Junior Digest

New Delhi, Apr 21,2021: The government on Tuesday postpones the UGC NET exam that was scheduled to begin on May 2, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank informed.

“…Looking at the present situation of the COVID pandemic and also taking into account the safety and well being of the candidates and the examination functionaries, it has been decided to postpone the UGC-NET December 2021 cycle (May 2021) examination,” a National Testing Agency order shared by the Education Minister, read.

The order further read that candidates will be informed about the new exam date 15 days before the examination. Mr Pokhriyal requested all to stay safe and follow all necessary precautions for COVID-19.

All major national level examinations are being cancelled or postponed keeping in view the grim pandemic situation in the country. The country recorded 2,59,170 new Covid cases and 1,761 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Hyderabad, Feb 21,2021: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called for making mother tongue the primary medium of instruction, at least until Grade 5.

He suggested that educating a child in a language that is not spoken at home can be a big impediment to learning especially at the primary stage.

Referring to multiple studies Mr Naidu said that teaching through the mother tongue in the initial stages of education can boost a child’s self-esteem and enhance his or her creativity.

Calling the New Education Policy a visionary and progressive document, he urged for implementing the Policy in letter and spirit.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the webinar organised by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, the Vice President focused on five key sectors to promote the use of mother tongue.

Apart from emphasizing the use of mother tongue in primary education, the other highlighted areas are the use of local languages in administration, court proceedings and to deliver judgments in them.

He also wanted a gradual increase in the use of indigenous languages in higher and technical education. The final emphasis was on everyone to proudly and preferably use their mother tongue in their homes.

Mr Venkaiah Naidu said that with hundreds of languages coexisting, linguistic diversity is one of the cornerstones of our ancient civilization.

Observing how our mother tongues can evoke an emotional response in the people, Mr Naidu called them an ‘important link to our socio-cultural identity’, ‘a repository of our collective knowledge and wisdom’ and thus needs to be protected, preserved and promoted.

Highlighting the importance of mother tongue in governance, Mr Naidu advised that we increase their use, especially at state and local levels.

Advocating an inclusive model of governance, he said, “Only by communicating with the common person in a language he or she understands can we include him or her in the process of governance and development. Language of administration should be the language of the people.”

Suggesting that language-inclusion should come at the higher levels too, Mr Naidu gave the instance of Rajya Sabha, where a provision has been made for its members to express themselves in any of the 22 scheduled languages.

New Delhi, Dec 22,2020: The Union Government on Tuesday decided not to conduct the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board examinations in February next year, in view of the global Novel Coronavirus pandemic.

This information was given by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in a tweet.

The Union Minister said he has received a lot of requests from various students and teachers to postpone the CBSE Board exams for Classes 10 and 12.

‘Keeping the #COVID19 pandemic in mind & after various consultations, we have decided that #board exams will not be held in February,’ he tweeted.

‘Exact dates will be announced soon. Our govt is in favour of #students,’ the Minister said in another tweet.

