As MHRD announces new dates for CBSE exams, Sisodia says Delhi wasn’t consulted

While the exams for 12 subjects of class 12 will be held across the country, the exams for class 10 will be held only in northeast Delhi.

By :Fareeha Iftikhar and Amandeep Shukla  Hindustan Times,  New Delhi | May 09, 2020

    

While the Union ministry of human resources development (HRD) on Friday announced that the pending Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) class 10 and 12 examinations would be conducted between July 1 and July 15, Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia said the government was not consulted before the dates were announced, even as Delhi has the most papers pending across the country.

Delhi had earlier requested the HRD ministry to cancel the remaining CBSE class 10 and 12 exams, saying it was unfeasible to conduct them under the prevailing circumstances. Sisodia had also asked the ministry to pass students on the basis of their marks in internal examinations.

Schools across the country have been shut since the end of March, owing to the nationwide lockdown in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). All schools in the national capital were shut even earlier, from March 19.

After HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal’s announced the new dates on Friday, Sisodia told HT, “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I had already suggested that the MHRD cancel the exams. It’s unfortunate that they have not even consulted us before taking a decision.”

The maximum number of pending papers will be held in northeast Delhi, where exams were curtailed due to the communal riots in the last week of February. Exams for the entire country were postponed on March 19, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the exams for 12 subjects of class 12 will be held across the country, the exams for class 10 will be held only in northeast Delhi.

Overall, the CBSE will conduct 27 exams.

A Union government official said that while the board and HRD ministry are keen that exams be held, the situation is an evolving one and will continue to be monitored.

Significantly, while the HRD ministry and CBSE are hoping to get the exams conducted in July, there have been studies which point out that COVID-19 may not thaw completely by that time.

Sisodia, however, said that AIIMS Delhi director Dr Randeep Guleria had recently suggested there can be a possible peak in the Covid-19 curve in the city in June and July. “It’s still difficult to ascertain that what the situation in June and July will be,” he said.

Meanwhile, principals of schools said that at least there is a clarity about the exams. “It’s a relief for students as well as for us. The kind of uncertainty we had in mind has gone. However, the CBSE has to come up with proper plan to conduct exams taking all precautions,” said Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu School in Rohini. The school is also a CBSE examination centre.

Arsh Malik, a class 12 student at a government school in northeast Delhi’s Yamuna Vihar, said, “We were not feeling like studying till now because there was no clarity over dates. Now at least we can study with focus.”

Many parents, however, expressed concerns over the move. “It’s going to be very risky to send our children for exams in the prevailing situation. We just hope things get better by July. There is already speculation of the peak in Covid-19 cases in July in Delhi,” said Mahima Khurana, mother of a class 12 student.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com

Soon, schools to get guidelines for online classes

By : TNN | May 9, 2020, 05.49 AM IST

NEW DELHI: The government plans to issue guidelines to schools for online classes to ensure that students don’t suffer from physical and mental stress due to ‘more than required’ exposure to digital screens while ensuring that learning outcomes are not compromised because of the Covid lockdown.

With uncertainty remaining over resumption of classroom teaching in the immediate future, the HRD ministry earlier this week asked the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to prepare guidelines for online teaching.

According to a senior HRD official, the ministry as well as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and NCERT have received complaints of schools making students sit for hours in front of digital screens for online classes. “In their zeal of doing the maximum during this period, private schools are burdening students with long hours of online classes and assignments. We have received complaints. So a set of guidelines is necessary so that the schools follow the best practices,” he said.

A number of groups at NCERT is now preparing the draft guidelines for online teaching. When contacted, NCERT Director Hrushikesh Senapaty confirmed that the Council had received a letter from the MHRD on the issue.

“Students should not be stressed. How can students sit in front of screen from 10 am to 4 pm? There are schools doing that in the name of online classes.” said Senapaty. He said online guidelines will also be for parents. “Engaging parents is important as the idea is to improve social development of students,” he said.

The guidelines will also include suggestions on monitoring of screen time for children, screen sizes and pen and paper activities. They are likely to be submitted to the HRD ministry next week.

HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had announced earlier that the syllabus would be reduced in view of the academic disruption.

Senapaty said once the lockdown is lifted, NCERT will take a view as to see how much of tweaking in syllabus is necessary.

