change your life with career goal

CAREER GOAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY 

(DISTANCE LEARNING COLLEGE) (UGC,AICTE,HRD APPROVED UNIVERSITY)

MISSION: EDUCATED INDIA

 ACHIVE YOUR GOALS WITH 

            CAREER GOAL INSTITUTE

What is Career Goal Institute and Which means distance learning?

  Quick about Distance Learning

For those who are planning to go back to school but do not necessarily have the time to sit in a tradition classroom setting, they should consider distance learning. By attaining your degree online, you no longer have to worry about setting your class schedule according to your work schedule, and you are free to login to the online university any time of the day to participate with your class. Distance learning has changed the educational system for the better and allowed more people to enroll into college to attain a degree. If you have other obligations that may have been keeping you from getting a college degree, you no longer have an excuse because you can schedule online classes around you everyday schedule.

Now, distance learning is not everyone, and it takes a special person to learn on their own without a professor standing over their shoulder. To succeed at online courses, you have to be accustomed to learning on your own with very little insight from your professor. You will also have to do a great deal of reading because you will not have a lecture like the  traditional classroom setting. This will be a major factor when determining if you are able to adapt to learning online.

When it comes to all classes that are taught online, you will notice that each of your professors will have a different teaching style. There are some online classes that will require you to interact with other students on the classroom message board. Also, when it comes to testing, you may receive a timed test, a take home test or you may receive a test that is to be administered by a qualified professional. Distance learning is a wise choice for a potential student that lacks the time to sit in a traditional classroom setting. There are also many online courses out there that are not accredited, so students should keep this in mind when selecting a school to attend. Once you check the accreditation of your potential school and it is considered a legitimate school, the sky is the limit with your educational endeavors.

What is distance education?

Distance education aims to deliver a quality university education to students who are not able to be physically present on campus.

With CGI's flexible study options, you can study from home, work, or anywhere in the world, at a time that suits you and your lifestyle.

Fitting Study Into Everybody's Life

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     CAREER GOAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE  is INDIA’S leading provider of distance education with our comprehensive communication system enabling online forums, wikis, blogs, podcasts, access to library resources and assignment submission.

You may be:

·                            a professional looking to upgrade your qualifications

·                            a stay at home parent keen to take on a new interest or restart your career

·                            or someone wanting to make the lifelong dream of attaining a degree finally come true. 

Distance education at CGI  provides real study flexibility, allowing you the freedom to choose when and where you complete your degree. With the flexibility of distance education and CGI's online learning and research tools, you can study your own way, in your own time.

I'm 'too old' to study

You're never too old to study. At CGI, we are firm believers that lifelong learning contributes greatly to a successful and healthy life.Distance education at CGI develops your self-motivation, and gives you an independent approach to lifelong learning.

I'm not sure if I'm smart enough for tertiary study

Anyone can study at university. University is not designed to be difficult — it's designed to help you get where you're going, to realise your own potential and graduate with the skills and experience you need to reach your goals.

Our courses are 'theory in practice'. You'll be encouraged to participate and learn by doing, and you won't be doing it alone. You might just surprise yourself.

I don't have time to study!

With distance education and flexible study options, you can study at your own pace. You can study in the comfort of your own home, and do as many subjects that suit you — whether that's one, two or four subjects a session. With our three session timetable, many courses offer students the opportunity to slow or fast-track their degree.

University study is not designed to monopolise your time. We recognise that our students have social lives, families, other commitments, which is why we provide education that is accessible, whatever your lifestyle.
 

Studying At CGI By Distance Education Offers You...

·             a top-level education from the largest distance education provider in India.

·           access to CGI's resources such as ONLINE lecturers, student support and career advice, as well as on campus  learning facilities

·            the opportunity to upgrade your qualifications when you choose, allowing you to fit in study around your work, family or financial commitments

·             the same academic and student support received by REGULAR STUDENT OF INSTITUTE.

