CBSE revises exam facilities for disabled

TNN 



The CBSE has directed schools to ensure that all facilities and exemptions allowed to students with disabilities are available during board exams for Std X and XII. The board sent this notice to schools to accommodate specified disabilities as defined in a December 28 notification regarding Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

 KK Choudhury , controller of examination, wrote to schools saying there is a “need to extend the facilities to candidates with specified 21 disabilities as listed in the schedule of the said notification“. He said students who wish to avail of exemptions must and make a request in a prescribed format. Spastic, visually impaired, physically handicapped, dyslexic, autistic and candidates with disabilities as defined in the Act can a scribe or get extra time or both.





Source: Jan 31 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

• 30 Jan 2017 | Mumbai | Neelam Pandey neelam.pandey@hindustantimes.com n

Certification may soon be must for teachers

Concerned over the poor quality of teaching institutes and colleges that are producing “sub-standard” teachers, the Centre is planning to put in place a mandatory accreditation and certification process for such schools.
To ensure compliance, the Centre is likely to make certification mandatory for graduates applying to government teaching jobs, sources said.
Last year, while reviewing the education sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry should issue a mandate to states to recruit teachers every year from accredited and certified teacher training institutes only.
Sources said the ministry, in consultation with states, is working out the parameters.

“Teachers are the key to delivery of good quality education. But nowadays so many institutes have come up ...and they don’t have the expertise, quality teachers and infrastructure to run such courses . Many Bachelor of Education (BEd) colleges have started operating which are not even maintaining basic standard... We want to keep a check on that,” said a senior official.
The National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) is a regulatory body for school level teachers’ training and according to it there are over 24,000 teacher training institutions across the country.
It also gives approval to teaching institutes to operate. However, sources say most don’t follow the norms laid by NCTE.
The impact of poor quality teaching is visible in schools as surveys in Delhi found half the sixth graders in government-run schools are unable to read at all.

Source : http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

JEE asks schools to provide cut-off mark to shorten delay in IIT, NIT admissions

Neelam Pandey | Hindustan Times, New Delhi |Jan 30, 2017

The top 20 percentile at schools is the qualifying mark for the JEE main examination, the entrance test that secures an admission in IITs and NITs.(HT File Photo)

School education boards across the country have been asked to provide the top 20 percentile cut-off to JEE Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) for class XII examination results before June 10 so that admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other engineering colleges are not delayed.

This was decided at a meeting of the Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE), which includes all school education boards and the CBSE.

Without class XII scores, JoSAA cannot start the seat allocation process since securing 75% marks or being in the top 20 percentile of a school is an essential qualification for securing a seat in IIT or NIT.
“All the school boards have been asked by COBSE to furnish the top 20-percentile cut-off, which is a qualifying mark for JEE main. The information will be used for preparing the cut-off for the engineering exam,” said a source.

Sources also said that the boards including CBSE have agreed to provide the details by the middle of May. Registration for joint seat allocation system will start on June 15
“IITs and other institutes have informed the COBSE about the problem they face during the admission process if school boards delay this. June 10 should be last date for providing such information which is vital for the admission process,” said one of the government officials, requesting anonymity.

In the past the joint seat allocation process for IITs and other top engineering schools such as National Institutes of Technology, aimed at reducing the number of vacant seats in the top schools, were delayed by a few weeks.

CBSE had postponed its class 10 and 12 board exams this year. The exam will begin from March 9, a day after the last phase of polling in the upcoming assembly elections in five states. Despite the postponement of the exams, CBSE chairman RK Chaturvedi said they are confident of releasing the results on time. The exams usually begin on March 1, and results are declared in the third week of May.


Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/jee-asks-schools-to-provide-cut-off-mark-to-shorten-delay-in-iit-nit-admissions/story-72XYpnKiAoNtQr7NVscnUP.html

• 28 Jan 2017 |  Mumbai

PROBLEMS IN NEET 2017

 

THERE’S STILL NO clarity on the syllabus that will be considered for the NEET 2017 exam. While the NEET originally was meant to be based on the CBSE syllabus, there were discussions of including state board syllabus as well. However, parents had sought more clarity on the inclusion of state board syllabus as no two states share similar syllabus for Classes 11 and 12 subjects. There is no clarity todate PArENts HAvE tIME and again asked for a single website to be put together by the CBSE officials for official and regular updates about the exam but as of now, CBSE has not even released an official website for NEET 2017

REGIstrAtIONs FOr NEET exam usually begin by mid-December, but this year, there’s been no word from CBSE about the process as yet. Parents are worried that the registrations process will begin exactly when students will start appearing for their class XII exams, which should begin in mid-February CBSE HAs NOt yet announced the exam date for this year

Source: http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

CBSE exam dates changed



CBSE has changed the exam dates for three Class X subjects and five Class XII subjects due to overlap with language subjects and to give adequate gap between two papers.

New CBSE exam dates





Exam dates for a few subjects of classes X and XII to be conducted by the CBSE have been changed. Class X exam for Tamil is rescheduled from March 10 to March 18 while NCC has been shifted to March 23 from March 15. The new date for class XII theatre studies is April 10, while physical education is shifted to April 12. Sociology will be conducted on April 20 now and food service-II examination will be held on April 26. 

