18 Campus safety tips every college student should keep in mind

18 Campus safety tips every college student should keep in mind





Being on a college campus is fun, but it's easy to gain a false sense of security when surrounded by your peers. After all, they're just honest students like you, right? Wrong. It's important to acknowledge and remember that you don't always know who you can trust, even when you're in the college campus. Unfortunately , several students fall victim to on-campus crimes.While colleges do their best to make student safety a priority , students are ultimately responsible for their own safety .Here are some precautions you should take on campus.

1 Don't allow technology to make you unaware of your surroundings. As everyone with headphones, a smartphone and an MP3 player knows -the minute you're plugged in, the world barely exists anymore! You stare at your phone, zoned out and not knowing what is going on around you.

2 Share your classactivities sched ule with parents and a network of close friends. Make sure they have all the numbers they need to get in contact with you.

3 Carry your purse close to your body and keep a firm grip on it; carry your wallet in an inside coat pocket or your front pant pocket.

4 Be aware and stay alert. Whether you are hanging out at a party or walking across campus, pay attention to what is going on around you. Avoid being isolated with someone that you don't know or trust.

5 Get to know your campus and find out a well-lit route back to your hostel or place of residence.

6 There have been many complaints of physical and psychological injury due to ragging (another term for bullying) in colleges and educational institutions. Despite rules against it, seniors often find `safe' spots where they can torment juniors and freshers. These places need to be identified and guarded so as to prevent such activities.

7 some reason, talk with people you If you are feeling threatened for trust such as friends, family , teachers is happening and talk about ways they and security staff. Let them know what might be able to help.

8 needed to. If you live in a college Plan how you would escape if you building, make sure you know all the exits. Consider what routes you could take to get to transportation, and where you could go to get to safety.

9 Escape is the primary objective if you become involved in a dangerous situation. Do not attempt a physical confrontation if escape is possible.

10 Always include emergency num bers in your mobile phone's contact list for easy access.

11 Don't flaunt large sums of cash or expensive jewellery . Such actions may provide temptation to a thief.

12 Tell a friend or roommate where you're going before venturing out to ensure they are aware of your whereabouts, in case you are stuck in some crisis situation.

13 bag or other belongings Avoid leaving your electronics, unattended.

14 whistle to attach to your keychain Purchase pepper spray and a or store it in your bag.

15 on your campus and share Learn ways to get involved important information about sexual violence.

16 Enhance your personal security with technology and safety devices. Though it's not a substitute for quality self-defence training, safety apps or other devices can be value additions to your arsenal.

17 If you see anyone suspicious in and around the premises, alert the campus security . It's always better to be safe than sorry .

18 It's always a good idea for stu dents to use a buddy system to keep an eye for each other when going to campus events, parties, concerts and other activities.

Source: Jul 24 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

Higher Education: 

What test taking strategies do top students use?

There are 2 different sets of strategies:
1) Test Day - Good test taking
2) During Semester - Good study habits

Test Day:
 

1. State of mind: Make sure you are at optimum state of mind, that means things like sleeping well the night before, drinking coffee in the morning, exercising, whatever you do for peak productivity. Your state of mind is the most important input to your test result. If you are sleep deprived you are already loosing.
2. Calm + Confident: Don't psych yourself out before the test, the number 1 way to do this is simply to not cram till the minute before the test. Instead relax for the hour before the test, go for a walk, whatever.
3. Start Test With Confidence: The best way to do this, is when they say 'start,' don't. Instead take a deep breath, think positive thoughts, and then slowly open the test.
4. Navigate the Test: Most people who do really well is tests, are just really good at navigating tests. Essentially, go through and answer everything you know first. Don't go in order of the test! So if you don't know Q1, skip it, leave space, mark it, and come back to it later. Answering what you know first does two important things: (1) It builds confidence cause you are knocking things off the test. (2) It makes the best use of time possible, saving you time for the hard things at the end.
5. Revise: With 15 min left, always make sure the ones you are sure of are the first ones you check, you don't want to loose out on 'easy' points for a silly mistake.

During Semester:

• Pay Attention In Class: My biggest take away from being in school for a long time is that you have to pay attention in class. I mean really pay attention. My strategy is to focus on listening, and to keep note taking to a minimum, mostly I write down only the things I don't understand. This way I know what to ask about later. More importantly, taking frantic notes is useless because you probably have a reference resource anyway, and if not, your classmates were taking notes anyway.
• Go to Office Hours: If you wrote down what you didn't understand from class, now you can ask good questions in office hours and actually fill gaps.
• Ask Questions in Class: Don't be afraid to ask questions. I used to think my questions were dumb, and slowly got over it, and now ask if I don't understand something. trust me this is the right move.
• Create a Good Study Group: In undergrad at least I had an awesome study group - I chose people who had the same schedule as me (roughly) and had different learning techniques and strengths so we would complement each other.

I assure you if you do these simple things, it will make a huge difference. I noticed over the years that while these may seem like obvious tips, almost none of my peers did these things. I stuck to these tactics pretty intensely - and they worked extremely well for me. I almost always outperformed on tests and did so about 40% faster than my classmates. The latter was because I navigated tests extremely well. In fact, I recall a quantum class where I did the entire test backwards, and ended up getting everything right... think about that... I started not knowing anything except the last question. Doing that built my confidence and momentum, and I got the second last, and eventually I got through the whole thing! 

These strategies really do work. 



Rishabh Jain,MIT PhD, Co-founder OpenLab,
Indian / American
Source: www.quora.com

‘Student life is all homework, no play’ 

 

EXPERTS SAY Too much homework could make children dislike studies, emphasise need to make it creative, engaging

MUMBAI: A recent manual published by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) suggesting guidelines to homework states that schools must assign only 20 to 25 minutes of homework every day.
ILLUSTRATION: SIDDHANT JUMDE DE But educators said that a student in Mumbai spends more than three hours a day completing homework, after six to eight hours of school and an additional two to three hours of attending coaching classes. This leaves them with little time for play or recreational activities.

“Homework is essential to reinforce and repeat what is taught in schools, but the burden doubles as tuition classes run at their own pace and assign additional work to students,” said Dr Samir Dalwai, development paediatrician and president, Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Mumbai.

This practice is likely to create a dislike for studies among children, said specialists. “If homework has to be given, it should at least be creative and engaging. Teachers can also pace out the work so that students do not end up with too much work on weekends,” said Dhaval Mody, a psychiatrist.

