Educational in Special Education News

Online education is likely to continue for another academic year in the telangana state

2021-05-20T13:27:00.005+05:30

Hyderabad: Online education is likely to continue for another academic year in the state, owing to the current pandemic situation, and in anticipation of a third wave of Coronavirus in the country, government sources told this correspondent.

An official in the state education department said students and parents should be prepared to further adapt to the lack of physical, face-to-face classes at least until the end of this year for the academic session of 2021-22. "Even with the first wave of the pandemic that was only half as deadly as the second wave, educational institutes were not opened in February. As we prepare for a third wave now, online education is the only way," said the official.

The new academic year in the state is so far scheduled to begin from mid-June, once schools reopen after summer vacations on June 1. Some private schools' bodies like the Telangana Recognised Schools' Management Association (TRSMA) are demanding that the government releases an academic calendar soon so as to prepare teachers as well as students in time.

On Monday, the central and state education ministries will hold a meeting to discuss the future of online education and the expenditure required to set up further facilities. Sources told this newspaper that education secretaries of all states, with Union Education Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and Education Secretary to GoI Anita Karwal will hold an interactive session to discuss how to make online education the priority for all expenditure even under Samagra Shiksha programme.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/140521/online-education-likely-to-continue-till-year-end.html

Telangana State: Scholarship registration date extended till March 31st

2021-02-15T21:34:00.001+05:30

Hyderabad: The Telangana State government is offering post-matric scholarships for SC, ST, BC, EBC, minorities and physically challenged students and registrations can be done on the Telangana e-Pass website https://telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in/

The last date for registration of students and colleges on Telangana e-Pass website for sanction of fresh and renewal of scholarships for the academic year 2020-21 has been extended up to February 15.

The State government is offering post-matric scholarships for SC, ST, BC, EBC, minorities and physically challenged students and registrations can be done on the website https://telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in/

Due to Covid-19 pandemic rules, all educational institutions remained shut and they have been permitted to conduct online classes for students, who were attending the same from their homes, it said.

“With this, eligible students are not aware about last date of registration. Hence, they have not registered on e-Pass so far. Further, the admissions for various degree and PG courses are not yet completed. Considering these facts, government extended the date to March 31st, 2021 to open the e-Pass website for registrations of students and colleges for sanction of renewal and fresh scholarships for the academic year 2020-21,” it added.

Subramaniam Swamy Asks Why Govt Being So Obstinate to Postpone NEET, JEE Main Exams

2020-08-25T20:09:00.001+05:30

NEET, JEE Main 2020 Latest News: After witnessing massive support from state governments and students and other political leaders calling for postponement of NEET, JEE Main 2020, Rajya Sabha MP Subramaniam Swamy on Tuesday asked why the Centre is so obstinate. Also Read - NEET, JEE Main 2020: After Urging Centre, Mamata Banerjee Writes to PM Modi to Postpone Exams.

Taking to Twitter, Swamy said that the time has come for PM Modi to take a call and order the postponement of the exams. Also Read - NEET, JEE Main 2020: Here’s a Look at Safety Protocols For Aspirants Amid COVID-19.

“With so many state governments calling for postponement of NEET/JEE examination, and even Allen Coaching also, why the Ministry of Education being so obstinate ? PM Modi must take a call and order the postponement—now,” he said in a tweet.

On Monday, the Rajya Sabha MP said if the Central government goes through imposing the NEET/JEE exam now it will be a ‘giant mistake’ like the ‘Nasbandi’ in 1976 that resulted in the undoing of the Indira Gandhi government in 1977.

“If our Modi Government goes through imposing the NEET/JEE exam now it will be the giant mistake like Nasbandi in 1976 that caused the undoing of Indira government in 1977. Indian voters may suffer silently but have long memories,” Swamy had said in a tweet.

This reaction from Swamy comes amid the demands from students, parents and political leaders to postpone the entrance exams keeping in mind the coronavirus situation in the country.

The mass ruckus has broken out across the country after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that the JEE (Main) will be held from September 1 to 6 and NEET (UG) on September 13.

Earlier in the day, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Centre to take steps for postponing the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as it will be unsafe for students to physically appear in the exams in this pandemic time.

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to PM Modi to postpone the JEE and NEET exams due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, saying lives of students should not be put at risk by taking such unilateral and bureaucratic decisions.

https://www.india.com/education/neet-jee-main-2020-subramaniam-swamy-asks-why-govt-being-so-obstinate-to-postpone-exams-4121840/

Over 4,000 students demanding postponement of NEET, JEE Main 2020 by a day-long hunger strike

2020-08-25T20:05:00.003+05:30

JEE Main, NEET 2020 Exam News: According to the leftist All India Students Association (AISA), over 4,200 students observed the day-long hunger strike at their respective home demanding that CBSE compartment exams of Classes 10 and 12 be cancelled.

The chorus for postponing various examinations, including NEET and JEE, grew louder on Sunday with over 4,000 students observed a day-long hunger strike to press for the demand in view of rising COVID-19 cases.

The protest came on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the government must listen to the ‘mann ki baat’ of students and arrive at “an acceptable solution” and his party demanded that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) be deferred.

According to the leftist All India Students Association (AISA), over 4,200 students observed the day-long hunger strike at their respective home demanding that CBSE compartment exams of Classes 10 and 12 be cancelled and entrance exams such as the UGC-NET, CLAT, NEET and JEE be postponed.

Using the hashtag, SATYAGRAHagainstExamInCovid, many students also took to Twitter to appeal to the government to heed to their demands.

Manoj S, a JEE aspirant from Karnataka, said, “We have to report to the JEE exam centre at 7 am. My centre is almost 150 kilometres away and there are no train or bus services available currently. “Many of my friends have said that their centres are 200 to 250 kilometres away. How are we supposed to travel? How will we write exams wearing masks for seven to eight hours?”

He urged the government to postpone the exams till normalcy is restored.

Anisha, hailing from Odisha, said with all the hotels and guest houses closed, where would they stay in case they have to travel for exams.

“I am from Balasore and my NEET exam centre is in Bhubaneswar. I will have to travel for five hours to take my exam. There are no hotels or guesthouses that are open. Where will we stay?” she said.

Siddh Dutt, who will be appearing for CBSE compartment exam, said, “I am an asthma patient. I am scared of what may happen to me if I catch COVID-19.”

Madhurima, who said she has to take four different entrance exams, wants authorities to listen to her appeal — “Please produce a vaccine so that we can take exams. “I am a JEE, IISER, DUET aspirant and also have to take another entrance exam,” she said.

Md Danish Khan from Bhagalpur in Bihar said he has been “allotted an exam centre in Patna, which is a COVID-19 hotspot”. “I do not want to risk the lives of my relatives by staying at their place when I go to take the exam. I also stay in a joint family and if I contract the virus, it will create a chain of infection,” he said.

A Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) aspirant from Kolkata, who requested anonymity, said she fears for her parents’ safety during this time.

“My father is a diabetic and my mother just had an operation for a tumour. Even if they go to drop me to the exam centre using public transport, I will be putting them at risk. The government is not ready to listen to us.

“We will have to sit and write the exams wearing masks, gloves and headgear under hot weather conditions,” she said.
Other students also shared similar woes and urged the government to postpone entrance exams and declare the academic year as a “zero year”.

The AISA lent solidarity to the demands of the students.

A day ago, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had appealed to the central government to cancel medical and engineering entrance exams JEE and NEET in view of the COVID-19 situation. He also said an alternative admission methodology should be used this year and the exams should not be conducted.

