FOR HRD, IT’S FULL STEAM AHEAD

With Moves Like Right To Education Bill And Optional Xth Boards, Sibal’s Ministry Is On A Roll

Team TOI

New Delhi: The joke is that the rate at which HRD ministry is framing cabinet notes and draft bills, many of the next sessions of Parliament will only be passing legislations on the education sector.
A new minister and a new work culture in the ministry is right now geared to meet the 100-day deadline that ends in the first week of September.

The biggest of them all, the Right to Education, has been passed in both Houses of Parliament. A lot of questions, many of them genuine, are, however, being raised about the legislation. Putting together its nuts and bolts will hit many roadblocks by various interest groups but a big step has been taken.

Though there are many other bigticket changes on the anvil, public interest will be on weather the class 10 board examination will be made optional and evaluation will shift to grading system. The answer to both questions is yes, at least for all CBSE-affiliated schools in the country.

Most of the groundwork has been done, public consultation has already been undertaken been with there being effusive support and a large section of educationists are rooting for the twin changes.

Kapil Sibal will announce it on completion of 100 days. It is bound to have its impact on state boards who have promised to take a positive view if it clicks in the CBSE.

But it is higher education where the bulk of action is taking place. Sibal’s promise of initiating a slew of legislations is on track. The idea of amending the Constitution to set up a higher education commission and a legislation to create it is already with the PMO and other ministries.

Simultaneously, the HRD has also moved bills to check educational malpractices by institutions, on educational tribunals, 14 innovation (also called world class) universities, accreditation system and a concept note on the brain gain policy.

As for cleaning the mess in regulatory bodies, Sibal played a key role in ensuring that vested groups do not protect top functionaries of the All India Council for Technical Education from the CBI.

However, in case of the UGC, Sibal seems to have committed a mistake bysetting up two review committees — one by the ministry and other by the UGC — to look into deemed universities.

The question being asked is — How can a committee of the UGC that advised the ministry to give deemed status to certain institutions now find fault with the same institutes? Also, why is the ministry’s review committee not making a physical verification of claims made by deemed universities? It’s a big let down in Sibal’s first 100 days.

HITS
Right to Education Bill passed in both Houses of Parliament
Making Class X board examinations optional
A new regulatory body to oversee higher education

MISSES
Review of deemed universities not handled well
A thorough probe into doling out deemed status not done
Not enough attention paid to National Council for Teacher Education

CHALLENGES
Implementing the Right to Education and ensuring private schools abide by its provisions
Cleaning mess in regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE
Gross Enrolment Ratio in both elementary and higher education should increase

Social responsibility a must, says Bose

Nimish Sawant | TNN

Mumbai: Film actor and activist Rahul Bose inaugurated the Conclave—Malhar 2009 with a keynote address on ‘A Young India in Tomorrow’s World’ on Friday. Speaking to a hall packed with enthusiastic students and other delegates of the Conclave, Bose said, “The country that you will be proud of should mirror the qualities that you admire and stand for.’’ The speech concentrated on the inner development of an individual for the future progress of the country.
Bose divided the address into four key segments and later followed it up with a question and answer round with the students.
Stressing upon the issue of social responsibility, Bose said that we can either give our money, time or skill for social causes. “But giving must be a massive pleasure and should not affect other aspects of your life,’’ he said.
The second conclave keynote by Gregory David Roberts will be held on Sunday at 9 am.

Now, IIT counselling system goes online

Students Can Submit Their Preferences From Home

Hemali Chhapia I TNN

Mumbai: If you’ve made it to an Indian Institute of Technology, you no longer need to travel to the campus to book your seat. The tech schools have decided to take the counselling process online, thus allowing students to submit their preferences—a mix of streams and IITs—from home.

Currently, students from across the country travel to the closest IIT after they make their mark in the Joint Entrance Exam. “Now, all general category students will be allowed to submit their preferences online. However, all other candidates will have to travel to the nearest IIT campus for the same as they have to submit their certificates to us,’’ said IIT-Guwahati director Gautam Barua.

