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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