·            CGI's online scholarly environment, CGI Interact, which provides access to learning and research resources and opportunities to collaborate online.

How do I study by distance education?

When you're a distance education student with CGI, your learning experience is enhanced through our flexible study delivery options.

How do I study by distance education?

Online learning

The University's extensive online environment provides you with access to the services and facilities you will need during your time as a CGI  student.

Assessment

Distance education students are assessed through a combination of methods that vary depending on the course being undertaken. In some subjects, an assessment may be held online, giving instant feedback to the student on their  performance.

Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning

    Distance learning, also known as online education, is a viable option for many individuals of all ages who desire to get an education. It holds a number of pros and advantages over a traditional learning environment.

1.                                                       Choice: An online education provides the opportunity to study more subjects and reach out to programs that are not available in the immediate area.

2.                                                       Flexible: Distance learning is much more flexible than traditional styles of classroom education. Students who need to take other classes or work can do class work whenever they have a free moment instead of being restricted to a rigid schedule.

3.                                                       Networking: Students who enroll in classes with online education obtain a wider range of networking opportunities. Instead of being limited to networking in the local area, distance learning enables students to make connections with a more diverse range of people.

4.                                                       Pace: Online education enables students to work at their own pace in many circumstances. The requirements are not as strict and typically give a range of due dates when the work needs to be submitted.

5.                                                       Scheduling: The schedules for distance learning are more open and allow for students, parents and professionals to take the classes whenever it fits into their schedule. This is beneficial over classroom education that requires students to schedule work and childcare around the class time.

6.                                                       Money: Online classes typically cost less than an education in a classroom environment. There are less space limitations and materials required for each student and the savings are passed on from the educational institution to each student.

7.                                                       Traveling: A huge advantage to getting an online education is that there is no need to travel to and from class every single day. Someone who doesn’t drive or want to spend money on the costs of public transportation every single day will likely choose to get an online education over the traditional classroom.

8.                                                       Selection of Professors: Distance learning enables students to learn from some of the most prestigious professors and guest speakers in each field.

9.                                                       No classroom sitting: Sitting in the classroom is not the best way for every student to learn. A student may learn better at his own pace and in a different format than traditional schooling options offer.

10.                                                    Effective: Online classes are just as, if not more, effective at teaching students than the traditional classroom style of learning.

Distance learning may not be the ideal option for everyone but should be considered when looking at options for education.

EIGHT PROBLEMS IN INDIAN EDUCATION

.

HI

  Government reports indicate that 59 million children between 6-14 years do not attend school. Official information further indicates that just a little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight. And this in a country which has made education for children in the age group 6-14 years a fundamental right? Donate online for the education of poor children in India. Education charities can potentially play a vital role in the country’s development as educated children are the key to a bright future. Your help will go a long way in providing educational opportunities for children who would otherwise be left behind.

STORICALLY, three systems have served the educational needs of Indians: Bureau of Indian Affairs schools, parochial or mission schools and public schools. Recently, through the Office of Economic Opportunity, the tribes themselves established a fourth school system, primarily in the Headstart Program.

These systems—still involved in attempting to better the lot of the Indian—have had much experience in providing programs to meet Indians’ needs and have been in the business of education on and off reservations for many years. In spite of what they have attempted and of what contributions they have made, acute problems exist in the Indian education field.

And Indian education will not progress, develop or evolve into a dynamic field unless the problems inherent in it are identified and solved.

In an analysis of the situation, I have categorized these problems into eight broad areas, from "lack of money" to "too many instant Indian experts."

Lack of money. By far one of the most pressing problems is the unavailability of money or inadequate funding of Indian education programs or systems. The demand far exceeds the supply, and available monies are only for the most basic educational needs of the students . . . "the traditional curriculum." Very small amounts, if any, are available for innovative programs and ideas.

