IIT Kharagpur develops UAV-assisted communication infrastructure

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January 8, 2021

Researchers from the G Sanyal School of Telecommunications at IIT Kharagpur have developed a UAV-based communications infrastructure for 5G that can serve as a cell phone tower in an emergency.

The system includes an Android-based application for a fleet of drones programmed to create emergency communication networks from the nearest available cell towers, a statement from IIT Kharagpur said.

“Through smart scheduling, we can deploy our fleet of 5G connected drones to a specific location as soon as the first distress signal is flagged.” Data over the telecommunications backbone is transmitted to the backup server, which is thousands of miles away for the first three minutes after the occurrence of a disaster, “said Professor Debarati Sen, who led the research team.

Also read: IIT Kharagpur sets up innovation hub on AI and ML

The network connection affected by the disaster is reestablished through the nearest cell phone tower. In the event of a power outage network, drones can intelligently avoid this for people going to an affected area and without a cellular network they can automatically connect to a nearby drone service when searching for the cellular network.

”We have already analyzed the UAV network performance with the ‘NerQuake’ application in emergency response situations in disaster management and maintenance of service quality using a fleet of four UAVs. “We use network coverage data from various wireless service providers in the northeastern states to test the functionality of the application, “said the senator.

UGC launches Toycathon 2021 for students, teachers

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January 8, 2021

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has asked students and professors from higher education institutions to participate in Track 2 of Toycathon 2021, a toy-making hackathon. Interested candidates can apply at toycathon.mic.gov.in. The latest application deadline is January 20. The winners will receive prizes worth Rs 50 lakh.

“All university rectors and directors are invited to share this initiative with the students and faculties of their respective institutions and encourage them to actively participate in Toycathon 2021,” said UGC.

The Toycathon 2021 invited innovative minds from India to design new toys and games based on the history, civilization, ethics and culture of India. It offers our students the opportunity to design toys and games that will help India become a global center for toys and games and help our children understand the ethics and values of Indian culture as they are from the national education policy 2020”said the official UGC statement.

Also read: UGC offers 100 PG and UG online courses

The Toycathon is based on nine themes: Indian culture, history, knowledge of India and values; Learning, education and school; social and human values; Professions and specific fields; Surroundings; Divyang; Fitness and exercise; Creative and logical thinking and rediscovery / redesign of traditional Indian toys.

The Toycathon will have three course variants: junior, senior and start-up level, and will allow the participation of students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities together with startups and experts in toys. Participants have two options for submitting ideas. You can submit ideas for problems posted or in the new toy concepts category.

NEET 2020 stray round list of eligible candidates released at mcc.nic.in

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January 8, 2021

The list of candidates eligible for the 2020 NEET cycle for vacant positions has been posted on the official website of the Medical Counselling Committee. The list of eligible candidates for the vacancy round has been published for the eligible candidates from Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University, Deemed and Central University.

Candidates who have applied for the NEET UG Stray Round Counseling 2020 can visit the official Medical Advisory Committee website to view the list of candidates eligible for the counseling cycle. Dispersion tours are conducted for admission to the 2463 free MBBS and BDS places offered at AIIMS, VMMC, DU, AMU, BHU, JIPMER, Deemed and ESIC universities.

Also read: Pokhriyal: NEET 2020 saw 90 pc attendance of students

The medical council committee has published the list of eligible candidates for the dispersal round on the official website: mcc.nic.in.

Steps to check the NEET UG Stray Round permit list

Step 1: Visit the official NEET UG MCC website

Step 2: Click on the Link to Intake List for Scatter Round 2020

Step 3: Scroll down for roster number, candidate name and nationality

Step 4: Download the Scatter Round Eligibility List for More Information

The NEET-UG 2020 dispersal round is carried out in the respective institutions in offline mode. Applicants who have signed up for the counseling process and have not received any places at any of the medical colleges under the 2020 All India, Reputed, or State NEET UG Counseling Quota 2020 Counseling Fee are eligible for the table round.

Andhra Pradesh govt ties up with Cambridge University for English classes

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January 8, 2021

To improve teachers’ English proficiency and provide fair employment conditions for students in the city’s schools, the government of Andhra Pradesh has partnered with the University of Cambridge to train teachers and students.

