Page 246 - Education

Protesting teachers assured of meeting with CM on Nov 5

The ad hoc teachers of the Punjab government schools, agitating for regularisation of their jobs without a pay cut, Tuesday said they will continue their stir despite Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's assurance to meet them next month. The ad hoc teachers, who have earlier rejected the state's offer to either get regularised after working for three years on a slashed, basic pay of Rs 15,000 or continue to work on contractual basis, were given the assurance in a meeting with two key officials in the chief minister's office. The teachers, who met CM's Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar and Officer-on-Special-Duty Sandeep Sandhu, meanwhile, vowed to continue with their stir. After the meeting, the teachers said though they remain averse to take the pay cut for regularisation, the final decision on the issue would be taken during their meeting with the chief minister on November 5. We have been assured that the CM will meet the teachers' union members on November 5 to take a final call

President Kovind rues gaps in quality education

President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday lamented that Indian educational institutions had "gaps in quality and in attaining world-class excellence" despite there being a "massive network" of universities and colleges.

J-K: Circular on Urdu versions of Bhagwat Geeta in schools, colleges withdrawn

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday withdrew an order issued by the state's School Education Department to make Urdu versions of the Bhagwat Geeta and Koshur Ramayana authored by Sarwanand Premi, available in school and college libraries.The decision to make the Urdu translation of Geeta and Koshur Ramayana available was made public by the education department of the state on Monday following the October 4 meeting chaired by the Advisor (V) to the Governor of the state.The circular released on Monday read, "The School Education Department, Higher Education Department, Director Colleges, Director Libraries and Cultural Department will consider purchasing sufficient number of copies each of Urdu version of "Shrimad Bhagwat-Geeta and "Koshur Ramayan" authored by Shri Sarwanand Premi for making these available in Schools/Colleges and public libraries etc of the State."The circular had drawn flak from a number of people, including former chief minister Omar Abdullah."Why just ..

UNESCO MGIEP, Government of AP to organize TECH 2018

UNESCO MGIEP in association with Government of Andhra Pradesh announces TECH 2018, an international conference which aims to showcase the role of games and digital learning in enabling a shift from "transmissive pedagogies" to "transformative pedagogies" to create peaceful and sustainable societies.The three day event will be held from 15-17 November, 2018 at Novotel, Vizag City, Andhra Pradesh, India. UNESCO MGIEP is the first UNESCO the first category 1 institute in the Asia-Pacific region focused on mainstreaming socio-emotional learning in education systems.Building on the success of TECH 2017, the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) will organize TECH annually for the next four years. TECH 2018 aims at drawing a blueprint for harnessing pedagogical possibilities opened up by digital technologies, in order to contribute to enabling a revolutionary shift in education from individual content acquisition to collaborative ...

Four women teachers sacked for beating up school girls: DM

Four women teachers of a private residential girls' school at Madrak town near here were sacked for allegedly beating up young girls and making them do menial work, an official said Tuesday. The teachers were dismissed over the last three days by District Magistrate Chandra Bhushan Singh. The district administration swung into action after some photographs and video clips, showing the teachers badly beating up the girls to make them do menial work like cleaning toilets, went viral on social media. A probe was ordered on October 16 into the beating incidents and on the basis of a preliminary enquiry by the Basic Shiksha Adhikari, two teachers were sacked the very next day, the DM said. Two more teachers were sacked Tuesday for their alleged roles in the episode, he said, identifying the duo as Raina Yadav and Shalini Yadav. Earlier on Saturday, Gunjan Pandey and Upasna Singh were sacked on the basis of the preliminary enquiry and the evidence of the video clip in which they were shown .

Gaps in quality education despite vast network of colleges: Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday said India has a vast network of universities and colleges but gaps still exist in attaining world-class excellence in education. To achieve global standards, the government has taken a decision to promote 20 institutions of higher education as "institutes of eminence", Kovind said at the 15th convocation ceremony of the Symbiosis International University here. The President noted that India has a massive network of 903 universities and 39,050 colleges. "But the fact is there are still gaps in quality and in attaining world-class excellence across the spectrum," he said. "In this context, the government has taken a decision to promote and support 20 institutions of higher education as 'institutes of eminence', to grant them recruitment and curricula flexibility in order to reach best-in-class global standards," he added. After a competitive process, the first few of these institutes of eminence were announced recently. There will be future rounds as ..

Japan probe finds more universities discriminated against women

A Japanese government probe has uncovered more cases of universities discriminating against female applicants in an investigation prompted by a scandal at a Tokyo medical school. The education ministry launched the investigation into 81 public and private medical schools after the Tokyo Medical University in August admitted it had systematically altered the test scores of women to keep out female students. After initial investigation, the ministry carried out field visits to 30 institutions to learn more about how they conducted entry exams. "Inappropriate practices were discovered at several universities," the ministry said in the interim report, without specifying a number or naming the schools. The report found evidence of schools using various methods to keep out female applicants and candidates taking the entrance test for the second or third time. Some female applicants were rejected despite achieving scores that should have been sufficient for admission. In other cases, ...

