King’s College, London, launched its International Summer Schools Programme (ISSP) 2013, in Mumbai on April 1. The event, held at the city’s Jai Hind College, was attended by King’s College faculty and principals of the city’s leading undergraduate colleges.

Under ISSP, King’s offers a range of popular short courses in India for students who aspire to experience international education. The Mumbai Summer School, which ran for the first time in 2012, has grown in size and scope, and King’s is set to expand its range of partnerships in India and develop links with educational, alumni and research communities.

King’s Mumbai Summer School 2013 is being co-hosted by HR and Jai Hind colleges — two leading higher education institutions affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The programme is being facilitated by local partner Think Education. “We are delighted to be launching ISSP 2013 in Mumbai. The programme offers a unique opportunity for students in India to experience an international education and develop skills they will need to work in the emerging global business environment. King’s graduates are sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers across a range of careers,’’ said Tayyeb Shah, director of executive education and summer programmes at King’s College, London, speaking on the occasion.

Added Prof. Keith Hoggart, vice-principal (international) at King’s College, London: “I am pleased that we have been able to expand the range of summer school courses on offer for students in India giving them the opportunity to learn and thrive from the expertise we have built over the past 180 years, at a location convenient to them. Students who attend our summer schools become part of the King’s global community.’’ 

Zee Learn’s science education survey

BrainCafé, an activity-based learning programme for schools offered by the Mumbai-based Zee Learn Ltd, released the findings of its State of Science Education survey conducted in six cities countrywide in association with the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB), on March 21. The survey reveals the opinions of urban parent communities about science education, opportunities for higher science education and career opportunities in science in India. According to the study, 92 percent of Mumbai parents want their children to study science, 50 percent believe that schools should include environmental science and earth sciences in science curriculums; 60 percent are convinced there are lucrative career opportunities in science, of whom 28 percent are of the opinion that research is a good career option. Moreover 46 percent believe there are better opportunities for higher education in science abroad.

“Despite schools giving adequate importance to science education, I believe there’s huge scope for improvement in the way it is delivered. In BrainCafé, our mission is to enable schools to improve parents’ perception about science education by developing activity-based learning programmes for students. These programmes not only enable experiential learning but also help students develop a creative bent of mind,” says Aman Pal Singh, business head of BrainCafé.

The study was conducted among parents of school-going children of classes I-VIII who participated in BrainCafe Budding Scientist Contest 2012. A comprehensive, self-administered questionnaire format was used for information capture. The survey was conducted across six key cities in 2012. BrainCafé is a partnership venture of Zee Learn and the Gakken Educational Co, a Japanese education provider. 

CHIREC School’s parenting workshops

Satish Govindan, director of Sixth Sense Learning Strategies Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad (estb. 1990) which provides nurturing and training programmes for children in the age group 9-19 years, conducted a parenting workshop at the CHIREC School, Kondapur, Hyderabad on March 2 based on the theme ‘How to motivate and nurture the genius in your child’. The workshop was conducted in two sessions, first for parents of class III students and second for parents of class IV students. “The purpose of the workshop was to help parents transform the way they communicate with their children, learn ways and means to empower them to think responsibly, and to infuse in them the drive to succeed in school and in life,” explains Govindan who adds that the workshops for classes V-VI children were conducted on March 7 and for classes VII-XII between March 23-30.

“Busy parents and nuclear families leave children to grow up almost independently. Therefore there is a conflict between a child’s individuality and our expectations. This conflict intensifies when children are in their teens. As parents, it is our responsibility to help children retain their independence, but simultaneously help them realise their potential, so they can develop into emotionally balanced individuals. These workshops are an attempt to emotionally secure our children’s future,” says Ratnakar Reddy, founder-director of CHIREC School. 

Green Tribunal admits NGO petition

The south zone bench of the National Green Tribunal comprising Justice M. Chockalingam and Prof. Dr. R. Nagendran directed a two-member committee of experts to visit the Challakere taluka in Chitradurga district of Karnataka, and study the ecological and environmental consequences of the allocation of 10,000 acres of amrit mahal kaval (traditional pasture grassland ecosystems and district forests) for defence, nuclear, industrial and infrastructure projects. The expert members selected by the tribunal are Dr. S. Ravichandra Reddy, professor of ecology (retd), Bangalore University, and Dr. K.V. Anantharaman, deputy director (retd) of the Central Silk Board, Bangalore.

The bench’s order to constitute the expert team was taken on March 21 based on an application filed by Leo F. Saldanha and the Environment Support Group before the tribunal in February. The applicants alleged that the Karnataka state government has contravened several forest, biodiversity and environmental protection laws by diverting 10,000 acres of amrit mahal kaval for defence, industrial and infrastructure development. According to the applicants’ petition, the land has been transferred without any statutory public hearing and in “total secrecy,’’ thus comprehensively violating the principle of free, prior and informed consent which is the basis for environmental and human rights protection laws.