Tag: ministry of education

Closure of 1.5 million schools due to COVID-19 impacted 247 million children in India: UNICEF study

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NEW DELHI: Closure of 1.5 million schools due to coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdowns in 2020 impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in India, a UNICEF report has found. Globally, schools for more than 168 million children have been completely closed for almost a full year, it said.

The report stated that online education is not an option for all as only one in four children has access to digital devices and internet connectivity. Pre-COVID, only a quarter of households (24 per cent) in India had access to the internet and there is a large rural-urban and gender divide.

“In India, closure of 1.5 million schools due to the pandemic and lockdowns in 2020 has impacted 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. In addition, there are over six million girls and boys who were already out of school even before the COVID-19 crisis began,” a statement from the UN agency said Wednesday.

It also said that till date in India only eight states/UTs have opened all classes from class 1 to class 12; 11 states have reopened classes 6-12 and 15 states have only opened classes 9-12. Three states have reopened anganwadi centers, with younger children losing out greatly on crucial foundational learning.

“It has been nearly a year since the pandemic caused schools to close and disrupt the normal routine of children throughout India. We know that the longer children stay out of school, the more vulnerable they become, with less chances of returning to school.

“Any decision to reopen schools is made with the best interests of children in mind and as schools re-open in a staggered manner with children returning to their classrooms, we must strive to support them in catching up on the learning they have missed,” said Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, UNICEF India Representative.

This is especially true for those who were not able to access digital or remote learning opportunities, Haque said, adding that the mental health and well-being of children is a crucial concern, while psycho-social support from teachers, parents and caregivers is a priority.

UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHCR, World Bank and World Food Programme developed a Global Framework for Reopening Schools which was adapted to the Indian context.

The Ministry of Education has finalized guidelines, drafted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), for safe school re-opening with emphasis on promoting regular handwashing and safe hygiene practices of students, teachers and other school staff and sanitization of schools, with adequate supplies and facilities as well as physical distancing strategies, the statement said.



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Common Entrance Test Scores to be Part of Under Graduate Admissions Process

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Delhi University (DU) is planning to make some changes in its admission process for the undergraduate programmes. The varsity is planning to consider Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) scores as well as class 12 board exam marks for admissions for the 2021-22 session admissions. The proposal regarding the same has already been sent to the University Grant Commission (UGC).

CUCET is conducted jointly by 14 central universities to offer admission to various UG, PG, and PhD courses offered in participating institutions.

According to a TOI report, the students aspiring to get admission to DU will have to take the aptitude test that comprises of verbal ability, quantitative ability and logical reasoning along with a subject-specific test.

DU vice-chancellor PC Joshi, who is also a member of the MoE committee, said that along with the CUCET score, class 12 marks will also be counted and there would be no comprise on merit. He added that the DU will soon adopt CUCET.

“Naturally, this year admissions would be different. While CUCET final form is still awaited, we have set up our own admission committee in place,” he was quoted as saying. He also said that the varsity will sync their admission on what CUCET suggests. The weightage for class 12 marks and CUCET score will be finalised soon.

Earlier in December, MoE has set up a seven-member committee to recommend the modalities of a common ‘high-quality aptitude test’ for admissions to all central universities. This common entrance test would be conducted by National Testing Agency.

Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare had said that “This is going to be implemented from the 2021-22 session for the central universities.” This decision has been made to offer a high-quality common aptitude test as well as specialized common subject exams in science, humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects.

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Law Ministry junks MoE proposal on IIMs

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The Law Ministry has shot down a proposal moved by the Ministry of Education (MoE), seeking powers to initiate an inquiry against the Board of Governors (BoG) of an IIM if it’s ostensibly found to be acting in contravention of the IIM Act.

As first reported by The Indian Express on December 6, the MoE had shared a draft executive order with the Law Ministry that, if approved by the latter, would not only have empowered the government to initiate an inquiry against an IIM BoG but also dismiss the Board.

The MoE proposed the said order under Section 38 of the IIM Act, which allows the government to remove teething difficulties in implementing the new law within three years of its enactment.

In a meeting held last month, the Law Ministry is learned to have objected to the MoE’s proposal on the ground that it is inconsistent with the provisions of the IIM Act, which gives unprecedented autonomy to the 20 business schools, and that any provision permitting the government to take punitive action against the institute can only be introduced through an amendment in the law.

The IIM Act, which came into effect on January 31, 2018, gives sweeping powers to all 20 business schools, including appointment of directors, chairpersons and Board members. Earlier, for instance, the director was appointed by the Board but with the prior approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister.

Explained

Education Ministry’s powers weakened

The IIM Act allows the government to remove any teething problems by way of an executive order within three years of its enactment – a deadline that expired on January 31. With the Law Ministry junking the Ministry of Education’s draft executive order late last month, the MoE now cannot do much in terms of giving itself more powers to act against the IIMs—unless it decides to amend the IIM Act.

The MoE’s proposal came amid the current standoff between the Government and IIMs over the one-year MBA degree.

In July 2020, the MoE had red-flagged the one-year executive MBA degree saying that it is “not in accordance with the UGC Regulations”, which mandate that a Master’s degree should be of two years, not one.

The IIMs, in the government’s view, violated that provision. In a letter, the business schools were directed to “act in conformity with the UGC Act 1956”.

Some of the IIMs had converted their one-year diploma for working professionals into a degree programme after the IIM Act, 2017, allowed degree-granting powers to the 20 business schools. Out of the 20, IIMs in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow and Udaipur offer the one-year degree for executives.

However, the IIMs defended the one-year degree to the government and continue to run the programme.

The MoE’s move was also significant given that there was a strong difference of opinion within the government – over autonomy and accountability — at the time of the drafting of the IIM Act.

In 2015, while the MoE had advocated retaining government control in the name of ensuring financial and administrative propriety, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had wanted a hands-off approach. The draft law went back and forth for almost a year between October 2015 and September 2016, during which the MoE, then under Smriti Irani, stuck to its guns, but yielded after Prakash Javadekar took over in July 2016.



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