Karnataka government launches self defence programme for girl students

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February 7, 2022

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Aiming to empower the girl students, the Karnataka state government has launched ‘Obavva Art of Self Defence Training’. This is a self-defence training programme for girl students in schools and colleges. 50,000 girls will be benefited from the programme. The launch ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. In his address, Bommai said that the Home Department has been instructed to use Police Training Schools to provide self-defence training to women. The programme was organised by the Social Welfare department.

Elaborating about the programme Bommai said, “An ambitious programme is being charted to provide self-defence training for 50,000 girls students in Backward Classes and Social Welfare department hostels. It has been aptly named after the historical warrior Onake Obavva.”

He said that there is a strong need for such programmes to train women to stop harassment. “Several laws have been passed, programmes formulated and funds spent to stop harassment and atrocities on women. But there is a need for imparting self-defence training to them. The rogue elements could be taught a lesson if women are trained in self-defence.”

The Chief Minister also added women’s safety is primal. “Good programmes have been formulated through boarding schools of the state for women’s protection. This programme should go on throughout the year. All the programmes would be integrated and a new programme would be implemented for women’s safety,” he added.

He added, “We all have read the courageous story of Onake Obavva. Karnataka is proud of its legacy of such courageous women. Kitturu Chennamma, Belavadi Mallamma, Onake Obavva, these women were more courageous than men. They are our inspiration.” The state government would also provide education, employment and inspiration to achieve the top spot in the country by the time the state would celebrate 75th Rajyotsava”, he stated.

Celebrating Higher Education Leaders

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February 7, 2022

Education should be enjoyable and sustainable: Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe

The NEP is equipping to lead in the fourth industrial revolution : Raj Mruthyunjayappa

Pandemic has shown the possibilities of digital transformation : Aditya Berlia

Higher Education steering through the pandemic cloud

Employers need to prepare syllabus for better employability : Rajesh Agarwal

NEP has the potential to make India ‘Vishwa guru’ : Dr Pankaj Mittal

Virtual labs should be utilized for practical demonstration of theories : Prof AM Rawani

Leading School in Online Teaching Practices

Blockchain technology all set to revolutionize the education ecosystem

Hybrid learning is the future : Dr Madhu Chitkara

Education sector has shown excellent flexibility during the pandemic- Dr Prasheel Suryawanshi

Institutions should empower young people to work towards sustainability

Webinars became the best tool in pandemic : Prof RV Raja Kumar

The transformation from offline to online has been a productive : Mr. Aman Mittal

Digitally enabled teaching learning is the main focus – Prof. Lalit Kumar Awasthi

Technology trends can encourage a holistic learning environment : Prof Janat Shah

JNU gets its first woman VC with Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit taking over

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February 7, 2022

New Delhi

Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit from Savitribai Phule Pune University has been appointed as the first woman vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She will succeed Professor M Jagdesh Kumar as the VC of JNU. Professor Kumar has been appointed the chairman of UGC.

The Outgoing Vice-Chancellor Professor M Jagdesh Kumar stated, “It gives me pleasure to inform that Professor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit from the Department of Politics and Public Administration, Savitribai Phule Pune University, has been appointed as the next vice-chancellor of JNU. She is the first woman vice-chancellor of JNU.”

Born in St Petersburg, Russia (formerly USSR), Professor Pandit has been in the field of education since 1988. She has also been in the research field since 1985. She is a member of several prestigious organisations such as the American Studies Research Institute, Hyderabad, the Indian Association of American Studies, the All India Political Science Association, the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, the Indian Secular Society, etc.

She has also authored books like ‘Parliament and Foreign Policy in India’ (1990) and ‘Restructuring Environmental governance in Asia-Ethics and Policy’ 2003.

‘Happiness’ subject to be started in Madhya Pradesh high schools by the MP government

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February 4, 2022

Introducing happiness as a subject in the syllabus will be a great initiative by the Madhya Pradesh government. They will be adding it to the syllabus for higher secondary school classes from the next academic session. In the year 2016, the MP government was the first one in the country to set up a happiness department. The draft for the books is ready for classes 9 to 12.

