Topic Important for: General Studies- 2 I Issues relating to development and management of Education.

Context:

The central government has proposed the draft National Education Policy projecting an expansion of the Right to Education Act to cover the three years of preschool before Class 1.

Background:

• The Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in June 2017.
• The Committee for Draft National Education Policy Chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan submitted its report on May, 2019.
• The report proposes an education policy which seeks to address the challenges of:  access, equity, quality affordability, accountability faced by the current education system.
• The draft Policy provides for:

ü  Reforms at all levels of education from school to higher education

ü  Increase the focus on early childhood care

ü  Reform the current exam system

ü  Strengthen teacher training

ü  Restructure the education regulatory framework.

About:

• The draft policy seeks the early childhood education to be monitor and regulated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) as part of the school system.
• The policy will also change in the Anganwadi system of education which has been overseen by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD).
• The draft Policy incorporates a new integrated curricular framework for 3 to 8-year olds.
• It provide for flexible system based on play, activity and discovery
• The policy will also begin exposure to three languages from age 3 onwards.

Article 21A Right to Education: – “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine.”   The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards. Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010

Current vs Proposed education policy:

Challenges in Implementation of policy:

• Recruitment and training teacher,
• Infrastructure bottle necks
• Learning materials and amenities to students,
• Nutritional aspects of children (including the proposal to provide breakfast to young children)
• Accurate data on what percentage of children are neither in pre-schools nor the anganwadi system.

Source Link:https://www.thehindu.com/education/draft-national-education-policy-proposes-formal-education-from-age-of-three/article27706234.ece

All states can now constitute foreigners tribunals

Topic Important for: General Studies- 3 I Governance, Constitution.

Context:

The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided specific guidelines to detect detain and deport foreign nationals staying illegally across the country.

About:

• The central government has amended the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964.
• It empowered district magistrates in all States and Union Territories to set up tribunals to decide whether a person staying illegally in India is a foreigner or not.

Note: Earlier, the powers to constitute tribunals were vested only with the Centre.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned around 1,000 Tribunals to be set up in Assam in the wake of publication of the final National Register of Citizens.
• The amendment in Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2019 also empowers individuals to approach the Tribunals.
• The amended also allows District Magistrates to refer individuals who haven’t filed claims against their exclusion from NRC to the Tribunals to decide if they are foreigners or not.

National Register of Citizens (NRC)   The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a document manufactured by the Government which contains the conduct of the Census of 1951 in respect of each village, showing the houses or holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying therein. The NRC was published once in 1951.

 

Some important Facts:

Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955

• According to Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 those who came from Bangladesh between 1966 and 1971 will have to register themselves with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer
• They will be included in the NRC, but will not have voting rights for 10 years from the date of registration.

Source Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/all-states-can-now-constitute-foreigners-tribunals/article27706366.ece

ISRO gears up for Chandrayaan-2 mission

Topic Important for: General Studies- 3 I Achievements of Indians in science & technology

Context:

The Indian Space Research Organisation has marked mid-July for the take-off Chandrayaan-2 mission.

About:

• Chandrayaan-2, India’s second lunar mission has three modules namely Orbiter Lander (Vikram) & Rover (Pragyan)
• The mission will be launched using rocket GSLV MK-III from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• Chandrayaan-2 Weighing about 3,500 kg
• The lander is named Vikram (meaning valour, after the father of the Indian space programme, Vikram Sarabhai).
• It will release a small robotic rover, named Pragyan (wisdom), to move around, feel and understand the lunar surface.
• Vikram must gently descend on a harsh rugged lunar surface, without getting damaged. It must also avoid landing in a shadowy patch. It needs sunlight for generating its power.