Thursday, 24 May 2018
पुन्हा जुळणार पुस्तकांशी नाते: मुंबई मराठी ग्रंथ संग्राहलयाचा वाचकजागर उपक्रम
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Why India needs AI to work for agriculture, healthcare and education
Why India needs AI to work for agriculture, healthcare and education
By Nishant Arora
By Nishant Arora
While the Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is making its presence felt across the spectrum globally, India needs to prioritise AI-based predictive analysis to improve outcomes in three core areas - agriculture, healthcare and education - a top Microsoft executive has emphasised.
The initial results in India are promising and if deployed at big scale, AI-based models can help farmers, doctors and educators keep building success stories, Joseph Sirosh, Corporate Vice President of Cloud AI Platform at Microsoft, told IANS here.
"For example, AI can help us foresee signs of a student being at risk of dropping out. We have done first such experiment in Andhra Pradesh involving thousands of students," Sirosh informed.
In 2017, the Andhra Pradesh government expanded the rollout of the experiment to all 13 districts in the state.
In Visakhapatnam district, an application powered by Azure Cloud Machine Learning (ML) processed the data pertaining to all students -- based on parameters such as gender, socio-economic demographics, academic performance, school infrastructure and teacher skills -- to find predictive patterns.
The results showed that some of the factors leading to students dropping out were insufficient furniture, inadequate toilet infrastructure, etc.
Based on these results, the state government identified about 19,500 probable dropouts from government schools in Visakhapatnam district in the next academic year (2018-19).
"Not just India, AI-based predictive analysis has also helped Tacoma School District here in Washington state improve graduation rate from under 60 per cent to over 83 per cent by managing dropouts," Sirosh noted.
When it comes to agriculture, Microsoft, in collaboration with the non-profit International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), has developed an AI-sowing app for farmers in India.
The tech giant is using AI and historic weather data to predict the best time for sowing seeds and other stages of the farming process, and pass on that information to farmers via SMS.
"We have done some amazing work, like informing farmers when to sow crops, what is the best time to plant crops during the year, etc. The result is 30 per cent more yield," Sirosh told IANS.
The farmers do not need to install any sensors in their fields or incur any capital expenditure. All they need is a mobile phone capable of receiving text messages.
To determine the optimal sowing period, the Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI) is calculated. MAI is the standardised measure used for assessing the degree of adequacy of rainfall and soil moisture to meet the potential water requirement of crops.
The data then is downscaled to build predictability and guide farmers to pick the ideal sowing week.
According to Microsoft, ICRISAT has scaled sowing insights in 2018 to 4,000 farmers across Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka for the Kharif crop cycle (rainy season).
"We have made AI-based applications very simple for common people to comprehend. They don't need to be tech-sophisticated. We have simplified the technology for the end-users," Sirosh added.
The company has also developed a multi-variate agricultural commodity price forecasting model to predict future commodity arrival and the corresponding prices.
The model uses remote sensing data from geostationary satellite images to predict crop yields through every stage of farming.
According to the company, the model, currently being used to predict the prices of "tur" pulse, is scalable and can be generalised to other regions and crops.
On the health front, the Telangana government has adopted Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE), which was developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute.
MINE uses ML and advanced analytics to predict regression rates for eye operations, enabling doctors to pinpoint the procedures needed to prevent and treat visual impairments.
"Under the MINE global consortium, we have built AI models that are very accurate for eyecare, especially for children," Sirosh said.
People are just starting to understand the power of AI-enabled Cloud in India.
"Our partners like TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant and Accenture are leaning in and adopting AI. These are exciting times for AI and its real adoption in the country," Sirosh said.
Demand for education techynology among learners in India is huge-Nick Cain
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
The AICTE has come up with a detailed policy for training teachers in technical institutions like engineering, management and pharmacy colleges.
The AICTE has come up with a detailed policy for training teachers in technical institutions like engineering, management and pharmacy colleges.
New Delhi: The central government has a new plan to deliver better quality graduates in engineering and other technical fields — by improving the standard of teachers.
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which falls under the ministry of human resource development, has come up with a detailed policy for training teachers in engineering, management and pharmacy colleges.
