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Importance of MBA among students

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We believe that an MBA degree is worthwhile if you plan to enter today’s competitive business sector. For prospective managers, deciding to pursue an MBA degree (Master of Business Administration) is a significant step. An MBA, especially one from a prestigious business school, will provide you with a slew of benefits.

Earning a high MBA income after graduation, securing a management job, building an extensive career network, and even becoming your boss are just a few of the benefits of pursuing an MBA.

Here are the top reasons why an MBA degree is so important nowadays:

MBA candidates are often young business professionals with at least two years of experience. MBA programmes assist students in developing the abilities required to maintain a business profitable.

Many colleges and business schools have developed a varied range of MBA programmes, specializing in various parts of the business world, as a result of its universal reach. Sharda University provides MBA in the following specializations:

  • MBA – Marketing Management
  • MBA – International Business
  • MBA – Business Analytics
  • MBA – Human Resources Management
  • MBA – Banking & Finance
  • MBA – Health Care & Hospital Administration
  • MBA- Fashion Management
  • MBA – Entrepreneurship & Family Business
  • MBA – Public Policy & Administration
  • MBA – Pharma Marketing & Management
  • MBA – Supply Chain Management and Logistics
  • MBA – Dual Specialization

Job security and good pay are two of the most crucial advantages of having an MBA degree. An MBA graduate’s average salary is significantly higher than that of a conventional Master’s degree holder.

MBA is as rewarding as the time and effort you put into it. There is rarely any hand-holding in the corporate sector. Either you develop into a capable business specialist or the competition surpasses you.

You can know more about the various MBA specializations here

Discover Legal Studies and the opportunities it presents

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UPES School of Law, ranked among top 10 private colleges in India by India Today Best Colleges Survey 2021, offers various career paths, including that of a paralegal. Paralegals assist practicing attorneys with drafting legal documents, conducting research, organizing files, and a string of administrative duties

Legal education in India has been amongst the top career choices for the longest time. The Indian legal profession today consists of approximately 12 lakh registered advocates, around 950 law schools and approximately 4-5 lakh law students across the country. Every year, approximately 60,000 – 70,000 law graduates join the legal profession in India. (Source: Bar Council of India)

However, the road to making a career in law has been long. The UPES School of Law is all set to change this with the three-year B.A. in Legal Studies course. The program is essentially meant for students who do not want to enter the core legal profession, however, have an inclination to make a difference in the various professional fields of marketing, banking, consultancy, public relations, advertising, research, analytics, and many more.

What career options can you choose with a B.A in Legal Studies?

1. Paralegal

This is one of the top-most and obvious choices for students looking to work in law but not wanting to invest the time and resources in a law school. As a paralegal, you’ll get to assist practicing attorneys with drafting legal documents, conducting research, organizing files, and a string of various administrative duties. This will also help you hone your organizational skills, proof-reading skills, verbal communications, amongst many other attributes. Becoming a paralegal is the perfect way to propel your law career.

2. Law Enforcement Officer

Most of us understand what a police officer does – responding to emergency calls, suspicious activity, and apprehending criminals. However, the job entails having a certain academic know-how of the law and how it works. As a law enforcement officer, you also become responsible for upholding the law and maintaining order in the society. This career option will strengthen your analytical skills, persuasive and verbal communications, and interpersonal skills.

3. Court Reporter

A cross between accurate journalism and law, a court reporter works in a courtroom providing documentation of the proceedings by typing everything as it occurs. Not only does this require you to be a fast typist and have a keen ear of the proceedings, but a complete know-how of legal terms that lawyers and the judge use to be able to type in professional short-hand. If you’re caught between being a writer and a having a legal profession, UPES offers multidisciplinary learning, giving students the opportunity to explore various fields and find their talents.

4. E-Discovery Professional

This is a relatively new career prospect and has become more integral to modern law and litigation. With the increase in electronic and digital communication, these correspondences have gained more focus in legal matters. An e-discovery professional uses their knowledge of law and that of technology to search, gather and provide the data required for a legal trial. If you’re a student that is trying to choose between law and technology, an e-discovery professional might just be the career choice for you!

5. Legal Nurse Consultant

Legal Nurse consultants play a crucial role in medical-legal cases. This profession combines the expertise of medicine and law simultaneously. Legal nurses are often brought in to provide testimony in medical cases, which might not be easily understood by lawyers, juries and judges. UPES’ multidisciplinary and holistic learning approach provides you the opportunity to study both subjects and expand your horizons.