“Reduction of syllabus will depend on the loss of academic period due to the lockdown. But this doesn’t mean the learning outcome will be compromised. This will not be like simply doing away with a chapter or two. Experts will sit and work on how much portion of a subject can be reduced so as not to impact learning outcomes,” Senapaty said.

The guidelines are likely to be submitted to MHRD next week. According to MHRD sources some of the guidelines for online education could be for long term application as well as a matter of policy.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/soon-schools-to-get-guidelines-for-online-classes/articleshowprint/75638836.cms

CBSE to conduct 10th, 12th board exams from July 1 to 15

“The students have been impatiently waiting for the schedule for pending exams. It has been decided today that the exams will be conducted from July 1 to 15,” HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said.

By : Amandeep Shukla | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | May 08, 2020

 The pending CBSE class 10 and 12 board exams will be held from July 1 to July 15, the HRD ministry announced on Friday aiming to bring relief to lakhs of anxious students and kick start the next academic session.

“The students have been impatiently waiting for the schedule for pending exams. It has been decided today that the exams will be conducted from July 1 to 15,” HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said.

While the exams for 12 subjects of class 12 will be held across the country, the exams for class 10 will be held only in north-east Delhi, where some of the tests could not be held earlier because of communal violence in the area. Overall the CBSE would conduct 27 exams.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/cbse-class-12-exams-may-happen-in-july-first-half/story-eGVM9VrOMwbsJIGUiFzklJ.html

HRD minister to address students’ query through webinar on May 5

By : Nandini | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | May 02, 2020

 Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Saturday announced that he will address students’ query through a webinar on his Twitter and Facebook handle on May 5 from 12 noon onwards.

“Students, I am hosting a webinar exclusively for you, via my Twitter(@DrRPNishank) & Facebook (@cmnishank) pages.Please Join me on 5th May at 12 noon! Till then keep sharing your concerns with me using #EducationMinisterGoesLive. I will be happy to address all your queries !” he tweeted.

Earlier on Thursday, the minister had tweeted that he is going to talk about the students’ query regarding the impact of Covid-19 on their education and other issues through a webinar soon. However, he has announced the date and time for the webinar today on Twitter.

The minister urged the students to keep sharing their concerns with him using #EducationMinisterGoesLive. Students have already started commenting on his tweet regarding their queries.

Some students asked him to direct CBSE board to promote class 9th and 11th students like the other state boards while some asked the minister about the CBSE board pending exams and results. Some of them also asked him to cancel ICSE board exams.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/

Lockdown 3.0: Impact on schools, colleges, board exams and entrance exams

The coronavirus lockdown has further been extended till May 17, 2020. Here's how it will have an impact on schools, colleges, board exams and entrance exams.

By: India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | May 1, 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

•        Schools and colleges to remain shut till May 17, 2020

•        Board Exams further postponed

Coronavirus lockdown 3.0: Attention students, as per the latest updates, the coronavirus lockdown has been extended till May 17, 2020. The Pan-India lockdown was scheduled to end on May 3, 2020, however, as per the decision taken by the MHA, the lockdown has been extended till May 17, 2020. This means that schools, colleges, institutes, coaching centers across the country will also remain shut till May 17, 2020. Board exams are further postponed which will lead to further postponement of results.

Impact on the education sector

Now, with the extension and further delay in reconducting the remaining board exams, there will also be an effect on the evaluation process. Not only CBSE but other state board exams have also been affected by the decision. CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi has said that all remaining CBSE Class 10 board exams have been cancelled.

And for CBSE Class 12 board exams, exams of only 12 major subjects would be carried out after the lockdown which would be required for college admissions. But now, the question arises that when will the board conduct the remaining papers.

With this, he also mentioned that it will take around 1 to 2 months for the evaluation process. We are expecting that this will get further delayed due to the extension.

A few days back, UGC released its guidelines which mentioned that the colleges will open from August. Intermediate Semester Students will be graded based on their internal assessment of the present and previous semester. However, exams will be conducted in states where the Covid-19 situation has been normalised in the month of July. Terminal Semester Students will have their exams in July.

Exams and jobs which were scheduled till May third week will be postponed in view of the Coronavirus lockdown. For the exams which were scheduled immediately after the lockdown, a fresh announcement is likely to be made soon.

