TSTV on Education

Primary Education Opportunities & Challenges

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TOPIC: General Studies 2

• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education

In News: In the second week of March, state governments across the country began shutting down schools and colleges temporarily as a measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. It’s close to two months and there is no certainty when they will reopen. This is a crucial time for the education sector. 

As the days pass by with no immediate solution to stop the outbreak of Covid-19, school closures will not only have a short-term impact on the continuity of learning but will also have far-reaching consequences. 

• The structure of schooling and learning, including teaching and assessment methodologies, was the first to be affected by these closures. 
• Only a handful of private schools could adopt online teaching methods. Their low-income private and government school counterparts, on the other hand, have completely shut down for not having access to e-learning solutions. 

The 2017-18 National Sample Survey reported only 23.8 percent of Indian households had internet access. In rural households (66 percent of the population), only 14.9 percent had access, and in urban households only 42 percent had access. And males are the primary users: 16 percent of women had access to mobile internet, compared to 36 percent of men. Young people’s access is even less: A recent news report stated only 12.5 percent of students had access to smartphones. Furthermore, most teachers are ill-equipped for online teaching.

According to data collected by the National Sample Survey as a part of the Survey on Education (2014), only 27% of households in India have some member with access to internet. Access to internet does not necessarily mean that a household actually has internet at home. In fact, only half of the households (47%) that have any access to internet own a computing device (including a smartphone). While direct estimates on how many households have internet access at home are hard to get, one can make a rough estimate by assuming that those who have internet at home report some internet access in general, and report possession of a device that can be used to go on the web.

Using this definition, only 12.5% of the households of students in India have internet access at home. There is an urban-rural divide: 27% have access in urban areas and only 5% in rural areas. 

So what are the lessons learnt?

A multi-pronged strategy is necessary to manage the crisis and build a resilient Indian education system in the long term. The disruption to education systems worldwide offers valuable lessons and provides a unique opportunity to reimagine education, the curriculum, and pedagogy.

1. Address the digital divide – inclusive e-learning solutions:Technology has the potential to achieve universal quality education and improve learning outcomes. But in order to unleash its potential, the digital divide (and its embedded gender divide) must be addressed. Digital capabilities, the required infrastructure, and connectivity must reach the remotest and poorest communities. Access to technology and the internet is an urgent requirement and should no longer be a luxury.
2. Reorient the curriculum.While teachers are struggling to learn digital ways of communicating with their students, it is clear that we need to pay close attention to what we teach. This crisis is teaching us that curricula must be grounded in students’ realities, cultivating critical, creative, and flexible thinking, resilience, and empathy in students. Developing a symbiotic relationship with our environment has taken on a new urgency, and teachers must help students think about their relationship with the universe and everyone and everything in it.
3. Empower a wider cadre of teachers.This crisis is forcing teachers to reinvent their roles from that of transferring information to enabling learning. The shift to distance learning has afforded many opportunities to teach differently, encouraging self-learning, providing opportunities to learn from diverse resources, and allowing customized learning for diverse needs through high-tech and low-tech sources. Improving the education system requires a decentralized, democratic community-based approach, where community ownership of education is cultivated. Important for this is the hiring of local teachers (with adequate Dalit and female representation), which increases teachers’ accountability to children’s families and their ability to empathize with students’ lives.
4. Establish quality assurance mechanisms and quality benchmark for online learning: Many e-learning players offer multiple courses on the same subjects with different levels of certifications, methodology and assessment parameters. So, the quality of courses may differ across different e-learning platforms.

Multiple degrees simultaneously

Should students be given multiple degrees simultaneously?

Rajeev Sobti17 AUGUST 2019 17:00 IST

UPDATED: 19 AUGUST 2019 14:12 IST

    

The UGC has set up a panel to consider giving multiple degrees to students from the same university or from other universities. How will this pan out?

Many changes are being proposed to uplift the quality of Indian education. One such initiative being taken by the University Grants Commission (UGC), is to consider allowing students to opt for multiple degree courses simultaneously. A lot of deliberation took place earlier to consider this. However, it was rejected almost immediately. It has resurfaced again owing to the rapid change in technology as there is a demand for professionals who are multidisciplinary. This is leading to a vast majority of people wanting to pursue specialised courses besides their regular degree programmes. That is why the idea of giving multiple degrees is being reconsidered once again.