The decision to conduct the counselling online was taken when the directors recently met in Chennai to discuss plans for the upcoming JEE in April 2010. In another key decision, the IIT directors agreed to centrally conduct two or more rounds of seat allocation to ensure that seats don’t lie vacant.

While this year, the IITs for the first time conducted a second round of seat allotments, it was held at the institute level. Students who took admission were offered internal betterment before the second allotment had taken place. So, if a student with a ranking of 1,104 in JEE-2009 did not take the seat allotted to him in IIT-B, another candidate with a lower ranking got his place (if he had opted for that subject and IIT-B in his preference form).

Also, if a candidate signed up at IIT-Delhi in the first round, s/he were not allowed to move to say IIT-Madras or IIT-Bombay even if a slot opened there and these institutes were listed in his/her choices.
“Now, we want to remove that barrier. A student will be allowed to move out of one IIT and join another, if he prefers to do so in the later rounds of seat allotment,’’ added Barua. In another relief to students, the IITs have decided to put out the answer key of the entrance exam, soon after the exam ends.
hemali.chhapia@timesgroup.com

YOUNG GUNS

Teach 5-year-olds about masturbation, says UN

Washington: The United Nations is recommending that children as young as five receive mandatory sexual education that would teach even pre-kindergarteners about masturbation and topics like gender violence.

The UN’s Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a 98-page report in June offering a universal lesson plan for kids ranging in age from 5-18, an “informed approach to effective sex, relationships” and HIV education that they say is essential for “all young people”.

The UN insists the program is “age appropriate”, but critics say it’s exposing kids to sex far too early, and offers up abstract ideas—like “transphobia”—they might not even understand. “At that age they should be learning about…the proper name of certain parts of their bodies,” said Michelle Turner, president of US-based Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, “certainly not about masturbation.”

The UNESCO report, called ‘International Guidelines for Sexuality Education’, separates children into four age groups: 5-to-8-year-olds, 9-to-12-year-olds, 12-to-15-year-olds and 15-to-18-year-olds. Under the sex-ed regime, kids just 5-8 years old will be told that “touching and rubbing one’s genitals is called masturbation” and that private parts “can feel pleasurable when touched by oneself.”

By the time they’re 9, they’ll learn about “positive and negative effects of aphrodisiacs,” and wrestle with the ideas of “homophobia, transphobia and abuse of power.” At 12, they’ll learn the “reasons for” abortions. When they’re 15, they’ll be exposed to direct “advocacy to promote the right to and access to safe abortion.”

Child health experts say they are wary of teaching about the topic of abortion, but stress that as long as messages stay age-appropriate, educating kids at a young age helps better steer them into adulthood. AGENCIES

Third-party DNA can erase birth defects

Technique Involves Replacing Nucleus Of Egg Cell With Another Before Fertilization

Mixing in genetic material from one monkey at the point when two others conceive helped replace defective DNA to produce healthy babies, and may one day keep humans from passing on rare flaws, scientists said.

The experiment by researchers at the Oregon Primate Research Center in Beaverton is designed to replace defective DNA in the mitochondria, energy-producing elements of cells necessary for metabolic processes. The scientists reported the findings on Thursday in the journal Nature.

The new technique might provide a way for women with mitochondrial disease to have children without passing on their defective genetic material, according to scientists. Because the technique permanently alters part of the offspring’s DNA, it also may open a path to modifying a baby’s DNA to select desired traits. That raises ethical concerns, scientists said.

“It’s a very exciting experiment that would give parents the option of being able to have their own genetic children,” said Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics in Philadelphia. “It’s also the classic example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions.”

Defective mitochondria are passed only from mother to child, not from the father. About 1 in 4,000 births produce babies with defective mitochondria and can lead to a variety of diseases, said Vamsi Mootha, an associate professor of systems biology and medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston who studies mitochondrial disorders. Nerve and muscle cells deprived of energy are particularly vulnerable to breakdown, leading to conditions like Kearns-Sayre syndrome that can cause progressive muscle weakness and death.

The genes that determine the traits of individuals, from their hair and eye color to their risk for many diseases, are found in the nucleus of each cell. Mitochondria are located outside the nucleus of cells and have their own DNA.

