The Gujarat High Court has directed the State government to ensure that the schools affiliated to the State Board implement 25 per cent reservation for poor children.
The court has asked the schools to implement the above order under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The schools have been asked to begin the implementation from the next academic year.
The court also asked the Government to take action against the schools which will found violating the norms. The court also instructed the government to take up the cases of children left out from the admission process under the scheme.
According to the court, the RTE Act was introduced to enable children from economically weaker families to have equal opportunities of basic education. Hence, it is important for the Government to check that the Act is implemented successfully or not.
Cambridge Assessment English (part of the University of Cambridge) and Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, Australia, are jointly offering Occupational English Test (OET) for nursing professionals planning to take up practice in United Kingdom and Ireland.
“OET is a standardised English test which has been developed for this industry exclusively. The recognition and acceptance of the test in the UK and Ireland opens up a world of opportunities for the nurses seeking to work in these countries”, Cambridge Assessment English’ Regional Director for South-Asia T K Arunachalam said.
The healthcare professionals who want to practice and register overseas can use OET as a tool to assess their language proficiency. Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Trust owns the Occupational English Test which is a venture between Cambridge English and Box Hill Institute, Australia.
Nursing and Midwifery Council, United Kingdom and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland has accepted the OET as proof of English proficiency for trained nurses.
Presently, OET centres are located in 11 cities of UK and the test can also be taken up in over 40 countries.
The use of Information Technology has changed the learning methodologies positively. In coming years, technology will become an integral part of the global education system. Atul Temurnikar, Co- founder and Executive Chairman, Global Schools Foundation, writes about such trending technologies in education for Elets News Network (ENN).
Finland, a northern European nation is inspiring educationists from across the globe. The country well known for its unique 21st century teaching techniques is inspiring many countries to reinvent its education system. Indian education system, particularly the schools with global parentage are reinventing the wheel and implementing international best practices in the sector.
What are 21st Century learning techniques?
Atul Temurnikar, Co- founder and Executive Chairman, Global Schools Foundation
The four C’s of 21st century learning– communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity are imperative in the age of technological disruptions, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
While 21st century learning include traditional curriculum, it also inculcates learning’s on societal responsibility and global developments, financial education, health related awareness and environment literacy. Social education is a must in modern times so that children can imbibe the understanding of their social and civic responsibilities.
In a globalized economy there is a need for children to understand diverse cultures, ideologies and religions. Financial literacy and health literacy addresses the set of skills individuals need to have in order to make informed economic and personality development decisions.
International schools like–Global Indian International School incorporating the global best practices and learning’s have developed their proprietary learning tool –‘Nine Gems Framework’. The school’s Nine Gems model helps holistic personality development of a student which enables them to achieve a balance between academic, mental & physical development, language skills, creativity, ethics, entrepreneurship, fine arts & performing arts along with skills and competencies such as problem-solving, critical, analytical & creative thinking, and teamwork.
Innovative learning & teaching techniques
In the age of digital disruption there is a need to increase the use of digital devices in schools. Teaching techniques across schools and colleges need a revamp driven largely by practical assignments and project learning. Online learning tools help students grasp concepts easily. Graphical and visual representation of complex topics and concepts make learning easy. It is necessary to evolve newer teaching techniques with digitization and information technology developments serving as an enabler. Teaching is no more limited to chalk and board. Teachers use power points and case studies to connect with students. This has to be incorporated in day to day learning.
Project-based learning helps in boosting creative thinking among students and innovative teaching methodologies should be introduced to promote out-of-the-box thinking. There is need to promote use of desktop, laptop and I Pad learning at schools.
Installing LED screens in classrooms would help teachers interact and connect with students better. Technology can bring down teaching time which in turn would help teachers to not only complete syllabus within the stipulated term but also dedicate more time on each student and define Individual Development Programmes for them.
Technology and Infrastructure
Adopting new technology and developing infrastructure is a must to the success of 21C learning techniques. India is seeing rapid growth in digitization given the governments thrust on Digital India initiative.
It is the right time for schools in India to take the leap and digitize learning in India. International schools with campuses in India can operate virtual classrooms. Virtual classrooms today are a reality – Thanks to technology. Through virtual classroom, international faculty can take special classes and students in India can benefit from it.
A very common complaint of children in India is burdening students with heavy school bags. Few international schools, in association with technology companies and governments, are finding ways of developing e-books. Children can download these e-books on I Pads and laptops which could ease the pressure of carrying heavy bags to some extent.
Giving a boost to such changes in the education sector, the internet penetration in India has improved drastically with the increased competition in the telecom space. Express Wi-Fi services in India are work in progress which will only add to the way we will be progressing towards digitization.