 

Source: Jan 28 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

CBSE Class 10, 12 exams 2017: Dates changed, check here

CBSE class 10, 12 examinations 2017: The changes for class 10 are for the subjects of Tamil, Gurung and National Cadet Cops.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: January 27, 2017 5:26 pm

CBSE class 10, 12 examinations 2017: This year, there are 10,98,420 students appearing for the class 12 exam. CBSE class 10, 12 examinations 2017: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the revised the date sheet for class 10 and class 12. The changes for class 10 are for the subjects of Tamil, Gurung and National Cadet Cops. For class 12, the dates have been changed for Theatre studies, Tangkhul, Physical Education, Sociology and  Food Service-II.

The dates for the few subjects mentioned above have been switched. The CBSE exams for class 10 and 12 will begin on March 9, 2017. The class 10 will end on April 10 while the class 12 exams will continue till April 29. The exam dates had been delayed this year due to elections in five states- Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Last years, girls scored higher in the class 10 examination with an average score of 96.36 per cent and private schools in the capital performed better than government-run and aided school. This year, there are 10,98,420 students appearing for the class 12 exam, with 10677 schools having registered to the board.

Changes made:

Class 10
Tamil- Saturday, March 18, 2017
(Old date- March 10, 2017)
Gurung- Friday, March 10, 2017
(Old date- March 23, 2017)
National Cadet Cops- Thursday, March 23, 2017
(Old date- March 15, 2017)

Class 12
Theatre studies- Monday, April 10, 2017
(Old date- April 20, 2017)
Tangkhul- Monday, April 10, 2017
(Old date- April 20, 2017)
Physical Education- Wednesday, April 12, 2017
(Old date- April 10, 2017)
Sociology- Thursday, April 20, 2017
(Old date- April 12, 2017)
Food Service-II- Wednesday, April 26, 2017
(Old date- April 29, 2017)
REVISED CLASS 10 DATE SHEET:

Friday, March 10
132 Gurung
002 Hindi Course A
085 Hindi Course B



Monday, March 20
049 Painting
096 Spanish
021 Russian
Wednesday, March 22
086 Science
090 Science W/O Prac

Saturday, March 25
008 Sindhi
122 Sanskrit

Thursday, March 30
101 English Comm.
184 English Lang & Lit
Monday, April 3
041 Mathematics
Wednesday, April 5
165 Foundation of IT
Saturday, April 8
087 Social Science

REVISED CLASS 12 DATE SHEET:
Thursday, March 9, 2017
ENGLISH ELECTIVE –NCERT
ENGLISH ELECTIVE-CBSE(FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH)
ENGLISH CORE

Wednesday, March 15, 2017
PHYSICS
PERSIAN
SECRETARIAL PRACTICE & ACCOUNTING
AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION – III
OPTICS –II
RADIOGRAPHY-I GENERAL
ELECTRICAL MACHINE
CLINICAL BIO-CHEMISTRY (MLT)
CHILD HEALTH NURSING
GARMENT CONSTRUCTION –II
TRADITIONAL INDIAN TEXTILE
Thursday, March 16, 2017
BUSINESS STUDIES
BASIC HORTICULTURE-II
BEAUTY & HAIR -II
OPERATION & MAINTENANCE OF COMMUNICATION DEVICES

Monday, March 20, 2017
MATHEMATICS
FIRST AID & EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE
CLINICAL BIO-CHEMISTRY & MICROBIOLOGY-II
MICROBIOLOGY (MLT)
HEALTH CENTRE MANAGEMENT
OPTHALMIC TECHNIQUES-II
RADIOGRAPHY-II (SPECIAL INVESTIGATION IMAGING RADIOGRAPHY)

Saturday, March 25, 2017
CHEMISTRY APPLIED PHYSICS
FOOD & BEVERAGE COST & CONTROL
FLORICULTURE
COST ACCOUNTING
BIOLOGY OPTHALMIC-II
RADIATION PHYSICS
Monday, March 27, 2017
INFORMATICS PRACTICES
COMPUTER SCIENCE
ADVANCED FRONT OFFICE OPERATIONS
OLERICULTURE – II
INSURANCE –II
BASIC PATTERN DEVELOPMENT
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
ACCOUNTANCY
BAKERY-II
HOLISTIC HEALTH –II
SECURITY(NSQF)

Wednesday, April 5, 2017
BIOLOGY
TAXATION-II
DERIVATIVE MARKET OPERATIONS
AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION-IV

Monday, April 17, 2017
ECONOMICS
TROUBLE SHOOTING & MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Saturday, April 22, 2017
HINDI ELECTIVE
GUJARATI
NEPALI
LIMBOO
LEPCHA
BHUTIA
HINDI CORE


Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/cbse-nic-in-cbse-class-10-12-examinations-2017-date-sheets-revised-check-here-4493831/

Jan 20 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Changes in nat'l architecture aptitude test stump students

Yogita Rao  |  Mumbai:





Changes in this year's National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) have baffled many students aspiring to pursue their BArch. The Council of Architecture (CoA), which conducts NATA, has included mathematics as a 40mark component in the 200mark paper. A separate section for mathematics was never part of NATA since its inception a decade ago. The council has even moved to an offline exam that will be conducted on April 16, instead of online tests conducted in phases between AprilAugust-end every year.