Today, job aspirants need to learn multiple skills within a short span. It is difficult to achieve this by joining a regular course that flows at its own pace. So, allowing a student to pursue multiple courses, simultaneously, through different modes (regular/online/distance/part time), can help make them future-ready. It will allow students to acquire knowledge and skill in related or unrelated areas, without spending extra years on studies.

Healthy fusion

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Although the option to acquire specialised skills through online certifications from various platforms such as Udacity, Edx, Neptel, and so on, are also available to a student today, but these are not degree programmes. Hence, the deliberation of offering multiple degrees is a welcome move. A lot of caution needs to be exercised before allowing the students to obtain multiple degrees though. There should be some criteria of shortlisting the institutes which can be allowed to offer multiple degrees to students. The mushrooming of institutes without statutory approvals and requisite infrastructure and resources should not be allowed. We are a country where over 80% of engineering graduates are found unemployable every year. Such a move, without the right restrictions, may lead to unqualified students getting degrees for the sake of it, without enabling them to acquire the right knowledge and skills. Another important consideration in the implementation of this idea could be whether it should be allowed for every student irrespective of his or her calibre or to a select few. Students should be allowed to pursue multiple degrees from a single institute and in a limited set of disciplines, only if he/she clears a minimum eligibility criteria prescribed specifically to pursue two degrees simultaneously. Otherwise, many students will opt for this initially, but may end up losing out on both degrees due to excessive study load.

The recognition of the multiple degrees also needs to be ensured in the ecosystem. The main hurdle in this kind of a system will be the acceptability, not only by the industry but also in the government organisations where the rules need to be modified to allow these students to be eligible on the basis of any degree. If the implementation of this idea is executed in the right spirit and with caution, the ultimate gainer will be the student in particular, and industry in general, as it would lead to availability of highly trained and knowledgeable manpower in limited time.

The writer is Head of Division of Admissions at Lovely Professional University

Student speak

Kritika Rathore, II, M.A. English literature, Presidency University, Kolkata

Multiple degrees help you stand out from the rest. It shows your specialisation and interests and gives you an upper hand in the job prospects. This decision by the UGC will be helpful for students who want to pursue other courses along with their formal degree . Having an additional degree will help students who lack real-world experience related to their field.

Preeti Shibu, Graduate (2018), B.Arch, School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, Chennai

Upon graduation, youngsters face a highly competitive job market. While pursuing two degree programmes might seem like a lot of effort, this will allow those with varying interests to be open to more potential career paths. Students would have to develop their organisation skills and this might be impressive to employees.

Prasanna Aditya A, II, BA (Hons.), II, Political Science, Hindu College, Delhi University, Delhi

One may be hard-pressed to come across a high school graduate these days, who is not passionate about more than one field of study. Students are in a quandary to choose from among disciplines for their college studies, all of which they hold dear. This move is laudable because while specialisation in a specific field of study is required, interdisciplinary pursuits are the order of the day. It expands students’ intellectual ambit, encouraging him/her to think out-of-the box. If put into action, it would foster a culture of interdisciplinary study and erudition in the Indian academic environment.

Philip K. Varghese, II, Mechatronics Engineering, BE, SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore

Pursuing multiple degrees can be challenging and takes a lot of effort and time investment. One should focus on one degree at a time as it can get strenuous and perhaps lead to confusion. On the other hand, it mostly depends on the ability of the student and his/her dedication towards learning more and pursuing multiple interests at the same time

On school fee hike

Allahabad HC refuses to stay Yogi govt order barring private schools from hiking fees

A bench comprising Justices Anil Kumar and Saurabh Lavania has, however, demanded a response from the UP advocate general.

APOORVA MANDHANI20 May, 2020

A file photo of the Allahabad High Court (representational image) | Commons

New Delhi: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Monday issued notice on a petition challenging the state government’s order barring private schools from hiking their fee in the current financial year due to the Covid-19 crisis.

