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51 teachers participated in Orientation Programme organized at AMU

The concluding session of the Orientation Programme organized by the UGC Academic Staff College, Aligarh Muslim University was held today. 51 teachers from Assam, UP, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttrakhand, Punjab and Andhra Pardesh participated in the programme.

Professor A. R. Kidwai, Director, UGC Academic Staff College felicitated the course participants on the successful completion of the course. Addressing the concluding session as Chief Guest, Professor Masoodul Hasan, former Chairman, Department of English, AMU highlighted the significant role of teachers in the social fabric.While quoting profusely from English men of letters, Tennyson and Shakespeare he pointed out that knowledge makes one mature and balanced which in turn smoothens social relations.

Dr. Nasreen Shaikh from Mumbai and Dr. Suraj Pal Sahu from Mathura also spoke on the occasion and shared their experiences and observations about the course. They described the course as highly useful. Dr. Sahu, Lecturer in Drawing and Painting at K. R. College, Mathura presented his portrait of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University. Dr. S. Reshma Jamal proposed the vote of thanks.

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UGC-NET paper 1 Computer awareness question Bank.

UGC-NET paper 1 Computer awareness question Bank.

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Vet university teachers get UGC research project - Times Of India

A project under a major research scheme of University Grant Commission (UGC) has been awarded to R S Sethi, associate professor, School of Animal Biotechnology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) as principal investigator and Swarn Singh Randhawa, Opinder Singh and Simrat Sagar Singh -- who also teach at the university -- as co-investigators.

The research grant of Rs 10.41 lakh for the research project titled, "Characterization and ultra-structural details of endotoxin induced laminitis in buffalo calf model," has been sanctioned by UGC. Randhawa, who is director, research, GADVASU, informed that lameness is a herd problem of dairy animals with serious implications on production and reproduction of animals. He told that 90-99% cases of lameness in dairy animals occurs due to foot lesions. These may cause about 10% decrease in milk yield, and about 40 days increase in conception to calving period while inter-calving period may be extended by over two months. Foot lesions cause severe pain and discomfort to animals so lameness is considered as an issue of animal welfare, he said. Sethi said that the project will focus on the histo-pathological and ultrastructural changes in hooves after endotoxin infusion in buffaloes to explore the pathophysiology of laminitis.

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National education panel in jeopardy as native leaders withdraw support - The Globe and Mail

An effort to improve education substantively in native schools that was hailed as a historic turning point in co-operation between aboriginal leaders and Ottawa has been thrown into jeopardy as native groups in one province after another have withdrawn from the process.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations announced this week that it will not participate in a national panel on education established by the federal government and the Assembly of First Nations to look at ways to improve the outcomes for children attending kindergarten to Grade 12 in reserve schools.

Chiefs in Ontario and Quebec made similar decisions earlier this year. It total, about 230 native groups have refused to participate in the panel process, citing a lack of consultation and concerns that it will diminish the rights of aboriginal people to control their own education.

The FSIN said the intent of the panel announced last December by Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan and Shawn Atleo, the chief of the Assembly of First Nations, is to create “one-size-fits-all” education legislation.

“At the end of the day, the panel will consult with an unrepresentative group of first nations across Canada and then influence federal legislation that is not aligned with our belief systems,” Lyle Whitefish, the vice-chief of the FSIN, said in a statement. “While the federal government issued a residential school apology that included a commitment not to repeat the mistakes of the past, this national panel seems like a step back to the ‘we know best’ colonialist attitude.”

Unfortunately, Mr. Whitefish said, “the AFN, our own national first nations organization, is not listening to us, and appears to have been co-opted by the federal government in supporting a process that will only serve to create legislation that weakens our treaty right to education.”

Rather than taking part in the panel’s regional meetings, the FSIN is collecting its own information about education on reserves to determine what a system that respects treaty rights would truly look like, Mr. Whitefish said. A similar process is being conducted in Ontario and Quebec, and a report, parallel to that of the panel, will be delivered to the Aboriginal Affairs Department and to the AFN.

Shifting Ottawa’s relationship with native communities from confrontation to co-operation has been a major focus for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the education panel is part of a joint effort with the AFN to transform the schools, economies and quality of life on reserves. Lack of support among native leaders for one element of the plan, heralded as a major development when it was announced, could put the other parts in jeopardy.

Angus Toulouse, the regional chief of Ontario, said on Friday that the chiefs in his province rejected the national panel process at a meeting last April.

“What the first nations have said is that the national process fails to provide a clear understanding or agreement with Canada on how first nations will control the decision-making over our education and how that’s going to be reflected in the process beyond the submissions in the final report,” Mr. Toulouse said.

But he said there is broad understanding that native schools are underfunded and do not have the resources that have been given to non-aboriginal schools.

Mr. Duncan was unavailable for comment on Friday. His spokeswoman, Michelle Yao, said it is important to note that individual native communities from some of the regions that have bowed out of the process have expressed an interest in continuing the discussions.

