---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shiva Shankar <sshankar@cmi.ac.in>
Date: Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Subject: IIM Kozhikode has had such a course for years
To:
"... the Centre for Excellence in Kozhikode believes merit is nothing but the availability of opportunity. ..."
IIT-Delhi CREST workshop not restricted to SC, ST
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iitdelhi-crest-workshop-not-restricted-to-sc-st-students-anymore/811223/0
Fri Jul 01 2011, 02:06 hrs New Delhi:
IIT DELHI has reworded the notice for its 10-day "self-enrichment course" for students from marginalised backgrounds, on its Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) website. From inviting just SC/ST students enrolled into B Tech programmes for the new academic session, the course will now be open for all students.
However, institute Deputy Director M Balakrishnan said preference would still be given to SC/ST students.
The 10-day workshop, which will be organised by the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST), will commence from July 10 for a maximum of 200 students. "This will be the second year of the workshop. Last year, around 150 students attended our programme. We will open a registration system this year, clearly stating that it will be on a first-cum-first-serve basis for a cap of 200 candidates," said Professor Balakrishnan of CREST, which is an autonomous institute under the Kerala government.
Mounav Das, a second-year B Tech student from IIT Delhi who had attended the course last year, told Newsline: "The students knew it was a confidence-building measure for reserved category students. It was a very positive experience because we were told how to deal with specific situations, and it helped build our confidence."
A former student of Delhi Public School-Dhaligaon in Assam, Das said the course was designed to help students "develop their personality".
"Most of my batchmates from the general category also knew about the course. There was nothing discriminatory about it. I thought it was a brilliant experience," he said.
Explaining the philosophy behind such a workshop, Dr Balakrishnan said, "In 2009, the Bangalore-based National Institute of Applied Sciences conducted a meeting for all IITs, where CREST made a presentation. Their course — which we adopted last year — provides for confidence-building measures to help students shed their inhibitions and come out of their shells."
Balakrishnan said that on an average, the SC/ST students who attended last year's programme managed to clear one course more than those who did not. Of the 240 SC/ST candidates admitted last year, 100 had attended the course. Quoting the Supreme Court verdict in a 2009 case, he said institutions have been directed to provide special facilities for the betterment of students from socially and economically backward classes.
Professor D D Nampoothiri, executive director of CREST, said the course was modelled on the lines of a course developed by the University of Michigan, and had three components.
"The first part deals with developing communication skills, so students are able to articulate themselves freely. The second segment of the course helps students develop their academic writing skills, and the final part deals with theatre workshops. Last year, we had trainers coming from the National School of Drama for this component."
Balakrishnan said that IIT-Delhi, which spends around Rs 15 lakh for the course, had selected the students, and CREST was not aware of the caste specifications of the selected candidates. "Both IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay conducted the course last year. This year, several NIITs have also invited us," he said.
-----------------------
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20060424&fname=Cover+Story+%28F%29&sid=3
Kozhikode Shows The Way
A state initiative is imparting Dalit-Adivasis professional skill
S. ANAND
Much before the nation began debating reservation in IITs and IIMs, a slow revolution had begun unfolding at the Centre for Excellence (CEx) in Kozhikode. Established in June 2002 with the support of the SC/ST development department of the Kerala government, CEx has been under the "incubation" of IIM, Kozhikode. It offers a five-month Certificate Course for Professional Development (CCPD), currently open only to Dalit and Adivasi graduates from Kerala. According to Damodaran Nampoothiri, programme director: "The course is focused towards imparting communication, IT and managerial skills, personality development and entrepreneurship. The students then either opt for higher studies or get jobs in the public and private sectors." The Kerala government subsidises the project entirely and pays each student a Rs 2,000 monthly stipend.
In six batches till 2005, a total of 208 Dalit and Adivasi students have passed out of CEx. Of these, 37 have opted for higher studies, 34 have found employment, accounting for a 35 per cent success rate. Some students, such as K.R. Dilraj, have successfully taken the CAT and procured an MBA from IIM, Kozhikode. "Before joining CEx, Dilraj was a court clerk. Today, he earns Rs 8 lakh per annum as bank assurance manager with ICICI Lombard Insurance in Hyderabad," says Nampoothiri. ICICI Lombard recruited Dilraj not because he was an Adivasi. He was just good for the job. CEx believes merit is nothing but the availability of opportunity.
