Education

Nature Kindergartens

Claire Warden explores an example of a nature kindergarten in Scotland in order to stimulate discussion around what a nature-based model in India might look like.

Published

3 years ago

March 26, 2019

Claire Warden

A nature kindergarten is a model of early years education that has evolved through Germanic and Scandinavian traditions of outdoor nurseries for children from 2 to 5 years old. However, there are also many other models of nature-based education we can explore that embrace the same underlying values of nature pedagogy (Warden 2018), but which are culturally and climatically situated in other parts of the world. This article explores an example of a nature kindergarten in Scotland in order to stimulate discussion around what a nature-based model in India might look like.

In 2006, Mindstretchers founded the first nature kindergarten in Scotland. It was called Whistlebrae and operated as a site of innovation to drive change in people’s awareness and understanding of nature-based models of early education. It developed conversations with the authorities responsible for licencing early education and care by providing a tangible context for those conversations; it drew people from across the globe to see and feel how a nature kindergarten model operated; it provided a situation to engage in dialogue to determine which educational models may be culturally relevant to Scotland; and it provided a framework for professionals to question and explore the values and beliefs in the pedagogy of practice – a process which ultimately became my PhD in nature pedagogy.

Throughout the world, there have always been people who place nature centrally to their lives, and now the number of educational settings that embrace the teachings of the natural world in their day-to-day practice has increased to a level that is growing exponentially. There are many different types or models of settings that are nature-based and they have evolved in their own cultural locations and are therefore affected by climate and curriculum. They have a wide range of names, such as Schogsmulle (Sweden); Barneharge (Norway); Waldkindergarten (forest kindergarten in Germany); Nature kindergartens (UK); Nature pre-schools (USA), but they all provide children with immersive experiences in the natural world. All of these settings share a connection and similarity in their work, in that they embrace the values of nature pedagogy (Warden 2011, 2015, 2018). I define nature pedagogy as a relational pedagogy that embraces the art of being with nature inside, outside and beyond (2018: 2).

When nature pedagogy is fully embedded in practice, it is manifested as a way of working with children and families that creates settings for care and education that embrace nature and place it at the heart of their values. Its impact is all-encompassing, from the biophilic educational environments, to the child-centred process of assessment and planning, through to the active learning journeys that we encourage children and families to take to support the children to be sustainable in their thoughts and actions (Warden 2012:7). The range of models around the world can be placed along a continuum of practice based on the amount of time they spend in contact with the natural world in their day-today practice. Our definition of a nature kindergarten is that it sits at the end of the continuum where nature pedagogy is integrated into everything, in order to create a sustainable way of educating children that brings together the health of the mind, body and spirit with education and the need to teach skills, concepts and knowledge. Models such as forest school or nature clubs are more reductionist, as only blocks of time are spent in the forest, rather than fully embracing a pedagogy for day-today living and learning. In practice that means that our current nature kindergarten, Auchlone Nature Kindergarten, is the manifestation of our nature-based, pedagogical values of love, hope and justice. We support place-based learning as it gives us cultural identity and a history-making potential that is valued by children and families.

The programming is mindful of children’s authentic experiences across three nominal spaces to ensure connection and relevance – inside the setting, outside in the outdoor area and beyond the fence to learn with the community and natural landscapes around the setting. The Auchlone site has a homestyled inside area in a 19th Century stone house; and a landscape designed by children with hills, sandcastle, hiding spaces, small pond and mud area. This links seamlessly to the area beyond the fence where the natural landscape of fields and forests exists on nature’s terms, not cleaned up, ordered or tidied. At Auchlone, children can be outside 70-100% of the time all year round, five days a week if they want to be. The staff are trained to work inside or outside. Given the damp climate here in Scotland, we sometimes settle in an open-fronted kinder kitchen that allows daily cooking, provides warmth from a log stove and light from a child-created, stick candelabra. It is in this space, where we stay in our outdoor clothes, that we develop a real sense of community, resting after a strenuous walk or sharing our tales of risk and adventure.

There are many routines that are often the backbone of our daily and seasonal rhythms – collecting wood for the fire, harvesting food, making our felt slippers, packing backpacks for our journeys, designing and making forts and shelters and celebrating the joy and love of it all through story, song, writing, drawing and making artefacts.