89th birth anniversary OF APJ Abdul Kalam and world students’ day.
New Delhi , October 15,2020: From being the people’s President to spearheading the development of the most significant Indian missiles, late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has contributed to the development of the country in different spheres.
As an aerospace scientist, Kalam worked with India’s two major space research organisations – Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
While, his work in the development and operationalisation of Indigenous guided missiles – AGNI and PRITHVI – earned him the title of the ‘Missile Man of India,’ there are many more ways in which Kalam has helped India in the division of science and technology.
On the 89th birth anniversary of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, here are 5 of his scientific contributions to the country: –
1. Directed the project to develop India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV)
Back in 1980s, when India had hardly dreamt of having its indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV), Dr Kalam’s over 10-year-long hard work as the project director for the development of the indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle at ISRO led to the ground-breaking scientific development.
It was in July 1980, that India’s SLV-III successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in the near-Earth orbit leading to the country becoming a member of the exclusive Space Club.
2. Directed projects for the development of ballistic missiles
Kalam also headed the projects Devil and Valiant which had the aim of developing ballistic missiles using the technology behind the successful SLV program. Under mission Kalam with other projects, members developed many missiles including AGNI which is an intermediate-range ballistic missile and PRITHVI which is a surface-to-surface missile.
3. Headed multiple nuclear tests at Pokhran
Serving as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the then Prime Minister, Kalam played a major role in heading the Pokhran-II nuclear testing leading to him being known as the best nuclear scientist of the country at that time. The nuclear testing under the supervision of Kalam during the period of July 1992 to December 1999 made India a nuclear-armed state.
4. He worked in making healthcare accessible to all
Working jointly with cardiologist Soma Raju, the late President developed a cost-effective coronary stent ‘Kalam-Raju Stent’ which helped in making healthcare accessible to all.
5. Developed the rugged ‘Kalam-Raju tablet’
The duo of Kalam and Soma Raju later in 2012 designed a rugged tablet computer for better health care administration in the rural pockets of the country. They termed it the ‘Kalam-Raju tablet.’
For his work in the stream of science and politics, the 11th President was also awarded India’s highest civilian honour or the Bharat Ratna.
Kalam breathed his last on July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong when he collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest.
Five years after his demise, his contributions are still remembered as some of the best scientific and technological developments in the country. (ANI)

New Delhi , November 11 ,2020: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended greetings and remembered leaders Abul Kalam Azad and JB Kripalani on the occasion of their birth anniversaries.
Taking it to Twitter, the Prime Minister tweeted, “Maulana Azad and Acharya Kripalani are remembered as exemplary stalwarts who made outstanding contributions to national progress. They devoted themselves towards empowering the lives of the poor and youth. I bow to them on their Jayanti. Their ideals continue to motivate us.”
Both the leaders were part of Indian National Congress while Azad has served as the first education minister of the country.
The National Education Day or Rashtriya Shiksha Diwas is celebrated every year on November 11 on the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

Mar 22,2021: World-renowned Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, an outspoken champion of women’s rights in the Arab world, has died at the age of 89, her family said.

El Saadawi passed away in a Cairo hospital after suffering a long illness, her daughter, Mona Helmy, said on Sunday.

The prolific writer was a leading feminist who revolutionised discussions on gender in deeply conservative societies.

Born in the village of Kafir Tahla in 1931, El Saadawi rose to prominence in 1972 with her taboo-breaking book, Women and Sex, but she shot to fame with her widely translated novel Women at Point Zero in 1975.

With more than 55 books to her name, she was briefly jailed by late President Anwar Sadat and also condemned by Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni Muslim authority in Egypt.

“I write in Arabic. All my books are in Arabic and then they are translated. My role is to change my people,” El Saadawi, who faced many death threats throughout her life, said.

Translation: Dr Nawal El Saadawi, the most famous advocate for the emancipation of women in modern Arab history, has died .. The image is from her participation in an episode of the program The Opposite Direction with Sheikh Youssef Al-Badri in 1998.

On her troubles with the government, El Saadawi had said: “Sadat put me in prison along with some other men. Under [longtime President Hosni] Mubarak, I’ve been ‘greylisted’. Although there is no official order banning me, I can’t appear in the national media – it’s an unwritten rule. There is no chance for people like me to be heard by the people.”
El Saadawi had an outspoken brand of feminism. She wrote on controversial topics including polygamy and female circumcision – among others – which gained her as many critics as admirers in the region.

She had said: “When you criticise your own culture, there are those in your culture who are against you, who say: ‘Don’t show our dirty linen outside.’ I don’t believe in this theory. I speak one language, whether inside the country or outside. I must be honest with myself.”

In 1993, El Saadawi relocated to North Carolina in the United States for Duke University, where she was a writer-in-residence at the Asian and African languages department for three years.

