Chandigarh-based Group Raises Money For Children's Education By Reusing Earthen Lamps

Motivating others to reduce and recycle waste materials, a Chandigarh-based group has come up with 'Deep Se Sahayog Tak' project under which they have reused discarded earthen lamps to raise money for children's education.

Rohit, a member of the group said the project was started in 2018 and they earned Rs 50,000 in 2019 after reusing earthen lamps from last year's waste. They contributed that money for the education of needy children.

Speaking to ANI, Rohit said, "We came up with the idea of reusing discarded earthen lamps in 2018 and started Deep Se Sahayog Tak project under which we provided funds to help needy children to study. We collected 20,000 lamps in 2018 and recycled them to sell, from which we earned Rs 50,000."

"In order to help people financially, we have created a self-help group of youth who were in contact with us during COVID-19. We engaged them in the cleaning and colouring of lamps. Now, 40 per cent of the earning will go to these youth who helped cleaning the lamps and 60 per cent will be invested in children's education," he added.

The group will sell a pack of 24 pieces of earthen lamps in an eco-friendly bag at the cost of Rs 50 with an option of home delivery.

"One of the known shopping malls at Chandigarh has also allowed us to sell these packs on their premises," Rohit said. 

Education ministry draws up 60-point agenda to implement NEP

The Ministry of Education has drawn up a 60-point agenda for the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP), which includes reforming the schooling system from the year 2022, ThePrint has learnt.

The Union Cabinet had cleared the NEP in July this year and the document charts out key educational reforms that will be undertaken over the coming years.

Agencies like the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have been tasked with different duties to kick-start the ministry’s plan from 2022-23, according to officials familiar with the development.

ThePrint reached the education ministry for a comment via email but no response was received till the time of publishing this report.

Common entrance exam for universities

To begin with, the government plans to streamline the admission process to undergraduate colleges for non-technical courses.

The NTA, which conducts the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility and Education Test (NEET) for medical courses, has been asked to work on the modalities of a single entrance exam for all universities.

As reported by ThePrint, the plan is likely to be rolled out next year and will be more streamlined by 2022.

According to sources in the ministry, it will not be mandatory for institutions to adopt the single entrance test for admission.

Currently, different universities have their own admission process. Some like the Delhi University admit students based on the marks obtained in the Class 12 board exams while others hold entrance tests.

The single entrance test is expected to reduce the burden of high cut-offs, especially in DU. This year, Lady Shri Ram College had pegged the cut-off of three courses at a record 100 per cent in the general category.

Changes to schooling system

Additionally, the CBSE and NIOS have been tasked with changing the assessment system in schools.

CBSE is preparing the format for two types of exams — objective and subjective — which is likely to be rolled out by 2022-23, sources in the ministry told ThePrint.

Meanwhile, NCERT has been asked to work on a new curriculum, focusing on learning outcomes, from pre-primary to Class 12.

In lieu with the new policy that focuses on early childhood education, the council has been asked to prepare a three-month study module for students in Class 1 to make them school-ready.

Modules on numerical literacy, with a special focus on younger children, will also be prepared by the council and is expected to be rolled out soon.

The NEP aims to change the current school education system, which is a 10+2 system, where formal schooling starts at the age of 6 years, to  5+3+3+4 system.

This will include five years of foundational learning (three years of preschool or anganwadi education and two years of classes 1 and 2); three years of preparatory learning (classes 3 to 5); three years of middle school (classes 6 to 8) and four years of secondary school (classes 9 to 12).

Source

HC directs IIT-Bombay to consider admitting student on supernumerary seat

In a setback for a 23-year-old aspiring to get admitted to a diploma course in the Industrial Design Centre of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), the Bombay high court has refused to give any directions to the institute to admit the student. The court while passing its judgement in the matter on Friday held that though initially it was inclined to help the aspirant student who is from the reserved category, it was not doing so as both the institute and the aspirant were equally responsible for the situation. The court however directed the Director of IIT-B to consider admitting the aspirant this year as it would elevate the image of the institute and not malign it by creating a supernumerary seat in the current academic year or accommodate him next year.

The aspirant student who had completed the selection process of the institute on July 21, had approached the court after he failed to get the intimation email from the institute on August 2 and thus lost the seat. The email was sent by the institute to all the students who were shortlisted and asked them to complete the admission procedure before the deadline of August 6.

