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Modi surprises students, parents at virtual CBSE session

The Prime Minister said that the decision to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams was taken keeping in mind the student’s interest…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday surprised students and their parents by joining a virtual interactive session for CBSE students organised by the Education Ministry.

The Prime Minister said that the decision to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams was taken keeping in mind the student’s interest.

The Prime Minister also interacted with some students and parents during the interaction.

Modi advised students to use their time in a creative and productive way following the cancellation of Class XII board exams.

The Prime Minister also advised the students not to take the stress of any exam in their lives. Modi then asked the students about their feelings following the cancellation of exams in view of the Covid pandemic, wanting to know their plans.

The Prime Minister said that with team spirit, which is taught in schools and colleges, the country will emerge victorious in the battle against the pandemic.

Welcoming the government move to cancel the exams, many students told the Prime Minister that it was a ‘good decision’.

The students and some parents also shared their views on the cancellation of exams with the Prime Minister, saying the decision brought relief for them besides ending the uncertainty prevailed over the exams.

The Prime Minister also urged students to do research and write an essay on 75 years of India’s Independence.

He said they should always remember the mantra of ‘health is wealth’ and asked what they do to remain physically fit.

In view of the uncertain conditions brought about by the pandemic and taking into account the feedback obtained from the various stakeholders, the Centre on Tuesday decided to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams for 2021.

After the government’s decision, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) also scrapped the ISC Class XII exams for this year, saying that a scheme for evaluating the students will be announced soon.

The decision to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams was taken in a review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.

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-Top News Education UK News

Education recovery chief quits over lack of funding

The education recovery commissioner for England, Sir Kevan Collins, resigned last night as he accused ministers of “half-hearted” approach to helping children and underfunding Covid catch-up scheme, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s education catch-up tsar, Sir Kevan Collins, has resigned in a row over the lack of “credible” pandemic catch-up funding, media reported.

Sir Kevan took on the role as education recovery commissioner for England in February to develop a long-term plan to help pupils make up for lost learning during the pandemic.

According to a BBC report, Sir Kevan stepped down saying the government’s funding for the plan “falls far short of what is needed”.

The Education Policy Institute had calculated that a catch-up funding recovery would need £13.5bn – and Sir Kevan was reported as having put forward plans costing £15bn.

But the government’s proposal represents £50 per pupil per year.

“I do not believe it is credible that a successful recovery can be achieved with a programme of support of this size,” the BBC quoted Sir Kevan’s letter to Boris Johnson.

Meanwhile, Head teachers labelled the £1.4bn cash over three years as a “damp squib”, it was reported.

According to a Downing Street spokesman “the prime minister is hugely grateful to Sir Kevan for his work in helping pupils catch up and recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Boris Johnson(IANS)

“The government will continue to focus on education recovery and making sure no child is left behind with their learning, with over £3bn committed for catch up so far,” the spokesman said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the government announced an extra £1.4bn over three years for education recovery. It builds on the £1.7 billion already announced to help children catch up on what they missed during the pandemic, which includes summer schools and mental health support, bringing total investment to over £3 billion.

This included £1bn for 100 million hours of tutoring, aimed at disadvantaged pupils, and £250m for teacher training and development.

The government announced children and young people across England will be offered up to 100 million hours of free tuition to help them catch up on learning lost during the pandemic.

As part of the package, a total of £1.4 billion is being invested, including £1 billion to support up to 6 million, 15-hour tutoring courses for disadvantaged school children, as well as an expansion of the 16-19 tuition fund, targeting key subjects such as maths and English.

The government said £400 million will help give early years practitioners and 500,000 school teachers across the country training and support, and schools and colleges will be funded to give some year 13 students the option to repeat their final year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this step in the long-term catch up plan “should give parents confidence that we will do everything we can to support children who have fallen behind and that every child will have the skills and knowledge they need to fulfil their potential.”

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the package will not just go a long way to boost children’s learning in the wake of the disruption caused by the pandemic but also help bring back down the attainment gap that we’ve been working to eradicate.

According to BBC, the resignation statement from Sir Kevan, reported by The TES, said: “A half-hearted approach risks failing hundreds of thousands of pupils.

“The support announced by government so far does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge and is why I have no option but to resign from my post,” Sir Kevan was quoted in the report.

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Education India News

CBSE, ISC Plus Two Exams Cancelled

The decision to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams was taken in a review meeting on Tuesday that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi…reports Asian Lite News.

In view of the uncertain conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the feedback obtained from the various stakeholders, the Centre on Tuesday decided to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams for 2021.

After the government’s decision to cancel CBSE board exams, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) scrapped the ISC Class XII exams for this year. also cancelled its Class XII board exams for this year, saying that a scheme for evaluating the students will be announced soon.

The decision to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams was taken in a review meeting on Tuesday that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, “The Prime Minister chaired a review meeting regarding the Class XII board exams of CBSE. Officials gave a detailed presentation on the wide and extensive consultation held so far and views received from all the stakeholders, including the state governments.

“In view of the uncertain conditions due to Covid and the feedback obtained from the various stakeholders, it was decided that the Class XII board exams would not be held this year. It was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results of Class XII students as per a well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner.”

In the meeting, the Prime Minister said that the decision on Class XII CBSE exams has been taken in the interest of the students, adding that Covid-19 has affected the academic calendar and the issue of board exams was causing immense anxiety among the students, parents and teachers, which had to come to an end.

The Prime Minister said that the Covid situation is a dynamic situation across the country. While the numbers are coming down and some states are managing the situation through effective micro-containment measures, some states have opted for lockdowns.

Students (Rep Image)

The students, parents and teachers are naturally worried about the health of the students in such a situation, Modi said, adding that the students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation.

The Prime Minister stressed that the health and safety of the students are of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect.

He said that in today’s time, such exams cannot be the reason to put the youth of the country at risk.

The Prime Minister said that all the stakeholders need to show sensitivity for the students, as he directed the officials to ensure that the results are prepared in accordance with well-defined criteria, in a fair and time-bound manner.

Referring to the wide consultative process, Modi expressed appreciation that a student-friendly decision has been reached after consulting all the stakeholders from across the length and breadth of the country. He also thanked the states for providing valuable feedback on this issue.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi chairing a review meeting regarding the Class XII Board exams of CBSE, through video conferencing, in New Delhi on June 01, 2021. (PIB)

The Prime Minister had earlier held a high-level meeting on the matter on May 21, which was attended by the ministers and concerned officials.

Thereafter, a meeting under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was held on May 23. Various options for conducting the CBSE exams were discussed in the meeting and feedback was taken from the states and UTs.

Tuesday’s meeting was attended by Union Ministers of Home, Defence, Finance, Commerce, Information & Broadcasting, Petroleum and Women & Child Development ministries, the Principal Secretary to the PM, Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries of School Education & Higher Education Departments, among other officials.

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