Page 134 - Education
Colorado schools reopen as FBI examines teen suspect's past
The death of a Florida teenager who authorities say was obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and may have planned to carry out her own attack in Colorado did not end an investigation into the 18-year-old, authorities said as they examine whether the young woman acted alone and Denver-area schools prepared to reopen their doors. The body of Sol Pais was discovered in the mountains outside Denver with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday after investigators got a tip from the driver who took her there, the FBI said. Dozens of schools that closed as a precaution during the daylong manhunt planned to reopen Thursday with heightened security measures. Events planned to mark the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine attack will go on as scheduled throughout the week, including a ceremony near the school on Saturday. Two teenagers attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999, killing 12 classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. They have inspired cult-like
Colorado: Woman wanted over alleged school threat found dead
Florida woman suspected of making threats to Denver metropolitan area schools, which triggered shutdowns of 19 school districts here, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday morning, according to Jefferson County Sheriff, Jeff Shrader.The police on Tuesday launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, identified as an 18-year-old white woman named Sol Pais, reported CNN. The police had asked people to report her if she is seen, warning them to not "approach her as she is considered armed and dangerous".Authorities believe that she was "infatuated" with a shooting which occurred at Columbine High School in 1999. Two shooters had taken the lives of 12 students and a teacher at Columbine around 20 years ago, before taking their own lives in the school's library.Pais had reportedly travelled from Miami to Denver on Monday night. However, authorities do not think she made it to the school grounds.After arriving in Colorado, Pais went to a store and bought a .
Young woman 'infatuated' with Columbine is found dead
A young Florida woman who traveled to Colorado and bought a shotgun for what authorities feared would be a Columbine-inspired attack just days ahead of the 20th anniversary was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide after a nearly 24-hour manhunt. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said 18-year-old Sol Pais was discovered by the FBI with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manhunt had led to the closing of Denver-area schools as a precaution. During the manhunt, the FBI said Pais was "infatuated" with Columbine and made threats ahead of Saturday's anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999. The FBI described her "extremely dangerous." The Miami Beach high school student flew to Colorado on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, authorities said. Agents had focused the search around the base of Mount Evans, a popular recreational area about 60 miles southwest of Denver. All classes and extracurricular ...
Academicians write to President Kovind, demand withdrawal of FIR against former MCNUJC VC
Over 300 academicians have written a letter to Vice President Ram Nath Kovind, demanding the withdrawal of FIR that was lodged against Brij Kishore Kuthiala, former VC of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University, Bhopal, and 19 others, for alleged financial anomalies."We, the following teachers, are rudely surprised and shocked at the Chairman, Governing Council, Makhanalal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, Bhopal, instructing the Registrar of the University to lodge an FIR against the former Vice Chancellor and twenty existing faculty members on various uninvestigated and unproved charges," the letter reads.On 14 April, Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had registered an FIR against Kuthiyala and 19 others, including HODs, for alleged irregularities in appointments and financial matters.While seeking a full-fledged impartial enquiry in the matter, the academicians said, "Extreme steps, such as lodging an FIR against University teachers, can and
US: Schools in Denver remain close amid mass-shooting fears
Public schools in the US city of Denver on Wednesday remained closed amid the fears that an armed woman obsessed with the Columbine High School shooting posed a "credible threat."The suspect is identified as 18-year-old Sol Pais.The US authorities said that the woman flew from Miami to Colarado and purchased a shotgun and ammunition upon arriving, according to a report by Sputnik.The woman is said to be "infatuated" with the Columbine High School massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999. On that day, two students at the Denver-area high school in Columbine opened fire, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others before turning the guns on themselves.
300 academicians approach vice-prez for quashing of FIR against varsity's ex-VC
As many as 300 academicians have approached Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, seeking his intervention for quashing of a criminal case against former vice-chancellor and 18 officials of Bhapal-based Makhanlal Chaturvedi University. The FIR had been lodged by the Economic Offences Wing of Madhya Pradesh Police on a complaint by the governing council chairman of the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. The police has booked former Vice-Chancellor B K Kuthiala of the University along with 18 other officials on charges of fraud and criminal breach of trust. "We are rudely surprised and shocked at the MCNUJC's Governing Council's chairman instructing the registrar of the university to lodge an FIR against the former vice-chancellor and twenty existing faculty members on various uninvestigated and unproved charges," the letter stated. Extreme steps, such as lodging an FIR against university teachers, can and must logically follow an adequate enquiry and a .
Allahabad University campus has become a 'haven for criminals': High Court
Lamenting that Allahabad University hostels have become a "haven for criminals" who have converted its campus into a "play ground" for their misdeeds, the Allahabad High Court has asked the varsity and the police to apprise it of steps taken by them to address the issue. A bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice S S Shamshery made the observation on Tuesday while taking suo motu cognizance of media reports on the murder of a youth at PCB hostel of Allahabad University on Monday night. The court issued notices to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, state director general of police and district commissioner and senior superintendent of police of Prayagraj as well as the registrar of Allahabad University on the issue. The court directed the University registrar to file an affidavit about the steps taken to make the university campus free from criminals. The court also directed the SSP of Prayagraj to file a status report regarding steps taken in the matter. "In a democratic ..
