Cracks in Trump Camp: H-1B Visas, China as Points of Contention
Trump Team Immigration Rift is not just even on the incoming Trump administration’s China policy, there could be a divide in administration.
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education
Uniform Retirement Age of Teachers: A Panacea for Higher Education
The retirement age of Indian college and university teachers should be uniformly set at 65 to ensure equal opportunities and rights. Knowledge, skills, and experience are vital prerequisites for educators, these only develop over time. Though the increase in retirement age may pose hiring challenges, the resulting longer tenure of experienced educators would greatly enhance the quality of education, fostering more effective teaching and higher quality of research. Having a uniform retirement age would also address the potential decline of experienced teachers by 2027.
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The 3Ds of Post-COVID Classrooms: Distracted Students, Disruptive Ed-Tech, Declining Interactions
The post-COVID classrooms are being marred by distracted students owing to the disruptive role played by ed-tech & declining interactions.
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Education: Politics and Politicization
Politics and politicization of education started since independence when the new Government began to formulate education policies.
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National Exit Test (NExT) – A Significant Step To Reform Medical Education In India
National Exit Test (NExT) planned by National Medical Commission is going to be a major milestone in the reform of medical education in India.
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Implementation of NEP 2020 in Higher Education: Challenges & Way Forward
Funding, Capacity, Governance, and Culture are the key Challenges in Implementing NEP 2020 in Higher Education,
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The Future of India’s Future: Increasing Global Education Opportunities for Indian Students
In recent years, several changes have taken place in the Indian and global landscape, which students seeking to pursue higher education overseas, as well as in India cannot ignore. Some overseas universities are likely to set up campuses in India. The West is seeking to attract more Indian students as a result of strained ties with China. In the imminent future, there will be many more joint programs between Indian institutions and overseas educational institutions. And most importantly, the focus will now be on technological skills and languages and not degrees. It is important for parents also to bring about a change in mindset.
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The New Geopolitics Of Global Education
Geopolitical issues have affected the people-to-people links and higher education adversely. While the UK, like other developed countries in the West, is keen to attract talented professionals as well as students who could contribute positively towards its economy, it is mooting the idea of restricting the inflow of international students who get admitted into ‘low-quality degrees’, and also bring in their dependents through the student visa route. On the other hand, Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy makes a clear reference to strengthening people-to-people contact with different parts of Asia and seeks to enhance Canada’s international student program with permanent residence and job opportunities for students from the Indo-Pacific.
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Education Pollution: Substandard Schools, Decaying Higher Education, Mushrooming Coachings
There are nearly 1.2 lakh single-teacher schools in the country of which an overwhelming 89% are in rural areas. More than 30% of schools had no toilets and over 60% had no playground. The selection of the top positions of the institution has emerged as a great challenge. A research scholar who gets a UGC fellowship does not want to complete his Ph.D. work in time but tries to extend it since after his/her Ph.D. if he/she gets an appointment in a private institution, he /she will get less salary. The conditions of teachers in self-finance institutions are very pathetic. Mushrooming of coaching centres and dummy schools across all cities has misled students into believing that they can perform better in entrance exams if they go for coaching at such centres and by skipping classes in regular schools.
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We, the Guinea Pigs of the World
As the pandemic hit, governments all over the world imposed severe lockdowns, clamping down everything to naught. This was a mega experiment of making people sacrifice their freedom of movement, right to livelihood, and right to learning in order to save their lives. Did community transmission help in checking the spread of the virus? We have no conclusive evidence of that. Did it help in developing immunity from the virus amongst a large section of the population? We can’t say. If there was some immunity amongst some people, was it lasting and reliable? We don’t know. These were all experiments conducted on people who were treated no better than guinea pigs.
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Challenges of Designing a New Regulatory Framework in Higher Education
While everyone has been recommending, since 2007, for an all-embracing single regulatory body to take care of all higher educational institutions and programmes, none has been able to provide details of deficiencies that have made the existing regulatory bodies dysfunctional. In the meantime, the idea of the single regulator has seen some major dilution. The first anniversary of NEP 2020 was celebrated with gusto, but there is still no sight of the single regulatory authority, even though the Finance Minister announced in the budget speech of 2021-22 that the new regulatory body shall be set up during that financial year itself. It must, therefore, be a real challenge to design a single regulatory body for higher education, which must meet the NKC’s idea of saving higher education from being ‘over-regulated and under governed” or the Kasturirangan Committee’s desire to evolve “light but tight” regulatory framework.
