HRD Minister to conduct webinar for teachers on May 14

Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will conduct a webinar for teachers on May 14 from 12 noon onwards. Teachers can connect with the HRD minister through his Twitter handle or his Facebook page

hindustantimes.com| Edited by Nandini , New Delhi | May 09, 2020

Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will conduct a webinar for teachers on May 14 from 12 noon onwards. Teachers can connect with the HRD minister through his Twitter handle or his Facebook page.

The HRD Minister on Saturday tweeted to announce about this webinar.

Teachers can join the webinar and interact with the minister live using the hashtag #EducationMinisterGoesLive .

“I have always had a special place for teachers in my heart and hence I am very excited to announce my next webinar exclusively for teachers on 14th May at 12 noon. Looking forward to receiving your queries and suggestions.#EducationMinisterGoesLive,” he wrote in his tweet.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com

How The Pandemic Could Forever Change Higher Education

POST WRITTEN BY Tal Frankfurt | Forbes Technology Council

The historic havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on modern society has been, and continues to be, well documented.  It's time for some good news. These moments of global emergency have the invariable ability to progress technology and the wide-scale implementation of technology, in ways previously not thought possible. With a positive outlook, this crisis can be viewed as a sort of "bypass" button for the application of technological processes and thought patterns that would have taken many more years to adopt in a time of relative peace. One could say that a positive takeaway from disaster is its recurring ability to turn something once viewed as impossible into an accepted aspect of a new reality.

Discussions debating the viability of higher education institutions moving to virtual teaching environments have been taking place for well over a decade. Once COVID-19 was brought stateside and steadily increased its spread, those years' worth of deliberations, evaluations and concerns were all addressed in a matter of hours. With swift intention, educational institutions nationwide were forced to reevaluate their delivery methods across all aspects of teaching, campus life, extracurricular activities and so much more. There has simply been no time to delay. The steps being taken by nations worldwide are proving just how viable the online learning experience is and can be.

The Rise Of Remote Teaching

In a mere matter of days, educational institutions were forced to make major strategical shifts that had been in the works for years. China established a national cloud learning platform providing study materials for all students at the junior and senior high school levels. They've also incorporated public broadcast learning into their domestic education strategy with dedicated public TV channels airing primary school class material.

While these implementations aren't seen as a 1-to-1 replacement of the physical classroom learning experience, the Chinese government has invested considerable resources into the short-term viability of these supplemental programs: 169 lessons covering 12 subjects were introduced in the e-learning platform within its first week.  Major Chinese telecommunications companies, like China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, combined efforts with tech giants Baidu, Alibaba and Huawei to bolster the digital learning network with 7,000 dedicated servers and 90 terabytes of bandwidth.

What we've seen in the short amount of time since this pandemic first arrived is how impactful the virus has been in forcing widespread innovation across the higher education sector. For example, Common Sense Media (once a client of ours) is combating COVID-19-related complacency through the establishment of their Wide Open School: a free online resource powered by the support of over 25 organizations. Wide Open School's collection of learning experiences covers all major scholastic subjects for teachers and students alike while connecting families with programs offering affordable internet and low-cost technology assistance.

PROMOTED

The mindset and motivation inherent to this experience and others have the potential to cause wide-ranging effects on the higher education world. Like China's cloud learning platform, building a deep well of educational material that is freely accessible to students provides another knowledge base for their continued success and furthers the viability of the online learning experience.

Empowering The Virtual Learning Experience

Traditional in-person classroom learning is likely not going away entirely, but the opportunity for heightened virtual solutions complementing that in-class experience will be furthered with the arrival of 5G technology. By the year 2035, 5G networks are projected to generate $13.2 trillion in global sales. The increased, improved stability and revolutionizing of our devices as a result of widespread 5G implementation will likely allow our instructors, students and technology providers to take "anytime, anywhere learning" even further.  Tools like our partner Salesforce Advisor Link provide a unified network for advisors and students within their respective higher education communities. It's no longer sufficient to simply offer online courses. Modern students require greater virtual support, whether it be through advising or communication. Public health events like COVID-19 serve as catalysts of change, showcasing the importance versatile virtual technologies have on our ability to maintain educational standards.