An opportunity M.M. Risha of Kozhikode also availed of. She came to CEx in July 2003 with a BTech in Electronics and Communications besides 18 months of experience as lecturer. After the CEx diploma, she completed her MTech and is now systems analyst with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Hyderabad. Her salary of Rs 2.7 lakh per annum may pale in comparison to what IIM toppers get, but factor this: she's the first graduate in her family. "My mother teaches preschool, and father works as a coolie," she says. She acknowledges the significance of CEx in her development: "What we acquired there was not just technical knowledge. We were equipped with analytical skills, ability to interact in discussions and given a booster dose of self-confidence. Crucially, I felt comfortable being with other Dalit-Adivasi students."
Says A.R. Vasavi, professor of sociology at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, and advisor to CEx: "The quota policy won't work without a focused and targeted programme. The CEx package is tailored to specific needs of students. What's the point if IIMs take Dalit-Adivasi students and neglect them? CEx accomplishes in five months what other institutes can't in three years." Vasavi appreciates that the CCPD gives young Dalits and Adivasis a sense of citizenship and tackles issues like stigma via counselling. O.C. Geetha, a 2004 batch alumnus, now with Infosys Technologies in Thiruvananthapuram, says CEx instilled confidence in her. "Specifically, William H. Mackaden, a faculty member. For the first time, on his insistence, I participated in an English-language drama. Schooled in Walapad village, Thrissur, I wasn't confident because of my rural background. I knew the language, but was afraid of expressing myself." Post-CEx, Geetha, an electronics grad, did well in the Cochin University MBA entrance and also landed the Infosys job. "I preferred the job as my father had just retired."
Geetha also adds that their Sunday interactions with IIM-K students were crucial. "Being on the IIM campus, though apart from it, gave us access to MBA students who were very supportive." With the three-year incubation period at IIM-K coming to an end, CEx has sought the support of the SC/ST development department to turn into an autonomous institution called the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (crest).
Says Amarnath H.Kalro, IIM-K's director when CEx was conceptualised: "CEx was started in response to a specific request from the Kerala government to help SC/ST students. Its model can and should be duplicated by all IIMs. After the incubation, they can become independent." Given that IIMs and IITs have been unable to fulfil the 22.5 per cent Dalit-Adivasi quota, Kalro thinks there's need for such centres in every state. "Most states have coaching centres for civil services aspirants among SCs and STs. I wonder why similar efforts are lacking when it comes to IITs and IIMs."
From: Shiva Shankar <sshankar@cmi.ac.in>
Date: Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Subject: IIM Kozhikode has had such a course for years
To:
"... the Centre for Excellence in Kozhikode believes merit is nothing but the availability of opportunity. ..."
IIT-Delhi CREST workshop not restricted to SC, ST
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iitdelhi-crest-workshop-not-restricted-to-sc-st-students-anymore/811223/0
Fri Jul 01 2011, 02:06 hrs New Delhi:
IIT DELHI has reworded the notice for its 10-day "self-enrichment course" for students from marginalised backgrounds, on its Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) website. From inviting just SC/ST students enrolled into B Tech programmes for the new academic session, the course will now be open for all students.
However, institute Deputy Director M Balakrishnan said preference would still be given to SC/ST students.
The 10-day workshop, which will be organised by the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST), will commence from July 10 for a maximum of 200 students. "This will be the second year of the workshop. Last year, around 150 students attended our programme. We will open a registration system this year, clearly stating that it will be on a first-cum-first-serve basis for a cap of 200 candidates," said Professor Balakrishnan of CREST, which is an autonomous institute under the Kerala government.
Mounav Das, a second-year B Tech student from IIT Delhi who had attended the course last year, told Newsline: "The students knew it was a confidence-building measure for reserved category students. It was a very positive experience because we were told how to deal with specific situations, and it helped build our confidence."
A former student of Delhi Public School-Dhaligaon in Assam, Das said the course was designed to help students "develop their personality".
"Most of my batchmates from the general category also knew about the course. There was nothing discriminatory about it. I thought it was a brilliant experience," he said.
Explaining the philosophy behind such a workshop, Dr Balakrishnan said, "In 2009, the Bangalore-based National Institute of Applied Sciences conducted a meeting for all IITs, where CREST made a presentation. Their course — which we adopted last year — provides for confidence-building measures to help students shed their inhibitions and come out of their shells."
Balakrishnan said that on an average, the SC/ST students who attended last year's programme managed to clear one course more than those who did not. Of the 240 SC/ST candidates admitted last year, 100 had attended the course. Quoting the Supreme Court verdict in a 2009 case, he said institutions have been directed to provide special facilities for the betterment of students from socially and economically backward classes.
