Union Minister for Education, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ yesterday virtually launched National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat). The programme will ensure that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27. The National Mission was launched in the presence of Minister of State, Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Smt. Anita Karwal, Secretary (SE&L), senior officers from the Ministry, all States and UTs, Senior Policy Makers, and Heads of Institutions. On this occasion, a short video, anthem, and NIPUN Bharat Guidelines were also launched. This Mission, which has been launched under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha, will focus on providing access and retaining children in foundational years of schooling; teacher capacity building; development of high quality and diversified Student and Teacher Resources/Learning Materials; and tracking the progress of each child in achieving learning outcomes.

Addressing the participants Shri Pokhriyal said that NIPUN Bharat aims to cover the learning needs of children in the age group of 3 to 9 years.  He said that teachers need to focus on every child for developing basic language; literacy and numeracy skills which will help them develop into better readers and writers. Thus, NIPUN Bharat envisages making the experience of learning at the foundational stage Holistic, Integrated, Inclusive, Enjoyable, and Engaging, he added.

The Minister underlined that the National Education Policy 2020 has laid down that attaining foundational literacy and numeracy for all children must become an immediate national mission. In keeping with this, the Department has developed a comprehensive guideline under NIPUN Bharat, through a series of intensive consultations with implementing partners, experts to make it flexible and collaborative, he added. Shri Pokhriyal said that it covers key technical aspects of foundational literacy and numeracy as well as the administrative aspects for effectively setting up an implementation mechanism at the National, State, District, Block, and School levels. He also informed that an approval of Rs 2688.18 crore has already been given under the Samagra Shiksha scheme to the States and UTs for implementation of the various interventions for the Foundational Stage in 2021-22.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Dhotre said that quality education is the bedrock of strong Nation-building and, foundational education in literacy and numeracy skills is its core component. The Minister stated that in the coming years, this mission will change the outlook of our school education, and will strongly impact 21^st Century India. Shri Dhotre stressed that NIPUN Bharat will not only help our students to take a big leap in their higher classes, but it will also have a major impact on making our students globally competitive.

The unique feature is that the goals of the Mission are set in the form of Lakshya Soochi or Targets for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. Although, the overall aim is to achieve the desired learning outcomes by the end of grade 3, however, in order to generate greater awareness among the parents, community, volunteers, etc. the Lakshyashas have been developed from Balvatika to Grade 3. The Laskhyas are based on the learning outcomes developed by the NCERT and international research and ORF studies. For example, a child should be able to read 45to 60 words per minute and at least 60 words per minute correctly by the end of Grade II and III respectively from an age-appropriate unknown text with comprehension and clarity.

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The success of NIPUN Bharat will primarily depend on teachers, so, there will be a special emphasis on the capacity building of teachers.  A special package for foundational literacy and Numeracy under NISHTHA is being developed by NCERT and around 25 lakh teachers teaching at pre-primary to primary grade will be trained this year on FLN. 

Following outcomes have been envisaged from the implementation of the goals and objectives of the NIPUN Bharat Mission:

• Foundational skills enable to keep children in class thereby reducing the dropouts and improve transition rate from primary to upper primary and secondary stages.
• Activity-based learning and a conducive learning environment will improve the quality of education.
• Innovative pedagogies such as toy-based and experiential learning will be used in classroom transactions thereby making learning a joyful and engaging activity.
• Intensive capacity building of teachers will make them empowered and provide greater autonomy for choosing the pedagogy.
• Holistic development of the child by focusing on different domains of development like physical and motor development, socio-emotional development, literacy and numeracy development, cognitive development, life skills, etc. which are interrelated and interdependent, which will be reflected in a Holistic Progress Card.
• Children to achieve steeper learning trajectories which may have positive impacts on later life outcomes and employment.
• Since almost every child attends early grades, therefore, focus at that stage will also benefit the socio-economic disadvantageous group thus ensuring access to equitable and inclusive quality education.

Thus, NIPUN Bharat is envisaged to support and encourage students, along with their schools, teachers, parents, and communities, in every way possible, to help realise the true potential of our children and propel the country to new heights.

Click below to access the presentation on NIPUN Bharat: 

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/jul/doc20217531.pdf

Click below to access NIPUN Bharat Guidelines:

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NIPUN_BHARAT_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf

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The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education released the Guidelines for Parent Participation in Home-based Learning during school closure and beyond.

