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Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0

Why in News The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0, in a bid to...

16 Jan 2021 Education
School Bag Policy 2020

Why in News The Directorate of Education has issued a circular asking schools to follow the new ‘School Bag Policy, 2020’ released by...

05 Jan 2021 Education
Human Development Index

This article is based on “Three Decades of HDI” which was published in The Economic & Political Weekly on 02/01/2021. It talks...

04 Jan 2021 Education
Smart Classes for Rural Schools

Why in News Recently, RailTel has proposed to the Ministry of Education its plan for equipping rural schools, run by the central government, with...

04 Jan 2021 Education
Satyameva Jayate: Digital Media Literacy

Why in News The Kerala Government has recently announced a digital media literacy programme called ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone...

02 Jan 2021 Education
Draft National Science Technology and Innovation Policy, 2020

Why in News Recently, the draft of the 5th National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) has been uploaded by the Department of Science...

02 Jan 2021 Education
Changes in PMS-SC

Why in News Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved changes in the Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to...

24 Dec 2020 Education
Recommendations on Reservation

Why in News Recently, an eight-member committee, appointed by the government for suggesting measures for effective implementation of reservation in...

18 Dec 2020 Education
New World Tech Order and India’s Role

Why in News? At the IIT 2020 GlobaL Summit, the Prime Minister said that the post-Covid world will be about re-learning, re-thinking and...

16 Dec 2020 Education
Global Teacher Prize 2020

Why in News Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Maharashtra's Solapur, has won the Global Teacher Prize 2020. Key Points Global Teacher...

05 Dec 2020 Education
Technical Education in Mother Tongue

Why in News Recently, the Union Education Minister has set up a task force for preparing a roadmap on imparting technical education in the mother...

03 Dec 2020 Education
Reservation in Super-speciality Medical Courses: SC

Why in News Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has reserved its order on the state governments providing a 50% in-service reservation for admissions...

26 Nov 2020 Education
Online Education Woes

Why in News A recent study by the Azim Premji University on the efficacy and accessibility of e-learning has highlighted various challenges involved...

19 Nov 2020 Education
National Education Day

Why in News The Union Minister of Education virtually inaugurated the National Education Day programme organised by IIT Bombay. Key...

11 Nov 2020 Education
National Agricultural Education Policy

Why in News The first National Agricultural Education Policy is set to bring academic credit banks and degree programmes with multiple entry and...

10 Nov 2020 Education
Academic Freedom in India

Why in News India has scored considerably low in the international Academic Freedom Index (AFI) with a score of 0.352. Academic freedom, in...

06 Nov 2020 Education
Merger of Schools in Odisha: SATH Project

Why in News The Odisha government has identified around 8,000 schools in 15 districts which will be merged with other schools due to low enrollment...

31 Oct 2020 Education
SERB-POWER Scheme

Why in News Recently, the Union Minister for Science and Technology has launched SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory...

30 Oct 2020 Education
Institution of Eminence Scheme

Why in News Recently, the OP Jindal Global University officially got an ‘Institution of Eminence (IoE) tag. The university was selected by...

30 Oct 2020 Education
ASER Survey 2020

Why in News Recently, the Annual State of Education Report (ASER) survey has been released which provides a glimpse into the levels of learning loss...