Professor D D Nampoothiri, executive director of CREST, said the course was modelled on the lines of a course developed by the University of Michigan, and had three components.
"The first part deals with developing communication skills, so students are able to articulate themselves freely. The second segment of the course helps students develop their academic writing skills, and the final part deals with theatre workshops. Last year, we had trainers coming from the National School of Drama for this component."
Balakrishnan said that IIT-Delhi, which spends around Rs 15 lakh for the course, had selected the students, and CREST was not aware of the caste specifications of the selected candidates. "Both IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay conducted the course last year. This year, several NIITs have also invited us," he said.
-----------------------
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20060424&fname=Cover+Story+%28F%29&sid=3
Kozhikode Shows The Way
A state initiative is imparting Dalit-Adivasis professional skill
S. ANAND
Much before the nation began debating reservation in IITs and IIMs, a slow revolution had begun unfolding at the Centre for Excellence (CEx) in Kozhikode. Established in June 2002 with the support of the SC/ST development department of the Kerala government, CEx has been under the "incubation" of IIM, Kozhikode. It offers a five-month Certificate Course for Professional Development (CCPD), currently open only to Dalit and Adivasi graduates from Kerala. According to Damodaran Nampoothiri, programme director: "The course is focused towards imparting communication, IT and managerial skills, personality development and entrepreneurship. The students then either opt for higher studies or get jobs in the public and private sectors." The Kerala government subsidises the project entirely and pays each student a Rs 2,000 monthly stipend.
In six batches till 2005, a total of 208 Dalit and Adivasi students have passed out of CEx. Of these, 37 have opted for higher studies, 34 have found employment, accounting for a 35 per cent success rate. Some students, such as K.R. Dilraj, have successfully taken the CAT and procured an MBA from IIM, Kozhikode. "Before joining CEx, Dilraj was a court clerk. Today, he earns Rs 8 lakh per annum as bank assurance manager with ICICI Lombard Insurance in Hyderabad," says Nampoothiri. ICICI Lombard recruited Dilraj not because he was an Adivasi. He was just good for the job. CEx believes merit is nothing but the availability of opportunity.
An opportunity M.M. Risha of Kozhikode also availed of. She came to CEx in July 2003 with a BTech in Electronics and Communications besides 18 months of experience as lecturer. After the CEx diploma, she completed her MTech and is now systems analyst with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Hyderabad. Her salary of Rs 2.7 lakh per annum may pale in comparison to what IIM toppers get, but factor this: she's the first graduate in her family. "My mother teaches preschool, and father works as a coolie," she says. She acknowledges the significance of CEx in her development: "What we acquired there was not just technical knowledge. We were equipped with analytical skills, ability to interact in discussions and given a booster dose of self-confidence. Crucially, I felt comfortable being with other Dalit-Adivasi students."
Says A.R. Vasavi, professor of sociology at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, and advisor to CEx: "The quota policy won't work without a focused and targeted programme. The CEx package is tailored to specific needs of students. What's the point if IIMs take Dalit-Adivasi students and neglect them? CEx accomplishes in five months what other institutes can't in three years." Vasavi appreciates that the CCPD gives young Dalits and Adivasis a sense of citizenship and tackles issues like stigma via counselling. O.C. Geetha, a 2004 batch alumnus, now with Infosys Technologies in Thiruvananthapuram, says CEx instilled confidence in her. "Specifically, William H. Mackaden, a faculty member. For the first time, on his insistence, I participated in an English-language drama. Schooled in Walapad village, Thrissur, I wasn't confident because of my rural background. I knew the language, but was afraid of expressing myself." Post-CEx, Geetha, an electronics grad, did well in the Cochin University MBA entrance and also landed the Infosys job. "I preferred the job as my father had just retired."
Geetha also adds that their Sunday interactions with IIM-K students were crucial. "Being on the IIM campus, though apart from it, gave us access to MBA students who were very supportive." With the three-year incubation period at IIM-K coming to an end, CEx has sought the support of the SC/ST development department to turn into an autonomous institution called the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (crest).
Says Amarnath H.Kalro, IIM-K's director when CEx was conceptualised: "CEx was started in response to a specific request from the Kerala government to help SC/ST students. Its model can and should be duplicated by all IIMs. After the incubation, they can become independent." Given that IIMs and IITs have been unable to fulfil the 22.5 per cent Dalit-Adivasi quota, Kalro thinks there's need for such centres in every state. "Most states have coaching centres for civil services aspirants among SCs and STs. I wonder why similar efforts are lacking when it comes to IITs and IIMs."
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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