Moved by Granddad’s Struggle, IIT Grad Empowers 3000+ Farmers With Unique Venture

“Growing up, I experienced struggle from up close. I had to walk barefoot for 5 km to reach the village school, often watching the farmers toiling in the fields on my way.” #FarmersFirst

SAYANTANI NATH
MARCH 27, 2020
AGRICULTURE ORGANIC FARMING

Hailing from a farming family in the small village of Manoli in Rajasthan, Anu Meena grew up watching the struggles of rural cultivators from close quarters. Aside from the inaccessibility of advanced agricultural infrastructure, the small-scale village farmers also grappled with securing the proper pricing of their products.

“(As a child), I used to see my grandfather facing difficulties to sell his produce – finding Mandis, searching for buyers, getting payments and mostly for getting a good price for the harvest. So I decided to work on this problem for my grandfather and many more farmers who feed the world,” shares Anu Meena, an IIT-Delhi graduate who started an agro-tech firm ‘AgroWave’ that bridges the gap between remote farmers and the consumer sector. 

Anu Meena with the AgroWave app

A Childhood Full of Struggles

In a conversation with The Better India, Anu Meena shares about the struggles of her childhood that fuelled the idea for her startup, which is now aiding hundreds of small-scale farmers in North India.

“Growing up, I experienced struggle from up close. I had to walk barefoot for 5 km to reach the village school, often watching the farmers toiling in the fields on my way,” shares Anu.

Her academic brilliance prompted her to pursue her plus two in science from the small town of Sawai Madhopur, before she cracked the IIT entrance examination.

Her initial days at IIT-Delhi were riddled with hurdles. Language proved to be a difficulty for her in communication and learning, owing to her background in a Hindi medium school. It affected her academic performance and drove her into depression.



But with grit and determination, Anu persevered. She brushed up on her English skills soon and worked harder. She soon began acing her classes like before. After completing her graduation in Biochemical Engineering, Anu started working as an Operations Analyst at a startup dealing with logistics In 2017.
To Do Something for the Farmers

“I worked there for a brief period of time, but somehow my experience there reminded me of my family’s struggle to transport and sell their produce at bigger markets and for better profits. I remembered how much trouble my grandfather went through simply to rent a tractor from larger farmers in the village. At the same time, the regular news of farmer suicides from across the country upset me a lot. I decided the job was not my cup of tea and I had to do something for the farmers,” expresses Anu.

While doing her research for her startup, Anu learnt that the problems her family faced once are still affecting more than 50 per cent of the farmers around India. Mostly, they are unaware of the huge demand in urban market clusters and continue selling their produce for a low price in rural belts. Moreover, their sales are regularly intercepted by unscrupulous middlemen, who tend to pocket a larger share of the profit.

Anu’s target was to connect these farmers to urban consumers, and thereby eliminate the middlemen in the chain. Within a short time, Anu conceived the idea of AgroWave and started the company in March 2017 along with a group of dedicated friends, including Payal Jawalkar, her batchmate from IIT-Delhi. 

A farmer involved with AgroWave

How AgroWave Functions

With thorough ground research, analytics and the intervention of technology, the company tries to optimise the agricultural supply for the partnering farmers, and also helps to secure the best price for their harvest.

Anu informs, “We are building a Farm2Market mobility supply chain through an integrated network of mobile pickup station MPS(s) using data-driven technology like smart route mapping, price prediction engine and supply-demand mapping.”

“We buy fruits and vegetables through MPS(s) from farm gates and sell the produce to retail outlets in metro cities and other businesses,” she simplifies.

In everyday terms, AgroWave helps a farmer plan everything – ranging from the fastest and cheapest transportation route to accurate price prediction and finally reaching the customer. From higher revenue for guava farmers in Sawai Madhopur to more price for cauliflowers across farms of Agra, AgroWave has managed to bring smiles to many families.

“We have farmers who are happy to work with us as we give them instant payments,” says Anu highlighting another excellent aspect of AgroWave. 

Ringing in Increased Profits for Small Farmers
AgroWave started with just 15 farmers in Palwal, Haryana. At present, their farmer count stands at over 3,000 across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

Like Narayan Singh who owns a 3-acre organic farm in Khandoli, Agra where he grows seasonal vegetables like potato, cauliflower, chilli, gourd, watermelon and okra. He has been partnering with AgroWave for the past one year, after their field executive invited him onboard by buying all his cauliflower. His sales have only grown ever since.

