UGC to launch research grants, and fellowship schemes on the occasion of Teachers day 2022

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September 5, 2022

University Grants Commission has announced that it will be launching new research grants and fellowship schemes on the occasion of Teachers Day 2022. UGC India will be launching 3 research grants and 2 fellowship schemes, as per this announcement. These new schemes would be launched on September 5, 2022 at 3 PM through the livestream through the official Twitter and YouTube channels of the commission.

Following mentioned are the grants that will be launched for faculty members and in-servicde members,as per the information issued by UGC:-

1. Dr. D.S. Kothari Research Grant for Newly Recruited – The D.S Kothari scheme is a post-doctoral fellowship scheme for those in the field of sciences, medical and engineering sciences. The tenure will be for 2 years.

2. Research Grant for In-Service Faculty Members. The tenure will be for 2 years.

3. Fellowship for Superannuated Faculty Members – UGC launched this scheme in order to provide an opportunity to the superannuated teachers who have been actively engaged in research and teaching programmes. The tenure will be for 3 years.

A post-doctoral and doctoral scheme will be launched, under the fellowship schemes. All of these schemes will be launched on September 5, 2022. These are –

1. Dr. Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral fellowship scheme – The objective behind this fellowship is to provide an opportunity to carry out advanced studies and research in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences including languages in Indian Universities, Colleges, and Institutions. The tenure will be for 3 years.

2. Savitribai Jyotirao Phule fellowship for the single girl child. The tenure for this doctoral fellowship will be for 5 years.

NEP 2020 to reorient India’s education policy to global benchmarks: Jitendra Singh

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September 3, 2022

Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday, The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, will reorient India’s education policy as per global benchmarks.

“NEP was the biggest path-breaking reform in India since independence as it is not only progressive and visionary but is also in keeping with emerging needs and requirements of 21st century India”, addressing the PHDCCI Education Summit, 2022, Singh said.

The minister said NEP 2020 gives due priorities to the inherent talent, knowledge, skill and aptitude of students, rather than focusing only on degrees. He added that it also gives young scholars and students enough room to decide on their options depending upon their aptitude and their personal circumstances from time to time.

Regarding the benefits of NEP 2020, Singh argued that the availability of multiple entry/exit options should be cherished because this academic flexibility will benefit students by enabling them to take advantage of various career opportunities at various points in time, depending on their innate learning and aptitude.

The policy advocates a creative and multidisciplinary curriculum that includes humanities, languages, culture, sports and fitness, health and well-being, arts and crafts, in addition to science and mathematics, said the minister.

Around 40 million Indians are pursuing higher education, more than the figure for the US and the European Union combined and the ambitious new education policy seeks to double that number. He said it was a big goal, but achievable.

One of the most commendable opportunities that stem from the NEP is the chance for universities and colleges to incorporate entrepreneurship into their curriculum. If this is done in a meaningful manner, it has the potential to provide impetus to the nation’s economy in a fairly short period of time, he further added.

As per the report, 2,000 institutions in higher education are set to begin as skill hubs and of this 700 have registered on the common portal of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship.

He said the NEP was launched to transform India’s education system through a multidisciplinary approach. With the National Education Policy completing two years on 29 July 2022, 2,774 Innovative Councils in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 28 states and six union territories (UTs) have been established, as per an internal progress report by the ministry of education.

UGC issues guidelines on multidisciplinary education: IITs to teach medicine

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September 3, 2022

Soon students could be learning medicine at IITs and doing research at general universities, how? The University Grants Commission is aiming at changing the way higher education is imparted. Stand-alone colleges and specialised universities to look multidisciplinary way as per UGC demands. Also, UGC has asked colleges to follow multiple measures including mergers, offering dual degrees, collaboration, and online courses to name a few to dive in a multidisciplinary direction.

In an official letter, UGC said, “Multidisciplinary education is known to build vibrant communities of scholars, and peers and enable students to become well-rounded individuals. It is in this backdrop, the National Education Policy 2020 lays strong emphasis on the transformation of Higher Education institutions into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges and HEI clusters”.

There can be multiple types of multidisciplinary colleges including, Multidisciplinary teaching-intensive universities (TUs), Multidisciplinary research-intensive universities (RUs), Degree-awarding multi-disciplinary autonomous colleges (smaller than a university). To achieve this, UGC has issued guidelines, here is a glimpse of these new norms:

Emphasis on online courses

UGC has asked colleges to emphasise more on online learning. All affiliated colleges should become degree-awarding multi-disciplinary autonomous institutions by 2035. Colleges can either do this on their own or through collaboration with nearby institutions in the form of clusters or by becoming a constituent part of a university as envisioned in NEP 2020.