29 Oct 2020 Education

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		'title' => 'Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)</strong> has launched <strong>Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0,</strong> in a bid to empower India&rsquo;s youth with employable skills by <strong>making over 300 skill courses available</strong> to them.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Skill India Mission</strong> was launched by the government in <strong>2015</strong> under which the flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is run.</li>
<li>It <strong>aims to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022.</strong> It aims at <strong>vocational training and certification</strong> of Indian youth for a better livelihood and respect in the society.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PMKVY 1.0:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Launch: India&rsquo;s largest Skill Certification Scheme -<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/pradhan-mantri-kaushal-vikas-yojana-pmkvy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)</a></strong> - was launched on 15<sup>th</sup> July, 2015 <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-youth-skills-day-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>(World Youth Skills Day)</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Aim:</strong> To encourage and promote skill development in the country by providing <strong>free short duration skill training</strong> and incentivizing this by providing <strong>monetary rewards to youth for skill certification.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Implementation:</strong> PMKVY is implemented by the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-skills-study" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC)</strong></a> under the guidance of the <strong>Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).</strong></li>
<li><strong>Key Components:</strong> Short Term Training, Special Projects, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/recognition-of-prior-learning-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Recognition of Prior Learning</strong></a>, Kaushal &amp; Rozgar Mela, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Outcome:</strong> In 2015-16, 19.85 lakh candidates were trained.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PMKVY 2.0:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage: PMKVY 2016-20</strong> (PMKVY 2.0) was launched by scaling up<strong> both in terms of Sector and Geography</strong> and by <strong>greater alignment with other missions</strong> of the Government of India like <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/assessment-of-make-in-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Make in India</strong></a>,<a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-digital-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Digital India</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/swachh-bharat-mission-urban" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Swachh Bharat</strong></a>, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Budget:</strong> Rs. 12,000 Crore.</li>
<li><strong>Implementation Through Two Components:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Centrally Sponsored Centrally Managed (CSCM):</strong> This component was <strong>implemented by National Skill Development Corporation.</strong> 75% of the PMKVY 2016-20 funds and corresponding physical targets have been allocated under CSCM.</li>
<li><strong>Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM):</strong> This component was <strong>implemented by State Governments</strong> through State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs). 25% of the PMKVY 2016-20 funds and corresponding physical targets have been allocated under CSSM.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Outcome:</strong> More than <strong>1.2 Crore youth</strong> have been trained/oriented through an improved standardized skilling ecosystem in the country under PMKVY 1.0 and PMKVY 2.0.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>PMKVY 3.0:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Coverage:</strong> Launched in 717 districts, 28 States/eight UTs, PMKVY 3.0 is a step towards <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/atmanirbhar-bharat-and-economic-stimulus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;Atmnanirbhar Bharat&rsquo;</strong></a>.</li>
<li><strong>Implementation:</strong> It <strong>will be implemented in a more decentralized structure</strong> with greater responsibilities and support from States/UTs and Districts. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>District Skill Committees (DSCs), under the guidance of State Skill Development Missions (SSDM), shall play a key role in addressing the skill gap and assessing demand at the district level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Features:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It <strong>envisages training of eight lakh candidates</strong> over a <strong>scheme period of 2020-2021</strong> with an outlay of Rs. 948.90 crore. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>729 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), empaneled non-PMKK training centres and more than 200 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)</strong> under Skill India will be rolling out PMKVY 3.0 training to build a robust pool of skilled professionals.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It will be <strong>more trainee- and learner-centric.</strong> The focus is on bridging the demand-supply gap by <strong>promoting skill development in areas of new-age and <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-industrial-revolution-4-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Industry 4.0</a> job roles.</strong></li>
<li>It will be <strong>a propagator of vocational education</strong> at an early level for youth to capitalize on industry-linked opportunities.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Educational Policy 2020</strong></a> also puts focus on vocational training for a holistic growth and increased employability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>By taking the bottom-up approach to training, it will<strong> identify job roles that have demand at the local level and skill the youth,</strong> linking them to these opportunities <strong>(Vocal for Local).</strong></li>
<li>It will <strong>encourage healthy competition between states</strong> by making available increased allocation to those states that perform better.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1688836" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'School Bag Policy 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Directorate of Education has issued a circular asking schools to follow the new<strong> &lsquo;School Bag Policy, 2020&rsquo;</strong> released by the <strong>National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Circular:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>School teachers should inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to school on a particular day and frequently check their bags to<strong> ensure that they are not carrying unnecessary material.</strong></li>
<li>It is the duty and the responsibility of the school management to provide<strong> quality potable water in sufficient quantities</strong> to all the students in the school so that they do not need to carry water bottles from their homes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About the School Bag Policy 2020:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It <strong>lays down the guidelines on homework and weight of school bags</strong> for classes I to XII.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>School bags</strong> should <strong>not be more than 10% of the bodyweight of students</strong> across classes I to X and there should be <strong>no bags in pre-primary students.</strong></li>
<li>It recommends <strong>no homework up to class II</strong> and a maximum of two hours per week for classes III to V, one hour a day for classes VI to VIII and two hours a day for classes IX and above.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Policy will <strong>also require schools to introduce infrastructural changes</strong> as students will not be able to carry many books daily. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The schools <strong>need to provide lockers</strong> right from preschool to senior secondary to enable children to leave books in school and carry home only what is required.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It adds that the <strong>teachers</strong> should take the <strong>responsibility</strong> of <strong>checking the weight</strong> of school bags of the students <strong>every three months on a day selected for the whole class</strong> and any information about heavy bags should be <strong>communicated to the parents.</strong></li>
<li>It adds that files and<strong> thin/light exercise</strong> books should be preferred to<strong> thick/heavy ones.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Problems of heavy school bags:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The heavy school bag has <strong>severe/adverse physical effects on growing children</strong> which can cause damage to their<strong> vertebral column</strong> and <strong>knees.</strong></li>
<li>A heavy backpack can pull on the neck muscles contributing to headache, shoulder pain, lower back pain and neck and arm pain.</li>
<li>The <strong>posture of the body</strong> also gets affected to a great extent which in the long term develops imbalances in the body and <strong>affects the health of the nervous system.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>NCERT</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Education (MoE)</strong> which is responsible for:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Ensuring <strong>qualitative improvement in school education</strong> by undertaking and promoting research in areas related to school education.</li>
<li><strong>Prepare and publish model textbooks,</strong> supplementary material.</li>
<li>Develop and <strong>disseminate innovative educational techniques</strong> and practices.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Act as a<strong> nodal agency</strong> for achieving the goals of <strong>Universalization of Elementary Education.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/doe-circular-asks-teachers-to-check-weight-of-school-bags/article33497012.ece#:~:text=The%20weight%20of%20the%20school,for%20Classes%20XI%20and%20XII." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7359,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Human Development Index',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p style="text-align: justify;">This article is based on <a href="https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/1/editorials/three-decades-hdi.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&ldquo;Three Decades of HDI&rdquo;</strong></a> which was published in The Economic &amp; Political Weekly on 02/01/2021. It talks about India's <strong>dismal performance in the Human Development Index.</strong></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="/current-affairs-news-analysis-editorials/news-analysis/17-12-2020#:~:text=Overall%20Performance%3A%20HDI%20value%20for,%2C%20an%20increase%20of%2050.3%25." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Human Development Index (HDI)</strong></a>, which combines indicators of <strong>life expectancy, education or access to knowledge and income</strong> or standard of living, captures the level and changes to the quality of life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The index is the making of two acclaimed economists from Pakistan and India, namely Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen. It was initially launched as an alternative measure to the gross domestic product, as it stresses the centrality of human deve&shy;lop&shy;ment in the growth process.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">India has done a seemingly great job in multiplying it&rsquo;s economy many folds, but progress on the HDI front has not been very appealing. The last three decades HDI&rsquo;s data indicate that India has raised its <strong>HDI score at an annual average rate of mere 1.42%.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Therefore, if India has to realise it&rsquo;s the aspiration of becoming a superpower, it must invest to reduce the burden of social and economic disadvantage to vulnerable sections of its population.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Progress Made by India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">As the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/human-development-index-undp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UNDP&rsquo;s HDR Report 2019</strong></a> notes, India&rsquo;s <strong>gross national income per capita has more than doubled</strong> since 2005, and the number of &ldquo;multidimensionally poor&rdquo; people fell by more than 271 million in the decade since 2005-06.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Additionally, inequalities in &ldquo;basic areas&rdquo; of human development have reduced. For instance, historically marginalised groups are catching up with the rest of the population in terms of educational attainment.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Reasons For India&rsquo;s Underperformance on HDI</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The 2019 HDI ranks India with a per capita income of $6,681 in the 131<sup>st</sup> position, which is a notch lower than its 130<sup>th</sup> rank in 2018. The malefic effects of deep-rooted societal and economic disadvantages account for a low rank for an economy that is in the global top 6 by size. Following factors can be dubbed as reasons for India&rsquo;s dismal performance in HDI:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Increasing Income Inequalities:</strong> Income inequalities amplify failings on other HDI indices of human development. Intergenerational income mobility is lower in countries with high-income inequality.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">It manifests at birth and determines access to quality healthcare, education, and opportunities.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Further, there is an increasing trend in income inequality. In India, the income growth of the bottom 40% between 2000 and 2018 (58%) was significantly below the average income growth for the entire population (122%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gender Inequality:</strong> Numbers show female per capita income in India was only 21.8% of that of males, while it was more than double at 49% in other developing countries.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">The meagre per capita income of females in India is mainly because of their exclusion from the labour force.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Only 20.5% of the women in the working-age group were in the labour force, pointing to its dismal <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-women-in-the-workforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Cumulative Impact:</strong> The cumulative impact of these factors spills over across generations. It is this intergenerational cycle which denies opportunities to those at the bottom of the pyramid.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Fair Income Distribution:</strong> While the size of economic resources is a key factor affecting human development, the <strong>distribution and allocation</strong> of these resources also play a major role in determining the level of human development.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Many global case studies show that high growth accompanied by more effective income distribution can help enhance human development, even with moderate social expenditures.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For Example, South Korea and Taiwan improved income distribution through early land reforms.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Investing in Social Infrastructure:</strong> Universalisation of education and health care could have pulled deprived sections out of the poverty trap.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sustaining and improving the quality of life will also depend on policies crafted to handle major emerging challenges such as urbanisation, the housing deficit, access to power, water, education and health care.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Streamlining of the Finances:</strong> Streamlining the traditional approach of generating new sources of revenue generation, steps like rationalised targeting of subsidies, judicious use of revenues meant for social sector development etc will probably meet the financial requirements needed for improving HDI.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Good Governance Reforms:</strong> Effective performance evaluation of the projects and activities engaged in the social sector development through innovative methods like outcome budgeting, social auditing and participatory democracy has been known to yield positive results.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Gender Empowerment:</strong> Government should invest in Gender equality and women&rsquo;s empowerment, as they are integral to human development.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">India&rsquo;s HDI scores can be substantially enhanced if a politically committed government rolls out inclusive policies that strengthen public health, education and nutrition, and end gender discrimination to usher in a more egalitarian order.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609832600_04.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1609832600_04.png" width="400" caption="false" /></a></p>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%; border-style: dotted; border-color: #eb092b; background-color: #fffde8;">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="color: #000080;"><strong>Drishti Mains Question</strong></span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Strengthening public health, education and nutrition, and ending gender discrimination will usher a more egalitarian order. Comment.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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		'article_id' => (int) 7354,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Smart Classes for Rural Schools',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently,<strong> RailTel</strong> has proposed to the<strong> Ministry of Education</strong> its plan for <strong>equipping rural schools, run by the central government,</strong> with the<strong> ability to hold &lsquo;smart classes&rsquo;.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Proposal:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The proposal is to<strong> power remote government schools with high-speed broadband</strong> and <strong>create an &ldquo;Internet of Things&rdquo; environment for learning.</strong></li>