The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government is reforming the education sector by introducing English as a medium of instruction in all public schools and gradually converting all Telugu universities into English schools while continuing to teach. The state govt has said native Telugu as a compulsory subject.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Thursday between the University of Cambridge and the Andhra Pradesh Department of Urban Development to provide teachers and students of the urban department with English education. The MoU was signed by Vijay Kumar, Municipal Government Commissioner, on behalf of TK Arunachalam, Regional Director, University of Cambridge, South Asia.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh govt to install 45,000 smart TVs in public schools

The programme trains 12,378 teachers who work with students in state city schools to improve their English skills. A total of 14 language labs will be installed in 13 districts of the state. There are also science and math courses.

Over 8,000 teachers have already taken a 30-day course on teaching various subjects in English and have passed the Cambridge Assessment English Test. The other 4,000 are in formation. Three studios will be installed in Visakhapatnam, Kurnool and Vijayawada. The didactic material is prepared by teachers from all municipal schools and made available to children through these studies.

Competency of technology in Higher Education

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January 8, 2021

Higher education plays a vital role in the development of a country, as it is considered an effective means of building a knowledge-based society. In India, higher education provided by universities faces challenges of access, equity and quality. The Government of India has taken various initiatives over time to improve access to higher education by adopting state-specific strategies and to enhance the relevance of higher education through curriculum reforms, curriculum professionals, networks , adoption of information technology and distance learning, and governance reforms. However, in terms of gross enrollment ratio (TBM), India still lags behind the world average and emerging markets such as Brazil and China.

India’s higher education system has established itself as the largest system in the world in terms of number of institutions and the third in terms of student enrollment (after China and the United States). While several new institutions have emerged in recent years, and private sector participation has increased significantly, concerns remain about the quality of education provided to students.

Knowledge is power today. The more knowledge you have, the stronger you will be. However, India continues to face great challenges. Despite growing investments in education, 25% of the population remains illiterate. The quality of education in India, whether in primary school or higher education, is considerably poor. Indian post-secondary institutions occupy only 7% of India’s college-age population, 25% of apprenticeships in the country are vacant, and 57% of university professors do not have a master’s or doctorate. What is needed, however, is greater transparency and accountability, the role of universities and colleges in the new millennium, and new scientific research on how people learn is paramount. Therefore, India provides other countries with a highly skilled workforce. It is very easy for India to transfer our land from a developing country to a developed country.

Also read: Rajasthan: New face of Higher Education with Private-Public Partnership

Technology will play a larger role in transforming higher education delivered by universities to the tertiary level. The tools help create a highly collaborative and personalized social environment with innovative solutions that enhance the way students learn, communicate, collaborate, and study on and off campus.

There is a growing trend to create a digital library to create a digital learning environment for students. The digital version of the books, embedded in text, images, as well as videos, simulations, and visualizations, helps students learn concepts interactively. The National Mission for Education through ICT plans to generate new content for online courses for the training of UG, PG and PhD. Efforts are already underway to prepare course content for 130 courses (UG and PG).

Higher education is a purely content-based game in which educational content is delivered through the innovative use of ICT. Universities have a growing tendency to broadcast content on radio, television and satellite

Many Indian universities are considering free technology-based access to educational resources. AICTE – National Library of Engineering and Digital Technology of India (AICTE – INDEST) is a consortium created by the Ministry of Human Resources to improve access and achieve annual savings in access to bibliographic databases. UGC also launched its digital library

The advent of Web 2.0 and social media like blogs and wikis, as well as new online video repository and distribution sites like YouTube, iTunes U, and Big Think, are driving a new trend in higher education. The advent of smartphones such as the iPhone and other smart devices has enhanced mobile learning (known as m-learning). These technologies are creating new channels for content delivery, the expansion of online video, and podcasting. With the introduction of virtual reality websites like Second Life, higher education institutions have created new places for class gatherings and study.

For more than three years, Dell Technologies has worked in education with digital transformation through innovative and affordable solutions to enable better learning experiences.

Dell leverages in-depth technology expertise in Cloud enablement of Learning platforms and Mobility to deliver Online Learning solutions to top universities and K12 schools across the world.