On Friday, Education Ministry officials had said the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) will be conducted in September as scheduled.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh said student representatives of some universities, including Hyderabad Central University, Aligarh Muslim University and JNU, have written to the National Testing Agency over issues pertaining to the recently declared exam date of UGC NET.

“We request the authorities to address the logistical issues, before going ahead with the exam,” she tweeted. JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh tweeted

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, which came into effect the next day and threw economic activities out of gear.

India’s COVID-19 tally sprinted past the 30-lakh mark on Sunday, just 16 days after it crossed 20 lakh, while 22,80,566 people have recuperated in the country so far pushing the recovery rate to 74.90 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

https://indianexpress.com/article/education/jee-main-neet-over-4000-students-observing-a-day-long-hunger-strike-demanding-postponement-of-exams-6567584/

6 top research scholarships for Indian students

2020-08-24T21:39:00.001+05:30

Research scholarship is a broad category of scholarships and fellowships that are given to students for the purpose of research at graduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels. Research plays a crucial role in a variety of fields including science, technology, engineering, medicine, etc.

There are various research institutions that offer scholarships for students to carry out research in specific fields. Furthermore, institutions such as IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, ICAR also offer fellowships and grants to support the research study of scholars in various fields. Here is the list of top six research scholarships for Indian students that one must keep track.

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarships: This scholarship is meant for postgraduate students who are registered or admitted in a PhD programme at a recognised university or institution in India. Applicable for two years, this scholarship supports research in specialisations including sociology, Indian history, economics, geography, ecology, and environment etc. The candidates who are below 35 years of age and have obtained at least 60 per cent marks in both graduation and postgraduation can apply for this scholarship.

Provider Details: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund
Eligibility: Students enrolled in PhD programmes
Awards: Up to Rs 18,000 per month and other benefits
Application Timeline: Between May and June (tentative)
Application Mode: By post (to Administrative Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund)

Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship – IIT Ropar: Introduced with an objective to encourage bright minds to carry out research programmes at IIT-Ropar, this fellowship offers financial support to students having a PhD degree. It is mandatory for students to apply within five years after the completion of PhD. The fellowship is also open for candidates who have completed their PhD thesis under the supervision or co-supervision of IIT-Ropar faculty members. In this case, students are allowed to apply after three years of completion of their PhD degree.

Provider Details: Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar
Eligibility: PhD degree holders
Awards: Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000 and other benefits
Application Timeline: Round the year
Application Mode: By post or in-hand application submission to the department/center in which the candidate intends to join as a Post-Doctoral Fellow

SERB National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF): This fellowship aims to identify motivated young researchers and provide them with support to carry out research in frontier areas of science and engineering. Under this fellowship, the students below the age of 35 who have obtained a PhD/MD/MS degree from a recognised university can avail variable benefits to carry out research at postdoctoral level. The candidates who have submitted their PhD/MD/MS thesis and are awaiting award can also apply. However, they will receive a lower fellowship amount till they qualify the degree.

Provider Details: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)
Eligibility: PhD/MD/MS degree holders
Awards: Monthly stipend up to Rs 55,000 and other benefits
Application Timeline: Between April and May (tentative)
Application Mode: Online, through the official website of SERB

Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE): This initiative of SERB is meant for students having a PhD degree in Science or MD/MS in medicine or ME/MTech in engineering or technology. The key objective of the scheme is to facilitate mobility of faculty members working in state universities/colleges and private academic institutions to carry out research in renowned institutions such as IITs, IISc, IISERs, etc. The age of the candidates should be less than 45 years and they must not hold any ongoing research projects or fellowship at the time of application submission.

Provider Details: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)
Eligibility: PhD in Science or MD/MS in medicine or ME/MTech in engineering or technology degree
holders
Awards: Rs 60,000 per annum and research grant of Rs 5 lakh per annum
Application Timeline: Between March and April (tentative)
Application Mode: Online, through official website of SERB

ICMR Centenary-Post Doctoral Research Fellowship Scheme: This fellowship aims to support PhD/MD/MS degree holders to pursue research in the area of basic science, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and reproductive health including nutrition at ICMR institutions and centers. The candidates are required to apply for this fellowship within three years of completion of PhD/MD/MS. The age of the candidates should be below 32 years on the date of application.

Provider Details: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Eligibility: PhD/MD/MS degree holders
Awards: Rs 50,000 per month and other benefits
Application Timeline: Between July and December (tentative)
Application Mode: By post (to the Director General of ICMR)

Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF): This fellowship aims to promote technical research studies and attract the meritorious students to pursue doctoral programmes at leading institutions in India. The students who have completed or pursuing BTech or MTech, MSc or integrated MTech or MSc degree can avail benefits under this scheme.

They are required to apply for a PhD programme at one of the PMRF granting institutes either through direct entry channel or lateral entry channel.

Provider Details: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
Eligibility: BTech graduate, final year BTech, integrated MTech, integrated MSc students from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISER/IIITs
Awards: Stipend up to Rs 80,000 per month and other benefits
Application Timeline: Round the year
Application Mode: Apply through the PMRF granting institutions

https://indianexpress.com/article/education/top-6-research-scholarships-for-indian-students-6566150/

Education Minister calls exam reforms in National Institute Of Open Schooling

2020-08-24T21:35:00.000+05:30

The National Institute of Open Schooling needs to introduce reforms in its examination process so that the integrity of the institution cannot be questioned, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said on Monday. He made the comments at a review meeting with officials of the open school. The meeting was also attended by School Education Secretary Anita Karwal.

"During the meeting, the minister discussed strengthening the examination mechanism. He said if we found some irregularities within the institution, we should take tough action against the culprit. He directed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) officials that if they received any complaint against NIOS examination centres, they should resolve the complaint as soon as possible," the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement.

"The minister also directed the NIOS officials to reform the examination process so that no one can question the integrity of the prestigious institution. It was suggested that a dashboard must be created containing detailed information and contacts of all centres across the country.

It will have all the information and suggestions from stakeholders so that transparency will be increased in the system," it said.

During the meeting, suggestions were made about drafting NIOS syllabus on the lines of NCERT so that students can get a better understanding of the subject.

"The minister also reviewed the work of NIOS during COVID-19 crisis. NIOS officials briefed him that they are running four channels for their students, out of which, two are dedicated for secondary and higher secondary level.

The NIOS officials also informed that they are now providing six hours fresh content daily to their students, including weekends, which were only for two hours before the COVID-19 crisis," the statement added.

https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/education-minister-calls-for-exam-reforms-in-national-institute-of-open-schooling-details/642144

Unlock 4.0 guidelines: Will educational institutions reopen?

2020-08-24T21:30:00.002+05:30

New Delhi, Aug 24: The Ministry of Home Affairs will soon announce the Unlock 4.0 guidelines. While announcing Unlock 3.0, the MHA had allowed Yoga institutes and gymnasiums to open. The MHA had however extended the lockdown until August 31 and had said that educational institutions would remain closed.

