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JA India Newsletter 
Volume 3 Issue 1
 January 2010
JA India NL headline image
The Big Picture
Greetings!

Trust you made a great start to your New Year!
 
The headline of this article was least a teaser. The connect gets established. This January, JA India closed the third year in its expedition to better prepare the student for the industry. Along the way, we arrived at crisper definitions to problems and sharper responses to questions. Our newsletters are long irrespective!
 
Majority of India's students continue to learn devoid of the big picture and an explicit purpose for acquiring knowledge; circumstances that may not guarantee the professional arrives right and well prepared at industry's doorstep. Lost in the middle of densely forested 40-mile island, climbing atop a tree helps! You get the panoramic view, see the boat, sense the lay of the land and notice the stream between you and the boat. You get down, drop the unnecessary baggage, walk the right direction and also make your informed choice between crossing the stream with life jacket on and trying the fallen tree a mile down and across the stream. The big picture helps you arrive right and better prepared.
 
The second dimension: Socio-economic status irrespective, learning process is seen less a process and more a ticket to outcomes. Naturally, 6 of 134 attend college in an uber-rich college in Hyderabad; hardly any attend a rural school. Per them, the learning process does not contribute to their probable livelihoods! Question remains why did the remaining 128 still pay to 'officially' participate? The student and the parent see more value in student running their parent's business than attending college. For the middle layer, the learning process being the only route to outcomes, they optimize by taking the path of least-risk engaging with minimal requisite effort to surpass the milestones viz. study hard, clear exams, get certifications. Mayor Island, New Zealand
 
Shouldn't having the big picture and a purpose to learning guarantee even better individual outcomes and therefore be in the interest of the learner? The economy atleast is hurting. To quote from a recent article that covered Prime Minister's commentary on science and education, "CNR Rao, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the PM, has also often raised the employability issue. Annually, India produces 650,000 (technical) undergraduates, which is eight times that of the US. But 60 per cent of the undergraduates are not well-trained, as a result of which over half of engineering students are unfit for employment. That's something that has prompted Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to put on hold several proposals for setting up Centres of Excellence."
 
Harry Potter's invisibility cloak got many students amazed. What the student does not know, may be it has something to do with the refractive index of materials -- a concept which the student is anyways learning in a 'boring' high school physics class. What the student certainly does not know, his/her preferred 'interest' in engineering and his/her amazement could lead to a work area where professionals today are working to develop invisible ships! It is called application of metamaterials!

What is the implication therefore? Several, yet the least is for each of us to take whatever big pictures we have developed in our respective professional lives to the classroom. This may help the future professional be more employable.
JA Programs | Volunteering

JA Day @ Al Ameen College, Cover snap Last quarter of 2009 saw ~6,000 students participate in JA programs. More than 2,000 students participated in JA Careers with a Purpose program. About 450 college students participated in BridgeIT Employability program. HSBC Volunteers engaged ~500 students through JA More than Money program.

KPMG Mumbai volunteers conducted full day JA Problem Solving experiential workshops for 180 students of Canossa High School, Andheri Mumbai. Citi Mumbai volunteers conducted JA Careers with a Purpose programs for 120 students at R.N.Podar School, Santa Cruz, Mumbai.
 
Experimenting with yet another new program delivery format, JA India team put more than 800 students through 
student workshops, on 7 December 2009, at Al Ameen Group of Institutions, Bangalore. JA India lecture series, a platform to bring senior industry professionals and students together, saw 300 college students engage with industry professionals on specific topics. With help from Nirman volunteers, JA Hyderabad team initiated and anchored a 2-day JA Careers with a Purpose program for students at Zila Parishad High School, Kothaguda. Volunteers from Microsoft Hyderabad attended the entire program as observers. Earlier, observer volunteers were debriefed and then trained by JA Hyderabad team/senior volunteers. Observer volunteers would now transition to independent volunteering. JA India's student company program, at Literacy India's RTI Vidyapeeth Centre in rural Gurgaon, continues to make progress. After idea generation, limited market research and detailed analysis of costs, student teams would soon get busy establishing their first service centre. 
 