A few city schools are trying innovative ways to lighten the students’ burden, but the results are limited.
Campion School in Fort, for instance, doesn’t give homework for students up to Classes 5. Even those in Classes 5 and 10 are assigned only a couple of application and result-based questions as homework.

Similarly, Lady Engineer School, Tardeo, assigns only classwork for students till Class 4. “The focus is on developing motor skills in the early years and so, there is no need to assign homework,” said Eric Elavia, the school’s principal.

But principals admitted they cannot extend this practice to the higher classes.
“In secondary classes, there is no escape from homework, as there are marks for books, project completion, journal submission and other tasks, which need to be done at home,” said Elavia.
Meera Isaacs, principal, Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort, said, “These days, even scoring a 90% is insufficient. If students are to score well in the board exams, they need to practice and revise daily.”
Isaacs said that parents pressurise students even for school projects.

“We introduced ‘Splashes’ as a fun activity in which students make charts and collages on different topics. This can be easily done by gathering some data from the inter net and using their own creativity but even that becomes competitive,” said Isaacs.

 YOUNG VOICES Puja Pednekar puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com
Source: http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

National Institute of Fashion Technology, 2016 Admission

National Institute of Fashion Technology invites application from for NIFT Entrance Exam 2016 for admission to the Bachelor and Master Degree Program in Design Management and Technology at NIFT Institute for academic session 2016.

The Institute is offering the UG and PG degree in various fashion streams. The institute invites the application from all Indian and foreign candidates for the admission through the NIFT Entrance Exam.

NIFT, New Delhi Campus announces admission to Continuing Education (CE) Programme -216-17. All Programmes are industry focused and offer a range of career opportunities in fashion and related industries.

National Institute of Fashion Technology

An Institute of Design, Management and Technology

A Statutory Institute Governed by the NIFT Act 2006 and set up by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India

Admission for Continuing Education Programmes- 2016-17

CE Admission form Available                                  :               26^th May – 29^th July 2016

Open House                                                                     :               12^th July 2016

Last date of submission of Admission form     :               29^th July 2016

Interview for all CE Programme                            :               4^th August 2016

Declaration of Final Results                                     :               10^th August 2016

Payment of Fee                                                               :               22^nd August 2016

Huge demand for BMM, BMS this year

MISSION ADMISSION - Huge demand for BMM, BMS this year; high scorers join the race, up cut-offs

Jun 26 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

FYJC merit list today, aspirants fear high cut-offs

FYJC merit list today, aspirants fear high cut-offs

Mumbai: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





For the first time, admissions to degree and junior colleges in the city have commenced simultaneously this year. While the first merit list for first year junior college (FYJC) admissions will be out on Monday , the payment of fees and verification of documents for admission to degree colleges is scheduled in the next two days. Colleges are expecting a huge pressure on their manpower and infrastructure.This year, degree college admissions started over two weeks behind the usual schedule. “Now, we have everything happening at the same time.We have the same office staff managing both the admis sions,“ said the principal of a suburban college. Another principal said colleges would also face huge space constraints. “On Tuesday , we may have to cancel a few lectures as junior and degree college aspirants will come to pay fees,“ she added.
Meanwhile, junior college aspirants are expecting higher cut-offs in sought-after colleges with thousands of students across boards getting 90% and above.
This year, close to 11,500 SSC students have scored 90% and above in the state board exams, making the competition tougher. A large number of students from CBSE and ICSE too have scored 90% and above. In the general merit list released last week, 14,589 students with a score of 90% and above applied online, compared to 13,512 last year.Among the 2.17 lakh applicants, the number of students scoring 95% and above is also up at 2,066 from last year's 1,683. As many as 1.04 lakh have scored above 70%.
A principal said cut-offs in the sought-after suburban colleges are expected to be si milar to that of the ones in south Mumbai. “Students, these days, prefer colleges closer home to focus more on competitive exams. Students with higher scores are increasingly choosing junior colleges attached to schools that offer integrated coaching,“ said a principal.
In 2015-16, several colleges saw a rise in the cut-offs for arts, while science and commerce remained at the previous year's levels.

Source: The Times of India (NaviMumbai) Jun 27, 2016.

Unsuited to the classroom

The Haryana government has erred by withdrawing a legitimate order directing teachers not to wear jeans at work

Should teachers come to school in jeans? The short answer is: “No.” Yet earlier this month, the Haryana government withdrew a perfectly legitimate order directing teachers not to wear jeans at work. Political correctness and media ridicule forced the administration to take back its notification. That was a big mistake. Instead of uplifting teaching as a profession, this further confirmed its lowly status; in fact, put a lid on it.
Even in the US, the Mecca of jeans, schools are not always happy when teachers walk in as if on a holiday, or a hike. There are several school boards, such as in New Jersey, Santa Ana, and Colorado, which have prohibited teachers from wearing jeans to class. There is good reasoning behind it; as most professionals go to office in formal work clothes, teachers should too. Otherwise it would be ridiculous.
Red and romantic radicals should also note that in all portraits/busts of Vladimir Lenin, he is never shown without a suit and tie. Mao Zedong was inseparable from his trademark jacket and Fidel Castro wore his formal army gear to office. Exceptions, such as the casually attired Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs can hardly be an excuse. They are elevated showmen, who must flash-dance to project their wares.
On the other hand, check out photos of Tim Berners-lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, whose science made Apple, Google, and others, rich. You will nearly always find him formally attired with a necktie. Rare also would be a photograph of an open collared Albert Einstein or Bertrand Russell. This is actually quite the rule; most Nobel laureates, including our Amartya Sen, are always properly dressed in public. It’s time then to bury the myth that an untidy look hides a brilliant mind.
When it’s all right for school teachers to be dishevelled in class, the message on the blackboard is clear. They don’t care and nobody cares for them. They can scream out their demands, but they are not going to happen. To correct this drag, the Third Republic in France, as early as in the 1880s, made sure that all teachers wore dark suits to work. They were respectfully called “les hussards noirs”, or “soldiers in black”, not guerrillas in jeans.
For the Third Republic leaders the logic was simple: If teachers looked respectable they would be respected. After all, these “soldiers in black”, in their dark suits, had an enormous task at hand. Their goal was to ensure that French children were as well, if not better, educated than Prussian kids next door. Ernest Lavisse, scholar-administrator of the Third Republic, believed that Prussia was militarily stronger than France because of their superior school education.
On account of the prestige that “soldiers in black” received, French schools began to attract some of the best minds. It was not uncommon for bright, ambitious intellectuals to seek a job in a school, or lycee, after earning their doctorates. Names reel out: Emile Durkheim, Jean Jaures, Merleu-ponty, Sartre, Claude Levi Strauss; they were all school teachers before they became world scholars.

