Odisha govt urges NTA to hold NEET UG 2021 exam in all its 30 districts

 

The Odisha government has urged the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the All- India NEET UG 2021 examinations in all the 30 districts of the state instead of selected seven cities.

Study Circle Online : The Odisha government has urged the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the All- India NEET UG 2021 examinations in all the 30 districts of the state instead of selected seven cities.

The request was made by Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra in view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation still prevailing in the state.

The All India NEET UG Examination is conducted by the NTA for admission to MBBS/BDS courses and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognized Medical/Dental and other Colleges/ Institutes in India.

In a letter to NTA Director General, Vineet Joshi on Monday, Mohapatra said the state’s plea should be taken into consideration and the NEET UG examination be conducted in all the 30 districts.

The NTA has notified to set up examination centres in seven urban pockets of Odisha namely in Angul, Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela and Sambalpur.

In view of COVID-19 pandemic, it will be highly unsafe for students to visit the few examination centres to physically appear for the NEET UG 2021 test. Further, due to frequent lockdown and shutdown imposed by different district administrations the transportation system is very often disrupted making the movement of student’s further worse, Mohapatra mentioned in the letter.

“Odisha has got vast tribal pockets having geographically inaccessible areas and far away from the urban centres of the state for which the students of this state may be deprived of appearing the NEET UG as they will have to move long distance for appearing the test,” the letter said.

BHU suspends offline classes indefinitely after surge in COVID cases, asks students to go back home for Holi

 

The university said that the COVID-19 situation will be reviewed in the first week of April after which a decision on restarting offline classes will be taken.

Study Circle : Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has suspended all offline classes till further orders in view of the sudden surge in Coronavirus cases in the hostels and across the country. Classes will, however, continue online. In an official notice released on Monday, the varsity stated that all students have been advised to return to their homes and any kind of Holi celebration on the campus has been banned.

The university further added that cases of COVID-19 are on a rise every day and if the current trend continues it is likely that cases may rise even more in the coming days. “Hence, in the interest of the safety of the students, they are encouraged to go to their homes and leave the hostels by taking their books and study materials with them so that in the event of worsening of the situation they may continue their studies through online classes to be conducted by the concerned teachers and take the examination which may be conducted in the online mode if the situation so demands,” BHU stated in their notice.

There will not be any Milan Samaroh or gathering on the campus, including in the hostels for Holi celebrations, the varsity clearly mentioned. The university said that the COVID-19 situation will be reviewed in the first week of April after which a decision on restarting offline classes will be taken. Parents and guardians will be informed beforehand about the reopening of offline classes, following which the students can make suitable plans. However, the offices and other functions of the university shall continue as per the schedule and faculty members shall perform their duties, as usual, the varsity stated.

According to government data, India detected around 40,000 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday issued an order with guidelines for effective control of COVID-19 which will be effective from April 1, 2021, and remain in force until April 30, 2021. The guidelines mandate the State/UT governments to strictly enforce the Test-Track-Treat protocol in all parts of the country.

Odisha set to stop physical classes as COVID cases rise. What are the other states doing?

 

Meanwhile, the higher educational institutions in the Capital have also been asked to intensify their safety enforcement in campuses and hostels after the cluster outbreak of the virus in XIMB.

Study Circle : After educational institutions in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack reporting the cluster outbreak of COVID-19, the Odisha government is contemplating stopping physical classes from April 1 and ask students to only attend remedial sessions in schools.

Currently, classes are being conducted in schools for the secondary (Class IX and X) and higher secondary (Class XI and XII) students in physical mode.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said courses of the students will be completed in schools by April 1 after which revision will start and the department is mulling to focus more on online classes during this period. Only those having doubts will be asked to visit the school campus to attend doubt clearing sessions.

The spread of infection in two private higher education institutes in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar has raised concern over the safety of students on campuses across the State. The Minister, however, said Covid SOP is being implemented with all seriousness in schools for which the department has managed to check the spread of the infections in campuses effectively.

He added that instructions have also been issued to the district authorities for proper enforcement of the safety guidelines in school hostels.

Meanwhile, the higher educational institutions in the Capital have also been asked to intensify their safety enforcement in campuses and hostels after the cluster outbreak of the virus in XIMB on Monday. The Higher Education department has asked the University and College authorities to focus on regular screening and compulsory use of masks apart from social distancing.

CBSE launches English, Maths and Science assessment framework for Classes 6 to 10

 

The framework is a part of the CBSE Competency-Based Education Project that aims to replace the existing rote learning model as directed in the new National Education Policy (NEP).

Study Circle : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday launched a competency-based assessment framework for classes 6-10 for three subjects — English (reading), Science, and Maths.

The framework is a part of the CBSE Competency-Based Education Project that aims to replace the existing rote learning model as directed in the new National Education Policy (NEP) over the next two to three years.

“The new National Education policy 2020 envisages a significant shift in the education ecosystem in India. It aims at preparing students for the 21st century and lays emphasis on competency-based education rather than education that tests rote learning. The CBSE has had a collaboration with the British Council and three UK agencies — Cambridge, NARIC and Alphaplus — who are helping CBSE in attaining this objective. The work has already started, and significant progress has been made and we do look forward to this co-operation and working with British Council in the future,” CBSE Chairman Manoj Ahuja said.

The framework is the basis for a larger project exercise currently underway where 40 assessment designers, 180 test item writers and 360 master trainer mentors are being trained in using this framework to create a model question bank and collection of ideal lesson plans.

In the first phase selected Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, UT Chandigarh and private schools across the country will participate in the programme which will be rolled out to all 25,000 CBSE schools in India by 2024.