During the hearing, the institute admitted that the email had not reached the aspirant student but claimed that had the student been diligent and checked the IIT-B website he would have known about his selection in the final list and secured his seat. In light of this the institute claimed that due to the lapse on the part of the student, the institute could not be faulted and directed to admit the student belatedly.

On Friday, the division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni while pronouncing its judgement in the petition filed by Prathmesh Pedamkar through advocate Ashraf Shaikh observed that after hearing both sides it was of the opinion that it would not be required to interfere and issue directions to the institution to admit the student.

While arguing, Shaikh had submitted that his client had approached the court after he was directed by the cyber cell of Navi Mumbai police. They had said that it could only find out if the IIT-B had sent him the intimation email as claimed by them if there was a court order. Shaikh had also submitted that after the institute had changed its entire admission procedure due to the pandemic, it had been sending emails and phone messages to all aspirants about every stage of the admission process. His client had responded to all the emails and completed his admission process which ended on July 21. Thereafter the institute had informed that selected candidates would be intimated through email.

Shaikh had submitted that it was only on August 21 that his client contacted the institute to be told that he had been shortlisted and an email had been sent to him on August 2. However when he sought details of the original sent email, the institute refused to share and hence he approached the Navi Mumbai cyber cell.

While opposing the petition advocate Arsh Mishra for the IIT-B had submitted that though the email had been blocked by the spam filter and not reached the aspirant, he could have checked on the website and known about his selection just like 18 other aspirants who had not received the email. Mishra submitted that 14 aspirants after finding their names on the institute’s website had secured their admission and hence Pedamkar could not claim any reliefs.

After hearing the submissions the court had initially observed that it wanted to help the student and had asked the institute to admit the student either in the current academic year or the next year without making the aspirant go through the admission process next year. However after the institute refused, the court called for past orders of the Supreme Court and other high courts wherein institutes were directed to admit a student to the current academic year by creating a supernumerary seat. Shaikh had furnished orders of both the SC as well as other HC’s which directed institutes to admit a student who was refused admission for no fault of his/her.

The court directed the institute to convey its decision to the student within four weeks and also permitted the student to take recourse to appropriate remedy if he was not admitted by the institute.

Completion of school education is costly for these tribal region students

Nestled in the lap of western ghats are many tribal villages and one such village -- Doddamanju tribal panchayat village -- looks quite beautiful here with its vastly varying culture and dialects. However, when it comes to children's education, villagers continue to lag far behind. With just one high school in the panchayat, students, completing their high school (Class X), drop out of studies and start doing odd jobs.

According to students and their parents, the problem of truancy can be solved if authorities concerned arrange bus transportation to a higher secondary school in the nearby village Natrampalayam, among other requests. The school in Doddamanju panchayat in Anchetty taluk is about 110 km away from the district headquarters of Krishnagiri and 20 km away from Doddamanju.

School Education Department said that the government high school in Doddamanju tribal panchayat was upgraded to high school in 2011 and since then a total of 213 students have appeared for the class X exam. Though 174 students -- 92 boys and 82 girls -- passed the boards, only 45 students have joined for higher education (class XI and other ITI courses). There is only one boy who has completed his post-graduation from the village.

In the academic year 2019- 2020, 46 students appeared for class X exam and attained all pass, only seven students joined for class XI and four for the Industrial Training Institute said an educational department source.

TNIE trekked to the village to find out the condition and found out that a few students after completing their boards switch to jobs in spinning mills at Erode, Tirupur and Namakkal districts.

One of the students who completed class IX from Doddamanju GHS and went to a spinning mill near Erode during this lockdown said that he earned `8, 000 each month for two months. However, he joined class X at his school after permission was denied for him to reach his native.

Similarly, Chinnan from Onnepuram village, said, "My daughter completed class X a few years before, but since we had no road facility, let alone bus facility, students walked eight km to reach Sivalingapuram and then boarded the bus for Anchetti, which is 12 km away. This tedious and strenuous trekking led to reluctance in parents and students," he said.

A mini-bus facility was started by the TNSTC from Anchetti to Doddamanju in 2018 and that has led to to a few admission to class XI in the school.

Cases of Child Marriage

Meanwhile, due to early drop out from schools, many cases of child marriages have been taking place in the village. Apart from this, three girls have killed self over love disputes. Frightened parents are thus reluctant to send their wards to faraway schools and urge the government to upgrade the school in Doddamanju to a higher secondary school.

