It has also been requested to the universities initiate an action plan and undertakes suitable activities and ensures dissemination of the issues under the ambit of India’s Presidency on G20 across different locales…reports Asian Lite News
With the expectation that India’s G20 presidency should touch every student across the country, an innovative outreach programme, “University Connect” has been proposed, informed UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday.
Under the outreach programme schools and higher education institutions can involve their students in a range of events on G20 themes spread across the year. “The programme aims to project our youth as cultural ambassadors who can build long-lasting relationships withG-20 fraternity. This will be an opportunity for young Indians to bring new ideas and perspectives to G-20-related topics,” said UGC chairman Jagadesh Kumar.
He said that it has been decided that schools and higher education institutions across the country will organize special programmes on G20 themes starting from January upto September 2023.
It has also been requested to the universities initiate an action plan and undertakes suitable activities and ensures dissemination of the issues under the ambit of India’s Presidency on G20 across different locales.
“Numerous activities can be undertaken at the Universities/institutions to prepare students for conferences that will be held in a variety of locations and on a variety of topics related to the history, culture, and legacy of the area,” said read the letter from the UGC chairman.
The activities that could be undertaken include routine/pre-scheduled events of the institution like convocations, annual days, sporting events, seminars etc, which should be branded as G20 events. Logos, posters, and standees of G20 should be displayed on the campus and at all events of the institution. All Institutions are to undertake regular Swachchta Campaigns in and around their respective campuses as part of the G20 event. G-20 T-Shirts, Caps, Wrist Bands, and G20 Badges can be distributed to participating students and to NSS/ NYKS volunteers. (ANI)
Indian lecturer wins discrimination case against UK university.
She added that there was no adequate workplace support for her while she was caring for her critically-ill child…reports Asian Lite News
An Indian lecturer has won a discrimination case against a UK university whose selection process, according to an employment tribunal, was “tainted by race discrimination”.
The University of Portsmouth failed to reappoint Dr Kajal Sharma for a job she had been doing for five years, replacing her with a white candidate with no experience of the role, The Guardian reported.
While 11 out of her 12 white colleagues were reappointed after their contracts ended, Sharma, hired as a senior lecturer in 2016, was not given her job back.
The tribunal in its judgement reprimanded the university for ignoring the fact that “a senior member of the academic staff who was a BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) woman was not reappointed to a post”.
At the case hearing in Southampton, Sharma informed the tribunal that she had a “difficult” relationship with her manager, Dr Gary Rees.
Citing an instance, she said Rees had asked her to do university work in the immediate aftermath of her father’s death.
She added that there was no adequate workplace support for her while she was caring for her critically-ill child.
Rees encouraged a white colleague to pursue an additional qualification but did not support Sharma when she wanted to do the same, the tribunal was told.
While reapplying for the job as her contract neared end, Sharma appeared before an interview panel, which had Rees, and lost out to a rival candidate supported by him.
The tribunal said that the fact that she was not reappointed to her job was “extraordinary” and should have raised questions.
“Instead, the fact that a senior member of the academic staff who was a BAME woman was not reappointed to a post was ignored by the university.”
The tribunal ruled that Sharma was the victim of subconscious discrimination and described the selection process as being “tainted by race discrimination”, The Guardian reported.
It concluded that Rees had treated Sharma “in a way that we considered was different to the way he would have treated others, in areas such as support over her father’s death, and her child’s illness.
“We conclude that his involvement in the recruitment process and his subconscious bias means that the failure to recruit the claimant was an act of race discrimination.”
According to a 2022 TUC (The Trades Union Congress) survey, more than 120,000 workers from minority ethnic backgrounds quit their jobs because of racism.
The landmark survey found that more than one in four workers from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds faced racist jokes at work in the last five years and 35 per cent said it left them feeling less confident at work.
Hopkins have designed a building which responds appropriately to its local context whilst referencing the University of Birmingham’s origins…reports Asian Lite News
The University of Birmingham has officially opened its first international campus, in Dubai – the first Russell Group University to do so.
Designed to serve a growing demand in the region, the new campus offers a range of science, business, technology and other courses – equipping future generations with the skills and expertise they need to face future global needs.
As such, the new campus has been designed to adapt to fast-changing learning environments, with a flexible, future-proofed approach and a minimum anticipated life span of 30 years.
This high-quality campus building strongly references the original University of Birmingham campus in the UK – opened in 1900 – to create a coherent international identity and heritage brand.
