“Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
Leo Buscaglia
“आपकी प्रतिभा, आपको भगवान का दिया गया उपहार है। आप इसके साथ क्या करते हैं, यह आपके द्वारा भगवान को दिया गया उपहार होता है।”
लियो बुसकैजलिया
Monday, November 07, 2022
Quote of the Day November 7, 2022
Current Affairs-November 7, 2022
INDIA
– Assembly bypoll results: BJP bags 4 out of 7 seats; TRS, Shiv Sena, RJD get one each
– Education Ministry to celebrate Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in schools, colleges on Nov 15, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda (15 November 1875 – 9 June 1900)
– Assam, Meghalaya to work jointly to transform Umiam lake: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– Govt. allows export of sugar upto 60 Lakh Metric Tonnes during sugar season 2022-23
– Tirupati’s Lord Venkateswara temple declares net worth of over Rs 2.5 lakh crore
– Reliance Industries Ltd India’s best employer, in top 20 worldwide: Forbes
WORLD
– UN Climate Change Conference COP27 opens in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt with key aim of ensuring full implementation of Paris Agreement
– India votes in favour Russia’s UN resolution on combating Nazism & neo-Nazism
– International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict observed on November 6
SPORTS
– T20 World Cup: Pakistan enter semifinals by defeating Bangladesh by five wickets in Adelaide
– T20 World Cup: India enter semifinals by defeating Zimbabwe by 71 runs in Melbourne
– Mumbai (146/7 in 19.3 overs) win Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament, beat Himachal Pradesh (143/8 in 20 overs) in final at Kolkata
– Pramod Bhagat, Manisha Ramadass bag gold at BWF Para Badminton World Championships in Tokyo
Current Affairs-November 6, 2022
INDIA
– Guyana President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali to be chief guest at 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention at Indore (MP) on Jan 8-10
– Maritime Partnership Exercise held between Indian Navy and Royal Australian Navy in Bay of Bengal
– Independent India’s first-ever voter Shyam Saran Negi dies at 106 in Himachal Pradesh
– Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar on official visit to Japan from Nov 5-9
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– IPPB conducts India’s First Floating Financial Literacy Camp in Dal Lake of Srinagar, J&K
– Tourism Ministry to participate in World Travel Market in London on Nov 7-9
WORLD
– World Tsunami Awareness Day observed on Nov 5; marks Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004
SPORTS
– India’s R. Praggnanandhaa wins Asian Continental Chess championship in New Delhi
Education 4.0 Report: Digitally Bridging the Learning Gap
Technology has profoundly changed education. It has not only expanded access to education but also made information available at one’s fingertips. It has grown into a powerful tool that has transformed education in several ways, from increasing student engagement, collaboration and interactivity to improving overall comprehension, time management and student-centred teaching. With the worldwide reach of the Internet, it has created a new environment of ‘anytime anywhere education’.
Digital teaching and learning – a concept that was still considered ‘futuristic’ a little while ago have also become customary in the fast-evolving post-pandemic world. During the pandemic, it proved to be the only feasible way to keep the education system going but at the same time, it also highlighted some issues, including digital inequality and learning gaps.
With the aim of addressing these issues through digital learning, the World Economic Forum collaborated with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India) to launch the Education 4.0 India initiative. Under four themes – foundational literacy and numeracy, teacher professional development, school-to-work transition and connecting the unconnected –, the report aims to address the disparities in the country’s education system by exploring its challenges and identifying solutions that can be realised as scalable interventions. It complements India's National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) by providing a framework for the development of scalable pilots that can be implemented by state governments and other stakeholders.
It proposes a roadmap to improve the country’s education system and urges all stakeholders in the EdTech space to work together and help this overarching transformation along. It encourages interactive teaching and learning and the integration of collaborative and skill-based education. It advocates the increased use of storytelling, interactive content, read-aloud games, quizzes and flip books (to name only a few) to make the learning process more interesting, individualised and engaging for students. It also highlights the importance of digitalising the country’s education system to become future-ready.
Digital Tools Can Reduce Learning Gaps
While the digital learning gap has been widening over the last few decades and spreading throughout the schools of India, it took COVID-19 to truly understand the magnitude of these inequalities. Closing this divide in education will take time, effort and commitment not only from the part of government but also from the part of schools, parents and students.