'Guidelines for parent participation in home-based learning during school closure & beyond' drafted for parents & caregivers to provide information on the 'Why', 'What' & 'How-to' of participation in supporting children during school closure, irrespective of literacy levels.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/CnHaPJsdAB

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) June 19, 2021

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Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' in his tweet said that in this ‘new normal’ of the pandemic, considering parents' role as pivotal  to children's growth and learning, these Guidelines aim to provide information on the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘how-to’ of participation and engagement in supporting children during the school closure, irrespective of their literacy levels. Home is the first school, and parents are the first teachers, he added.

The guidelines on home based learning emphasize on the need for parents to create a safe and engaging environment and a positive learning environment, have realistic expectations from the child, take care of health and eat healthy, while at the same time having fun with children. These guidelines are meant not only for parents but also for caregivers, other family members, grandparents, community members, older siblings who all are engaged in promoting the welfare of children.

The guidelines provide many simple tips for parents and others to facilitate children in Home based learning. These suggestive activities are in accordance with the various stages of school education as per NEP 2020. Age-appropriate art activities have been categorized on basis of 5+3+3+4 system viz Foundation Stage (Age 3-8yrs); Preparatory Stage (Age 8-11 yrs); Middle Stage (Age 11-14yrs); and Secondary Stage: From Adolescent to Adult age (Age 14-18 years). The activities are simple and suggestive, which can be adapted and adopted to local needs and contexts.The Guidelines appreciate the role of Art as a therapy for children under stress or trauma.

The Guidelines lay significance on improving children's learning by monitoring and addressing their learning gaps. Collaboration of parents with teachers in documenting and reflecting on the progress that children are making in their learning is important for both teachers and parents.

The Guidelines also advise the schools to involve parents by providing information and ideas on helping students at home with homework and other curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning, and involving them in school decisions. Resources like sending Newsletters, emails, memos, etc. may be provided to parents.

Resources have been made available for Children with special needs which may be explored by the parents. They can approach teachers for guidance in this regard. There are other agencies, and organizations that provide facilitates Information about such avenues that could be sought from SMCs/Gram Panchayat, school administrators etc.

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A separate chapter has been included in the Guidelines for supporting parents with low/no literacy. Schools, teachers and volunteers may take the suggestive steps to provide support to low-literacy parents.

Click here to see the guidelines

On their official Twitter account, CBSE notifies about the collaboration and eventual launch of the ‘Innovation Ambassador’ programme. 

Nurturing young school students on problem-solving and critical thinking is very important. New Education Policy has also laid huge emphasis on promoting out-of-the-box thinking amongst students. To achieve this goal, the role of teachers becomes highly significant. The teachers should become mentors and guide these young minds in their pursuit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Thus, it is equally crucial for teachers to have adequate mentoring skills.

In order to strengthen the mentoring capacity of teachers for Nurturing and handholding ideas from students, CBSE in collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell and AICTE is launching the online ‘Innovation Ambassador Program’. In this program, the teachers shall be trained on the following four modules:

1. Design Thinking & Innovation

2. Idea generation & Ideal hand-holding 

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3. Intellectual Property Rights 

4. Product / Prototype development 

These modules will be offered free of cost to all the selected CBSE teachers. Upon successful completion of the training, these trained teachers shall be designated as ‘Innovation Ambassadors’.

Role of the ‘Innovation Ambassadors’:

• Help in creating the culture of Innovation in their respective schools.
• Mentor the teachers and students of their respective schools and nearby schools.
• Provide support to other schools as a resource person.
• Spread the message of innovation and start-ups among the students and faculties.
• Act as an evaluator for Idea Competitions conducted at the national level.
• Act as a Mentor for the national level program on Innovation and related activities.

Through this ‘Innovation Ambassador Program’, CBSE envisages to train 50,000 teachers (i.e. two/ three teachers per school) from all CBSE affiliated schools as ‘Innovation Ambassadors’. Thus, all CBSE affiliated schools should nominate four/five teachers from their school (in order of preference) for this program.

#CBSEforstudents #CBSE #AICTE pic.twitter.com/qpej0RLGWN

— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) June 15, 2021

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#CBSEforstudents #CBSE #AICTE pic.twitter.com/nUbmpfMNRu

— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) June 15, 2021

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A letter was issued on 8 June 2021 by the Education Ministry to Education Secretaries of all the States/UTs. The letter lay emphasis on developing an online module for compiling out-of-school children's data by each State/UT. 

Samagra Siksha’s one of the key components is bringing back ‘out of school’ children to school, this is also mandated in the Right to Education Act and NEP 2020. Under the RTE Act, it is mandatory for an appropriate government to see to the admission, attendance and completion of elementary school by every child.