It is this background that explains why professors in College de France are certified French celebrities. Their inaugural lectures are pencilled on many a Parisian’s calendar as a major “must-be-seen-there” event. On a more mundane level, French teachers, of all descriptions, are allowed gratis entry to museums. Why, some even get coupons that serve them free coffee and meals in select restaurants.
Indian school teachers will never get there because they are not expected to. In fact, their clothes give the impression that they are forever in and out of pajama parties. It is not as if western clothes are the only formal option; a clean dhoti, a starched sari can equally evoke popular respect. This is because careful attention to office apparel, Indian or west ern, displays a certain rigour of mind and dedication to duty
Therefore, what one dons to work should never be too comfortable. It is interesting that formal clothes in western societies are bodily restrictive, though not quite thrombotic But they pinch in all the wrong places, particularly when the wearer’s posture slackens. It is as if these outfits are designed to force the person to stay awake and remain attentive.
In fact, after the Meiji Restoration, the emperor of Japan ordered that only western suits be allowed at work. But a carefully worn dhoti or sari, or the so-elegant sherwani, can be quite uncomfortable too, that is, if you want to keep them looking neat. However, for that to happen, the person must know the why and the when of formal clothing.
In Japan again, school teachers enjoy higher status than white collar employees in swishy private firms, and you wil not find them wearing jeans. There are schools in that even insist on suits. Quite in keeping, Japanese teachers rank in prestige just after high court judges and corporate presidents and earn a starting salary higher than engineers.
In India, a government school teacher gets around ₹ 20,000 a month and most of those in private schools are paid even less. As their social status matches their salaries and the clothes they wear, they are often the butt of ridicule. This also explains the popular joke where a lazy child is admonished with the question: “Do you want to be a teacher when you grow up?”
Perhaps the question needs to be reframed: “Do you want to wear jeans to work when you grow up?”
Source:22 Jun 2016  Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)
Dipankar Gupta is an eminent sociologist and taught at JNU for nearly three decades The views expressed are persona

Education News:

• THE RIGHT CHOICE _WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF PRE-SCHOOLS

• Aadhaar to be linked with caste records, states to issues certs

• South Mum school scraps exams in classes V, VI to reduce stress in kids

• Why no-detention failed to hit the mark

• More CBSE, ICSE toppers vying for best seats this year

• Schools struggle to put safety systems in place

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Jun 23 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

THE RIGHT CHOICE

Swatim Soni





WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF PRE-SCHOOLS IN THE CITY, HERE ARE A FEW FACTORS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE ENROLLING YOUR CHILD INTO ONE

Most nuclear families, especially those where both parents spend long hours at work, need to keep their child fruitfully occu pied. Hence, sending your child to a pre-school may seem a good option. A school for toddlers, with good infrastructure and accreditation is the foundation of a strong future for your child. Admission into a preschool not only involves filling up lengthy forms, but also interviews with the child and parent. Although most nursery schools do not have interview sessions for children, in compliance with the guidelines issued by the government, subtle and indirect questions in the forms or parent interviews are still being conducted. The demand for these schools far outstrips the number of pre-schools in India. Hence, keeping certain facts in mind will help you make an informed decision.
Although one can readily find information on the facilities and the peda gogy pre-schools employ either online, through newspaper ads articles, and personal contacts, visiting the school to get a firsthand experience of what your child might be exposed to is advisable.Parents should be actively involved with their child's learning activities at the pre-school level. Elaborates Andheribased educationist Urmila Shah, “Parents and teachers have to work in unison to help a child overcome behavioural problems that they may face at home or in school.“
The basics that you need to consider before taking a call include the proximity of the school from your home or workplace, quality of the school's transport system, methodology of teaching, etc.
Certain schools individu ally focus on each child, allowing them to work at hisher own pace. This reduces the competition between children.
Some schools, instead of charting activities based on pre-determined topics, take a child's interest into consideration and accordingly create customised activity plans. Pre-schools today also inculcate problem solving skills through creative thinking.
The quality of staff employed by the pre-school should make for a key factor to help you make an informed decision. Affirms, city-based preschool teacher Viral Hemani, “Make an attempt to grade the staff and then select a school. Being prepared will make the process of choosing a preschool easy and effective for you and the child.“





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Jun 22 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Aadhaar to be linked with caste records, states to issues certs

New Delhi: AGENCIES





State governments have been asked to link Aadhaar with caste and domicile certificates to be issued to school students, as part of a first-of-its-kind initiativeby the Centre. The states have been told to ensure that such certificates are issued within 60 days time to students when they are studying in Class V or VIII.The development assumes significance as there have been complaints of delay in grant of scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. Besides, people have often complained of harassment allegedly by government officials in getting caste and domicile certificates issued.
States may also try to get the information of students fed into the meta data to be made online and may link it to Aadhaar enabled data, if feasible. “Sincere efforts be made to issue these certificates along with Aadhaar number,“ reads Frequently Asked Questions released by personnel ministry on issuance of caste and certificates in schools.
The main objective of issuance of caste or tribe certificate is to facilitate access of bona-fide candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to the reserved posts and services under the state or central governments and secure admission in educational institutions and get other facilities.“The concerned revenue or state government authorities would scrutinise or verify the documents and issue the relevant certificates preferably within a period of 30--60 days,“ it said.
The responsibility of collecting the documents from the students will be of the school head.