A school teacher said that though the government should arrange a bus facility to the government higher secondary school at Natrampalayam, which would prevent drop out after class X. Teacher also mentioned that a junior assistant should be appointed administration work as there are only five teachers for the total 304 students.

Denkanikottai District Education Officer Jothi Chandra said that they are processing the work to upgrade the school and have communicated at the State-level authorities.

Thally constituency DMK MLA Y Prakash said that he would speak about the transport issue to the district authorities and try to arrange bus facility from Doddamanju to Natrampalayam.

Trouble for students in continuing higher education

A major problem faced by the students is that the higher secondary schools run by the State government are present in Anchetti, Natrampalayam, Denkanikottai, Thally, and a government model school at Bodichipalli. Hostel facility for boys is only available in Anchetti and for girls, it is there in Bodichipalli near Kelamangalam, Thally and Denkanikottai.

IIT-Kanpur to hold first ever virtual convocation on October 22

The 53rd convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur will be held on October 22 virtually because of the pandemic COVID-19. It will be the first ever virtual convocation of the Institute, said IIT-K director, Professor Abhay Karandikar in his Facebook post on Monday.

IIT-Bombay also conducted its convocation in virtual mode in the month of August due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“I am delighted to share that the 53rd Convocation of the institute will be held on 22nd Oct 2020 from 4:00 pm onward. We invite all of you to the first ever virtual convocation of IIT Kanpur,” his Facebook post reads.

A total of 2008 undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students will get their degrees and nearly 100 medals will be awarded which will be sent via courier to them at their postal address. “We don’t want to have gathering on campus during pandemic. Graduating students may log in to take part in first ever virtual conversation,” the director said.

This year IIT-K did not conduct written examination for graduating students as the campus had to be closed in March following outbreak of COVID-19. Students, however, did appear in online exam held in June, the director said. 

This year the chief guest for the convocation will be IIT Kanpur’s alumnus Dr Arvind Krishna, Chief Executive Officer, IBM. He has played a significant role in building and expansion of new markets for IBM.

“Our chairman board of governors Dr Radhakrishnan K Koppillil will preside over the Convocation,” he said. “Hope that you will join and witness the graduation ceremony of young graduating students,” director said in his tweet.

Cabinet approves school education reform project

The Union Cabinet has approved a project partially funded by the World Bank to carry out a reform agenda in the governance of school education, and improve data and assessment systems at the national level, as well as teaching and learning outcomes in six States, especially for early childhood and vocational education.

The project includes an emergency response component to help the government respond to disaster situations which lead to school closures and loss of learning, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official statement issued after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project will have a total project cost of ₹5,718 crore, with the World Bank’s support amounting to about ₹3,700 crore ($500 million), said the statement.

A major component of the project is the establishment of PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) as a National Assessment Centre. Included in the National Education Policy 2020, this autonomous institution under the Union Education Ministry will set norms for student assessment and evaluation for all school boards across the country, most of which currently follow norms set by State governments. It will also guide standardised testing to monitor learning outcomes at the State and national levels, according to the NEP.

The other major initiative at the national level is to strengthen the Education Ministry’s data systems to capture information on the retention, transition and completion rates of students.

At the State level, the project seeks to improve education outcomes and school-to-work transition strategies for better labour market outcomes in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha.

A similar project to be funded by the Asian Development Bank will cover Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Assam and every State will partner with one other State to share best practices, said the statement.

Education governance reform will be a major focus, with the World Bank’s project document estimating that 83% of the project will be dedicated to the public administration of education. Other areas of focus are assessment systems, teacher development, early childhood, foundational literacy and numeracy, and vocational education, which are all highlighted in the NEP as well.

The World Bank’s latest status report for the project, released earlier this month, also includes plans to include private sector players in the government school system, in “the area of school education governance, management, monitoring, teacher training, school service delivery reform, and overall education service delivery.” This component has raised concerns among some education activists, who have also raised red flags about the emphasis on standardised testing and the use of information and communication technologies in teaching.

Cabinet approves STARS scheme under NEP 2020 to strengthen school education system

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the implementation of the Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project with a total project cost of Rs 5718 crore with World Bank support amounting to approximately Rs. 3700 crore.

The STARS project would be implemented as a centrally sponsored scheme under the education ministry’s department of school education and literacy and would involve setting up of a National Assessment Centre, PARAKH as an independent and autonomous institution.

The STARS project also includes a Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). It will help the government respond to situations leading to loss of learning such as school closures/infrastructure damage, inadequate facilities and use technology for facilitating remote learning etc. The CERC component would facilitate the rapid re-categorization of financing and the utilization of streamlined financing request procedures.

