Shiv Nadar University gets Institution of Eminence status

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March 18, 2021

Eminent Higher Educational Institution, Shiv Nadar University has received the status of “Institution of Eminence” from the Indian government.

The institute announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education to grant it the status of “institution of eminence (IdT)”.

IBE institutions enjoy full academic and administrative autonomy and are also responsible for making India a global brand in education.

These institutions can also partner with the top 500 higher education institutions abroad without prior approval from the government. Shiv Nadar University is one of the youngest on the list, which includes institutes such as IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi.

Shikhar Malhotra, Pro Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University, said that this achievement was the result of the combined efforts of all members of the community, including students, faculties, staff, parents of our students, our alumni, and our partners.

Also read: Shiv Nadar University tie up with Annenberg School of Communication, Pennsylvania

Shiv Nadar University (Delhi NCR) was awarded “IoE” status after an assessment by the government-appointed Committee of Authorized Experts (ECE).

The assessment included various legal and procedural requirements in accordance with UGC regulations and guidelines. It took into account all aspects of the university’s operation, including but not limited to the curriculum, research, faculty, campus infrastructure, student selection parameters, and the institution’s long-term vision.

Shiv Nadar Foundation founded by HCL group founder Shiv Nadar founded Shiv Nadar University in Delhi-NCR (Greater Noida) region in 2011.

Rupamanjari Ghosh, Vice Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University, said: “We will continue to equip people with the skills, knowledge, art and scientific thinking necessary to meet the world’s most pressing social and industrial needs.”

Shiv Nadar University (Delhi NCR) was recommended by EWG as “IoE” in August 2019 after the introduction of the “Institutions of Eminence” program in 2017 by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The 20 “IoE” were selected from a total of 114 applications from public and private universities. Shiv Nadar University is also among the select group of institutions in the country that received the prestigious Atal Incubation Center Scholarship from the Indian government NITI Aayog in the first round in 2017.

Ramya Chatterjee: Redefined the concept of virtual classrooms

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March 18, 2021

Kneura combines the best of communication tools with the best of pedagogical tools, says Ramya Chatterjee, CEO, Cybernetyx during an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

How Kneura will redefine the concept of virtual classrooms?

The current virtual classroom implementations are mostly based on video/audio calls to deliver lessons to the students. However, a classroom is a space to not only deliver lessons but also to foster curiosity and participation from students, and also mediate in their learning journey. This becomes nearly impossible in prevailing virtual classroom setups due to lack of tools and functionality to do this.

We have tried to redefine the concept of virtual classroom from ground-up by replicating the features and functionalities of the real classroom through a virtual teaching and learning platform.

Besides, with Kneura we have tried to quantize learning outcomes for the students irrespective of when, where and how they are learning. Kneura combines the best of communication tools (video conference with integrated live collaborative whiteboard) with the best of pedagogical tools (adaptive learning and feedback, self-learning apps, digital course creation and delivery etc.).

How can Kneura help teachers in impacting quality education and in the new education era?

The AI-assistive tools in Kneura give access to teachers to create course ware and lessons ahead of the classroom, without any barriers of physical location, time, and device. They can send resources, assignments, and assessments to the students and share the obtained marks, instantly.

Also read: Ankit Sanan: Virtual classrooms are need of the hour

Without spending too much time, teachers can formulate different kinds of questions with AI-question generators like multiple-choice questions, true-false, picture select. This way, conducting assessments becomes easier and frequent.

The NEP 2020 advocates the usage of technology in education, how can Kneura bring all the components of blended learning to students?

As NEP advocates the holistic, flexible, and multidisciplinary need of education, with digital curriculum and pedagogy in schools, and integrated, enjoyable, and engaging methodology, Kneura brings all these components together wherein students can connect, learn, and revise resources as per their learning curves.

Students can access the shared digital courses, attempt assessments, and submit assignments, on their separate dashboards. Kneura facilitates Communication Wall wherein students can write their query and teachers can clarify the doubts using different forms of content anytime.