 

Students could reappear in slots and the best of the five tests were considered as the final score for admissions. Students could take the test at their convenience and could better their score, said a teacher from a city architecture college, adding that it was meant to be an aptitude test. With the exam on asingle day , many will not be able to enjoy the benefit of the multiple-test system. The exam is also on a Sunday , in between the class XII exam of some state boards and CBSE exam this year, added the teacher. “The test pattern has moved from being progressive to regressive,“ said the teacher.

Maharashtra, which comprised around one-fifth of aspirants taking the test, used to conduct its own test till 2015. The state decided to use NATA scores for admissions to architecture colleges in 2016. For admissions to the five-year BArch course, 50% weightage each is given to NATA and the aggregate of class XII scores (includes scores in mathematics). “The council should rethink its decision to include mathematics in NATA. There is no need to evaluate students in mathematics as they already appear for the subject in the qualifying exam.This will ensure more creative minds from Arts and Commerce background, who are not good at mathematics, also get a decent rank in the test,“ said Rajiv Mishra, a professor for 25 years from JJ School of Architecture.

Council president B Nayak said NATA used to test students on numerical ability before too.“The mathematics component will be based on class XII CBSE syllabus. Our aim is to test the aptitude of students in all aspects of architecture. If they are not good in mathematics till class XII, they find it difficult to cope with the subjects later. Our attempt is to get more Science students in colleges, and meritorious ones. We need not continue to follow a wrong pattern forever,“ said Nayak. He added that the single-day test was being conducted to eliminate malpractices and bring about standardization and transparency .But a student said the class XII mathematics syllabus in CBSE was different from state boards.

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Changes-in-natl-architecture-aptitude-test-stump-students-20012017009010#

UGC caps age limit for NEET candidates at 25

Number Of Attempts Also Restricted To 3





Hemali Chhapia | Mumbai:

Medical aspirants across India can now only take three shots at cracking the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, a cap introduced to discourage thousands of `Munnabhais' who keep trying their luck at the medical entrance test. Also, now the candidates must be below 25 years of age if they want to take the medical and dental exam. During a University Grants Commission meeting in Delhi on Tuesday , it was decided that the minimum age for NEET candidates will be 17 and the maximum 25. The cap on age for students from the reserved category will be 30. Till date, there has neither been a maximum age defined to take the NEET nor a limit on the number of attempts.
“This is a good decision,“ said Dr Pravin Shingare, director of the directorate of medical education and research. “When they don't ma ke the cut, some students join a BSc college and then every year, keep taking the medical embrace test,“ he added. In fact, the rule will also bar faculty of coaching classes who perpetually take the entrance test to understand the altering pattern of the exam. The NEET information brochures that contain this information and will be disbursed soon.
Two years ago, the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) had to be conducted again after it was found that 90 answers had been transmitted to the candida tes during the examination in consideration of Rs 15 lakh-Rs 20 lakh. The AIPMT 2015 scandal had at least 45 beneficiaries who were supplied with special vests fitted with SIM card and a bluetooth device to facilitate transmission of answer keys. “We often find that that coaching classes field candidates and sometimes that leads to fraud and cheating,“ said an expert.
This cap on age and attempts will force candidates to focus on the field where their capability and passion lie, said principals.

Jan 25 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=UGC-caps-age-limit-for-NEET-candidates-at-25012017005023#





THINK IT OVER

THE BEST STUDENTS COME FROM HOMES WHERE EDUCATION IS REVERED: WHERE THERE ARE BOOKS, AND CHILDREN SEE THEIR PARENTS READING THEM.                          

LEO BUSCAGLIA

Source: http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx# | 23 Jan 2017 Mumbai

Jan 25 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

Over 50 per cent parents fear cyberbullying will hit their kids, finds study

IANS





While 40 per cent of Indian parents allowed their children to access the internet before age 11, 54 per cent of them fear that their children are more likely to be bullied online than on a playground, a study revealed. The findings shed light on parents' perceptions of cyberbullying and the preventative measures to protect their children. A concern for many parents is that cyberbullying doesn't stop when their child leaves school -as long as your child is connected to a device, a bully can connect to them. 

 

The report also pointed out that 71 per cent parents thought their children would download malicious programmes or a virus, 69 per cent think their kids would disclose too much personal information to strangers and 65 per cent thought a stranger could lure their children in the physical world. Parents were also concerned that their kids might do something online that could make the whole family vulnerable (62 per cent) or embarrassed (60 per cent).Nearly 61 per cent believe the children could be lured into illegal activities like hacking.