The team at the Oregon Primate Research Center led by Shoukhrat Mitalipov took the egg cells of a rhesus macaque monkey, plucked out the nucleus and inserted it into an another egg cell whose nucleus had been removed. The second cell was then fertilized by another monkey’s sperm and implanted in a surrogate mother who gave birth to twins named Mito and Tracker. Subsequent experiments led to the birth of two more single babies named Spindler and Spindy.

“We believe this technique can be applied very quickly to humans and it will work,” Mitalipov said. BLOOMBERG

SWITCHED OFF

In Europe, it’s lights out for bulbs

Brussels: Old-style 100-watt light bulbs will be banned in Europe’s shops from next week in favour of new energy-saving models, but consumer groups on Wednesday gave the move a guarded welcome.

From September 1, 100-watt versions of the old incandescent bulbs will be banned from Europe’s shops and other bulbs with lower wattage will follow in the ensuing years, under a system agreed by EU experts last December.

New technology light bulbs, such as compact florescent lights (CFL) can save up to 80% of the energy used by the worst old-style lights in homes. The move will also cut carbon dioxide emissions as part of the European Union’s wider climate change package.

At the moment, around 85% of household lights are considered to use too much electricity. The European Consumers’ Association BEUC welcomed the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs, saying “consumers benefit financially from the measure, but most importantly, they will be able to contribute to improved energy efficiency”. However the group added, in a statement, that removing the old-style light bulbs from the market also holds drawbacks for some consumers.

There are concerns “about the risks to health from the high mercury content of the new bulbs”, the group warned. The consumer group called on the European Commission to ensure that people who rely on incandescent light bulbs “will be able to buy these bulbs until suitable alternative lighting technologies are available”. AFP

Non-PhDs can be IIT lecturers

But Asst Profs Must Have 3-Yr Experience, A Clause That May Drive Away Talent Akshaya Mukul & Hemali Chappia | TNN

New Delhi: Close to three decades ago, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) upped the bar for selecting faculty: only PhDs were allowed to take classes. Diluting that lofty standard, the HRD ministry has now allowed non-PhDs to join as lecturers. What’s more shocking is that at least 10% jobs have been reserved at the lecturer’s level, an obsolete term that has been scrapped from academia around the world.

Making it tough for IITs to attract talent at the level of assistant professor is another clause that mandates the tech schools to take only those with three years’ experience. IIT directors fear it might result in bright students preferring to take up posts at foreign universities where a fresher begins his career as an assistant professor and not as a lecturer. Earlier, the IITs too were taking fresh, bright PhDs at assistant professor level.

While the directive on taking non-PhDs as lecturers is optional, the directors are clueless why it was inserted. “We don’t need it. The four-tier recruitment concept is regressive and I don’t understand why the government needs to disturb something that is in good equilibrium,” asked an IIT director, who refused to be named.

Currently, none of the IITs has faculty members who are non-PhDs, barring a few of them who joined the tech schools in the 70’s when the country did not have too many PhDs. But the ministry says the decision to take non-PhDs has not been thrust upon IITs. “There is no coercion involved. Faculty crunch is a fact,” one official said.

“That clause was fine at the development stage. In the early years of the IITs, when we advertised for two posts, we used to get five applications. Now we get about 40 to 50, all of who are PhDs. But even now there are vacant posts for faculty merely because we are extremely choosy about who we pick,” said a dean from IIT-Bombay. But some see no harm in this optional clause. “Allowing us to take non-PhDs is just an enabling clause. But what worries most of us is the provision that does not allow us to take bright PhDs fellows as assistant professors,” said Gautam Barua, director of IIT-Guwahati. Several directors are seeing red over the fact that drawing up a rule to take 10% faculty as lecturers puts them in a “peculiar notvery-good position”. Whether to take a candidate as a lecturer or as an assistant professor, said another director, “must be left to the good judgment of the selection panel”. The same rules apply to other central technical institutes like IIM, National Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research.