It informs about the ways in which children of age 6-14 can be reinstated in their age-appropriate grades by bridging their learning gaps. To accomplish this, financial provisions have been made to arrange Special Training. For children of age 16-18 years and belonging to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups, financial assistance has been made available to continue their education through Open/Distance Learning mode. 

The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, has developed an online module to effectively assist in the path to bringing back out of school children to school. From each State/UTs, the data of all the identified out of school children need to be compiled along with the mapping of Special Training Centers on the PRABANDH portal. Guidelines for the Block Resource Centers and District Magistrate have been provided along with the directive to fulfil the assignment.

The Education Minister also posted on his official Twitter account pointing out the existing priority of the government towards every child of the country.

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Taking care of the every student of India is our Government’s top priority. Accordingly, The @DselEduMinistry developed an online module for compiling out-of-school children's data identified by each State/UT and map with Special Training Centres on the PRABANDH portal. pic.twitter.com/3CaqU6H2uO

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) June 11, 2021

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It is time for the most awaited award nominations to begin. The National Teacher Award 2021 self nomination commenced on 1 June 2021. Since 1958, on 5 September (Teacher's Day) every year, the President of India accords the National Teacher Award to the winner. This honour is bestowed upon the best and meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools in India.

According to the official website the online self nomination started on 1 June 2021 and can be submitted till 20 June 2021. Following the same, the District Selection Committee nominations to be forwarded to the State Selection Committee through online portal from 1 July to 15 July 2021. 

The eligibility criteria for teachers are as follows-

School teachers and Heads of Schools working in recognized primary / middle / high / higher secondary schools under the following categories:

• Schools run by State Govt./UTs Administration, schools run by local bodies, schools aided by State Govt. and UT Administration.
• Central Govt. Schools i.e. Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), Sainik Schools run by Ministry of Defence (MoD), Schools run by Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES) and Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) run by Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) (other than those at (a) and (b) above)
• Schools affiliated to Council for Indian Schools Certificate Examination (CISCE) (Other than those at (a), (b) and (c) above)
• Normally retired teachers are not eligible for the award but those teachers who have served a part of the calendar year (at least for four months i.e. upto 30th April in the year to which National Awards relate) may be considered if they fulfill all other conditions.
• Educational Administrators, Inspectors of Education, and the staff of training Institutes are not eligible for these awards.
• Teacher / Headmaster should not have indulged in tuitions.
• Only regular Teachers and Heads of Schools will be eligible.
• Contractual Teachers and Shiksha Mitras will not be eligible.

All the applications would be received through an online web portal. Every applicant shall submit a portfolio, online along with the Entry Form. The portfolio shall include relevant supporting material such as documents, tools, reports of activities, field visits, photographs, audios or videos etc.

Register now!

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https://nationalawardstoteachers.education.gov.in/

Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ approved the release of the guidelines for the Development of e-Content for Children with Disabilities, on 8 June 2021.

A comprehensive initiative, PM e-VIDYA was launched on 17th May 2020, with an aim to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education. The programme interaliaenvisages development of special e-content for the Divyang (Children with Disabilities-CwDs).  In pursuance of this vision, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education had constituted a Committee of experts, for recommending guidelines for developing e-content for these children.

For the first time, an attempt was made to prepare guidelines for CwD also referred to as Children with Special Needs (CWSN) children so that the goal of inclusive education is fulfilled. The Committee submitted a report titled “Guidelines for the Development of e-Content for Children with Disabilities” comprising of eleven Sections and two Appendices. This report was shared, presented, discussed and accepted by the MoE.

The salient highlights of the e- content guidelines in the report are:

• e-Content for CwDs should be developed based on the four principles namely: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
• e-Content including text, tables, diagrams, visuals, audios, videos etc. should comply with accessibility standards: national standards (GIGW 2.0) and international standards (WCAG 2.1, E-Pub, DAISY  etc).
• Distribution platforms on which content is uploaded (e.g. DIKSHA) and Reading platforms/devices on which content is accessed and interacted (e.g. e-pathshala) must comply with technical standards
• Reasonable pedagogical accommodations have been recommended to meet specific needs of CwDs
• The technical standards and guidelines have been detailed out in Section 4 of the report.

