Ankit Sanan: Virtual classrooms are need of the hour

Interviews

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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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digitalLEARNING Network

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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>

Ritu Kochhar: Need to rethink, reinvent teaching pedagogy

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digitalLEARNING Network

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March 17, 2021

Education supports children at a critical time in their physical, emotional, social and intellectual growth, says Ritu Kochhar, Principal, M D International School, Bijnor to Elets News Network (ENN).

The school education in India has a long history. The concept of the provision of elementary education to all children has its root in the beginning of Indian civilization. In the Vedic Aryan times education for children was not provided by the state but was more in the form of a religious practice. I see nowadays that the education system has changed: it now allows you to choose what you can pursue, something of your interest, and then helping learners to build upon it. Today’s education system gives you ample opportunities to become someone you want to on the basis of your strength. It has changed towards more holistic growth of an individual student.

Education supports children at a critical time in their physical, emotional, social and intellectual growth. Education in India faces numbers of challenges such as: Quality, Access, Cost, Social & Cultural, Online Education System’s Advantages etc.

Also read: Teaching pedagogy at G.D. Goenka focused on experiential learning

The education sector of India, being in its admissions phase has been severely impacted due to the movement restrictions enforced by the lockdown. In this situation, it is normal for any school to be concerned about how to take admission during the Corona virus outbreak as schools have been forced to shut their doors and means of transports have stopped functioning, parents are unable to physically visit the schools and cannot have face-to-face interaction with counsellors/administrative team. It is clear that school admissions cannot simply go ahead as planned during the pandemic. But here in MDIS, we explored the existing problems and attempted to provide effective solutions to ensure that parents are able to go through the admission processes without any issues. Our admin team and all Co-ordinators are always in touch with the parents to help them with the 2020 admission process and proud to say that we have successfully enrolled around 500 new admissions .We are providing quality education during online classes at a nominal fee structure which is easily affordable by parents.

Technology is no doubt an integral part of our lives today. It has changed the perspective and outlook of people worldwide in a significant way. As for MDIS teachers, they encourage and promote online research, send emails and messages to the students and parents through online portals, provide homework and assignments online .Conducting virtual classes in the present times of Covid-19 definitely was a huge and sudden challenge. It became imperative to rethink, reinvent teaching pedagogy to blend with the present situation. In MDIS, we are constantly making efforts to bring an all-round development in the students which will enable them to gain more and more confidence. For this purpose we are involving the students into various co-curricular activities through online classes.

The biggest challenge in implementing the strategy was to think and choose the tools of learning which would provide opportunities of blended learning. The virtual classes are being conducted successfully through Zoom and WhatsApp groups. This multi-platform approach ensures that no student suffers due to poor connectivity. To ensure academic excellence among our students, we have adopted a number of learning practices such as syllabus completion on time, written exams, maintaining discipline in online classes and emphasis on the holistic development of students. M.D.I.S. believes that a cosmopolitan community of education will be best suited to enthuse urbanity and global outlook in the child.

Delhi gets its own education board as govt registers DBSE

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digitalLEARNING Network

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March 17, 2021

The Arvind Kejriwal government announced the creation of the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE). The Delhi’s Directorate of Education announced on Twitter: “Now Delhi has its own educational authority. The Delhi Education Authority has been registered.”

The Directorate of Education congratulated the students, teachers and other interested parties, adding that this will bring the most anticipated reform of its evaluation system. In the upcoming 2021-2022 academic session, 20 to 25 schools will be under the new board, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal previously said.

On March 6, Kejriwal announced that the Delhi Cabinet had approved the formation of its own school education committee – the Delhi School Education Board.

Also read: Delhi allocates highest budget ever Rs 16,377 crore for education

The board of directors will have a board of directors chaired by the Minister of Education. It will also have an executive body for day-to-day tasks and will be headed by a CEO. Both bodies will have experts: from the professional sector, the education sector, directors of public and private schools and bureaucrats.

There are currently around 1,000 public schools and 1,700 private schools in Delhi, almost all affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Last July, the Delhi government established two committees to prepare the curriculum and framework for the formation of the National Board of Education and curriculum reforms.