<li>The plan is to create <strong>end-to-end e-learning solutions for the schools,</strong> using the <strong>solid Optical Fibre Cable network,</strong> which is the backbone of Indian Railways telecom operations. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Behind the plan is the education sector&rsquo;s thrust on<strong> leveraging the gains of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/online-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">e-learning</a></strong> as a mode of instruction, at a time when the<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/coronavirus-disease-named-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> pandemic</strong></a> has forced teachers and students to migrate to virtual platforms and adopt IT-enabled interactive means for teaching.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The cable network<strong> runs along railway tracks,</strong> and so as far as reach is concerned, there is the <strong>capability to impact rural schools anywhere in India,</strong> including the remotest locations which otherwise may not get reliable Internet. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>RailTel has <strong>already provided such connectivity to 723 institutions of higher learning under the Centre&rsquo;s National Knowledge Network programme,</strong> with broadband speed of up to 10 gigabytes per second.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It would<strong> impact around 3.5 lakh students</strong> who are enrolled in these schools, which are run by the Central government predominantly for meritorious students in rural India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>RailTel:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a<a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sectors-of-indian-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> "Mini Ratna (Category-I)" Central Public Sector Enterprise.</strong></a></li>
<li>It is an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) provider and one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in the country owning a Pan-India optic fiber network on exclusive Right of Way (ROW - for laying telecom cables) along Railway track. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The OFC network covers all important towns &amp; cities of the country and several rural areas.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>It has been selected for <strong>implementation of various mission-mode projects</strong> for the Government of India including rolling out the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supercomputer-param-siddhi" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Knowledge Network</strong></a>, <a href="/pdf/1594035732-bharatnet-project.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bharat Net</strong></a> and <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/challenges-in-telecom-sector-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund)</a> funded optical fiber based connectivity project in North East India.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/railtel-proposes-smart-classes-for-rural-schools-run-by-government-7131618/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7368,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Satyameva Jayate: Digital Media Literacy',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Kerala Government has recently announced a digital media literacy programme called <strong>&lsquo;Satyameva Jayate&rsquo; (Truth alone triumphs) to counter</strong> the menace of <strong>Fake News.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The programme would be taught at <strong>schools and colleges,</strong> which would be encouraged to <strong>develop curriculum on digital media literacy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>The programme would cover five points :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>What is wrong information.</li>
<li>Why they are spreading fast.</li>
<li>What precautions have to be adopted while using the content of social media.</li>
<li>How those who spread fake news make profit.</li>
<li>What steps can be initiated by citizens.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Satyameva Jayate</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs") is a part of a mantra from the Hindu scripture <strong>Mundaka Upanishad.</strong></li>
<li>Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on <strong>26<sup>th</sup> January 1950.</strong></li>
<li>It is inscribed in the <strong>Devanagari script</strong> at the base of the <strong>Lion Capital of Ashoka</strong> and forms an <strong>integral part of the Indian national emblem.</strong></li>
<li>The emblem and the words "Satyameva Jayate" are inscribed on one side of all Indian currency and national documents.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Menace of Fake News:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Fake news is untrue information presented as news. It often has the aim of <strong>damaging the reputation</strong> of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.</li>
<li>Once common in the print and digital media, the <strong>prevalence of fake news has increased with the rise of social media and messengers.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Political polarization, post-truth politics, confirmation bias, and social media</strong> have been implicated in the spread of fake news.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Threats Posed</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Fake news can reduce the impact of real news by<strong> competing with it.</strong></li>
<li>In India, the spread of fake news has occurred mostly with relation to <strong>political and religious matters.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>However, misinformation related to Covid-19 pandemic was also widely circulated.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Fake news spread through social media in the country has become a serious problem, with the potential of it resulting in <strong>mob violence.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Countermeasures</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Internet shutdowns</strong> are often used by the government as a way to control social media rumours from spreading.</li>
<li>Ideas such as<strong> linking Aadhaar to social media accounts</strong> have been suggested to the Supreme Court of India by the Attorney General.</li>
<li>In some parts of India like Kannur in Kerala, the government conducted <strong>fake news classes in government schools.</strong></li>
<li>The government is planning to conduct more public-education initiatives to make the population more aware of fake news.</li>
<li>Fact-checking has sparked the creation of <strong>fact-checking websites</strong> in India to counter fake news. For example <strong>Alt News.</strong></li>
<li>Recently, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to provide information on the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/supreme-court-on-curbing-fake-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>existing legal mechanisms to deal</strong> </a>with complaints about the content on television channels. Further it has asked the Centre to create an authority to check fake news and bigotry on air.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The government must take the initiative to make all sections of the population<strong> aware of the realities of this information war and evolve a consensus to fight this war.</strong> Strict action against the fake news providers.</li>
<li>Government should have an<strong> independent agency</strong> to verify the data being circulated in <strong>social and other media.</strong> The agency should be tasked with presenting real facts and figures.</li>
<li>Social media websites should be <strong>made accountable</strong> for such activities so that it becomes their responsibility to have <strong>better control over the spread of fake news.</strong></li>
<li>The <strong>artificial intelligence technologies,</strong> particularly<strong> machine learning and natural language processing,</strong> might be leveraged to combat the <strong>fake news problem.</strong></li>
<li>Programmes such as above of kerala government need to be replicated in other states to ensure students are<strong> aware of the problem of fake news</strong> and have the <strong>ability to tackle it</strong> and as well as <strong>make their families aware of it.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala/kerala-govt-announces-digital-media-literacy-programme-7129258/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7367,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Draft National Science Technology and Innovation Policy, 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the draft of the <strong>5<sup>th</sup> National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP)</strong> has been uploaded by the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST)</strong> on its website.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This Policy will replace the <a href="/printpdf/science-technology-and-innovation-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Science Technology and Innovation Policy of 2013</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Aim:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>To bring about <strong>profound changes through short, medium and long-term mission mode projects</strong> by building a nurtured<strong> ecosystem that promotes research and innovation</strong> on the part of both individuals and organizations.</li>
<li>To <strong>identify and address strengths and weaknesses of the Indian Science Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem</strong> to catalyse socio-economic development of the country and also make the Indian STI ecosystem globally competitive.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Important Provisions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Related to Equity and Inclusion:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Gender Equality:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It proposes that at least <strong>30% representation be ensured for women</strong> in all decision-making bodies, as well as <strong>&ldquo;spousal benefits&rdquo; be provided to partners of scientists belonging to the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/to-the-point-paper-2-section-377-judgement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community.</a></strong></li>
<li>The <strong>LGBTQ+ community</strong> should be <strong>included in all conversations</strong> related to <strong>gender equity,</strong> and provisions be made to<strong> safeguard their rights</strong> and promote their representation and retention in the science and technology sector.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Child and Elderly Care:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Child-care benefits are proposed to be made gender-neutral, </strong>and<strong> flexible work timings and adequate parental leave</strong> are to be offered to cater to maternity, childbirth and child care.</li>
<li>All publicly-funded research institutions and universities will be asked to provide <strong>day-care centres for children of employees, and also have a provision for elderly care.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>For Disabled:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For the <strong>benefit of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/persons-with-disabilities-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people with disabilities</a></strong>, the policy asks all publicly-funded scientific institutions to make<strong> &ldquo;structural and cultural changes&rdquo; to support their inclusion.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Other Related Provisions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For age-related cut-offs in matters relating to selection, promotion, awards or grants,<strong> the &ldquo;academic age&rdquo; and not the biological age would be considered.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Removal of bars on married couples</strong> being employed in the same department or laboratory. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>As of now, married couples are not posted in the same department, leading to cases of loss of employment or forced transfers when colleagues decide to get married.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Open Science Policy (One Nation, One Subscription):</strong> To make scientific knowledge and data available to all, the government has proposed:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To <strong>buy bulk subscriptions of all important scientific journals across the world, and provide everyone in India free access to them.</strong></li>
<li>To set up a <strong>Science, Technology and Innovation Observatory</strong> that will serve as the central repository of all kinds of data generated from scientific research in the country.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Research and Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It proposes to establish <strong>Education Research Centres (ERCs)</strong> and <strong>Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs)</strong> to provide research inputs to policymakers and bring together stakeholders.</li>
<li><strong>Research and Innovation Excellence Frameworks (RIEF)</strong> will be developed to enhance the quality of research along with the promotion of engagements with the relevant stakeholders.</li>
<li>A dedicated portal to provide access to the outputs of such publicly-funded research will be created through the <strong>Indian Science and Technology Archive of Research (INDSTA).</strong></li>
<li>To set up Infrastructure to <strong>boost local Research and Development capabilities</strong> and<strong> reduce large scale import</strong> in selected sectors of domestic importance such as electronic hardware for home appliances, railways, intelligent transport, clean tech, defence, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>For Strengthening India's Strategic Position:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To achieve <strong>technological self-reliance</strong> and <strong>position India among the top three scientific superpowers</strong> in the decade to come.</li>
