Page 2 - Education Ministry

NAAC chief Bhushan Patwardhan resigns to 'safeguard sanctity of post'

National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) chairperson Bhushan Patwardhan has resigned, saying he was doing so to safeguard "the sanctity of the post", days after alleging that universities were obtaining questionable grades through unfair means. In a letter to University Grants Commission Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar on Sunday night, Patwardhan said he was resigning from his post. "After careful reconsideration of the entire subject, I hereby resign from the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee, NAAC, Bengaluru in the larger interest of the UGC, NAAC, and Indian higher education system," he wrote. "I wish to reiterate that I had nothing personal in this matter but it was an act to safeguard self-respect and the sanctity of the post of chairman EC and the NAAC," he added. NAAC is an autonomous body under the UGC that assesses and certifies higher educational institutions with gradings as part of accreditation. Patwardhan last week demanded an "independent inquiry

Policy changes must in education system to erase drug menace: HP minister

Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur Saturday directed officials of his department to make necessary changes in the education system for eradication of drug menace from the state. Presiding over a review meeting of the education department here, he said ignorance about the consequences of drugs, curiosity, and psychological reasons often draw students into drug addiction. "It has become imperative to ingrain in the mind of every child in Himachal Pradesh that we together can fight this evil and can contribute towards building a healthy society," the minister said. He asked the National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT) and Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) to prepare an age-appropriate curriculum to educate children about the ill effects of drug abuse and integrate the same into the curriculum of schools and colleges. Thakur also stressed the need for a state-wide mental health helpline through which virtual counselling of children .

Denying admission under EWS category frustrates right to education: HC

Denial of admission under EWS or Disadvantaged Group category by a school even after allotment by the authorities frustrates and undermines the noble objective of the law on right to education and violates the fundamental rights of children under the Constitution, the Delhi High Court has said. The court's observation came on a petition by a minor boy who sought a direction to a private school here to give him admission in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS)/ Disadvantaged Group (DG) category. The school's objection before the court was that the petitioner's residence was not within the 0-1 km radius and so he was not eligible for admission. The Delhi government, however, took a contrary stand and said the child was staying in the school's vicinity. Ruling in favour of the petitioner, Justice Mini Pushkarna accepted the scrutiny carried out by the Department of Education (DOE) with respect to the petitioner's place of residence and said the noble object of providing good educatio

Admission through CUET to only 20 courses this year, Jamia tells UGC

The Jamia Millia Islamia has decided not to implement the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses except for 20 programmes, citing lack of time to change the university rules, a senior official said Friday. Twenty courses including B.Sc.(Hons) Physics, B.Sc.(Hons) Chemistry this year will allow admission through the CUET, 10 more than the last academic year. The varsity has written to the University Grants Commission (UGC), informing it about the latest decision and also apprised that it will implement CUET-UG in all courses from the academic year 2024-25 as it requires sufficient time to change admission rules. The UGC introduced the CUET last year for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), however, did not adopt the CUET for all its undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Recently, UGC asked the JMI to implement CUET UG from the academic session 2023-24 in all courses. In its

Discussed pendency of Australian visa applications: Dharmendra Pradhan

The pendency of Australian visa applications from Indians has been discussed again at a bilateral forum, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday. The minister discussed the issue with his Australian counterpart Jason Clare, who is on a visit to India till March 5. "After the COVID-19 pandemic, the visa process for students and the workforce had significantly slowed down. Last year, the Australian government assured us to add more manpower and enhance the ease of the process," Pradhan told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. "The pendency of four lakh visa applications from Indians has been reduced in the last five months. Still a sizeable number is pending. The issue was again discussed at the bilateral forum when we spoke of student mobility," he added. Clare is leading a delegation of Australian higher education leaders to promote institutional partnerships and boost the collaboration between the two countries. His visit builds on Pradhan's trip to

Wollongong university's campus in GIFT City to be operational in 2023

The University of Wollongong's campus in Gujarat's GIFT City is expected to be operational by the end of this year and admit the first batch of students, Australian Education Minister Jason Clare announced on Thursday. The campus will initially start "small" and offer finance and STEM courses, said Clare, who is on a visit to India till March 3. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday announced that two Australian varsities -- Wollongong and Deakin -- would open their campuses in GIFT City. "The University of Wollongong has signed a Letter of Intent with the Indian government and we are hopeful that the campus in GIFT City will be operational by end of this year and start admitting first batch of students," Clare told PTI on sidelines of an event. The minister, however, did not share a timeline for setting up of Deakin University's campus. "More details will be available during the Australian Prime Minister's visit next week," he said. Responding to a question ab