Can EdTech firms retain the momentum of 2020 in 2021 as schools are set to reopen?

Offering holistic learning that ensures an uninterrupted learning with enhanced learning outcomes has always been in demand. Even before the pandemic, educators were looking for LMS and Classroom Management Systems, but the ease of use and affordability remained a barrier to quick adoption. COVID-19 has acted as an accelerant to adoption of technology in the education sector and helped overcome the inertia.

Recently, many EdTech firms came into existence focussing mainly on online content delivery and online tutoring, but once things will be back to normal the sustainability of that business model will come under tight scrutiny.

What are your expansion plans?

Kneura was introduced in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and SA markets in mid of last year as a Beta launch to gather early customer feedback. We expect to on board 5,00,000 students on Kneura platform by the end of this year. Also, we expect to partner and bag some large orders from key educational institutions in our target countries from phase I. With Kneura 1.0 version launching soon, we will expect to open new markets globally with Kneura and take our product to millions of students and 100K+ institutes in the coming times.

Prof (Dr) Vikas Singh appointed as VC of ITM University, Raipur

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March 18, 2021

Eminent Academician Prof (Dr) Vikas Singh has been appointed as new Vice Chancellor of ITM University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He is a distinguished India Top 50 Higher Education Expert and has a deep understanding of current issues and future directions in higher education with an experience of over 26 years.

Dr Singh has been honoured with the “Life Time Achievement Award for Education Excellence” and “Best Academician – Director in Punjab”.

Dr Singh is former Chairman of ISTD Chapter of Greater Noida & an Executive Council member of Ghaziabad Management Association. He is a Life-Member of AIMA, ISTD, ISTE, IIIE, and ISME.

He had also served as Director of Academic Affairs at Amity University and Campus Director at Chandigarh Group of colleges.

Also read: Pulak M Pandey appointed as new director of BIET Jhansi

With around 30 years of relevant experience marching along with tons of successful stories, ITM Group of Institutions established ITM University Raipur, Chhattisgarh in 2012 with Management & Engineering programs.

ITM University aims to provide industry relevant, product specific & process specific education to students, which will transform information into knowledge, making them efficient to enter the competitive world with explicit technical know-how and practical knowledge.

Innovation in placements and internships at BMU for better outcomes for students

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March 18, 2021

Innovation in placements and internships at BMU for better outcomes foWe are committed to upskill a new generation of professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders, who are not only motivated to imbibe the ideals of Industry 4.0, say Prof. Manoj K. Arora, Vice Chancellor, BMU and Santanil Dasgupta, Director, Career Guidance and Development Centre, BMU students.

B ML Munjal University (BMU) established in May 2014, has been designed as a comprehensive university comprising schools in multiple disciplines. The co-location of disciplinary schools, each specializing in specific disciplines, on a single campus, allows students to pursue multi-disciplinary studies and work at the interfaces of disciplines. Students develop comfort in crafting solutions to problems more broadly, without feeling regimented by their disciplinary boundaries. The T-shaped education and blended delivery let the students gain depth in their discipline as well as the soft skills necessary to collaborate and communicate with people outside the discipline. Therefore, the university holds a strong presence in the higher education space to nurture future leaders.

With a unique blend of hands-on practical approach to learning, live industry driven projects in collaboration with corporates & institutions with global presence, practice school internships, supported by robust industry engagement, BMU has been able address the job market challenges faced by the new generation of students, with a focus on making each graduating student “Deployable rather than Employable.”

Also read: PM Modi shares exam mantras for students

Building on our vision to create leaders and the foundations of experiential learning, we, at BMU, are committed to upskill a new generation of professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders, who are not only motivated to imbibe the ideals of Industry 4.0, but also that of empathy, compassion and gratitude

The university puts a lot of impetus on career building rather than focusing on just a ‘job’. Therefore, we have a Career Guidance and Development Centre. Each student is registered in this centre. Our career guidance and development program starts with a robust student profiling exercise to identify each student’s strengths and weaknesses. A uniquely structured career guidance team consisting of professional business development managers, faculty coordinators and students, engages with practicing industry professionals and academic experts to train our students in the most sought after, recently developed technologies and required skill sets to meet specific industry needs. Every student has to undergo the profiling exercises to identify their specific gap areas, followed by rigorous training programs to rectify the same. Running parallely with a student’s academic life cycle, these programs aim to improve soft and behavioural skills, such as communication, work ethics, problem solving, critical thinking and leadership, through a “Track, Train & Measure” approach. These are in addition to the skill and perspective courses (about 15% of the total credit requirements of an academic programme), which the students study as part of their curricula.