“Earlier, I had to travel to the Mandis in town to sell my vegetables. Sometimes the transit would take up to two days. Not only was it tiring and a waste of time, but there was also price discrepancy often at the wholesale vendors. Through AgroWave, now I can transport the entire produce at one go, thus saving a huge amount on transportation expenses. I also get at least Rs 2-3 extra per kg for my vegetables that the normal Mandi rates,” shares Narayan.

The AgroWave team

He adds that a lot of his neighbouring farmers have started working with AgroWave following his example.

Anu claims that they have charted an average increase of 10-15 per cent of profits for the farmers they have started working with. Their steady customer base includes retail outlets, canteens, caterers and restaurants in Delhi-NCR and other cities of North India.

She envisions to launch AgroWave as a pioneer in the farm-to-business sector of India. The company also plans to have a tie-up with state governments soon to upscale their initiatives and thereby aid more farmers.

‘To build a sustainable supply chain of fruits & vegetables!’ – reads the AgroWave motto. And true to their vision, Anu Meena’s unique startup is truly empowering the often-overlooked agricultural sector of the nation.

Also Read: ‘We Earn More Now’: Couple Quits UK Jobs For Organic Farming in Native Village

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Lost values at IIT-M

Lost values at IIT-M
Former students with whom PGurus had a free exchange of ideas and views about IIT-Madras were of the opinion that the downfall of the institution began with the launching of the integrated humanities courses.

By Team PGurus
-March 18, 2020

Former students with whom PGurus had a free exchange of ideas and views about IIT-Madars were of the opinion that the downfall of the institution began with the launching of the integrated humanities courses.

Since the IIT-M campus gates were opened for these elements, the quality and standard of the institute took a drastic plunge

Old-timers and old students cherish the time they spent at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) as the most precious days of their lives. “There was a sense of elegance and aristocracy associated with this institution. It was a typical Gurukul system but not anymore,” a prominent IITian told PGurus about the state of affairs in the country’s one-time premier technological institution.

Today’s IIT-M stands for Institute for Immoral Traffic-Marxists if the goings-on in this establishment are any signs. The Faculty, who used to enjoy unlimited academic freedom and were once respected and adored by the students are afraid – very afraid. So much so that many of them have been forced to remove even the ring tones of their mobile phones which used to play devotional songs like “Sree Ranganatha…” for fear of retribution by the Marxist-Maoist-Mulla (MMM) gang in the campus.

Former students with whom PGurus had a free exchange of ideas and views about IIT-Madars were of the opinion that the downfall of the institution began with the launching of the integrated humanities courses.

Since 2004, the IIT-M campus has been converted into a hub of anti-national activities. It reached new heights following attacks and vandalism on the peace-loving Jain students in the IIT-M who prefer to live a pious life as prescribed by their religion. 

But what has shocked the students and faculty on the campus was a series of suicides by students during the last four years, the last one being a girl named Fathima Latheef[1], a Keralite student of the five-year Integrated Humanities course in November 2019.

The Left-wing students and the Periyarites who have unleashed a reign of terror in the campus accused a Brahmin teacher for Fathima’s suicide. But the recent developments in the IIT-M campus has given a new twist to the whole incident. A girl student who is also a Leftist has accused the leaders of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and Periyarites (those who follow the lifestyle of late E V Ramasamy Naicker, an anarchist and founder of the Dravida movement) of sexually assaulting and exploiting girl students. In a Facebook posting, (which has since disappeared strangely from the social media) she blamed the Left-Periarite combination for Fathima’s suicide.
Not only that, in another incident, which was blacked out by the media in Chennai, but two student leaders of IIT-M were also arrested by the Chennai Police following the complaint lodged by a girl student of sexual harassment. 

Though the IIT-M officials including Prof Shiva, dean student, feigned ignorance about the whole issue, the Kotturpuram Police told PGurus that a student by the name of Justin Joseph has been arrested on charges of misbehaving with girl students.

“To the best of my info from IIT, two guys are suspended for Sexual harassment case from IIT Madras. Names – Justin Joseph (HSS dept – student of Dr. Joe Thomas Karakutti) & Jaykrishnan (Mechanical department- student of Prof Shaligram Tiwari),” tweeted Anand T Prasad, editor-in-chief, mediyaan, a popular web portal.

The girl who wrote on Facebook that Fathima was a martyr of the lustful Left-wing student leaders also said that the charges of sexual molestation are true. “It has become a routine affair in IIT Madras campus,” she said.

The humanities wing was launched to facilitate the entry of anti-national characters and Left-wing activists into the campus.