 

In what can be called a silver lining, the report also showed that Indian parents are starting to recognise how damaging cyberbullying can be for children and are putting preventative measures in place.
Nearly 57 per cent parents chose to check their child's browser history , 46 per cent only allow access to certain websites, 48 per cent allow internet access only with parental supervision, the report said.





 

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Over-50-per-cent-parents-fear-cyberbullying-will-25012017104017#

Jan 25 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

State aptitude test for class X kids from Feb 15

Mumbai: TNN





State board schools will have to conduct aptitude tests for class X students between February 15 and March 4.This is the second year that the state is conducting the online tests for its students to help them assess their interests while making a career choice.

 

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in a circular to schools have asked them to assign a teacher for the tests. “ All students appearing for SSC examination this year must be informed about the tests. Additionally , the school computers must be prepped and a teacher for the process,“ said Krishnakumar Patil, secretary of the board.The aptitude test, a 40-minute exam with 150 multiple choice questions, will be conducted at the school in batches.

The results will be declared online in April and the report cards given along with SSC mark sheets. “The teacher incharge will follow the online portal every day for updates. The test will be mandatory for all students,“ said Patil. Last year, about 16 lakh students took the test.

School teachers said the board should have considered holding the test in class IX instead.“Students are already occupied with SSC exam. Holding the tests in class IX would also help them decide better,“ said Uday Nare, teacher, Hansraj Morarji Public School, Andheri.

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=State-aptitude-test-for-class-X-kids-from-25012017005015





The NCERT’s tweaking of learning outcomes is not exactly child friendly

editorials Updated: Jan 18, 2017 17:37 IST

Hindustan Times

Among the things that a child in Class 8 is going to be asked is if she can file a first information report (FIR)? We presume that a child in that class will not be required to go to a police station unaccompanied and file an FIR; so this is an odd learning outcome to say the least. (Representative Photo)(HT)

Making learning interesting and enjoyable — that should be the main criteria for any educationist or educational organisation when it comes to setting frameworks for children. No one can fault the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for not trying, but it seems to suffer from a distinct disconnect from what children really need in the learning outcomes it has prepared to assess them. Among the things that a child in Class 8 is going to be asked is if she can file a first information report (FIR). We presume that a child in that class will not be required to go to a police station unaccompanied and file an FIR; so this is an odd learning outcome to say the least. Another is whether the child can locate her parliamentary constituency on a map or name the local MP.

Now this is fine as far as general knowledge goes, but a child who does not vote is not really required to know these facts. A child in Class 4 should be able to read subtitles on TV, titles of books, news headlines and advertisements. Again, this cannot be a substitute for teaching the child reading in the classroom. Reading advertising lines is not a skill that a child of that age should be asked to acquire. The other suggestions are whether the child can read train timetables, a task which defeats even adults at times and how to locate places on a map.

These draft learning outcomes, if implemented, could hold the difference between the child progressing to the next class. Draft learning outcomes for each class have been developed for languages — Hindi, English and Urdu, mathematics, environmental studies, science, and social science. Mercifully, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made the draft public for suggestions and comments till the end of the month. These outcomes may be included in the Right to Education (RTE) too. The NCERT goes further and asks children to discuss the Rajya Sabha TV show Samvidhan and watch movies like Gandhi, Sardar and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. While these are undoubtedly educational pursuits, none of them sound particularly child friendly.

The draft seems to have been written purely based on theoretical notions of what children ought to know. There is nothing in it which could spark interest in the child or make learning more interactive or joyful. Hopefully, the public will come up with suggestions that are more appropriate for the child and which will engage her in a more sustained manner. This way the NCERT could reframe its draft to serve children better, which should be at the heart of any learning outcome.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorials/the-ncert-s-tweaking-of-learning-outcomes-is-not-exactly-child-friendly/story-LUcthhFAKPv7O6fWkn9MvL.html

Next ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on January 29, to focus on exams

education Updated: Jan 20, 2017 18:22 IST

PTI, New Delhi

The next episode of the monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, to be aired on January 29, will focus on various board and competitive exams, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. (PTI file)

The next episode of the monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, to be aired on January 29, will focus on various board and competitive exams, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday and invited students, parents and teachers to share their thoughts and experiences.

“The #MannKiBaat episode on 29th January will primarily be on the various board exams coming up. It will be a programme for my young friends,” Modi tweeted.

“Urging students, parents & teachers to share their thoughts & exam season experiences. Their views will surely inspire so many others,” he added in another tweet.

The Prime Minister said the thoughts and experiences could be shared on the specially-created forum on the App.“The Prime Minister invites all of you, particularly students, parents and teachers to share their experiences about examinations be it preparing for examinations, the role of parents and teachers in the run up to the examinations,” a PMO statement said.

“Please also share memorable exam anecdotes that have left a lasting impression in your minds,” it added. Asking people to even record their messages for the Prime Minister, either in Hindi or English, the PMO said some of the recorded messages may become part of the broadcast.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/next-mann-ki-baat-on-january-29-to-focus-on-exams/story-rm4wWwjyW9lFiN1FI1jqvK.html

Sahitya Akademi to publish stories, poems from school fest

 P.K. Ajith Kumar

January 24, 2017 18:31 IST

KOZHIKODE: The focus at the State School Arts Festival might always be more on popular and spectacular events like dance, music and drama. Prize winners in off-stage events, such as short story and versification, are hardly recognised, but that is all going to change.