The next level of the development program focuses profoundly on Industry 4.0 technologies. Live projects at BMU’s state of the art, industry partnered center of excellences and living labs offers students a meaningful, outcome-based learning to solve current industry problem statements and beyond. The curricula are also embedded with a unique Practice School concept, where each student earns about 20% credits by undertaking industry projects right from their first year of education to their final year. The practice school builds their competencies and improves their employability skills significantly. Besides this, elective courses in innovation, entrepreneurship and design thinking help each student to scale up their employability skills and entrepreneurial mind.

Delhi Schools to remain closed, new academic session from 1st April

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March 18, 2021

The Delhi government has decided to launch the new 2021-22 academic session starting April 1 for students in grades 1-8. However, schools will remain closed and classes will be held online. Currently, offline courses are only allowed for students in grades 9-12 in the capital. The testing schedule for grades 9-12 would not change.

The new session follows the same pattern for online and offline spreadsheets as before. The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued an official notice stating that “The new session for Delhi Government Schools 2021-22 will continue with the same learning model that will be available online and offline from 1 April 2021 for students ages 5 and up.

The new 2021 Academic Session for Delhi State School Grades 6-8 students follows the same pattern as mentioned above i.e. online / offline worksheets. So far, students at all levels through eighth grade have been promoted without taking an exam.

Also read: Sisodia: No chance of Delhi schools resuming soon

A government official said that he decided to start this new session for younger children in 2021 with his worksheets. “There is no such plan for students to physically return to school immediately. This is only possible if conditions are right. As classes for ages 9-12 are already taking place outside of line, classrooms and management are preparing for the board exams. ” It is correct to start the new academic session now in 2021, as the students have already been promoted and have completed their last academic session, ”he added.

The Delhi School of Government started its offline classes for grades 9-12 in March 2021. With the jury exams scheduled in less than two months, the exams to be held are being prepared. The DOE has also decided to schedule the offline test for grades 9 and 11. The same schedule for tests and students in grades 9-12 continues from now on.

Bihar promotes students of Class 1 to 8 without examination

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March 18, 2021

In light of the increase in Covid-19 cases, the Bihar Department of Education has decided to promote more than 1.6 million students in grades 1-8 to the next class without passing the annual review.

According to the latest communication on Tuesday, the state government has decided to relax the detention policy for fifth and eighth year students in accordance with rule 10 of the 2019 RTE law only for the 2020-21 session. By law, there is a disclaimer policy for classes 1 to 4 and 6 to 7.

“With schools closed since March of last year, students are struggling to take the test. Due to unusual events related to the pandemic, the government has decided not to arrest fifth and eighth grade students, ”the statement said.

Last year, the state Ministry of Education promoted students to eighth grade without taking an annual exam, as the Covid-19 outbreak resulted in a shutdown.

Also read: BSEB Bihar Board class 12 answer key 2021 released

Education has yet to make the decision to close schools as there has been an increase in Covid-19 cases. “So far, no decision has been made about school closings. The crisis management group is expected to hold a meeting next week to review the situation, ”said Sanjay Kumar, chief secretary of Bihar’s education department.

Meanwhile, the education department is running a booming endorsement campaign. According to available data, more than 50,000 students were enrolled in grades 1-9 across the country during the trip, which began on March 8.

The department is preparing to make up for the current semester’s academic loss with a three-month make-up course for students in grades 2-12.

