UGC recommends Yoga

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad : Yoga classes will become part of the curriculum for Graduate and Post Graduate students from next academic year, if the University Grants Commission (UGC) has its way. While proposing changes in the curriculum of the PG and graduate courses, the UGC has proposed introduction of Yoga and environmental studies from next academic year. The environmental studies would be made compulsory whereas introduction of Yoga is still under consideration.

The UGC issued directives to the states in this regard earlier this month. The decision was taken following a judgment of the Supreme Court in 2004. The apex court said that environmental studies be made a compulsory subject for the graduate and PG students to improve awareness among them. Nevertheless, the implementation of directives was delayed due to a variety of reasons like creation of needed infrastructure in the colleges. Taking cue from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UGC proposed Yoga and meditation classes for university students at campuses. The proposal came after the address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at United Nations (UN) recently where he had urged one and all to adopt to Yoga.

UGC's intention is to raise health awareness among students involving lessons on yoga and meditation. This initiative is believed to be the extension of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. UGC officials have also clarified that apart from offering yoga classes, universities as well as affiliated colleges also need to create awareness about healthy diets, benefits of exercise, abuse of drugs and promoting communal harmony. The UGC stated that the environmental studies course will not be completely theoretical but will include 25 per cent weightage for field work. Students will be trained through lectures, seminars, videos presentations, field visits, excursions, project work, report writing and presentations.

Environmental studies experts believe that it is important for students to have knowledge about what is happening to the environment and resources of earth. The interdisciplinary course will be for all the undergraduates from all educational backgrounds. Environmentalist from Osmania University S Madhukar said that this course will give the students a better understanding of environmental issues at local and global levels. The topics in the course include ecosystems, renewable and non-renewable natural resources, biodiversity and conservation, pollution, environmental policies and practices, exploitation of mineral, land, water resources and deforestation.

The 100 marks course is already introduced in the current academic session of Delhi University and may be taken up by all the universities from next academic year. Presently, the course will be available in English and efforts are on to introduce it in Hindi and other regional languages as well in the coming sessions.

MIM in MH

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad: With barely five days left for campaigning in Maharashtra, the Owaisi brothers intensified their electioneering along with other Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislators. Party president Asaduddin Owaisi is spearheading the campaign in Maharashtra. All party MLAs and floor leader in Telangana Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi are camping in different constituencies where the party has fielded its candidates.

Asaduddin and Akbaruddin Owaisi visited 25 Assembly constituencies, including 13 from Mumbai and delivered speeches in 20 major public meetings. MIM is focusing more in areas where the Muslim population is considerable and exploring the issues of Muslims and the anti-incumbency factor against the previous governments. The party is going ahead with the Dalit-Muslim unity slogan and the party leaders, especially Owaisi brothers managed to draw large crowds during their public meetings held in Parbhani, Sholapur, Aurangabad, Bhiwandi, Nagpada and Mumbra-Kalwa constituencies of Mumbai.

The party sources said that it was the right time for the party to witness a miracle in the polls as both the coalitions of BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress-NCP were broken up. The party leaders believe that it can bag at least five seats out of 25 candidates they have fielded. Sources said that party could perform better in the Marathwada region, but the situation in other constituencies cannot be unpredicted. The Owaisi brothers are meeting with the religious and community leaders in the region.

Though the party is winning accolades from the people, police were not in the favour instead they arecreating hurdles for the leaders by not giving permission to speak in the public meetings. Recently, Akbaruddin Owaisi was stopped from delivering a speech in citing his reportedly provocative speeches in the past, under section 149 of CRPC.
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Teacher, Education !

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad: Students and aspirants to become teachers are wary of the proposed changes in the course duration and curriculum of the Teacher Education courses across the nation. Students feel that increasing the duration was unnecessary and will not serve the purpose of quality education.The centre had proposed to change the course duration, syllabus and pattern of the B.Ed and M.Ed programmes that are part of Teacher Education. According to the proposal, centre wanted to increase the duration of these courses with major changes in the curriculum as well.

