Shrinivas V. Dempo, chairman of the Goa-based Dempo Group of companies (estb.1941), has endowed $3 million (Rs.13.5 crore) for a professional chair at the Tepper School of Business of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA. The Vasantrao Dempo Reflective Chair will be occupied by a business professor nominated by the Tepper School of Business, and support teaching and socio-economic research related to India. Vasantrao Dempo was the founder of the Dempo Group, and Shrinivas grandfather. The professor, who will be nominated to the chair by CMU later this year, will partner with a distinguished scholar from a university in India.

I am delighted to be partnering with Carnegie Mellon through this endowment, says Shrinivas Dempo. The professorship will enable me to maintain a linkage with my alma mater that is both meaningful and fulfilling as also a worthy homage to the memory of my much-loved grandfather, Vasantrao Dempo. I am confident the chair will add to the body of knowledge about India, leading to more inclusive growth for the people of my country, a dream of my grandfather.

On behalf of Carnegie Mellon, I would like to thank Shrinivas Dempo for this generous gift, says CMU president Jared L. Cohon. We are pleased to be partnering with Dempo, a widely respected name in India, through this professorship.

Indian Education Congress in Delhi
The Delhi-based Franchise India Holding Ltd (FIHL estb.1999) is organising a two-day Indian Education Congress 2011 at Hotel Claridges, Surajkund, New Delhi on April 22-23. The Indian Franchise Association (IFA) and KPMG are partners of the congress. Its a platform to bring together key policy makers, educationists and corporates from India and abroad for deliberations and interactions that would lead to sharing of learning and knowledge, draw attention to best practices and promote innovations in education, says a spokesperson of FIHL.

The governments education expenditure as a percentage of GDP is about 5 percent and the consumption trends predict that the urban Indian is spending 9 percent of his wallet on education while the rural consumer spends only 6 percent. In view of huge requirements of infrastructure and manpower of Indian industry, even if the government takes up the supply challenge, the time frame will exceed the youthfulness of our population. The Indian Education Congress is an initiative by FIHL that recognises the need to think more boldly and broadly on how to strengthen and expand our existing education initiatives, says Gaurav Marya, president of FIHL who adds that the Indian Education Awards 2011 which recognise excellence in the education sector will be disbursed during the congress.

Don Bosco Institute signs up IIJT
The Gurgaon-based Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT) — a wholly owned subsidiary of TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd — signed an agreement on March 22 with the Don Bosco Technical Institute, Hassan (Karnataka) under which IIJT will offer computer hardware and networking study and training programmes to students of the institute.
Students will now have an opportunity to learn from experienced teachers of IIJT, a respected brand name with a reputation for practical hands-on training. We are looking to train 75 students in the first phase, says Fr. P.K. John, director of Don Bosco Technical Institute, Hassan.

Shajan Samuel, divisional head of IIJT Education, believes this training agreement will help students develop skills required by the booming IT industry. In todays digital world, hardware and networking professionals are in great demand in IT, software and web-hosting companies and receive excellent remuneration. In India there are enormous opportunities in the field of hardware and networking as most business organisations have gone digital. Students completing the training programme can expect to start on monthly salaries of Rs.7,000-9,000 which can rise to Rs.15,000-30,000 depending on the company, experience and inherent capabilities of the candidate, says Samuel.

Podar Institute-NZTC early childhood conference
The Mumbai-based Podar Institute of Education and New Zealand Tertiary Council (NZTC) organised an international conference on ‘Early Childhood on March 12 at the Atria Hotel, Bangalore. The conference was attended by over 100 delegates from educational institutions, NGOs and private pre-schools.

Podar and NZTC have joined hands to form the Mumbai-based Early Childhood Association. This initiative will highlight best global practices in early childhood education for parents and teachers to inspire them to give best early childcare and education, said Swati Popat Vats, director of the Podar Education Network, speaking on the occasion.
Later, expert speakers at the one-day conference highlighted latest developments and research in play learning, brain research, hands-on versus rote learning etc. The conference conveyed a strong message on the need to rigorously train early childhood teachers in India, and of the necessity to acquaint them with global educational practices, says Vats.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Harish Shetty, a leading psychiatrist practising in Mumbai, said: The past decade has seen tremendous growth in early childhood education in India, and from a structured babysitting format it has evolved into a well-researched educational practice with focused curriculum planning. This in turn has transformed the role of early childhood teachers as well.

Christel Houses first graduates
The first batch of 66 class XII students of the christel House India School, Bangalore graduated on March 15. The chief guest on the occasion was Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, president and managing director of Dell India, a major supporter of Christel House India which offers high-quality free-of-charge K-12 education to slum and socio-economically disadvantaged children. Based in Bangalore, Christel House India was promoted in 2001 and currently has 933 K-12 children on its muster roll. The school admits children whose family income is less than Rs.3,500 per month.

Founded in 1998 by American entrepreneur and philanthropist Christel DeHaan, Christel House International builds and operates high social-impact learning centres in impoverished neighbourhoods, which provide quality education, nutritious meals, regular healthcare, life skills training and character development, as well as parent and community outreach programmes in Mexico, Venezuela, South Africa, Indianapolis and India.

New Buffalo University president
Chancellor Nancy I. Zimpher of the State University of New York (SUNY, estb.1916) has recommended the appointment of Dr. Satish K. Tripathi, currently provost at the SUNYs Buffalo campus, as the next president of the University at Buffalo (UB). Born in Faizabad, now Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Tripathi is set to become the first Indian American to head an AAU (American Association of Universities, which includes the top 63 research universities in North America) university.

Speaking on the occasion Zimpher said: Dr. Tripathis international reputation as an accomplished researcher and transformative leader in higher education makes him ideally suited for this post. Public research universities like UB provide access to high quality, affordable education and engage in research that helps build vibrant communities at home and across the globe. Dr. Tripathi will provide outstanding leadership to UB as it carries out this important mission.

Responding to the announcement Dr. Tripathi said that he was honoured by the recommendation. It will be my distinct privilege to lead our remarkable university, which is recognised for its tradition of excellence and has an extraordinary future.

English Helpers India debut
The Delhi-based English Helper Education Technologies Pvt. Ltd — a wholly owned subsidiary of the US (Boston)-based English Helper Inc promoted by serial entrepreneur Dr. Venkat Srinivasan — has entered the Indian market with two revolutionary learning software programmes for improving English language proficiency.

English Helper has developed RTMe — the most comprehensive solution for addressing language literacy difficulties — with the help of experts in the English language, artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. Moreover, it has also developed Writing Assistant (WA), a unique proprietary linguistic engine to improve writing effectiveness.
These products, developed by English Helpers apex level holding company — the US-based Parent Rage Framework Inc (estb.2002; annual revenue $100 million) — enable quick and easy development of English language skills, says K. Shiva Kumar, chief executive of  English Helper Education Technologies (India).

Based on significant success from our initial test marketing in the school/home markets, we are now launching nationally. As a social enterprise, we have already had signi-ficant success in reaching underprivileged sections of society through education focused NGOs, adds Shiva Kumar.