“All new and existing students will participate in remedial classes starting in April. The short course will fill the learning gap created by years of closed schools and help students learn their new curriculum beginning in July, ”added Kumar.

Schools in Noida and Greater Noida cannot increase fees

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March 17, 2021

Schools in Noida and Greater Noida will not be able to increase tuition rates during the 2021-2022 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an administrative order from the Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

Schools have also been instructed to charge only monthly fees and not impose or insist on quarterly, semester, or annual fees for students who have indicated the order of the District’s Regulatory Fee Committee (DRFC).

The decisions were made at a DFRC meeting, chaired by District Judge Suhas LY, on Tuesday, where issues related to the annual fee increase reported by schools for the 2021-2022 school year were discussed, debated and considered. and other issues.

Also read: SC rejects plea for waiver of CBSE exam fees

The committee reviewed the current pandemic and other current situations and unanimously decided that fee increases are not allowed for the 2021-2022 school year and that all schools should only charge fees for the 2020-2021 academic year (this is nothing more than the fees collected during the 2019-2020 academic year.

The DFRC discussed issues related to quarterly or annual fees. Schools are encouraged to charge only monthly fees and not impose or insist on paying quarterly, semester, or annual fees to a student.

In the decision, all parties involved were also informed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Disaster Management Act of 2005 is still in use and that all schools are recommended to strictly follow the instructions of the DFRC and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in this regard to consider.

In the case of future instructions, recommendations, orders or notifications from the Uttar Pradesh government, this will apply and be communicated by the DFRC, he added.

Odisha to promote students of Classes 1 to 8 without exams

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March 17, 2021

The Odisha state government has decided to promote all students in grades 1-8 in the state without taking the exams. The decision to support students was made taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of schools due to the closure.

The Odisha state government’s decision nearly ordered the Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu state governments to promote students without taking the exams and canceled the 10th and 12th exams. The decision was made taking into account that the schools were closed for almost a year.

The ruling applies to all public, private, and non-state-supported schools. Schools must encourage students in grades 1-8 without taking annual exams, while tutoring classes are mandatory during the next academic session.

Also read: Around 300 schools adopted under Odisha’s adoption programme

The Odisha state government also decided to organize tutoring classes at the beginning of the new academic session in order to create a solid foundation for the students. The recovery course lasts at least two to three months.

The Odisha state government has also decided to end Sunday classes for 10th and 12th grade students starting in April. The decision of the Department of Education is to give students more time to study independently.

While many state governments have reopened classes for students at 50 percent capacity, some state governments have decided to promote students for the next academic year without taking annual exams. Schools have organized classes for students both online and offline, as only half of the students can enter the campus.

Ankit Sanan: Virtual classrooms are need of the hour

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March 17, 2021

Platforms like Inkclick are the closest thing to classroom experience that allows parents, teachers, and students to interact amongst each other for better measurement of growth, says Ankit Sanan, Co-Founder of Inkclick in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

How Inkclick is beneficial for students, when physical classes are yet to commence?

The pandemic and closure of schools have impacted the children not only in the Learning Value, but also with their personalities & social interactions. There is no denying that the closure of schools has affected student’s learning process and their personalities might have taken a certain level of hit. However, the online platforms have helped them to continue learning and interacting with their teachers and peers. Virtual classrooms are successfully fulfilling the need of the hour. Platforms like Inkclick are the closest thing to classroom experience that allows parents, teachers, and students to interact amongst each other for better measurement of growth.

What was the idea behind Inkclick, when it started?

We believe that Learning is a journey which an individual takes all through his/her life, starting from the nascent years. Learning is a voluntary journey, and no one can take you through it by imposing. A child starts learning from the day he/she is born. Every child has a different way of learning and cannot be generalized. Pestering a child to study/ learn is a futile exercise and can sometimes result in losing interest in the subject or studies altogether.

How are children finding the use of online scrapbooks as the concept is almost vanished?

