A Closer Look at The Education in India

The Indian Education System is one of the oldest systems of the world. Even before the number and alphabet systems, Gurus or sages used to impart knowledge orally to their Shishyas or students. This information was passed on from one generation to the other in many varied forms, from folk tales to various physical activities and tasks. The Indian education system was rich and highly respected in its form so much so that the students used to rank their Gurus even above their parents. Later on, manuscripts and teachings were written on palm leaves, temple walls and later, on paper. The teacher-student was considered very pious and even poor students used to offer their teacher some form of contribution, be it in the form of money, fruits or even pledges.

Today, the Indian education has taken on a completely different form. With the rise of modern, globalised India, education in India has raced forward with huge and successful leaps. For those who can afford good quality education, there are hardly any hurdles in their paths. But even for the poor and lesser fortunate strata of the society, the government has launched various policies and initiatives. In order to promote free education among poor children till the age of 14 years, the government has banned child labor and fervently launches various schemes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) to entice more and more children to take up books. Apart from these schemes, the youth of India is waking up to its responsibilities and carrying out various individual, non-profit activities to impart knowledge to these children. And not just children, even the elderly and the women are coming forward and becoming an active part of these initiatives.

The youth of today rising India has played a major role in bringing about this change. Education initiatives like the “Each One, Teach One” program encourage young people of urban India to come forward and teach children from the deprived areas of the society. Moreover, professionals from established universities and schools are called in to support vocational training programs. To promote secondary level education and to make these children aware of its importance, the SSA has been further extended into Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan. It is because of the youth of our country, equipped with global level education and the support of strong governing policies that the Indian education system has attained new heights. The country constitution states the Right to Education as a very fundamental one and makes it compulsory for every child to be educated till the senior secondary level.

The higher education of India is the third largest in the world after China and the USA and is equipped with better infrastructure and highly qualified and eminent teachers. The University Grants Commission is the highest governing body at the tertiary level and works along with government to promote and regulate various universities. In the year 2009, it was noted that India has 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, apart from many other colleges. With all these provisions, the country’s education system is sure to soar high.

Start a Home Based Business in Retirement? Part 3 – The Truth Vs Hype About Home Based Businesses

You’ve retired and you’re considering starting a home based business to solve your problem (not enough income to do what you want to do, or you’re bored spending your time watching Oprah and Dr. Phil).Your friends and family say that all the home based businesses you find on the Internet are SCAMS, and you’d be better off trying to live within your retirement income and spend your time watching Oprah and Dr. Phil.Well, some of them are scams, but most are legitimate opportunities.The problem is that even many of the legitimate opportunities raise unrealistic expectations by hype such as:* Start making a six figure Income Immediately.
* Unconditional $1,000 guaranteed weekly income.
* Earn $200K per year with no work.
* You can earn a six figure income with no selling.
* Get paid hundreds and even thousands a day without selling a single thing.
* Work 10 minutes a day at home. You will easily make $1,000.00 a day. No experience needed. No selling on your part. [This one is my favorite.]Then they tell you that you can do all this in your spare time.Home based businesses have a bad name because ads like these lie to you. Naive people believe them. When they end up losing money, they bad-mouth home based business.Do you wonder why they tell you not to quit your day job?Well, the reason is that it can take years before you start earning any significant money!The TRUTH is that a home based business is like any other business. You can make a lot of money in a home based business, but like any other business, it takes hard work, marketing skills, and an investment of time and money.There are a lot of legitimate business opportunities available. To find the one that best fits your needs, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!You can be successful in any home based business venture you choose if you are willing to learn how to market it, but there are great differences between the products they offer and their compensation plans. So before you sign up, you should find one that has a product that you will be comfortable promoting and one that has a compensation plan that meets your needs.The compensation plan is particularly important to you because as a retiree, you don’t want to wait five or ten years before you can make the big bucks.Another factor that is crucial for success is finding a sponsor who will help and support you while you are learning how to market your opportunity and your products.In later articles I will address how to successfully market your opportunity and your products, and what you should require of your sponsor before joining his opportunity.But don’t be taken in by the hype. If you’re not willing to work hard and learn successful marketing skills, you should NOT start a home based business.If I can be of help to you in sorting among all the conflicting claims, do not hesitate to email me.

7 Tips for Choosing a Property Management Company

#1 Choose a company that knows the local market.
Knowledge of the local market means that your property manager knows what renters are looking for. If your property management company is a good one, they will think of the property as if they were a renter. Making smart and cost conscious recommendations to the owner that will increase overall return while improving the property so that it becomes more desirable, will help increase rental rates, lower turnover and decrease vacancy. Your property management company should make sure that your property always stays competitive in the leasing market. This knowledge will help maximize your rents while minimizing your time-on-market.

#2 Set up a meeting with the property manager and make a plan.
If the property management company you are choosing is a good one, they will set up a meeting with all new property owners and make a game plan. Getting to know your property manager will help improve the interaction and can give both the owner and the property manager a good idea of how they will work to improve the return for that property. Each property plan is different and is based on the goals, plans, and budgets of the owners. Designing a property plan that is right for each owner’s needs is the key to successful property management.

#3 Don’t take our word for it… ask our clients!
Nobody can give a better picture of the company’s service than a current customer. Ask your property management company to give you the names of three clients with similar properties. Get in contact with those people and ask them questions that you feel are important to the success of your property. They can tell you best and can usually give a good picture of the strengths and weaknesses and their contentment with the service.

#4 Make sure you’re getting premium customer service.
Probably the most common complaint about management companies, both from tenants and owners, is that their customer service is terrible. Wouldn’t it be great if you could reach your manager whenever you needed? Choosing a property management company that strives to offer great customer service and actually delivers will mean the difference between headaches and satisfaction. Good customer service is something you should expect and a company with good customer service has to make sure the other aspects of their business are on point because they are always telling you about it. Keeping owners informed with frequent communication about the market and how their property is being managed is necessary in any management relationship.

#5 Show me the money!
Property management companies typically collect rents between the 1st and 5th of each month. It should take no longer than eight days to collect rents and prepare all monthly statements for each property. That money is the property owner’s and should be in their bank accounts as quickly as possible. Earning interest on the rental revenue can really add up in the long haul. Some management companies will try and keep the revenue in their account as long as possible so that all interest earned is earned in their accounts, not the owners. We don’t do that. Our job is to collect your money, not hold onto it.

#6 Make sure your management company knows accounting.
Accounting for revenues and expenses with investment property can be a difficult task. Organization and great accounting skills will ensure your property management company is accounting for your property correctly. At the end of the year when tax season comes up, all of your income and cash flows should be easily accessible and in the correct order to make your tax paying easy.

#7 Your management company should maintain good relationships with tenants.
Your management company should keep up good relationships with their tenants. Tenants are a customer of the property and should be treated as such. Keeping happy tenants results in lower turnover, which means lower re-leasing fees for homeowners. Happy tenants will also make releasing much easier because they tend to keep homes cleaner and are easier to work with when it comes time to show homes to new prospective tenants. A reputable property management company with a good name in the eyes of the tenant is not easy to come by. Choose a company that cares, it will increase your property’s return.