Full interest subsidy on edu loans for the poor

In a significant move, the government on Thursday decided to provide full interest subsidy on education loans taken by poor students to pursue technical and professional courses and fixed their parental income limit at Rs 4.5 lakh per annum for them to avail of the benefit. A meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs, chaired by the PM, gave its nod to the scheme to enable students from economically weaker sections to continue any approved course in recognised technical and professional institutions in the country. The scheme would benefit over five lakh students to pursue higher education in technical and professional streams, home minister P Chidambaram said, adding that the number of loans as on March 31 this year was 16 lakh and the total outstanding amount Rs 24,000 crore. The scheme, to be applicable from the ongoing academic year, would provide full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium on loans taken by students from scheduled banks. AGENCIES

Centre extends OBC reservation to NIT
The government on Thursday decided to provide reservation to students belonging to OBCs in the National Institute of Technology in Tripura. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet, which approved the implementation of reservation for students belonging to SC/ST and OBCs to NIT at Jirania in the Tripura Tribal Autonomous District Council, a release said. Earlier, the NIT was unable to extend the benefit of reservation to OBC category students in view of the nonapplicability of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act. AGENCIES

The law will at one stroke boost the number of women politicians at the grassroots and make the administration more gender-sensitive

3 BIT students punished for ragging

Anil Ashutosh | TNN

Sindri (Jharkhand): Three students of BIT Sindri were punished for ragging on Thursday. The authorities have barred three third semester students of production engineering — Ashutosh Tarun, Ashish Sharma and Rohit Barnwal — from entering the institute hostel for an indefinite period.

The three have also been banned from taking part in any academic activity, including attending classes and library, for 15 days. Besides, a fine of Rs 20,000 each has been imposed on them. Also, an FIR has been filed at the local police station.

According to Prof G Kumar, general warden of BIT Sindri, the three students had stopped freshers on way to their hostels and asked them to bow before every senior and walk with their bodies halfbent as a mark of respect.

However, the institute director, the general warden and six hostel superintendents happened to pass that way at that time and saw the act for themselves. They chased the three and caught them.

MCI, dental, pharmacy & nursing councils to be scrapped, single body for med edu now

Seethalakshmi S | TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: In a complete overhaul aimed at cleansing the medical education system in the country, a task force of the Union health ministry has decided to scrap all regulatory bodies, including the Medical Council of India, Dental Council of India, Pharmacy Council and the Nursing Council, according to sources. There will instead be a single regulatory body—the National Council for Human Resources in Health—which willoversee seven departments related to medicine, nursing, dentistry, rehabilitation and physiotherapy, pharmacy, public health/hospital management and allied health sciences, sources involved in the revamp process said on Thursday.

The move now needs a formal government notification. This council will not only perform the regulatory functions but perform functions of assessment and accreditation of medical and health institutions across the country. Simply put, the council will coordinate the entire gamut of medical and health education in India. This will include drafting courses and the period of study, including practical training, subjects of examination and standards of proficiency, conditions for admissions to courses, provide guidelines on curriculum planning, monitoring and overseeing implementation of UG/PG courses with flexibility for local specific modules.

‘Innovation needed for health edu’
Bangalore: The National Council for Human Resources in Health, which is set to replace all regulatory bodies, will coordinate medical and health education in India. “Medical education today is dictated by bank balance and caste. The existing councils have failed to provide a synergistic approach. There is an urgent need for innovation in health education. It is unfortunate that medical seats are auctioned in front of students today. This is the best surgical solution for cleansing the system,’’ a source told TOI.

The report which was discussed with the PM on August 26 by the task force states: “Professional councils such as the MCI/Nursing and Pharmacy Councils have been set up to regulate the practice of their respective professions, including education. However, many of these councils have drawn criticism from all sections of society and also attracted judicial censure on several occasions.’’ The council will be constituted as an autonomous body independent of government controls with adequate power, including quasi-judicial.

Private medical colleges also place a heavy burden of fees on students and their admission procedures are not transparent. The curricula of medical schools, both public and private, are not designed for producing ‘social physicians’, the report said. Sources said the Centre will now take this move to all the states before implementing it. On its part, the Union health ministry has already readied a draft bill titled The National Council for Human Resources in Health Draft Bill, 2009.

Kids under six: HC seeks schooling info from state

Anahita Mukherji I TNN

Mumbai: The 86th amendment to the Constitution of India makes education for children between the ages 6 and 14 free and compulsory. But what happens to children younger than six, and why is the government not taking responsibility for pre-primary education?