Continuing to be immortalized by legal dramas like ‘Suits’, ‘Boston Legal’, ‘The Practice’, and many more, law continues to become a glamorous profession for millennials. In this fast-paced industry, a B.A. in Legal Studies opens up doors to several career options across almost every field. If Law and Legal studies is your calling, future-proof your career with the UPES School of Law.

 

How does UPES enable aspiring lawyers to master the skill of personal branding?

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At a time when people can look up dozens of lawyers in one swipe, building a personal brand is of utmost importance to differentiate oneself from the crowd. It can help aspiring law professionals in showcasing their body of work, spotlighting their competencies, as well as networking with clients and peers

For young lawyers, making a mark in an already crowded space can take several years. This difficulty, however, can be overcome with personal branding. The new brigade is putting themselves forward, letting the world know about their skills by leveraging various communication channels.

Lawyers have effectively harnessed different platforms to become a voice while following the necessary protocols and guidelines around the profession. Not only does this help in reaching out to a wider clientele, but it also helps them network and grow as a community.

Education at UPES has always been learner-centric and industry-focused. Keeping the meta-learning needs of the 21st century in perspective, the university has enhanced its curriculum to make it more flexible and forward-thinking. The unique framework at UPES enables students to build their own academic journey such that it aligns with their educational, professional, as well as personal goals.

At UPES School of Law, along with the core subject, students can study personal branding as part of Life-Skills courses through the newly-constituted School for Life. They also get to choose from focused subject specialisations as well as minor/exploratory subject options from other schools at UPES. Students are also required to do mandatory internships in the social sector, government/public sector and the industry, which rounds off this learning experience.

UPES has several industry experts and former judges on its advisory board. It is the first Indian university to partner with UK-based The University of Law for legal studies. Given its industry-oriented programs and emphasis on holistic development, UPES graduates are a preferred choice for recruiters, ensuring a track record of 90% + placements over the last few years.

NEET 2021 Exam Pattern Changed

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Much awaited NEET 2021 has been scheduled for 12th September 2021. Like JEE, This year NTA has decided to offer Internal Choice in NEET also.

Test pattern of NEET (UG)-2021 comprises two Sections.

  1. Each subject will consist of two sections.
  • Section A will consist of 35 Questions
  • Section B will have 15 questions, out of these 15 Questions, candidates can choose to attempt any 10 Questions.
    thus, the total number of questions and utilization of time will remain the same as Earlier Years.
Sr. Subjects Sections Total Nos. Of Questions Max. Nos. of MCQ to be attempted Marks( 4 Marks each Attempted MCQ
1 Physics Section A 35 35 140
2 Section B 15 10 40
3 Chemistry Section A 35 35 140
4 Section B 15 10 40
5 Botany Section A 35 35 140
6 Section B 15 10 40
7 Zoology Section A 35 35 140
8 Section B 15 10 40
Total 200 180 720

 

The pattern for the NEET (UG)-2021 Examination for admission in the Session 2021-22 is as follows:

The important points to note:

  • Each question carries 04 (four) marks and, for each correct answer candidate will get 04 (four) marks.
  • For each incorrect answer, 01(one) mark will be deducted from the total score.
  • To answer a question, a student has to choose 1 of the given four options.
  • However, after the process of the challenge of key, if more than one option is found to be correct then all/any one of the multiple correct/best options marked will be given four marks (+4).
  • Any incorrect option marked will be given minus one mark (-1). · Un-answered/ Un-attempted questions will be given no marks.
  • In case, a question is dropped/ ignored, all candidates will be given four marks (+4) irrespective of the fact whether the question has been attempted or not attempted by the candidate.

NEET 2021 will be conducted on 12th of September 2021, in 13 languages (English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Punjabi).

Students must select their language of preference while filling the form.

JAGSoM inaugurates its 27th batch of the Two Year PGDM Program

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Bengaluru, July, 2021: Jagdish Sheth School of Management (JAGSoM) held the commencement ceremony of its 27th batch of the Two Year PGDM Program in an online event held on July 1st, 2021. The QS ranked specialized PGDM programs in Marketing, Finance and Analytics is scheduled to commence in August 2021.

JAGSoM has a unique admission process in which the applicants are assessed by the faculty, alumni, and industry experts. The assessment is based on an innovation potential test followed by personal interaction with the panel. For the first time, the JAGSoM introduced an interaction with the shoulder batch (The students from the current batch of 2020-22). The shoulder batch gets an opportunity to interact with their potential juniors. The final selection at JAGSoM is based on the “value fit” of each candidate.

