Category Archives: Education

10 schools ‘Film It’ to national stage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Kolkata :

The ministry of culture has shortlisted 10 films made by students from as many city schools to create awareness about Kolkata’s heritage and promote tourism.

Three of these films will make it to the final list and find a place, along with shortlisted films from other cities, on the websites of ministries of culture and tourism. Posters from these films will also be used by the Centre in its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

The films were screened on Tuesday at Birla High School as part of a nationwide screening of ‘Film It’, as the initiative has been christened.

Schools that made it to the top-10 list are Modern High School for Girls, Apeejay Park Street and Salt Lake, Birla High School, Lakshmipat Singhania, Loreto Sealdah, DPS Megacity, Heritage and South City International. “As many as 400 films were submitted from Kolkata. Choosing 10 best from the lot was a tough task. But I must say that Kolkata kids showed a lot of imagination while looking at heritage from a completely fresh angle,” said Purnima Dutt, who came from Intach-Delhi. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has been appointed the nodal agency for this countrywide project.

It is not built-heritage alone that the kids focused on. Even intangible heritage came in for filming. Take the case of Birla High School for Boys that made a film on fish markets of the city. “Visiting the fish market was an eye opener. It was a journey of sorts. Right from the catch, the sorting, the quality that goes into the different markets, the preservation, the sale and finally the preparations,” said Deepon Roy, a Class IX boy who was part of the film unit.

Similarly, Modern High School focused on the ancient game of Chaupar (dice) and how some ancient Marwari families still play it. Interesting mediums like animation and verse were also used to tell tales.

Schools from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad have also been selected for the final round. Films screened by them showcase the heritage and culture of respective states.

“We have tied up with the Helen Hamlyn Trust in th UK that will also showcase the films in UK schools,” said Intach convenor GM Kapur.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / February 04th, 2015

First batch of military nurses from Kolkata commissioned

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Kolkata :

The first batch of 18 nursing cadets from the College of Nursing, Command Hospital, Eastern Command, Kolkata, were commissioned as lieutenants into the Military Nursing Service on Wednesday. Among those present were Maj Gen A K Nagpal, MG (Med), HQ, Eastern Command and Maj Gen Deepak Kalra, Commandant, Command Hospital, Eastern Command.

“Lt Sushila Bishnoi was awarded the gold medal for securing first position in the University exams and was also adjudged best all-rounder. Lt Priyadarshni Kumari bagged the silver medal for standing second in the batch while Lt Isha Sharma was awarded the silver medal for best clinical nurse. In his address to the nursing officers, Gen Nagpal, spoke about the responsibilities of a nursing officer as being both challenging and rewarding. They have the role of nursing soldiers and their families in the armed forces hospitals across the country in times of peace and war, as well as abroad over land, air and sea, he said,” an officer said.

The School of Nursing was established at the Command Hospital in 1973. It was converted to the College of Nursing in 2010 and conducts BSc (N) programme of four-year duration. Recently, a two-year post graduate programme was also introduced at the college.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jayanta Gupta, TNN / January 14th, 2015

Feminist Jasodhara passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders

Eminent Leftist feminist Jasodhara Bagchi breathed her last here on Friday morning. She was 77.

She suffered a cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure, her daughter Tista Bagchi told The Hindu .

Educated at the city’s Presidency University, Oxford University and Cambridge University, she taught English briefly at the Lady Brabourne College here. From 1964, she spent a major part of her life teaching English at Jadavpur University and went to become the founder-director of the School of Women’s Studies there. Although Ms.Bagchi retired in 1997, she continued to teach at the School of Women’s Studies as an emeritus professor till her death.

Married to renowned economist Amiya Bagchi, she was the former chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women. She wrote extensively on social and women’s issues and has been vocal in supporting women movements.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – January 10th, 2015

School adopts US model to inspire kids in science

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kolkata :

Bengal is going to get its first STEM-based school in Barrackpore, some 25km from Kolkata, to encourage more children to take up science and arrest the decline in interest in engineering.

STEM — an acronym for ‘science, technology, engineering and mathematics’ — is a US-based teaching method that aims to inspire kids to become engineers rather than dreading the sciences and mathematics as many do now. STEM World School- the Barrackpore school, for instance, will have a STEM laboratory where attendance will be compulsory. The lab can accommodate 30 students at a time.

The STEM World School in Barrackpore will be affiliated to ICSE. Admissions for playgroup to Class VI will start from the 2015-2016 session, say officials.

The emphasis on science comes at a time when projections of a nationwide shortfall of technocrats threaten to hold back India’s progress.