That’s what a petition filed in the HC seeks to address. The petition was filed recently by Simantini Dhuru, director of Avehi Abacus, an NGO, along with educationist Arvind Vaidya and human rights activist Shakil Ahmad. At a hearing on Thursday, the court issued a notice to the government asking for a reply to the petition.

“We would like the Constitution re-amended to ensure that the government takes responsibility for children younger than six. While the government does run balwadis for pre-school children, when compared with the population, there are far too few of them. Even those that are there, do not have trained teachers as recommended by the NCERT,’’ said Dhuru.

According to Dhuru, the 86th constitutional amendment, instead of increasing the purview of the government when it comes to education, actually decreases it.

“While affluent parents can afford to send their children to expensive pre-schools, those who are poor start their education in Std I at BMC schools at the age of six. But their growth potential before that age is not tapped. Many are from families where parents are not literate and cannot provide the necessary stimulation to the child’s mind. The government should be duty-bound to take care of pre-primary education,’’ said Ahmad.

Classes packed as college teachers’ strike ends

Anahita Mukherji | TNN

Mumbai: “Though students grumble about attendance, they actually love attending for lectures,’’ said Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, principal of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. His comment was not unfounded. On Thursday morning—the day colleges re-opened after a 44-day college and university teachers’ strike—classrooms were chock-a-block. “We were shocked to find classrooms full for the 8 am lecture,’’ he added.

Attendance was high at Jai Hind College, Churchgate, too, with students turning up in large numbers for the early morning classes.

“This feels so good. We’re so happy to be back in college,’’ said Ryan Thomas, a secondyear BA student at Wilson College, Chowpatty, who was on time for the 7.30 am lecture. “Even those who don’t usually like studying were waiting to get back to college,’’ said Thomas.

“The Mumbai University vice-chancellor will hold a meeting next week to discuss how to make up for lost time and work out the exam schedule,’’ said Fr Mascarenhas.

“We’ll only give students a four-day Diwali break. We’ll have to conduct exams during Diwali vacations,’’ said Jai Hind College principal Kirti Narain.

So was the strike worth it? “We’re happy with the outcome. We were prepared for a difficult struggle ahead of us,’’ said Madhu Paranjape, joint secretary of the Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union.

One of the demands entailed scrapping the discriminatory treatment meted out to teachers appointed between 1991-99 who had not cleared the NET/SLET exams, an entrylevel qualification that, according to the striking teachers, was not applicable at the time. The government has not conceded to this demand, but has promised to set up a committee with both government officials and members of the teachers’ union, which will approach the UGC on behalf teachers in Maharashtra who want exemption from the NET/SLET rule. “We’re not going to let this issue die down,’’ said Paranjape.

Teachers had also called for the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission salaries as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales for central government employees. The state government has agreed to give them the UGC pay package and the career advancement scheme. There will, however, be a deviation when it comes to allowances, which will be as per state government scales. Teachers who did not clear NET/SLET and were appointed between 1991-99 will also be eligible for this pay package.

