UGC: Give full refund to students who withdraw admission

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December 19, 2020

In a major move, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked universities to give full refund of fees to students who have withdrawn admission or migrated by November end. The UGC has also warned universities of punitive action over violation of fee refund norms.

In a letter issued to vice-chancellors, the higher education regulator has also asked institutions to refund the entire fee without deducting more than Rs 1,000, on withdrawal of admissions up to December 31, 2020.

The UGC letter says, “In order to avoid financial hardship being faced by the parents due to lockdown and related factors, full refund of fees be made on account of all cancellation of admissions/ migration of students, up to 30.11.2020, for this very session as a special case.” It further adds: “The entire fees including all charges be refunded in totality (zero cancellation charges) on account of cancellation/ migration up to 30.11.2020.”

Also read: UGC ask deemed to be universities to not use term university

However, for students withdrawing admission after the end of November till December 31, the entire fee collected from a student should be refunded, after deduction of not more than Rs 1,000 as the processing fee. The commission has been receiving complaints about private or self-financing universities allegedly not refunding fees.

The notice says, “The Commission has taken a very serious view of such complaints. Most of these complaints have come from the students who have taken admission in private or self-financing universities and deemed to be universities and later opted out for one or the other reasons.”

Edtech Firm Simplilearn dominates international markets

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December 19, 2020

Indian edtech firm Simplilearn, a leading digital skills training provider announced that since the pandemic started, more than 60 percent of the company’s revenue was contributed by international markets.

In addition to its primary markets of India and the USA, the company witnessed strong demand from South Africa, UK, Saudi Arabia and Australia. With over 70,000 learners learning live at any given time from across more than 150 countries, this year the platform’s active learner base more than doubled the average of 30,000 learners per day at the beginning of the year.

Simplilearn partnered with some of the world’s leading universities like Purdue, Caltech, MIT and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to offer learners an internationally acclaimed program curriculum, further strengthening its position in the global learning landscape.

Also read: Ed Tech firm Udemy set to raise $100 million in funding

Krishna Kumar, Founder & CEO of Simplilearn, said, “Looking back a couple of years, skilling as a concept was focused more at an organizational level. Fast forwarding to today, upskilling and reskilling has become a global phenomenon with enterprises stepping up spends in L&D programs, especially focused towards digital skilling. At the same time, individual learners are acknowledging the need to upgrade their work profiles in line with industry and employer requirements. “

He further added, “With a large part of the team based in India and a growing global learner base, Simplilearn’s unique blended learning model has been one of the driving factors that has led to the company’s profitable growth over the years. We are happy that Simplilearn is today one of the fastest growing and profitable Indian ed-tech companies serving a global audience.”

Technology cannot replace teachers’ role in class

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December 19, 2020

A teacher leads, guides, facilitates and mentors a student. They are role models who set an example to students and drive them towards a brighter future. A good teacher encourages independent thoughts and independent learning by Pankaj Samantray of Elets News Network.

A modern classroom is defined by technology these days. The Corona pandemic has accelerated the usage of technology in classrooms. There is constant pressure on teachers and administrators to implement technology in classes. Though there are several advantages of making use of technology in teaching, the question remains – can technology replace teachers in Future Classrooms? Well, the answer is clearly no. Though beneficial, technologies can never replace a teacher.

There is no doubt that ICT has become the need of an hour. It changed the basic needs from food, shelter, clothes to food, shelter, clothes and internet. ICT helps the individual in fulfilling all needs. It deals with interpersonal and interpersonal relationships. It also reaches the core areas to remote areas of any country. Right from the city to any village we can see the use of the internet. Many times it is used for entertainment or communication. But we have to think seriously about using the internet in education for enhancing the quality.

