General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - January 2020

Jan 2020

Jun 19, 2023

IIT Madras Researchers Devise a Mathematical Model on 'Prospect Theory'

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers devised a mathematical model on contract farming to predict farmers' delivery of commodities using a decision-theoretic framework based on the 'Prospect Theory.'
The development of the model is targeted to aid policymakers in designing mechanisms that would encourage more firms to offer advance-payment contracts.
The model will help calculate the upper and lower bounds of the contracted commodity that ought to be delivered and define the firm's production quantity. This will enable the profitability limits to be set with more precision than existing methods.
The IIT Madras model, based on contract farming, also suggests the optimal timing for paying the advances to the farmers using two different strategies - one that favors the firm's profit maximisation objective, while the other only maximises its marginal cost savings from contracting to create a socially inclusive payment policy.

Karnataka Government Orders Textbook Revision with 18 Changes

The Karnataka government ordered revision in the content of Kannada and Social Science textbooks of Classes VI to X, with 18 major changes, including 15 replacements of lessons. The Congress, ahead of the elections, had promised to undo some of the changes made in the textbooks during the previous BJP regime if voted to power.
Among the significant changes announced by the Karnataka Textbook Society are replacing RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar's 'Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaragabeku' with 'Sukumara Swamiya Kathe' by Shivakotyacharya in Class X Kannada textbook and 'Kalavannu Geddavaru' by K.T. Gatti on Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar with 'Blood Group' by Vijayamala Ranganath in Class VIII Kannada textbook.
While the government had earlier said that there would be 45 changes in textbooks, the number of changes was restricted keeping in mind the possible confusion it can create among students who have already received the textbooks.
The revisions would be sent to all schools as corrigendum, and the changes would also be announced on the department's website, said the government's order.

Jun 18, 2023

Jharkhand Governor Urges Universities to Prioritise Job-oriented Education for Students

Jharkhand Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan emphasised the importance of a job-oriented curriculum in universities during a review meeting with vice-chancellors and registrars from various universities in the state.
The governor urged universities to focus on equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to secure employment opportunities. This initiative aims to create a better future for students by aligning educational programs with industry demands.
The governor's call for a job-oriented curriculum signifies a shift in the traditional approach to higher education. The focus is now on integrating practical skills, industry exposure, and relevant knowledge into the syllabus.
This shift aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry, allowing students to seamlessly transition into the workforce.

Jun 17, 2023

Five Indian Schools on Shortlist for World's Best School Prizes 2023

Five inspirational Indian schools in Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra were named in the top 10 shortlists across different categories for the second annual USD 250,000 World's Best School Prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools worldwide for their enormous contribution to society's progress.
The five World's Best School Prizes, for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives, celebrate schools for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and for their enormous contribution to society's progress, especially in the wake of COVID.
This year's (2023) Indian shortlist has schools from Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the running for the prize – founded in 2022 by UK-headquartered T4 Education and organised in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, and the Lemann Foundation.

Jun 16, 2023

Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) 2023

Nearly 90 per cent of both men and women have at least one fundamental bias against women, revealed the Gender Social Norms Index 2023 (GSNI). The index is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The 2023 index showed no improvement in biases against women in a decade despite powerful global and local campaigns for women's rights.
Gender biases are pronounced in both lower and higher Human Development Index (HDI) countries. These biases hold across regions, income levels, and cultures.
According to the GSNI, biases against women can be quantified along four key dimensions: Political dimension, Educational dimension, Economic dimension and Physical integrity dimension.

IIT Roorkee Introduces New Curriculum for BTech, BArch, BS, Integrated MTech Programmes

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee revised its undergraduate curriculum after a decade. The new curriculum was approved by the Institute Senate, the highest academic decision-making body. The new curriculum will be offered to students who will be admitted in all BTech, BArch, BS-MS and Integrated MTech programmes, as per IIT-Roorkee.
The institute has introduced concepts which make its curriculum unique in the country introducing mandatory courses on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Data Science, Indian Knowledge System (IKS), Tinkering and Mentoring, Talent Enhancement Baskets (TEB), Entrepreneurship, Environmental Science and Sustainability (ESSC), Community Outreach (CORE), soft skills and more.
Further, students will be getting the opportunity to pursue theme-based minor specialisation, design thinking-based projects and a lot more.
The curriculum has been designed keeping NEP 2020 guidelines in mind.

Jun 15, 2023

Learning Company Pearson Appoints Vinay Kumar Swamy as India Head

Vinay Kumar Swamy was appointed as the new country head of Pearson's Indian operations, the British–owned learning company. Swamy will lead Pearson India's digital transformation as it aims to become a digital-first online learning, skilling, and assessment company.
He replaced - Siddharth Banerjee - who served Pearson as - Managing Director & SVP, India & Asia.
Before joining Pearson, Swamy was part of an investment banking firm and Clutch Group. He graduated from Bangalore University with a degree in finance and later affiliated himself with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

Geological Survey of India Training Institute gets accredited as 'Athi Uttam'

The Geological Survey of India Training Institute (GSITI), operating under the Ministry of Mines, received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board of Education and Training (NABET). This recognition is a testament to the institute's commendable services and the high standards it upholds in the realm of earth science training. The evaluation was conducted by a team comprising members from the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), NABET, and the Quality Control of India. They thoroughly inspected the institute's various levels of standard operating procedures and methodologies. Subsequently, GSITI was granted the Certificate of Accreditation with the distinguished grading of 'Athi Uttam.'
GSITI was established in 1976 and is headquartered in Hyderabad. It operates under the Ministry of Mines and comprises six Regional Training Divisions (RTDs) located in Hyderabad, Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, and Shillong. Additionally, there are four Field Training Centers (FTCs) situated in Chitradurga (Karnataka), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Zawar (Rajasthan), and Kuju (Jharkhand).

Goa government Announces Career Programmes for Students of Classes 9 to 12

Goa government launched CareerAware and CareerReady programmes for the students of class 9 to 12. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced these career programmes. This is a pioneering initiative of the state government to impart guidance and training to the students related to their career concerns.
The initiative has been undertaken in partnership with Antarang and Adhyayan Foundations to provide comprehensive career guidance and career readiness training to secondary and higher secondary students in all schools.
The CareerAware programme will be implemented for Classes 9 and 10, focusing on enabling students to develop self-awareness, understand their interests and aptitudes, and gain clarity in their career plans.

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