IIMs to cite govt report in pay fight

CHARU SUDAN KASTURI

New Delhi, Aug. 27: The IIMs plan to cite the government’s roadmap for their expansion to demand better faculty salaries, joining the IITs in the protest against a controversial new pay regime notified by the Centre. India’s premier B-schools are finalising a memorandum protesting the new pay structure, which they will submit to the human resource development ministry, institute sources said. The note, currently being discussed by the directors of the seven IIMs, demands pays a notch higher than even the pay demanded by the IITs and seeks autonomy to provide additional incentives to teachers. It warns that failure to incorporate the demands can jeopardise expansion plans and attempts to fill a potentially crippling faculty shortage. The move increases the pressure on Kapil Sibal’s ministry to review a new pay structure that the IITs and the IIMs argue fails to address their inability to attract the best brains to teaching. The government and Sibal have repeatedly cited the 20-30 per cent faculty shortage at the IITs and the IIMs as the biggest challenge these institutes are facing. But teachers at the institutes are arguing that the new “unsatisfactory” pay regime fails to address this concern — by neither providing recommended salaries nor offering compensatory incentives. The new pay regime snips salaries recommended by a central panel and ignores a slew of other proposed incentives to tackle the lure of industry-level salaries. The IIMs plan to cite the report of an HRD ministry panel under Maruti chairman R.C. Bhargava which argued that low pay placed them at a disadvantage while battling domestic and global competition for scarce faculty resources. The Bhargava panel’s report — aimed at preparing a blueprint for the expansion of existing IIMs — had ironically been criticised by the institutes as an attempt by the government to encroach on their identity and autonomy. By citing this, the IIMs are politely pointing out that the ministry’s own report argues for a “significant improvement” in the pay scales for their faculty. “The IIM faculty feel that the revised pay scales notified by the ministry... do not represent any meaningful or significant improvement over the existing pay scales,” the draft memorandum says. The new pay regime grants assistant professors a starting salary of Rs 30,000 a month, and an academic grade pay — a rank-based increment — of Rs 8,000 a month. The IITs have demanded that — as is the case with pay for university assistant professors — the salary structure be shifted to a higher pay band after three years. Salaries in the higher band start at Rs 37,400 a month with a grade pay of Rs 9,000 a month. The IIMs will demand in their memorandum assistant professors start at the higher pay band straight away. The IITs want this after three years. Like the IITs, the draft IIM memorandum demands a grade pay of Rs 10,000 a month for associate professors — instead of the Rs 9,500 under the newly notified regime. The IIMs too — like the IITs — will demand that a 40 per cent cap placed under the new regime on professors entitled to a higher pay be lifted. All professors should be given a grade pay of Rs 12,000 a month instead of the Rs 10, 500 provided under the notified regime, the IIM draft memorandum demands. It also demands that professors after 10 years in the post be entitled to a higher salary range — starting at Rs 75, 000 a month. Each IIM should be allowed to devise its own incentive schemes for faculty, instead of the government notification binding the institutes, the IIMs are demanding.

Sibal wants uniform core curriculum for Maths, Science

After pushing for optional Class 10 board exams, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday pitched for a uniform core curriculum for Mathematics and Science for all school boards saying "we should break the walls."

Sibal said a core curriculum could pave the way for a common entrance exam for admission to professional courses.

He however admitted that achieving the idea is a "herculean task" since the current education system is narrow minded.

Sibal also said the reforms in education system should be carried out in a way that helps the country to change from being a "recipient of knowledge to producer of knowledge."

The Minister said he could not understand why there should be a difference in contents in Maths and Science.

"Subjects relating to environment and others can be different according to the state and city. But why should Science and Maths be different?" he asked.

Parents, students cheer optional board exam move

AHMEDABAD: Alok Shah, whose son is in class IX right now, is looking forward to the next academic year already. After all, the latest news from Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has given him enough reason to celebrate.

"Optional class X exam seems to be a great move. Though my son is in class IX right now, the pressure is mounting already. Given an option, I will not want him to take board exam and go through the torture of long tuition hours, competition and peer pressure. The exam seems pointless unless one wants to change their school," said Shah.

CBSE is likely to implement this decision from coming academic year (2010-11). Announcing a 100-day agenda, Union human resources and development minister Kapil Sibal, in New Delhi, said that class X boards will be made optional. Board also plans to introduce grading system from next academic year in class X.

"This will not only reduce pressure on students and parents but also initiate a system where emphasis will be laid on continuous and comprehensive evaluations throughout the year," said Jaydeb Kar, CBSE counsellor for Gujarat.

Seven new IIM's approved by cabinet...

The country will soon have seven new IIMs, of which four will start functioning from next year with the Union Cabinet on Thursday approving a HRD ministry proposal to set up these management institutes.

The new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will be set up in Tami Nadu, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

Aimed at generating a highly competent and trained manpower, the institutes are also expected to act as a major catalyst for developing a knowledge society that would inevitably impact on the economic growth of the country.

In the first phase, four IIMs at Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rohtak (Haryana) will be set up in 2009-10, which would become functional from academic session 2010-11.

The IIMs in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan will be set up in 2010-11.

