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UGC asks higher education institutions to deploy RT-PCR machines in hospitals

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digitalLEARNING Network
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UGC

To fight against COVID-19, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked higher education and research institutions to facilitate deployment of RT-PCR test machines available with them at nearby district hospitals and government labs conducting COVID-19 tests.

 The higher education regulator has noted that temporary deployment of such machines can create additional facilities for around 60,000 tests per day.

UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said, “In order to address the increasing demand for COVID-19 testing, it is essential that the test centers are strengthened further by the addition of more RT-PCR machines. There are a large number of machines available with educational and research institutions under various departments and are capable of performing RT-PCR tests and currently, not being used in any critical area.”

Also read: SC reserves order over UGC final year exams

“It has been elucidated that by temporarily deploying such machines in district hospitals and government laboratories, additional testing facilities of about 60,000 tests per day can be created. “In view of this, all higher education institutions and research institutions are requested to facilitate temporary deployment of machines from the institutes in consultation with the department of health research in district hospitals and government labs performing COVID-19 tests by August 31,” he added.

NTA releases details of exam centres for NEET 2020

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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exam centres for NEET 2020

National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the exam center details for NEET 2020 exam. Candidates who will appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test 2020 can check their exam center through the official site of NTA NEET on ntaneet.nic.in. The admit card is expected to release soon on the official site.

The examination will be conducted on September 13, 2020. Students have been protesting against the conduct of the examination amid this pandemic. Petitions were filed by parents and students to cancel the examination, which was later rejected by the Supreme Court on August 18.

The Agency has informed that the allotment of Centre City would be done in advance to the applicants which would be updated on the official website. This would be done to avoid last-minute problems for the candidates. It is well known that the candidates would have to travel amid lockdown conditions in various states thus an advance notice on the centers would be helpful to them.

Also read: NTA releases protocol for JEE Main, NEET 2020 exams aspirants

The Agency has also released a detailed safety plan for the exam that will be conducted in September. The comprehensive plan and the advisory has been devised based on various instructions, guidelines, and orders issued in regard to the pandemic.

Itisha Peerbhoy, Head-Marketing, Ken42: Ed-tech firms will make learning easy

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Itisha Peerbhoy

1. How is your journey so far in the ed-tech industry?

The Ed-tech industry is coming of age with several new players entering the market with solutions for institutions to tackle the current crises. So far, we have seen a lot of innovation and tech, but there is a gap for a strategic solution that pre-empts the future and solves institutions’ problems on the whole, rather than in current times.

2. What are your plans for Ken42 in the coming days?

Ken42 is already being implemented in six premier institutions. We’re well on our way to signing up with several more and plan to go overseas in 2021. There will be over 1,00,000 students using Ken42 by September 2020.

3. How COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of ed-tech firms in India?

Ed-tech firms are seeing a huge uptick in demand and download. This is fueled by anxiety around job retention and creation when shelter-in-place ends. There is also increased usage among students of all ages who are looking to curb learning loss and remain in touch with the syllabus. While ed-tech firms found themselves going after consumers, they now see consumers approaching them. The current situation has also created the need for better content, as the hook for consumers is content over tech.

Also read: Ed-tech startup LEAD School raises Rs 210 cr

4. How ed-tech firms are planning to penetrate rural areas?

The low-hanging fruit in rural areas for ed-tech is STEM content in Indian languages. In addition to making exposure to technology at a young age, ed-tech will have to make learning easy to access via low bandwidth and limited gadgets. Another interesting trend already being implemented is the ‘school on wheels’ formula with which students in rural areas are able to get exposure to learning technology on a regular basis.

5. Will distance learning be the next big things; what are your plans to tap the huge market?

Distance learning has been around for decades and will continue to remain so. However, there is a difference between the distance learner and the on-campus learner and their needs. Institutions stand for more than just the impart of education, it is also about the experience of the campus, the networks, and the interaction with educators. Ken42 enables institutions of all kinds to deliver better learning outcomes for their students, improve staff productivity and facilitate essentials processes so that the university can focus on syllabus formation, policy-making, and building a brand among other functions, enabling them to grow in size and reputation. This includes distance learning institutes, brick and mortar institutes, coaching centres and more.