Arjun Sampath, a Hindu activist who has a considerable following in the IIT-M because of his erudition and scholarly speeches on social issues too posted on twitter;” Sexual harassment in IIT Madras by Ambedkar Periyar Circle. To the best of our info, two guys are suspended for sexual harassment cases from IIT Madras. 1. Justin Joseph (HSS Department-student of Dr. Joe Thomas Karakutti) 2. Jaykrishnan (mechanical department -student of Prof Shaligram Tiwari. The sexual assault case was filed by Prof Chella Rajan’s student of humanities… 

This is the same girl who wrote on Facebook that all teachers in IIT-M are anti-Pakistan and say so in their lectures. All the accused are hardcore APSC-leftist-Naxal activists,” wrote Arjun Sampath.

Former students with whom PGurus had a free exchange of ideas and views about IIT-Madras were of the opinion that the downfall of the institution began with the launching of the integrated humanities courses. “There is no potential or scope for teaching economics or development studies on the IIT campus. These courses were launched in 2004 when Kapil Sibal, the then Minister for Human Resources Development gave permission to that program,” said a post-doctoral student.

Another alumnus, who is heading a famous educational institute pointed out that the humanities wing was launched to facilitate the entry of anti-national characters and Left-wing activists into the campus. “In the normal course, these SFI and Maoist elements would never be able to manage entry into the IIT M campus. The engineering and technology students are intelligent, hard-working and industrious while the Left and Dalit activists do not have the brains to compete with them. Since the IIT M campus gates were opened for these elements, the quality and standard of the institute took a drastic plunge,” pointed out this professor.

Anarchy rules the roost in the IIT M campus. The director who initially was appointed by the Congress government (read P Chidambaram) made a volte-face and sought the help of a city-based RSS ideologue to get an extension for another term. 

“He is a man for all seasons and would not hesitate to make another somersault when a new government takes over at Delhi. But if you want to save the IIT-Madras, the only option is to stop the humanities program altogether. There are hundreds of arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu where these courses could be accommodated. There should be no such programs in IIT Madras,” said the learned professor.

References:

[1] IIT Madras student Fathima Lateef death case: All you need to know – November 15, 2019, India Today

IIT Guwahati suspends two students for hunger strike, ‘misrepresenting facts’ to media

IIT Guwahati suspends two students for hunger strike, ‘misrepresenting facts’ to media

The two PhD students were protesting against IIT Guwahati administration’s decision to ask a suspended faculty member to vacate official accommodation.
KRITIKA SHARMA 18 March, 2020 4:58 pm IST


IIT Guwahati | Photo: Commons


New Delhi: Two students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have been suspended for six months, for going on a hunger strike and speaking to the media “irresponsibly”.

The PhDs students — Vikrant Singh and Himanchal Singh — were protesting against the administration’s decision to make a suspended faculty member vacate his official accommodation.

A notice sent Tuesday to the students stated that they “indulged in misinterpretation of facts in print and electronic media related to the institute without proper verification, resulting in defamation of the institute”. However, the notice did not elaborate on the details of the conversation with mediapersons, or the nature of “misrepresentation of facts”.

“You sat on an indefinite hunger strike which interfered with the operations of the institute. Though notice for discontinuing the indefinite hunger strike was issued, you continued with the hunger strike,” read the notice, a copy of which has been accessed by ThePrint.

“You also indulged in misinterpretation of facts (for e.g. in print & electronic media) related to the institute without proper verification resulting in defamation of the institute.

“You are kept under suspended academic expulsion from the institute for one semester, which will be applicable any time during your stay at IIT Guwahati.”

The students have also been “debarred from representing the institute at any level for the entire duration” of their study. They can also not contest for any student body posts at the institute.

While both Vikrant and Himanchal refused to speak to the media after the suspension notice, one of them confirmed on the condition of anonymity that they plan to challenge the suspension in court.

Text messages and calls to IIT Guwahati Director T.G. Sitharam remained unanswered. This report will be updated when he responds.

Also read: ‘Everything is abnormal’ at IIT Guwahati, students allege they’re being driven to suicide

Faculty says students did nothing wrong

Vikrant and Himanchal had gone on a hunger strike in January this year, protesting against the administration’s order asking Brijesh Rai, their suspended teacher, to vacate his official residence before the time limit of four months.

Rai, who was posted as an assistant professor at the institute, was suspended in November 2019 after he alleged corruption at the institute. He was then asked to vacate his official residence earlier than the time limit for suspended faculty members.

Speaking to ThePrint over the phone, Rai said the allegations against the students were “baseless”. “They were on a hunger strike because the director refused to meet them, and going on a hunger strike is not a crime. Nowhere does it say so in any of the code of conduct manuals. They are simply being punished because they supported me,” he said.