Collaborative Dual Degree

Collaboration between two institutions for the award of dual degrees facilitates students enrolled in an HEI to take up the first degree at the host institution and the second degree at the partnering institution. Also, UGC proposes mergers of institutions functioning under the same management to put the academic and physical resources to optimal use and to offer multidisciplinary education.

Credit transfer

To offer multidisciplinary programmes successfully, HEIs are expected to conduct student-induction programmes to create awareness among students about various learning pathways and career opportunities; to register in the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC); and adopt online courses, in addition to other collaboration with other HEIs, to offer the programmes with a strong interdisciplinary flavour, the guidelines stated.

Expert colleges to offer specialised bed

Multidisciplinary universities and multidisciplinary colleges must also aim to establish departments in education, which aside from carrying out teaching and research, can also offer four-year integrated programmes, in collaboration with other departments such as Indian languages, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Neuroscience, History, Arts, Literature, Science and Mathematics.

Fall in school enrolment to continue till 2025: NCERT Study

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September 3, 2022

School enrolment in primary classes from grades I to V started declining in India in 2011, and the trend is set to continue until 2025, according to a “projection and trends” report prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

The Council has attributed this dip in enrolment to a fall in the growth rate of India’s child population. Similarly, according to a report,the upper primary (classes VI-VIII) and secondary stages (IX-X) started witnessing a decline in enrolment in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

The NCERT report had studied trends since 1950 when the country had 2,171 schools with 2.38 crore students. While overall growth of more than 900 per cent has been recorded in enrolment in the school system in classes I to X between 1950 and 2016, the share of girl students rose “precipitously”, registering an increase of over 1,000 per cent, according to the report.

At the upper primary stage, the enrolment of boys, girls and the total started to decline in 2016 and during the period, enrolment is projected to decrease by 9.47 per cent (in total) — 8.07 per cent among boys and 10.94 per cent among girls.

The research made it very evident that enrollment is a function of the population; as a result, if the number of persons in a given age group declines, enrollment would as well. Citing census information, it was noted that between 1991 and 2011, the percentage of children in the age range of 0 to 6 years in the overall population fell from 18 to 13.12 per cent.

“As a result, the gap between enrolment and population also decreased. The enrolment figure is also declining at each stage. The same reflection is seen in the study,” the report stated.

According to the researchers, it will help policymakers frame appropriate policies and programmes. “For example, the number of new schools to be opened or upgraded and the number of teachers required are decided on the basis of the number of children to be potentially enrolled in the system,” it stated.

M Jagadesh Kumar appointed as AICTE interim head

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September 2, 2022

The Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Jagadesh Kumar has been handed over the additional charge of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Thursday.

The Chairman of the AICTE, Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe, retired at the age of 65. Sahasrabudhe took over as the AICTE chairman on July 17, 2015. Kumar, on the other hand, was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi before assuming the position of the Chairman of the UGC this year.

“With Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe, the outgoing Chairman of AICTE. A warm-hearted and energetic person. Wish him all the best in his new endeavours”, said and shared a picture with the outgoing AICTE Chairman on Twitter to break the news.

It is to be noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022 has proposed a Higher Education Council of India (HECI) which will become the umbrella organisation for the UGC and the AICTE.

The Ministry of Education has put out a notification advertising for the post of the Chairman of the AICTE. “While the appointment of the regular chairman, AICTE, is under process, approval of honorable education minister is conveyed to entrust the additional charge of chairperson AICTE, temporarily, to professor M Jagadesh Kumar, chairman UGC, till the appointment of the regular chairman AICTE or until further orders, whichever is earlier”, a notice issued by the Ministry said.

PurpleTutor raises 10 crores in Series A round funding

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September 2, 2022

PurpleTutor, which focuses on AI-based live classes, has recently raised Rs 10 crores (out of which Rs 3 crore was raised earlier) in its Series A round. The round saw participation from Disruptors Capital, IvyCap Ventures, Mr. Arjun Malhotra, Co-founder, HCL, and others.

This round will help the company build its product offering and strengthen the A.I. product. The company has earlier raised 300k in its seed round in January last year. The company has raised a total of $1.6 million of funding.

Gaurav Perti, CEO, PurpleTutor said, “Our AI (Artificial Intelligence) in live classes is a very unique product, and it helps to personalize classes at the same time helping teachers. The current fund raise will help us strengthen our technology and product teams, and build on our A.I. product even further and expand product lines”.

The company recorded a 4.5X jump in revenue in FY21 compared to the last fiscal year. Its overall revenue for FY 21 stood at ₹10.41 cr. While building the AI product the company has grown in revenue too. Currently, PurpleTutor focuses on AI-driven live classes across computational thinking subjects such as app development, game design, 3D game design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, etc.

