In a huge relief to students, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank informed that CBSE Board will allow students to appear for the pending board exams from the current district where they are located.
HRD Minister took to social media platform to announce the decision, which confirmed that CBSE Board will allow students to change their exam centres to their home district. The decision has been taken following concerns raised by students and parents, who have travelled to their hometowns due to Coronavirus lockdown.
HRD Minister acknowledged the challenges faced by the students during the lockdown period, especially by the students who are based outstation, away from their homes. Many students, especially 12th Class students, travel to other cities like Kota, for coaching and preparation of entrance exam during their 11th and 12th Classes. Such students have moved back to their hometowns following the announcement of lockdown, making it a challenge for them to appear for the exam at the exam centre assigned to them earlier.
Also, students who are part of government run residential schools such as Navodaya and Kendriya Vidyalayas who have safely been sent back to their homes have also expressed concern about going back and appearing for pending board exams in the exam centre allotted to them earlier.
CBSE Secretary Anurag Tripathi also confirmed the development and said that the board will release an official notification confirming the same in the coming days. He also mentioned that from 1st Week of June 2020 onwards, after the official notification is released, students will be allowed to get their exam centres changes, as a one-time exercise by the board.
📢Students, who are currently not in the same district as their board examination centers due to #lockdown!
I have advised @cbseindia29 to shift your examination center to your current district. Kindly get in touch with your respective schools for further information.
— Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 27, 2020
The Indian Institute of Science (IIS) has join hands with TalentSprint to provide Advanced Certification Program in Digital Health & Imaging programme. The new programme is targeted towards professionals keen to master cutting edge tech solutions in eHealth, personalized healthcare, biotech, medical devices, wearables and digital therapeutics,
It will be a six-month program will be offered in a hybrid format suitable for executive education.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor Anurag Kumar, Director of IISc, said: “Our research and teaching with emphasis on doctoral and post graduate programs are world renowned. The partnership with TalentSprint will allow us to open up executive education to individual learners. The debut program, Advanced Certification Program in Digital Health & Imaging, is at the intersection of data sciences and biomedical sciences.”
Speaking about the TalentSprint partnership, CCE Chairman Professor G L Sivakumar Babu, said: “This is the first time we will offer our programs in executive format— that combines IISc experience with live interactive sessions on TalentSprint’s digital delivery platform iPearl.AI. This approach will allow us to scale our offerings and reach learners across the world, retaining teaching effectiveness and learning experience.”
Dr Santanu Paul, Co-Founder and CEO of TalentSprint, said: “Partnering with IISc is a great honour and we are humbled. The first program reflects the current reality of acute global disruptions in healthcare, and the demands of the emerging $280bn health tech industry. This program is ideal for current and aspiring professionals in Clinical Data Science, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, InsureTech, Medical Science and Start-ups for whom digital healthcare will certainly be the new normal.”
The Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said that government is committed to provide quality education and infrastructure improvement in educational institutions all over India. The Minister said the government is committed to provide quality education especially to the students of the North –Eastern States.
He informed that in this regard, the government has taken some major decisions this year. The government has granted permission for the establishment of permanent campus of Sikkim University (a Central University) at Yangyang at a cost of Rs. 986.47 crore.
The government of Sikkim has allotted 300 acres of land at cost of Rs. 15 crore, out of which 265.94 acres of land has already been handed over to the University. The handing over of remaining land is under process.
The Minister also informed that Government has already sanctioned revised cost estimates of 6 NITs at Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Delhi and Puducherry at Rs. 4371.90 crore.
With the approved Revised Cost Estimates, these NITs will be fully functional from their respective permanent campuses by 31st March, 2022. The overall student capacity in these campuses will be 6320.
Refuting all rumours, the Central Government has clarified that no formal decision has been taken over reopening of schools in the country amid COVID-19 pandemic. This clarification has been provided by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in wake of rising media reports from last few days. The clarification comes after several media reports emerged online indicating that the MHRD and NCERT were chalking out a plan on reopening of schools.
