Education Community

In partnership with Coursera, the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has introduced an online Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Computer Science programme. Beginning today, interested candidates can visit the Coursera website at coursera.org. Starting now, interested applicants can submit an application for the first cohort, which starts in November 2022. The deadline for applications is November 15. Steps to apply for the programme: Step 1: Go to coursera.org, the Coursera website. Step 2: Candidates can find the option for “online degrees” in the top scroll of the homepage. Step 3: Following that, scroll down and select the link for “Computer Science and Engineering Degrees.” Step 4: Candidates can select the link for the BSc Computer Science from BITS on the new page after clicking “show more” on the previous one. Step 5: Select the “apply now” button at the top. Step 6: Complete the form with all the necessary personal information and submit the registration fee, if required. The early application deadline is October 17, and the final application deadline is November 15. The start of classes is set for November 30. It’s interesting that the degree has no entrance exams and is available to students with a variety of backgrounds, including those without a strong foundation in science or considerable mathematics. Anyone who has completed class 12 or its equivalent is eligible to apply. The three-year degree can also be finished in six years by registered candidates. This will give students the freedom to study the programme concurrently with employment or another degree programme. Students can earn the program’s intermediate exit option, a diploma, in about two years.  

Dharmendra Pradhan, the union minister of education, invited US educational institutions to collaborate with India in the fast-changing fields of education and skilling. In order to offer twinning programmes, joint degrees, and dual degree programmes, higher education institutions in both nations should work more closely together academically. “The new National Education Policy (NEP) has lays emphasis on internationalisation of education. I called upon American institutions and companies to partner with India in rapidly-transforming education and skilling landscape. A growing digital economy, aspirational population, a knowledge-based society and policy reforms are creating unprecedented opportunities in India,” Pradhan said. The education minister was present at the India Ideas Summit when the comments were made. The US-India Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, International Affairs, South Asia jointly organised the event. Maximizing the Next 75 Years of US-India Prosperity was the event’s theme. “India and the US have similar societies and shared values. Education and Skill development are important pillars of Indo-US relations,” Pradhan said. The minister also urged improved cooperation between the two countries in the fields of research and skill development. India is making significant attempts to reskill, upskill, and skill its youth. If focused training and capacity building are offered in accordance with industry requirements, India’s vast, young, and educated population will be a benefit to any sector worldwide, he continued. India is in a good position, mostly because of its demographic advantage and other skilling initiatives, according to Pradhan. Source: PTI  

The Cabinet declared on September 7 that it has approved the launch of a new, government sponsored scheme for creating PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India). The Center wants to reinforce up to 14,600 schools under the programme in five years, or between 2022 and 2027, for a cost of Rs 27,360 crore. The Cabinet announced that these institutions, which include Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, will subsequently become PM SHRI Schools. Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan said, “The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of a new scheme for setting up PM-SHRI schools. Over 14,000 schools including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas will be strengthened to emerge as PM-SHRI schools.” An objective assessment would be performed for this to ensure that two schools are identified in each Block so that improvements to their educational standards may be achieved. A total of Rs 2 crore would be given to each PM SHRI model school over the course of two years for upgrading, and school authorities will have the discretion to spend up to 40% of the money. With digital learning tools, 3D labs, and vocational education, the PM SHRI model schools, which are anticipated to serve 20 lakh students, would be technology-driven. The schools would also be required to have an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Using a portal, the performance of the schools and the students would be monitored.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attacked the Delhi government harshly, calling the state’s educational system “hollow” and “a gimmick.” Attacking the AAP administration over the excise policy, Pradhan claimed that Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and Manish Sisodia, his deputy, are trying to hide their “theft” by bringing up the New York Times article on Delhi’s education system. “Delhi’s education system is khokhla (hollow) and a nautanki (gimmick).”  In his speech at Business Today’s “India@100 conclave” on Friday, Pradhan stated that the performance of class 10 and 12 students in Delhi government schools has been steadily declining according to the National Achievement Survey. “They are just trying to cover up for their theft using the excise policy by showing the New York Times article while in reality the situation is different,” he added. After the CBI raided the home of Sisodia, who also holds the portfolios of education and excise, in connection with allegations of irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the government’s excise policy, the New York Times report that was published last week had set off a verbal spat between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The New York Times, an American newspaper, had stated that the story was based on “impartial and on-the-ground reporting” while rejecting the claim that it was paid news. Source: PTI