The planning and programming of the nature kindergarten model stems from social constructivism, where we create a balance of adult intentionality with children’s voices and theories. We use Participatory Planning through Floorbooks (Warden 1996) to combine four voices. The first is to raise and honour children’s voices; the second is the voice of the natural world as an authentic context, the third is the professional analysis which tracks the learning journey that evolves over time; and the fourth is the parent or carer who creates a link from the home to the education setting. Given that nature pedagogy embraces the natural world, we use the elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water to guide our fascinations and project inquiries. This lends itself easily to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.), as many great thinkers, such as Edison, took inspiration from the natural world.

There are those who suggest that there is an unrealistic, romantic notion of childhood and nature that we seek to support in a nature kindergarten. My research (Warden 2018) suggests that although childhoods are indeed situated and complex, there is a purity in the moment where a child studies a worm or is fascinated by water droplets on a leaf, that exists below these larger cultural worlds. The unspoken question is around whether these models of nature immersion, such as nature kindergartens, are relevant in other climates and cultures, and do they have relevance in the urban landscapes where many of us live.

The answer lies in our understanding of the pedagogical values, not simply a site or name, but in the interconnectedness all the models have with nature pedagogy. An experience that uses nature as the context for learning inside or outside; a setting that seeks to be sustainable by embracing holistic learning of the mind, body and soul; a place that allows children to connect to animals and plants on a regular basis; an environment that embraces biophilic design in the décor – these aspects are not about the sites but about the situations we want to encounter. A flower vase on a children’s dining table, gentle tones of colour in the furnishings, images of the natural world on the walls, the sound of birdsong inside – all have a positive effect on the emotional wellbeing of young children, as well as the intellectual and physical benefits they offers. This is the holistic world of nature pedagogy and it can be applied anywhere.

Adults are key to the quality and intentionality of the education of young children. Auchlone Nature Kindergarten has received the highest ratings from the Scottish inspectorate for care and education. As an educational entrepreneur, my focus was to achieve this status so people could clearly see evidence that children could engage in high quality learning outside the walls of a setting. This quality of interaction was achieved through staff training in nature pedagogy that supports them to understand and connect to how to learn with nature, rather than just being in it, or learning about it. The pedagogy and landscape have become intertwined in a way that they work seamlessly together. Children and families feel this when they come to be with us – it’s a relational pedagogy that places value on all living and non-living aspects of the natural world. The staff/child ratios we work with are 1:8 for 3- to 5- year-olds and this doesn’t alter across the three spaces unless we are near water, as we don’t perceive there to be more hazards outside, in fact the reverse is normally the case!

We have built on Gill’s (2007) work, so that the risk management process records children’s voices and their ideas as the stake holders, and includes dynamic risk assessments that change daily and residual risk assessments that are written up for the site itself and the experience offered. Rather than risk assessments preventing adventure, we suggest that they enable us to think collectively as a team and therefore support us to give children the freedom they seek.

The physicality and complexity of the nature kindergarten model allows the body, brain and soul to grow. The range of simple materials provides complex learning through a range of provocations that authentically emerge from the context. The potential of nature’s store cupboard has been celebrated by theorists such as Montessori, Froebel and Pestalozzi, who give us a framework to understand the place of nature in children’s lives.

There is a rising interest in naturebased models of early education around the world. However, rather than impose one possibly inappropriate model on top of a culture context, it is vital to create place-based models that draw on culture and context to shape and define them, whilst holding onto core values and guiding principles that connect us as a profession. My husband and I founded a charity in 2010 called Living Classrooms, which was designed to bring learning alive for marginalised groups. This now runs the International Association of Nature Pedagogy, which is a free professional association that seeks to connect practitioners globally who believe in nature-based practices. The focus has tended to be towards Germanic and Scandinavian immersion models, such as nature kindergartens or forest schools, however there are many, many ways of engaging with the natural world that are rooted in Indigenous pedagogies or other cultures that embrace different ways of knowing and being with the natural world. The association seeks to embrace rather than segregate people into separate silos defined by names, and to connect them through debate and research about how to learn with nature, hence the term nature pedagogy.

When we view nature pedagogy as a way of being with nature, we can start with whatever nature we can access. It may be the park, the vegetable stall at the market, the weed in the pavement – it all has potential for learning. It is how we enter a relationship with it, to care about it, to respect it, to gather it in a sustainable way, to understand the natural world, that is the key to raising it as an invaluable element of the learning process. It is this relationship that lies at the heart of models of nature immersion, such as nature kindergartens, so it can take place anywhere – urban or rural, hot or cold, wet or dry!

