CBSE, State Board Exams 2020: Till when can the exams remain postponed? As lockdown extends, experts worry Education

By : Kanika Khurana Kanika Khurana Updated Apr 22, 2020 | 21:33 IST

CBSE Board Exams 2020 for Classes 10th and 12th, along with many State Boards have been postponed with no likelihood of quick dates. Experts reason that the exams cannot be indefinitely postponed.

Delayed, deferred till further notice – these words have left millions of students in India uncertain about their futures. As Coronavirus spread in the country, many state boards as well as Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) postponed their on-going board examinations. New dates shifted from April to May and now the grim possibility of a further delay looms large. As news of possible exam cancellation worries parents, experts mull for how long can CBSE actually postpone the examinations?

There are many aspects to the board examinations. For higher secondary or Class 12, the board examinations are extremely important as they decide the choice of subjects, colleges and the students’ very future. Even for competitive examinations, the qualifying marks are important. As such, with a few papers delayed, many students are left wondering what next.

“Let’s be very realistic. Almost all the students from Delhi NCR are studying in CBSE affiliated schools. Given the current situation in Delhi and the nearby regions, it is nearly impossible for CBSE to organize the board exams. With about 10 days left for the second lockdown to end, the rate of new cases must stop in the next 2 days. Only with no new case for 7 days can the city be re-opened. While we don’t know yet, it can be safely said that organizing board exams in Delhi, at least, is ruled out till mid-May!” reasoned Mrs. Rai, a senior academician and head of a famous school.

“There has to be a rationale. Cancelling the exams is not an option but how long can we keep postponing the examination? Board Exams are pushing the competitive exams which are then pushing the admission process to universities and institutes. There has to be a cut off date!” she said.

But what is the cut-off date? Would June 15 be a reasonable date to wait or would the boards be willing to defer the exams till July?

“That’s a tricky answer to give. We have to understand that pushing the exams in June would delay the admission cycle by 2 months. Any further delay, and we are talking about truncated semesters.” Shared Mr. Menon. Also Read | CBSE Ganga Quest Quiz 2020: Second edition of Ganga Quest begins- Here is how to register on gangaquest.com

So what is the solution? “CBSE and other state boards need to think of alternative modes of evaluation. Maybe an online examination for the remaining subjects or perhaps a rationalized scheme of best of four papers. Either ways, the present situation requires out of the box thinking. Striking the balance is extremely important. Many of us have already shared our recommendations with the board and we are sure to get some answer soon!”

As for postponed board examinations and the dates, CBSE officials have confirmed that there was no plan to cancel the examination. Though rumours have started to go around various social media channels, the board has reassured the students that the main examinations have been deferred and not cancelled.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/

State govts to decide on early summer vacations to maintain academic calendar

India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | April 22, 2020

Many schools that were closed due to lockdown are thinking of starting summer vacation early this year to keep up with the academic calendar. The announcement for the same will not be done by CBSE or Ministry of Human Resource Development. This is a regional matter and only State Governments can take a call on when to start the school summer vacations.

Parents have reached to CBSE and MHRD to seek information regarding the summer vacations in school. Officials have confirmed that all schools will be required to follow the instructions of the State Governments in regards to the holidays. This applies to all the CBSE schools as well.

NCERT started revising the syllabus

In the last update, MHRD and CBSE officials have confirmed that NCERT is already revising the current academic year’s syllabus to accommodate for the lost time. On the other hand, online classes have initiated all over the country to keep up with the studies.

Difficulties in online classes

MHRD and state departments are aware of the practical difficulties. Experts have also agreed that the lost time would make it difficult to manage the entire syllabus, even as the situation remains in flux.

As of now, only Punjab has preponed the summer vacations for the schools. Apart from that, Rajasthan University and Mumbai University have also declared summer vacations. No order for schools has been given out as yet.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/

From Swayam to Diksha: Are govt learning portals enough for aspiring India?

Take a look at some of the initiatives taken by the government to strengthen the education system.