We have realized that taking away technology or devices from the hands of our children is a far-fetched desire, as they are an integral part of our lives. Our approach is if we can’t take them away, we instead give them something worthwhile to do with it. Children today are developing with gadgets, like toys in their hands. Technology is one of the most integral parts of our lives. Today, technology will not only help them to do day to day jobs but also will enable them to bring a change in the world.

Also read: Virtual classroom to be set up in 224 government schools

We can see students, mentors and parents in one platform, how will it be beneficial for all of them?

The learning years of a child are deeply influenced by their parents and teachers, bringing them under the same community has a positive impact to all stake holders. The first teacher of any child is their parents. Humans tend to copy the behavior of people they look up to or are their role models. Bringing them under one umbrella will allow us to address the issues at one forum and make it easier to communicate and arrive at a feasible solution quickly. Inkclick enables parents, teachers, and students to come on one platform and use it to their advantage. The students will use the platform to learn and network.

What are your expansion plans?

We intend to extend the offering to tier 2 & 3 cities and beyond, to reach every corner of the country, this will enable our user to still learn whilst being in the remotest part of the country be it online or offline which we currently support. Cost should not be a barrier and education is everyone’s right, keeping that in mind the paid content on the platform will be as low as Rs. 159/-, along with that going forward we intend to have a special program for identified NGOs and Student foundations.

We envisage Inkclick to be a Global community and Marketplace for students, parents, and mentors where they connect and learn. To achieve that, we plan to expand our user base to the Middle East, SE Asia, and Africa. Keeping the language barrier in mind, the platform will extend to Hindi and Arabic in the next phase.

School ethos is equally important as curriculum when choosing the right path

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March 17, 2021

Schools which offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), IB World Schools, all share a common ethos and provide an internationally recognised high standard of education for all students, from age 3 all the way through to grade 12, says Stefanie Leong, Head of Development and Recognition Asia Pacific, IB with an conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

Choosing a school is a monumental decision, it’s a choice that will ultimately shape a child’s future so it is crucial to be as informed as possible about the options available. What’s important is not just understanding the availability of different qualifications that a student may want to study, but also the school’s ethos, its approaches to teaching and learning and its ambitions for its students.

Schools which offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), IB World Schools, all share a common ethos and provide an internationally recognised high standard of education for all students, from age 3 all the way through to grade 12.

Also read: Computer Science and Information Technology – Differences and Career Paths

Delivered through four unique and academically rigorous programmes, the IB offers a student centric approach which develops independent learners through inquiry-based frameworks and curricula. By providing a solid academic foundation, the IB produces students with transferable, future-ready skills.

A unifying thread throughout IB programmes is the IB learner profile – our organisation’s mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for students to develop during their education which is central to the approach of all IB World Schools.

The IB’s aim is to ensure that by the end of their studies learners are: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. As a result, IB students are equipped with a variety of vital skills that will help them excel both academically and in life too.

Starting at the beginning of a student’s learning journey, the IB’s Early Years Primary Years Programme (EY PYP) and Primary Years Programme (PYP), for learners aged 3-12 years, begins to build the foundation of the IB learner profile by encouraging student agency and has the central premise that young learners are competent and have valuable ideas to shape their own learning.

This continues through the Middle Years Programme (MYP), for learners aged 11-16, and is delivered through a framework that champions critical thinking and flexibility for learning by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. The learner profile attributes are further established in the Diploma Programme (DP), for learners aged 16-19, which is one of the reasons it is highly regarded by both local and world’s leading universities. University admissions officers all over the world recognise and value the unique way the DP prepares students for academic success at university, while helping them to become active participants in a global society.

Historically, perceptions of the IB as workload-heavy and a ‘tougher route’ to higher education have deterred some parents and students from considering IB World Schools and the DP in particular. However, with the increased levels of recognition the IB has received from universities in recent years, perceptions continue to change.

Students and parents realise that the IB ultimately develops students who are well practiced in independent learning, having taken responsibility for their learning throughout their school career, some from as young as three years old. This essential skill is highly valued by university admissions teams, as it allows students to ‘hit the ground running’ when they begin their undergraduate studies.

Stefanie Leong <stefanie.leong@ibo.org>

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