Education Community

After participating in a recent survey, around 68% of over 3000 class 11 and 12 students mentionedthat they would like to pursue their further education in their home country only. This number hasseen a jumped increase of 24 % in it, as compared to last year. For this survey titled Student QuestSurvey Report, more than 6,600 students between classes 9 to 12 participated from over 2,000schools from India and South Asia. If we look at the round figure on an overall basis, only 25% ofstudents are planning to go abroad for their further studies this year.The quality of faculty for choosing higher education institute was ranked low by the studentsbelonging to class 9 and 10 standards, while students of class 11 and 12 ranked it higher as animportant aspect. An overall 83 % of students prefer the quality of education as the main cause forchoosing their education abroad.Source: ndtv.com

Delhi Government has issued orders, that children who lost their parents in pandemic after March last year, shall be offered with free education and allotted the same school in which they were studying. These directives were issued by Delhi Government for the private school which is running on DDA or government allotted land. The Directorate of Education (DoE) said in an official order, “that all the children who lost their parents after march last year, either due to Covid-19 or any other reason, needs to be taken care of in terms of education. Such students are asked to be admitted to the same school without any draw of the lot if the schools are running on DDA or government allotted land. The approval for these kids to continue their education in the same school shall be done by a competent authority”. On the other hand, such students can also be treated as students studying under economically weaker section disadvantage. Hence, the reimbursement will be paid by the Directorate of Education, and once these kids complete education till class 8, they can get admission to the government school.  Source: Indianexpress.com

IIT Kharagpur has instituted a full ride scholarship to support students who figure in the top 100 of all India rankings of JEE advanced, institute director Prof Virendra Kumat Tewari said on Wednesday.   The scholarship entitled  ‘Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Full Scholarship for Top 100 JEE (Advanced) Rankers’ will cover the entire expenses of students who win it till they complete their B.Tech course at IIT Kharagpur, Tewari said at the institute’s 71st foundation day programme held at its campus. The scholarship will be implemented from the 2021-22 academic session and will consider students whose parents’ gross annual income is less than Rs 20 lakh, he said. “At IIT Kharagpur we believe that not a single meritorious student should have their education limited due to financial constraints … It is our responsibility as well as our privilege and immense pleasure to support all such talented and meritorious but economically challenged students to access higher education. “This scholarship is in the name of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay) and he earned the title of ‘Vidyasagar’ for his vast knowledge in Sanskrit and Indian philosophy which was compared to the vastness of the ocean,” he said. Students require funds not only to for tuition fees but for myriad other reasons like buying  books, transportation, food and lodging, he said adding the expense may be too high for a family to pay. “The full ride scholarship will cover the entire cost of education of a student such as institution fees, hall expenses, text books, meals, gadgets and other miscellaneous expenses such as relocation expenses, personal expenses, other living costs and also to provide an out-of-pocket allowance. It will leave them free to focus on their studies and social life without worrying about money.”, said Prof Jayanta Mukhopadyay, the Dean Outreach and professor of computer science and engineering department at IIT Kharagpur. Prof Surjya K Pal, the Associate Dean of Alumni Affairs and Branding and a professor of the mechanical engineering department said the institute will bear all the expenses of the chosen student throughout his tenure. “The students you are encouraged to carry on with your studies, not only for your bright future but also for the progress of the nation”. If a student who has won the scholarship wants to be of support to his/her family, he/she can do so as there is a provision where the saved amount from the students expenses can be utilised for the benefit of immediate family members, he added. Source: PTI

The Indian Institute of Management has launched the Brij Disa center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CDSA). This center will be devoted to assure high-quality research in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. The research findings are aimed towards supporting the government, policymaking, and businesses. The objective of this center is to bridge the gap between scholars and practitioners within the data-intensive organization. With that, there will be undertaking case study pattern research to analyze and understand the ongoing industry practices. Which will also help in developing case studies for classroom learning. The philanthropic support for the establishment of this center has been done by Deepak Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Group.  The CDSA will also be focused on the dissemination of knowledge to a large audience through conducting workshops and conferences. The center will also be looking forward to taking up various consulting projects that demand critical thinking and have considerable importance in the industry with vibrant players. Source: Indianexpress.com