The project covers 6 States namely Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha. The identified states will be supported for various interventions for improving the quality of education. Besides this project, it is also envisaged to implement a similar ADB funded project in 5 states namely Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Assam. All states will partner with one other state for sharing their experiences and best practice, an official statement said.

The STARS project seeks to support the states in developing, implementing, evaluating and improving interventions with direct linkages to improved education outcomes and school to work transition strategies for improved labour market outcomes. The overall focus and components of the STARS project are aligned with the objectives of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of Quality Based Learning Outcomes.

The project also aims to strengthen the Union Education ministry’s national data systems and strengthening of learning assessment systems.

At the State level, the project envisages: strengthening early childhood education and foundational learning, improving learning assessment systems, strengthening classroom instruction and remediation through teacher development and school leadership and strengthening vocational education.

The STARS project also aims to focus on initiatives of PM e-Vidya, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission and National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

Some of the measurable outcomes of the project are increase in students achieving minimum proficiency in grade 3 language, improvement in secondary school completion rate, improvement in governance index scores etc.

How e-learning is changing the way students study for competitive exams?

E-learning for competitive exam preparation not only makes learning more engaging but also helps save time and money. By studying at the comfort of your home, you can invest the time saved on extra preparation for competitive exams. E-learning has a lot of benefits for the students who are opting for competitive examinations by helping them memorize facts and formulae via innovative approaches.

Mentioned below are the ways in which e-learning can make learning easier for the students and give them plenty of time to prepare for the competitive examinations:

1.      Visual Aids

Visual memory is the strongest memory and a widely used tool in the e-learning process. This is a thought-provoking medium and brings out curiosity to know the topic further. Experts at Toppscholars say that visual understanding not only brings clarity around the concept but will also give you an ability to imagine and help you in linking the concepts.

2.      Personal Attention

Experts at Toppscholars suggest that one-to-one attention of the teachers in accordance with your needs and level of understanding is another benefit of digital learning. Personal attention of the faculty in live online classes also helps in resolving doubts almost instantly.

3.      Affordable

Studying at the comfort of your home, not having to travel or wasting money or energy on travelling, are some of the additional perks of e-learning. All you need to have is a smart phone/ computer/ laptop/ tablet and an internet connection. This will not only save you a lot of money, time and energy but also give you the time to relax.

4.      Easy to Access

E-learning is easy to access as you can watch the lecture videos at anytime from anywhere. You even have the option to download the lectures and study at your own time. In case of doubts, there is plenty of information and different approaches which can help you understand the topic in more than one way, as per your understanding.

 

Trends that will shape Business Education post-pandemic

“Modern problems require modern solutions”, especially in the post-pandemic scenario where uncertainty surrounds almost every sector. With the economies tumbling down and advancements in the tech world, the business world is being eye-balled as the next sector to bloom in the post-pandemic world. However, this will also mean that the likeliness of cut-throat competition is bound to take place. Academicians at iFEEL reviews that the dynamics of the business industry are set to change as soon as the pandemic is over. This leads to the question – What can people do to get ahead in the competition?

Mentioned below are the trends that are likely to shape the business world and mastering them can probably give you an upper hand in the competitive market:

• Big Data and AI

Globally, technological advances such as digitalization and IoT, keep impacting the way companies create value for their customers.  Any graduate with a fair understanding of these technological trends will be in high demand. The impact will likely be more pronounced in developed economies where highly competitive environments force companies to be more innovative in differentiating value propositions.

• Real-time and practical knowledge about the field

Academicians at iFEEL Lonavala believe that management courses have picked up the pace. Practical knowledge about the field can benefit a lot more than only-theoretical knowledge. Rational and well-thought decisions are going to be one of the key responsibility areas of the jobs in future.

• Responsible Leadership

Business schools are likely to announce their stance on responsible leadership for the environment. While this is a positive development, the sincerity and reality of this may be questioned. Business schools will be addressing income inequality and other social issues which are likely to bring about a much needed change in the business sector. 

Teachers, PTA speak on hybrid system

 

Benton High School has gone from reopening from a two-week online-only education period, to revival, to a complete shutdown for three days in the space of 24 hours, something of a whiplash.

