabh Kumar, National Programme head, Career Launcher advices students to not study anything new in the coming week. “Revise important formulae, and step assumptions daily. By now students should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, so they should decide what subjects to attempt first,” Mr. Kumar says. Also, eat healthy, sleep well and relax, he adds.

Don’ts

Do not attempt to do any lengthy problem that involves multiple steps. Do not study a new concept or a variant of a old problem. The last day has to be spent in skimming the material. Decide that you will not do any in-depth study. Never open a book that you have not seen till that day.

Do’s

Take the last three model examination papers that you have done and go through the flow of the questions and the marking scheme applicable Tell yourself again and again that the marking scheme in the actual examination could be different from the marking scheme mentioned in the model examinations

On exam day –Do’s

Last year, multiple correct answers did not carry negative marks. Students who did not attempt those questions for fear of attracting penalty missed out on easy scoring opportunity.

So do read the instructions given for every type of question.

After Paper 1, the only analysis that you should do is to understand the pattern of the question paper. No other analysis is worth doing during the two-hour break from 12:00 noon to 02:00 pm.

Use the restroom before entering the examination hall. Your mind needs to be completely focused on the examination paper.

Don’ts

Don’t forget that the subject cut-off will be higher this year.

So don’t hesitate to give more attention to a subject in the Paper 2 if you have not attempted that subject to your satisfaction in Paper 1 Don’t spend more that 90 minutes on any single subject in any Paper. That would be an overkill and could actually hamper your chances with respect to subject-wise cut-offs.

Do not trade last minute tips with friends or complete strangers on the day of the examination. nothing is achieved on the last day. You are what you have prepared for the last two years.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/edu/2009/04/06/stories/2009040650740100.htm

Learn through your handsets

Learn through your handsets

Indira Gandhi National Open University is aiming to promote mobile education in a major way. G. KRISHNAKUMAR outlines IGNOU’s plans in this regard.

HANDY MEDIUM: Indira Gandhi National Open University is planning to use the mobile platform for the delivery of educational content.

The prestigious Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is exploring the concept of M-education (mobile education) to take its academic programmes to the nook and corner of the country.

Aimed at fulfilling the country’s 11th Five-Year Plan motto, ‘Education for All’, the move is an effort to take education to the marginalised and disadvantaged people of the society.

According to IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, the use of mobile handsets for education delivery will help in the strengthening of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which is extensively used by the university for its various programmes.

“The concept is novel, when the call is democratising education. Even as a number of ICTs have been pressed into service in the country for the same goal, expert educators and mobile service providers rightly think, it is always advantageous to boost the existing ICTs with an additional line of service for education delivery at the learners’ best reach,” he told The Hindu EducationPlus.

The university authorities had already initiated talks with service providers to deliver educational content through mobile phones. The plan is to deliver content in the form of text, audio and video to students.

The idea for tapping the potential of the mobile education concept was discussed in detail during a round table conference held in New Delhi during November last year. IGNOU had received the full support of the Communications and Manufacturing Association of India (CMAI) in this project.

Experts from the telecom and academic fields, who attended the programme, had suggested stepping up rural connectivity for capacity building of students and learners. The event had also recommended identification of other cost-effective communication technologies for education delivery that are best suited for distance education.

Prof. Pillai said that the CMAI was looking forward to build up on the opportunities which this new medium of M-Education has created by providing IGNOU study material. “When connectivity is combined with the contents of study material, access to education can become massive. The access to course content and class-room dissemination of lessons also can be developed into providing and taking of examination papers through mobile telephony,” he said.

Stating that the mobile medium would help students study at their own pace, Prof. Pillai said that they can do it from home. Students can have access to the most advanced learning infrastructure and at the end of the course corporates will be waiting with dream job offers, he said.

Bridging distance

According to CMAI, M-education can cover far-flung areas in the country and assist to bridge the physical distance using wireless technology. It will help make mobile phones a great leveller in the society.

Contents can be easily accessed though handsets, no matter wherever are you or whenever you want. A number of tests can be immediately identified. Besides reaching out to the rural marginalised people, a number of competitive tests—CAT, JEE, GATE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL among a slew of others—can be taken using the medium, it said.

ICT platform

IGNOU is also stepping up its ICT-based educational services offered across the country. The latest project is to set up study centres at 3, 000 railway stations in the country in association with the government-owned Railtel Corporation of India Ltd.

Prof. Pillai said that the university would offer its academic programmes through these study centres. IGNOU will utilise Railtel’s high-speed optic fibre cable network (OFC) to provide educational content. The project’s trial run had been successful. An academic programme in this mode was offered from Thiruvananthapuram for the Nagaland University.