Without adequate funding, the ideology and philosophy of Indian education become so many words. The concept of Indian education faces a bleak future characterized by stagnation, insensitivity, inadequate facilities and personnel. Is this what we educators wish to be contented with?

The irrelevant curricula. just what do we mean by the often-repeated phrase, irrelevant curricula? My definition is that it is schools not doing their job in meeting the needs of their students—especially Indian students. This area encompasses four necessary corrections.

An Indian student presently is subjected to an educational system geared to the needs of the non-Indian student without any concern to unique problems and background of the Indian. Yes, the Indian must live in the white man’s world, but if he is to become a productive member of the human race, the schools must develop programs to meet his needs.

The American school curricula stresses values in direct contrast with the values held, in varying degrees, by the Indian. Such highly esteemed values as agressiveness, competition, individual personal gain, out-smarting your fellow man, and verbal ability and agility are taught the non-Indian youngster from the time he is able to comprehend. These values become the foundations of the American educational system. Thus, the Indian student is thrown into a foreign situation—he has no experiential background comparable to it and consequently, retardation is "built into" the educational program as far as the Indian is concerned.

Another aspect is the stress of the English language in the system. If educators would recognize that the English language is not the mother tongue of most Indian students, educational programming could become more relevant, meaningful and rewarding to the Indian student,

If curriculum experts would include courses reflecting the positiveness of the Indians’ contributions to the greater society, another correction would be made. It is not difficult to understand why the average Indian student has a negative self-concept: he is taught in a foreign classroom, by a teacher who is literally a foreigner, and in a foreign language that he comes from a people who were bloodthirsty, marauding killers, and that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. Correct this image by eliminating these teachings, and replacing them with more positive characteristics.

Education has directly contributed to the destruction of the institution of the family among Indians: To illustrate this engulfment rather than bridgment of parent and child, let me give the following example.

Fifth graders are studying the atom or atom bomb and its effect on society as a whole. If the Indian child seeks to understand the concept of the atom more fully in an inquiry at home, he will discover that his parents are unable to help him gain that understanding because there is no concept paralleling the atom in the Indian language. Instead of help or clarification, the child may receive some type of scolding. In the case of the non-Indian child, the parents may not know the answer, but they have other resources to which to turn—a neighbor, a set of reference books, a nearby library. Thus, the Indian child begins to question the intelligence of his parents, and when this happens, the parental role is threatened and weakened. This weakening continues as the child progresses through school because the parent falls further behind, as he is not keeping up with his child. Destruction of the family institution is therefore hastened.

Lack of qualified Indians in Indian education. By far the most glaring problem is the acute shortage of qualified Indians in Indian education. Materialistic gains, incentives and opportunities entice the qualified Indian educator away from this challenging field. There is much hard work and many challenges in Indian education: isolation, poor or inadequate facilities, eager but academically deprived students, but one’s ingenuity, creativity, patience and forbearance are put to a real test in facing these and other challenges. If Indian education is to meet the needs of the students, if it is to have the sensitivity required, if it is to be dynamic and viable, it must have more qualified Indian educators—it must reach the stage wherein it will challenge the Indian educator to take up arms to join its ranks and to improve its lot.

Insensitive school personnel. It is tragic that this exists in the 20^th Century. Too many administrators and teachers are not knowledgeable about the American Indian. Whether it is attributable to apathy, indifference or design does not lessen the problem. If school personnel are truly educators, it behooves them to learn about the people they are teaching: To fail in this task is to fail to educate. The burden of this responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the educator, and the exercise of that responsibility is long overdue.

Differing expectations of education programs. As noted in the section on irrelevant curricula, the American educational system is foreign in concept, principle and objective to the Indian student. The thinking, attitudes and experiences of the non-Indian are the base of the value structure rather than the aspects of Indian culture. Thus the educational perspectives of the Indian are not considered. The Indian views education as providing him with immediate practical skills and tools, not a delayed achievement of goals or as means for a future gain.