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Jun 22 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

TALKING POINT -
South Mum school scraps exams in classes V, VI to reduce stress in kids

Vinamrata Borwankar

Mumbai:





The decision of a south Mumbai school to do away with exams in Class V and Class VI has sparked a discussion among principals, parents and experts on the issue. Recently , the Cathedral and John Connon School in Fort sent out a circular to its parents announcing its decision to discontinue examinations for Class V and Class VI.
“The pattern of testing will follow seamlessly from the junior school model of continuous assessments. There will therefore be no examinations for Stds V and VI, neither will there be first class, distinction and honours prizes,“ the circular said.
The school aims to take away the pressure of examinations. “The school has taken this conscious decision in an effort to allay our young students' stress levels and to return a semblance of their childhood to them. We hope that tuition classes will be a thing of the past and that the joy of being children is returned to them,“ the circular said.
Most schools follow the practice only till class IV. “We have only internal assessments up to class IV but beyond that even parents want to see a report card. While the higher classes take exams, they too have internal assessments, which helps the teacher understand the learning levels,“ Chandrakanta Pathak, HVB Global Academy , Marine Drive, said.
Principals said the idea is welcome, but it is essential that schools have the infrastructure and resources. “When students are not appearing for exams, it is very important that the school has resources such as remedial teachers and counsellors to ensure that every child is learning the concepts well and is not losing out. This, unfortunately, is not available in many schools in the city .,“ Father Francis Swamy , principal, St Mary's ICSE, Mazgaon, said. St Mary's has exams from Class V .
The Cathedral and John Connon circular was circulated among various WhatsApp groups of parents from schools across the city. “It is a very bold move but the idea has its pros and cons. It is in class V and VI that students start going to coaching classes and their play time is snatched away from them.Since our system requires the students to write exams in the higher classes it is essential that they have practice of writing, otherwise these children may unfortunately fall back later,“ Rajeshwari Ganesh, a developmental paediatrician, said.





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Jun 19 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Why no-detention failed to hit the mark

TIMES NEWS NETWORK





For those who grew up in India jumping hoop after hoop from kindergarten to Class XII, school seems unimaginable without the fearsome final exam which determined whether you went ahead or not. Now, a few years after the Right to Education (RTE) Act ended the passfail system until Class VIII, many states say that students are failing in large numbers and learning levels have plummeted. In Delhi, for instance, the proportion of students repeating Class IX rose from 2.8% in 2010 to 13.4% in 2014.
By eliminating the final exam, “the last modicum of accountability in government schools has been taken away ,“ says Atishi Marlena, adviser to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia. Students can coast from class to class without being able to achieve basic levels of reading, writing and comprehension, say those who oppose no-detention.
Now, policymakers seem to think that the no-detention policy of the RTE Act is failing students, weakening teachers and misguiding parents. “We heard out people from across the spectrum, and all the secretaries were unanimous in their view that the child and the teacher both lose out,“ says former civil servant Shailaja Chandra, a member of the TSR Subramanian committee set up by the HRD ministry to examine an education overhaul. The committee has recommended scrapping no-detention policy after Class V.
In 2012, a Central Advisory Board of Education sub-committee, headed by Geeta Bhukkal, then education minister of Haryana, had said that the policy might work if schools had greater resources and all round motivation, but that for now, no-detention was difficult to implement.
No-detention emphatically does not mean the end of regular testing. It is meant to go along with a system of continuing and comprehensive evaluation (CCE), which lets a teacher evaluate a child's learning levels, and regroup those who need remedial help in certain subjects.
Exams, after all, are not elimination exercises meant to demoralise a child ­ they are meant to gauge and improve learning. “No other place, the US, Europe or any other place that India aspires to be, wastes public money by making a child waste a year because she needs help in a certain area,“ says Krishna Kumar, educationist and one of the architects of the RTE Act.
The colonial idea of a strictly controlled classroom, and a final exam that passes or fails a student, may be considered obsolete around the world but it still shapes the common Indian view of schooling. While many believe that failure is a goad to learning, there is zero empirical evidence that detention improves academic performance. It does, however, extract psychological costs from a student. Even the Bhukkal committee found that the pass percentage in the Class X exams improved after the system, and dropouts, especially among children from disadvantaged backgrounds, had considerably decreased.
The Subramanian committee report also admits that the no-detention policy has been “empirically validated“, keeping children in school for those eight years and also raising pass percentages across boards.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com





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Jun 21 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

More CBSE, ICSE toppers vying for best seats this year

Vinamrata Borwankar

Mumbai:





The competition for first year junior college (FYJC) seats at coveted colleges may intensify this year given the rise in number of applicants with high scores. According to the general merit list announced on Monday , as many as 14,589 students with a score of 90% have applied for the online process as compared to 13,512 last year. The general merit list is announced in accordance with the requirements of the Bombay high court to ensure transparency in the admission system. Among the 2.17 lakh applicants, the number of students who have a score of 95% and above is also up at 2,066 from last year's 1,683. In all, as many as 1.04 lakh have scored above 70%. Six students with a perfect score of 100 have also applied.
The higher scores could have an impact on the cut-offs to be announced on June 27, say principals. “We are expecting cut-offs to increase and be exceptionally high in the Arts stream as we are seeing a revival of liberal sciences to a large extent. The popularity of Commerce too continues to remain high and this could keep the cut-offs high,“ said Manjula Nichani, principal, KC College, Churchgate. While the major chunk of applicants for FYJC seats this year come from the state board, their share among the top 100 ranks is much less than of students from other boards. Among students who feature in the top100 in the merit list, 39 are from CBSE, 37 from ICSE and 23 from the state board.
“Students from other boards with higher scores look at the top 10 or 20 colleges in the city and due to this, cut-offs shoot up. We are expecting cutoffs to be higher by at least 2%.To not be disheartened, students should look beyond popular colleges,“ said Tukaram Shiware, chairperson, principals' association of non-government colleges.
Mithibai vice-principal Swapna Durve said, “ Arts cutoffs in minority admissions this year saw a 4% jump. We expect the jump to be higher on general cut-off lists.“
Since 2.69 lakh seats are on offer, students are unlikely to be left scrambling. “Most who cleared exams have registered online. We are giving two extra days to register. If students are left out due to any reason, we will have a counselling round and allow them to take a vacant seat,“ said B B Chavan, dy director of education, Mumbai.
At the bottom of the list is a student with just 25%. “We will look into how she was allowed to complete registration without clearing the SSC exam,“ said Rajendra Ahire, assistant deputy director of education, Mumbai.





