RFSLEM LIBRARY

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Sports play a crucial role in developing life skills amongst children: Nita Ambani

Sports play a crucial role in developing life skills amongst children: Nita Ambani

Nita Ambani, Reliance Founder Chairperson of Foundation, strongly believes that every child must have the right to education and right to play .Education and sports are the two bedrocks of any society and both complement each other to foster a child's holistic development.Education empowers the youth to make choices and chase their dreams.

The foundation has launched and partnered with various initiatives in sports, with focus on developing talent at the grassroots level, and has used these activities as a motivator to raise their aspirations and enhance the spirit of learning and leadership.Through its multiple sports initiatives, it has already reached out to over seven million children and youngsters across the country .

Two years ago, they launched the Reliance Foundation Young Champs Programme with the aim of helping young Indian footballers develop their talent. Through their grassroots initiatives, they have scouted and selected 41 talented children from across the country , and awarded them with residential scholarships to receive world-class football training as well as quality education at the foundation's school. In a short span of two years, these champs have shown the promise of excellence, winning 91 of the 107 matches played at the state and national levels. They hope that in a few years from now, they will be able to represent India in football on the global platform.

On the occasion of Children's Day , Nita Ambani says, “I wish every child a very happy Children's Day .At Reliance Foundation, we would like to reach out to millions of children in our country through our grassroots initiatives in sports.Sports play a crucial role in character building and developing life skills amongst children. I believe that India has no dearth of sporting talent. We are a nation with 50 per cent of the population below the age of 25. What is needed is a conducive environment for them to grow and blossom as sportspersons.“

Sports provides physical fitness and also strengthens the mind. It inculcates values of self-discipline, sportsmanship, team spirit, leadership, integrity as well as promotes a healthy lifestyle.More importantly, it is a great unifier, with its power to remove individual differences of religion, ethnicity , language, and geography and binds people together.

Source: Nov 14 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

90% of parents want school guidance on bringing up, understanding kids

90% of parents want school guidance on bringing up, understanding kids

Vinamrata Borwankar|Mumbai:

Lost in the sea of information, a lot of which may be irrelevant, nearly 90% of parents in the city look to schools for guidance on how to bring up their young children and understanding them, a recent survey has revealed. The survey of 1,600 parents of children up to the age of six years in Mumbai found that 70% of them do not depend on websites. For, over 57% of them felt the information available online is not culturally relevant or personalized.

Alarge number of them depend on traditional ways to learn parenting: 34% often imita te their parents' style, while 25% learnt from their friends and community . Only about 4% always used books, while 49% said they sometimes read up on the issue. Probably as a result of this, most parents want schools to play an integral part in shaping the children and understanding them. While 87% of them felt schools should help them through reading material, seminars and open houses, 67% felt there must be a course in parenting. “The values and morals of the children depend on the parenting style of the parents. The child must be able to understand what is allowed and what is not at all times,“ said Swati Popat Vats of BornSmart, an online parent-toddler programme platform that conducted the survey .

Some schools said they were already helping parents.“We have workshops regularly for parents of students in the pre-primary and primary sections. It helps them understand their child's needs better,“ said Father Francis Swamy , principal, St Mary's ICSE, Mazgaon.

Source: Nov 14 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Take JEE (Main) to join Navy as officers

Take JEE (Main) to join Navy as officers

Rajat Pandit | New Delhi:

Class 12 PCM Percentage Now Invalid

The Navy is going hi-tech with a vengeance.With state-of-the-art warships, weapons and sensors being progressively inducted by the force, it wants “sea warriors“ capable of handling the intricate challenges of the massive technological revolution under way .

First, the Navy implemented plans to ensure virtually all its new officers have B Tech degrees, apart from the traditional military and leadership skills, when they graduate from the sprawling Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala in Kerala.

And now, it has been decided that the shortlisting of candidates aspiring to join the force through the 10+2 B Tech cadet entry scheme will be based “only on JEE (Main) ranks“. Consequently , the PCM (physics, chemistry , maths) percentage obtained in the Class XII board exams will not be valid for this scheme any longer. “Different state examination boards have gone berserk in awarding high marks in Class XII. We were finding the quality of candidates coming for the SSB (services selection board) interview or training ve ry uneven,“ said a senior officer. “The JEE (Main) ranks, which the CBSE has agreed to share with us, will be a better benchmark. With the government approving the move, youngsters will have to appear for the JEE (Main) in 2017 to be eligible for the January 2018 course at INA,“ he added.