Several parents of concerned students reached out to the government seeking clarification in this regards. With the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in India recently, the decision to reopen schools took many parents by surprises who were concerned about the safety and health of their students.
In response, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has provided a clarification confirming that no such decision has been taken by the Centre so far and that all educational institutions are prohibited top open across the country until further orders.
On 26th May 2020, several media agencies reported that MHRD and NCERT have been working on a plan for reopening of the schools in graded manner once the lockdown period ends. The report claimed that the central government plans to open up schools across the country in graded manner and zone-wise i.e. starting with Green Zone followed by Orange and Red as per the prevailing situation.
#FakeNewsAlert | Govt dismisses media reports that it has permitted all States to open #schools.
The BSEB has declared its Results for Class 10 exams. The 15-year old boy from Rohtas, Himanshu Raj has topped the Bihar Board class 10 exam scoring 481 marks out of 500. Raj surpassed over 14.94 lakh students to attain the top rank. Himanshu is the son of a farmer who works in the fields by day and teaches him in the evening and his mother is a homemaker.
The topper aims to study engineering at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and wish to become a software engineer in future.
Himanshu scored 96.20 per cent and believes that consistency is the key to crack any exam. However, his studies are on a halt at present due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While schools are closed, most of the educational content is being delivered through WhatsApp or digital modes, however, Raj’s family does not own a smartphone or laptop to enable online education.
The entire family is busy celebrating after the results were declared. “Everyone in the family is excited. I am constantly receiving calls from my friends, relatives and neighbours. Everyone is happy. My mom is cooking sweets today,” he said.
His sister has been promoted to class 12 and wants to study medicine. She scored 88 per cent in her class 10 exam last year.
The Bihar Board class 10 result was announced today in which 41 students have scored top 10 ranks with Himanshu Raj being the topper. The second rank has been obtained by Durgesh Kumar with 480 marks and the third spot is shared by three students — one girl and two boys with 478 marks.
The proliferation of digital technologies is bringing radical changes in the way education is being delivered and received. The outreach of educational programs is improving day by day with the digitalization of education. Digital education is providing both teachers and students new opportunities to teach and learn thereby ensuring greater participation in the overall learning process.
Elets Technomedia and digitalLEARNING Magazine organized webinar on “How Atal Innovation Mission is Driving Innovations Amid Corona Crisis” with Ramanan Ramanathan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship programme to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. The main objective is to develop new policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy. It also initiates platform and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders, creates awareness and create an umbrella structure to oversee innovations.
During the webinar, Ramanan Ramanathan said “Atal Innovation Mission was formed in 2016. The concept of innovation and entrepreneurship was in the mind of govt. The AIM was formed to create of innovation and entrepreneurship across all the sectors. We have launched over 100 Atal Tinkering Labs and identified over 15000 schools across the country. We have to create a paradigm shift in education in the schools across the country.”
He also said Atal Tinkering Labs were formed for creating problem-solving mindset across schools in India. Atal Incubation Centers used for fostering world-class startups and adding a new dimension to the incubator model. Atal New India Challenges was formed to foster product innovations and aligning them to the needs of various sectors. Mentor India Campaign works for a national mentor network in collaboration with the public sector, corporates and institutions. It is also the largest network in mentoring in the country. Atal Community Innovation Center is used to stimulate community-centric innovation and ideas in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country.
He also said through AIM 102 incubators were launched and over 30,000 startups were funded. Not only that AIM provides a grant up to Rs 10 crore for a maximum period of 5 years to cover the capital and operational expenditures to establish the Atal Incubation Centre.
He also said through Atal New India Challenge the govt promotes innovative ideas for products and technologies and provide funds to startups and MSMEs to grow further.
When asked about the Corona crisis in India, he said “COVID-19 has paralyzed the country. There will be major impacts across the sectors due to lockdown. However, it has also created many opportunities in the country. We need to take many preventive measures in the epidemic. The crisis has shown us there are many more issues to tackle.”
Over infrastructure, he said we need to develop our infrastructure drastically. We need to add 100 more smart cities to fulfill the requirements of the population.