Lack of involvement in and control of educational matters. The Indian has not been able to express his ideas on school programming or educational decision-making. When they have been expressed, his participation has been limited and restricted. If problems in Indian education are to be resolved, the Indian citizen must become involved. He needs to have more control in the programs to which his children are exposed, to have a say in what types of courses are in the curriculum, to help hire teachers, to establish employment policies and practices, and all of the other responsibilities vested in school administration—that of being on a Board of Education. There are working examples of Indian-controlled school boards. These dynamic systems point up the fact that Indians can handle school matters. It is time that more Indians became involved in such control.

Difficulties of students in higher education. Colleges and universities need to establish programs which can deal effectively with the problems and needs of the Indian student—if he is to remain in school. In general, the Indian student has an inadequate educational background as he may have been looked upon as less than college material in high school. He has unusual adjustment problems and usually inadequate financial help. It is time that more colleges and universities attempt to solve these development factors and provide a more successful educational experience for the Indian student.

Too many instant-Indian education experts. To the detriment of Indian education and its growth, each day sprouts more "instant Indian education experts," who do more damage than good. Usually, these experts have all the answers: they have completely identified the problems and have formulated solutions, but they leave it to the Indian to implement. Again, the Indian is given something to implement which he has had no part in formulating. These experts usually depend on superficial, shallow studies done in one visit to a reservation or school, or they depend on one or two conferences with Indians who have little or no knowledge of the critical problems confronting the Indian generally. Indian education can well do without these experts who cannot be reasoned with or who feel they know what is best for the Indian.

There may be other factors which contribute to the problems of Indian education, but these eight areas are, I think, contributing to the situation wherein Indian education is not realizing its full development .

A Brief History of Distance Education

                                                           Throughout the history of human communication, advances in technology have powered paradigmatic shifts in education (Frick, 1991). Communication between teacher and student is a vital element of successful distance education. Media has played an essential role in the establishment of teacher and student communication. For communication to take place, at a bare minimum, there must be a sender, a receiver, and a message. If this message is intended as an instruction, then besides student, teacher, and content, we must consider the environment in which this educational communication occurs (Berg & Collins, 1995). Moore (1990) sees the success of distance education to be based on the content of the dialog between teacher and student and the effectiveness of the communication system in an educational process.
There are some discussions about the frequencies and nature of dialogue. Hoffman (1995) referred to dialogue as the capacity for teacher and student to respond to one another.
During the nineteenth century, in the United States, several activities in adult education preceded the organization of university extension beyond campuses. In 1873, Anna Ticknor created the society to encourage studies at home for the purpose of educational opportunities for women of all classes in the society. This Boston-based, largely volunteer effort provided correspondence instruction to 10,000 members over a 24-year period despite its resolutely low profile (Ticknor, 1891). Printed materials sent through the mail were the main way of communication, teaching, and learning. In 1883 a Correspondence University headquartered at Cornell University was established, but never got off the ground (Gerrity, 1976). The first official recognition of education by correspondence came from 1883 to 1891 by Chautauqua College of Liberal Arts. This college was authorized by the state of New York to grant academic degrees to students who successfully completed work at the Summer institutes and by correspondence during the academic year (Watkins, 1991). Interest regarding the effectiveness of correspondence study verses traditional study was the subject of debates and discussions. Watkins (1991) wrote that William Rainy Harper, professor of Herbrew at Yale University, who was authorized from 1883 to 1891 to grant degrees to students who completed correspondence study, believed that correspondence study "would not, if it could, supplant oral instruction, or be regarded as its substitutes." Watkins (1991) in her book cited that Vincent (1885) wrote,

the day is coming when the work done by correspondence will be greater in amount than that done in the classrooms of our academics and colleges; when the students who shall recite by correspondence will far outnumber those who make oral recitations.

