General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - January 2020

Jan 2020

Apr 11, 2024

India Ranks Second in Hepatitis B and C Cases Worldwide

The World Health Organization's (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report reveals that India is second only to China in the number of Hepatitis B and C infections, with 3.5 crore cases. Hepatitis, characterized by liver inflammation, poses significant health risks and can be fatal. The report highlights that 254 million people are affected by Hepatitis B and 50 million by Hepatitis C globally.
Hepatitis comprises five main strains: A, B, C, D, and E, each differing in transmission methods, severity, and geographical prevalence. Despite these differences, all strains can lead to liver disease.
The report emphasizes that individuals aged 30–54 bear half the burden of chronic Hepatitis B and C infections. This demographic insight underscores the urgency of targeted interventions and healthcare strategies to address this public health challenge.
WHO pledges its support to countries in deploying effective tools at accessible prices to combat Hepatitis and reduce its impact on global health. This commitment aims to save lives and reverse the upward trend of Hepatitis infections worldwide.

JNU India's Highest Ranked University, 69 in Top 500: QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024

Sixty-nine Indian universities made it to the rankings with 424 entries in the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject. This marked a 19.4 per cent rise from the previous year's 355 entries.
Interestingly, 72 per cent of the Indian entries this year were either new to the list, have shown improvement, or have maintained their positions, whereas a mere 18 per cent experienced a decline. Overall, India has demonstrated a significant 17 per cent year-on-year improvement.
The 12 Institutes of Eminence (IoE), which represent just a fraction of Indian universities, contribute 40 per cent of the country's total entries, amounting to 180. Furthermore, the IoE lead the way with 47 of the 69 top-100 Indian positions and 14 of the 21 positions across 55 academic disciplines and five faculty areas in the 14th edition of the rankings.
The most represented Indian universities in this edition of the rankings are the University of Delhi (30 entries), IIT Bombay (28 entries) and IIT Kharagpur (27 entries). IIT Madras this year had 22 entries, of which eight improved, six declined and four remained unchanged. IIT Delhi followed this at the fifth spot with 19 entries, of which 11 improved, three declined and three remained unchanged.

IIT Madras NPTEL Translates 207 Technical Courses to Vernacular Languages

IIT Madras NPTEL translated 207 technical courses, including popular ones like 'Introduction to Internet of Things,' into Hindi. To ensure the accuracy and quality of translations, NPTEL has a team of 1,029 Hindi translators and 139 quality controllers (QCs).
Furthermore, NPTEL has published 199 e-books in Hindi on its website, expanding access to educational resources in the language. Additionally, audio recordings totalling 1,200 hours of video content are available in Hindi, further enriching the learning experience for Hindi-speaking learners.
NPTEL has prioritised key disciplines, notably Computer Science (35 courses), Social Sciences (32 courses), and Electrical Engineering (29 courses). NPTEL actively solicits feedback from course participants, with overwhelmingly positive responses received for translations such as 'The Joy of Computing using Python'.
IIT Madras NPTEL translated its courses into 11 languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. The objective is to help learners who have completed their schooling in regional languages and are transitioning to English for technical education.

Apr 10, 2024

NCERT Introduces Bridge Month Programme for Class 6 Amid Textbook Transition

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) initiated a significant shift in pedagogical approaches, aligning with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) and the new National Education Policy (NEP). This shift calls for a move from traditional, content-focused teaching methods towards more dynamic, competency-based approaches.
To facilitate this transition, NCERT launched a month-long bridge course for teachers aimed at familiarising them with the new syllabi and textbooks, particularly for Classes 3 and 6.
These courses will introduce teachers to innovative pedagogical tools emphasising fun-based, play-based, and discovery-based activities, departing from routine teacher-guided activities. Moreover, there is a transition from assessing selected abilities to holistic assessment methods.

Apr 09, 2024

West Bengal Board Changes Class 11-12 Curriculum: New Subjects, Altered Marks System

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) announced significant changes to the Higher Secondary curriculum, set to come into effect from the 2024-25 academic session. These revisions will impact students registering for Class 12 this year.
One notable alteration is the revised marks structure for various subjects. In health and family education, the theory component has been augmented from 40 to 70 marks, with practicals now carrying 30% weightage.
Certain subjects such as Punjabi, Gujarati, and French have been discontinued due to low student registration. Conversely, to diversify the curriculum and cater to evolving interests, WBCHSE has introduced new vocational subjects, including banking financial services and insurance, food processing, and telecom.
Additionally, as part of the curriculum overhaul, WBCHSE has introduced new academic subjects: applied artificial intelligence, cyber security, and the science of well-being. These additions aim to equip students with relevant and contemporary knowledge in emerging fields.
The council has not only introduced new subjects but also revamped the nomenclature and codes of existing ones.
Home management and family resource (HMFR) will now be known as human development and resource management (HDRM), while agronomy (AGNM) will be renamed as agriculture (AGRI). Furthermore, although the subject remains health and physical education (PHED), its code has been changed to HPED.