Akhilesh Argal, CEO of the Rajya Anand Sansthan (state happiness department) said, “In November 2021, we gave a presentation on the subject to 80-odd teachers or trainers here. The following month, we interacted with 80 students from Classes 9 to 12 for five days and discussed the happiness book draft. Their response to the subject was very encouraging.”

Argal added that the MP School Education Department, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), and others organisations are helping them on the project.

“After giving final touches to the books, they will be sent to the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) for clearance,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh will be the first to roll out happiness subject in the schools. It will be mandatory for classes 9 to 12, Agral said. He further elaborated, During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with chief ministers from BJP-ruled states at Varanasi in December last year, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had given a presentation on the works initiated by the Rajya Anand Sansthan and the state’s plan to introduce happiness as a subject in school syllabus.

The Ministry of Education sends letters to states and UTs with a learning recovery plan and an activity schedule

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February 4, 2022

The Ministry of Education has asked all the states and union territories to prepare a plan to maintain continuity of learning and therefore lessen the impact of the pandemic. The plan should include financial support to students, fund allocation for the primary school teachers to purchase tablets and 20 lakh to each state and union territory for conducting oral reading fluency (ORF) study.

In the letter to the states and union and territories, the Ministry stated, “A comprehensive learning recovery plan (LRP) has been prepared which delineates the action to be undertaken by each stakeholder, indicative annual calendar of activities, existing interventions which can be utilised and additional support with funding as a one-time measure.

“In order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, there is an imperative need to have an urgent and appropriate strategy to ensure a continuum of learning. We have taken a multi-pronged and holistic approach to ensure that children received suitable support,”

The ministry has also asked the states to include financial support of Rs 500 per head for all students of upper primary and secondary levels, Rs 10,000 per head for 25 lakh teachers at the primary level for tablets, funds for ORF study, financial support of Rs 6.40 lakh non-recurring and Rs 2.40 lakh recurring cost including for tablets for ICT facility in each block resource centre (BRC) and Rs 1,000 per cluster resource centre (CRC) in the annual work plan and allocate the budget accordingly.

In the list by the ministry, some of the activities which are mentioned in the academic calendar with defined timelines are, finding dropouts and out-of-school children from each class and grade. Also, implementation of bridge courses and school readiness module for secondary classes, clustering of schools with private schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas or Navodaya Vidyalayas for learning from each other, creating a district-wise strategy for post-National Achievement Survey (NAS) interventions based on results

Some of the activities which are listed in the academic calendar are to introduce customised training programmes for teachers and ensure delivery of textbooks and uniforms to each child.

UGC appoints JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar as its new chairman

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February 4, 2022

Vice-Chancellor of JNU, M Jagadesh Kumar has been appointed as the next chairman of the UGC (University Grants Commission). The earlier chairman Prof DP Singh resigned after reaching the age of 65. The position of UGC chairman was vacant from 7th December 2021.

The five-year term of Kumar as vice-chancellor of JNU came to an end on January 26. As permitted by the ministry, he was continuing his duties till his successor was chosen. With a background in electronic engineering, he has pursued MS(EE) and Ph.D.(EE) degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

Prof. Jagadesh Kumar has been appointed the UGC Chairman for a period of five years from the date of charge of the post or till he attains the age of 65 years. He has been an assistant professor in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering for IIT Kharagpur and IIT Delhi as well.

Institutions should empower young people to work towards sustainability

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February 3, 2022

Climate change and sustainability are two issues that need strong attention and focus. Abhishek Jani, CEO of Fair Trade India talks to Digital Learning about how Fair Trade India works towards creating awareness on these issues.

Q – Tell us more about Fairtrade India ?