Vincent’s vision brought a new way of thinking about the value and future of distance education for institutions. Watkins (1991) explained that leadership for the development of university-level extension throughout the nation was provided by Herbert Baxter Adams, the foremost historian of his day. His enthusiasm for the extension movement was a positive force for his students at John Hopkins University. Ultimately, his students would carry on his extension work across the country.
Correspondence study has grown in popularity, acceptance, and effectiveness. In 1915, creation of the National University Extension Association(NUEA) broadened the focus to other issues, such as necessity of new pedagogical models and new national level guidelines, such as university policies regarding acceptance of credit from correspondence courses, credit transferal, and standard quality for correspondence educators.
The University of Chicago faculty survey findings in 1933, suggested that correspondence study should be justified on an experimental basis, generating innovations and research data leading to improvements in teaching methodology (Gerrity, 1976). This research study was very important for the future knowledge base in this field. The medium of mail was a dominate delivery system for over forty years, but new delivery technologies started to provide additional options for correspondence study. Pittman (1986) wrote,

visual instruction, including lantern slides and motion pictures was added to the repertory of many extension units in the period of 1910-1920, but most promising new technology for correspondence instruction was instructional radio.

In the years between the World Wars (1918-1946), the federal government granted radio broadcasting licenses to 202 colleges, universities, and school boards. With all the demands and popularity of instructional radio, by the year 1940 there was only one college-level credit course offered by radio and that course failed to attract any enrollments (Atkins, 1991). Still, the concept of education by radio was a major reason for development of educational television by the mid 20th century. More and more association and social support developed for distance education around the country. Packing companies, railroads, the American Banking Association, Labor Unions, Army and Navy, and state and national welfare associations recognized the merits of correspondence instruction (Watkins, 1991). With the growth of popularity and needs for correspondence study, new questions such as learners’ characteristics, students’ needs, effectiveness of communication, and value of outcomes in comparison with face-to-face study became public interests. From the pursuit of answers to these questions emerged needed research initiatives such as Gale Childs’ (1949) dissertation studying the effectiveness and reliability of correspondence study as an educational method (Watkins, 1991). The interest in finding answers for these questions was the reason for many new research studies which have contributed to the growth of the knowledge base of distance education. Clark (1996) wrote, "the studies of improvement of teaching by using media have been part of educational research since Thorndike (1912) recommended pictures as a labor-saving device in instruction." In response to wartime needs, extension programs also provided a variety of technical and mechanical training opportunities, as well as short courses and refresher courses (Watkins, 1991). After World War II, television was considered as another delivery option in the correspondence study.
In the early 1950s, despite the efforts of leaders in the field, correspondence study struggled to gain acceptance, and it was still seen as suspect by academics (Wright, 1991). During this period, research helped to further the acceptance and extension of correspondence study. As Childs (1973) indicated, little research existed to support the apparent and perceived strengths of the methodology, and there was little or no sense of professionalism. During the fifth International Conference on Correspondence Education (ICCE), in Alberta, Canada, delegates from universities, governments, and proprietary institutions reflected a growing interest in the research of correspondence study (National University Education Association (NUEA), 1957). Over the past half century, the Ford Foundation has played an important role in the development and support of area and international studies within American higher education. With a Ford Foundation grant, Childs initiated a project, in 1956, to study the application of television instruction in combination with correspondence study. From this important and needed study, Childs concluded "television instruction is not a method. Television is an instrument by means of which instruction can be transmitted from one place to another" (Almenda, 1988). Childs also found no appreciable differences in regular classrooms by means of television, or by a combination of correspondence study and television (Almenda, 1988).
During the 1960s and 1970s, a number of alternatives to traditional higher education developed in the United States. The major reasons were broad national trends that included rapidly escalating costs of traditional resident education, interest in informal and nontraditional education, an increasingly mobile American population, the growth of career-oriented activities, necessity of learning new competencies, public dissatisfaction with educational institutions in general and the early success of Britain’s Open University (Gerrity, 1976).