For the success of digitization in education, schools will have to ensure continued access of high speed Wi-Fi services to students. Whether it’s new tablets or any other device, Wi-Fi as a service enables schools of any size to successfully embrace technology.
Think beyond the blackboard & books
With increased usage of social media and mobile phones it may be time for educators to maybe develop online games that stimulate analytical thinking. International schools provide extracurricular activities to promote all around personality development. Culinary class, music labs and sport facilities help personality development of students.
Inculcating creative thinking in early childhood is something that international schools like ours focus on. Entrepreneurial boot camps can be one such example. These boot camps help students learn the skills of team work, innovative thinking and business acumen.
Need for 21st Century learning
Technology is a disruptor, the requirements of the real economy is changing with the evolution of technology. Skill requirements have also undergone changes. 21st century learning techniques ensure we make our children future ready. Government and schools with international parentage have a huge role in promoting new learnings techniques to create future leaders.
Maharashtra government has planned to set up Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) for proposed 100 international schools in the State. The board will act as an autonomous body to decide curriculum for the schools and conduct examinations.
According to Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde, the board will have the autonomy to take every decision related to the international schools.
Other than Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), MIEB will be the second board of the state.
The Government has decided to establish 100 international schools in the state at par with global standards to provide quality education to Maharashtra’s students. The schools are likely to start from the next academic year.
“In the first phase, we want to start 100 international schools that will impart international-level education. All these will be existing government schools, which will be affiliated with the MIEB,” Tawde said.
For the first time, Maharashtra is going to have its own has international boards international board other than International Baccalaureate (IB), headquartered at Geneva, and the Indian General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), run from Cambridge, UK.
According to an official, the schools affiliated to MIEB will be in languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Telegu, Kannada and Tamil. MIEB will also have the authority to affiliate schools from other states and even international schools.
Appointments on the board are expected to start soon and to decide curriculum for affiliated schools, a committee will be formed, said the official.
Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in Odisha are likely to introduce tablets for the students of class VII and VIII under digital learning scheme from next academic session.
“We expect that the scheme will be rolled out in at least five more KVs, including Berhampur, in the state from the next academic year. We are planning to submit a proposal in this regard to the KVS soon,” said KVS Bhubaneswar region Deputy Commissioner ALV Jaganadha Rao.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghathan (KVS) launched the scheme in one of its schools at Mancheswar, Bhubaneswar on pilot basis. KVS is now likely to introduce the scheme on 61 Kendriya Vidyalayas of Bhubaneswar region.
Under the scheme, the students of class VII and VIII will use tablets for almost all activities like accessing reading materials and submitting assignments for science and mathematics.
According to an official, the students will enhance their learning experience through videos and animations along with accessing text books online through ePathshala -A joint initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is a mobile application developed for showcasing and disseminating all educational e-resources
Around 160 students of the two classes in the school in Bhubaneswar have been provided tablets free of cost by the KVS, he said. Digital learning is a part of the Centre’s flagship programme Digital India, an official said.
Aadhaar disclosure has helped the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to identify 80,000 ‘ghost’ teachers who are faculty members of three or more higher education institutions in the country. However, none of them are from Central Universities.
Union HRD Minister revealed the above information at the release of the final All India Survey on Higher Education 2016-17 (AISHE) report.
Acording to MHRD, so far, 85% of the teachers have given their Aadhaar numbers, the number is likely to increase when all the teachers comply.
“There are certain ‘ghost’ teachers who use proxy methods and are apparently teaching at multiple places as full-time employees. After the introduction of Aadhaar, 80,000 such teachers have been identified and action will be taken against them,” Javadekar said.
In order to prevent duplication, MHRD has asked all the universities across the country to provide Aadhaar Numbers of all their employees and students.
“Sharing Aadhaar number is like sharing your mobile number or Email ID. Sharing your mobile number doesn’t mean the person you give it to can see your text messages. Aadhaar works the same way. It is protected,” Javadekar said.
The report has highlighted a significant increase in the student population of higher education between the age of 18 and 23. From overall enrolment of 27.5 million youth in 2010-11, 35.7 million youth have taken admission to higher education institutes in 2016-17.
The report has also indicated improvement in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in age group of 18-23, from 19.4% in 2010-11 to 25.2 in 2016-17 which is a significant achievement.
In last five years, there has also been a considerable rise in the number of universities and colleges with the state private and public universities having the biggest share. Among the colleges too, majority of them are privately owned.
Bengaluru has emerged as the major education hub with the biggest cluster of colleges (1025), followed by Jaipur and Hyderabad with 635 and 487 colleges respectively, the report stated.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has informed that the annual average dropout rate at the primary school level in the country was 4.13 per cent in 2014-15.