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• 22 Jun 2016
• Mumbai
• Puja Pednekar puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com

Schools struggle to put safety systems in place

CII suggests audits by state govt to check infrastructure, security measures

MUMBAI: As the new academic year begins in schools, safety of students is a major concern among parents and academicians.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which has been looking at the issue through its Institute of Quality, has suggested guidelines and audits by the state government to check infrastructure and security measures in educational institutes.
CII came up with the suggestions after consultations with 20 schools over the last six months. The discussions started after incidents of sexual assault and harsh corporal punishment were reported from Mumbai and Bangalore schools in the last two years. The discussions were part of the campaign called ‘Make Schools Safer and Smarter’.
Although schools are trying to upgrade security and infrastructure on their own, principals and teachers said they are confused about what needs to be done.
Schools, for instance, installed closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on the orders of the Bombay high court last year. But, recordings can be stored only for a month. “It takes more than 30 days for students’ complaints to reach the management. By then, the camera footage is deleted from the system,” said A Senthil Kumaran, principal counsellor with the CII’s Institute of Quality.
The education department urged schools to get police verifications of teaching and non-teaching staff, but many are unable to do so.

Children’s Academy Group of Schools in Kandivli and Malad hired private agencies to conduct a background check of employees, but police refused to verify them. “The police want address proofs and other papers for verification but most drivers and bus attendants are migrants and do not have the documents. The police behave rudely with them,” said Rohit Bhat, COO of Children’s Academy Group of Schools.
Principals said a safety audit by the department and a list of dos and don’ts will help them. “A friendly audit of interested schools could help improve standards,” said J Vas, senior advisor, Jamnabai Narsee School, Vile Parle (West).
But BD Puri, deputy education inspector, said the department did not have staff to carry out such audits. “One person is doing the job of 18 people. We don’t have the manpower to send officials to each school,” said Puri.
Some schools are also keen to get accreditations from the CBSE, which recently created School Quality Assessment and Accreditation (SQAA). The schools want the accreditation as it will help them learn the measures expected by the industry and also assure parents that they have met the standards of safety.
The state government’s State Assessment and Accreditation Council works in a similar manner but is restricted to government-aided schools. It has not started yet.
The SQAA is on hold. It is under review for the last few months because of a ‘conflict of interest’ as the agencies appointed to assess the schools are also private education solutions providers. There were fears that it might influence the assessments.

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Education News:

• Govt seeks report on school bag by July 10

• For school students, it will pay to help build plastic roads in state

• Health cards for all CBSE students

• JEE (Main) ranks to be announced on June 23

• Between the lines: Rich info, little direction

• IIT, NIT aspirants can withdraw admission now

• Panel: Coaching classes malaise hurting sector

• Draft edu policy may clash with RTE norms

• Have nat'l test after Class 12 for college admissions: Panel

• `KV, Navodaya successes must be studied'

• Mantri's pic on test result upsets schools

• HSC exam papers to be on same lines as NEET

• Vaccination must for CBSE students

• CBSE to start 'tinkering labs' in schools

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Jun 16 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Govt seeks report on school bag by July 10

Vinamrata Borwankar

Mumbai:





Report To Be Placed Before HC On PIL Date

As the new academic year begins, the state education department has asked schools to hold random checks and measure the weight of the bags students are carrying and submit a report. The local education department has been instructed by the state government to submit a consolidated report on the weight of school bags by July 10. The state in turn is required to submit the findings to the Bombay High Court before it next hears the PIL on July 27.
In a circular issued to the schools in the city's north zone, the education department has instructed principals to conduct random checks among the children in June and July .BB Chavan, deputy director of education, Mumbai, said that the department was taking steps to ensure that the guideli nes are followed right from day one.
An inspection carried out by the education department in April, four months after the Bombay high court's deadline of bringing the school bag weight under control, had revealed that around 30% of the students in the city still carried bags which are more than the prescribed limits. The prescribed weight of bags for class I to VIII is between 1.8kg and 3.4kg.
School principals said they were already taking measures to ensure that the bag weight is under control. “We have emailed all parents to ensure that they check the bags before students leave for schools. We have also told our teachers to ensure all the students are using their lockers,“ said Father Francis Swamy , principal, St Mary's ICSE School, Mazgaon.
Some schools have asked students to carry only homework sheets. “They can leave textbooks and other items in school. They only need their organiser and homework sheets,“ said Kusum Kanwar, principal, Billabong High School.
New academic year starts across state
Wednesday marked the first day of the new academic year at several schools across the state. To welcome the new batch the schools hosted various initiatives as prescribed by the state.drives Twenty two students, identified in the various out-of-school with NGO Pratham, were enrolled in a civic school in South Mumbai. School education minister, Vinod Tawde who accompanied the students to Lord Harris Municipal School, said, “The intention is to ensure that no student must be left out of school and deprived of primary education.“
At Chattrapati Shivaji Vidyalaya in Dharavi, teachers brought in people dressed in various cartoon characters to welcome the new batch. “The young students who come back to school after vacation have to adjust back to the environment.Such activities help ease out the tension,“ said principal, Veena Donwalkar. Similar programmes were held at various other schools in the city. TNN





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Jun 16 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

For school students, it will pay to help build plastic roads in state

Chittaranjan Tembhekar & Sujit Mahamulkar

Mumbai: TNN





Kids May Get 8 PaiseKg Of Waste

The state government will collect waste plastic from school children, besides NGOs and housing societies, to mix with bitumen for road construction, public works department (PWD) officials said on Wednesday. This, they said, will help eliminate waste plastic, which is destroying the environment. Contractors will pay 8 paisa per kg to those contributing the plastic but it is unclear how the waste will be collected and stored, and how money will be disbursed to schools and NGOs.The state's road engineers said a system would have to be evolved.
The PWD came up with a GR on Tuesday, permitting civic bodies and infra agencies to go ahead with a mix of plastic and asphalt, as it would prevent potholes during the monsoon and thus save on frequent recarpeting of roads. The move, said sources, is also expected to break the nexus between officials, politicians and contractors in relaying roads.
It will save asphalt and help reuse plastic waste to reduce pollution. “Otherwise, the plastic either goes with the garbage and remains untreated, to create soil pollution, and also air pollution in case of fires at garbage dumps,“ a civic official said.
Civic road engineers, who struggle to lay bitumen layers, welcomed the move and said such a mix would be durable. But they too were clueless about how contractors will disburse money for the waste collected.
Senior PWD officials said agencies involved in road projects may help contractors stock the waste, such as carrybags, water bottles and milk packets, and in disbursing the money.
But Ashish Singh principal secretary, PWD, said the government was unaware about school children being involved in collecting plastic waste.
“We have issued a government resolution saying that contractors should use waste plastic in road construction. It is the contractors' responsibility to get plastic water bottles and how to use them.“
Singh added, “We hope to do at least 100km of green roads this year.“ A senior PWD official said next year's target would be 1,000km.
“There is a lower probability of you getting potholes during the monsoon,“ he added.