Also read: Ed-tech start-up eduTinker launches student- teacher management app

No matter how advanced or smart a computer program or a product is, it can never come close to the knowledge and life experience a teacher brings. Several researches have been conducted and it has been proven time and again that teachers bring about a change which no technology can. A teacher simply does not impart knowledge or information. And teaching is definitely not about facts and figures. A teacher leads, guides, facilitates and mentors a student. They are role models who set an example to students and drive them towards a brighter future. A good teacher encourages independent thoughts and independent learning. He/she can be a positive influence, can be an inspiration to set and achieve goals. The trust and bond between a teacher and student creates the perfect learning environment; which can never be achieved through virtual learning.

In today’s age the old school method of books and notes will not work. Teachers have to stay updated with today’s trends and equip themselves with the latest in technology. They have to implement these technological innovations in their curriculum, without losing their control over the classroom. For example, there are several school apps and smart apps for preschoolers available that make the process of learning and teaching really simple. The future of education is clearly going to be personalized-tech infused learning.

The generation today loves technology. To connect with students and help them understand better, a teacher will have to come out of the comfort zone and explore new ways to engage them. And, technology will certainly play an important role in achieving just that. Technology has immense potential to upgrade today’s educational system. There are several students’ apps and smart apps for preschoolers that help teachers improvise and enrich the overall teaching experience. New educational technologies will not only energize the students, but teachers as well. Which means, even in a technology infused learning environment, the role of the teacher will remain ever-important. Yes, it will become less traditional, but important nonetheless!

So, where do we stand in this debate of teachers versus technology? Well, the answer will have to be the middle ground of the two. While classrooms cannot function without a teacher, the fact remains that in the near future it will be the other way around too. Facilitating learning through technology presents tremendous opportunity for both the student and the teacher to deepen their knowledge and empower themselves. The teacher will have to become a facilitator of parting trustworthy information from electronic sources to the students. Teachers versus technology is an ongoing battle.

Technology plays a supporting role, but it’s the teacher who brings it all together. Technology is certainly changing the way students learn, but it cannot be termed as a replacement for teachers. High-quality teachers create a classroom culture that motivates students and leads them on the path of success. Technology cannot inspire, help them through their struggles, help them fight back and stand up. Yes!

In recent days, online courses offered by numerous top universities and how this has opened doors for students all around the world as now they can study whatever subject in any field they want from their homes.

It was after the introduction of these courses that the debate about this topic got started. Now that the students have access to all the resources at home, what is the need of the physical presence of teachers, right?

Moreover, we see more and more use of computers in the classrooms. We see social media is being used in learning environments, we see children using multiple apps to help them in their studies.

Now, let us talk about some points from the other side of the debate. Although technology is helping a lot in the learning environment, it has not completely taken over the role of a teacher.

Technology is merely an augmentation to a teacher. It can help the process of learning, but it certainly cannot replace the role of the teacher.

Even in online courses, we see that teachers are necessary to give lectures, whether in the form of videos, tutorials or via Skype sessions. Children still need to learn computers, which of course are taught by teachers.

Students need teachers to direct them in learning hands-on skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and mechanics. Moreover, in order to learn critical skills like decision making, time management, etc. a child needs a teacher, as the technology cannot teach these human skills.

It is also important that we remember a teacher is more than just a facilitator of knowledge; a teacher also acts as a guide, a mentor and an inspiration for students, a role that cannot be replaced by technology of any kind.

Teachers can take help of different software to fulfill the needs of diverse learners as per their learning styles. In today’s world no one should neglect the fact of diverse needs of learners. We should try to provide hands-on experiences to them. We are volunteers of the Skill based Society.

ICT has opened thousands of opportunities in front of us. If we travel in Global village ICT is the only vehicle through which we can complete our journey and reach our desired goal. In this way a teacher can take help of ICT to provide quality education to his learner. This can be a challenge for a teacher and learner to accept the change in education. But in reality ICT has shown the role of teachers in a global perspective.

Due to Globalization, Liberalization and Privatization education has widened in every manner. We need to take help of ICT to improve and sustain quality in education. Few NGOs and governments are giving free training of advanced ICT to teachers. Let’s hope that we will be able to bridge the gap between public and private educational institutes by using ICT.