According to the data provided by the minister during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, the dropout rate among boys at primary level was 4.36 per cent higher than that of girls’ 3.88 per cent. For the same period, 4.03 per cent was the dropout rate in upper primary level while the same for secondary level was 17.06 per cent.
He said, due to no detention policy, there are many cases of children dropping out at the ninth class level.
The minister said that exams are held in Class 9 and students do not know much, observing that many schools had just become midday meal schools, where children came, had a meal and left while their education suffered.
The ministry to resolve this problem had brought in learning outcomes and trained around 15 lakh teachers, he said.
Javadekar said that the present government in its first year has taken steps to resolve the issue of non-availability of separate toilets for girls. It was one of the major reasons for higher dropout rates.
There was no shortage of teachers in the country rather their deployment issues resulted into lack of skilled teachers in certain places, Javadekar added.
Answering a question, the HRD minister said that measure like attendance through biometric system has been taken to make teachers present at the schools.
The education sector in India has seen several trends that helped the sector to improve the processes and to bring its standard at par with the global level. Rahul Belwalkar, CEO, SecUR Credentials, writes about such trends of 2017 for Elets News Network (ENN).
The youth hold the key to the future, and with India being the second most populous country in the world, comprising majorly youth, it is imperative that they are provided with quality education to enable them to become successful entrepreneurs or servicemen.Here are three trends to leverage to this effect-
Gamification in e-learning
Rahul Belwalkar, CEO, SecUR Credentials
Gamification in e-learning allows for a better learning experience coupled with a high level of engagement. The strategies incorporated in gamification lead to an increase in the knowledge recall and retention levels in the minds of the students. The environment provided is also effective for an informal learning environment that aids in allowing learners to practice real life circumstances and tests. Once students are exposed to this they also are privy to instant feedback that tells them what they should or should not know. Gamification can be also be applied to fulfill most learning needs and impact learners positively, thereby creating significant performance gain for companies in the future.
Safety and Security Measures
Another emerging trend is that more and more schools are opting for background screening for their teaching and non-teaching staff. As a background screening company we have observed that there is a growing tension across the nation with regards to the safety and security of students across schools. Without the protective confines of the school compound to ensure their safety, picnics and school trips can often prove to be extremely dangerous for kids, if the proper measures aren’t taken by parents, teachers, as well as school authorities.
The potential for sexual violence and other dangers has been increasing rapidly in recent years, and often done by the very people that students are familiar with and who have been deemed trustworthy by parents as well as school authorities.
However, measures must be put in place to ensure their safety at such classes, lest they come across potentially dangerous individuals. Parents must make sure that the tutor teaching their ward has his credentials in order and has cleared appropriate background screening tests.
AADHAAR Linking
Another key trend observed in 2017 is the AADHAAR linking initiative. The Central Government has made it mandatory for all important documents to be linked to AADHAAR, which is an individual’s unique identification number. To add to this, another idea is to link Aadhaar to the performance record of students—marks sheets, merit certificates, and migration certificates, among others—from Class X onwards. This move will, in addition to helping students and employers, will go a long way n tackling the fake educational degree menace in India. Fake degrees are a big problem in India. Verification of educational credentials is not easy in India because of the sheer number of students, colleges and institutions.
This system is largely unorganised and conducting background screening of candidates at times is very challenging. Aadhaar Linkage will help create transparency in the system and eliminate the risk of fraud to a large extent. There is a growing demand for verification of educational qualifications, and an Aadhaar-linked system will lead to the reduction of fraud.
2017 can be considered as the watershed year for education sector in the India. Many significant moves taken up by the Government helped in increasing efficiency and transparency of country’s educational institutes, writes Manek N Daruvala, Founder & Director, Triumphant Institute of Management Education (TIME) for Elets News Network (ENN).
Setting up of National Testing Agency (NTA)
Manek N Daruvala, Founder & Director, Triumphant Institute of Management Education (TIME)
The agency would be responsible for conducting entrance examinations in the country and has been allocated a fund of Rs 25 crore to begin its operations. While more clarity is expected on the modalities and functioning of the agency, we believe that this is a significant step.
Some of the exams which would be conducted by NTA will be JEE Main, NEET UG, UGC NET, CTET, etc. These are likely to be conducted twice a year compared to once a year, currently. This will bring relief to aspirants who have to wait for another year to appear in the exams for improving their ranks or scores.
NTA is also expected to bring in standardised testing which will help reduce allegations of uneven difficulty levels in various sittings of an exam.
