Education loan for the poor at 4 percent

Government is planning to provide education loans at four percent interest rate to help students from weaker sections of society to pursue higher studies. Discussions are on between the HRD Ministry and the Planning Commission on this innovative concept, which is seen as a significant initiative of the UPA government.

This loan will be provided by banks while a proposed funding corporation for higher education will re-finance the banks to help them compensate the loss. The mandate and functioning of the proposed National Higher Education Finance Corporation (NHEFC) are now being worked out. "It (education loan at four percent proposal) is at a preliminary stage. We have discussed this idea with the Planning Commission and it is supportive," HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told PTI.

The detailed modalities are being worked out for the scheme, including the weaker section criteria. The scheme will have another component of providing loans to students at the rate of seven percent, subject to a ceiling. There will a cap on loan amount in this category. There may another provision of extending loans at nine percent without a cap on the amount.
Weaker section means it should be on the basis of annual earning of a family and it should be restricted only to two members of a family.It will give great relief to the parents and students if the same Interest is charged for the exiting students who has taken loan. Reduction of interest rate should me given for single girl child.

Other Countries Education Loan Rate:- 

At times in the USA the student loans have been at 4% and frankly that's too high a percentage for students who come from poor backgrounds. Instead those loans should be interest free for those students who go into the teaching or medical field and with that should be the provizo they would be interest free if they worked maybe 3 or 4 years after graduation in teaching or nursing or doing other medical work in their own home town village. That's how we do it here and it works well because they will want to study and finish up so that they can help their own people.

 

An Open Letter to the Indian Middle Class

Ever since the ghastly Mumbai attacks the mails haven’t stopped pouring in. Some of them have been explaining why we should attack Pakistan, some have been blaming the politicians and some have even been going so far as suggesting they be hanged! Some mails highlighted the gross inadequacies of the entire state apparatus to even manage crisis, let alone to avoid such incidents.

However, what struck me most was a comment by a respected business man on one of the news channels. He said that we will forget about this event until another, maybe even more ghastly, incident happens four months down the line. The Year 2008 alone has brought more than fifty five bomb blasts to our country, claiming the lives of countless fellow Indians. Every time that happens, the whole country erupts, blaming the political class.

This led me to think about why is it happening and what the solution is.

The answer to the first question was obvious and easy to understand. Yes our system is inadequate to stop and manage any terrorist activities perpetrated by the so called non-state constituents, harbored by our incapable neighbor. We are not only a soft target but also a very soft state. There is no doubt that we should have a better intelligence agency; crisis management agency; better equipped police; more responsible media and above all very pragmatic and stern government. Then I thought if we all know the answer to this question, why aren’t politicians seeing it. Don’t the leaders of the country have even an average IQ?

This is where I began to realize the rather obvious answer to my second question. As simple it seems as difficult it is to implement. This led me to explore the larger question of where our country is headed in the future.

Our economy has achieved a great deal in the last 17 years. Not only Indians but the entire world is amazed about the next economic marvel. Now we can call at least 300 million of us as middle class citizens instead of categorizing ourselves as 10% rich and 90% poor Indians. This has brought great optimism in the country about India’s place in the world, especially among the younger generation. We are even dreaming of becoming one of the three superpowers in 2050!!

However, everything seems in disarray today. With the terrorist attacks on most of the major Indian cities and ever-deepening economic recession, we have started doubting all the dreams we are yearning for. As usual, and rightly so, all the blame is being put on the political class. However, it is high time that all the whining turns into concrete action.

We, the middle class of country, are the biggest beneficiary of all the economic development in India. Let’s ask ourselves how much involved are we in the political growth of our country. In spite of all the benefits we have reaped, we are always critical, sometimes cynical also about everything India is. But we don’t think twice before corrupting officials to get things done, throwing trash in the open, breaking all the traffic rules etc. etc. How can we then blame others when we are a party to the same wrong actions?

Our country is at the threshold of moving towards achieving greatness or regressing to backwardness. Our generation has the responsibility. We can realize the dream for our future generations or leave the same legacy that those before us had left for us. Therefore being cynical, staying aloof and complaining while sitting on the fence is not an option. It is time to take some action.

What is the first and simplest thing we can and ought to do? Just go out and VOTE.

