MoE preparing guidelines to protect mental, emotional wellbeing of students: Dharmendra Pradhan

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March 22, 2023

According to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the ministry of education is creating a comprehensive framework of guidelines to protect student’s mental and emotional health.

In all educational establishments across the nation, there should be zero tolerance for any form of discrimination, according to the minister of education and skill development.

According to Pradhan, “the ministry is developing a comprehensive framework of operational guidelines to protect students’ mental and emotional health, which will cover all types of educational institutions, from K–12 to higher education.”

Also Read:- Dharmendra Pradhan and Education Minister of Australia to sign an agreement on mutual recognition of qualifications

He further added, “The framework will institutionalise safeguards and mechanisms that can ensure comprehensive protection to students from any threat or assault- physical, social, discriminatory, cultural, and linguistic; causing psychological distress leading to self-harming and self-destructive tendencies among students.”

Senior representatives from the school and higher education department, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and University Grants Commission attended a high-level review meeting that Pradhan was in charge that focused on students’ mental wellness. (UGC).

Physics Wallah acquires UAE-Based startup knowledge planet

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March 21, 2023

Physics Wallah acquires UAE-Based startup knowledge planet

Delhi-based edtech unicorn Physics Wallah acquired UAE-based company Knowledge Planet. The Indian edtech unicorn has now made its first purchase outside of the country.

With this partnership, Physics Wallah hopes to grow in the upcoming year across the GCC. Additionally, it will make an undisclosed investment in the edtech firm headquartered in Dubai.

Reliable reports state that the GCC entity of Physics Wallah will continue to be run by the Knowledge Planet founders while the new entity will continue to expand.

The source said that the plan was to concentrate on providing both online and offline schooling to the Indian diaspora in the GCC.

In order to give academic training and course offerings across different categories, Physics Wallah and the e-learning platform Utkarsh Classes joined forces last month. For an undisclosed sum in October 2022, the startup also acquired Altis Vortex, a publisher of exam practice books, and PrepOnline, an online learning tool for NEET.

The Knowledge Planet has been in business for almost ten years and offers a broad range of services, including test preparation, enrichment classes, and preparation for important competitive exams like JEE and NEET. “Knowledge Planet fills a gap for parents by providing quality entrance preparation just like they would expect in India while customizing it for the Non-Resident Indians (NRI) mindset and requirements,” said Sachin Bharti Gupta, co-Founder of Knowledge Planet.

Reports state that Physics Wallah is attempting to enter the market through a comparable acquisition-style strategy. “The Indian diaspora is significant in the Middle East, and the majority follow international competitive examinations. So it makes sense that the larger Indian edtech firms would consider the area.”

CBSE to implement NCFFS for the academic session 2022-23

Schools News

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March 20, 2023

The National Curriculum Framework for Foundation Stage (NCFFS) will be implemented for the academic year 2022–2023, according to a statement made on Sunday by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

According to the official notification, all CBSE-affiliated schools that provide foundational stage education to students aged 3 to 8 years will transition to the new structure of five-year education at the foundational stage (from Nursery to Class 2) beginning with the 2023–24 academic year.

NCERT created this new structure in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The purpose is to “define the competencies and learning outcomes, general principles and approaches that should underpin teaching and learning at the foundational stage,” according to the official notice. This new framework will serve as a roadmap for educators as they create curricula, syllabi, and instructional tools.

The teaching materials in this new framework will have a lot of examples and illustrations, which will help to reinforce learning, clarify abstract concepts, and make new ideas and concepts more approachable to working teachers.

According to the notification, “While schools offering Classes 1 to 10 / 12 may make efforts to gradually augment the infrastructural requirements to include pre-primary classes, schools already running foundational classes may continue to offer 3 years of pre-primary education. Detailed instructions regarding submission of OASIS data pertaining to foundational classes (Pre-Primary classes) shall follow.”