She returned to Egypt and in 2005 ran for president but abandoned her bid after accusing security forces of not allowing her to hold rallies.

In 2011, she took part in the mass uprising against corruption that removed Mubarak.

Her path-breaking, critical books published in dozens of languages also took aim at Western feminists, including her friend Gloria Steinem, and policies espoused by heads of state such as former US President George W Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We don’t have feminists any more. Feminism to me is to fight against patriarchy and class and to fight against male domination and class domination. We don’t separate between class oppression and patriarchal oppression,” she had said.

In 2005, El Saadawi was awarded the Inana International Prize in Belgium, a year after she received the North-South prize from the Council of Europe. In 2020, Time Magazine named her on their 100 Women of the Year list.

“I can describe my life as a life devoted to writing,” El Saadawi, who is survived by a daughter and a son, had said.

“In spite of all the obstacles, I kept writing.”

New Delhi, Oct 23,2020: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday suggested that after the full roll out of the new National Education Policy (NEP), the board examination of classes 10 and 12 should discontinue.

Speaking at the 57th General Council meeting of NCERT, Mr Sisodia gave some important suggestions to realise the vision of NEP 2020, the Delhi Government said in a statement here.

He also gave inputs on the current academic session, which has been seriously disrupted due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Concurring with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on ‘transformative value of NEP 2020’, Mr Sisodia said that ‘transformation should be holistic and not piecemeal’.

Elaborating the point, he said, ‘It is about time that we introduce muti-year stage wise classes and external assessment at the end of each stage, replacing the existing year wise classes and two board exams in classes 10 and 12.’

Mr Sisodia pointed out that the 5+3+3+4 model recommended in the NEP can attain its full potential, if the existing one year per grade system is removed.

It means instead of the existing class system, where all children of a class move together in all subjects, despite being at different learning levels, the multi-year stage will help them move as per their learning need in different subjects, at their own pace, said the Minister.

He added that a stage-wise curriculum with a clearly stated learning goal in terms of knowledge, skill and values be created.

Going by the logic of the stage, Mr Sisodia said that after the full roll out of NEP, board exams of classes 10 and 12 should also discontinue.

New Delhi, Apr 14,2021: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday cancelled grade X exams and postponed grade XII exams amid alarming rise in Corona cases.

A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the examinations to be held at various levels in view of the developing Corona situation.

Earlier, the CBSE Classes 10 and 12 board exams were scheduled to commence from May 4.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister,

Cabinet Secretary, School and Higher Education Secretaries and other top officials attended the meeting.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the well being of the students has to be the government’s topmost priority.

He also stated that the Centre would keep in mind the best interests of the students and ensure that

their health is taken care of without harming their academic interests.

The pandemic situation in the country is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 positive cases in many states, with a few states having been affected more than others. In this situation, schools have been shut down in 11 states, the Education Ministry said in a statement.

Unlike State Boards, CBSE has an all-India character, and therefore, it is essential to hold exams simultaneously throughout the country.

Looking to the present situation of the pandemic and school closures, and also taking in account the safety and well-being of the students, it is decided that the Board Exams for Class XIIth to be held from May 4 to June 14 are hereby postponed, the statement read.

The situation will be reviewed on June 1 by the Board, and details will be shared subsequently.

A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations, the Ministry said.

Results of Class Xth Board will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board. Any candidate who is not satisfied with the marks allocated to him/her on this basis will be given an opportunity to sit in an exam as and when the conditions are conducive to hold the exams, it added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the Union government’s decision to cancel CBSE class 10 board exams and postpone class 12 exams amid Covid-19 surge, saying it will provide a great relief to lakhs of students and their parents.

In a tweet, Mr Kejriwal said, “I am glad that the exams have been cancelled/postponed. This is a great relief for lakhs of students & their parents.”

The Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday had appealed to the Central government to cancel CBSE board

exams and introduce alternatives, to ensure the safety of the children in the country, since these examination centres can become COVID-19 hotspots.