Why is this important? If I haven’t voted for the MLA or MP in my constituency, the person does not represent me. The voters are the customers of that person. Therefore he or she will cater to the demands of his or her voters only. If I don’t vote, I am not a customer of the politician. How can I expect that politician to heed to my demands?

The problem is that the educated, informed and liberal Indian middle class is not a vote bank. That’s why most of the election issues in India are based on caste equations, religious tensions and petty local issues. The larger picture always gets neglected. We elect 543 MPs with 543 different agendas, who in turn elect a representative government. This government finds it difficult to pursue a global mandate for holistic governance of the country.

Imagine if 300 million (and growing) educated and cosmopolitan Indians voted. The issues would change and assume greater national character. The same politicians cannot afford to neglect the demand of this large and informed vote bank and hence we can bring about the CHANGE that is so desperately needed in our country.

The classical argument given against this logic is, WHAT DIFFERENCE IS MY SINGLE VOTE GOING TO MAKE? That is the biggest mistake we make. Regardless of the outcome, we absolutely must vote. If things don''''t change now, changes will appear in the 3rd or 4th or 5th election from now, but we must not lose hope.

The next chance to make a difference will come up soon. I sincerely hope that the Indian middle class stands up this time to be a part of the political mainstream of India.

Jai Hind !!

Source PPI

India has least no. of corporate women leaders

Even though, whole world is celebrating 100th year of International Women's day, leading companies are failing to make the most of the talents of their female workforce.

According to the Corporate Gender Gap report brought out by the World Economic Forum (WEF) the U.S. led the way with the highest percentage of female employees (52 percent), while India had the lowest (23 percent). To tackle the problem, the WEF urged companies to do more to educate and utilise female talent.

Talking to BBC, Saadia Zahidi, Co-autor of the report said, "The findings of The Corporate Gender Gap Report are an alarm bell on International Women's Day that the corporate world is not doing enough to achieve gender equality. While a certain set of companies in Scandinavia, the US and the UK are indeed leaders in integrating women, the idea that most corporations have become gender-balanced or women-friendly is still a myth."

This report is based on a survey of 600 of the heads of Human Resources at the world's largest employers across 16 industries in 20 countries. The average number of women holding the CEO level position was a little less than five percent among the 600 companies surveyed. Finland (13 percent), Norway (12 percent), Turkey (12 percent), Italy (11 percent) and Brazil (11 percent) have the highest percentage of women CEOs in this sample. Most of the respondents blamed traditional and cultural practices for women being unable to move up the career ladder.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF said, "Women account for one-half of the potential talent base throughout the world and therefore, over time, a nation's competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent."
Source:- Silicon India

Happy Holi

Indian Youth not Educated Enough for Employment

Youth from several Indian states are "not educated enough for employment" as per the market demand, a study released Saturday said.

The findings also indicated that "most youth were neither adequately educated nor equipped with vocational skills".

"Just two in every five young men (40 percent) and one in every three young women (33 percent) had completed secondary education...(and) one in every 12 young men and one in four young women had never been to school at all in the country," said the study conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The study titled 'Youth in India: Situation and Needs' assessed the situation of youth in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu - between 2006 and 2008, involving over 58,000 youths in the age group of 15-29 years.

Around 44-52 percent of men and 36-48 percent of women in Maharashtra and the southern states of Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had completed 10 or more years of education, compared to 30-38 percent of men and 13-18 percent of women from the other states.

"Basic education can be very important in helping people to get jobs and gainful employment. This connection, while always present, is particularly critical in a rapidly globalising world in which quality control and production according to strict specification can be crucial," Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said at the release of the study.

Around 56 percent of men and 68 percent of women surveyed were interested in acquiring vocational skills to help employability.

The study was carried out by the Population Council, Delhi, and International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai.
Courtsy:-Silicon India

Youth Participation in National Change

In India More than 60 % of population is under the age of 18-30, so called young Generation. But still we don't have any good policies for youth.Good governance” is rapidly becoming a popular demand.  Enlightened citizens know that only good governance can rid our nation of our poverty, illiteracy, crime, corruption, filth and squalor.Specially young Generation you and me can raise voice actively for banning all these illegal practices in India.

It is said that good governance is too serious a subject to be left to politicians.  That is why, people of our country have to get involved to bring about enlightened governance and consequently, the much needed national change. 

