Gujarat govt’s control centre to monitor educational projects

Prime Minister began a two-day Gujarat tour on April 18 by visiting the Command and Control Centre set up by the Education Department.

When did it begin?

• The current centre has its roots in 2019.
• It is a much upgraded version of the state government’s realtime technology enabled surveillance system to “keep an eye” on over 1.95 lakh school teachers that was launched in Gujarat in 2019.
• Established with the aim to improve the quality of education by ensuring teachers stick to their assigned tasks on a daily basis, the system was devised after various discussions and reports concluded that poor monitoring of teachers resulted in absenteeism and “non-seriousness”.

Command and Control Centre 2.0 or ‘Vidya Samiksha Kendra’

• In June 2021, former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the technological and infrastructural upgraded Command and Control Centre called CCC 2.0, a surveillance system which tracks enrolment, attendance, learning outcomes, drop-outs, school accreditation and monitors schools, teachers and block and cluster resource centre co-ordinators.
• This state of the art data driven centre is based on the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) Framework.
• The centre is located in sector 19 of Gandhinagar and is aimed at leveraging data and technology to improve learning outcomes.

What does it do?

• The CCC monitors 55,000 primary and secondary government schools and hand holds 4 lakh teachers to help improve learning outcomes of nearly 1.2 crore students.
• The Centre already has over 1,000 crore data sets “that has been collected for over one crore students over the last two-and-a-half years”.
• He says it can track details like “the pattern emerging from periodic tests, which student has performed badly in which subject and which question, (which) can be accessed with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning”.
• CCC is being used for interoperability of data systems – that exist in silos, like student and teacher attendance data, CRC app data, semester assessment, CCC monitoring data, U-DISE, periodic assessment tests (PAT) and so on.
• For easy access and quick decisions, the plan is to have CCC house all head of departments (HoDs) of education at the School Education Centre.

Tracking students at the risk of dropping out

• The CCC came up with a preliminary child tracking system where a prediction or forecast on students most likely to migrate from where to which areas and their possibility of drop-outs can be made in advance.
• The data tracked and analysed include school history of a child right from his migration from which district and school to where, how many times has he changed the school.
• Also, data of students who remained absent from tests or students who scored low can also predict the chances of their drop-out.
• Thus, students have been categorised as high, medium and no risk and tracking of such high risk students in each cluster will help check their dropping out from schools.
• Based on the analysis, the CCC has categorised drop-out of students into two-seasonal migration and result and attendance oriented.
• This data of students is then shared with the Cluster Resource Centre (CRC) co-ordinators so that they can ensure the child does not actually quit school.
• Also, on the students’ performance, teachers can work on areas where students require more clarity by analysing the PAT reports.