GITAM inks MoU with Korean University to work together on academic and research projects

Higher Education

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March 18, 2023

GITAM (Deemed to be University) and Cheongju University, Republic of Korea, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that has allowed both institutions to work together on academic and research projects in addition to their continuing partnership on a renewable wind energy project.

The two institutions will be able to promote the sharing of knowledge, information, and materials that are of mutual interest in any field thanks to the five-year MoU. Moreover, it will boost the exchange of academic and administrative staff, research staff, and student internships in both nations.

In the presence of Prof. K Rajagopal, the former Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, campus officials from GITAM Hyderabad, including Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. DS Rao, and a representative from Cheongju University, Prof. Yong Jin Chung, signed the Memorandum of Understanding.

The ongoing Indo-Korean initiative, in which GITAM Hyderabad installed four on-campus small wind turbines, will be strengthened even further by this partnership. ESCO-RTS has an agreement with Cheongju University, JIS, GITAM, and Archimedes Green Energy (P) Ltd. as part of this.

“The ongoing Indo-Korean wind energy project is a crucial one for GITAM and monitors wind data and compares the performance of Indian and Korean models. GITAM addresses the technical aspects associated with wind turbines,” said Srinivas Pendyala, Head, Dept of Mechanical Engineering, GITAM School of Technology, Hyderabad.

In addition to the four turbines in Hyderabad, 16 additional ones are being installed nationally. At the moment, each location records its own wind data and electricity generation data. The information will eventually be fed into a cloud server that can be viewed from anywhere. The installation of a data center by GITAM will also allow for the analysis of wind data from any area where Archimedes wind turbines are positioned.

G20 meet will serve as a crucial platform to boost education sector: CM Mann

Government News

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March 17, 2023

Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Minister of Punjab, said that the G20 meeting on education in this city will serve as a crucial forum for obtaining crucial advice from knowledgeable nations to advance the industry in general and the state in particular.

Speaking to the gathering during the second G20 Education Working Group meeting, the chief minister expressed his firm belief that the discussions held here will not only raise the bar for education but also greatly help the state’s youth. According to a Punjab government statement, he also expressed hope that the G20’s attempts to address important problems relating to the global economy will significantly boost the nation’s and the state’s economic growth. Mann also praised the G20’s concerted efforts to foster an atmosphere of peace, understanding, and international collaboration.

He said and thanked the Center for choosing the holy city to host two sessions on education and labour, adding that the Indian government truly merits praise for hosting the massive event in this country of great gurus, saints, and seers.

Before Partition, the city was a significant hub for commerce, Mann recalled, and the government is working hard to reestablish it as such. According to him, a number of reputable businesses have expressed a strong desire to establish operations in Amritsar. Amritsar and other Indian cities are hosting a number of activities as part of their G20 presidency.

Ambedkar University to set up 2 new campuses

Higher Education

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March 16, 2023

According to Education Minister Atishi, the Delhi government has prioritized re-conceptualizing technical colleges and is creating two new campuses of the Ambedkar University to increase the number of seats.

Instructing staff to create an action plan for the growth and modernization of all Delhi government-run universities and technical education institutions, the minister reviewed projects for higher education.

“In Delhi, 2.5 lakh children pass out of class 12. But despite having talent and ability, only one lakh of these children get admission in any university. Taking cognisance of this, the Delhi government started increasing the capacity of its universities,” Atishi said.

She also instructed officials to speed up the building of the Ambedkar University campuses in Rohini and Dheerpur, claiming that they would meet all of the students’ academic requirements.

The minister said, “The Delhi government is working with a vision of changing the country through education. After the Dheerpur and Rohini campuses of the university are ready, more than 26,000 students will be able to get admission here.”

Both campuses will have multiple-story academic buildings, a conference center, a health center, an auditorium, a library, an amphitheater, a guest house, and separate dorms for boys and girls. There will also be housing units built.

According to Atishi, the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Shahdara will build two cutting-edge academic buildings to accommodate 10,000 students.

There are a total of 11,000 seats in the current 19 ITIs of the Delhi government, where more than 30,000 applications are received every year, according to the Directorate of Education.