Addressing the students during the e-inauguration, Dr. Atish Chattopadhyay, Director, JAGSoM said, “If there is a faculty effort and if there is a learner effort and if both join hands together; learners do realize their career aspirations. It does not matter where one starts, but what one achieves going forward is what matters. JAGSoM focusses on nurturing eager learners as professionals for new age roles in new age industries. The Institution believes in admitting rough diamonds and convert them as polished diamonds. JAGSoM’s unique curriculum and pedagogy acts as Learner Potential Multiplier to make learners realize their true potential.”

Driven by its diversity focus, JAGSOM has a unique mix of cohorts which will play an important role in the participants learning experience in the class. The new batch of 2021-23 is a diverse group with 45% women. It has representation from around 20 states across India. The batch has an excellent mix of students from corporate experience in IT, Tourism, and ITES. This mix of experience along with fresh graduates drawn from diverse academic backgrounds, supported by gender and geographical diversity creates an eclectic mix for stimulating peer learning.

Founder of JAGSoM, Mr Sanjay Padode, greeted students and their parents. In his address to the students, he said, “Inauguration Day signifies the initiation of a learning journey for each learner along with the faculty members. At JAGSoM, the whole teaching and learning is a two-way process where both the learners and the faculty learn from each other. In our institute, our students will be working with the best-in-class faculty, and will also experience the commitment that each faculty brings. We believe in liberating the learners, and what is required from the learners is to be open to the teachers, take the best out of them and work with them for a successful career. JAGSoM has a more difficult task in hand than just to give you your first job and that task will be to make you employable for a lifetime.”

The current batch also has the presence of some unique talented individuals who have passion and interest in Cricket, Taekwondo, Tennis, Basketball, and Volleyball, and excels in extracurricular activities. Some students have won prestigious awards and medals in several International Olympiads.

ABOUT JAGSOM

Bangalore and Greater Mumbai

Jagdish Sheth School of Management (formerly IFIM Business School) is amongst the first 6 Business Schools in India to have been awarded the AACSB accreditation. Recently, IFIM Business School, now, Jagdish Sheth School of Management (JAGSOM), has been ranked by QS Masters in Marketing Ranking 2021 amongst the Top 100 such programs (in 51-100 band) in the World for its PGDM (Marketing) program. It has also been ranked in the 101-150 Band Globally in the QS Masters in Finance Rankings for its PGDM (Finance) Program.

Various programs at JAGSOM include (1) PGDM/MBA : 2 Year residential Post Graduate Diploma in Management /MBA with international super-specializations in Martech, Fintech, Big Data Analytics, Digital Transformation & HR (2) Specialised PGDM – offering experiential specializations for new age roles: PGDM (Marketing), PGDM (Finance) and PGDM (Business Analytics)  (3) PGDM IB: Dual Degree Pathway Program in association with State University of New York (Albany) and Sydney Business School (UOW) (4) PGDM LFH: A unique learn from home program which brings in the experience of learning from campus while at home and  (5) BBA  at Vijaybhoomi University, Greater Mumbai, having pathway options with ESCP Europe, ESC Rennes and UOW Australia.

Actively engaged in research and consulting, JAGSOM hosts several Centers of Excellence such as AIM-Parasuraman Centre of Service Excellence. JAGSOM has an elite set of international academic partners including leading institutes such as ESCP-London, Darden School of Business (University of Virginia) and McCombs Business School (University of Texas at Austin).

JAGSOM has four distinct anchors that support its overall educational philosophy:

  • Grooming T shaped professionals with a unique curriculum aligned to the needs of industry 4.0
  • A mix of scholars with PhD and experienced practice-oriented domain specialist faculty
  • Global connects through partnerships with world-renowned business schools offering super-specializations in new-age areas.
  • Industry- connect programs to groom “Beyond Tomorrow” professionals

For more information, Visit www.ifimbschool.com or www.jagsom.com

Watch the full inauguration video here

Secure Admission directly in IFIM College, the gateway to a promising career in the Silicon Valley of India

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IFIM College has tweaked its admission process to permit aspirants to write its ISAT (IFIM Scholastic Aptitude Test) directly from the comfort of their home through an online AI proctored examination system. In order to reduce the anxiety and the prevailing uncertainty, the institution is collaborating with “Career Launcher” to provide aspirants to take this exam without paying any application fee. The ISAT has been developed to test your English, Math and Logical Reasoning competency. And does not require much preparation if you have done reasonably well in your high school.  Please note on qualifying the ISAT the aspirant will receive a direct offer of admission, may be even with scholarship. The aspirant can then make the choice of completing the application and registering into the choice of programs offered by IFIM College.