"Centre had proposed to change course duration, syllabus for B.Ed, M.Ed that are part of Teacher Education"

This was proposed during the meeting convened by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and University Grants Commission (UGC) with Vice chancellors of all the universities. These changes may be adopted from next year by few Universities and will be completely implemented from 2016 in all the universities.Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education chairman L Venugopal Reddy said that MHRD was seriously contemplating to bring changes in the Teacher Education studies. He said, “To improve the quality of education and bring out more thorough teachers at Bachelor and Master levels it was proposed to increase the duration of B.Ed and M.Ed in all the universities.”

He also informed that central government wanted to convene another meeting with eminent educationists and professors to discuss on the current curriculum in the teacher education colleges. Previously the major changes in Teacher Education were brought in the year 1986 as part of the New Education Policy. There were proposals to amend the present pattern of Teacher Education for last five years. B.Ed grad Mohammed Khalid said that the proposal will not be in favor of students. He said that instead of increasing the duration the purview of syllabus should be increased and unnecessary subjects should be done away.

He said that in the government run B.Ed institutions there was a severe shortage of faculty and if the duration increases it will not serve the purpose of achieving the quality education.Another student Parimal Srinivas said that if government wanted to bring changes in the pattern it should also create job opportunities for the pass outs. He said, “Thousands of students are job less after completing the B.Ed and nothing good will happen to the students if duration is increased.” This programme will be on the lines of B A, B.Com and B.sc in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10+2 students.

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Shelters for People !

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad: In yet another initiative in solving the problems of the people, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has come up with an idea of rest shelters for labourers and poor visitors to the city. GHMC is chalking out modalities in this regard. Large number of people residing on footpaths, either temporarily or regularly, forced the authorities to think in this direction.

The idea of rest shelters is not new though and already there are few shelters built in recent past for the needful at some places in the city, but keeping in view the large number of sufferers GHMC is expanding the plan. The shelters will be helpful to the laborers, patient attendants who come from different parts of the state and stay on footpaths in front of the hospitals and for other poor people. On the other hand daily wage laborers also have to stand under the sky suffering in rain, scorching sun or in any weather condition. Almost 50 plus locations were identified in city where shelters are needed. The shelters will have basic facilities like drinking water, a toilet and a registration counter in case of the labourers and will be of 200 to 400 people capacity.

GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar said that the shelters will be constructed near selected big hospitals where large number of people come for treatment and the attendants generally live on footpaths until the treatment of their relatives is over. Municipal body is of the idea to rope in several NGOs in this work to serve the purpose of this task.
He said that in a survey conducted by GHMC through some NGOs it was revealed that around 10,000 people sleep on the roads most of them are the attendants of patients in different hospitals. He said, “We have located 50 more such locations where shelters are needed.” He added that Facilitating Centre (Shelters) will be set up at identified locations to help the labourers. State minister for labor and employment Nayini Narasimha Reddy also vowed to support this scheme and asked the concerned officials to come up with blue print.

Break FAST !

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad : Leading educationists have asked both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to resolve the row over fee reimbursements to students amicably. Experts believe that both the governments must carve out a solution that is student- friendly and should act in a manner that does not affect education in both the States. The comments made by High Court on the decision of State government to ask for parent’s date of birth brought out up mixed responses from local educationists and students.

Student activists think that conditions set for the Telangana State government scheme Financial Assistance for the Students of Telangana (FAST) were dividing the student community and citizens of the same nation. Social scientist and educationist Prof Inukonda Tirumali said that the fee reimbursement issue was earlier a matter of convenience and now it had become a matter of law. He said, “When it’s a question of law, the government cannot differentiate amongst students on the basis of locality.” Advising the government to resolve the issue in a friendly manner, he said that around 40 per cent of students in Telangana belonged to Andhra Pradesh. 