Rai added that the charge of speaking to the media was vague. “The charge of speaking to media holds no ground because they did not speak to the media or misrepresent any fact. The institute’s notice is very vague; it is not even explaining when the students spoke to media or how did misrepresented the institute,” he added.

Also read: High court tells IIT Guwahati to refund Rs 1,500 ‘alumni fee’ to 8 students

When education brings along anxiety

When education brings along anxiety

Only 20 pc of the children happy, says NCERT survey

Society

March 15, 2020

/ By Mahasweta Das / Kolkata

Happiness Curriculum being followed by students at a Delhi school (credit: Happiness Classes Delhi/ Facebook)

Last year India ranked 140 among 156 nations in the World Happiness Report, seven runs lower than in 2018. Recently a survey revealed that students are not happy as they face increasing pressure with rise in the competitiveness in the academic field.

Recently, a query on Quora, a question-answer portal, raised quite a few eyebrows. The query, posted by a parent, asked, ‘‘For my kid, currently in the 5th grade, which coaching institute is best for IIT JEE preparation?” The parent who put up the question, was highly trolled as he had added, “He is a kid and doesn’t know what is good or bad. So parents decide what is better. The IIT tag is very prestigious and it will bring pride to our family.’’

The question and the responses generated put the spotlight on the ineffectiveness of the Indian education system and the undue pressure faced by students, even very young, primary school ones. A survey of Indian schools conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) found that only 20 pc of the children were happy in their lives. They attributed the result to the stress of homework and examinations, pressure from parents to attain high marks and pressure in school to maintain proper behaviour and atmosphere in class taking toll on the happiness of the children. The survey also stated that nearly 30 pc students laugh only once in the entire day.

Psychiatrists have also pointed out that academic pressure and the failure to meet the expectations are leading causes of suicide among students. The data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that 10,159 students died by suicide in 2018 with about 28 student suicides reported every day.

Pressure cooker schools of India

In India there is a conception that being a doctor or an engineer is most prestigious. There are frequent cases where the students are forced to opt for the science stream even if they have the aptitude to do better in the arts or commerce. Then comes another section of people who consider mental and academic capabilities to be hereditary and compare the students in the family on basis of their own examination results.

Students also go under depression when they fail to match the demands of the rigorous education system. As per data available from department of higher education, under the ministry of human resource development (MHRD), 27 students across 10 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), considered to be amongst the best in the league of engineering schools in the world, committed suicide between 2014 and 2019.

“The pressure of admission to a good college and hence fetching good marks in boards made me feel pressurised and blank at times that it even curbed my creativity to learn outside of the course. The extreme backlash for not scoring the desired marks in ICSE made me doubt my potentials,” Nabodita, a first-year master’s student of journalism and mass communications tells Media India Group.

“The fact that academics is so much about marks and so little about how we learn, degrades the education system. Running for getting high marks and the constant pressure of scoring better by parents, teachers and also by ourselves, narrows our horizon and curbs our creativity,” she adds.

Her friend Dipannita, a first-year masters student says, “I was lucky to not face the parental pressure regarding academics and it helped me in scoring better marks in my exams. But I have seen students around me succumbing to these anxieties during exams. Some get so tense that they fall sick before exams or start doubting their own preparation.”

Learning is a laughing matter
In response to the survey, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) have decided to hold laughing classes in their affiliated schools once a week from the upcoming session.

Delhi government schools had launched a Happiness Curriculum in 2018 to reinvent the school education sector. The scheme was launched with a focus on imparting education by promoting development of cognition, language, literacy, numeracy and the arts which in turn will aid in the mental development, well-being and happiness of students.

“The AAP government had introduced the Happiness Curriculum to focus on happiness of children. To have better society, it is important to focus on both mental and physical health. I look forward to the decision by CBSE and ICSE boards to introduce the laughing class in its curriculum. But most importantly, it is the stigma of scoring good marks which bothers a student, which needs to be removed,” said Nabodita. Incidentally, the happiness class of the Delhi government attracted the attention of Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, during the State visit of President Donald Trump to India. A happiness curriculum and class is something that the US leader could indeed implement back home.

