KV Kanjikode ‘dedicated to nation'
M.S. Neelakandan, general manager (operations) of Instrumentation Ltd, Palakkad, unveiled a commemorative plaque at the school. The plaque commemorated the institution's formal dedication by Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
School management committee members Unnikrishnan, Praveena Gangadharan and K.A. Nandajan, school's first Class 12 topper Sai Anand, German visiting teacher Sylvia and school safety council member K.T. Sudarshan attended the function.
The event drew a diverse crowd, including special guests, parents, staff and alumni. Principal S. Harilal welcomed the gathering. Teacher Rugmini Menon proposed a vote of thanks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
30 minutes ago
- India.com
Major breakthrough in search for Hitler's gold train! Signs of treasure worth billions of dollars found in..., excavation...
Who doesn't know Adolf Hitler? He is arguably the most recognizable figure in modern history. Known for his smaller moustache and intense speeches, Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany and was responsible for the darkest parts of the 20th century, including the Second World War and the Holocaust. He is a name that almost everyone knows, decades after his passing, and remains controversial. What is the mystery behind Hitler's gold train? Archaeologists in Poland made a significant advancement in investigating a new archaeological find. It may even lead to the discovery of the famous Nazi train rumored to be carrying treasure worth £250 million. Excavation work has commenced in Poland at Dziemiany, where researchers think a late World War II bunker could have been located. Underneath it could hide a unique train and treasure. Marcin Tymiński, conservator of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, has stated that there may be an undiscovered German depot at the location. The quest for Adolf Hitler's legendary gold-filled train has been going on for quite a while. Since 1945, governments, the Polish army, and treasure seekers have been combing the area in hopes of catching a glimpse of the train, and now they believe it is in northern Poland. According to Wirtualna Polska, Polish authorities have officially granted permission for a new search. According to The U.S. Sun report, Gdańsk's Office for the Protection of Monuments has reportedly issued permits for exploratory drilling and archaeological examinations in Dziemiany, which is located in the Kościerzyna area of northern Poland. The investigation intends to locate a suspected World War II bunker that could be concealing the long-rumored Nazi train and its treasure. Marcin Tymiński, a spokesman for the Pomeranian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments, stated a concealed German depot could be located in Dziemiany. 'Some speculate it could even be the lost Amber Room,' he was quoted as saying by The Sun. Who is leading the current search operation? According to Jan Delingowski, a leader in the hunt for treasure stated that a military training ground was set up in Dziemiany for SS units in late 1943 by the Nazis. Delingowski, who used to work as a radio officer for a merchant fleet, has been searching for the mythical train in the Kashubia area for the last decade. Who was Erich Koch? In an interview on the YouTube channel History Hiking on Sunday, he showed historical references linking the suspected treasure site to Nazi official Erich Koch, according to RMF24. Koch had been the Nazi Gauleiter in East Prussia from 1928-1945. After World War II, Koch was tried in Poland and was sentenced in 1959 for war crimes. Koch received the death sentence; however, his death sentence was never executed, officially because of ill health. Lately, declassified materials from Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), reported by Rzeczpospolita, show that the reason the sentence was not executed was that the Polish Security Service and Soviet KGB thought he might reveal the hiding place of the Nazi gold train. A prisoner who met Koch in the 1980s claimed the Nazi official disclosed the site of the treasure shortly before he died.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
State begins merging edu data systems to reduce teachers' workload
1 2 Pune: The state govt has initiated the integration of two key educational data systems — Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and Systematic Administrative Reforms for Achieving Learning by Students (SARAL). The fusion will streamline data entry processes and eliminate duplication of work which has long been a pain point for over 7.43 lakh teachers in the state. At present, teachers have to enter the same student-related information such as attendance, academic performance, enrolment, dropout data, and infrastructure details into both platforms on both portals. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune This redundancy not only consumes valuable teaching time but also adds to clerical stress during the academic year. Under the new plan, the state's 2.11 crore school students will now be mapped through a unified system, enabling teachers to update and manage data from a single point of access, the education department said. Maharashtra Samagra Shiksha is spearheading the initiative. "From this academic year, the process of integrating information from the UDISE and SARAL systems has begun," director Sanjay Yadav said. He added that education officers have been told to ensure that no student is left out of school. "The integrated system will be more teacher-friendly and reduce time spent on non-teaching tasks, allowing educators to focus more on classroom engagement and student learning outcomes," Yadav said. The move is seen as part of a larger effort to modernise the state's education management system and support the goals of National Education Policy which emphasises reducing non-academic workload on teachers. Mahendra Ganpule, former vice-president of Maharashtra Headmasters' Association, said, "Teachers will now be able to enter information at one time and in one place, saving them time and effort." More time for teaching efforts Teachers entered students' personal information into the SARAL system, including names, classes, attendance, and detailed basic information The central govt's UDISE system required comprehensive information about the school, physical facilities, school activities, libraries, students' bank accounts, scholarships, and materials quote Entering information into both govt online systems consumed a significant amount of teachers' time which also led to neglect in improving educational standards. This integration will be crucial for accreditation and exam management Rajesh Deshmukh I A ZP teacher from Velhe Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
UGC NET sees 14% rise in PhD qualifiers, but 6% JRF cap may hinder research growth
