Vikram Patel to Lead Harvard Medical School's Global Health Department
India-born Vikram Patel, a renowned researcher and mental health expert, was appointed as the new chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Patel, currently serving as the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, will assume his new role on September 1.
IIT-Madras, IISc Top Educational Institutes in the Country: NIRF Rankings 2023 (Overall Category)
Continuing its reign as the best higher education institution in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras secured the top spot for the fifth consecutive year in the latest national rankings released by the Minister of State for Education, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
The latest edition of the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) revealed no major upsets in terms of the results, with the IITs continuing their dominance in most categories. IIT-Madras also bagged the first position in engineering for the eighth year in a row and was assessed as the second-best research institution in the country, narrowly missing the top spot by 2.2 marks, which was claimed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
Interestingly, IISc, which the QS World University Rankings adjudged as the top research university globally, ahead of Harvard, Princeton University and MIT, was edged out to the second position in the 'overall' category for the fifth consecutive year. A closer look at the score breakdown showed IISc (with 83.09 marks) fell behind IIT-Madras (86.69 marks) on parameters such as student strength, online education, published and granted patents, and the number of economically and socially deprived students.
Ranks third to tenth in the 'overall' category were secured by IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kanpur, All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Roorkee, IIT-Guwahati and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The top 10 institutions under this category were largely consistent with last year's (2022) rankings, with only AIIMS gaining three positions and moving up from Rank 9 to Rank 6 this year (2023).
The top five medical colleges in the ranking were All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, Christian Medical College, Tamil Nadu, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Karnataka and Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry.
Jun 05, 2023
Bengal Governor Appoints Interim VCs in 11 Varsities
In a move that sparked controversy, West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose appointed interim Vice-Chancellors (VCs) in 11 state universities, leading to criticism from State Education Minister Bratya Basu. Basu labelled the decision by the Raj Bhavan as unilateral and in violation of the law.
Governor Ananda Bose, who serves as the chancellor of universities, took this step to resolve the deadlock in the appointment of interim VCs in 27 universities. The governor's office stated that he had applied a middle-path approach in making these appointments.
Education Minister Bratya Basu expressed his disapproval of the governor's decision, claiming that the appointment of VCs without consulting the Department of Higher Education violated established norms and the law.
In response, the governor clarified that consultations had indeed taken place regarding the appointment of interim VCs.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Releases UGC Regulations, 2023
Union Minister of Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan released the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023.
The UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023 were released in the presence of Prof. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, UGC and Sanjay Murthy, Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education.
Pradhan said that UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023, will facilitate the creation of many more quality-focused deemed to be universities in an objective and transparent manner. The new simplified guidelines will encourage universities to focus on quality & excellence, strengthen the research ecosystem and have a long-term impact on transforming our higher education landscape.
The draft Regulations passed through several stages in the process of finalization. The expert committee's guidance, public feedback, and suggestions of the Commission were all taken into consideration before sending the final draft Regulations to the Ministry of Education for concurrence.
The eligibility criteria to apply for deemed to be university status is NAAC 'A' grade with at least a 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles or NBA accreditation for two third of eligible programmes for three consecutive cycles or in the top 50 of any specific category of NIRF for the last three years continuously or in top 100 of overall NIRF Ranking for last three years continuously.
Jun 04, 2023
First IIT in Tanzania to Open in October 2023
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will open its first-ever overseas campus in Tanzania's Zanzibar in October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students.
The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar under the name IIT Madras at Zanzibar. Zanzibar will be one of three campuses outside of India, with the others located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.
Each of these campuses is designed to serve its respective region, with Zanzibar serving the greater East African region.
OTT Platforms Mandated to Show Anti-tobacco Warnings
The Union Health Ministry mandated anti-tobacco warnings for OTT platforms. The ministry's notification laid down new rules for anti-tobacco warnings for publishers and a failure to comply with new rules will lead to strict action against them.
OTT platforms are now required to display anti-tobacco warnings and disclaimers similar to the ones we see in movies screened in theatres and in television programmes.
The OTT platform shall also be required to exhibit an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen when tobacco products or their use are displayed during the programme, PTI had reported while the ministry was mulling the decision.
In the wake of the growing popularity of OTT platforms, which play a crucial role in influencing the mind, especially that of a minor, the amended rules calling for a disclaimer may help fight the vice.
Indian-Origin Boy Crowned 2023 US Spelling Bee Champion
The 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee was won by Dev Shah, a 14-year-old Indian-American student from Florida, who spelled the word 'psammophile' correctly. Shah received the USD 50,000 prize and the 95th national bee title after spelling the word, which means a plant or animal that live well in sandy places, at the event in National Harbor, Maryland.
Eleven students made the finals after 11 million people entered spelling competitions throughout the world. Charlotte Walsh, a 14-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, was the runner-up.
Jun 03, 2023
IIT-Kharagpur Partners HCLTech for Collaboration in Petroleum Engineering
IIT-Kharagpur inked an agreement with HCLTech for collaboration in the field of petroleum engineering and earth sciences.
HCLTech and IIT-Kharagpur will jointly develop innovative and sustainable solutions to address critical challenges of the petroleum industry, including reduction of carbon footprint, and provide significant sustainable solutions towards net zero.
Under the agreement, HCLTech will provide opportunities to students and research scholars from IIT-Kharagpur to undertake projects and internships at the company, and use state-of-the-art technologies to develop digital solutions in the exploration, drilling and production of hydrocarbons.
Both IIT-Kharagpur and HCLTech will initiate collaboration on programmes of sustainability that includes discussions, podcasts and joint presentations at international fora on transformative initiatives in the oil and gas sector.
AIIMS Nagpur is the First AIIMS to Receive NABH Accreditation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated AIIMS Nagpur for becoming the first AIIMS to receive the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation. The Prime Minister said that AIIMS Nagpur has set a benchmark in delivering quality healthcare services.
In October 2015 the AIIMS at Nagpur was approved by the cabinet at a cost of Rs. 1,577 crore. Construction work on the permanent campus started in September 2017. Meanwhile, AIIMS Nagpur has commenced the academic session 2018-19 from temporary campus at Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur.
The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023 were declared and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore emerged as India's highest-placed university. The university was ranked at the 52nd rank globally out of 1,591 universities from 112 countries/regions.
The overall ranking was topped by Western Sydney University followed by University of Manchester, UK and Queen's University, Canada. Universiti Sains Malaysia bagged the fourth spot and University of Tasmania came fifth.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham stood out for its efforts towards meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Other Indian institutions that are in the top 300 are — Lovely Professional University (Punjab) placed in 101 and 200 bracket, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences (Himachal Pradesh) also placed in 101 and 200 bracket and KIIT University (Odisha) ranked between 201 and 300.
Jadavpur University Without a VC
Jadavpur University (JU), known for its academic excellence, is currently facing a leadership crisis as the term of the incumbent vice-chancellor (VC), Suranjan Das, came to an end on May 31. Despite this, the state higher education department has not yet formed a search committee to appoint his successor, leaving the university without a VC.
Suranjan Das, an eminent historian, took over as the VC of the private Adamas University on June 1, 2023.
Das' tenure was extended for the second time on June 24, 2021, for two years or until he turned 70, whichever came earlier.
Suranjan Das joined JU in 2015 after serving as the VC of the 117-year-old Calcutta University. In 2022, he was elected as the president of the Association of Indian Universities, an organisation representing 800 universities across the country. His leadership and contributions to the field of education have been widely recognised.
+91-85588-96644