Mr. Atleo could also not be reached on Friday. In a statement, the AFN pointed out that the work of the national panel was supported by a resolution at its annual general assembly last month. The AFN also said it was founded on a commitment to uphold native rights and treaty rights and “will never compromise on any of these rights or principles.”

But Isadore Day, the chief of the Serpent River First Nation in Northern Ontario, said he does not see the point of having a panel to tell native communities what they already know: that investment spending and effective delivery of kindergarten to Grade 12 on reserves need attention.

Mr. Day and other native leaders are upset that they were not consulted before the panel was announced. “If you are going to proceed with an initiative of that magnitude,” he said, “then there obviously should be some level of preparation and discussion with the leadership across the country.”

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Business Line : Industry & Economy / Economy : 11 US varsities chosen for partnership programme with India

Eleven prestigious US colleges and universities have been selected for partnership programme with India as part of the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative.

An announcement to this effect came ahead of the scheduled India-US Education Summit in Washington in October.

Selected educational institutions are Fort Hays State University, George Mason University, Northern Illinois University, Queens College (City University of New York), Rollins College, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Suffolk University, Thomas College, University of Kentucky, University of Oregon and the University of Montana, the Institute of International Education (IIE) has announced.

Each institution has made a commitment to form a campus-wide task force to work on prospective partnerships, conduct an institution-wide inventory of activities pertaining to India and develop a strategic plan focused on partnership with India, IIE said.

The Knowledge Initiative between the US and India, which was announced during the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to America last year, is aimed at developing faculty for select institutions like new IITs.

The initiative will provide $10 million in combined funding to increase university linkages and support junior faculty development between US and Indian universities.

“Higher education is an important area of the strategic partnership between the United States and India because of its impact on fostering collaboration on critical issues that we face today,” said the IIE President, Mr Allan E. Goodman.

“This new phase of the International Academic Partnership Programme and the strong group of campuses will strengthen the educational ties between our two nations and pave the way for students from both countries to gain important international perspective,” Mr Goodman said.

“We aim to support the Obama-Singh goal to advance the US-India global partnership for the benefit of their countries, for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia, and for the betterment of the world,” Mr Goodman said.

The International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) has been launched with an initial two-year grant from the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).

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Meghalaya govt considers introducing Chinese in schools - Indian Express

In a bid to give the students an edge to find employment in China, one of the fastest growing economies of the world, the Meghalaya government is contemplating on introducing Chinese language in its schools.

“Chinese is among the most influential languages. There are students travelling to China already for medical studies from the state. It would be ideal for students to learn Chinese,” said Chief Minister Mukul Sangma.

The subject would be introduced as an elective subject in the state-run schools, Sangma said.

“Learning Chinese language would give the students an upper hand in getting jobs in China. Indian professionals are in demand there,” he said.

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Article-Heat on Monsanto over brinjal piracy : North: India Today

American seed giant Monsanto and its Indian collaborator, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) are to be prosecuted for allegedly 'stealing' indigenous plant material for developing genetically modified brinjal variety known as Bt brinjal. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), a statutory body set up under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, has decided to initiate legal proceedings against the two companies and their collaborators for using indigenous brinjal germplasm without necessary permission. Taking plant material without any permission and using it for commercial purposes is considered an act of biopiracy. "The authority has decided to proceed legally against Mahyco and Monsanto, and all others concerned to take the issue to its logical conclusion", NBA secretary C Achalender Reddy said. The decision on the complaint filed by the Bangalore- based Environment Support Group (ESG) was taken in June by the authority and it was formally confirmed during its meeting held in New Delhi this week. Any violation of the Biodiversity Act is a non- bailable, cognizable offence and the authority plans to initiate criminal proceedings against the offenders. It took almost one year for the authority to prepare a case against the two companies. This is going to be a test case of biopiracy because for the first time a commercial entity will be booked under the Biodiversity Act. ESG had accused the two seed companies and their Indian collaborators including UAS of using germplasm of six local varieties of brinjal for the development of Bt brinjal. While Monsanto and Mahyco are trying to blame the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, for supplying the local brinjal varieties, this may not weaken the case against them as the law makes no such distinction. Even USAID which facilitated agreements between Mahyco and Indian universities will have to share the blame. "This is an unprecedented development in the conservation history of India", said Leo Saldanha of ESG who had filed the complaint against the seed companies along with Bhargavi Rao. "While we are happy that action is finally being initiated, it is also a sad indicator that NBA acted only on the basis of our complaint and our persistence that some action was taken". When contacted Monsanto tried to distance itself from the case by saying that it had not developed Bt brinjal, but it had been 'developed by Mahyco, with the Cry1Ac gene accessed from Monsanto, in collaboration with multiple public sector institutions'. This is a halftruth because Monsanto owns 26 percent of Mahyco, and also has a separate joint venture Mahyco Monsanto Biotech Limited which handles its business related to Bt. Interestingly Mahyco also denied any violation of the Biodiversity Act and said the Karnataka Biodiversity Board had informed it in April that "there has been a violation by UAS, Dharwad in using six local varieties of brinjal. Information was sought pertaining to the objectives of the agreements between UAS, Dharwad and the same is under consideration by the authorities".

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