He also said the industry must emphasize on acquiring new skills for growth. The AIM has tied up with a large number of corporates to provide assistance to many.
In the last two years, the progress is good, AICET has launched various entrepreneurship programmes. The entire education is transforming now. Technology will be an essential part of the education. Every university has integrated innovation and entrepreneurship programmes for students, he added, when asked about the education system.
He also emphasized that innovations must reach the rural areas. Many rural areas get manpower from cities. We need to increase the supply chain, he added.
The Artificial Intelligence-Base Module will be implemented across 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, empowering 2.5 million students, he added.
We have initiated a game development module which consists of beginner, intermediate and advanced stages.
Lastly, he complimented and congratulated Elets Technomedia for its efforts during this crisis. He even went on to said Elets might join hands with Atal Innovation Mission for various projects. He even said Elets must launch challenges with partners as huge numbers of corporate houses are associated with the organization. He also said Elets to become the leader in leveraging digital medium for educational learning and skill development and can use technology to spread education especially in rural areas.
A massive fire broke out at a private school at Gautam Buddh Nagar’s JBM Global school’s library gutting books and furniture. Upon receiving the information, the fire department pressed at least six tenders into service. The flame which had engulfed the school was doused after a 3-hour struggle.
The third floor of the school, which is located in Sector 132 of the Expressway, has been completely burnt down.
Confirming the same, Arun Kumar, CFO, Gautam Buddh Nagar said that a mishap was averted as the school is currently shut due to the COVID-19 lockdown. He said that the cause of the fire is being ascertained.
“The fire broke out in the library on the second floor of the private school. Around half-a-dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was controlled by 10 am,” Noida Chief Fire Safety Officer Arun Kumar Singh said.
“Furniture and books in the library got destroyed in the fire,” Singh told PTI. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, he said.
No activity was going on in the school and there were no children inside the premises due to the lockdown imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the officials said.
The CFO said that fire extinguishing equipment is also being investigated in the school.
According to reports the Ministry of Human Resource and Development preparing proposal for setting up National Assessment Centre. The Government body under the MHRD is meant to act as a generic body that oversees that various school Boards.
Currently, the 31 school boards in India have their individual system for exam pattern, assessment and evaluation. This is seen as a reason behind the unusually high scores of students in Class 10 and 12 Board examinations.
The NAC to be set up will see that there is uniformity among these Boards and will advise new assessment patterns to school boards. It will also encourage collaborations between different school Boards and will act as a medium via which the different boards can share best practices.
The body will see that inflation of marks as a result of competition among various boards is prevented.
The New Education Policy plan for reforms in the school assessment centre will also see the NAC playing a key role and is expected to transform the same by the academic session 2022-23.
In addition, NAC will also shoulder the responsibility to guide the State Assessment Survey and also undertake the National Assessment Survey, the largest annual school survey which will monitor the achievement of learning outcomes across India.
Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1.5 billion students and youth across the globe are affected by school and university closures. These nationwide closures are impacting over 72% of the world’s student population. Governments around the world are making efforts to mitigate the immediate impact of school closures, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate the continuity of education for all through remote learning.
Once the world opens back up again, educational institutes should keep the value added to the education provided by online tools and work towards developing ‘blended models’ of learning which provide the right balance of both. While only time will tell the lessons the world learned from these truly extraordinary times, digital learning has made it clear it’s here to stay in the mainstream for good, in one form or another.
Elets Technomedia and digitalLEARNING Magazine organized a Higher and Technical Education virtual conclave, Rajasthan which was first of its own kind in the country. The conclave was graced by Dr Shuchi Sharma, Higher and Technical Education secretary, Govt of Rajasthan and many other eminent speakers. In the conclave over representatives of over 20 universities in India and outside presented their views over the ongoing crisis.
The conclave was opened by Elets Technomedia Editor in chief Dr Ravi Gupta, who welcomed all the esteemed speakers. Dr Shuchi Sharma hailed Elets Technomedia for organizing such a conclave in this Corona pandemic. She even said the conclave is first of its own kind. She emphasized the use of technology in the education sector. She also asked faculty members to create quality e-content for students across the globe. She even went on to laud the AICTE for its new curriculum and said it is more focused on employability. The challenges are admissions and conducting exams for students. Ed-Tech firms to be included in the system, she added.
