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CBSE Course CommitteesTo Have Student Nominees

Students who have passed out class XII will get a chance to participate in CBSE course committees which are reconstituted every three years.

Based on the performance and in consultation with the schools, CBSE will nominate students to these committees.

CBSE is confident that the student-nominees will actively contribute towards the development of its courses.

It also considers the involvement of students in framing the syllabus essential since the nominees will have a clear understanding of the prospects of the subject along with the limitations.

“We wish to make the courses and syllabus more inclusive and application-based. Since the course and syllabus prepared by committees is to be followed by students, we will hear their voice. I am sure the inputs given by the students will help designing the courses better,” said CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi.

CBSE has Course Committees for all its courses including vocational subjects. The committee discusses, debates, collects various inputs and ideas related to subject disciplines and reviews them to suit the needs of its students, parents and society.

The course committees comprise professors from universities, NCERT experts, teachers and subject experts from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan, private and public schools and working teachers.

Mr. Joshi said CBSE is keen to understand the trends among students regarding the scope of the major subjects it offers as well as their link with university/vocational degrees in India and abroad.

This will help improve the continuous and comprehensive evaluation-based educational system initiated by the Board.

University Student

IGNOU Announces Admission For January 2013 Session (New)

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) announces admission to its January 2013 session programmes. The last date for applying to all the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes of the University is 30th November 2012 without late fee and 20th December 2012 with late fee of Rs.200 in the respective Regional Centres.
Programmes specially offered only in January session are M.Sc. Mathematics with Applications in Computer Science (MSCMACS), Post Graduate Diploma in Hospital and Health Management (PGDHHM), PG Diploma in Geriatric Medicine (PGDGM), PG Diploma in HIV Medicine (PGDHIVM), Diploma in Nursing Administration (DNA) and Diploma in Critical Care Nursing (DCCN).
Applications are invited for Masters of Computer Applications (MCA), MA in Rural Development, Tourism Management, English, Hindi, Philosophy, Gandhi and Peace Studies, Education, Public Administration, Participatory Development, Social Work, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, Extension and Development Studies, Gender and Development Studies, Distance Education, Anthropology, M.Com., M.Sc. in Dietetics and Food Services, Library and Information Science.
The university also invites applications for Bachelor degree programmes like Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA), Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP), B.A. in Political Science, History, Economics, Mathematics, Public Administration, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, English, Hindi, Urdu, Tourism Studies, Social Work, Library and Information Sciences, B.Com., B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Zoology and Botany and all diploma and certificate programmes.

Ignou Announces Admission For January 2013

 

  Ignou To Establish Hindi Cell In 56 Regional Centres

Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) has decided to establish a 'Rajbahasha Cell' in all the 56 regional centres of the university to promote the usage of Hindi. The university organised a teleconference on 'Hindi: Our official language and its implementation in all its regional centres'.
The session was broadcast on Gyan Darshan channel of the university where all the regional centres were simultaneously and proactively connected through the tele-conference mode in the Electronic and Media Production Centre (EMPC) at Ignou headquarters.
"The 'Rajbhasha Cell' shall comprise of five members comprising of regional director, assistant regional director, coordinators and staff of the centres. It shall conduct meeting once in every three months whose minutes shall be communicated to the headquarters," said Srikant Mohapatra, director, regional services division.
Welcoming the initiative Sharad Gupta, secretary, Rajbhasha, Ministry of Home Affairs, brought forward two aspects of Hindi as a language categorising it in literary and daily usage. According to him, "both the forms are acceptable depending upon the comfort level of the user. Our objective should be to make Hindi hassle free and meaningful. It is not necessary to use Hindi in its literature form everywhere, rather if we use the language spoken in its daily usage then it will make the task much easier."
"It is a common conception that the usage of Hindi is difficult while communicating scientific knowledge but today, there are many books available in Hindi translations to make the task easier. IT-sector has lots of tools available with it to enable the usage for example, there is UNICODE wherein anyone can use computer in any regional language, be it Hindi, Punjabi, Oriya etc," said Harendra Kumar, director, official language policy, Ministry of Home Affairs.

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How is it possible for a teacher to discipline a child even without scolding?

I was born in a family of three daughters to parents who were not conversant in English. I was admitted to an Anglo-Indian School in Chennai in the middle level. The school had a lovely campus with a beautiful church inside. I did feel lost for some time, but I quickly fell into the groove mainly because of my classteacher who was so supportive and encouraging. School taught me to not only admire the beautiful creations of God but also honour the values and sentiments of our family members, peers and our TEACHERS.

As I grew stronger and proved my academic excellence, days became more memorable in school. The right mélange of play and work, the true blend of the teachers’ love and severity, the Principal’s integrity together with the passion for imparting true education — everything paved the path for us to realise the worth of good education. Today, I can proudly say that I am a teacher of English and French and curriculum coordinator of a reputed school in Chennai.

