School bus fee proposed to be hiked in Maharashtra
Mumbai students allotted Pune centre for MBA CET
While the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay is among the Indian universities featuring prominently in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, six other higher education institutes from the state also figure in the list.
Three courses each from state universities the University of Mumbai (MU) and the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) have been ranked in the annual list by the British higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
While MU had two of its subjects, Petroleum Engineering and Pharmacy & Pharmacology, ranked last year as well, this year saw the varsity feature in the Chemistry category as well at 601-630 ranking range. It improved its position in the Petroleum Engineering category, jumping from 151-160 range in 2022 to 101-150 in 2023, and placing at fourth rank among Indian universities in this subject.
SPPU was featured in two new disciplines, Pharmacy & Pharmacology and Physics & Astronomy, where it was placed at 301-350 and 551-600 ranks, respectively. The varsity's standing in Chemistry dropped from last year's 501-550 to 551-600.
Meanwhile, TIFR was placed lower than last year in three subjects, Physics & Astronomy, Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences.
TISS found a place in the Sociology rankings at 201250 range globally, while acquiring third position among Indian universities in the subject.
ICT also dropped a few notches in Chemistry and Pharmacy & Pharmacology categories, while maintaining its position in Chemical Engineering at the 101-150 range globally and third rank in the country.
The second EU-India Education Summit held at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai opened up doors for representatives from European countries, and universities to collaborate with industries and academia across India.
The Council of European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce in India, under the aegis of the Education Committee, conducted the Summit in presence of Maharashtra School Education Minister Shri Deepak Kesarkar, who served as the Chief Guest.
In his address, Minister Kesarkar highlighted how Maharashtra is working on developing the National Education Policy (NEP) and found common ground in the government’s efforts to recognise education in one’s mother tongue with the European dignitaries present in the audience.
“Though English is a common language in Indian schools and colleges, most European countries teach subjects to students in their mother tongues. For research, you need scientific data, not language,” stated Kesarkar, who highlighted that Indians can fulfil Europe’s labour needs through various partnerships.
“We can build Centres of Excellence with Europe, while also equipping students with the knowledge of AI, Computing, Robotics, etc shortly,” added the Minister.
European representatives see hope in building partnerships in India
The Council’s first-panel discussion focused on the changing landscape of transnational partnerships
Maharashtra’s School Bus Owners Association (SBOA) has proposed a 15-20% hike in school bus fees to schools and parents, starting April 1, 2023, according to Anil Garg, president of the association. The hike majorly stands to affect students enrolled in ICSE and CBSE schools using for higher education & skills.
The discussion, which was moderated by Dr. Salunkhe, had the participation of Erik af Hällström, Consul General, Consulate General of Finland, Ferenc Jari, Consul General, Consulate General of Hungary, Vanesa Álvarez Franco, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Economic & Commercial Office in Mumbai, Embassy of Spain, and Arun Thekkadth, who represented Neso India, the Dutch arm of promoting higher education programmes.
“Spain can be a primary destination for international students, especially Indians. We also see a future where students from both countries can experience their study journey in each other’s nations.
Such initiatives will help build a broader linkage between both Spain and India as currently, the relationship third-party bus contractors, whose academic year will also kick off in the coming month.
Justifying the proposed hike, Anil Garg said, “The bus manufacturing costs have risen by Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per vehicle and now it costs us Rs 28 lakh to procure a minibus and Rs 21 lakh to buy a tempo traveller. The cost of our spare parts, tires, is not that developed,” stated Vanesa, who added that people-to-people exchange is necessary.
Other countries like Hungary, which have also started taking steps to bring international students, have started working on initiatives to attract the latter.
“We are contributing around 600 million Euros towards scholarships for developing countries. 200 Indian citizens have the opportunity to study in Hungarian universities through the Indian government, the expenses of which are taken care of. So overall we understand the function of globalisation and the need to build transnational partnerships,” stated Hungarian Consul General Ferenc Jari.