India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | April 22, 2020

From SWAYAM to Diksha portal, 5 initiatives taken by the government to strengthen India's education sector ( Image source: diksha.gov.in)

From SWAYAM to Diksha portal, 5 initiatives taken by the government to strengthen India's education sector ( Image source: diksha.gov.in)

During the yesteryears, India has taken a slew of measures to improve the quality of education. It is building relevant capacities, enhancing the pedagogical training across institutions, spearheading national and international collaborations. This is over and above introducing a more effective, comprehensive, and pertinent curriculum for students. Apparently, the nation is taking all the right steps on the education front.

So, let us have a look at some of them:

1. Institutes of Eminence (IoE):

Despite being the home to the world's second-largest population and as the fifth-largest economy, only 6 Indian institutions are ranked under 500 in 'The World University Ranking'. Further, no Indian institute emerges in the below-300 segment. In order to change this scenario, the Government of India launched IoE scheme back in 2016. It was followed by setting up of guidelines and regulation alongside a high-powered EEC (Empowered Expert Committee). The vision is to support 10 public and private institutes with superior autonomy (both administratively and academically) to boost quality teaching, research, and global ratings. To date, 16 out 20 Institutes of Eminence have been recognised by the UGC.

2. DIKSHA Portal:

The Indian Government is further empowering teachers with digital technology. In 2017, it launched DIKSHA portal to serve as a dedicated national digital infrastructure for teachers. The platform will enable teachers to create training content, in-class resources, profiles, assessment aids, and connect with other teachers more seamlessly. The DIKSHA portal can be used by both public and private institutions as per their unique goals, needs, and capabilities required for teacher training.

3. Study Webs of Active learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM):

Launched in 2014, SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active learning for Young Aspiring Minds) envisions extending best-quality education to over 3 crore students in India. The platform has been developed by the Ministry of HRD in collaboration with IIT Madras, NPTEL, and Google. It includes various training courses by AICTE, UGC, NCERT, NPTEL, CEC, IGNOU, NIOS, NITTTR, and IIM-Bombay. All training courses are free of cost on SWAYAM. The reach of SWAYAM further gets amplified via 32 SWAYAM Prabha DTH channels, especially amongst less-digitized regions.

4. Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan:

Another good initiative taken by government has been Rashtriya Aavishkar Aabhiyan. The initiative was launched back in 2015 to promote innovation excellence in science, mathematics, and technology within the age group of 6 to 18 years. It intends to achieve the overarching objectives via observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, rational reasoning, etc. The mission holds higher value considering the importance of these fields in our ever-growing digital infrastructure and advanced science.

5. AIIMS and IIT

Apart from Institutes of Eminence, India has simultaneously built capacity of its premier institutes like IIT and AIIMS alongside others. Since 2014, 13 new AIIMS have been announced by the government out of which, 7 have been established to date. The nation has also seen induction of 6 new IITs, increasing their overall tally to 23.

Are these measures enough?

They are surely satisfactory considering the sheer extent of the country. However, the global scenario is changing at a very rapid pace. Advanced economies have deployed modern training solutions and techniques such as smart classrooms since quite some time now and are generating positive results. This is when the quality of education continues to be a key challenge within the country. The nation has taken positive measures like Right to Education to make education more inclusive. Still such initiatives have faced challenges of their own as there is no effective measure to gauge the ability of teachers and their training, especially amongst remote regions.

Today, the nation needs to go beyond conventional measures. It needs to ensure that the technological interventions in education are fast-tracked and made more thorough. Perhaps, a good way to do it is by targeting the most critical block of this development, i.e. teachers. Advanced surveillance-driven solutions can be integrated, particularly within schools in remote regions and colleges in tier II and III cities, to achieve a higher educational quality. The government must also consider including app-based interfaces to track the progress of students.

This might further pave the way for transference of enhanced practices between Indian educational institutes. For instance, the respective teachers could enjoy takeaways from teachers at eminent institutes such as IITs, IIMs, and so on by leveraging these surveillance-based solutions. It will naturally improve their pedagogical training and hence, the quality of education.

These measures will turn out to be the next logical step in India's educational journey. It's high time we make our education system more advanced, thereby utilising our large base of youth effectively. Otherwise, it might get too late and India will be staring at a lost opportunity.