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The Next Tech is Lifetech
This is perhaps the right time to look back at The Science of Life, a 1931 publication by the renowned biologists GP Wells, HG Wells, and Julian Huxley and look deep into the body machine and understand how this magnificent intelligent design works with a perfect synergy between rasayan, the chemistry and the jivavigyana, the biology, and allows the microbial kingdom to enjoy its fruits and produce the nutrients and proteins in the functioning of the metabolism. All our technology innovations should, now, be aligned towards our strengthening of the ‘Lifetech’ to make science and technology in the true sense, a valid means for living a life of bliss, happiness, and good health
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Metamorphosing Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 Requires Engineers From All Domains
Why do engineering aspirants opt only for Computer Science and Engineering when the future Industry 5.0 shall require engineers and technologists from all disciplines to sustain and upgrade civilization?
The future lies in the application of digital know-how to the existing and upcoming systems from various domains.
The cross-fertilization of a variety of concepts may call for technical professionals possessing a broader range of expertise which is enabled by the new policy framework. This enjoins technical professionals from every engineering discipline with vital competencies, and the same can not be merely taken care of by computer and IT-related professionals alone.
Private Participation in Higher Education
Private Participation in Higher Education is imminent but may not be sufficient to promote Access, Equity, and Quality in Higher Education. It is reassuring that NEP 2020 recognises the public education system as the foundation of a vibrant democratic society, and the way it is run must be transformed and invigorated in order to achieve the highest levels of educational outcomes for the nation”. The policy also argues for “increased access, equity, and inclusion through a range of measures, including greater opportunities for outstanding public education”. It is now time to walk the talk.
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Examinations: An Exercise in Futility and Barrier to Academic Reforms
The present system of examination, rather than facilitating learning, acts as a barrier in broad-basing the curricula, introducing modularity, and offering wider choices because they pose a logistical nightmare in terms of examination and evaluation. Studies after studies, in India and abroad, have proved that such an examination system is not capable of assessing the talents, abilities, and potentials of students. As NEP 2020 is being celebrated annually to showcase its speedy implementation, it appears desirable to draw the attention of the academic community to this critical aspect of higher education at this juncture.
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The Great Indian Distressful Examinations: An Introspection
The apprehensions to fail in examinations usher students to a distressful state. The education system should strategize to avert the fear psychosis in students in respect to any examination. The examination is not the end of the road. Instead, it is an opportunity of knowing the individual’s capabilities even through failure and move on to the other possible avenues for a successful life. Holistic improvement in the quality of primary education and secondary education holds the key to keep students away from any distress.
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Excess Impedes Excellence: Empirical Evidence for Regulation in Higher Education
Quality of higher education in India seems to be inversely proportional to the intensity of regulation. Does empirical data support this proposition?
It is not only the newly-launched NIRF but also the time-tested NAAC grades which amply prove that stringent regulatory regimes have not necessarily promoted excellence in higher education. Relaxing the regulatory environment seems imminent for promoting excellence in higher education.
Quality Education: A Luxury or A Fundamental Right?
The increasing costs of education have presented us with a pressing question: Is quality education still a tool to reduce disparity, or has it transformed into a luxury deepening the already-existing divide in our society? Any deprivation emanating from the constantly increasing cost of education at any level in the public sector and private sector institutions may create a deepening divide in terms of knowledge, skills, competence, and capabilities. Large number of students dropping out of the formal education system due to extreme and stingy frugality may turn into imperious problems in sustaining social harmony. NEP 2020 has come as a blessing in disguise with the decree of universalization of education while ensuring access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability.
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Anniversary of NEP 2020: Education needs intensive care
On the commemoration of the first anniversary of NEP 2020, it will be prudent on the part of the regulators to revisit the progress made in the on-ground implementation of provisions of NEP 2020 and reschedule the milestones laid in it, else the disorderliness created through it may disarray the existing education system as well. The predominant disruptions caused by the pandemic and the pragmatic view on the desired transformations ought to be taken into consideration before a realizable road map is relaid.
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National Education Policy 2020: Issues and Implications
It has been a year since the NEP 2020 was announced and shall be due for the anniversary celebration on 29th July 2021. All policies must undergo the stages of formulation, notification, anatomization, modification, implementation, and, in between, celebration. It is now high time that the details are worked out and implementation strategies announced.
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Blended Learning in Indian Higher Education: How Feasible is it?
