Sep 02 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

NCERT plans pre-school model

Manash Gohain | New Delhi





The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is set to come up with a model for pre-school education in 2018.

 

A national consultation on sustainability in the context of early childhood education (ECE) is slated for November this year.

Making the announcement during the 57th Foundation Day celebrations on Friday , NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty said a district-level national achievement survey involving more than 30 lakh children, a first of its kind, would be conducted on November 13. The NCERT has regional institutes of education (RIE) where demonstration multi-purpose schools run pre-school programmes.

These are the laboratories for creating a framework for pre-school education in the country .

The NCERT also runs a nursery school at IIT-Delhi, also a laboratory for the preschool experiment.

“The council is working towards creating a model for pre-school education. It should be ready by next year.And we expect this model to be implemented across the country ,“ said Senapaty. Union minister of state for human resource development Upendra Kushwaha said though some question the quality of NCERT textbooks, “it is by studying these very books that students of Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas have brought laurels by scoring 95%-98% marks in the CBSE examinations every year“.

NCERT spokesman Hemant Kumar said preschools in four RIEs, except in Shillong, opened in 2008 while the IIT Nursery school was opened in 1966.

“The pedagogy followed is play-based and a developmentally appropriate approach is followed... The ECE programme helps young children transit smoothly to Class I,“ he said.





Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=NCERT-plans-pre-school-model-02092017011016#

CBSE Board exam: Marks not likely to be spiked next year, moderation continues

An inter-board working group has decided to take the step in order to bring uniformity in the standard of question papers of different boards.

education Updated: Sep 04, 2017 11:36 IST

Neelam Pandey | Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Spiking of marks in 10th and 12 class board exams is likely to stop from next year. However, school boards will continue with a moderation policy to remove ambiguity and difficulty level in different question sets and offer a level playing field in the evaluation process.

Mark sheets of students will mention whether they have been awarded grace marks.

These recommendations have been made by the inter-board working group headed by the CBSE’s outgoing chairman RK Chaturvedi. The inter-board working group has members from Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Telangana, Chattisgarh, Manipur and ICSE boards.

A decision was taken regarding this in a meeting on August 28. The recommendations will now be sent to the Union HRD ministry for adoption by various states. The group was formed to look into the issues related to the moderation policy.

To ensure uniformity in the question papers of various boards, the group also decided that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will develop model sample question papers that will be circulated to all the boards.

“The sample question papers will help states decide how many questions should be difficult, how many should be easy and what type of questions should be used. Depending on the state’s requirement they will use the sample questions to develop their own. This will bring in greater uniformity in the evaluation system,” said one of the members of the group.

There was consensus amongst all the members to do away with spiking of marks as it is not a true reflection of a student’s performance.

“In the meeting it was decided that all the decisions taken earlier during April related to moderation are accepted by all the working group members. The recommendations are being sent to the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry. These recommendations have to be unanimously accepted by all the state boards in the country. For this purpose, MHRD has to play a proactive role,” said a source.

The group has also suggested that moderation will continue to ensure appropriate compensation is provided to students in case there are differences in the difficulty levels of question papers and overall evaluation process.

However, state boards will have to post their moderation policy on their websites in a transparent manner. Sources further said that grace marks will continue and though the mark sheet will specify if a student has passed due to grace marks, it will not mention the extra marks awarded to him or her.

Grace marks are given in cases where a student narrowly misses the passing mark. “Students who pass without grace marks will at least get some priority through this. At the same time rather than failing a student who narrowly misses the marks such students will also be passed,” said one of the members of the group.
The moderation policy allows board to give students extra marks. But some state boards used the system to increase marks of their students, spiking the overall pass percentage and thereby triggering widespread resentment. It was also decided that the qualifying marks will be 33 out 100 as some states follow different passing marks such as 38, 40 among others. This is also being done to bring standardization in the process.

In the moderation policy of the CBSE there is a clause which allows the board to maintain “a near parity of pass percentage of candidates in the current year vis-a-vis preceding years, subject-wise and overall”. Sources said this, at times, leads to inflation of marks, which is not a true reflection of a student’s performance. The practice is followed by a number of other boards including Tamil Nadu. States such as Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar do not have a moderation policy. But others, including Goa, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, use the policy to improve their pass percentage.

It has also been decided that CBSE will use only one set of questions rather than three which it currently uses. Currently, there is an All India set, one for Delhi and another used in other countries.
In CBSE, moderation is done till overall marks reach 95 in each subject. The benefit of moderation is not given to students who score 95 and above.

