Another Sci-Tech Policy in the Offing!
Another Science, Technology and Innovation Policy is in offing, but the challenge lies in its execution and operational limitations.
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Author: Onkar Singh
2020: A Year of Shambolic Education Burdening Learners
2020: A year of shambolic education is burdening learners to make up the learning deficiencies, forced upon them due to lockdown, on their own.
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How Feasible is Imparting Engineering Education in Vernacular Languages?
The move for imparting engineering education in the regional language needs to be pondered holistically with the sole aim of enhancing the competence and capabilities of engineering graduates and postgraduates.
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Should Higher Education be Opened Now?
It is an opportune time to act fast and work out the suitable strategies for opening the education sector completely while adhering to stringent guidelines to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
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Work-life balance of teachers in digital learning environment
The otherwise distinct work and life domains now appear to have smudged boundaries. Consequently, digital learning environments have thrown a challenge of work-life balance to the teachers. Teachers, being the sculptors of future generations, should take necessary precautions and strike a healthy work-life balance alongwith inculcating a similar sense in students through their actions.
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Peeping into Miseries of Teachers
Apart from exchanging pleasantries on the Teacher’s Day, it is an occasion for introspection into present state of teachers. The teachers possess the crucial responsibilities of nurturing the society. They should be treated well for the betterment of humanity and civilization.
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Uncovering implications of syllabus reduction at secondary level
How can one accept that the deleted portions have lost vitality for this batch while it was pertinent for the previous batch of students? With reduced syllabus, the learning levels of the students in class IX-XII during COVID will be slightly deficient as compared to others.
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Do cent percent marks evince cent percent learning? – A Vantage point
It dates back to a century earlier when some examiner commented on the academic performance of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, that the examinee is better than the examiner. A more or less similar situation is evinced again in the results through 100 % marks obtained in the recent results announced by the examining boards at the secondary level. However, the award of cent percent marks is seen for the last few years. It is not to cast aspersions on the individual children scoring cent percent marks, but the scenario of examinees scoring full marks requires introspection. The moot point is “Does cent percent marks evince cent percent learning?”
The marks obtained should always allude to the scope of further improvement by the students.
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Don’t Compromise on Quality Education While Formulating Contingency Plans
“Inclusive, good-quality education is a foundation for dynamic and equitable societies.” – Desmond Tutu
Very few higher education institutions (HEIs) of India, like the IITs, IISc and few other good Indian universities, find a place in the world rankings. The education processes got disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the last week of March this year. So, it has become important to maintain the standards of excellence in education as we ‘Unlock’ as per the COVID-19 Recovery Plan.
The uncertainty in the decision-making process at the end of the institutions has been due to lockdowns. As a result, academic governance has been unable to comprehend a congenial contingency plan. Owing to it, the higher education regulators of the country have come out with broader outlines to handle this disruption. The disruption embedded with uncertainty raises concerns with the proposed guidelines too.
Reform Examinations to Promote Deeper Learning
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” The higher education system of India has major dependence upon the final examinations. This has been there despite the continuous evaluation system being in place for most of the programs. The cumulative performance of students in the prescribed evaluation framework leads to the award of degree with grade/marks/division. Therefore, it is important to introspect the prevailing examination system and envisage reforms to promote deeper learning.
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