PhD seats reserved for SC, ST, OBC candidates remain vacant in 14 out of 23 IITs. Here's why

Published: 12th March 2020
PhD seats reserved for SC, ST, OBC candidates remain vacant in 14 out of 23 IITs. Here's why
The data that was released by the HRD Ministry in the Parliament talks about the PhD admissions in these institutes from the academic years 2015-16 to 2019-20

Parvathi Benu

Edex Live



Image for representational purpose only

PhD seats reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates remain vacant in 14 of the 23 IITs in India, reveals data by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The data talks about the PhD admissions in these institutes from the academic years 2015-16 to 2019-20. The remaining 9 IITs, on the other hand have partially met their quotas — mostly by filling the seats reserved for the OBC candidates.

Each IIT is mandated to reserve 15 per cent of their PhD seats for SC candidates, 7.5 per cent for ST candidates and 27 per cent for OBC candidates. However, many institutes have filled less than 1 per cent of its seats reserved for ST candidates.The data was released by the Ministry following a question raised by MPs K Somaprasad and Elamaram Kareem in the Parliament. "A total of 2268 SC, 526 ST and 5811 OBC students were admitted to PhD programmes in IITs during last 5 years," said HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' in his response.

Of all the IITs, IT Ropar has filled only 4 per cent of the seats reserved for SC, 0.8 for ST and 17 per cent for OBCs. In IIT Kharagpur, the numbers are 7 per cent, 1.2 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. No IIT in the country has filled all the reserved seats. IIT Delhi, IIT BHU, IIT Patna, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Tirupati, IIT Goa, IIT Bhilai, IIT Palakkad, IIT Jammu and IIT Dharwad have filled all the OBC seats. IIT ISM Dhanbad, the only exception has filled the seats reserved for SC and OBC candidates. However, it still has vacant seats reserved for ST candidates.

Read the entire list here:





Previously, the SFI had released data about the percentage of seats that the top five IITs had filled, which also told a similar story. At that time, the IIT Directors told us that not many students are opting for PhD programmes and that was why the seats remained vacant. "It may happen that some SC/ST/OBC candidates do not join after seats are allocated to them. We strictly follow all the guidelines of GOI in preparing the seat matrix," said R K Das, IIT ISM JEE Chairman. Dissuading any other theories that people may have, IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao had also said to an earlier query, "Lack of applications is the only reason."

However, the MPs who raised the question rubbished the claim. "We find it difficult to believe what the IIT Directors have said. I personally know a lot of instances where students from religious and caste minorities are discriminated against. In many instances, faculty are not ready to guide them through their projects," says Somaprasad. "Case in point, the suicide of Fathima Latheef in IIT Madras. We are trying to get a better explanation from the ministry about this," he adds. A first-year master's student in IIT Madras, Fathima committed suicide on November 9. Her family had then alleged that Fathima was discriminated against, on the basis of her religion.

IIT Roorkee research fellow’s wife commits suicide

IIT Roorkee research fellow’s wife commits suicide

Tuesday, 10 March 2020 |

 PNS | Haridwar

A research fellow’s wife committed suicide by hanging herself at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee here on Monday. In the suicide note received from the spot, the deceased has mentioned discord with her husband as the reason behind the extreme step.

The police have registered a case and have sent the body for body for post-mortem. Ganesh kumar, a resident of Rajasthan, was a research scholar at IIT Roorkee. He was living with his wife at Azad Wing of the campus. On Monday Ganesh Kumar received a call from the neighbours that his wife is not opening the door. Kumar told the police that he returned, he looked through the window and found his wife hanging from the fan.

A police team which reached the spot, took the body of 30-year-old Neha down from the ceiling fan and sent it for a post-mortem. Police inspector Amarjeet singh said that on interrogation, Ganesh Kumar accepted that he had an argument with his wife on Sunday night.

Modi govt’s NEP could have mandatory counselling of parents to help students fight stress - The Print

Modi govt’s NEP could have mandatory counselling of parents to help students fight stress

According to HRD ministry data, nearly 10,000 students have committed suicide between 2016 and 2018 every year, with the highest number registered in Maharashtra.

TARUN KRISHNA 

6 March, 2020 12:10 pm IST

Image: Arindam Mukherjee | ThePrint.in
Text Size: A- A+

New Delhi: The draft National Education Policy (NEP), which has been in the pipeline for a long time now, has proposed to make counselling of parents mandatory so that students have a stress-free environment at home, ThePrint has learnt.

Mental stress is one of the most common factors behind student suicide.

According to a written reply of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to a question in the Lok Sabha on 2 March, nearly 10,000 students have committed suicide every year between 2016 and 2018, with the highest number registered in Maharashtra.

An official in the HRD ministry, who didn’t want to be named, told ThePrint: “Indian parents are not really nice when it comes to dealing with their children.”

