MAHE gets new name - Kuwait wants closer ties

18 January 2007

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will go in for a complete revamp beginning with its name. MAHE will now be known as Manipal university.
MU pro-chancellor H S Ballal told reporters on Tuesday that the new name will apply to all the campuses including those in Nepal, Malaysia and UAE with immediate effect. "Since the tag of a university was missing, it used to create ambiguity, particularly in international circles," he added.
Along with new name comes a change in entrance pattern. The online entrance exam, which began last year for post-graduate admissions, will now be the norm for all courses including MBBS, BDS, BE, BPharm, BSc (Nursing), BHM and BA (Journalism) in MU.
"Since every weekend between March and May are blocked for some entrance exam or the other, we're keeping our online entrance exam open for pre-fixed slots over 38 days," Manipal Universal Learning group president Anand Sudarshan said.
A student can fix a slot on a day of his convenience on the website and choose from among 19 centres across the country to write the exam. Like most online exams, this will have multiple choice questions.
To ensure security, bio-metric testing and constant monitoring systems will be on throughout the duration of the exam at the centre.
"Every computer is fitted with a web camera that will take an image of the candidate every 20 minutes. Besides, we have two external audit agencies monitoring the entire process," Sudarshan added.
Kuwait wants closer ties
Kuwait is ready to have closer ties with Manipal Academy of Higher Education in the field of higher and professional education, said Mohammed-al-Badah, director, information office, Embassy of Kuwait, New Delhi.
He was talking to reporters here on Tuesday after attending a two-day India-Kuwait Round Table Partners in democracy, organised by the department of geopolitics of MAHE.
Mohammed said Manipal institutions can be bracketed with the world's top institutions in the field of biomedical, engineering, creative writing like animation technology. "Hence we have made an initial study and would try to forge a future collaboration."
He said though an MoU or such other agreements have not been signed yet, efforts are being made to have a closer tie with MAHE in future. He said Kuwait has emerged as one of the important international partners with India. JNU, Delhi, Delhi University and Jamia-Milia are also on Kuwait's list. M D Nalapat, chief convener of the meet, said like Singapore in the East, Kuwait is an important anchor in the West.
(mangalorean.com)