Saturday, January 3, 2026
Facebook Instagram Linkedin Twitter Youtube
Home Blog Page 889

Smriti Irani kicks off campaign under ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Smriti Irani JhaduAimed at promoting awareness on hygiene, HRD minister Smriti Irani on Thursday initiated a campaign under the central government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. Launching the programme, the minister joined students and teachers in cleaning the school campus at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in New Delhi yesterday.

Under the HRD ministry’s ‘Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya’ campaign, schools with the highest green rating would be felicitated with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Irani, who used broom and shovel to clean the ground, called upon the involvement of all to become part of the mission and put in their best efforts for the success of the campaign.

The campaign is aimed at motivating students and making them realise that hygienic way of living was the best way. The campaign will go on till October 31 in the schools, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said in a statement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also slated to release a booklet on sanitation on October 2, when he launches the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, promoting behavioural changes in children. An important component of the mission is the construction of toilets in schools.

The seven states, which account for 80 per cent of the schools without toilets, have been asked to start building toilets from October 2, when the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ would be launched. The states include Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. The state governments would initiate construction of toilets in 25,000 schools on October 2, under the ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ and ‘Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan programme, officials in the HRD Ministry said.

States would also be advised to periodically monitor the functionality of toilets and take up repair and maintenance work, they said. The ministry has also asked higher educational institutes to join the campaign.

Stage set for Indo-US educational partnerships

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
The Union Cabinet has approved a number of agreements between USA and India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.
The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for the signing of a joint declaration between India’s Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry and the National Science Foundation (NSF) of the US, to initiate a new programme titled Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) in Higher Education.
Another agreement will be for cooperation and support to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Yet another will be on a programme for partnership for ‘active learning for young aspiring minds’.
“It will be an online education programme, and will be later integrated with national mission for education,” Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. This Indo-US Partnership for Online Education (IUPOE) programme will comprise a mechanism that will enable the top universities of the US (top 100 in global rankings) to create and share postgraduate online courses (and associated assets) on the Indian “SWAYAM” platform.
SWAYAM is an online platform of the HRD ministry through which online programmes will be offered to students in India.

Board officials visit Mumbai colleges to inspect marks allotment

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
After noticing that city junior colleges had made errors in awarding marks in Environmental Sciences (EVS) and Physical Training (PT) in the HSC board exams of 2013-14, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) officials, visited the city colleges to investigate the issue.
The officials made a strict check on the allotment of marks, but did not inspect any infrastructural or administrative problems that the colleges are facing.  Marks in EVS are counted in the total, and PT marks are converted into grades.
A teacher in a reputed South Mumbai college said: “We were surprised to see board officials visit our college. Though we hadn’t committed any mistake in awarding marks, they sought details on how marks were awarded in the two subjects.”
BB Chauhan, south zone education inspector, said: “The board gave names of some colleges to the deputy director, who instructed education inspectors to check how marks were awarded in graded subjects.” Laxmikant Pandey, chairman, Mumbai Divisional Board, said: “Yes, we asked education inspectors to check how marks were awarded in graded subjects in the last board exam as many colleges had made mistakes.”

Bombay HC directs state government to sort power issues at exam centres

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
The Bombay high court has asked the state government to ensure availability of uninterrupted power supply across the state during the period of examinations commencing September 26. In a directive addressed to the Department of Secretary of School Education, the HC has asked the government to appoint a team of officials who will be responsible for making random visits to exam centres that are affected by load-shedding. They are further to verify, if these centres are getting uninterrupted power supply during the exam period.
A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and Girish Kulkarni clearly stated that these officials should make surprise visits to the 153 centres of the board to examine if the exam halls have been provided generators or invertors. The bench also directed the state government to come out with an action plan with reference to this issue for next year’s SSC/ HSC exams.
It stated: “From its last affidavit, we know what the government’s approach is. This is a human issue and we will not leave it at this. We want answers with regard to providing uninterrupted power to all exam centres in the future too.”
The directive was issued during the hearing of a bunch of petitions highlighting the non-implementation of a 2009 high court order directing the state to provide uninterrupted power supply to exam centres. One of the petitions, filed by Navi Mumbai social worker, alleged that many students had had to write exams in darkness.

