Immigration New Zealand announce changes

The changes to Study to Work visa means that student will need to study in New Zealand for at least two years or post-graduation to qualify for three years post study work visas, including one year open search visa and two years graduate work visa.

At the same time, students who obtain a second, higher qualification at bachelor’s degree or postgraduate level will be able to obtain a second one year Graduate Job Search Visa in contrast to current policy wherein student could avail this visa only once.

Importantly, Students holding New Zealand qualifications or students who are currently studying towards New Zealand qualifications will not be affected by changes to the Study to Work instructions or the points available under the Skilled Migrant Category. The students who will enroll now for a new course beginning after 25 July will be affected by the announced changes.

Immigration Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman says ensuring students are genuinely here to study, and enabling the best students to stay on and contribute to New Zealand’s skilled workforce, benefits the sector’s reputation and New Zealand’s economy. ‘’The majority of people are here to legitimately study, but some just see a student visa as a short cut to gaining access to New Zealand,’’ Dr Coleman says.

‘’Some education providers have been enrolling students who are not capable of successfully completing their courses, have poor attendance and who are recording poor learning outcomes'. Among the other significant changes announced today, applicants claiming bonus points for having obtained recognized a New Zealand qualification must have a Bachelor’s degree or post graduate qualification.

Changes have been made regarding funds required for student visa applicants that will increase from current $10,000 per year to $15,000 per year for courses 36 weeks or longer.  This change won’t be implemented until March 2012.

It is pertinent to mention here that New Zealand's international student population has grown rapidly in recent years especially from India. India has overtaken Japan to be New Zealand's third largest source of international students, having increased their numbers by almost 350 percent since 2006.

Almost 11,600 Indian students were enrolled in New Zealand in 2010. The majority were at private education providers, and an increasing number were also enrolling at polytechnics and institutes of technology to study one year Graduate Diplomas.

India's growing middle class is now sending more students overseas for undergraduate education, and many are choosing to study in New Zealand level 5 or level 6 one year courses at PTEs.

“It would appear that one reason the New Zealand Government is making these policy changes now” says Richard Howard, Former president, New Zealand Association for Migration& Investment, “is to avoid the problems which eventuated in Australia, UK and USA which resulted from large numbers of international students being enrolled in short term, low level courses in education institutions who were not interested in education outcomes. The policy changes announced today will ensure that the focus of New Zealand education institutions is firmly on achieving quality education outcomes for students and that students who choose to study in New Zealand come for the same purpose.”

International education sector strong

AUSTRALIA'S international education sector remains strong, with new figures revealing it added more than $18 billion of export income to the economy in 2010.

An Australian Education International research snapshot released today found the $18.3 billion worth of earnings was steady on 2009 calender year data, but down 2.2 per cent on the 2009/10 financial year information.

China continued to spend more on Australian education than any other foreign country, followed by India, although its contribution fell by 15 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

A number of Indian students were violently attacked while studying in Australia two years ago.

Fees, goods and services paid for by onshore students generated most of the sector's export income, while half a billion dollars came from offshore and other educational activities.

Higher education accounted for $10.4 billion, while $4.8 billion came from vocational education and training.

Public awareness can curtail commercialism in education

Not very long ago, I received a letter which left me perplexed. The letter contained an offer for the purchase of a school. People have from time to time tried to sell me all kinds of things, from used air-conditioners to homeopathic treatment for hair loss, but I did not even know that there was a trade in the sale and purchase of schools.

The letter in question was addressed to me by name but I doubt that the person who wrote it knew much about me except that I was the chairman of the managing committee of a prominent school in south Delhi. The subject of the letter was marked in the appropriate place as “Proposal for M&A, tie-up or take-over of School in DLF Gurgaon”. It pointed out that the organization it represented had a well-established and reputed nursery school on a plot measuring 0.37 acres and with a covered area of 4,000 square feet. It was not made very clear as to which was the more tempting part of the offer, the little children in their innocence and joy or the prime land with its well-constructed covered area.

