Australia edges out UK, ranks second in number of Indian students

UNESCO report says US remains no. 1 destination, but UK slips to fourth due to stricter visa rules

Australia has gained the second spot as the most preferred destination for higher studies for Indian students, after the number of students going to study in the UK reduced by 4 per cent as compared to last year, a recent UNESCO report reveals.

According to UNSECO’s 2017 rankings, the US continues to be the top choice for students who are looking to study abroad, while the UK has slipped to the third spot and Australia has come up in the rankings.

In 2016, 48 per cent of Indian students pursuing higher education abroad went to the US, while 11 per cent of them went to Australia and 8 per cent went to the UK. One of the main reasons behind the declining number of students going to the UK is the stringent visa norms there. This fact was also mentioned by the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, YK Sinha, who took charge of his post in London in December 2016. He highlighted the sharp contrast between rising Indian student numbers in countries like the US and Australia and even across Europe.

“In the field of education, we have a bit of a problem because the number of Indian students (in the UK), which was 40,000 or so in 2010, has dropped to 19,000. The US, which had 1,04,000 Indian students in 2010, has 1,66,000 today,” Sinha had said.

“I think the UK universities are doing a great job, but I think we need to sort out the issues regarding visas. It is an area that both governments are talking to each other about,” he added.

After the UK, when it comes to the way visa policies in the US are shaping up currently, experts feel that the number of students going to the US will also get affected and Australia is likely to flourish as an option. Given this, institutions from Australia are showing a keen interest in Indian students and educational institutions.

University of Technology (UTS), Sydney, one of the leading institutions in Australia where 1,210 students went in the year 2016, is also expanding its presence in India.

“The number of Indian students coming to Australia has been growing and we want to engage more with Indian students. Students in India are very keen, they know what they want,” says Alex Murphy, managing director, UTS.

“With the current situation in the UK and US, we are expecting that Australia will get more students in the future. This is also because we provide a friendly environment to the students, and we acquaint them with the country and its culture before they actually start living and studying there,” he adds.

The other preferred destinations of Indian students include Canada (6 per cent) and the UAE (5 per cent).

Source: DNA, 12-02-2017

How youngsters can reach for the stars with a career in astronomy

There are various ways to become an astronomer, but curiosity is the key

Human beings have always been fascinated by stars, the moon and the ever-changing sky. The fascination endures till date, even when modern science has taken away much of the mystery. Driven by this fascination, many may have wanted to take up astronomy, the study of heavenly bodies, not simply as a hobby but as a career.

But how does one go about becoming an astronomer?

“Curiosity is the key. You should be somebody who has lots of questions about the sunrise, sunset, stars, colours in the sky, etc,” says Amanjot Singh, a 24-year-old amateur astronomer. Back in 2010, while still in school, Singh and his friend Sahil Wadhwa had ‘found’ an asteroid — the first Indian students to do so — when they had taken part in the All India Asteroid Search Campaign conducted by SPACE, an NGO that works to popularise astronomy. The asteroid they discovered is named 2010 PO24.

One can start by reading books on the subject and joining an astronomy club in school, recommends Singh. Students in schools where there are no astronomy clubs can form their own or join clubs run by science NGOs like SPACE. Besides, there are web portals like Zooniverse and phone apps that provide a fun way to learn about astronomy. One could also buy a telescope or take up photography, Singh advises. “A 76-mm telescope costs around Rs 10,000. Or they can start astro-photography with a DSLR camera or by attaching a mobile device to a telescope.”

Busting a myth, Singh, who has studied aerospace engineering, says, “It is not necessary to excel in maths and science to become an astronomer. One just needs to have an inclination for the subjects and lots of patience.” In school, Singh also worked as a volunteer with space research organisations; they would send him data in the form of pictures or graphs from observatories and he had to process the data and send it back within 24 hours.

Those who want to take up astronomy as a profession need to get a Bachelors’ degree in physics or mathematics and follow it up with a Masters’ degree in astrophysics or astronomy, offered in India by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Indian Institute of Science and Homi Bhabha National Institute among others. Those seeking to study further and get a PhD need to appear for the Joint Entrance Screening Test, which is conducted annually in February. As for jobs, there are opportunities to work as a research scientist with organisations like the Indian Space Research Organisation and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Authority). They can also teach — astronomy and astrophysics are specialisations offered in the physics course in several universities — or they can become educators with NGOs like SPACE.

