NTA extends deadline to apply for UGC- NET, CSIR- NET, JNUEE 2020 and other exams

NTA extends deadline to apply for UGC- NET, CSIR- NET, JNUEE 2020 and other exams, fresh dates here

National Testing Agency has further extended the deadline to apply for UGC NET and other examinations including ICAR, CSIR- NET, JNUEE and IGNOU Open MAT till June 30 in view of hardships faced by applicants in filling the application forms during Covid- 19 lockdown.

 

Edited by| Nandini | Hindustan Times, New Delhi| Jun 16, 2020

    

National Testing Agency has further extended the deadline to apply for UGC NET and other examinations including ICAR AIEEA, CSIR- NET, AIAPGET, JNUEE and IGNOU PhD and Open MAT till June 30 in view of hardships faced by applicants in filling the application forms during Covid- 19 lockdown.

 

Earlier, the deadline to apply for these exams was till June 15. Aspirants who could not apply for the examinations can do it now before June 30, 2020. Applicants should visit the official website of NTA at nta.ac.in to apply for the exams. Submission of online applications will be accepted till 5 pm while the submission of application fee will be accepted only till 11:50 pm on June 30.

 

According to the official notice, the detailed schedule having the revised dates of downloading the admit card and of the examination will be notified in due course of time. Candidates are advised to visit the official website only for any update.

 

Union HRD minister on Sunday tweeted about the extension of deadline of application for these exams.

 

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/nta-ugc-net-deadline-extended-to-apply-for-ugc-net-csir-net-jnuee-and-other-exams/story-BHxPs0ycvwpEyZZNJrk7yI.html

Screen time soars with online school, parents worry about health impact

Screen time soars with online school, parents worry about health impact

 

TNN | Jun 11, 2020, 08.56 AM IST

 

MUMBAI: As several schools start the academic year with virtual classes, parents find their children have gone from monitored screen time and rationed gadget use to disconcertingly long stretches before the computer screen.

At a CBSE school in Navi Mumbai, online lectures for class IV start at 8am and end at 2.30pm, six days a week. There are two breaks of 15 and 20 minutes each. At another ICSE school in the western suburbs, classes start at 10 am and end at 2 or 3pm depending on the grade. Several schools are organising live classes for over an hour for the pre-primary sections as well.

Several parents have voiced concerns about this arrangement. “I have to give my child the mobile phone for the first half of the day at least. We used to limit screen time, but there is little choice now. Since the classes are live, there is no scope for the child to rest his eyes,” said the father of a Class IV student.

On receiving similar complaints, the Shiv Sena’s student wing, Yuva Sena, has written to the school education department to prescribe guidelines. “The department should release guidelines on the grade-wise duration of online education sessions as long hours before a screen could adversely affect the health of the children,” said member, Sainath Durge. The group has also sought offline learning solutions for those who cannot afford devices. The NCERT is expected to issue guidelines too.

Schools said the virtual classes are meant to ensure learning continues during these unforeseen circumstances. “We provide learning resources which can be downloaded and referred to at any time for those who cannot attend an online class,” said Madhu Singh, principal, Billabong High International School, Malad.

Experts feel schools must not attempt to replicate the classroom learning in the online experience. “It is important that younger children, especially, continue to develop their social-emotional skills. There is a need to blend interactive video sessions with hands on, off-screen activities as well. Long hours in front of the screen will impact the child’s wellbeing,” said Swati Popat Vats, president of the Early Childhood Association.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

"Mute all" key kills purpose of interactive learning: Teachers on online education

Updated on : Thursday, June 11, 2020, 7:00 AM IST

"Mute all" key kills purpose of interactive learning: Teachers on online education

By Ronald Rodrigues

 

City schools have started surveys, data collection and poll responses to understand aspects of online education and methods to overcome challenges in e-learning. School authorities claim the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled them to initiate new concepts of teaching-learning as teachers, parents and students are apprehensive about online education.

On one hand, state-board schools are conducting regular webinars and training for teachers while on the other, private-board schools have started digital classes on a daily basis. A principal of a state-board school in Andheri said, "Our teachers are not familiar with virtual classes. More than students, our teachers are facing several challenges such as absence of efficient WiFi speed, internet access, interactive modules of lessons, class monitoring and time management."