University of Strathclyde Launches LLM Law, Technology and Innovation Course

The University of Strathclyde Law School launched a new LLM Law, Technology and Innovation course. The course offers a blend of legal and technological skills, taught by subject experts and visiting international scholars.
Graduates will have the opportunity to build their own technological projects while gaining an understanding of the law that regulates the design, development and distribution of technology internationally.
The LLM Law, Technology and Innovation course may be completed over one year (full-time). Upon successful completion of six modules and a summer project, students will be awarded the LLM degree. The summer project options include a dissertation, internship, consultancy, enhanced research proposal, or coding project, allowing students to tailor their learning experience to their interests and career goals.

India AI Youth Awards Recognise Students for Societal Betterment Initiatives

1M1B (One Million for One Billion), an UN-accredited, youth and AI-focused skilling organisation, hosted the first of its kind initiative, the India AI Youth Awards, to recognise and unearth the next generation of future leaders who are using AI (Artificial Intelligence) for good and creating a positive impact in society.
The winner of the 1st edition of the India AI Youth Awards is Arjun Manocha from Darbari Lal DAV Model School, Pitampura, Delhi for his project 'Sporty Coach'- it is a digital personalised AI-based sports academy for people who cannot afford sports academies or who have under the availability of sports academies in their areas.
The final twenty projects were shortlisted for the final round from over 500 projects received from across the country, including cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Hisar, Gangtok, Gurugram, Meerut, Pune, etc. The first runner-up is Project Vision Glasses by Aditya Vikram, Fagun Bhutani from DAV Pushpanjali Enclave, Delhi, and the second runner-up is Project Agni Suraksha by Aastha, Arshia Goswami and Tanishq from Army Public School, Meerut Cantt, Meerut.
The guest of honour at the event was Darrin Farrant, Director of the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan, who felicitated the winners with the awards.

Apr 08, 2024

IIIT Bangalore Launches a Multi-cloud Certification for Non-techies

The International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B) expanded its academic portfolio to launch an Executive Post-Graduate Certificate programme in Cloud and DevOps, powered by upGrad, one of Asia's largest integrated learning, skilling and workforce development majors. This innovative online programme marks a significant milestone, positioning itself as the first of its kind to offer in-depth coverage of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services, including concepts tested in AWS and Azure exams.
The programme provides a thorough introduction to various cloud platforms, placing a significant focus on DevOps principles and advanced concepts like DevSecOps and SynOps. During each module, learners will be able to deploy web applications and undergo extensive hands-on training, preparing them for roles that require deploying and managing web applications in cloud environments.
The launch of this programme is a direct response to the surging demand for DevOps and Cloud computing that we've been observing.

NCERT Books Tweaks: References to Babri Masjid, Gujarat Riots, Hindutva Dropped

Dropping references to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the killing of Muslims in Gujarat riots and Hindutva, and tweaking the reference to Manipur's merger with India are amongst the latest set of revisions made public by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in its textbooks.
While NCERT did not comment on the topics being dropped, officials said the tweaks are part of the routine update and are not linked to the development of new books as per the New Curriculum Framework (NCF).
The changes have been made in the Political Science textbooks of classes 11 and 12, among others.

Apr 07, 2024

King's College of UK Establishes Campus in Gurugram with International Faculty

Global Educational Venture (GEV) and Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and Technology (SVIET) officially signed an agreement to establish a branch of the King's College, UK in Gurugram, Haryana.
King's College, originally based in the UK, was established over 150 years ago and has been known for its legacy.
The school will follow the Cambridge/IB curriculum for various classes, leading to IGCSE and A levels/ IB Diploma.
The institute also clarified that most of the faculty will be from the UK/Europe or other countries, including the head of the school and coordinators.

CISCE Announces Revised Class 12 Syllabus for 2024-25 Academic Year

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) announced the revision of the Indian School Certificate (ISC) or Class 12th syllabus for the 2025 Board Exams. The revised syllabus applies to 12 subjects, including Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Commerce, Accounts, History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology, and Legal Studies. However, the syllabus and scope of the remaining subjects remain unchanged. Additionally, vocational subjects such as Assistant Beauty Therapist, Assistant Hair Stylist, Basic Data Entry Operator, Dietetic Aide, Cashier, Early Years Physical Activity Facilitator, and Auto Service Technician were included. Furthermore, robotics and AI were introduced into the curriculum.

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