As was earlier reported by TOI, the first direct-entry batch of B Tech officers graduated out from the INA in May 2013. Since then, the Navy has been tweaking the three officer entry schemes after Class XII. First are the naval cadets who undergo the three-year course at the triservice National Defence Academy (NDA) at Kadakwasla (Pune) after clearing the UPSC exam and SSB interview. These cadets, who number 78 every year, get commissioned as officers with B Tech degrees after another year of intensive training at the INA.
Then, there are the around 110 cadets who directly joined 110 cadets who directly joined the INA for the four-year B Tech programme after clearing UPSC exams in two batches every year. Under the third and largest scheme, around 120 cadets will now be shortlisted for the SSB interview on the basis of their JEE (Main) ranks. “In effect, one has to take either the UPSC exam or the JEE (Main) to be eligible,“ said an officer. All this has become necessary because the Navy needs a cadre with advanced technical expertise to handle the sophisticated weapon systems in the pipeline. “As per the plan, the Navy will have 212 warships, 458 aircraft and helicopters by 2027,“ said another officer.

Source :Nov 13 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Saturday, November 12, 2016

CBSE amends rules to prevent rechecking of answer sheets

Puja Pednekar, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
Updated: Nov 11, 2016 20:37 IST

The central board amended its affiliation by-laws to drop the practice of re-checking of answer sheets and will only continue with verification of marks after a student challenged the board's selective re-evaluation policy in court. (Pic for representation)

Students in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools will not get their answer sheets re-examined from the upcoming Class 10 and 12 exams. After a student challenged the board's selective re-evaluation policy in court, the central board has amended its affiliation by-laws to drop the practice of re-checking of answer sheets and will only continue with verification of marks.

As of now, the board provides re-evaluation facility Class 12 students for 10 of the roughly 250 subjects, if a student is not satisfied with marks. The practice began in 2014 and doesn’t extend to Class 10 students.
According to the notification for amended by-laws dated October 3, which was uploaded on its website on Friday, rule 61 (iv) “for Senior School Certificate (Class 12) examination may also apply for re-evaluation in a manner prescribed by the board from time to time” has been revised to “no candidate shall claim or be entitled to revaluation of his/her answer book(s).” Only the rules allowing verification of marks — in which marks are tallied and number of supplements is verified — continue to remain the same.

The notification states that the rules have been changed as per the recommendations of the examination committee held on May 13 and approved by the governing body meeting on June 29. In August, the Delhi High Court had directed the CBSE to re-evaluate an answer sheet for political science exam after a student complained that the board was against it, even though verification of the answer sheet revealed mistakes.

Schools and students called the move regressive as they are concerned about the transparency in the evaluation process. “We study a lot for the exam and then we hear about things like peons checking answer books in some schools or other discrepancies in corrections. If re-evaluation is scrapped, there will not be any accountability left,” said Yashwini Vanjani, a Class 12 student of CBSE.

Similarly, Avnita Bir, principal, RN Podar School, Santacruz said it will be a huge loss to the students. “Lots of students apply for re-evaluation. This year too students had applied for math. Some kids marks had increased in the process,” said Bir.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/cbse-amends-rules-to-prevent-rechecking-of-answer-sheets/story-cjoRuNwtyrfKGp0pJyrvIK.html

Global science exhibition comes to Mumbai

Nov 12 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Global science exhibition comes to Mumbai

Where: Nehru Science Centre, Worli.

When: On till November 13, 10 am to 6 pm.

Mumbai is playing host to a first-of-its-kind interactive science exhibition organised by Bayer, which was inaugurated by Richard van der Merwe (Senior Bayer Representative, South Asia) on November 10 at the Nehru Science Centre. The opening day saw enthusiastic participation from over 700 people including school students, teachers and general public across various age groups. In 2013, Bayer celebrated its 150th anniversary globally and ever since has been organising its interactive global exhibition -`Science For A Better Life Tour' -to commemorate this milestone. The exhibition has travelled to 45 cities in 22 countries across the world and witnessed participation from nearly 2,00,000 visitors in major cities such as London, Shanghai, New York and Sydney .