University of Birmingham Dubai is located at the heart of the city’s academic quarter, Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the largest education hub in the Middle East and home of many international universities.
Hopkins have designed a building which responds appropriately to its local context whilst referencing the University of Birmingham’s origins. Facing onto nearby parkland, the campus contributes to a wider masterplan, creating a walkable district with attractive pedestrian routes and better connectivity to surrounding facilities.
The crescent-shaped building echoes the University’s historic Aston Webb Building in Birmingham. Proportions and materials, including a precast structural system with textured red precast façade echoes the solidity of form expressed at the original ‘red brick’ campus, the UK’s first civic University.
The Dubai campus will initially house up to 2,900 students and 400 staff with scope to expand. Accommodation includes a multi-purpose lecture theatre, library, auditorium, general teaching areas, wet, dry and engineering labs and student support areas, all designed for maximum flexibility.
Adaptable teaching spaces accommodate classes of various sizes and the main auditorium features raked seating for 300 in lecture theatre mode, but can be reconfigured to a flat floor mode for large gatherings and exams. There are also two interactive and adaptable auditoria of 200 seats adaptable to changes in layouts and furniture arrangements. Exposed ceilings with services and acoustic buffers, can also easily be re-configured depending on future spatial needs.
A logical plan, has allowed Hopkins to create a clear sequence of arrival and circulation spaces with intuitive wayfinding. Extensive social learning spaces, including external shaded external courtyards, are provided throughout the campus to encourage interactive learning. A generous stepped entrance to the main atrium and first floor library doubles up as an amphitheatre, providing additional space for informal socializing or teaching. Water features and soft landscaping create a pleasant cooling effect.
Designed to operate within the challenging climatic conditions of Dubai, every opportunity has been explored to integrate environmentally responsive and efficient design measures.
The building is 50% solid, with a modular façade system designed to allow for quality, factory- controlled construction whilst contributing to efficient site operation and fast erection.
Bespoke integrated shading to all windows and glazed facades, can respond to different solar orientations with adjustable angles which offer views out but reduce solar gain and lighting consumption. Exposed precast soffits and façades provide thermal mass to help control the thermal temperature from within and an external colonnade provides shaded circulation around the building. BMS controls to all spaces will help to monitor occupancy uses and further reduce any unnecessary energy consumption. Materials have been selected which can be locally produced with low embodied energy.
Smart technology has been incorporated throughout the building, including a room booking system, allowing it to respond to data on its everyday use and make further energy savings.
Hopkins have delivered a number of exemplary higher education facilities worldwide. The University of Birmingham Dubai is their first in the Middle East region, where they have worked and delivered a series of buildings and masterplans over the last 15 years.
University of Birmingham Dubai Provost Professor David Sadler said: “We are delighted to be open for business in our iconic, state-of-the-art campus in Dubai that reflects our long-term commitment to the UAE and the wider region – providing the best learning environment of any international university in the region.
“These excellent, innovative facilities allow us to provide students from the UAE and beyond with a first-class education from an elite British university. We are committed to making our campuses in Dubai and Birmingham as sustainable as possible and look forward to welcoming the local community for events and opportunities that will enrich Dubai residents’ lives.”
The UK government has been called out over the issue, as not one of the IITs made it to the Top 50 list…reports Asian Lite News
In a new scheme, the UK government has announced that graduates from the world’s top 50 non-UK universities can work in Britain under the new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa. Even though none of the Indian Universities was featured, two universities from Mainland China and two from Hong Kong made it to the list.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Peking University and Tsinghua University were on the list. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a new entrant on the list, the Indian Express reported.
However, no Indian university has made it to the list. The list released for 2020-2021, when the first coronavirus cases were reported across the world, featured three Chinese universities, but no Indian university was added. The number of Chinese universities increased to four in the following year, whereas Indian universities still did not manage to find a spot.
The UK government has been called out over the issue, as not one of the IITs made it to the Top 50 list.
“The HPI route is an uncapped two-year UK work visa (three years for those with a PhD) for early career stage graduates. Graduates must have graduated from an eligible international university in the five years immediately before their application,” the Times of India reported.
The eligibility criterion requires an institution to be featured in the top 50 of at least “at least two of the three ranking lists produced annually by QS, Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.”
Even though the scheme is open to everyone, the lists of eligible universities exclude universities in Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
GEMS International School first to partner with ERAU
Partnership offers CP students access to ERAU Dual Enrolment Programme…reports Asian Lite News
Al Khail (GIS) has become the first school in the UAE to partner with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), one of the most prestigious and in-demand universities in the world for aviation and aeronautics.