Dell Tech solutions have enabled more than 1,000,000 students to have the best in class learning experience in instructor led and virtual learning environments. Focused offerings to Higher Education Institutions, Universities and Schools are as follows:

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Pokhriyal: Need to train students, teachers for NEP to succeed

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January 8, 2021

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank underscored on Thursday, the need to train both students and teachers to successfully implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He stressed that NEP 2020 is revolutionary in all aspects as it focuses on various aspects such as the promotion of the mother tongue in primary education, vocational training for secondary school students and other innovative reforms.

He said NEP addresses interdisciplinary study and integrated curriculum in higher education for broader learning opportunities, aiming to provide holistic, values-based education, development of scientific temperament, and provision of qualification training for the youth of India.

The minister said that this policy also considered the need to establish a framework for the expanded use of technology in the teaching-learning process, the development of the content of online courses, the introduction of the Academic Credit Bank and the establishment of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the National Educational Technology Design Forum (NETF) from which Indian academics would benefit to compete on a global scale.

Also read: Pokhriyal: JEE Advanced 2021 exam dates to be announced on Jan 7

He gave the success mantra “Realize, reform and transform” for the successful implementation of all the new requirements of NEP 2020, which are essential to change society and transform the lives of young people for the development of world peace.

Pokhriyal had opened the two-day virtual international Akhand conference ‘EDUCON 2020’ via a video conferencing platform. The two-day international conference is being hosted by Central Punjab University, Bathinda (CUPB) in collaboration with the Global Educational Research Association (GERA) under the patronage of Prof. (Dr) Raghavendra P. Tiwari, Vice Chancellor of CUPB and Padma Shri Dr. Mahendra Sodha.

JEE Advanced 2021 on July 3; 75% criteria removed

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January 7, 2021

The IIT – JEE Advanced entrance exam will take place on July 3, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced today during a live interaction. The exam was postponed due to the postponement of major JEE exams.

In addition to completing JEE Main, students must achieve at least 75% of the 12th grade exam points to be eligible. This criterion was relaxed last year and also this year, the minister announced. However, students must pass the board exams.

In general, students must pass JEE Main each year to qualify for the advanced exam. Due to the pandemic, students who completed JEE Main 2020 but did not apply for JEE Advanced 2020 can apply for Advanced 2021 was a unique option.

Also read: Pokhriyal: JEE Advanced 2021 exam dates to be announced on Jan 7

Several aspirants who were hoping that JEE Advanced 2021 would also be held in multiple sessions allowing candidates to appear in multiple attempts on the lines of JEE Main 2021, were left disappointed today. Education Minister confirmed that JEE Advanced 2021, which is the gateway for admission to premier technology institutes of the country i.e. IITs, would be held only in a single session and will have only one attempt.

Along with confirming the organizing institute for JEE Advanced 2021 i.e. IIT Kharagpur, Education Minister also confirmed the number of test cities where the exam would be held. As per the announcement, JEE Advanced 2021 would be held at 222 exam cities across the country to ensure that candidates are able to appear for the exam easily, without having to travel too far from their homes.

CLAT exams postponed to June 13

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January 7, 2021

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), a national level entrance exam for admissions to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programmes has been postponed to June 13. The exam was earlier scheduled to be held in May but the exam has been deferred due to a clash with the CBSE board exams.

“The Executive Committee of the Consortium of National Law Universities met on 6th January 2021 to consider rescheduling the date of the CLAT 2021 exam due to clashes with the CBSE Board examination schedule announced last week,” the official notice read.

Also read: CLAT 2020 results declared; check details

CLAT is the entrance gateway for admission to 22 National Law Universities across the country. It is organised by the Consortium of National Law Universities consisting of the representative universities. Registrations for the examination closed on March 31. The exam will now be conducted on June 13 from 2 pm to 4 pm.

The application process for the same is still on. Interested candidates can apply at the official website consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The last date to apply is March 31.

The CLAT 2021 for undergraduate admissions is a two-hour test, with 150 multiple-choice questions carrying one mark each. There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. These questions would be divided across the following five subjects, namely, English language, current affairs including General Knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, and quantitative technique.