Pokhriyal: NEET 2021 exam to be conducted once a year

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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March 17, 2021

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has announced that the National Testing Agency will only conduct the national eligibility test in 2021 with admission to student medical programs.

In a written response to Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said that the NTA, under the Ministry of Education, conducts NEET exams for medical admissions in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Family. However, the NTA said it had not received a memo on how to conduct the tests.

The NEET 2021 exams are expected to be conducted in 11 languages, including Hindi and English in offline mode. The exams will be held on August 1, 2021 at the different exam centers.

Candidates reaching the NEET 2021 exams in 2021 are advised to visit the official website of the National Testing Agency for more details on the exams.

Also read: NTA: NEET 2021 exam on August 1 in offline mode

The newsletter detailing how to apply online for NEET 2021, seat categories, exam fees, exam centers, country codes and other information about the applications will reportedly be available on the official website near the explanation of the online applications for NTA NEET.

The National Examining Board launched the online application process for the NEET PG exams on February 23, 2021. According to the schedule, the deadline for submitting applications for the NEET PG 2021 was March 15, 2021. The admission card for the entrance exam will be available on the official website on April 12, 2021, while the entrance exams are scheduled for April 18. 2021.

Pokhriyal: School dropout rate of girls lower than boys

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March 16, 2021

According to the government, the average dropout rate for girls in primary and secondary education for 2018-2019 is lower than that of boys.

In response to a question from the parliamentarian, Dr. Virendra Kumar informed the Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank of Lok Sabha, that according to the Information System for Educational Units Plus 2018-19, the rate of Student dropout at the elementary school level was 4.45 while for the secondary level it was much higher at 17.87.

More boys dropped out of school than girls, both in primary and secondary education. In response to a question from a member of Parliament, Pokhriyal told the House that dropout rates are calculated taking into account rural and urban areas of the states / UT to account for the movement of students between schools.

He said the average dropout rate for boys was 4.6, while it was 4.3 for girls nationwide.

Also read: Pokhriyal: Mulling to conduct NEET exams more than once

In secondary school, the dropout rate for boys was 18.64, while for girls, 17.01 dropped out of secondary school.

The data shows that early school dropouts were much higher in the northeastern states than in the rest of the country.

Most of the northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, have very high dropout rates in primary and secondary education, while Assam and Tripura have much better figures.

In the rest of India, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar continue to have high dropout rates at both levels, while states such as Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Karnataka have managed to reduce dropout rates to zero at the primary level.

Karnataka Minister warns of action against schools for COVID guideline violation

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March 16, 2021

Karnataka’s Education Minister, S. Suresh Kumar, called on Monday for cracking down on schools offering standard 1-5 courses offline after violating the government’s COVID guidelines.

It came after the state government issued an advisory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that did not grant permission to schools to teach physical education classes for Standards 1-5. Kumar warned the authorities.

With the approval of the Covid-19 State Technical Advisory Committee of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has been authorized to start classes beyond the sixth standard.

Also read: Karnataka govt seeks more time from AICTE for CET admissions

However, various media reports have revealed that some private schools across the state have grades ranging from 1st to 5th standard.

Kumar ordered public education officials to take action against these schools.

Kumar also directed officials and department superintendents to immediately issue a circular on establishing inspection teams at the Taluka level and prosecute unauthorized schools / institutes that teach classes for standard grades 1-5.

Meanwhile, Karnataka is one of eight states experiencing new cases every day, the Union Health Ministry said.

UGC allows institutions to offer distance learning programmes till 2025

Higher Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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March 16, 2021

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has published a list of 14 higher education institutions eligible to offer open and distance learning (ODL) programs through 2025. The national list of institutions includes the names of ODL academic programs recognized by the commission. The list was established following the meetings of the Commission’s Committee of Experts on Interfaces, which took place in the first week of February 2021.

These universities can begin the admission process to recognized ODL programs for the February 2021 academic session, the commission said. On March 11, UGC extended the registration deadline for ODL and online programs for the academic session from February to March until April 30.

The academic session, which is scheduled to start in January 2021, has been postponed from February to March due to “exceptional circumstances due to COVID-I9.”

Also read: UGC: CA, CS, ICWA qualifications equivalent to PG degree

“Recognized universities can begin the admissions process for the recognized programs in this list from the academic session beginning in January (February-March revised) 2021,” UGC said.