It might have been better, BHS parent Erica Caples said Tuesday, if a hybrid education system for all students had been put in place from the start of this semester. Caples, who serves as president of the St. Joseph PTA Council, anticipated this kind of development, which has been implemented across the state and region. The closure begins Wednesday and lasts through Friday, before hybrid education kicks off Monday, Oct. 12.

“It has been crazy, but I think that is across the board,” Caples said. “We’re all in this trying to figure it out and navigate together.”

In this system, Benton kids — and all other middle and high schoolers — will go to school on Monday and Thursday if their last names begin with A through K; for all others, they will go on Tuesday and Friday. Other days will be done through remote eduction.

Hillyard Technical Center and Webster Learning Center will be going in-person on every day except Wednesday. All elementary schools likewise will send students to school every day except Wednesday. All student extracurricular activities and athletics will proceed as scheduled.

At any rate, the St. Joseph PTA feels that the district is now following the right course.

“As long as we’re giving each other a lot of grace, I think we’ve done well, I think we are doing well,” Caples said. “I think everyone is being very resilient and adapting. It’s all we can do.”

The two teacher advocacy groups for the district, the Missouri National Education Association and the Missouri State Teachers Association, each conveyed their support for the new system. Denise Peters of the MSTA said teachers are presently becoming acquainted with the new system.

“It’s not something anyone wants,” she said. “We all want to be in person all the time. But we also have to accept the reality. That we’re in a pandemic right now, and things are going to have to change to keep us safe.”

J. Eric Simmons of the MNEA said teachers learned of the new system at the same time as everyone else — on Monday afternoon, as the SJSD Board of Education met in emergency session to unanimously approve it. The next three days of closure will be essential for teachers to adjust their approach to education for having kids in the building not as often as before.

“Is it going to prevent us from doing some of the things that we would like to do with a typical class? Absolutely, it will,” he said. “But, regardless, if this is something our district can do to protect our staff and protect our students and our families at home? Then, it’s the right move.”

Future Of Work And The Education It Demands

 The advancements in technology have changed the definition of education, and this practice continues to evolve with every new innovation in the industry. Some of the highest paying jobs today, profiles like a Content Creator, Digital Marketing Expert, Medical Technologist, or a Coder or also a Programmer did not even exist a decade ago; skills such as basic communications (verbal and written), marketing analytics, corporate finance, data science were not even comprehended much less converted into recognized learning programs. We are in the process of creating a robust base of education in the present in order to adapt and meet the demand for what is called the future of work.

Even before the global health crisis hit, 92 per cent of company leaders surveyed by McKinsey thought that their business model would not remain viable at the rates of digitization at that time, the pandemic has added a whole new spin to this situation. The Gartner 2019 Digital Workplace Survey found that India is the most digitally dexterous country in the world - followed by the U.K. and the U.S. due to having the largest Gen Z workforce along with the desire to learn new skills using digital technologies in the workplace. Needless to say, technology is a mandatory requirement considering that the most in-demand profiles in 2020 are Cloud Architect, Business Analyst, Web and Software Developer, Network Administrator, and few others on the same line. 

How do we prepare for this? 

Invest in technology-based learning – 

Artificial Intelligence-based tools today have a huge bandwidth with respect to developing customized programs according to the individual learner. Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality add on to this medium of learning by making these programs more interesting and engaging. We believe that this approach of learning shall prepare the students for a future of work that would require them to move beyond the conventional mode of thinking especially while working across countries. 

Create a balance between earning a degree and learning personal skills – 

For most companies, a degree provides a brief understanding of a candidate’s abilities, but recent research shows that education qualification is just one of the pre-requisites, in fact, companies like Google, Apple, IBM, Starbucks and several others are now moving their focus from degrees and considering many other capabilities for employment (15 More Companies That No Longer Require a Degree). The attached report from the World Economic Forum shares a detailed requirement in terms of skills today. 

Newer courses and better learning methodologies – 

The educational institutions and universities will have to pivot to e-learning. They will have to cross stream education, provide better infrastructure to teachers along with the training for the same, develop a curriculum that shall give equal measure to classroom learning and e-learning with the required flexibility, will have to divide the focus between skills and academic learning and also give additional power to Edtech enablers in order for them to work towards developing better programs. 

It is evident that the future needs a system of education that is dynamic as well as adaptive towards the work industry’s constant varying and growing requirements. The on-going pandemic has sped up this necessity and the process to at least into 5x, not giving a choice to the learners but to be match their paces with it. On the other hand, we can also look at this as a major transformation period, not just for the education industry but also the economy as a whole. 