So, the NEP will focus on improving parenting skills, he added.

According to the NEP draft, seen by ThePrint, only parents of children studying at the primary level will be counselled.

Parents of the children taking primary education will be counselled and the plan is to formalise counselling for such parents and make them understand how to treat their kids, the official said.

“Children are not taken seriously in India. They are burdened with studies and due to pressure, they start mugging up. When they do not perform as per the expectations of their parents, they are beaten up,” the official said, adding the focus of the NEP is to change this.

The HRD has taken into consideration the fact that if students are beaten up for bad performance in exams, it takes a toll on their mental health, he said.

“So the intention behind counselling parents is to make them aware of such things,” the official added.

“The focus will be to make parents understand that children are equal to them and cannot be treated in an inferior manner because of their age,” he said.

Also read: Modi govt dumps ‘liberal’ in favour of ‘holistic’ in its new draft of education policy
‘Will be different from parent-teacher meetings’

Asked whether it will be something like parent-teacher meetings, the official said the modalities are still being worked out, but it will be different from parent-teacher meetings.

When asked why counselling is just restricted to primary level, the HRD ministry official said, if the parents of children at the primary level are counselled, then the base will be strengthened.

“After primary level, both the children and the parents will mature. Once the base is fixed, it will strengthen the rest of the things,” the official added.

However, former director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) J.S. Rajput said the government needs to fix the condition of primary education with regard to infrastructure and number of teachers to solve these problems.

“Since independence, the governments did not pay heed to primary education,” he said, adding that the current situation of primary education is at its worst.

“The condition of primary education is responsible for parents not coming to schools to interact with teachers. The role of parents is important, but the policy should focus on fixing the condition of primary schools first,” Rajput said.

Student suicide a menace

Students taking lives in India due to exam pressure or results is extremely common.

In the last five years, 443 students have committed suicide in Delhi itself, and exam stress was one of the reasons.

In August last year, a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme Court, requesting for better mental healthcare facilities across the country.

The Narendra Modi government also seems to be taking the matter seriously as the PM has been holding ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ since the last three years.

As part of the initiative, the prime minister talks to students about various ways to relieve stress before examination.

In the winter session of the Parliament in December last year, the HRD ministry in reply to a question had said at least 60 IIT and IIM students have committed suicide in the last five years. The maximum number of deaths were reported from IIT, Guwahati.

Taking all these into account, the HRD ministry is hopeful that the formalisation of counselling of parents right at the primary level might change things for the better, the official said.
Buzz around NEP implementation

The draft NEP could be implemented before the start of the next academic session, which is in April, said a second ministry official.

This official told ThePrint that it has already been delayed enough and there is apprehension that if it is not implemented now, it will get delayed for quite a while.

The HRD ministry had given a presentation to the prime minister last week on the NEP, the official said, adding that PM Modi has been closely watching the developments.

Another ministry official said the NEP could be sent to the cabinet in the coming days for the final approval.

Also read: To check student suicides in IITs, govt wants professional counsellors & wellness centres

Dark tales in Andhra Pradesh’s IIT success story - Hindu,

Dark tales in Andhra Pradesh’s IIT success story

Rashmi Sharma
MARCH 05, 2020 00:02 IST

A study on secondary education in the State shows coaching starts too early amid immense pressure on students

As the examination season rolls in, nearly 1.5 crore students in India prepare to sit for the board examinations. They are more fortunate than nearly half their cohorts, who will never get to that stage. Among the happiest students will be those who will get admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and among the States, the largest number will be from Andhra Pradesh (AP). Subsequently, many will earn the kind of money that they, and their families, may not even be aware of.

But underlying these grand successes is an ugly story, which emerged during a study on secondary education I conducted in AP in 2018-19. The State owes its distinction in producing the largest number of IIT entrants to two major chains of ‘corporate schools’, which focus on preparing students for the IIT, and failing that, other engineering colleges. These schools had initially been established for Classes XI and XII, but now cover the whole school cycle. Many are residential schools.

ALSO READ
Over 80,000 kids still out of school in State
Ignoring the children’s learning stages, the schools have distorted the curriculum. A principal of a corporate school revealed that coaching for the IIT examination began as early as Class VI. The school focused on physics, math and chemistry, while the mother tongue and social sciences were sidelined. Further, as the school had to ‘complete’ the syllabus prescribed by the State government along with IIT coaching, the syllabi for Classes XI and XII was taught from Class VI onwards too, with 10% of the syllabus being ‘covered’ each year. During interviews, government officials and teachers said that students in such schools did little or no physical or extracurricular activities, and got little rest.

