JAIPUR: The Star News, Indiantelevision Round table conference, held at Le Meridien in Jaipur on 30 January, focussed on the need for promoting education and the challenges faced in general by the education industry.

The panel of speakers comprised of Dr Radhakrishnan Institute of Technology vice principal Dr. Usha Nakra, Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women‘s University founder and advisor Dr Panckaj Garg, Suresh Gyan Vihar University chancellor Sunil Sharma, Shankara Group of Institutions president Sant Kumar Chaudhary, Pratap University registrar S Sengupta, Apex Institute of Management and Science Principal Dr GS Bhatnager, Maharishi Arvind Institute of Science And Management administrative officer AK Bharghava and Compucom Software Limited managing director SK Surana. The session was moderated by Indiantelevision Dot Com GM Anoop Wanvari.

The panel raised and discussed various issues related to the education sector including hard selling of education as an industry. The conference commenced with issues related to education where each one of the panellist expressed their views.

Narka stated that rural areas were good in academics but lacked in overall personality development while in the metros students managed to not only get good grades but also were competent at networking and computer skills but still did not have complete overall development. Regulation was required but should be with support from the Government. Creating awareness was required and not marketing of institutions.

From L-R: Anoop Wanvari, Usha Nakra, Panckaj Garg, Sunil Sharma, Sant Kumar Chaudhary, S Sengupta, GS Bhatnagar, AK Bharghava and SK Surana

Garg elucidated the need for better regulation and new rules which were thought through for the ramifications before implementation and not amendments repeatedly, which inconvenienced everybody in the education sector. Besides he expressed his view that more emphasis should put on faculty development and better teaching methodologies were required at the grassroots level in the primary education sector so that only the individuals seriously interested in higher studies would pursue doctorates in their relevant fields they desired.

Teaching methodology needs revision as there was a lot of knowledge with teachers but no delivery mechanisms were in place. Policy makers should include private players in education and creating awareness was a necessity in today‘s scenario.

Sharma said that in this fast changing scenario of technology today, the syllabus should also keep pace accordingly and change with the times. We must develop our own knowledge besides focus more on research and not blindly follow the western countries.
The government should work together with institutions, when creating new regulations, and more emphasis needs to be placed on quality and accreditations and knowledge dissemination. We could avail of good quality education with fees as low as $800 as compared to the thousands of dollars one needs to pay for education abroad.

Accreditation should not be enforced rather should be a choice so different boards of education would be available. Competition would only ensure better quality of education opined Chaudhary and added that the intake of students was fixed and regulated by the government. He argued that in such a case education could not be termed as an industry. Support from the central and state Governments was essential if the social service provided by the private sector was to continue. More emphasis should be on the health sector also related to education. To get good quality of education more fees are required as quality of education could only come with additional investments. This too was regulated by the Government who are pumping in crores of rupees into select institutions like the IITs.

Media could play a vital role if support form the governement was given to the private sector and could work wonders in terms of churning out quality education. New rules and regulations are being imposed on education in the private sector without thinking policies through and the private sector was being taxed further each year without allowing a proportionate rise in fees. Awareness needs to be created through media and the government should play a supportive role rather than a suppressive role in regulating the education sector. Government assistance is required and more research needs to be added as part of the curriculum to improve the quality of students passing out from institutions.

The government should make private institutions a partner in implementing policies and they should be constructive not destructive, and in fact they should be playing the role of a guide to the private sector.

Sengupta felt that regulation was necessary as otherwise there were instances of misuse where there was no regulation and there were loopholes in rules. There should be inclusion of more practical sessions included in curriculum more workshops too. Teachers undertaking courses like B.Ed and other courses should have practical knowledge on the challenges they could face. Better training facilities for teachers are essential and management should repose more faith in teachers of their institutions. There is a need to guide, counsel and motivate students to enable them to develop their potential.

Educational institutions are themselves responsible for regulations being imposed as there was misconduct by many institutions like in Chattisgarh. Regulations should be for improving the education and quality of education and not just for the sake of regulation being imposed on private sector. Regulation should be practical and pragmatic and think through the possible outcome and not have amendments again and again to harass and inconvenience the private sector.

Bhatnagar said that the new education system that came into existence has just disappeared. The education sector should not be viewed as an industry but rather as a services provider. Instead of highlighting that the campus is air-conditioned and wi-fi enabled more emphasis should be on who has been placed and in which organisation. The qualifications of writers of books need to be relooked at and there should be minimum qualifications laid down to enable one to write out and publish curriculum. Substandard teachers should not be employed by institutions. There was a dearth of research facilities and admission procedures needed a through cleaning up.

Suvarna said that less regulation should be there as more time is being spent in defiance and reduced regulation would only motivate you to do better. The government regulates the admission process right up to the end product and there was an imperative need for good policy makers. There were tricky challenges in self regulation but market forces and fiscal incentives would ensure good policy decisions. There should be good policy makers at the higher level. There is a need for checks and balance, and instead of regulating of processes the outcome should be regulated, in fact the pay commission should also regulate the salaries to be paid to teachers.

Bhargava said that India has fallen from its number two position to number three with the USA being first followed by China today. Up until last year India was ranked number two in the education sector in the world. Private sector institutions have come up on their own for a social cause with no aid or support whatsoever. Rules and regulations should not be there as hurdles but should improve the quality of education. One should rethink how policies can be implemented at the grassroot level. Quality of teachers should be improved and there is a lack of aid from industry for research too.

