Page 263 - Education

PM to inaugurate Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Conference on Academic Leadership on Education for Resurgence here at Vigyan Bhawan on September 29.Vice-Chancellors, Directors from more than 350 universities will participate in the conference.This event is being organised jointly by UGC, AICTE, ICSSR, IGNCA, IGNOU, JNU and SGT University.The theme of the Conference is to deliberate on the challenges facing the Indian education system and to work out a plan for a paradigm shift both in terms of achieving academic outcomes and also in the regulation of education.The Conference will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister at 10.30 AM which will be followed by breakout sessions covering eight thematic areas, namely: improving pedagogy for learner-centric education - use of artificial intelligence for customized learning, from job seeking to job-creating - improving innovation and entrepreneurship, improving quality of research - focus on requirements of India, bringing synergy among educational

Tripura to raise two more Indian Reserve Battalions

The Tripura government has decided to raise two more Indiam Reserve Battalions (IRB) in the state to generate employment, where 10 per cent of the posts would be reserved for women, a minister said Friday. We have created 2,056 new posts, who would be absorbed in the two new IRBs. Ten per cent of the posts would remain reserved for women, State Education Minister Ratan lal Nath told reporters. He said the decision was made in the council of ministers' meeting held on Thursday. Tripura has 12 battalions of Tripura State Rifles (TSR), of which 7 are IRBs. With the raising of two more battalions, the total number of IRBs would rise to 9. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) bears the expenses of the IRBs. Over 10,000 candidates who recently qualified for Selection Test for Graduate Teachers (STGT) and Selection Test for Post Graduate Teacher (STPGT) would get postings before Durga Puja next month, Nath said adding offer letters have already been sent to the candidates. Nath ..

3 Chinese kindergartens 'fed rotten, worm-infested food' to children

Three private kindergartens in China have been accused by parents of serving their children rotten and black worm-infested food.

Modi to inaugurate conference, over 350 VCs, Directors to attend

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a conference on Saturday which will be attended by Vice Chancellors and Directors of over 350 higher education institutions, the government said on Friday.

Education dept asks officials to organise activities in schools to celebrate 'surgical strike day'

The Jammu and Kashmir government has asked Education Department officials to organise activities in public schools from September 28 to 30 to celebrate 'surgical strike day' and submit photos and videos of the celebrations by October 1. According to a circular by the Education Department Secretary, Wednesday, the Broadcasting and Information Ministry had issued directions for holding activities to observe Friday as the 'Surgical Strike Day'. "Accordingly, Principal Secretary, Home Department has issued directions to ensure celebration of the day by organising activities from September 28 to 30 at various levels across the state," the circular reads. The government has directed the schools with NCC units to invite war veterans and organise a special parade followed by motivational lectures. It also asked the department officials to make school children pledge their support for armed forces by writing letter or cards to them, addressed to the nearest Army formation. "The schools shall ..

First-born kids more likely to talk about sex with parents

The first child is more likely to learn about the birds and the bees from his/her parents compared to the later-born siblings, new research has found.

Students hospitalised for suspected food poisoning

As many as 42 students of a Zilla Parishad school were hospitalised for suspected food poisoning after having their mid-day meal in Maharashtra's Beed district Thursday afternoon, police said. Students at the ZP school at Vangi village complained of vomiting and giddiness after having the mid-day meal, a police official said. They were rushed to the government hospital at Beed, he said. All of them were said to be stable and out of danger, he added. Samples of the meal have been sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis, the official said.

Blind PhD scholar found dead in varsity campus

Police Thursday retrieved the body of a partially blind PhD scholar of Ravenshaw University from a drain adjacent to the New PG Hostel of the campus. Kushadhar Bag, a research scholar of political science from Balangir district, was staying there for over a month now, police said. The university authorities said the visually handicapped scholar had fallen from the hostel terrace to his death, members of Blind Association of Odisha alleged that he was murdered by some anti-social elements. The vice-chancellor also ordered an in-house enquiry into the death," University Registrar Maheswar Agasti said.