Astronomy requires specialised products — whether it is instruments or computer programming — and developing these is another way to get into the profession. Engineers with a specialisation in electronics, computer science, mechanical, aerospace or mechatronics fit the job. “With growing popularity and a trend to innovate, a number of start-ups are coming up in the field of space education and technology. They provide career opportunities, but one has to be aware of the upcoming discoveries and technologies,” says Shreya Santra, who works as a research assistant at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia.

Apart from these, there is also the option of an optician course, where one can study about lenses to pursue a career in astronomy.

To earn a good living in India, one needs to hold a PhD degree or has to be a senior scientist, says Santra, and adds that students with a PhD or Masters’ degree earn enough to support themselves.

“Private companies and government agencies like Team Indus, ISRO, HAL, PRL, etc. have a good pay bracket if one performs well,” she adds.

Source: DNA, 12-02-2017

From 2018, single exam for engineering and architecture across India

Admission to all engineering colleges in the country will be done through a single entrance examination from next year, the government said on Friday, doing away with multiple tests conducted by central agencies, state governments and private institutions.

A single test for engineering, as well as architecture courses, will be on lines of the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET), a single, all-India test for entry to medical and dental colleges launched in 2016.

However, students seeking admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will have to clear the JEE-Advanced after taking the engineering entrance exam.

The human resource development ministry cleared a proposal by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the country’s top body which frames rules and regulations for engineering and technical institutes.

“AICTE is advised to ensure that the testing process is standardised keeping in view the linguistic diversity of the country. The test shall also be conducted multiple times every year,” the HRD ministry said.

The ministry has asked the council to issue suitable regulations under the AICTE Act.

“The aim is to make the process more transparent, standardised, and free of corruption and commercialisation,” a government official said, referring to allegations that some private institutions charge exorbitant capitation fee from students.

This entrance examination is said to be the brainchild of HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.

India has more than 3,300 approved engineering colleges affiliated to universities, with an annual intake of an estimated 1.6 million students. But only about half of the seats are filled.

The current admission process at the graduation level is dependent on performance in entrance examinations conducted by various agencies.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the JEE-Main for Centre-funded institutions. More than 1.3 million students write this examination every year.

A number of states conduct their own tests while some grant admission based on marks obtained in class 12.

Several private colleges also have their individual entrance examinations.“But some of them, which are self-financed, charge high fees or sell seats in the name of management or NRI quota at a premium”, a source said.

Some of the private colleges admit students without basic talent and aptitude for engineering, affecting overall quality, the source said.

Of the 737,000 graduates in 2014-15, only half found employment. Most of the students didn’t meet expectations of companies offering jobs.

The HRD ministry asked state governments and deemed universities to provide suggestions for smooth implementation of the regulation.

“It may also be useful to request as many institutions as possible to come under joint seat allocation system for a more efficient seat allocation process. Actions taken in this regard may be intimated to the government,” the ministry said.

Source: Hindustan Times, 10-02-2017

HRD ministry to conduct ‘learning outcomes assessment’ in October

The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is gearing up to conduct the first country-wide assessment based on the recently introduced learning outcomes prepared by National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) by October. The ministry is likely to issue a notification on the learning outcomes.

Learning outcomes are the expected levels of learning that children between classes 1 and 8 should achieve. The assessment is expected to be held sometime in September-October. “States will be sent the question banks and the results of the assessment will be used to measure the gaps and finds ways of addressing them,” said a senior official. It is yet to be decided how the assessment will be conducted – whether the states will conduct it or a third party. NCERT will be preparing the question banks and forwarding them to the examining authority.

“This assessment will be benchmarked against the learning outcomes already finalised and will act as a tool to identify students who need additional support to achieve the required learning levels. It will also assist teachers in identifying the gaps in the teaching-learning process...,” said a senior official.