On 19 December 2009, JA India team interacted with a group of 30+ educators, from various Literacy India centres, to explore ways to enhance classroom teaching effectiveness and foster student interest in classroom learning. The entire educator group teaches students from less privileged socio-economic spectrum. Interested individuals, who can volunteer in this process, may mail their contact details to JA India.

Corporate volunteering continues to be the substantial component in JA program delivery. Corporate volunteers were instrumental in reaching JA programs to 60% of the overall student strength impacted over June-November 2009. The top volunteering contributors include Cognizant (2,000 students), MphasiS (1,200 students), HSBC (1,100 students), ExxonMobil (900 students), Deloitte (450 students), Murugappa Group (400 students) and Barclays (300 students). Classroom volunteering for Delhi region in Q4 CY2009 saw Paul Kleijnen, CEO ExxonMobil Gas (India) Pvt. Ltd and Nathaniel Hedman, CEO, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd. engaging students through classroom programs at Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Raj Niwas Marg.

Corporate volunteering logo collage

Partnerships | BridgeIT Employability Program EMC Corporate logo
BridgeIT Employability program logo
 
Cognizant volunteers rolled out BridgeIT Employability program into Chennai. Led by Mr S. Parthasarathy, Cognizant senior volunteers conducted this program for 120 students from BCA (Final Year) and M.Sc. (IT) streams at Stella Maris College. The program has been received well and is now scheduled for extension to few more colleges in Chennai in the immediate months. 
 
With support from more partners, JA and EMC India would be expanding this program to more colleges in India. Watch this space for updates as we work out the fine print.
Partnerships | JA @ Cognizant 
Cognizant Logo
December 2009 marked the completion of 2 years of JA Volunteering at Cognizant. The milestone was celebrated at Cognizant Chennai on 23 December 2009. The depth of the partnership is evident from the fact that Cognizant volunteers reached JA programs to 2,000+ students over June-November 2009. The team owned and led the initiative to launch the Tamil version of JA Careers with a Purpose program.  

This partnership took JA programs to Coimbatore, Kumbakonam and Madurai in addition to cities with JA presence (Chennai, Bangalore and more recently Hyderabad). Cognizant volunteers plan to reach JA programs to 10,000 students in CY 2010. We continue to be inspired by the volunteering spirit at Cognizant.

Partnerships | JA Barclays 'You can B' initiative

Barclays Corporate logo Year One of JA Barclays 'You can B' initiative saw Barclays volunteers conduct JA Careers with a Purpose program for 135 students, followed by Barclays volunteers mentoring a select group of 25 students through JA Student Company program.

Even as the mentoring effort makes progress, the third dimension of the partnership, B-Inspired program, was executed in its own unique and innovative way. B-Inspired program was dove-tailed into 'YUVANA' -- the student festival of R.N.Podar School. Yuvana 2009 event collageWe include an article, on YUVANA '09, by Ms. Rashmi Singh, Head (Communications), R.N. Podar School.

'WE BELIEVE... IN YUVANA '09'
If boundless energy, ceaseless enthusiasm and unmatched confidence are the embodiment of youth, then YUVANA '09, the R.N.PODAR INTER SCHOOL/COLLEGE FEST, held on 6th & 7th November  2009, embodied GEN 'Y' at its best. The festival, spread over two days with over fifteen schools/colleges as participants, was organised and executed to perfection by Senior Secondary students of the school, with Principal Mrs. Avnita Bir, Vice Principal Mrs. Sunita George and teachers providing valuable guidance and support. YUVANA '09 in its second year has become a brilliant success story that keeps adding new dimensions to every sequel. An outstanding feature of YUVANA '09 was flawless planning and skillful implementation of events by students themselves.