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is bringing out the prize-winning short stories and poems in books, while the paintings will adorn the calendar of the DPI, to be brought out in June.

“The books will be published soon by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi,” K.V. Mohan Kumar, Director of Public Instruction, told The Hindu on Tuesday. “Besides the entries from the State School Arts Festival, we will also include stories and poems from the competitions held as part of Sargolsavam. Best stories and poems published in the Vidyarangam magazine, brought out by the DPI, would also be featured in the books.”
There will be two books, one for short stories and the other for poems. “Each of them will have about 100 works each,” said Mr. Mohan Kumar. “It is the first time in the history of the 60-year-old festival that the prize-winning short stories and poem are getting published.”

He added that the aim of the project was to encourage the literary talent among children. “We also felt their works needed to reach out to a wider audience,” he said.

At least one of the prize-winners has already been published and has attracted a lot of attention through the social media. Drupath Gowtham of GHSS, Meenangadi, came first in Malayalam versification in the HSS section at the State Festival.

If you do not want to wait to read his prize-winning poem, or other works of poetry, fiction and essays from the Kannur festival, you can log on to schoolwiki.in. The IT@School’s School Wiki project has uploaded most of the entries at the Festival, including short stories, poems, essays, paintings, drawings, cartoons and collage.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/Sahitya-Akademi-to-publish-stories-poems-from-school-fest/article17088726.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication

1 out of 3 kids does not have a healthy body mass index

Mumbai:| TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Nationwide Survey Done By School Sports Enterprise 

 

Almost one out of three school-going children in the country does not have a healthy body mass index (BMI) and almost half of them lack enough lower body strength, according to a survey . Mumbai students fared similarly on the fitness parameters. Conducted by EduSports, a school sports enterprise, the survey covered 1.70 lakh students from across 86 cities and 26 states. They tested students on sprint capacity , flexibility, upper and lower body strength, abdominal strength and BMI.

 

In its 7th edition, the survey found that the percentage of children with an unhealthy BMI increased from 20% last year to 33% this year. In Mumbai, out of the 843 children surveyed, only about 67% recorded a healthy BMI. Among other parameters, adequate lower body strength saw the lowest number of children meeting requirements. One in four children did not have the desired flexibility for their age.

“This trend needs to be reversed to have a healthy generation of children. Lack of physical activity increases the risk of obesity and health-rela ted problems in adolescence, and adulthood. Schools provide the ideal environment to promote physical activity at the right age and improve fitness standards among children,“ said EduSports CEO Saumil Majmudar.

The survey also compared data of schools with that and a structured sports programme with three or more physical education periods per week versus schools with less than three physical education periods. It found that those with three physical education periods were healthier with students faring about 3-5% better across parameters.

But school principals said they were making enough efforts to ensure students had enough physical activities. “We offer students about eight sports options to pick from and a physical activity like yoga is included in the school timetable almost every day ,“ said Chandrakanta Pathak, principal, HVB Global Academy , Marine Drive. Similarly , at St Mary's School (ICSE), Mazgaon apart from the physical education classes, primary students have a structured session in aerobics regularly .





 

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=1-out-of-3-kids-does-not-have-24012017009017#

 

Jan 23 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Cut-off date for KG admissions to be extended





Kids Born Up To Sept 30 Eligible, Not July 31
Vinamrata Borwankar | Mumbai:

In a move that will ease admission worries for lakhs of families, the cut-off birth date for school admissions in the state is being pushed from July 31 to September 30. The education department has already made the change for admissions to seats reserved for economically deprived sections under the Right to Education Act, 2009 and is in the process of extending it to other students.

 

In January 2015, the education department had issued a government resolution setting an age criterion for school admissions. The move was in line with requirements under the RTE Act, which mandates that all students in class I must be six years old. To fulfil this rule by 2019, schools last year began to admit to only children who had completed three years by July 31to nursery and four-and-a-half years to senior kindergarten.

Last week, when the state issued the rules and schedule for the 25% quota under the RTE Act, the cut-off date was changed to September 30. This will enable numerous children who would have had to sit out of the formal schooling system for almost a year if they were born between July 31and September 30. What's more, the state is now extending the cut-off date for all children.The new rule will apply to institutions under all the boards, including CBSE and ICSE.

“In RTE admission GR we have mentioned September 30. Hence we have to modify our earlier GR where the date mentioned is July 31. Accordingly a file has been submitted for approval to modify the dates,“ said Nandkumar, secretary of the school education department.

Last year, the age criterion resulted in fewer admissions to schools. Some schools had to even cut classes and will now have to make provisions for a larger intake of students in the next academic sessions when all children born between July 31, 2016 and September 30, 2017 will become eligible for admissions.

“We didn't get enough students last year and have one division less. We had to turn back students born after July 31 and now parents of those students will be upset with the school for following the rule last year and not this year. It will put school managements in a fix,“ said Rohan Bhat, trustee of Children's Academy group of schools.