Britain’s Open University brought a new vision of independence for distance education as distinct from traditional education. Britain’s Open University played a major role in the development of much of the important research in distance learning (Zigerell, 1984). Britain’s Open University is the largest and most innovative educational organization in the world. It is a leader in the large-scale application of technology to facilitate distance learning. Open University brought the needed respect and confidence to the correspondence program around the world. The success of Britain’s Open University was the major reason for the development of open universities in other countries, such as America and Japan. Open University not only overcomes the restrictive concept of place and time, but also eliminates the boundary of nations and nationalities. There are more than 218,000 people currently studying with the Open University, and the principal qualifications awarded by this university are BA, and Bsc degrees, Masters, an MBA, and research degrees including Bphil, Mphil, and PhD (Open University, 1996).
The first United States open university was New York State’s Empire State College (NYSES), which commenced operation in 1971 (Gerrity, 1976). One of the main purposes of the NYSES was to make higher education degrees more accessible to learners unable to attend traditional programs, campus-based courses. The program in NYSES modified the concept of academic credits and provided a greater flexibility regarding degree requirements and time limitations than was characteristic of tradition-based degree programs (Gerrity, 1976). Providing a direction for advancement of research activities in distance education was a major concern of leaders in this field. Two individuals who played major roles in the advancement of the state of scholarly research in the field are Charles Wedemeyer of the University of Wisconsin and Gayle Childs of the University of Nebraska (Wright, 1991). Wedemeyer and Childs made major contributions in the transformation of correspondence study into a profession. Both played major roles in the advancement of distance education research. They were recognized as leaders of the movement throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s (Wright, 1991). Wedemeyer and Childs not only provided needed leadership to their universities correspondence programs, but also provided direction for the national and international growth of this method of teaching and learning. Both men made major contributions in the Correspondence Study Division of the NUEA and Internal Conferences on Correspondence Education. Wedmeyer and Childs publications, books, and films on correspondence study have provided teachers and students with an invaluable source of process design, teaching, and learning.
In mid 1960, the development of the Correspondence Education Research Project was a major hope for more research activities and definition of the status of the correspondence study in American higher education. In 1968, the division of Correspondence Study changed its name to the Division of Independent Study; this new division provided more options for delivery of education in the form of videotape, programmed instruction, television, telephone, and other multimedia teaching and learning (National University Extension Association (NUEA), 1969).
In the last 20 years, with the advancement in technology, independent study has become more accessible for distance education students. Zigerell (1984) wrote, "the ease with which modern communications technologies can link educational institutions to homes, work-sites, and community centers has made adult education and lifelong learning matters of national policy" (P. 53). At the same time, the loads and responsibilities of adults have become of interest to experts and educators in distance learning. Feasley (1983) stated that individuals who must learn at a distance have ongoing obligations such as employment, family responsibilities, handicaps, or live in geographically isolated area. The 1970s and 1980s introduced the related concept "distance education" which posed new challenges to traditional independent study, forcing a reexamination and redefinition of the place of independent study in this new international movement (Wright, 1991).
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, cable and satellite television came into use as a delivery medium for distance education courses (Wright, 1991). During the 1980s, many quality telecourse offerings were available by using cable and satellite delivery. But as Munshi (1980) said, "unfortunately, systematic efforts to evaluate telecourses have been the exception rather than the rule." In the Fall of 1991, eighteen institutions, including the University of California, the University of Oklahoma, Penn State, and Washington State, used the Mind Extension University (MEU), Educational Network to deliver video course materials for independent study courses (MEU catalog, 1991). Women’s desire and participation in distance education helped the growth of distance education in the 1980s and 1990s. The report of the survey of telecourse enrollments in five states showed 67% of the participants in the distance education were women(Instructional Telecommunication Consortium, 1984). Participation of women in distance learning was directly related to political and social changes in women’s position within the family and society, technological changes in the work place, and the economic necessity of participation, and the job market and new job opportunities.
The research activities of Britain’s Open University provided new directions and emphasis for more research in this field. Publication of Research in Distance Education in 1989 provided great opportunity to collect information about ongoing research projects and the results of current research in the field of distance education. Until the arrival of this new periodical, most research institute descriptions were found in sources difficult to access in the United States (Moore, 1985; Rumble & Harry, 1982).
Coldeway (1982) identified the following reasons for the limitation of research activities in distance education.