Industry surveys have in recent times pointed to the low employability rate of Indian engineers and management graduates. But so far, there was no training programme for technical teachers. Most of the faculty members who taught at technical institutions were postgraduates or PhDs in their respective domains, but were not trained to teach.
Details of the policy
For new inductees, there will be a one-year training programme before they join an institute as faculty members. Inductees will work under a mentor-teacher at the institution, take some classroom lectures and lab classes. The mentor-teachers will help them implement ‘the right practices’ that they have picked during their own training. Apart from this, inductees will also be expected to spend 2-3 weeks training in an industry/research lab, as decided by the mentor-teacher.
At the end of this training, inductees will have to go through an examination, and once they clear it, they will get a certificate stating that they are allowed to teach in a technical institution. These inductees will work closely with mentors once they’re inside the system.
Teachers who are already in the system, up to the rank of associate professors and professors will be asked to undergo refresher courses.
As per the policy draft accessed by ThePrint, a lot of emphasis has been placed on instruction planning and delivery. Before taking a lecture, teachers will be expected to prepare their lectures in a way that is understood by the students. This practice, which has been adopted by teachers at IITs and IIMs, will have to be replicated across all technical institutions.
“Preparation and effective implementation of lesson plan for systematic classroom representation will be taught to new faculty members before they start teaching. They should know effective board work, right pace of delivery, and use of interactive mode to send out a message,” said an official aware of the developments.
Correlating lecture inputs with tutorial exercises, home assignments and lab work will also be a part of the training.
Apart from this, emphasis will be laid on helping these teachers develop an effective communication strategy. “The teacher should be able to transfer ideas, views and attitude via spoken and written medium,” the policy draft states.
Another important point that the policy lays emphasis on is professional ethics and values. “Technical education system should be able to equip student with not only technical competency but also professional, values, ethics and moral values. Inductee teacher should also be a role model and peer for the students (sic),” it adds.
Where will they be trained?
Training centres will be developed at institutes of national repute, and the overall training programme will be managed by a committee, which will have members from the HRD ministry, the University Grants Commission, the AICTE, representatives from state technological universities, and the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTRs).
Thursday, 10 May 2018
Result chaos: College students get longer holiday
Result chaos: College students get longer holiday
MUMBAI: Several degree college students will enjoy a longer vacation this year due to the ongoing chaos and results' delay. City colleges will reopen on June 18 in the new academic session, at least 10 days later than usual, for the first time. Every year, colleges reopen by June 8 after the summer vacations.
Since the current academic session was extended to May 12, deans of various faculties from Mumbai University had earlier decided to start the new term from June 11. But teachers complained against the shorter vacation for them. Considering their demands, the university decided to rearrange the forthcoming academic term. The first semester of the 2018-19 session will commence on June 18 and end on November 5, while the second will commence on November 26 and end on May 4, with mid-term breaks during Ganeshotsav and Christmas. The university circular was issued on Tuesday. A principal said, "Most teachers will be assessing papers for this whole month. It will be unfair to not give them a vacation."
Law colleges will reopen on July 2 and engineering colleges on August 6.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/result-chaos-college-students-get-longer-holiday/articleshow/64102567.cms
Is engineering losing its sheen? This stream poses biggest threat; here’s a reality check
Is engineering losing its sheen? This stream poses biggest threat; here’s a reality check
Once considered the first choice of the country's creme da la creme students, engineering is suffering big time! Empty seats, ghost campuses and unemployed graduates, engineering has surely lost its sheen.
Once considered the first choice of the country’s creme da la creme
students, engineering is suffering big time! Empty seats, ghost campuses
and unemployed graduates, engineering has surely lost its sheen. As per
AICTE data released this week, the course has witnessed the sharpest
fall in five years at 14.9 lakh seats as the total engineering intake in
the country. And what’s more interesting is that young aspirants are
finally acknowledging other academic opportunities. One such field that
has emerged as a fruitful alternative is Pharmacy.
As per a News 18 report, the All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE) has approved 290 pharmacy colleges certified to give
diplomas to applicants along with 102 technical institutes aiding
under-graduate and post-graduate degrees in medicine for the academic
year 2018-19. However, AICTE approved only 36 engineering colleges that
can provide degrees to students with just 66 diploma institutes being
approved.