Exam conducting agencies and organisations are also expected to announce further extension of application processes or the postponement of the exams. Major entrance exams of 2020 have not been held yet. NEET, JEE Main have been postponed

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in

How to crack CTET 2020 while staying at home

Implement simple study tricks during this lockdown to crack CTET 2020 in one go

Written by AglaSem | New Delhi | Updated: May 1, 2020

We are into the second phase of COVID-19 lockdown, and CBSE is likely to stick to the schedule for conducting the CTET 2020 exam. The exam date of the Central Teacher’s Eligibility Test is unchanged and it is tentatively going to be conducted on July 5, 2020.

The end note is that candidates have ample time for preparations assuming that the lockdown is not extended anymore.

VDO.AI

So what can one do to utilise the available time before the CTET exam to prepare like a topper and crack the exam in one go? We have suggested some simple yet highly effective study tips that can help candidates crack the upcoming exam with ease.

Tips and tricks to crack CTET 2020

First things first, one needs to have an informed strategy in place before they can start studying. It is one of the first things that a candidate must focus on. Refer to the syllabus and plan out what you need to study. Plan out how you are going to utilise the hours of the day to study.

Count your resources and chalk out what learning resources you have with yourself. One cannot simply run out of learning resources with the internet just one tap away nowadays. Download mock tests, previous year papers, questions banks, guides books and any other learning aid that you might feel useful.

Set objectives for preparation. Assign timelines to complete preparations for each subject and toil hard to achieve these timelines. In this way, you can also track your progress. However, ensure that you leave enough time before the exam for revisions.

Devise an implementation plan for your study strategy. Make a study plan which enlists all the subjects that you have to prepare. At the same time, take care to distribute time resources. Time is limited. Thus maintain equity in time allocation so that every subject is allocated ample time for preparations. Dedicate time to solve mock tests, previous year papers and learn through question banks and exam guides.

Focus on clearing out basics and fundamental concepts. With the time and resources available, do not hesitate to go the extra mile to do a little research on anything that you don’t understand clearly. This is especially relevant for those who are appearing for Mathematics, Science and Pedagogy subjects.

Scribble down important points in a notebook. These do not necessarily have to be short notes. You can write down whatever you feel important. For instance, pen down important dates, formulae, points to anything that is worth memorising. Writing down can help automatically memorise information.

Focus on improving your time management. Proper time management does not end with just completing the paper on time. It includes the number of good attempts and overall efficiency in completing the paper. Practice solving mock tests by setting a timer equal to the duration of the paper.

Pay attention that as you progress through the study plan, revisions are not neglected. Reserve some portion of the study hours for revisions on a daily basis. Include whatever you study before into the revisions. It is a good idea to utilise the notes that you take down for revisions.

Everything said and done, one must always remember that it is you who knows how to push yourself to the peak. No one else can plan a strategy for you. Neither can any guide or coach make you learn. Let all distractions of the world disappear at least for these few days while you pursue your teaching career.

Once you crack the CTET exam, the scope is wide and the future is brighter than one can imagine. Acknowledge your strengths, challenge your shortcomings and do not lose focus of your goals. After all, there is no substitute for hard work.

Source : https://indianexpress.com

Aarogya Setu App Must For All Private, Government Employees: Centre

Coronavirus Aarogya Setu: The heads of companies will be held responsible if their employees are found without the app

All India Reported by Neeta Sharma, Sanket Upadhyay, Edited by Debanish Achom Updated: May 02, 2020

New Delhi: The Home Ministry has clarified on making the coronavirus tracker app Aarogya Setu mandatory for all private and government employees across the country.

Anyone attending office anywhere should have the app on their mobile from May 4, the day the two-week extended lockdown kicks in, the government has said.

The heads of companies will be held responsible if their employees are found without the app. Everyone in a COVID-19 containment zone will also have to download the app.

Those working from home, however, need not use the app. The centre has set a target of achieving 30 crore app downloads in the next few weeks.

The Aarogya Setu app was introduced as a voluntary one in early April, and has seen massive growth in usage. Its use has been encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even educational bodies like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The Home Ministry's guidelines for the app also say that the authorities will have to ensure that Aarogya Setu app is used by everyone in containment zones. "The local authorities shall ensure 100 per cent coverage of Aarogya Setu app among residents of containment zone," the Home Ministry said in an order.