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Health cards for all CBSE students

The Malappuram Sahodaya, a nodal body of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools in the district, has asked all schools to maintain the student health cards as directed by the CBSE.

The Sahodaya has asked the schools to ensure that all children reaching the schools are immunised. The CBSE, in a directive in 2012, had asked the schools to maintain health cards of students with special emphasis on immunisation. The CBSE circular underscored the importance of immunisation at various stages to prevent deadly communicable diseases.

Pointing out that some students may have missed getting all required shots of vaccine, leaving them unprotected, the CBSE asked the schools to follow a strict schedule of vaccination for high level of immunity.

‘‘Unprotected children may spread the disease, especially in schools where large number of students are together in close quarters,’’ the CBSE circular said, adding that the successes of government plans like the Universal Immunisation Programme depended on the level of awareness that could be generated through various measures.

However, the CBSE asked the schools not to do anything without taking the parents into confidence. ‘‘Establishing good health practices is essential, but keeping the parents aware and informed and taking their consent and approval at every step is even more important. For each parent, the health support will be assured,’’ the circular said. M. Abdul Nazar, treasurer of the All Kerala CBSE Sahodaya School Complex, said the schools and parents should take the issue of immunisation seriously.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/health-cards-for-all-cbse-students/article8739579.ece

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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

JEE (Main) ranks to be announced on June 23

Yogita Rao

Mumbai:





IITs Planning To Conduct Additional Rounds This Year

The JEE (Main) ranks required for admissions to the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other government-funded tec-hnological institutes (GFTIs) will be announced on June 23. Last year, it was out on June 30, leading to a week's delay in the joint seat allocation process. The joint process for admissions to 34,781 seats in IITs, NITs and the GFTIs will start a day later, on June 24.The JOSAA portal went live on Tuesday . While seat details and list of required documents were uplo aded on the site, JOSAA put up a tentative schedule. The JEE (Main) rank list is made after giving 60% weightage to JEE (Main) scores and 40% weightage to class XII scores.
Since many of the 45 higher secondary education boards submitted their results late and in the wrong format last year, the CBSE conducted several meetings with state board officials this year to ensure the admission process is not affected this year, said an official associated with the JEE (Advanced) office.The joint seat allocation process will start from June 24, as per the tentative schedule. CBSE, on Friday , released a otification informing students notification informing students and state boards that the revised results of students who have applied for re-evaluation of their class XII scores should be sub mitted to CBSE by the respective boards, and not by individual students. There are 10,575 seats in IITs and 18,013 seats in NITs in the country . IITs plan one or more extra rounds this year.





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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Between the lines: Rich info, little direction

Akshaya Mukul

New Delhi





As news broke that the TSR Subramanian committee report on education was being made public on Friday, a senior education policy wonk summed up the 217-page recommendations thus. He cited educationist Samuel Mathai on the 1968 National Education Policy document: “I can't improve on what Mathai said on the 1968 document,“ he said.“More than 50 years later, the Subramanian report suffers from the same problems (as the 1968 policy). As Mathai said, `it's full of valuable information, useful statistics and sound proposals for the improvement and modernisation of education. But it isn't certain the commission could achieve the...objective necessary to take a total view of the education scene and provide a profound criticism of it'.“
The report of the Subramanian committee -dominated by bureaucrats -reads like a shortterm policy paper without a clear vision. Full of contradictions, like the 1968 report, it mostly criticises the failure of earlier policies and offers inconsistent recommendations. It doesn't, for instance, tell us what must be done to bridge the civilisational gap between Delhi University and Meerut University, situated less than 100km apart. Bemoan ing political interference as a villain doesn't serve the purpose.
The contradictions first. While it's right in ruing the myriad regu latory bodies and their collective failure, it talks of the need to create bodies and pass legislations. It talks of: A new Standing Educa tion Commission as a think tank, a Council for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE), an old idea that didn't get traction during UPA, a national accreditation body , passing a National Higher Education Promotion and Management Act and a Central Bureau of Educational Intelligence. These proposed bodies will most likely end up as fiefdoms like the existing corrupt regulatory bodies, as the Subramanian committee points out.
While the onus on vocational education is understandable, the bigger problem is that the report is much too influenced by government thinking and doesn't chart a new course, be it on the no-detention policy, politicisation of university campuses or criticism of school data through district information on school education.
Radical reform in Class X-XII examinations and a single medical and engineering entrance test create momentary excitement but in a diverse country like India will hardly become the unanimous voice. Many recommendations on school education are good. But unless state education boards reform these will be limited to CBSE.
Over the next few months, as the HRD ministry makes sense out of the recommendations and formulates a policy, it'll be worth watching if it provides the vision that the Subramanian committee lacked.

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Jun 17 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

IIT, NIT aspirants can withdraw admission now

Yogita Rao    Mumbai:TNN





Joint Seat Allotment Likely From June 24

Aspirants for IITs, NITs and other centrally-funded technological institutions (CFTIs) will be able to withdraw their admissions after every round, if they are unhappy with the seat allotted, and if they are not hopeful of getting a better seat in the subsequent rounds. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) for admissions to 92 institutes has decided to provide the withdrawal option after several students we re inconvenienced last year when the feature was not available. The seat allotment process is likely to begin from June 24, subject to the availability of class XII scores from across state boards. The JOSAA portal will go live on Friday , with new rules and regulations for the admission process this year. The authority also decided to include another or more rounds, if time permits, allowing the authority to fill all seats in premier institutes. Last year, the joint seat allocation process began on July 1, after many of the 45 education boards failed to submit class XII scores of students, which is given 40% weightage while calculating JEE (Main) ranks.The authority makes use of JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced) ranks of students for the process. “Since we started late last year, there was no time to conduct four rounds. This year, we plan to start by June 24, which will enable us to include more rounds. We may have four or more rounds this year, which will benefit students with lower ranks to take up seats that are vacant,“ the professor said.
Last year, students complained that there was no option to withdraw admission in the joint seat allocation process. Officials, however, claimed that allotment was on the basis of merit and student choices.
“If students are allotted a seat which is lower on their preference list and would like to opt for a state-run engineering institute closer home, they will be allowed to release the seat. This seat will be made available to students in subsequent rounds.Once students accept the seats, they were not allowed to appear for JEE (Advanced) in the next year to achieve a better score. The withdrawal option will benefit students and institutes,“ said the professor.
Cut-off for ISC students 87.8%
The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) released the cut-off percentile for ISC students which determine their eligibility for IIT admissions on Thursday.
For admissions in IIT, students have to qualify in JEE (Advanced) and also score 75% in their class XII board or fall in the top 20 percentile of the board.
The cut-off for the top 20 percentile for ISC students in the open category was 87.8%.
The CBSE and Maharashtra State Board of Secodnary Education are yet to announce the cut-offs for the top 20 percentile.