Finland’s achievements as a trailblazer in the educational field were also highlighted as a model for the world to go by, especially for India’s young students. and even battery rates have gone up by 12-18%. The labour salary has also risen by Rs 2,500 to 3,000. We need to hike our fees.”
While many school principals have still not been informed about the upcoming hike, some are already planning meetings with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). “Our bus contractors and parents will have a meeting
“In Finland, most schools are given autonomy and the ability to facilitate sports and social interactions instead of overloading students with subjects,” said Finland’s Consul General Erik, who added that the country is also motivated by India’s achievements, especially in the IT sector.
The Netherlands, which is known for its touristy features, has also enhanced its academic capabilities over the years which plays into the country’s mobility goals.
“Indian students are the second largest group of international pupils in the Netherlands and are offered a lot of scholarships. In the last four years we have witnessed that most Indian students are studying in the Netherlands and coming back to India to put their skills to use,” said Arun Thekkedath, who serves as the Chief Representative Officer at Neso India, next week where both parties will discuss the fee and come to a proper agreement. The hike is still not final,” said Kavita Sanghvi, Principal of SVKM's CNM School in Dahisar.
The last notable school bus fee hike was sanctioned when the schools reopened after the pandemic. Another hike within a two-year time is unpopular with many. “We
Consulate General of Netherlands.
With Covid-19 opening up the idea of remote education and work, European countries shared varied ideas on continuing with the model and its future.
“Online education being a possibility, there are cheaper and easier ways available to provide quality education. We have learned that we don’t have to move around as much to provide transnational education like earlier,” stated Vanesa.
Foreign university representatives hail tech, industry’s role
The second panel discussion saw representation of University representatives, namely Prof. Christer Nygren, Malardalen University, Sweden, Maud LE BARS, Rennes School of Business, France, and Prof. Lars Hulgaard, Roskilde University, Denmark. The discussion also had the presence of Mr. Kartikeya accepted a 20% fee hike two years ago when the schools started opening up. Another increase in such less time is unacceptable,” said Fr (Dr) Francis Swamy, Principal of Campion School in Fort.
According to principals, while most parents apply for bus services at school, the fees they pay are directly transferred to the contractor hired by the schools.
TA, OSD to Minister of Finance & Skill Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Mr. Koustubh Kanade, Vice-President Marketing & Executive Projects, B Braun Medical.
The discussion was moderated by Prof. T. M Sathyanarayanan, Director, Overseas Education Consultancy Services & Co-Chairman, Education Committee, EU Chambers and Dean, of Academic Affairs, TISS Mumbai, Prof P K Shajahan.
“All aspects of society are important in building sustainable education. One example is the advent of ChatGPT in November which is now being used across the globe in academics. It’s interesting to see how the chatbot is being used to teach students and can provide an optimistic view of technology to others,” explained Prof.Lans Huggard.
The role of technology in crossborder learning was explored by Maud LE BARS. “We are trying our best to explore a lot of opportunities in India across regions. We appreciate states such as Andhra Pradesh, which are spearheading a lot of tech initiatives that can prove to be helpful. I think technology is allowing a lot of innovation and change,” stated Maud.
Indian students have proved to be increasingly important for European countries, according to Swedish professor Christer Nygren. “We are trying to make access to scholarships easier for Indian students. Erasmus scholarship has also become popular among them,” stated Nygren.
The summit was attended by over 150 distinguished guests from the fields of business, education, civil service, and more. wo students who were to appear for the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) – MBA on Sunday, March 26, have been assigned an exam centre in Pune, their last preference on the exam registration forms.
Yash Kusale from Mumbai’s Lala Lajpat Rai College selected Mumbai city as his first preference, Mumbai suburbs as his second, and Thane as his third. “I am not sure how the cell shortlists students,” he said.
Pradeep Sawant from Yuvasena said, “The CET cell mandates four exam centre preference entries in the form which is why they had to enter Pune as an option.”