Two students of the Global Public School, Cochin have been selected to represent India in the Biathle World Championships, Dubai 2012 scheduled for November 1-4. Chiranthan Chinchalkar (11) and Nikhil Martin (15), coached by LeapStart swimming specialist, Nihar Kulkarni, will compete in the Biathle event in separate age categories.

The boys will participate in a three-legged race which includes one leg of swimming and two rounds of running on either side of the swim. The duo will travel to Pune for a national camp ahead of the big event where they will train with the rest of the Indian contingent.

LeapStart is a K-12 sports education programme of the Bangalore-based FitKids Education and Training Pvt. Ltd (estb. 2009), with a structured curriculum which progresses the students of member schools through all necessary skills needed to master each sport. Among the sporting disciplines offered under the LeapStart programme are: athletics, basketball, cricket, football, swimming, and tennis.

NIIT University Annual Lecture

Established in 2009, NIIT University (NU), Neemrana (Rajasthan) is scheduled to host its 4th Annual Lecture by Dr. Karan Singh on November 17 at 11 a.m, on the university campus.

“With NIIT being a technology-based corporation, the use of state-of-the-art technology reflects in all NU functions. Sharp focus on our fourth core principle of providing seamless education ensures holistic development of students. This year’s lecture is a reflection of our thrust on seamlessness. Dr. Singh’s annual lecture will be preceded by a talk titled, ‘Only Connect’ by Syeda Imam, member of the National Commission for Minorities, and a celebrated communications guru,’’ says an NU spokesperson. 

Creya Ignited Minds Challenge

The Hyderabad-based Creya Learning Pvt. Ltd (estb. 2011) invites school children in Hyderabad to sign up for the company-sponsored Creya Ignited Minds Challenge — a unique event to foster awareness and action towards whole brain development. “We need to let young students know that geniuses like Da Vinci, Newton, Aryabhatta, and Gandhi were equally good with their analytical (left brain) and creative (right brain) faculties, and their astonishing achievements were a result of engaging the imaginative and incisive abilities of the brain as a whole,” says Datla V. Reddy, co-founder and director of the company.

According to Reddy, the Creya Ignited Minds Challenge encourages children to design and build hands-on projects which stretch left and right brain capabilities. “It requires the entirety of their analytical thinking or problem-solving skills, creative design thinking and the innovative side to win. A panel comprising a Creya team, eminent educationists and industry experts from different domains will judge the projects,” he adds.

The contest will have select schools participating. The winners and runners-up get to win cash prizes worth Rs.100,000 and a rolling trophy.

Under the rules of the challenge, participation by invited schools must be confirmed by November 7 (kiswah@creyalearning.com). Each invited school shall nominate a team of six class VII-VIII students. The nomination form attested by an authorised signatory/designated teacher from participating schools should be sent before November 23.

All participating teams will be briefed on the challenge methodology and project resources on November 23. The challenge and the awards function will be held on November 24 at the Creya Experience Centre in Banjara Hills, Road No. 12.

Lotus Valley-Brown University concordat

The Lotus Valley International School, Gurgaon (estb. 2004) signed a teacher training and student exchange programme with Brown University (estb. 1764) — one of America’s most respected Ivy League varsities routinely ranked among the Top 20 in the US — on September 19. A high-powered delegation from Brown including Dr. Kenneth Wong, chairman of the department of education, and Vijay K. Chitnis, director of international initiatives in education, visited Lotus Valley International to sign the agreement.

“This collaboration marks a red letter day, and will result in opening up new horizons for Lotus Valley School,” says Anita Malhotra, principal of the school. 

Welham Boys platinum jubilee fest

To celebrate its platinum jubilee year, Welham Boys School, Dehradun (estb. 1937) has scheduled a four-day South Asian Region Schools conference in Dehradun between November 1-4.

Christened The Mumkin Initiative, the conference envisages development of deeper and sustained engagement of Welham Boys’ students with select schools in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka whose representatives have confirmed their participation in a series of activities ranging from debates and discussions to theatre workshops and simulations, during the platinum jubilee celebrations and thereafter.

“Sessions on multilateralism, conflict management, theatre, and culture appreciation are planned during the conference. An overnight camping trip, evening sports and music concerts are also on the itinerary,” says Gunmit Bindra, principal of Welham Boys.

South Asian schools which have confirmed participation are Habibia School, Afghanistan; Beaconhouse School, Pakistan; RathoBangla School, Nepal; DPS STS, Bangladesh, and Hopetown Girls, India. Lt. Gen (Retd.) S.K. Sinha, PVSM, former Indian ambassador to Nepal, former governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony on November 1.

Transnational facility management programme

The Bangalore-based Chartered Facility Management Institute (CFMI), an Indo-Austrian initiative, supported by FM Zone, GIREM and the Real Estate User Group (REUG), announced a first-of-its-kind international certification programme for working professionals on facility management in Bangalore on October 15. The programme specially designed for working professionals, covers operational, tactical and strategic management tasks, and operational services. A team of experts from India, REUG and the Vienna University of Technology, Austria (VUT) will conduct the 86-hour programme.

“Facility management is the backbone of any organisation as it keeps the company/unit/plant running without interruption. Behind every successful company, there is an efficient facility management team. As Indian companies are on the cusp of a major transformation, internationally trained professionals will take the company competitively ahead,” said Uday Kumar, director of CFMI.

According to Dr. Alexander Redlein, professor at the Vienna University of Technology, and chairman of REUG, VUT has a long tradition in facility and real estate management education. “Our study programmes stretch from introduction courses to a facility management-focused executive MBA programme. REUG and VUT together with GIREM and FM Zone will design and deliver courses which cover international and local requirements,” says Redlein.

Cambridge-Jindal IPS training programme

Seventy-three senior officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) of the rank of DIG and IG completed an eight-week course in strategic management, organised by Cambridge University, UK in collaboration with the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU). Certificates were awarded to the officers at an impressive ceremony held in Cambridge University on October 19, attended by faculty from both universities.

During the past three years, the Cambridge-Jindal IPS Training Programme has certified nearly 500 senior IPS officers. The intensive eight-week training programme with six weeks in India and two in the UK, provides opportunities for senior IPS officers to engage with researchers and experts in fields relating to criminology, criminal justice and policing, and more nuanced aspects of practical policing. The Centre for Penology, Criminal Justice and Police Studies at the Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat, Delhi NCR collaborated with the police executive education programme of Cambridge University to design the course material.

“Cambridge University is delighted to enter into a partnership with O.P. Jindal Global University to develop criminology in the world’s largest democracy. Our joint work with the IPS is a major step forward in the history of criminology, integrating knowledge and practice on a broad scale at the highest levels of police institutions,’’ says Lawrence Sherman, Fellow of Darwin College, Wolfson professor of criminology and director of the police executive programme of Cambridge University.

Adds C. Raj Kumar, vice chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University: “The knowledge perpectives and experience that the faculty from Cambridge, Jindal and other universities coupled with senior serving or former officers of police organisations from the UK, USA, Europe, Australia among other countries, bring to the training programme is truly unprecedented.”