Education Community

The All India Council for Technical Education’s new Chairman is T G Sitharam, the director of IIT Guwahati.  He will head AICTE for three years or until he is 65, whichever comes first, according to a government notification dated November 17. Sitharam will succeed UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar, who served as interim AICTE Chairman when Anil Sahasrabuddhe was released from his duties on September 1, 2021, after reaching the age of 65. His appointment coincides with the Ministry of Education wrapping up a Bill that aims to merge the AICTE and the University Grants Commission into a super regulator known as the Higher Education Commission of India. IIT Guwahati now has a vacancy as a result of Sitharam’s appointment because his term as Director was only supposed to end in July 2024. He was a Professor in the department of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, prior to assuming the position of Director of IIT Guwahati. He has previously served as the chair professor for the IISc’s Department of Energy and Mechanical Sciences. His areas of interest in research include earth dams and tailing ponds, geotechnical earthquake engineering, and rock mechanics and engineering.

To advance innovation programmes for startups, Maruti Suzuki India and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay teamed together on Thursday. To broaden the scope of its innovation programmes for startups, the auto major said it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT Bombay. According to the statement, SINE will assist in the outreach and incubation of potential startups that could participate in Maruti Suzuki’s innovation programmes as part of the three-year MoU. Maruti Suzuki and SINE will jointly shortlist startups for some of the challenging business issues the company has highlighted as part of the effort. Together, they will review applications and plan workshops with investors, mentors, and business leaders. “Our efforts to engage startups aligns with Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Sabka Prayas’ to make India a global manufacturing hub. Our tie-up with IIT Bombay is an effort in this direction,” said Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India. SINE CEO Poyni Bhatt highlighted that Maruti Suzuki began its journey with a single vehicle, the Maruti 800, forty years ago, and that the company has since transformed the automotive industry. “As the industry is set to further grow, it brings many opportunities for budding startups. We are excited to partner with Maruti Suzuki and by leveraging our combined strengths, we are set to enable startups with innovative solutions to scale to the next level,” she added. Source: PTI

A year-long computer application training for underprivileged students in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district has begun with up to 20 girls, according to an official on Tuesday. The course was launched by the Army. The project was envisioned in line with the government’s Skill India and Digital India campaign. It is a package that includes numerous computer skills and fundamental computer knowledge, including Windows operating system, MS Office, and Internet, the official added. The students taking the year-long “advance diploma in computer application” course, designed to empower women, will, according to him, have both practical and theoretical understanding of computers. According to the official, all successful students will receive the accreditation of “Advance Diploma in Computer Application.” The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Banihal, Zaheer Abass Bhat, who interacted with the trainees alongside army officials, praised the Army’s efforts and asserted that computer education will provide the girls opportunities to become self-reliant. The completion of this course will provide students with options in both the sphere of further education and employment, according to Bhat. Source: PTI