<li>To <strong>double the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&amp;D (GERD)</strong> and private sector contribution to the GERD every 5 years.</li>
<li>Establishment of a <strong>Strategic Technology Board</strong> that will <strong>bridge all strategic government departments,</strong> and monitor and recommend technologies to be bought or indigenously made.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1685427#:~:text=The%20draft%20of%20the%205,now%20available%20for%20public%20consultation.&amp;text=It%20aims%20to%20foster%2C%20develop,and%20policy%20research%20in%20India." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7299,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Changes in PMS-SC',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/cabinet-committees-formed" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)</strong></a> has approved changes in the <strong>Post Matric Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes</strong> (PMS-SC).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Government is committed to give a big push and further impetus to this effort so that the <strong>Gross Enrolment Ratio</strong> (GER) <strong>in higher education of SCs would reach up</strong> to the national standards <strong>within the 5 year period</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GER is the number of students enrolled in a given level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the official school-age population corresponding to the same level of education.</li>
<li>The current GER in higher education is <strong>26.3%</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Central Assistance which was around <strong>Rs. 1100 crore annually during 2017-18 to 2019-20 would be increased more than 5 times</strong> to be around <strong>Rs. 6000 crore annually during 2020-21 to 2025-26</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/reforming-centrally-sponsored-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Centrally Sponsored Scheme</strong></a> and <strong>implemented through State Government and UT administration</strong>.</li>
<li>It provides <strong>financial assistance to the SC students studying at post matriculation or post-secondary stage</strong> to enable them to complete their education.</li>
<li>These scholarships are <strong>available for studies in India only</strong> and are awarded by the government of the State/Union Territory to which the applicant actually belongs i.e. <strong>permanently settled</strong>.</li>
<li>The <strong>focus</strong> of the scheme is on enrolling the poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive accountability, continuous monitoring and total transparency.</li>
<li><strong>Income Ceiling:</strong> Scholarships are paid to the students whose parents/guardians&rsquo; income from all sources <strong>does not exceed Rs. 2,50,000 per annum</strong>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>New Changes:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Enrolment Campaign:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Launching a campaign to <strong>enrol the students from the poorest households passing the 10<sup>th</sup> standard</strong>, in the higher education courses of their choice.</li>
<li>It is estimated that <strong>1.36 crore poorest students are currently not continuing their education beyond 10<sup>th</sup> standard</strong>, who would be brought into the higher education system in the next 5 years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Secure Online Platform:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An online platform with robust <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/cyber-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>cybersecurity</strong></a> measures that would assure transparency, accountability, efficiency, and timely delivery of the assistance without any delays.</li>
<li>States will <strong>undertake fool-proof verification</strong> of the eligibility, caste status, Aadhar identification and bank account details on the online portal.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Direct Benefit Transfer:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Unlike earlier, when funding was passed through state governments, financial assistance will be transferred by the <strong>Direct Benefit Transfer</strong> (DBT) mode and preferably using the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rise-in-digital-transactions" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Aadhaar Enabled Payment System</strong></a>.</li>
<li>Students will receive the Centre&rsquo;s share as soon as the state transfers its share as per fixed time schedule.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>New Funding Pattern:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Cabinet has approved a <strong>total investment of Rs. 59,048 crore</strong> with a new funding pattern of <strong>60-40 for the Centre and States</strong>.</li>
<li>Starting from 2021-22, the Central share would be released after ensuring that the concerned State Government has released their share.</li>
<li>This <strong>replaces the existing <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/defence-fund-shortfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">committed liability</a> system</strong> and brings greater involvement of the Central government in this crucial scheme.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Committed liabilities</strong> are payments anticipated during a financial year for contracts concluded in previous years.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Strong Monitoring Mechanisms:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The scheme will be further strengthened through the conduct of social audits, annual third party evaluation, and half-yearly self-audited reports from each institution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1682967" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7241,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Recommendations on Reservation ',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, an <strong>eight-member committee,</strong> appointed by the government for<strong> suggesting measures for effective implementation of reservation in students admissions and faculty recruitment</strong> in the<strong> Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs),</strong> has come out with its recommendations.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Committee:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was<strong> chaired by IIT Delhi&rsquo;s Director</strong> and had representatives of secretaries of the departments of <strong>Social Justice and Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Department of Personnel and Training, Persons with Disabilities,</strong> among others.</li>
<li>Its report was <strong>submitted to the Ministry of Education in June 2020</strong> and has been made available under the <a href="/to-the-points/paper4/right-to-information-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Recommendations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Being established and recognised as institutions of national importance, <strong>IITs should be added to the list of &ldquo;Institutions of Excellence&rdquo;</strong> mentioned in the <strong>Schedule</strong> to the <strong>Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers&rsquo; Cadre) Act, 2019</strong> (CEI Act).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Section 4 of the Act exempts</strong> &ldquo;institutions of excellence, research institutions, institutions of national and strategic importance&rdquo; mentioned in the Schedule and &ldquo;minority institutions&rdquo; from providing reservation.</li>
<li>Currently, many research institutes like the<strong> Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, National Brain Research Centre, Space Physics Laboratory,</strong> etc. are included under Section 4 of the act, but not the IITs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If granting full exemption from reservations was not possible, the committee recommended that the implementation of reservation policies for all categories <strong>including Economically Weaker Sections</strong> (EWS) be <strong>restricted just to Assistant Professor Grade I and Grade II and not for levels above.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Vacancies not filled in a particular year</strong> due to non-availability, be <strong>de-reserved in the subsequent year.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Conduct of special recruitment drives</strong> to attract candidates from reserved categories.</li>
<li>To<strong> address diversity issues,</strong> the report argued that a<strong> &ldquo;system emphasising targeted goals over a period of time&rdquo;</strong> and <strong>not &ldquo;specific quotas&rdquo;</strong> be followed so that IITs can &ldquo;compete with other top institutions in the world in terms of excellence, output, research and teaching.&rdquo;</li>
<li>The panel proposes a <strong>two-year Research Assistantship for students from reserved categories aspiring to join PhD programmes.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It highlighted that the <strong>enrollment of reserved category students in the PhD programme is low and needs to be addressed,</strong> which is severely limiting the number of reserved category candidates available to be hired as faculty in the IIT system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers&rsquo; Cadre) Act, 2019</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It provides for the <strong>reservation of posts in appointments by direct recruitment</strong> of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) and the Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs), to <strong>teachers&rsquo; cadre in certain Central Educational Institutions</strong> established, maintained or aided by the Central Government, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.</li>
<li>The<strong> Act not to apply in certain cases:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The institutions of excellence, research institutions, institutions of national and strategic importance specified in the Schedule to this Act.</li>
<li>A Minority Educational Institution.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However. the <strong>Central Government may,</strong> by notification in the Official Gazette, <strong>amend the Schedule from time to time.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/exempt-iit-recruitments-from-reservation-suggests-panel-7107855/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7217,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'New World Tech Order and India’s Role',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MI9QNgf5Ckw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>At the IIT 2020 GlobaL Summit, the Prime Minister said that the post-Covid world will be about <strong>re-learning, re-thinking</strong> and <strong>re-inventing</strong>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The government is fully committed to its principle of <strong>reforming, performing</strong> and <strong>transforming</strong> India in the field of technology.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In 2022, India will mark 75 years since Independence and urged the Pan IIT movement to set an even higher benchmark for "giving back to India".</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Technology Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the increasing role of <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/in-depth-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Artificial Intelligence</strong></a>, the world is looking forward to <strong>grobotisation</strong> = global + robotisation.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>However, an issue associated with the same is of employment, if the increased dependence on machines is going to take up the employment or not.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The private sector is not at all human-centric, it is completely based on making profit.</li>
<li>Maximum contribution in the field of technology is made by only the U.S. and China.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Advancing in technology:</strong> The mindset about Indian products and technology being inferior is changing rapidly within the country.</li>
<li><strong>Dependent for assistance:</strong> India may have developed a lot in technology than earlier but is still dependent on other countries for various technical assistance.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India has approximately 1.5 billion mobile connections, but still does not have the complete knowledge of making a mobile phone in its full capacity.</li>
<li>The medical expertise of India are well known yet all the medical equipment is imported in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Lack of resources:</strong> India still lacks the ecosystem where a young talent coming up with an innovative idea can always get a mentor, or encouragement or can be provided seed money.</li>
<li><strong>India and R&amp;D:</strong> India spends less than 1% on the Research and Development sector and that is also mostly by the government, which is considerably less as compared to other countries like South Korea where 3.4% of GDP of the country is spent in the R&amp;D sector and 70% of it is by the private sector.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Role of the Indian Diaspora</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>When the IT revolution of India took place in the 90s, the Indian diaspora who had studied in IITs mostly settled in Silicon Valley.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They have played a very significant role by acting as the bridge between the Indian skills, human resources and the American technology requirements.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Indian diaspora, IIT, BITS or NIT alumni in particular, can play a very crucial role in acting as a mentor to the young talents as they already have the experience and know what the advanced technologies and other developed countries want.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Technology and Education</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>With the nationwide <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lockdown</strong></a>, the education system shifted from physical mode to virtual, online mode began.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>About 60% of India&rsquo;s population cannot afford full-time higher education even if it is provided for free.</li>
<li>A number of students do not prefer to go for engineering mainly because they cannot afford attending higher-education on a full time basis.</li>
<li>Making learning available online for the students on a permanent basis can help them study from home.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, in order to make India capable of completing globally in the technology field, the enrollment in quality technology should increase proportionately.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Human-centric approach:</strong> All the new technologies should be human-centric, the interest of the individual should be protected. The upcoming technologies should be more employing-giving rather than taking away the employment.</li>
<li><strong>Blending the education:</strong> This is a high time India should talk about blended education; studying online along with interning.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Attending college physically only for a short period of time and focussing more on enhancing their skills and gaining experience beside theoretical learning.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>No more over-reliance on the govt:</strong> The private sector is not so keen about investing in the R&amp;D sector.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Relying only on the government for all the technological development is not a right approach. The private sectors have to come forward and invest in the R&amp;D and make it work for long-term while the government shall continue supporting providing infrastructure, healthcare etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As far as technology is concerned, India is at a far better place now than it was a few years ago.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Bringing about a change in our mindsets about the Indian products and Indian technology is the need.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>What India needs to do to go forward is better training and also ensure that both the services side as well as the product side of things is covered and do a lot more R&amp;D investment.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Besides, the private sector also needs to pull up its socks and try and complement what the government is doing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 7139,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Global Teacher Prize 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p><strong>Ranjitsinh Disale,</strong> a primary teacher from <strong>Maharashtra's Solapur,</strong> has won the <strong>Global Teacher Prize 2020.</strong></p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global Teacher Prize:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It is a <strong>1 million dollar award</strong> presented <strong>annually</strong> to <strong>an exceptional teacher</strong> who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.</li>