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Cut-off-date-for-KG-admissions-to-be-23012017007024





Jan 23 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Schools to have Sep 30 as birth date cut-off

Mumbai





In a move that will enable numerous children who have to sit out of the formal schooling system for almost a year, the state education department has extended the cut-off birth date for school admissions from July 31 to September 30. The change has already been made for admissions to seats reserved for economically deprived sections under the Right to Education Act, 2009 and will apply to institutions under all the boards, including CBSE and ICSE, from the next academic session,
reports Vinamrata Borwankar.

 

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Schools-to-have-Sep-30-as-birth-date-23012017027026#

• 23 Jan 2017 | Mumbai | Puja Pednekar puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com

Age norms tweaked to let more kids join nursery, KG, Class 1

MUMBAI: The state’s school education department is modifying its uniform age criteria for nursery, kindergarten (KG) and Class 1 admissions for the upcoming academic year, 2017-18. The cutoff date to reach the minimum age — which ranges from above three to five years, depending on the class — will be pushed to September 30, 2017, from July 31, 2017, said education officials. The changes were suggested by educators and parents.

Under the new rules, a child will have to be above three years for nursery, above four years for junior KG, and five-years and-four-months for Class 1 by September 30 of that academic year. This will be applicable for all schools — irrespective of their managements or education boards. See page 12
This means that schools will be able to take in more students than earlier. “We had lost out on some children because the earlier cut-off was July 31. We will call them back for admission as soon as the rules are introduced,” said Savita Venkat, principal, Bombay Cambridge Schools, SSC and CIE, Andheri. Maharashtra has been following a uniform minimum age limit for school admissions from 2016-17. The idea is to ensure that schools admit only children who are six years and above by the academic year, 2019-20. The age-limit was set in a government resolution (GR) dated January 21, 2015, which mentioned that July 31, will be the cut-off to meet the required age.

The new rules are expected to release in the next two to three days, said officials. But some schools were apprised of the changes in a meeting on Friday, as the latest January, 10, 2017, GR — on revamping the admission process to fill the 25% reserved seats under the Right to Education (RTE) act — states that September 10 should be considered as the cut-off. Since the January 10 GR is limited to RTE admissions, the department must change the January 21 GR to extend the new date to all other admissions. Officials confirmed the process for doing this has already begun. “We have submitted the file to modify the date mentioned in the GR to September 30 from July 31 for approval,” said Nanda Kumar, principal secretary. The GR will be approved by education minister Vinod Tawde.
Happy with the new rules, most schools said accommodating more children won’t be a problem. “We keep a buffer of 20% for last-minute admissions,” said Father Francis Swamy, principal, St Mary’s School (ICSE) Mazgaon and joint-secretary of the Archdiocesan Board of Education, which runs 150-odd schools in Mumbai. Some schools such as Bombay Scottish School, Powai, are yet to begin admissions and so will be able to alter their criteria easily. “Luckily for us, our admission process starts in February. So by that time the new GR will be released, making things clearer,” said Sunita Geoge, principal of the school.

Source: http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
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Changes in nat'l architecture aptitude test stump students

Yogita Rao  |  Mumbai:





Changes in this year's National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) have baffled many students aspiring to pursue their BArch. The Council of Architecture (CoA), which conducts NATA, has included mathematics as a 40mark component in the 200mark paper. A separate section for mathematics was never part of NATA since its inception a decade ago. The council has even moved to an offline exam that will be conducted on April 16, instead of online tests conducted in phases between AprilAugust-end every year.

 

Students could reappear in slots and the best of the five tests were considered as the final score for admissions. Students could take the test at their convenience and could better their score, said a teacher from a city architecture college, adding that it was meant to be an aptitude test. With the exam on asingle day , many will not be able to enjoy the benefit of the multiple-test system. The exam is also on a Sunday , in between the class XII exam of some state boards and CBSE exam this year, added the teacher. “The test pattern has moved from being progressive to regressive,“ said the teacher.

Maharashtra, which comprised around one-fifth of aspirants taking the test, used to conduct its own test till 2015. The state decided to use NATA scores for admissions to architecture colleges in 2016. For admissions to the five-year BArch course, 50% weightage each is given to NATA and the aggregate of class XII scores (includes scores in mathematics). “The council should rethink its decision to include mathematics in NATA. There is no need to evaluate students in mathematics as they already appear for the subject in the qualifying exam.This will ensure more creative minds from Arts and Commerce background, who are not good at mathematics, also get a decent rank in the test,“ said Rajiv Mishra, a professor for 25 years from JJ School of Architecture.

Council president B Nayak said NATA used to test students on numerical ability before too.“The mathematics component will be based on class XII CBSE syllabus. Our aim is to test the aptitude of students in all aspects of architecture. If they are not good in mathematics till class XII, they find it difficult to cope with the subjects later. Our attempt is to get more Science students in colleges, and meritorious ones. We need not continue to follow a wrong pattern forever,“ said Nayak. He added that the single-day test was being conducted to eliminate malpractices and bring about standardization and transparency .But a student said the class XII mathematics syllabus in CBSE was different from state boards.