Ashoka University launches Ashoka Centre for a People-centric Energy Transition

Higher Education

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March 15, 2023

Ashoka University announced today the launch of Ashoka Centre for a People-centric Energy Transition (ACPET), will assist India and the Global South’s efforts to achieve net-zero energy consumption while also advancing economic growth and energy security.

A draft of India’s integrated Energy Policy is the Center’s first initiative. Additionally, it will give top priority to initiatives in fields such as Energy Efficiency and Conservation, which includes behavioural change, Governance of the Energy Sector, Cooling Technologies, Carbon Markets, Hydrogen Economy, and Electric Mobility. The Centre will collaborate with the Indian government and business to develop models and insights that can help India achieve its goals for clean growth. Additionally, it will provide executive, postgraduate, and undergraduate classes.

Mahua Acharya, first interim Director ACPET and former MD & CEO, Convergence Energy Services Limited of the Government of India said, “India’s energy needs are only going up. Electric mobility is picking up. We are discussing the creation of a domestic carbon market. Ambitions around the use of hydrogen are high. India’s energy sector is currently undergoing a transition. And of course, job creation and economic growth remain priority. Managing this well will benefit from a Centre that thinks in an integrated way, is centered around people and economic growth, and benefits from a two-way dialogue with the market and Government. I am grateful to have worked with a small team of very committed people and of course the founders of Ashoka University to get us to this stage; and I remain committed to setting this up and getting the Centre on the road.”

“We are pleased to be financially supporting the creation of this institution. The country needs it and there is no better institution than Ashoka University to host it,” said Saurabh Kumar, India Head of the Global Energy Alliance for People and the Planet.

Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder and Chairperson, Board of Trustees at Ashoka University said, “Energy transition is a complex issue, requiring a look into economic growth in a manner that is sustainable, without compromising the needs of the most vulnerable sections of our society. At Ashoka, we are resolutely committed to supporting India and the Global South in traversing this journey towards ‘net-zero’, in ways that are both just and equitable. This will require well-informed insights and innovations in the fields of technology, business and policy making. The launch of ACPET is an important step in this direction, it will act as a ‘go-to’ knowledge centre for informing best practices that we can adopt as a society.”

Speaking about the overall approach, Somak Raychaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University said, “At Ashoka, we have always taken an inter-disciplinary approach to thinking about complex problems of our society, including the challenge of addressing the impacts of climate change. In the context of energy transition, this particularly requires formulating solutions that are ‘people-centric’, ideas that weigh-in the interests and needs of all stakeholders. ACPET will bring this to fruition by having a fulcrum of world-class faculty and practitioners from the fields of natural and social sciences; a collaborative approach; and a commitment to producing cutting edge research.”

ACPET will have three research verticals–

1) Decarbonisation: Identifying near and middle-term opportunities to decarbonise India’s economy, especially supporting the creation of new manufacturing capacity in a sustainable manner.

2) Net Zero Energy Future: Develop a vision for a Net Zero sustainable society, in line with India’s vision and the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) principles.

3) Energy Finance: Identify methods to bring in domestic and international capital into Indian economic sectors.

LEAD acquires Pearson’s local K-12 learning business in India; expands reach to 5 million students

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March 15, 2023

The local K-12 learning division of Pearson India has been acquired by LEAD. With the largest portfolio of School Edtech products and services to better meet the educational requirements of India’s 5 lakh+ private schools, the acquisition is a strategic investment for LEAD. With this acquisition, LEAD has widened its reach to enhance learning outcomes in 9000+ schools across India.

Sumeet Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO, LEAD, said, “Different school segments in India have very different learning needs. With this acquisition, LEAD aims to serve as a single-point solution provider for all the learning needs of both affordable private schools in India’s small towns, as well as private high-fee schools in its metros and large cities. We will build on the combined knowledge, experience, and team strengths of both companies to create opportunities for growth and innovation, and to further deepen relationships with our school partners.”