Some experts have raised privacy concerns over the app. They say the app needs far more data than what is necessary and falls shorts of the standards set by contact-tracing apps of other countries.

Use of GPS-based location data is a major concern, they say. The government think tank NITI Aayog has defended the use of the app and said the GPS data helps in finding new hotspots. It said the location data is not used by the app on an individual basis, but on an aggregated basis.

India recorded the biggest single-day jump of 2,411 coronavirus cases today, taking the total to 37,776, the Health Ministry said. It said 1,223 deaths linked to the highly infectious COVID-19 have been reported so far. Seventy-one deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com

Covid-19: HRD minister releases alternative academic calendar for secondary school students

click here http://ncert.nic.in/aac.html  to get the calendars.

Union Human Resource Development minster has released an alternative academic calendar for secondary school students on Saturday, The alternative academic calendar is developed by NCERT to help in keeping the students busy and at the same time maintain continuity of their learning during the lockdown period.

BY: Nandini | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | May 02, 2020

Union Human Resource Development minster on Saturday released an alternative academic calendar for secondary school students. The calendar is developed by NCERT and has been designed for an effective week- wise planning for each subject. The alternative calendar has to be followed by the teachers, students and parents to cover the syllabus during the lockdown.

The alternative calendar will help in keeping the students busy and at the same time maintain continuity of their learning during the lockdown period.

“Schools, Colleges and Universities have been closed. Students are confined to their homes, and so are teachers and parents. Teacher educators, teachers and parents need to find ways to deal with this unprecedented situation arising out of the lockdown in order to engage students meaningfully through educational activities at home. While we are putting in all efforts to flatten the epidemic curve, learning can continue at home too, and the learning curve of children must continue to move upwards. How should this be done? The first thought would perhaps be homework or home assignments. However, the concept of homework is that of a task done individually; moreover, it carries with it the pressure of completion rather than that of joyful learning. Further, as educationists, we prefer not to recommend homework over a long duration for very young children. We have to therefore seek alternative methods,” reads the guidelines given in the calendar for parents, teachers and students.

Informing about the release of alternative calendar for the Secondary school students on Saturday, HRD minister tweeted on the microblogging site Twitter, “My dear Secondary School students, I am releasing Alternative Academic Calender today, for your benefit. During the lockdown period, you can use this calender for week-wise planning, with reference to theme/chapter taken from syllabus or textbook. http://ncert.nic.in/aac.html”

The minister also asked students and teachers to adopt the calendar and learn at home, through mobile, SMS, television, radio or social media.

Earlier, on April 16, the minister had launched an alternative calendar for the primary students. The alternative academic calendar can be accessed from the official website of NCERT.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com

Enhance your net work

A netiquette guide to making online classes engaging and fruitful.

By : Arunabh Singh | New Delhi May 2, 2020

COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown have changed our lives in unexpected ways. Schoolchildren who a few months ago were negotiating with parents for some extra screen time, often with limited success, now find themselves attending online classes and study sessions for hours every day. Juggling multiple challenges, teachers are using such online sessions to create an environment of learning across varied student age groups, under the watchful eyes of their parents. The success of these sessions depends a lot on observing netiquette, simply put the rules of acceptable behaviour on the Internet. Here are a few tips for students and teachers to begin with.

Be presentable

You may be home, but remember that your teacher and fellow mates can watch you during the online session. So be presentable and sit in a well-lit room. Once you have settled down, avoid shifting positions as this might distract others.

Join before the scheduled start

It’s a good practice to open the session at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start. Teachers can use this as warm-up time, going through the topics of discussion and their study plan. Students can use the time to get their study material and other things in place and settle down.

Do a system check

Before logging in, make it a habit to check that your video and audio equipment are in top working condition. Be sure about using the correct network if you have multiple ones at home. You wouldn’t want tech troubles to interrupt your interactions during the session, right?

Wear a smile

Be courteous and greet others. Your smiling face will have a calming effect on others and help create a friendly environment. Remember to thank everyone before logging out.

Avoid cross-talk

Use the unmute button judiciously. Raise your hand if you want to answer or put across a point and speak only when the teacher gives a go-ahead. This will avoid multiple people speaking simultaneously and ensure discipline.