“A recent study by Defence Research and Development Organisation revealed that just 4 out of 1,000 students in India opt for science, technology or research as their career. In contrast, this figure is 110 in Japan, 76 in Germany and 46 in Korea, indicating the dearth of young talent in these vital areas in our country. Because of this, India is at risk of a huge economic crisis, despite being the youngest country demographically,” said Paddy Sharma, a board member of the school. “The main objective in setting up a STEM school in Kolkata is to create critical thinkers, increase science literacy and give rise to the next generation of innovators,” said Hilda Peacock, former principal of La Martiniere for Girls, who is one of the advisors.

According to a survey, India will be facing a shortfall of 1.5 to 2.2 million engineers by 2020, Sharma added.

“Innovation leads to new products and processes that sustain economy. Innovation and science literacy depend on a solid knowledge base in STEM areas. We just need to remind kids that this kind of learning can be fun. We need to introduce children to the basic concepts of science, engineering, technology and mathematics in junior grades and continue with these programmes through high school,” she said. Michael Glanton, Democratic member of Georgia House of Representatives, USA, is one of the advisors.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Somdatta Basu, TNN / January 11th, 2015

Jadavpur University student may be CAT topper from Kolkata

Education, Records, All

Kolkata :

Soumyadeep Chakrabarti from the electronics and telecommunications department of Jadavpur University is the probable topper from the city in CAT 2014. Soumyadeep has scored 100 percentile.

Averse to the sudden spotlight, Soumyadeep refused to speak to the media. However, his friends from JU feel that it is a rare feat that could only have been achieved by Soumyadeep because of his dedication to studies.

“He is a brilliant student and a hard worker. Though I didn’t know that he was preparing for CAT, his academic scores in the university are pretty high,” said a JU teacher.

“Soumyadeep wants to be an entrepreneur after completing MBA. He is a little shy to divulge his scores since he is well aware that despite a 100 percentile, he may not get a berth in any of the top IIMs, which give much importance to group discussion and personal interview of candidates before a final list is prepared,” said a senior faculty member of a coaching centre.

According to sources, Soumyadeep is focusing on a berth in IIM-Ahmedabad followed by IIM-C and IIM-Bangalore. This was his first attempt at CAT.

“His overall percentile is 100. In Section 1, which is quantitative ability and data interpretation, he has scored 99.97 percentile. In Section 2, verbal ability and logical reasoning, he has 100 percentile. Overall, his score is 100 percentile. He started to prepare for CAT as early as his first year of engineering,” added the source.

Soumyadeep was trained at Career Launcher. “Students from Kolkata have done very well in CAT this year. The number of students with more than 99 percentile has increased as compared to last year. Students from JU, IIEST and St Xavier’s have done particularly well in CAT 2014. The normalization process applied by the IIMs has been more or less equitable this year. It had created a furore last year. I just wish the IIMs had been a little more transparent and let each student know his/her raw score, too,” said director of Career Launcher, Kolkata, and alumnus IIM-Bangalore, Naveen Saraff.

He, however, pointed out that a few students could not see their results on the websites, which reflects that their payment status was unsuccessful. “But they were given admit cards and even took the examination, which shows that there is some fault in the system,” added Saraff.

According to Ramnath Kanakadandi, national course director, T.I.M.E, “It is great that the results are out more than two weeks earlier this year. It means double benefit for students — early relief and more time to prepare for the next phase. Congratulations to the IIM authorities and TCS for pulling off a smooth job overall, despite having just a two-day window.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Somdatta Basu, TNN / December 30th, 2014

Sky’s the limit for these girls

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Nature, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion

BirlaGirlsKOLKATA30dec2014

Lying on blankets at a height of 9,200ft, they gazed up at the sky and couldn’t believe what they saw. Khushi Goenka and two of her schoolmates from Modern High School for Girls were staring up at the Milky Way. With the naked eye.

In Hawaii to attend the second edition of the Pacific Astronomy & Engineering Summit at Imiloa Astronomy Center, the girls had seen the constellation through a telescope just the day before. “It was unbelievable because the previous day at the astronomy centre we had seen the constellation and other stars and there we were, seeing it again, this time with the naked eye,” said Khushi, a Class XII student.

Khushi, along with Class XI students Adwitiya Dawn and Shruti Keoliya, made up the only team from India invited to the five-day conference. Accompanied by their physics teacher Pamela Dutta, the girls worked in collaboration with Puragra (Raja) Guha Thakurta of the department of astronomy and astrophysics at University of California, Santa Cruz, and PhD student Emily Cunningham on the Halo 7D project.

The conference included presentations by scientists and astronomers from China, Japan, Canada and the US but the high point for the city girls was a meeting with five scientists who had spent four months in isolation in simulated Mars-like conditions.

