Tag Archives: cricket
India’s CBSE may open Dubai centre
India’s CBSE may open Dubai centre Muaz Shabandari / 26 September 2013 India’s largest education board has announced plans to set up a new centre for schools in the Gulf. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) centre will deal with student and school issues in an attempt to provide them with better services. “There is a definite need for a centre and over the next two or three months, we will have a sub-regional office in the Gulf region. The centre will most likely be in Dubai since it has the largest concentration of CBSE schools in the Gulf,” said board chairman Vineet Joshi. India’s Human Resource Development Minister Dr Pallam Raju, who was speaking with school principals in Dubai via teleconference, made the formal announcement on Wednesday. The CBSE chief also announced the board’s plan to start accreditation for all schools affiliated with the board. Inspection teams from India will visit schools in the Gulf region every five years to assess education quality as part of the plan. “We were working on developing this accreditation system for the last two years and we have launched it now. It will be compulsory for all CBSE schools to get accredited. Those schools that fail to receive an accreditation will be given one chance, failing which their CBSE affiliation will be revoked,” said Joshi. “The accreditation system will follow a peer assessor scheme where two assessors from private agencies and one CBSE observer will evaluate the school over a period of two days. A list of recommendations will be presented to the board and it will then be examined.” The educational board has selected 12 private agencies to nominate CBSE school principals who will qualify to be peer assessors after completing an accreditation test. The new system is being implemented to protect student interests and improve teaching and learning standards. “Schools associated with CBSE are not supposed to commercialise and, therefore, education cannot be looked at as a product. There has to be a culture of continuous improvement and the accreditation system will help them in this aspect,” added Joshi. Reports by education regulators have constantly highlighted the need for CBSE to move away from rote learning and the board has responded by announcing a series of changes over the last few years. “We are looking at consolidating the changes we have done since we started implementing them four years back. We value suggestions raised by schools and it reflects some of the issues which they may face.” Each year, the board affiliates 800 new schools and the new accreditation policies are expected to come a long way in improving education standards in Indian schools following the curriculum. muaz@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Samsung to launch ‘curved display smartphone’
Samsung to launch ‘curved display smartphone’ (AFP) / 25 September 2013 Samsung said on Wednesday it would unveil a smartphone with a curved display in October — a technological innovation aimed at maintaining its lead in a lucrative but increasingly saturated market. Curved displays are at a nascent stage in display technology which is shifting towards flexible panels that are bendable or can even be rolled or folded. “We will introduce a smartphone with a curved display in October,” Samsung mobile business head of strategic marketing D.J. Lee told reporters. He declined to give more details. Samsung — the world’s top maker of smartphones and TVs — unveiled prototype products with a flexible screen in January. But it still faces a major challenge in making other handset components — such as batteries — that can bend with the rest of the unit. Curved displays are already commercially available in large-screen televisions offered by companies including Samsung and LG. The displays are supposed to offer a more immersive viewing experience but are significantly more expensive than standard screens. In another attempt to break new ground, Samsung unveiled earlier this month a smartwatch called Galaxy Gear, which can take photos and videos, make or take phone calls, or check e-mails. Wearable computing, including Google’s smart glasses, is considered the next frontier in consumer electronics following smartphones. The watch received some scathing reviews, along with complaints that it only worked in conjunction with Samsung’s latest oversized smartphone, the Galaxy Note III. The Gear and the Galaxy Note III will hit stores in some 140 nations by the end of October, and Samsung executives said they were confident the critics could be won over. “We received so much criticism when we first unveiled the Galaxy Note series…but it has created a whole new market segment for oversized smartphones,” said Lee Young-Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile unit. D.J. Lee said the watch would be made connectable with other Samsung devices such as the flagship Galaxy S3 and S4 smartphones by the end of December. Continue reading
Resurgent Nadal to enthrall fans in Abu Dhabi
Resurgent Nadal to enthrall fans in Abu Dhabi 25 September 2013 Rafael Nadal will return to Abu Dhabi for a fifth year at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship from December 26-28, a Press release said. The top three players in the world are now confirmed to battle it out in Abu Dhabi as Nadal joins world number one Novak Djokovic and world number three Andy Murray in what is already a world-class player line up, with three players still to be announced. Having fought his way back into the world top three in ruthless fashion only last month after a 2012 season plagued with injury, Nadal cemented his return to the top of the game with a stunning victory over Novak Djokovic in the last Grand Slam of the year. Nadal overpowered the Serb in four sets to remain unbeaten on hard court in a year which has seen him win 60 of 64 matches and lift 10 titles, two of them majors. Reigning US Open and French Open Champion, Nadal commented: “I’ve been working hard all season and to have won two Grand Slams this year is an amazing feeling. I’m playing good tennis and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season will bring.” Forced to withdraw from the 2012 Mubadala World Tennis Championship after his long awaited return to action, the sensational Spaniard has since rediscovered his form in frightening fashion. In June 2013 the King of Clay reigned supreme in Paris to become the only man to have won a Grand Slam tournament a record eight times. Nadal has been equally impressive with his unbeaten run on hard-courts proving to his UAE fans he’s back to his best, claiming ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in Montreal and Cincinnati to go with his US Open win. The in-form and fit two-time Mubadala World Tennis Championship champion will be looking to lift the trophy once again at the Zayed Sports City Tennis Centre come December. A victory in Abu Dhabi will send a message to the world as Nadal prepares to start his 2014 campaign at the Australian Open, the season opener and first grand slam of the season. Nadal added: “After the disappointment of last year I promised my fans in the UAE I would return, so I’m very happy it’s happening so soon and I’m back in the player line-up. This will be my fifth time playing in Abu Dhabi and I’m looking forward to getting back on court there later this year. It’s a great opportunity to test myself, especially just before the start of the new season. The stage is set for an epic battle at the top of men’s tennis as all three previous champions have now confirmed their spot at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Novak Djokovic has held onto the Mubadala World Tennis Championship crown for the last two years and will be aiming for his third straight win at the tournament in December. The annual tournament, which sees six of the world’s top players battle it out across three days of explosive tennis at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City, will take place from December 26 to 28. Tickets are on sale from www.ticketmaster.ae and 800 TM UAE (86 823) with prices starting from Dh50. For more information, visit: www.mubadalawtc.com Continue reading