The pressure on students was enormous. As per the principal, students were divided into three ‘levels’ according to ability, and taught separately. There were fortnightly exams and cumulative exams every month, and students were re-allotted to different levels after the latter. The atmosphere was very competitive. The school hours stretched up to nine hours or more, and there were few holidays. There were several cases of student suicides each year, usually following a demotion in the ‘level’. As per the principal, around 20% students were placed at the top level, and of them 15-20% were likely to get admission to the IITs. In other words, after a high level of stress and sacrificing a well-rounded education, 3-4% of the total students got into IITs. How many would have got admission to the IITs with a proper education too, is a matter of conjecture.

A childhood lost

All the students in such schools lost the chance to be children, explore and grow, develop their special talents, and form their unique identity. But for those who did not get admission to engineering colleges, the loss was manifold. They got little support in the school, as the best teachers were deployed to teach the top-level students. Reportedly, the students in the bottom layer were pejoratively called ‘patrons’ by the management, as their parents paid high fees, while their chances of getting into an engineering college were negligible.

The false allure of English-medium schooling

Behind this story of lost childhoods, and for many students, lost career opportunities too, lay corporate greed and state failure. Corporate greed was visible in aggressive campaigns to enrol students. Teachers at a government school said private school representatives came to the school in January, made lists of good students, contacted parents, and encouraged students to join. An individual who once worked in a corporate school reported that teachers were given targets to enrol students and collect fees, and their salary was withheld if they did not meet them. Norms regarding minimum infrastructure, such as space, sanitation, play-grounds, fire safety etc. were flouted. The maximum fees a school was allowed to charge was ₹4,000 per year, but corporate schools charged extra as coaching fees and for facilities, adjusting the fees to the paying capacity of the area.
In cahoots with government

Government officials, teacher educators, and even panchayat representatives interviewed were aware that the educational practices of corporate schools were questionable, and that they fooled and exploited students and parents. However, regulating such schools was beyond the capacity of the government system. One, at inter-college, or the Classes XI and XII stage, where corporate schools first began, the number of government educational institutions was inadequate. Two, the manpower available for regulation was deficient. At the district level, the senior-most principal of government inter colleges was designated the Regional Inspection Officer (RIO), and was responsible for regulating private schools, in addition to his existing duties. Moreover, because of a lack of manpower, some RIOs had charge of more than one inter-college. For Classes IX and X, education officials remained busy with government schools, and had little time to inspect private schools.

Enrolment ratio in A.P. schools below national average

Three, the corporate school management exercised considerable influence at the very top levels of government. They were reported to contribute funds during elections, and some had begun political careers themselves. Officials described several instances of political pressure to prevent action against corporate schools. So much so that representatives of small private schools complained that the government favoured corporate schools and discriminated against them. Not surprisingly, little effort had been made to inform people about the problems with corporate schools.

This nasty tale of state collusion with uncaring profit-makers remains hidden as the faces of successful entrants of IITs stare at us from newspaper advertisements every year.

Rashmi Sharma is Senior Visiting Fellow, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and a former Indian Administrative Service Officer

Data - Is poor performance in exams still the major factor behind rising student suicides?

Data | Is poor performance in exams still the major factor behind rising student suicides?

Vignesh Radhakrishnan

Naresh Singaravelu
MARCH 03, 2020 17:24 IST



Picture for representational purposes. In 1998, suicides due to failure in exams formed about 41% of all student suicides, while in 2018, the share came down to 26%.

While the main reason behind student suicides in the early 2000s was examination failure, other reasons such as family issues and illness have become major factors in recent years.

Compared to the early 2000s, the number of students who committed suicide has nearly doubled in the late 2010s in India. Back then, while the main reason for student suicides was poor performance in examinations, lately other reasons such as family issues, illness and love affairs have become major factors. Between 2014 and 2018, most student suicides occurred in Maharashtra.

Worrying rise

An increasing number of students are committing suicide in India, with their share among all such deaths steadily going up over the years. The chart plots the number of student suicides (bar, left axis) and its % share among all suicides (line, right axis). Since 2016, less than 7% of all suicides were by students.


Exam pressure
The number of suicides due to poor performance in exams has remained stagnant over the years, with their share among student suicides* steadily going down. In 1998, suicides due to failure in exams formed about 41% of all student suicides, while in 2018, the share came down to 26%.

Also read: Comment | Preventing student suicides

The chart plots the number suicides due to failure in exams (bar, right axis) and its share among student suicides (line, left axis).