The outcomes are aimed at making a shift from rote learning. For instance, they assess if a class 8 student can demonstrate how to file a First Information Report (FIR), if a class 7 student is able to locate his/her constituency on a parliamentary constituency map and name the local MP, a class 4 student is able to read subtitles on TV, titles of books, news headlines.

Source: Hindustan Times, 13-02-2017

Sex offender registries don’t work

They have failed to reduce sex crimes in countries where they exist, and have resulted in severe hardships to former offenders

Last month, Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi once again reiterated the need to set up a national sex offender registry after a convicted sex offender allegedly confessed to raping hundreds of girls for over 10 years in New Delhi. These registries are not a novel suggestion. They have been operational in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and a few other English-speaking countries for more than a decade.

Sex offender registration laws typically require offenders convicted of a sexual offence to periodically check in with law enforcement agencies, such as the police, informing them about where they are residing, their place of employment, and provide details of their physical description. In addition, these laws often place severe restrictions on where a previously convicted sex offender can reside and work. This in theory is meant to aid officials to track and monitor former sex offenders. The laws in the U.S. and South Korea go even further. They allow the public to access these records so that the community may be aware of a sex offender in their locality. This data is generally accessed through websites that will provide you the name, physical description, address, and photo of all the sexual offenders near you. Ms. Gandhi has vouched for a similar system in India where the public can have access to such records.

Impact on crimes

While sex offender registration laws and public access to these records create a sense of security to parents and residents, they have failed in making any significant difference in sex crimes. Sometimes they create more harm than good. Even in the U.S., where stringent registration laws with public access have been around for over 30 years, several independent studies arrive at the same conclusion: that these registers are simply not reducing sex crimes. A comprehensive study conducted by J.J. Prescott and J.E. Rockoff in 2010 conclude that although basic registration laws through which officials may track former offenders shows a marginal reduction in recidivism (namely, reoffending) by 1.1%, public notification laws, through which the public have full access to this data, undo this effect and instead result in an actual increase in reoffending. J.J. Prescott and J.E. Rockoff in their report note that, “notification laws may harden registered sex offenders, however, making them more likely to commit additional sex offences, perhaps because criminal behaviour is relatively more attractive for registered sex offenders living under a notification regime.”

The failure of these registries to show any empirical evidence of reducing crimes or reducing recidivism is significant while comparing the tremendous associated costs and damage they impose on law officials and former convicts. With no positive outcomes from these registries, these laws disproportionately result in severe hardships to former offenders. As a consequence of being on the register, former convicts often find it very difficult to gain meaningful employment and have very limited options in finding housing as many localities are proudly branded as ‘Sex Offender-Free Zones’. Several studies find that because of open and free public access to these registries, former convicts often face threat, harassment and violence from other members of the community. Their status as former sex offenders has the effect of stigmatising them for life, rendering reformation and a dignified life after prison impossible.

A troubling aspect of Ms. Gandhi’s suggestion is that she wants to include even juveniles and persons standing on trial for sexual offences to be on the register. The hasty proposal to include even undertrial persons on the register ignores a basic consideration for civil rights of an accused person and the disproportionate impact it would have on their lives while only being accused of an offence. Similarly, the proposal to put children on a sex offender register displays a complete lack of understanding of their rights under the Constitution and our international obligations under the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Framing sexual offences

More importantly, before proposing a sex offender registry it is significant to have a look at how our sexual offences have been framed. At present, the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, 2012 criminalises consensual sexual intercourse with minors and between minors. Two 17-year-olds who have consensual sexual intercourse with each other can be imprisoned for a minimum term of seven years under this law if convicted. A brief look at the cases registered under POCSO Act is sufficient to tell us that most special courts are now barraged with romantic cases instigated through complaints filed by objecting parents. In the state of the current law, a person could possibly face the consequences of being on the register for a lifetime for having a consensual sexual relationship.

To effectively tackle the incidence of sexual offences will require a hard look at our own institutional failure in tackling these cases. The rate of conviction for the offence of rape is at an abysmal 29% and worse still, the rate of pendency for rape cases is at a staggering 86.2% (National Crime Records Bureau, 2015). A study conducted by the Centre for Child and the Law, NLSIU (2016) on the functioning of children’s courts in Delhi found that 67.5% of victims do not even testify against the accused. The study further found that conviction resulted only in 16% of the child sexual abuse cases in Delhi.

