Page 384 - Education

AMU students urge Kovind to intervene to end Jinnah row

The Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) has written to President Ram Nath Kovind, seeking his intervention to end the controversy over Muhammad Ali Jinnah's portrait on the varsity campus. In their letter to Kovind, the students alleged that no satisfactory action has been taken by the Uttar Pradesh government yet. They also said that the Aligarh district administration was yet to act against those who trespassed into the campus and indulged in acts of violence on May 2. The protest by the students against the trespass and violence entered its 11th day today. AMUSU leaders warned they would intensify their stir and start a relay hunger strike if their demands are not met. They are also demanding action against the police officers responsible for lathicharge on students on May 2. AMUSU leaders, including its president Mashkoor Ahmad Usmani, sought an appointment with Kovind over the issue. "We have high regard for the president and we hope his prompt intervention will ...

Project Nanhi Kali looks to deploy more 'Yellow Tablets' to reduce drop-out rate

Project Nanhi Kali, a non-government girl-child education programme jointly managed by K.C. Mahindra Education Trust (KCMET) and Naandi foundation expects to further deploy 25,000 more 'Yellow tablets' in the coming two-three years to improve training standards, overcome the shortage of teachers and reduce drop-out rate in the most backward districts of rural India.

Student hacks school website to change grades, arrested

A high school student in the US has been arrested for hacking into the computer system of his school to change his and other students' grades, media reports said on Saturday.

An alternative to Braille that both visually challenged, sighted can read

A Delhi-based social venture has claimed to have come out with an alternative to Braille books which the sighted people too would be able to read, understand and teach easily to the visually challenged students. Braille books have for many years restricted sighted persons from understanding or reading them easily. The new books with special embossing techniques can be read by a visually impaired person and at the same time do not disturb the readability of a sighted reader, which could go a long way in helping such children to be part of mainstream education, according to its creators. "They are an invention after research and development work done in-house for nearly five years.The books being introduced by us are integrated with special embossing technique which does not disturb the readability of a sighted reader and at the same time can be read by a visually impaired person by sensing the tactile braille and images through their fingers," said Puneet Arora, co founder of Inklude ..

17 lakh students take Maha aptitude test, commerce top pick:

As many as 17.36 lakh students who appeared for Class X examinations this year took part in the "kalchachni" (aptitude) online test and 21 per cent of them evinced interest in joining the Commerce stream, state Education Minister Vinod Tawde said today. The online aptitude test is conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in order check students' inclination towards streams like Arts, Commerce, Technical, Health Sciences, Agriculture and Fine Arts. Addressing a press conference here, Tawde said that a total of 17,36,104 students participated in the online test and 21 per cent wanted to join the Commerce stream. The test conducted in 2017 had thrown up Fine Arts as the preferred choice of participating students. Tawde said that the government, from the forthcoming academic year, planned to conduct the test earlier so as to help students in a better way. "It is an initiative of the State Education Board and the Shyamchi Aai ...

Salaries of 5 govt teachers withheld for unauthorised absence in JK

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district withheld salaries of five government teachers for being absent from duty and ordered two inquiries against them, officials said. Four teachers of government middle school Kiyar-Dacchan and one teacher of government high school Changer-Marwah were reported absent, they said. Taking serious note of the complaints, they said District Development Commissioner (DDC) Kishtwar, Angrez Singh Rana, withheld the salaries of all five teachers for remaining absent from duty, pending inquiry. Angrez directed the Kishtwar Chief Education Officer to conduct in-depth inquiries into the matter and recommend stern action against the defaulters, if found any, as warranted under article 128 of Civil Service Rules. The rule reads that unauthorised absence of government employee amounts to loss of appointment. The absentee teachers included Rahul Parihar, Jyoti Balla, Mashqoor Ahmed and Akhtar of government middle school Kiyar and Sajjad Husain Tapal of .