Thanks to the partnership, students studying the IB Career-related Programme (CP) are now able to select the ERAU Dual Enrolment Programme as their Career-related Study (CRS). It gives students the equivalent of a year’s worth of US university credits upon successful completion of the CP and ERAU programme, allowing them to step directly into year two of their university course.
Simon Herbert, Head of School/CEO, GEMS International School – Al Khail: “As the GEMS Centre of Excellence for Aviation and Space, we are delighted to be partnering with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. The partnership is hugely enriching for our students, and provides yet another superb pathway that personalises the education we provide. It places our school at the forefront in terms of seeking out opportunities for our students and graduates, while also providing parents with a significant discount on university fees.”
Matthew Flaherty, Vice Chancellor and Head of Asia, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Asia: “It gives us great pleasure to recognise GEMS International School – Al Khail as one of our partners under the ERAU Dual Enrolment Programme. We are confident this partnership will allow students enrolled at the school to benefit from ERAU’s reputation as one of the world’s leading higher education institutions in aviation and aerospace education. With this head start in aviation and aerospace education while still in high school, GEMS students are preparing themselves for a fulfilling career not only in aviation and aerospace, but also in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
GIS inaugurated its first cohort of CP students in September 2021, with a total of 23 students specialising in either Business or Creative Media. Through ERAU, CP students will now also be able to specialise in Aeronautics and Aviation, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Alternatively, they can specialise in Business combined with either of the two new pathways.
Students are free to choose from a wide variety of university-level courses from ERAU that lead into Aeronautics, Aviation or STEM pathways. They are required to enrol onto four courses in their first year of CP, and four courses in their second year. Courses are not run simultaneously, but are sequential, with each course lasting nine weeks. Students complete these online at school while at the same time attending the rest of the CP curriculum face-to-face.
Universities look highly upon applicants who have completed the Dual Enrolment Programme, given the rigour and maturity it requires from high school students.
JGU the first university to fully implement SDGs on campus
JGU has become one of the first universities to fully commit to and implement the SDGs on its campus, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic…reports Asian Lite News
On the occasion of the UN Day 2021, the O.P. Jindal Global University has released the first-of-its-kind ‘Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: Role of Universities and Civil Society in Protecting the Environment Report’, mapping its compliance towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the world body.
Setting a global benchmark, JGU has become one of the first universities to fully commit to and implement the SDGs on its campus, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report was launched in the presence of Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Environment, Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General Association of Indian Universities, Atul Bagai Head of Country Office UN Environment Programme and Sudhir Mishra, Founder & Managing Partner, Trust Legal, Advocates & Consultants.
The UN SDGs include affordable and sustainable energy, combating climate change, eradicating hunger, education, health, and gender equality. To demonstrate its commitment towards the implementation of the SDGs, JGU engaged in an independent assessment of its campus and initiatives to get a transparent and fair view of the university’s progress in compliance with the UN SDGs.
A cohort of 12 assessors from the environment and legal fields including The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Trust Legal, Advocates & Consultants and Mazars Business Advisors Pvt. Ltd., Trust Legal, Advocates & Consultants carried out a rigorous evaluation of the university’s processes ranging from the university’s energy consumption to water management systems and community engagement initiatives.
Pradhan congratulated JGU on the launch of the report and said: “The launch of the report comes at an opportune moment when the world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend COP26 meeting at Glasgow next month. Diverse voices in the form of reports, scientific inquiry, and debates will only enrich our collective knowledge in protecting the health of the planet. The National Education Policy 2020 is fully aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Goals and aims to nurture youth with global outlook and sensibility with capabilities that can help them face the global challenges of the 21st century. It is built on the foundational pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability. childhood care to quality education for the students in the remotest corner of the country.
“Universities have responsibility to contribute not only to the local communities but also to the global community. This is primarily because they have the capacity to help students develop a holistic understanding of how a wide range of local, national and global challenges can be addressed. They help students in developing the spirit of scientific inquiry, curiosity and entrepreneurship needed to produce concrete and innovative solutions to tackle these challenges. The role of university in the road to the sustainable development is crucial. It becomes imperative that the universities devote time and resources to create an SDG ready generation that remains focused on the mission to achieve sustainable development.”