Five social science chapters dropped from CBSE class 10 syllabus
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to drop five social science chapters from class 10 syllabus from this academic session, according to the new curriculum. The dropped chapters, including three on political studies and two on environment, will only be part of internal assessment, but not the final board exam. The chapters are -- Challenges to Democracy, Democracy and Diversity, Political Struggles and Movements, Forest and Wildlife and Water Resources. "The chapter will be assessed in the periodic tests, but will not be evaluated in the board examination," the brief attached with the syllabus sent to schools read. The board had last month issued a circular to schools, saying it wanted to align its assessment patterns with future needs as the Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2021. "Countrywide consultations were held with CBSE stakeholders, including teachers, ...
Muzaffarnagar:Authorities to take action against schools raising fees 'illegally'
District authorities here have directed officials to take legal action against private schools which have raised fees "illegally". District Magistrate Ajay Shanker Pandey told reporters that a three-member committee, led by the chief development officer, will look into the matter. The step was taken following complaints from the parents of the students that private schools had raised fees "illegally" and demanded the district administration to take strict action.
FBI looks for woman 'infatuated' with Columbine shooting
Authorities said Tuesday that they are looking for a young woman who is "infatuated" with the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and made threats just days before the 20th anniversary of the attack that killed 13 people. The undisclosed threats led Columbine and several other high schools outside Denver to lock their doors for nearly three hours. All students were safe, school officials said. Sol Pais, 18, flew to Denver from Miami and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition, said Dean Phillips, special agent in charge of the FBI in Denver. Pais was last seen in the foothills west of Denver, was considered armed and extremely dangerous and should not be approached. The FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force issued a notice Tuesday describing Pais as "infatuated with (the) Columbine school shooting." The alert also said police who come into contact with her should detain her and evaluate her mental health. Phillips said the threats she made were general, not specific to ..
Fear in US state over armed woman 20 years after Columbine massacre
Nearly two decades after the infamous Columbine High School massacre, officials in the US state of Colorado were on alert Tuesday after learning of threats from a woman police say is "armed and considered to be extremely dangerous." The FBI and local police identified the suspect as Sol Pais, 18, and more than 20 schools in the Denver metropolitan area increased security measures following reports of the threat. "Due to a credible threat to schools by an individual identified by the FBI, the Department of Public Safety recommends all schools in the Denver metro area conduct a lockout and controlled release immediately," the Colorado Department of Education said. The Jefferson County sheriff's office said on their social media accounts that Pais "traveled to Colorado and made threats in the Denver metropolitan area. She is armed and considered to be extremely dangerous." The postings included two photos of the suspect, described by the FBI as "a white female... approximately 5'5" in ...
FBI searches for armed woman, 20 schools put on lockdown in Colorado
The FBI on Tuesday launched a manhunt for an armed and "extremely dangerous" woman who poses a "credible threat" to the Denver metropolitan area, leading to over 20 schools being put under lockdown here, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.Identified as an 18-year-old white female named Sol Pais, police have asked people to report her if she is seen, warning them to not "approach her as she is considered armed and dangerous."Meanwhile, more than 20 schools have been put on lockdown here. The students were released in a controlled manner on Tuesday in the wake of the threat."We will have extra safety and security staff on site at all schools affected," CNN quoted Jefferson County Public Schools as saying.Columbine High School is one of the schools on lockdown. Two shooters had taken the lives of 12 students at Columbine in 1999, before taking their own lives in the school's library.
Educationists ask for creating autonomous learning environment
A panel of academicians on Tuesday called for creating an autonomous learning environment for students, re-calibrating the role of educators as lead learners. The academicians were speaking at the the second leg of the fourth Indian School of Business & Finance (ISBF) and London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) Annual Teachers' Symposium. Dr James Abdey, Associate Director, progenitor of the Data Science course at the London School of Economics (LSE), stressed on the significance of various knowledge structures and their effect on classroom pedagogy. Bratati Bhattacharya, CEO, Shikshayatan Foundation & Shri Shikshayatan School, emphasized on utilising technology for collecting, categorizing, curating, and calibrating, while providing sufficient liberty to promote creativity. Dr G L Tayal, Academic Dean, ISBF, spoke on curating the local Indian schools to align them with world-class institutions, indicating the model deployed by ISBF and ...
WhiteHat Jr aims to teach Indian school goers coding
WhiteHat Jr, a startup that aims to teach Indian school children coding, Tuesday said its platform has already seen over 50,000 trials in the last few months. Founded by former head of Discovery Communications in India Karan Bajaj, WhiteHat Jr had raised USD 1.3 million in seed funding from Nexus Venture Partners and Omidyar Network India. "We have seen huge response from parents to the concept of teaching children to code. We are scaling up our operations and technology to cater to the massive interest, while also ensuring that we can continue to offer 1:1 sessions," Bajaj told PTI. He added that WhiteHat will be launching the 4th course in its curriculum that will be a professional level course for children in age group of 13-14 years. "More and more people want to learn how to code but instances of coding appearing in school curriculum is still rare. We want to teach kids how to code using simple tools," he said. Currently, its platform is available for children in grades 1-9 and ..
