Education

As yet, there is no Standard Operating Procedure from the Centre or the state on this. But as uncertainty around reopening of schools drags on, at least some private schools in Mumbai have launched online classes to try and complete the syllabus of the current academic year. But the online learning system and the way it is being implemented by schools, is finding little support from parents. According to a survey conducted by the India Wide Parents Association (IWPA), a four-year-old Mumbai-based pan-India parents association, 80% of parents it polled are not in favour of virtual classes for their children.…

The recently released Tamil film on OTT media, ‘Ponmagal Vandhal’,  draws attention to the issue of increasing incidences of child sexual abuse and ends with a strong message about Childline 1098 as well as POCSO, timing well with the increase in child abuse during the lockdown period.  With studies (Child Abuse Study 2007 by Government of India) showing that 1 in 2 children in India experience some form of sexual abuse, it is critical that measures for prevention of child sexual abuse be taken up not just by the government but also by other stakeholders at the ground level, which…

May is usually the busiest month in the arts and science colleges of Chennai as applications start pouring in, entrance exams are held and the admissions process gets going in full steam. Not this year.  Thousands of Class 12 students are still awaiting exam results, while some are even waiting to complete the examinations. Students studying for their Bachelors or Masters degrees are yet to write semester exams and the near future looks uncertain as COVID-19 cases continue to rise and the lockdown gets extended. What are colleges in Chennai planning to do in this situation? While government colleges and…

Ordering the summary closure of all colleges and schools till May 3rd was easy enough. As was converting government schools, like the ones in Najafgarh zone of Delhi or in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, into COVID quarantine wards or shelters for migrant workers. What will not be easy, though, is to dispel the uncertainties plaguing the minds of parents and students on what the new academic year will hold for them when it starts. Especially students whose 12th class board exams were abruptly interrupted, with no indication of whether and when they will resume; how the college admissions process…

‘Ambition’ sounds a rather lofty and serious word for 16-year-old S Harika*, a student of Class XI of the Corporation School, New Washermanpet. Hailing from a low-income family, Harika saw no point in nurturing ambitions, for she was almost sure that they would not be fulfilled. Today, however, she aims to become a doctor and is working hard to achieve the goal. The change in Harika and many others like her can be attributed to a pilot project by an organisation called EngenderedCo, which is trying to improve labour force participation rates among women in India. The organisation works with…

கல்வித்துறை சமீபத்தில் வெளியிட்டிருந்த அறிவிப்பால் ஒரு பரபரப்பான சூழ்நிலை உருவாகியது.  அது மாணவர்களை மட்டுமல்லாது , அவர்களது பெற்றோர் மற்றும் சமூகத்தின் மீதும் ஒரு தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவதாக இருந்தது. அந்த அறிவிப்பானது, அரசு மற்றும் மெட்ரிகுலேஷன் பள்ளிகளில் படிக்கும் 5 மற்றும் 8 ஆம் வகுப்பு மாணவர்களும் பொதுத்தேர்வு எழுத வேண்டும் என்பதுதான். பலமுனைகளிலிருந்தும் அதன் சாதக பாதகங்களை வலுவாக முன்வைத்ததை அரசும் நன்கு சீர்தூக்கி பார்த்து தற்போது அதனை ரத்து செய்துள்ளது. என்றாலும் அந்த அறிவிப்பின் பிரதிபலிப்பாக சமூகத்தில் நிகழ்ந்தவைகள் கல்வி சம்மந்தமாக சமூகம் என்ன பார்வையைக் கொண்டுள்ளது என்பது தீவிரமாக விவாதிக்கப்படக் கூடியதாகியுள்ளது. ஒரு முதிர்ச்சியான சமூகத்தை உருவாக்கும் வகையில் கல்வியளிக்கும் முறை உள்ளதா என்பது வினாவாகித் தொடர்கிறது. அறிவிப்பின் தாக்கங்கள் சமச்சீர் பாடத்திட்டத்தை மேம்படுத்துவதற்காக செய்த சில மாற்றங்களால் எழுந்த பரபரப்பே  முற்றிலும் அடங்காத நிலையில் வந்த அந்த அறிவிப்பானது, மறுபடியும் அதைப் பற்றவைத்தது. மாற்றங்களின் சவால்களைச்…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 Jatin Kumar, 11, a Class 6 student at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in South Delhi's Madangir was an introvert who was hesitant to approach the teacher. Now he is a confident young student who volunteers to take part in school activities. He credits this change to the "Happiness Curriculum", under which 100,000 students in Delhi schools, from nursery to class 8, participate, learning through inspirational stories and meditation classes. A Curriculum for Happiness for school children was the brainchild of the Dalai Lama, which he launched on July 2, 2018. The…

Prof. Jayant Narlikar, an astrophysicist and Professor Emeritus at Pune University, once said, “The reason for the decline of science in India is the lack of experimentation as part of learning science.” Indeed, India’s education system has maintained status-quo for over many decades now, and no revolutionary attempt has been made to upgrade the quality of content or its delivery.  However, once in a while, one does come upon heartening instances, such as at the Legacy School Bangalore (LSB), where students of Grades 9 and 10 have been exposed to a novel learning experience since 2014. Bindu, a teacher of the school has collaborated with the…

As the country observed Teacher's Day, it was time to celebrate a fundraiser held recently in Bengaluru. The money collected through the first-of-its-kind initiative in Whitefield will help renovation of Government Lower Primary School at Chikkanakundi in Anekal Taluk. On August 24, Forum Neighbourhood Mall hosted InnQuizzitive 2019, a quiz for a cause organized by Inner Wheel Club of Bangalore IT Corridor (IWCBITC). As enthusiastic quizzers vied for the honours in the atrium on the ground floor, scores of visitors watched the spectacle from the sidelines. On a Saturday filled with fun and brimming with questions, Mr Hrishikesh Varma of…

If you want to be a professional sportsperson, what training options do you have in Bengaluru? Where do you go if you can't afford private coaching or training facilities? In this edition of Citizens Live, Olympian Pramila Aiyappa and para-athlete Shalini Saraswathi share their thoughts. Currently, there are only two major sports training facilities in Bengaluru - state government's Kanteerava Stadium, and central government's SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre in Kengeri. Pramila, a heptathlete who had trained at SAI, says that all facilities are not available under one roof. Currently a coach, Pramila had represented India in the 2000…