To make ordinary people see the connection between their participation and their nation’s progress however, is the challenge.  And to make them see that they will individually benefit vastly if their nation is on a path of progress and prosperity through good governance, is an even greater challenge.

Yet, unless they see the connection, their involvement in our nation’s political transition from rotten governance to good governance is impossible to obtain.  Unless they get a compelling answer to the common and powerful failing, “what is in it for me”, their involvement will remain elusive.

Illiteracy and poverty are two excellent tools to ensure that ordinary people never see the connection because they remain in a grinding struggle for daily survival that the big picture is not even conceivable.

In this world these are the 2 basic need of people.One, redressal of the immediate problem on hand - which means that NGOs, activists, humanitarian agencies, pressure groups and good Samaritans stay vigorously involved in a nationwide campaign to educate and feed the hundreds of millions of disadvantaged.  And two, the rest of us roll up our sleeves and urgently get to work on ensuring that our nation’s administrative systems begin to work again and the root of the problem is itself eliminated.  That needs systemic change from the top of the administrative machinery, which only good and enlightened governance can initiate. 

Pause on the dimension two for a moment.  In a democracy like India, the nation’s administrative systems are constitutionally controlled by the politicians because our constitution empowers them to govern; and the rest of the administrative machinery is subordinate to the politician.  System failures at every level can therefore be easily caused by the politicians, whether through incompetence or crookery or both.  That is why, the greatest burden of responsibility for misgovernance rests with the politicians, although you can argue that there are others in the administrative value chain who must share the blame for the pathetic state of our nation.

While the NGOs, humanitarian agencies and good Samaritans are well upto the task, the government clearly has no motivation to educate the people.  This disinterest is frequently labeled “does not have the political will”.  And why should they – after all illiteracy breeds poverty and poverty allows control through purchase of votes.  So the government’s lack of political will is understandable.

But that does not make it right.

To create the political will, to start a nationwide literacy campaign, you need new politicians - actually a new breed of politicians who are progressive, educated, enlightened and patriotic.  Fortunately, there are millions of Indians who meet the bill.  Such Indians need a new political platform to engage in the nation’s political process, a platform that is dignified, safe and constitutional.

Logically then, “rolling up our sleeves and urgently getting to work on ensuring that our nation’s administrative systems begin to work” can only be done if you participate in the nations affairs politically.
 

 Progressive Indians who feel strongly that good governance is the need of the day must stand for elections, win, sit in Parliament and ensure systemic change is quickly brought top-down so that poverty and illiteracy are rooted out. So Choose the right people in Politics,that can give us better governance and growth.

Higher Education System In INDIA

The present system of higher education does not serve the purpose for which it has been started. In general education itself has become so profitable a business that quality is lost in the increase of quantity of professional institutions with quota system and politicization adding fuel to the fire of spoil system, thereby increasing unemployment of graduates without quick relief to mitigate their sufferings in the job market of the country. So, the drawbacks of the higher education system underscore the need for reforms to make it worthwhile and beneficial to all concerned.Even we have Highly qualified degree or professional degree (MBA, PHD,Mphill, Engg, Doctor)still we are less employable ability.

Competition:

Next to China, India is the most populated country in the world. Naturally there is too much rush and competition in every field. So, rush to technical and higher education has increased as scope for arts and science has become lesser and lesser due to lack of reforms and up gradation in the Courses structure & materials according to the developments of the world. Also, qualification in higher education gives added advantage to face successfully competition in the job market.

Purpose of Education:

All round development of personality is the purpose of education. But the present day education is neither imparting true knowledge of life, world and helping one stand on one’s own leg nor improving the talent of a student by which one can achieve laurels in the field one is interested. So, combination of arts subjects & Computer Science and science and humanities or literature should be introduced so that such courses could be useful for the students to do jobs after recruitment in some companies which would reduce unnecessary rush to higher education.

Right Course of Action:

In India more than 250 Universities controlling somewhere 7000 - 10000 collages of various courses churning out millions of graduates seeking jobs in vain due to lack of employ ability, communication skill & entrepreneurship quality. In Tamil Nadu State of India alone (from 2000 to 2006) more than 600, 000 students are hunting for jobs without hope due to political rivalries and lack of investments in job generating manufacturing units and companies.And day by day the number of institutes or colleges are growing in all parts of India, In Maharashtra alone not less than 1000 institutes are present, but we can easily identified how many of Qualitative institutions are present.So Called Pune is very famous of "Oxford of East" This is one side of the picture.