With a poor conviction rate and a majority of cases still pending before courts, how would a register aid in preventing sexual offences by former convicts? Even in the present case, where the former convict allegedly confessed to raping hundreds of girls over a period of 10 years, we must question why the investigative machinery failed completely. What happened to the complaints and investigations into these cases assuming that at least some of them registered a complaint? Why did it take a decade for them to nab a dangerous criminal? Where is the institutional set-up and mental health evaluations to deal with violent sex offenders and paedophiles?

In the background of weak investigative and institutional machinery and overwhelming evidence showing that these sex offenders registries simply don’t work, Ms. Gandhi’s suggestion that the recent attacks in Delhi could have been prevented if a national sex offender registry had been implemented seems far-fetched and unrealistic. The Delhi attacks expose the glaring gaps in our existing systems that need to be urgently addressed before we jump to formulating new solutions.

Shruthi Ramakrishnan is an advocate & independent legal researcher. She may be contacted at shruthiramakrishnan0@gmail.com.

Source: The Hindu, 13-02-2017

Tradition, democracy and gender

Democracy replaced the rule by village republics and monarchies both of which are inimical to the inclusive growth of human societies. Village republics represented by traditional institutions have always frozen women in a time warp and clearly demarcated their gender roles. Women’s roles in all tribal societies are therefore clearly but surely circumscribed. Any attempt to get out of that role is viewed as a transgression. Some Naga men have written articles on the present crisis and claimed they are not against women’s participation in urban local bodies. They acknowledge the significant roles played by Naga women in the peace process and in other areas of development but have prefaced their arguments with the rider that the election to the urban local bodies should not have been pushed too hard and that some women activists have derived their strengths from the idea of feminism. So according to such Naga ideologues, women cannot take collective decisions unless “allowed” to by the tribal apex bodies. And the tribal bodies will continue to argue that traditional customary practices never envisaged a political role for women; hence their assertion for political rights today goes against Article 371(A) of the Constitution.

The contentious Article 371(A)says no law passed by Parliament will prevail in Nagaland unless ratified by the Nagaland State Legislature. But the Nagaland Assembly has already passed the Urban Local Bodies Bill allowing 33% reservation for women! So why the hullaballoo then? Isn’t this also an after-thought by a section of Naga politicians who want to unseat the Chief Minister TR Zeliang?

It is a travesty of democracy that Nehru listened to the likes of Verrier Elwin- the voice of ultimate wisdom at the time - as far as the tribals are concerned. Elwin suggested that the ‘tribes be allowed to develop according to their own genius.’ Verrier Elwin who had Nehru’s ears also had a romantic notion about tribals and tribal lifestyles. Elwin held the view that democracy with its western derivatives would expose the tribes to a governance system that would subsume their traditional value systems and way of life and because of which they might be ‘mainstreamed’ Elwin’s intentions might have been noble at the time but even he was paternalistic in his ideas of conserving the tribal way of life. At the time of Verrier Elwin, understanding of gender equality and equity was a big, black vacuum. Like others before him, Elwin believed that men had the natural right to head the traditional institutions and women had to act out their defined gender roles. Participation of women in governance might have seemed improbable for Elwin who saw the tribals as a little better than primitives and where it was as natural as the act of breathing for men to control women and all other socio-political institutions as well. I wonder what Elwin would say if he were alive today to witness the gender war in Nagaland.

When the Panchayati Raj (73rd and 74th Amendment ) Act initiated by Rajiv Gandhi was finally passed in 1993 the states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram were ironically kept out of its purview, ostensibly because these states had vibrant traditional institutions. The significance of the PR Act is that it empowers women to hold office in local governance bodies by giving them 33% reservation, now raised to 50%. The exemption showed complete ignorance of the politics of the three states and was based on the premise that tribal communities practice an egalitarian way of life where men and women had equal rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, those who advised Rajiv Gandhi never studied the traditional governance systems before proposing the PR Bill and taking this critical decision. Even in matrilineal Meghalaya where women are said to enjoy more social and economic mobility the truth is that women have always been kept out of politics. They may enjoy the right of lineage where children carry the mother’s clan name but beyond that women have no semblance of political participation in the traditional local governance bodies. Women are told that their voices will be represented in the traditional institutions by male members of their families. Period. Today while women can attend meetings and that is considered a great leap forward, they still cannot hold office in these traditional bodies.