Personalisation of the learner’s journey is one of the major goals of AI in classes. This allows every child to carve out their own unique individual learning path, completely breaking the one-size-fits all classroom approach. “Our immediate goal is to enhance the A.I. offering given the success we’ve had on all soft & hard metrics on using our A.I. product. We are also looking to launch other subjects since the A.I. product we’ve developed is subject agnostic”, said Gaurav.

Vikram Gupta, Founder and Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures added, “As an investor, we are happy to strengthen our association with PurpleTutor which dates back to January 2021. Their potential to bring advanced courses to every child is unbound. I believe what sets PurpleTutor apart is its smart and unique ways of using Artificial intelligence. In addition to enhancing the learning experience of a child, they bring benefits for the teachers as well. They do not replace well-qualified teachers but enable them with a tool that enhances their teaching experience”.

Also Read:- Edtech startup Sunstone raises $35Mn in Series C funding

“We’ve been impressed with PurpleTutor’s ability to personalise a learner’s journey. Most recently the internal results from their homegrown AI for teaching product, promise a big step forward towards personalisation in edtech and enhancing learning outcomes for students. We are glad to be part of their journey, as they embark on this next stage of innovation in edtech”. We are really looking forward to the next chapter in our association said Raj Juneja, Managing Partner & CIO, Disruptors Capital.

Dharmendra Pradhan addresses the G20 education ministers’ meeting

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September 2, 2022

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union education minister on Thursday called for collaborative efforts by different countries to address common challenges at the G-20 education ministers’ meeting in Bali.

Delivering the opening remarks, Pradhan emphasised India’s rapid strides towards building a more resilient and inclusive education and skilling ecosystem and realising the creative potential of each learner through the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“He spoke about the importance of sharing mutual experiences & working together to create a new world in which education remains the nodal point for addressing common challenges,” according to a statement issued by the Union ministry of education, Pradhan spoke about collaborative efforts among countries.

Discussing the NEP 2020, Pradhan said that India is giving special emphasis on formalising early childhood care and education, boosting digital and multi-modal learning, supporting differently-abled children, flexible entry-exit pathways, and integrating education with skills, which are keys to improving learning outcomes.

Also Read:- New KVs are not just options to improve education sector, says Dharmendra Pradhan

“He added that the NEP 2020, based on the foundational principles of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability, is India’s guiding light for promoting lifelong learning opportunities and achieving the shared vision of G20,” it added.

“India has operationalised virtual schools and is in the process of setting up Digital universities & 260+ TV channels dedicated to education in multiple Indian languages to expand the realm of education and also for achieving the goal of making education equitable & accessible,” He further said.

Pradhan said that the NEP 2020 paved the way for the internationalisation of education in India, and India is welcoming foreign universities to set campuses in GIFT City in Ahmedabad.

“For education to be the driver of global growth, all efforts should be made to harness the full potential of our G20 EdWG.” he said, underlining India’s commitment to work with G20 member states together to establish an education system where learning outcomes match 21st century skills.

According to the ministry’s official statement, on the sidelines of the meeting, Pradhan held a series of bilateral meetings with the ministers and officials from Singapore, the UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

JECRC organized the orientation ceremony of Rajasthan

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September 2, 2022

Jaipur

The Orientation Ceremony of the new batch 2022-23 of JECRC University was organized in JECC. Over 3500 new students and their parents were present at the ceremony as well as the eminent personalities of the country Ashwin Sanghi (famous Indian writer), Anil Swarup (former Coal Secretary, Government of India), and Yogendra Singh Yadav (Param Vir Chakra Awardee) were the prominent guests of the orientation ceremony.

Ashwin Sanghi, the chief guest of the Orientation Ceremony, said that money is not God, but it is not less than God as well. To be a successful person one does not only need money but he/she should have knowledge too. He also said that many significant personalities of this world have failed many times before succeeding, which is why failure is necessary for one’s growth.

Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav inspired all the students and their parents with his stories of bravery and said that patience is the key to success. To be a successful person, a student must dedicate himself to his teachers to grow, because the more hardships they go through, the more mentally prepared they will be for their bright future.

Anil Swaroop, the third chief guest of the day said that we all make mistakes and it is natural. And he also said that JECRC is an organization that will help you to contribute to the nation and it will also support you in taking your next step.

In 2022, more than 3500 admissions have been done in JECRC and it has been included in the list of Best Academic Institutions across the country. This year there have been 15 to 20% more admissions in premium institutions across the country and while in JECRC this time the enrollment of girl students has also increased by 39% which is a matter of pride.