AICTE Chairman Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe said “Everything cannot be taught online. Colleges will have to adopt blended learning after the crisis. Internships can be done online mode. We have an internship portal for students as industries are not allowing students in his pandemic. New curriculum has been introduced for students.”
He also said institutions must try to bridge the digital divide within students.
Hemant Sahal, Founder and CEO, Collpoll emphasized on the blended learning and it’s a solution for institutions in this crisis. He even said Collpoll will provide assistance to educational institutions in every way including assessments, study materials, data and many more. He even said the technology will play an important role in the education sector in the coming days.
Dr Pankaj Mittal, Secretary-General, Association of Indian Universities said “There will be a new normal in every sector after the Corona crisis. Many of our teachers embraced technology. To tackle the crisis, universities must develop digital infrastructure, training teachers to teach online, choosing a learning platform, assessment and evaluation online tools.”
She also said students must keep in mind, knowledge will be important not a degree in the coming days.
She also said “teachers must learn to develop unique content. Varsities need to improve higher education for students. The Corona crisis has created many opportunities for higher education. “
In the second session was on “Academia to Leverage Technology to Engage Students “was graced by various VC from the state.
Prof (Dr) Arun Patil, Academic Dean, Victorian Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia said “The students are missing the campus. The situation has forced us to take up technology so we must focus largely on the engagement of students. The priority is exams and how to assess students but there are many grey areas in assessments. We are working new ways to assess students online.”
He also said “students are going through much stress and they require counselling in this crisis. Students may feel uncomfortable with online exams as it is new for them. “
He also said universities must conduct feedback sessions to understand how students are adapting the online classes.
Rahul Singhi, Co-Founder, Poornima University & Director, Poornima Group said “There is a quick adoption of technology in academia. People who will adopt the change will survive in coming days. There is a huge surge in video sessions in last two months. Survival of the fittest will be the new norm.”
He also said things are going to be changed in the coming days.
RA Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, Rajasthan Technical University said “There is a complete transformation from classroom learning to digital learning. Students have a huge time to adopt the technology. Offline classes cannot be completely substituted by online classes. Rural students cannot connect with colleges due to internet issues.“
He also said “The quality of content is a huge issue. We need to identify good teachers who all can provide quality content. We need to have a panel of teachers who can tap the quality of content.”
He also said “In the month of July, University will conduct the exams. We will increase the weightage in next year.”
H N Verma, Vice-Chancellor, Jaipur National University said “All the teachers have adopted the technology gracefully. There were some issues with students with internet connectivity but most of them adopted very well. We conducted two mock tests online and have hired an agency to conduct exams.”
He also said “The students are having some mental stress so we need to take care of these issues. We need to mentor our students regularly. The online classes and assessments will be the new normal in coming days.”
HD Charan, Vice-Chancellor, Bikaner Technical University said “We were eyeing to complete the pending syllabus and provide summer internships to students in next few days. Online classes cannot be replaced by offline classes. The AICTE has asked to have 20 pc studies through online mode. Our teachers are ready with presentations to provide study materials to students. “
He also said we can also start counseling online on Happiness. We have counselled students for one week in the crisis.
In the third session, the panel discussed “Tackling the Innovation in Admission, Enrolment, Assessment & Accreditation.”
Dr Abhay Kumar, Vice Chancellor, IEC University, Himachal Pradesh said “We have installed online process and targeted the local students. Accreditations can be done through virtual labs. Online exams can be done through a hybrid process. Online teaching is an innovation, which will stay with us. We have arranged metal health wellness classes. We need to reach all the students in rural students.”
Prof (Dr) K P Yadav, President/Vice Chancellor, Sangam University, Bhilwara, Rajasthan said “There must be university app and portal for admission and there must be flexible admission test. Around 30 pc students come from rural areas in our university. We need to apply an alternate way for the admissions of students. We need to embrace technology for teaching. We have to provide education at the doorsteps of students.”