Online education is an alternative not a replacement, claimed Francis Joseph, co-founder of School Leaders Network, a think tank which had suggested a standard operating procedure to schools and the government considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Joseph said, "The time-table and ways of teaching in regular schools cannot be used when we shift to online education. Schools can reduce classrooms to a minimum number of students because 30 students per online class is still difficult to manage. Schools should make smaller groups because there are no space constraints in online education as this can help teachers in online classroom management."

Teachers of private-board schools revealed they are using "Mute all" button in online education which discourages the basic purpose of student interaction. Manda Kamadh, a teacher of an ICSE board school said, "I have a tendency to use the mute all key so that students can listen without any interruption. But unlike regular classroom teaching, this does not allow any student to talk or raise a question while I am explaining concepts. It destroys the purpose of an interactive class as students have to wait till the end to raise queries."

Parents have to monitor students because in online eduaction the control is with students, said Rakesh Lal, a teacher of a CBSE board school. Lal said, "Students can simply put the camera on and not pay attention. Technology has several hacks and students may tend to lose attention if they are not monitored by parents."

Joseph added, "Screen time is another major hurdle which governments, schools, teachers and parents are worried about. The pedagogy of online education is completely different as classroom management skills vary in online teaching."

While private-board schools have shifted to online teaching, some state-board schools aim to start regular classes in green zone areas. A district education officer, said, "Online education is not feasible in some rural areas and remote districts of Maharashtra due to lack of internet accessibility, computers or smartphones and advanced technology. We wil try and maintain physical distancing norms, use masks, hand sanitisers and work in shifts."

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/schools-anxious-about-online-education

With no physical classes, middle school syllabi may be reduced by up to 50%

With no physical classes, middle school syllabi may be reduced by up to 50%

Updated on : Thursday, Jun 11, 2020, 04.01 AM IST

Kolkata: Schools are planning to provide relief to the students by reducing the load of syllabus between classes VI and VIII, following in the footsteps of the ministry of human resource development.

Several institutes have decided to reduce the curriculum in middle schools from 10% to 50% depending on the reopening dates for in-classroom academic activities.

St James’ School principal TH Ireland said they were likely to reduce the syllabus by up to 50%. “I shall take a call after speaking with the subject coordinators. However, in middle school, we are looking at decreasing the subject load by almost 50%. Online classes are not a replacement for classroom studies. It is also difficult to hold evaluations over the internet,” he said.

He pointed out that topics that do not have relevance in ICSE Class X examinations will be removed from the syllabus. “We shall include matter, which is of significance in the senior classes,” he said.

Another CISCE-affiliated school principal felt he would have to omit only 10% of the syllabus if the classes resume in July. “If we resume classes in August as suggested by HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, we may have to let go of 15% of the curriculum in the middle school,” he said. Even CBSE-affiliated schools have already started to reduce the syllabus. At Birla Bharati School, principal Apala Dutta is considering to remove 30% curriculum at least from the 2020-2021 session. “We have decided to curb the mid-assessment syllabus,” said Datta.

The schools are making omissions based on three aspects. “First, all topics which have relevance in senior classes shall remain in the curriculum. Second, any topic that builds a students’ foundation will remain in the academic year. Third, chapters repeated from earlier classes will be removed,” informed an English academic advisor associated with a CBSE school.

Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School, said she would wait for communication and directives from CISCE. “The Council has already suggested a curriculam to the affiliated schools. I shall wait for them to inform us about any reduction in the middle school syllabus,” she said. South Point School has planned for a combination of hybrid and in-classroom studies after academic activities resume. “There will be a reduction in the syllabus for middle school students. We are yet to fix the amount of load to be removed,” said spokesperson Krishna Damani.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Syllabus to be reduced, HRD Minister seeks suggestions from parents and teachers

Syllabus to be reduced, HRD Minister seeks suggestions from parents and teachers

HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal has sought inputs from parents and teachers for reducing syllabus and instructional hours during this academic year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

By : India Today Web Desk | New Delhi | June 9, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic that took over the world this year has put a big blow on education and HRD Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal tweeted on Tuesday calling for parents and teachers to send in their inputs for reducing the syllabus for this academic year.

In view of the current circumstances and after receiving a lot of requests from parents and teachers, we are contemplating the option of reduction in the syllabus and instructional hours for the coming academic year," the HRD minister tweeted.