My ardent love for my teachers made me give up my government posting and, after serving as a teacher for nearly 25 years, I look back. Have I, as a teacher, created another Mahatma Gandhi, a Mother Teresa or an Abdul Kalam? Why is it not possible for me to mould my students — nay children — into better human beings of greater values? I then realised that my children are never my own — I do not really possess him or her; in other words, I feel that children today cannot surrender themselves to their teachers as I had submitted myself at the feet of my educators.

I am unable to frame rules for my children who are with me for the prime part of the day. Teachers are always expected to be kind. They are questioned by authorities and parents for calling a student an idiot or lazy goose — words that used to belong to the teaching faculty. Teachers and school authorities are unable to curtail children from bringing cellphones or iPods to school.

When I call the father of a child who was found playing with a pack of cards, he says: “Is it necessary for me to come here for such a silly issue? You can just throw away those cards and forget about it. If you talk about my son, I can also tell you so much about your school.”

I called the young father into my office and said: “I called you because I do not have the right to use any strict measures to forbid him from playing with cards in the classroom.” I need to collaborate with you to educate your child and tell him that you are with me in bringing in discipline on the school premises.” I also asked him, “If you think that there is so much to talk about the school, do you think and believe that this school will do anything good for your child?”

We still believe that teachers are influential. I still go to school in a starched cotton sari with my hair folded the way my favourite chemistry teacher came to my class. She was my role model. We agree that some teachers have made the whole world follow in their footsteps — I quote Mother Teresa, the teacher-turned mother who made the entire world work along with her to support the fragile and the poor.

School life teaches a child the happiness of being together, the worth of friendship, the classroom culture and, above all, to respect and love human race beyond caste, creed or religion. School is the only community that can form the basis of secularism and patriotism. School is the child’s window to this wondrous world. Are we going to guard this ambience of harmony and protect the bonding of the teacher and her child? Or, are we going to interfere in her everyday work and allow her to get disgusted and shun her responsibility. Is it possible for a mother to teach or discipline a child without scolding or raising her hand? How is it possible for a teacher to discipline a child even without scolding? Words like lazy, noisy creature — are also construed as an offence. Is the purpose of a teacher’s time in school really going to be served or defeated? In recent past, teachers have been enquired into, suspended, arrested and even killed. With fear enveloping every act of hers, should a teacher perform her tasks or wait for a set of rules to be framed by every parent for every individual child?

The whole world has the right to interfere with children except their teachers. The law overlooks a child who uses the cane on another child impairing his vision, but penalises the teacher and the school for leaving the cane on the desk. Can’t we tell the child that he is forbidden from using or misusing the teacher’s wand? Laws are framed for school buses for the safety of the children but truck drivers who knock down schoolchildren are not penalised by any special norms that govern the road safety of the kids. The law does not worry about educating the parents that it is their responsibility as well to teach the child right from wrong.

Are we as teachers running into the risk of being blamed, penalised and humiliated in public for the service we render to the cause of children? Is there not a single student who can harass a teacher, cause trauma in the teacher? And when they do so, the teacher should silently bear all the pain and yet render the best to every child.

Teachers today go through a lot of trauma with the responsibilities of completing the curricula, designing lessons, competing with technology and facing the new generation of poor values and attitudes.

I am amazed that children justify the damage done by them to school property. They say that they do pay school fees and hence have the right to damage it.

My appeal is not to protect teachers who indulge in excesses and wrongdoing. My appeal is for the cause of children and for the betterment of the next generation. As a teacher, if children are not made to realise that a set of rules is needed to run their daily routine, scientists need to design vehicles that could automatically stop when the vehicle encounters the red signal. We will see more scandals, more violence and more pain within the family and all around — as we do not catch them young to own responsibility for their actions.

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Are poor standards of English hampering the chances of Puducherry students?

The students of Puducherry are suffering because of the poor standard of English teaching and education, which is affecting their chances when it comes to higher education and competitive examinations. While some students are able to cope despite the disadvantage, academic experts and professors are unanimous in stating that the level of English education needs to improve.

Speaking to The Hindu on the issue, Vice Chancellor of Pondicherry University J.A.K Tareen said the problem is common in all places where the education takes place in the vernacular medium. Although it is important to learn one’s mother tongue, by restricting education to the vernacular medium means that the student has only a confined scope in the future.

The aim should be to prepare Indian students for global competitiveness. English is a medium that is acceptable in all countries. By restricting oneself to the vernacular, the student’s education potential is being confined to one state, he said. Although vernacular education is acceptable in the primary levels, at the higher schooling levels the medium of instruction should be English, since English is the language of higher education around the world, he said. No fluency Spoken English, especially, is a problem, according to Principal of Pondicherry Engineering College V. Prithviraj. Students who come from an English medium school have some advantage, but even they make basic grammatical errors and struggle to speak fluently.