Educational institutions have remained shut for the past five months. A decision on whether or not to open educational institutions is likely to be taken on September 1. Guidelines on the same would be issued by the end of this month. There is however no confirmation on whether the schools would allowed to open or not. Guidelines are being prepared and a final decision is expected soon. There are reports which suggest that educational institutes may open in a staggered manner to ensure that there is maximum precaution taken. Further relaxations on public transport etc are also expected. Last week the MHA had instructed all states not to prevent any inter and intra-state transport for both persons as well as the movement of goods.

https://www.oneindia.com/india/unlock-4-0-guidelines-will-educational-institutions-open-3138385.html

Online higher education sector to be worth $5 billion by FY25

2020-08-23T13:02:00.000+05:30

If the implementation of the latest National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goes as planned, the move is set to open up several opportunities for online higher education. With the policy paving way for more formal education and skill development, an analysis by RedSeer Management Consulting has found that the online higher education and lifelong learning will be a $5-billion opportunity by financial year (FY) 2024-25. This will be a ten-fold growth from an industry size of $500 million in FY20.

The RedSeer Analysis juxtaposes growth of online higher education and lifelong learning on the potential growth in higher education among students and skill development among working professionals going forward. For instance, currently of the total addressable market (TAM) in FY20 for higher education stands at around 40 million students and 50 million working professional for lifelong learning. However, at present online paid users in FY20 is still 500,000 or 0.5 million each, which has a potential to grow on the back of the government's target of achieving 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio (GER) by 2035.

Hence, growth in opportunity for online higher education can come on the back of expected growth in student enrolment in higher education, up from 40 million in FY20 to 53 million by FY25, to 70 million by FY30 and 92 million by FY35, with the GER climbing from current 26 per cent to 32 per cent, 40 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively.

Online higher education players like Great Learning too are bullish about the trends and agree with the RedSeer analysis.

"The concept of lifelong learning is the new normal now and this is being proven out by the interest we are witnessing among students and working professionals to upskill and power ahead in their careers. Despite the pandemic, we have seen a 5X growth in our learner base during the lockdown.

And we believe we have barely scratched the surface. Going ahead, we expect to grow at an even faster clip with the New Education Policy bringing several reforms to the higher education space. I am confident that over the next few years, this need for upskilling will spur ed-tech companies with massive scale and impact. The report by RedSeer further confirms this," said Hari Krishnan Nair, Co-founder of Great Learning.

The online higher education businesses can be broadly classified into two including full stack versus aggregators and niche versus mass segments. However, in terms of business models in online higher education and lifelong learning, the analysis pegs full stack models as best positioned to capture the growth though multiple models have emerged in recent times.

https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/online-higher-education-sector-to-be-worth-5-billion-by-fy25-report-120082101227_1.html

NEET, JEE Exam 2020 Not to be postponed, NTA releases clarification - confirms the exam schedule

2020-08-23T12:54:00.004+05:30

NEET, JEE Main 2020 Postponement: Secretary Education Ministry has clarified that the NEET and JEE Main 2020 exams scheduled for September cannot be postponed as per SC order.

NEET, JEE Main 2020 would not be postponed. Dashing the hopes of thousands of students, Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Education has confirmed that the entrance examinations cannot be postponed. Referring to the Supreme Court order, he has stated that the SC was very clear in its order and the examinations cannot be postponed. National Testing Agency, NTA has also release a clarification confirming the same, stating that the examination cannot be postponed.

In the letter tweeted by NTA, the agency has shared Supreme Court's order stating that that examination cannot be postponed any further. NTA has also clarified that the examination centres for students were changed as per request and further requests were also being catered to. Apart from this, elaborate precautions have also been taken for the safety of the students.

The plea for postponing JEE and NEET 2020 examinations was presented to the Supreme Court. 3 other petitions were also filed, asking the SC to ensure that the examinations were not postponed. Supreme Court had dismissed the petition to postpone the examinations, noting that the exams cannot be indefintely deferred. Pursuant to that, pleas were sent to the PMO for the same.

Earlier in the day. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to ask the Education ministry to postpone NEET, JEE Main 2020 examinations. In the letter, the Union Minister points out the Supreme Court''s decision is not binding to the government. He has earlier tweeted his intent of the same after students approached him and asked for assistance to get NEET, JEE Main 2020 postponed. He has urged that the exam be postponed till after Diwali.

Taking to the social media channel – Twitter, he tweeted that he has already reached out to the Education Minister and asked him to conduct the examination after Deepavali. He decided to intervene after he was approached by students after the Supreme Court dismissed the plea to postpone the examination. He tweeted to confirm that he mean NEET and JEE and other such entrance examinations. Later he shared the letter he has written and shared he is 'hopeful but also pointed out that the students had been 'very late' in approaching, since the case has already been to the Supreme Court.

Updates on the same, once available, would be provided on this page. Students and parents are however asked to please be patient and continue the efforts. Delaying the examination may not be possible. Whatever may be the decision, we request the parents to please counsel their wards and discuss the matter with them.
NEET, JEE 2020 Exam

Meanwhile, Supreme Court has dismissed the plea and NTA has released the admit card for JEE Main 2020 examination. NTA has also released a notice confirming that the admit cards for NEET 2020 would also be released on ntaneet.nic.in shortly. The students, however, continue to reach out to twitter and the various authorities with plea to postpone the examination.

Clamour for postponing NEET gained momentum after a student in Tamil Nadu committed suicide, soon after SC’s dismissal of the plea. All students are again urged to please be patient and prepared for the examination. All necessary steps shall be taken for the safety of the students.As of now, JEE Main 2020 is scheduled to begin from September 1 and NEET 2020 is scheduled for September 13.

https://www.timesnownews.com/education/article/neet-2020-likely-to-be-postponed-emergency-meeting-underway-tweets-subramaniam-swamy/640535

Postpone JEE Main, NEET 2020: MPs, Students Ask Education Minister

2020-08-22T21:46:00.002+05:30

JEE Main and NEET 2020: With less than a month to go, demands for postponement of the engineering and medical entrance exam are rising sky high.

New Delhi:With less than a month to go, demands for postponement of Joint Entrance Examination Main, or JEE Main 2020, and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate, or NEET 2020, are rising sky high. The National Testing Agency, or NTA, is all set to conduct the engineering and medical entrance exams in September.

Concerned about health and safety, students have been running social media campaigns for months. Several politicians from Bihar, which has been facing floods, have also argued for the postponement of JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020.

Member of Parliament, Chirag Paswan, also wrote to the education minister highlighting the health and safety concerns related to the conduct of JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 in September.

“Wrote to the Education Minister highlighting concerns of parents about JEE and NEET,” Mr Paswan said on social media.
The opposition leader in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, too, has sought a postponement. He wrote on social media: “Central Govt, NTA, UGC and IIT Delhi must have a considerate and humane view of the plight of the students and youth of this country! This hurry to conduct exams amidst spiking COVID cases will prove to be costly! In Bihar floods+Govt apathy will compound problems!”

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, too, has asked for rescheduling. “I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali, he said on social media.

Meanwhile, students have flooded all recent social media posts by the Education Minister with ‘Postpone JEE’ and ‘Postpone NEET’ demands.
Despite student protests, NTA or the education ministry has not decided to postpone JEE Main and NEET 2020.

NTA has recently released JEE Main admit card. According to government sources, 6,49,223 out of 8,58,273 candidates have downloaded their admit cards. Out of the total candidates, 99.07% candidates have been alloted the test centres of their preference and 120 candidates have requested for a change in centre cities allotted to them. The agency will release NEET 2020 admit card soon.

https://www.ndtv.com/education/postpone-jee-main-2020-postpone-neet-2020-students-mps-to-education-minister-latest-news

Supreme Court's verdict on final year university exams will be announced soon

2020-08-22T21:36:00.000+05:30

The Supreme Court verdict on the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines to the state universities on conducting final year exams by September end is expected to be out soon. The top court had reserved its order on August 18, 2020 on whether the central commission be allowed to conduct final year exams in state universities across the country. Advocating on conducting final term exams, UGC during one of the hearings in Supreme Court had said that state universities final term exams shouldn't be cancelled as the future of students was at stake.