"I would like to appeal to all teachers, academicians, and educationists to share their point of view on this matter using #SyllabusForStudents2020 on MHRD's or my Twitter and Facebook page so that we can take them into consideration while making a decision," he further said in another tweet.

So, parents and teachers who want their suggestions on reducing syllabus to be heard by the HRD minister need to send across their inputs with the hashtag #SyllabusForStudents2020 on Ramesh Pokhriyal’s Twitter or Facebook pages.

CBSE syllabus once reduced, but likely to be reduced again

With many states yet to take a decision on board exams and final year exams for schools, colleges and universities, the situation is grim. Students, parents and teachers had been calling out for a syllabus reduction for the academic year of 2020-21 for a long time.

Even though the new CBSE syllabus for this year released in early April did make a few changes for classes 9 to 12 to reduce the pressure on students, the unprecedented Covid-19 lockdown that is continuing for almost three months longer has made it clear that further reduction in syllabus is necessary.

The syllabus changes made by CBSE earlier this year was to facilitate better at-home learning and online instruction as the science syllabi for higher classes saw changes in the practicals.

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

CBSE decision to hold remaining board exams from July 1 challenged before SC

CBSE decision to hold remaining board exams from July 1 challenged before SC

The petitioners raised concerns regarding safety of the children who, they submitted, would be exposed to COVID-19 if they were to appear for the exam.

By: Murali Krishnan | Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Jun 10, 2020 20:20 IST

Four parents, whose wards are appearing in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board exams, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to quash the May 18 decision of the CBSE to hold the remaining examinations for Class X and XII from July 1 to July 15.

The petitioners raised concerns regarding safety of the children who, they submitted, would be exposed to COVID-19 if they were to appear for the exam.

“The (CBSE) notification for holding of the remaining examinations and that too in the month of July, 2020 wherein as per the AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak, is arbitrary”, the petition stated.

The petitioners prayed that the CBSE results should be declared based on the marks procured in examinations already held and internal assessment marks of those papers for which examinations have not been held yet.

CBSE had conducted examinations till March 18 when it decided to put the exams for the remaining papers on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It then came out with a notification on May 18 to hold examinations for remaining 29 subjects from July 1 to July 15.

The petitioner submitted that after the CBSE notification of May 18, the Ministry of Human Resource and Development had on May 25 announced that the exams would be held across 15,000 centres.

Ensuring proper cleanliness and safety standards as prescribed by government to deal with COVID-19 situation in the 15,000 exam centres would be a herculean task, the petitioner told the court.

“(Covid) cases in India are rising dramatically and as on date there are almost 3,00,000 cases of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, even if it is to be assumed that 50 percent of the cases are asymptomatic, then the said students appearing for these exams could also be potential careers themselves posing a great risk to the other family members”, the plea filed through advocate Rishi Malhotra said.

Source : /www.hindustantimes.com

Back to school? Probably not

Back to school? Probably not

Besides, amid such chaos and uncertainty, the kids are sad, too.

 

Written by Leher Kala | New Delhi | Published: June 8, 2020 11:22:55 am

 

News that primary schools opened across the UK last week prompted speculation on my parents’ WhatsApp group, on the likelihood of restrictions lifting for educational institutions post the summer break in India. Predicting what happens a month from now seems futile when every day reveals new, unsettling information on how worryingly slowly the COVID curve is flattening in India.  Alas, we may be permitted to dream. It’s impossible to ignore signs of virus-fatigue and a restless yearning to return to normal, whatever that might be. More than the lockdown being lifted, the first real sign of normalcy for many of us is to see our kids back in school in a familiar routine.

 

Haryana plans to experiment by beginning with classes for senior grades, on the premise that 15-year-olds can be counted on to understand how crucial social distancing is. Parents remain unsure of the wisdom in opening schools because so many problematic questions persist. Firstly, when children go to school they come into contact with many more people than most adults do at work, providing more opportunity to get infected and in turn, bring the infection back home. Even if primary school here opens by August, how does one ensure 4 to 10-year-olds stay far away from each other? In my opinion, it’s impossible. Is the bus still viable? Is it even fair to expect teachers to function in a classroom environment anymore, which is pretty much the opposite of social distancing? Much as we parents would heave a sigh of relief at the thought of dropping them at the bus stop even on a cold Delhi morning, I fear, it’s going to be a long time before children under 10 see a classroom again.