In India, the theme is `Making Science Make Sense', which is the brand's flagship educational initiative that promotes science education through fun experiments. At the exhibition, visitors can gain fascinating and informative insights into how science enriches our daily lives. The exhibits on display are taken from real-life, tangible examples and demonstrate how Bayer, through research and innovative products, is committed to human, animal and plant health. The exhibition offers school students an educational excursion to discover natural sciences, biology or applied chemistry , try out something new, understand scientific relationships and consolidate knowledge learnt in school. In addition, visitors can also attend sessions by experts like Prof Shashank R Joshi (Padmashree awardee) on `Diabetes and You', Ashok Rupner on `Trash to Toys', Rujuta Diwekar on `Nutrition for a Better Life', Dr Aniruddha Mahindrakar on `Eye Health' and Shailesh Sansare on `Young Innovation'. To add to the fun and learning, the exhibition also has an interactive motion magic wall, science shows and contests and Origami workshops. So, don't wait, here's your chance to experience, experiment and explore science!

Where: Nehru Science Centre, Worli.

When: On till November 13, 10 am to 6 pm.

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Global-science-exhibition-comes-to-Mumbai-12112016105005

Ashwin Sanghi on writing and going beyond 13 Steps

IANS, New Delhi

Updated: Nov 09, 2016 14:23 IST

Ashwin Sanghi’s latest book, 13 Steps To Bloody Good Wealth, was released on October 28. (HT Photo)

What started off as a stand-alone has now expanded to a 13-book series. Now, Ashwin Sanghi, one of India’s best-selling authors, says his ‘13 Steps’ primers might even go beyond that number. In fact, three of the books are already in the pipeline.

The second book in the series, 13 Steps To Bloody Good Wealth (Westland/204 pages/Rs 150), was released on October 28.

How did the series expand?

Sanghi says he was “pleasantly surprised” at the enthusiastic response he received from his readers to the first book, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck. “One of them, a young man from Pune, wondered why it wasn’t possible to demystify life’s daunting subjects into 13 Step solutions,” Sanghi said.

The author has written several best-sellers (The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, The Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga) and a New York Times best-selling crime thriller, Private India, together with James Paterson,

For example, could one teach students how to study better? Could one teach salary-earners how to improve their financial position? Could one teach new parents how to bring up their children better?

“The young man’s e-mail really got me thinking. I figured that it should be possible to invite co-authors who are domain experts to provide the research and content. That content (coupled with my storytelling and editing) could result in immensely readable books,” Sanghi said.

Over discussions with his publisher, it was decided that the issues that worry most people are health and wealth. So, it was decided to work on these projects first.

The first book was a solo effort. For the second, he roped in serial entrepreneur Sunil Dalal, with whom he has been friends from their days at Cathedral & John Connon School and St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

“Having observed the process-oriented approach and dogged discipline with which he endeavoured to build his family’s fortunes, I suggested that he write a book outlining the 13 Steps to wealth creation. Sunil has an uncanny ability to explain financial matters in simple and uncluttered statements that are devoid of jargon. In that sense, Sunil was a natural choice,” Sanghi said.

Dalal, however, will not be partnering with him for future titles because most of these would fall outside his domain expertise. As of now, three co-authors have been signed up for additional titles in the series.

The 13 Steps series is a WIP (work in progress) and it took a year for the second book. If this pattern is followed, it would take another 11 years for the final book to come out. So it would be pretty hard to maintain a complete set.

“You are absolutely right. There are three titles that are being worked on as we speak. It is our aim to release 2-3 titles in the series every year. Our effort will be to demystify concepts that sound complicated for all segments of readers. And BTW (by the way), we won’t stop at 13 books!”

Why 13, to get over the superstition associated with the number?

“Thirteen was used more as a tongue-in-cheek idea because in popular perception it is associated with bad luck. When it came to this next book, I thought about it long and hard. We all grew up in a world where it was common to go to the store and buy, say, a dozen apples or a dozen eggs.”

“I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if we offered something just that little extra over a dozen? It would be like the icing on the cake... just enough to give the reader a broad understanding of the issue with a little more. So the format of this book is precisely that. 13 Steps. Not a dozen. Just a little more,” Sanghi said.

What then are the 13 Steps to Bloody Good Wealth?

Define what wealth means to you; Make a plan; Beat inflation; Plan your expenses; Create additional income streams; Harness the power of compounding; Build assets, not expenses; Make the Wealth Trinity your friend; Have an asset allocation strategy; Understand asset classes; Knowledge, focus, patience, review; Leverage good debt; Tax saved is income earned.