London , January 20 ,2021: Teachers are working harder than ever before and more than any other occupation, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Oxford Review of Education authored by researchers from UCL.
The proportion who say their job demands a very high level of input is nine in ten which represents an increase of two-thirds (90% vs 54%) over 25 years, according to the findings taken in 2017 and based on more than 800 teachers in British schools.
This compares with just 44% of people in all other occupations who agree they have to work very hard. Only health and social services managers and legal professionals come close to the levels of work intensity faced by teachers.
The data reveals for the first time how this drop in job quality goes beyond just pay and hours. Training, the influence teachers have over their tasks and work-related well-being have also declined.
An increasing percentage of teachers say they often or always come home from work exhausted (72% in 1997 vs 85% in 2017) which again is higher than any other professional over the same period (44% vs 45%).
The study author Professor Francis Green from the UCL Institute of Education says the findings suggest a link between declining work well-being and decreased job quality, independent of the long hours teachers work. He says reforms are needed to address the issue which is a possible factor in declining teacher retention rates.
“The most striking aspect of job quality is teachers’ high work intensity and intensification,” .
“Compared with other professionals and all other occupations, teachers work more intensively and this has risen to unprecedented levels.
“Any improvement in teachers’ job quality achieved in a post-COVID-19 environment should be beneficial. Not only for teachers, but also for schools and the pupils who depend so much on the quality of teaching.”
Job quality is defined as how people’s needs are met by work. Studies to date have focused on pay and hours, but Professor Green analysed work intensity, as well as other additional factors such as the control staff, have over their work and training.

His research was based on Skills and Employment Survey (SES) series data from 1992 to 2017. The SES collects information on what people including school teachers do at work, the skills they use and how they work in Britain.
A total of 857 teachers aged 20 to 60 and working in nursery, primary, secondary and special schools were asked about job quality and overall work satisfaction. The majority were female (72%) and living in England (86%) with a minority in the private sector (13%).
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the study not only found teachers are having to work extremely hard physically and mentally, but also increasingly at very high speed (16% in 1992 vs 58% in 2017). Overall, those in Scotland reported the lowest work intensity anywhere in Britain. Private school teachers also said their job demands are lower but were more likely to say training quality was poorer.
In addition to work intensity, key findings that illustrate job quality has decreased for teachers include:
-The proportion of teachers with a great deal of influence over how they perform tasks fell from just under half (48%) in 2012 to less than a third (31%) in 2017. Those wanting more control over how they did their job rose from 15% to nearly a quarter (24%).
-High work strain increased from virtually no reports in 1992 to more than a quarter saying this was an issue (27%) in 2017. Teachers had double (16% vs 9%) the likelihood of other professionals of experiencing this type of stress.
– A high level of involvement in decision-making fell markedly (45% in 2012 vs 10% in 2017).
– Participation in training reduced (92% in 2006 vs 86% in 2017), as did the quality with less than a third (31% in 2017) agreeing their skills improved significantly compared with two in five (41% in 2006).
– In contrast, teachers reported greater satisfaction levels than other professionals about their promotion chances which have increased notably, and for job security which has remained high.
Other positives include the fact job quality has not declined in terms of hours worked, nor has real pay declined over the long-term, apart from between 2006 and 2017.
However, the study offers no direct evidence to explain why job quality has declined for teachers. Another limitation is the SES data does not include physical working conditions or social support.

New Delhi, Jan 6,2021: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani on Tuesday jointly launched the Toycathon-2021, as well as the Toycathon Portal.

The Toycathon aims to conceptualise innovative toys based on the Indian value system, which will inculcate the positive behaviour and good value among the children.

On the occasion, Mr Pokhriyal said the Toycathon is being organised to develop India as the global Toy manufacturing hub.