I rang up the principal the same morning and asked her whether we should not discuss the letter. She seemed censorious not only about the offer but also about my question. She told me somewhat coldly that she had sent the letter to me because it was addressed to me, and that if it had been addressed to her she would have put it in the waste-paper basket.

When I brought the same matter up with another person who is not a school principal or a school manager, but active nevertheless in the promotion of education, I got a different answer. He asked me why, if a useful service was being provided in a country that badly needed such a service, I should object because those offering the service expected to be paid. He told me that I was simply a prisoner of the ideological prejudices common to Left intellectuals in India whose mindless hostility to business had harmed the development of both education and the economy.

There are now many who advocate the use of the ‘business model’ in every kind of institution, association and organization. There are various reasons behind the growing appeal of the business model. Most people think of the government and the market as virtually the only two alternatives for the satisfaction of wants. After some 60 years of government mismanagement in almost every sphere of activity, people are now ready to seize the opportunities offered by the market if only to escape the clutches of the government. But while business is a most important component of every modern society, its record of performance even in its own sphere of competence is not altogether unblemished, and one might ask if that sphere of competence itself extends to every field of society.

I do not wish to suggest that business is governed solely by the unscrupulous pursuit of material gain. There is a business ethic that is in significant respects different from the bureaucratic ethic. There is also a professional ethic, appropriate to such fields as law, medicine and education, which is, or ought to be, different from both. This simply means that a university, a hospital or a legal service cannot operate as just another business or just another department of the government. It does not mean, however, that they can operate without keeping in mind the rules of the government or the constraints of the market.

In an essay on the professions and social structure, the great American sociologist, Talcott Parsons, had pointed to the significance of professions such as law, medicine and education in the life of every modern society. He noted that the professions could make their contributions effectively only if they acted in the awareness that their role in society was different from that of business. He also pointed out that the professions did not enjoy the same significance in all societies but occupied a position of unique significance only in modern societies, by which he meant modern Western societies.

While acknowledging the independent significance of the professional ethic, we must not assume that it will be able to hold its own against the business ethic always and under all circumstances. The social significance of the professional ethic has waxed and waned with the decline and rise of the business model. There is little doubt that today that model is in the ascendant not only in India, but in most parts of the world. The economist Benjamin Friedman wrote in The New York Review of Books on April 29, 2010, “Some years ago my employer, Harvard University, decided to become a university with a hedge fund attached. Or maybe the idea was to be a hedge fund with a university attached.” This was no doubt written partly with tongue in cheek, but the message is quite clear. More than one American academic has told me that today the first thing that one must understand about the American university is that it is run like a business firm, so pressing are the problems of fund raising and fund management. And yet, the best American universities now have no rivals in the world.

I must make it clear in the end that in the field of education, the distinction between the business model and the professional model does not correspond necessarily with the distinction between private schools and government schools. Most government schools operate in accordance with the bureaucratic rather than the professional model, and there are private schools whose managers and teachers work with a keen awareness of their professional obligations as educators.

It is easy enough to establish and expand new professions, but there is no easy way of creating a professional ethic and insulating it from rampant commercialism or abject surrender to the bureaucracy. The professional ethic is not a gift of nature. It has to be cultivated and nurtured. What is required for this is not simply commitment and application from the professionals themselves but understanding and sympathy from the wider public. Educational institutions must be held to account for the funds they receive and use, but they should not be submitted to continuous pressure to generate their own revenues and to make profits in addition.

Businessmen can also be philanthropists, and the wiser ones among them recognize that the cultivation and transmission of knowledge need to be supported in the larger interest of society, and, indeed, in their own long-term interest. Philanthropists have always provided support to educational institutions, although this support has not been as generous in independent India as it might have been. In our times, even the most generous among philanthropists do not act only in the public interest. They are aware of the tax concessions and other benefits they receive by making donations to educational institutions, and there is no reason why they should not benefit from those concessions. But there are businessmen who take advantage of the concessions, and then run the institutions mainly for profit. This cannot be stopped altogether, but greater public awareness and vigilance can help to curtail its excesses.