NEP Implementation: Education ministry seeks suggestions from teachers

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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NEP Implementation

To implement the National Education Policy, 2020 the Union education ministry has urged teachers across India to suggest ways. The NEP has been approved by the Union Cabinet recently.

The ministry has introduced a list of questions through which the teachers have been asked to submit their inputs related to school education. A letter was sent by school education secretary Anita Karwal to all states for the suggestions.

“To simplify the process for the teachers, the suggestions are being called on each theme of the NEP 2020 related to school education…through a question-answer process. The questions are framed in such a manner that teachers can relate to them from their experience as teachers and classroom transactions,” an official statement by the government said.

The submitted suggestions will be reviewed by a team of experts from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Many experts while hailing the broad contours in the policy have said that implementation of many projects–as proposed–could be tedious and even difficult.

Also read: Pokhriyal holds meeting over NEP with officials

“Though suggestions are being called in a limited words format, however, for gathering further information, if required, teachers whose suggestions are found useful for incorporating in National Curriculum Framework or in the implementation plan, shall be individually contacted,” said the education ministry.

Through the NEP, the government has proposed some sweeping changes in the school education sector that includes providing early childhood education to young kids through anganwadis and restructuring of the extant 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 structure covering ages 3-18.

NTA releases protocol for JEE Main, NEET 2020 exams aspirants

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
JEE Main, NEET 2020 exams aspirants

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has created a detailed protocol on how to hold the exercise in which nearly 15 lakh students could participate while also following safety and social distancing norms.

To avoid crowd at the examination centre entrance due to candidates reaching together, they will be given staggered time slots for reporting. In case, any staff person and candidate is observed to be having above normal temperature or displaying any symptom of COVID-19 suspect, they will be placed in separate Isolation Room.

Also read: NTA: JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020 to be held as per schedule

Candidates will be permitted to carry only:

-Mask on face

-Gloves on hand

-Personal transparent water bottle

-Personal small hand sanitizer (50 ml)

-Exam related documents as instructed (Admit Card, ID card, etc)

-Candidate Frisking

-Body pat frisking will not be done.

A table of approx. of around 3 feet width should be kept in Registration room or hall. Candidate will display the documents for Exam Functionary to view without touching the document.

Manual attendance with signature (while wearing gloves) will be taken. No thumb impressions will be taken.

The practice of physical movement of Invigilators inside the room will be minimized.

The practice of water dispenser will be discontinued. Personal water bottles will be permitted at the table and should be brought by the candidate.

The gloves and masks should be disposed in a pedal push covered bin at the Examination Centre and outside the examination hall only, the NTA guidelines say.

CBSE develops manuals for Classes 6-10 for maths, science

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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CBSE BOARD

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Delhi-based non-profit Central Square Foundation have developed a set of manuals for science and mathematics teachers of Classes 6 to 10. The manual is called ‘Teacher Energized Manuals’ (TERM), these will “help the teachers in aligning their classroom transaction to build competencies”.

The letter also says that CBSE has “dedicated the academic session 2020-21 [to] ‘competency based learning’ where the focus of teaching is on outcomes that students need to acquire”.

Each chapter in the manuals corresponds to chapters in the textbooks developed by the National Council for Educational Research and Training. Traditionally, the CBSE has been an exam-conducting body and not in charge of writing textbooks or deciding curriculum.

Also read: CBSE to conduct virtual inspection of schools

The manuals are linked to the required learning outcomes or standards set by the NCERT. The CBSE has over 21,000 affiliated schools, the vast majority of which are private.

“These manuals will support the teachers to develop pedagogical plans for implementing competency-based learning to equip our students with the requisite skills and competencies pertaining to the subjects,” says the CBSE’s letter.

IBM join hands with NSDC to offer free digital education platform to students

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
IBM join hands with NSDC

Technology major IBM announced its collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer ‘Open P-TECH’, a free digital education platform, focused on emerging technologies and professional development skills.

As a part of the collaboration, IBM will curate online courses from Open P-Tech platform and offer it to users via NSDC’s eSkill India portal to empower Indian youth on various skills to succeed in future careers.

IBM will provide online courses in emerging technologies like cybersecurity, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud and Internet of Things along with professional skills like design thinking to learners between 18 to 22 years for free.