 

Most people create their professional lives counting on the fact that children, for the large part of the day, will be occupied in school. The pandemic has been hugely disruptive for working parents and students who’ve abruptly had to adjust to so much, not least of which are the questionable academic gains of sitting in front of a screen for four hours a day. Then, there’s the alarming effect of suddenly seeing everyone you know with a mask — I’m sure it can be very intimidating for a young person. As parents, even if you’re vigilant, kids pick up so much just from conversations, or while we’re watching the news. It was worrying for me to notice, my 8-year-old hasn’t complained once about so many drastic changes in her life. It’s probably because Covid-19 worries her too. From a busy school day to music lessons, playdates and birthday parties, her life has become painfully dreary, alone and indoors. In the initial stages of the lockdown, parents tried to organize Zoom playdates for the children but the novelty soon wore off. It’s hard pretending online compares to the real deal, of meeting your friends, face to face.

 

We’re all a bit disheartened and weary by now and when processing this extraordinary health crisis is overwhelming for adults, one can only imagine how confusing it must be for children. My daughter was full of questions when she happened to read in the newspaper that a 12-year-old child died of dehydration, walking home at the height of the lockdown. It’s an instinctive reaction, to want to shield a young mind, from such stories of hideous hardship. I have found, fudging reality leads to more confusion.  Much better to give them the gist of it in a matter-of-fact kind of way — not dwelling on it in detail — but not denying it either. We assume kids don’t need to know what’s going on but they’re on their own devices seeing the same dreadful images we are. If you don’t provide some explanation, the child in all likelihood presumes things are far worse than they actually are. About Covid, I tell my kids they’re living through a surreal time, a time they’ll be telling their grandkids about. Meanwhile, like everyone else, they must stoically bear up and face the remainder of this horrendous year.

 

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/back-to-school-probably-not-6448266/

JEE Main 2020: Tips and tricks to ace Physics paper

JEE Main 2020: Tips and tricks to ace Physics paper

JEE Main 2020: Here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare for the physics section of the JEE Mains exam.

By : Rajshekhar Ratrey | EDUCATION Updated: Jun 10, 2020 18:56 IST

 

JEE Main 2020: Joint Entrance Examination, or JEE, is an entrance test for admissions in various prestigious engineering colleges in the country. With the exam being postponed this year due to the pandemic, students have got extra time for preparation. Here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare for the physics section of the exam.

 

General points to be taken into consideration:

 JEE Mains, being a competitive exam, it is all about scoring. We have a few smart tactics that can help to optimize your preparation:

 1.It is necessary to have a concrete idea about the whole syllabus and to segregate your strong points.

 2.Avoid those parts where you lag behind and usually take a lot of time and effort.

 3.Always carry small chits of formulae; have a look at them and recollect them in your leisure time to remember formulae in an easy and effective way.

 4.Practice previous years’ papers to have an idea of the trends of questions and take mock tests by setting the exact same time that’s allotted for the exam after learning the concepts.

 5.While learning, NCERT is the most important book to brush up the concepts and HC Verma and DC Pandey are good for practice.

 

 Weightage of important topics:

A large part of the Physics paper in JEE Mains is dominated by questions from: 

Vector and Simple Mathematics {2-3 questions}, 

Mechanics [3-4 questions], 

Electrostatics [2-3 questions], 

Electricity and Magnetism [3-4 questions], 

Wave and Optics [2-4 questions], 

Modern Physics [3-5 questions] and 

Heat and Thermodynamics [2-3 questions]. 

These major topics make almost 65-75% of the complete paper.

Allocation of time to each topic [4-6 hrs/day]:

 •Vector and simple Mathematics- 3 days

• Mechanics - 10-12 days

• Waves and oscillations- 5 days

•Electrostatics- 4-5 days

•Electricity and magnetism- 7-8 days

 

Final revision and question answering tactics:

1.No new concepts should be learned during the final revision.

2.During the final revision, only the short notes prepared by students or trusted sources should be revised instead of the whole book.

3.A day before the exam, sleep adequately, and except very important things nothing should be revised.

4.During the exam, one should make sure there is no extra burden of revision on you, let the mind be calm but confident and content.