Program identification details have already been sent to recognized institutes through the UGC-DEB web portal, the commission said.

While the deadline for admission to ODL programs for 2020-21 is April 30, universities must upload admission details to the UGC DEB web portal before May 15, 2021, the commission announced today.

UGC has warned institutes not to offer distance education programs that are not recognized by UGC.

“Higher education institutions are not authorized to offer open and distance education programs and / or online programs or accept students unless they have been approved by the Commission and their admission is not provided for in the recognition,” says the statement from the UGC.

Aditya Berlia: Universities to play important role in education

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March 16, 2021

Have spent decades convincing stakeholders across the board on education reforms and are excited to now be able to implement them in service of our students, faculty, and our communities says Aditya Berlia, Co-Founder and Pro-Chancellor, Apeejay Stya University in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).

How universities can bring back students to campus?

Universities have a duty to all their stakeholders to ensure their safety and security. While Covid-19 has been massively disruptive to education, virtual learning, especially by those who have been able to step up during this time, has been an effective albeit expensive bridge. At the moment we need to make sure our campuses are designed to slowly open up first to essential physical presence (such as staff and practicals) and then through proper protocols enable those who are vaccinated and low-risk to make smart decisions about their health. We envision once the vaccine drive starts in earnest universities themselves will become centres for the community.

What are the steps that Apeejay Stya University (ASU) is taking to complement NEP 2020?

Apeejay Stya University is proud that its structure and philosophy not only matches the NEP 2020 but in many ways exceeds it. We are delighted with the new National Education Policy (NEP), which is in line with our view of the world founded on a Liberal Arts base with a deep focus on the scholar as an individual. We are extremely delighted that the NEP will allow us to expand and extend our innovative education models with regulations that help, support, and encourage us. We have spent decades convincing stakeholders across the board on education reforms and are excited to now be able to implement them in service of our students, faculty, and our communities. The devil will be in the final details, and while the policy is out, we are eagerly waiting to see how it translates on the ground.

What will be the placement scenario for universities post-COVID-19?

The global talent war is real, and corporates are rationalising work forces to focus on taking the new opportunities presented by Covid-19. Scholars graduating from universities who have prepared them well for being agile and adaptable will find excellent placements post-Covid. Further, with the global experiment on remote work, there will be incredible new opportunities for graduates to be able to work directly or via captives/third-party companies for organisations around the world giving them international exposure and salary while at home. However, scholars should not sit idly by – companies respect those who go above and beyond to enrich their knowledge and experience and prove that they can be entrepreneurial.

What the new courses Universities must bring for future jobs?

More important than universities starting courses is educating parents and prospective scholars on how the market and the world is changing. Universities across the country are running incredible courses with great industry demand and high salaries – but they find no takers as parents and scholars have not been sensitised by the industry and media on these new opportunities. This has led to many universities abandoning excellent new courses favouring those “in demand by students”. We urgently need a national conversation where the industry takes it upon itself to educate prospective students on the incredible new economic opportunities.

UGC: CA, CS, ICWA qualifications equivalent to PG degree

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March 16, 2021

Applicants who qualify for the Certified Public Accountant (CA), Corporate Secretary (CS) or Cost and Labor Accountant (ICWA) exams now receive the same treatment as graduate students, according to the University Scholarship Commission (UGC).

“The UGC had received inquiries from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Business Secretaries of India (ICSI) and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. ‘India to review their rating: CA, CS and ICWA, which is a degree after graduation, “said UGC in the official order.

Also read: UGC frames draft regulations for dual, twinning with foreign varsities

“To examine this, the UGC formed a committee. The commission considered the expert committee’s recommendation and decided that CA, CS and ICWA qualifications are considered equivalent to PG diplomas,” he said. -Add. ICAI welcomed the move and tweeted: “College Scholarship Commission @ugc_india has decided that based on requests from @ theicai, the CA rating will be equated with the PG. CA rating in India worldwide “. ICSI said the move will benefit the profession worldwide.

“This recognition will build on the company’s secretarial work around the world and provide members of the institute the opportunity to earn doctorates in business and related disciplines,” said a press release.

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