NDA Government scraps Higher Education bill

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
The Union Cabinet has withdrawn a draft legislation that sought to create an overarching regulator for higher education, replacing the University Grant Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the National Council for Teachers Education and the Distance Education Council. The decision to scrap the Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011, was arrived at a meeting of the Union cabinet in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The bill was introduced in Parliament in December 2011 by then Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal and had sought to create a National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER), an independent statutory body in education similar to capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India. The proposed NCHER, which has now been scrapped, was to determine, coordinate, maintain and promote standards of higher education and research (university, vocational, technical and professional education), other than agricultural education and medical education.
This is the first instance of the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government scrapping an important draft legislation that was introduced in Parliament by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The Bill sought to give all powers related to higher education to the proposed commission even though education is a subject controlled by both the Union and state governments.
Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government thought it was not in sync with the federal structure of the country. Prasad said that the HRD-related parliamentary standing committee had expressed its reservation on the Bill. The standing committee had said the HRD ministry had not consulted state governments while drafting this Bill. It recommended that state governments be given a say in the formulation of any policy on higher education. It had also opposed the proposal to scrap UGC, AICTE and other regulators.

Government effects major bureaucratic reshuffle; moderate impact on MHRD

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
In what has been the biggest bureaucratic reshuffle at the Centre in recent times, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre has ordered the transfer of close to 50 officers of the rank of additional and joint secretaries in the past two days. Orders to this effect for 48 of these officials were issued late Tuesday night.
As far as the Ministry of Human Resource Development is concerned, the impact of what many officials have termed as a ‘midnightmassacre’ has been comparatively moderate. Among the major movements, Satyanarayan Mohanty, a 1980-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Higher Education. Mohanty, who currently handles the National Disaster Management Authority, replaces Ashok Thakur.
In another significant transfer, Praveen Prakash, Joint Secretary, Technology Enabled Learning, Department of Higher Education, has been moved to the Ministry of Urban Development. M Ariz Ahmed, Director, Department of School Education and Literacy, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in Department of Pharmaceuticals.
In other appointments in the MHRD, 1986-batch Satbir Silas Bedi, an IAS officer of the UT cadre, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy. Shashi Prakash Goyal, 1989 batch IAS officer of UP cadre, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education.
Rakesh Ranjan, a Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS officer of the 1992 batch, currently on compulsory wait in the Ministry of Culture, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education.  Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a 1988 batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education. He replaces Jagmohan Singh Raju, a 1985-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer, who was prematurely repatriated to his cadre on June 30, 2014.

MHRD asks schools to ensure implementation of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

The Human Resource Development ministry has asked all colleges and educational institutions to ensure implementation of the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. In a ministry communiqué sent on Wednesday ahead of the launch, institutes have been asked to make sure that the programme is sustained in a “befitting” manner and the campuses are kept clean.

Laying emphasis on the sustenance of the programme, the communication said, “All concerned may be requested to keep the academic, administrative and residential area in a neat condition.”

The ministry has also asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to roll out schemes on national initiatives for fostering social responsibility in higher education and set guidelines for the establishment of a centre for fostering social responsibility and community engagement in universities during the 12th Plan period.

The centre would help to leverage on the mobilisation and interest that will be generated in the higher educational institutions during the launch of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission, the communiqué added. Teaching spaces should have a positive ambience for students and playgrounds and open spaces should be kept in neat and clean conditions. Besides, drinking water supplies and storage facilities in both academic and residential blocks should be kept clean and inspected on regular basis, the communication said.