As per reports, 151 engineering colleges have been approved for total
closure by AICTE as compared to only 7 pharmacy institutes. Another
major finding is that 130 engineering colleges have withdrawn approval
due to no admissions in the academic year 2017-18, whereas the number is
only 21 for pharmacy colleges.
As per a report by IE, the total number of B.Tech and M.Tech seats
this year, across all AICTE-approved institutes, has dropped by 1.67
lakh, which is almost double the dip witnessed in 2017-18. The
undergraduate and postgraduate engineering intake was 16.62 lakh seats
last year and 17.5 lakh seats in 2016-17.
In April, a report had claimed that All India Council for Technical
Education is all set to shut down nearly 200 ‘substandard’ engineering
colleges over the period of next 12 months. With the closure of these
colleges, the number of engineering seats will be brought down by 80,000
this year. In the last four years, the number of seats in engineering
colleges has been reduced by 3.1 lakh. While this is not the only
alarming figure, the actual enrolment in engineering colleges has come
down by 1.86 lakh since 2012-13. There has been a decline in the number
of engineering seats offered to students since 2016. AICTE states that
annually, there is a fall of approximately 75,000 engineering seats.
71% of Institutes Approved by AICTE are Pharma, 2.6 Lakh Engineering Seats Scrapped
71% of Institutes Approved by AICTE are Pharma, 2.6 Lakh Engineering Seats Scrapped
Additionally, there is a reduction in approximately 2.6 lakh engineering seats in the country. On the other hand, pharmacy seats witnessed an increase of approximately 24,000 seats. While the comparative numbers seem skewed, number of engineering seats fell by 9.12 percent and medicine seats rose by 13.39 percent.
New Delhi: With the All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE) green-flagging 392 new pharmacy institutes out of a
total of 552 approved institutes, it seems India is finally
acknowledging its ongoing engineering crisis by offering academic
opportunities to young aspirants in other fields.
For the academic year of 2018-19, AICTE has approved 290 pharmacy
colleges certified to give diplomas to applicants along with 102
technical institutes aiding under-graduate and post-graduate degrees in
medicine.
This comes in sharp contrast to the trend of the more popular academic choice bagging close to 18% sanctions.
In contrast, the Council approved only 36 engineering colleges that can provide degrees to students while just 66 diploma institutes were approved.
For the academic year of 2018-19, the Council approved the total closures of 68 diploma providing colleges and 83 degree providing engineering colleges. Additionally, a total of 151 engineering colleges have been approved for total closure in comparison to only seven pharmacy colleges that faced the same fate. Whereas, only seven pharmacy colleges that gave degrees were asked for total closure.
A highly-placed official at AICTE informed News18 that the organisation allows colleges to have post-graduate programmes only if there is the provision of an under-graduate degree as well.
A dent in the popularity of engineering as a career option can also be deduced from the fact that almost 130 engineering colleges have withdrawn approval due to no admission in the previous academic year. The number goes down to 21 for pharmacy colleges.
Students seem to be looking out for new career options as only 20 new MBA colleges received approvals with 75 being ordered for total closure.
Additionally, there is a reduction in approximately 2.6 lakh engineering seats in the country. On the other hand, pharmacy seats witnessed an increase of approximately 24,000 seats. While the comparative numbers seem skewed, number of engineering seats fell by 9.12 percent and medicine seats rose by 13.39 percent.
Senior officials in the Council informed News18 that colleges that lack proper infrastructure and report less than 30 percent admissions for five consecutive years need to be shut down.
According to data hosted by AICTE, it has approved the progressive closure of more than 410 colleges across the country, from 2014-15 to 2017-18.
The 2003 UR Rao Committee had alerted the government of an excess supply of engineering graduates in the country. However, the recommendations of the report are yet to be formally adopted by the government.
In 2017-18, approximately eight lakh engineers graduated out of which only half of them bagged jobs through campus placements.
The Rao committee had recommended a five-year moratorium on approvals for undergraduate technical institutions in states where the student intake exceeded the then national average of 150 seats per million population.
