General Awareness

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION - January 2022

Jan 2022

Dec 08, 2023

UGC Releases Draft Guidelines on Short-term Skill Courses

The University Grants Commission (UGC) approved the guidelines for the introduction of short-term skill development courses in higher educational institutes. The guidelines were prepared in line with the New Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
The objective of the guidelines is to formulate the premise for integrating skilling into higher education at all levels and for introducing short-term industry-relevant courses (certificate courses) in the Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) to bridge the skill gap, and to provide holistic and specialised education with a focus on practical training, enabling individuals to acquire hands-on experience.
As per the draft guidelines, HEIs will offer credit-linked short-term skill development certificate courses of 3-6 months. A credit mechanism will be used by HEIs to design the course structure. A short-term skill development course in any stream will have to be at least 12 credits and a maximum of 30 credits. The short-term skill development course must have a greater focus on practical learning.

Defence Ministry Partners with ISB to Offer Scholarships for Ex-servicemen

In a groundbreaking move aimed at empowering and enhancing the skill set of ex-servicemen, the Defence Ministry announced a strategic collaboration with the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB). The initiative, disclosed on the occasion of Armed Forces Flag Day, focuses on providing scholarships to military personnel transitioning to civilian life after retirement.
As part of this collaboration, ISB will extend a 50 percent tuition fee waiver across its postgraduate and advanced management programmes. This generous scholarship initiative is expected to benefit 22 ex-servicemen each academic year, fostering their academic pursuits and aiding their transition to civilian roles.

Transgender Students to Get free Education in Maharashtra Universities

Public universities across Maharashtra agreed to offer free education to students from the transgender community, in response to a directive from the state government.
Accordingly, students falling under this category will receive free education in these universities and affiliated colleges.
During a meeting with vice-chancellors of state universities, the Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, urged the universities to cover the complete fees of transgender students using their respective funds.

Dec 07, 2023

Management, Computer Application Courses Brought under AICTE Ambit

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) issued the approval process handbook for the 2024-27 academic session. AICTE Chairman, T. G. Sitharam, while announcing the changes in the approval handbook, said that the programmes/courses in Computer Applications (like BCA) and management (BBA/BMS) were brought under the umbrella of AICTE to ensure coordinated development in technical and management education.
Moreover, AICTE will allow the institutions to offer courses in engineering and technology programmes with at least three core branches and one engineering course. Those intending to collaborate for twinning programmes will be permitted to do so with industries and research organisations in specialised and emerging areas in flexible modes and timings.

IGNOU, Open University of Kenya Sign MoU to Boost Learning Experience

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Open University of Kenya (OUK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration across various domains.
According to IGNOU, the collaboration focuses on many areas including facilitating student and faculty mobility, incorporating cutting-edge technology for teaching and learning, capacity-building programs for OUK staff, curriculum development aligned with market needs, sharing expertise in e-learning platforms, joint research and development initiatives, and more.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Kenya William Samoei Ruto by Beatrice Inyangala, Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Ministry of Education, Kenya, and Prof. Nageshwar Rao, VC IGNOU.

Dec 06, 2023

University of Delhi Beats Indian Universities in QS World University Sustainability 2024 Rankings

The World University Ranking: Sustainability 2024 by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) was released featuring the world's universities that are leading the way in social and environmental sustainability.
University of Toronto grabbed the top spot, followed by University of California, Berkeley and The University of Manchester, in the QS World University Ranking: Sustainability 2024 list.
University of Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and Indian Institute of Technology Madras are the top 3 universities from India that featured in the global university list for the sustainability category.
No Indian university were featured in the Top 100 list. University of Delhi was ranked at 220, IIT Bombay was ranked at 303 and IIT Madras was ranked at 344. Overall, 56 universities from India made it to the list.

157 New Medical Colleges Approved; 108 Made Functional: Govt

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), 157 government medical colleges were approved in three phases, of which 108 are already functional, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar stated in the Rajya Sabha.
Pawar claimed that the government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. As per the data made available by the government, there is an increase of 82 per cent in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 706 as of now. Further, there is an increase of 112 per cent in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,08,848 as of now.

Dec 05, 2023

Ahmedabad, Hyderabad Top English Test-takers Cities in India: Duolingo English Test

Candidates from India and China are among the biggest English test-takers in the world, according to Duolingo English Test. City-wise Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru in India and at the global level, Beijing, Dhaka and Shanghai have over 4000 registrations. Besides, these "high-volume" cities, those with 500 test takers or more, represent 56 per cent of all Duolingo English Test (DET) takers worldwide.
India is the primary market for the DET as they have seen over 20 per cent growth in the last year.
Over 50 per cent of Indian applicants still prefer English-speaking countries as their first choice for studying abroad.

Oxford University Press Declares 'Rizz' as 2023 Word of the Year

'Rizz', a colloquial term defined as 'style, charm, or attractiveness', was crowned word of the year for 2023 by Oxford University Press (OUP).
An online vote had whittled down the list from eight finalists, all selected to reflect the mood, ethos, or preoccupations of the year.
It is the second consecutive year that the public have played a part in picking Oxford's word of the year, after an inaugural public vote last year saw 'goblin mode' prevail.
In the 2023 selection process, more than 30,000 word lovers helped decide head-to-head competitions between four different pairs of words or phrases.
They selected 'rizz' over 'beige flag', a character trait indicating that a partner or potential partner is boring.
The other finalists were 'Swiftie' (an enthusiastic Taylor Swift fan), 'prompt' (an AI programme or algorithm instruction) and 'situationship' (a romantic or sexual relationship not considered formal or established).

Dec 04, 2023

Dharmendra Pradhan Kick Off 'Football for Schools' Programme in Odisha's Cuttack

Dharmendra Pradhan, attended the Kick-off programme for the distribution of footballs as part of the Football for Schools (F4S) at Cuttack, Odisha. He distributed footballs at PM Shri Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Mundali, Cuttack under this programme, which is run by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education is supported by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) in the implementation of this programme in the Country. Officials of the Ministry and other agencies involved were also present at the function. Pradhan kicked a football to inaugurate the programme.

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