The Committee has also recommended that in a phased manner textbooks may be adapted into Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs). The content of ADTs should be provided in multiple formats (text, audio, video, sign language etc) with turn-on and turn-off features. Further ADTs should provide flexibility to CwDs to respond to its content/exercises in multiple ways. The detailed guidelines for developing ADTs along with existing international and national experience, in the development of prototypes including the recent NCERT’s experience: Barkha:A Reading Series for All (in print and digital forms),  Accessible Textbooks for All and UNICEF’s “Accessible Digital Textbooks using Universal Design for Learning ( for Learners with and without  Disabilities ) have been presented in Section 5 of the report.

• In addition to ADTs, in Sections 6 to 9 the Committee has recommended specific guidelines for development of supplementary e-Content as per 21 disabilities specified in the RPWD Act 2016 for students having Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Multiple Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Specific Learning Disabilities, Blindness, low vision, Deafness and Hard of Hearing and others.
• A summary of the recommendations has been presented in Section 10 of the report for sharing widely with content creators, content designers, developers, publishers.
• The implementation roadmap along with the suggestions to strengthen compliance to the accessibility guidelines have been presented in Section 11 of the report.
• Comprehensive guidelines and technical standards for the production of Sign Language videos have been provided at Appendix-1 of the Report.
• Universal Design for Learning( UDL)guidelines for content development and pedagogical accommodations are given in Appendix 2 of the report.

These guidelines will initiate the creation of high quality content for digital education to Children with Special needs. They are dynamic by nature, to be improved based on experience and advent of better technology.

click here for accessing the guidelines

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The 116-year old Arvind Mafatlal Group, one of India’s leading business groups, today announced its foray into the fast growing education technology and services space.  The group launched Uniform Junction, among India’s first, one-stop, integrated supply chain solution and platform for K12 schools. Mafatlal group will leverage its five plus decades’ of experience working with schools to supply uniforms (where it owns 85% market share in organized market) and extend its capabilities in school supply chain, to provide the widest and most comprehensive range of school products as well as academic and non-academic courses and empower schools to be future-ready.  

Uniform Junction has already partnered with 500 schools across India and looks to triple this number by the end of 2021 and enable over 50,000 schools with the best and most futuristic K12 student solutions in the next three years. Mafatlal Group has made an initial investment of USD 3 million in the new venture, to build a robust technology platform and a partner network of the best school product and service providers from across the globe.

Announcing the group’s foray, Priyavrata Mafatlal, MD & CEO of Mafatlal Industries and Co-founder & Director of Uniform Junction said, “Like many other companies, the pandemic and the lockdown last year provided ample time for us to look closer at our strengths and capabilities and how better we could leverage it, while addressing the most relevant needs of a fast changing world and society. At the same time we witnessed  up close how a vast majority of schools, especially those in the non-metro and tier I & II cities, that were otherwise among the most effective and efficient, grappled with the new norm, online learning and a need to go beyond regular academic curriculum. This experience and the sudden stagnation of the uniform business is what set us thinking and led to the birth of Uniform Junction.”

“Uniform Junction’s offering will for the first time provide schools the choice of integrating all their requirements for effective education services to K12 students with a single partner and focus on delivering quality education to students. More importantly, it will enable and equip schools in non-metro cities to gain access to the best in global and futuristic education & also be better prepared to adapt to the new National Education Policy”, he added.

Gagan Jain, Co-founder & CEO of Uniform Junction further elaborated, “We have built a robust technology platform, which will empower schools digitally, simplify supply chain for them & enable them to offer world class products to their students.  We are launching Uniform Junction with over 1000s of courses covering both academic and non-academic curriculum in the initial phase and we look to keep expanding this further. We also have a large and special focus on non-academic courses that allow for more holistic development of students such as mental health, physical wellness, sports team, soft skills, etc. that if inculcated early in students will make a marked difference to their early education and its outcome at a time when the teachers are also grappling with the new normal”

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India prides itself on the world’s largest K12 school system with more than 1.4 million schools and 250+ million students enrolled. Access and quality are the two biggest challenges faced by the Indian K12 system. Lack of proper infrastructure facilities, high pupil-teacher ratio and lack of trained teachers severely impact the quality of education imparted to students. The pandemic has further disrupted the education system and brought to the fore structural gaps in pedagogical knowledge and infrastructure to support online and hybrid models of future education. This situation has therefore compelled Indian education system and the players therein to reimagine the future of education.

About Arvind Mafatlal group:

The Arvind Mafatlal Group is a 115+ year old business house having interests in the diverse fields of Textiles, Rubber Chemicals, Information Technology, Real Estate, E-commerce and Healthcare. The Group holds a very strong ethos for values, technology, and adaptability, and has witnessed various stages of both consolidation and expansions over the years. Two of the flagship companies of the Group are Mafatlal Industries and NOCIL Limited, both of which are listed on the stock exchange.