In 2016-17, half of the 15.5 lakh BE/BTech seats were vacant in 3,291 engineering colleges in the country.
Indian Express reported that according to a study by Stanford University and World Bank Russian and Chinese engineering students were better than those in India.
Indian students make substantial gains in mathematics and critical thinking skills in the first two years of their education compared to their counterparts in China and Russia, but their overall higher-order thinking skills are substantially lower than that of Chinese and Russians.
Source: https://www.news18.com/news/india/71-of-institutes-approved-by-aicte-are-pharma-2-6-lakh-engineering-seats-scrapped-1743411.html
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
China Publishes First AI Textbook To Educate High School Students
China Publishes First AI Textbook To Educate High School Students
Last year, China laid out a plan to become a world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. To get there, the country is looking for inclusion of AI-related courses in primary and secondary education.
The Chinese government is introducing its first AI textbook called ‘Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence’ for high school students, claims a report.
The textbook was penned by Tang Xiaoou, an information engineering professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and chairman of the world’s most valuable AI startup, SensTime. About 40 high schools across the country have teamed up with the AI startupto become the first participants in AI high school education pilot programme.The nine-chapter textbook describes the history of AI and how the technology can be applied in areas like facial recognition, autonomous driving and public security. The opening chapter, titled ‘Artificial Intelligence: The Beginning of a New Era,’ follows the story of a young man named Ming Ming in the year 2028.
“The 40 senior high schools are just a start. We are going to introduce the AI course to more schools across China,” SenseTime said in a report.
Xi Jinping-led government is investing billions of dollars in AI. Given its 1.42 billion population and diverse industry mix, the nation can generate huge volumes of data and provide an enormous market.
Not only the nation’s biggest tech companies are making significant R&D investments in AI but the government have also made AI-enabled education a national priority. Education startups are increasingly looking to AI to upend traditional classrooms and provide higher quality education. For children in rural areas, China’s Education Ministry has directed government at all levels to spend 8 per cent of their annual funding on digitalisation of education.
Google and NITI Aayog partner to accelerate the growth in AI and machine learning ecosystem in India
Google and NITI Aayog partner to accelerate the growth in
AI and machine learning ecosystem in India
NITI Aayog on 7 May joined hands with Google to foster growth in
India's nascent artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning ecosystem by
working together on several initiatives in the two areas.
Under the
aegis of the programme, Google will train and incubate Indian AI startups in an
accelerator programme. These startups will be mentored and coached by Google
and its affiliates to enable them to better leverage AI in their respective
business models, the NITI Aayog said in a statement.
Further, Google will also
bring its online training courses on AI to students, graduates, and engineers
to numerous cities across India in the form of study groups and developer-run
courses. Highlighting the importance of this partnership, NITI Aayog CEO
Amitabh Kant said that artificial intelligence is going to disrupt the way
business is done.
"India, in particular, is uniquely poised
in utilising AI to innovate for social and inclusive good. India is embracing
future technologies such as machine learning and AI to augment its capacity in
healthcare, improve outcomes in education, develop innovative governance
systems for our citizens and improve the overall economic productivity of the
nation," Kant said after the NITI Aayog and Google signed a statement of
intent.
Kant said the partnership
will unlock massive training initiatives, support startups and encourage AI
research through Ph.D. scholarships, "all of which contributes to the
larger idea of a technologically-empowered new India".
Under the
programme, NITI
Aayog and Google will organise an AI and
machine learning hackathon focused on solving key challenges within
agriculture, education, healthcare, financial inclusion, transportation, and
mobility.
The NITI Aayog has been entrusted by the government to set up a
national programme to conduct research and development in frontier technologies
such as AI.
Tuesday, 8 May 2018
Pune: Skill training sessions held for engineering students
Pune: Skill training sessions held for engineering students
eClerx — a global provider of critical business operations services to over 50 Fortune 500 companies — and NASSCOM Foundation, carried out the intensive training programme.
By: Express News Service | Pune
Over 60 per cent participants were women while a total of 480 cleared the final NASSCOM Sector Skills Council’s certification examination.
