Tuesday, January 30, 2024
2023 State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education Report
The 2023 State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education Report surveyed 8 states through questionnaires for over 6,000 teachers, principals, teacher colleges and analyzed government data on teachers.
Inadequate Teacher Qualifications
Despite certification requirements, only 46% of primary teachers possessed the diploma mandated to teach. Even among the certified, most scored lowly from 40-50% in exams. Similarly, just 32% passed the Teacher Eligibility Test, indicating subpar quality.
Private Sector’s Shortcomings
While private schools often have better facilities, teachers face low, unequal pay and lack contracts. Over 50% of female teachers work without written agreements, earning half of public school teachers.
Issues Facing Public Education
In government schools, overworked teachers handle multiple classes and grades together. Declining student attendance and unsupportive parents add to difficulties in public education.
A Feminized Workforce
Women far outnumber men in the teaching profession across age groups, forming over 70% of the workforce’s young cohort. This highlights a trend of more women entering teaching.
Failing Recommended Student-Teacher Ratios
Mandated student ratios of 30:1 primary and 35:1 upper primary are not met, with most teachers handling higher numbers across divided classes. This affects student attention and engagement.
Takeaways for Education Reforms
The revelations emphasize India’s need for hiring more qualified teachers in sufficient numbers for its young population, alongside addressing contract disparities, gender imbalances and resource gaps across public and private systems to deliver quality instruction.
Bharat Ratna Announced for Karpoori Thakur
The central government has announced Bharat Ratna for late Bihar leader Karpoori Thakur in his birth centenary year. Known as ‘Jannayak’ or people’s leader, Thakur was CM twice and pioneered social justice policies despite hailing from a marginalized caste himself. Major parties in Bihar have long backed conferring India’s highest civilian honor on the state icon.
Backward caste leader
Thakur (1924-1988) emerged as Bihar’s tallest backward caste leader despite being from the nai (barber) community. He paved the way for the rise of other influential OBC politicians who eventually overtook his mantle. Though his tenures were short, Thakur left an outstanding legacy through his progressive decisions.
Participation in freedom struggle
A staunch nationalist, Thakur had participated in India’s independence movement and courted imprisonment. Post-1947, he enjoyed a long stint as MLA barring one term and served as education minister before becoming chief minister twice in the 1970s.
Pioneering social justice policies
As CM, Thakur revolutionized caste-based reservations in Bihar by expanding quotas for backwards castes from 12% to 20%. This ‘Karpoori formula’ of January 1977 even had specific 8% quota for extremely marginalized groups, preceding the central government’s EWS reservation by decades.
Lasting impact
By championing multilayered affirmative action, Thakur gave the most disadvantaged greater representation in education and jobs. Though it cost him power at the time due to upper caste resentment, the formula drove social progress with far-reaching consequences. It influenced reservation policies nationally.
Clean and principled
Despite his immense influence, Thakur lived an austere life rooted in Gandhian values focused on dignity and self-reliance for the marginalized. Through integrity and selflessness in public service rather than pursuing personal wealth, he carved a distinguished legacy.
Enduring political legacy
Karpoori Thakur’s pro-poor governance philosophy aligns with the politics of social justice championed by contemporary regional parties in Bihar descended from his socialist roots. His policy template has stood the test of time even as a new generation of leaders dominate the state’s politics now.
Inspiration for the marginalized
As caste census demands and reservations dominate discourse again, Karpoori Thakur’s life symbolizes empowerment hopes for India’s vast disadvantaged sections through dignified livelihoods and equitable representation. Conferring the Bharat Ratna honors his pioneering social justice legacy.
Assam APSC CCE 2024 Registration Begins; Know How To Apply Here
The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has released a notification for the Combined Competitive Exam (CCE 2024), aiming to fill 235 vacancies in Assam civil services, Assam police services, and other APSC departments. The online registration process commenced today on the official website apsc.nic.in, with the deadline set for February 6.
Scheduled tentatively for March 17, the APSC CCE preliminary exam will be followed by the Main examination between June and July. Specific exam dates will be communicated in due course, as mentioned in the official notification.
