Yogi to launch ‘Mission Rozgar’ after Diwali

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Yogi to launch ‘Mission Rozgar’ after Diwali

After Diwali, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is preparing to launch ‘Mission Rozgar’ which will provide employment to the unemployed or those who have lost their jobs. The government has set a target of employing over 50 lakh youths in the state from November 2020 to March 2021.

Through this campaign, youth will get a chance to apply for jobs in the government departments, councils, corporations, etc. With the help of government efforts, many new opportunities for the private sector will also be created.

Finalizing the action plan of ‘Mission Rozgar’, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said, “Under Mission Rozgar, a program will be organized to create more employment and self-employment jobs in various departments, organizations, voluntary organizations, corporations, councils, boards and various local bodies of the state government.

An employment help desk will be created in every department and organization. It will inform the youth of availing the benefit of employment programs related to the respective departments. The chief secretary said that a database of employment will be prepared in the state.

In this regard, an app and a web portal are also being developed by the Directorate of Training and Employment. Data related to employment will be updated every fortnight on the portal. Under the administrative departments, all the directorates, corporations, boards, commissions, etc. will nominate a nodal officer to keep everything on track.

The entire ‘Mission Rozgar’ campaign will be conducted through the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) and a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary will monitor the campaign monthly.

In every district, there will be a committee under the chairmanship of the district magistrate who will prepare an action plan at the district level for jobs and careers. The Directorate of Training and Employment in collaboration with private industries will also organize employment fairs and will address all the pending recruitment cases.

Job insecurity linked to depression during Covid-19: Study

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Job insecurity linked to depression during Covid-19: Study

Researchers have found a strong association between employment insecurity and common symptoms of anxiety and depression among young adults due to Covid-19.

The study, published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that since the start of the pandemic, nearly 60 percent of US young adults experienced direct or household employment loss.

“It is clear from this study that the Covid-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on young adults,” said study author Kyle T Ganson from the University of Toronto in the US.

“It is imperative that public policy address the economic downturns to ensure the employment security of young adults, which may subsequently address their mental health,” Ganson added.

Among a sample of nearly 5,000 young, researchers found that since March 2020, young adults who lost their job or were part of a household that experienced employment loss were more likely than those with secure employment to experience four common symptoms of anxiety and depression. This was also true of young adults who expected an employment loss in the next four weeks.

“Young adults are especially affected by employment loss since they are just starting their careers,” said senior author Jason M Nagata from the University of California in the US.

“Internships have been canceled and employment offers have been rescinded during the pandemic,” Nagata added.

The study also found that symptoms of anxiety and depression were common among the sample of young adults.

“Young adults experiencing depression or anxiety should seek professional help early on. During the pandemic, there are more options to access telehealth and other mental health resources virtually,” the study authors wrote.

Schools reopen in Andhra after 5 months

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Schools reopen in Andhra after 5 months

Schools started reopening after a gap of five months in Andhra Pradesh in a phased manner from Monday amid the Covid pandemic, several Class 12 and 10 students attended classes across the state.

Classes will be held from 9.15 a.m. to 1.45 pm, followed by midday meals. Only a maximum of 16 students is allowed in a classroom. Students were made to sit with wide spacing between them, leaving many benches vacant.

Students were thermally screened before entering the classes and made to use hand sanitizers.

The 2020-21 academic year has been extended to April 30 to ensure 180 working days.

School Education Commissioner V. Chinna Veerabhadrudu had announced that schools in the state will reopen in phases for different classes.

There are around 60,000 schools, including aided, unaided and private ones, in the southern state.

Educational institutions in Assam to reopen on Nov 2

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Educational institutions in Assam to reopen on Nov 2

The educational institutions in Assam are set to reopen next week with strict Covid-19 guidelines after over seven months of closure, officials said on Saturday.

The schools are going to open on Monday.

According to the officials of the state Education Department, the students from Class 6 to 12 would only attend the schools and a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been issued in this regard.

The officials said the students of classes 6, 8, and 12 would attend teaching on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the rest three days are reserved for classes 7,9 and 11.

“All the students would not come into the schools at a time and they will attend the schools in different batches in the morning and afternoon shift. Fixation of the first batch and second batch of students would be done by the head of the institution.

The first batch of the students would come at 8 a.m. and stay up to 12 noon and the second batch will come at 12.30 p.m. and stay up to 3.30 p.m.,” the officials said.

The school authorities have been asked to follow the social distancing and other precautionary measures against the Covid-19.

The SOP also includes a staggered timetable for general colleges, engineering colleges, polytechnic institutions, and IITs and the final decision will be taken by the college authorities.