A bench comprising Justices Anil Kumar and Saurabh Lavania demanded a response from the UP advocate general, while refusing to stay the government directive.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the Associations of Private Schools of Uttar Pradesh, challenging two administrative orders passed by the principal secretary, education, UP, and the additional chief secretary, UP, on 27 April and 1 May respectively, barring the fee hike.

The petition has demanded that the orders be quashed for violating Constitutional provisions, including Articles 14, 19(1)(g) (freedom to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business), and 254 (inconsistency between central and state laws).

The petitioner, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and assisted by advocate Manish Vaish, argued that the government had unconstitutionally discriminated against unaided schools and restricted their revenue, while no other private occupation has been similarly restrained.

The court, however, refused to stay the orders, and posted the matter for hearing on 18 June.

Synopsis for s lesson on Education

ది. 21-05-2020

విద్యారంగం: ప్రభుత్వరంగం - ప్రైవేటురంగం 

జన విజ్ఞాన వేదిక కర్తవ్యం 

                     - నాగటి నారాయణ, ప్రముఖ విద్యావేత్త, సామాజిక విశ్లేషకులు 

1. సమాజంలో విద్యారంగం ప్రాధాన్యత 

    అరిస్టాటిల్ నుండి అబ్దుల్ కలాం వరకు అనేకమంది కొనియాడారు. 

    Mahatma Gandhi: By Education, I mean an all round drawing of the best in child and man, in body mind and spirit.

    Nelson Mandela: Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world. 

    Malala Yousafzai: One Child, One Teacher, One Book, One Pen can change the world.

                                   With Guns you can kill Terrorists, but with Education you can kill Terrorism.

    Karl Marx: వర్గ సమాజంలో విద్య పాలకవర్గ ప్రయోజనాలనే కాపాడుతుంది. ప్రజా ఉద్యమాలకూ తోడ్పడుతుంది. 

    భారత రాజ్యాంగం: దేశ సత్వర అభివృద్ధికి, సామాజిక అభ్యున్నతి కోసం అందరికీ సమానంగా నాణ్యమైన విద్యను అందించాలి. 

    Fundamental Duties Art 51A (h): to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.

2. విద్యారంగం బహుళార్ధ సాధక ప్రయోజనకారి 

    దేశానికి ప్రయోజనం: వ్యవసాయం, పరిశ్రమలు, రక్షణ, కమ్యూనికేఅసన్స్, సైన్స్ & టెక్నాలజీ, పరిశోధనలు, వైద్యం, ఆరోగ్యం. 

                                     మనవాభివృధికి చోదకశక్తి, ఉత్పత్తికి ఊతం, సంపద సృష్టికి దోహదకారి 

    సమాజ అభ్యున్నతికి: అంధవిశ్వాసాలు, మూఢవిశ్వాసాలను నిర్ములిస్తుంది, శాస్త్రీయ దృక్పధాన్ని వ్యాప్తి చేస్తుంది. 

                                      అంతరాలు, అసమానతలు, వివక్షతల నిర్ములనకు తోడ్పడి, అభ్యుదయ విలువలను కల్పిస్తుంది. 

    వ్యక్తులకు మేలు: ప్రజ్ఞ, ప్రతిభ, సామర్ధ్యం, ఉపాధి, ఉద్యోగం, ప్రవర్తన, నైతికత, కుటుంబ పోషణ, ఆర్ధిక నిర్వహణ, పౌర జీవనం. 

                               ప్రాధమిక చైతన్యం నుండి ఉన్నత చైతన్యం సాధనకు, సంఘ జీవనం, సంఘటిత శక్తిని, ఉద్యమ స్పృహను కల్పిస్తుంది. 

బి) ప్రభుత్వరంగంలో విద్య: దేశానికి, సమాజానికి, వ్యక్తుల ప్రయోజనాళికీ ఉపయోగపడుతుంది. 

      ప్రయివేటురంగంలో విద్య: వ్యక్తిగత ప్రయోజనాలకే తోడ్పడుతుంది. 