In phase-I there would be an intake of 140 students in the PG course and by the end of phase-II, it would reach 560 students per year.

The 11th Five Year Plan endorsed by the National Development Council (NDC) in December 2007, envisaged establishment of seven new IIMs in the country.

With these new IIMs, the country will have 13 B-schools. The Centre has also established one IIM -- Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) in Shillong -- which has commenced its first academic session from 2008-2009.

THE TELESCOPE’S 400 AND WE’RE STILL STARSTRUCK

Since the night 400 years ago when Galileo turned his small telescope towards the sky, mankind has made gigantic strides in observing the universe. Today’s telescopes observe all kinds of electromagnetic radiation — the familiar visible light that we can see to infra red and even gamma rays. They are monster machines deployed not just on the earth’s surface but orbiting in space. Here are some of these uber-modern eyes and ears

THE FUTURE | The Gran Telescopio Canaria in Canary Islands has a 10.4m span reflecting telescope, making it the biggest single mirror telescope. Started in May. The Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array is located 16,000ft up in the Chilean Andes. When this array of 66 radio antennas spread across 10 miles opens, it will be the most advanced radio telescope. To start in 2012. The mother of all telescopes is the 30-metre telescope to be set up in Hawaii. Its giant mirror will be made of 492 smaller ones

Life of Galileo

1564 | Born in Pisa, Italy

1574-1589 | Enrolled in a monastery; shifted to Pisa to study medicine; finally settled for mathematics

1591-1610 | Taught mathematics at Pisa and Padua universities
1609 | Used improved telescope to observe heavenly bodies
1614 | His views on earth's motion around the sun denounced by church
1616 | Church tells him not to advocate his views
1632 | Publishes book reasserting his theory
1634 | Papal court finds him guilty of 'vehement heresy'; put under house arrest
1638 | Goes blind
1642 | Dies in Arcetri, outside Florence

Main scientific contribution
Confirmed Copernican theory that earth and planets move around sun; discovered lunar craters, 4 of Jupiter's moons, Saturn's rings, stars in Milky way, sunspots; stated that bodies of unequal weight experience same force of acceleration when falling to earth; developed maths of parabolas; developed various devices

Books

The Starry Messenger | 1610

The Assayer | 1623,

Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems | 1632

Kepler Apr 1990
Location: 75m km from Earth
Kepler has just settled down in its lonely slot in space. It will trail Earth at a distance which is about half the distance to the Sun. Kepler is a planet hunter — it is searching for Earth-like worlds

Ferni Gamma Ray Space Tech 2008
LOCATION | Low Earth orbit Named after 20th-century physicist Enrico Fermi, this orbiting telescope measures gamma rays, one of the most powerful radiations. Earth's atmosphere shields us from this lethal cosmic barrage. But Fermi catches these rays miles above the Earth

Hubble Space Telescope 1990
LOCATION | Orbiting the Earth This 20-year-old orbiting telescope has given us some of the most iconic images like those of the Crab and Eagle Nebulas. Equipped with a 2.4 metre wide reflector, this 11-tonne telescope is orbiting the earth 559km above the surface. Within weeks of its launch, a flaw was discovered in its giant mirror, which had to be rectified by a special trip. Recently a space shuttle mission sent astronauts to the Hubble for upgrading it. Its biggest legacy will be the images of thousands of galaxies billions of light years away — called the Deep Field images

Large Binocular Telescope 2005
LOCATION | Mount Graham, Arizona The Large Binocular Telescope gets its name as it has two giant lenses, each of about 8.4m span. Together they provide as much resolution as would be derived from a single 11.8-metre mirror, and are 10 times more powerful than Hubble's

Spitzer Space Telescope 2003
LOCATION | Following the Earth Along with Chandra, Hubble and Compton, Spitzer is the last of Nasa's four great observatories in space. It is made to catch infrared radiation coming from the universe. Human eyes can't detect such rays. It first spied the evidence of ‘hot Jupiters’ —gaseous giant planets in other galaxies, roasting on one side and cool on the other. Nasa thought that it would exhaust its onboard helium supply this April, but in August Spitzer was still sending stunning images of star formation