<li><strong>Founder: Varkey Foundation,</strong> which is a global charitable foundation focused on improving the standards of education. The award is <strong>organised in partnership with <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/unesco-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNESCO.</a></strong></li>
<li><strong>Objective:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It serves to underline the<strong> importance of educators</strong> and the fact that, throughout the world, <strong>their efforts deserve to be recognised and celebrated.</strong></li>
<li>It <strong>seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers</strong> not only on their students but on the communities around them.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>An <strong>inadequate education is a major factor behind the social, political, economic and health issues</strong> faced by the world today. Education has the power to reduce poverty, prejudice and conflict.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Ranjitsinh Disale&rsquo;s Contribution:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>He changed a dilapidated school to a school which went on to become the<strong> first in Maharashtra</strong> to introduce<strong> Quick Response (QR) Codes.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A<strong> QR code</strong> is a type of barcode that contains a matrix of dots. It can be scanned using a QR scanner or a smartphone with a built-in camera.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>He not only<strong> translated the class textbooks into his pupils' mother tongue,</strong> but also<strong> embedded them with unique QR codes</strong> to give students access to audio poems, video lectures, stories and assignments.</li>
<li>He is also<strong> passionate about building peace between young people</strong> across conflict zones. His <strong>&lsquo;Let&rsquo;s Cross the Borders&rsquo; project</strong> connects young people from India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Iran and the USA and North Korea.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact of Disale&rsquo;s Efforts:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There are now <strong>no reported teenage marriages in the village</strong> and <strong>100% attendance of girls at the school.</strong></li>
<li>The state government announced in 2017 that they would <strong>introduce QR coded textbooks across the state for all grades.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In<strong> 2018,</strong> it was announced that <strong>all NCERT textbooks</strong> would have embedded <strong>QR Codes.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Some Indian initiatives to Improve Education Sector</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy 2020:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>teacher must be at the centre</strong> of the fundamental reforms in the education system.</li>
<li>The new education policy must help recruit the very best and brightest to enter the teaching profession at all levels, by ensuring livelihood, respect, dignity, and autonomy, while also instilling in the system basic methods of quality control and accountability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/higher-education-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Focuses on qualitatively upgrading the research and academic infrastructure in India to global best standards by 2022.</li>
<li>Its aim is to make India into an education hub by making available high-quality research infrastructure in Indian higher educational institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/higher-education-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>UGC&rsquo;s Learning Outcome-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF)</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>LOCF guidelines, issued by UGC in 2018, aim to specify what graduates are expected to know, understand and be able to do at the end of their programme of study. This is to make students an active learner and teacher a good facilitator.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/higher-education-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Global Initiative for Academics Network (GIAN):</strong></a> The programme seeks to invite distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, experts from premier institutions from across the world, to teach in the higher educational institutions in India.</li>
<li><a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/higher-education-in-india-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE):</strong></a> The main objectives of the survey are to identify &amp; capture all the institutions of higher learning in the country; and collect the data from all the higher education institutions on various aspects of higher education.</li>
<li><a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-primary-education-challenges-and-opportunities" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>e-Pathshala:</strong></a> It was launched in 2015 with an aim to promote self-learning among the school students.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The portal hosts various school teachers, researchers, experts, parents, and most importantly students who can access the facility of resolving their queries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Global Initiative</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Global Education Monitoring Report :</strong> It is released by the <strong>United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)</strong> which aims to monitor progress towards the education targets in the <a href="/to-the-points/paper3/sustainable-development-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/education/worlds-most-exceptional-teacher-from-solapur-zp-school-shares-half-of-s1-million-prize-money-with-other-teachers-7088372/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:IE</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 7122,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Technical Education in Mother Tongue',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Union Education Minister</strong> has set up a task force for preparing a roadmap on imparting<strong> technical education in the mother tongue</strong> of students.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The Task force:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Chairmanship:</strong> It will be set-up under the chairmanship of the secretary, higher education, Amit Khare.</li>
<li><strong>Objective:</strong> To achieve the Prime Minister&rsquo;s vision that students may pursue the professional courses such as medicine, engineering, law, etc in their mother tongue.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This is part of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020</strong></a> which suggests teaching in regional language till class 8 and enabling teaching the curriculum in a language which a student is comfortable in.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Function:</strong> It will take into consideration the <strong>suggestions</strong> made by various <strong>stakeholders</strong> and will submit a report in a month.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Reasons for imparting technical education in regional languages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Enhances formative learning:</strong> It has been observed that <strong>the human mind is more receptive to communication in the language</strong> in which it is accustomed to thinking from childhood.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>When explained in regional languages, especially mother tongue, <strong>grabbing the concepts or expression of the ideas</strong> by the students becomes fairly easy.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Practiced by Many Countries:</strong> Across the globe, classroom teaching is pursued in a variety of regional languages, be it France or Germany or Russia or a country like China, which has over 300 languages and dialects with 8 of them being the major ones.</li>
<li><strong>Creates Inclusion:</strong> It will help in <strong>social inclusiveness, improving literacy rates, reduction in poverty and international cooperation.</strong> Language can become a <strong>catalyst for inclusive development.</strong> Removal of the existing linguistic barriers will help in realizing the goal of inclusive governance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Challenges:</strong> Providing technical education in regional languages requires <strong>teachers proficient</strong> in undertaking classes<strong> in the vernacular medium along with English, textbooks and reference materials</strong> in regional languages, besides <strong>technological assistance</strong> such as audio translation aids.</li>
<li><strong>Government Initiatives to Promote Regional Languages:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The recently announced <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy</strong></a> 2020 promotes education in regional languages.</li>
<li><strong>The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT)</strong> is providing publication grants towards the publications of University Level Books in regional languages.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established in 1961 to evolve technical terminology in all Indian Languages.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>National Translation Mission (NTM)</strong> is being implemented through the <strong>Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL),</strong> Mysore under which the text books of various subjects prescribed in Universities and Colleges are being translated in all <strong>languages of the Eighth Schedule.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>CIIL was established in 1969 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Government of India is running a scheme known as<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/protection-and-preservation-of-endangered-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> &ldquo;Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages&rdquo;</strong> </a>for conservation of threatened languages.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/sc-decision-on-ugc-guidelines-on-conduct-of-examinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The University Grants Commission (UGC)</strong> </a>also <strong>promotes regional languages in higher education courses in the country</strong> and supports nine Central Universities under the scheme &ldquo;Establishment of Centre for Endangered Languages in Central Universities&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Recently, an initiative <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/namath-basai-kerala" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Namath Basai</strong></a> <strong>by Kerala State Government</strong> has proved to be very beneficial in educating <strong>children from tribal areas by adopting vernacular languages as medium of instruction.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Global Efforts:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> Yuelu Proclamation made by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at Changsha, China,</strong></a> in 2018 plays a central role in guiding the efforts of countries and regions around the world to protect linguistic resources and diversity.</li>
<li>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/united-nations-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations General Assembly</strong> </a>had proclaimed <strong>2019</strong> as the <strong>International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL).</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The <strong>IYIL 2019</strong> aimed to<strong> preserve, support and promote</strong> indigenous languages at the national, regional and international levels.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Constitutional and Legal Provisions Safeguarding Regional Languages</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Article 29</strong> (Protection of interests of minorities) gives all citizens right to conserve their language and prohibits discrimination on the basis of language.</li>
<li><strong>Article 120</strong> (Language to be used in Parliament) provides for use of Hindi or English for transactions of Parliament but gives the right to members of Parliament to express themselves in their mother tongue.</li>
<li><strong>Part XVII of the Indian Constitution</strong> deals with the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/bill-to-change-stature-of-official-languages" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>official languages</strong></a> in <strong>Articles 343 to 351.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Article 350A (Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage)</strong> provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups.</li>
<li><strong>Article 350B (Special Officer for linguistic minorities):</strong> The President should appoint a special officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The President should place all such reports before the Parliament and send to the state government concerned.</li>
<li><strong>Article 351 (Directive for development of the Hindi language)</strong> provides that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/one-nation-one-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Eighth Schedule</strong></a> recognises following 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.</li>
<li><strong>Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009</strong> says that the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in a child&rsquo;s mother tongue.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countries around the world have successfully <strong>substituted english with their mother tongues</strong> and have been able to produce world-class scientists, researchers, technicians and thinkers. The barrier of language is only as long as there is lack of proper encouragement to the generation of knowledge in the respective language. The <strong>government should encourage original scientific writing, publication of books in regional languages to help this transition.</strong></li>
<li>Also, studies around the world have shown that children are able to learn multiple languages if they are taught from an early age. One can <strong>actively promote regional languages without compromising knowledge of English language which can be taught as an extra subject.</strong> It is important to remember that English is one of many skills which one can equip the children with in order for them to fully participate in and experience the world.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1677712" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:PIB</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7079,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Reservation in Super-speciality Medical Courses: SC',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/supreme-court-of-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Supreme Court</strong></a> (SC) has reserved its order on the<strong> state governments providing a 50% in-service reservation</strong> for admissions to <strong>super-speciality medical courses</strong> (Doctorate of Medicine/DM and Master of Chirurgiae/M. Ch.) in government colleges for the academic year 2020-21.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In <strong>August 2020,</strong> the<strong> SC</strong> allowed states to <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/reservation-to-in-service-doctors-in-pg-sc" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>grant the benefit of reservation of seats to in-service doctors</strong></a> in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-testing-agency-postpones-neet-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Eligibility cum Entrance Test</strong></a> (NEET) postgraduate (PG) degree courses.</li>