Class 8 book describes Bal Gangadhar Tilak as 'father of terrorism'

A reference book for Class 8 Social Studies has described freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the 'father of terrorism'.The book by a Mathura-based publisher is being used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE)."Tilak demonstrated a path towards national movement, therefore, he is called as the father of terrorism." reads page 267 of chapter 22 of the book.Tilak's description is part of sub-topic "Incidents of National Movement during 18th and 19th century"."Tilak clearly believed that we cannot achieve anything just by pleading the British officers. Through Shivaji and Ganpati festivals, Tilak aroused unique awareness in the country. He instilled the mantra of freedom among the masses, due to which he became a thorn in the eyes of the British," the book further reads.Reacting to this, Private School Association Director Kailash Sharma said, "Describing Tilak as the "father of terrorism" is highly condemnable. Before ...

HC quashes DU Law Faculty notice against supplementary exams

The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed the Delhi University Law Faculty notice for discontinuation of supplementary exams after the sixth (last) semester for candidates who failed to clear them in previous five semesters.

Suspect in custody after shooting reported at California High School

A suspect is in custody after a shooting was reported on Friday morning (local time) at a Southern California high school.According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy Charles Moore the authorities were called to Highland High School in Palmdale at about 7:05 a.m. PT, CNN reported.Palmdale is in Los Angeles County, about 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.Both Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Palmdale Fire Department said they had received reports of shots being fired - the first coming around 7am local time.The sheriff's office tweeted one suspect has been detained in connection to "the person with a gun...at Highland High school in Palmdale."The school's principal took to Twitter, appealing people to stay away from the campus."Law enforcement is working to assess the situation," the message from Principal Chris Grado says. "Please stay clear of campus. Will update as soon as have more information."Highland as well as three other schools in the local area have ..

HC orders action against college for admitting students sans affiliation

The Madras High Court has ordered registration of a police complaint against a private teacher training college in Puducherry for admitting students without affiliation. The court said the institute was commercialising education and cheating poor students by admitting them, though its affiliation to the Pondicherry University had been cancelled in the previous academic year. Justice S M Subramanian directed the university to register the complaint against Usha Lachumanan College of Education in Thirukkanur while dismissing a miscellaneous petition by aggrieved students of the institute seeking permission to appear for university exams. He said by permitting the students to write the examination, the court cannot allow continuation of the illegality which had already crept in. Observing that the college had cheated the students as well as the society, the judge directed the police to investigate the matter and proceed with further action, and posted the main petition to June 11 for ...

UGC nod for first railway university

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday announced signing of a Letter of Intent for the country's first railway university.

95% entrepreneurial attempts fail in India; Debroy questions education system

A big question mark is whether the Indian education system facilitates entrepreneurship, says NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy

Pb CM orders setting up of core group to suggest reforms in school edu

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today ordered the constitution of a core group of teachers from across the state, including border areas, to suggest reforms in the school education system. The core group, which will focus on bringing reforms in the existing curriculum to bring it on par with that of followed by private and convent schools, will submit its report by June 15, according to an official spokesperson. The Chief Minister issued the directions to the secretary of school education during a high-level meeting here to review the results of class 10 and class 12 exams conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). The meeting was also attended by state Education Minister O P Soni, along with top brass of the School Education Department, besides representatives of the teaching staff. The chief minister offered full support of the state government in providing necessary infrastructure and manpower for the development of government schools, the spokesperson ...

HC quashes law faculty notice's applicability on students before 2017

The Delhi High Court today quashed a Delhi University Law Faculty notice which said that only fifth and sixth semester students will be allowed to sit for supplementary exams after their regular tests, as it applied retrospectively to students who were admitted before the academic year 2017-18. The court clarified that it has not interfered with the applicability of the October 9 last year's notice to students who had taken admission after the academic year 2016-17, since they had adequate notice and ample opportunity to plan their academic and examination schedules as per the changed rules regarding supplementary examinations. Justice Rekha Palli said the notice, which was applied retrospectively to the students who took admission prior to the academic year 2017-18, was "wholly arbitrary" and was quashed it to that extent. "In my opinion, the students who had taken admission before the academic year 2017-18 deserve at least one opportunity to take their supplementary examinations as .