He however said that it was practically difficult to pay the fees of all students and wished the TS government had accepted the AP government’s offer to pay the fees of 40 per cent of students. The Telangana government had decided that 1956 would be seen as a cut-off year for parents of students who want to seek benefits of FAST scheme which was challenged in High Court by the two former ministers of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. High court has asked the TS government to file its reply in court and come clear on the issue within six weeks.

Educationist Prof Haragopal said that the controversy over the fee reimbursement and scholarships had nothing to do with students but had to be dealt with at the chief minister-level. He said that it was a complex issue and needed to be dealt in a much more critically. He said, “Though our citizenship is of an Indian, identity is not and the very bifurcation of the State was done for that purpose.”

Expansion Moves of MIM

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad : With the ongoing tiff among political parties of the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena-BJP combine over seat sharing showing no signs of settling down, the Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) is desperately trying to carve out political space for itself in Maharashtra. The MIM leadership is in its final leg of its two-month long campaign in Maharashtra where Assembly elections are scheduled to be held from October 15.

The party may field 15 to 20 candidates in the present assembly elections

Sources in MIM said that party was exploring possibilities in troubled political atmosphere prevailing in the State. Also said that remaining list of candidates would be finalized in a day or two. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has been focusing on Maharashtra for the last two years and the political campaign has been speeded up during last few months. Party legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi completed his 10-day tour to Mumbai on Sunday covering several constituencies and conducting public meetings. The party is focusing on the areas and districts with higher Muslim population.

MIM is likely to field its candidates from Bhiwandi, Jogeshwari of Mumbai, Thane, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Parbhani, Beed, Latur and Sholapur. The party may field 15 to 20 candidates in the present assembly elections. MIM already has its presence in Maharashtra municipalities, where it won 15 councilor seats in different municipal areas. The party would hold its public meetings in Sholapur, Nanded and Aurangabad during the next three days. Sources said that party was keen to contest from constituencies in Aurangabad which is home town of Asaduddin Owaisi’s ancestors. On the other hand, religious leaders from Maharashtra descended in Hyderabad to meet party president to finalise the list of potential candidates.

Plight of Private Schools

Mohammed Younus/ Hyderabad: Parents who think that educational standards in private schools are higher than the government run schools may have to change their minds now, as the preliminary report of a State government survey tells rather a different story.Educational standards in private schools of the State are not so good and most of the schools do not follow the norms of the State government. The survey being done by the school education department reveals shocking details of the darker side of ‘private education’ in the state.

A survey says many goverment schools maintain good educational standards

It was revealed that several private schools do not even implement the syllabus, except for Telugu, prescribed by the state government and teach their own syllabi. About 25 percent students studying in them cannot do mathematical tables and 40 per cent students cannot read properly. The survey was being facilitated by the principals of DIET colleges, officials of SCERT and others. An official in the school education department said upon anonymity that it was revealed in the survey that learning levels of students were not satisfactory and students of 10th class were seen sticking to memorizing.

The survey will continue up to September 22, 2014. Sources in the school education department said that despite the GO 17 which prohibits the use of Guide books for SSC students, several private schools were found practicing it. It was also observed that private institutions were not implementing the latest reforms which were part of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation that necessitates the extracurricular and co-curricular activities in the campus. On the other hand, it was noticed that a large number of the schools were not implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Moreover some private private schools found holding quarterly examinations contrary to the directives of school education department that has decided to conduct exams from October 13.

Some schools were using their own syllabus for primary classes and skipping the directives of government for a long time. SCERT director S Jagannath Reddy said that it is a holistic survey being conducted with the instruction of state government. He informed that six teams of five members each are being involved in this survey. “The survey teams will collect the information on performance of teachers, students, learning levels of students, school infrastructure, implementation of government schemes like RTE, educational standards and other things”, he informed.
He said that presently the survey is only done in five districts including Hyderabad and will be done in across the state eventually. Jagannath Reddy said, “SCERT officials will submit the details of academic lapses, found during survey, to the state government after September 22.”