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About
us
The NIIT Academy
(NA) is a non-profit Educational Trust within the NIIT Limited and
was registered as such on 27 July 1998 in New Delhi, India.
The genesis
of NA can be traced back to the academically humble origin of NIIT
itself, way back in 1981, as a Training Organization. Notwithstanding
the rough and tumble of intense market preoccupation, it did not
deflect the founders of NIIT from an ultimate vision and resolve
to enter the mainstream of higher education. The sharpening of the
competitive edge even in mere training went together with the quest
for methods to position the offerings in the framework of education
that a university delivers.
The first modest
action, but deeply significant, was to extend the duration of training
beyond a single semester constraint, the coinage of an expression,
named Career Education, took place. Career Education is simply a
string of prescribed semesters of courses forming programs of studies
leading to formal announcement of certifications. This strategic
move resulted in a market acceptance of NIIT Career Education and
considerable competitive advantage to NIIT Alumni holding different
Certificates.
It is at this
stage that NIIT invited some experts from the university system
to build the educational superstructure on the established market
success. These experts with proven competence formed the Higher
Education Wing (HEW) in 1990. The first visible outcome of their
endeavors in 1992 was educational institutionalization of the Career
Education by launching Certificates like GNIIT, ANIIT and FNIIT
(also called Awards or Titles). Further, a unique component called
Professional Practice (PP) of two semester duration was incorporated
in the GNIIT Certification. This last step established an enhanced
market and a healthy respect for the originality in NIIT Career
Education. Another innovation was the Dual Qualification Scheme
(DQS).
The spearheading
of the NIIT strategy that followed is to be seen in the context
of perturbation that took place throughout the world affecting the
future of higher education itself. A worldwide conclusion was drawn.
Higher education is characterized by escalating cost and dwindling
resources. All public policies discovered there are limits to public
funds to sustain such a system no matter how we hold the system
with affection and love. The pursuit of excellence in knowledge
would collapse if simultaneous pursuit of stability and viability
of institutions is not ensured. Further assertion of the market
economy throughout the world causes basic rethinking in all matters
affecting higher education. Even the nature of the curriculum, so
far almost the exclusive preserve of the universities, was challenged
by activist actions of a rising number of institutions that subscribe
both to the supremacy of knowledge as well as supremacy of market.
In short, all orthodoxy’s floundered. Scores of imaginative
universities in the world launched themselves on a new paradigm
on not-so-well-defined action plans. It is roughly at this stage
that the NIIT Academy was born to incorporate in its culture the
full academic ethos with legitimate market adherence.
The alliances
are formal agreements between NA and five universities – one each in
Australia,New Zealand, USA and two in UK. Now, any NIIT student studying in any
Centre anywhere in the world has an opportunity to access a degree
of these universities through what is described as Admission with
Advance Standing. To ensure smooth and predictable operation, a
formal connectivity between the NIIT Academic Architecture and structure
of these universities has been worked out in all details. Connectivity
simply means a set procedure by which smooth cross over from the
NIIT system to the system of these universities can be achieved
by NIIT Alumni. Connectivity also quantifies in a predictable range
the amount of advance credit accorded by each university to every
programme of studies in NIIT and finally concludes by giving a range
of residual credits to be done in the campus of these universities
in order to complete the requirements of appropriate degrees of
these universities. Further dialogue with more universities and
also with these five universities is continuing for more benefits
to NIIT Alumni.
It is important
to record this connectivity between degree provider like universities
and NIIT, which is a non-degree provider as a landmark event in
the history of higher education in the world. NA feels humbly proud
of receiving, on behalf of all NIIT Alumni and NIIT students, this
token of appreciation of the Career Education of NIIT from these
five universities.
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