Centre committed to strengthening handloom sector: Irani

The Centre is committed to strengthening the handloom sector in the country which has a rich tradition, Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani said here Thursday. Khadi had occupied a very important place during the freedom struggle, she said, speaking at 'Maggam Vastra show' held to promote handlooms of Telangana, an official release said. "The minister said the Centre announced a Rs 6,000 crore package to the apparel segment to help in capacity building of the sector," it said. She said the Centre has also announced a Rs 1,300 crore package for skill upgradation in the textiles sector. To improve the lot of underprivileged weavers, Irani said the government was facilitating the education of their children through National Open School and reimbursing 75 per cent of their education fees. The handlooms of Telangana like Pochampally, Gadwal and Narayanpet are famous worldwide and they offer many possibilities in employment generation, she was quoted as saying by the ...

DUTA protests against tripartite MoU

Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) Thursday protested against the proposed tripartite agreement between the HRD Ministry, DU and UGC, saying it is oriented towards commercialisation and undermines the "autonomous grant-based funding decisions of the UGC". DUTA protested outside the vice-chancellors' office while the varsity's Executive Council meeting, which had the tripartite MoU on its agenda, was underway on Thursday. Students and teachers protested against the Tripartite MoU that the Ministry of Human Resource Development wants Delhi University to sign, in order to continue receiving funds from the UGC, said DUTA in a statement. "This MoU undermines the autonomous grant-based funding decisions of the UGC and simultaneously appropriates the entire funding function under the executive authority of the government," the statement said. They alleged through the MoU, the HRD Ministry allows itself the scope to bypass the UGC and set quantified performance targets for DU (as ..

Islampur firing: CID takes over probe

The West Bengal CID on Thursday took over the investigation into the Islampur firing that killed two students during a clash between a mob and the police in North Dinajpur district last week, a senior officer said. No arrests were made by the police in the case, though a few persons were detained. Local people have been claiming that the two students died in police firing. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said the bullets found in the bodies of the duo were not of the police. "We have taken over the investigations into the Islampur firing incident. We are trying to find out what actually happened on that day," West Bengal CID DIG (Operations) Nishant Pervez told PTI. The clash broke out on September 20 during a demonstration over recruitment of Urdu teachers at Dori Bhita High School in Islampur. Rajesh Sarkar, an ITI student, died in the clash, while a third-year college student Tapas Barman, who was injured in the violence, succumbed to injuries on September 21. The BJP ..

SC/ST Act invoked against Maha school director held for raping

Sangli police Thursday added provisions of the SC/ST Act against the director of a residential school, and his aide, who have been arrested for allegedly raping five students and molesting three others. Arvind Pawar (61), a director in a residential school for tribals in Kurlap in Sangli in western Maharashtra, and his aide Manisha Kamble (40) were arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting students with the promise of free food, free education and good marks in exams. The two were produced in court Thursday which remanded them in police custody till October 5. "As one of the victims belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, we have invoked sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act," an official said. The two have also been charged with sections under the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He said that 70 students of the school had been shifted to another residential school, adding that their statements were being recorded. In ...

Rajkot civic body develops 'Mahatma Gandhi tourism circuit'

Tourists visiting Gujarat will soon be able to connect with part of Mahatma Gandhi's life and the non-cooperation movement thanks to an initiative by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC). The corporation has developed "Gandhi circuit" in Rajkot by renovating three places associated with the life of the Mahatma. "The RMC will develop 'Kaba Gandhi No Delo' (the residence of Mahatma Gandhi's father Karamchand), Rashtriya Shala (associated with the non-coperation movement) and Alfred High School, where he completed his higher secondary education," RMC Mayor Beenaben Acharya and Commissioner B N Pani said in a statement Thursday. After it was closed down last year, Alfred High School has been converted into a museum at a cost of Rs 26 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the museum on September 30. "The museum has been developed with the help of the Central and Gujarat governments by the corporation", the release said. The renovation work at 'Kaba .

Odia students allege they were tortured in Tripura

Several students from Odisha, studying at Agartala-based Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, have alleged that they were physically tortured by local students who even threatened to kill them. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday assured full protection to the Odia students who have been studying B-Ed in the institute, a deemed university. The panic-stricken students through a video message to their friends and families have alleged that they were attacked by some students as they did not participate in a strike following some dispute during the 'Ganesh Puja' celebrations. One of the Odia girl student claimed that some local students have beaten them. "They had also asked us to leave the institution immediately, failing which they have threatened to kill us," she alleged. "We have taken admission in the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan after clearing the entrance examination. But here the local students and people are harassing us," she said. "We request the Odisha government to ...