Choubey said: “I congratulate the Vice Chancellor of JGU that under his leadership, JGU is not only committed to excellence in education but has also demonstrated a vision to implement the UN-SDG goals at the university. Educational institutions can play a pivotal role in informing young people and create awareness about the steps needed to protect and preserve the environment. India has a long tradition of protecting nature and environment. As our Vedas say, if you protect nature, nature will protect you. It is our duty to respect the environment for human survival. It is an achievement for JGU for conducting such a study on UN-SDG goals and its aim to handle the challenges of carbon emissions to pollution, flora and fauna and depleting natural resources.”
PROFESSOR (DR.) C. RAJ KUMAR, FOUNDING VICE-CHANCELLOR, JGU: “The Sustainability Development Report 2021 demonstrates our commitment to creating a green and socially-conscious campus and to have a transparent and fair view of our progress in our compliance with the UN SDGs. This comprehensive assessment was conducted on our processes ranging from our energy consumption to water management systems to community engagement initiatives. While the Covid-19 pandemic presented challenges as well as opportunities for reaching the SDGs, JGU has moved towards a healthier and safer environment by implementing the SDGs within its campus. By taking efforts to implement the UN-SDGs, JGU has shown the way to other educational institutions, how futuristic, social and environmental commitments are met. Even in the past, JGU has demonstrated its commitment to protecting our environment by gaining top rankings in the Swachh Campus Rankings of Higher Educational Institutions conducted by the Ministry of Education. The SDG Report 2021 on JGU is a culmination of outstanding efforts by TERI, Trust Legal and Mazars for creating a new dimension for promoting sustainable development. This has the potential to transform the future and help address the challenges of climate change by brining universities to the centre of knowledge creation, research, experiential learning, innovation and broader engagement with the youth.”
Setting the context for why universities must play a role in implementing SDGs, Bagai said: “Today, we are all facing ‘the triple planetary crisis’. It is the crisis of climate, the crisis of nature, and the crisis of pollution and waste. The crisis is very clearly a consequence of the economic path that we have pursued along with resource-intensive processes, consequent lifestyle changes due to economic growth and urbanisation. This has led to 60% of our ecosystem being damaged in the last few decades and a real prospect of increase of three degrees Celsius in global temperatures by the end of the century especially if we continue with our emissions. It is a rare feat for a university not only in south Asia or in Asia Pacific to have come up with such a report. It’s an extremely laudable effort which will be a game-changer. We should make it available to every university in the country.”
JGU has created a sustainable model with solar power generation by contributing excess power to the grid. The university has aimed in instituting zero-net emission policies and investing in on-campus renewable energy production by developing long term resource efficiency and management plans. Close to 55 per cent of university’s campus is under a green cover. A green area around the university helps to arrest the effects of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants in the area besides playing a major role in environmental conservation efforts.
The university has also set up the Jindal School of Environment and Sustainability to ensure that it creates innovation and young leadership to combat climate change and its impact. It also provides interdisciplinary education across other schools to ensure that there is adequate awareness on this important subject across the entire university.
PANKAJ MITTAL, SECRETARY GENERAL ASSOCIATION, INDIAN UNIVERSITIES: “We do realise that India is placed at 120th rank in implementation of SDG 2021 and this calls for an urgent action from all sectors of the society. Due to their unique position in society, the higher education institutions have immense scope and potential to contribute towards realising all 17 SDGs and thereby accomplishing them. I feel that rather realising the SDGs without the cooperation of the higher education sector is quite an impossible task. In India, there is a lot of tacit contribution of HEIs in implementing SDGs, but there is no documented data on the same.”
Sudhir Mishra, Founder & Managing Partner, Trust Legal, Advocates & Consultants who was the lead knowledge partner for the commissioning of the SDR called the release of this voluntary report a watershed moment in the history of climate change movement in India.
JGU the first university to fully implement SDGs on campus
For him this single bold step by India’s no one private university on sustainability will lead to complete change of the narrative as many campuses will become the symbol of hope to showcase how they conserve water, how they dispose waste, how they nurture trees, how they reduce carbon foot prints, and how they engage with local communities.
“The Sustainable Development Report 2021 on O.P. Jindal Global University is unique initiative promoted by India’s Number One Ranked Private University as a part of its social responsibility. We were delighted to work on this initiative as the university ensured complete intellectual autonomy, operational freedom and editorial independence in preparing the report. The collective contribution of the teams from TERI, Trust Legal and Mazars provided a comprehensive assessment of JGU’s commitment to the implementation of the SDG goals and other compliance related matters. The report is a comprehensive 100-page document that identifies every key aspect of SDGs and its relationship to the governance and functioning of JGU. The importance of this report and the initiative was demonstrated by the fact that the Education Minister and Environment Minister of India were present at the launch of the SDR 2021 of JGU.”
Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, JGU, gave the concluding address and said: “We have taken a step in the right direction towards promoting the significance of UN-SGDs by progressively undertaking activities to meet the goals in consonance with the National Education Policy. I am also happy to report that most recently we have opened a student chapter of the International Green Building Campus under the aegis of the Confederation of Indian Industry. A very futuristic and a definite step has been taken to create a green campus.”
Gulf Medical University Quality Department getting Appreciation Certificates for the Achievement from Dr. Thumbay Moideen - Founder President, Board of Trustees. and Chancellor Prof Hossam Hamdy, Gulf Medical University.
Gulf Medical University has become one of the latest international institutions to receive global accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)…reports Asian Lite News
Gulf Medical University secured global quality accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
Global accreditation is awarded to international institutions who have passed QAA’s rigorous International Quality Review [IQR], which measures global institutions against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).
Gulf Medical University Quality Department getting Appreciation Certificates for the Achievement from Dr. Thumbay Moideen – Founder President, Board of Trustees. and Chancellor Prof Hossam Hamdy, Gulf Medical University.
The review, which took place in April 2021, was completed by a team of three independent reviewers, including an international expert and a student reviewer appointed by QAA. In making their conclusions, the independent review teams confirmed that Gulf Medical University meets all 10 of the ESG.
Professor Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor, Gulf Medical University said:
“The accreditation of Gulf Medical University (GMU) by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) is an important milestone in the history of the University. We were pleased that the report indicated that we have met all the 10 standards of the ESG, the few desirable suggestions for improvement will certainly help us develop further.
Engaging over 1 year in the process for getting the accreditation was a very constructive journey with many positive outcomes to our institute!”
Vicki Stott, QAA Executive Director of Operations and Deputy Chief Executive said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Gulf Medical University, demonstrating that they meet standards of international best practice. Successful institutions rely on collaboration and benchmarking, and that’s exactly what IQR provides: allowing international institutions to measure their own approach to quality assurance against European quality standards. It also allows international institutions to demonstrate and improve their effectiveness, improve public perception and to develop new partnerships with UK and European institutions.”
Gulf Medical University have obtained QAA institutional accreditation for a period of five years, subject to a satisfactory mid-cycle review. This allows them to display QAA’s IQR Accreditation Badge, demonstrating that their quality assurance procedures are comparable with international best practice.
By securing global accreditation from QAA, international institutions can clearly spotlight their quality standards internationally, and more easily open dialogue with institutions outside their own country.
This second year of replacement results after exams were cancelled, has seen even higher results than last year when 38.5% achieved top grades, it was reported…reports Asian Lite News.
More than 210,000 18-year-old students in England have had their university places confirmed, with 192,000 at their first choice and increases in top grades for students from all backgrounds, the government has announced.
Top grades for A-level results for England, Wales and Northern Ireland have reached a record high – with 44.8% getting A* or A grades, the BBC reported.
This second year of replacement results after exams were cancelled, has seen even higher results than last year when 38.5% achieved top grades, it was reported.
More than 200,000 students are also getting vocational BTec results.
In Scotland, the pass rates for Highers and Nationals dropped slightly – but scores were still well above pre-pandemic levels.
The sharp rise in top grades at A-level means that the proportion getting top A* and A grades has risen by almost 75% since the last time conventional exams were taken in 2019.
With more top grades and record numbers applying for university, it will put pressure on places for the most competitive universities and courses, the BBC said.
The Department of Education said comparison of grades between this year and last year showed no notable changes in historic disparities between groups of students and types of school; 88.4% of grades are A* to C at A level, compared to 87.8% in 2020.
There was a 15.8% increase relative to last year in the proportion of grades at A and A* in academies, compared with 15.2% in independent schools. That represents a 5.7pp increase in the proportion of grades at A and A* from last year in academies, compared with a 9.3ppt increase in independent schools., it said.
In real terms, this means there are 1.21 times more A and A* grades in academies, compared to 1.17 times more A and A* grades in independent schools, in 2021 compared to 2020, it added.
“It’s fantastic to see a record number of disadvantaged students going to university,” Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said.
“While there has been an increase in the number of top grades awarded, young people and their families can be confident grades carry the same weight as any other year and will allow them to progress to the next stage of education or work,” he added.