Even students who have scored high marks in English in their exams have a problem with speaking. It adversely affects their chances during placements, since they are not able to communicate their ideas effectively, he said.

All the experts are unanimous in saying that the quality of English teaching in school education needs to improve. Speaking of the poor standard of English education in schools, Head of the English Department at Tagore Arts College R. Sundaram says the problem is that English in school is taught through Tamil. This makes the students think in Tamil and translate their thoughts into English, which leads to grammatical errors. The students need to be taught English in English, he says.

Many times, students are passed in English because of “grace marks” and not because they are actually competent in the language. The practice is common in both schools and colleges. This means that several students come to college unable to read or write English properly, he says. Most students require additional coaching in order to be able to learn English and speak competently. The coaching is often not available in schools and colleges, and the teachers themselves are not competent in the language, which is where the problem arises, he says.

Once the students reach a certain level of English competence, they can improve their language through coaching CDs and DVDs. The initial learning, however, needs to come from a teacher, he says.

According to M. Shyamala Devi, a retired English teacher, says that the emphasis on English tends to deteriorate, even in English medium schools, once the student reaches the Higher Secondary level. Many teachers encourage students to concentrate on their core subjects and this tends to make the student ignore English, she says. Many colleges have now set up language laboratories in order to help their students

learn English, but unless these children are taught better in the school level, there is very little scope for them to develop their language skills properly, she says.

According to a former faculty member of the State Training Centre, M. Doss, there are some steps that the authorities need to take in order to improve the quality of English Education. The most important is to develop a training package for in-service teachers and conduct training sessions. Constant monitoring is also important as well as counselling on Language communication for older students, he says. Fortunately, students that are keen on the language can develop some skills on their own. The most important thing they can do is to begin to speak English more frequently. Some of the better English medium schools in the town force their students to speak the language even if they make mistakes. Some of them even impose a fine on students who speak in Tamil in school, Ms. Shyamala says. 

                                                                Student
News From Hindu:-http://www.thehindu.com/education/issues/know-your-english/article3999130.ece

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New Qualifying Criteria Dashes Hopes Of Many NET Aspirants 

The high hopes with which a majority of candidates appeared for the UGC’s National Eligibility Test in June after a change in the question paper pattern have come crashing after the publication of results earlier this week.
For the first time, NET was conducted in objective mode for all three papers in two sessions. Till then, the third paper in descriptive format was not favoured by many. However, the relief over replacement of the descriptive format with multiple-choice questions has turned out to be short-lived.

The adoption of new qualifying criteria by the UGC has denied thousands of candidates an opportunity for lectureship in universities and colleges.
 The candidates blame the UGC for coming out with a last minute specification that an aggregate of 65 per cent in three papers was necessary for qualification for general category candidates. The qualifying minimum was fixed at 60 and 55 per cent for OBC and SC/ST/visually challenged/physically challenged categories.

While the NET notification stated that the scores of only those candidates who score the minimum specified marks would be considered for the preparation of result, the UGC’s new criteria for qualification required candidates in general, OBC, and SC/ST/VC/PC categories to post minimum scores (out of 350 — 100 marks each for first and second paper, and 150 marks for third paper) of 227.5, 210, and 192.5 respectively.

So far, corresponding scores of 155, 138 and 130 were accepted as passing minimum for the three categories of candidates. The NET notification stated: “Only such candidates who obtain the minimum required marks in each paper separately, as mentioned above, will be considered for final preparation of result. However, the final qualifying criteria for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Eligibility for Lectureship shall be decided by UGC before declaration of result.”

The candidates are shocked. “The result has caused depression. My efforts have gone in vain,” lamented Gajendran, an Assistant Professor, who felt confident about clearing NET this year, after many attempts over a decade.

His overall score of 188 did not measure up to UGC’s new criteria. Had the UGC struck to the pattern of passing minimum it had been following so far, the pass percentage would have increased manifold, said Vijayalakshmi, a professor in a private college.

While NET/SET is the minimum eligibility for recruitment and appointment of assistant professors in universities/ colleges/ institutions, candidates with Ph.D. in accordance with UGC Regulations 2009, are exempted from clearing this examination.

But, with Ph.D. turning out to be costly and time-consuming, candidates usually devote their attention to clearing NET first before pursuing Ph.D. Hence, their disappointment is only natural, according to S. Iyyampillai, Professor of Economics in Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi, who has vast experience in training candidates for NET/SET

Candidates across the country who have not passed the NET due to the “last minute” changes in the eligibility norms have planned to get their acts together for legal recourse, Ms. Vijayalakshmi said.

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