Article by Abhishek Kumar, Regional Director, Onvu Learning

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in

Indian govt launched VidyaDaan 2.0 on DIKSHA used by CBSE,NCERT to strengthen e-learning content

Recognising the growing need for good quality digital content, Govt of India has launched a national program VidyaDaan 2.0 today i.e. April 22, 2020, for inviting e-learning Content contributions.

India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | April 22, 2020

Due to the spread of Covid-19, education of students across schools is impacted everywhere. Traditional ways of teaching and learning are being rapidly augmented with online methods. It is the right time and opportunity to strengthen the e-learning content for school education on DIKSHA and leverage its potential used by all students and teachers of CBSE, NCERT and 30 states/UTs which have already adopted DIKSHA.

Recognising the growing need for good quality digital content, Govt of India has launched a national program VidyaDaan 2.0 today i.e. April 22, 2020, for inviting e-learning Content contributions. VidyaDaan 2.0 is a common national program to develop and contribute e-learning content and a chance to be recognised nationally.

VidyaDaan 2.0: Motto of the programme

The programme brings together academicians and organisations to develop and contribute fun and engaging e-learning content aligned to the curriculum. Contributors can contribute a variety of e-learning content in the form of explanatory videos, animations, teaching videos, lesson plans, assessments and question banks in the prescribed format.

The content will be monitored by a panel of academic experts and released for use on the DIKSHA app to help millions of children across the country continue learning anytime and anywhere.

States and UTs to initiate their own programme

Following the launch, States and Union Territories can initiate their own program as part of VidyaDaan 2.0, inviting individuals/ Organisations/ educational institutions/EdTech organisations/ teachers etc. to nominate themselves as contributors on the content contribution tool of VidyaDaan 2.0 and contribute content in regional language(s), contextualized to their regions.

The standardised templates available on VidyaDaan 2.0 via a content contribution tool will also help in creating a uniform structure ensuring easy accessibility.

The contributed content will be available for use across the education ecosystem such as government departments, education boards- national and states, schools (government and privates) and for the use of all other institutions, organisations and entities engaged in education.

VidyaDaan 2.0 will be leveraged for sourcing content for higher education very shortly. Please join the movement and share, for your care.

For more information on the process of nomination and contribution through VidyaDaan 2.0, you may visit-- vdn.diksha.gov.in or diksha.gov.in and click on VidyaDaan 2.0.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/

CBSE to announce dates for Class 10, 12 Boards after May 3

CBSE had postponed Board exams even before PM Modi announced the lockdown on March 24

  BusinessToday.In  | April 20, 2020 

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that Board exams for Class 10 and 12 would not be cancelled. The examination dates for pending papers would be announced after May 3, depending on the situation.

CBSE had postponed Board exams even before PM Modiannounced the lockdown on March 24.

CBSE will conduct Class 10 exams only for North-East Delhischools for Hindi Course A, Hindi Course B, English Communication, English language and Literature, Science, and Social Science. Meanwhile, only tests for main subjects including Business Studies, Geography, Hindi (Elective), Hindi (Core), Home Science, Sociology, Computer Science, Information Practice, Information Technology, and Biotechnology will be conducted for the class 12 boards.

Class 12 students from North-East Delhi will have to give exams for English, Mathematics, Economics, Biology, Political Science, History, Physics, Accountancy, and Chemistry.

The new dates would be notified 10 days before the exam.

CBSE had directed affiliated schools to promote kids till class 8 without any evaluation. For classes 9 and 11, the board has ordered the schools to assess them based on their performances in internal evaluations. If a student fails to pass, then the schools can use the lockdown period to provide online remedial classes. It is also discussing a 'rationalised syllabus' as the coronavirus pandemic has already pushed back opening dates of schools.

Source : https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/cbse-to-announce-dates-for-class-10-12-boards-after-may-3/story/401514.html

CBSE school to work with reduced curriculum for next academic calendar, HRD Minister

JEE Mains will most probably be conducted in the month of June as the lockdown has been extended, says the minister.