Technology can only be a helping factor to learn, but it cannot replace the knowledge and experience that come with a teacher. And as long as the balance is maintained we can expect an education system that not only promotes learning, but also opens doors to creative freedom and expression.

Upscale Digital Infra to Realise Effective Online Education: Dr. Shuchi Sharma

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December 19, 2020

Dr. Shuchi Sharma, Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, Rajasthan addressed the Summit on ‘Challenges & Opportunities in the Education Sector During COVID-19 Situation’. “No doubt COVID has put up a lot of challenges, however, the pandemic has given opportunities to come up with innovative solutions as well,” she said while opening her address at the summit.

Speaking of various challenges surfaced in Rajasthan in the higher and technical education sector, she said, “There were a few existing challenges like overall admissions have reduced in engineering colleges as less number of students are opting for B.Tech courses and admissions in general, have also reduced. The COVID pandemic has weighed on the existing challenges. Now the situation has turned grave and we are facing issues like how to rate the students, how to conduct exams, etc.” There are guidelines from UGC but the line of action is not clear, she added.

Mode of examination has posed a major challenge ahead of the students and the authorities. Earlier, students were waiting for March for their examination but March opened doors for the unprecedented crisis. Next, a decision to conduct the examinations by September end was taken which added to the existing challenges. Hence, “we raised this with the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) to review the decision”, Shuchi said.

Also read: Dr Shuchi Sharma awarded for ‘Anandam’ programme

“Offline exams were not possible as social distancing norms were likely to be violated if exams were conducted. Also, many students have returned to their hometowns and have to come back to appear for the exams which will open up a new set of challenges altogether,” she added.

Further, she pointed out, “In Rajasthan, the digital infra is not up to the mark for conducting online examinations. And, to an extent, the situation is the same in most parts of India and worse in rural areas.” Fluctuating network speeds, power cuts, inapt digital infrastructure, are some of the hurdles in the way for implementing online education and examinations in the state.

“However, e-content is the solution to overcome such challenges but a need to develop capacity do exist… In Rajasthan, we have started using YouTube as a platform for uploading apt e-content to help students during the COVID-induced lockdowns,” Shuchi mentioned. Adding on she said, “I asked all the teachers/ lecturers to record one lecture on every working day and upload it on YouTube. So, in many colleges, this practice was started… I had emphasised on converting all the written content into e-content so that students can keep up with their studies. The possible issues were that one to one online lecture as not feasible, also siblings sharing the smartphone or laptop was another such issue. Hence, uploading of the e-content was one of the possible solutions we figured out.”

To inform students about the incoming lectures or the time when lectures were being uploaded, WhatsApp groups were formed through which the information was propagated.

Resting her words, she said, “Shortly, as the digital learning setting in as the new normal for the education sector, there is a need to upscale the digital infrastructure. Also, capacity building programmes need to be conducted for upskilling the teachers n terms of delivering lectures effectively through digital media. And, e-content should be kept in focus as it is one of the easily available and accessible forms of content.”

CM Gehlot: Rajasthan Teacher Eligibility Test to be conducted on April 25

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December 19, 2020

Rajasthan Teacher Eligibility Test or REET would now be conducted for April 25, 2021. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the exam dates for the recruitment of 31000 teaching posts in the state at the occasion marking two years of the Rajasthan Government.

The examination has been pending for over two years now. Usually to be conducted once or twice every year, Rajasthan TET or REET as normally called, was last conducted in 2018. As many as 9.50 lakh candidates had appeared for the examination. The date for the next examination was not announced.

Announcement was made by Chief Minister as he listed out the many accomplishments of the Rajasthan Government over the past two years. Education minister Govind Singh Dotasra had also tweeted two days ago that the announcement of the REET Exam date would be made soon. Tweeting the date of April 25, 2021 a set for REET, he congratulated the youth of the state.