Accolades to University Grants Commission (UGC) for out of the box thinking in allowing the higher education institutions (HEIs) to teach up to 40% syllabus of each course (other than SWAYAM courses) through online mode and remaining 60% of the syllabus in the offline mode along with their examinations in the respective mode.
Holistic and collective brainstorming across the HEIs is required before exercising the major shift from the conventional face-to-face teaching approach lest blended learning may have limited cosmetic value.
Students Steering the Education Wheel through Stormy Virus
How did the Students Cope with the Disruptions in Learning and Life Around Them?
It has been more than a year since campuses were compelled by the COVID-19 pandemic to close their doors to their students and resort to remote teaching. Since few universities and even fewer colleges had a Learning Management System (LMS) in vogue, choices of the tool, technology, medium, and platform were largely left to the teachers to manage to the best of their abilities. The result was a wide variety of ways in which the teaching-learning processes were carried on. Students, though more tech-savvy and better equipped to guide the transition, hardly had a say in the matter and they remained largely at the receiving end. Not only did their chosen and settled ways of learning get disrupted, their lives and the lives of people around them too got tossed into the turbulence
Calibrate Crappy Education in COVID Aftermath
The regulators of education for all levels should inevitably ponder upon the concerned stakeholders and palliate the damage incurred to the younger generation of the country which is blessed with a 37-year advantage of demographic dividend. The opportunity loss on account of youth remaining disengaged from their pursuits of getting educated well warrants strategizing for immediate correction.
Let’s deliberate and discuss extensively to create a well-laid framework based on the holistic considerations for negotiating the past, present, and future disruptions in the education system lest it is late again.
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Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology as important and necessary as ever
Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology are as important and necessary as ever says All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi.
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Technological Transformation in Higher Education: Myths and Realities
Technological transformation in higher education could enhance the quality, but may not replace the brick and mortar universities.
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Loosing sheen of Guru Devo Bhava: An Introspection
Loosing sheen of Gurus is due to instances when teachers have crossed the threshold of decency and mistreated their disciples.
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Gurus Being Outsourced in ‘Vishwaguru’ India
Outsourcing teachers in higher education may ease out HEIs from administrative hassles of recruiting teachers but is disgraceful.
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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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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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No education upto 5 years
There should be no education up to 5 years. The child must play sports, do yoga and other physical exercises up to this age.
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New Education Policy 2020 – Implementation Challenges in Higher Education
The changes proposed by the government through NEP are being acclaimed. But the more important question is its implementation. Only time will tell whether we took the right decisions at the right moment.
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Time to educate about nature!
Its time to educate about nature. A child trained in a conservation-oriented philosophy will seek to respect nature in the world he will grow up in and take steps to pass on the heritage to his/her forthcoming generations.
The reverence provided to elements of nature has decreased drastically because of the reduction of dependency and a perceived decrease of benefits to us, the humans.
Scrutinizing the appointment of Vice-Chancellors
For efficient good governance of higher education institutes, the selection of candidates to the top positions of the institution is a great challenge.
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A View on Higher Education in New Education Policy 2020
NEP calls for honest, hardworking, and humane teachers who are respected, retained, and recruited with morality, credibility, and accountability.
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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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Ensuring Education to Poor in Post-Pandemic Era
The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought miseries to humanity across the world. Like every affected country, India also undertook measures to contain the spread of the pandemic. The lockdown was enforced in the country to terminate the chain of contagion, but it had certain consequences. The economic activities became standstill for quite a long period. Among various happenings, the most concerning was the psychological impact and absence of work that drove the majority of the workforce back to their native places. With the increasing unemployment and reduced earnings, ensuring education in the post-pandemic era will be a big challenge.
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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.
Dual Degree Education System in India
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X
In today’s era, all HEIs have a pressing need to deliver outcomes, which in most cases, is employment. Most employers are sure that undergraduate education delivered by the Universities / Colleges does not produce the type of workers that the industry requires. Getting students to meaningful employment is one of the paramount goals of higher education. Dual degree education in India evolved to cater to the present requirements….
Salute to the Class of 2020
The class passing out in 2020 has a monumental challenge to rebuild the national and global economies and respond with courage, conviction and firm resolve.
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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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Lockdown in Indian Economy
By M M Goel For me, the lockdown was a shock on March 25, 2020, with a pinch of salt.
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Deciding Career: Boundless opportunities, Endless possibilities
Career Decision Making
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Challenges in Handling Disruption in Education during COVID-19
It has been many months since the COVID 19 broke out in November 2019 and has gradually spread in almost
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