Following Covid, the development aspirations of school owners and other ecosystem stakeholders, as well as forward-thinking policy initiatives like NEP 2020, are expected to propel the growth of the school edtech sector. LEAD is dedicated to enhancing learning outcomes by transforming classrooms all over India. LEAD is the country’s top provider of school edtech. The purchase of Pearson India’s local K-12 learning company will expedite LEAD’s goal of delivering high-quality, integrated school edtech solutions to over 60,000 schools in India by 2026. The merger was authorised by the boards of Directors of both businesses in January 2023, and EY served as LEAD’s exclusive financial advisor.

In January 2023, LEAD raised approximately Rs. 160 crores through a mix of long-term funding from India’s top venture debt investors, Alteria Capital and Stride Ventures, and working capital financing from prominent banks like Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank. The new round of funding will aid in financing LEAD’s plans for both organic and inorganic growth since the path to profitability for its core business—Affordable Private Schools—has already been established through existing capital.

Quality education is more than gross enrollment ratios: Dr. R. Balaji, SBOA School & Junior College

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March 15, 2023

Pre-primary education must be given top priority by the government. It is essential to design flexible, play based foundational curriculum. For this, a teacher educational curriculum should be developed to train teachers appropriately, shares Dr. R. Balaji, Secretary & Correspondent, SBOA School & Junior College, Chennai with Srajan Agarwal of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited excerpts:

Union Budget 2023 focused on revamping teacher training. How do you support the move and what are your plans for implementing training at your school?

In my opinion, change is a growth requirement, and so I agree with the revamping of teacher training. Students should be provided with the best possible learning experience and for that teachers have to adapt and find newer ways to meet the changing needs.

As far as our school is concerned I feel teachers should be trained to adapt the changing dynamics of education trends. They should be provided with continuous development programmes that will enable them to stay abreast on new methods of teaching skill development techniques, and to map student’s learning and academic process. The use of podcast videos gamification and flipped classrooms offer more scope for discussions and interventions and therefore teachers need to be trained to use such practical approaches too. Training teachers to plan their lessons incorporating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools to boost creativity, collaboration and effective learning will be implemented. Learning with fun and effective tools like quizzes, game based learning – building lessons and activities based on games which would facilitate learning with motivation and fun which is the need of the hour and therefore features should up skill themselves in order to teach skill based and competency based learning curriculum.

Recently, the Education Minister launched the Yuva Sangam portal which will concentrate on organising youth-exposure tours for students from North Eastern States to other states and vice versa. How do you think such initiatives are going to develop multicultural education in Indian students?

Multicultural education seeks to create equal educational opportunities for all students. It changes the total school environment. Multicultural education is a reform to give equal educational opportunities irrespective of race, social class, ethnic groups and gender. It enables the students to know more about their own and others’ history, culture and art. It will bring immense exposure and opportunities for knowledge exchanges and enhance their mutual understanding. It will encourage cooperative social skills among students. Multicultural education will expose students to various cultural and social groups preparing students to become better citizens in their communities. It will enable students to maintain a good relation with students of different ethnic groups. Moreover, in a country like ours where we are bound to “Unity in Diversity”, if students are exposed to diversity and have multicultural education, they get better prepared for a diverse workplace and it allows them to interact in a wider range of social groups and feel more confident in themselves as well as in their interaction with others.

NCERT issues guidelines for ‘Early identification and intervention for mental health problems in school-going children and adolescents. How are you planning to work on the same at your school?

Schools play an important role in creating an optimistic community that enhances a sense of connection and belonging among students. Mental health problems can be resolved by the following ways:

Mental health education can be integrated into academics.
Seek school counsellors help.
Mental health building tools can be incorporated, such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, art etc
By providing mental health and well-being tips in the morning assembly.
Appropriate training to be given to educators so that they can identify and respond to signs of mental health issues.
To take up physical exercise, meditation, yoga, hobbies etc
To raise awareness about mental health.
Encourage to eat healthy and stay fit.
Importance of mental health will be taught by involving students in activities like poster making or painting.
To develop healthy relationships and the ability to work cooperatively with others.
Special programmes can be organised by the school Counsellors for teenagers in school.