Also read: NCTE extends certificate of teacher eligibility test validity for a lifetime

Dotasra had also shared the intent of shifting the organizing responsibility to the Board of Secondary Education. Details on REET 2021 would be published on the official website of Rajasthan Government.

Recruitment of 31000 teaching posts has been pending in the state for quite a while now. Many candidates had reached out to Education Minister over the past year, seeking clarity regarding the pending examination. More details regarding REET would be announced soon on rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in.

मुख्यमंत्री @ashokgehlot51 ने राज्य सरकार के 2 साल के सफल कार्यकाल पर प्रदेश के लाखों युवाओं को राहत देते हुए 31000 पदों पर रीट परीक्षा 25 अप्रैल 2021 को करने की घोषणा की।सभी युवाओं को बहुत बहुत बधाई। pic.twitter.com/GttnqKqnKu

— Govind Singh Dotasra (@GovindDotasra) December 18, 2020

Ed-tech Revolution

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December 19, 2020

Education as a field has been massively and positively influenced by technology. And this influence will be even greater by 2030. In recent times, technology has influenced how businesses are operating from last few decades by Pankaj Samantray of Elets News Network.

E ducation technology is already part of our lives when it comes to learning, thanks to Coronavirus pandemic. It is difficult to find a part of our lives that technology hasn’t influenced fundamentally. Educational technology is here for facilitating learning and improving academic performance.

The COVID pandemic has accelerated the usage of technology in education sector.

Education as a field has been massively and positively influenced by technology. And this influence will be even greater by 2030. In recent times, technology has influenced how businesses are operating from last few decades.

Also read: Is Indian Education Sector Ready for Industrial Revolution 4.0?

Education is as old as humanity itself. Our ancestors were educated within the family or tribe on how to farm, use tools, make fire, and hunt. Eventually, education became confined within the various priesthoods of ancient civilisations’ until the Greeks established the likes of philosophical mentorship.

In the last 2,000 years, there have been an array of education options, such as tutorship, apprenticeship, and seminary school, up until the 19th century when the concept of K-12 (publicly-supported school grades prior to tertiary education) took hold, existing alongside private, higher education institutions to this day.

Now, with the advent of sophisticated digital technologies, EdTech is empowering educators to expand their reach, while also empowering students to be able to learn independently via educational software.

There are, also, many online libraries that assist teachers and students with comprehensive reading material. Teachers and lecturers are also given the opportunity to post their teaching material online for their students to study.

With the current rate of growth in the technology sector, future educational technology is likely to advance the quality of education or even the ways we teach and learn.

Digital transformation of many educational functions will happen incredibly fast. This transformation can be managed in-house or by outsourcing it to third-party service providers with expertise in specific industries. It’s already a fact that many educational organizations are adopting cloud-based technologies for marketing and recruiting, as the competition for attracting the best students is increasing.

Multi-channel admissions experiences, where prospective students can interact not only by phone and email but also via social networks, video chat, and other similar technologies, will soon be the norm.

Also, alumni relations will quickly be adopting modern communication tools to improve alumni engagement. Finally, as the number of on-campus students possibly decreases, other critical functions such as college counselling, career services, and tech support will all be moving to a primarily digital delivery system.

The future of technology in education is about adapting to the fast-changing world, giving students an opportunity to choose their own way of learning, combining theory and practice, always considering the current demand on the job market.

Educators, Ed Tech entrepreneurs, as well as people actively involved in education, are trying to make realistic scenarios on what is the future of education technology. All this by taking into consideration the investments that are being made into education and the fact that the global expenditure on education is projected to reach $10 trillion by 2030.

Education will be the most important asset for people and their governments in the future. As global population grows, the education market and its complexity are massively growing too. New skills are entering the picture and as automation is prominent in our every-day lives, kids may be trained for jobs that do not exist right now.

In addition, the number of students will be greatly increased with the major driving forces being Africa and Asia, continents that today have a great number of kids who still do not have access to education.