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for 2023 is now inviting applications, according to the Ministry of Education. On the official website, nirfindia.org, higher education institutions (HEIs) can register for the Indian rankings. Institutions can register for these rankings up to November 18 at 5 pm. Agriculture and Allied Sectors is the one new discipline that NIRF has included this year. The discipline of architecture has also been renamed to Architecture and Planning. There were just four categories last year: Overall, Colleges, Universities, and Research Institutions, along with seven topic areas: engineering, management, pharmacy, law, medical, architecture, and dental. IISc Bangalore placed top among all institutions in the research and institution category of the NIRF 2022 rankings, but second overall. The top spot in the overall ranking category was secured by IIT Madras. The National Law School of India University got first place in the law category. IIM Ahmedabad was recognised as the best management college at the time. A total of 670 institutions participated in the rankings last year, of which 387 had no published research. The institutes were graded using several criteria across various disciplines. Research and professional practise, graduation results, outreach, and inclusion are just a few of the criteria.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduates (NEET-PG), which is slated for April to May of 2023, may be the last of its kind because, according to officials, final-year MBBS students will now be admitted to PG medical programmes based on the results of the National Exit Test. The National Medical Commission (NMC) is believed to have informed the Union Health Ministry in a high-level meeting held on Monday that it aims to hold the National Exit Test (NExT) in December 2023, official sources stated on Wednesday. MBBS students from the 2019–2020 batch will be required to take the test if it’s held in December 2023. According to them, the exam’s results would also be used to determine admission for students in the 2024–2025 batch to postgraduate medical programmes. The NMC Act states that NExT will function as a common final-year MBBS qualifying exam, a licentiate exam for the practise of contemporary medicine, a merit-based admissions exam for postgraduate courses, and a screening exam for foreign medical graduates who wish to practise in India. The administration extended the deadline for conducting NExT until September 2024 by invoking the pertinent NMC Act provisions in September. Within three years of it going into effect, the commission was required by law to perform a common undergraduate final-year medical examination, known as NExT.  In September 2020, the Act became effective. The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences may conduct the test in place of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, according to the sources, although no decision has been made in this regard. Officials stated that in order to conduct NExT, preparations must be made, including developing the modalities, curriculum, type, and pattern of the exam. They also added that students must be given enough time to prepare. Before the main test, practise exams would need to be administered. According to officials, NExT is significant because it will be the same for everyone, regardless of where they received their training—in India or elsewhere in the world—and will thereby address the issue of mutual recognition for foreign medical graduates. Source: PTI

In order to maintain student interest in the school and ensure attendance, a government-run primary school in a village in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra has developed creative strategies. There are only 50 students and two teachers enrolled in the zilla parishad-run primary school in the Babuwadi-Chartha village. Nearly 45 kilometres separate the village’s location on a hill from the district office. The school, which serves students up to Class 5, has adopted a number of unique initiatives over the years to inculcate social responsibility in children, ensure that they take care of the school’s surroundings, and encourage them to do well in their studies. Children have grown to appreciate the school due of its initiatives, whether it is helping their teachers clean the school every morning, planting saplings, or enjoying “no bag” days. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted students’ study habits, according to the school’s headmaster Sudhir Tupe, who was speaking about the most recent “smile badge” initiative. To encourage children to complete their homework, the smile badge was launched. He added that a committee of students has been formed to examine the homework each day. Children who complete their homework win the badge and wear it during class. Every day at 9.30 am, school starts. To help teachers clean the premises, however, children arrive a half-hour early, according to Tupe, who spoke to PTI. ‘No bag’ days have been observed for the past four to five years in an effort to keep students interested in attending class. “On no-bag days, we do some gardening, yoga and other fun activities. This has helped improve attendance and children love to come to school because of it,” he said. According to Tupe, the school has also started a plantation programme to keep the area around the school green. Since 2013, we have planted over 60 saplings on the school grounds. Every day, students water the trees on their walk home after saving some water in their water bottles, according to Tupe. On the academic front, he said that 15 students have received scholarships since 2017, and three students from the school have been admitted to Navodaya Vidyalayas. The school’s initiatives, according to Zilla Parishad education officer Jayashree Chavan, were distinctive, and some of them were adopted by other schools in the district. Source: PTI

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s broader higher education policies are reflected in the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) today’s announcement of revised regulations for institutions that are deemed to be universities. Multidisciplinary institutions with at least five departments (either UG/ PG/ integrated/ research or a combination of these) or a cluster of institutions with at least five departments that are all located in the same city or town will be eligible to apply for Deemed University status under the revised regulations. The NAAC “A” grade with at least a 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles, NBA accreditation for two-thirds of eligible programmes for three consecutive cycles, ranking in the top 50 of any given NIRF category for the previous three years continuously, or ranking in the top 100 of the overall NIRF ranking for the previous three years continuously, are additional requirements for eligibility. The “De Novo” category has been replaced with the “distinct institution” category, which exempts any institutes that qualify as “distinct” from having to adhere to NAAC requirements. In accordance with the new regulations, UGC, not the Ministry of Education (MoE), will henceforth approve any off-campus center(s). Deemed universities will now be able to create their own off-shore campus center(s), as long as they comply with UGC rules. It has been made clear, nonetheless, that admissions will be based on performance in the government-conducted entrance exam, and the fees will be set transparently while considering non-profit/non-commercial features. For any violations, a system of graded penalties has now been implemented. These include a public warning, a prohibition on expansion, and the shutdown of programmes, departments, or off-campus(es) locations. The status of considered university will be revoked in the event of continued violations.

