“The Birds & The Bees Talk” in general it is that talk in which Parents explain & talk about Sexual relationship to their kids. People say, “Charity begins at home”. But basically, every good thing or beginning step of any education begins at home. This is because what we learn from home generally stays with us for long and it gets embedded within our souls. We try to follow it unknowingly. Sex education is not an exception in this case. Parents Dos and Don’ts on Sex Education: Indian parents are usually very judgmental of what should be discussed at home and what should be kept under covers. But can we really segregate that these are the things we should discuss at home and these are the things that we should refrain from? Well, right and wrong are basically relative terms. But of course the parents are somebody to decide what their children should know at what point of time. Indian Social Norms on Sex Education: In today’s world, with the increasing use of internet, it has become extremely difficult and sometimes impossible for the parents to monitor what their child is growing with each and every day. India is definitely one of those lands which run on the basis of Pre-conceived notions when it comes to the society. What the society will think of ourselves is more important to us than what we want ourselves to be and this malicious choice of priorities has casted its evil shadow not only on The Birds and The Bees Talk, but also on the ambitions of the youngsters. Sex & Education: A Natural Process : Diffusion, osmosis and photosynthesis are perhaps the most fundamental concepts that we have gained from our Biology books. But why should we learn about these natural processes if we are not allowed to learn about sex which is also the most fundamental natural phenomenon.Without sex, life would have been impossible on earth.Yet in today’s 21st century, Indian parents fail to understand the significance of sex education.Learning something from textbook and reference articles is very different from learning through discussions. Discussions are always more helpful than any kind of reading-writing procedure and if we have the same discussion with our family members then I can challenge that things will be more easy to understand and we will surely have a different kind of comfort level with each of our family members. Parent’s Thoughts on Sex Education: Whenever the word sex is uttered most of the people develop a sense of dirty feeling within their minds. What they fail to realize is that it’s the very cause of their own existence. A magazine displaying condom advertisement on its back cover is hidden away by the elders of the so-called cultured families.They tend to restrict each and every child of the family to keep away from such advertisements.Instead of doing such kind of meaningless activities if a person sits and talks with his or her daughter or son about the protective measures of a healthy sexual life then perhaps the society can become a better place to live in. Request to Parents on The Birds & The Bees Talk: It’s an earnest request to each of the parents round the world on my behalf—please allow your child to know the truth of his or her existence. With the accelerating curve of child sexual abuse, it is very important for each of the young hearts of the world to become cautious and aware of the surroundings. And if something unfortunate happens, your children must have a comfort level to share his or her dreadful experience with you. This can only be achieved through normal conversations on The Birds and The Bees—through words, through gestures or through games.
Science and technology has changed the outlook of the society and has shown its positive impacts in every sphere. The use of technology and modern equipments has been whole heartedly adopted by schools and has helped teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and monotonous lectures. Its role in schools has evolved with time, and has expanded the horizons of learning by matching international standards. Advantages of Technology Integration in Education: Technology integrated in education sphere, facilitates the student`s learning and boosts their capacity, productivity, and performance. It brings about positive changes in teaching methods which is at par with international standards. 1. Technology makes teaching easy: Boring long lectures and theoretical explanations often deteriorates the attention span of students and sucks the interest out of them. Audio-visual presentations, enable students to understand exactly how the knowledge is applied in practice and give makes the concept easier to understand. Projectors and computer presentations can be used to deliver any type of lesson or instruction and improve the level of comprehension within the class. 2. Technology helps in tracking a student`s progress: Some innovative software and applications like MyStudentsProgress and theTeacherCloud Progress Tracker are great online tools that enable schools and parents to determine the progress of the students. Instead of using old traditional techniques and manipulative methods, teachers rely on this new technology to have an update about every student. 3. Educational technology is good to the environment: It would be an eco friendly option to stop the use of papers and use digital textbooks in classrooms. Ebooks ad Ereaders are prevalent in today`s time, and it would be really convenient for a student to take exams online, and study via ebooks, instead of using pens and paper. This would reduce environmental pollution, as more trees could be saved. 4. Technology makes learning fun: Students are addicted to social media and internet from a very early age, which might turn out to be a harmful distraction. But teachers and parents can mold their inclination to spend time online for good purposes like making presentations, watching educational animated videos, writing and reading blogs, following TED talks, etc. Such activities can motivate a student to be innovative and inspire them to be constructive dreamers. 5. Technology makes distance learning more accessible: Distance learning or Distance education is one of the most trending learning methods. Virtual lessons are attaining greater importance than before and it is highly convenient for students. In case a student cannot afford to travel a long distance, or rather move out to another city, then they can easily enroll for courses on-line and gain the knowledge they are interested in. Working professionals can also opt for distance learning, to expand their knowledge without leaving their jobs. Online services are highly sought after, and the high quality video lectures and trained professionals available virtually, are at par with classroom education. 6. Students and teachers can easily access information at any time: Students can easily access newspapers, scientific articles, studies, and any other type of content online. They can write better, deeper academic papers because they can support and modify their arguments with references and ideas from all over the world. Students get instant information once they type the keywords online, irrespective of what time it is. Whereas, in old schools, students have to spend hours in the library to look for a single piece of information. Thus, technology saves a lot of time in this busy world, and makes the job much easier for students and teachers. 7. Technology makes collaboration easy: Online tools and apps offer a unique setting for students to engage in a group projects and participate in discussions with their teachers. They work from home, as the team is connected through the Internet and everyone is inspired by the focused environment. In case of any query, they can ask the teachers directly and gather instant help. Online collaboration gives every student an equal chance to participate, unlike traditional classroom settings, where only good students monopolize the discussion. Conclusion: The future of the educational system is practically determined by the development of technology and only proper technology can guide students towards greater understanding of all concepts covered in class. Thus, there should to be no second thoughts in accepting this positive change and digitalize education for the convenience of both teachers as well as students.
