Education Community

School principals and parents’ associations were left disappointed with DDMA’s decision on Thursday to not reopen schools in Delhi, saying keeping schools closed is no longer a solution. All India Parents Association (AIPA) president Ashok Agarwal said it is a very sad move, and decision-makers have neither heart nor mind as the prolonged closures will promote and perpetuate class divide and inequality in education. “Studies and childhood of students have already suffered too much which is irreparable. Closing down schools has no scientific basis. It has reduced employment and led people to face hunger. So many people are sitting idle at home and waiting for schools to reopen,” he added. Sumedha Goel, director, The Shri Ram Wonder Years, Rohini suggested that schools for junior classes should be reopened in a phased manner keeping the hybrid model at its core. “Keeping the schools closed is not a solution. Like a seedling requires the right amount of water, sunlight, air to grow, similarly, a budding child requires social interaction, food for the mind and soul, emotional well-being, etc to attain holistic growth. “Covid-appropriate behaviour will be followed in schools to welcome back students and give them a congenial environment for growth and development. We propose the government enforce a law for mandatory vaccination, and impose a fine on the non-vaccinated adults.” The drive would be beneficial for children below 15 years, Goel said, adding the entire school staff should be fully vaccinated, and every fortnight, school spaces will be sanitised. Schools and colleges will continue to remain closed in the national capital and the issue will be taken up in the next meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), officials said on Thursday. During the meeting, the Delhi government, for its part recommended the reopening of schools, saying it was necessary to prevent further damage to the social and economic well-being of children as the COVID-19 situation in the capital has improved. Though the schools were briefly reopened, they have shut again on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant. “Today’s decision is deeply disappointing. The DDMA chairperson (lieutenant governor) and members should publicly disclose the reasons for keeping schools closed but allowing everything else, particularly when every expert body has recommended it,” said Tanya Agarwal, a lawyer who has been vocal about the reopening of schools. According to a survey conducted by the online platform Local Circles, 74 per cent of Delhi parents do not support the re-opening of schools at this time, while 66 per cent of parents believe schools should be reopened once the test positivity rate (TPR) falls to 2 per cent or lower. Asserting that online education can never replace classroom studies, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but “excessive caution” was harming them. A delegation of parents led by Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist and public policy specialist, had earlier met Sisodia and submitted a memorandum signed by over 1,600 parents demanding that the schools be reopened. Source: PTI  

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the universities and colleges to provide educational resources accessible to visually challenged students. The commission, which regulates higher education in the country has advised that all universities should adopt suitable educational resources including Braille-print books, large print books, tactile books, and audio books and adopt other assistive devices to meet the needs of visual impairments for equitable access to the curriculum. In the latest notice, the UGC said, “It is advised that all universities should develop/adopt suitable educational resources like Braille-print books, large print books, tactile books, audio books and such other assistive devices which better meet the needs of visual impairments for equitable access to the curriculum. Requesting to take action, the UGC further said, “Such educational resources, as far as possible, should be uploaded on the website of the university also and made freely available.” The UGC recently asked all institutions to promote and prepare for Pariksha Pe Charcha 2022, an interactive programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with students, scheduled in February. The registration date for Pariksha Pe Charcha 2022 has been extended till January 27. Interested students of Classes 9 to 12, parents and teachers can apply for PPC 2022 on the website, mygov.in.  

A proposal to reopen schools in the state from next week based on the local COVID-19 situations has been sent to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Maharashtra minister Varsha Gaikwad on Wednesday. The proposal includes the opening of pre-primary schools, she added. Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government had announced the closure of schools in the state till February 15 as the number of coronavirus cases started spiralling from December amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant. “After COVID cases rose, the government decided not to continue with the school (offline) sessions. But after discussion with the experts, it has been decided to start the sessions where the number of cases is low based on the local COVID-19 situation,” Gaikwad said. “A proposal has been sent to the chief minister. It states that reopening of schools should be considered from Monday and all the power to do so should be given to the local authorities (municipal commissioners, district collectors, chief executive officers, education officers,” the school education minister added. A decision on this is expected to be taken this week, she said. She expressed hope that the chief minister would positively look into the proposal. Stressing the need to inoculate students in the age group of 15 to 18 years, the minister urged teaching and non-teaching staff to get fully vaccinated. Source: PTI