Supreme Court hearing status on UGC guidelines so far

* The Supreme Court reserved judgement on whether the final year degree examinations in universities should be held before September 30, in accordance with UGC guidelines.
The top court will also decide whether state governments have the power to take a decision against conducting final year examinations under the Disaster Management Act.
* A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan has reserved the judgement on a batch of PILs along with some state governments - Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Delhi - questioning the UGC direction to universities to conduct final year exams before September 30.
* The state governments have argued that they have the power to promote students without exams in the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
* Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UGC, contended before the top court that final year is the degree year and exams cannot be done away with.
* Mehta cited examples of exams being conducted by some universities and added that many top-level universities have opted for online exams. Mehta insisted that foreign universities and further education require degrees.
* Citing the UGC guidelines, Mehta contended before the bench that these guidelines are not merely for preaching and that they are mandatory.
* The guidelines which have been challenged before the top court have a statutory mandate, Solicitor General added.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/education/news-ugc-exam-guidelines-supreme-court-verdict-will-be-announced-soon-final-year-university-exams-644060

TS DOST admission 2020

2020-08-21T22:21:00.001+05:30

TS DOST admission 2020: The registration for Phase 1 of the admission process will be on from 24 August to 9 September, while Phase 2 will begin from 17 September.

TS DOST admission 2020: The Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) has announced that the state government will begin registration of admission to undergraduate courses via the Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST) portal from 24 August.

To register online for DOST 2020, candidates can visit the official website — dost.cgg.gov.in and log in with their Intermediate roll numbers.

The official portal said that candidates seeking admission into various undergraduate (UG) courses such as BA, BSc, BCom (Voc), BCom (Hon), BBA, BCA, BBM, in the state universities including Osmania University, Kakatiya University, Telangana University, Palamuru University, Mahatma Gandhi University and Sathavahana University can register themselves on DOST.

Students will be allotted seats on the basis of merit.

Students will have to confirm seats by self reporting and paying the fees and if they don't confirm, the seat will be carried forward to the second phase of registrations.

Earlier, the Phase 1 registration was scheduled to begin from 1 July.

Candidates will have to pay one-time registration fees of Rs 200 for all colleges or courses of one or more universities.

The registration for Phase 1 will be available from 24 August to 9 September. Phase 1 web options will be open from 29 August to 8 September.

Registration for Phase 2 will require a fee of Rs 400 and will begin from 17 September. The registration fee for the third phase will also be Rs 400.

The candidates, who confirm their seats online (self-reporting) during the three phases must again report physically to their respective colleges from 8 to 12 October, reported Careers 360. The TSCHE will announce the date for commencement of classes at a later date.

Here’s the official notification of DOST.

Students can finalise the procedure by paying the required fees on the official DOST portal.

The council has taken steps to follow all COVID-19 protocols. A real-time digital face recognition system, or the T App Folio, has been created.

According to a report by The New Indian Express, this will facilitate the verification of a student’s identity without the invigilator actually having to sign on a sheet, thereby minimising human contact.

https://www.firstpost.com/india/ts-dost-admission-2020-telangana-board-to-begin-registration-for-admission-to-ug-courses-from-24-august-8739251.html

Illusions of Education were created by NEP

2020-08-21T13:49:00.003+05:30

The New Education Policy, one must distinguish platitudes from new provisions, including the dropping of old platitudes. Thus, phrases like “education is a public good”, “6 per cent of GDP should be earmarked for education” are just platitudes, unless some concrete suggestions are advanced to realise these.

In short, repeating old platitudes is inconsequential; it is only not repeating them that has some significance, but such inconsequential repetition of old platitudes in the New Education Policy has impressed many otherwise well-informed observers, which explains the strange phenomenon of their according some approval to a policy that is downright reactionary and represents an obvious retreat from the goal of laying the foundations for an egalitarian society.

This retreat takes the form, above all, of exclusion of the socially and economically deprived sections from the ambit of education. There is scarcely any mention of affirmative action in the form of reservation for the socially oppressed anywhere in the document. And given the way reservations are being given a quiet burial in universities, such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, directly under the nose of the Central government and hence undoubtedly with its tacit support, the trend towards the exclusion of students from Dalit and OBC (Other Backward Class) backgrounds is unmistakable.

There is in additional exclusion for economic reasons, through the privatisation of education, which the New Education Policy encourages. With “autonomy”, including financial autonomy, proposed to be granted to numerous colleges, they would obviously garner funds by charging higher fees, which would make them out of bounds for students from poor economic backgrounds, including those from the oppressed castes.

The proponents of the policy may contend that there will be scholarships for poor students, so that the better off students would in effect be cross-subsidising them. But, if at all such a scheme is implemented, given the investment required for making these institutions attractive enough for the well-to-do students, the fees charged to them, both for financing investments and for financing scholarships, will have to be very high.

This will create a social cleavage among students (“my fees are going to educate you”), destroying all collegiality. The obvious solution, of having publicly funded institutions with government scholarships, is precisely what the NEP, operating within the ambit of neo-liberalism, is moving away from.

Hence, the impecunious students will either be completely excluded, or remain in such institutions as second-class students, derided by the better-off students until they eventually drop out.

Interestingly, in the Draft NEP of 2019, on which the current NEP is based, there were sentences expressing disapproval of private non-philanthropic educational institutions. But, in this final version, those sentences have been removed. Likewise, in the initial document released by the government as the final NEP, there were references to the Right to Education, but these, too, were removed in the version put out on the government website.

In fact, the NEP plans explicitly for the dropping out of students, which would inevitably occur according to us, though it camouflages such dropping out as an exercise in “flexibility”.

The policy provides for a four-year undergraduate programme, though the reasons for having such a programme are wholly unclear. Such a programme was introduced in Delhi University by the then HRD minister Kapil Sibal, under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance-II government, and had aroused much opposition.

It was withdrawn by human resource development minister Smriti Irani during the tenure of the first Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government, but has now been inexplicably reintroduced for the entire country!

Within this programme, however, students can drop out after the first year with a certificate and after the second year, with a diploma. There are, however, no one-year or two-year programmes as such that are being offered. So, anyone dropping out would be doing so in the middle of a four-year programme after having done just a few courses.

What the NEP does is thus to legitimise dropping out, except that it promises a piece of paper as a sort of consolation, called a certificate or a diploma, to students who are dropping out. These pieces of paper will not enable their holders to lay claims to any worthwhile jobs; and one or two years in college, which is all they would have spent, will not provide them any worthwhile education, not even any worthwhile experience of “college life”.

In effect, therefore, the idea of NEP is to produce a whole army of barely-educated persons, who would only be given the illusion of being “educated”. And these persons would typically belong to the socially and economically deprived categories.

This is a travesty of the social vision that independent India had set itself, of making education accessible to all as part of the country’s new awakening. Likewise, the policy of pushing people into career-oriented courses, into vocational training even before they have had a minimum number of years of general education, is typical of a government that wishes to wash its hands of its responsibility towards young persons.

It offers them neither a proper education so that they can become citizens of the republic, nor a proper job. It just wants to dump them on the market with a modicum of training, and then let them fend for themselves.