On behalf of the Indian Ministry of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, signed an MoU with FIFA and the All India Football Federation for the “Football4Schools” initiative. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, and Kalyan Chaubey, the president of the All India Football Federation, respectively, signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Nisith Pramanik, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Youth Affairs, and Sports, Deepak Kesarkar, Minister of School Education and Marathi Language in Maharashtra, Commissioner of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Shri Vinayak Garg, and officials of the All India Football Federation were also present. Speaking at the event, Pradhan said that the Football4Schools initiative upholds the NEP 2020 spirit and that sports have been given a prominent place in the NEP 2020. The Football4Schools programme is a step towards implementing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s goal of making sports a way of life and creating well-rounded citizens, he continued. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has placed focus on mainstreaming sports with education. He expressed his happiness that FIFA, the All India Football Federation, and the Ministry of Education, GoI are working together to promote football and give the young students important life skills through this MoU on the sidelines of the U-17 World Cup. Football is a hugely popular sport, and the Football4Schools initiative uses it as a motivating tool to encourage children and assure their overall development, according to Shri Pradhan. He added that through sports-integrated learning, “Football4Schools” aspires to empower 25 million young boys and girls in India.

A certification programme on Public and Corporate Leadership in the VUCA World was been launched through a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Management, Indore and the edtech company Jaro Education. The IIM Indore faculty will deliver the lectures. A variety of lectures, case studies, projects, term papers, assignments, and other activities will be included in the certification programme. Applications for the course are currently being accepted, and courses will begin in December 2022 and end in September 2023. In order to lead in the VUCA world—vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—experts intend to upskill professionals and public figures through this programme. A wide range of social science disciplines, including psychology, political sociology, public policy, and international relations, will be emphasized in the programme, which will highlight various facets of public administration. Applicants must be entrepreneurs or working professionals with three years of experience. They must possess a diploma (10+2+3), a bachelor’s degree, or a postgraduate degree in any discipline with a minimum grade of 50%. The course intends to aid managers in comprehending the idea of political risks and areas, as well as their progress in the past and future, and to provide competent frameworks and methods for managing political risk. After completing the programme, managers will be able to evaluate political risks in various circumstances, identify blind spots, and take the necessary action to resolve the problem. The three-day immersive campus experience is part of the Corporate and Public Leadership Programme in VUCA World. Direct-to-device (D2D) mode will be used to deliver more than 75 hours of education at the same time through the Jaro Education learning experience platform. Interested candidates can register at the official website, landingpages.jaroeducation.com, for the eight-month certification programme.

The DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence was established in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur. Students can undertake focused research in a variety of fields with the aid of the recently established Centre of Excellence. In the presence of Rajnath Singh, the nation’s defence minister, Prof. Santanu Chaudhary, director of the IIT Jodhpur, and Secretary of the DRDO, exchanged a memorandum of understanding in Gandhinagar. The DRDO-funded Centre of Excellence at IIT Jodhpur will conduct directed research in the sectors that the two organisations have jointly identified. According to a statement released by the Institute, the research would be conducted by IIT Jodhpur faculty and students in partnership with various DRDO laboratories as well as industry, other academic/research institutions, and industry. Additionally, the Centre of Excellence will focus on doing focused research in the identified sectors, such as Artificial Intelligence for Information and Wargaming Technologies, Futuristic Omni Mobility Systems, and Desert Welfare Technologies. Additionally, the Center will carry out activities in science and technology that have been selected by DRDO. According to a press statement, the Director of the Center will be chosen by the Center’s Governing Council, which is co-chaired by the Director of IIT Jodhpur and is presided over by the Chairman of the DRDO.