<li>The judgment held that the <strong>state has the legislative competence and authority</strong> to provide for a separate source of entry for in-service candidates seeking admission to PG/diploma courses in the exercise of powers under<strong> Entry 25, List III.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Entry 25 of List-III:</strong> Education, including technical education, medical education and universities, subject to the provisions of entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I; vocational and technical training of labour.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The Constitution provides for a <strong>three-fold distribution of legislative subjects</strong> between the Union and the states, which are <strong>List-I</strong> (the Union List), <strong>List-II</strong> (the State List) and <strong>List-III</strong> (the Concurrent List), described in the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-article-131-special-powers-of-supreme-court" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>seventh schedule</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>In November 2020, Tamil Nadu government</strong> allowed counselling and filling of 50% of the super-speciality seats in the government medical colleges with in-service candidates in the state.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The seats would be filled with candidates who have cleared <strong>NEET-Super Speciality Courses</strong> (SS) and the<strong> selection committee of the Directorate of Medical Education</strong> would prepare the merit list and conduct counselling.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The state government argued that there was an <strong>acute need for super-speciality qualified doctors</strong> both in the medical academia and in practice.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>After 50% of seats in DM/M. Ch. courses in government medical colleges are allocated to in-service candidates, the rest will be surrendered to the <strong>Directorate General of Health Services</strong> (DGHS).<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>DGHS is a repository of technical knowledge concerning public health, medical education and health care. It is an <strong>attached organisation of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Doctors, including PG holders qualified in NEET 2020, <strong>challenged the decision saying that there is no concept of any reservation for admission to super-speciality medical courses.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>They referred to the verdict in <em><strong>Dr Preeti Srivastava &amp; Anr. versus State of Madhya Pradesh &amp; Ors, 1999</strong></em> which held that <strong>&ldquo;merit, and merit alone, is the basis for admission at the super-speciality level&rdquo;.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Their appeal argued that the State order was contrary to the <a href="/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/the-big-picture-national-medical-commission-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Postgraduate Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations of 2019</strong></a>, which mandated that the <strong>DGHS</strong> should be in charge of the admission process.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The regulations <strong>empower DGHS to conduct the counselling for all super-speciality courses in medical educational institutions</strong> of the Central and state governments, deemed universities, medical educational institutions established by municipal bodies, trusts, etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-reserves-order-on-in-service-quota-for-medical-courses-admissions/article33179388.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 7020,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Online Education Woes',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>A recent study by the <strong>Azim Premji University</strong> on the <strong>efficacy and accessibility</strong> of e-learning has highlighted various challenges involved in online education in the country.</p>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Student Specific Finding:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Reason for student&rsquo;s lack of accessibility to online classes:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Non-availability or<strong> inadequate number of smartphones</strong> for dedicated use or sharing.</li>
<li>Difficulty in<strong> using apps</strong> for online learning.</li>
<li>Children with disabilities found it more difficult to participate in online sessions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Parents Specific Findings:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>90%</strong> of parents of government school students surveyed were <strong>willing to send their children back to school,</strong> if the health of their children was taken care of.</li>
<li><strong>70%</strong> of the parents surveyed were of the opinion that online classes <strong>were not effective</strong> and <strong>did not help</strong> in their child&rsquo;s learnings.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Teacher&rsquo;s Specific Findings:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Teachers' main problem found during the online classes was the <strong>one-way communication,</strong> which made it <strong>difficult for them to assess</strong> whether students were able to understand what was being taught.</li>
<li>More than<strong> 80% of teachers</strong> surveyed said they were <strong>unable to maintain emotional connect</strong> with students during online classes, while <strong>90%</strong> of teachers felt that <strong>no meaningful assessment</strong> of children&rsquo;s learning was possible.</li>
<li>50% of the teachers reported that <strong>children were unable to complete assignments shared during the online classes,</strong> which had led to serious gaps in learning.</li>
<li>The survey also revealed that around 75% of the teachers spent, <strong>on an average, less than an hour a day on online classes</strong> for any grade.</li>
<li>Teachers also reported that they were <strong>ill-prepared for online learning platforms.</strong></li>
<li>More than half the teachers surveyed shared that their<strong> knowledge and user-experience</strong> on online platforms and modes of teaching were inadequate.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/education/schools/study-highlights-online-education-woes/article33119515.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6972,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'National Education Day',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Union Minister of Education<strong> virtually</strong> inaugurated the <strong>National Education Day</strong> programme organised by IIT Bombay.</p>
<h3>Key Notes</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>National Education Day</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been observed every year on <strong>11<sup>th</sup> November,</strong> since 2008 to commemorate the<strong> birth anniversary of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/70-years-of-indian-council-for-cultural-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maulana Abul Kalam Azad</a>.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Maulana Abul Kalam Azad :</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>He was the<strong> first Union Education Minister</strong> of India.</li>
<li>He was a freedom fighter, scholar and eminent educationist.</li>
<li>He was a key architect of Independent India who was responsible for setting up apex education bodies like <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/initiatives-of-aicte" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)</a></strong> and <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/ukieri-ugc-higher-education-leadership-development-programme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>University Grants Commission (UGC).</strong> </a></li>
<li>He was posthumously awarded <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-28th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Bharat Ratna</strong></a>, India&rsquo;s highest civilian award in 1992.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>About the Event</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>In the event India's commitment to establish India as a <strong>global hub of education and to ensure high quality of education</strong> was reiterated through <strong>Study in India, Stay in India</strong> and <strong>Internationalization of Education.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Study in India, Stay in India</strong> is an extension of the <strong>Study in India programme, a</strong> flagship project of the Government of India, launched in collaboration with the <strong>Ministry of Education, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry in April 2018.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Study in india programme objectives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To improve the soft power of India with focus on the neighbouring countries and use it as a tool in diplomacy.</li>
<li>To boost the number of inbound International students in India.</li>
<li>To double India&rsquo;s market share of global education exports from less than 1 percent to 2 percent.</li>
<li>Increase in contribution of international students in the form of direct spends, indirect spends, spillover effects.</li>
<li>Improvement in overall quality of higher education.</li>
<li>Increase in global ranking of India as an educational destination.</li>
<li>To reduce the export &ndash; Import imbalance in the number of International students.</li>
<li>Growth of India&rsquo;s global market share of International students.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India is<strong> cooperating and coordinating with the leading universities of the world.</strong> This has been incorporated in <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020</strong></a> by inviting top 100 World Universities to set up campuses in India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Education In India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Constitutional Provisions:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Part IV of Indian Constitution,<strong> Article 45 and Article 39 (f)</strong> of Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP), has a provision for <strong>state-funded as well as equitable and accessible education.</strong></li>
<li>The<strong> 42<sup>nd</sup> Amendment</strong> to the Constitution in 1976 moved education from the State to <strong>the Concurrent List.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The education policies by the Central government provides a broad direction and state governments are expected to follow it. However, it is <strong>not mandatory,</strong> for instance Tamil Nadu does not follow the three-language formula prescribed by the first education policy in 1968.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The<strong> 86<sup>th</sup> Amendment in 2002</strong> made education an enforceable right under <strong>Article 21-A.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Related Laws:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/Implementation-of-Section-12-1c-of-the-RTE-Act-A-Progress-Report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Right To Education (RTE) Act, 2009</strong> </a>aims to provide primary education to all children <strong>aged 6 to 14 years</strong> and enforces education as a Fundamental Right.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It also mandates <strong>25% reservation</strong> for disadvantaged sections of the society where disadvantaged groups</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Government Initiatives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/samagra-shiksha" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan</strong></a>, <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mid-day-meal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Mid Day Meal Scheme</strong></a>, Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS schools), Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV schools) and use of IT in education are a result of the NEP of 1986.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Programmes like <strong>Study in India</strong> and the <strong>New Education Policy</strong> aim to facilitate an <strong>inclusive, global and high quality education,</strong> which takes into consideration field experiences, empirical research, stakeholder feedback, as well as lessons learned from best practices.</li>
<li>If <strong>implemented in its true vision,</strong> they will bring India at par with the leading countries of the world and establish India as a <strong>global hub of education.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1671714" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6962,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'National Agricultural Education Policy',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The <strong>first National Agricultural Education Policy</strong> is set to bring<strong> academic credit banks and degree programmes with multiple entry and exit options</strong> to the 74 universities focussed on crop sciences, fisheries, veterinary and dairy training and research.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The process for formulating the <strong>National Agricultural Education Policy</strong> was started about two months ago, after the release of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.</strong></a></li>
<li>Earlier, the Prime Minister had pitched for <strong>taking farm education to middle school level,</strong> saying necessary reforms have been made in this regard in the NEP 2020.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Agricultural Education Policy to be Aligned with NEP 2020:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Academic Credit Banks:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>These may be a service provider available to a desirable student community. It may facilitate the <strong>integration of the campuses and distributed learning systems,</strong> by creating <strong>student mobility within the inter and intra university system.</strong></li>
<li>It may help in seamlessly <strong>integrating skills and experiences into a credit based formal system</strong> by providing a credit recognition mechanism.</li>
<li>It will <strong>digitally store academic credits</strong> earned from recognised <strong>Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)</strong> and allow for credit redemption in order to be awarded a certificate, diploma or degree.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Experiential Education:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In India, agricultural education is already ahead of its time, and already aligned with the NEP. The NEP wants a <strong>shift to four-year undergraduate degrees,</strong> and agricultural degrees are already four-year programmes.</li>
<li>The NEP mentions<strong> experiential education,</strong> which has been already mandated in agricultural education since 2016.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Experiential education is <strong>a teaching philosophy</strong> that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people's capacity to contribute to their communities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Student READY (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojana) programme</strong> requires all students to undertake a six-month internship, usually in their fourth year, to gain hands-on training, rural awareness, industry experience, research expertise and entrepreneurship skills.</li>
<li>One <strong>major challenge</strong> is to ensure that experiential learning is made available to all students if the <strong>multiple entry-exit system</strong> gets implemented. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The option of multiple entry and exit provides students with the opportunity to earn a diploma or an advanced diploma, while they are given the choice to re-enter as and when they are able to resume their studies and earn a full college degree.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Issues:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Challenge of Multidisciplinarity:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Agricultural universities have been modelled on the<strong> land grant pattern,</strong> with a focus on research and extension, and deep community connections, driven by the philosophy that farmers need holistic solutions to their problems.</li>