Education bereft of culture holds no significance: Amit Shah

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Thursday stated that education system bereft of culture holds no significance. He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of yoga guru Ramdev's 'Acharyakulam Bhawan'.Shah said that though there is no qualm in accepting the good of west, he urged the countrymen to stay true to the Indian roots. "If our education system is not as per our culture, then our development holds no significance. During the Mughal period, we lost the right to rule but we kept our education system preserved. It was British invaders who changed our entire education system and the culture of all-round development was lost. It now requires a lot of effort to get out of the glow and glimmer of this education system. We have no qualms in accepting the good of the West but we must stay true to our roots and not look down at it," he said.The BJP president also stressed on the need for a more inclusive education system while insisting that the Indian ...

Vedic education only alternative to Macaulay's system: Shah

BJP president Amit Shah Thursday inaugurated Patanjali Yogpeeth's "Acharyakulam" which claims to synthesise modern and Vedic education, saying yoga guru Ramdev has paved the way for the country's freedom from Macaulay's system of education by offering an alternative. "By offering an option of Vedic education in the form of this institution, the yoga guru has shown the way out of Macaulay's divisive education system whose foundations were laid during the British rule," Shah said. Thomas Babington Macaulay was a British historian and played a major role in the introduction of English as the medium of instruction for education in India. Assuring that the BJP governments in the states and at the Centre will give all support to Patanjali Yogpeeth in its mission of giving an alternative education system to the country, Shah said the Vedic system of education alone could ensure the holistic growth of students. Alleging that Macaulay's system of education introduced by the British had divided

Odisha DG contacts his Tripura counterpart over alleged torture of Odia students

The Director General of Odisha Police R P Sharma has talked to his Tripura counterpart to ensure safety of Odia students there after about 100 students from Odisha were allegedly tortured and harassed at Agartala-based Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. The Odisha-based students have been in Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan to pursue their BEd course. "On the 26th, the moment I got to know about some #Odiya students at Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan being harassed at #Agartala, I spoke with DGP #Tripura. Subsequently the SP visited & has assured security & help. Closely monitoring the situation & in regular touch with the DGP there," the Odisha DGP's office twitted Thursday. On Wednesday, the panic-stricken Odia students and teachers through a video message to their friends and family had alleged that they were attacked by some students at the Sanskrit Sansthan for not participating in a strike during the Ganesh Puja celebrations in the second week of September. "The Odisha DGP has ...

UK universities call for ban on essay writing companies

More than 45 university chiefs on Thursday called on the UK government to ban companies that produce essays for students for a fee. The so-called "essay mills" are known to exist around the world, including in India, offering students the option to pay for bespoke course work that helps them score the right grades. Such companies are already banned in New Zealand, Australia and some parts of the US. British universities now want a similar crackdown in the UK. "Essay mills undermine the integrity of UK higher education and are unfair to the vast majority of honest, hard-working students," noted the letter addressed to UK Education Secretary Damian Hinds. "We are confident that you abhor such cheating as much as we do and encourage you to take the necessary steps to curb these practices, steps which must include a legislative ban on operating or advertising an essay mill," it added. It is hoped that once such services are made illegal, the laws against advertising would also help tackle

Court asks Delhi govt to expedite teachers' recruitment

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) and the Department of Education (DoE) to expedite the process to fill up all teacher vacancies both in direct recruitment and promotion.The court directed the DoE and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to file status report on teacher vacancies. The matter will be next heard by the court on March 4 next year.The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by a Non-governmental Organisation Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal.The DSSSB has been incorporated with the purpose of recruiting capable, competent, highly skilled individuals by conducting written and professional tests, as well as personal interviews wherever as desired.

British Council scholarship for Indian students: Obe

British Council, India Director, Alan Gemmell Obe Thursday said the Council would give scholarship to 500 students from India for academic exchange programme in United Kingdom universities. The British Council will give scholarship to 500 Indian students for academic exchange programme in 44 UK universities this year, he said. Obe said so far 105 women from India including six from North East have already availed scholarship from the council to study at university in UK. "We are hopeful that more students from Arunachal and other states of the north east will avail the scholarships being provided by the Council," the director said. He said over the last few years there was significant increase in visa application by Indian students. "This has clearly indicated that the students from India are more interested to study in UK universities," he added "The year 2018 marks 70 years of the British Council in India. Weve supported the ambitions of millions of young people ...