Interactive flat panels powering the emergence of virtual classrooms in India

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January 7, 2021

The ongoing pandemic has shaken up not only businesses but our way of life. Be it how we work, how we interact socially and even how we consume information. Taking a leaf out of this, let’s look at the education space. The Covid-19 has ensured that coaching centers and educational institutes remain locked down, the idea of a virtual classroom has never been more central to our education system. Social distancing being the norm for the foreseeable future, the most complex piece on the system is to now determine how one can ensure there is no loss in the quality of education, while finding innovative ways to continue teaching students at their home. This pandemic has put education providers in a tricky spot – there is now a barrier to cross when it comes to providing quality, virtual education, with the similar pace and vigor as providing similar education physically.

Ensuring students continue receiving quality education at home, does seem a bit of stretch to begin with. But on careful analysis and with the help of latest technology, it seems like an obstacle not too difficult to overcome. Institutes are now taking the route of live streaming or recording their classes, with teachers in a studio setup recording their lectures as if the student is right in front of them. One can also go on streaming platforms like YouTube to find a number of videos where teachers are using various gadgets and technologies to ensure students are able to understand concepts without any difficulty.

The new normal is now in full swing, with students going back to the exam centers, in physical and virtual form. This makes it imperative for coaching institutes and educational institutions to ensure that the level of learning in the physical format doesn’t dip in the virtual world of learning. It is in this case, that the need for the right technology plays a vital role in ensuring optimum output – without losing the essence. One such enabler is the Interactive Flat Panel (IFP), a classroom ready solution with a friendly user interface to support educational institutions in the new normal as they build towards an increasing dependence on the virtual world.

Also read: Indigenous app Lauk Classroom to help educators soon

BenQ, as an innovator has always been committed towards providing its customers with the power of Visuality. The IFP, in its efforts to be a classroom ready solution – be it virtual or physical, comes ready with a 4K UHD resolution for stunning image clarity, a Germ-Resistant Screen to ensure the spread of germs is curbed, a Smart Eye-Care solution for protecting one’s eyes amidst the hours spent in front of the screen and instant plug and play.

Products like IFP are also particularly useful when it comes to streaming classes online. Be it live, or recorded, the teacher can use the IFP as a tool which merges seamlessly as a part of the larger studio setup to ensure there is no loss in the overall quality of both – the production of the video and the standard of teaching as compared to a physical class. It has been widely recognized that replicating the quality of physical teaching in the virtual environment is known to be tricky. Therefore, the producer of the content, and the teacher need to be mindful of not only the content, but also the instruments and tools that one can use to ensure ideal results can be achieved by the team in helping students understand the content on the screen.

The larger benefit of using panels and boards like the IFP is that an educational institute can undertake teaching assignments with ease, using the board to illustrate, highlight and explain a particular point to their audience – therefore leaving no compromise in teaching standard, even in a virtual classroom.

As of now, BenQ has helped most of the reputed coaching institutes across India to implement the ideal virtual classroom in such unprecedented times.

Ed tech platform Kyt raises Rs 36.5 crore in funding

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January 7, 2021

Ed tech platform Kyt has raised Rs 36.5 crore in funding led by Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI), a venture fund managed by Falcon Edge Capital.

“The funds raised will be used for deeper investment in technology and product, to enhance the overall experience of the students and to accelerate global expansion. Kyt already has students from India, UAE and Singapore and is looking to scale its footprint to the US, Canada, UK and Australia,” it added.

As part of this investment from AWI, Kyt will expand its operations to Abu Dhabi and use the Emirate as its regional headquarters for targeting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and other global markets, the statement said.

Also read: Ed tech startup Kyt raises Rs 18.4 crore for expansion

Kyt is also working on building a team of data scientists, product managers and engineers located in Abu Dhabi.

Founded in June 2020, Kyt runs online-only extracurricular courses by combining live classes with video-based revision materials for children from ages 5-15 years, in a full-stack model. It offers one-on-one and small group sessions for courses such as yoga, dance, music, chess and others.

The company is backed by prominent angel investors including Allen Penn, Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal, Amrish Rau, Kunal Shah, Jitendra Gupta, Martin Li, Apremeya Radhakrishna, Anand Chandrasekaran and Akhil Paul.

Kyt plans to add more courses, including speech and debate, spelling bees, guitar and keyboard among others, the statement said.

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