However, the online mode of education would continue for students who prefer to attend online classes rather than physically attend the schools.

The SOP said that all hostel facilities in the schools and colleges would remain suspended until further orders.

It said that the educational institutions should have to be sanitized every weekend, preferably on every Sunday.

The teaching and non-teaching staff of all the educational institutions and cooks and helpers engaged in preparation and serving of Mid-day-Meal among the students should be medically tested for Covid-19 after 30-days and the people with symptomatic cases testing should be done immediately.

Andhra orders 30% fee cut in pvt schools, intermediate colleges

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Andhra orders 30% fee cut in pvt schools, intermediate colleges

With an aim to provide relief to people hit financially by the coronavirus pandemic, the Andhra Pradesh government has announced a 30 percent reduction in fees charged in private unaided schools and intermediate colleges.

“After careful examination of the matter and on Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) recommendations, the state has decided to affect 30 percent reduction in tuition fees for the academic year 2020-21,” said Principal Secretary B Rajsekhar.

“Considering the plight of parents who have been economically incapacitated, the commission in the exercise of powers under Section 9 of Act 21 of 2019 has recommended a reduction of 30 percent in tuition fees for 2020-21 session,” he added.

All private unaided schools and intermediate colleges can collect only 70 percent of the fees charged in the 2019-20 academic session.

The state government also took the opinion of Director, School Education (DSE) and Commissioner, Intermediate Education (CIE), who said that the proposed reduction was required and it may not affect managements substantially as total operational and maintenance costs have definitely reduced to due to many reasons.

“Educational institutions in the state were closed with effect from March 22 and have not reopened till now in 2020-21 academic year… daily operational and maintenance costs for schools too have substantially reduced,” the officer said.

“All academic and extracurricular activities in schools have not been held all these months and operational and maintenance costs of school buses too must be bare minimum during all these months,” said Rajsekhar.

84% students qualify in Andhra Polycet exam

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84% students qualify in Andhra Polycet exam

At least 84 percent of students have qualified in the Andhra Pradesh Polycet examination.

Technical Education Commissioner M. M. Naik and senior official Anantha Ramu released the results on Friday.

Of the 88,372 applicants, 71,631 have appeared for the exam.

Of 50,706 boys who appeared, 42,313 qualified for the exam while 18,467 girl students from 20,925 applicants have also achieved the same.

Matta Durga Saikeerthi Teja from West Godavari district has ranked first in the state with 120 marks while Sri Datta Syamsundar from East Godavari came second with 118 marks.

Ramu said the students are eligible for admissions in 271 colleges where 66,742 seats are up for grabs.

Video course in spoken English for UP teachers

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Video course in spoken English for UP teachers

A special video course in spoken English will now help more than 1.6 lakh teachers in government-run primary and upper primary schools in Uttar Pradesh to improve their pronunciation and teaching skills.

The video course has been designed by experts at the English Language Teaching Institute (ELTI) in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

Teachers of government-run primary and upper primary schools will be given online training through this course. It will be mandatory for language teachers of schools to attend the course online. ELTI will also make its spoken English videos available on its YouTube channel.

ELTI Principal Skand Shukla said the initiative is aimed at improving educational standards.

“The course comprises 120 modules, each of nearly 10 to 12 minutes duration. The full course is nearly 24 hours and will soon be available through the ‘Diksha’ portal of the Union Ministry of Education for teachers,” he added.

The course has been designed by ELTI after studying such courses already available in the private sector, he said.

Experts at ELTI saw that none of the currently available courses could provide the required knowledge of English language along with practice in speaking for teachers, Shukla added.

SC declines fresh petitions for postponement of NEET

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SC declines fresh petitions for postponement of NEET

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain fresh petitions to seek postponement of NEET (UG) 2020 for admissions to undergraduate medical and dental courses, slated to be held on September 13.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, and MR Shah said that is not inclined to examine the matter as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) is scheduled to be held in a few days.

The National Testing Agency will hold the NEET (UG) for admissions to MBBS/BDS and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognized medical/dental and other colleges/institutes in India.

The apex court had rejected a bunch of PILs as well as a review petition filed by six Ministers from non-BJP ruled states to seek postponement of the exam.

The bench said: “Everything is over now. A review has been dismissed. The JEE is over. How can we consider this now?”

Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for one of the petitioners, contended that they are asking for the exam postponement and sought to highlight the practical difficulties faced by students.

Datar cited an example of Bihar, where there are only two examination centers.

The bench replied that all arrangements will be made for NEET. It said that there cannot be different dates for holding an entrance test in different states.