Bridging The Digital Divide

More than 4.5 billion people currently use the internet, but that is still only 60% of the world's population. This gap between countries and socioeconomic equity must change if we are to broaden the viability of virtual learning. The negative effects of the divide are exacerbated in times of crisis, leading to a lack of information, education and opportunity for those offline. Now, more than ever, we must collectively strive for more readily available technology and move past physical limitations in favor of virtual solutions.

Those like California's Calbright College (a former client) understand that online teaching requires the right tools and for the playing field to be leveled for all students when it comes to access to technology. To that effect, Calbright launched a loaner library comprising over 500 Chromebooks and MiFi hotspots for students without economic stability or to those negatively affected by the novel coronavirus. The college's willingness to provide tools and reduce the digital divide speaks to their understanding that online teaching is about far more than just technology; it's about offering support to those who teach and to those who learn. This assistive mindset is so critical to both our short and long-term recovery from COVID's negative effects. The essence of online learning should be focused on providing flexibility and accessibility to all within higher education institutions, enabling students to reach greater heights and not be limited by a predetermined set of circumstances.

If this global pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the importance of online flexibility is absolutely critical for the sustainment of education and overall well-being. We should all take this time to assess our institutions, our organizations and our online habits in an effort to better prepare for such historic upheaval. Opening our minds while our doors remain closed just might put us all in a better position to succeed and educate once normalcy returns.

(Tal Frankfurt is the Founder and CEO of Cloud for Good, a Salesforce partner that creates transformational value with technology.)

Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/05/08/how-the-pandemic-could-forever-change-higher-education/#4ede068f7b93

Re-opening schools a priority but parents wary of sending kids back to school just yet

By : Education | Tulika Tandon | Updated May 09, 2020

Authorities all over the world are facing the challenge of getting back millions of students back to classrooms which have been shut for the past five months now due to the global pandemic conditions. With the situation now coming under control or the man learning to live with it, the realisation to limit the educational damage against the risks of fuelling a rise in a number of cases has come up.

“An estimated 1.5 billion learners from kindergarten to university level were stuck in their homes in 195 countries, a number that stood at 1.3 billion as of May 7,” the UN education agency UNESCO said.

"The decision on when and how to reopen schools is far from simple," UN chief Audrey Azoulay said.

"But as numerous students fall behind in their learning, reopening must be a priority," she added.

With the deadly coronavirus spreading its fangs across the globe, it is getting even more challenging for the world to get accustomed to it. Humans being the most adjustable beings on earth are fighting their way through it impressively. The Governments took a hasty decision of locking the population inside their houses as soon as the disease broke out.

Among the affected categories were mainly students and their parents as their everyday life came to a halt. Dealing impressively with the situation online classes were started but now when the authorities have realised that it is better to live with the situation than to shut ourselves in, the parents and children have moved into a different zone. Parents worldwide do not wish to send their kids to schools now that the authorities in some parts have made arrangements for the same.

It has been seen that the young people are lesser vulnerable to COVID-19 but many experts are of the view that they could still be carriers of the disease. This is a worrying fact for parents, students and teachers. There have been different views across the globe in this regard.

"Some are impatient to renew the contact with students, but others are scared," said Xavier Toussaint, a secondary school teacher in Waterloo, Belgium.

Maintaining social distancing in the classrooms would be very challenging as that would change the entire look of the class. It would also affect the functionality of the classroom, affecting the interaction of students and teachers or students with students. In India, there are almost 500 students in one school and the classrooms are no bigger compared to international schools.

Talking about Toussaint's school of 800 pupils in Belgium, only 10 classes consisting of small groups will resume from May 18. It would be an issue for officials too as they would have to choose every day who to call and who to stop. "The requirement is a maximum of 10 per class, with four square metres (43 square feet) of space per student, plus eight square metres for the teacher," he said.

Similarly in France, continual hand-washing is being promoted throughout the day. The schools have come up with rules such as no group play at recess, one-way hallways to restrict acts of students mingling, and mandatory face masks for all.

Parents have also been asked to take their children's temperature every morning as the country is about to begin a staggered opening in the coming week. Paris schools will accommodate just 15 per cent of students as informed by authorities.

Italy and Spain, Bulgaria, Ireland, Portugal, Tunisia, and the state of New York have called off the classes till September.

The conditions are different though in Wuhan, where the outbreak erupted. Here the students began returning to classes this week, wearing masks and walking through thermal scanners as precautionary measures.

