Smriti Irani goes live on Facebook: 10 things the Minister stated on Board Results, NEET issue and other problems

In a live Facebook interaction today, on May 17, HRD Minister Smriti Irani talked about the new education policy, delay of state results and other related educational problems plaguing in this country. Here is the minister's reaction on some recent educational issues in India.

On delay of board results:

Irani said, "Last October 2015, under the chairmanship of Secretary School Education, we held a meeting with all the state board and decision was taken that all results across the country will surely be declared by May 31st. Since education is in the concurrent list, we at the Center have to respect the right of state government to engage with students through their board at their administrative convenience." Regarding delay of CBSE results, she said that the results will be out on time.

On 'One' education policy all over India:

The HRD Minister said, "In a nation wherein education is not only in the concurrent list but also needs to cater to the students with different linguistic abilities, diversity in academics is celebrated."

Quality education is falling in engineering colleges:

Irani said, "We have now allowed engineering institutions to start skill-based education in second shift using the same infrastructure. AICTE is also appealing institutions to update their syllabus so that students can benefit from new knowledge and become industry compliant. Through GIAN we have helped state institutions to help gain access to foreign academicians who come and teach and infuse world class knowledge."

Free CBSE and NCERT books:

She said, "NCERT books in English, Hindi and Urdu from classes 1 to 12 are available free on e-Pathshala. CBSE schools have been issued circulars wherein students cannot be compelled by books outside the syllabus from a particular shop that school seeks to engage."

Teacher recruitment:

The Minister said, "Teacher recruitment and transfer are decisions falling within the ambit of the state government. However, I can say here that education is not for profit sector, hence anybody seeking to profiteer or any level of harassment should immediately be brought to the notice of the concerned state authority."

NEET controversy:

She said, "NEET is within the jurisdiction of Health Ministry not HRD."

Source:- Indiatoday

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Fee hike row: Noida DM urges CBSE to intervene

Following in the footsteps of Delhi government, the Noida district administration has taken serious note of allegations levied by the parents of school-going children regarding arbitrary increase of fees by some schools in the city.

Steps taken by the administration:

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been asked to intervene in the matter

The setting up of a committee has been suggested in order to look into the allegations

An audit of the schools being named was asked to be conducted

A fee regulatory commission was also asked to be formed, so that the transparency regarding the same is maintained

To look into the demands of the parents, the district magistrate had even formed a five member committee, which is headed by the city Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar.

In its letter to CBSE, the following findings of the committee have been mentioned:

"During fact finding, it was found that certain schools indulged in very high and unwarranted hike of fee last year," the letter read, according to TOI

It further stated that the schools were charging money on different accounts including annual charge, development fee, scholarship fund, etc, apart from the fee according to the state government's standards

It also questioned the developmental fund being charged and said that it did not seem justified and said the parents are not being informed the basis on which the same was being charged.

Commenting further on the issue, the letter stated that charging the same amount as development fund from all the students but providing facilities to a selected few was not justified

The letter also highlighted the blind eye the schools have turned towards the provisions for EWS category under the Right To Education Act, 2009

"There is a provision to reserve 25 percent seats under EWS category. But, majority of the schools are showing neglect towards this provision. On enquiring about this, the schools merely said that despite their best efforts, they could not find adequate number of students in relation to the seats. However, they did not provide any proof for the said attempts being made," the letter said

Further, according to the rules, at least 10 percent of seats have to be reserved for bright students of the scheduled caste and tribes and the fee charged to them should not be more than what is decided for them by the Uttar Pradesh Education Board. However, most of the schools were happily violating this rule.

On the issue of books and uniforms being sold in the school premises, the DM suggested the following:

NCERT should ensure that before a session commences, they have enough printed books and students do not face a shortage of the same

Standard norms should also be in place for selling uniforms.

Source:-  Indiatoday

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KV students to learn new subject compassion towards animals

                                          http://educationvijay.com/newsshow.aspx?newsid=7075

In order to inculcate compassion in children towards animals Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country will now be including "Compassionate Citizen" as part of their curriculum.

What is Compassionate Citizen?

• Compassionate Citizen is a humane education programme that has been designed specifically to teach children to be kind to animals.
• The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan on Tuesday, May 10, issued a notification to all its schools, asking them to integrate the programme, into the official curriculum via languages, science, social studies, environmental, and value education curricula.
• The course has been prepared by animal rights advocacy group People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
• The course has been designed to teach 8 to 12-year-old children to be kind to animals and has been endorsed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Important points of the notification:

• "The programme offers tools and lesson plans to teach children to view animals as feeling, sensitive beings. It consists of a teacher's guide, reproducible activity sheets, a reading unit and a 28-minute video - all devised to help students use their reading and reasoning skills to examine the complex lives of animals, how our relationship with them has changed over time and how to respond when animals are in trouble," an official statement said.
• "The programme has to be included in the monthly curriculum as an extra-curricular day activity or a one-day workshop. The course has been divided into four different sections -- The amazing world of animals, Animals and their feelings, Changing time and changing minds and Making humane choices," it added.