This exclusion also makes a mockery of the NEP’s provision that school students, for the first few years, should be educated in their mother tongue, which may be a local language different from the language of the state to which they belong.

This idea, which might otherwise have been a welcome one, requires as a complementary measure some assurance, through an appropriate policy of reservation for instance, that those receiving such education will not be at a disadvantage in going further in their educational careers. But in the absence of any such reservation, learning in one’s mother tongue may well turn out simply to be a ghetto to which the non-elite students would get consigned, without much chance of progressing further.

But it is not just the de facto dichotomy that the NEP introduces among the elite and non-elite students that is reprehensible. Its very philosophy is to make people accept such dichotomies.

One of its explicit objectives is to make students take pride in being Indian. Since none can possibly take pride in being part of a civilisation characterised by inhuman practices like “untouchability”, the syllabus will naturally play down such practices and present a “prettified” picture of Indian civilisation.

Likewise Niskama Karma may inform one’s personal philosophy of living; but if it is taught as part of a curriculum to every student, then that inevitably amounts to playing down exploitation; if a factory worker’s child is taught that Niskama Karma is an ideal, then that child will have little sympathy for his or her father’s going on a strike for higher wages.

The purpose of education must be to create a better world. To do so, one must be dissatisfied with the existing world. Making one adjust to the existing world, or, worse still, to a world that had existed earlier but which the people are engaged in transcending through their praxis, is a reactionary project in the realm of education. The NEP promotes such a reactionary project.

This is also reflected in the fact that students are not going to be taught anything about their fundamental rights but only about their fundamental duties. The accent everywhere in the document is to produce conformism.

The children of the elite will become conformist servitors of international finance capital in executive positions; the children of the excluded, the socially and economically under-privileged, will become conformist members of the working classes, among whom a shrinking number of jobs will be rationed out, but who will lack the intellectual wherewithal to fight against their predicament effectively. This is an inappropriate philosophy of education in any country, especially in a country like ours.

In the name of flexibility, inclusion, reduction of burden on students, and such like, what is being attempted is the very opposite: exclusion and reconciliation to the state of being excluded. In fact, one would understand NEP better if one approached it differently.

The introduction of a homogeneous mass education is a requirement of capitalism, which entailed substantial mobility of personnel in contrast to the feudal era, when people scarcely went out of their villages or local areas. Capitalism still needs such an educational system that would impart a homogeneous education to equip a person to serve the needs of capital, no matter where s/he is.

But education on a much larger scale would be entailed in the programme of “universal education” that independent India had promised, compared with what the operation of capitalism per se needs today.

The objective of an education policy under neoliberal capitalism, therefore, is to educate people merely on the scale required by capital, and to renege, through various subterfuges, on the promise of universal education. One would understand the NEP better if one approached it by looking for such subterfuges, namely how it reneges rather than what it says.

https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/4/19238/NEP-Creates-Illusions-of-Education

IBM partners with NSDC to offer free digital education to students

2020-08-21T13:40:00.001+05:30

Under the partnership, IBM will catalogue its 30-plus Open P-TECH courses on eSkill India portal, with more than 60 hours of learning, as a knowledge partner.

Technology major IBM on Friday (August 21) announced its collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer ‘Open P-TECH’, a free digital education platform, focused on emerging technologies and professional development skills.

As a part of the collaboration, IBM will curate online courses from Open P-TECH platform and offer it to users via NSDC’s eSkill India portal to ensure that Indian youth have relevant skills.

The open P-TECH (Pathways to Technology Early College High School) platform was launched in India in March 2020 to equip young learners and educators with foundational technology competencies and emerging areas of technology.

Manoj Balachandran, Leader, CSR, IBM India/South Asia said that there are 9,000 learners and worldwide there are 44,000 learners under open P-Tech.

As a concept, P-Tech was first launched by IBM in 2011 in Brooklyn as a brick-and-mortar model. Balachandran said that the open P-Tech was to ensure that these learning modules have a wider reach.

Sandip Patel, MD, IBM India/South Asia said that skill gap is a reality in India. He added that data shows that there will be a 29 million skill deficit by 2030.

“The future is new collar jobs where individuals don’t have formal degrees but have the skills that are enabling them to be relevant to the job role. I am of the view that emerging technologies must be a part of student curriculum,” added Patel.

Patel also said that the content is currently available in English and will be further expanded into Hindi and 10 other Indian languages including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Urdu, Bengali. Soft skills will also be included and also gamified assessment, he added.

Under the partnership, IBM will catalogue its 30 plus Open P-TECH courses on eSkill India portal, with more than 60 hours of learning, as a knowledge partner. eSkill India is a digital skilling initiative from NSDC that aggregates digital learning resources through various Indian and global knowledge partnerships, to enable access to best-in-class learning resources for the India youth. Currently, over 1.6 million minutes of digital courses and content is available across various sectors in multiple languages.

IBM will provide online courses in emerging technologies like cyber security, blockchain, AI and machine learning, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), along with professional skills, like design thinking to learners between 18 to 22 years for free.

Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, National Skill Development Corporation said that technology is relevant to India’s future.

“Online trainings through digital platforms like Open P-TECH and eSkill India need to be accelerated to overcome geographical and socio-economic barriers. Digital learning will enable higher participation of women in the labour workforce as the scope for employability will increase.,” he added.

Kumar added that IT was among the sectors with lowest wage gap between men and women at 12 percent. This was in contrast to almost 30-35 percent in other sectors.

Under the partnership, Open P-TECH platform will offer courses to develop soft skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving which is amongst a set of 11 key skills which are generally not available in a college curriculum, but are high in demand and are valued in the job market.
In India, previously, IBM had partnered with Directorate General of Training at the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Central Board of Secondary Education, Niti Aayog and State Department of Education, and State Skills Missions to impact more than 400,000 lakh learners and students across 22+ states through its education and skilling initiatives.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/ibm-partners-with-nsdc-to-offer-free-digital-education-platform-to-students-5737481.html

Telangana state schools maybe reopen in first week of September 2020

2020-08-19T19:38:00.006+05:30

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief minister Mr K Chandrasekhar Rao has called the cabinet meeting on August 5 in which possibilities to reopen schools from first week of September are likely to be explored.

On July 17, Chief Minister had announced that engineering colleges will begin from august 17.
Centre’s Unlock 3 guidelines

However, the Centre in its Unlock 3 guidelines has announced that the educational institutions will remain closed till August 31.

Private schools seek financial aid

Meanwhile, private schools in Telangana which are closed due to the coronavirus situation in the state have appealed for financial support from the government.

Telangana Recognised Schools Management Association President Yadgiri Sekhar Rao has shot a letter to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in this connection in which he has appealed for financial aid to private schools.

Online classes

Keeping in view the loss of learning in case of extended school closures, some private schools of the state have already started taking online classes. However, following concerns raised by parents about increased children’s screen time, Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD Ministry) framed guidelines recommending that the duration for online classes for pre-primary student should not be for than 30 minutes. For classes 1 to 8 two online sessions of up to 45 minutes each while for classes to 9 to 12, four sessions of 30-45 minutes duration have been recommended.