Jan 20 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)
 

Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Changes-in-natl-architecture-aptitude-test-stump-students-20012017009010#

CBSE Class 12 Maths paper will be easier this year: CBSE Board

According to a statement released by CBSE on August 12, 2016, the Class 12 mathematics paper will reduce the difficulty level 

IndiaToday.in  New Delhi, January 13, 2017 | UPDATED 14:54 IST

Last year, many students claimed that mathematics exam was very lengthy and they could not finish the exam on time. According to a statement released by CBSE on August 12, 2016, the education body will reduce the difficulty level of mathematics question paper from 2017.

Here's look at the new paper pattern of Class 12 mathematics:

Short-answer type questions:

The paper pattern will be reviewed and short-answer type questions carrying two marks to be introduced. This will eventually reduce the number of controversial high thinking questions

HOTS will now carry 10 marks:

The higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions will carry 10 marks and will be bifurcated into two sections, segregating it into six and four marks questions.

This year, mathematics exam is scheduled to be held on March 20.

The CBSE has released Class 12 and Class 10 datesheets on the official website, cbse.nic.in. The Class 10 board examination will begin from March 9 and will continue till April 10, while Class 12 boards will continue till April 29. This year, mathematics exam is scheduled to be held on March 20.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/cbse-class-12-maths-paper/1/856466.html 

CBSE Class 12 Date Sheet to be revised to accommodate JEE Main: truth behind the reports

Here is the truth behind the reports that CBSE Class 12 2017 date sheet would be revised to accommodate JEE Main.

By Kanika Khurana | Published: January 16, 2017 2:30 PM IST

CBSE Class 12 Date Sheet to be revised to accommodate JEE Main: truth behind the reports

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the CBSE Class 12 Board Examination 2017 Date Sheet last week. Soon after the date sheet was released, parents and teachers took to the internet to complain about the date sheet.

Parents and teachers complained that JEE Main and CBSE Class 12 Board papers were too close and presented how unhappy they were with the date sheet. Such has been the chorus that reports of CBSE planning to revise the Class 12 Date sheet to accommodate JEE Main examination have surfaced. Whether they are rumours or a fact continues to baffle parents, students and teachers. We reached out to sources in the CBSE and hereby confirm that there is no truth behind the alleged reports. CBSE Class 12 date sheet, is in fact, not going to be revised.

Reason for the rumour was very simple. The JEE Main 2017 examination, one of the largest engineering entrance examinations written by lacs of students falls on April 2, 2017. This is right in the middle of the Class 12 Board Examinations. The Chemistry paper, a qualifying subject for JEE Main and consequently for JEE Advanced 2017 is on March 25, 2017. Another point of concern is the biology paper which falls three days later on April 5, 2017.

Understandably, a large section of class 12 students would be appearing in the JEE Main 2017 examination. This examination is crucial for them to qualify for the elite IITs – the premium Indian Institute of Technology as well as the only entrance examination for the NITs. Parents were worried that the close dates would create unnecessary stress on students. Though officials at CBSE understand the concern, it is also a fact that the date sheet is not being revised.

It is important to mention here that CBSE had to delay the commencement of Class 12 Board Examinations to March 9 instead of the usual March 1. This has been done keeping in mind the Assembly Elections in 5 states of Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. The elections in the state would start from February 8 and end on March 8 when the last phase of elections would conclude in Uttar Pradesh. To accommodate the elections, even ICSE and ICS exam schedules have been revised.

Uttar Pradesh Board Examinations have also been re-scheduled. Though this does create a problem of exams being too close for comfort, the dates cannot be shifted further. As it is, in order to accommodate the engineering aspirants, CBSE has pushed the qualifying papers of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to conclude in March itself.

Parents are again advised not to fall for rumours about the Class 12 Date sheet being revised. The date sheet released by CBSE last week is final and examinations would start as states from March 9, 2017.

Source: http://www.india.com/education/cbse-class-12-date-sheet-to-be-revised-to-accommodate-jee-main-truth-behind-the-reports-1762508/

CBSE to go easy on Class 12 Maths paper

  Kritika Sharma | Tue, 17 Jan 2017-07:05am , New Delhi , DNA

The Board has revised the pattern of its question paper, after students complained about it being very tough, last year

In a relief to Class 12 Science students, the Mathematics question paper of Central Board Secondary Education (CBSE) is going to be easier this year, and will include only 20 per cent difficult questions. The Board revised the pattern of its question paper after students, last year, had complained about the questions being very tough, and some of them being out of the syllabus.
As per the revised format of the question paper, 20 per cent questions will be difficult, 20 per cent easy and the rest 60 per cent will be average questions.
Also, the Board is going to do away with choice system. There will be no overall choice in the question paper, but 30 per cent internal choice will be given in questions containing four and six marks.
A circular in this regard was circulated by CBSE in July 2016, which will be adopted for designing the questions this year. As per the circular, 35 per cent questions will be designed to test a student's 'understanding' of the subject, 20 per cent to test 'remembering' and only 10 per cent questions will test Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), the kind of questions that are generally considered to be difficult. The paper will also contain very short and short-answer type questions.
"A team of experts discussed various aspects of the question paper and it was decided that most of the questions should be based on Understanding and Application of the subject. Questions that test HOTS can only be solved by bright students but the question paper should cater to all kinds of students, which is why the focus will be more on average questions," said a source in the CBSE.