GuruQ raises Rs 2.5 crore from HNIs in pre-series A funding

Delhi-based EdTech startup, GuruQ has secured a further Rs 2.5 Cr (USD 330,000) round of funding from a group of HNIs. The company will use these funds for expansion, and marketing of the company.GuruQ is a single, simplified and cohesive EdTech platform that provides online, and offline tutoring based on global quality parameters. The company was founded by Minal Anand in 2016.Recently GuruQ, upgraded its platform with several innovative features to further ease the tutor finding process adding options like 'Find the Right Tutor' and 'Post Your Tuition Need', 'Group Class', 'Customized packages' for students and a user-friendly 'Scheduler' for tutors. Another new feature on the platform is 'Instant Class' that can be used when students have queries or doubts and need a quick class. This option allows students to book an instant class with their current tutor to be held within the next six hours.The Pre-Series A funding will see GuruQ expanding its operations in Punjab and Haryana. It

Google opens public voting for 'Doodle 4 Google' contest

Google on Tuesday opened public online voting for 20 children shortlisted for its annual 'Doodle 4 Google' competition.

Kolkata university offers law course based on Harry Potter

Potterheads take note! A law university in Kolkata is offering a new course on Harry Potter which will encourage students to explore legal aspects of J K Rowling's fictional world and its many real life lessons. The course titled "An interface between Fantasy Fiction Literature and Law: Special focus on Rowling's Potterverse" will be offered as an elective to 4th and 5th year students of the B.A LL.B (Hons) programme at the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) in Kolkata. The course, designed for the winter semester by Assistant Professor Shouvik Kumar Guha, attempts to serve as a breather from the orthodox law school curriculum. "This course is meant to be more of an experiment. It will take both me and the students out of our comfort zones," Guha told PTI in a phone interview. "In law schools, people get a very specific set of subjects. The curriculum revolves around the hard letter of the law, case laws etc. Given the fact that this course lasts about five years, ...

JK govt withdraws circular on Urdu version of 'Bhagwat Geeta' in schools, colleges

The Jammu and Kashmir government has withdrawn a controversial circular that had asked the Education department to provide the Urdu version of "Bhagwat Geeta" and "Koshur Ramayana" in schools and other educational institutions in the state. "The circular regarding the introduction of some religious books stands withdrawn ab initio under the orders of the chief secretary," an official said Tuesday. The state government had issued the circular Monday, directing the Director of School Education for the Jammu and Kashmir divisions to purchase these religious books. The circular had asked the School Education department, the Higher Education department, directors of colleges and libraries and the Culture department to consider purchasing a sufficient number of copies of the Urdu version of "Bhagwat Geeta" and "Koshur Ramayana", authored by Sarwanand Premi. It was issued as a follow-up to a meeting pertaining to the School Education department, chaired by B B Vyas, Advisor to the Governor, .

Indiannica Learning Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

/ -- Seasoned Finance Professional Pratik Bhasker Joins Indiannica Learning as the new CFO Indiannica Learning, the leading curriculum-based learning solutions provider, announced the appointment of Pratik Bhasker as its new Chief Financial Officer. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/628495/Indiannica_Learning_Logo.jpg ) Pratik Bhasker is a Chartered Accountant with more than 17 years of work experience. Prior to joining Indiannica Learning, he has worked with Frigoglass India, Aircel, Indus tower, Xerox, Bharti Airtel, Gillette, etc. "We are excited to have Pratik on board with us at Indiannica as the new CFO," said Indiannica Learning M.D., Sumit Gupta. "Pratik brings with him extensive experience in the field of strategic financial planning and execution. We are confident that Pratik would be a huge asset to Indiannica Learning as we enter our next phase of growth and further the mission of enriching the lives of every learner." Pratik Bhasker comes in at a time when ...

Indian students lack access to quality education:Super 30 founder Anand Kumar

India has no dearth of talent but a large number of students lack access to quality education that could meet the demands of the modern times, Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar has said. Kumar, who is presently in news for an upcoming biopic on his life starring Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, was felicitated in the Silicon Valley over the weekend in recognition of his effort to help poor children to get admission into the prestigious IITs. "In India, there is a huge craving for education, but quality education is not accessible to all of them. Today, technology can make it happen. online classes can do what is not otherwise possible," Kumar said. "Education is changing fast, as the requirements are changing. This calls for new approach to education," he said while speaking at the golden jubilee function of 'Indian for collective action' organised in San Jose, California, on Saturday. Observing that there is no dearth of talent in India, Kumar said equal opportunities in .