Also read: IBM to integrate with CBSE to bring AI to 200 schools

Currently available in English, the platform will soon be available in various Indian languages — starting with Hindi followed by 10 Indian languages including Kannada, Telegu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Urdu, Bengali.

IBM will catalogue its 30-plus courses with over 60 hours of learning as a knowledge partner.

NSDC Managing Director and CEO Manish Kumar said the power of technology should be leveraged for reaching out to the youth with scale and quality.

“Online training through digital platforms need to be accelerated to overcome geographical and socio-economic barriers. Digital learning will enable higher participation of women in the labour workforce as the scope for employability will increase,” he said.

Ed-tech startup LEAD School raises Rs 210 cr

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
LEAD School

Mumbai-based ed-tech startup LEAD School said it raised around Rs 210 crore in a Series C funding round led by Westbridge Capital.

The ed-tech firm would use the latest round of funding to accelerate the development and rollout of new product offerings, increase its school network in tier 2-3 cities and hire talent across domains.

The current Series C round is LEAD School’s third round of institutional funding since 2017. Both the previous rounds were led by Elevar Equity, which remains a major stakeholder.

LEAD School Co-founder and CEO Sumeet Mehta said “LEAD School partners with affordable private schools to transform them into centres of excellent learning through our Integrated System.”

Founders Mehta and Smita Deorah began their LEAD School journey by running affordable schools and teaching middle school students.

Also read: Ed-tech firm Toppr raises $50M from Foundation Holdings

Through their hands-on experience, they built the LEAD School Integrated System with a mission to make excellent schools accessible and affordable to every child.

In 2017, the company started offering its Integrated System to schools and has seen rapid adoption with more than 800 schools partnering with LEAD School.

The company said it now serves over three lakh students studying in these affordable private schools.

NTA: JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020 to be held as per schedule

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
JEE Main 2020, NEET 2020

Quashing all rumours, National Testing Agency (NTA) has released a new notice confirming that JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 will not be postponed and will be conducted as per the schedule.

NTA in a press release said the order from Supreme Court and highlighted that the career of students cannot be put on peril for long and full academic year cannot be wasted.

NTA said that all efforts have been taken to make the conduction of JEE Main 2020 exam smooth and they provided the facility to change their exam centres to the students five times. The facility was availed by a total of 661911 candidates.

Also read: NTA releases JEE Main 2020 admit card; check details

JEE Main 2020 exam dates are September 1 to 6 and the authorities have also released the admit cards of the students at jeemain.nta.nic.in. As per the notice 649223 candidates have downloaded their JEE Main 2020 admit card so far, against a total number 858273. NTA also claimed that 99.07% of the JEE Main 2020 candidates have been offered their first choice of preference of centre cities. The agency further stated that 142 candidates have subsequently requested for a change in their allotted centre city due to various reasons, and the NTA is considering these requests positively.  Around 15,97,433 candidates have registered for NEET 2020 exam which is scheduled to be held on September 13.

AICTE revises admission rules for MBA/PDGM courses

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
AICTE revises admission

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has revised the admission rules and eligibility criteria for MBA / PDGM courses offered by others.  AICTE issued a formal notification that said that in the light of the prevailing situation due to COVID-19 pandemic, the council has decided to relax the admission rules and based on that now admission to MBA / PDGM programmes can be offered by affiliated institutes on the basis of candidate’s performance in the qualifying exam.

As per the earlier guidelines of AICTE, admission to MBA / PGDM programmes, could be offered by the concerned institute only on the basis of a candidate’s performance in entrance tests. Earlier, the council use to accept scores for CAT, XAT, CMAT, ATMA, MAT and GMAT as valid scores to grant admission to the aspirants. However, for 2020 session, owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, many of the aforementioned exams have not been held. Even for the exams that have been held, some aspirants have not been able to appear for the exam. In light of this situation, the AICTE has allowed institutes to admit students to MBA / PDGM programmes on the basis of their performance in qualifying exams i.e. undergraduate courses.

Also read: AICTE: Status of engineering degrees be solved at state level

Further providing clarity about its decision, the council informed that the admission to MBA and PDGM courses can be offered by the institutes on the basis of qualifying examination.

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