Students can interact with teachers using the university’s distance-learning modules and online tests at these virtual colleges. The move was part of IGNOU’s efforts to extend its reach to the interiors of the country, Prof. Pillai said. The university will set up study centres at railway stations in rural areas, apart from tier II and tier III cities.

Railtel has laid about 30,000 km of OFC network. For the project, it will offer land, bandwidth and data centres to IGNOU.

Enhancing technology

Prof. Pillai said that the rapid expansion of education had necessitated several steps involving decentralisation and enhancing the available technology at the regional centres and study centres. Steps are being taken to provide broadband connectivity to all study centres.

IGNOU’s educational programmes are reaching over 8 million homes through the Gyan Darshan Channels, via the DTH (Direct-To-Home) platform and webcasting, he said.

The university also acts as a national resource centre for expertise and infrastructure for the open and distance learning (ODL) system. It has developed e-gyankosh, a unique digital repository giving open access to all its materials.

Steps toward strengthening research in the area of ODL and enhancement of the domain knowledge in all the core disciplines of humanities, social sciences, arts and basic sciences, using the technology-intensive ODL, are being given top priority now.

Convergence scheme

Prof. Pillai said that the convergence scheme was a major initiative of IGNOU with a great impact on the conventional system. “This brings together the strengths of technology-augmented conventional face-to-face education and the open and distance learning to enhance the quality of the teaching-learning process and to expand the reach of education with social inclusivity. The response to this new scheme is enormous.

Initiatives

Other new schemes related to improving educational access include community colleges; strengthening other available rural and urban resources; creating special study centres; and training and certification of several thousands of in-service school teachers.

Prof. Pillai said that the community colleges, more than 100 such across the country, were re-accredited to award up to two years of tertiary education. IGNOU plans to offer conditional recognition to the certification of these colleges, as well as offer its own associate degree programmes through them.

The university will also offer courses on school leadership management for senior and middle-level teachers in schools.

Short-term orientation and training programmes based on regional needs, offered independently by the regional centres, are some of the other significant highlights of the activities initiated recently.

IGNOU has also created several new centres towards fulfilling its role as a capacity builder for the nation. These centres are IGNOU Institute for Vocational Education and Training; North East Centre for Research and Development; IGNOU Institute for Professional Competency Advancement of Teachers through ODL; IGNOU Centre for ODL in Research and Training in Agriculture; the Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning; and the Centre for Corporate Education, Training and Consultancy.

Licence ban unrelated to black points system

Licence ban unrelated to black points system

By Bassam Za'za', Senior ReporterPublished: April 07, 2009, GULF NEWS

Dubai: A four-year driving ban might await drivers who will be referred to a traffic court for driving under the influence of liquor, warned a senior prosecutor on Tuesday.

The Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution has started asking traffic courts to impose a two-year licence annulment and two years' ban on drunken drivers from applying for a new one or renewing their driving licences, Salah Bu Farousha, the Head of Traffic Public Prosecution, told Gulf News on Tuesday.

"Since April 1, the traffic prosecution started requesting, in its arraignment sheets, the Traffic Courts of First Instance and Appeal to revoke the licences of drunken drivers for two years and a similar period preventing drunk drivers from applying for or renewing a licence. We are very serious and strict concerning this request.

" More than 60 per cent of last year's 4,000 of traffic cases were cases of suspects caught driving under the influence of liquor. In this year's first quarter we registered 333 cases, the number of which has increased compared to the 297 cases in the same period of 2008," Bu Farousha said.
He said the driving licence of a drunke driver is revoked upon a court judgment.

"The system of deducting traffic points from someone's traffic file is different from a court judgment to revoke a licence& We request in the bill of charges to revoke a drunken driver's licence and impose a licence-renewal ban and the rest is up to the judge's discretion.

"Even if a drunken driver does not exceed 24 traffic points, the traffic law allows us to place the above request," he added.

Addressing drunken drivers, Bu Farousha cautioned: "Those convicts won't be able to sit behind a steering unless they place an official request to retain their driving licences at the Dubai Traffic Public Prosecution. I would like to clarify that we usually inform the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) about anyone's licence that has been revoked upon a court order. We do so to prevent anyone from re-applying for a new licence."

http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10302225.html

No News 15th edition - KITs for success

No News 15th edition - KITs for success





Dear Friends,

Welcome to read the 15th issue of No News. I had an opportunity to attend an international conference a few days ago. It became another opportunity to meet two remarkable personalities.