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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Panel: Coaching classes malaise hurting sector

New Delhi: TNN





The Subramanian committee identifies coaching centres as a major malaise afflicting school and higher education. While private coaching supplements formal education and helps the child, it also increases disparities between well-off and poor students, the report says. Citing an international study , it says that while 2.8% of Chhattisgarh children could avail of private coaching, in Kolkata 73% availed of private coaching. The panel proposes remedial school coaching as a system to augment knowledge acquisition.
It blames the proliferation of coaching centres on multiple entrance exams and talks of a single entrance test to be taken by a student on a day of her choice, possibly a couple of times, with only the best score considered. This single test should have questions that test basic aptitude, analytical ability, mathematical knowledge, critical thinking with less reliance on memory .





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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Draft edu policy may clash with RTE norms

Shreya RoyChowdhury

New Delhi:





School Merger Proposal At Odds With Act

If they are to be implemented, several recommendations in the draft National Education Policy , 2016, will require amendments to the Right to Education Act. Insisting on “consolidation“, the draft proposes merging “small, non-viable“ schools. This likely subverts the RTE Act on neighbourhood schools being located “within a walking distance of one km“ for children attending Classes I-V .
The draft emphasises “school mapping“ -as opposed to RTE's “child-mapping“ -but stresses that for children attending “non-viable“ schools, transport must be provided. It notes such “consolidation“ is already on in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, all BJP-ruled states.
The proposal to extend the 25% economically weaker section quota in private schools to minority institutions will also need an amendment. The committee notes that number of schools claiming religious or linguistic minority status has increased tremendously .
The RTE mandates a nondetention policy -banning grade-repetition -till Class VIII; the committee wants it limited to Class V . Its recommendations cover remedial classes -“by school teachers or volunteers“ -and supplementary examinations.
The committee suggests amending the RTE to “provide, in addition to infrastructure, learning outcome norms that affect quality of education“ -a longstanding private school demand.
The report has much to say on infrastructure and the RTE.“Infrastructure norms for recognition of private schools should be applied to government schools...and punitive action should be ensured for not adhering to them,“ it says.
“States should be given flexibility to determine norms for infrastructure requirement,“ it adds. It proposes developing “local norms...for `alternate schools'“. These proposals are to protect private schools where, as the report says, “there's no space for building additional rooms or playgrounds“, from closure due to minimum RTE-mandated infrastructure requirements and other norms. The policy recommends “expansion of open schools to enable dropouts and working children to pursue education“.
The policy proposes making education for children aged four and five a right, and roping in the NCERT and State Councils for Educational Research and Training to develop pre-school curricula.

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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Have nat'l test after Class 12 for college admissions: Panel

Shreya RoyChowdhury

New Delhi:





Moots Online, On-Demand Board Exams

Suggesting major changes in the school examination structure, the committee that formulated the National Policy of Education 2016 has proposed “on-demand board exams“ for candidates, a two-part system of exams for Class X and a nationallevel test after Class XII, similar to the SAT in the US. The committee, which recently submitted its report to the HRD ministry , said public board exams were “useful“ but there was a need to relieve stress and “offer flexibility“.It recommended moving towards on-demand, online board exams that can be taken when the candidate is ready .
It also proposed a national-level SAT-type test open to all who have passed Class XII--irrespective of the examination board--to fix the problem of multiple entrance tests for admission to college courses.
The panel suggested holding Class X exams at two levels­higher and lower­especially in mathematics and sc iences, for the same syllabus.
Students who intend to drop these subjects in Class XI, or exit the academic system for vocational education, will have the option of taking the lower level exam. This, the committee hoped “will reduce...anxiety and stress“.
The HRD ministry will now take a call on the recommendations.
If implemented, the panel's recommendations could signal a return of the Class X exam for schools under the Central Board of Secondary Education, where the test has been replaced by `continuous comprehensive evaluation and summative assessment II'. Most other boards continue to have full public exams. The committee felt schools need a “futuristic curric ulum“ but upheld the validity of the National CurriculumFramework 2005. It recommended reduction of “curriculum load,“ a greater focus on “self-learning“ and reforms that address “national needs“ including “social cohesion, religious amity and national integration“.
While accepting that the mother-tongue was best for learning, and upholding the threelanguage formula, the report stresses learning Hindi, English and Sanskrit. Sanskrit “requires special emphasis“, the panel said. It “should not be treated as a `classical' language but as a living phenomenon,“ the report said, recommending introduction of Sanskrit as an “independent subject“ at the primary or upper-primary level.
“While the mother tongue can continue to be the medium of instruction, the study of Hindi is desirable to bring all Indians together as citizens of a single nation. The study of English is equally of importance to enable her to transcend geographical boundaries and function effectively at the national and international level,“ the report said. It also proposed designing “open school courses...at all levels“. The team commented on availability of sports facilities, importance of physical development and earmarking “specific, non-divertible“ funds for sports but the only concrete suggestion it made in this regard was that “every school should be encouraged to bring yoga in as part of the school process, and [help] every child...learn the basics of yoga.“

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Jun 18 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

`KV, Navodaya successes must be studied'

New Delhi: TNN





The Subramanian committee doesn't just point out all that's wrong in the education system, but also points out some aspects and institutions that work in the existing set-up. The committee doesn't just recommend expansion of the mid-day meal scheme to the secondary level but also writes that the landmark scheme is “too important to be re-examined in its fundamentals.“ The draft policy notes: “In addition to supplementing nutrition, the programme promotes social equality and helps break caste and class barriers among school children.“ It adds that in spite of “occasional complaints“ regarding quality, mid-day meal is a “popular and successful“ scheme.
The committee has only praise for Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. It recommends the “reasons for [their] success“ be “studied“ and their methods followed by state governments for all schools.