A – Fairtrade India is a not-for-profit initiative which is building a sustainable and ethical platform for consumers, businesses, and farmer organizations in India. Part of the Fairtrade International network, Fairtrade India enables small-holder farmer organizations to commit to better social, economic, and environmentally sustainable practices. Fairtrade India then facilitates more remunerative and fairer market linkages for these farmer organizations across varied categories, including Food and Beverages, FMCG products, and Fashion. Fairtrade India also spreads awareness about sustainability, UN SDGs, and Fairtrade amongst citizens, institutions, businesses, and other stakeholders. By conducting annual campaigns, programmes with schools, universities and workplaces, and outreach through social and traditional media, Fairtrade India hopes to make citizens more aware about and engaged with responsible and sustainable consumption and how through their everyday choices they can make a difference to the planet and the people.

Q – How are you involving schools in creating awareness about sustainability and climate change?

A – As the world comes to terms with the various global crisis – the pandemic, climate change, growing inequality, resource scarcity- there is a growing realisation that we need to prepare for the future with a different approach today. One of the most powerful things we can do is to have education institutions equip and empower young people to work collaboratively towards sustainable development in their communities. The Fairtrade India Schools Programme (FISP) is such a platform for collaboration with schools to raise awareness and engagement of institutions and students with Sustainability and SDGs.

The FISP provides a three-stage easy and accessible framework through which schools can increase awareness and engagement in a step-by-step manner. The first stage FairAware takes the learners from sensitisation to awareness about the global challenges and the Fairtrade approach. In the second stage FairActive, we focus on building the learner’s skills to participate in and drive the sustainability movement. The final stage, Fair Achiever engages learners to adopt sustainability practices in their lives and communities. Currently, we are working with over 14000 students in some of the leading institutions across India as a part of this programme.

Q – When one talks about climate change and sustainability, how can the schools introduce this as a part of their curriculum ?

A – With the introduction of the NEP across curricular, schools in India are looking to incorporate additional dimensions around- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by building skills and capabilities of students in a more holistic manner. The Fairtrade India Schools Programme (FISP) provides teachers with a range of lesson plans, activities and learning material which can be integrated easily into curricular learning across subjects, ranging from- Geography and learning about how and where different food come from, to Mathematics and Economics in learning about trade and fair negotiations to Languages where students can undertake persuasive writing to support brands in adopting more sustainable practices. It is in this manner that the FISP connects in school learning with the everyday experiences in the student’s lives and how that can be made more responsible and sustainable. FISP also provides learning materials and creatives for extra-curricular engagement and also encourages students to apply their learning in their lives and communities.

Q – When talking about ethical consumer choices, what is the kind of product you are talking to the consumer about ?

A – Fairtrade works extensively in the agriculturally based industries. Agriculture as a sector contributes approximately 12% to global Greenhouse Gas emissions which is causing climate change. Unsustainable agricultural practices lead to introduction of toxic chemicals in our food, excessive usage of water, degradation of soil and exploitation of vulnerable communities. Furthermore with 80% of the world’s food grown by small holder farmers we often see the farmers themselves living in poverty and hunger. Fairtrade works in the agricultural sector to promote more sustainability and create more ethical consumer choices in Food & Beverage, FMCG, Fashion and even Cosmetics sector where agricultural raw materials are used extensively. In India we are working with businesses who have pioneered Fairtrade Teas, Coffee, Chikkis, Chocolates, Vegetables, Fashion, Cosmetics and even Footballs.

Q – What have been your best practices in terms of working with the farmers, especially cotton farmers?