According to the Education 4.0 Report, one way of achieving equity could be through the digital transformation of the Indian schooling system. Fortunately, the pandemic didn’t only reveal the digital divide but also the benefits of distance teaching and learning.
Many believe that digitalising the country’s education system would help reduce the country’s learning inequalities by making education accessible to a large number of students. In addition to making it possible for students to access learning anytime and from anywhere, digital education would also enable them to learn at their own pace.
Digital Education: Reaching the Unreachable
One of the significant advantages of digital learning is that it is accessible at all times, anywhere and everywhere. It can be conducted online and offline and can be successfully used to deliver synchronous and asynchronous education.
Due to its very nature – provided via digital technology – this type of education can accommodate larger class sizes and bridge geographical gaps between teachers and students. As a result, it can provide everyone, including students attending schools in remote areas, with access to education.
Aarul Malviya
Source: The Telegraph, 31/10/22
UGC, AICTE asks institutions to celebrate ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ on November 15
The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Saturday asked the affiliatedinstitutions to celebrate November 15 as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’. November 15 is the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda and the Government of India has declared it as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’.
The UGC in the notice said that they want education institutions to carry out activities like debate competitions among students on the theme ‘Contribution of Janjati Heroes in Freedom Struggle’. Students shall be felicitated for their work. Spread the legacy of tribal leaders like Birsa Munda and other personalities and unsung tribal heroes
“All the universities and their affiliated colleges/institutions are requested to encourage their faculty, staff, and students to carry out activities and celebrate ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ on November 15 with zeal and enthusiasm. Events / programmes organised on this day may also be promoted through social media platforms for wider outreach,” read the notification.Birsa Munda was a tribal leader and freedom fighter from Ulihatu in Jharkhand. He belonged to the Munda tribe. He was born on November 15, 1875 and died on June 9, 1900 in the Ranchi Central Jail.
Source: Indian Express, 7/11/22
What is AQI, the number that signifies how polluted the air is?
Over the past few days, as the problem of air pollution in Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas has made its annual November-December appearance in policy debates and public discussion, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has been mentioned repeatedly.
AQI is a number, which is a measure of air quality. The higher the AQI, the worse the air. After staying above 450 for a couple of days, the AQI in Delhi on Sunday had come down to around 320.
The colour-coded AQI index was launched in India in 2014, and it helps the public and the government understand the condition of the air and what subsequent measures are to be taken to combat the situation, based on its severity. There are six categories of AQI, namely ‘Good’ (0-50), ‘Satisfactory’ (50-100), ‘Moderately polluted’ (100-200), ‘Poor’ (200-300), ‘Very Poor’ (300-400), and ‘Severe’ (400-500).
What is the AQI and how does it calculate pollution?
Launched by the central government in 2014 as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, the AQI was to help simplify the common understanding of pollution. An expert group comprising medical professionals, air quality experts, academia, advocacy groups, and others was constituted and a technical study was awarded to IIT Kanpur. IIT Kanpur and the Expert Group recommended an AQI scheme.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, part of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the AQI transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour. The pollutants measured include PM 10, PM 2.5, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Carbon, etc.
There is a calculation that goes behind the index. There are six or eight pollutants in the affected air and each of these pollutants is given a weight based on a formula. That weight depends on the kind of impact it has on human health. The worst of these weights is given as composite air quality, so instead of giving you six different numbers, and six different colours, it throws up one single colour, one single number to denote the overall impact. Monitoring stations across the country assess these levels.
What is the impact of these pollutants?
Among the more harmful pollutants are those of a smaller size, such as particulate matter (PM) 2.5, which is an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (or around 3 per cent of the diameter of a human hair). It causes respiratory problems and reduces visibility. The particles can only be detected with the help of an electron microscope because they are so small.
Due to their size, the PM 2.5 particles can easily bypass the nose and throat and can easily enter the circulatory system. The particles can also lead to cause chronic diseases such as asthma, heart attack, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.
How does the AQI influence government policy?
Based on the levels, the governments in areas like Delhi announce measures. As the AQI in NCR dipped to the ‘severe’ category on Thursday, stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan was set in motion. The GRAP has specifically been instituted for emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality in Delhi-NCR. A central panel directed authorities to prohibit the use of diesel four-wheelers that are not BS-VI compliant, as well as the entry of trucks in Delhi. Petrol cars can continue to ply as usual.
Source: Indian Express, 6/11/22
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