He said the size of toy market in India is about one billion USD but unfortunately, 80 per cent of the toys are imported. Toycathon is an endeavour by the government to create an eco-system for the domestic Toy industry and the local manufacturers, tapping the untapped resources and utilising their potential, added the Minister.

Recalling the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of five trillion-dollar economy and considering the huge potential of Indian toy market, Mr Pokhriyal exhorted all to make India ‘Atmanirbhar’ in Toy industry.

He further said the National Education Policy-2020 also lays emphasis on innovation and research in learning, starting from the primary education.

Aligned with the goals of National Education Policy, the Toycathon aims to capture innovative prowess of 33 crores students across the country, he added.

Addressing a press conference, Ms Irani said the country imports 80 per cent of toys and the government is working towards promoting the indigenous toy industry, for making the country self-reliant in this sector.

She said the collaboration with the Ministry of Education paves way for the students, faculties from all schools, colleges and Universities of the country, to answer the clarion call of Atmanirbhar Bharat through this Toycathon.

New Delhi , March 11,2021: The National Education Policy 2020 aims to give the country’s youth the right education to bring ‘revolutionary changes’ in the course of history, said President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday.
While addressing the 41st annual convocation of Anna University in Chennai, the President further said that the new policy aimed to implement a modern education system based on resources relevant to the evolving needs of the present.
“…Education is the catalyst for change and the youth is the most potent agent of social transformation. Educated youth, given the right direction, can bring revolutionary changes in the course of history. That is what the National Education Policy 2020 aims to achieve,” the President said.
He added, “The new policy seeks to implement a modern education system based on research, skill and acumen relevant to the evolving needs of the present. It would also include our rich cultural heritage in consonance with a futuristic outlook.”
He further said that it focuses on inculcating moral values and promoting an understanding of Indian culture and expressed confidence that the implementation of the policy would usher in an era of modern learning and education.
“It will create a brigade of researchers and professionals who would take our country to the great heights of development, as befitting our national aspirations,” he said.

New Delhi, Dec 27,2020: The dates for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board examinations for class Xth and XIIth, to be held next year will be announced on December 31 at 1800 hrs.

This information was given by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in a tweet on Saturday.

‘Major announcements for students & parents! I will announce the date when the exams will commence for students appearing for #CBSE board exams in 2021. Stay tuned,’ the Minister said in a tweet.

New Delhi, March 9,2021: Six students got 100 per cent marks in the JEE (Main) examination in the results declared on Monday.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in a tweet that exams were done in three languages till last year but this time exams were conducted in 13 languages.
“Dear students, JEE (Main) February session 2021 results are out. Congratulations to the students. Till last year, exams were done in three languages only but this time exams were conducted in 13 languages and results have been declared in 10 days,” Pokhriyal said.
Prasar Bharati News Services said in a tweet that six students, including two from Delhi, got 100 per cent in the examination.
“JEE (Main) February session 2021 results are out. Six students get perfect 100 per cent in JEE-Mains, including two from Delhi. Union Cabinet Minister for Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank congratulates the students,” the Prasar Bharati News Services twitted.

A National Testing Agency (NTA) release said it has updated the JEE Main result for paper 1 at jeemain.nta.nic.in, ntaresults.nic.in. Candidates need to enter JEE Main 2021 login credentials to check the online JEE Main result 2021.
JEE (Main) examination for B.E./B.Tech. was conducted by NTA from February 24 to 26 this year.
A total number of 6.52 lack candidates were registered for Paper 1 (B.E. /B. Tech.) in JEE (Main) Examination.
The examination was conducted in 331 cities in 828 Centres.
The examination was conducted for the first time in 13 languages –English, Hindi, Gujarati along with Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