UGC grants deemed to be varsity status to national rail institute

The University Grants Commission (UGC) today approved a proposal for granting deemed to be university status for the National Rail and Transport Institute, Vadodara. "The UGC today granted Letter of Intent for first Railway University. Will fast track defence university also," Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted. "The proposal to grant deemed to be university status to the institute was sent to the ministry for consideration and issuing of letter of intent," a senior HRD official said. The Union Cabinet had approved the establishment of India's first national rail and transportation university at Vadodara on December 20, 2017. Christened 'National Rail and Transport University (NRTU)', the institute is expected to have 3,000 full-time students.

HRD seeks ideas from pvt sector for redifining pre-school edu

The HRD Ministry has sought ideas from private sector for redifining pre-school education in the country, a top official said today. "The government or private sector alone cannot solve the humongous task of redefining the pre-school education system in India. The volume or size can come from government, but quality will come from the private sector," HRD's School Education Secretary Anil Swarup said. He was speaking at the conference 'Re-imagining Pre-school Education' organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). "Today, one of the most challenging task in pre-school education is the lack of trained teachers. Those from private sector to submit, should submit ideas to government with a focused approach," he said. "The idea has to be politically acceptable, socially desirable, technologically feasible, financially viable and administratively doable," Swarup added.

CBSE schools to promote art& culture among students

CBSE schools in Kerala and Lakshadweep will soon be promoting art, culture and creativity among students and helping them showcase their talents. The board envisions a robust system which focuses on Academics and holistic development of children, a top official said. "Co-curricular activities supplement and complement the curricular or main syllabi activities.These are very important to develop the students' personality as well as to strengthen classroom learning", Tarun Kumar, CBSE Regional officer, Thiruvananthapuram, told PTI. Letters in this regard were sent today to 1,350 schools in Kerala and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, which comes under Thiruvananthapuram division. The schools have also been asked to start video channels in their websites or use any free video sharing app to provide a platform for students to exhibit their skills. Some schools have already started such video sharing websites like Youtube or vimeo, in which users can upload their activities

PPP crucial for pre-school education format: Anil Swarup

Union Education Secretary Anil Swarup on Friday stated that the role of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is vital for a robust pre-school education format.Addressing the FICCI ARISE 'Re-imagining Pre-school Education' conference here in New Delhi, Swarup noted that the PPP model is crucial for building a strong education infrastructure."The government or private sector alone cannot solve the humongous task of redefining the pre-school education system in India. Volume or size can come from government, but quality will come from the private sector," he added.As per Anil, one of the most challenging tasks in pre-school education currently is the lack of trained teachers. In this regard, he recommended that the private sector to submit ideas to the government with a focused approach, keeping in mind that the idea is politically acceptable, socially desirable, technologically feasible, financially viable and administratively doable.Meanwhile, FICCI Assistant Secretary-General Shobha ...

Delhi HC allows students of open schools to sit for NEET

The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed students of open schools to appear in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination.The court, however, dismissed the plea challenging Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) decision to fix the upper age limit as 25, for general category students appearing in NEET 2018.The CBSE that conducts the NEET issued the admission notification on February 9. The eligibility criteria of NEET 2018 was slightly modified from the NEET 2017 eligibility criteria.The lower age limit for NEET 2018 is 17 years. Candidates must have completed or complete the age of 17 years on or before 31 December 2018. This means candidates born on or before January 1, 2002.The upper age limit has been implemented at 25 years for the general category with a relaxation of 5 years for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC category and persons entitled under Rights of Persons under Disabilities Act. That is, candidates who are 25 years or less as on May 6, 2018, are ...

Make Sanskrit compulsory subject in schools: Swamy

Sanskrit should be made a compulsory subject in schools along with the mother tongue, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said here today. "Sanskrit should be made compulsory in my opinion.... Mother tongue and Sanskrit should be made compulsory, third (language) is optional," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. He claimed that Sanskrit was the only acceptable language for storing knowledge for artificial intelligence in a computer. India, he added, possessed sound knowledge of different subjects such as mathematics and science. "We were the people who were on top in mathematics, science, medicine and surgery. We even had manuals on how to build an aeroplane," he said. "But later on you will find out after reading it that it was a substantive manual; which is now being translated... Recently found," Swamy said. The Western world was beginning to accept the efficacy of yoga and meditation, said Swamy, who delivered a talk on 'Future of India in the Emerging World' ..