CBSE Moderation Policy & Latest Updates: Well, CBSE Moderation Policy or simply we can say it Marks Moderation Policy is basically a provision for providing Grace Marks. This policy states that if any student falling short of a few marks in CBSE Board Exams then by this policy provision he will get grace marks and he will be able to clear Board Exams. There is one more provision in this policy for providing Grace Marks to those students who have attempted very difficult questions and out of syllabus questions as CBSE provide different sets of Question Papers for same subject. How Marks Moderation Policy works: Marks moderation was introduced in the year 1992, during the time when different education boards across the country, were attempting to curb the disparity in the results and compensate the marks difference during a difficult paper or tougher set of questions on the same subject. After receiving several complaints about the difficulty level of a paper, the concerned board members would form an expert panel and decide the quantity of extra marks (which could go up to 15 %) to be provided to each student for such tougher questions. An expert in The Times of India report stated that, spiking the scores of below average students and awarding up to 10 extra marks for candidates who failed to achieve the qualifying score, was causing harm to an otherwise progressive policy of marks moderation. State boards like Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar have no such moderation policy while Goa, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu follow this provision to improve and redeem their overall pass percentage in the state. This serves to be unfair for those candidates, who inspite of working just as hard are not able to clear the cut-off for admissions in colleges nor are they able to meet the criteria of getting selected in universities abroad. Reason behind abolishment of CBSE Moderation Policy: Eventually, this policy has created a lot of controversies as it resulted in inflation of students who score more than 95 per cent marks. Hence, in order to curtail the percentage of students scoring more than 95% marks, CBSE decided to banish the marks moderation policy this year. But, since the other state boards retained the pattern, it was bound to lead the C.B.S.E students at a disadvantage. Thus, the declaration of the class 12 C.B.S.E 2017 results was postponed, as according to the orders of the Delhi High Court, the moderation policy was to be followed by the next academic session. Latest Updates on CBSE Moderation Policy: After long debates and rebuttal, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) along with 32 other boards have finally planned to do banish the moderation policy or grace mark system for the upcoming session, to ensure uniformity in the grading system. HRD Ministry has issued an advisory to all State Boards regarding this policy. In this advisory, it is clear that States can provide Moderate Marks only when there the mistake in Question Paper or it is not clear. In this advisory States are asked for suggestions on making a Standard formula for Question Paper Assessment by 31-Oct-2017.
Recently in different parts of country like Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Bengaluru and in other cities also, Parents are protesting against Fee hike by Schools Annoyed by rapidly hike in school fees. A few parents of Whitefield, Bengaluru decided to launch a School on their own, which will be managed by Parents only. The School will be run on ‘no profit, no loss’ model. One of the Whitefield, Bengaluru resident, Software Engineer by profession with the help of other parents are planning to open their own school. At present they are about 20 members in committee. Anybody who want to join them can fill a form on Google website. They are now looking for land to set up School. They said that they will prefer if government provide land for their school and they are also working on If Corporates or NGO’s can help them or a land owner which can give land on lease at minimum cost. Parents and their committee is planning to register the school as a trust and run it. In India school education system is very costly and every year Schools are raising their fees. Every year parents do complaints against schools and do protest. A report in 2015 by The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India, ASSOCHAM, stated that the costs of private school education in the last decade have increased at a pace faster than incomes, showing a 150% hike between 2005 and 2015. The report further stated that the cost of educating a child in a private school has risen from Rs 55,000 in 2005 to Rs 1,25,000 per annum in 2015. An estimated 3 crore children in the country study in private schools, says the survey. In Bengaluru, Committee of School Trust will decide the fee of students and all the expenses and accounts will be transparent. If there is any profit then it will be used in school development and in teachers’ salaries hike. Parents are initiating new school models. In a developing country like India education system should be focused on quality education. Because development of any country depends on the education of that country. So in a developing country education should be affordable so every child can get education and can contribute to society and the nation. Above mentioned some stats show that quality education in India is so expensive that common man can not provide best education for their kids. So Schools should provide quality education to students in affordable fees. So every child can get better education. The decision of opening a school by Bengaluru parents show that time has come when schools have to focus on education not on money making. Hope this type of initiative will make a difference in Indian Education System and will make Big Schools to rethink about their fees and policies.