On September 5, President Droupadi Murmu will bestow 46 chosen awardees the National Awards to Teachers 2022 in recognition of their distinctive contributions to education, according to officials. Three teachers each from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Telangana were chosen from the list of candidates. The recipients from these four states are Yudhveer, Virender Kumar, and Amit Kumar (from Himachal Pradesh); Harpreet Singh, Arun Kumar Garg, and Vandana Shahi (from Punjab); Shashikant Sambhajirao Kulthe, Somnath Waman Walke, and Kavita Sanghvi (from Maharashtra); and Kandala Ramaiah, TN Sridhar, and Sunitha Rao (Telangana), are the awardees from these four states. Every year on September 5—Teachers Day—the Ministry of Education hosts a function at Vigyan Bhawan to bestow awards to the nation’s top teachers who have been chosen after a rigorous, transparent, and online three stage selection process. According to a senior official, “The purpose of National Awards to Teachers is to celebrate the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who through their commitment and industry have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students.” The selected teachers are Pradeep Negi and Kaustubh Chandra Joshi (Uttarakhand), Sunita and Durga Ram Muwal (Rajasthan), Neeraj Saxena and Om Prakash Patidar (Madhya Pradesh), Saurabh Suman and Nishi Kumari (Bihar), G Ponsankari and Umesh TP (Karnataka), Mala Jigdal Dorjee and Sidharth Yonzone (Sikkim). The other awardees include Anju Dahiya (Haryana), Rajni Sharma (Delhi), Seema Rani (Chandigarh), Maria Murena Miranda (Goa), Umesh Bharatbhai Vala (Gujarat), Mamta Ahar (Chhattisgarh), Iswar Chandra Nayak (Odhisha), Buddhadev Dutta (West Bengal), Javid Ahmed Rather (Jammu and Kashmir), Mohd Jabir (Ladkah), Khursheed Ahmad (Uttar Pradesh), Mimi Yhoshii (Nagaland), Nongmaithem Gautam Singh (Manipur), Gamchi Timre R Marak (Meghalaya), Santosh Nath (Tripura), Meenakshi Goswami (Assam), Shipra (Jharkhand), Ranjan Kumar Biswas (Andaman and Nicobar), Aravindaraja (Puducherry), Ramachandran (Tamil Nadu), Ravi Aruna (Andhra Pradesh). “Among the selected teachers one is from CISCE board, two from Kendriya Vidyalayas, one each from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and Eklavya Residential School, while two teachers are from CBSE board,” the official said.

Tarun Bajaj, a 1988 batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre who currently serves as the revenue secretary, was assigned the additional charge of secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA). According to the ministry of personnel, public grievances, and pensions, he will succeed Rajesh Verma, who was appointed secretary to President Droupadi Murmu on August 18. According to official records, Bajaj, who has been the revenue secretary since April 6, 2021, also served as the secretary of economic affairs from April 30, 2020, to April 5, 2021. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, or ACC, approved assigning Shri Tarun Bajaj, lAS (1988 batch, Haryana cadre), Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, with additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, with immediate effect and until the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the ACC secretariat said in a statement on Monday. The ACC is comprised of the home minister Amit Shah and the prime minister Narendra Modi. Unless he receives an extension before the Union Budget 2023–24, Bajaj is anticipated to retire on November 30.

The government has finalised a proposal to name each AIIMS, including the one in Delhi, based on local heroes, freedom fighters, significant local historical occurrences or landmarks, or their unique geographic identity. After being asked for proposals by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the majority of the 23 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have provided a list of names, according to official sources quoted by PTI. The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) is a government initiative that aims to establish new AIIMS, some of which are already functioning. According to an official, AIIMS are all known by the same name and are only differentiated by location. In order to offer distinct names to all 23 AIIMS, including those that are fully functional, partially operating, or under construction, the Union Health Ministry has created a plan, the source added. In this regard, suggestions for giving specific names to various AIIMS were requested, the source said. These names could be connected to notable local or regional heroes, freedom fighters, the distinctive geographical identity of the area where the institute is located, and important historical events or monuments of the region. Reports state that the most of these esteemed health institutions have offered three to four names, each with an explanation. In Phase 1 of PMSSY, six new AIIMS were approved and are now operational in Bihar (Patna), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Odisha (Bhubaneswar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur), and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh). Ten of the 16 AIIMS established between 2015 and 2022 have started providing both MBBS programmes and outpatient department services, while the other two have only recently started providing MBBS classes. The other four institutes are in various stages of development. Source: PTI