In a first, Australia's Deakin University to set up campus in GIFT city

Deakin University sits in the 266th spot in the QS World University Rankings. It is among the top 50 young universities in the world

PM SHRI scheme to benefit students studying in 1,753 UP schools: CM Yogi

In line with the government's vision of providing quality education to children in the state and creating a learning-friendly atmosphere, the Yogi Adityanath government has swung into action

Parakh to bring uniformity in assessment across boards in India: ETS CEO

India's first national assessment regulator PARAKH will bring the much-needed uniformity in assessment by more than 60 boards in the country, Educational Testing Service (ETS) CEO Amit Sevak has said. ETS, which conducts key tests such as TOEFL and GRE, has been chosen by the National Council for Education Research (NCERT) for setting up the regulatory platform. The Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) will work on setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school boards in the country. "PARAKH will be an independent organisation affiliated to the Education Ministry which will be looking into three major areas - large-scale assessment like the National Achievement Survey, school-based assessments and thirdly capacity building. "The first step is to develop some norms and standardised guidelines for assessment including summative tests and constant new forms of assessing ...

Old education system rogue as students had to read, write, vomit: Minister

The old Macaulay system of education was "rogue" as students had to "read, write and vomit", Union MoS for Education Subhas Sarkar said on Saturday. Speaking to reporters at the Raj Bhavan, he said the New Education Policy (NEP) will help students get holistic education. "The previous Macaulay system of education was rogue. Students had to read, write and then vomit. The entire globe is shifting from the old educational policy to a new holistic manner of education, which is imparted in such a way that students can give back to society," he said. British politician Thomas Babington Macaulay played a key role in introducing English as the medium of instruction for education in India in the 1800s. "Now, we need holistic education, and there should not be any compartment. An Arts student can study Physics and Chemistry, whereas a Science student can include History and Economics as his choice of subjects," Sarkar said. He was part of a panel discussion on NEP at the Raj Bhavan, organi

209,000 NEET-PG aspirants, no other date available if exam postponed: NBE

The National Board of Examinations (NBE) on Friday told the Supreme Court that around 2.09 lakh candidates have registered for the NEET-PG exam 2023, which is scheduled for March 5, and no alternative date for conducting the exam may be available in the near future if it is postponed. The submissions were made before a bench of justices S R Bhat and Dipankar Datta, which was hearing two petitions seeking postponement of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-PG exam. The apex court, which made clear that it was not passing any order either way, asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the NBE, to come out with a solution of the issue raised by the petitioners. The petitioners have sought postponement of the examination saying the counselling have to be conducted after August 11 since the cut-off date for internship has been extended to that date. "For those who are waiting for this (examination), it is really a mental torture," the bench ..

Paper leak leads to cancellation of Punjab Board Class 12 English exam

The Punjab School Education Board's Class 12 English examination slated to be held on Friday was cancelled following reports of question paper leak. According to a state government statement, on the directive of Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, the examination has been cancelled. The statement quoting Bains said that taking immediate measure after receiving reports of the leak of the question paper, he had instructed the authorities to cancel the exam. The minister also ordered a high-level probe into the matter and said no person involved in the matter will be spared and exemplary action will be ensured against the erring. New date for the exam will be announced later.

Zerodha CEO advises Indian students to rethink their plan to study abroad

With rising interest rates in the west and mass firing in high-paid tech jobs, one must reconsider the new universities set up in India, which have improved tremendously, said Zerodha's Nithin Kamath

Govt asks all states, UTs to make 6 years minimum age for Class 1 admission

The Ministry of Education has directed all states and Union Territories to fix the minimum age for admission in Class 1 as six years, officials said on Wednesday. According to the new National Education Policy (NEP), the foundational stage consists of five years of learning opportunities for all children (between 3 to 8 years) that includes three years of preschool education and then Classes 1 and 2. "The policy thus promotes seamless learning and development of children from pre-school to class 2. This can only be done by ensuring accessibility to three years of quality preschool education for all children studying in Anganwadis or government, government-aided, private and NGO-run preschool centers," a senior MoE official said. "The Ministry has directed State Governments and UT administrations to align their age to admission with the policy and provide admission to class 1 at the age of six years and above," the official added.