To enhance employment opportunities for the youths of Jammu and Kashmir, the government started a special awareness drive for growers on the cultivation, processing of aromatic plants in Kashmir. As per the climate point of view, Kashmir Valley is suitable to produce a variety of fruit, vegetable crops and a good quantity of plant material that can be utilized in medicinal and aromatic activities. Growers from the valley participated in the programme. It aimed to create awareness among youth to involve them in the cultivation of aromatic plants. With the help of aromatic plants, growers especially young entrepreneurs can establish their own units and they will also engage other people to generate employment. Speaking to ANI, Sabdhar Wani, a grower said, “through this programme, we get knowledge about cultivation and processing. Scientists and scholars who participate in this programme share their knowledge so that we apply the right approach and avoid loss in production. The department of the Indian Institute of integrative medicine (IIIM) and the department of agriculture started special awareness programmes aimed to provide proper information to growers about the cultivation and processing of aromatic plants. Dr Shahid Rasool, Organizer and Scientist IIIM said, an awareness programme is very important so that growers can cultivate aromatic plants properly at a large scale. Under the CSR flagship programmes, it is providing knowledge to farmers. “This farming is different from the traditional method. Farmers don’t have much knowledge about this. This kind of programme enhances their knowledge about cultivation, processing and packaging so that they can apply the right approach.” In the coming time, the government is also going to distribute good quality medical plants among growers at subsidy rates so that they will produce a good quantity of plant material in future aimed to get benefits at large scale. Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir, Lavender grower said for the past four years I am associated with the aromatic plant’s programme. It helps growers to understand the right way of cultivation and processing. During this awareness drive growers participated at a large scale by following Covid guidelines and they demanded such types of programs should be continued in future. Source: ANI

Following a rise in Covid-19 cases, the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday extended the closure of all schools and colleges in the state till January 23, 2022. On January 5, the Uttar Pradesh government had ordered to close all government and private schools for students up to class 10 till January 16. Several other states are also extending the closure of schools due to rising COVID-19 cases. Telangana on Sunday ordered the educational institutions to remain closed till January 30, 2022. Similarly, schools and colleges in Madhya Pradesh will remain closed till January 31. Schools in Bengaluru will remain closed till January 31 while schools in Kerala for students up to class 9 will remain closed for physical classes till January 21. In a statement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that in view of changing circumstances and rising Covid-19 cases, all schools and colleges have been ordered to remain closed till January 23. However, online classes will continue, the statement said. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister also chaired a meeting to review COVID situation. He also inspected arrangements related to COVID-19 management in King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow. Speaking to reporters, Yogi Adityanath informed that the state has around 1.03 lakh active cases. “Lucknow has reported 2,300 positive cases today, active cases stand at 16,300. Less than 1 per cent patients are admitted to hospital,” he added. “Vaccination drive has been so well that third wave hasn’t impacted us as much. UP vaccinated around over 22.87 crore people, of which 21.37 lakh are children aged between 15-18 tears and 3.87 lakh are people above 60 years of age or those with comorbidities with booster doses,” Yogi said. Source: ANI

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday invited students, teachers and parents to participate in the 5th edition of “Pariksha Pe Charcha 2022” and get a chance to be mentored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Valuable mantras to beat exam stress, excelling in career & life and much more! Here is your chance to get mentored directly by PM Shri @narendramodi ji. Inviting students, teachers and parents to participate in #PPC2022,” Pradhan tweeted sharing the registration link. The first edition of the prime minister’s interaction programme with school and college students “Pariksha Pe Charcha 1.0” was held at the Talkatora Stadium on February 16, 2018. In the subsequent editions of the programme, students, parents, teachers from across the nation and also from overseas interacted with him to discuss and overcome the stress emerging out of examinations in order to celebrate life. “The format of this programme is proposed to be in online mode like in 2021. An online creative writing competition is being conducted on various topics from December 28 to January 20, 2022, to select participants. Questions asked by selected winners will be featured in the Pariksha Pe Charcha programme,” a senior Ministry of Education official said. The topics for creative writing for students include — exam stress management strategies during COVID-19, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a self-reliant school for self-reliant India; Clean India, Green India; digital collaboration in classrooms, environmental conservation and climate change resilience. Similarly, the theme for teachers is “National Education Policy (NEP) for Naya Bharat” while the themes for parents include — Beti Padhao, Desh Badhao; Local to Global – Vocal for Local; Lifelong Students’ Yearning for Learning. “About 2050 participants selected through competitions on MyGov will be presented with a certificate of appreciation from Director, NCERT and a special Pariksha Pe Charcha kit comprising ‘Exam Warriors’ book in Hindi and English, written by the prime minister,” the official said. Source: PTI