Datar urged the top court to consider postponement of NEET for three weeks.

Senior Advocate KTS Tulsi, representing another petitioner, argued that Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly, and cited a record surge of nearly 90,000 coronavirus cases in a day. Tulsi also cited a Bombay High Court order, wherein it said that candidates who could not appear for the exam should be appropriately considered.

The bench said that it was for the examination body to decide, and not the court.

Advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for a petitioner, submitted that there was some lacuna in the National Testing Agency guidelines. He also referred to the guidelines and advisory issued for students in containment zones etc to take the exam later on.

The bench observed that the authorities concerned will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of candidates.

Alam insisted that local authorities may be directed to ensure that the guidelines are enforced properly, to which the court replied that all this will be done.

JGU commences academic year 2020-21 with 50% increase in admissions

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JGU commences academic year 2020-21 with 50% increase in admissions

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) announced the commencement of the new academic session 2020-21 for the first-year students on September 1 with a record number of new admissions.

JGU said 2,500 new students join JGU in the new academic year with an overall 50 percent rise in admissions this year.

This is an unprecedented moment as the education sector has been severely disrupted by the Covid-19 global pandemic. It has been JGU’s endeavor to ensure uninterrupted learning for its students who have joined the university during the pandemic, a statement said.

Earlier, JGU had already begun the new academic session for its existing students on August 17 and classes are underway in the online mode.

JGU said it is committed to ensuring quality and continuity across all its academic programs while ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of all its students, faculty, and staff.

This year, JGU has launched several new undergraduate and postgraduate programs across its nine schools with options for pursuing Humanities fellowships to undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Legal Studies, Environmental Studies, Design, Political Science, Economics, and Social Policy.

Over 600 faculty members to teach online using the latest tech platforms and students from nearly all the states and union territories of India have joined JGU.

International students from several countries including, Ireland, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America have taken admission to JGU this year.

C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, said, “We have been deeply concerned about the future of our students and the associated safety and health concerns during this COVID-19 global pandemic. These are extraordinary times when the world of higher education and universities have been challenged by the pandemic. I am delighted to share with you that the admissions process of all the schools of JGU was completed smoothly and successfully in an Online and Remote-Proctored entrance exam format.”

“This has only proved that our early decision to go fully online, completely eliminating any face-to-face interaction in the entrance examination process, was the best and indeed the safest option. We were conscious of the inherent safety, security, and well-being of the students, their family members, and their concerns relating to health became paramount in our decision to implement the AI-Enabled, Remote-Proctored entrance exams. We began the new academic session for our existing students on 17th August and are commencing the classes for the new students on 1st September and look forward to welcoming the best talent to our classrooms,” he said.

Hemant Soren writes to Centre to postpone JEE, NEET exams

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Hemant Soren writes to Centre to postpone JEE, NEET exams

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has written to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank to postpone the IIT-JEE and NEET examinations.

“Both these competitive examinations are extremely critical in the career of a student as the success or otherwise in these examinations would decide the course of their future life. Every examinee would thus try to put his best foot forward and, therefore, it is extremely essential to ensure that they take these examinations in an environment of health safety and mental peace,” said the letter.

The letter said, “The people of the country are engaged in combating once in a century disaster of Covid-19, which has affected millions and left thousands dead. This pandemic has an additional negative consequence of widespread economic disruption. Due to the health scare as well as the economic disruption, there is a widespread prevalence of psychological stress among the people.

“Moreover, the conduct of examination of this scale would require public transport and hospitality units, including hotels, lodges, and restaurants to function smoothly and optimally because of the movement of large numbers of examinees and their guardians.

“As part of its strategy to combat Covid-19, the Government of Jharkhand has not yet commenced public bus transport nor it has allowed the opening of restaurants. It is noteworthy that these restrictions have been imposed to check the spread of coronavirus. Thus the examinees and their guardians will have to face serious logistics issues.”

The Chief Minister wrote, “There will be also some examinees whose residence would be located in the containment zone. As a result of which it would be difficult for them to move out of the area. There may be a case in which the examinee or his family member is infected with coronavirus and in all these cases it would be difficult for the examinee to appear for the examination”.

While concluding the letter, the Chief Minister said, “Since there is no way to detect and prevent an infected person from appearing in the examination, it would, therefore, put the rest of the examinees and invigilators in a particular examination hall at the risk of being infected as well. Since comorbidity amongst the examinees cannot be ruled out, acquiring infection by morbid examinees may be life-threatening. I would earnestly request you kindly consider postponing both examinations in the public interest”.

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