International consultant Claire Warden is Director Mindstretchers, Founder Living Classrooms Charity and International Association of Nature Pedagogy.

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Education

Participate in the #UNESCO4Literacy Photo Contest

To celebrate International Literacy Day (8 September 2022), UNESCO New Delhi Office is launching a social media campaign #UNESCO4Literacy with a Photo Contest to support, value, and appreciate the small, but significant learning spaces found in our daily lives.

Published

5 hours ago

August 19, 2022

Team ScooNews

Learning spaces are everywhere; in school, out of school, in homes, parks, internet, and community. Wielded thoughtfully, learning spaces and inclusive environments have a very real potential to bring about change and the creation of learning opportunities in India.

To celebrate International Literacy Day (8 September 2022), UNESCO New Delhi Office is launching a social media campaign #UNESCO4Literacy with a Photo Contest to support, value, and appreciate the small, but significant learning spaces found in our daily lives.

Contest

On 8 September 2022, the UNESCO Office in New Delhi will announce a total of three winners from the following three categories on our social media, with special honorary mentions of the author/institution. The winning photographs will be displayed at the UNESCO New Delhi premises and will also be exhibited at UNESCO’s launch of its ‘State of the Education Report for India 2022’ to be held at the Maurya Sheraton on 20 September 2022. They will also be featured on UNESCO New Delhi’s website as well as on all UNESCO official social media platforms. The winners will also receive a copy each of UNESCO New Delhi’s two flagship photo publications!

Submissions

The contest is open to all Indian Nationals.

Post a photo related to your chosen category on your social media, along with a caption, and tag our social media account: @unesconewdelhi
Your post must include the hashtag #UNESCO4Literacy
Photographs must also be submitted under the chosen category(s), with your name and residing country along with a short description. Please mail your entries to: [email protected]
The last date for receiving the entries is 28 August 2022, 23:59 IST.

For full information on the eligibility and the selection process, click here.

Background

UNESCO works to enrich and transform existing learning spaces and enable lifelong learning environments. While the school enrollment rate in India drops to 56.6% by the end of secondary education and more and more children drop out of school; as the pandemic continues, nearly 24 million learners in the world may never return to formal education.

Despite the disconnection of students from schools and classrooms, not all learning is about formal learning. With the belief that “learning how to learn” is as important as proficiency in a subject matter itself, UNESCO is launching this photo contest with the aim of raising awareness of potential literacy learning spaces that can be found everywhere in our daily lives.

For any further information, please contact:
Rekha Beri: [email protected]
Joyce Poan: [email protected]
Isha Vig: [email protected]

Education

National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) celebrates 28th Foundation Day

National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) celebrated its 28th Foundation Day in New Delhi on 17th August 2022.

Published

1 day ago

August 18, 2022

Team ScooNews

National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) celebrated its 28th Foundation Day in New Delhi yesterday. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education Smt. L. S. Changsan was the Guest of Honor on the occasion. Chairperson NCTE, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani; Member Secretary NCTE, Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa, and senior officials of the Ministry of Education attended the event.

Smt. L.S Changsan appreciated NCTE for the reforms in the Teacher Education sector through various NEP mandates. Some of the initiatives have been the National Professional Standards for Teachers, National Mission for Mentoring, and 4 Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme.

While addressing the gathering Prof. Saklani said that teachers play an important role in the growth of a society. The Foundation Day of NCTE is about celebrating the revolution in the system by equipping the teachers with relevant 21st Century skills. He also mentioned the role of teachers in ancient Universities like Takshila and Nalanda and the need to stay connected with our Indian Values and Culture.

Ms. Kesang Y. Sherpa in her welcome address said that the NCTE is bringing a paradigm shift in the field of Teacher Education by introducing various NEP2020 mandates. In alignment with NEP 2020, Teachers are at the center of reforming education. She also quoted, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

Education

Citizen Survey for Preparing Curriculum for New India

Ministry of Education has invited suggestions of the public through an online public consultation survey for the formulation of the National Curriculum Framework and subsequently design of syllabus, textbooks, and other instructional materials.

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2022

Team ScooNews

Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged citizens to participate in the Citizen Survey for National Curriculum Framework for developing a new curriculum. A dynamic National Curriculum Framework in line with the NEP 2020 will play a major role in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat he added. He further said that the development of a vibrant, dynamic, inclusive, and futuristic National Curriculum Framework is essential for integrating cultural-rootedness along with a global outlook, freeing education from a colonial hangover, and instilling a deeper sense of pride in our next generations.