5% hike in engg engineering cap in Karnataka: Do we need it? Now?

This year, 60,543 candidates are eligible for engineering seats in the state, against the 71,639 last year. That is because the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has revised the eligibility slab for aggregate marks in Science subjects from 45% to 50%.

While the revision has its own benefits, it would hit the colleges hard, besides denying a huge lot of students the chance to pursue an engineering course. It also comes when some of the not-so-popular engineering colleges in the state are struggling with vacancies.

Questioning the AICTE move, the Gujarat government has petitioned the court against it. The court judgment would apply to all states but its timing is important since the Karnataka CET counselling date has been fixed and is around the corner. At this juncture, DNA seeks the opinion of the people concerned on the slab revision

This is the way forward
Manjula RamanIPrincipal, Army Public School
I would call it a good move. It, in fact, propagates quality in education. Everyone says that we need to provide students with equal opportunities, but we need to realise that equality need to be accompanied with excellence that we totally lack in our system. Engineering is not the only thing, there are splendid opportunities now for even Arts and Humanities graduates. This AICTE move would make students to explore other prospective options and courses. It would lead to overall development of the economy by spreading students across all courses. Engineers would be fewer and of better quality. This is the way forward for our country. It will also motivate our students to perform better by taking that extra effort. But I feel that this norm should have been implemented after the students were made well aware of it so that they would have been prepared.

It’s a welcome move
Santosh KattiILecturer, PES Institute of Technology
I welcome the 5% increase in the eligibility cap for the general and reservation categories. A student who wants to pursue an engineering course couldn't have scored below 50% in Class 12. The AICTE move will surely help filter students and is more than welcome. On the other hand, those who have lost the chance of pursuing an engineering course needn't feel sad. They can opt for equally-competitive courses like Computer Applications, Business Management, Diploma (Engg) from a polytechnic, NTTF and GTTC. Admission numbers may go down, but that will be only for this academic year. The number of students coming out with better percentages will surely increase in the coming years. I would like to quote the example of Ramya who secured the first Rank in CET (Medical). She said that she would like to pursue a course in Basic Sciences at the IISc. My advice for the non-eligible candidates is that they should always keep their options open in this competitive world.

Look at other options
Ravi KiranIEngineering student
I am aware of the new AICTE norm and I feel it's good. One needs to understand that pursuing an engineering course is not that easy and people are not going to be successful if they don't have a passion for it and work hard. Also, the students who are weak in studies must realise that engineering is not the only available and prospective option. I don't understand why is this craze for engineering courses, when the other courses too offer equal opportunities. There are sundry courses available to all kinds of students and a good student can shine anywhere if s/he has the interest. Courses don't matter, how you go about it does. AICTE just feels that students who aspire to become engineers but are poor scorers may not fit into it.

Would hit colleges hard
KR VenugopalIPrincipal, UVCE
It simply means that only the good students will get into the engineering colleges. But the feasibility of running an engineering college will come down… seats will fall vacant. There are already a huge number of vacant engineering seats in the state colleges. Since the tuition fees have not been hiked, the colleges would find it hard to pay the teachers. The processing fees have been increased, which means the students will have to shell out more. The AICTE should have considered all aspects of it before implementing the change. There should not be a lag anywhere. It should make sure that the students and the college managements are benefited evenly.

Not this year, please
Priya SarkarIClass 12 student
It is absolutely fine to increase the eligibility percentage. If you are aiming to take any subject you must have at least 50% of academic knowledge on it. Similarly, if one wishes to pursue engineering they must have scored at least 50% in the subjects that are associated with engineering— like physics, chemistry and mathematics. But I also feel that this norm should be implemented only next year, because some might not have concentrated on their Board exams as they would have concentrated more on the entrances. So, if it is in effect from next year, people will know what to expect and prepare accordingly.