A – Fairtrade has been working with Cotton farmers in India for over 15 years. Cotton as a crop can be very resource intensive whether it be application of chemical pesticides and weedicides or use of water for cultivation. The sector has also been marred with social issues such as child labour and other exploitative practices. Fairtrade works with smallholder cotton farmers and builds their capacity to follow more sustainable practices. Farmers get organised into collectives and build community systems to follow better agricultural practices. They reduce the chemical and water usage, do not use Genetically Modified Seeds, prohibit the use of child labour and other such non-exploitative practices as per the Fairtrade Standard. Many of the Fairtrade Cotton farmers are also following Organic practices. Furthermore, the Fairtrade Premium earned by the Cotton farmers has been used for various community development projects including rainwater harvesting, creating storage facilities, training of farmers to be more productive and efficient and also providing scholarships to the children of the farming community. So every time consumers choose sustainable consumption choices through Fairtrade Labelled products they are contributing to this virtuous cycle of change.

Architecture and Engineering experts talk about Technology for Accelerating Career

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February 3, 2022

“Now we know the power of the internet and how we can make the best use of digital technology. Everybody has to learn the blended mode of learning to stay updated.” Saying this, the Director of National Institute of Technology, Sikkim Mahesh Chandra Govil emphasized on how digital technology has become an essential part of education. Govil was sharing his thoughts at an Exclusive Webinar on Essential Education for Accelerating Creative Career, organised by Elets Digital Learning Magazine and Adobe on February 2, 2022. This was exclusively to discuss Architecture and Engineering fields.

Dr. Govil elaborated on shifting the focus on the creativity of the student and improving the learning environment. He said, “We should nurture creativity from childhood. We can determine it early when we see a child asking questions and having queries.” He further added that a good learning environment is required at all levels to nurture. “There should be a good learning environment at village level to at least create a Centre of Excellence at district or block level,” Dr Govil added.

He added the quality of education should also improve in rural areas and it is a much required change. “NITs and IITs have a big responsibility. Why can’t they enhance the students from rural areas? They have all the best content and through technology, we can share that with everyone.” He added that there is a strong need to change the curriculum. “ We should not compromise on the quality of education. We are not changing the way of designing the assignments. They should be designed around Industry problems.” He further said, “Students should be sent to rural areas to understand design. We want students to realise what rural India looks like. This will develop their problem-solving skills.”

Director, Symbiosis School of Architecture Dr. Gauri Kotnis Shiurkar defined how digitisation after the pandemic has affected everyone and adaptation is the need of the hour. “We have faced a similar kind of experience like a liminal experience. It involves forced separation from familiar roles and we have experienced it in the pandemic. We come out transformed from these times. We need to understand how we can adapt to this change. We have come to terms with this new normal to change the pattern. Digitisation has become extremely important.”

She said that one needs to understand the learning pattern of the student to make a difference in school education. “School education needs to change a lot after NEP. We don’t allow our students to use the right side of the brain. There are nine types of intelligence. It should be given importance at the school level to understand a student’s learning pattern to create a difference.”

Dr. Gauri said that a survey was conducted to understand the industry needs and then a curriculum was prepared in her institute. “We could do it because we are a private university. Digitisation has opened opportunities for all of us, breaking the boundaries of nations to have academicians interacting with students on digital platforms.”

“There was a digital divide during the pandemic. We had to start with manual things. We should take this opportunity to become fully digital”, said Prof Dr. Anil Dewan, Head of the department – Architecture, School of Planning and Architecture. He opined that digital is the new normal. The choices are in the hands of students to adapt to the digital environment. “We should bring changes in curriculum. The choices are now with the students. They can watch content anytime. The opportunities are endless and we could reach many more students.”

He further added, “We had all the tools but in the pandemic, students were in their own locations. Some had no laptops, some worked with smartphones but we adapted. We were used to physical teaching. The digital platform was difficult to adapt but now we are used to it. The budget had a province for institutes of excellence and we hope for support from the Government of India.” Prof. Anil delved on the importance of content in teaching. He said, “The industry has moved on. Let my classes be available to all the schools of architecture in India. We have the content. We would like it to be open online to all. We now have internships across the globe.”

Joint Head of Department, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Indra Kumar Singh mentioned how digital is changing the dynamics of the whole universe. “The digital world is inevitable. It’s much about interaction and expression. It is shrinking the world. It may be possible that in a few years from now, we would be conducting classes in a virtual world through the metaverse.”