Development of a vibrant, dynamic, inclusive and futuristic National Curriculum Framework is essential for integrating cultural-rootedness along with global outlook, freeing education from colonial hangover and instilling a deeper sense of pride in our next generations.
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) August 16, 2022

The Government of India announced the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 on 29th July 2020, which recommends quality improvement of the system of education through the development of a National Curriculum Framework (NCF). The process of the National Curriculum Framework has been started through the constitution of the District Consultation Committees, State Focus Groups, State Steering Committee, National Focus Groups, National Steering Committee, etc.

A tech platform – website and mobile app has been developed for the execution of the work at scale and in a paperless manner. Using the bottom-up approach, district-level consultations, mobile app-based surveys, and state-level consultations through State Focus Groups and State Steering Committee have been conducted by the States and UTs to reach out the stakeholders like parents, Anganwadi workers, teachers, teacher educators, students, etc. at the grassroots level and collect their views and opinion about the future of school education, early childhood care, and education, teacher education, and adult education.

At the national level also the National Focus Groups and National Steering Committee have been engaged to deliberate on various issues and concerns, including the interaction with various ministries, autonomous bodies, NGOs, Corporates, Philanthropic agencies, etc. for collecting and collating valuable inputs for formulation of NCF. A mandate document for the formulation of NCF has been developed for guiding the stakeholders in the process.

Given the diversity in the country, providing an opportunity to every stakeholder, who may or may not necessarily be a parent or a teacher or a student and willing to participate in the transformation of the education system in India, through sharing views on common concerns related to education, is the need of the hour. Such multiple and diverse views are likely to provide a practical road map for the smooth implementation of the vision of NEP 2020.

All stakeholders including teachers, headmasters/principals, school leaders, educationists, parents, students, community members, NGOs, experts, public representatives, artists, artisans, farmers, and anybody who has an interest in school education and teacher education are invited to participate in this online survey being conducted in 23 languages, including the languages in the VIII Schedule of our Constitution.

Join us and take the online survey and contribute to the creation of a robust, resilient, and coherent ecosystem of education in India. Click on the link to take the online survey now: https://ncfsurvey.ncert.gov.in

Education

Education for Girls

Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing ‘Samagra Shiksha’, for universalization of quality education throughout the country in coordination with the States and UTs.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 2, 2022

Team ScooNews

Pixabay

Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and the majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of the State Government. Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing a centrally sponsored Integrated Scheme for School Education ‘Samagra Shiksha’, effective from 2018-19, for universalization of quality education throughout the country in coordination with the States and UTs. Bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of the Samagra Shiksha. From the year 2018-19 to 2020-21, the Drop-out rate of girls at the Secondary level decreased from 17.03% to 13.7%, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the secondary level increased from 76.93 to 79.45, and GER at the higher secondary level has increased from 50.84 to 54.65. (Source: UDISE+).

Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision for gender-segregated toilets in all schools. As per UDISE+ 2020-21, 97.45% of Government schools have gender-segregated toilets. Also, there is a provision of a Composite School Grant which may be used for annual maintenance and repair of existing school buildings, toilets, and other facilities to upkeep the infrastructure in good condition.

School Health Programme, under Ayushman Bharat which is a joint collaborative initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and DoSEL, Ministry of Education, a module on ‘Growing up Healthy’ has been incorporated, which interalia includes information on physical challenges during adolescence and attaining puberty.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is implementing the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) as part of the National Population Education Project (NPEP). One of the learning outcomes of AEP is to make the learners aware of the concerns of adolescence, i.e. process of growing up during adolescence, and to inculcate in them a positive attitude regarding these concerns.

Additionally, vide a joint letter of Secretary, DoSEL, and Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti dated 08.03.2022, the states have been advised to utilize funds earmarked for Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and management of menstrual waste under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase-II at the village level, for installation or maintenance of incinerators in schools having girls from classes VI to XII and for creating awareness on MHM among adolescent girls and in the society in general.

Moreover, all States and UTs have been requested to take necessary steps to create awareness amongst adolescent girls in schools about the safe usage and the benefits of Sanitary Napkins. It has also been communicated that subsidized sanitary napkins are available at the Jan Aushadi Kendras set up by the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers, Government of India.

Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in the Educationally Backward Blocks, which are residential schools for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority, and Below Poverty Line (BPL). KGBVs were functional for classes 6^th to 8^th under the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Under Samagra Shiksha, a provision has been made to upgrade/converge the KGBVs with girls hostels to cover girls up to classes 10^th (Type II) and 12^th (Type III) to reduce dropout and enhance enrolment of girls at Secondary and Higher Secondary levels. In KGBVs, specific skill training is imparted to provide need-based vocational education to girls.

Further, Special State Specific Projects for varied interventions under equity are emphasized for enhancing access, retention, and quality of girls by promoting enrolment drives, retention and motivation camps, gender sensitization modules, etc. Financial Support is also being provided under State Specific projects as per the allocation of flexi funds under quality to the state subject to viable proposals received from the respective State and UTs. Such projects include Life Skills, Awareness programmes, Incinerators, Sanitary Pad Vending Machines etc.

Moreover, Samagra Shiksha aims at integrating Vocational Education with general academic education in all Secondary/Senior Secondary schools including KGBVs; enhancing the Employability and Entrepreneurial abilities of the students, providing exposure to working environment; and generating awareness amongst students about various career options so as to enable them to make a choice in accordance with their aptitude, competence, and aspirations.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 1st August 2022.

Education

Salient Features of NEP-2020

The National Education Policy 2020 proposes various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 2, 2022

Team ScooNews

Ministry of Education, Government of India

National Education Policy 2020 was announced on 29.07.2020. The National Education Policy 2020 proposes various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education. A number of action points/activities for implementation in school education as well as higher education are mentioned in the National Education Policy 2020. Details of the salient features of NEP 2020 are as follows-

Ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12;
Ensuring quality early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years;
New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4);
No hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams;
Establishing National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy;
Emphasis on promoting multilingualism and Indian languages; The medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language.
Assessment reforms – Board Exams on up to two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if desired;
Setting up of a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development);
Equitable and inclusive education – Special emphasis is given to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs);
A separate Gender Inclusion fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups;
Robust and transparent processes for recruitment of teachers and merit based performance;
Ensuring availability of all resources through school complexes and clusters;

(xiii) Setting up of State School Standards Authority (SSSA);

(xiv) Exposure to vocational education in school and higher education system;

Increasing GER in higher education to 50%;

(xvi) Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education with multiple entry/exit options;

NTA to offer Common Entrance Exam for Admission to HEIs;
Establishment of Academic Bank of Credit;

(xix) Setting up of Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs);

Setting up of National Research Foundation (NRF);

(xxi) ‘Light but Tight’ regulation;

The single overarching umbrella body for the promotion of the higher education sector including teacher education and excluding medical and legal education- the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)-with independent bodies for standard setting- the General Education Council; funding-Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC); accreditation- National Accreditation Council (NAC); and regulation- National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC);
Expansion of open and distance learning to increase Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER).
Internationalization of Education
Professional Education will be an integral part of the higher education system. Stand-alone technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities, or institutions in these or other fields, will aim to become multi-disciplinary institutions.
Teacher Education – 4-year integrated stage-specific, subject-specific Bachelor of Education
Establishing a National Mission for Mentoring.
Creation of an autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, and administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education.
Achieving 100% youth and adult literacy.
Multiple mechanisms with checks and balances will combat and stop the commercialization of higher education.
All education institutions will be held to similar standards of audit and disclosure as not-for-profit entities.
The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
Strengthening of the Central Advisory Board of Education to ensure coordination to bring overall focus on quality education.

NEP 2020 aims to increase the GER to 100% in preschool to secondary level by 2030 whereas GER in Higher Education includes vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035.

The Central Sector Scheme Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) was launched in 2014 to address comprehensively all issues related to Teacher Training/ Capacity Building and Professional Development of Teachers. Under the components, a total of 95 Centres were established throughout the country through which faculties/Teachers have been trained. Currently, The Standing Finance Committee has appraised the Scheme and recommended it for continuation till 2025-2026 with a total outlay of Rs. 493.68 crores. Under the PMMMNMTT Scheme Centres are established on the basis of the proposals received from education institutions, their screening by the Screening Committee, and approval by the Project Approval Board.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 1st August 2022.

Here is a set of infographics highlighting the fundamental principles of National Education Policy 2020:

Education

Ministry of Education organises National Workshop on Achieving Learning Outcome

The Ministry of Education organized the National Workshop on Post National Achievement Survey (NAS) in the august presence of Smt. Annpurna Devi, MoS for Education here.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 29, 2022

Team ScooNews

The Ministry of Education organized the National Workshop on Post-National Achievement Survey (NAS) in the august presence of Smt. Annpurna Devi, MoS for Education here on 28th July 2022. Smt. Anita Karwal, Secretary, of DoSE&L, and senior officials from the Ministry of Education attended the workshop. The Minister also released the Mobile application of the National Achievement Survey which is available on the Android Play Store.