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Jun 16 2016 : The Times of India (NaviMumbai)

Mantri's pic on test result upsets schools

Vinamrata Borwankar

Mumbai





When around 16 lakh students received the report card for the first aptitude test that was conducted by the state, they were surprised to see education minister Vinod Tawde's photo on it.The photo has also upset teachers in the city . Tawde's photo is on the resultcertificate of the test conducted for class X students in February . The students received a hard copy of the result on Wednesday along with their SSC mark-sheets.
“The first thing I noticed when we began distributing the report card to students was the photo. Neither was the test conducted by the minister nor was the report card printed by him, so why have his photo?
We have never seen anything like this before,“ said the trustee of a chain of schools in the city.
Teachers felt the re port card was used for self-promotion, which was unacceptable. “Courts restrain politicians from even putting up posters on roads without permission, so how can Tawde put his photo on the report card? This is advertising at tax-payers' expense,“ said a teacher in Malad. A teacher from a school in Andheri said, “The students do not understand the issue on a macro-level but many as ked why was the minister's picture on the report card instead of theirs. It has only their name and roll number.“
Tawde said, “For 15-20 years, the previous government never thought of conducting an aptitude test for students. We started this initiative for students. The issues raised about my picture are politically driven. The students need only their SSC mark-sheets and not the aptitude test report card for applying in colleges. The mark-sheet does not have the picture. The aptitude test report makes a suggestion on the career the student must opt for, and I have only given my wishes to the students, through a message on it.“

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• 15 Jun 2016 Mumba
• Puja Pednekar puja.pednekar@hindustantimes.com

HSC exam papers to be on same lines as NEET

Syllabus won’t be changed, but exam questions will be

MUMBAI: The state education board will not implement its plans to upgrade the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) syllabus this year to make it similar to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum.

HT FILE The number of multiple choice questions will increase in HSC board exams. The board said it will only change the question paper pattern for the exam.
The state education board said it will be better to change the question paper pattern rather than the syllabus as students are already preparing for the exams. The new pattern will be worked out after studying the CBSE Class 10 exam papers and NEET question papers. “The tests might have more multiple choice questions and on higher order thinking skills compared to ours,” said Gangadhar Mhamane, board chairperson.
The board said there was not enough time to revise the entire syllabus for this academic year.
There is a 10% difference in the HSC syllabus and that of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

The CBSE and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) follow the NCERT syllabus.
When NEET — the entrance exam for admission into medical and dental colleges — was reintroduced in April, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were among states that were not prepared for it.
Students in Maharashtra were taking the Common Entrance Test for government-run medical colleges and private institutes had tests of their own. NEET will be a must for admissions to private medical colleges from this year and government institutes from next year.
Students have welcomed the board’s plan. “I will not have to prepare for two exams separately,” said Aarti Sonar from Andheri.
Academicians said the number of multiple choice questions (MCQs) will increase if the NEET pattern is followed, bringing down the quality of students.
“The HSC pattern already has MCQs of seven marks in physics, chemistry and biology,” said Anil Deshmukh, head, Maharashtra Junior College Teachers Federation. “If more MCQs are added, students will lose touch with long-form writing.”

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Vaccination must for CBSE students

TNN | Jun 17, 2016, 06.58 AM IST

Malappuram: Amid the reports that the lack of immunization among children is causing re-emergence of various vaccine preventable diseases like diphtheria in the district, the CBSE Sahodaya School Complex in Malappuram has decided to make vaccination mandatory for all students.
The organization of CBSE Schools in Malappuram has directed all school heads to ensure that all students are vaccinated.

In a circular issued on February 2012, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had directed all schools to verify the records of immunization during the admission of students. Though the CBSE had also directed all schools to keep the health status of students, it seems that most of the schools are yet to follow the direction.

M Abdul Nazar treasurer of All Kerala CBSE Sahodaya school Complex (KSSC) said that a general body meeting of the organization held on Thursday has decided to strictly follow the directions in the circular by introducing health card for each student. "The health card will contain the immunization history of each student," he said.

The CBSE circular has requested that schools must encourage immunization of students and observe utmost sincerity in verifying the Immunization Record of each student admitted in the school. "Schools must also discuss the immunization records of students with parents for a timely remediation, if needed," it says.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Vaccination-must-for-CBSE-students/articleshow/52788892.cms

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IndiaToday.in  New Delhi, June 16, 2016 | UPDATED 13:30 IST

CBSE to start 'tinkering labs' in schools

In order to motivate students to involve in scientific innovation and creative brainstorming session, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will soon be starting up with high tech 'Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs)' in its schools.

BSE to start 'tinkering labs' in schools

In order to motivate students to involve in scientific innovation and creative brainstorming session, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will soon be starting up with high tech 'Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs)' in all affiliated schools.
As per a recent PTI report, NITI Aayog has planned to start up 500 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL).
Details of the lab:

• This lab is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee

• The vision of the scheme is to 'Cultivate 1 Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators'

• Also, these laboratories will provide young candidates with a creative work place for shaping their ideas by hands

• The aim of the these labs is to educate 10 lakh students as 'Neoteric Innovations'

• All the students from classes 6 to 12 can be benefited from these labs

• Moreover, CBSE has asked schools to submit applications in this regard soon

Moreover, the ATLs can be established in schools (Grade VI-XII) managed by the government, local body or private trusts or society and a minimum of 25 per cent of them would be set up in schools managed by the government (Central/States).
In accordance to start the mission successfully, grant-in-aid would be given to all the schools for a one-time establishment cost of Rs 10 lakh.
Also, Rs 10 lakh for a maximum period of 5 years would be given for setting up the labs.
Statements given by Sugandh Sharma:
While speaking to TOI , CBSE additional director, Sugandh Sharma said, "The project is part of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). These laboratories will provide a work space to students and help them hone their innovation skills"
"The objectives of the scheme are to foster curiosity, creativity among students, to inculcate computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computing and to help students in understanding the basic concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by providing them an opportunity to work with tools and equipment"
Further, these labs will help young students in understanding the basic concepts of STEM by providing them with an opportunity to work with tools and equipment.
Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/cbse-school-tinkering-labs/1/693152.html
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