Closure of schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of schools. Following Centre’s announcement of a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Universities and schools across the country have been shut since March 16. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 coming into effect from the next day. According to MHRD, closure of schools due to Coronavirus pandemic has impacted over 240 million children of the country who are enrolled in schools.

https://www.siasat.com/telangana-schools-likely-to-reopen-in-first-week-of-september-1936628/

JEE Mains to be postponed, due to COVID-19

2020-08-19T14:01:00.001+05:30

This is part of the instructions issued by National Testing Agency, which conducts JEE-Main & NEET. JEE is scheduled in September first week, while NEET will be held on 13th.

New Delhi: with the Supreme Court Monday rejecting a plea demanding a further postponement of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main and National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts these exams, has come up with instructions to be followed by candidates when they write their papers.

According to the instructions, those appearing for JEE-Main, scheduled in the first week of September, will have to submit a self-declaration form along with a photograph, saying they have not tested positive for Covid-19 and have not had any symptoms like fever, dry cough or difficulty in breathing in the recent days.

This form will have to be submitted at the examination centre after it is verified by an exam centre officer and signed by the candidate on the spot.

The NTA uploaded these instructions on their official website late Monday evening and all candidates appearing for the exam have to follow the guidelines mandatorily.

“The candidates are advised to follow the instructions and the advisory in letter and spirit,” the NTA instructions said.

A similar set of instructions is also likely to be issued for the NEET candidates soon.

The NTA stated that the admit card will be of four pages this time, with one page dedicated to the undertaking form.

“On the day of the examination, the candidate has to also bring to the exam centre, the undertaking given on the Admit Card at Page-1 (duly filled in, except his/her signature which he/she will be required to do in the presence of Invigilator). This Undertaking is in addition to the one filled online at the time of downloading the Admit Card,” the notice on the NTA’s website read.

“Considering the prevailing Covid-19 condition, the NTA has made all efforts for smooth conduct of the examination. The students as well as their parents/guardians are also requested to cooperate with NTA for successful conduct of the examination in a safe and healthy environment by sincerely following the instructions and advisories,” the notice further read, urging people to be cautious.

https://theprint.in/india/education/jee-aspirants-have-to-sign-covid-undertaking-to-write-tests-as-sc-refuses-to-postpone-exam/484092/

Indian Online Education Market Worth INR 360 Billion by 2024

2020-04-18T11:37:00.002+05:30

With the increasing adoption of the Internet and rise in awareness about e-learning, the online education industry is expected to witness promising growth during the forecast period.

The online education market in India was valued at INR 39 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach INR 360.3 billion by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of ~43.85% during the 2019-2024 period. Ease of learning, flexibility, and a wide range of study materials have influenced the overall growth of the industry.

However, the lack of formal recognition and accreditation, and abundance of freely available content presents a critical threat to the growth of the sector. The industry is moving towards the adoption of innovative technologies like Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Big Data Analytics, Blockchain and others to improve the learning experience.

Segment Insights

The online education market is segmented into primary and secondary supplemental education, test preparation, reskilling and certification, higher education language, and casual learning. The online primary and secondary supplemental education segment was valued at INR 11.99 Bn in 2018 and is expected to reach INR 123.65 Bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of ~46.48% during the 2019-2024 period. The change in consumer behavior towards detailed learning and surge in demand from tier II and tier III cities are driving the growth of this segment.

The online test preparation market is expected to reach INR 94.75 Bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of ~50.84% during the 2019-2024 period. This segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the online education market, owing to growth in career-focused population, enhanced Internet infrastructure and increased penetration of digital payment methods.

The online reskilling and certification market is expected to reach INR 93.81 Bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of ~36.95% during the 2019-2024 period. The growing business landscape has widened the skill gap among employees, which is why the demand for reskilling courses is picking up.

The online higher education market was valued at INR 5.01 Bn in 2018 and is expected to reach INR 40.63 Bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of ~40.74% during the 2019-2024 period. The conventional education system is insufficient for the growing population, and therefore students are switching to online higher education courses.

Key Market Trends

Gamification is one of the most prevalent trends among online education providers to encourage learning through immersive experiences. Simulation of concepts, level advancement badges and incentive-based learning are driving user engagement on online education platforms. Online learning players, nowadays, are continuously competing to offer differentiated products to the target audience, mostly by offering value-added services with regular courses. Value-added services like internships, live projects, group discussions, and career counselling sessions, offered along with regular courses enhance users' experiences.

Competition Analysis
The Indian online education market is highly fragmented with around 3,500 edtech start-ups operating in the country. Many foreign players are entering the Indian online education industry. BYJU's, Udemy, Coursera and Duolingo are a few prominent players in the industry, catering to the requirements of different target audiences.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200417005258/en/Online-Education-Market-India-Worth-INR-360

Indian Educational institutions are introducing online courses and some education technology startups

2020-04-18T11:31:00.001+05:30

Schools around the world have closed their doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving more than 1.5 billion children stuck at home. While it's a great inconvenience for many, it has created a spike in demand for online learning.

Educational institutions are introducing online courses and some education technology startups are temporarily offering free classes to help offset the impact of school closures.

Take Byju's, an India-based education startup named after its founder, Byju Raveendran. In early March, it announced it would give children free access to its learning app, which it says had more than 40 million users at the end of last year. Around 3 million of those paid between $150 and $200 for an annual subscription.

Since the announcement, the company says it has experienced a 60% surge in students using its products, which range from interactive video lessons and live classes, to quizzes and exam preparation.
A nationwide lockdown, ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in late March, means that India's school-age population of around 300 million is suddenly having to home educate.

"The outbreak is clearly increasing the appreciation of online education," Raveendran tells CNN Business. "This could be a turning point for the industry, ushering in an increased usage of this format and changing habits in terms of how kids learn and how teachers teach," he adds.

Other Indian platforms, including Unacademy, Vedantu and Toppr are also offering free classes and content to students.

Google (GOOGL) and KPMG estimated in a 2017 report that India's online education market would be worth around $2 billion in 2021, up from $250 million in 2016, with the number of paying users rising to 9.6 million.
Those numbers may need significant revision. Raveendran thinks that the current school closures will not only boost online learning but will help to reset India's education system, with less emphasis on preparing for exams.
"Students just memorize, replicate and then forget when the exam is over," he says. Online learning would enable personalized lesson formats as well as a more engaging, interactive learning process.

Anantha Duraiappah is director of UNESCO's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, which has a vision of "transforming education for humanity."
"It [online learning] allows the potential of individualized learning and offers the prospect of radically changing a system that frankly has not changed or evolved over the past 300-odd years," he tells CNN Business.

A tool to democratize education?

Byju's was founded in 2011 and is now reportedly worth $8 billion. When its learning app launched in 2015, only around a quarter of India's population had access to the internet, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Today, more than half does.

That means education apps are no longer restricted to major urban centers or the wealthier members of society. Byju's says that more than 60% of its students are from outside the 10 largest cities in India.
The app is currently only available in Hindi and English, but Raveendran says Byju's is in the process of adding more regional languages.

Still, millions of children are unable to access online learning through a laptop or cell phone.
Raveendran accepts there is a long way to go. "If you look at the total number of school students in India, our penetration is still a very small percentage," he says.

Byju's originally offered the free service until the end of April, but is likely to extend it, says Raveendran. He also hopes to create a free model for disadvantaged students in India for when schools reopen.

Although the free service will mean a short-term hit to revenue, Raveendran expects that in the long run it will be beneficial to the business.