Titles that are currently being written or edited are 13 Steps to Bloody Good Health, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Marks and 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting. Titles that are under discussion with potential co-authors include books on marketing, cooking, social media, meditation and writing, Sanghi concluded.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/books/ashwin-sanghi-on-writing-and-going-beyond-13-steps/story-sc6Cig3TTzWAbxnRTsU9PI.html

E-startups: Learning Delight making process of learning fun

Learning Delight is using modern technology to make the process of learning fun for both students and teachers

By: Sudhir Chowdhary | Published: November 2, 2016 6:39 AM

Technology and education are a great combination if used together with the right reason and vision. But the sad reality is that technology is touching only urban lives (Representative Image)

Technology and education are a great combination if used together with the right reason and vision. But the sad reality is that technology is touching only urban lives. Lack of teachers, lack of interest, poverty, gender discrimination, lack of infrastructure and old methodologies of teaching are some of the reasons which are holding back progress in rural education.

Learning Delight, a start-up in the rural education space, is trying to change this. It is leveraging modern technology to make the process of learning fun for students and teachers in rural and semi-urban areas. Starting with five schools four years back, it is currently functional in over 8,000 rural government schools spread over 11 districts of Gujarat. “The most unique feature is that it starts at the bottom of the social pyramid, targeting the rural and semi-urban areas,” says Harshal Gohil, founder, Learning Delight.

Back to basics

Having grown up in the small city of Bhuj in the Kutch district, Gohil always had a deep connect with rural India. While he later moved to Mumbai for higher studies, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Pune and pursuing a business degree at Nirma University in Ahmedabad, memories of his early education years stuck with him. And what struck him most was the marked disparity in the quality of education between rural and urban areas. This observation is what eventually prompted him on his entrepreneurial journey. He met his friend and partner Vandan Kamdar during his MBA days, and together they established Learning Delight, with a grand vision of bringing a sense of equivalence in how students experience education, irrespective of the school they go to, in any part of the country.

“The idea behind this venture is and has always been to provide digital learning tools that can aid teachers and engage students in the rural and semi-urban areas. Simply put, we wanted to put the ‘delight’ back in the process of learning. In 2014, we were joined by Parinita my wife, as vice-president, marketing, who shared our sentiments and helped accelerate our operations,” says Gohil.

Gohil was aware of the acute differences in the way the same course curriculum was being delivered across city and village schools. “Further exploring this basic difference, when I went and spoke to rural educators to understand the challenges they face, during my MBA days, is what led to the genesis of Learning Delight. This is why we decided to make our product more region-friendly and ensured that the software was available in the regional language and could be accessed despite lack of internet connectivity.”

Smarter way to learn

The Learning Delight management team believes that grades and high scores are not an accurate measure for what a student is learning. “At Learning Delight, we have incorporated alternative teaching aids such as animation, riddles, puzzles and stories that are aligned to support teachers and enhance the quality of student engagement—based on state board curriculum—making prescribed textbooks fun and easy,” he says.

What also sets Learning Delight apart, in Gohil’s opinion, is that it has a very inclusive approach to rural education. “We encourage the involvement of non-government organisations in the area. We aim to empower schools in rural areas so we don’t expect them to pay for the software. Instead, we appeal to corporate-run CSR initiatives and individuals with a focus on philanthropy, and that is where we generate revenues from.” Enterprises such as Transpek Industries, Adani Foundation, Excel Crop Care, besides some individual donors, have helped scale up the project. “This year, we have partnered with Rotary International, Rotary District 3051 and 3060 to spread the Learning Delight project further,” says Gohil.

Gohil believes that digital education is the norm for the future. “Our journey in transforming rural education in India, has only just begun,” he says, summing up the prevailing mood at his venture.

Source : http://www.financialexpress.com/personal-finance/e-startups-learning-delight-making-process-of-learning-fun/436037/

Junk it: UGC wants college canteens to take fast food off the menu

Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai

Updated: Nov 11, 2016 11:33 IST

Students said the move to promote healthy eating will not succeed as they would just head out for off-campus outlets. (HT Photo)

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked colleges to stop serving junk food in their canteens.

“Banning junk food in colleges will set new standards for health food and make the students live better, learn better and also reduce the obesity levels in young learners, thus preventing lifestyle diseases which have a direct link with excessive weight,” states the circular issued on Thursday evening and which is available on www.ugc.ac.in.

The UGC is a statutory body to coordinate, determine and maintain the standards of higher education. While the circulars released by UGC are not binding, affiliated universities and colleges are expected to follow the prescribed rules.

