Ahmedabad, November 3. Three lakh first-year college students across Gujarat will be given tablet computers christened ‘Namo e-tab’ valued at Rs.11,000 each at a token sum of Rs.1,000 for the second consecutive year. Chief minister Vijay Rupani made this announcement in a recent address to Gujarat Technological University students.
“The objective is to enhance students’ knowledge by connecting to the world using tablets with Internet connectivity,” said Rupani, speaking on the occasion. The state government has made a provision of Rs.300 crore for the distribution of tablets this year cf. Rs.250 crore last year.

Anju Sharma, principal-secretary of the state higher and technical education ministry, added that the tablets are loaded with 450 lecture videos, 46 course material databanks and 110 virtual learning videos aligned with the syllabus.

Punjab
Strip search suspensions

Chandigarh, November 6. The principal and a teacher of a government girls’ senior secondary school in Punjab’s Fazilka district have been suspended for allegedly strip searching several students after a soiled sanitary napkin was found in the school toilet.

Suspension orders were issued after chief minister Amarinder Singh received an inquiry report which found them guilty of “gross negligence, indifference and insensitivity”.

The students were searched twice on the direction and with full knowledge of the school principal and the teacher, according to the report.

Jammu & Kashmir
Imminent pricing guidelines

Jammu, November 8. The state government is all set to issue regulatory guidelines to private schools in the state to regulate the prices of textbooks and uniforms charged by vendors. The guidelines have been formulated following complaints by parents of children in private schools alleging sale of textbooks and uniforms at “exorbitant” prices.
Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, advisor to the governor Satya Pal Malik, issued directives to school education directors to examine complaints and recommend measures to regulate prices.

Himachal Pradesh
Orphanage children scholarships

Shimla, November 16. The state government has announced 20 scholarships of Rs.10,000 each for meritorious student inmates of 11 government-run orphanages.

Announcing this at a sports and cultural meet for students residing in government orphanages organised by the women and child development ministry in Tutikandi, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said the scholarships will be offered to ten boys and as many girl students of classes VIII-XII who top the joint merit list — based on their annual exam performance — of state-run orphanages.

He said the state government will provide all possible aid to ensure orphaned students receive high quality education and begin earning their livelihood at the earliest.

Meghalaya
Ekalavya schools drive

Shillong, November 17. Ekalavya model residential schools will be established in 36 blocks of Meghalaya at an estimated cost of Rs.20 crore each over a period of three years. Jual Oram, Union tribal affairs minister, made this announcement at a function in St. Anthony’s College in the city.

Established under the tribal affairs ministry, Ekalavya model residential schools (EMRS) are promoted by the Central government for Scheduled Tribe children across the country. “Currently, 192 such schools are operational countrywide,” the minister said.

“To realise our mission, it has been decided that by year 2022, every block with more than 50 percent ST population and at least 20,000 tribal residents, will host an Ekalavya model residential school on a par with Navodaya Vidyalayas with special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skills development,” said the minister.

Andhra Pradesh
Rising employability report

Amaravati (ap), November 22. Andhra Pradesh is ranked #1 countrywide for the employability of its engineering graduates, according to the India Skills Report 2019 — a joint initiative of Wheebox Careers, a global talent assessment company, PeopleStrong, a leading HR tech company, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The report says that employment of B.Tech/BE graduates from the state has shot up significantly to 63.11 percent this year from 42.08 percent last year. Employment of MBA and polytechnic graduates has increased to 47.18 percent and 45.90 percent respectively against 44.90 percent and 35.85 percent in the previous year.

Commenting on the report, Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation CEO K. Sambasiva Rao says the corporation’s initiatives in providing market-driven training programmes to youth have created a readily available talent pool in Andhra Pradesh.

Paromita Sengupta with bureau inputs