<li>However, in recent years, several <strong>domain specific universities</strong> in horticulture, veterinary science and fisheries sciences have come up. Incorporating humanities and social sciences into these settings could be a big challenge.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Related to the ICAR:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Though <strong>agricultural education is a State subject,</strong> the <strong>Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR - Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare)</strong> is responsible for the<strong> quality of education</strong> across the country, and expects to continue in a standards-setting role under the new system of higher education regulation proposed by the NEP.</li>
<li>However, it is not clear <strong>whether it will continue in its accreditation and grant making roles</strong> under the new regime.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/academic-credit-banks-degree-programmes-with-entry-and-exit-options-soon/article33060235.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6934,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Academic Freedom in India',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>India has scored considerably low in the international<strong> Academic Freedom Index (AFI)</strong> with a score of 0.352.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Academic freedom,</strong> in general, refers to a scholar's freedom to express ideas without risk of official interference or professional disadvantage.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>About the Academic Freedom Index:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It has been <strong>published by Global Public Policy Institute</strong> as a part of a global time-series dataset (1900-2019) in close cooperation with <strong>Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-N&uuml;rnberg, Scholars at Risk and the V‑Dem Institute.</strong></li>
<li>It <strong>compares</strong> levels of academic freedom worldwide and enhances the understanding of its curtailments.</li>
<li>The AFI used <strong>eight components</strong> to evaluate the scores: freedom to research and teach, freedom of academic exchange and dissemination, institutional autonomy, campus integrity, freedom of academic and cultural expression, constitutional protection of academic freedom, international legal commitment to academic freedom under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and existence of universities.</li>
<li>The scores are <strong>scaled 0-1.</strong></li>
<li>The index<strong> did not report data for 35 countries -</strong> including the United States and Australia.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Top Performers:</strong> Uruguay and Portugal top the AFI, with scores of 0.971 each, followed closely by Latvia (0.964) and Germany (0.960).</li>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s performance on the index:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India with a <strong>score of 0.352,</strong> is closely<strong> followed by</strong> Saudi Arabia (0.278) and Libya (0.238). <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In the last five years, the AFI of India<strong> has dipped by 0.1 points.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Countries like Malaysia (0.582), Pakistan (0.554), Brazil (0.466), Somalia (0.436) and Ukraine (0.422) have <strong>scored better than India.</strong></li>
<li>India has <strong>not fared well</strong> in components like <strong>institutional autonomy, campus integrity, freedom of academic and cultural expression </strong>and <strong>constitutional</strong> <strong>protection of academic freedom.</strong></li>
<li>The AFI has cited the<strong> &lsquo;Free to Think: Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project&rsquo;,</strong> to suggest that the <strong>political tensions in India may have something to do with declining &lsquo;academic freedom&rsquo;.</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>According to the Report,<strong> political tensions</strong> in India have led to <strong>violent altercations between students, security forces, and off-campus groups,</strong> and have driven legal actions and <strong>disciplinary measures against scholars</strong> critical of those in power.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Freedom to Scholars:</strong> India fails to provide desired freedom to scholars to discuss politically and culturally controversial topics, without fearing for their life, studies or profession.</li>
<li><strong>Political Interference:</strong> Most universities in the country are subjected to unsolicited interference from governments in both academic and non-academic issues. It is common knowledge by now that a majority of appointments, especially to top-ranking posts like that of vice-chancellors, pro vice-chancellors and registrars, have been highly politicized.</li>
<li><strong>Corrupt Practices:</strong> Political appointments not only choke academic and creative freedom, but also lead to corrupt practices, including those in licensing and accreditation.</li>
<li><strong>Bureaucratisation of Universities:</strong> At present, many educational institutions and regulatory bodies, both at the Central and State levels, are headed by bureaucrats.</li>
<li><strong>Nepotism:</strong> Favouritism and nepotism in staff appointments and student admissions. This reflects a <strong>&lsquo;rent-seeking culture&rsquo;</strong> within the academic community.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Rent-seeking is an economic concept that occurs when an entity seeks to gain added wealth without any reciprocal contribution of productivity. Typically, it revolves around government-funded social services and social service programs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Solutions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Implementing New Education Policy (NEP) 2020:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The NEP 2020 claims that it is based on <strong>principles of creativity</strong> and <strong>critical thinking</strong> and envisions an education system that is <strong>free from political or external interference.</strong></li>
<li>The policy states that faculty will be given the <strong>&ldquo;freedom to design their own curricular and pedagogical approaches within the approved framework,</strong> including textbook and reading material selections, assignments and assessments&rdquo;.</li>
<li>It also suggests constituting a <strong>National Research Foundation (NRF),</strong> a merit-based and peer-reviewed research funding, which &ldquo;will be governed, independently of the government, by a rotating Board of Governors consisting of the very best researchers and innovators across fields&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Further, it aims to <strong>de-bureaucratise the education system</strong> by giving <strong>governance powers to academicians.</strong> It talks about giving autonomy to higher education institutions by handing over their administration to a board comprising academicians.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regulatory and Governance Reforms:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Restructure or merge different higher education regulators</strong> (UGC, AICTE, NCTE etc.) to ensure effective coordination. Amend <strong>UGC Act, 1956 to give legislative backing to regulatory structure.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Select Vice-Chancellors</strong> of universities through a transparent &amp; objective process.</li>
<li>Link <strong>University grants</strong> to performance.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Every government laments the absence of world-class universities, without realizing that it is attributable in part to their interventions and the growing intrusion of political processes. Where politics is largely kept out&mdash;as in IIT, IIM or the IISc&mdash;institutions thrive.</li>
<li>Higher education policy-makers must respond to declining AFi scores. This will also help in making &ldquo;India a global knowledge superpower&rdquo;, aligned with the <strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-4 (SDG 4 -Quality Education).</strong></li>
<li>Academic freedom is primary because universities are <strong>places for raising doubts</strong> and asking questions about everything. Exploring ideas, <strong>debating issues </strong>and<strong> thinking independently</strong> are essential in the quest for excellence.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/academia-and-the-free-will/article33016651.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source:TH</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6888,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Merger of Schools in Odisha: SATH Project',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>The Odisha government has <strong>identified around 8,000 schools</strong> in 15 districts which <strong>will be merged with other schools</strong> due to<strong> low enrollment</strong> (less than 20 students).</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The merger is <strong>being carried out under the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/niti-aayog-national-institution-for-transforming-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NITI Aayog</a>&rsquo;s Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) project,</strong> and has been termed <strong>Consolidation and Rationalisation of schools.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>SATH-E Project:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH)</strong> focusses on<strong> two main sectors - Education </strong>and <strong>Health</strong> and to build <strong>three &lsquo;Role Model&rsquo; States.</strong></li>
<li><strong>SATH-E</strong> aspires to be a &lsquo;saathi&rsquo;, to the educational system with the student and the teacher at its centre&rdquo;. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>In <strong>2017, Odisha</strong> was among three states, along with <strong>Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh,</strong> to be <strong>selected by NITI Aayog</strong> for the project.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The initiative aims to transform elementary and secondary school education through goal driven exercise and create role model states for education. The initiative <strong>culminates at the end of the 2020 academic year. </strong></li>
<li><strong>Critical interventions</strong> including<strong> school mergers, remediation program, training,</strong> monitoring <strong>teacher recruitment/</strong>rationalization, <strong>institutional reorganization</strong> at district and state level and proper utilization of <strong>Management Information System (MIS)</strong> are in execution mode since January, 2018.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Merger of schools</strong> is advocated to help <strong>consolidate resources</strong> such as teachers, libraries, laboratories and play equipment.</li>
<li><strong>MIS</strong> can assist the school manager in determining the aims of the school, formulating strategic plans, distributing resources, and evaluating staff performance as well as organizational success.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Progress of the project is <strong>being monitored</strong> through a National Steering Group (NSG) and Central Project Monitoring Unit (CPMU) at national level and State Project Monitoring Unit (SPMU) at State level.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Concerns with Merger of Schools:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Activists have argued that closure or merger of schools is <strong>in violation of section 3 and 8 of the <a href="/to-the-points/Paper2/right-to-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009</a>.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Section 3</strong> provides to <strong>every child of the age of six to fourteen years</strong> the right to free and compulsory education in a <strong>neighbourhood school</strong> till the completion of elementary education.</li>
<li><strong>Section 8</strong> assigns <strong>duties to the appropriate Government</strong> to ensure that it provides free and compulsory elementary education to every child, in a neighbourhood school.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Majority of these schools are <strong>from tribal belts on hilly terrains.</strong> Closure of schools in a village will only <strong>increase the dropout rate</strong> as it won&rsquo;t be feasible for students to travel far to attend school.</li>
<li>Parents are also concerned that if their children fail to attend school, they will also be<strong> deprived of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/mid-day-meal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">midday meals.</a></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>State Government&rsquo;s Response:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Students who will have to travel to a distant school will be <strong>provided with a daily allowance of Rs. 20</strong> and <strong>students</strong> from <strong>schools facing closure</strong> will also be provided <strong>a one-time facilitation allowance of Rs 3,000.</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>If the <strong>distance to school is more than 1 km,</strong> students will be provided<strong> travel allowance as per Right To Education (RTE) norms.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Further, the <strong>district collectors have been authorised to cancel the merger</strong> if genuine concerns arise.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The merger would make schools aspirational for students and result in<strong> improvement of Pupil-Teacher Ratio.</strong> There would be <strong>better infrastructure facilities,</strong> better academic environment with additional e-Learning and co-curricular facilities. However, <strong>geographical constraints and other hurdles</strong> should be considered before closing/merging down schools.</li>
<li>The entire process must be enabled through clear channels of communication, a rigorous<strong> grievance redressal system</strong> and thorough <strong>counseling.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/education/protests-as-odisha-moves-to-merge-8000-schools-with-low-enrollment-6910710/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6883,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'SERB-POWER Scheme',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the Union Minister for Science and Technology has launched <strong>SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research) Scheme,</strong> which has two components of <strong>fellowship and research grants.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/accelerate-vigyan-scheme-serb" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Science and Engineering Research Board</strong></a> (SERB), is a <strong>statutory body of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/50th-foundation-day-of-dst" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Science and Technology</a></strong> (DST), Government of India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a scheme designed <strong>exclusively for women scientists to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research</strong> in various science and technology (S&amp;T) programmes in Indian academic institutions and<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/women-in-research-and-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong> research and development</strong> </a>(R&amp;D) laboratories.</li>
<li>It will serve as a <strong>benchmark of recognition in the national scenario</strong> and will <strong>empower women scientists</strong> and <strong>cultivate a women-friendly culture</strong> and<strong> ensure more women in leadership positions</strong> in decision-making bodies.</li>
<li><strong>SERB-POWER Fellowship:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Target:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Women researchers in 35-55 years of age.</li>
<li>Up-to 25 Fellowships per year and not more than 75 at any point in time.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Components of Support:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Fellowship of Rs. 15,000/- per month in addition to regular income.</li>
<li>Research grant of Rs. 10 lakh per annum.</li>
<li>Overhead of Rs. 90,000/- per annum.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Duration:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Three years, without the possibility of extension. Once in a career.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>SERB-POWER Research Grants:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Funding under Two Categories for up to 50 Power Grants:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>Level I:</strong> Up to 60 lakhs for three years for applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISc, NITs, Central Universities, and National Labs of Central Government Institutions.</li>