      ప్రభుత్వరంగంలో విద్య రాజ్యాంగ విలువల సాధనకు తోడ్పడుతుంది. పాలకవర్గాల ప్రయోజనాలను కాపాడుతుంది. 

      ప్రయివేటురంగంలో విద్య ప్రయివేట్ కార్పొరేట్ రంగం విస్తరణకు, పెట్టుబడిదారీ వ్యవస్థ అభివృద్ధికి పనిచేస్తుంది. 

3. State of the Education in Public Private sectors

    K-12 school education 60% and 40%

    Schools  Govt in 75% & in Private 25% 

    * As per AIHES 2018 .....

 B)  Out of 39,050 colleges 78% in private sector with 67.3% enroll.

   -  in 2017 new colleges in private sector 941 (82%) out of 1147 - Rapid growth.

 C) Universities: Central 45, State 351, Deemed 43, State Private 262

 d)  Medical.Engineering, Formacy, Polytechnic etc Professional colleges 90% in private.

4. ఎందుకిలా జరుగుతోంది?

    - ఉద్యోగ, ఉపాధి అవకాశాల కోసం

    - ఇంగ్లీష్ మీడియం, కమర్షియల్ కోర్సులు, ఐసిటి వినియోగం 

    - ప్రభుత్వ విద్యాలయాలకు నిధుల కొరత 

 బి) జీడీపీలో 4% లోపుగానే వుంది (కొఠారి చెప్పింది 6%)

      కేంద్ర బడ్జెట్లో 3.5% (10%), రాష్ట్ర బడ్జెట్లో 10% లోపుగానే (20%)

      2020-21 కేంద్ర బడ్జెట్లో విద్యకి రూ 99,300 కోట్లు (3.26%)

    -    "  "       రాష్ట్ర బడ్జెట్ (రూ 1,82,914 కోట్లు) లో విద్యకి రూ 12,144 కోట్లు (6.63%)

    - పాఠశాల విద్యకి కేటాయించింది 8500 కోట్లు (22 లక్షల మంది విద్యార్థులకు) 

    - ప్రైవేట్ కార్పొరేట్ స్కూల్స్ వాసులు చేస్తున్నది రూ 12500 కోట్లు. 

5. కోవిడ్ 19 విపత్తు దరిమిలా విద్యారంగం పరిస్థితి 

    2019-20 విద్యాసంవత్సరం అర్ధాంతరంగా ముగిసింది 

    సీబీఎస్ఈ మిగిలిన పరీక్షలు, పదో తరగతి పరీక్షలు, ఇంటర్ వ్యాల్యుయేషన్ 

    డిగ్రీ ఫైనల్ ఇయర్ పరీక్షలు, ఆన్ లైన్ క్లాసులు, ఆల్ ఇండియా పోటీ పరీక్షలు

 బి) స్కూల్స్, కాలేజెస్ ఎప్పుడు? ఎలా ? తెరుచుకుని పనిచేసేది. 

       కోవిడ్ 19 ప్రోటోకాల్ కి అనుగుణంగా కార్పొరేట్ సంస్థలు తయారవుతున్నవి 

       అందుకు అనుగుణంగా ఫీజులూ పెంచవచ్చు, బడ్జెట్ స్కూల్స్, సర్కార్ బడులు దెబ్బతినే పరిస్థితి 

 సి) అందుబాటులోని స్కూల్/కాలేజీకే పంపించే అవకాశమూ వుంది 

       అందుకనువుగా ప్రభుత్వ విద్యాలయాలు అభివృద్ధి అయితే ... 

6. జేవీవీ కర్తవ్యం 

    విద్యావిధానం, కరిక్యులం, పాఠాలు విషయంలో జోక్యం చేసుకోవచ్చు 

    ఆ విషయాలపై స్టేక్ హోల్డర్సుని అలర్ట్ చేయవచ్చు 

    కోవిడ్ 19 ప్రోటోకాల్ కి అనుగుణంగా విద్యాసంస్థల నిర్వహణకు తోడ్పడవచ్చు 

    నూతన పరిస్థితుల్లో విద్యార్థులు, తల్లిదండ్రులను చైతన్య పరచాలి