Students stand to lose
John PanikulamIEngineering graduate
I partially agree with the increase because it gives us a rough idea on where to segregate the students based on their marks. Plus I am sure it must have come in the wake of engineering colleges admitting the students who have scored less marks by taking money. This is not only wrong but reduces the standard of education in the country. As per the current trend, the students have become competitive and therefore obtaining such marks are not that difficult if one is really interested in studying. Therefore, I welcome such a change. But the downside of revising the eligibility slab is that it would also deny seats to some students who might be really interested in pursing a technical course. Students can cope up with the ever-demanding technical education if s/he can cope up with the senior secondary level of education.

Govt goes all out to woo Baba Ramdev

Pounded by corruption scandals, theleft no stone unturned in laying out a red carpet for , dispatching four ministers led by finance minister  to appease the yoga guru on the eve of his protest fast. 

There was nothing subtle about the government's appeasement of the guru who plans to begin a fast from Saturday demanding the return of wealth illegally stashed abroad. Cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar was also in attendance as Ramdev was met by the ministerial team at  airport. 

The unabashed attempt to win over the yoga guru with a red carpet reception confirmed Congress's anxiety about the groundswell of anti-graft sentiments as well as its desire to split the civil society ranks, but provoked dismay in the party. 

Party sources said the government had unnecessarily gone overboard in courting Ramdev. The organization-government divergence was evident when party general secretary brushed aside the guru saying, "Who is scared of him." 

Nor was there any indication that the outreach was effective, with the yoga guru making it plain that he would launch his fast on Saturday as scheduled. If anything, Ramdev re-calibrated his reported stand opposing the demand of Hazare Campaign to bring PM and judiciary within the jurisdiction of the proposed Lokpal. Perhaps noting that his view that PM and judiciary should be out of the Lokpal's purview was seen as a boost for the government, the Baba swiftly "clarified" his statement. He denied having said so and also announced his determination to go ahead with his fast. 

The importance accorded to the guru, who the government hopes will not precipitate a crisis, comes in the backdrop of its growing differences with the Anna Hazare group over the content of the proposed Lokpal bill to combat graft in public life. 

When the guru, who Congress chose to view with disdain till recently, landed, he found tourism minister HRD minister  and parliamentary affairs minister Pavan Bansal at hand apart from Mukherjee. 

But for the distinctive robed figure of Ramdev, onlookers might well have thought a heavyweight foreign dignitary was landing on Indian soil. But the reception committee only underscored the government's anxiety over the popular chord anti-graft campaigns have struck. 

The government briefed the guru at length and said it would meet him again on June 3, a day ahead of his proposed fast. On his part, the guru said talks were "positive" but added that he could not call off his fast unless "a decisive stage was reached." 

The upgrade to Ramdev seems part of Congress strategy to mellow him down, as it eyes his differences with Anna Hazare group hopefully. The ministerial panel was intended to signal the importance government accords Ramdev as ministers explained double taxation treaties, exchange of economic information and other measures to the guru. 

Senior government sources said it was unclear whether Ramdev will call of his fast. But they hoped that even if he doesn't, he will not go for broke as Hazare did not too long ago and will instead be amenable to accepting measures the Centre may consider. "It is not in government's hands to deliver quick results," the source said. 

The presence of Sahay, with his experience of talking to godmen, suggests a "political handling" of the talks with the guru which the government is keen remain in track and do not spin into a confrontation. A stiff attitude early on in the Hazare fast gave way to total capitulation in the end. 

The government's outreach to the yoga guru, whom Congress once attacked as inconsequential wannabe with likely saffron leanings, has unfolded rapidly. It can be seen in officials being deputed to brief him on tax and criminal aspects of black money. 

But while few would have expected the government to engage in such public diplomacy, the government is not standing on niceties. It is more bothered that the guru – with a massive public following – does not paint the government into a corner. 

If the Congress were to persist with its criticism of the government, the Centre task will become more complicated. Till evening, even though Baba announced he was not calling off his fast, government remained hopeful of further engagement. 