According to the economic survey 2022-23, enrollment at the pre-primary level decreased from 1.1 crores [11 million] in 2021 to 1.0 crores [10 million] in 2022. Your comments on the same.

Pre-primary education must be given top priority by the government. It is essential to design flexible, play based foundational curriculum. For this, a teacher educational curriculum should be developed to train teachers appropriately. I feel lack of awareness, illiteracy among parents and poverty are the basic reasons for the low enrollment at the pre-primary level adding to the problems of closure of schools due to the pandemic. Steps should be taken to make education affordable. Day care centres should be integrated with kindergartens to create a more cohesive system.

Schools at all levels showed an improvement in their gross enrollment ratios (GER) for the fiscal year 2021–22. Do you think the mere improvement in GER will enhance the quality of education?

No, I disagree with the statement. In my opinion quality of education depends on a good curriculum, advanced educational learning materials, proper infrastructure, trained teachers, appropriate assessment of the child’s learning, boosting their self-esteem and preparing them for life. Quality of education is enhanced by the physical, social, mental, emotional development of every student irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, status, race etc.

With the crashed job market across the world, how are you going to train your students to be competent citizens in the outside world? Do you think ‘Becoming job providers, instead of job seekers’ will improve the unemployability rate in India?

To become competent citizens here are a few suggestions:

Students should be equipped with the first century skills such as critical thinking, creativity collaboration and communication.
Extra-curricular activities should be given importance in order to get transferable skills that can be applied in the workforce.
Entrepreneurship should be encouraged.
No, in my opinion job providers do not increase unemployability rate in India in fact they decrease it.
Employment rates can be improved through the following ways:
MNC and establishment of domestic industries increases job opportunities and also improves the standard of living.
Technology enabled job profiles provides opportunities to more young professionals.
Tourism sector also provides employment to many people.

Under the PM – Yojana “Skill India Mission,” the Indian government AIMS to develop practical skills, which are required by the industry. Unemployability rate has dropped drastically since its implementation.

ASCI intends to amend its guidelines for education advertisements

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March 14, 2023

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) intends to alter its current “Guidelines for Advertising of Educational Institutions, Programmes and Platforms” document with the aim of ensuring that advertising in the education sector won’t jeopardise students’ wellbeing. All institutions, including colleges, coaching sessions, and edtech platforms, will be governed by the updated guidelines.

The physical and mental health of young students has been taken into consideration when creating the proposed amendment. F for instance, advertising must refrain from portraying average students or those with low test scores as demotivated, unhappy, or getting less praise from peers, parents, or teachers. Additionally, ASCI urges that students who receive bad grades not be portrayed as failures and that stereotypes based on gender or appearance be avoided. The ASCI code will be broken if there is a false sense of urgency or dread of missing out that might increase parental or student concerns about education. Brands are encouraged to avoid linking particular subjects with particular genders, even though it is not required to feature students of any particular gender.

The current ASCI code for education advertisements mandates that all promises and claims be supported by evidence and forbids companies from making deceptive claims.

But in 2022–2023, the education sector—which was responsible for 27% of the objectionable advertisements that the industry authority had to deal with—was the worst offender of the ASCI code. 22% of these came from conventional educational firms, and 5% came from edtech businesses.

A study by ASCI called EdNext on advertising in the edtech sector was published in January of this year and showed a number of issues. For instance, 73% of the parents surveyed felt that edtech companies’ advertising portrays too much scholastic pressure.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General at ASCI, said the guidelines are being updated on the back of the report’s findings.

“The new clauses are about recognising that education advertising impacts the minds of parents and growing children. Therefore, in addition to complying with the existing ASCI codes that mandate honest claims, advertisers should endeavour to make sure that ads are not harmful. The EdNext study and our conversation with various stakeholders such as academicians, consumers, institutes and the advertising industry have paved the way for the additional guidelines to come in,” said Kapoor.

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