Education in India is being internationalised with implementation of NEP

The implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) is internationalising the education system in India for global good, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday. The minister made the remarks at the International Education Fair of Jammu and Kashmir, organised by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in New Delhi. "With the implementation of NEP, education in India is being internationalised for the global good. I encourage all our universities to join efforts to establish India as a global study destination," he said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed upon the need to have more international students to make the youth of India aware of developments on the global front. "In a globalised world, it's absolutely essential that young people of India are fully aware of what's happening in the world & there is no better way to do that than having international students among you," he told the gathering. "Today, India has projects

Use of tech in education improving academic results: Byju's co-founder

Penetration of technology in the education sector is giving improved academic results, Divya Gokulnath, Co-Founder of BYJU's, said on Tuesday. Edtech is an area which has seen growth, especially since Covid-19. The use of technology in education is delivering improved academic results, she told PTI. "It is a responsibility and duty to ensure that while we do well as an organisation we go beyond business and we do good for society. Education is one sector where you have benefits of double bottom line. I don't think many other sectors can actually stake that claim," Gokulnath said on the sidelines of GSV + Emeritus India Summit event in Gurugram. On the contribution of BYJU's, she said the ed-tech company has close to 7.5 million paying customers and another 5.5 million students from the remotest part of the country who are being given online learning for free. "There is a 6 per cent increase in academic improvement... This is what the sector is capable of doing... you have great ...

91% Indian students feel professional certification will help them in jobs

Ninety-one per cent Indian students believe that a professional certification will help them succeed in their job while 96 per cent felt it will help them get a employment after graduation, according to a new survey. The study conducted by online learning platform Coursera also found that employers in India place a higher value on professional certificates when making hiring decisions than their counterparts in Australia, the UK, Germany and France. Nearly 5,000 students and employers across 11 countries -- Australia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the US -- were surveyed as part of the study. "Ninety-six per cent of surveyed Indian students (versus 90 per cent of students worldwide) believe that earning a professional certificate will help them stand out to employers and get a job after graduation," the survey report stated. It added that 92 per cent of surveyed employers in India -- compared to 88 per cent globally -- believe that

CBSE prohibits use of ChatGPT in upcoming class 10, 12 board exams

The use of Artificial Intelligence-based ChatGPT has been prohibited in the upcoming class 10, 12 board exams by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), officials said on Tuesday. The class 10 and 12 board exams are set to begin on Wednesday. "Mobile, ChatGPT and other electronic items will not be allowed in examination hall," according to instructions issued by the board ahead of the papers. The use of ChatGPT will amount to using unfair means in the exam, the board officials said. "Students are not allowed to carry any electronic devices inside the exam centre. This includes using device to access ChatGPT so that unfair means is not used," a senior board official said. ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer), which was launched in November 2022, is capable of generating speeches, songs, marketing copy, news articles and student essays or human-like text based on the input it is given. The new artificial intelligence (AI) system, known as a large language mode

Encourage research and innovation: President to educational institutions

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday urged educational institutions to encourage research and innovation while also expressing hope that some students would become good teachers or professors. Today, India has the third-largest start-up ecosystem in the world, Murmu said during her address at the 10th convocation of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University here. All educational institutions, especially universities and technical institutes, should take full advantage of this ecosystem and encourage research and innovation among the students, she said. The President said their efforts would be an important contribution to making India a leading nation in innovation and technology. She also called for education to be connected with the favourable environment for investment and business created by the Global Investors Summit in Uttar Pradesh. "Our universities should develop themselves into a centre where new research is done for public welfare, a hub of the fourth Industrial Revolution,

Education min calls for CAG audit on misuse of PM Poshan funds in W Bengal

The Ministry of Education has asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for a special audit of alleged misuse of funds for the PM Poshan scheme in West Bengal over last three years, officials said on Wednesday. Necessary corrective action will be taken by the ministry based on the audit report, they said. "The Education Ministry has requested CAG for a Special Audit of implementation of PM Poshan scheme in the State of West Bengal for the last three financial years. This audit will encompass compliance, performance and financial audit," a senior ministry official said. "CAG is empowered to conduct this Audit under Regulations on Audit and Accounts (Amendment) 2020 framed in pursuance of Section 23 of the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971, (Act No 56 of 1971)," the official said. The Department of School Education and Literacy administers the PM Poshan scheme vide which funds are provided to states, based on proposals receive