Smt. Annpurna Devi said that education is the foundation for the development of humanity. The economic, social, cultural, and scientific progress of human society depends on how educated and knowledgeable that society is. The Minister said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, evidence-based research is being promoted to make education future ready. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 will provide the foundation for such interventions. She said that we have to take such measures so that the pace of education of the children not only reaches the pre-pandemic level, but can also compensate for the loss they have suffered during this period. She added that we need to make short-term, mid-term, and long-term strategies to achieve this. She congratulated the Officials of the Ministry, NCERT, State Education Secretaries, and SPDs for the smooth conduct of NAS 2021 and the timely release of the Report Card.

Smt. Anita Karwal said that teachers should identify the stage of learning for students so that transactions can be designed based on the needs of students. She further said that States should have State level Achievement Survey (SLAS) next year based on the experience of the National achievement survey by the Education Ministry. She further stated that teachers should emphasize various learning modes other than the textbooks. They should not use books as the only tool rather than explore other modes. There is a need to explore fun-based learning, she added.

Prof. Indrani Bhaduri gave a brief presentation on the Conduct of the National Achievement Survey 2021 and the release of National, State, and District Report Card. She provided the roadmap for post NAS interventions. She stated that the National Achievement Survey is a large-scale survey that has been conducted in India since 2001 periodically to assess children’s learning levels and gain an insight into the health and efficacy of the educational system. The latest cycle of NAS was conducted in November 2021 and assessed the learning levels of Class 3, 5, 8, and 10 students drawn from 720 districts of all the States and UTs of India.

The extensive reporting of the survey findings at the level of the district, state, and nation provides a detailed understanding of the learning achievement of children across India. The core aim of the programme was to disseminate the findings of the NAS 2021 among the state dignitaries and to have deliberations on the roadmaps that all the States/UTs have developed as a part of the intensive Regional workshops conducted during the month of July 2022 across the nation. The Road maps that the States/UT prepared elaborate on the post NAS interventions that the State/UT intend to implement as a follow-up of the findings of NAS for their particular State/UT.

The post NAS intervention is a crucial post-survey phase that focuses on the optimal utilization of the survey findings to inform the actions and steps that can be taken to enhance the learning levels of children. There were dedicated presentations and discussions on Learning Outcomes developed by NCERT and the grass root level interventions at the Block, Cluster, and District levels. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Ladakh, Manipur, and Karnataka gave brief roadmap presentations to guide the post-NAS 2021 interventions.

Dr. Amarendra Behera from NCERT briefly explained the Vidya Samiksha Kendra and Sh Rajnish Kumar, Director (Digital Education) introduced the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) to the group of education administrators. Sh Ravi Hedge, DDG (Stats) presented strategies for Out of School Children.

The Additional Chief Secretary (Education), Principal Secretaries, State Education Secretaries, State Project Directors of Samagra Shiksha of State/UT Government, and several officials from NCERT, CBSE, KVS, NVS, and SCERT participated in the National Workshop. The theme was improving the students’ learning outcomes through technology and data.

Education

Andhra Pradesh takes another step towards Quality Education

Andhra Pradesh Government has signed an MoU with BYJU’S, an ed-tech company to provide quality-oriented content for the government school students from 4th to 10th standard on Thursday

Published

2 months ago

June 17, 2022

Team ScooNews

STUDENTS FROM CLASSES 8 TO 10 TO BE GIVEN TABS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING COSTING Rs 500 CRORE TO PROVIDE TABS TO ABOUT 4.7 LAKH PEOPLE
CM JAGAN GOVT SIGNS MOU WITH BYJU’S TO PROVIDE QUALITY CONTENT FROM 4TH TO 10TH STANDARD GOVT SCHOOLS STUDENTS
AP GOVT TO PROVIDE TABS TO ALL GOVERNMENT SCHOOL STUDENTS STUDYING AT 8TH STAND, SAYS CM JAGAN
TABS TO ENHANCE DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOL CHILDREN: CM JAGAN
BYJU'S MODULES TO BE INTEGRATED INTO AP EDUCATION SYSTEM
MOVE TO ENSURE STUDENTS ARE TRAINED FOR THE 2025 CBSE 10TH EXAMS
TABS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO STUDENTS IN SEPT
TVs TO BE INSTALLED IN EACH CLASSROOM FROM NEXT YEAR TO ENSURE DIGITAL LEARNING IS PROPAGATED
ANDHRA PRADESH GOVERNMENT IS MOVING FASTER THAN A STARTUP, SAYS BYJU RAVEENDRAN