The CBSE had earlier decided to scrap the moderation policy to “remove arbitrariness and inflation of marks,” but a Delhi High Court had directed that the moderation policy be applied for this academic session. Following this, the board took a decision not to make any changes to its moderation policy this year. Over 18,000 schools across the country are affiliated to the CBSE.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/spiking-of-marks-in-school-boards-exams-likely-to-stop-from-next-year/story-xwRuZljxAT18FT6HPWEk2O.html

CBSE asks all its schools to frame guidelines for safe internet usage

In the circular, the board has asked the schools to promote a safe and secure educational environment for effective teaching and learning and to discourage students from actions detrimental to themselves, their peers and the value system.

By: Express News Service | Chandigarh | Updated: August 23, 2017 5:45 am

The board has also asked the schools to install effective firewalls, filtering and monitoring software mechanisms in all the computers and regularly review filtering and blocking policies and procedures. The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) has issue a circular to all CBSE affiliated schools, asking them to frame guidelines for safe and effective use of internet and digital technologies in schools and buses. The board has asked the schools to draft a policy on the safe use of electronic devices and implement it.

In the circular, the board has asked the schools to promote a safe and secure educational environment for effective teaching and learning and to discourage students from actions detrimental to themselves, their peers and the value system. The board has also asked the schools to avoid digital and video images of individual students or teachers on school websites for safety of children.

Regarding safety of children in buses, the schools have been told that they can provide a mobile phone to each school bus driver to deal with unprecedented emergency, but it should be of a basic model without any internet facility and data storage. “Schools are, thus, advised to take the measures to ensure that no inappropriate and illegal activity through IT enabled devices takes place in its premises and they should educate students for the safe and effective use of the internet and make children aware of the rule regarding usage of internet and display rules in this regard prominently,” the circular reads.

The board has also asked the schools to install effective firewalls, filtering and monitoring software mechanisms in all the computers and regularly review filtering and blocking policies and procedures.
Various types of unsolicited contents available on the internet must be blocked and computers should be configured with parental control filters or antivirus of appropriate standard and digital surveillance system must be deployed. The schools, however, have been asked to allow children access only per-selected websites appropriate to their age group.

Apart from these, the schools have been asked to sensitise parents about internet safety norms and they should take strict disciplinary action against those who attempt to bypass filtering or to access inappropriate or illegal material. The schools is also required to disable the usernames and passwords of those who leave the school promptly.

Source : http://indianexpress.com/article/chandigarh/cbse-asks-all-its-schools-to-frame-guidelines-for-safe-internet-usage-4809268/

CBSE issues guidelines over Blue Whale scare

DH News Service, New Delhi, Aug 23 2017, 0:59 IST

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has directed its schools to deploy digital surveillance system to ensure safe and secure internet use by the students.

The advisory comes in the wake of the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’ online game triggering a panic among parents across the country.

Suggesting a host of other measures in a recent circular, it also instructed the schools to make students “explicitly” aware of the rules for an acceptable use of the internet and display them “prominently” on the school campus.

“Make children using the internet to work in highly visible areas of the school. Supervise and monitor all online activities in the light of educational objectives. Make aware the teachers and other school staff about internet safety norms. Sensitise the parents,” the CBSE sought.

It also directed the schools to “avoid” digital and video images of individual students or the teachers on their websites for safety of children.

Several cases of suicide in India have been linked to the ‘Blue Whale Challenge’, triggering a nationwide concern over the safety of children even as probe into these cases was yet to conclude.

The Centre has asked all the state police departments to remain alert and take appropriate action, according to sources.

“Schools need to promote a safe and secure educational environment for effective teaching and learning and to discourage students from actions detrimental to themselves, their peers and the value system,” the board’s additional director Biswajit Saha said.

The board issued its directive to all schools on safe and effective use of the internet and digital technologies on their campuses and the school buses on August 18. More than 18,000 schools are affiliated to the CBSE across the country.

“Install effective firewalls, filtering and monitoring software mechanisms in all the computers and regularly review filtering and blocking policies and procedures. Various types of unsolicited contents available on internet must be blocked. Configure end-user computer devices with parental control filters/antivirus of appropriate standard,” the CBSE directed.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/629418/cbse-issues-guidelines-over-blue.html

CBSE issues cyber rules for schools

TNN | Updated: Aug 19, 2017, 09:09 AM IST

Highlights

    CBSE guidelines list a slew of measures such as installing effective firewalls, filtering software mechanism

    The circular says if children use internet without safety awareness, they may fall prey to illegal activity 

The circular said that if children use internet without safety awareness, they may fall prey to illegal activi... Read More

 

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday issued an 18-point guideline "for safe and effective use of internet and digital technologies in schools and school buses".

The guidelines have listed a slew of measures such as installing effective firewalls, filtering and monitoring software mechanisms, deploying digital surveillance system and allowing children to access only pre-selected websites appropriate to their age group, among others.