 Educational researchers are rarely present during the design of distance learning systems.

POVERTY is destroying EDUCATION in Rural Regions of India

One can’t really imagine what life is like for another person unless one has walked a mile in their shoes. Today we accompanied Agi Bai as she went through her chores for the day.

Agi Bai’s day is a long and arduous one. Getting up early each morning, she cleans her home, feeds her animals and takes a long journey each day to collect water and firewood. Cooking is an ordeal on her mud stove. The smoke causes respiratory and other problems. I was struck by the meagerness of nutrition in their diet, with hardly any vitamins or proteins; its no wonder that anemia is rampant in the community. Then she goes to work in the fields, or as a laborer. Chrissy asked what she liked to do in her spare time. She answered, “What spare time?”

Agi Bai has dreams of farms and livestock for her son, so he can be “well settled” in life.  For her daughter, Agi Bai hopes to find her a groom with farms and livestock, so she doesn’t have to experience the kind of hardship that Agi does. She appreciates education and has sent both her son, as well as daughter, for primary schooling.  She laments the fact that they hardly learned anything in school. Though India’s education system is no longer battling with enrollment ratios, the learning outcomes are questionable and the curriculum is a big issue that needs urgent focus.

Agi’s son dropped out of secondary school because of his family’s very meager income.  He needed to support his family and migrated to Surat in Gujarat to work as a laborer. Her son spends just two months a year back home. The eyes of Agi’s young daughter-in-law tell a mute tale of a family and social fabric torn apart by poverty and migration for lack of economic opportunities.

What can we do to make the lives of the Agi’s of India easier? Well for one, it’s very important to come up with ways to create opportunity and reduce poverty.

And secondly, it’s critical to harness the power and passion of our young people and give it a platform.  This is what Intel for Change is all about. However, that’s not all Intel does in this space. We also do entrepreneurship competitions to support young people in turning their ideas into business plans and provide access for seed funding, as well as networks for them to grow.

At the annual Intel Global Challenge, where teams from over 50 countries participate, winners of regional competitions come together to share their plans for turning their technology ideas into business opportunities. A start up based in India, aiming to solve energy problems of rural consumers with breakthrough product innovations, won top honors last year for developing an energy-efficient biomass cooking stove. The stove runs on all types of solid biomass cleanly and efficiently, allowing users to reduce fuel by as much as 65% and drastically reduce indoor air pollution by over 70%, compared to traditional mud stoves that Agi Bai and many like her still use everyday in India.

Yes, the young have it in them to not accept the deprivation that is prolific everywhere in lesser-developed regions of our world, but to question it. They are capable of using innovation and deep heartfelt action that makes a HUGE difference!

India’s poverty level falls to record 22%: Planning Commission(TIMES OF INDIA)

DISTANCE LEARNING IS VERY VERY  HELPFUL FOR FINANCIALLY WEAK STUDENTS CGI SPORTS ALL THAT TYPE STUDENTS.

25.7% of people in rural areas, 13.7% in urban areas, now live below poverty line, according to the plan panel

The number of poor is now estimated at 269.3 million, of which 216.5 million reside in rural India. New Delhi: Poverty in India declined to a record 22% in 2011-12, the Planning Commission disclosed on Tuesday.

Over the last decade, poverty has witnessed a consistent decline with the levels dropping from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10. The number of poor is now estimated at 269.3 million, of which 216.5 million reside in rural India.

