Author name: admin

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed bridge course modules for out-of-school children, which include various activities that are helpful in bridging learning gaps, in order to address issues related to shortfalls or loss of learning among students during and after the lockdown. The various states were also asked to create and implement the School Readiness Module Bridge Course in classrooms for the initial one or two months for each grade. Minister of State for Education Annpurna Devi provided the information in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Monday. NCERT has also prepared an ‘Alternative Academic Calendar,’ which is a week-by-week learning plan for grades 1 to 12. “The spread of Covid-19 pandemic has impacted school education across the world. Schools in States and Union Territories were closed as a precautionary measure to protect the students fromthe coronavirus,” she said. COVID-19, she says, has disrupted pupils’ learning from pre-school to grade 12. Education is on the Constitution’s concurrent list, and the majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of state and local governments. She noted that the Ministry of Education held multiple consultations with states and UTs during the pandemic to analyse the various components of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alternative Academic Calendar is a collection of fun activities and challenges based on the syllabus’s topics and themes. It connects topics and themes to learning outcomes, making it easier for teachers and parents to measure students’ progress in a variety of ways. Also, links for e-resources have been provided for those learners who have access to the internet. The Ministry of Education (MoE) will also start a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy called ‘National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat)’ on July 5, 2021, under the aegis of Samagra Shiksha, according to the minister. The National Mission establishes goals and action plans for states to meet the goal of every child being proficient in foundational literacy and numeracy by third grade. For pupils in class 1, the Vidya Pravesh module has been launched. This play is based on a three-month school readiness programme for children entering Class I. In addition, the ministry of education has launched PM eVIDYA, a comprehensive initiative that unites all activities connected to digital, online, and on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. Source: IANS

According to an official, the University Grants Commission (UGC) aims to develop a system in which industry specialists can teach as full-time or part-time faculty members in central universities. It has also been advocated that specialists without a Ph.D. or NET qualification be permitted to teach in institutions. Special posts — professor of practise and associate professor of practise — will be created, according to the official. As per the proposal, experts who are willing to teach can be hired as full-time or part-time faculty members, depending on the needs of the university, according to the official, who also added that those who have retired at the age of 60 will be eligible for these positions and will be able to work until the age of 65. This was discussed at the UGC chairman’s meeting with the vice-chancellors of central universities on Thursday. According to the source, the UGC will organise a committee to investigate how this might be accomplished and will present its findings. There are also plans to create a portal that would serve as a single point of entry for those interested in applying to universities. Professor Abha Dev Habib of Delhi University slammed the action, claiming that the government is “freeing itself from the pressure of providing permanent posts to qualified teachers.” “Teachers who have been teaching for several years are not “experts,” and so cannot be hired on a permanent basis or even be considered for permanent interviews” (as is the case in many Delhi University departments). “However, those labelled “experts” by the BJP-RSS may be inserted into any system,” she wrote on Facebook. “A step towards dismantling higher education,” tweeted Aishe Ghosh, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. A Ph.D. is required to get into a university as a professor or associate professor, according to the UGC minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academics. Source: PTI

Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani took over charge as Director of the Indian Institute of Management Raipur from Prof. Bharat Bhasker. During his tenure, Prof. Bharat Bhasker was influential in the growth of IIM Raipur, which ascended to 15th place in the NIRF ranking of B-schools in India. Prof. Kakani was previously the Head of the Center for Governance at IIM Kozhikode, and he was contacted by India’s premier public administration institution, LBSNAA Mussoorie, for an assessment of IAS officials’ training needs. Prof. Kakani taught at XLRI Jamshedpur and has worked as a professor in Denmark, Nigeria, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Prof. Kakani has also served as the Director of the National Center for Leadership Development and Competency Assessment of the Indian government. Prof. Kakani provided the following thoughts on the future expansion and developments in management education: Enhance the quality of management education, elevating it and delivering it as a premium model, Enhance international linkages, attracting highly talented faculty of international standing and administrative colleagues to the Institute, Work closely with the Government towards strengthening its governance efficiency as well as effectiveness and also its various development as well as welfare programmes, Work closely with the Small and Medium Enterprises in Chhattisgarh towards turning them around and their reengineering; Launch new programmes on hitherto unexplored areas such as Mining Management, as Chhattisgarh is a mineral rich state and accounts for a large share in country’s mineral production. Prof. Kakani began his professional career as a corporate technocrat before transitioning to higher education, where he specialised in Finance-Performance-Strategy. With publishers such as Cambridge, Sage, Routledge, and McGraw-Hill, he has co-authored a number of works in the fields of finance and public administration. He is an active case writer and researcher.