“We met the HI-SEAS crew, a group of five scientists who had spent four months in isolation on a Mars-like surface on top of a mountain. We got hold of an aeronautical engineer and kept asking him absurd questions to satiate our curiosity and not letting him eat his plate of chicken that he hadn’t in the past months,” recalled Shruti.

After the girls returned to the city, Guha Thakurta visited their school and shared with Metro the importance of research and how the trip not only opened new avenues for the girls but also opened their minds to new ideas.

“It opens the eyes of students, especially those who are used to finding exact answers even to difficult problems, to the fact that there are problems that do not have a right answer. In research you have some idea of the question you are trying to answer but there is no guarantee you will find the answer,” explained Guha Thakurta, an astronomer for 30 years. “In most high schools, students are taught there is a correct answer and there is an incorrect answer. To know that there are many shades of grey in between is an eye-opener. The girls, on several occasions, were looking for answers but we would tell them we don’t know the answers or the answer is not known.”

Guha Thakurta said the girls understood the need for research and saw “some laws of physics, some of which they put in their presentation. Some of it they had learnt in class but what they had probably not seen is how someone who making a career as a researcher still uses the formula that they are learning in high schools”.

“In the initial document sent to us, the astronomy terms seemed alien and too technical. But as we started researching, the concepts became clear and we tried to make our presentation (calculating the mass and structure of Milky Way) as comprehensible as possible for the layman,” Adwitiya said.

The five-day trip included sessions by scientists and astronomers, visits to museums, trekking and cultural presentations and some bhangra and dandiya to get everyone at the conference on their feet.

“As far as education is concerned, travelling contributes hugely as does mixing with people and working together as a team on research. The girls had to Skype with California early in the morning before school and be there in time to attend school,” said Devi Kar, the director of Modern High School for Girls.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Jhinuk Mazumdar / Tuesday – December 30th, 2014

Rabindra Bharati University theatre repertory makes debut

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Kolkata :

Rabindra Bharati University’s theatre repertory staged its debut production ‘Bandi Bihanga’ at Jorasanko on Friday.

Kolkata has professional theatre repertories like Minerva and Binodini, but this is the first time a university in eastern India has set up one of its own where former students of the department of drama can work and perform as professional artists, said university authorities.

“These former students will be paid for their work, unlike such productions by other universities. We aim at producing six plays,” said Haimanti Chattopadhyay, member-secretary of West Bengal State Akademi of Dance Drama Music and Visual Art.

‘Bandi Bihanga’, based on Tagore’s ‘Tota Kahini’, is an open-air play directed by Debashish Chakraborty, an RBU ex-student. The next production will be a Bengali adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / December 26th, 2014

Four decades of a special cause

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

TaratalaKOLKATA22dec2014

From a two-room set-up in Ballygunge Military Camp with just a couple of students to a full-fledged campus in Taratala, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy has come a long way in 40 years.

The institute recently celebrated its journey with an exhibition that paid tribute to the city that has been home to it and all the people who have lent their support.

Samiran Nundy, gastro specialist from Delhi and guest of honour, remembered the special place IICP had in the life of his mother Shanti Nundy, the first qualified special educator at the institute.

For Raman Dhawan, GoC, Bengal, and the chief guest on the occasion, it was his first visit to IICP and he admitted to feeling “privileged” to be part of the 40th anniversary celebrations.

“It is this institute or institutes like this, the caregivers, the special children… the special adults who work for self-reliance… they are the actual heroes. We all need to applaud them,” said Dhawan. He also shared how the place once occupied by IICP at the Ballygunge Military Camp is now home to a special school. “They (IICP) were with us for a decade or so… I want to assure this institute, you may have left us to come to your new premises but you are very close to our heart. The place that you left, those two rooms… we made it into a slightly bigger establishment and there we run a small Asha school. A school for the special children of the armed forces,” Dhawan said.

Nundy took a trip down memory lane, remembering how his mother joined IICP at age 60 and how much she loved the institute. “At the age of 54 she enrolled herself in Brandon University in Canada and for three years she studied special education. When she returned to India in 1977, Sudha (Kaul) and Junie (Sethi) were very kind in employing someone who was nearing 60,” he said.

“My mother absolutely adored the school. She, I think, cooked, looked after the garden, looked after the children and she taught a little,” smiled Nundy. He also shared how even when her children were back home during holidays, she never used to miss out on work. “She would still be going out to work in the morning, saying ‘I can’t miss my job, I have to go to work whether my children are here or not’.”

Even after being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment, she continued to work with IICP.

A short film, Beyond Barriers, by Jayabrato Chatterjee on IICP’s 40-year journey was screened on the occasion, followed by the release of the institute’s newsletter, Deepshikha, sponsored by ABP, where students, parents, teachers and people associated with the institute have shared their memories.