Students from city-based colleges, including Sinhgad College of Engineering, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering and DY Patil College of Engineering from Pune, Somaiya College of Arts and Science and Datta Meghe College of Engineering and Technology from Mumbai and MCM DAV College for Women from Chandigarh, participated.
P D Mundhra, co-founder and executive director, eClerxServices Ltd, said, “Students from under-served communities will benefit from these new age skills. These courses will help them become a source of sustainable talent for our industry.”
Apart from the technical-knowledge-related curriculum, the programme also trained students in life skills, functional English oral and written communication skills, business etiquettes, problem solving, time management, customer orientation, interview skills, among other soft skills.
The training sessions were planned as per the National Skills Development Corporation through a classroom-based, instructor-led framework.
Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-skill-training-sessions-held-for-engineering-students-5167292/
Looking beyond the Smart classrooms: Rankings, Research & Robots are the Future of Education
Looking beyond the Smart classrooms
Rankings, Research & Robots are the Future of Education
The future of education sector seems to be entirely different from
what it is today in India. While one gets enamored with technology when
it comes to futuristic things but there may be other pertinent factors
too which may impact the future of education. Whereas it is difficult to
predic the future but a few of the possible predictions in the
education industry could be based upon the following:
Rankings
The
system of ranking the academic institutions is very new to Indian
education ecosystem. The idea came from western academic bodies who rate
colleges/ universities depending upon various factors like teaching
(the learning environment), Research (volume, income, and reputation),
Citations (research influence) & International outlook (total number
of international students and faculty members). Nowadays, all academic
institutions are being evaluated on the basis of these issues and this
will definitely be the driver of change.
Research and Innovation
Indian
academic institutions are trying hard to focus on the activities
related to Research and Innovations. Though not great in terms of
quality and reputation but gradually India is making its position in the
world’s space where the path-breaking ideas will originate from our
country. Research turned into innovations will verify a university’s
potential to do well in future.
Global Faculty and Students Exchange Programmes
The
ability of a university to attract undergraduates, postgraduates and
faculty from all over the globe will be key to its success on the world
stage. A few academic institutions in India, in fact rapidly attracting
the global faculty and students under various international
collaborations and exchange programmes. Global educators are also
turning to India because it is monetarily rewarding.
Skill-Based Courses
To
train the youth in basic management skills, spoken English skills,
personality development, computer and other soft skills are not adequate
to counter the cutthroat competition some specialized skills will need
to be integrated into the pupil’s curriculum. It will address the
acquisition of knowledge, practical competencies, know-how and attitudes
necessary to perform a certain trade or occupation in the employment
sector. It will also be crucial in enhancing competitiveness and
contributing to social inclusion, decent employment and poverty
reduction. By instilling skills into the student’s syllabi, one could
expect them to be more employable in life.
Robots may replace our Teachers
A
study by the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship
predicts that 40 percent of jobs will be replaced by machines in just 10
to 20 years. The same research also suggested that autonomous systems
will replace the teaching jobs. The unique demands placed on primary and
secondary school teachers make this position different from many other
jobs. Creating robotic teachers that can meet all demands of the
students and parents that might be challenging for humans.
Governing Bodies may cease to shut
To
eliminate all overlaps in the jurisdiction and also do away with
regulatory provisions, all coveted regulatory bodies may cease to exist.
Niti Ayog is already on the job to replace UGC & AICTE with a new
body called HEERA (Higher Education Empowerment Regulation Agency) The
idea of replacing multiple regulatory authorities will end the
oligopolies of various regulators which suffocates Indian education
circuits.
Focus on Students’ Choice and Preferences
Every
student is different and the same course of study for everyone may not
be feasible in future. Students will get a lot to choose from a various
different subject. 10 years down the line, students are expected to
study Economics and Physics in the same year defining them beyond the
binaries of Science and Commerce streams.
Edutainment & Simulation Techniques
An
amalgamation of education and entertainment is opening the doors to
thinking ahead. It can mean the use of technology to concentrate on
online audios and videos. Grabbing the attention of students, the latest
technological innovations in the sphere of Augmented Reality have
already replaced the pens and chalk pieces needed to learn and teach.
