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Today in History (December 18th,1992)
December 18 is celebrated as Minorities Rights Day in India. The day is celebrated to mark the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities on December 18, 1992. India began officially recognizing Minorities Rights Day in 2013.
Let’s Revise
1. Who is the current President of Sri Lanka (as of 2024)?
a) Mahinda Rajapaksa
b) Ranil Wickremesinghe
c) Gotabaya Rajapaksa
d) Anura Kumara Dissanayake
Answer: d)
Explanation: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the current President of Sri Lanka as of 2024.
2. What is the official language of Sri Lanka?
a) Hindi
b) Tamil
c) Sinhala
d) English
Answer: c)
Explanation: Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka, while English is widely used for official and commercial purposes.
3. Which ocean surrounds Sri Lanka?
a) Atlantic Ocean
b) Indian Ocean
c) Pacific Ocean
d) Arctic Ocean
Answer: b)
Explanation: Sri Lanka is an island country located in the Indian Ocean.
4. What is the official currency of Sri Lanka?
a) Rupee
b) Dollar
c) Yen
d) Euro
Answer: a)
Explanation: The official currency of Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR).
5. What instrument is Ustad Zakir Hussain renowned for playing?
a) Sitar
b) Tabla
c) Violin
d) Flute
Answer: b)
Explanation: Ustad Zakir Hussain was a renowned tabla virtuoso, known for his incredible speed, dexterity, and creativity on the instrument.
6. At what age did Ustad Zakir Hussain pass away?
a) 63
b) 68
c) 73
d) 78
Answer: c)
Explanation: Ustad Zakir Hussain passed away at the age of 73 in a San Francisco hospital after a brief illness.
7. Which Indian Prime Minister described Ustad Zakir Hussain as a “true genius”?
a) Manmohan Singh
b) Indira Gandhi
c) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
d) Narendra Modi
Answer: d)
Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Hussain as a “true genius” who revolutionized Indian classical music and brought the tabla to the global stage.
8. How many Grammy Awards did Ustad Zakir Hussain win during his lifetime?
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Five
Answer: c)
Explanation: Ustad Zakir Hussain was a four-time Grammy Award winner, recognizing his contributions to music.
9. What prestigious Indian award was Ustad Zakir Hussain honored with?
a) Bharat Ratna
b) Padma Shri
c) Padma Bhushan
d) Padma Vibhushan
Answer: d)
Explanation: Ustad Zakir Hussain received the Padma Vibhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors, for his exceptional contributions to music.
Summary of Today’s News
Delhi Remains India’s Most Polluted City
Current Situation
• Air Quality Index (AQI): Delhi recorded an AQI of 433 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, falling in the ‘severe’ category.
• Pollution Levels: Hazardous particulate matter concentration was over 16 times the permissible limit set by the World Health Organization.
Predictions and Warnings
• Continued Severe Air Quality: The Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts that Delhi will continue to experience severe air pollution on Wednesday due to a significant drop in wind speed.
• Health Impact: Severe air pollution affects healthy individuals and severely impacts those with pre-existing health conditions.
Measures and Reactions
• Recent Deterioration: After nearly two weeks of relief, Delhi’s air quality plummeted on Monday.
• Stringent Curbs Re-imposed: The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas re-imposed stringent measures.
• Hybrid Teaching Mode: Schools in Delhi and four neighboring districts (Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar) were ordered to switch to a hybrid mode of teaching, except for Classes 10 and 12.
Doval in Beijing for India-China Special Representatives’ Talks
Context
• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing to participate in the India-China Special Representatives’ talks aimed at restoring bilateral ties stalled for over four years due to the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
Key Discussions
• 23rd Round of Talks: Mr. Doval will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, focusing on rebuilding bilateral ties following the October 21 disengagement agreement in eastern Ladakh.
• Commitment to Cooperation: China has expressed readiness to honor commitments based on understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during the BRICS summit on October 24.
Statements
• Chinese Foreign Ministry: Spokesman Lin Jian emphasized enhancing mutual trust and promoting bilateral relations through dialogue and communication.
• Indian External Affairs Ministry: The talks will focus on managing peace and tranquility in border areas and finding a fair and reasonable solution to the boundary question.
Stuck in the Classroom — Students, Teachers, NEP 2020: Classroom Time and Academic Impact
Excessive Classroom Time:
• Indian students in Higher Education (HE) spend significantly more time in the classroom compared to their European Union (EU) and North American counterparts.
• Indian students take five courses per semester with four hours of lectures per course each week, totaling 20 hours of classroom time weekly.
• In contrast, EU and North American students take four courses per semester with three hours of lectures per course each week, totaling 12 hours of classroom time weekly.
Impact on Learning:
• The additional eight hours of classroom time limit essential academic activities outside the classroom, such as self-study, reading, and working on assignments, leading to exhaustion and reduced learning.
• Increased classroom time reduces the feasibility of continuous assessments, leading to fewer assessments per course and potentially privileging easily graded multiple-choice questions over more complex assessments like term papers or reflective essays.
Continuous Assessment
NEP 2020 Emphasis:
• NEP 2020 emphasizes continuous assessment, which allows a mix of low and high stakes assessments spread over the semester to incentivize continuous effort and learning.
• Continuous assessment provides flexibility for faculty to tailor assessments to meet course learning outcomes and allows for continuous feedback for both faculty and students.
Impact on Teaching Quality
Teacher’s Time:
• The extra classroom hours for Indian teachers reduce the time available for research, course revisions, development of new courses, and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
• In EU and North American universities, the typical university teacher has a weekly classroom teaching load of nine hours, compared to 14-16 hours for Indian faculty.
Responsibilities:
• Teaching a course under NEP 2020 includes designing the course, selecting reading materials, developing and administering assessments, and grading, contrasting the earlier model where teachers were mainly responsible for classroom lectures.
Centers of Learning
Elite Institutions:
• Elite institutions like central universities, IITs, and IIMs may have fewer than eight hours a week of classroom teaching per faculty with higher resources.
• The bulk of teaching and learning happens in public universities and colleges, not in these elite institutions.
Recommendations
Reconsider Classroom Time:
• To fully realize the vision of NEP 2020, it is necessary to reconsider the number of courses and classroom time in the new four-year undergraduate programs across India.
• Reducing classroom time will improve teaching and learning outcomes, reduce rote learning, enhance self-learning skills, and prepare students for higher-level educational pursuits.
Conclusion
• Increased classroom time risks students becoming passive recipients, affecting the vision of NEP 2020.
• Addressing these issues is crucial for improving the educational experience and outcomes for Indian students, bringing them on par with their global counterparts.