We need to improve the quality of education. The virtual labs can be used in assessments. With govt’s support we can use this crisis to opportunity, he added.
Dr S Srikanta Swamy, Academic Consultant – Research & Analysis Wing, National Assessment and Accreditation Council ( NAAC) said “Our technology has reached the urban areas, not the rural ones. Technology can be used to make admission effectively. We need to focus, how to minimize the time frame and to make transparent our admission process.”
Online teaching cannot be compared to offline teaching and a good teacher cannot be replaced, he added.
He also said the evaluation will be more compressive in coming days. A paradigm shift is witnessed in education.
Technology and innovation must be given more focus, he said.
Dr Ashok Gadiya, Chairperson, Mewar University said “The admission will be huge challenge for many universities. The govt must permit us for online admissions and counseling. Online teaching is an issue in rural areas so govt must allow us to provide study materials through radio also. Every university must build a radio station within its campus. We need to provide study materials to students in rural areas. “
He also said universities must bring new innovations in their way of teaching in coming days.
Prof O P Chhangani, Vice Chancellor, Apex University, Jaipur said “Admissions are done through a digital platform and physical footfall. There is an issue with assessment with students. Assessment is the silent killer of learning. We have to create something for higher level of learning. We need to take the help of technology to capture of data for future usage. “
He also said things will change drastically in coming days for universities and students.
In the next session, the panel discussed on “How Higher & Technical Education Institutes dealing with COVID19 Pandemic.”
Dr. Panckaj Garg, Founder & Adviser, Jayoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University, Jaipur said “The Covid crisis has forced us to think, why we were established. Except Higher Education sector, every other sector is contributing to the govt in this crisis. We need to bring innovative ideas and provide recommendations to the govt in this crisis. We need to identify the needs of the society and provide research-based solutions. We need to support the govt in this pandemic.”
He also said we need to have e-notes for every programme. In the next five years, we need to map the supply and demand in human power. The data is not organized in our country. Trained human resources is the most important for the country, he added.
He also said there is a gap in demand and supply and we need to fill the gap.
Ashish Mathur, Deputy Director – Training & Placement and Public Relations, NIMS University said “Corona is a blessing in disguise. Online classes were the only solution in this crisis. We have also sent PDF and other materials to students. We have tied up with many firms for online internships for our students. The next challenge is conducting exams and we are working on it.”
He also said adopting the new technology was not easy for all of us. Training faculty members to teach online was also a huge challenge.
We must adopt hybrid learning in coming days. Placement is a very dynamic thing and need to start internships every year. We need to add skill sets every year, he added.
Prof. MK Ghadoliya, Vice Chancellor, Shri Khushal Das University said “We started ‘College band hai knowledge nahi’. We started online classes on Facebook live. Initially, we took up spoken English, confidence building, public speaking for students. These sessions were attended by many students. Faculty members were directed to make e-content so that classes can be taken.”
He also said we need to reduce the timings of online classes. Online delivery is a big issue for varsities. There is no readymade solution with the govt and need to coordinate to prepare one. A new definition of distance education will emerge in coming days, he added.
Scott Dahl, Master’s Program Director, Les Roches Global Hospitality Education – Switzerland said “We started online classes when the lockdown announced. The transition was seamless and formed small groups to teach our students. The govt was very clear over its policies. Most of the institutions were not prepared. We will be not bringing students back soon. “
He also said Swiss govt is very supportive and it took many preventive measures to curb the virus.
He also said there is huge opportunity in this crisis. It is important to learn new things in this crisis, which can be a blessing in disguise.
In the second half of the conclave, the panel discussed over “Survival Strategies of Institutions in Covid19 crisis: Emergent Resource & Implementation.”
Dr. Parag Sanghani, Vice Chancellor, P P Savani University said “Higher educational institutions will be impacted due to the Corona. Universities are struggling to provide quality e-content. All the higher education institutions must think to optimize the resources. We need to optimize our resources well to tackle the crisis.”
