MHRD Honours CBSE Teachers and Mentors

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September 4, 2014

On the eve of Teachers’ Day, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Irani, felicitated the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) teachers and mentors for their contribution to the field of education. Commemorating the birth anniversary of former President Dr. S Radhakrishnan, the Board acknowledged the role and impact of the teachers in strengthening future generations.

The HRD Minister congratulated all the awardees and highlighted the importance and role of teachers in inculcating values in children in building a society and a nation.

33 teachers from across the country and abroad were conferred CBSE award for their innovations in classroom teaching. The selection of the awardees is based on the academic efficiency and desire for improvement, genuine interest and reputation in the community, love for children, perseverance and commitment towards the field of education.

15 Mentors were awarded for collaboration and handholding through regular visits to clusters of schools. The Mentor Awards recognise principals who go an extra mile in their endeavour to promote excellence.

Mentors are selected on the basis of their training experience, professional guidance, positive role-modelling, collaboration with mentee schools and initiating innovative practices.

These awards consist of a merit certificate, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs 25000/-. The process of selection is both rigorous and transparent. It is seen that schools from all CBSE regions are equally represented.

In order to ensure transparency in CBSE Awards, for the first time, the names of proposed awardees were made public and responses were invited.

Also for the first time, s ports promoting schools were also felicitated to encourage all schools to organise sports activities and promote the spirit of well-being and health of school-going children. There are 159 such schools which have organised CBSE inter-school sports and games competitions at different levels. The schools were awarded a Certificate, a shawl and a plaque.

Great teachers build great human beings: Mr Sanjeeva Shivesh, CEO and Founder, The Entrepreneurship School

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September 4, 2014

“Teachers through education encourage young minds to discover their hidden talents and seek their own path. Great teachers build great human beings who build great nation. This Teachers’ Day I would like to thank all the teachers who direct their students along the right path and are the building blocks of our nation.”

Kerala to construct toilets in all schools within 100 days

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September 4, 2014

To ensure sanitation facilities in all the schools in his state, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has ruled that no student will be permitted in schools from next year having no basic facilities.

“No students will be permitted in schools from next year having no basic facilities,” Oommen Chandy said warning from the next academic year onwards fitness certificates will not be issued to schools having no toilets. At present fitness certificate is given on the basis of security of buildings. From now own toilet facilities too will be included.

The Kerala government has also decided to construct toilets in all the government schools within 100 days. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the govt has decided to issue directions to all the schools in the state to construct toilets by using Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan fund. He also said that the government’s decision is part of its vision to have toilets in all the schools in the State. According to reports there are around 196 government schools in the state which does not have toilets. Meanwhile, in the aided government recognized category there are about 1011 schools that does not have toilets. “The state has directed these 196 schools to construct toilets within 100 days using the SSA fund. In the aided schools, the school managements should construct toilets in these schools using their own fund,” Chandy said.
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Earlier, during Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the MPs and corporate sector to help build girls toilet in schools across the country by next year. The prime minister had also asked the MPs to spend their funds on construction of toilets in schools. Modi had also requested the corporate sector to work with the government for building toilets in all schools by the next Independence Day as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Karnataka govt grant for 24 SC /ST students for higher education

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September 4, 2014

Karnataka government is planning to spend over Rs 5.6 crore to help 24 poor SC and ST students to study abroad. According to reports, Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya had said that the beneficiary of the scheme includes children of vegetable vendors, mechanics, auto and bus drivers and ex-servicemen.
As per the scheme the Social Welfare department would cover all expenses of the students including course fees, travel and visa charges and book purchases.
“If the department had not come up with a plan to support them, their dream to continue their education in reputed institutions abroad would have remained unfulfilled,” Anjaneya said.
The scheme which was introduced in 2001, so far has funded around 67 SC and 18 ST students with a total spend of about Rs 9.85 crore on their studies.
“Despite measures to publicise the scheme, it had not caught the attention of enough students,” the minister said. Further, he said the department will send more students abroad next year.
Among the 24 candidates selected this year, 17 will study engineering, three MBA, two MBBS and one LLM. For the current year the government received application from 33 candidates, of which 24 were found eligible, the minister said.

HRD to put universities on digital learning track

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September 4, 2014

To bridge the digital divide in the country, Union Human Resource Development ministry will launch University Network Initiative to Enhance Education (UNITE) on Education Day observed on November 11.

According to media reports UNITE envisages that 4.20 lakh classrooms – 20 classrooms in 21,000 colleges would be WiFi-enabled within a year, reaching out to 1.5 crore students. Access will only be for academically relevant websites. Around 600 universities have already been connected with 1Gbps bandwidth and each of these 600 universities will have a full campus WiFi LAN.

Over 140 centrally-funded institutions will be WiFi-enabled. Moreover, web-based study portal SWAYAM offering free online courses will be launched on September 25, the birth anniversary of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. In the first phase, IITs at Mumbai, Chennai & Guwahati, Delhi University, Manipur University, Punjab University and Banaras Hindu University will begin offering courses.

