QS I-GAUGE India Education Round-Up | January 2024 | Union Government proposes one student ID, online school admissions

15 January, 2024

Serving as a primer for news articles in print/digital media, this write-up aims to share recent notable events in Indian education, inspiring educators and stakeholders to adopt best practices. It is crafted to be a valuable source of information for individuals keen on staying updated about the latest trends, events, and innovations in Indian education. By keeping abreast of these developments and incorporating best practices, we can collectively contribute to the vision of providing high-quality education at an affordable cost to everyone, both in India and globally.

IIT-Guwahati collaborates with the Assam Govt to promote STEM studies; 65% of girls participate

Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati is collaborating with the Government of Assam’s flagship Arohan scheme to motivate meritorious students to pursue STEM subjects in their higher education.

To date, the Institute has successfully hosted 3311 students (2009 girls and 1302 boys) and a few hundred mentee teachers, inspiring them to explore the vast opportunities and interests in STEM education, the institute claims.

Under the Arohan scheme, IIT Guwahati has hosted meritorious students (Mentees) along with their Guide teachers/Officers in a total of 12 batches. During their visit to IIT Guwahati, these students had the opportunity to engage with institute faculty members, interact with students, and explore institutional facilities.

Arohan, conceived as a Mentor-Mentee program for secondary class students in Government schools, is an initiative championed by the visionary Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. Operating under the umbrella of Samagra Shiksha Assam, this flagship program encompasses diverse activities, including mentoring, exposure trips, competitions, and interactions tailored for the career progression of government school students in classes 9 to 12.

Union Government proposes one student ID, online school admissions

New Delhi: The Union Government has proposed that education records of all school students be integrated into its ‘one nation, one student ID’ initiative by 2026-27 and all government and government-aided schools switch to an online admission system in the next three years, according to an official government document seen by Hindustan Times.

The proposals were part of a document titled “Schooling: access and Quality” presented by the Union Ministry of Education at the third national conference of chief secretaries, which was held in Delhi recently. Under the initiative, students would be provided with an Aadhaar-verified ID — Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR). The Centre has already launched the initiative across higher education institutions, accounting for nearly 22 million students

The document also proposed that all government and government-aided schools admit students through online school admission management systems by 2026-27. “A more straightforward admission process reduces barriers, promoting personal growth and minimising dropouts,” it said.

Over 3 crore students have registered for Academic Bank of Credits so far: UGC

New Delhi: Nearly 3.17 crore students have so far registered for the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), according to the University Grants Commission. “So far, three crore students have joined the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) platform and the process is still going on. This is very important for the successful implementation of the National Credit Framework, which provides more choices to the students,” a senior UGC official was quoted by PTI. “If a student does any course during his studies, his credits will continue to be deposited in the bank,” the official added.

In addition to this, a total of 1693 academic institutions (universities, INIs) have also registered on ABC. Out of these 1693, 337 are autonomous colleges, 119 are central higher education institutions, 54 are central universities, 15 colleges, 118 are deemed to be universities, 396 private universities, 403 state universities, 337 are autonomous colleges, and 22 other institutions.

UGC Releases Guidelines For Boosting Industry-University Linkage

New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has formulated guidelines to foster collaboration between industry and academia. The guidelines titled 'A Sustainable and Vibrant University-Industry Linkage System for Indian Universities' aim at developing a robust ecosystem for research innovation and knowledge transfer. The guidelines are available on the UGC website and all the Higher Education Institutions have been directed to implement it.

Stating the mechanisms that can help in boosting Research and Development (R&D) through University-Industry (UI) linkages, the Universities/Institutes/Colleges and Industries clusters have been asked to employ the following measures:

1. Educational institutions can create industry clusters at the state level. Each cluster may be led by an institute of Central/State Government in the region.

2. The cluster may be entrusted with the responsibility of addressing the technological needs of the region in association with the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME)/ Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI)/Department of Industries of state governments.

3. Every educational University/Institute/College may create an Industry Relations Cell (IRC) for collaborations and every Industry, including the MSMEs, may create a University Relations Cell (URC) to enable the envisaged collaboration.

4. The institute serving as the cluster head needs to establish a Regional R&D Advisory Committee (RAC) for advising the R&D growth in the cluster.

Principal Will Be Answerable For Any Extreme Ragging Cases At University, Says UGC

New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a notification highlighting the measures that should be taken for prohibiting, preventing, and eliminating ragging from the institutes. Citing ragging as a criminal offense, the education body released, "Regulations on Curbing Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009." The commission noted that any violation of the regulations will face punitive action by the UGC.

The education body has also shared ragging related numbers for students in distress. Candidates can visit the official website of the UGC to check the anti-ragging helpline numbers.

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