While the trend is not surprising, the extent of the decline has opened up a debate on the factors that have led to it. The numbers themselves may be debatable but they are reflective of a broader trend.

One theory is that this is the outcome of the trickle-down impact of the record growth witnessed in the first decade of the new millennium.

This growth, though, has not been accompanied by a commensurate rise in employment, implying that its benefits have not really trickled down. Still, the growth did result in higher tax revenue, enabling the government to fund a large social sector spending programme.

This programme, which included schemes such as the rural job guarantee one, played a significant part in reducing India’s poverty levels, an alternative theory says.

The seven-year period between 2004-05 and 2011-12 saw the development expenditure of the government trending upwards, with its share increasing from 38% in 2004-05 to 45% of total expenditure in 2011-12.

The two theories, in some way, mirror the ongoing debate between Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Columbia University economist Jagdish Bhagwati. While Sen makes a case for integrating development expenditure with growth to combat poverty, Bhagwati argues that rapid growth should be the priority, with the resulting trickle-down taking care of the underprivileged.

According to the release from the Planning Commission, 25.7% of people in rural areas were below the so-called poverty line and 13.7% in urban areas. This is comparable with 33.8% and 20.9%, respectively, in 2009-10, and 42% and 25.5%, respectively, in 2004-05.

The poverty numbers are estimated on the basis of consumption expenditure captured in the five-year surveys undertaken by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The decline in poverty numbers was first reported by The Hindu on 16 July.

The press release sought to show that the number of poor has declined faster in the period during which the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power and that, in the same period, the monthly expenditure per person had increased more equitably, especially in rural areas. Nearly 20 million people were pulled out of poverty every year, the data showed.

While experts welcomed the decline in poverty, they flagged concerns such as the comparability of the numbers.

The fresh estimates released by the plan panel are based on the Tendulkar methodology, which was criticized for fixing poverty lines that were too low at Rs.22.42 per person per day in rural areas and Rs.28.65 in urban areas.

Following this, the government set up another committee under the chairman of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, C. Rangarajan, to look at a methodology for determining poverty lines and estimating poverty.

The plan panel release said that since the new committee’s report is expected in a year’s time, it followed the Tendulkar methodology to derive the current estimates.

The release showed there would still be a decline in the poverty rates from 2004-05 levels even if a poverty line other than that derived using the Tendulkar methodology was used to determine the poverty line.

Data from the NSSO consumption survey in 2009-10 has not been used for comparison as it was a drought year.

Experts said nobody could dispute the decline. However, some issues remained to be clarified.

“The government has yet to clarify the additional imputed value and its effect on change in poverty levels,” said Himanshu, a professor at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and a Mint columnist. “Also, the data needs to be looked into for the sharp decline in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in two years.”

Imputed spending for free meals from the mid-day meals programme and the Integrated Child Development Services scheme was included in calculation of monthly expenditure for the first time in the five-yearly surveys in 2009-10.

Separately, former principal adviser at the Planning Commission and present chairman of the National Statistical Commission, Pronab Sen, said the Tendulkar committee recommendations applied to data collected with a mixed recall period, which was introduced only in 1999-2000. This makes 1993-94 data less comparable to later years, he said.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed the Planning Commission’s calculations as statistical jugglery. “This a gimmick—let them explain that if this is the rate of poverty decline then when in 1971 they gave the slogan of gareebi hatao (eradicate poverty), even after 42 years why is poverty still a problem,” said Prakash Javadekar, spokesperson of the BJP. “And then the Congress party pats their back for reducing it by 22%.”

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM also said that the calculations were faulty.

“This calculation of the Planning Commission is not at all scientifically correct,” S. Ramachandran Pillai, senior leader of the CPM and its politburo member said. “It is a political calculation, an exercise just before the elections to show that the number of poor have decreased. There is no statistical backing to it.”