Human Resources Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal, said that CBSE will be reducing the curriculum for the next academic calendar for all the classes to make up for the lost time due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The curriculum will be curtailed in proportion to the lost time due to the lockdown, reports Indian Express.

Moreover, due to the extension of the lockdown, the minister said, the JEE Main examination will not be conducted in the last week of May which was the tentative date. Now, the JEE Main examination is expected to be conducted in the month of June.

The minister said that the curtailment of the curriculum was necessary to make up for the lost time. Students from CBSE schools have already lost one-and-a-half months worth of study time. He added that CBSE has already instructed its course committee to work on the calendar for the next year.

CBSE was in the midst of conducting its 10th and 12th board exams when the lockdown was imposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The board had earlier that students from class 1 to 8 will be promoted without an exam this year.

Moreover, it was also decided that out of the 41 subjects remaining to be conducted (including for students from Northeast Delhi), only 29 subjects will be conducted once the lockdown is lifted.

Source : https://scroll.in/announcements/959680/cbse-school-to-work-with-reduced-curriculum-for-next-academic-calendar-hrd-minister

NEET PG 2020 counselling dates extended till April 24, check details here

Earlier, the last date of reporting for round-1 of PG Counselling 2020 was April 20 which now has been extended to April 24, 2020.

By : Akhilesh Nagari | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | : Apr 15, 2020

Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has extended the last date of reporting for round-1 of PG Counselling 2020 till April 24, 2020. The NEET PG 2020 counselling result was declared on April 10, 2020. The MCC Committee is allowing online reporting for students who will not be able to commute. The committee has also enabled a special provision for students to take admission during the lockdown.

Earlier, the last date of reporting for round-1 of PG Counselling 2020 was April 20 which now has been extended to April 24, 2020.

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, MCC has also advised colleges to ‘sympathetically deal with the issues faced by candidates of NEET PG 2020’. Colleges have been instructed to ask only for the essential documents for admission. The list of essential documents is available on the MCC website.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/neet-pg-2020-counselling-dates-extended-till-april-24-check-details-here/story-4YUokbEk2NT8giTifKkivK.html

CBSE, Fit India Mission to stream live exercise classes for students from April 15

The Fit India Mission has reportedly made five capsules of five minutes each for breaks between online sessions. These capsules will be played by schools between online study sessions.

By: Education Desk | New Delhi | Updated: April 14, 2020

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) along with Fit India Mission will begin live fitness sessions for school children from April 15 onwards. The sessions will be streamed live on Fit India’s YouTube channel. “As many schools have already initiated online or virtual classes for students, it is equally important to invest in their overall physical, emotional and mental well-being at home during this period,” the board said in a recent circular.

In a letter addressed to school principals, CBSE informed that all the live sessions are downloadable and can be made available as video capsules to be disseminated later. The sessions, claims the board, will be created to ensure it engages students, teachers as well as parents.

The Fit India Mission has reportedly made five capsules of five minutes each for breaks between online sessions. These capsules will be played by schools in between online study sessions.

Meanwhile, schools are holding classes online for students until the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic is over. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to extend the lockdown till May 3. Over 10,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus in India. The death toll in the nation due to the virus has reached 339.

For those belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) of the society, coping with these classes has been difficult. As per a report, of the 25 crore students affected by the lockdown, 80 per cent are from EWS category. These students are struggling due to lack of e-learning, know-how and unavailability of required infrastructure.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/cbse-fit-india-mission-to-have-live-exercise-classes-for-students-from-april-15-6361766/

Google Play adds a ‘Teacher Approved’ section to its app store

By : Sarah Perez@sarahintampa / April 15, 2020

Google today is making it easier for families to find quality educational apps with the addition of a new “Teacher Approved” section to Google Play. All apps found in this section are vetted by a panel of reviewers, including more than 200 teachers across the U.S., and meet Google’s existing requirements for its “Designed for Families” program.

That program requires apps to meet government regulations around data collection and ad targeting, and also limits the types of ads that can be displayed to children, if apps are ad-supported.