Andhra Pradesh Government has signed an MoU with BYJU’S, an ed-tech company to provide quality-oriented content for the government school students from 4th to 10th standard on Thursday. Further, the government will provide Tabs for the 8th standard students at the cost of Rs 500 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “It will transform the lives of many poor children. The project is about handhold the government school children so that they pass out 10th and 12th CBSE exams with flying colors. It is the dream for all of us, and the partnership would strengthen it greatly.”

He added that the visual presentation and content enhancement would come through starting from 4th to 10th class at government schools, and it would be a game-changer.

“Content available to private school children and those subscribed to the quality content would cost around 20 to 25 thousand per annum. Now it will be available to government school students for free. Further, the government also to give tabs so that digital experience and digital knowledge is available to the children,” said the Chief Minister. The teachers would also be given proper orientation so that they can also do their part in a better way.

He also thanked the steps taken by BJYU’S to help the system better by partnering with the government.

Byju Raveendran, CEO of BYJU’S said, “Our meeting happened a few days ago, and now we are signing MoU. Andhra Pradesh government is moving faster than a startup. It is commendable and unbelievable for a government to move at this phase. I am excited about the opportunity given to us. Government school students to get the same access to quality education, which their counterpart in private school is having.” He added that the partnership is a life-changing initiative for government school students and all of us have the responsibility to ensure no children are left behind.

Andhra Pradesh government has taken another crucial step in revolutionizing the education system in the state by signing an MoU with BJYU’S. On Thursday, the state government, which has made history in the field of education with programs like English medium, bilingual textbooks, Amma Odi and Gorumudda, embarked on another massive program. The MoU was signed by Commissioner of Education S. Suresh Kumar and Vice President of BYJU’S and Head of Public Policy Sushmit Sarkar in the presence of the Chief Minister. The founder and CEO of BYJU’S Raveendran also participated virtually from the Unites States of America.

It may be noted that the Chief Minister met with the founders, CEOs, and key executives of various Unicorn companies during the World Economic Forum in Davos. It was there that Jagan had a meeting with Raveendran. The e-learning program was thoroughly discussed so that children in government schools could learn anywhere and anytime.

Education

Recognising Students in GD Goenka World School

Imagined and conceptualised as an elite private English medium co-educational senior secondary school, GDGWS currently stands as an internationally acclaimed premier institution of higher education in India.

Published

3 months ago

May 31, 2022

Dr. Neeta Bali

Many schools have branding messages but are mostly exchangeable with hundreds of other schools. So who are we and what makes our school different from the rest? It's a question that gets answered better with time itself. Imagined and conceptualised as an elite private English medium co-educational senior secondary school, GDGWS currently stands as an internationally acclaimed premier institution of higher education in India.

Our progressive and modern method of education focuses more on the student’s needs rather than assuming that all students are at the same level of understanding. Blessed with a rich diversity of students, we recognise our children at a young age. With that in mind, we have the best team of educators that focus on quality education aimed at directing students towards research and innovation. Each child is gifted in a unique way and to know their interests and talents, we observe what they pay attention to, follow their lead and help engage them around their interests through hobbies. During the process, we analyse and accompany every one of our students throughout their school life in order to understand their needs, know their potential and stimulate their educational curiosity.

The students are allowed ample time to put into their creativity. For instance, if someone wants to work on a project, they can work on it for as long as they want to. We know that much more can be achieved if you allow learners the time that is needed. During their learning journey, we encourage and motivate children to work toward achieving goals. We also map out that the challenges presented to them should be just enough so that prompt feedback can be given during their course of learning.

The results then, are there to see. Children develop self-identity, believe in themselves, forming relationships that contribute to their emotional, social and cognitive development. The students develop hard working attitude toward achieving academic excellence. We realise that recognition does not come unless opportunities are presented and so the GDGWS students are encouraged to participate in one or more extracurricular activities. As their involvements form a connect and deepen while representing GDGWS, they earn recognition for their achievements in various fields such as that of creativity, activity and service.