The government recognizes that withdrawing his fast can expose Ramdev to charges of sellout but the guru's actions may not be entirely predictable. 

Besides informing him about the recent moves like forming a committee of financial institutions to suggest ways to tackle  and a new directorate for tax related criminal investigation, the ministers assured him that Swiss banks were relenting on their infamous secrecy. 

The ministers told Baba that Swiss bank was now more amenable to sharing details on its accounts after global recession because of the pressure mounted by suffering economies on the bank. 

The ministers will meet him again on the eve of his dharna, possibly with a plan to address his anxieties on various issues ranging from graft to education. Ramdev called the talks as positive but said he would not be satisfied with assurances on bringing back black money but wanted action on the issue. 

Baba also demanded that higher education in the country be given in mother tongue as was done inor Japan, and spoke about farmers's issues like high input and labour costs in farm production and land acquisition act. He also suggested few ways to retrieve black money. 

After meeting Baba, Sibal said, "He (Ramdev) raised important issues which impact on the future of our country. They are significant national issues. We prima facie responded to them."

ound Table Conference: Education: Hard-selling a contention, better faculty and infrastructure needed

The panel of speakers comprised Vinay Pasricha, chairman, WLCI, Dr S K Gupta, director general, ICRI, Suneel Galgotia, chancellor, Galgotia University, Dr Rajeev Agrawal, director, G L Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Poonam Sharma, group director, Accurate Institute of Management and Technology, Ujjwal Vishal, director, 9 Pillars, Vikas Wahi, chief executive officer, Advel Group, M P Jain, advisor to the chancellor, Sharda University. Shifali Rawat, director, Communications, GSBA, moderated the panel discussion.

The panel debated and deliberated upon multiple issues related to the education sector. Some of the hard-pressing questions raised during the Round Table session were: Does education, like any other sector, need hard-selling, or is it unnecessary? Are we spending enough on research and development? Should the educational institutes be autonomous, and if so, to what extent? Dearth of quality faculty -- a reality or just a hype? How important are college ratings, and do they impact business? Mushrooming private institutes -- the mad race, or the more the better? What is the right curriculum, and how to develop it?

Marketing in education: Hard-selling or unnecessary?

One of the most fiercely contested points of discussion was whether the education sector required marketing like any other sector. "Marketing that is very shrill and requires over-the-top publicity is not required in this sector," said Pasricha. Gupta, on the other hand, stated that any kind of marketing was a strict no-no for educational institutions. "Marketing is fine as far as giving information is concerned, hard-selling is not ethical," he said.

"Mass media advertising is also important, but marketing through the alumni is much more impactful", said Vishal. Jain echoed the sentiment when he said, "Marketing in education is different. Students are the best brand ambassadors, and companies which place students are the best brand endorsers."According to Ujjwal Vishal, director, 9 Pillars, the marketing strategies being adopted in the sector are flawed. "The influencers are being neglected." He revealed that in semi-urban markets like Bareilly and Ambala, around 45 per cent admissions are through references.

While Sharma highlighted that marketing by an educational entity should focus on the employability and the placeability of students, Galgotia opined that the institutes, however good or bad, need to tell the world that they exist. "Brand is nothing, but a combination of marketing and the actual product," he said.

While commenting on the need of marketing in education, Galgotia said, "We, the educational service providers, are 'shaping' a product. We are manufacturing and nurturing human capital." However, he warned against hard-selling by saying that one shouldn't be seen hard-selling education, because the student knows what's real and what's not.

Research and Development: Are we doing enough?

The panel members agreed unanimously that inadequate research and development was a cause of concern in India. According to Pasricha, the R&D budgets in India differ from what they are in the US and in the UK. "They are 250 times more in the US," he stated.

"There is a need to create awareness to push research and development further," Gupta said. According to him, R&D can be on many fronts -- academic, commercial and social. "It's just that the institutes of higher education need to have scope, innovation and a will for research and development," he added.

According to Agrawal, while marketing in education is not a priority, the institutes that are known academically and are ahead of the pack have a strong foundation of research and development.

