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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday that the ancient gurukul system of education has played a significant role in the comprehensive and well-rounded development of individuals. In a Facebook post, Naidu mentioned his visit to Haridwar’s Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya on Saturday. He described the university as a non-conventional centre of higher learning, inspired by the ideals of Shriram Sharma Acharya, a spiritual leader and social reformer in modern India. “With around 1500 full-time residential students and researchers, the university is adopting a gurukul-type system of community living. “The institution is devoted to holistic education by combining practical knowledge (shiksha) with spiritual education (vidya) and seeks to provide a comprehensive learning experience to every student,” he posted on Facebook. The Vice President was reminded of the ancient gurukul system’s remarkable importance in the holistic and well-rounded development of individuals. Naidu expressed his excitement at learning that the university and Gayatri Parivar have been using music and folk songs to combat societal problems such as casteism and gender discrimination, as well as to promote nationalism among the public at large. He further mentioned that the university has its own gaushala (cow shelter) with around 300 cows of indigenous breeds. According to Naidu, the Swavalamban Kendra uses contemporary and scientific processes to make various cow products, and he is confident that such projects, in keeping with Gandhi ji’s Gramodyog idea, may give farmers with an alternative source of income. Source: PTI

According to revised norms proposed by the University Grants Commission, holders of four-year undergraduate degrees with a minimum CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 7.5 will be eligible for admission to PhD programmes. In its recent draft of amendments to the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D Degree) Regulations, 2016, the UGC also proposed that 60 percent of available seats in all higher education institutions be reserved for National Eligibility Test (NET)/ Junior Research Fellowship (NET-JRF) qualified candidates. During the 556th commission meeting on March 10, the draft UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, were approved. The changes are in line with the National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP 2020). According to UGC officials familiar with the situation, the proposed regulations will be released for public comment on Thursday. While the admissions procedure would remain same, the draft guidelines revised the eligibility criteria following the discontinuation of the MPhil degree under NEP 2020 and the introduction of four-year undergraduate programmes (FYUP), according to the document. Universities and colleges will now be able to provide 4-year undergraduate degrees with several exit and entry options under the NEP 2020. Several universities, notably Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, have already made the decision to implement similar programmes beginning this year. Students will receive honours with a research undergraduate degree after finishing a four-year degree programme. Candidates with a four-year bachelor’s degree in research with a minimum 7.5 CGPA, as well as first and second-year postgraduate students (after completing a four-year programme), will be eligible for admission to PhD programmes under the new proposed rules. “The four-year undergraduate programme is beneficial to students in several ways,” UGC chairperson Jagadesh Kumar confirmed the development. Those interested in research in their final year have the option of doing multidisciplinary research or focusing on a single discipline. Those who excel in the four-year undergraduate degree are entitled to apply for a PhD programme. This, I believe, will enhance our country’s research ecosystem.” Candidates who have completed their M.Phil with at least a 55 percent aggregate will also be eligible. “The MPhil degree shall be de-specified from the Academic year 2022-23 onwards. MPhil degree awarded till the date of notification of these regulations shall remain valid,” the document stated. The document also stated that NET/JRF qualified students would fill 60% of the total unfilled seats for the academic year. “The remaining 40% qualified students on the basis of interviews conducted by the concerned institute through the university/common entrance test,” it stated. The minimum duration for completing a PhD has been reduced from three to two years under the new regulations, while the maximum duration has stayed fixed at six years. The UGC has also allowed research researchers to take time off to participate in research expeditions, research missions, and exchange programmes. The proposed laws also grant the financially deprived groups a 5% waiver in eligibility standards (EWS). The document went on to underline the need of research topics that are “socially relevant, locally need-based, and nationally essential” in terms of delivering value to society. Several amendments to the role and obligations of research supervisors and co-supervisors have been proposed, the most significant of which is that they will be able to supervise two overseas students on a supernumerary basis. Furthermore, under the modified regulations, higher education institutions will be responsible for assessing the quality of PhD degrees, and they will be permitted to develop guidelines in this regard.  

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