Applicants in the general category are required to pay a Rs 250 application fee, while SC, ST, and ex-servicemen of these categories must submit Rs 150. However, candidates falling under Below Poverty Line (BPL), Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), and women categories are exempt from this fee payment.
How to apply for APSC CCE 2024?
1. Go to the official website apsc.nic.in.
2. Click on 'Application Forms (Apply)' on the homepage.
3. Complete the form with necessary details.
4. Upload all required documents and pay the applicable fees.
5. Submit the application and keep a hardcopy saved for future references.
How to tackle malnutrition effectively
Government programmes to fortify staples should be supplemented with initiatives on balanced diets
As a haematologist, I regularly examine patients with anaemia. One of the many causes of anaemia or low haemoglobin is iron deficiency. It primarily impacts children and women. It’s common knowledge that good nutrition is critical for overall health, but what’s not as well-known is the two-way relationship between nutritional deficiencies and certain disorders. Consistent intake of food lacking in essential micronutrients can lead to iron deficiency anaemia and Vitamin A, and zinc deficiency, and impair immunity. Conversely, conditions such as celiac disease and infections like h. pylori or worm infestations can disturb the digestive system, leading to nutrient deficiencies. Malnutrition caused by micronutrient deficiency has inter-generational impacts — anaemic mothers are known to give birth to anaemic babies.
Government programmes like Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) are among the biggest targeted measures to tackle the disorder. It involves administering iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets and other prophylactic measures. The Mid-day Meal Scheme for school children is another such intervention. However, challenges of effective implementation persist.
The burden of malnutrition is complex and needs to be addressed through multiple interventions. Diet plays a significant role. In pre-industrial times, a diverse and balanced diet was the norm. The traditional thaali comprises a balanced quantity of cereals, pulses, and vegetables seasoned with spices and herbs. Consuming fruits, seeds, nuts and dairy options has historically been regarded as an effective means of maintaining a balanced diet. Today, dietary patterns have shifted from seasonal and varied foods to processed and sugar-laden alternatives, which are calorically dense but nutritionally deficient. The onus seems to be on people to recognise that reducing consumption of processed foods is a crucial step towards ensuring better health outcomes.
The bigger challenge is that about 46 per cent of South Asia’s population lacks access to an affordable balanced diet, as per FAO data. According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2023, around 74 per cent of India’s population could not afford a healthy diet, and 39 per cent fell short of a nutrient-adequate one. Recent government interventions such as Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) are timely. These could augment the ongoing efforts at individual and community levels. LSFF, when aligned with micronutrient supplementation programmes, diet diversity promotion and measures to induce behavioural change has immense potential to improve the efficacy of existing initiatives. Food fortification may not be the ideal remedy. However, it is a vital first step. Many countries adopted universal food fortification several years ago. India lags behind here.
At the same, fortification in India is not a completely novel strategy. The adoption of iodised salt under the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme in 1992 significantly reduced goitre rates. The country’s food fortification programme now includes adding micronutrients to staples such as wheat flour, rice, edible oils, and salt.
Awareness is critical to the acceptance of fortified foods among the targeted beneficiaries. The appearance and texture of such foods — fortified rice kernels, for instance — often create misgiving. Addressing such concerns requires an intensive information, education and communication (IEC) campaign. An important step in this direction is to inform the beneficiaries about the stringent standards of fortification. Research also shows no danger of iron toxicity from such food — the quantity of iron in fortified foods is similar to that of the naturally occurring nutrient. In any case, the body’s homeostasis in people with normal health prevents excess iron absorption.
Multiple awareness strategies can be adopted to foster greater awareness. This includes utilising communication channels such as community radio, videos and door-to-door outreach. Messages in vernacular languages ensure that the information is easily understood and also helps dispel misconceptions and build trust. The way forward involves not just adoption of healthier dietary practices at the individual and community levels but also strategies by the state such as LSFF.
Written Tulika Seth
Source: Indian Express, 29/01/24
Friday, January 19, 2024
Quote of the Day January 19, 2024
“Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate.”
G. K. Chesterton
“आशा वह शक्ति है जो उन परिस्थितियों में भी हमें प्रसन्न बनाए रखती है जिनके बारे में हम जानते हैं कि वे खराब हैं।”
जी.के.चेस्टर्टन
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)