5.One must focus on easy questions first [ ~ 50-60% of the whole question paper], then moderate [ 25-35%] and at last the tough questions [15-25%]

6.Students should fill the OMR sheet very carefully without any lag as the whole effort is judged on the basis of the sheet.

Quicker calculations and a strong sense of your fundamentals are what help you in the long run.

Solving good mock tests is important as it gives you an idea of your weak and strong areas and the time taken to solve questions from each topic.

Last year, there were over 11.5 lakh applicants in JEE Main. Students should remember that the best strategy to crack this exam is to keep your mind calm and give it your best shot.

(Author Rajshekhar Ratrey is VP, Educational Content, Toppr. Views expressed here are personal.)

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

HRD Minister seeks suggestions on reducing syllabus for upcoming batch

Delhi deputy CM and education minister Manish Sisodia had also raised the concern and asked to drop chapters from not only school textbooks but also for JEE Main and NEET entrance exams scheduled to be held next year.

  

By: Education Desk | New Delhi | Updated: June 9, 2020 5:41:39 pm

 

The HRD Minister today said there are plans to reduce the syllabus of the academic year 2020. In a tweet, he mentioned: “In view of the current circumstances and after receiving a lot of requests from parents and teachers, we are contemplating the option of reduction in the syllabus and instructional hours for the coming academic year.”

With a delay in starting classes for the new sessions and a major section of students not being able to attend the online classes due to lack of proper infrastructure, several parents had been demanding to reduce the syllabus for the upcoming batch. In a meeting held recently between Union Minister of Human Resource and Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and state education minister, Delhi Deputy CM and Education Minister Manish Sisodia had also raised the concern and asked to drop chapters from not only school textbooks but also for JEE Main and NEET entrance exams scheduled to be held next year.

However, what will be removed and what will remain is yet to be decided, for which the minister has sought suggestions. “I would like to appeal to all teachers, academicians, and educationists to share their point of view on this matter using #SyllabusForStudents2020 on MHRD’s or my Twitter and Facebook pages so that we can take them into consideration while making a decision,” he added.

While one of the biggest education boards, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had already said that it is planning to reduce ‘proportionally’, there is no clarity yet on a college-level and entrance exam-level curriculum.

CBSE in an official statement had said that “it will assess the loss of instructional time for a proportionate reduction in curriculum load for exams. In accordance, the course committee of the Board has initiated work on the reduced syllabus in various scenarios.”

 

Source : https://indianexpress.com/article/education/hrd-minister-exam-news-cbse-ncert-school-reopen-seeks-suggestions-on-reducing-syllabus-for-upcoming-batch-6450230/

Parents move SC against CBSE's decision to hold remaining Board exam

 By: TNN | Jun 9, 2020, 06.06 PM IST

NEW DELHI: A group of four parents on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against CBSE's decision to hold the remaining examination of the Board(XII) from July 1 onwards and pleaded the court to direct that students be given marks on the basis of internal assessment in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

Alleging that the students including their children would be exposed to the pandemic if they come out of their houses to appear in examination to be conducted at 15,000 centres across the country, a group of four parents pleaded the apex court to intervene and stay the decision.

The petition, filed by advocate Rishi Malhotra, contended that many reputed educational institutions and Universities including Delhi university and IITs have decided not to conduct any examination and the CBSE be also directed to not to conduct examination for the remaining subjects. He said that some state Boards including Chhattisgarh have decided against holding any examination to protect students from being exposed to the deadly virus.

"CBSE's notification for holding of the remaining examination is discriminatory and arbitrary and that too in the month of July wherein as per the AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak.... As done by CBSE in its other 250 schools abroad and various State Boards, the examination scheduled to be conducted in July, should be cancelled and the marks could be allotted on the basis of internal assessment," the petition said.

"CBSE cancelled the examinations of Class X and XII for its 250 odd schools which are situated abroad and has adopted criteria in awarding marks on the basis of either practical exams conducted or internal assessment marks. It is highly regretful that the respondents herein have no genuine concern about putting the lives at peril of all the students pan India and have no explanation whatsoever in insisting upon holding the said examination in India," it said.

 

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/parents-move-sc-against-cbses-decision-to-hold-remaining-board-exam/articleshow/76284211.cms