IFIM College is a learner centric new age autonomous institution affiliated to Bangalore University. The college is accredited with NAAC ‘A Grade’ and this grading is enjoyed by very few in the country especially when such an accolade is obtained in its first cycle of accreditation. IFIM College’s BBA program is ranked 12th in the whole country by India Today. Its management department is mentored and coached by its sister institution Jagdish Sheth School of Management (JAGSOM) which is a globally ranked institution. IFIM College is located in the heart of India’s Silicon Valley i.e. Electronics City, Bangalore. The campus shares its wall with Infosys. Its location provides it with a vantage which is well leveraged by the institution and clearly reflects in its continuously improving placement record. The college is also privileged to have access to the best in class practice faculty drawn from the top IT companies that have put India on the Global Map. The institution proudly claims to be the gateway to a promising career in the silicon valley of India.

The autonomous status of the college has now enabled the institution to adopt and introduce award winning and time tested interventions such as Research/Innovation Incubation, Personality Enhancement Program (PEP), Social Immersion Program (SIP) and long tenure Industry Internship Program (IIP) to students pursing any one of the degree programs offered by IFIM College. Coupled with the addition of these interventions, the institute has introduced changes in the curriculum across all courseware to align it with the requirements of Industry 4.0. These changes and the associated learning outcomes make the graduating students ready for new age roles in new age companies. The autonomy has also insulated the college from vagaries of the University’s Academic Calendar and thus has induced the advantage of a stand-alone institution into a reputable degree from a state University.

The programs offered by IFIM College at the Under Graduate Level along with their annual fee is mentioned in the table below.

Given below are the program fees for the different courses offered at IFIM College.

Under Graduate Programs Tuition Fees/Annum*
BBA ₹ 1,75,000
BBA (CMA) ₹ 2,25,000
B.Com ₹ 1,00,000
B.Com (ACCA) ₹ 1,50,000
BCA ₹ 1,00,000
BA (JPE) ₹ 1,00,000

 

*Scholarships to the extent of 50% are available to qualifying candidates. Click here to know more about scholarships.

Click Here to Register Free for ISAThttps://bit.ly/2UQr9eY

 

BBA with a Liberal Approach

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At JAGSOM (formerly IFIM Business School), the sixth business school to be AACSB accredited in India, the outgoing PG batch (25th) graduated on time, in May 2021, with 100% placement.

JAGSOM’s second campus at Vijaybhoomi University offers both UG and PG programs.

The BBA program of JAGSOM@VU is unlike any other. Although near identical to the PG program of JAGSOM BLR, the BBA program does not have a pre-determined set of courses. The VU ecosystem comprising of True School of Music, INSOFE School of Data Science, VU School of Design, VU School of Law and VU School of Arts and Humanities allows students to take advantage of the liberal curriculum and explore, curate and create their own unique degree program. Students of JAGSOM@VU are able managers by default. They plan and synthesize courses from different fields of study into a cohesive body of knowledge to meet graduation requirements.

JAGSOM offers international pathways for the dual degree to its BBA students in partnership with the University of Wollongong and the University of Newcastle, both in Australia, as well as ESCP Business School in Paris, Rennes School of Business, and Paris School of Business, all in France

Author: Dr. Anamitra Anurag Danda (Dean  & Controller of Exams, JAGSOM, Vijaybhoomi University)

Vijay Patil School of Management – Heralding Transformative Education in Management Studies

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The D Y Patil deemed to be University is a testimony to the power of private enterprise for public good. In this case, it is the educational sector that has benefited exponentially, due to the dream of one man who wished to bring world class education at the doorstep of every young aspiring Indian. Thousands of students availed the opportunities provided by this illustrious yet rooted university, much like the personality of its founder, Padmashree Dr D Y Patil, former Governor of Tripura and Bihar, statesman, leader and visionary. Knowledge is Supreme is the philosophy that has driven the mission of the founder chancellor of this prestigious university.