Election Commission rejects Delhi govt's request to publicise summer camps in govt schools
The Election Commission Tuesday turned down the AAP government's request to release advertisements about summer camps in government schools prompting Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to write a letter to the poll body to reconsider its decision. The EC has pointed out that it has no objection to running summer camps which is part of AAP government's Mission Buniyad Programme, subject to the condition that the appeal to send their wards to the camp has to be made to the parents through schools and not through print, TV or radio advertisements. Sisodia, who is also Delhi's Education Minister, questioned the "basis" on which the request has been rejected. "I feel extremely disappointed that the ECI chose to look at this issue from a very narrow political lens, completely ignoring the interest of lakhs of children largely from marginalised section of society. "The success of the camp is contingent upon support of parents which is ensured through regular reach out to them by government
HC nod to pvt matric schools to hold NEET coaching classes during summer vacation
The Madras High Court Tuesday permitted private matriculation schools to conduct coaching sessions during summer beak for Plus 1 and Plus 2 students who wish to appear in entrance examinations. Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar gave the direction on a PIL from Vijayaraghavan, who sought to quash a government order that private schools should not hold coaching classes during the summer vacation and that action would be taken against them for violation of the order. The director of matriculation schools submitted that they had issued the order following complaints from parents that private schools were profiteering by collecting coaching fees for various competitive examinations. He also said the CBSE schools were holding coaching classes for National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) and other exams and students could get training there. The petitioner submitted it was essential for schools to prepare students for NEET and competitive exams for entry to various courses and that
Ashiana school launches 'Artificial Intelligence' curriculum for students
The Ashiana School, Bhiwadi in keeping with its mission of progressive education, is taking a bold leap forward in preparing its learners' for the challenges and opportunities arising in the future of artificial intelligence and allied technologies by launching an AI curriculum for its students.The implementation of the AI program will be in the form of special lectures, interactions an activities on a designated Saturday (2nd Saturday) of every month. The typical engagement of every child on that Saturday in the AI activities will be planned in such a way that the child gets exposure grade/age appropriate."A new model designed with the year 2019 - 2020 and beyond is for children to get familiar and comfortable with Artificial Intelligence and Allied Technologies and be ready to prosper and flourish in the world that awaits them when they leave School", said, Komal Satti, Principal, Ashiana School.The dedicated environment with activities at the "Artificial Intelligence experience ...
DLF Foundation: Setting new benchmarks in CSR
DLF Foundation has taken rural education, training, health and environmental initiatives since its incorporation, and it looks forward to creating new innovative precedents in areas of rural education, health, and labour care.With a vision to give India its human and social capital by nurturing and ensuring healthy, educated, enterprising and sustainable communities, DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Limited was founded in the year 2008.The idea was to create the structure for the ongoing social responsibility initiatives of the company. DLF Foundation runs with the mission to empower the communities and create livelihood opportunities for the underprivileged with a multi-faceted approach towards their education, health and skill development.DLF Foundation has a mission to empower communities by creating multiple opportunities and providing platforms for the underprivileged by promoting inclusive growth which is holistic, sustainable and socially uplifting, thus enabling ...
Innovative methods being used by Indian teachers to effectively use technology in classrooms
Games to understand cyber security issues, magic cubes to do the maths, using artificial learning in classrooms and methods of reporting violence in schools, are among the innovative methods used by several school teachers to make effective use of technology in classrooms. The teachers hailing from various Indian schools, who are being trained as part of the Educator Outreach Programme presented their selected projects at the E2 Education Exchange in Paris last week organised by Microsoft Education. Vineeta Garg, a teacher at SRDAV Public School here along with her colleague Neeru Mittal has developed a portal "The Safe Spaces" where in they seek participation from students across the globe to come together to research the root cause of violence in schools and propose solutions. "The idea behind the project is to bring students of classrooms across the world to come together to research and investigate the root causes of violence in schools and propose solutions so as to make every ...
Alcoholism, substance abuse leads college students to a life of distress, claims study
A new study has claimed that college students, if subjected to even one among negative habits such as heavy drinking or substance abuse, can end up living a life of mental distress, lack of sleep, low grades and poor lifestyle choices."We used a robust data-mining technique to identify associations between mental distress in college students with substance abuse, sleep, social behaviors, academic attitude and behaviors, and GPA (short-term and long-term as reflective of academic performance)," said Lina Begdache, an Assistant Professor at the Binghamton University, where the research was conducted."Positive behaviors such as abstinence from substance use, studious attitudes and responsibility toward work and family are reflective of a brain chemistry profile that supports mood and maturation of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The latter matures last and supports impulse and emotional control as well as rationalization of thoughts," she added.In this study, which was published in ..