BJP, Cong, INLD do caste politics, AAP talks about building schools, hospitals: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday hit out at the BJP, Congress and the INLD, saying these parties indulge in caste politics and the Aam Aadmi Party talks about building schools and hospitals. Kejriwal recalled his first brief 49-day stint in power when he resigned over the Jan Lokpal Bill issue, saying his aim was never to capture power and he never clung to power. "People don't leave a chowkidar's job even, but I kicked the CM post in 49 days. We we are not here for power, we want to build nation and nation cannot be built by fights over temple and mosques, by pitching Jats and non-Jats, but by building schools, hospitals and roads," Kejriwal said addressing a public gathering in Beri in this district. Kejriwal and Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia visited three government schools at Beri in the district on Monday. Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal, he accused these parties of doing caste politics. "They come to you ...

Quality of education in pvt colleges a bit superior: Gadkari

The quality of education provided at private colleges is "a bit superior" to that imparted at ones run by the state, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Monday, adding the government's job was to make policies and not run institutes. Speaking at an event to felicitate former Bihar Governor and educationist D Y Patil on his 83rd birthday here, Gadkari also said governments have limitations in effectively taking education to the people. He suggested governments to encourage more individuals with "managerial skills, vision, entrepreneurship and social responsibilities" to enter the field of education. Gadkari recalled that when the Vasantdada Patil dispensation in Maharashtra (in the 1980s) encouraged opening of private engineering colleges in the state, the move was criticised by some who argued that the quality of education may decline as non-government institutes would mushroom. "But we have observed that the quality (of education imparted) at private colleges is a bit superior when ...

Govts instructed to disaffiliate schools violating HW guidelines:Centre tells HC

The Centre on Monday submitted in the Madras High Court that it has instructed all state governments and Union Territories to disaffiliate schools prescribing homework in subjects other than recommended by the National Council for Educational Research and Training for classes 1 to 5. The Human Resource Development ministry informed the High Court that the instruction has been sent to governments through a communication dated October 5. The submission was made on the plea moved by advocate M Purushothaman seeking direction to CBSE schools to follow only NCERT syllabus and not to give homework up to class II. As per the communication, governments are mandated to formulate 'Children School Bag Policy' to reduce the weight of the school bags in line with the guidelines issued by Telangana and Maharashtra governments. This apart, the state and Union Territories have been directed to form special squads to inspect schools and prevent use of non-prescribed books. In addition to this, the ...

JNU to set up a satellite campus outside Delhi

The Executive Council (EC) of the Jawaharlal Nehru University passed a resolution Monday to explore the feasibility of setting up a satellite campus outside the national capital, the institution said. The JNU administration also said Central Civil Services rules (CCS) have not been incorporated in the JNU ordinances. The decision was hailed by the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) that has been protesting the proposed move saying it would scuttle their freedom to express dissent. The EC authorised the vice-chancellor to form a committee to examine the feasibility of setting up a satellite campus outside the national capital and recommend measures in this regard, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said. "The Jawaharlal Nehru University Act, 1966 empowers the university to establish within the Union Territory of Delhi or outside that territory such special centres and specialised laboratories and other units for research and instruction as are necessary for the furtherance of its objects," he ..

Girl student's kin thrash teacher for alleged abuse

A class X maths teacher was beaten up black and blue in front of students at a school Monday by angry relatives of a girl student alleging that he had misbehaved and sexually harassed her, police said. The incident at the government school near Chengam in the district was caught on camera and telecast by TV channels. The teacher suffered bleeding head injuries and had been hospitalised, police said. The relatives of the girl student barged into the class room and started assaulting the teacher with canes and chairs even as the shocked students shouted for help. Other teachers rushed and rescued him even as the mob left the place. They claimed that the girl had been affected mentally after the alleged abuse by the teacher. Officials of the school education department have begun an inquiry into the charges, police added.

VP Naidu stresses on 'complete overhaul' of country's education system

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Monday said the country's education system needed a "complete overhaul" as it was producing students with degrees instead of individuals with critical minds and employable skills. Emphasising on restoring India as the prime destination of quality higher education, Naidu said the number of educational institutions must increase to cater to the growing demand of students who want to pursue higher education. Naidu also asked private universities to earmark certain percentage of seats for students belonging to the poor section as quality private sector education has become out of bounds for marginalised sections. "Majority of our colleges have become mere breeding centres for producing students with degree certificates rather than individuals with critical analytical skills and innovative thinking," Naidu said while addressing the convocation of Lovely Professional University here. "Most of the times, students passing out of colleges do not possess ...

Educate women to educate nation: Naidu

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday highlighted the need to educate women to take the country forward.