Key initiatives of Education in India

• SHREYAS Scheme: Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skill (SHREYAS)
  • Launched by- Ministry of Human Resource Development
  • Important objectives-
    • Improve employability, Linking education with industry
• NEAT Scheme- National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT)
  • Launched by- Ministry of Human Resource Development
  • Objective- Objective is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalised and customised as per the requirements of the learner.
• EQUIP- ‘Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)’
  • It is a Five-year vision plan, finalised and released by HRD Ministry.
  • The ten Expert Groups have suggested more than 50 initiatives that would transform the higher education sector completely.
• DHRUV- The Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme –
  • Started by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
• NISHTHA- National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement.
  • Its aim is to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country.
  • The basic objective of this massive training programme ‘NISHTHA’ is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.
• PARAMARSH- Paramarsh’ for Mentoring NAAC Accreditation Aspirant Institutions to promote Quality Assurance in Higher Education
  • Operationalized through a “Hub & Spoke” model wherein the Mentor Institution, called the “Hub” is centralized and will have the responsibility of guiding the Mentee institution through the secondary branches the “Spoke”.
• SHAGUN– Union HRD Minister launches Integrated Online junction for School Education ‘Shagun’
  • It is one of the world’s largest Integrated Online Junction for School Education.
• UDISE+ Unified District Information System for Education Plus –
  • To ensure quality, credibility and timely availability of information from all the schools in the country.
• RISE– Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Higher Education (RISE).
  • Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) scope was expanded to meet the rising financial requirements of educational infrastructure in the country
• IMPRESS- Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences
  • Under the Scheme, 1500 research projects will be awarded for 2 years to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions and to enable research to guide policy making.
• SPARC- Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration.
  • Aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is the National Coordinating Institute to implement the SPARC programme.
• LEAP-Leadership for Academicians Programme
  • A flagship leadership development training programme.
  • A three weeks Flagship leadership development training programme (2 weeks domestic and one-week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in public-funded higher education institutions.
• ARPIT- Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT)
  • A major and unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM.
• Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram-
  • It is a first of its kind portal for students seeking Education Loan.
  • A fully IT-based Student Financial Aid Authority has been proposed through the ‘Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram.
• Samagra Shiksha Scheme–
  • An overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.
  • Envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels and subsumes the three erstwhile centrally sponsored schemes- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education(TE).
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan-
  • It is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in partnership with State Governments for universalizing elementary education across the country.
  • Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in education and enhancement of learning levels of children.
• Rashtriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)-
  • Aims to raise the minimum level of education to class X and universalize access to secondary education.
  • To ensure good-quality secondary education with a focus on Science, Mathematics and English; and
  • To reduce the gender, social and regional gaps in enrolments, dropouts and improving retention.
• Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)-
  • A Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013. It aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions based on their progress.
• Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA)-
  • Building institutional capacity in Institutes of higher education in research & training relevant to the needs of rural India.
• SWAYAM-
  • Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds is an indigenous IT platform for hosting the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
  • SWAYAM is designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality.
• Saksham Scholarship Scheme-
  • The scheme was launched in 2014-15, with the objective of encouraging economically weaker differently-abled students to pursue technical education at Diploma and Degree levels.
  • The scholarship amount of Rs.30,000 is provided towards tuition fee reimbursement and Rs.20000 as contingency allowance for 1000 persons/annum.
• Swayam Prabha-
  • A group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of high-quality educational programmes on a 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.
  • Every day, there will be new content for at least (4) hours which would be repeated 5 more times in a day, allowing the students to choose the time of their convenience.
• Shala Darpan Portal-
  • An E-Governance school automation and management system for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS).
  • This portal has been developed for information sharing and knowledge dissemination for employees and students across schools and offices of NVS.
• All School Monitoring Individual Tracing Analysis (ASMITA)-
  • Aims to track the educational journey of close to 25 crore school students from Class I to Class XII across 15 lakh schools in the country.
  • Students will be tracked through their Aadhaar numbers and incase those not having a unique number will be provided with it.
• Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN)-
  • Intended to enlarge and deepen the interface of India’s institutions of higher learning and globally recognised institutions of academic eminence.
  • Under it, faculty from highly rated institutions abroad will visit India, interact and partner with their counterparts and with students, and deliver specialised courses.
• IMPRINT India-
  • MHRD supported Pan-IIT + IISc joint initiative to address the major science and engineering challenges that India must address and champion to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance.
  • This novel initiative with a twofold mandate is aimed at:
• Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas-
  • Ishan Vikas and Ishan Uday schemes are being implemented for the students of the North-Eastern region.
  • Under it selected school children from the North Eastern States are brought in close contact with the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) during the vacation period
• Shodhganga-
  • A repository developed to contain an electronic copy of all M.Phil/PhD thesis to make it accessible to all institutions.
  • It also provides access to Indian theses and dissertations in open access to the worldwide academic community and making visibility of Indian research to other countries.
• Vidya Virta Abhiyan-
  • It is to encourage varsities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra-decorated soldiers.
  • The objective is to instil a sense of nationalism and patriotism among the students
• Diksha Portal-
  • HRD ministry has launched Diksha Portal (diksha.gov.in) for providing a digital platform to a teacher to make their lifestyle more digital.
  • It will serve as National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers.
• Margadarshan-
  • The scheme aims to provide mentoring to institutes by a well-performing Institute.
• JIGYASA-
  • It is a student- scientist connect programme by the Ministry of HRD and Ministry of S&T.
  • It focuses on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student‘s classroom learning to research laboratory based learning by visiting CSIR laboratories and by participating in mini-science projects.
• Maitreyi Yatra-
  • An exclusive student exchange programme for J&K organized by Ministry of Human Resource development.
  • It provides a good opportunity for the youth of J&K to be acquainted with culture, language and development story of different parts of the country.
• Madhyamik and Ucchatar Shiksha Kosh (MUSK)-
  • A non-lapsable pool in the Public Account for secondary and higher, education known as “Madhyamik and Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh” (MUSK) into which all proceeds of “Secondary and Higher Education Cess” will be credited.
  • The funds arising from the MUSK would be utilized for schemes in the education sector which would be available for the benefit of students of secondary and higher education, all over the country.
• National Testing Agency (NTA)-
  • It has been established as a premier, specialist, autonomous and self-sustained testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for admission/fellowship in higher educational institutions.
  • It will be registered as a society under the Indian Societies Registration Act.
• National Education Policy, 2020

Exam Track

Prelims Takeaway

• National Education Policy, 2020
• Major initiatives for education in India and their key provisions
• ‘Vidya Samiksha Kendra’

Mains track

Q. National Education Policy, 2020 has been the latest driver of the Education movement in India. Critically analyse.