HRD Minister Smriti Irani is set to launch specific cleanliness campaign from a school in New Delhi today. All officials up to the rank of Deputy Secretary will take part in cleaning activities in Kendriya and Navodaya Vidyalayas across the national capital as part of the ‘Swachch Bharat’ campaign. Officials in the higher education division will be at the universities as part of the clean-up drive.

The cleanliness drive culminates on October 31, birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. To ensure the exercise is not confined to one day, the HRD ministry will ask educational institutions to include stories of cleanliness in their curriculum. They will also be asked to ensure that at least few questions in examinations are about hygiene and cleanliness.

NTPC ventures into upskilling

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

NTPCNTPC and National Power Training Institute (NPTI) signed a contract agreement for Skill Development of Power Plant Engineers across the country.  Under this agreement NTPC will provide consultancy services to NPTI for procurement, engineering, supervision and testing of Simulators at six locations in the country.

The agreement was signed in the presence of I.J Kapoor, Director (Commercial), NTPC and Subodh Garg, Director General NPTI.  These Simulators will be installed at NPTI buildings at Badarpur in Delhi, Faridabad in Haryana, Durgapur in West Bengal, Nagpur in Maharashtra, Shivpuri  in Madhya Pradesh and Allappuzha in Kerala.

Now, a parent-friendly App for schools

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
Intellinects-venturesIn a move of technological upgradation that could drastically cut down parents’ worries, schools in Mumbai have now started incorporating an app to facilitate efficient and user-friendly reach to the parents.
Intellinects Ventures, an education service provider, has designed an Android mobile application for schools which will provide parents with information such as news, events, teachers, alumni, PTA meetings, etc. This will lessen the burden of parents to visit schools and help them access the information on their mobile phones.
Kevin Saldanha, director of Intellinects Ventures, said, “With over 900 million mobile users, Indians are more likely to use the mobile to receive information about schools. The updates are delivered notification. The app developed for schools will not only have public view information but private view, which will be secured and cannot be viewed by an outsider.”
Apostolic Carmel Junior College, St Andrew’s High School and Convent of Jesus & Mary (CJM) High School & Junior College are three schools where this app is introduced. “In less than a month, about 30 per cent of the parents have already downloaded the App via Google Play Store,” added Kevin.
Antonette Monteiro, principal of CJM High school and Jr. College, said, “We have created the app on September 5. This is a great idea and the quickest way to provide any kind of information, especially in case of an emergency.”
Intellinects Ventures also plans to set up a group chat called Charcha, which will be a platform for parents and teachers to interact with each other. Learning Management Systems, which will include educational content and games, is also among their future goals. Plans are also afloat to provide similar Apps to more than 20 schools in Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Cambridge partners with Indian institutes for English assessment

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-
Cambridge University

CambEng_96_P_CMYKIn a move that is likely to enhance the English language assessment skills in India, UK-based Cambridge English Language Assessment (a not-for-profit English language assessment department of the University of Cambridge) has signed different Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Hindustan University, the Indian Council for Assessment and Accreditation (ICAA), Vignan University in Andhra Pradesh and BS Abdur Rehman University in Tamil Nadu.

These MoUs were inked at the ‘1stCambridge English – India Partnership Summit’, which saw top educationists, policy makers and heads of educational institutions in attendance.

“We have a wide range of English language examinations. Increasingly, we’re setting up centres around the world, because we realise that you can’t help the world learn English just from Cambridge. You need to do it where the people are learning,” said Saul Nasse, chief executive of Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Under the MoUs, the institutions will get to utilise the wide range of assessment tools developed by Cambridge. According to Nasse, the institutions can also customise these tools according to their requirements.

Cambridge English works with 200 technical institutions and several corporates in India for conducting assessments. The department works with approximately 6,00,000 candidates per year across all primary and higher education schools and is growing at about 20 per cent.

1...888889890...1,755Page 889 of 1,755

LATEST NEWS

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

© Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.