Itanagar, January 6. Seven Central government promoted Kendriya Vidyalaya primary-secondaries will become operational in the state this year, says an official communique issued after Arunachal Pradesh governor Brig. (Retd.) Dr. B.D. Mishra met with Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.

The governor also requested the minister to sanction three Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (Central government-promoted class VI-XII rural boarding schools) in the three newly created districts of Shi Yomi, Lepa Rada and Pakke Kessang. Javadekar promised to give serious consideration to the proposal.

 

Rajasthan

Congress government redeems pledges

Jaipur, January 12. To discharge a party manifesto promise, the newly elected Congress government will introduce free-of-charge education for girl children in all state government education institutions from the next academic year, higher education minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati informed the legislative assembly. Internal complaints redressal committees will also be established in colleges to ensure safe and secure environments for women students, he added.

The party had also promised free-of-charge test prep coaching to college students. Coaching classes have been started in 40 government colleges, said the minister, adding that these classes will be introduced in all 252 government colleges of the state by February end.

Odisha

OTET exam cancelled

Cuttack, January 16. The Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) for which 111,000 teachers have registered was cancelled after an alleged question paper leak, said Jahan Ara Begum, president of Odisha’s Board of Secondary Education (BSE). While the OTET examination was under way, images of a question paper went viral on social media.

“After ascertaining that the questions circulated on social media matched with the questions set for the test, we were left with no option but to cancel the exam,” said the BSE president. The new dates of the OTET exam will be announced soon.

Ara Begum added that an internal investigation into the question paper leak has been ordered and the board has handed the case over to the crime branch of the state police.

 

Delhi

CBSE’s optional math exams

New Delhi, January 11. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce two examination levels in mathematics for class X students — Math-standard and Math-Basic — from the academic year 2020-21, says a CBSE circular.

“It is well known that students experience severe stress before and during their ‘most difficult’ subject exam. Keeping in view this important aspect and as evidenced by board results, the board has decided to introduce two levels of examination in mathematics for students who are going to appear in the board examination for the academic year ending March 2020 onwards,” says the circular.

The syllabus, classroom teaching and internal assessment for both examinations will be identical, to ensure students are afforded the opportunity to study the entire syllabus through the year and opt for the examination of choice based upon their aptitude and capability.

 

Bihar

Higher ed vision document

Patna, January 16. Lalji Tandon, governor and ex-officio chancellor of all state government universities in Bihar, released a Vision Document 2025 for higher education at the Raj Bhavan.

Interacting with the media, the governor advised universities in the state to maintain academic calendars to ensure timely conduct of examinations and declaration of results. “Attendance of teachers and students, a key indicator that determines the quality of learning being imparted in any educational institution, will also be tracked with the help of a well-designed biometric system. Colleges are being developed as centres of excellence to make higher learning conducive to employment generation,” said Tandon.

Gujarat

IITs to mentor neighbourhood schools

Ahmedabad, January 17. The managements of the country’s premier IITs, Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research and universities have been directed to mentor 10-15 neighbourhood government primary schools to ensure their students don’t lag behind in maths and science subjects, said Prakash Javadekar, Union HRD minister while speaking at the inauguration of exhibitions ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit staged from January 18-20.

Highlighting the importance of science, maths, engineering and technology in the 21st century, he stressed it is vital to foster research capabilities of students in primary-secondary schools. “Maths can be taught in an entertaining way. For students to study and understand maths and science properly, rather than big equipment, simple ideas are required. School teachers have a critical role to play,” said Javadekar.

Paromita Sengupta with bureau inputs