Education

If you overhear a group of middle class parents talking, you are likely to hear the topic of schools – especially so around the time of admissions. The emotions vary from excitement to speculation to worry to concern to resignation. Many parents consider choosing a school among well established private schools as one of the big decisions they will be taking for their child. Parents talk about the criteria for selecting schools and discuss schools' approach to teaching, wondering if a certain methodology will work best for their child. Parents queueing up at at National Public School, Koramangala for admission…

In a significant first, The Embassy of Sweden, Delhi, in association with RV QuizCorp, RVCE presents "Sweden India Nobel Memorial Quiz 2009" on November 3rd. The renowned engineering college has joined hands with The Embassy of Sweden to bring to college students a quiz on Alfred Nobel and The Nobel Prize. Conducted to commemorate the Nobel Week in Sweden, this is one of the many events being organised by the Embassy, in India. This national level quiz is especially exciting as the all-India winners get to go on an all expenses-paid trip to Sweden to visit major Swedish companies. The…

It's nearing end of October; it is that time of the year when the school admission process is in full swing in Bengaluru and many parents are trying to find schools that will work best for their children. This article provides a checklist of criteria to look for before narrowing down on schools. This guide is primarily aimed at parents looking at Montessori and Kindergarten admissions. How does one go about figuring out the “right” school? Your precious 4-year-old probably gives you very little clue about his or her preference. The logical way of going about school-hunting is to consider…

A contest for rock bands judged by Lounge Piranha, workshops on martial art, movie spoofs, mascots and lots of glam-- IIM Bangalore’s recently concluded Unmaad 09 had all the trappings of a major college fest. There were events for the sober and the cerebral, and then there were the artsy dos with pretty people and related regalia; rounding it all off was the standard issue high profile pro-show by the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Making things interesting, however, was IIMB itself. And one means this literally. Anybody who has ever tried to navigate their way through the labyrinthine corridors of IIMB…

Most of us at some point or other in our lives have looked up at the sky and wondered, what is that bright star? What are those light streaks in the sky? At the Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS), we want people to get answers to these questions and learn more about our universe.BAS, a registered non-profit organisation, started in 2006 by a group of seven astronomy enthusiasts, has now 70 paid members and hundreds more, part of the e-group. We want to nurture people’s interest in astronomy, one of the few areas of studies that is ancient and yet modern.…

Ever visited a BBMP school? Or met children studying in one?When I first heard of it, I immediately visualized a dilapidated building with a loud bell and boisterous children. But this one was different. Thanks to its proactive and progressive Headmaster of four years, Mr. Balappa and his committed staff, the BBMP Girls High school in Bharathi Nagar has 251 enthusiastic students in classes VIII - X presently. Located at the intersection of Thimmaiah Road and St. John's Road (near Coles Park), most of its students are Urdu speakers who commute long distances. Almost all hail from very low income…

The reception area of Be Ahead with Sustained Excellence (BASE), a prominent coaching academy in Bangalore, is a hub of activity. Two students are waiting to meet a teacher to clear their doubts; a few parents and students come in to check their results for the entrance exam to enrol in BASE. Some seemed happy, others seemed disappointed in the meantime a couple of parents wait with their child in tow, to speak to counsellors about their coaching options. It is summer – schools and colleges are not in session but some students are getting a head start. BASE is…

The Bangalore Science Forum (TBSF) needs no introduction. It has for the last 47 years relentlessly promoted Science in the city through lectures and discussion. A few hundred metres away from its cultural cousin, the Indian Institute of World Culture on B P Wadia road, TBSF's Wednesday evening Science lectures have been patronised  by thousands over three decades. Come July, weekly lectures give way to a month long festival of Science, with luminaries from various disciplines delivering lectures on a diverse range of topics at H N Hall at National College Basavangudi. While Professor Siraj Hasan, Director, Indian Institute of…

…Hindus, Muslims, Christians, boys and girls", were the heart warming words of Afreen Sultana, a promising class IX student of a government aided English medium school in Matadahalli, R.T. Nagar. A fornight ago, it all began as a question on the difference between a nest and a cage with Firdaus (of class VII in the Urdu medium government school nearby). This led to the meaning and importance of freedom for all living beings, eliciting interesting responses from Alan, Chetan and Abhinaya (in classes VII, IX and VIII of various government aided English medium schools in North East Bengaluru) on accepted…

The Finance Bill, or the Union Budget as we popularly know it, is one of corporate India's most awaited annual events. Each year after the budget is announced, it triggers widespread debate amongst the masses and the intelligentsia alike. This year after the resounding re-election of the UPA government, the entire nation was looking up in anticipation as to what the budget would hold for us. A week after the budget was announced, SIBM (Symbiosis Institute of Business Management) Bangalore took the initiative to decipher the true meaning of the budget for the common man and what it meant for…