Clean chit

After various complaints from students and teachers last year, the CBSE had placed the matter before Committee of Subject Experts who concluded that the question paper was as per the curriculum. For this year, the CBSE wants to assure students that questions will be completely based on what they have studied in school from their National Council of Education and Research Training (NCERT) textbooks.

Revised question patten of Mathematics:

Typology of Questions–
Remembering: 20 per cent
Understanding: 35 per cent
Application: 25 per cent
Higher Order Thinking Skills:10 per cent
Evaluation: 10 per cent

Question-wise break-up

Very short answer–4 marks
Short answers – 16 marks
Long answers -I – 44 marks
Long answers -II – 36 marks

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report-cbse-to-go-easy-on-class-12-maths-paper-2293189

CBSE exams 2017: ‘Too less time to focus on entrances,’ say students on class 12 date sheet

With exams for subjects like Economics and Hindi occurring in the later half of April, teachers are worried about how to keep the students engaged in preparation.

Written by Manasa Durgavajjhala | New Delhi | Updated: January 12, 2017 2:54 pm

“Unless the board exams are over, children can’t peacefully concentrate on competitive exams,” says the principal of DTEA Senior Secondary School, Delhi.
 
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday released the date sheets for class 12 and 10 examinations. The board exams, which generally take place from the first date of March, have been pushed back a week due to the elections. The exams will carry on till the end of April. The delay and the extension of dates have drawn mixed reactions from teachers and students.

The chief concern for many is that the postponement would shorten the time required to prepare for the entrance examinations for various undergraduate courses across streams. Most of these entrance exams are scheduled to start in April, May and June. While NEET 2017 is likely to held in May, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main), conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) is slated to take place on April 2, 2017.

“Now we have just one week to prepare for the JEE mains while last year, there were flat two weeks,” says Ankita D, a Class 12 science student, from Ryan International School, Noida. She also said that science students with computer electives have only two days to prepare for it. “But it is manageable,” she added.
Palak Bhandari, another student from Class 12, expressed her concern for the delay and the little time they would have after the exams to study for entrance exams. Being from the commerce stream, she complained that the date sheet could have been better arranged.

“We have eight days for Business studies (B.St.), 19 days for economics, but only three days for Maths — the toughest of all the subjects,” she said. She suggested that the dates for mathematics and business studies exams should be switched.

The economics paper is scheduled for April 17, 2017, which bites into the days required to study for entrances to be conducted in May. With exams for subjects like Economics and Hindi occurring in the later half of April, teachers, too, are worried about how to keep the students engaged in preparation.
“The Hindi paper is listed on April 22 and instead of concentrating on that my students will have their attention drawn towards the university entrances,” says R Rangarajan, a teacher at DTEA Senior Secondary School in Delhi. The principal, Raji Kamalasanan, expressed similar concerns and said that the exams have been extended for too long a period.

“How long can a student keep up the preparation momentum?” she asked, “Unless the board exams are over, children can’t peacefully concentrate on competitive exams.”

Other students, however, are quite satisfied with the date sheet and say they are glad that the papers have been delayed as it gives them more time to prepare. Riya Bansal, a class 12 student from the humanities stream, said they had enough time to prepare between each exam.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/cbse-nic-in-cbse-class-12-exams-2017-students-and-teachers-react-to-the-date-sheet-4467963/

CBSE curriculum may go in for overhaul

Prakash Kumar, NEW DELHI, Jan 12, 2017, DHNS

The school curriculum of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) may go for a significant makeover.

The CBSE governing board had recently approved a proposal to “merge” its international and national curriculum.

“The governing board has given in-principle approval to the proposal. We are looking into it,” a board’s official told DH.

The board is yet to work out the modalities for the merging of the CBSE’s international and national curriculum, the official added.

International students

The CBSE rolled out an international curriculum, CBSE-i, in 2010, to cater to the educational needs of international students, particularly those belonging to the Indian diaspora settled abroad.

Though the core of the syllabus under the CBSE-i is based on the National Curriculum Framework 2005, that of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), it is different from the CBSE curriculum meant for schools in India.

“The international curriculum was primarily designed to cater to the needs of the Indian diaspora settled abroad, keeping in mind that it remains competitive with global trends and current pedagogical patterns,” an official source said.

The CBSE-i also seeks to help develop a global perspective, with the focus on research
orientation and social empowerment.

Over the years, many schools in India also began offering CBSE-i curriculum with its growing popularity and demand. “Why should there be (two different curriculum) CBSE-i and CBSE? There should be one curriculum for all. The board is examining how to merge the two,” the source added.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/591016/cbse-curriculum-may-go-overhaul.html