On the other side, all want to become Engineers or Doctors or Computer specialists in IT or Software, which is beyond the reach of many and also, all cannot shine in such a line if not suited later on. So, to overcome disappointments in the working life clear appraisal of one’s Self is necessary before pursuing a course of action.
For that not specialization but general education covering all subjects (arts, science, literature, technology, agriculture and defense studies is very essential.

After education, tour to all the places in India and world as far as possible with the cooperation of government is necessary so that one can understand about people, culture, arts, literature, religions, technological developments and progress of human society in the world.
Basing this knowledge one should have a vision of one’s future life and work in the world and decide about the future course of action, i.e. whether to go for higher education or do job suitable to one.
Finally, based on knowledge only vision of the future life and work can be had; based on this vision only a broad ambition can be fixed for oneself; and based on this ambition only one can lead interesting life doing satisfying job to do remarkable achievements in some field in the world.

Free to opt Courses:-

 
In this modern world or competative age we are still opt traditional subjects like arts , science , etc. We need to choose other courses that will give us employability.Otherwise, the life of one will not be interesting but rather boring, monotonous and frustrating. This is mainly due to parental interference in the education of the children. Parental guidance is necessary but it should not interfere in the creativity or individuality of the students. Also, in spite of the obsolete type of education system, some are achieving wonderful things in Sports, Music, Dance, Painting, Science and Technology in the world! This is only due to the encouragement of the parents and some dedicated teachers in the educational institutions.

Higher Education:

Higher education is necessary for one to achieve excellence in the line one is best. But one should be selected for higher education on the basis of merit only. Further, fees for education in general should not be high; especially, the fees for higher studies should be within the reach of every class of people in the nation.
 

Quality Education:

In any nation education is the basic necessity for the Socio-Economic ddevelopment of the individuals and the society. In reality only 20% of the population is educated in India. Also, only 25% of the Universities are having world class education. So, improved standard of education as first priority should be offered to the majority by the govt. authorities with sincere political will. Also, privatization of higher education is absolutely necessary in a vast country like India as government alone is helpless to do so.
That is the way people’s quality of life can be improved and also, the nation can economically compete with the developed nations of the world. So, private educational institutions can give higher education to all irrespective of economic status of the students. As far as quality of education is concerned it should be under the control of a central institute such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the respective Universities concerned(UGC).

Finally, education should be for the flowering of personality but not for the suppression of creativity or natural skill. In the globalized world opportunities for the educated people are naturally ample in scope. As a result business process outsourcing (BPO) activities have increased competition in the world trade leading towards the production of quality goods and their easy availability everywhere in the world market. That is the way the world can be developed for peace, prosperity and progress by able and skilful men

World Class Education:

Indian government is not giving priority to the development of Standard in education. India should aspire for the international standard in education. To achieve that goal it should adopt uniform international syllabus in its educational institutions.

Many National Universities

like in the USA, UK, Australia, etc. allow studies in higher education for foreign students in their countries and through correspondence courses as well. In the same way India Universities of world class education can also offer courses of studies to foreign students taking advantage of the globalization process.

Some FACT (Education System):-

They simply see the private educational institutes as a source of revenue. Quality of teachers and infrastructure in these private college is very very poor. As a matter of fact, the teachers are not paid even their full salary. In any nation education is the basic necessity for the socio-economic development of the individuals and the society. In reality only 20% of the population is educated in India. Also, only 25% of the Universities are having world class education. So, improved standard of education as first priority should be offered to the majority by the govt. authorities with sincere political will. Also, privatization of higher education is absolutely necessary in a vast country like India as government alone is helpless to do so.

But for last some years, it is being observed that that education system in India has eroded a lot. Main reason for that is the privatisation of higher education in India. Now, technical indtitutes and medical institutes are merely another business venture for the promoters. They simply see the private educational institutes as a source of revenue. Quality of teachers and infrastructure in these private college is very very poor. As a matter of fact, the teachers are not paid even their full salary. Apart form that, the cost of education is also rising spirally. Now, the higher education has become a distant dream for the middle and lower middle income group. In fact, the education, whether primary or higher should be the responsibility of government.