The vision and legacy of Dr D Y Patil is not only sustained but also extended under the inspiring leadership of Dr Vijay D Patil, the current Chancellor of the University and sturdily supported by the efforts of Mrs Shivani V Patil, managing trustee D Y Patil Group.

The DY Patil Group has established top notch institutions in every stream, be it Engineering, Medical, Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Ayurveda, Pharmacy or Hotel Management, Law and Architecture to name a few. The University is awarded with an ‘A’ grade by NAAC (National Accreditation & Assessment Council) & it is ranked 77th in the top 100 universities by NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework).

The group furthered the boundaries of learning by actively pushing for sports and its management in the educational agenda. This is a rare and unique offering of the D Y Patil University in a country obsessed with only conventional academic education.

The latest feather in their illustrious cap is the Vijay Patil School of Management or VPSM, Navi Mumbai.  The Vijay Patil School of Management is the result of a dedicated strategic planning & vision to bring transformative education in the field of management as envisaged by Dr Vijay D Patil who himself has a degree in Management from Bond University, Australia.

Nestled in a verdant green eco-friendly campus, within a futuristic, State -of- the -art structure in Navi Mumbai, designed by globally acclaimed British Architects Foster + Partners, VPSM has Harvard style technology driven classrooms with everything available at the click of a button, Learning Resource Centre, Discussions rooms, Conference rooms, Faculty rooms, and a centralised HVAC campus with multi cuisine cafeterias. Our classrooms, study areas & other facilities are constructed with an emphasis on technology, collaboration &sustainability. The first four storeys house the academic activities of the school & the five upper levels provide residential accommodation for students & faculty members. There is a wide selection of recreational facilities on campus where you can practise, play & participate when it works best for you. Intramural sports give you the opportunity to play with a team in a fun & relaxed environment.

However, apart from providing a comfortable ambience, the VPSM philosophy is also about creating rounded leaders, visionaries, strategic thinkers, policy makers of tomorrow, and human beings capable of making substantial contributions to the growth and development of communities and for the nation. VPSM aims to spread impactful education to a broad spectrum of individuals, be they students, working executives, or those connected to the corporate world.

In the words of the Chancellor Dr Vijay D Patil, VPSM is ‘a step towards encouraging global, evolved learning’. This thought metamorphosed into action with a collaboration with the prestigious Harvard Business School Online Program that gives a unique opportunity to students of VPSM to learn online from the faculty at Harvard. In addition to this, courses at VPSM are designed to evoke the spirit of lifelong learning among students. As the Dean of VPSM, Prafulla Agnihotri, Former Professor, IIM Calcutta & Founding Director, IIM Tiruchirappalli, an eminent academician says, “We aim at inculcating the ‘spirit of inquiry, independent thinking, and data-based decision-making.”

This spirit of learning is facilitated by the highly interactive pedagogy and the practical approach to learning that is adopted by the exceptionally experienced and qualified faculty, with PhDs from across International Universities and several ground breaking research papers and publications.

The faculty applies a participant-centric pedagogy. Latest pedagogical tools and Curriculum, involving Case-studies, inquiry methods Simulation games, group projects, internships are also part of the teaching methodology and innovative ideas are combined with these methods to create effective learning experiences that leave lifelong learning impressions. Faculties ensure fostering the close mentorship & relationship that we believe makes studying at VPSM special.

The programs offered at VPSM are all duly recognised by the statutory regulatory bodies like the AICTE (All India Council Technical Education) and UGC (University Grants Commission)

Furthermore, the curriculum is designed to meet the aspirations of future generations wishing to inculcate the skills and values that will catapult them on to global platforms. VPSM offers a full time MBA program, (Masters in Business Administration) BBA, (Bachelors in Business Administration) and BSc (Hons) in Economics. All these programs with their multi-disciplinary elective courses aim to bring about all round holistic development of the students to make them worthy leaders and visionaries and entrepreneurs on the national and world stage in the future. At VPSM, all the courses, are crafted to create a fertile ground to foster critical thinking and analytical abilities among the students that will evolve and sustain long after they have graduated out of the School.

The VPSM MBA program is of two years consisting of six trimesters. The BBA program is for three years with six semesters and they give greater insights into the concepts and ideas that are taught in the foundational courses {BBA} and advanced courses {MBA}

Other than compulsory core courses, there are electives that are customised to suit the learning aspirations of the students. The electives will be in the disciplines of management such as Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Supply-chain Management, HR, MIS and Analytics, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, etc. across the program. This also promotes interdisciplinary learning across different verticals like Marketing, Finance, MIS, Analytics, Operations, HR, etc.