Speak slowly,

Clearly It is important to speak slowly, at an acceptable voice level, and use clear and precise words to convey yourself. Be conscious never to raise your voice or gesture with your fingers.

Mind your language

The use of obscene language is a strict no-no. Behave in a manner you would want others to with you. While writing anything during the session, do not use all caps as it symbolises a shout.

Keep out needless humour and sarcasm

Both humour and sarcasm, if not understood well, can create unnecessary tension among participants. It is advisable to park aside the lighter notes for face-to-face interactions.

Be credible with your message

Do not try to mislead while responding to a question. It’s human not to know everything, so say you will check and get back with the answer. Grab the first opportunity to acknowledge a mistake and take it as learning.

Respect diversity

Just as in face-to-face interactions, it is extremely important to recognise and respect diversity of thought, experience and background among participants. n

The writer is director of Nehru World School, Ghaziabad

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in

No move to do away with pending class 10, 12 board exams; to be conducted at first possibility: CBSE

By : PTI | Apr 29, 2020, 08.35 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The board exams for class 10 and 12 pending due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown will be conducted at the first possibility and there is no move to do away with the remaining exams, CBSE officials said on Wednesday.

The board is prepared to conduct the exams for class 10 and 12 for crucial 29 subjects, while the HRD Ministry has directed states to start the evaluation process for the exams already conducted and facilitate the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in evaluation of answer sheets.

"Recently, there has been a lot of speculation regarding CBSE Board exams. The board's decision to take exams for 29 subjects of class 10 and 12, stands the same. There is no change in position of conducting board exams. Therefore, exams will be conducted," Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE's Controller of Examinations said.

The clarification by the CBSE officials came amid uncertainty over when the exams will be conducted leading to speculations that the exams will be done away with in a one-time arrangement.

"We are prepared to conduct board exams for class 10 and 12 pending due to the lockdown in wake of the COVID-19 situation in the country. The exams will be conducted for 29 subjects crucial for promotion and admissions to undergraduate courses, at the first possibility. The students will be given at least a 10-day notice before exams are conducted," a senior HRD ministry official said.

"States have been asked to start the evaluation process for the exams already conducted and have been advised to facilitate evaluation of answer sheets. The CBSE will also issue instructions for marking or assessment of non-important subjects not included in the list of 29 subjects," the official said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed and exams postponed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, which has now been extended till May 3.

The board was not able to conduct class 10 and 12 exams on eight examination days due to the coronavirus outbreak. Further, due to the law and order situation in northeast Delhi, the board was not able to conduct exams on four examination days, while a very small number of students from and around this district were not able to appear in exams on six days.

"Considering the extraordinary circumstances, the board had decided to conduct exams only for 29 crucial subjects as against over 40 remaining subjects. For the rest of the subjects, the board will not hold examinations and instructions for marking and assessment in all such cases shall be separately issued,” the official said.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Tuesday had interacted with education ministers of states.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had suggested that students be marked on the basis of internal assessment as it is not feasible to conduct the pending exams now.

Sisodia, who is also the education minister, said students of Delhi will be more affected due to delay in conduct of exams as different states have their own boards, while the national capital only follows CBSE.

Education ministers from different states also put forward deliberations being made about their respective state boards.

The Bihar board has already announced results for three streams of class 12 and is in the process of evaluation of class 10 exams.

The Uttar Pradesh board is yet to begin the evaluation and will take a call in this regard soon.

The CBSE has already announced that it will not be conducting any exams for students in foreign countries.

"There are several CBSE schools located in 25 countries. Each of these countries are also under lockdown and have decided to close down the schools for various and differential lengths of time. Under such circumstances, it is felt that the board will not be in a position to hold differential sets of exams for each of these countries,” the official said.

"Also, in the present situation, it will be difficult to bring the answer books to India for evaluation purposes. Therefore, the Board has decided to not hold any more exams for the students of class 10 and 12 schools located outside India,” he said.

According to the HRD ministry officials, as of now there are plans to conduct competitive exams, including JEE and NEET, in June for admission to engineering and medical colleges.

For other undergraduate admissions, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is working on an alternative calendar for the new academic session which will notify the timeline within a week.

A seven-member panel, set up to study the issue, has recommended that the undergraduate admission process be started in July-August and the new session for freshers be started from September. However, no final decision has been taken in this regard yet.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com