The notification came after a meeting between representatives from PETA and KVS officials.

"PETA has distributed the educational resource materials in English and Hindi to all Kendriya Vidyalaya schools. The programme is available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam and Telugu and can be made available in other languages, if needed," Poorva Joshipura, PETA India CEO,said.

Source:-  Indiatoday

                                        

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SC to Centre, CBSE: Give publicity to NEET phase 2

In a bid to ensure that medical aspirants don't lose out on their chance of taking National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Supreme Court has directed the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to widely publicise the NEET phase 2 exam to be held on July 24, 2016.

Observations by the three-judge bench presided over by Justice Anil R Dave, which began hearing petitions regarding NEET:

They asked for state wise data on the number of candidates who appeared in the phase 1 of NEET, held on May 1

Noting that the first phase of NEET was held "peacefully", the bench felt there was "no urgency" in clearing the fresh petitions. They asked for relaxation in the current academic year and allowing them to hold their own medical entrance examinations

They said that the state governments and private medical colleges were to fill 85 percent seats for both MBBS and BDS courses through those selected via NEET

"Filling up 85 percent seats is still reserved with you only. The students, who have not filled the form (for NEET Phase I on May 1) can still avail the opportunity for the next phase to be conducted on July 24," the bench told Karnataka's Advocate General Madhusudan Naik 

While representing Karnataka's association of private medical colleges, KK Venugopal, senior advocate, argued that the state entrance examination was conducted in such a manner that it catered to the rural students. Countering his argument, the bench said that despite the exam catering to rural students, those students couldn't pass the examination without taking private coaching

"The students from rural background still can't pass your test without coaching. Even the best students are found from the most backward regions," the bench said

Source:Indiatoday.

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NEET Phase1 2016: Students' reaction on re-examination

The NEET Phase 1 was scheduled by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday, May 1.

After too much heated discussion on the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), the Supreme Court had finally accepted the Medical Council of India (MCI) plea on the single medical entrance exam which was quashed in 2013. 

The exam was scheduled by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday, May 1. Despite several arrangements made in order to prevent cheating in various centres, a group of eight were caught for being involved in disseminating the question paper in Varanasi.

All about NEET:
 

The Central Board of Secondary Education conducts NEET, for students who wish to pursue any graduate medical course (MBBS), dental course (BDS) or postgraduate course (MD/MS) in government or private medical colleges in India

Now, All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) will be considered as NEET phase 1

NEET Phase 1 exam was conducted on May 1 and the second phase will be held on July 24

The second phase is only for the candidates who have not applied for NEET Phase 

The entrance exam was comprised of objective type questions based on physics, chemistry and biology (Botany and Zoology).

The duration of the exam would be of three hours

The results will get declared on August 24.

Source:Indiatoday.

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NEET 2016: Supreme Court gives go ahead to two-phase entrance exam

Finally the confusion of students, who wish to take admission into various medical colleges, cleared as the Supreme Court on Thursday, April 28, gave a nod to the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) schedule for organizing the entrance examination in two phases this year.

Earlier in the day, the apex court had reserved its order on whether the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) would be conducted from this academic year or would be held from next year onwards.

The CBSE had proposed to hold NEET in two phases. According to the board's proposal phase 1 of the examination was to be held on May 1, 2016 and phase 2 was to be conducted on July 24.

The board was originally scheduled to conduct the All India Pre-medical/Pre-dental Entrance Test (AIPMT) on May 1 for which 6,67,637 candidates are scheduled to appear from 1,040 centres in 52 cities, including abroad.

The results of both the phases of examination will be combined and declared on August 17.

Many states and private medical colleges had opposed holding the NEET exam for this year and requested that they be heard in detail before any final order is taken in this regard.

On April 12, the SC had quashed its earlier controversial judgement scrapping single common entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges.

Source: Indiatoday

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Are there three equations of motion or five: CIC asks CBSE to clarify

Education Vijay, The strange plea came before the Central Information Commission which has now directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to clarify the subject after considering views of a person who claimed to have discovered one of the five equations.

The case relates to Sangrur-based applicant, Amritpal Singh Nafria, who sought to know details of equations of motion taught in Physics school-books of the CBSE. He is claiming that there are five equations of motion and has given representations to this effect at many levels.

"The Commission holds that it is the duty of the public authority to consider the problem raised by the appellant and understand his apprehensions if the Newton's Laws of Motion are wrongly interpreted as it will affect the understanding of lakhs of students across the country which need to be addressed by the CBSE," a puzzled Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said.The Information Commissioner directed the CBSE to contact Nafria and collect his objections, consider the representation and provide him the action taken report on the concerns.

He also directed to inform Nafria on any amendments to lesson on the subject, if required, and place it before the Academic Committee within one month from the date of collecting the objections from the appellant

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