Our students begin their careers with foundation courses, an experience designed to  create a foundation of management thinking by introducing the students to all the fields of management science and enable them with tools and techniques of decision-making which they can apply to their choice of elective courses in the second year. The program emphasises the value of communicating, learning & thinking across disciplines. Students are coached by faculties to hone skills that will be integral throughout their graduate training & beyond. Substantial face to face discussions with faculties, opening multiple mentorship possibilities & the collaboration between students of different backgrounds is the key strength of VPSM.

Meeting industry leaders and familiarizing the students with best practices in the industry and updating them with latest technical trends are all part of the VPSM philosophy of creating truly transformative education.

The B. Sc. (Hons) Economics program offered by VPSM aims to put emphasis on applications and policy formation. The curriculum offers robust training in economic theory and statistical methods and a wide choice of Economics courses to suit students’ interests and mathematical aptitude. Economics electives covers all recent developments in the field of economic theory. Students can also opt for electives from the management stream.

VPSM goes an extra mile, in providing scholarships and financial aid to deserving students. VPSM offers extensive assistance in securing good placements through its strong network with the industry. It also offers professional career counselling and guidance to its students and aims at helping students to choose the right career based on their aptitude and other psychological traits.

A strong connect with the industry, a robust curriculum, a state-of-the-art infrastructure, eminent, and committed faculty, an interactive approach to pedagogy and most importantly, nearly four decades of experience in founding and sustaining viable, robust educational institutions are few of the reasons that make VPSM a frontrunner among the top-ranking institutions of Management in the country in the near future.

VPSM students are ambitious, impact focussed individuals who share a sense of compassion & a willingness to be of service to others, give back & pay it forward. Applicants best suited for our culture are team-oriented individuals who both value and thrive in highly collaborative communities & also understand & appreciate the advantage of studying in a city like Mumbai. Our location gives students very intentional opportunities to focus their time and attention on their own personal growth as well as the relationship they develop with their peers, faculties & program administrators. Students enter into the program seeking transformative growth, and the kind of growth that our students talk about is being distinguished to their VPSM experience & time in Mumbai.

If young ambitious, hardworking persons with a dream and drive to succeed are looking to gain a head start in management education, then certainly their search should end with VPSM. Their journey of experiencing transformative education begins here!

CU-CET : The Global BigDaddy of UG of the next decade

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-Why UG will be very exciting in the next 5 years

India aspires to emerge as a global powerhouse and an economic giant through its single most important differentiator – Education.  India is aiming to become a 50% GER nation that puts her in the bracket of the leading countries of the world.  Undergraduate admissions are the single most important indicator of this health of the nation.  The entry gate examination (Named CUCET) is a 75Lakh student test taker segment in the making when it comes to UG admissions.  This, when it emerges is going to dwarf any global exam including the SAT.

CUCET and the 75L segment in the making :

The Central University Common Entrance Test is the silver bullet by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to make the 50% GER happen. The 54 central universities including the likes of Delhi University, BHU, Jamia, JNU, Aligarh Muslim University, Hyderabad Central University, Tezpur, etc form the top aspirational bracket in this exam category. It, perhaps, is only a matter of time before other universities follow suit. This single entrance exam is slated to be held twice a year.

Let us look at some numbers here – GER vs EER

At present, India’s GER is at 26.7% with 37.4 mio students studying across universities, colleges and stand-alone institutions.; GER stands for Graduate Enrolment ratio. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), India’s GER was 27.4 per cent for 2017-18. This, in effect, means out of the total population in the age group of 18-23 in India, 27.4 per cent attend college and university.

There are debates on whether GER is the right ratio or does one look at the Eligible Enrolment Ratio (EER); EER is the no of students in college divided by the no of students who completed class XII. India’s EER is at 63.7 and is comparable to developed nations.

Let us, for a moment, consider 50% of class XII graduates will seek admissions into universities, Colleges, Stand-alone institutions – this opens up a new UG entrance exam segment – that itself makes it a 75L students who would be college-able at a given academic year.