The session concluded with all the panellists in agreement that autonomy was one of the issues which needs to be relooked at and rather than blatant advertising creating awareness was a need of the hour. This could be through different mediums like dedicated websites, print and electronic media in particular today. The quality of students coming out and the heights they attain in all fields of life would be the best yardstick to judge the best educational institutions. The government should take the private sector players as open consultants if one were to thoroughly implement regulations which were for the benefit for all including the students passing out and for the betterment of our country.

MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has tried to compensate for its inability to push through the Test Championship by announcing an enhanced prize money of a total of $3.8m to be shared among the top four sides over a three-year period.

The prize money will see an incremental increase year-on-year with a total of $1.2 million to be distributed in 2013. The amount will increase marginally to $1.27 million in 2014, while the total prize money will be $1.34 million.

Previously, the top team in the Reliance ICC Test rankings received a cheque for $175,000 but in future will receive a minimum of $450,000 rising to $500,000 in 2015. From 2016 there will be further increases in Test prize money.

The decision to hike prize money was taken at the ICC Board?s meeting in Dubai Wednesday.

The ICC Board also passed a unanimous resolution recommending to the ICC Council seeking an amendment to the ICC Articles of Association to split the president?s from 2014.

The recommendation, which creates a new system whereby the President would be an "ambassadorial" role appointed on a one-year rotational basis, while a Chairman would lead the Board, will be discussed at the next ICC Board meeting before being submitted for approval by the ICC Annual Conference in June.

As part of the process for changing amendments to constitution, the board also deferred the nomination of Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal?s nomination for the post of vice-president from 2012-14 which was jointly put up by Pakistan Cricket Board and Bngladesh Cricket Board.

Furthermore, Egon Zehnder, the international executive recruitment firm, has been appointed to conduct the search for the ICC Chief Executive who will replace Haroon Lorgat when he vacates the position at the end of the Annual Conference in June 2012.

Other decisions taken at the ICC Board held the first of its scheduled 2012 meetings in Dubai on January 31 and February 1 were:

Independent Governance Review

Following adoption of the new ICC Strategic Plan in April 2011 which, inter-alia, identified the need for an independent governance review as one of the key initiatives to ?Build a Bigger, Better Global Game?, the ICC Board received from Lord Woolf of Barnes and PricewaterhouseCoopers a 60-page report containing 65 recommendations and a transitional plan.

The report was presented at the meeting and, as was previously decided, the Board agreed to study the report in detail together with ICC Members and other stakeholders before fully considering the report and its recommendations at the next Board meeting in April 2012. The recommendations are summarised into five main areas: Role of the ICC, The ICC Board, Ethics, Membership, Board structure & Committees, and Funding.

Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme (TAPP)

The ICC Board approved an initial $12m Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme (?TAPP?) which is aimed at developing more competitive teams among Full Members and Associate/Affiliate Members. This decision sets in practice an initiative identified in the ICC Strategic Plan, the ?Targeted Performance Fund?, and is also in line with a recommendation contained in the Woolf Report.

Amongst the necessary criteria, Member applicants will need to present a proper strategy and business plan aimed specifically at improving on-field performance (Performance Improvement Plan (?PIP?).

Guyana and the West Indies Cricket Board

While condemning the interference of local government in the affairs of Guyana Cricket Association by dissolving the board and replacing it with an interim committee, the ICC Borad also reiterated the principle of non-interference in the sport by Governments also recognised by the West Indies Cricket Board, the governing body of cricket in the Caribbean.

MUMBAI: Kazuo Hirai will become Sony president, CEO on 1 April 2012, replacing Sir Howard Stringer who will become the chairman of the board of directors.

Stringer becomes chairman of the board of directors in June 2012, thus setting in place the succession plan.

Stringer?s appointment to the board of directors in June awaits final approval during the annual shareholders meeting in June. If confirmed, he will replace retiring chairman Yotaro Kobayashi.

Hirai has acknowledged the difficulties facing the company. ?The path we must take is clear: to drive the growth of our electronics business ? primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game (devices); to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains?.

Stringer has been president, CEO for six years. He announced last year that he was taking a pay cut after a particularly difficult year in which Sony?s factories were damaged by the tsunami and its reputation was hit by a security breach that left more than 100 million customers? accounts compromised, forcing Sony to temporarily close its PlayStation network."

MUMBAI: Fox Traveller is all set to premiere a new show, ?Freaky Traveller?, starting 5 February at 10 pm.

The show follows the journey of anchor Brij Bhakta as he is determined to experience the crazy side of travel.

Earlier this year, Gaurav Kapur went on an extensive hunt on Facebook to find the perfect whacko and zeroed down on Brij Bhakta - a stand-up comedian who returned to India from America. Whether it is training the Indian pigeons, racing against a camel in Rajasthan or paragliding in Mcleodganj - Brij ventures out to get everyone with all guns blazing.

Fox International Channels VP- marketing Debarpita Banerjee commented, "We have taken the word ?Fun? and increased what we can pack in, exponentially. This is one journey that is nothing but pushing the edge on whacky fun. Brij takes us across India, and walks us through some really hilarious situations, and a perspective and take on things only a stand- up comedian will manage. At FOX Traveller we showcase more than just beautiful destinations; this show completely lives up to it."

Kapur added, "The very concept of Freaky Traveller enthralled me. During the hunt for a travel jockey, a first in its kind, I was amazed at the contestants? confidence and willingness to go the extra mile. We were particularly looking for someone who was confident had presence of mind was uninhibited and had a whacky sense of humour. We found all that and much more in Brij Bhakta."