The students have been recognised on the world stage through the number of simulated conferences that which they have participated in, to highlight a few such events are the prestigious ‘Wordz Model United Nations, TEDx event, Siverfiesta – Film Critique festival, The TechExplore, Scienamite, Intra Goenkan Trident and awards like ‘The International Award for Young People, India’ and ‘The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award’.

As GDGWS continues to grow, there has been created a space in Indian education that can be benchmarked against the best in the world of education.

Education

Ministry of Education releases National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report

The objective of NAS 2021 is to evaluate children’s progress and learning competencies as an indicator of the efficiency of the education system, so as to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels.

Published

3 months ago

May 26, 2022

Team ScooNews

The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education released the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 report which assesses the health of the school education system in the country by conducting a comprehensive evaluation survey of children’s learning competencies in classes III, V, VIII, and X with a cycle period of three years. It reflects the overall assessment of the school education system. The last NAS was held in 2017.

The NAS 2021 was held on 12.11.2021 at all India levels and covered (a) Government Schools (Central Government and State Government); (b) Government Aided Schools; and (c) Private Unaided Schools. The subjects covered are Language, Mathematics & EVS for classes 3 & 5; Language, Mathematics, Science & Social Science for class 8 and Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English for class 10.

About 34 lakh students of 1.18 lakh schools in 720 districts from rural and urban areas participated in NAS 2021. The National Report Card has been released and placed in the public domain on nas.gov.in. It will enable the analysis of results and remedial action at the appropriate levels.

The objective of NAS 2021 is to evaluate children's progress and learning competencies as an indicator of the efficiency of the education system, so as to take appropriate steps for remedial actions at different levels. It will help to unravel the gaps in learning. It will support state/UT governments in developing long-term, mid-term and short-term interventions to improve learning levels and orient on differential planning based on NAS 2021 data.

The achievement tests along with the questionnaires, i.e., pupil questionnaire, teacher questionnaire, and school questionnaire were developed and translated in 22 different languages by NCERT. This nationwide survey was administered by the CBSE on one single day simultaneously. The survey was managed through the technology platform designed and developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).

In order to capture student attainment of Learning Outcomes at the end of Classes III, V, VIII, and X, an OMR-based achievement test comprising Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) was conducted. It assesses competencies and skills achieved by the students at different levels of school education through meticulously developed and field-tested items.

The report is based on the performance in all subjects through disaggregation by gender (female, male), Area (Rural and Urban), Management of schools (Government, Government Aided, and Private unaided), and Social Groups (Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST), Other Backward Communities (OBC) and General.

Education

India’s first, exclusive k -10 child safety school program – Hapchi is building an informed and resilient generation

Hapchi is a safety awareness and skill development organisation that aims to empower children 3 – 16 years against threats of abuse, bullying, cybercrime, and mental health issues

Published

3 months ago

May 23, 2022

Team ScooNews

Ever wondered how your school can successfully address child safety concerns? If so, then look no further than HAPCHI!

"We live in a world where the understanding about child safety is restricted to good touch and bad touch and where rising instances of bullying and mental health issues are still being swept under the carpet. The current generation is maturing much earlier than its predecessors because of its exposure to technology. In today's environment, child safety is undermined at every stage of a child's life. It has therefore become essential to break down the barriers and begin discussing and destigmatizing these problems, now and no later. " – Dr. Kanika Sharma, Founder of Hapchi

HAPCHI, India’s first, revolutionary, and exclusive k -10 child safety school program, paves the way for an informed and resilient generation. It is a safety awareness and skill development organisation that aims to empower children 3 – 16 years against threats of abuse, bullying, cybercrime, and mental health issues. Our curriculum is ingeniously designed, customizable, and approved by experts. It is centered around a school-going child and connects all the critical stakeholders of the child's education ecosystem, that is school, teachers, and parents.

What sets Hapchi apart is that we create an environment that empowers children to openly discuss and express their issues without the fear of being judged. It helps kids realise that it's okay not to be okay, and allows them to empathise with the other's perspective. Along with learning about safety skills, real-life skills are also developed. It is a journey from innocent, vulnerable childhood to a happy, well-informed, and confident adulthood.

Along with schools, parents play a crucial role in empowering children to protect themselves. We also provide sessions for parents and educators to help them understand the child's perspective and bridge the communication gap. We believe that every child is unique and capable of reaching their full potential if they are raised in a nurturing environment.

“The best gift you can give any child is to empower them for life” – Dr. Kanika Sharma