"Once [pupils] start experiencing the advantages of learning online, we expect a lot of them to continue learning that way," he says.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/08/tech/online-education-india-coronavirus-spc/index.html

Telangana defers reopening of schools on June 12

2019-05-29T21:11:00.000+05:30

With heat wave continuing to hit the State, the Telangana Government has decided to defer the reopening of schools to June 12 from June 1.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has asked the Education Department to extend the summer holidays till June 11, when temperatures are expected to fall.

Earlier, he directed the officials to keep the school children away from the State Formation Day celebrations scheduled for June 2, keeping in view the heat wave.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/telangana-defers-reopening-of-schools-to-june-12/

NCERT Director conferred LPU’s ‘Transforming Education Awards’

2019-05-20T21:29:00.000+05:30

Considering School-Principals & Teachers backbone of the nation and society, as they lay everlasting progressive impressions upon their students’ lives; Lovely Professional University organized its 2nd Edition of ‘Transforming Education Awards-2018’ on 18th May 2019 at Shanti Devi Mittal Auditorium of the university. Director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Dr Hrushikesh Senapaty had been benevolent in bestowing the awards of Rs 22+ Lakh Cash Prizes & ‘Certificates of Excellence’ to selected 60 Schools from across the country. For these awards, 1100+ nominations were received from India’s various government and private schools of 26 States and 3 Union Territories of India. 11 Principals/Teachers from across India are honoured with ‘Winner Awards’ of Rs 85,000 each; 37 with Runner –Up awards of Rs 35,000; and, 12 got Appreciation Awards of Rs 10,000 each.

Addressing the winning teachers as significant contributors to the nation and the society, Dr Hrushikesh Senapaty shared: “I appreciate the unique initiative of LPU for awarding school teachers under special recognition for their contribution.” Interacting with teachers and students, Dr Senapaty shared: “Irrespective of any good or bad infrastructure, only a good teacher can create conducive learning environment in his/her classroom. Instead of preparing and inspiring students to get 100% Marks, teachers should enable students to innovate, create, invent, explore and become autonomous learners. Avoid emphasis on text-books and examinations, instead, enable students to face challenges and become problem solvers. We need good citizens, human beings for the country to compete with and excel other nations. Students must be taught about community development, co-operation, leadership qualities, societal values, working in groups in the interest of the nation”. NCERT Director also invoked teachers to develop competencies of their students and work to bring needed changes in class-room process, examination system and assessment methods and more.

Thanking Dr Senapaty for his generosity in consenting to award the winners, LPU Chancellor Mr Ashok Mittal shared: “We all know through our personal experiences that only a teacher can change the nation and the society. And, this gratitude towards teachers made us took this initiative to honour school teachers countrywide. We also congratulate all the winners, and thank all those students and their parents who spared time to nominate and recognize those bodies which prove special in teaching and student support.”

Mr Mittal also honoured Director Pushkar Raj of Allens Career for bringing illustrious transformation in the realms of competitive studies. On this occasion LPU Pro Chancellor Mrs Rashmi Mittal, Vice Chancellor Dr Ramesh Kanwar, DG Er HR Singla, Executive Deans Dr Sanjay Modi, Dr LR Gupta, Senior Dean Dr Monica Gulati, Dr Rajeev Sobti were also present on the main dais.

Ever remembering its Corporate Social Responsibility, LPU launched “Transforming Education Awards” on 5th September 2017-to commemorate Teachers’ Day. For its first edition, LPU had made an earnest approach to former President of India Dr Pranab Mukherjee, who had been gracious enough to inaugurate the awards’ ceremony organized at his residence in New Delhi.

For 2nd Edition of ‘Awards’, videos for the nominee schools/teachers were shortlisted on the basis of endorsements through voting by more than 7 lakh students, parents and teachers. The shortlisted videos and appraisal forms were evaluated by an eminent Jury of 15 elite members, including Head of Asia, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Purvi Mehta; Leader CSR, Infosys, Suja Warriar; Director-External Relations, Indian School of Business, Kumara Guru DNV; Vice President-CSR, Vedanta, Neelima Khetan; President and COO, SBI Foundation Nixon Joseph; Actress and Media Entrepreneur Deepa Sahi; Director, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dr A. Senthil Kumar.

Illustrative, LPU also organizes an annual event “Explorica” to explore young talents. Here, a large number of novel projects of students of class 10 to 10+2 from different schools are showcased for all to admire and evaluate. This year 15000+ students from 200 schools visited LPU campus and had first-hand experience of the career options available to them.

http://indiaeducationdiary.in/ncert-director-conferred-lpus-transforming-education-awards-upon-indias-best-schools-teachers/

India, Australia MoUs between top educational institutions

2018-06-30T16:04:00.001+05:30

India and Australia today decided to step up institution partnership, collaboration in school policy, skill development and vocational education at a bilateral meeting, which also witnessed signing of three important MoUs between top educational institutions of the two countries.

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said the education dialogue with Australia "reaffirmed the commitment" made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Turnbull Malcolm in April 2017 "to strengthen the education, training and research relationship" between the two nations.

Javadekar is leading a four-member delegation to Australia to participate in the 4th Australia India Education Council (AIEC) meeting which was held at Adelaide today. "At a bilateral meeting in #Adelaide with the Australian Minister of Education & Training, Mr. Simon Birmingham. Emphasis was given to institution partnership, collaboration in school policy, online education, skill development & vocational education & training," the minister tweeted.

He further said his discussion with Birmingham has been "fruitful" and "will take the India, Australia education cooperation to a new level".

During the meeting, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Western Sydney University and India's Centurion University, a joint PhD agreement between Curtin University and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, and a MoU between Deakin University and the Central University of Jammu.

“Australia and India share many values and aspirations, as well as a fundamental commitment to education,” Birmingham said at the AIEC meet.

Noting that the cooperation between the two nations covers research, international education, academic mobility, skills and training and partnerships with industry, he further said, “During my visit to India last year I saw firsthand a number of the close partnerships already underway and the importance of India as a key education partner.''

Aiming at enhancing its footprints in India's booming education market, Australia also announced a fund of five million AUS dollars for the Melbourne-based Australia India Institute (AII) during the bilateral meet.

“AII will be pivotal in building closer cooperation between institutions both here and in India, boosting the mobility of Indian and Australian students and further supporting shared research priorities," Birmingham said.

The AII was established in 2008 and is hosted at the University of Melbourne. The Institute's mandate is to build knowledge about India among Australian government, business and the wider Australian community.

“Our meetings today and the continued work of the Australia India Institute will help further enhance the footprint of Australian universities and vocational education providers in the booming Indian market,'' Birmingham said.

Many more agreements are expected to be signed in the coming weeks, including a Letter of Intent on solar cooperation between the University of New South Wales and The Energy Resources Institute of India.
“With more than 8,000 co-authored academic publications since 2013, more than 400 research partnerships already in place and over 70 000 Indian students currently studying in Australia, the partnership between Australian and India will continue to go from strength to strength,” Birmingham said.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/current-affairs-trends/india-australia-agree-to-step-up-education-cooperation-2652921.html

Govt to Dissclose UGC, Wants Your Suggestions For Future of Education System in India

2018-06-30T15:54:00.000+05:30

In a potentially game-changing move, the Ministry of Human Resource Development is looking to dismantle the University Grants Commission, the statutory body overseeing higher education in India, and replace it with the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).

The first order of business for the Centre is to repeal the UGC Act of 1956 and replace it with the ‘Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of UGC Act), 2018—a new law that will usher in the HECI.