Union Education Minister, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’  approved the release of Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States and Union Territories of India on 06 June 2021. The Government has introduced the Performance Grading Index with a set of 70 parameters to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.

The PGI for States and Union Territories was first published in 2019 with reference year 2017-18. The PGI : States/UTs for 2019-20 is the third publication in this series. The PGI exercise envisages that the index would propel States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes. The PGI helps the States/UTs to pinpoint the gaps and accordingly prioritise areas for intervention to ensure that the school education system is robust at every level.

Approved the release of Performance Grading Index 2019-20 which is designed to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education.
For details, visit https://t.co/kTvULvq7Ph pic.twitter.com/TkdleuYoGp

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) June 6, 2021

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Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20.

Most of the States/UTs have improved their grade in PGI 2019-20 compared to the earlier years.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have improved overall PGI score by 10%, i.e., 100 or more points.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Punjab have shown improvement by 10% (8 points) or more in the PGI domain: Access.

As many as thirteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (15 points) or more in the PGI domain: Infrastructure and Facilities. Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Odisha have shown improvement by 20% or more.

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Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Odisha have shown more than 10% improvement in the PGI domain: Equity.

Nineteen States and UTs have shown improvement by 10% (36 points) or more in the PGI domain: Governance Process. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal have shown improvement by at least 20% (72 points or more).

For details, see the link below.

https://www.education.gov.in/hi/statistics-new?shs_term_node_tid_depth=391

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The World Environment Day is being observed  on 5 June 2021 with the theme of ecosystem restoration, which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.  REIMAGINE. RECREATE. RESTORE are the key words for the celebrations this year. Contributing with the same spirit, Films Division is presenting Oasis of Hope, an online festival of films on environment on 5th and 6th June, 2021 to mark the important occasion.

The 2-day festival will consist of films that give strong message of reviving environment and reimagining the nature’s co-existence by suggesting various ways to restore the inseparable relationship of human being and nature. The streaming will be done on Films Division website and on You Tube channel.

The films in the special ‘green package’ are – The Jungle Man Loiya (21 Mins / Farha Khatun), a film that highlights the story of LoiyaNgamba, a nature lover from small hilly area in Manipur. For six years, Loiya stayed alone on the hill, building a dense forest, almost from scratch and created a green space for the local communities. It’s a story of reorienting man’s relationship with nature and building a culture of peaceful coexistence, Living the Natural Way (76min. /  Sanjib Parasar), a  story about Mishing tribes living on a small Brahmaputra island and how changing climate and environment has shattered and challenged their traditional way of living, Saalumarada Thimakka – The Green Crusader (43 Mins /  P. Rajendran) which features a self taught environmentalist of Karnataka, having no formal education. Saalumarada Thimakka is considered as a role model for environmentalists all over the world having planted hundreds of roadside trees, Climate Change (14 Mins / P. Ellappan), film on the perils of global warming and  climate change. My Son Neo (15 Mins / Eng /  S. Shanmuganathan), a film that poignantly portrays  how a five year old boy grows up amidst natural environment, loving all living beings and setting an example for others and Plastic World (7 Mins / Music /  Paushali Ganguli), an animation films that portrays the vast and arid dystopian landscape of the future, covered in plastic waste and also alerts against the hazardous effects of plastic on human life and environment.

The festival is being screened on www.filmsdivision.org/ “Documentary of the Week” and https://www.youtube.com/user/FilmsDivision throughout the day on 5th and 6th June, 2021.

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Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced that Government has decided to extend the validity period of Teachers Eligibility Test qualifying certificate from 7 years to lifetime with retrospective effect from 2011. The respective State Govts. /UTs will take necessary action to revalidate/issue fresh TET certificates to those candidates whose period of 7 years has already elapsed, he added.

Shri Pokhriyal said this will be a positive step in increasing the employment opportunities for candidates aspiring to make a career in the teaching field.

Validity period of Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) qualifying certificate has been extended from 7 years to lifetime with retrospective effect from 2011. https://t.co/8IQD3cwRTz (1/2) pic.twitter.com/EGi5IJ2wNu

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) June 3, 2021

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Teachers Eligibility Test is one of the essential qualifications for a person to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in schools. The Guidelines dated 11th February 2011 of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) laid down that TET would be conducted by the State Governments and the validity of the TET Certificate was 7 years from the date of passing TET.