Karnataka government passes bill to reserve 50 per cent seats at NLSIU for local students

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June 22, 2017

Karnataka government has passed a bill to reserve 50 per cent of seats in National Law School of India University (NLSIU) for local students.

The amendment to the National Law School of India Act, 1986 has been passed by Karnataka’s legislative assembly and is yet to be passed in the state’s legislative council.

At undergraduate level, the NLSIU has 80 seats. The post graduate law course and the post graduate course for public policy have 50 seats each. All seats in the law courses are filled through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

Higher education minister Basavaraj Rayareddy piloted the bill in the absence of law minister TB Jayachandra. Earlier, at NLSIU, 30 per cent of total seats were reserved for resident students of Karnataka.

The bill defined domicile as “a student who is either parent has resided in Karnataka for at least 10 years before the qualifying examination and the student has studied in a recognised educational institute in the state for five years preceding the exam”.

Opposition in the house demanded to bring down the domicile period to minimum of seven years, rather than 10 and to raise the reservation up to 50 per cent. The bill was passed unopposed as the government agreed to both the demands.

Rayareddy revealed that the State government is also working on a proposal to reserve 25 per cent of seats for local students in IIT Dharwad.

“Only eight students from Karnataka got admission at NLSIU last year and six at IIT Dharwad. This is unfair,” he contended.

Andhra University to be digitised with the help of TCS

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

Andhra University’s Schools of Distance Education (AUSDE) is soon going to become digital with the help of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

In a recent announcement by the global IT services firm, it is revealed that the company has signed a definitive agreement with Andhra Pradesh varsity. The university offers various courses to a large number of students across the country.

Under the agreement, AUSDE will use the key services of “TCS iON” platform including student admissions, academic course content, examination management and regular administrative services.

The online services of AUSDE will enable students will to enroll, to access courses of their choice, pay fees, get their examination hall tickets and results, at a click of a button, revealed in a statement of TCS.

The comprehensive end to end online services provided by TCS iON Platform help an educational institution to digitise all its functions and services. Other solutions of the platform such as simplify learning, teaching and support processes help a university in becoming smarter along with achieving educational excellence.

Over 60,000 students currently enrolled with the AUSDE through its certificate, diploma, under graduate, postgraduate and professional courses.

“With AUSDE going digital using the TCS iON Platform, every stakeholder of the university will be able to engage with ease and be confident of getting the highest level of services ontime without any deficiency,” said V. Ramaswamy, Global Head, TCS iON.

“We are delighted to enter into an agreement with TCS and be a part of the Digital India movement. Our plan ahead is to expand this initiative to the regular stream of education in addition to the distance education program,” said Andhra University Vice Chancellor G Nageswara Rao.

2 CBSE panels to study evaluation process loopholes

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

After complaints filed by students about evaluation errors in their class XII results, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has set up two committees to figure out the loopholes in the process.

“The board has taken a prompt decision to set up two committees comprising senior officers to look into the problems related to the evaluation processes being followed,” a senior CBSE official said.

The first committee will cross examine the evaluation process and post examination processes to identify and analyse discrepancies. The committee will also suggest corrective measures to strengthen the process. The second committee formed by the CBSE will “study, analyse and suggest systemic improvements in the evaluation process to make the system robust”.

“The two committees will submit their report within two and three months respectively. On basis of the findings and suggestions of the committees, major changes may be introduced in the evaluation process,” the official added.

Considering the complaints by students who have suffered due to “errors” in evaluation process, the CBSE admitted, “in spite of best efforts made by the experienced subject teachers, there may be possibility of human error in transferring marks to the title page of the answer scripts, summation of marks and manual posting of marks in the computer system”.

NPTEL to offer 116 new certification courses

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) is soon going to offer 159 courses of which 116 will be the new ones and 43 older ones.

The new courses will be available for its July to November, 2017 session and are open for online enrollment (https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in )

The seven IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Guwahati and Roorkee) along with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have initiated the NPTEL in 2003.

NPTEL coordinator at IIT Madras Prof Andrew Thangaraj said, “It is a great opportunity for learners across the country to access the IIT and IISc systems as well as experts from other reputed institutions. This enables learning without boundaries. You learn what you are interested in, and get a certificate confirming your abilities in that area.”

All courses are free and will begin from July 24, 2017 or August 21, 2017. The certification examination for courses is optional and comes at a fee of Rs 1000/course examination with examination dates being on September 24/October 22, 2017 (Sundays).

CBSE plans to conduct board exams a month early

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is planning to organise class X and XII Board exams and related activities a month earlier from next academic session.

According to plans of the CBSE, from 2018-19 the board exams are expected to take place in the month February instead of March. It is part of reforms focused on “error-free evaluation”.

Moreover, the exam duration will be shortened by 15 days. Currently the board exams are conducted in 45 days but it is expected that the same will be completed within a month from next session.

According to CBSE chairman R K Chaturvedi, it would also help in declaring the results earlier, which generally announced around the third or fourth week of May. Chaturvedi said, “The exam inations should start around February 15 and we are also planning to complete them within a month.”

The board believes that the early results will also help its students with timely participation in undergraduate admission process. “Otherwise it has been a neck and-neck affair,” said the chairperson.

“By April, vacations begin and the experienced teachers are not available. Therefore, advancing evaluation to mid-March will ensure we have the best teachers checking the answer scripts. Otherwise, in April during vacations, schools offer us only temporary, ad-hoc and newly-appointed teachers for the evaluation exercise as experienced teachers don’t oblige,” said Chaturvedi.

Conducting the exams early will also get the board some breathing room to work on results in order to make them error-free, added Chaturvedi.