New Delhi, Feb 1,2021: The National Education Policy (NEP) will be implemented in the curriculum of more than 15,000 schools in coming fiscal while a central university be established in Leh, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday while presenting Union Budget.
“More than 15,000 schools to include all components of the National Education Policy will be qualitatively strengthened; to enable them to emerge as exemplar schools in their regions, handhold and mentor other schools to achieve the ideals policy,” Ms Sitharaman said.
The NEP, approved by Union Cabinet in June 2020, aims to bring changes in education from school to college level. The policy has come after a gap of more than 34 years. It calls for reforms both in teaching and syllabus to make education qualitative, accessible and universal.
Ms Sitharaman said at total of 100 new Sainik Schools will be set up in partnership with NGOs or private organisations.
The Finance Minister also proposed to set up a Higher Education Commission of India as an umbrella body having for standard setting, accreditation, regulation, and funding.
”Many of our cities have various research institutions, universities, and colleges supported by the Government of India. Hyderabad for example, has about 40 such major institutions. In nine such cities, we will create formal umbrella structures so that these institutes can have better synergy, while also retaining their autonomy. A glue grant will be set aside for this purpose,” Ms Sitharaman said

New Delhi, Mar 6,2021: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced the setting up of the Delhi Board of School Education, as approved in a meeting held by the Delhi Cabinet.

Mr Kejriwal said the Delhi Board of School Education will conduct assessments throughout the year to develop holistic learning outcomes instead of once in a year assessment that focuses on rote learning.

Addressing a press conference, he said the Delhi Board of School Education will empower students to stand on their own feet and prepare students to take responsibility for their country beyond all religion, caste, and class differences.

Around 20-25 schools will become a part of the Delhi Education Board in the 2021-22 academic session, after which the other schools will be looped in eventually in the next 4-5 years.

Delhi Education Board will not only conduct continuous assessments but will become a torchbearer for change in education, he added.

Mr Kejriwal said, ‘Our students will progress towards global education. Delhi Education Board will function in close alignment with national and international boards. The Board will develop world-class education practices that will enable the shift in teaching-learning practices across Delhi. Through the Delhi Education Board, an age-old practice of rote learning will be replaced with application-based learning and assessment. The Board will ensure that each student’s talent is harnessed, and they apply what they learn.”

He said: ‘In the present education system, we assess a student at the end of a year for 3 hours but in the New Education Board, we will assess students throughout the year to develop holistic learning outcomes. Today, the entire system of education focuses on rote learning – this has to change and an emphasis has to be placed on ‘understanding’ and ‘personality development’. The students would not be assessed once, at the end of the year. On the contrary, the assessment process would go on throughout the year.”

Mr Kejriwal said, “This international level board is being created for which aid would be sought from various international organisations as well. International practices and teaching methods have been analyzed, based on which we would adopt similar practices and methodology in the Delhi schools under DBSE. High-end techniques would be used to impart education, and for the assessment process as well. The interest, need and specialisation of each student would be taken into account by the education system to provide insights on what courses they should opt for concerning their career. This is in sharp contrast to the model of rote learning.”

He said that Delhi education Board would be very different from the education boards of other states. ‘It has not been the Delhi government’s intention to seek applauds by establishing this board. Education has been the priority for this government with 25 per cent of the budget being spent on education. Through this, the government schools in Delhi have become world-class,’ he added.

New Delhi, Dec 31,2020: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Thursday evening announced that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board examinations-2021 will commence from May 4.

Announcing the dates of commencement of the CBSE Board examinations-2021, Mr Pokhriyal said, ‘Class 10th and Class 12th CBSE board examinations will start from May 4 and the exams will be completed by June 10.’

Results of examinations will also be announced on time, the Minister added.

He said the practical examinations of Classes 10 and 12 will start from March 1, adding that the date sheet for the Classes will be issued soon.

Mr Pokhriyal said the results of the board examinations will be declared by July 15.

Mar 22,2021: More than half of the world’s 10-year-olds could be unable to read and understand a sentence by the end of the year, according to a new analysis by the ONE campaign.