Immediately after the lunch on day one was a presentation by the CEO of a company based in Washington. We all know it is very tough to get attention of the delegates during the session after lunch. His profile was very impressive as his personality. We noticed in the beginning itself that he was stammering and it was difficulty to speak at a stretch. It did not bother him at all. He took control of the situation and in few minutes gained momentum to give an Xxtra-ordinary presentation. Whenever he was feeling he will get stuck he diverted the attention of the audience by showing the details on the slide and then regained his momentum and continued from thereon. Next was the turn of a physically challenged expert with several Doctorates in her name. It took several minutes for her to reach the podium with the help of her electronic walker. All those limbs with limited movements were not a hindrance at all for her presentation style or content.

It created plenty of thoughts in my mind looking at them and the techniques they employed to reach their destinations till this time. Both were highly placed and if ever they had held themselves to their challenges?. They would not have moved an inch ahead in their life.

I have written here before also. English is not my mother tongue. I try using it in simpler ways to convey messages and thoughts passing by. Several progressive things evolved out during this journey of communication. Some of them have been significant from my point of view and wishfully list them here. They include the quality initiatives and numerous suggestions and write ups generated to create awareness on safety. The effort is a continuous socially conscious process and there are some other ongoing issues for which I am trying my best efforts.

One of them is to reduce the disparity of the salary structure of the school teachers and administrative staff with other government service employees within the country. Teaching is a noble profession and I feel there is lot more to be done in this country for the welfare of teachers and schools. Comprehensive insurance coverage to private and public school staff is one such item submitted and followed up with various TQM bodies of the government.

Another interesting request is to provide free utility services to educational institutions. This includes Water and Electricity and telecommunication services. I feel this will aid the schools and universities in the country to reduce the cost of education and therefore attract more students from abroad and also retain those existing here. There are some other items like introducing a bus stop near to the Bird market and ISCC Abu Dhabi for the convenience of general public visiting these places.

Last but not the least of the items on these suggestive communication is to restore the volcano fountain in to the scheme of developments of the new look Abu Dhabi.

It is interesting to continuously participate in progressive activities happening around. The loss and sufferings of a few friends and relatives due to different types of cancer really keep my objectives focussed. Life now is a race against time. The carcinogenic cells within a person knowingly or unknowingly attacks from nowhere and then hardly no time left. The need for speed is therefore to leave some good memories and deeds to the society we exist.

I would like to sincerely thank 4 children and their parents who participated in the Safety campign organised through the Talent Share initiatives. I deliberately did not disclose the detail of a beautiful gift hamper set aside for each one of the participating children. I am happy that there was response generated to this important initiative of social interest. The parents of these children are kindly requested to contact me and collect their gifts during the next week. It will be interesting for you all to visit the Talentshare blog and mark your comments on the safety thoughts of these children.

cbseplus is a new initiative started this week for the benefit of CBSE students studying in 11th and 12th.. We all know that eating of nutritious fruits will supplement the growth in our children. http://www.cbseplus.blogspot.com/ has been created to serve as a catalyst to the educational and career needs of students in addition to the relentless and devoted efforts of their teachers.

Team 1 blogs principle of “committed to continuous improvement” will be the mantra followed here and over a period of time children will get to read and learn a variety of Knowledge, Information and Talent with an intention to share them without any apprehension. Sustained effort will be made to make this site part of the several first hand KITs we currently have.

Padmashri Dr. B. R. Shetty was given a felicitation by all the major associations and community groups to honour him for the highest civilian award by India Government. During the function his son Mr. Binay Shetty was asked to say a few words about his father. He quoted his grandmother’s advise to his father. Don’t try to make everybody happy. Try to make 10 people happy and they will in turn try to make another 10 happy and the chain will progress. Padmashri Dr. B. R. Shetty has his own inimitable style of speaking. He speaks from his heart. He pointed out the visit to his mother’s tomb immediately after receiving the honour. It was an act done to dedicate the laurels to her and also to remind himself that blessings from the family and loved ones is the most important thing in life.

Almost the end of this write-up and did you notice a difference?. I have deliberately avoided usage of commas till now. Just tried how much additional effort is required to avoid the usage of commas as Colin Randall said in his write up for THE NATIONAL about the use and misuse of it. The world of communication is changing and it is not an easy task to follow traditional ways as the exchange of communication is getting shorter and shorter. Let us try to do our best efforts for the benefit of our society with the blessings of our parents, teachers and family. As Mrs. Sarah Belhasa rightly said in her interview with Wknd “You don’t need to see the entire staircase to know where it goes. Just take the first step. It will lead somewhere..”

Please do continue to vote for the photo below presently competing in the www.malayalamanoramaonline. com’s competition.

Direct links to important Quality initiative suggestion programmes existing in UAE are created in the http://www.team1uae.blogspot.com/ site. It is to be noted that the suggestions on each of these focal points are well logged and immediately responded to by relevant authorities. Why not visit and give a try of your own TQM skills?

God Bless and have a great week ahead.

Ramesh Menon
02042009 / e-mail: team1dubai@gmail.com