Education News – October 2014

PEARL ACADEMY LAUNCHES ‘PEARL LIVE’

* Pearl Live, an online education initiative by Pearl Academy, has launched professional certificate programmes for working professionals and entrepreneurs in the creative industries.
* Pearl Live is offering application-based six-month and nine-month courses to those who wish to enhance their skill-set and make a difference in their careers.
* The students will study in global classrooms along with other international students, and will be appointed an academic mentor who will help them navigate their way through the course.
* Pearl Academy has collaborated with Laureate Design Universities (LDU), SMARTON and New York Institute of Art & Design to provide quality and international standard curriculum for the courses.
* The faculty will be led by a mix of Indian and international front-runners in their respective fields.
* Throughout the course and as a Pearl Live Alumnus, the student will have access to the latest industry information and intelligence, helping them enhance their careers.
* The courses are application based and the students will develop a portfolio, ecommerce site or business model with the help of expert faculty after which they will be allowed to participate in the Pearl Connect Programme–a 4-day programme where students will receive feedback from industry experts, attend frequent events and seminars, etc.

RUSSIA INVESTS IN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMMES

* The Russian government has made an investment of a whopping $118 million in a study abroad programme known as the Global Education Programme.
* Magnanimous efforts are being made by Russia to bring the best educational practices to its higher education institutions in order to climb to the top of university rankings.
* According to the Global Education Programme, approved by their Prime Minister, Russian students will now be able to study abroad for free provided they agree to work for a Russian company for at least 3 years after they graduate.
* The programme will start this autumn. The list of acceptable universities include 150 schools in over 25 countries.
* In order to qualify for the programme students must already have a bachelor’s degree and have applied and been accepted by a foreign university on the list.
* All foreign institutions willing to attract a larger number of Russian master and postgraduate students will need to get in touch with Russian state universities to initiate talks.

EDX LAUNCHES 27 NEW MOOCS

* EdX will a number of interactive courses with a wide variety of subjects specifically for high school students.
* EdX, the non-profit online learning venture founded by Harvard and MIT, will offer 27 new courses developed by UC Berkeley, Rice, MIT, Georgetown, Davidson and more to students all over the world.
* The 27 MOOCs cover subjects like mathematics, science, English and history, and it aims at providing students around the globe, the opportunity to pursue challenging and advanced coursework.
* Currently, 22 high school courses are open for registration. Learners will be able to enroll in all 27 edX high school courses for free.
* Grants from the Wertheimer Fund, Fariborz Maseeh or The Massiah Foundation and other foundations will fund the new high school courses and overall edX content and platform development.
* The course will offer students a verified certificate option for a fee that will vary according to the course.

TISS LAUNCHES VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

* Tata Institute of Social Sciences widely known for its social sciences and cultural programmes is now expanding to launch vocational education in order to bridge the gap between industrial requirements and available skill sets.
* TISS is all set to launch School of Vocational Education (SVE) in order to provide immediate and definite interventions to improve the lives of disadvantaged and marginalised youth.
* The director of the institute will be happy to meet all the interviewees and walk them through the project of vocational education, needs to adopt the programme, approach adopted by TISS, industries and companies involved with the initiative, courses offered, certification, placement opportunities, eligibility, skill enhancement sectors, etc.

WOLLONGONG UNIVERSITY OFFERS CRICKET SCHOLARSHIPS

* University of Wollongong, Australia, recently announced an undergraduate scholarship for Indian students in collaboration with the Bradman Foundation.
* The scholarship allows one Indian student, who has completed secondary school and who demonstrates a combination of excellent academic, sporting, personal and social skills, as well as strong participation in cricket to study at the university.
* Applicants for the university’s bachelor courses in arts, humanities, social science, science, computer science, engineering, mathematics, business and health sciences are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
* The scholarship will cover 50% of the total fees of the course.
* To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be Indian nationals who reside in India and are eligible for overseas tuition fees. They need to have completed their secondary education at an Indian school, achieving no less than 75% in at least three academic subjects, and must have a high level of participation in cricket.

 

Volume 4 Issue 4