In this article, Sridhar Rajagopalan, Managing Director of Educational Initiatives, suggests 10 initiatives that can help transform the quality of education in India. Most of the steps needed to transform the quality of education in India do not require policy change or a new educational policy. Yet, these steps are not getting taken because there is no visible crisis pushing us to act. Only a few points in my list below – like the creation of a cadre of Indian education civil services, replacing the policy of schools within a kilometre of every habitation with a free transport to the nearest school policy – are policy-level issues. Initiative 1: Make the problem visible Regular assessments are needed to measure progress in learning and make the current levels visible in a way that can be understood widely. India should participate regularly in international assessments like Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Programme for International Student Assessment so as to set goals and benchmark its performance and progress. The quality of national assessments should be improved and third party assessors like Annual Status on Education Report and Educational Initiatives should be encouraged to provide periodic feedback. The District Information System for Education (DISE)1 system should be upgraded to a ‘Student Progress Tracking System’ which will track learning levels of individual children and provide diagnostic data to serve as a basis for improvement to schools and teachers. Initiative 2: Build systemic and institutional capacity The biggest problem in the educational system today is a severe shortage of capacity. Consider two initiatives – the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). Few people disagree that these initiatives are based on sound principles and good ideas. Yet, many – some may say most – well-intentioned ideas do not achieve their goals due to people across the system not having the required skills. In the case of the TET test, pass percentages have been between 1% and about 15% and the initiative has not had the intended impact. It raises questions both on our teacher training capacity and also the capacity to understand and execute the assessments successfully. Strengthening research on learning is the first step and only long-term solution to this crisis. I recommend establishing a ‘science of learning’ centre, either as a part of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) or as a separate institute, with a mission of promoting research on how children learn. This institute can undertake research on reading, elementary mathematics, intelligent teaching systems and assessments. However, research needs an ecosystem and we now need to kick-start such an ecosystem. We recommend the creation of a research fund (similar to the American National Science Foundation Fund), which will provide grant support for innovation to take root and grow in research institutions non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private players based on their track record and quality of research, and direct research towards areas of national and state priorities. Initiative 3: Establish a reading mission If we can ensure that 80% of our children can read and write well in any one language by the time they are nine years old, we would have solved 80% of our educational problems. Reading has to become a focus area of both action and measurement and a movement which involves all. A national-level centre for reading research is more important for India than any Indian Institute of Technology and is not so difficult to create. Specialised training programmes need to be created for teachers on reading skill development and measurement. Reading tests need to be made available on computers, tablets and mobile phones so that parents can determine the reading levels of their children. Initiative 4: Build teacher and head teacher capacity Starting with regular assessments of teacher needs which will determine individual gaps/needs in teachers, high-quality training programmes need to be deployed for teacher training. Information and Communication Technology should be used as a tool to provide many of these courses on an on-demand basis. The resources available in the National Repository of Open Education Resources (and other open education resources) should be moderated by experts to ensure that high-quality resources – including videos, teaching material and assessment questions – are available to every teacher. Rather than depending solely on government organisations like the NCERT to create all this material, this work should be carried out through ‘request for proposals’ that would allow talented individuals and organisations to participate and contribute. Initiative 5: Change the goal post by reforming board exams to test understanding, not recall India’s rote-based Board Exams are a source of the learning crisis observed even in primary schools. The focus on students, parents and teachers is on maximising exam marks and not on learning, which needs to be corrected by having Board Exams that measure learning. This is not difficult to do because there are so many exams that can serve as a benchmark for this change. Initiative 6: Invest in technology for education Hand-in-hand with educational research inherent in all the initiatives above, there is a need to research and develop ways to use technology to drive the change we desire. The focus should not be on installing hardware but creating new, high-quality content such as intelligent teaching systems and tools that will help students to hone basic skills like reading and mathematics, and developing content in multiple Indian languages. ICT-based remediation programmes should be encouraged, in which the service provider is reimbursed based on the measured student improvement. ICT should also be used to track teacher attendance. Free high-speed internet connections can be provided to all schools through a simple scheme by which the government reimburse internet service providers directly. Initiative 7: Introduce school-based practices for learning improvement This includes initiatives like monthly tests in school with academic support from State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) or District Institute of Educational Research and Training (DIET) and quarterly parent-teacher meeting days which encourage parents to visit schools and build a…