Dheemant Agrawal, Director, Student Affairs, JECRC University said that the demand for engineering courses are traditionally the most in-demand but in this session professional courses has also appeared to be in demand and JECRC students are given choice-based patterns and internships modified according to the curriculum that has been linked to the students in such a way that they can provide both practical and theoretical education to the students and the result of this is visible in good placements as well as the moral development of the students.

Vice Chancellor of JECRC Prof. Victor Gambhir said that JECRC University has partnered with global industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Upgrade, IBM, Adobe, TCS, Tech Mahindra, EC Council, Xebia, Semitrix, UiPath, DXC Technology, Cisca, Siemens among others. In association with these multinational companies, new courses have been started for the session 2022 -2023. All these courses have been smartly designed by these multinational companies keeping in mind the future, through these courses, students will get a chance to study world-class.

KIET Group of Institutions organises the closing ceremony of Smart India Hackathon-2022 in Delhi

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September 1, 2022

KIET Group of Institutions organised the closing ceremony of the Smart India Hackathon-2022 Grand Finale that was held at the institute from 25th to 29th August 2022 in Delhi-NCR, Ghaziabad. Acclaimed as the biggest open innovation model in the world, Smart India Hackathon is a nationwide initiative organised jointly by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, AICTE, Persistent Systems, and i4c.

A total of 15 teams participated in the event, working on 4 problem statements, provided by 2 organizations, namely, Coal India Limited, and the Department of Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution. Out of 15 teams, 6 teams (2 teams had a tie) won the competition, wherein Team Srijan 2.0 won under the category of “Work clothing that has sensors embedded in it to securely transmit data to managers about hazardous conditions and the workers’ physical conditions”, Team Phantom Troupe 1 won under the category of devising a “Prototype of a Solar Powered IoT Device with the ability to connect to a smart network that could be used in Geo Tagging of Physical Assets Created under CSR”, Teams Hexa Titans and Chemistry pHirst won under the category of finding out a “scientific method for determining the age of food & boiled rice”, and lastly, Teams Technotrons and Knight Hackers won under the category of “Artificial Intelligence enabled Agriculture, Food and Public Robotic stacker for mechanized Distribution Loading/Unloading of food grain”.

“We also organised mentoring sessions on each day of the event, along with leadership talks and recreational sessions like yoga and zumba”, said Dr. Kunwar Laiq Ahmad Khan, Dean IEC, KIET Group of Institutions.

Addressing the participants as the Chief Guest, Dr. Nalin Kumar Srivastava, Joint Director, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, GoI, said “Don’t worry about the results, all of you are the winners. All the 15 teams present here are the future entrepreneurs of India. We have to rely on innovation, if we wish to create a multi-dollar economy.”

While addressing the participants and honorary guests at the event, the Director of the institute, Dr. A Garg said “The frequency of conducting such hackathon events should be increased, so as to increase the funding opportunities for private institutions. To boost the spirit of entrepreneurship, we had established TBI-KIET (Technology Business Incubator) in our institute in 2017, and we wish to invite all 15 teams and their respective institutions to connect with us physically or virtually. Under 2 schemes, namely Nidhi Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Nidhi Prayas, we will help the students to create their own start-ups by providing them funds up to Rs. 10 lacs”.

Dr. Manoj Goel, institute’s Joint Director, added a note of heartfelt thanks to Dr. Kunwar Laiq Ahmad Khan, Dean IEC, and Mr. Ashish D. Thombre, Assistant Professor EN & Centre Head for SIH, who were the two major pillars and support system, behind the successful completion of the 5-day event at the campus.

During the valedictory session, Dr. A Garg felicitated Ms. Pooja Rawat, Jury members along with various other dignitaries present at the event. The closing ceremony came to an end with a Vote of Thanks by the SIH Centre Head, Mr. Ashish D. Thombre.

NEET UG 2022 answer key released

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September 1, 2022

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the NEET UG 2022 answer key along with the OMR response sheets of the candidates. Students who appeared in the exam can check and download the document from the official website of NTA — nta.ac.in.

More than 18 lakh students appeared for the NEET UG exams this year. Since the education body has released the answer key, students now have the opportunity to raise objections. Students should note that they are allowed to raise objections till September 2. Also, students should note that the final answer key is not the result. However, students will be able to calculate the marks by going through the answer key.

You can download the answer key by following these simple steps

How To Download:

Step 1: Go to the official website — nta.ac.in

Step 2:Click on the ‘NEET UG Answer Key’

Step 3: Now, enter the details as asked and submit

Step 4: The NEET UG answer key will be displayed in front of you, save it for future reference.

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