He also said mobile phones can be the new classroom for students. We need to provide quality e-content to students.
Surja Ram Meel, Chairman, Swami Keshvanand institute of Technology, Management and Gramothan, Jaipur said “There is huge challenge everywhere. We have to accept these challenges and have to deal with it. Students in rural areas are learning through mobile. This crisis I expected till July. There is an opportunity with every challenge.”
He also said a change in mid-set is required and varsities must make all the required changes for future.
Dr Narendra Singh Rathore, Vice-Chancellor, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology said “We need new resources in our institutions. Our traditional way of teaching will be affected. There are lots of issues we need to address them all. We need to change our ways as it is the need of the hour. Most of the students will not go for the traditional way of teaching. We need to bring change in the curriculum.”
Dr. Vikas Misra, Campus Director, Geetanjali Institute of Technical Studies, Udaipur said “Corona has affected every sector. We have achieved huge progress in online learning in last two months. Now, the virtual classroom is a reality. We must adopt blended learning. We must develop digital infrastructure.”
He also said firms will have to go for virtual placements.
In the closing session, the panel discussed over “Mental & Social Wellbeing of Students, Teachers & Parents during COVID19 crisis.”
Pradeep Kumar Borad, IAS, Commissioner, College Education, Special Secretary, Sanskrit Education, Government of Rajasthan said “We have been working on how to improve the quality of education. We need to focus on skill training and sessions for students. We have created a new calendar for colleges. We have started College Community programme as PTMs in schools. We have started creating e-content from the month of September.”
He also said people are looking towards govt colleges and will try to improve education in colleges. The govt colleges have set a benchmark in the crisis and progressing well.
Prof PB Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Amity University Gurugram said “The crisis is a blessing in disguise. It will be a great advantage for industries. We have second-largest Higher Education sector in the world. We must understand the deeper meaning of learning. Digital learning is an interactive one; it’s not just jotting down notes in the class. We need to bring innovativeness and new things to the classroom”.
He also said students’ community need to understand the usage of technology in their studies.
Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO, Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) said “Teachers are facing huge challenges in delivering content. Teachers need to change their mid-sets. They need to understand the difference between offline and online teaching. Content designing is very important for students. With online classes, parents are more involved.”
He said the crisis will bring lots of benefits for students and must focus on quality content and blended learning.
Pankaj Gupta, President, IIHMR University said “The ‘joy of giving’ must be implemented well. Money to meaning is more important. Teachers have to transform themselves to Gurus. Teachers cannot be replaced. Online learning is the need of the hour. “
While concluding the session Dr Shuchi Sharma said “Over 20 lakh college students will have to mandatorily volunteer for social cause from the coming academic session. Cleaning their campuses or teaching slum children will fetch students’ academic credits under the state higher education department’s programme “Anandam” aiming to sensitize students towards social service. “
She also said this programme will develop a great sense of understanding towards social issues which will remain with them forever.
The panel discussed the opportunities and challenges, the Universities are facing in this pandemic. The discussion was elaborate and many of them provided the solutions for the students and teachers in this crisis. The speakers also emphasized on the new role of technology in the education sector. The panel also discussed the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, and potential solutions when the campus will be re-opened.
The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) was announced the Class 10 Results on its official website. According to the officials 80.59% of students have passed.
This year 14,94,071 candidates appeared in the examination, out of which 7,29,213 were boys and 7,64,858 were girls.
Bihar Education Minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma on Tuesday announced the results of the Bihar Board class 10 examination 2020. RK Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Bihar Education Department along with the BSEB chairman Anand Kishor were also present when the results of BSEB matric exams was declared .
A total of 12, 04,030 passed the exam in which 5,90,545 are boys and 6,13,485 girls. The girls have outshined the boys again.
The BSEB conducted the class 10 board exam between February 17 to 24, 2020 across 1368 examination centers.
The board had to stop the evaluation of answersheet midway due to the COVID pandemic.
Bihar Board declared the results of the BSEB class 12 exam 2020 on March 24, 2020.