Junior Achievement - Knowledge Partners
Students of R.N.PODAR SCHOOL proudly acknowledge the fact that they have been trained in Company Organisation and Management by Junior Achievement India volunteers. It was under the mentorship of Mr. Ramesh Krishnamurthy (EVP and Region Head, JA India) that team YUVANA '09 was established with Head Girl Shreya Krishnan & Head Boy Zacarias Joseph as CEOs. Departments of Finance, Marketing, Personal Relations and Creatives held routine meetings to brainstorm for ideas, take stock of work done etc. in addition to conducting meetings with representatives from the participating schools/ colleges.
 
With Barclays Bank as its official sponsors and JA as 'Knowledge Partners', YUVANA '09 charted out its goal as a fest with a social commitment, under the motto 'WE BELIEVE...BE INSPIRED'.
 
'WE BELIEVE...' was conceived with a mission to create awareness on various social /political issues that demand urgent attention and require immediate solutions. Street Plays were adopted as the medium to channelize and mobilize youth energy in spreading awareness on issues such as Literate Mumbai, Clean Mumbai, Accessible Mumbai, Self - reliant Mumbai (fight against poverty) and Nurture Mumbai (fight against child labour). 
Teams from various schools across Mumbai displayed their solidarity with these social causes by performing nukkad nataks at prominent junctions like Infinity Mall and Carter Road Promenade. Judged by panelists from Barclays Bank, the young actors reaffirmed their commitment towards their cause when questioned; Garima Yagnik Class X student of Vibgyor High School said "We need to work towards eradicating poverty. It's not an easy task, but we need to keep our faith intact"; Anmol Rajgill of St. Gregorios School raised his voice for a Cleaner Mumbai stating clearly," Till now we have been relying on others to keep the city clean, but it has yielded nothing. As youngsters, we should take the step to spread the message, which will help us slowly achieve the dream to have a clean and green city".
 
Fest YUVANA '09 has successfully inspired the youth to embark on a journey of responsible citizenship and social commitment. To quote a report published in a leading newspaper, "Maybe our leaders could learn a thing or two from these youth to take the message to their junta's doorsteps". Such is the impact of youth power! To quote school Principal Mrs. Bir, 'These are exciting times. The youth should be proud to be born in an era where all attention is directed towards them. In this globalised world, with no barriers or boundaries, they should make full use of opportunities'. YUVANA '09 was just that...a multitude of opportunities, a journey towards self-discovery, a platform to reinvent identities and an occasion to turn dreams into reality!
 
Partnerships | HSBC Global Signature Program JA More than Money Logo

HSBC Corporate Logo Since inception, JA More than Money program has reached 1,800 students across Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. The program success in Year One has led to HSBC sponsoring the roll out of Global Signature Program for Year Two. Led by HSBC volunteers, we plan to expand program reach to an incremental of 1,500 students across schools in Chennai and Mumbai.

 
A Lifelong learning (L3) mindset | Article series by Kevin S. Potter, Deputy Managing Director, Deloitte Tax Overseas Services LLC
Deloitte Corporate logo
 
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning
stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." --Henry Ford

 
Lifelong learning is a journey that constantly broadens our horizons and grooms us into holistic individuals. Some events in life leave a profound impact on our mindsets. One significant experience that changed my perspective towards learning happened a few years back, when I received a call from my superior asking me, and a few of my peers, to visit a prospective client at their company offices in another city.
 
After one week of intense preparation, including brainstorming sessions, scenario modeling, and indepth research to cull relevant data, we met with executives of the company and went through our analysis and proposed solutions. While the meeting went very well and we were able to deal with all of the client questions and concerns we knew the project would not proceed. We knew the project would not move forward because on the 2nd day of the meeting at the client location, we learned that the entire week long project was really a training simulation. After we absorbed the shock, we could see the wisdom behind the simulation. The experience gave us a hands-on understanding of the client service opportunities and challenges that lay ahead. We improved and stretched our technical skills, our presentation skills, and most importantly we learned better how to work together as a team. During this week, I learned that no matter how good I thought I was, no matter how much I thought I knew, I could always learn more...
 