He also explained that digitisation will never stop and how it is increasing after the pandemic. “Digitalization has always been there. In the pandemic it was seen more. The pandemic became a catalyst for digitalization. Digitalization will never stop.” Singh further elaborated, “In BHU we have equipment in our labs. The problem is some of the students don’t have laptops. Digitalization has given us a lot more opportunities. It is required from software companies to collaborate with students to make softwares affordable.”

The discussion was moderated by Supreeth Nagaraju, Head Education, Digital Media for Adobe India. He said that as a technology provider, Adobe is ready to partner with universities and educational institutions. He added that Adobe has been introducing different products to suit the needs of the market and they can further discuss with the academicia to create the best products.

IIM Lucknow Concludes Yet Another Stellar Placement Drive With 100% Placements

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February 3, 2022

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow concluded its Final Placements for the Batch of PGP 36 and ABM 17 in a record time of 2 days. The Institute also witnessed the maximum number of offers being made on Day 0 of the placement cycle.

The Institute completed 100% placements by securing 534 offers for 491 students and placing students across many roles in Consulting, Finance, General Management, IT & Analytics, Marketing, and Operations with top recruiters from across the country, in record time. The highest domestic salary offer stood at INR 58 lakh per annum, while the highest international salary offer stood at INR 61.59 lakhs per annum. Despite the new variant of the COVID-19 pandemic, IIM Lucknow recorded a rise in average CTC offered to the PGP and ABM batch of 2022 from last year.

IIM Lucknow’s final placements 2022 were conducted virtually due to the limitations posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in two tiers: Higher Entry Placement Process (HEPP), for candidates with 12 or more months of prior work experience, and the Final Placement Process, where all candidates were eligible to appear for company processes.

Top companies which participated in the IIM Lucknow placements 2022 included, Aditya Birla Group, Accenture, Adobe, Alliance Bernstein, Alvarez and Marsal, Amagi, American Express, Asian Paints, Atlassian, Avendus Capital, Axis Group, Bain & Co., Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Boston Consulting Group, Blue Yonder, Byju’s, Capgemini, Citi, Colgate Palmolive, Crediwatch, Dalberg, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Diageo, Eversana, Ernst and Young, Ernst and Young Parthenon, FinIQ, Flipkart, Gameskraft, Goldman Sachs, GSN Games, HDFC Bank, HSBC, Investec, Kearney, KPMG, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, Myntra, Navi, Paytm, Pidilite, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RPG, Samsung, Standard Chartered, State Street, Stryker, Vodafone-Idea, Wells Fargo and Xiaomi participated, among others.

International offers were extended by companies such as Omnibiz, Landmark, and Splash, while the first-time participants in Final Placements of IIM Lucknow included Ambit, Arga Investment Management, Arpwood Capital, Auronova Consulting, Dalberg, Houlihan Lokey, Lincoln International, Meesho, Pharmeasy, Premji Invest, Spinny, Sutra, and Winzo Games among others.

IIM Lucknow saw yet another behemoth placement in its legacy of 36 years, despite the dispersed location of the students and other challenges and all this was made possible by the unwavering support of the 150+ recruiters that participated in the Placement Drive.

SDMC starts first fully digitally equipped school

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February 3, 2022

New Delhi

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has started its first school, which is fully equipped with digital technology including tablets, smart TVs and electronic study material. Located in Najafgarh Zone’s Dwarka Sector- 3, the SDMC primary school is run in collaboration with an NGO. The school was inaugurated by Chairman of the Education Committee Nitika Sharma.

According to the officials of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, all modern and advanced facilities have been made available at this school. All classrooms are equipped with tablets, LED, advanced podium, intranet etc. Apart from these, classrooms have smart TVs, charging points, microphones, and other smart equipment. Sixteen ‘e-study content’ has been uploaded on all tablets for students and teachers, they said.

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