Furthering the notion, Galgotia opined that branding and marketing an institute will go to a certain level. "A good faculty makes a good institute, and good faculty is followed by quality research."

When Pasricha raised a point that India hasn't been able to receive the Nobel Prize in the last 50 years, the panel refuted the argument with multiple justifications. "Flawed primary education is to be blamed for Indians not getting the Nobel Prize," Jain said.

"To flourish and win accolades, research needs good world-class laboratories," said Agrawal. Jain, on the other hand, concurred that research and development should be encouraged by incentivising researchers.

Autonomy and quality faculty: The sticky wickets

According to Galgotia, education has been privatised in India only a decade back. The sector is still in the nascent stage. "The vision and will to excel, along with limited autonomy is what will help the institutes," he said.

The IITs and IIMs have got a monopolistic approach, the panel said in chorus. "Academic autonomy is there, but then private institutes are flush with the relatives of the chairman or the owner," Pasricha highlighted.

According to Jain, the sector needs autonomous institutes, but not affiliated institutes. "Private universities have challenged the monopoly of IITs and IIMs today," he concurred.

The issue of there being a dearth of quality faculty gave rise to passionate comments among the speakers. "Teaching, as an occupation, is not taken up passionately any longer," said Agrawal.

According to Gupta, an institute should be able to retain good faculty. "For that to happen, pay scales need to go up three to four times," Pasricha commented.

"If we need people with industry experience, we need to attract them," he added.

Wahi questioned the exodus of IIT students from India. Why do 80 per cent of IITians go out of India? "That's partly because they get a better lifestyle and a fantastic work environment. If we incentivise a system, it grows," he said.

Gupta suggested that sincere faculty development programmes are the need of the hour. According to Wahi, since not much was being done for faculty development, the passion for teaching was dying slowly. "Ask your students how many of them want to be teachers, and very few will say they do. Teaching should become a profession to look up to," he reflected.

The right curriculum and the way forward

The panel had a consensus that the right curriculum was very important to impart quality education. The panel felt that it should be in sync with what the industry requires today.

According to Galgotia, there is employment, but students who are not employable. "Since the last 30 years, the syllabus hasn't changed in medicine," Gupta said, matter-of-factly.

While agreeing with both Pasricha and Gupta, Sharma said, "India is home to 14 million students today, over 300 universities, and more than 18,000 colleges operate in the country. We need to provide the right curriculum, the right faculty and world facilities to the students because the better the quality you give, the better they will speak about you."

Summing up the session, Rawat said, "There may not be quality controls in education, autonomy and its extent could be a thriving issue, regulators might not be transparent enough, college ratings could be done more professionally, research and development is not given its due, but one thing is true -- if the education sector readies itself for all future challenges, it can help make India the top education provider in the world."

Minister attacks research standards at India's prestigious IIT colleges

A cabinet minister's blunt criticism of the work of the faculty at India's most prestigious educational institutions has set off a storm of controversy, and also brought into debate the quality of scientific innovation and research in India, particularly in the government-funded Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Last week, Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, told reporters: "There is hardly any worthwhile research from our IITs. The faculty is not world-class; it is the students in IITs who are world-class. So the IITs are excellent because of the quality of students, not because of quality of research or faculty."

There are now 15 IITs, universities focused on science and engineering, in India; Mr Ramesh graduated from the IIT in Mumbai in 1975 with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering.

Ever since the IITs' establishment, they have been synonymous with India's ambitions. In 1956, the then Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, speaking at the convocation of the first IIT, saw the institute as "representing India's urges, India's future in the making. [It] seems to me symbolical of the changes that are coming to India".

Of the 400,000-plus candidates who take the IIT entrance examinations every year, only the top 13,000 or so are selected. The IITs have acquired a reputation for academic rigor and for producing intelligent, well-trained undergraduates. Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, once called India's IITs "an incredible institution".

This close association of the IITs with India's stature has been augmented over the past decade, as the graduates of these institutes have started to power the intellectual economy.