Cancellation of Class XII board exams: Here and Now in 2021

In the current pandemic situation, the cancellation of Class XII board exams only strengthens the argument and the importance of CUCET.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the cancellation of Class XII CBSE board exams on 1st June, due to the prevailing Covid situation. This is followed by various states and the status as on 4th June is as follows

 

Status Cancelled Not Decided Being Held Completed
States Goa, Gujrat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh Andra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal Chattisgarh Bihar, kerala

 

What will CUCET do:

–           Standardise assessment criteria

–           Eliminate the need to appear for multiple exams (saves monies for students too)

–           Bring inclusivity and equal opportunity

–           Make the high cut-offs (100% in DU) a thing of the past

–           Risk of students not taking the Board exams as seriously

Many more interesting Policy and Macro economic development:

Let us take a look at what else has happened in this space over the last 24 months that will all go long way in contributing to the UG excitement in India.

  1. ‘ Study in India’

A program run by the MHRD is to make India a global destination for UG studies. Just a couple of years ago,  India used to get about 40k students from abroad for the UG program and the goal that has been set is 400k students coming to India to study.

From a macro-economics perspective, the drain i.e. the no of students going abroad as a foreign exchange drain is being sought to be offset by the students coming to study in India from an economic point of view

But from an education point of view – this is possible because Indian education is seen as high quality at 1/4th the cost and that is a great strength we have which will also help us in our business.

  1. Mega campuses in the making

The govt is nudging and incentivising the top universities to become mega campuses like MIT, Berkely, Stanford or Harvard where they have a student population of 40-100 thousand in a single university campus. The universities in China possibly have more like 100-200 thousand.  By announcing Vidya Kosh – a 100 cr p.a. kitty available on crossing 40 thousand students on campus.

  1. India version of global exams like LSAT

Another imp thing we are observing is that global exams such as LSAT have launched an Indian version of the test. Why – Because they are looking at Indians taking the test and since large no of Indian universities are attracting UG law students and LSAT is expensive, a customised India version of the exam has been launched called LSAT India. Last academic year itself this entrance exam clocked about 15 thousand test-takers.

All in all, while the grade XII exams have been cancelled by the centre and many states, the Undergraduate segment is an exciting segment to watch out for in the coming years.

Conclusion :

The trend and the macro outcomes are undeniably clear as far the future of the undergraduate landscape is concerned. The shifts and the milestones could always move a year here or a year there.  But, what is of most telling significance is the emergence of a higher education juggernaut called India that continues to be aided by a growing demographics, cultural value attached to education in Indian homes and the increasing purchasing power in the hands of Indian household.  This is the time to stay very proactive and observant of the story.

 

About the author :

Sujatha Kshirsagar is an EdTech leader with over two decades of corporate, entrepreneurial and policy experience. She is an Alumnus of IIM-Bangalore. These are her personal views.

 

CHANGES IN CLASS 10 CBSE QUESTION PAPER PATTERN 2021-22

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The CBSE released a circular on the 2021-22 board exam question paper pattern for Class 10 and Class 12 on the 22nd of April 2021.

http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/Circulars/2021/31_Circular_2021.pdf

The circular mainly deals with the assessment and evaluation practices of the board for the session 2021- 2022. A shift to competency-based education has been recommended which has been talked about from 2019. In 2019 itself CBSE had asked schools to start teaching students to move away from rote memorization techniques and move to competency-based learning.

What is Competency-Based learning?

Competency-Based Learning means more focus on developing creative and critical thinking capacities of students and testing higher-order skill. So far in the board exams when you think about such types of questions, they have been introduced to you in the form of HOTs questions. For example, in CBSE Class 10 Maths Board Exam you see that hots questions mainly come from guides like RD Sharma, and these are questions that are harder to solve, has more calculation or has more steps. The problem now is that HOTs questions have become very common in all the exam papers. We have reached a place where students are not applying their learning to a new type of questions. This is what the CBSE wants to change.

What is the New Question Paper Pattern for Class 10 Exam 2021-22?

Already last year we were introduced to few changes. In the CBSE Board Exam for instance, which was supposed to be conducted in June 2021, out of 80 marks, 20% marks which means 16 marks was basically objective questions that were in the form of very short answer one mark questions. These had to be answered in very simple words or in a single sentence. Now some of you may have the misconception that objective questions mean only MCQ. No that is not the meaning of an objective question. The objective question basically means questions that can be answered in short. It could be MCQ questions, fill in blanks, or true or false questions also. In 2021, case-based questions had been introduced for the first time. These were questions that involved a long passage and then following the longer passage you had some questions asked. This formed another 20% (16 marks) of the paper. The remaining 60% which is the remaining 48 were the usual questions based on the textbook and previous sample papers.

