NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 25: Union Minister of Parliamentary affairs M Venkaiah Naidu at the Parliament House during Budget session on February 25, 2015 in New Delhi, India. After introducing the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, Government looks set to bring the Coal and Citizenship Bills in Lok Sabha that will replace the ordinances brought by it in this regard earlier. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
On the occasion of International Literacy Day 2017, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu urged to use technology for more effective literacy programmes.
“We must use technology to make the literacy programmes more effective. Digital learning materials can address the diverse learning needs of different age groups more effectively, the Vice-President said while addressing an event.
Talking about literacy as the first essential step towards building a participative, vibrant, and a more inclusive democracy, Naidu said Literacy Day reminds us the importance of literacy in the development architecture of all countries.
The Vice-President also suggested ways to achieve universal literacy. He emphasised on improving the quality of pre-primary and school education. We must provide opportunities for learning to those who have never been to school or have dropped out of school, he added.
International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on 8th September with a vision to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, current challenges and plan for future growth.
The first International Literacy Day was celebrated in 1967. This year, the theme is ‘Literacy in a Digital World’.
The Government and private sector partnership is essential for promoting literacy in digital world, UNESCO’s Director General Irina Bokova said on the occasion of the International Literacy Day on Friday.
Bokova opines that partnerships between governments, civil society and the private sector are essential today to promote literacy in a digital world.
“Digital technologies permeate all spheres of our lives, fundamentally shaping how we live, work, learn and socialise,” said Bokova.
“These new technologies are opening vast new opportunities to improve our lives and connect globally, but they can also marginalise those who lack the essential skills, like literacy, needed to navigate them,” Bokova further added.
The day was celebrated across the world under the theme of ‘Literacy in a Digital World’, highlighting improvements in world literacy rates, current challenges and plan for future growth.
According to the United Nations (UN), the main objectives of International Literacy Day 2017 are:
To reflect on what it means to be literate in increasingly digitally-mediated societies
To explore effective policies and programmes for literacy skills development in a digital world
To explore how digital technologies can support progress towards the sustainable development
The 2017 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes awards ceremony was also held to recognise and reward excellent literacy practices from around the world in connection with this year’s theme.
“The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development highlights the issue of literacy as a key component.
UNESCO declared 8th September as International Literacy Day by at the 14th session of its general conference on 26 October 1966.
Fact File:
Despite the significant literacy progress made in the past decades, the world was still home to 758 million illiterate adults and 263 million out-of-school children of primary and secondary school age in 2014.
Around 250 million children worldwide, including those who are in school, are failing to acquire basic skills. Considering the nature of the data, however, these figures, based on indirect measurement, could be an underestimation of the degree of literacy challenges and their complexity.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the list of candidates who have qualified for interview/personality test in Combined Medical Services Examination 2017.
The examination was held on August 13 this year. The candidature of selected candidates is provisional subject to their being found eligible in all respects.
Candidates can check their results by clicking here.
According to the rules of examination, the selected candidates are required to fill up the Detailed Application Form (DAF), which will be available on the commission’s website – http;//www.upsc.gov.in – from 14-26 September till 6:00 pm.
The candidates, who have been declared successful, have to first get themselves registered on the official website.
Important instructions regarding filling up of the DAF and submitting the same online to the commission will also be made available on the website.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has said that over 1,600 state government-run primary schools will have e-classes for students of class VII and VIII.
Under the Gyankunj Project, classrooms will be equipped with projectors, smart-boards, infrared cameras, laptops, speakers and wi-fi routers.
“Instead of reading books, children like to watch TV. They will sit in front of TV even for five hours, be it for Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma or other soaps. The reason being, television is an audio-visual medium. So the state government decided that in order to ensure that children take interest in studies, the blackboards be turned into screens where history and geography can be seen,” he said.
He also said that in comparison to traditional way of teaching, lectures with audio-visual descriptions help students to remember the concepts more effectively.
Nowshera School Rehabilitation project - Girls in school. Summary: In 2010, Pakistan experienced its worst flooding in 80 years, affecting approximately 20 million people. Story talks about a young girl - how her school was affected and her education was disrupted. Her school is one of 14 to benefit through WVs Early Recovery Project, which addressed the rehabilitation, refurbishment and improved professional capacity of teachers. Central Asia
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced the winners of 2017 edition of the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has announced the names of the two projects from Peru and Thailand recommended by an International Jury. In order to recognise their innovative and sustainable projects in advancing girls’ and women’s education.
The Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities Centre in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (DEPDC/GMS) of Thailand is awarded for its project entitled “Education and Life Skills Training Programme to Help Stateless Children and Women Migrating from Shan State to Thailand”.
Under the project, migrant girls and women are being educated and provided skill training to protect them from the risks of human trafficking and sexual or labour exploitation. It also helps the girls and women in their rehabilitation who are victim of any such abuses. The project is a globally recognised model that can be replicated in the country and as well as anywhere in the world.
The second one is “Mobile MaCTec Bus Labs/Mini Academy of Science and Technology” project of Mini Academy of Science and Technology – MaCTec Peru. It is recommended for the award due to its efforts in reducing the gender gap among the girls of rural areas in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The project is scalable and has been developed in partnership with state authorities, private donors and the academic community. It can be replicated in other countries as well.
Each of the two organisations has received an award of $ 50,000 at an official ceremony held in Xiamen, People’s Republic of China, on 5 September 2017.
The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education rewards innovative was established in 2015 by the UNESCO’s Executive Board. Funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the prize was first awarded to projects from Indonesia and Zimbabwe in 2016.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced that the State Government will provide free uniforms to all students and also free bicycles to each class nine student in state-run schools across the state.
While addressing a state-level function on the occassion of Teacher’s Day, Patnaik said, “The government has decided to provide free school uniforms to all students. Earlier, students belong to BPL families were getting the facility. Now students of APL family will also get free uniforms.”
The chief minister also informed that the Government will distribute free bicycles to students of class nine that earlier were given only to the students of class 10.
Describing about the Government’s initiative to improve the quality of education in the state, he said that many measures have been taken in this regard such as abolishment of the block grant system and implementation of grant-in-aid system for teachers. About 40,000 school teachers will be benefited from the new system, he added.
During the function he presented a cheque of Rs. 25,000 each to 100 teachers besides a citation highlighting their outstanding contribution to the field of education.
“Teachers are the cornerstone of an empowered and enlightened society. On the occasion of Guru Divas, I thank them for their invaluable contribution towards nation building,” he said.
The Blossom Nursery, a leading name in the childcare segment, in partnership with France’s largest private daycare operator – Babilou — is creating a new benchmark in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) world of childcare, with plans to provide the highest standard of childcare in the UAE.
Blossom was introduced to Babilou a few months ago.
It maybe noted Blossom Education is an award winning, all inclusive ECO nursery accepting children aged 4 months to 6 years. With six branches across Dubai, it follows the EYFS British Curriculum.
Babilou and Blossom Nurseries have plans to ensure the highest quality of childcare to the UAE and create the leading group of childcare in Dubai, one of the emirates of the UAE. Babilou will own the majority of the shares.
Babilou Group, Europe’s leading childcare provider, was founded in France by the Carle Family. The pioneering of this company started in 2003 with two brothers, — Edouard and Rodolphe Carle. Today, the group has a network of over 1,500 nurseries across Europe, 520 of which 520 are directly operating under the Babilou Management.
“We have been very impressed by the high-quality standard offered by Blossom pedagogic program and teams,” Rodolphe Carle, Founder and CEO of Babilou Group.
“Zahra is a natural childcare professional and a charismatic leader who managed to build a tremendous network gathering talented people with a structured vision around children comprehensive development through EYFS methodology.”
It is an opportunity, for Babilou Group and “our staff members to welcome Zahra and her team on board”.
“Career paths for our teachers will be enriched thanks to Blossom’s EYFS-training center. And together we will grow our offer to UAE families with passion, respect and commitment to give every child the best educational environment in our nurseries,” Carle added in a communique.
With both keeping bands believing in core values of values like kindness, commitment, diversity and quality at the heart of their operations, a promising partnership can be looked forward to in the years to come.
EuroKids is among the first to adopt innovative learning initiatives to stay ahead of the others. We realise that the preschool is children’s first step outside the comfort of the home and away from their parents, says Prajodh Rajan, Co-founder & CEO, EuroKids, in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).
What are the emerging trends you see in early childhood education in India as well as globally?
Preschool education in India is set to witness tremendous growth owing to increasing levels of awareness around early childhood education and increased cognizance among parents for the need of a well reputed and structured preschool education. Parents today keep themselves updated with latest developments in the world of education and knowledge. They want their children to flourish in a nurturing environment.
Another trend we observe is the increase in the demand for technology-driven content. We, at EuroKids, have a clear philosophy to ensure that only age appropriate technological exposure is provided to pre-schoolers in structured and supervised environment, which ensures holistic growth for the young children.