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Madras) has appointed Prof. V. Kamakoti as the new director of the institute. He succeeded Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, who is stepping down after completing two terms, an official release here said. An Alumnus of IIT Madras, Prof. Kamakoti, is currently the Associate Dean for Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR), IIT Madras. He is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board, Government of India, the release mentioned. Speaking about his priorities, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Incoming Director, IIT Madras, said, “In the last two decades IIT Madras has focussed on Inter disciplinary translational research of relevance to our Nation. We have also reached out to large number of students through NPTEL, Swayam and On-line degree programs. With these gathered strengths, our immediate priority would be on augmenting the skill-set for indigenous technology development addressing local and global requirements aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy.” Congratulating Prof. V. Kamakoti on his appointment, former director Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, “With Prof. Kamakoti at the helm, IIT Madras is poised to scale new heights in the coming years. He is an excellent teacher and researcher, and an able administrator. He has played key roles in many national projects, bringing to bear his deep expertise in computing and cybersecurity. The Institute and the country will benefit tremendously from his services”. Prof. Kamakoti, who is a faculty in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, led the Research team that designed and booted up India’s first Indigenously-developed Microprocessor ‘SHAKTI’ that can be used in mobile computing devices and networking systems. He was appointed by the Union Commerce Ministry in 2017 as the Chairman of a Taskforce on leveraging Artificial Intelligence for development across various fields. The professor has been conferred with various awards which includes, Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship, 2020, IESA Techno Visionary Award, 2018, IBM Faculty Award, 2016 and several others.

IIT Bombay Professor Rangan Banerjee has been appointed as the next director of IIT Delhi, the outgoing director of the institute Prof Ramgopal Rao announced on social media on Monday. Banerjee, a Forbes Marshall Chair Professor in IIT Bombay, is a B Tech (Mechanical) from the same institute. Later, he obtained a PhD (Mechanical Engineering), also from IIT Bombay. “I am happy to inform you that Prof. Rangan Banerjee from the Department of Energy Sciences & Engineering, IIT Bombay has been appointed as the next Director of IIT Delhi. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Prof. Banerjee,” Prof Rao, who had taken charge in April 2016, posted on Facebook. JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and IIT Delhi professor at the Department of Applied Mechanics Santosh Kapuria were also shortlisted for the post. Prof. Rangan started his academic career as an assistant professor at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai in 1992 before joining IIT-Bombay in 1993. He became an assistant professor in 1997 and professor in 2003. He helped in starting the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT-Bombay in 2007. Prof. Banerjee was a member of the working group on New and Renewable Energy for the eleventh and twelfth Five-Year Plans and a member of the Planning Commission’s Integrated Energy policy. He has been involved in advising the city, state regulatory commission and energy agency, the Planning commission, Niti Aayog, and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. He has co-authored books on several topics — planning for demand-side management in the power sector, energy cost in the chemical industry and engineering education in India. He has been honoured with Excellence in Teaching Award by IIT Bombay and is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He is also an adjunct faculty (honorary) in the Department of Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University. Source: The Hindu

Delhi: Delhi Hight Court, on Thursday, said that there will no postponement in the current exam schedule of the UPSC Mains examination. The court heard a plea to postpone the Union Public Service Commission Mains exams scheduled from January 7 to 16, 2022. To defend the plea, the UPSC counsel said that they had distributed the admit cards and even the centres have been prepared for the students. They added further that they are adhering to all norms dictated by the district authorities and trying their level best to ensure safety and security during the examination. Advocate Kapadia, hearing the plea said, “The candidates need to survive the pandemic to get appointed. It’s very short-sighted to argue that appointments need to be made. Several other exams have been deferred during the second wave of COVID.” He added further, “There is a fundamental right to be safe and protect your health. This exam is a test of mind and not of survival of the fittest.” He opined that the colleges and schools are already shut in the light of the recent situation including public transport. It is safety of the students. Source: IndiaToday  

  After the ‘Yellow Alert’ declared by Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal in the capital city, Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday issued a pronouncement of a night curfew on the campus from 10 pm to 5 am due to rising covid cases. On account of aggressive rise in the Covid19 tally and tremendously transmissible variant of the virus, Delhi government announced ‘Yellow Alert’ in order to curb the rising number of the cases. Soon after this JNU imposes night curfew. The order will be effective immediately, the university said. In its order, JNU said all offline academic activities will remain suspended and Dr B R Ambedkar Central Library will remain closed till further orders. JNU has also released certain guidelines to ensure safety. Persons who are in emergency services, medical emergencies and supply of goods are only allowed on production of valid I-Cards. Persons who are either going or coming from the airport, railway stations or ISBTs and coming from somewhere else are allowed to travel with the availability of a ticket. It has stated that authorised shops in shopping complexes, Tapti, Paschimabad, Poorvanchal complexes etc. are allowed to open between 10 am to 8 pm on an odd-even basis. Only outdoor yoga activity is allowed as per the order. According to the order, All authorised canteens are allowed to open with only 50 per cent capacity from 8 am to 10 pm only. The order stated that, “The security branch of the university shall ensure to check the movement of vehicles and persons on the campus”. It has also added that, the security forces have to ensure that everyone has strict adherence to guidelines who is on the campus premises. The residents of the campus are not allowed to go outside of the campus during the curfew hours and campus gates will remain closed for all during the curfew, except for any sort of emergency movement.