Learning doesn't occur only within the four walls of a classroom. In this age of knowledge, characterized by rapid changes due to technology and globalization, learning can happen anywhere and at anytime. We can learn lessons from situations, successes, failures, and almost any experience, provided we have that insatiable hunger to find out more.
 
As the saying goes, "When the pupil is willing, the teacher will appear." That teacher can take the form of magazines, newsletters, eLearning modules, podcasts, webcasts, traveling to learn about other cultures, observing human behavior, speaking to experienced people, and much more. Here are a few suggestions that can help you develop a lifelong learning mindset:
 
Never be complacent: Keep looking for new ways to improve and become better. Never be content with how much you know. It's a self-discovery journey and you need to yearn to learn.
Be current, not a relic: To make sure your career is not stagnant; keep updating yourself with the latest news, practices, and business insights. Develop an inquisitive mind and keep updating your knowledge to stay sharp.
Learn to listen and listen to learn: When you listen, you have a better chance at understanding, and when you understand, you add to your knowledge and ability to act on it.
Draw parallels: A concept or practice learned in one circumstance can be applied in another. All you need is an inclination to innovate and apply your learning into a new stream.
Stretch to grow: When change is rampant and time is a precious commodity, it can be hard to find the hours to progress and learn. However, if learning is a priority, you make time to develop and grow. What happens when you love to do something? You find the time to pursue it.
 
Deloitte is a learning organization that strives to provide its people with the tools and an environment to develop and grow. We have a full menu of learning options available for you to explore. I encourage you to create a habit of investing regularly in your learning journey to reap the rich dividends of knowledge and skill. If you're not getting updated, you may be getting outdated!

Good luck and happy lifelong learning!
Perspectives | State of Indian Education  
Educator's perspective | By Abhay Kumar, Faculty member, Shri Ram College of Commerce 
Prof Abhay Kumar, Asst. Professor, SRCC
Education, health care and infrastructure are the key areas to measure any country's prosperity and progress. India has progressed a lot particularly in last twenty years. But unfortunately three key areas have been neglected and needs special attention. In this column, I would like to draw reader's attention to the education sector.

In India, education is divided into two broad headings: Primary education and Higher education. Both areas need complete improvement and transformation. Having been a part of higher education system for more than two decades in two different capacities, I would share my worry and concern about higher education in India. First and foremost is lack of proper infrastructure. The University of Delhi is one of the most prestigious universities in the country. It has about eighty affiliated colleges; out of which not more than five percent colleges have adequate infrastructure. They lack basic things like proper laboratories, equipped classrooms, tutorial rooms, seminar rooms etc. 
 
The second most important problem Indian higher education faces is incompetent faculty. Most of the colleges/ institutions (especially IITs and IIMs) do not have required faculty; concerning levels in existing faculty is incompetent. Another problem with higher education is absenteeism. There are three types of faculty members throughout the country: one which never goes to college but draw their salary every month, another category which goes to colleges/departments but never goes to classes, only a small number of faculty which goes to colleges/ departments also goes to classrooms and engages in the learning- teaching process. This categorization exists in IITs and IIMs also. In fact in IIMs and IITs a group of faculty does more consultancy than teaching. This is a very serious concern. This kind of problem exists and is increasing throughout the country primarily because of two reasons: Lack of adequate regulation and Lack of accountability.
 
Teaching has always been considered a very noble profession and that is why it has been kept away from any form of regulations. But the way society overall has declined, so have the teachers. Now they seek more satisfaction at tuition/coaching centers and private institutes rather than their own organizations for which they are paid for and known for. Even the Heads of institutes, whether the Principal, Dean or the Vice Chancellors do not take any action against them because of pressure from teachers union/association. Higher education throughout the country has been given so much of autonomy and that is being misused by the faculty. Even if they do not go to their respective colleges for months together, no body questions them.
 