According a survey, there are five major scenarios of how the education technology landscape could evolve:

Education-as-Usual: This is the scenario that represents education as it is today. Institutions are the main source of education and education technology contribution is present but not a major issue.

Regional Rising: Regional cooperation is the act of enhancing relationships through regional rules and institutions in the same state or region. Regional integration has the objective of better cooperation for political and economic purposes. Global Giants: With the internet playing such a prominent role in our lives nowadays, globalization barriers have been removed when it comes to education technology. And this outcome will be even more prominent in the future. Personalized experiences in education will be created and global giants and multinational companies will most likely invest in education and educational technology. Peer-to-Peer: Online learning will be the new norm. The peer-to-peer economy will dominate the way we live, work and learn. Smartphone ownership shapes learning delivery and students will be able to, literally, carry their learning experience in their pockets. Distributed ledger technology underpins the peer to peer economy and supports skills verification.

Robo revolution: The advancement of artificial intelligence technology will impact global economic growth by 2030. AI applications and algorithms will replace humans in repetitive tasks and teaching will be assisted by technology. At the same time, new jobs will be hopefully created in order to create and upgrade AI algorithms. Technology in 2030 will play a critical role in education as well as in technology-assisted learning processes. It will be focused on information processing, decision making as well as learning. It will help students have a more comprehensive learning experience.

Another exciting possibility that EdTech can bring to the table is to bridge the gap between theory and application by developing experiential learning technology – which is often lacking in a traditional classroom curriculum.

The percentage of jobs requiring AI skills has grown four times since 2013, by 2030 all industries will use AI and robotics especially in the field of marketing and sales. Customer service is a big user of AI technology such as chatbots, product selection and customer classification/routing. That means that traditional jobs in these fields, such as customer service, may disappear.

Mobile devices are already a big part of our lives and this connectivity will certainly shape how learning happens in the classroom. By 2030 half the world’s youth will live in countries with a mobile-first internet connection. Face to face learning will probably be the old way of learning and thus new ways of transferring knowledge through mobile devices will be adopted by teachers and institutions.

Also read: India will be the torchbearer of Industrial Revolution 4.0, says Navin Mittal

Learning management systems dominate online environments in every field of education. However, newer technologies with a focus on interaction rather than file management will take over in the future. But, the most important thing is that the learning management system objective is and will stay the same: making sure everyone in the education field is working towards a better future and all this with the help of technology.

When it comes to higher education, EdTech is still lagging. In order to really encourage students to invest their time in online higher education, the rewards need to be there. Hopefully, as distance learning technologies develop further, high-quality education will become increasingly affordable. Ultimately, the goal of EdTech should be to make superior education accessible to people of all backgrounds. If used correctly, it can be a powerful weapon for social equality. It’s encouraging to see that there is such eager investment into the industry, but only time will tell if the industry lives up to its expectations.

Educational technology is not only a simple upgrade into the educational world but a key to better collaboration in education and thus a better future for us and our children.

The world of education is likely to constantly change and develop in a rapid way over the next few years, not just in the application of new technologies but also when it comes to learning. Educational institutions must not only focus on their day to day operations but also figuring out how they will better use technology for enhancing the learning process.

Punjab CM launches second phase of Smart Connect Scheme

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December 19, 2020

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh virtually launched the second phase of the “Punjab Smart Connect Scheme”, marked by the distribution of smartphones to another 80,000 Class-12 students of government schools.

The event witnessed simultaneous distribution of phones in 845 schools by various ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries across the state, an official statement said here.

This will facilitate seamless e-learning in government schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Launching the second phase at the Government Senior Secondary School in Bhelolpur, the chief minister announced that the remaining 45,443 smartphones of the targeted 1,75,443 would be provided to students by the end of this month to fulfil the Congress government’s commitment to further strengthen digital infrastructure in schools.

Also read: Punjab CM virtually inaugurates 1,467 smart schools

He said while his government had tried to distribute these phones urgently to meet the online education challenges amid the pandemic, the closure of the industry had somewhat delayed the process.