Experts warn of research quality decline as JRF funding lags behind PhD demand. (AI Image) Over 1.28 lakh candidates qualified for PhD admissions in UGC NET 2025 exams, yet only 5,269 secured JRF Signalling a growing academic interest in doctoral research, over 1.28 lakh candidates qualified for PhD admissions in the recently declared UGC NET June 2025 results. This witnessed a 14% rise from the previous year, however, only 5,269 candidates secured the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), a figure that remains disproportionately low. Out of 1,88,333 candidates who cleared NET this cycle, only 5,269 qualified for both JRF and Assistant Professor eligibility, 54,885 qualified for Assistant Professorship alone, and the remaining 1,28,179 fell under the newly introduced 'PhD-only' category. This structural change, introduced in 2023 to allow candidates with NET scores to apply for PhD programmes without necessarily being eligible for teaching or research fellowships, has expanded the pathway to doctoral study, but not the financial support required to sustain it. However, without enough financial support, many deserving students are being left out, which also impacts the long-term research goals under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Speaking to Education Times, Brajesh Kumar Tiwari, associate professor, Atal School of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, says, "The growing gap between UGC NET-qualified PhD aspirants and JRF awardees may harm India's research future and quality. While over 1.28 lakh candidates are now eligible for PhD admissions, only 4.1% have secured JRFs. This means several students lack the full-time funding essential for sustained research." Research in Social Sciences, Humanities, and other core disciplines require intensive focus. He says, "Without funding, many scholars take to teaching or work part-time, diluting their research output. This risks making research more quantity-driven than quality-oriented." Eligibility Expands Prof Tiwari says, "The 14% increase in PhD eligibility has been driven by several factors, including the updated UGC regulations in 2023 that permitted candidates to use their NET scores for both PhD admission and Assistant Professor roles. "This dual-benefit model made NET more attractive. Meanwhile, All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data shows postgraduate enrolment rising from 43.8 lakh in 2020-21 to 45.7 lakh in 2022-23. A larger postgraduate base leads to higher NET participation. Yet, while eligibility has expanded, financial support has not kept pace. Despite a growing number of PhD students, rising from 1.69 lakh in 2014-15 to over 2.2 lakh in 2022-23, the annual JRF awards have stagnated between 5,000 and 9,000 for the past decade." Fellowship Limitations Budgetary limitations, the current JRF award model, are some of the reasons for this stagnation. "In the 2024-25 Union Budget, the UGC received Rs 4,066 crore, a marginal decrease from Rs 4,093 crore in the previous year. With much of this allocated to salaries and infrastructure, little remains for expanding fellowships. Meanwhile, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a flagship NEP 2020 initiative meant to boost research funding, is yet to be operationalised. The delay in ANRF rollout has stalled the research funding setup," says Tiwari. The current JRF award model limits fellowships to the top 6% of candidates in each subject-category combination. Prof Tiwari says, "This percentage remains constant regardless of how many high-performing candidates there are or how much higher education enrolment has grown. This creates artificial cutoffs, excluding many deserving scholars. Globally, countries such as Germany and the UK adjust fellowship numbers based on actual doctoral demand and research priorities. India must adopt a more dynamic and responsive system." Some top institutions, including IITs, IISc, TIFR, IISERs, JNU, Delhi University, and the University of Hyderabad, offer internal fellowships and research or teaching assistantships. However, these are limited in scale and mostly confined to central institutions. "Internal support varies widely across institutions and disciplines. To address the funding gap, the UGC and Ministry of Education must incentivise and fund state universities to launch standardised, well-supported assistantship programmes at scale," says Prof Tiwari. The imbalance between the qualifiers and the JRF cap raises concerns about the future of India's research ecosystem. Ipsita Sapra, associate professor, School of Public Policy and Governance, TISS Hyderabad, says, "India lags globally in terms of high-quality research output, with fewer publications in reputed, peer-reviewed journals and limited contributions to original theoretical work. One key reason is underfunding of research. In India, publications are often treated as a means for career advancement rather than for contributing to original research ideas. Moreover, high costs and long duration of research, often taking 5-7 years, discourage scholars, especially when financial support such as JRF is unavailable." Alternative Funding Mechanisms Countries such as China have invested in research, while India has not made comparable commitments. Prof Sapra says, "Increasing the number of JRFs is essential as is developing alternative funding mechanisms. Collaboration between academia and industry, as seen in global universities, should be encouraged. Government funding remains crucial, as institutional fellowships are often far below JRF levels and not sustainable in the long term. Several Indian universities have had to suspend their internal research support due to lack of funds." JRF plays an important role in enabling scholars, especially from economically weaker backgrounds, to pursue research without financial insecurity. "Without such support, many capable students are forced to abandon their academic goals for paying jobs. This results in a research ecosystem dominated by the privileged communities," she says. Creating a Bottleneck For Prashant Kumar, a recent UGC NET qualifier in Economics, the gap in financial support has posed hurdles. Prashant, hailing from Bihar, says, "There has been a sharp increase in students appearing for the UGC NET, from around 4.5 lakh in June 2023 to nearly 7.5 lakh in June 2025. But the number of JRFs has not changed. Without fellowships, full-time research is only possible for the financially secure. The rest are forced to either drop out, go part-time, or struggle under financial stress. " Prashant adds that while central research bodies such as ICSSR and DBT offer fellowships, their numbers are extremely limited, and the selection process highly competitive. "A few universities offer internal assistantships, but these are not uniformly available," he says, adding, "This uneven landscape means one's access to research funding often depends on where they study." Prashant who relied entirely on self-study, YouTube lectures, and past year papers, says, "Even after qualifying NET multiple times, I have not managed to qualify for JRF. I have taken the exam six times since December 2022, and except for my first attempt, I have cleared all others." Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