Also read: 27 students across 10 IITs ended lives in five years: RTI
State of affairs

The map depicts the total number of student suicides recorded between 2014 and 2018 across States. The darker the colour, the higher the number of student suicides. One in every four students who committed suicide in this period belonged to either Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu.
West Bengal 3,920

TamilNadu 4,552

A.P. 1,740

Telangana 2,125

Karnataka 3,164

Maharashtra 6,656

Kerala1,917M.P.3,928

Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050 and iCALL (022-25521111 - available from Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

Source: National Crime Records Bureau

Hum sabka time aayega

Hum sabka time aayega
February 28, 2020, 10:17 PM IST 

Ajit Varwandkar 

in The Next Step | India | TOI



Why can’t we take examinations peacefully?

The school examinations for various education boards like CBSE / ICSE have begun, and I see many students already getting into the clutches of anxiety and fear. Year on year, this has become a considerable challenge to pacify our youth. In previous years, we have seen an acute rise in the number of these generation Zeders getting into depression and/or committing suicide. According to the latest available data on the internet from the National Crime Records Bureau, a student commits suicide every hour in our country. This is one of the worlds severest suicide rates for youth. This scenario is definitely alarming, and concrete actions need to be taken on a topmost priority.

On an in-depth analysis, it is found that people are not afraid of the tests but the results. We, human beings, are so scared of evaluation. The question is why, how and from where / when did we pick up this concept of examination phobia? Conversations with various stakeholders like school principals, counsellors, doctors reveal the fact that our students are not able to take on the academic pressure. They have not learned to take failure in the right spirit. To add to the misery of these students, our social institution does not comfort them with adequate support and solace.

Various studies are being conducted by psychologists and social researchers on the aspect of juvenile stress amongst school students in India. As per one study, it was found that 81.6% of the students had reported the prevalence of at least one of the three harmful psychological disorders viz. Anxiety, Stress and/or Depression. A big chunk of responsibility for this epidemic has to be borne by parents. The key reason for student stress is the transfer of anxiety and expectation by the parent to the child. It is a commonplace to here parent say, “I expect you to become an engineer from IIT or a management expert from IIM!”.

Here are two enlightening experiences which actually reveals the inappropriateness of expectations and understanding of people about their responsibilities and duties as a parent.

A parent wanted an appointment for counselling. When I asked for the initial brief over the phone, “they informed that the kid was very much inconsistent and did not focus on studies. In fact, they said that it’s not just about studies, she is not regular in any activity. She is not committed to any activity, neither swimming or exercise, sports etc.” I asked, “Which class is she studying in?” The reply actually crashed my thought process, “She is in class II”!! Note: The parent, in this case, was well qualified and professionally established.

In one another situation, a parent wanted me to counsel the boy and guide him for better academic performance. When I met the boy, I understood that he has been securing an average of 95% marks in his examinations. On top of it, he was also a basketball player. I questioned the parent, “What else you demand from him?” Their reply exposes the critical reason behind prevalent stress amongst youth. They said, “Sir, you know it very well. To get admission to the premier institutions, he will be required to get 99% plus marks. Getting 95% is not just sufficient”.

Be it a parent, teacher, administrator, peer, or a policymaker – every member of the society has to do her own bit to tame this situation. Taking the severity of the issue into consideration, CBSE has decided not to mention ‘compartment’ or ‘fail’ in the mark sheet of class 10th and 12th for the students. Many manipulations have been done by education policymakers: marks have now been converted into grades and percentiles, score normalisation techniques are applied etc. However, all that is not sufficient. We need to educate the elders in our society first. Austerity begins at home.

We, as a society, have to understand that failure is not the antonym for success. It is must to accept that these examinations are just milestones on the path and are designed to show us the right way. Teachers, parents, elders should not mock at or look down upon students who score low marks. Failure should equally be respected because the kid actually made an attempt.

The fact of the matter is that measurements are always scratchy. Not just for children but also for grown-ups. Recently in one of a school friends WhatsApp group, there was a painful incident reported. A person in his early fifties was hospitalised for cardiac arrest. By Gods grace, he was saved, but when the counsellors did their job, it was found that the man went into a seriously stressful experience when he came to know the progress of his childhood friend. His school buddy had scaled peak professional heights. Drawing the comparison in their level of achievements made this man sulk.

Its high time to move out of the concept of marks, competition and comparison. Let us learn to accept the fact that every individual has his/her set of abilities and ambitions. We all have unique time zones, hum sabka time aayega. Have patience, nurture belief. Let us create a stress-free pitch for the generation of tomorrow to perform, and excel.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.