Now, what is the change for the 2022 exam?

Competency-based questions would be 30% of the paper. This means that 24 marks in the paper would be competency-based and this could include MCQs, Case-based questions and it could include source-based questions. MCQs mean multiple choice questions where you need to select one correct answer from the given options. Case-based questions mean you have a case study that is followed by certain questions. Now, these case studies are something that is relatively new and only introduced last year. Source-based questions mean a paragraph could be picked up from somewhere in your textbook and questions asked on that. It could be also from outside the textbook, maybe some newspaper articles.

Objective questions will be 20%; this remains the same as the last year. Now objective marks mean 16 marks which are basically going to be all the questions talked about earlier, so it could be short answer questions, fill in the blanks true or false type of questions. So totally over here you are already done with 40 marks on the paper. Half of the paper is going to be a new type of questions. This way the CBSE is trying to do away with your reliance on old papers and previous guidebooks and shift to learning the concepts properly and be able to apply them in unfamiliar contexts. The remaining 50% of the paper, that means the remaining 40 marks would be whatever you are used to currently.

Influence of PISA Exam on Competency-Based Questions in Class 10 CBSE Board Exam

Many schools have been giving practice with PISA based question. What exactly is PISA? PISA stands for the Program for International Student Assessment, conducted by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an international body. This exam is conducted every three years for 15-year-old students all over the world and the tests are mainly designed to understand how you can apply your conceptual learning in school with respect to Mathematical, Scientific, and English literacy to the real world.

India is participating in this test in the coming year. The exam was supposed to be conducted now in 2021 but because of our current situation with COVID, it has been postponed to 2022. Since the PISA test has been formed India has only participated once and that was in 2009. India was expected to do well but in 74 countries India ranked 73rd out of 74 countries. This was not because our students did not know the concepts; it was because the questions looked different from what we were so used to studying.

India’s dismal performance led to lots of debate. There was more talk about how competency-based learning is more important for students in India so that is why the PISA exam is important in the context of a competency-based assessment. India has decided to participate again after a long break. In fact, in 2019, Kendriya Vidyalayas proposed that we should split the paper into four parts: 25% of questions direct from textbook, 25% of questions should be understanding based – these are questions from the textbook but with changed values. The remaining 50% were proposed to be learning outcome-based and application-based.

Increase in Competency-Based Questions every year

 

A document that was released by the Ministry of Education in 2020 highlighted all the reforms made from 2014 to 2020. There is a section with talks about the need for reforms in board examination. Here it was proposed to introduce changes in question paper design to test the understanding of students rather than content. This was to be done by modifying the design of

question papers by adding 10% of questions oriented towards higher-order and this will increase by 10% every successive year till 2025 reaching up to 60% competency-based question in any given question paper.

This means that competency-based questions are only going to increase in every upcoming year until 60% of your question paper is going to be outside textbook questions. This is a very important change that is happening in our question paper design and it is a welcome change. It is going to be beneficial for you in the long run. Let us also look at how India is partnering with the British Council to help the Indian teachers develop these kinds of questions.

 
Partnering with British Council

The British Council has developed some guidelines for how question papers can be. In terms of the coming year’s exam, all guidelines may not be implemented because it would be a sudden change, but the guidelines will give you a good idea of what can be expected in the years to come. If you look at guidelines for the Maths exam you can see your that there is to be an increased emphasis on mathematical communication by expecting students to provide full strategy working out in response to all questions including short answer questions. There is a proposal to make use of structured question for Maths as opposed to single standalone question and this should be with the integration of interconnected questions to assess application novel problem-solving. This means you may have a question related to surface areas and volumes where you need to use trigonometry, probability, or quadratic equations. Also focusing on student’s problem-solving ability by providing a greater number of diagrams rather than having candidates construct their own is recommended. Actual real-life applications type questions where you have questions picked out from things that happen is also something which question paper setters need to be a little alert about when they are preparing the questions. There is also a recommendation for reducing the number of optional questions. We currently are having optional questions but there is a recommendation that at least for Maths optional question should be done away with because only then the paper assessment could be considered reliable. So, they will be more effort required on the part of people who are developing the question papers and developing resource material for the same.

Conclusion

Thus, you can see that there is going to be a very big influence of international assessments like PISA and even the exams conducted for schools like the GCSE and IGCSE exam is going to influence exam pattern. Question types from these boards can be expected in your coming CBSE Board Exams.

 

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