The circular even suggests ways the institutes can implement the order.

While the circular does not define ‘junk food’, circulars by other boards of education, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, refer to junk food as “items that are high on calories, but low on nutrients”.

For starters, colleges have been asked to display information on markers such as body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, etc. Orientation programmes have been recommended for staff as well as students so as to put across the point to the youth as soon as possible. Students too have been asked to form clusters among themselves and counsel each other about proper nutrition, exercise as well as other healthy habits.

Some students, however, found this circular amusing.

“In this day and age, almost everyone is aware of the perils of consuming junk food, especially after being told about all through school. We are not school kids anymore to follow such strict rules,” said Ankita Parekh, a student from Bandra’s RD National College.

“The more the restrictions, the higher the chances that we’ll do the exact opposite. If we don’t find our food in the canteen, students will opt for smaller joints outside the college which will not even be clean. At least our canteen serves clean food,” said Sachit Ramesh, a student of Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

While colleges have given a thumbs-up to the initiative, many thought banning junk food will not help much. “Creating awareness about healthy eating is something all colleges can easily adopt, and this can help students understand the problem. Unless students practice self-restraint , simply banning something will not help the cause,” said Vijay Joshi, principal of K J Somaiya College, Vidya Vihar.

What colleges will have to do

■ Implement measures to sensitise students on ill effects of junk food

■ Universities can serve as important data sources on students’ health. Information on markers like body mass index (BMI)/percentage of body weight/waist hip ratio, etc can help create awareness among students towards their health. BMI is the approximate measure of whether an individual is overweight or underweight, calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres

■ Conduct orientation programs for faculty and staff on health issues

■ Create wellness clusters under the Students Welfare Department to counsel students about proper nutrition, proper exercise and healthy habits. These wellness clusters can also provide psychological support to the students to prevent and reduce the incidence of obesity in young students

Similar incidents

■ In January this year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) directed all affiliated schools to take junk food off their canteen menu. Schools were also asked to inspect lunch boxes of students, create awareness about nutritious food and regularly monitor students’ health. The circular was released following a report by the Ministry of Women and Child Development addressing consumption of foods High in Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) and promotion of healthy snacks in schools

■ In May 2012, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had directed all schools to ban junk food and carbonated drinks, calling them “rich in calories but deficient in vital nutrients”. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations in May 2012 and all schools were asked to implement this ban at the earliest

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/junk-it-ugc-wants-college-canteens-to-take-fast-food-off-menu/story-ujBYSVzkhNG0YxiZOnzm9J.html

Friday, November 11, 2016

Government thinking of re-introducing CBSE Class 10 board exam: Javadekar

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that apart from NAAC ratings, the ranking of the educational institution in the HRD ministry's NIRF rankings will be taken into consideration to grade them

By: PTI | New Delhi | Updated: November 11, 2016 10:08 am

cbse, cbse 10th board exam, cbse 10th exam, hrd ministry, prakash javadekar, 10th board exam 2017, cbse 10the board 2017, education news, indian exprss

The Minister said whatever he may change this year, will be implemented in 2017-18 cycle, not this year The Government is thinking of re-introducing compulsory Class 10 board examination but if such a decision is taken, it will only be applied from the next academic year, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar today said. “I want to start CBSE 10th board exams because all other students, other than CBSE are appearing for Board exams. But for CBSE, it is an option. So why?,” Javadekar said while speaking at an interaction organised by FICCI.
The minister added that he got a lot of queries including from mediapersons, who also said they have children studying in CBSE schools and with March approaching they would need time to prepare.
“I said whatever I may change this year, will be implemented in 2017-18 cycle, not this year,” Javadekar clarified. Javadekar said that the government is also planning to bring in a new system under which educational institutions are regulated.
He added that apart from NAAC ratings, the ranking of the educational institution in the HRD ministry’s NIRF rankings will be taken into consideration to grade them. He said that for the best institutes there will be maximum autonomy and minimum regulation, for the next category there will be a balance of autonomy and regulation.
For those institutes which are a behind these two categories would have more regulation and less autonomy, Javadekar said. Speaking at the interaction, Javadekar also said that quality is the biggest challenge in the education sector.
He also said that the selection of world class educational institutions, on which the HRD ministry is working will be done in challenge mode.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/education/government-thinking-of-re-introducing-class-10-board-exam-javadekar/

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