The anti-poverty organisation warned on Monday that 70 million children could be affected in 2021, according to calculations based on figures released by the World Bank, UNESCO and UN population data.

According to the report, the pandemic contributed 17 percent to the total number of children falling victim to a global learning crisis that could hamper the potential of a generation.

Schools around the world have been closed for extended periods during the past year, as governments imposed restrictions on populations in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus. According to UNESCO, the education of 1.7 billion children in 188 countries was heavily disrupted in 2020.

The closures have forced classes online, but the rise of remote learning has been uneven across the globe, with access to technology and a lack of infrastructure hindering some students’ ability to take part. The UN estimated that nearly 500 million children, especially those in poorer countries or rural areas, have been excluded from remote education.
According to the ONE campaign analysis, the learning crisis is expected to hit Africa and Asia particularly hard, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 40 percent of children at risk.
Urgent action needed

By 2030, the number of children lacking basic literacy by the time they turn 10 could rise to 750 million, or approximately one in 10 people globally, the group warned.

David McNair, executive director for global policy at The ONE Campaign, told Al Jazeera that children’s ability to understand a sentence by the age of 10 was an important milestone.

“[This] kicks off a whole lifetime of self-directed learning and innovation and has implications for their ability to get an education, innovate, get a job, earn and so on,” he said.

“Unless we take urgent action, the legacy of the pandemic could be millions more children denied the chance to understand words on a page,” he said.

As a response to this crisis and before the G7 Sherpa meeting, the organisation has urged governments to commit at least $5bn to fund the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), arguing that it will enable 175 million girls and boys to learn between 2021-2025.

It has also called on governments to support developing countries’ finances with a stimulus package and an extension of repayment deadlines, so countries can use those resources to invest in schools and education.

“I believe this is the absolutely right thing to do,” McNair said. “It’s unfair that if you are born in a particular part of the world, your options to fulfil your potential are curtailed by just not getting the right education at the start of life.

“If you don’t invest in these problems early then they can come back to be more costly and problematic. If we had, before this pandemic, fully implemented the protocols on pandemic preparedness, if we had invested more in health systems across the world, then we wouldn’t be in this situation,” he added.

New Delhi, Feb 24,2021: Giving a mantra of Self 3 – self-awareness, self-confidence and selflessness as the key to success in life to the passing out Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur graduates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that now IITs have to be taken to next level as aspiration of 21st century India has changed.

Addressing the 66th annual convocation of IIT Kharagpur via video conferencing, the PM said “Students, who have got degrees today, will not only have to start a new life but also act as the start up to change the lives of thousands of people of this country. The medals and awards given to the pass outs are the charter of demands of the people of this country which they have to fulfill”.

Noting that the engineers have the ability to take things from pattern to patent, Mr Modi further said there was no shortcut in the way of science, technology and innovation. Even if someone does not succeed, they will learn something new as failure is the pillar of success, he added.

Talking about the challenges of climate change, he said at a time when the world has been struggling with the challenges with these, India has come up with the idea of International Solar Alliance (ISA) and embodied it. He said today India is one of those countries where the cost of solar power is very low per unit. But there are still many challenges to deliver solar power from door to door. He added India needs technology that minimizes damage to the environment, is durable and user friendly.

Keeping in view the safety measures during the post pandemic situation, this year the Convocation is being organized in virtual mode and 75 students including nine Institute Gold medal winners and sixty six Institute Silver medal winners were awarded in person while more than two thousand and eight hundred students were awarded degrees in online mode.

The Institute also conferred DSc, IIT Kharagpur Life Fellow Award and distinguished Alumnus Award to 27 achievers for their contribution to academics and research, social service and public welfare.

Delhi AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, Dr E Sreedharan, former Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Swami Atmapriyananda Maharaj, Former Vice-Chancellor, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, were among the dignitaries felicitated today.

New Delhi, Dec 2,2020: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Wednesday set up a task force to prepare a roadmap on imparting technical education in mother tongue.