The apps chosen for the “Teacher Approved” section, however, don’t just meet the program’s minimum requirements — they’re also reviewed and rated highly by teachers. These may be apps teachers suggest for supplemental learning while others may just be used for fun.

The launch arrives at a time when most U.S. children are now out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent school closures. To date, at least 55.1 million students are no longer attending their public or private school in-person, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. This change has left parents scrambling to fill their child’s time with educational activities. And even if distance learning is available in their school district, it isn’t typically enough to keep the child engaged throughout the day.

Google says it heard from parents that it was difficult to find kid-friendly apps they felt good about letting their children use, which is why it chose to launch the new “Teacher Approved” section on Google Play.

The company worked with academic experts, including lead advisors Joe Blatt (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Dr. Sandra Calvert (Georgetown University) to create the framework for rating apps for kids. But the apps themselves are chosen by a panel with teacher involvement. The panel rates apps on various aspects like age-appropriateness, quality of experience, enrichment and whether kids enjoy using the app.

To access the new section, you can either visit the “Kids” tab on Google Play or you can look for the “Teacher Approved” badge on any given app to see if it met with teachers’ approval. In addition, Google Play Pass will offer subscribers a selection of “Teacher Approved” content under the “Apps and games for kids” section.

The apps will be grouped by age: 5 & under, ages 6-8 and ages 9-12. Google will also include information in the app’s listing about why it was rated highly.

At launch, Google tells us there will be around 1,000 Teacher Approved apps live in the Play Store and around 60 also included in Google Play Pass. The company says it’s working with its Play Pass partners to increase this number over time.

 “I think it’s terrific that Google is taking this unprecedented stand – creating a unique space for apps that teachers have rated high in quality and value for kids and their families,” said Joe Blatt, senior lecturer and faculty director of the Technology, Innovation, and Education Program, in a statement about the launch. “Over the past three years, together with faculty colleagues and students, I have worked to pinpoint criteria for developmental appropriateness, learning impact, and appeal. Then we helped Google build a rating system that enables teachers to apply these criteria reliably. I’m really impressed with the dedication and professionalism that the Google team has invested in this project,” he added.

The new Kids tab with “Teacher approved” apps will roll out in the U.S. on Google Play over the next few days. Google says it will expand the experience internationally in the months to come.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/15/google-play-adds-a-teacher-approved-section-to-its-app-store/

CBSE may conduct exams of the main subjects only

By : TNN | Apr 16, 2020, 04.13 AM IST

Indore: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct examinations for only main subjects that will be required for promotion or are considered crucial for admissions to higher educational institutions (HEIs).

Considering that the timetable cannot be declared due to the present situation, the board has decided to give notice of about 10 days to all stakeholders before starting board examination.

For remaining subjects, board will issue separate instructions for marking, assessment. After getting several queries from students on helpline numbers, the board has answered some of the questions related to higher secondary classes.

“We have still been getting three to four calls on a regular basis from students regarding the examination and promotion,” helpline counsellor of CBSE, Jaydeb Kar told TOI.

Several students of Class 10 had asked about the examination of language subjects taken as sixth subject as it may affect the admissions for Class 11, the board has decided not to conduct the exam, but it is making provisions to prepare the result for these subjects.

Students of Class 12 who are interested to appear in competitive examinations had been enquiring about marks of the subjects that will not be conducted as it might hamper the standard marks.

“The system of assessment for declaring results will be worked out by the board shortly and the schools will be informed. Board has ensured that the interest of students will be protected,” said Kar.

Students of Class nine and 11 asked if they can be promoted to the next class like the students of classes one to eight stating that mostly students study only for the annual examination. However, the board has disagreed.

It stated that there is a system of continuous internal assessment in most of the subjects by the schools besides the term exams at regular intervals in which the students are assessed.

Those schools that were unable to conduct the examination of Class nine and 11 will be promoted to the next classes. However, the promotion policy will not be applicable on the students of classes nine and 11 whose results have been declared prior to the lockdown.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/cbse-may-conduct-exams-of-the-main-subjects-only/articleshow/75169468.cms