Many parents express great concern and are anxious about the levels of safety observed at pre-schools. A preschool being the child’s first experience away from the parents is a huge leap for both the parents as well as the child. Hence, a parent’s trust increases when a professionallyrun preschool brand ensures safety of the child.
Lastly, many parents do realise that a preschool education is incomplete without their children remaining physically fit even at the tender ages of up to 6 years. Parents today are of the view that a fit body is as important as a focussed mind and look for a preschool that focuses on shaping the health of their children.
What are the major challenges of running a preschool (chain) in a country like India?
I think the most significant challenge we faced was at the onset, to create a sense of awareness for the benefits of a structured pre-schooling experience for the child and to showcase to parents how child-centric all our efforts are. Back then, most parents were comfortable sending their children to the nearest preschool or the most popular preschool in the vicinity.
However as we spread our network of preschools, most parents started to realise the benefits that brand EuroKids brought to the table, i.e., the safety norms and standards adopted at our preschools; the high levels of hygiene and cleanliness maintained; the structured curriculum based on research findings by ‘Centre on the Developing Child’ at Harvard University; our wellness initiatives to ensure the well-being of the child whilst at preschool and many more. All of these made us the preferred choice for the parents.
Operationally, we still do face challenges with finding adequately trained teaching resources. To combat this challenge, we initiated EuroVarsity – an online teacher training and certification programme for women who would like to pursue a preschool teaching career. This ensures that we have a steady mechanism to fulfill our teaching requirements at our pre-schools. To ensure that our existing teachers periodically update their skill sets, we have developed ETAT (EuroKids Teacher Assessment Tool) – an online teacher assessment and training tool which ensures that teachers at our pre-schools comply with specific uniform standards and that their skill sets are continuously upgraded so that they remain the best in the business.
We realise that the preschool is children’s first step outside the comfort of the home and away from their parents. Hence we provide a nurturing environment with emphasis on child development, enhanced safety protocols, superior hygiene norms.
How do you think your schools differ from others?
EuroKids is among the first to adopt innovative learning initiatives to stay ahead of the others. At EuroKids, we place tremendous importance on providing a caring atmosphere for children. We realise that the preschool is children’s first step outside the comfort of the home and away from their parents. Hence we provide a nurturing environment with emphasis on child development, enhanced safety protocols, superior hygiene norms. We also establish a close connection with the parents of each child so that a close bond between the home and the preschool is created. All these elements when in synergy make that perfect ‘second home for the child’.
Our curriculum focuses on developing ‘Executive Function Skills’ (EFS) in children that are crucial for learning, development and positive behaviour. It integrates multiple representation, expression and engagement to focus on developing EFS vital for the next gen learners.
This approach has been our growth driver and has ensured that brand EuroKids has had significant impact on the education domain in the country. Our presence extends across three countries, over 900 pre-schools, more than 350 towns and cities. We have positively contributed to the growth and development of over 3,00,000 children.
What are your plans for expansion in India as well as abroad?
We are a franchised business and we intend to expand it beyond more than 900 pre-schools that are already present. We do sense a maturing of the major metro cities and believe that there is great untapped potential in tier-II and tier-III towns and cities and have focused our energies on these territories. We are present in over 350 towns and cities and our plan is to expand our network and double it in the next 48 months. Internationally, we are present in Nepal and Bangladesh and will be shortly entering Sri Lanka.
How does your chain of schools utilise the power of technology for improved early education?
Technology today is all pervasive. However when it comes to pre-schooling, the amount of technology that a child must be exposed to in his formative years must be supervised. At EuroKids, we believe we provide a controlled learning environment for the child where there is age-appropriate tech-enabled learning initiatives. As part of our curriculum, we offer Motion-Based Learning, a unique programme which makes use of innovative visual techniques to showcase a digital curriculum in the form of games, stories, rhymes, videos etc. Additionally, to keep the parents in the know of all the developments at our pre-schools, we have the Buddy App which showcases all the fun activities, learnings, pictures of fun times, details of field trip schedules, engagement programmes and many more so that the parents are aware of the typical day at EuroKids.
Saluting the teaching community on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Let us make the next 5 years about ‘teach to transform, educate to empower and learn to lead’.”
“On Teachers’ Day, I salute the teaching community that is devoted to nurturing minds and spreading the joys of education in society,” Modi said.
He further said teachers have a central role in realising our dream of a ‘New India’ that is driven by cutting-edge research and innovation.
The Prime Minister also paid tributes to former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, on his birth anniversary.