On Wednesday, the government opened the draft law for public consultations, and one can send their feedback until July 7. Unlike the UGC, the government’s new proposed higher education regulator, the HECI, will perform a diminished role. Among other facets, for example, the HECI will give up its grant-giving function to the Central ministry.

According to The Indian Express (TIE), the mandate for the HECI is to set, maintain and improve academic standards in universities.

“Just like how the ministry funds all technical institutes like the IITs, NITs and IISERs and the AICTE focuses on maintaining standards, the government can easily take over funding of central universities. We want to downsize the regulator’s role. There won’t be any interference in the management issues of educational institutions,” said a ministry official to TIE.

Comprising of 12 members appointed by the Central Government, apart from the chairperson and vice-chairperson, here are some of the functions of the proposed HECI:

1) Evaluate yearly academic performance by institutions and mentor those not maintaining required standards.
2) Specify learning outcomes for courses of study in higher education.
3) Establish an accreditation system for evaluation of academic outcomes by various universities.
4) Teacher training.
5) Promote greater use of technology in the classroom.
6) Set the standards for opening and closing institutions of higher education.
7) Set the standards for appointing heads of universities, including those in exalted positions.
8) Institutions approved by UGC will now have to endure another screen test with the HECI and show they are complying with their academic standards.
9) The education ministry will order the closure of ‘sub-standard institutions’ who do not comply within three years after Parliament passes the new law.

“The chief executive and other members of management of such institutions who do not comply with the penalty imposed by the Commission shall be liable for prosecution as per procedure laid down under the Criminal Procedure Code and may be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to three years,” states the draft.

Reports indicate that the idea for reshaping the UGC came from a meeting between Education Minister Prakash Javadekar and ministry officials, where they discussed the possibility of merging the UGC and AICTE. After some internal revolt on the merge, they decided to go ahead with the HECI.

The reaction to this proposed reform has been mixed. The government is naturally backing this move, arguing that the UGC has lost focus on monitoring various facets of regulating universities, reducing itself to just granting funds for educational institutions.

However, academics and concerned citizens are worried about the lack of autonomy, and the potential for greater government interference in higher education.

Instead of HECI with 12 central government appointees, which include among others secretaries from various ministries, decisions pertaining to universities should be left to a transparent and accountable body not swayed by political interests. They believe that the proposed move is a comprehensive assault by the government on the autonomy of universities.

https://www.thebetterindia.com/147856/ugc-news-university-prakash-javadekar/

Could India’s poor school education system really stall its potential economic progress?

2018-02-13T15:35:00.000+05:30

Could education be one of the four horsemen of India’s potential economic apocalypse?

In Chapter 5 of this year’s Economic Survey, tabled in Parliament on Monday, Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian lists four factors that could stall India’s push to catch up with the world’s developed economies. One factor is the creation of human capital, or, in the survey’s definition, people capable of doing the jobs on offer.

Here is how it stands: around 40% of children in Classes 3 to 8 cannot complete a reading or subtraction test prescribed for Class 2, with more children in higher classes capable of doing the test than those in lower classes. This means that children are learning, but they are not learning more as they should moving up the classes. The gap between what they know and what they should know is already wide. With technological advances this gap will widen, leaving them unable to take the jobs that advances in technology bring.

All of this is already well known. No one will contest that India’s school system – public and private – is failing its young. That a solid basic education is a necessary condition for accessing all types of opportunities, and especially higher education, is also uncontested. But there seems to be some demand-supply confusion over education and jobs.

While a great deal is said about the unemployability of Indian school-leavers and even graduates, it really is nothing more than hand-wringing. There is no evidence to suggest that investors have been stymied by the lack of prospective employees.

Remember that engineers and engineering degrees did not precede bridge-building or manufacturing. They followed it. The engineering college boom in India in the last two decades too was driven by a low-value-added computer industry. Higher education produced what industry demanded.

The school education system in India is in dire need of reform. And the question economists should be asking is this: why is it that education reforms have thus far failed to grapple with issues of equity (a corollary of quality) and what economic interests underpin the persistence of educational disparities?

https://scroll.in/article/866851/economic-survey-could-indias-poor-school-education-system-really-stall-its-economic-progress

India and Oman agreed to cooperate in the tourism and educational sectors

2018-02-13T15:30:00.000+05:30

Muscat: India and Oman on Monday agreed to cooperate in the tourism and educational sectors. Both countries agreed to expand the cultural cooperation, including through regular exchange of cultural troupes and holding of cultural festivals. The two sides underlined the importance of cooperation in education, including higher education, and agreed to take initiatives to encourage students from each other's countries to join their higher educational institutions.

Oman sought India's support in encouraging India's engineering, management and Information Technology (IT) institutions to collaborate with Omani educational institutions. The two countries expressed satisfaction at the growing tourism exchanges and welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Tourism, which will contribute in expanding the cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the King of Oman, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said for ensuring continued welfare of the Indian community. He expressed his appreciation of the Omani Sultanate's policy of allowing Indian community in Oman to practice their faith and celebrate their religious and cultural festivals. The two sides welcomed the signing of an agreement on the mutual exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, official, special and service passports during the visit. Oman also congratulated Prime Minister Modi's initiative in the declaration of June 21 as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. It also appreciated India's efforts in making yoga popular in the world, which is aimed at creating a healthy and peaceful world.

http://www.sify.com/finance/india-oman-to-cooperate-in-education-tourism-sectors-news-education-scmvaQebfgcgb.html

The education in reservation and employment promotion in government jobs

2016-10-16T11:56:00.000+05:30

Kolhapur: Hundreds of youths made their demands for reservation in education and employment, promotion in government jobs and quick action in the Kopardi case abundantly clear by joining the silent march in Kolhapur on Saturday.

The Maratha Kranti Muk Morcha started simultaneously from two places in the city - Gandhi Maidan and Tararani chowk - around 11am. Since early morning, thousands of youths from the community gathered at the two starting points, filling the locations to the bring.

"The state has been witnessing rallies for strong action against the accused in the Kopardi rape case. The rally is our support for the victim's family," said Vanita Ghatage, who had joined the rally at Gandhi maidan.

Many youths spoke about the hardships they experience in the absence of reservation for the community in education and jobs. Raj Shinde, who is pursuing engineering degree, rued that they have to pay higher fees for professional courses compared to other students. "The fees for professional courses such as engineering are beyond our capacity. There is no reservation for Marathas in the government sector and we are deprived of jobs," he said.

Dipti Shinde, a medical professional from the Maratha community, said she had seen even her juniors at government hospital get permanent employment because they belonged to a particular caste. "I have been working in government hospital for last two years. Many of juniors from other castes got the permanent job, while I am still working on contractual system. The reservation should be given on the basis of economic status instead of caste," she said.

Youth also said that there should not be any reservation in the promotions given in a government job. They voiced their demand for the skill development institute for their community on the lines of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Reserch and Training Institute (BARTI).

"We have to face problems in promotions in government jobs. There should not be any reservation in promotions, rather they should be merit based," said Nilesh Patil, a youth who came to the city just for the rally.

Growing agrarian crisis in the state has also prompted concerns as the community is largely dependent on agriculture. Indrajit Khardekar, a young farmer from Danoli Jaysingpur village, said the government should be provided the Minimum Support Prise (MSP) to agricultural goods.

"The agricultural sector is in crisis. The Maratha community depends on agriculture for its livelihood. The government should implement the recommendations of Swaminathan commission to make farming sustainable," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/Reservation-in-education-jobs-top-on-agenda/articleshow/54875660.cms