One reason to my mind is also a lack of motivation. In old pay structure, the pattern of promotion and other incentives were not very encouraging but now I believe in sixth pay commission that has been well taken care of. The sixth pay commission has recommended performance based promotion, a practice that is followed in all the professions everywhere. Unfortunately that was scrapped by then HRD minister under the influence of DUTA (Delhi university teachers' association).                                     

The most important reason for the collapse of higher education in our country is the appointment of administrators. Almost everybody in the university set up whether it is Vice Chancellors, Deans, Principals or Registrars are generally appointed according to the political considerations and once they are appointed, they appoint others not on merit but again on political considerations. There is hardly any University that is an exception to this phenomenon including several good universities across the country. The situation at state universities and colleges is probably even worse. These appointments must be on merit, scholarship and integrity.
 
Question is how to solve this problem? I have few suggestions to make. The State must come forward to improve infrastructure. Institutions should also find their own ways such as seeking help from eminent and well-off alumni, corporates and other private organizations. Faculty improvement is an important concern. There should be complete transparency in appointment of the teachers. They should not only be very good in their subject but also have good control over language and confident to converse with. Government  regulations are not very strict regarding managing higher education. Primarily teaching at university and college level was always considered a noble and pious profession. But the way absenteeism is growing, it needs an immediate check. There are practical constraints given the nature of job. It can not and should not be monitored like any other profession. Regulations cannot be enforced to a great extent because nature of job is very different. The desire to share knowledge comes from within, it cannot be imposed.
 
The university and colleges must be kept completely away from party-politics. It completely spoils merit, accountability and loyalty to the institution. Politically appointed administrators cannot maintain transparency and ethical academic environment. I believe these measures can save Indian higher education system. To save education is not only the state's responsibility but also of civil society -- the latter should also come forward to save and nurture it.
JA Worldwide and more updates 

HP Responsible Business Challenge: Have you ever thought about what it will be like to live in the year 2020? How will we live, what kind of work will we do and what products or services will we buy? Here's your chance to put your thinking cap on, get your imaginative juices flowing and win a prize at the same time! Read more... 

Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO-AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, has been named to a two-year term as chairman of the board of directors of JA WorldwideŽ (Junior Achievement). Read more...
 
World Economic Forum's Global Education Initiative: The primary objective of the GEI is to raise awareness and support the implementation of relevant, sustainable and scalable national education sector plans on a global level through the increased engagement of the private sector. The GEI is now embarking on a process aimed at addressing the relevance of education for economic growth, innovation and entrepreneurship at the global agenda. Included below are related reports for reference.
 
As mentioned in the message from our Chairperson, 2010 is the year for consolidating existing presence of JA in India in preparation for stepped up growth. We would be eager to expand participation and partnerships. We look forward to deepening our relationships and building several more.
 
Sincerely,
Venkat Matoory | Chief Executive | JA India
In This Issue
JA Programs | Volunteering
BridgeIT Employability Program
JA @ Cognizant
JA Barclays 'You can B' initiative
HSBC Global Signature Program
Learning series | L3 Mindset
Perspectives | State of India's Education
Worldwide updates
Quick Links
Featured Article

Kevin Potter, Deputy Managing Director, Deloitte Tax

Kevin S. Potter, Deputy Managing Director, Deloitte Tax authors a series of articles with the first article,
 
'The L3 Mindset' 
Featured Article

Wise professor portrait

While everybody has a view on education, it helps to hear those less heard.
 
Presenting an article
from a faculty member
at Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi.
 
Visit Perspectives.
 

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JAIBC 2010

An online competition where high school and college students run businesses as CEOs in a simulated environment. Teams from more than 10 cities have already registered. Attractive prizes and an opportunity to compete in HP Global Business Challenge 2011. Please visit event registration site.
Registration closes on 30 January 2010