Source: HT

Shining light in women’s education

Women educators have redefined history worldwide. Be it Anne Sullivan, who taught Helen Keller, or Maria Montessori and Mary Mcleod Bethune, who established new educational methods.

India’s education canvas too bears masterly strokes from path-breaking women who fought for women’s education and cultural uplift. Savitribai Phule (first woman schoolteacher in mid-1800s), Durgabai Deshmukh (established vocational training schools for women) and Begum Zafar Ali (first woman matriculate of Kashmir) are examples.

Our personal experience unravels the story of one such unspoken hero, R. Lilavati. A child widow, she refused remarriage and fought for an education, becoming an educationist for 35 years during the British Raj, creating an army of Indian educators and finally serving as the Deputy Director of School Education, Tamil Nadu, in 1974.

Leela, as she was known, was born in Madras in 1919. In 1930, this timid 11-year-old was married before knowing what marriage meant. Three months later, before she formally lived with her husband, he died. As her father consoled her, Leela said, “Send me to school”, with unassuming calm. Those four words changed the arc of multiple generations of families. Perhaps, she drew inspiration from R.S. Subbulakshmi, a child widow who founded Sarada Vidyalaya in the 1920s to educate young widows, where Leela would later start her teaching career.

Change-maker

For Leela, this was just the beginning. After schooling in Madurai, she had her vision to be a change-maker within and beyond the classroom underpinned by her teachers at Queen Mary’s College from 1935 to 1939, and Lady Willingdon Training College in 1940 in Chennai. Leela instilled similar experiences and discipline in her students. Students recall headmistress Leela leading Government Girls’ High Schools in Vellore and Chidambaram from 1944 to 1959, dressed in crisp white saris and hair tied in a firm bun, while she transformed a dilapidated wedding hall into a school fit for young girls. Going door-to-door, she would debate with parents to let their children become a graduate before becoming a wife. One of her students reminisces, “India had just gained Independence. Schools had a tall order to shape a new generation of Indians, and teachers were considered role models. Leela taught us self-empowerment and leadership, much before it was described in management books. Several of us became educators, inspired by her.”

Positive thinking and a feisty spirit accompanied Leela as a single working woman from the 1940s to 1970s.

She proudly became the only woman in Tamil Nadu selected for the Madras English Literature Teaching (MELT) Campaign in the 1950s. In 1965, the British Council gave her a rare honour in selecting her to visit England and Wales for a Language Laboratory programme. “We discussed regional challenges in English teaching, which I brought home to strengthen pedagogical techniques at the Regional Institute of English, South India [where she was a lecturer],” she recalled.

When her father insisted on the marriage of her younger sister, Leela whisked her away, boarded an overnight train, and admitted her to Queen Mary’s College.

On her 100th birthday last year, Leela quipped, “Sachin Tendulkar often gets dismissed at 99, but I made a 100!” Leela passed away in Bengaluru in August at 101. Her vision, fearless spirit, and love for literature live as her legacy. What sweet irony then that Leela’s birthday is on March 8, International Women’s Day.

(The authors are nieces of R. Lilavati)

JEE advanced results 2020 to be declared on this date, here’s how to check

 JEE advanced results 2020: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) will declare the results of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2020 on Monday, October 5, 2020, on its official website.

Once the results are announced, candidates who have appeared in the JEE Advanced 2020 examination will be able to check their results online at jeeadv.ac.in.

The JEE Advanced results 2020 date has been mentioned on its official website.

A total of 1.6 lakh candidates have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced after qualifying the JEE-Main exams, of which 96% candidates appeared in the exam. The JEE Advanced 2020 examination was conducted on September 27, 2020, at various centres spread across the country. The examination was held in two slots – from 9 am to 12 noon and between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm.

Following the JEE advanced results, the admission process to the 23 IITs will begin. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) will conduct the admission to the IITs.

Earlier, on September 29, IIT Delhi released the answer key for JEE Advanced 2020 examination on its official website. Candidates can raise their objections, if any, by providing appropriate representations online at jeeadv.ac.in on or before October 1, 2020, till 12:00 noon.

Direct link to check JEE Advanced 2020 answer key.

How to check JEE Advanced results 2020:

Visit the official website at jeeadv.ac.in

On the homepage, click on the JEE Advanced result 2020 link

A new page will appear on the display screen

Key in your credentials and login

The JEE Advanced result will be displayed on the screen

Download the results and take its print out for future use.