NIOS to Partner With NSDC for Vocational Training

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September 3, 2014

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have joined hands to provide vocational training to students of class 10 and class 12. The courses will be based on National Occupational Standards (NOS) set up by the industry through the respective Sector Skill Councils (SSCs).

NIOS students will have the option to select one vocational course as part of their five subjects in class 10 and 12. The marks of this subject will be clubbed with the four other academic subjects to get NIOS certification for class 10 and 12. At present, the programme has been launched as a pilot in few sectors of Delhi an NCR covering 1,00,000 students. The pre-pilot phase was launched today in four sectors – security, retail, telecom and gems and jewellery.

“We are honoured to partner with NSDC for introducing these vocational courses as part of our curriculum. This will enhance the employability of our students and make them job ready,” said Dr Sitanshu S Jena, Chairman of NIOS. Appreciating the partnership, Atul Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, NSDC said, “We are honoured to partner with NIOS in this unprecedented initiative. I encourage students to make the best of this opportunity. The skill certificate will be their partner for life and will give their career a great boost. We are confident of the success of this pre-pilot programme. We will soon look at extending this to other states as well.”

After completion of the course, students will be certified with a degree which will enable them to get employed.

Alma Mater of Legends to Get New Life

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September 3, 2014

Intellectuals who put the country on the path of progress are often remembered. Unfortunately though, we have failed to recognise the institutions that nurtured these legends. In a move directed at correcting this anomaly and for facilitating the right infrastructure and environment to students at such institutes, the Human Resource Development ministry is about to embark on an exercise to draw up a list of schools and colleges whose alumni have won the country international recognition in different spheres.

The exercise, to be carried out in collaboration with the states will honour the alma mater of these historic figures and also help breathe new life into these institutes.

Also on the agenda is a move to pay tribute to national leaders such as S. Radhakrishnan, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Zakir Husain, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Madan Mohan Malaviya among others by instituting 50 new centres across universities and institutions of higher education. The University Grants Commission will offer the seed money of Rs. 7.5 lakh to set up these centres which will be named after people who have made stellar contribution towards education, social reform and nation building. Universities and institutions of higher education can apply for the grant and set up these centres.

SC Orders Compensation for Students Denied MBBS Seats

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September 3, 2014

The Supreme Court has ordered the Maharashtra government to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the 21 aspirants who were denied MBBS seats. In a sharp reaction to the state government and the malpractices adopted by private colleges, the apex court has held that the state needed to pay the students for having failed to “take necessary action on the students’ complaints”.

In a case in 2012, 21 students were either denied admissions to private medical and dental colleges or were not allowed to shift from dental to medicine despite having the required scores.

The students had earlier approached the Pravesh Niyantran Samiti (PNS), a quasi-judicial body, which conducted an inquiry and found that the colleges had been flouting rules for admissions. PNS asked the state to cancel admissions to 250 seats in 17 colleges, most of which are run by politicians. With the government failing to take action, the students approached the Bombay high court and then the Supreme Court for being denied the rightful admission in 2012.

Though the detailed copy of the order is awaited, it is learnt that the court has also ordered an inquiry against the authorities who facilitated admissions without merit and revised the process to suit their needs.

Prime Focus on Empowering, Educating Women: Modi

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September 3, 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on the need to educate and empower women. Addressing students of the Sacred Hearts University in Tokyo on September 2 during his five day visit to Japan, Modi said that he has always given a lot of importance to the education of the girl child.

Speaking about the importance of women education in India, he said, that he has spent Rs 10,892 crore for girl child education. He also mentioned that the Indian constitutional framework incorporates women in the decision-making process and that women constitute 25 per cent of the cabinet including External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Modi’s comments are being seen as an attempt to resurrect India’s image internationally. India’s reputation has taken quite a beating in the international media in recent years following several cases of crime against women.

Courtesy AISA, DU May See Election Reforms

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September 2, 2014

In can be a milestone in the Delhi University’s (DU) students’ politics which may result in a change in the DU students’ union elections. The Delhi High Court on November 10 will hear a petition moved by the left-leaning All India Students’ Association (AISA), taking exception to the allotment of ballot numbers in alphabetical order to the candidates for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections.

AISA, which propelled from fringe status to the mainstream in DU in 2013 through its anti-FYUP campaign, is now growing in influence. The student’s body has always been critical of the way DU elections are conducted. AISA is demanding that along with standard manifesto fare, such as hostels and bus passes, there should be reforms in the DU students’ union elections.

“There’ve been unexpected results. We have heard of EVMs not functioning but all such complaints became rumours,” said Sunny Kumar, Delhi state secretary, AISA. “Since there are no polling agents, these aren’t reported and inquiries are pointless. Candidates never know what actually happens in colleges.”

AISA had stated in its petition that the candidates with their names on top of lists had an “unfair advantage” as their position on the electronic voting machines was accordingly determined. Those with their names appearing first in the list on EVMs had a higher chance of winning as many voters, unsure of whom they wish to vote for, press the buttons on the top by default. According to the petitioner, several candidates get their names changed to introduce the alphabet ‘A’ before their original name prior to elections to get advantage of the alphabetical listing.

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