S. Vishnu Sharma
Education news 2021 is all about the developments in education sector in India that are worth noting. These developments have attracted good deal of attention from various sections of the society.
The academic sector in India is always vibrant and never remains free of happenings. Be it school exams, competitive exams for higher education like JEE Mains or NEET UG, they have all attracted great deal of attention.
The whole nation followed various happenings in the education sector as they held lot of relevance to the lives of students, their parents and teachers.
A few of the developments have managed to bring cheer, certain others could generate anxiousness among the people. Collegechalo brings Education news 2021 that have formed highlights of the academic world in India.
1. CBSE and State Board exams
The exams for 10th and 12th classes with regards to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and State Boards generated enough curiosity among the students, parents.
The schedules were planned for these exams in 2021. However, they could not be conducted as per the planned schedule. A great deal of suspense followed and then finally the decision was taken to cancel the exams. This is also worth noting development in Education News 2021.
2. Board pass results
The CBSE exams for 10th and 12th class students were cancelled during 2021 owing to COVID-19 situation. An alternative evaluation system was worked out and marks were allotted to students.
Sources keeping track of Education News 2021 said the pass percentage witnessed was highest. The pass percentage with regards to class 10 exams was 99.04 and the same for class 12 was 99.37.
Education Boards in various states also followed similar alternative evaluation methods and the pass percentages there were also quite high. This also became one of the important development as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
3. NDA exam
National Defence Academy exam which is also popularly known as NDA exam formed the highlight as far as Education News 2021 is concerned. Students who pass plus-two and are interested in a career in armed forces of India appear for the test.
There is a special point to this well-known exam. The exam conducted in 2021 saw even women candidates taking up the test. Over 1.7 lakh women candidates have applied for the exam, say sources keeping track of Education News 2021. Over 1000 women were shortlisted for SSB interview.
4. School reopening
There was a lot of buzz when it came to opening schools across the nation. The educational institutions remained closed during 2020. This got extended to a certain extent in 2021. However, as the situation moved towards normalcy, schools across the country reopened and welcomed students in 2021.
Sources following Education News 2021 say, schools welcomed students after a gap of almost 1.5 years. However, with COVID-19 situation still not going away, the talk of closing physical classes and resuming learning over online mode still keeps doing rounds.
5. NIRF Ranking
NIRF rankings which also form an important part of higher education were released on September 9 in 2021. This also forms a very vital development as far as Education News 2021 is concerned. For, a lot of educational institutions look forward for this ratings.
Sources following Education News 2021 say IIT Madras won the first position in this ratings in the overall category. IISC Bangalore got the second position. IIT Bombay won the third position.
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The highlight point is that the institutions participating in this rating is also witnessing an upward move.
6. ARIIA Ranking
ARIIA Rankings for 2021 were also released on 29 December by Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar. The highlight point is that IIT Madras topped the ranking. There is more to it than meets the eye.
The other important institutions that featured prominently in this ranking are IIT Bombay, IISC Bangalore, IIT Kanpur. About 1438 higher education institutions took part in this ratings for 2021, say sources following Education News 2021.
The rankings were done under two categories – Technical and Non-Technical. Even here, the number of institutions taking part in the ratings for 2021 has witnessed an upward move when compared to 2020.
7. IIT Kanpur convocation
The 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur also was a centre of attraction. The event was held on December 28 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the event.
Sources keeping a track of Education News 2021 say the students were awarded degrees with help of in block chain driven technology which was developed in house. The technology was launched by Prime Minister. About 1,723 students received their degrees during the event.
8. JEE Mains
This exam which is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) also has become the frequently spoken topic when it comes Education News 2021. The exam which usually was conducted twice in a year began being conducted for four times from 2021 onwards.
NTA held this exam in January, February, July and August. This proved a delight for students as they got an opportunity to improve their scores in the same year.
9. IIT Guwahati
This institution also witnessed an very important development in 2021. It became a centre of attraction when it opened its School of Business. The school would offer MBA programme and it would commence admission process in January this year.
First batch is expected to commence their studies from July 2022. The admission to the MBA programme will be in line with the admission process adopted by other IITs offering MBA programmes, with the requirement of opening this programme to prospective applicants who have qualified the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2021.
The moments turned more special when the website of the institution was launched by Director of IIT Guwahati Professor T.G. Sitharam. This is also one of the most important development as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
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10. IISER Bhopal
Education News 2021 is all about important developments in the field of education. IISER Bhopal has become a highlight when it featured prominently on ARIIA Rankings for 2021.
The Institute was the only One among the Seven IISERs to be identified in the ‘Promising’ band under ‘Institute of National Importance and Central Universities/CFTIs (Centrally Funded Technical Institutions) (Technical)’ Category.
The ranking it got in 2021 was an improvement when compared to what was obtained previous year.
11. Genome of turmeric
A team of researchers at IISER Bhopal led by Dr. Vineet K. Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, have sequenced the genome of the turmeric plant for the first time in the world.
The results of their path-breaking work have recently been published in a journal belonging to the prestigious Nature group – Communications Biology.
The paper has been co-authored by Mr. Abhisek Chakraborty, Ms. Shruti Mahajan, Mr. Shubham K. Jaiswal and Dr Vineet K. Sharma of IISER Bhopal. This is also one of the worth noting event as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
12. IIT Madras 58th convocation
IIT Madras also was a part of the limelight when it conducted its 58th convocation. Olympic Medalist and Badminton World Champion Ms. PV Sindhu was the chief guest for the occasion.
The event took place on 20 November and as many as 2,425 degrees (including Joint and Dual Degrees) were awarded to students on the occasion.