The paradox about India is that those who governed us in the early stages of political history had very little understanding of the rigidity of tribal customary laws and practices which are at complete odds with post-colonial democratic aspirations of citizens. The Constitution of India provides equal rights to women and men but who follows those concepts in letter and spirit? Indian women had to fight even inch of the way to extract their rights from a system that is socially embedded in patriarchy. Politics has often failed to correct social biases. This is evident from the way the caste system in India has survived all legislations for affirmative action for Dalits and tribals. Similarly affirmative action that propose a nuanced development to address decades of gender discrimination are still largely implemented in the breach. The irony is that even among Dalits and traditional institutions across tribal societies are run by a male-centric tribal elite that believes they have the divine right to rule and also head all political institutions.

Women never had and seemingly would not have any role to play in governance even in the 21st century, unless they claim those rights under law. This is the crux of the matter whether we talk of Meghalaya, Nagaland or Mizoram. The ongoing tussle between is all about women claiming their rights to head urban local bodies and men thwarting that assertion by invoking Article 371(A) of the Constitution. This Article bestows special rights to the Naga people by virtue of which laws passed by parliament have to be ratified by the state legislature of Nagaland. In a sense, therefore, Article 371(A) makes the national laws subservient to the state laws of Nagaland. Is this not a dichotomy? And now the Naga Hoho an apex body comprising all tribes and their subsidiaries have forced the Joint Action Committee for Women’s Reservation (JACWR) to withdraw the Special Leave Petition filed by the JACWR in the Supreme Court, because they apprehend that the court might not take a lenient view of 371(A) and might even scrap it completely. Naga women leaders are being intimidated and their homes vandalised. What sort of democracy is this?

Socrates defined democracy as a political system that maximises two things – equality and freedom. As far as Nagaland is concerned these two attributes are only enjoyed largely by men. Even the role of the church – another male-centric body is questionable here. The recent incidents have set back the clock in Nagaland by a few decades. What surprises me is that even educated and apparently liberal minded women have taken shelter in the argument that women’s reservation in urban local bodies is an idea whose time has not come. They are all capitulating to the call for peace as if there can be peace without justice. In fact the recent violent enterprise has turned women into a collateral constituency. This should be a sad moment for women’s movements across the country!

It is unfortunate that the recent incident has claimed two lives. The question is who instigated this ugly episode and who stands to gain from it. The Naga people must not get bogged down by dirty politics!

Source: The Hindu, 10-02-2017

 Let Your Chi Flow Freely

SENSEI SANDEEP DESAI





One hour of T'ai Chi effects changes in your attitude, outlook and perception, making you stress-free. You concentrate better on your breathing, connect to your `chi' and feel grounded, physically and mentally . You also become nonjudgemental in your interactions with yourself and others. You observe and note things around you and how they affect you. We all have to deal with inconsiderate people who test our patience at work, at the bank, or other places, every once in a while. Instead of losing sleep over it and making ourselves miserable, it is better to “kill“ him with kindness. It's a powerful practice and it works. Apportion at least five minutes for your breathing, posture or a few peaceful T'ai Chi movements. Even standing in a relaxed, spine-straight position for a few minutes will make you think more clearly and see things in perspective.Life is all about right timing.There is a famous Chinese phrase, “Weigh your wu wei“, which translates loosely into “effortless effort“ or “do without doing“. Most of the time we are trying harder than we actually need to.Forcing the lid off the jar, pounding harder on the keyboard, punching the elevator button several times in rapid succession, lifting too much weight in the gym -these are some examples of trying too hard. Stop doing this. Realise that life is made up of little things. Instead of going against the tide, go with the flow.Let it happen naturally .