Jeeja Ghosh, an ex-student of IICP, gave a PowerPoint presentation on Ankur, an advocacy group she heads.

“Our parents and teachers have encouraged us. As we grew up we learnt to voice our rights and achieve our goals. We believe that people with disabilities have rights, the ability to shoulder responsibility and need to be recognised,” said Jeeja, who now works at IICP as head of advocacy and disability studies.

Madhuri Kapur, one of the first two students of IICP, was felicitated by vice-chairperson Sudha Kaul.

The exhibition titled Salaam Kolkata, which was on display at the Taratala campus, had students of the junior section put together Calcutta Canvas with vignettes of city life from phuchkawallah to animals from Alipore zoo.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / by Shweta Keshri / Monday – December 22nd, 2014

IIT-Kharagpur conclave a stepping stone for budding entrepreneurs

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kolkata :

Students of IIT-Kharagpur will get the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with renowned academics, new-age entrepreneurs, eminent business personalities and successful venture capitalists over three days in January when the premier B-school organizes the sixth edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2015).

Companies like Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Flipkart, Amazon Web Services, BSE, Deloitte and other corporate giants will hold workshops between January 16 and 18, focusing on the entrepreneurial acumen of participants. IIT-Kharagpur’s entrepreneurship cell, which is organizing the event, has already undertaken various activities on the same lines, including the pan-India entrepreneurship awareness drive. Following the successful culmination of the drive, which saw close to 25,000 applicants participating from 24 cities last year, the e-cell is now moving on to the flagship event.

The previous edition of GES has seen people like India TV founder Rajat Sharma, Aakash tablet founder Suneet Singh, serial entrepreneur Dominique Trempont, Forbes columnist and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Srimana Mitra, renowned social entrepreneur Harish Hande, former ICICI Bank deputy manager Nachiket Mor and naukri.com founder Sanjeev Bhickchandani participating. Even this year, the organizers are trying to rope in a star-studded panel.

GES is the only such conference of entrepreneurship that will serve as a conclave for discussion of opportunities and programmes aimed towards promoting entrepreneurship in various universities across the world. It will host a global business model competition, Empresario, powered by Viligro, which saw entries from around the country at the preliminary round in October. The finals of the competition will be part of GES where the winners will get a direct entry into the semi-finals of the International Business Model Competition.

The other important event is the start-up camp that will involve interaction of entrepreneurs and students where start-ups will recruit the finest talent for internships or jobs while giving them an opportunity to meet to meet the CEOs in campus.

Unlike previous years, GES 2015 will be an invite-only summit where only specific colleges will be able to send their delegations.

“IIT’s entrepreneurship cell aims at supporting budding entrepreneurs. GES will prove to be the ultimate stage for propagating the cause,” said Deepak Kumar Jha, a member of the e-cell, IIT.

GES 2015 has Flipkart as its title sponsor along with sponsors like IBM, Villgro, VMware, Fedena, Haier, Air India and the WBIDC.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / December 12th, 2014

Birla High teacher in Top 50 list for $1million education award

Education, Records, All

Kolkata :

Scared of Maths? Try synchronized dance and ludo, or even origami. Thanks to the idea, Hira Prasad, a city teacher, is in the fray for a mind-boggling $1 million global education award for marrying art and craft with mathematics.

Prasad, the assistant headmistress at Birla School for Boys junior section, is the only one from Kolkata and among three teachers in India to be shortlisted in the top 50 contenders for the big-ticket Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize. The final list was drawn from 5000-odd applicants from 120+ countries.

“Whenever I introduce a new concept, I’m tapping a weak part of the brain. Creative elements are of paramount importance when facing something that might seem difficult at first. So in Class IV, while learning factors and multiples, students — a group of six — are asked to dance to peppy music. They have to dance but maintain one line. So they learn that one is a factor of six and six is a multiple of one,” Prasad explained. Next, the students are asked to form two rows, then three, and they understand two and three too are factors of six.

Principal Mukta Nain said it’s not only a motivation for students but also for teachers. “She is a wonderful teacher, tech-savvy and full of innovation,” she said. “With the innovative methods, students are learning even while making a fruit salad,” added Loveleen Saigal, the headmistress of the junior section.

Prasad’s former students give full credit to her efforts. CA aspirant Nami Patni, 22, told TOI: “Initially, I wasn’t strong in Maths. But the novel method of teaching in our school was a turning point. In the CBSE Boards, I got 95 in Maths.”

Class VII student Naman Bhutoria said: “I used to be confused about addition-subtraction but when Ma’am used her unique teaching methods, it became clear. We were first introduced to lines and angles through yoga asanas. In my Class-VI annual exams I got 90%.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Shounak Ghosal, TNN / December 10th, 2014