"Schools need to promote a safe and secure educational environment for effective teaching and learning and to discourage students from actions detrimental to themselves, their peers and the value system," the board stated.

CBSE has also banned carrying electronic communication devices, including those that can store, record, play audio-visual content; transmit or receive images; or provide unfiltered connection to the internet such as iPads, DVD/ CD players, game consoles, handheld PC, smartphones, laptops, tablet or any other gadgets with similar capabilities in school and school bus without prior permission and verification of school authorities.

The circular said that if children use internet without safety awareness, they may fall prey to illegal activity or abuse such as cyber bullying, fraud or something even worse.

The measures include making children use internet at highly-visible areas of the school, sensitise parents about internet safety norms and take strict disciplinary action against those who attempt to bypass filtering or to access inappropriate material.

The schools have also been asked not to allow accounts for fictitious children or groups and avoid digital as well as video images of individual students/ teachers on school websites for safety of children. Apart from being asked to use only the licensed version of software, schools have also been advised to draft a policy on the safe use of electronic devices and implement it.


Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/cbse-issues-cyber-rules-for-schools/articleshow/60125999.cms?

`1,300 errors found during review of NCERT textbooks'

Manash Gohain | New Delhi:





Over 1,300 factual errors have been identified during the review of school textbooks published by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Stating that the Council will correct the errors, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said nearly 900 teachers had sent over 2,500 suggestions for correction.

 

Earlier this year, NCERT decided to review all its books, as they were written over a decade ago and needed to be updated. The books were published in 2007, post National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005. The Council had sought suggestions from tea chers for factual errors and updation.

Speaking to TOI, Javadekar said the bo oks were not being re vised but reviewed for factual errors. “This is w. NCERT received aro a review. NCERT received around 2,500 suggestions and of those 1,300 were found to be correct,“ he said. The minister said NCERT is going to update the books mostly before start of the next academic session. “ A new portal has been created which will help schools order books to ensure timely supply ,“ he added.

According to MHRD, NCERT printed and supplied 4.5 crore copies of textbooks this year and it is anticipating orders of six crore copies next year. Javadekar said, from October 2, the Centre will also undertake a “first of its kind technologically-enabled teachers' training programme for nearly 11lakh untrained teachers“.




Source : Aug 20 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)
 

Source Link: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=1300-errors-found-during-review-of-NCERT-textbooks-20082017018024

Aug 21 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

JEE Advanced will go online from next year to fix errors





The IIT Joint Admission Board announced on Sunday that the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) would go online from 2018. Errors in the question paper this year prompted the change, officials said.

They said an online test will help prevent mistakes and also avert situations like what they encountered last year when 18 bonus marks were given to candidates who took the JEE (A) because of printing and translation errors in the question paper. After a meeting on Sunday, JAB members said they were optimistic that the online version of the JEE Ad online version of the JEE Advanced will ensure that there is greater accuracy and transparency in the test.

Candidates in 2018 are likely to continue to have the option of taking either the online or written version of the JEE (Mains), the qualifying test for the JEE Advanced. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the qualifying test, which only 10% of all candidates chose to take online in 2017.

More than 1.5 lakh students took the JEE Advanced in 2017.Officials had put the admission process on hold temporarily after a group of students pointed out mistakes in the question paper. The Supreme Court heard a plea by the students in July and directed the JAB to award them bonus marks and submit an undertaking to the court that it would develop a suitable mechanism so such errors would not take place again. “The online version of the test will make logistics easier and the evaluation process more accurate,“ a senior official with the human resource development (HRD) ministry said. “It will also take care of security issues because there will be no scope for question papers leaks.“ IIT-M director and JAB chairman Bhaskar Ramamurthi said printing costs would drop with the online version and the board would be able to declare results faster.





Source: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=JEE-Advanced-will-go-online-from-next-year-21082017001065#

 

Mumbai, it's time to focus on your kids' mental health

Ismat Tahseen





There's nothing more tragic than a young life cut short. In April, 24-year-old college student Vishal Bhardwaj had shocked Mumbai by announcing his suicide on social media, barely moments before jumping off a high-rise hotel in Bandra. And last week saw Mumbai grappling last week saw Mumbai grappling with the news of another tragic death. In the latest incident, a 14-year-old boy leaped to his death from the terrace of the building in which he stayed. The cops are still probing if the boy , Manpreet Sahans, was playing the dangerous `Blue Whale' dare-based game or if there was another reason that triggered the act. Amid speculation about how children are more vulnerable to the dark side of the web, these incidents also highlight the alarming need for greater support for the city's kids and preteens, in order to help them overcome mental health issues that they may go through. 

`SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION CAN BE HIDDEN' 

In the case of Manpreet, reports state that he was regular with academics and extracurricular activities. He also loved basketball and cricket and cracking jokes with his friends. In short, there was no visible signs of depression. However, city-based psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty says, “The symptoms of depression and other mental health issues can be just as much hidden in kids and teens as adults. And often, they are ignored. So many parents say , `We did not know or child is depressed; we thought he's just being quiet'.There are red flags to watch out for. Look for these symptoms --poor concentration that starts suddenly , talking about wanting to meet God, surfing sites for suicidal methods, wanting to run away from the house in a suicide statement, sudden anger and irritability towards parents, clinging excessively to parents or teachers, picking fights with rickshaw drivers and non-teaching staff, wanting to explore the upper stories in a school or other buildings, losing weight and developing either an excessive or poor appetite, apart from sadness and crying. Another rare symptom is sympathising with those who have already harmed themselves and supporting their action. If you see these, con sult mental health professionals and not an astrologer,“ he warns. “Often, when a nor mally aggres sive child becomes extremely well behaved, it's time to go for a mental health screen ing,“ he adds.

SHOCKING STATS `HELPLINE CALLS FROM YOUNGSTERS ON THE RISE' 

Johnson Thomas, who works for a Mumbai-based helpline for suicide prevention, says, “In the last one week alone, we have received close to 180 calls a day , of which 45 were from young adults in the 14 25 age group.
There are kids who say that they are depressed and can not study. Some even talk of wanting to end their lives. The reasons may vary , but it's mostly about being alone, losing friends and not feeling like doing anything. These kids want to consult counsellors, but are afraid of how their families will react. Since they are too young to reach counsellors on their own, it's the parents' responsibility to understand their plight. What is even more disturbing is that we have also been getting calls from teens, who want to play the Blue Whale game as it has garnered so much negative attention.For those who are on the verge of depression, this can be fatal. We are actually looking at a ticking time bomb that may explode if access to the game is not denied and if adults do not look at depression as a wakeup call.“

IMMEDIATE NEED OUR CITY HAS NO SUPPORT GROUPS FOR THE YOUNGER LOT 

The emotional well-being of youngsters is largely ignored, feel experts.Dr Aleeka Kumar, psychodynamic psychotherapist, says, “ Apart from the school counsellor, we don't see any help being available for them. There is also a lack of understanding about therapy and mental help. When it comes to therapy , parents still think, `There is something is wrong with my child'. So, as adults, we need to acknowledge that emotional wellbeing is as crucial for development and survival. Why don't parents come together and form an informal support group and include a therapist as part of it? Mumbai is a city of initiatives, why can't this happen?“

THE WAY OUT `GO FOR REGULAR CHECK-UPS, WHY WAIT UNTIL RISK ARISES?' 

The need of the hour is regular mental health check-ups. Do not wait to consult a counsellor till you realise that someone is at a risk of ending his life. Developmental pediatrician Anjana Thadani says that many lives can be saved if parents, teachers or even friends act on the symptoms. “We have been neglecting mental health issues of kids and adolescents all this while. Do not ignore their mood changes and swing into action right away . Always keep the channel of communication open and take your kids for mental health check-ups on a half-yearly basis,“ she advises.

Source : Aug 08 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Source Link: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=Mumbai-its-time-to-focus-on-your-kids-08082017102033#

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 SMARTPHONES ARE RENDERING TEENAGERS LONELY AND DISTRESSED

IANS





Teenagers today are working less, have fewer relationships and are far less happy than previous generations because of increased use of smartphones, says a social psychologist who has been researching generational differences for 25 years.Jean Twenge says there is evidence that the devices we have placed in young people's hands are having profound effects on their lives and making them unhappy .

 

The statistics are alarming.While only 56 per cent of high school seniors dated in 2015, compared to 85 per cent for Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, the number of teenagers who spend daily time with friends dropped by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2015, it said. The decline in dating tracks with a decline in sexual activity.

While this might have had a positive impact on teenage birth rate, which hit an all-time low in 2016, down 67 per cent since its modern peak in 1991, Twenge said that increased smartphone use is also linked to loneliness and depression among the post-millennial generation. Today's teenagers are also working less than their predecessors and driving less, often depending on parents for the rides, according to research. So, if they are not meeting their friends, working less, and not often going on a date, what are they doing with all that time? They are on their phone, in their room, alone and often distressed, Twenge said.
 

Source : Aug 09 2017 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

 

Link :  http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31840&articlexml=SMARTPHONES-ARE-RENDERING-TEENAGERS-LONELY-AND-DISTRESSED-09082017105033#