In the first phase, 50,000 students had received smartphones. Under the scheme, the state government is spending Rs 87.84 crore for the digital empowerment of 88,059 boys and 87,284 girls, the statement said.

The chief minister said 877 tablet computers were also provided in 22 senior secondary schools on Friday at a cost of Rs one crore. Earlier, 2,625 tablet computers were provided to 372 primary schools at a cost of Rs 2.99 crore.

Addressing the students, Singh said when the Congress had promised that smartphones would be given to students in its manifesto for the last Assembly polls, nobody knew that these phones would become so vital for them due to the pandemic.

Bihar to reopen schools from January 4

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December 18, 2020

In a major move, Bihar government said that all schools and coaching institutes in the state will open from January 4 2021. The government has said in its order that senior sections of all schools will be opened.

Also, the hostel has been ordered to open. In the order issued on the opening of schools in the state (Bihar School Reopen latest date), it has been said that the government will give masks for all schools for free.

Also read: Bihar government to promote students from class I to IX

In all government schools, students will get masks for free. First senior section schools will be opened and then after 15 days, junior class schools will be opened.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the disaster management committee on Friday. This information was given by Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar.

The children will be called in half, so that social distance maintenance can be done. Schools and colleges will also open for the rest of classes from 18 January.

UPSC releases UPSC Civil Services mains admit card

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December 18, 2020

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the UPSC Civil Services mains admit card 2020. The UPSC mains admit card 2020 will be available for applicants to download till January 17, 2021. Candidates can download the UPSC IAS 2020 mains admit card from the UPSC official website – upsc.gov.in.

Candidates who cleared the UPSC Civil Services prelims exam 2020 held on October 4, 2020, are eligible to appear for UPSC IAS mains exam 2020 to be conducted in January 2021.

Applicants qualifying the UPSC IAS 2020 mains examination will be then eligible for the UPSC IAS 2020 personality test.

Also read: UPSC declares CDS 2 exam results

The UPSC CSE mains exam 2020 is scheduled to be held on January 8, 9, 10, 16 and 17, 2021.

Steps to download UPSC Civil Services mains admit card 2020:

Visit the UPSC website – upsc.gov.in

Search for the UPSC CSE mains admit card 2020 link and click on it

Enter the UPSC CSE 2020 login credentials and press submit

The UPSC IAS admit card 2020 will appear on the screen in PDF format

Download and save the UPSC mains admit card 2020 for future use

AICTE conducts conclave to enhance quality of faculty development Programmes

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December 18, 2020

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), conducted a national level brainstorming ATAL Conclave, convened to enhance the quality of Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) for upgrading the skills of teaching staff in emerging areas in technology.

The two-day conclave witnessed the sharing of good practices, valuable feedback and suggestions for future FDPs, by the participants. The conclave was attended by Head of Institutions, Vice Chancellors of various prestigious universities, Directors of premium institutions like IIT, IIIT, NIT, NITTTR, and other dignitaries.

Speaking about the conclave, AICTE Chairman Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabuddhe said, “Constant and life-long learning should be the motto of faculty members as well as students. AICTE bridges this gap by training faculty members who in turn will guide students in new emerging areas.

Also read: Maintenance allowance of Rs 20,000 to be released under PMSSS by AICTE

As most of the faculty members graduated 15-20 years back, their knowledge needs to be updated as per the current times. In these testing times, AICTE provided impetus to conduct online ATAL FDPs so that no faculty members may lose out training due to the pandemic situation.” Prof Sahasrabuddhe added, “What students learn in four years may become outdated the moment they graduate from college.

So, constant updating of curriculum is also required. In the year 2020-21, new thrust areas in the field of Engineering, Management, Life Skills, Design & Media have been incorporated too to make ATAL FDP a wholesome effort to train faculty members coming from every stream. Indian Knowledge System too has been incorporated by AICTE which will instill values among students about our ancient culture and tradition.”

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