<li><strong>Level II:</strong> Up to 30 lakhs for three years for applicants from State Universities/Colleges and Private Academic Institutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Regulations:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Grants will be regulated through <strong>terms of reference conforming to SERB-Core Research Grant (CRG) guidelines.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Related Government Initiatives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/initiatives-for-gender-equality-in-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Vigyan Jyoti Scheme:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Launched by the DST, it aims to<strong> create a level-playing field for the meritorious girls in high school</strong> to pursue <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/international-summit-on-women-in-stem" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics</strong></a> (STEM) in their higher education.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions Scheme:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>GATI Scheme will develop a <strong>comprehensive charter and a framework for assessing gender equality</strong> in STEM.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/kiran-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing Scheme:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Started by the DST, KIRAN scheme<strong> aims to bring gender parity</strong> in the S&amp;T sector by inducting more women talent in the R&amp;D domain.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-25th-january-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>BBBP Scheme is the <strong>joint initiative</strong> of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development to ensure survival, protection, and empowerment of the girl child.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-science-day-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Science Day 2020:</strong></a><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It was celebrated on <strong>28<sup>th</sup> February 2020</strong> with the theme<strong> &lsquo;Women In Science&rsquo;.</strong></li>
<li>Dr Niti Kumar, a senior scientist from the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-national-institutions/council-of-scientific-and-industrial-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Drug Research Institute</strong></a> (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow received <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/serb-women-excellence-award-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SERB Women Excellence Award-2020</strong></a> on this occasion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1668565" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: PIB</strong></a></p>',
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	(int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 6880,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Institution of Eminence Scheme',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the OP Jindal Global University officially got an <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/institutions-of-eminence-ioe-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>&lsquo;Institution of Eminence (IoE)</strong></a> tag.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The university was selected by the UGC, along with 13 other higher education institutions, for IoE status in 2019. However, for official confirmation, the institution had to fulfil certain legislative and procedural requirements.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Points</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Background:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Earlier in 2018, the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) chaired by <strong>former Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalasamy recommended</strong> a list of institutions for the consideration of the IoE status.</li>
<li>Under this, the government aims to <strong>establish 20 world class institutes in the country</strong> to provide support and prepare them<strong> to become world-class institutions</strong> and the <strong>ultimate aim</strong> is to make them<strong> secure top global rankings.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Objectives:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Excellence and Innovation:</strong> To provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels.</li>
<li><strong>Specialization:</strong> To engage in areas of specialization to make distinctive contributions to the objectives of the university education system.</li>
<li><strong>Global Rating:</strong> To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top hundred Institution in the world over time.</li>
<li><strong>Quality teaching and Research:</strong> To provide for high quality teaching and research and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Criteria:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Global/National Ranking:</strong> <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>To get the status, the institutions should be among:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Top 50 in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/nirf-and-ariia-rankings-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF).</strong></a></li>
<li>Top 500 in internationally recognised rankings.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Public Institutes</strong> that are eligible to apply under Institutes of Eminence are as follows:<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Central Universities</li>
<li>Government-owned and controlled Deemed to be Universities.</li>
<li>Institutions of National importance such as IITs, NITs, etc.</li>
<li>State Universities are set up under a law made by the Legislative Assembly of a State.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Private institutions</strong> are assessed on the basis of their ranking in the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/important-facts-for-prelims-16th-october-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>QS India</strong></a> <strong>or NIRF,</strong> the NIRF ranking being used as a tie-breaker.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Any institution that did not appear in any rankings is excluded completely from the list of IoE tag.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Greenfield Proposals:</strong> Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, consideration shall be given to<strong> yet to be established (Greenfield)</strong> proposals.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.</li>
<li>The Greenfield Institutions get a 3 <strong>year period</strong> to establish and operationalise the institution.</li>
<li><strong>Satya Bharti Foundation (telecom major Airtel&rsquo;s philanthropic arm)</strong> became the <strong>second greenfield institution</strong> to be given IoE status, <strong>after Reliance&rsquo;s Jio Institute.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Benefits:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Autonomy:</strong> Institutes with IoE tag will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.</li>
<li><strong>Grant:</strong> The public institutions under IoE tag will receive a government grant of Rs. 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/education/op-jindal-university-gets-institution-of-eminence-tag-6909196/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: IE</strong></a></p>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 6876,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'ASER Survey 2020',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News</h3>
<p>Recently, the <strong>Annual State of Education Report</strong> (ASER) survey has been released which provides a glimpse into the <strong>levels of learning loss that students in rural India are suffering,</strong> with varying levels of access to technology, school and family resources resulting in a <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-statistical-organisation-survey-on-digital-education-divide" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>digital divide</strong></a> in education.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This year, in the wake of the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/covid-19-now-pandemic-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>pandemic</strong></a>, the survey was<strong> conducted via phone calls</strong>, reaching 52,227 rural households with school-age children in 30 States and Union Territories (UTs).</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Annual Status of Education Report</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is <strong>a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes</strong> in terms of <strong>reading and arithmetic skills</strong> that has been conducted by the <strong>NGO Pratham</strong> for the last 15 years.</li>
<li>It uses <strong><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/census-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Census</a> 2011</strong> as the sampling frame and continues to be <strong>an important national source of information about children&rsquo;s foundational skills</strong> across the country.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aser-report-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASER 2018</strong></a> surveyed children in the age group of 3 to 16 years and included almost all rural districts in India and generated estimates of foundational reading and arithmetic abilities of children in the age group 5 to 16 years.</li>
<li><a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/aser-report-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>ASER 2019</strong></a> reported on the pre-schooling or schooling status of children in the age group 4 to 8 years in 26 rural districts, focused on the &ldquo;early years&rdquo; and laid emphasis on &ldquo;developing problem-solving faculties and building a memory of children, and not content knowledge&rdquo;.</li>
<li><strong>ASER 2020</strong> is the<strong> first ever phone-based</strong> ASER survey and it was conducted in <strong>September 2020</strong>, the sixth month of national school closures.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Key Points<a href="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603969737_image3.webp" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="content-img" src="http://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1603969737_image3.webp" style="float: right;" width="483" height="311" /></a></h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Enrollments:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>5.5%</strong> of rural children are <strong>not currently enrolled for the 2020</strong> school year, up from 4% in 2018.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This <strong>difference is the sharpest among the youngest children</strong> (6 to 10) where 5.3% of rural children had not yet enrolled in school in 2020, in comparison to just 1.8% in 2018.</li>
<li>Due to the <strong>disruptions caused by the pandemic, families are waiting for the physical opening of schools</strong> to enrol their youngest children, with about 10% of six-year-olds not in school.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Among 15-16 year-olds,</strong> however, <strong>enrollment levels are slightly higher</strong> than in 2018.</li>
<li>The <strong>proportion of boys</strong> enrolled in government schools<strong> has risen</strong> from 62.8% in 2018 to 66.4% in 2020, while <strong>for girls, that number has gone up</strong> from 70% to 73% in the corresponding period.</li>
<li>Patterns show a <strong>slight shift toward government schools</strong>, with private schools seeing a drop in enrolment in all age groups.</li>
<li>The <strong>Centre has now permitted States to start reopening schools</strong> if they can follow Covid-19 safety protocols but the majority of the country&rsquo;s 25 crore students are still at home.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Availability of Smartphones:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Among enrolled children,<strong> 61.8% live in families that own at least one smartphone</strong> which was merely 36.5% in 2018.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>About <strong>11% of families bought a new phone</strong> after the <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-editorials/covid-19-and-lockdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>lockdown</strong></a>, of which 80% were smartphones.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>WhatsApp is by far the most popular mode of transmitting learning materials</strong> to students, with 75% of students receiving input via this app.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Availability of Learning Material:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Overall more than 80%</strong> of children said they <strong>had textbooks for their current grade</strong>.<br />
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This proportion was<strong> higher among students enrolled in government schools</strong> (84.1%) than in private ones (72.2%).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>In Bihar, less than 8% got such materials from their schools, along with 20% in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.</li>
<li>More than 80% of rural children in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Gujarat received such input.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Learning Activities:</strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Most children (70.2%) did some form of a learning activity</strong> through material shared by tutors or family members themselves, with or without regular input.</li>
<li>11% had access to live online classes, and 21% had videos or recorded classes, with much higher levels in private schools.</li>
<li>About 60% studied from their textbooks and 20% watched classes broadcast on TV.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Fluid Situation:</strong> When schools reopen, it will be important to continue to <strong>monitor who goes back to school</strong> as well as to understand <strong>whether there is learning loss</strong> as compared to previous years.</li>
<li><strong>Building on and Strengthening Family Support:</strong> Parents&rsquo; increasing levels of education can be integrated into planning for learning improvement, as advocated by <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/national-education-policy-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>National Education Policy, 2020</strong></a>. <strong>Reaching parents at the right level</strong> is essential to understand how they can help their children and <strong>older siblings also play an important role</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Hybrid Learning:</strong> As children do a variety of different activities at home, effective ways of hybrid learning need to be developed which <strong>combine traditional teaching-learning </strong>with <strong>newer ways of &ldquo;reaching-learning&rdquo;</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Assessment of Digital Modes and Content:</strong> In order <strong>to improve digital content and delivery</strong> for the future, an <strong>in-depth assessment</strong> of what works, how well it works, who it reaches, and who it excludes is <strong>needed</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Mediating the Digital Divide:</strong> Children from families who had<strong> low education</strong> and also <strong>did not have resources</strong> like smartphones had<strong> less access to learning opportunities</strong>. However, even among such households, there is evidence of effort with family members trying to help and schools trying to reach them. These children <strong>will need even more help than others when schools reopen</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Covid-19 has left the nation with deep economic distress and uncertainty over school-reopenings and thrown open new challenges in every sector.</li>
<li>The nationally representative sample highlighted the role played by the families where everyone in the family supported children regardless of their education levels.</li>
<li>This strength needs to be leveraged by reaching out to more students and reducing the distance between schools and homes.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-20-of-rural-school-children-had-no-textbooks-due-to-covid-19-impact-finds-aser-survey/article32966299.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Source: TH</strong></a></p>',
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