This included the highest number of PhDs awarded in an academic year – 392, which includes PhDs, Joint Degree Ph.Ds with foreign institutions and Dual Degree PhDs. This also formed an important one as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
13. CRDTH
NIT Andhra Pradesh got into special focus as far as Education News 2021 is concerned. The institution took to establishing a Common Research and Technology Development Hub (CRTDH) in the Renewable Energy sector.
This will enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Micro and Small Enterprises by providing assistance in technological problem-solving and capacity building.
The research centre is sponsored by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. The infrastructure and equipment established at this research centre would facilitate Micro and Small Enterprises to conduct research and development activities, including testing of innovative products and new technologies.
The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) will offer financial support of Rs.5 Crore with NIT Andhra Pradesh contributing Rs. 2.15 Crore, including land and building for the research centre.
The project will be led by the Department of Electrical Engineering, NIT Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with other Departments of the Institute.
14. NEET UG 2021
There is a lot to watch for as far as Education News 2021 is concerned. NEET UG exam conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) also managed to get great deal of limelight during 2021.
There was great deal of suspense with regards to this test. The actual date for NEET exam 2021 was August 1. However, a new date was later announced. As per the new date, September 12 was the day the exam was to be conducted.
There was demand from certain quarters to postpone the exam further ahead, as the new date (September 12) was a time which was in proximity to many other exam dates, and students may not be able to concentrate as they have too many exams to prepare for.
The exam was conducted on September 12. The result was also released and the counselling process also has begun. This is one of those competitive exams that garner a great deal of attention as large number of students appear for it.
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15. NEET and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu witnessed also some worth noting developments as far as this entrance exam is concerned. There was a demand to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET UG, say sources keeping track of Education News 2021.
Justice (Retired) A.K. Rajan Committee was also appointed to study the impact of NEET Exam on aspirants who come from socially disadvantaged sections.
The committee said the exam will put the state back in the days of pre-independence. And, said the government must remove it through the required legal or legislative procedures.
The suspense over the NEET exam in Tamil Nadu continues even now with people here expressing two different view points. While one feels NEET has to be done away, the other considers NEET exam has to continue.
As there is no certain answer with regards to the NEET exam in Tamil Nadu as of now, the suspense with regards to it is likely to continue for some more time. This is also one of the worth noting events as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
16. Mathematical Models
A collaborative research team comprising scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi and National Brain Research Centre, India and University at Buffalo, USA, performs mathematical simulation studies on non-invasive brain simulation techniques.
The results of the team’s recent work in the area have been published as an abstract in the journal, Brain Stimulation.
The abstract has been co-authored by Dr Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury from IIT Mandi, Dr Yashika Arora from National Brain Research Centre, India, and Dr Anirban Dutta of University at Buffalo. This is also an important development as far as Education News 2021 is concerned.
17. CBSE Exam pattern
There are many happenings on the academic front that attracted great deal of attention and became a part of Education News 2021. The one worth noting development was with regards to exam pattern of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The organisation brought a change with regards to the exam pattern of class 10 and class 12 exams. As per the change, the students will appear for the exams twice – Term 1 and Term 2.
The first term exam (Term 1) will have questions in multiple choice format and second term exam (Term 2) will have questions in objective and subjective type. Term 1 exams were conducted in November to December 2021, say sources tracking Education News 2021.
18. Change in MoE
Union Ministry of Education of Government of India also found a place in the Education News 2021 that made highlights. Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank handed over the charge to Dharmendra Pradhan.
Many developments had taken place during the tenure of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank like implementation of NEP 2020. Dharmendra Pradhan was Petroleum Minister earlier.
Pradhan is the son of Debendra Pradhan who was former Union Minister of State for Surface Transport. Hope is for many new developments in the education sector.
19. New Vice Chancellors
Another worth noticing event was appointment of 12 new Vice Chancellors to Central Universities. President of India Ramnath Kovind appointed the new Vice Chancellors. Among those appointed were Professor Sat Prakash Bansal (Central University of Himachal Pradesh).
Dr. Tankeshwar Kumar was appointed to Central University of Haryana, Sanjeev Jain to Central University of Jammu. Kshitij Bhushan was appointed as Vice Chancellor of Central University of Jharkhand.
Sources tracking Education News 2021 say Battu Satyanarayana was made the Vice Chancellor of Karnataka Central University.
Muthukaligan Krishan was made Vice Chancellor to the Central University of Tamil Nadu and Basuthkar J Rao to the Central University of Hyderabad.
Kameshwar Nath Singh was made Vice Chancellor to the Central University of South Bihar, Prabha Shankar Shukla to the North-Eastern Hill University.
Alok Kumar was made Vice Chancellor of Guru Ghasidas University, Syed Ainul Hasan was made the Vice Chancellor to the Maulana Azad National Urdu University and N Lokendra Singh to Manipur University.
20. Online education
The online education which turned as a preferred mode of education students in 2020 owing to pandemic situation continued to hold its sway even in 2021.
Though economy largely opened up after a series of lockdowns, the fear of pandemic showing its impact again made educational institutions choose online mode of teaching.
Many colleges including the engineering colleges took to online platforms to teach their students. Though there were doubts initially about using online platforms for teaching, their usage only witnessed an upward move.
Institutions have opened up in later half of 2021 and resumed physical classes, but as the pandemic situation still causes concern, the chances of resuming back online teaching and learning cannot be undermined.
Conclusion (Education News 2021)
There is no dearth of Education News 2021 as the education sector in India is vibrant and witnesses lot of developments. Of these, not all of Education News 2021 are worth being happy developments. The happenings seen in 2021 with regards to education have evoked mixed feelings. Things have to move ahead with a feeling that 2022 would bring all of us more pleasant developments.