With the use of simulation-based techniques in teaching, students in
future will be able to relate more to the societal issues.
Transitioning
from the traditional to the modern style of imparting education did
take a long time. And now that this change is wide-spread, students
across the globe will be at the receiving end of multiple benefits that
will not only strengthen their knowledge base but will also pave way for
lucrative and high-paying careers they are dreaming of.
Social and Emotional skills
To
thrive in the workplace of the future, skills such as creativity,
collaboration, communication and problem-solving will become must-have
competencies for future specialists as the market will see a huge
increase in jobs requiring a mentioned set of skills.
In the
classroom, students are taught through discussions, cooperative group
work, problem-solving and group reflection but that are not enough,
Students may need to learn skills which are emotional and social in
nature. Although extracurricular activities such as sports and music
performances as accelerators for such skills more and more of emotive
skills will help to nurture the pupil into great human beings!
Source: http://bweducation.businessworld.in/article/Looking-beyond-the-Smart-classrooms/07-05-2018-148408/
Centre shifts focus to liberalization of higher education
Centre shifts focus to liberalization of higher education
Over the past few months, the Indian higher education sector has been witnessing a gradual transformation
New Delhi:
The long promised new education policy is still in the pipeline, but
the Union government seems to have taken up a new task — liberalization
of higher education.
Over the past few months, the Indian higher
education sector has been witnessing a gradual transformation from a
restrictive regime to a liberalized one in all three key aspects:
finance, academic and administrative.“Higher education liberalization is a requirement and the government is taking steps to achieve it. You will see key regulatory bodies like the University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) getting reformed for better management of higher education,” said a top official of the human resource development ministry.
“From legislative measures to executive orders, the ministry is now busy reducing the restrictive regime in the sector. In the next six months, you will see some more initiatives,” he said.
What he was referring to is a series of initiatives the ministry has already initiated over the past few months. It enacted the IIM Act, allowing Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to become virtually free of government control. It has brought in a set of guidelines for autonomous colleges allowing them freedom to prescribe courses, become more industry linked and start self-financing courses to become financially sustainable. Besides, it has put in place a non-banking financial corporation to aid infra growth of educational institutions on a borrow and pay concept — a move that will reduce the financial burden on the government and make institutions accountable for their own infra and research growth.
In March, the Union government for the first time provided graded autonomy to 62 universities and colleges both in private and public space to operate with relatively less interference from the education regulators.
HRD minister Prakash Javadekar called this a “liberalized regulatory regime” and said on the sidelines of an event recently that the Indian higher education sector often complains about restrictive rules but now the government is making a conscious effort to liberalize it.
“Of late, there seems to an intention of liberalizing the sector. Autonomy and liberalization are a necessity for the higher education section to thrive. The moment you allow freedom and competition, the best will survive and others will strive to improve quality as it will be a requirement for survival,” said Harivansh Chaturvedi, director of the Birla Institute of Management and Technology in Greater Noida.
Chaturvedi, who is also the alternate president of the Education Promotion Society for India, a confederation of private education providers, said technical education colleges under AICTE should also be granted autonomy based on their rankings and accreditation scores.
While some of the recent moves are important, a new education policy is almost paramount and the government should bring that in to give direction to the education sector, Chaturvedi said. A new education policy is being deliberated for last four years.
Of all the steps the government has taken, the establishment of a higher education financing agency and its expansion in the past couple of months is perhaps the most under-rated but far reaching, said the official cited above. The government has already sanctioned loans worth over Rs2,500 crore to nearly a dozen top schools.
“While individual sub-sectoral moves like autonomy for IIMs, graded autonomy for a group of colleges and universities have their merits, the financing agency will perhaps reduce government spending by Rs10,000 crore per year, and push top higher educational institutions to become more accountable and finically prudent. That’s a bigger change from the way public funded institutions function — you get autonomy, you decide your growth path and you raise money and pay back from your own resources. That’s a bigger liberalization move,” said the official.
Source: https://www.livemint.com/Politics/mx1YXvM5lCt26WaaHz91HO/Centre-shifts-focus-to-liberalization-of-higher-education.html
Monday, 7 May 2018
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