The task force, set up under the chairmanship of Secretary, Higher Education, will consider suggestions made by various stakeholders and submit a report in a month.

The decision was taken by Dr Pokhriyal at a high-level meeting on imparting technical education in mother tongue at which Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare, IIT Directors, academicians and senior officials of the Ministry were present. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss and deliberate regarding the implementation of NEP-2020.

Dr Pokhriyal said the meeting today is a step in the direction towards achieving the Prime Minister’s vision that student may pursue professional courses such as medicine, engineering, and law in their mother tongue.

“No language will be imposed on any student but enabling provisions should be made so that bright students are not deprived of technical education due to lack of knowledge of English language,” he said.

All the stakeholders are taking concerted efforts to ensure effective implementation of the New Education Policy-2020, an official release here said.

New Delhi, Feb 11,2021: Indian Space Research Organization ISRO is designing space education and space technology as an extracurricular activity for schools.

This is to utilise the Atal Tinkering Labs,which will have the endorsement of the Ministry of Education.

Minister of State Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha that ISRO has adopted Atal Tinkering Labs across the country in the field of space education and technology.

In a written reply to the House, he said the whole programme is divided into two phases.

In the first phase the programme has been adopted in 45 schools across the country and in the second phase it would adopt the rest 55.

Atal Tinkering Lab refers to space where school children can experiment with, learn, develop and conceptualise different scientific ideas. It facilitates projects similar to DIY (do it yourself) projects.

Washington , December 13,200: When making children learn about evolution, the oldest form of teaching — storytelling — is the most effective way of teaching primary school, suggest the findings of new research.
The study was led by researchers at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath.
Whilst all the methods improved the pupils’ understanding of evolution, the study, published in the journal Science of Learning, found that the story-based approach combined with the abstract examples of evolution was the most effective lessons.
A randomised controlled trial found that children learn about evolution more effectively when engaged through stories read by the teacher, than through doing tasks to demonstrate the same concept.
The scientists investigated several different methods of teaching evolution in primary schools, to test whether a pupil-centred approach (where pupils took part in an activity) or a teacher-centred approach (where pupils were read a story by the teacher), led to a greater improvement in understanding of the topic.
They also looked at whether using human-based examples of evolution (comparing arm bones in humans with those in animals) or more abstract examples that were harder to emotionally engage with (comparing the patterns of trilobites), produced better results in terms of the children’s understanding of evolution.
This goes against educational orthodoxy that states that a pupil-centred approach to learning, using human-based examples with which children can easily identify, should yield the best results.

The study recruited 2,500 primary school students who were tested for the understanding of evolutionary concepts before and after the lessons.
Professor Laurence Hurst, Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, led the study.
He said: “We were really surprised by the results – we expected that pupils would be more engaged with an activity rather than listening to a story and that children would identify more strongly with the human-based examples of evolution than the somewhat abstract example of trilobites, but in fact the opposite was true.
“This is the first large randomised controlled trial that is evaluating the effectiveness of different methods of teaching, using similar scientific methods to those used in drug interaction trials to test whether a new treatment works.
“Our results show that we should be careful about our preconceptions about what works best. We only tested the teaching of evolution in this way – it would be interesting to see if these findings also applied to other subjects of the curriculum.”
Professor Momna Hejmadi, Associate Dean of the University’s Faculty of Science, helped to design the study and co-authored the paper. She said: “Evolution was introduced to the national curriculum for primary schools in 2014.
“It’s a really important subject as it forms the foundation for many parts of biology. However, many primary school teachers, if they don’t have a science background, are less confident about teaching it.
“At the Milner Centre for Evolution, we’ve developed a range of free lesson plans using really cheap teaching materials, as well as a free online course for teachers to help them engage their pupils with this important subject.
“We’d like to thank the schools who took part in the study, especially the teachers who delivered the lessons. We hope they can continue to successfully use these resources in future years.”