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bill
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Bill, 2017 was passed by the Parliament in December. The Bill was supported by the majority of members of Parliament to make the IIMs autonomous.
The Bill provides autonomy to IIMs for taking administrative decisions, approving development plans and granting degrees (postgraduate diplomas earlier). Five members of the IIM board will comprise the alumni to strengthen industry-institute connection. The power to appoint director and registrar of any IIM still rests with the Board.
This is a significant step towards establishing independence in the functioning of the IIMs. The step is expected to help the premier B-schools of the country to take significant steps for improving the management education standards.
Raising the income limit for Creamy Layer
The “Creamy layer” ceiling for OBC reservation has been raised to Rs 8,00,000 per annum from Rs 6,00,000. The increase, witnessed after four years, will give a shot in the arm to those OBCs who were just outside the limit, so far.
National Education Policy
The HRD Ministry has constituted a nine member panel to frame new National Education Policy (NEP). The new policy will replace the current policy framed in 1986 and revised in 1992. The panel is expected to submit its report by March 2018. The new NEP is supposed to consist of steps and practices for improving education standards in the country.
The Indian Education sector is poised at an interesting juncture. On the one hand, there is a growing focus on achieving learning outcomes, while on the other, technology is being adopted quickly and content is being rewritten and redesigned to adapt to a variety of emerging media, writes Sivaramakrishnan V, Managing Director, Oxford University Press India for Elets News Network (ENN).
Amongst all modern-day developments ‘Technology’ has clearly emerged as the single biggest theme to impact the sector in the last few years. This augurs well for the present day learners as also for educators and others in the teaching-learning process. The advent of digital-enabled classrooms, cloud-based content, ebooks and online assessments among others has enabled our education system to reach an inflection point. Let us look at EdTech trends that have the potential to upturn the Education landscape forever.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR): This has probably been the most talked about trend of 2017. Virtual Reality immerses the user in a virtual or imaginary environment. Immersive educational environments are already being used to provide learners a life-like experience in subjects as diverse as history and chemistry. Augmented Reality, on the other hand, is a technology used to present an enhanced version of reality where elements of physical real-world environment are augmented with digital learning experiences. AR/VR technologies help learners experience and interact with digital learning objects to support their learning. Educators, who earlier had print or digital images/animations for teaching support, now can leverage these high fidelity educational experiences to achieve better learning outcomes.
Adaptive learning through Artificial Intelligence (AI): Adaptive learning has the potential to solve a crucial challenge in classroom learning – how to engage learners of different abilities in the same classroom! Adaptive learning systems use machine learning to help personalize the presentation based on their learning speed, interest and problem areas. In the hands of teachers, this can become an important tool to ensure more uniform learning. Machine learning along with natural processing and speech recognition technologies are also facilitating the development of conversational programs, also called chatbots. The bots can be programmed to provide a wide variety of services such as tutoring.
Learning Analytics: It is often said “what gets measured is what gets done”. The focus is shifting from big data to ‘little’ data. Little data is personal activity data –which when analyzed by intelligent systems, is able to provide key insights into the way students learn. It may well become an important source of information and insight for decision making for educators. It may also unlock new potential for personalization of tools and content. Adding the right information capture mechanisms and real-time insight capabilities, traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) can vastly enhance the teaching-learning experience. The implications of a data-driven approach will be far reaching and will permeate not just teaching and learning but other areas, including guidance on career choices. One of OUP’s more recent integrated learning solution, launched last year, provides detailed learning analytics for the student, teacher and also the parent.
Online Assessments: New forms of technology-mediated assessments have enabled a big shift from fixed-in-point summative assessments, which are today at the core of the learning process, to more continuous and adaptive formative assessments. Online assessment solutions are clearly more customisable, interactive, secure and quick to deliver. They work across multiple platforms (mobile included) and offer detailed interactive dashboards to analyze performance from various aspects. The ability to store historical assessment data and compare progress over time can be used to establish a trend and also draw inferences on the learners’ progress in the context of learning. Online testing also brings with it benefits of anytime testing, remote proctoring, real-time audio-video integration and also more personalised testing.
2018 promises to be an interesting year for Education, clearly with EdTech disrupting traditional methods, pedagogies and mindsets. With its seamless integration with print and classroom, practices will be central to its success -in the Indian context – and wider acceptance by stakeholders —the key to its longevity.
It is important not to lose sight of the evolving needs of the educator in the context of fast-paced EdTech developments. Teacher Training programmes offered online, offline or in a combination, are key to upskilling our educators who are often the primary consumers of these EdTech solutions, playing a pivotal role in seeding and growing adoption among learners.