Edunet foundation is all set to implement a pan India initiative, to develop skills in young women graduating in engineering, sciences, computer applications, and vocational studies, to make them future-ready. A joint skill program ‘TechSaksham’ is launched by SAP India and Microsoft. This program is focused on empowering women students in the area of artificial intelligence, web design, cloud computing, and digital marketing. This program will run under the collaboration of AICTE training and Learning Academy- ATAL and the state government education department for professional development of faculties at the participating institutes and departments.  Under this program, students will also get a chance to present their work to experts and business leaders from local industries. Which will help to establish an early ecosystem. More than 60,000 women will be trained with over 1000 trained and certified women faculties. This can help in upgrading and updating students’ skills as per the market requirements and will generate employability as well.  The targeted students and teachers will be selected for this program after one year of implementation of the program. Source: theInidanexpress.com

The hasty decision of reopening schools results in the spread of the infection again increasing the risk of a third wave. The states had the liberty of taking the decision to reopen schools based on the condition of the infections in their respective states. However, as the infections started subsiding, the hasty decision to reopen schools in several states is now proving to be a disaster for the country.  Students who went to schools in several states have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus thereby increasing the risk of infections amongst the citizens yet again.  While Haryana had opened schools for senior classes (Classes 9 to 12) from July 16 onwards, Punjab on August 2 went ahead and allowed all classes from pre-nursery to Class 12. The Himachal Pradesh government also opened schools for 9th to 12th standard students from August 2. With ten more school children found positive in Anni subdivision of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, so far, a total of 62 children have contracted the virus in the state, after the government decided to reopen the schools. Himachal Pradesh government has closed all the schools till the 22nd of August as a precautionary measure. The worst-hit places are the Kullu, Kangra and Shimla districts where crowds of tourists were witnessed recently. In neighboring Punjab, 27 school children have been found Covid-19 positive. Out of a total of 27, 21 students alone were found in two Ludhiana schools which have been closed as a precautionary measure. Haryana was first to open schools for the senior classes between Standard 9 to 12 from July 16. Six students who were studying in two Fatehabad schools were found to be Covid-19 positive last week. Earlier in March this year, 54 school children had tested positive in the Karnal district. Himachal Pradesh and Punjab currently top the Covid-19 transmission rate in the country with the highest virus reproductive value of 1.3 each, which indicates rising infection trends and disease resurgence. While the Himachal Pradesh government has already closed all educational institutions including schools till the 22nd of August, Haryana and Punjab are yet to take a call. Source: The headline and the body have been published with a few edits by ArdorComm News Network while the rest of the news is from India Today.

Student Federation of India (SFI) has arranged a “face to face classroom” on road to protest against the closure of educational institutions. The student body will hold the protest on August 12 across West Bengal. Schools across India have been closed since mid-March 2020 due to the pandemic and classes are being conducted digitally since then. While the country is reopening slowly, schools and educational institutes still remain shut. This year, many examinations have been cancelled including the board examinations of classes 10 and 12. Examinations for most of the colleges and universities are being taken online. SFI has been demanding to reopen the schools and colleges immediately. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also declared that, if the situation permits, classes may start in schools on alternative days. As a protest for the online classes, SFI is holding offline classes on the roads. One such class has already started on the road in front of Jadavpur University where professors have joined to take classes. “The classes there will commence till 14 August and such initiative will be taken across the state on 12 August.” Professor Nandini Mukherjee who joined in the movement with the students and took class, said, “The students who stay in the remote area are suffering. Many of my students are not being able to get the facility of attending online classes due to poor network connections. The government has granted permission to reopen everything instead of educational institutions.” She also added, “There must be a proper plan to reopen the schools, colleges and universities. To function the entire system properly, government needs to open the campus immediately with proper protection.” SFI State General Secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, said, “Government is not prioritising education. Central Government, in their New Education Policy, has focused on online mode of education and state Government is backing. The basic structure of the education system is on the verge of abolition. So we have started a symbolic protest.” Source: News 18

Even after witnessing a relief in the case count of Covid-19, after a harsh second wave. As a ray of hope schools are all set to reopen. As per a survey report published in moneycontrol, almost 48% of parents do not wish to send their children to school until their children are fully vaccinated or in case the covid-19 cases go to zero. As per a survey conducted by an online platform, local circles in late July, around 37000 parents of which 47 percent are based in tier 1 district, 27 percent in tier 2 and 26 percent respondents were from tier 3,4, and rural districts. Another 21 percent of parents said, they would send their kids to school even if vaccination is not done. But they at least expect the number of cases to come down to zero. So that they can feel their kids are safe.