KOCHI, 21 July 2007 — Twenty Saudis — school and college teachers, network experts and government officials — are undergoing e-learning training at the School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS) here.
“We have an agreement with the Kingdom’s General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) to train Saudi youths in batches. The first batch has returned to the Kingdom after completing a course for implementing e-learning in education. The second batch comprising 20 persons is under training now,” Pramod P. Thevannoor of the SCMS told Arab News.
According to Pramod, it is for the first time that an Indian business school is partnering with a Saudi government agency to impart education at the management level.
“Earlier it was the monopoly of developed nations like the United States, Britain and Canada to train professionals from West Asia. They have now started looking eastward for quality education and training and it provides immense opportunities to institutions like this,” he said.
Most of the faculty members are from SCMS but some experts are hired from other universities and information technology organizations like the Technopark to impart specialized training. Interpreters are also there to help those not fluent in English.
The duration of the course is 100 hours spread over two weeks, which includes theory and practical sessions and project work. E-learning technologies and standards, learning management systems and e-learning project implementation are some of the topics that are part of the program. The participants were trained using the latest e-learning tools and software.
“The trainees are responsible for implementing e-learning in the Kingdom. They have full facilities but don’t have the faculty,” he said.
The next training program is expected to be conducted during this academic year. “We believe it’s the reputation of SCMS as an eminent institution offering training in these areas that prompted GOTEVOT to approach us for training,” Pramod said.
Kerala, which is India’s most literate state, is promoting itself as an ideal destination for higher education. The state government has allowed a few colleges to admit foreign students or people of Indian origin in 15 percent supernumerary seats. The colleges include College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Model Engineering College, Kochi, LBS Engineering College, Kasaragod, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam, Government Engineering College, Kannur, Government Engineering College, Trichur, Muslim Education Society Engineering College, Malappuram, MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, NSS Engineering College, Palakkad and Government medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
They offer bachelors and diploma courses in pharmacy, masters in business management and computer applications and bachelors in applied electronics, architecture, biomedical engineering, civil engineering, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics, instrumentation, information technology, mechanical and production-cum-plant engineering.
The government handles all matters relating to the selected students of different nations through its special cell Center for Foreign Student Affairs. The selection of students is through an online aptitude test conducted by Indian missions abroad. Applicants should have passed the pre-university level courses and attained the age of 17 years.
Center for Foreign Student Affairs (CFSA) allows institutions that have completed five years after recognition from All India Council for Technical Education and having excellent infrastructure facilities to admit foreign students.
All universities in the state including the Cochin University of Science and Technology have an office to deal with the affairs of foreign students. All these centers function as autonomous entities.
Federally-controlled institutions like the Indian Institute of Management and National Institute of Technology in Kozhikode have drawn up guidelines for admission of foreign students.
The CFSA also lays great stress on values of life, which the modern systems of education seem to ignore. It claims to have started a countermovement against Westernization of education.
The state projects its three unique selling propositions — safety, widespread use of English as a medium of communication, scenic beauty and congenial climate that attracts millions of tourists into the state and a consortium of educationists and academicians.
Intellectual Property Rights
The state government has unveiled the draft of its policy concerning intellectual property rights. The policy aims at protecting traditional knowledge in areas like Ayurveda and check misappropriation of such knowledge and biological resources by foreigners and Indian corporate houses. The government would explore the possibility of a legislation to achieve this purpose.
The document, presented to elicit views of the legislators and the public, also proposed formation of a state-level supervisory council comprising ministers, scientists and experts under the chairmanship of the state chief minister to deal with the issues of intellectual property rights. It would be obligatory for foreigners to seek the approval of the State Biodiversity Board (SBB) to obtain any biological resource occurring in the state or knowledge associated with it. A similar mechanism would also be put in place against misappropriation of such resources and knowledge by Indian corporate houses, while ensuring the rights of “the traditional users of such traditional knowledge and resources.”