Even the developed nations believe that distance learning cannot compensate for physical learning and thus classes are a necessity. "Students are happy to be back and are following the rules to stay in small groups and limit contacts. And they've become expert hand-washers," said a principal of an Oslo school in Norway.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com

Govt allows opening 3000 CBSE affiliated schools for evaluating class 10, 12 answer sheets

The board has also given guidelines for the evaluation process.

EDITED BY : Abhishek Sharma | DNA webdesk | May 9, 2020

The government on Saturday gave green signal to the proposal of starting evaluation of answer sheets of class 10 and 12 of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board Exams.

As per reports, around 1.5 crore answer sheets of class 10 and 12 exams that have been already conducted in 173 subjects will be delivered at homes of teachers.

An official statement from the Ministry of Human Resource Development said that at least 3,000 affiliated schools have been turned into evaluation centres for CBSE Board Exams 2020 and the process will begin on Sunday, i.e. on May 10. The result will thus be made available on the official website of the board.

Special permission will be granted to these schools for the limited purpose of evaluation, Union Education minister  Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said.

The board has also given guidelines for the evaluation process.

On May 8, the minister had announced that the CBSE will conduct the pending class 10, 12 board exams, which were postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown, from July 1 to 15.

While class 12 exams will be held for the whole country while class 10 exams will be held for Northeast Delhi, the minister said.

CBSE is yet to announce a detailed schedule of the exams.

Source : https://www.dnaindia.com

CBSE to evaluate answersheets of Class 10th and 12th from tomorrow as MHA gives nod

Answersheets will be moved from 3,000 designated schools to the residences of qualified evaluators who will mark them from homes and the process is expected to be completed in 50 days.

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

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is set to roll the process of evaluation of answersheets from Sunday as the Ministry of Home Affairs has given its nod to a HRD ministry proposal in this regard.

Answersheets will be moved from 3,000 designated schools to the residences of qualified evaluators who will mark them from homes and the process is expected to be completed in 50 days.

With nearly 18 lakh students awaiting their class 10 result and another 12 lakh awaiting their class 12 result, the CBSE had been pushing for permission to carry out the evaluation process which had been stuck because of the COVID-19 lockdown.

HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said permission had been granted for evaluation in 3000 schools. He expressed hope that 1.5 crore answersheets in 173 subjects would be evaluated soon.

“From these 3000 schools these copies will go the evaluators and evaluation will begin tomorrow. Teachers will evaluate from home and we will be able to complete the process in 50 days,” he said. The minister said meanwhile the tests for 29 other subjects of class X and XII will be held.

According to a government official, permission has been granted for all areas except containment zones.

The CBSE will now form a detailed plan according to which evaluation will have to be conducted while keeping social distancing. Normally, evaluators were called to a centre but this time keeping in mind the situation, the work if being done in work from home mode.

On Friday, the HRD ministry had cleared the way for holding the pending CBSE class 10 and 12 board exams. These will be held from July 1 to July 15, the HRD ministry announced.

“ 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 29 exams.

However, given the situation, it is no easy task and even HRD and CBSE officials admit, the decision will be reviewed in case the situation is not conducive.

Randeep Guleria, the director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had recently said that Covid-19 pandemic in the country may not have peaked yet.

“According to modeling data and the way our cases are increasing, it is likely that peak can come in June and July. But there are many variables and with time only we will know how much they are effective and the effect of extending the lockdown,” said Guleria had said.

A government officials said while the hope was the exams will be conducted, the capacity and preparedness will be reviewed in light of the circumstances.

“A lot of work needs to be done regarding norms as to how students will come to exam centres, the seating arrangement etc. CBSE will bring out certain directions from time to time in this regard. School managements will also have to do their part so that social distancing takes place,” said a senior CBSE official.

The HRD ministry has already announced that JEE (Main) will be conducted from July 18 to 23 and NEET from July 26.

“We want to give students a ten day window before we commence the exams. It is unlikely that exams will happen in May. So, the plan is to complete the process in the first half of July,” he said.

The engineering entrance examination JEE will be held from July 18-23, while the medical entrance test NEET will be conducted on July 26, the minister had earlier announced. The two crucial exams, and also the Class X and Class XII exams were postponed due to the lockdown imposed to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/cbse-to-evaluate-class-10-12-answersheets-after-mha-nod/story-YXnig8RfQznoGTnRi21iZK.html

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