Under the new scheme, Under the CBSE’s new scheme for evaluation, two training sessions will be conducted for the exam evaluators to make the evaluation process free of errors.

“Just like teachers’ training, we are planning two evaluators’ training sessions each year starting December 2017,” said Chaturvedi.

“Moreover, I think there is no point in allowing re-evaluation of 10 questions. Either it should be allowed in totality or not at all. The matter is also in court. But if we can ensure that evaluations themselves are error-free, the question of re-evaluation will not arise,” added Chaturvedi.

Punjab CM announces free girl education up to doctorate level

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced that government institutions of Punjab will provide free education provided to the girls of the state from nursery to doctorate level.

The government will also introduce free textbooks for all students of government schools as part of state reforms initiated in the state. Pre-primary classes – nursery and LKG will also be introduced in all the government schools from the next academic session. Also, free internet service in 13,000 primary schools and all 48 government colleges of the state, said an official.

The chief minister also said government with its highest priority to school education seeks to increase budgetary support to the sector. The government will also tackle resources constraint and five new colleges will be set up in the current financial year, he added.

Expressing his concern over the split in the society into haves and have-nots from education point of view, Singh said that in society few children are getting good school education and later opportunity to study in top institutions while others are being left with poor education.

The government with its promise to improve the education scenario in Punjab is soon going to post textbooks online enabling students and parents to download them free of cost, Singh said.

International Yoga Day: UGC asks varsities to send reports, videos and photographs

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Akash

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June 21, 2017

In order to ensure participation of universities and higher education institutions across the country on International Yoga Day, The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked them to send reports, along with videos and photographs.

Earlier in April this year, the higher education authority had asked colleges and universities for involving authorities in a very elaborate training programme on Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) for Mass Yoga performance as well as discourses, lectures and talks by eminent Yoga experts.

In a recent communication to varsities, the UGC has asked them “to submit details of the programmes conducted in a prescribed format and upload videos and photographs as well.”

The universities are also asked by the commission to ensure the maximum participation of the students in the event and train them further at least for a month.

The International Yoga Day is observed on 21^st June. Along with the participation of students in the yoga demonstrations, they will also participate in quiz competition, yoga training etc.

Universities and colleges were also asked by the UGC to organise Yoga workshops for college teachers and as well as to introduce yoga programme in annual festivals of colleges and universities to promote it among youths.

Govt schools to push for ‘Sabko Shiksha, Acchi Shiksha’

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Akash

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June 16, 2017

Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the Central Government may soon ask the government schools to promote “Sabko Shiksha, Achchi Shiksha”.

The minister was at Mandvi taluka of Surat to attend a Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas event, organised by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

While addressing the people at the event, Javadekar said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), I saw a Bollywood movie, at the end of which the parents put their child in a government school. We are also planning to open Navoday Vidyalaya and Central schools. In the last three years we have given permission to 124 central schools across the country and in coming days, we will increase the numbers.”

He said, “We have come to you in just three years and not five years. This is because we have learnt that your hopes have been fulfilled. After two years we will come again and you will give us vote with full faith,” said the minister.

He also revealed that from 2014 around six crore LPG connections were given whereas only 14 crore were allotted earlier. “Out of them two crore are women beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana,” added Javadekar.

Nepotism affecting quality of education: Manohar Parrikar

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Akash

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June 16, 2017

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar blamed nepotism prevalent in institutions for continuous deterioration in quality of education.

Adding further to it, he said that the quality of teaching hamper as many colleges hire their relatives or family members as teachers.

While speaking at an event organised by state-run Economic Development Corporation in Panaji, Parrikar said, “If you see the educational institutes in Goa, there is a tradition to employ a person from our own family as a teacher. The result is, the quality of education is impacted.”

He also shared one of his experiences at a teachers’ training centre where he asked few of the participants the reason of becoming teachers but only few could give a satisfactory reply. “…Some could give satisfactory answer, some could not and some did not answer,” he said.

He added, despite their differing interests, people choose to become teachers for sake of good salary coupled with being in a noble profession like teaching.

SAP India to impart digital literacy and improve employment scenario in India

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Akash

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June 16, 2017

SAP India, to improve employability among Indian youth, has launched a digital literacy and software skills development initiative – “code unnati”.

The initiative is on the similar lines of central government’s Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (PMGDSA).

“code unnati” is a result of the multi-year collaboration between SAP India, ITC and Larsen and Toubro Public Charitable Trust. Under the initiative digital literacy will be imparted to the underprivileged and it will also help in driving employment-led software skills in them.

The initiative in its pilot phase will focus on rural areas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat as well as urban disadvantaged demographies in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vizag and Hyderabad.

“Only 10 percent of India’s population is digitally literate. With technology at the core of everything we do, it is our responsibility to join forces and help create a Digital India,” said Deb Deep Sengupta, President, SAP Indian Subcontinent.

The three companies will share different responsibilities under the initiative. Technology infrastructure, expertise on course curriculum and pedagogy will be provided by SAP. ITC will provide delivery mechanisms and teachers ITC while Larsen and Toubro Public Charitable Trust will help in outreaching in the far-flung, tribal and inaccessible regions. Larsen and Toubro Public Charitable Trust will also assist in adequate monitoring, evaluation and governance support.

It is expected that with its emphasis on developing advanced software skills relevant for employment, “code unnati” may bridge the gap of 3.5 million technologically skilled citizens.

“ITC’s partnership with SAP will enable the ‘code unnati’ initiative to make a deeper contribution in spreading digital education amongst children in rural Andhra Pradesh, with a special focus on the girl child,” said Ashesh Ambasta, Head of Social Investments at ITC.

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