National Talent Search Examination

National Talent Search Examination

NCERT announces the dates of National Talent Search Examination

for students of Class X

Stage Area Dates

Stage I

(State)

Last Date for Submission of

Application Form

31st August, 2012 *

Examination in Mizoram, Meghalaya,

Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar

Islands

17

Examination in All other States and

Union Territories

18

Stage II

(National)

Examination in All States and Union

Territories

12

th November, 2012 (Saturday)th November, 2012 (Sunday)th May, 2013 (Sunday)

For eligibility and other details visit the NCERT website: <http://www.ncert.nic.in>

or

Contact the Liaison Officer of your State/ UT whose address is given on the NCERT website

*However, it may vary from State to State.

Details Application form Region wise List of NTS Liaison Officers 2012-13

National Council of Educational Research and Training

Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi - 110 016

10 Indian students get TOEFL scholarships

CHENNAI: Ten young go-getters from across the country received their TOEFL scholarships on Wednesday. Valued at approximately US$70,000 the scholarships recognise the academic excellence of TOEFL test takers throughout India.

"The TOEFL Scholarship programme has helped increase our communication with test takers, rather than with just the institutions accepting our test scores. The response has been good with the number of applications increasing by 30% this year when compared to 2011," said ETS' vice-president of marketing and public affairs Scott Nelson, who gave away the awards at a function in Delhi. ETS received 960 applications for the TOEFL scholarships this year.

The scholarships, funding for which was increased by US$10,000 since 2011, were awarded to help students continue their education at the undergraduate and graduate school levels. While four students were awarded a US$10,000 scholarship to study in universities or colleges in the UK, US, Australia and Canada; six other students received a US$5,000 scholarship to pursue graduate programmes elsewhere in the world.

Two of the 10 scholarships went to Swathi Meenakshi Sadagopan and Abhay Gandhi of Tamil Nadu. Both are graduates of the Guindy College of Engineering but will be specialising in different fields. Swathi, who has graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering will be continuing higher studies in the same specialisation at McGill University in Canada. "The research opportunities available overseas cannot be compared even to that in the IITs or in Anna University, where I studied and which gets a lot of funding. So pursuing research abroad is an obvious choice, and the first thing that anybody thinks about is the money involved in studying abroad. The scholarship has taken a load off my mind," said Swathi. She is one of the recipients of the US$10,000 scholarship.

For Abhay from Tiruchi, it is a matter of pride. "Being recognised by ETS, which conducts so many globally renowned tests adds a lot of value to what I've done before. It tells us how good we are when compared to so many other test takers," said Abhay, who will attend Ecole des Hautes Commerciales in Paris, a top ranking B-school. Abhay is a recipient of the US$5,000 scholarship.

The TOEFL Scholarship was introduced in the 2010-11 academic year in India, and has since covered other Asian countries including Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The funding for the programme has increased from US$50,000 to US$70,000 in two years.

Meta-varsity ‘unlikely’ this year

NEW DELHI: There is uncertainty about the launch of the meta university from the 2012-13 academic session.

Jamia Millia Islamia has managed to get approval from its statutory bodies, but the other partners — Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) — are still at the planning stage. While Jamia and DU authorities are hoping that a delayed launch will be possible, JNU has said it is not in a position to start the project this year.

Earlier this year, HRD minister Kapil Sibal had announced plans for a meta university, whose pilot run will include a collaboration of DU, Jamia, JNU and IIT-D. The project will allow students to choose from study modules offered by the different participating universities, and take up courses offered jointly by these institutions.

It was decided that the courses will be launched from this academic session. Even as the new session is due to start in a couple of weeks, the universities, except for Jamia, are still working out the modalities. DU sources said the administration will convene a meeting of the academic council and executive council by this week, where the issue of meta university and credit transfer among universities will be flagged up.

DU vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh told TOI: "We will discuss the issue with the AC and EC and observe the procedure for getting the approval. After that, I will be able to give out the details." It is learnt that Singh has met around 1,000 teachers in groups to build a consensus on the issue. Has also sought written feedback.

Jamia is now waiting for the other partners to come on board. "As we are going to offer joint degrees, we need the participation of all the four universities for launching the project. Jamia has all the approvals; we are hoping for a delayed launch. We are ready with the PG diploma in public health, the field where Jamia will take the lead. We have also thrashed out an elaborate research agenda. We are now waiting the approval and funds from the University Grants Commission," said Jamia registrar S M Sajid.

JNU, however, say it is unlikely to come on board this year. Vice-chancellor S K Sopory said, "We are not prepared this year. We will be ready for the 2013-14 academic session. Consultations are on and we will seek approval from JNU's academic and executive councils. Before that, we need to look into the project details. No final proposal has been made so far."

Schools upset as CBSE makes changes to CCE

NEW DELHI: While schools are still grapling with the continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) scheme, there are more changes waiting to happen. The governing body of the Central Board of Secondary Education has decided to replace one of the four formative assessments (FA) with a problem solving assessment (PSA) for Classes IX and XI.

The proposal was made during a governing meet in June and the first test will be conducted on January-February 2013 for Class IX, said a CBSE official. However, school principals are questioning the need for such changes.

According to a CBSE official, the pen-paper test will replace one of the FA. The schools under the CCE scheme conduct four FAs in two terms. "The PSA is not a new test but it will replace the already existing pen-paper test in the FA. The only difference will be that PSA will be conducted by the Board in the respective schools and the evaluation will be done by the Board. The exam will be conducted on the same day and the question paper will be provided by the Board," said chairman of CBSE, Vineet Joshi. According to CBSE sources, the 90-minute test will have nothing from the textbooks. It will comprise of questions from mathematics and an English passage from old essays or contemporary fiction.

School principals, however, are questioning the need for such changes and believe that the test will go against the philosophy of FA. "When the whole understanding of problem-solving is integral to CCE, we will go back to the pencil-paper mode through this test. Though it will not affect grades and students will not need additional preparatory studies, I don't think there is any requirement when the system (CCE) is settling down. Such changes are undesirable as we need to consolidate now," said principal of Springdales, Pusa Road, Ameeta Mulla Wattal.

Sunita Williams embarked on her Second Space Mission

Sunita Williams embarked on her Second Space Mission

SA 1 EXAMINATION DATE SHEET

KVS unveils ‘smart’ uniform designs

‘SALWARS OUT, PANTS IN’

KVS unveils ‘smart’ uniform designs

Remodelled First Time Since Organization’s Inception To Keep Up With Times

Shreya Roy Chowdhury TNN

New Delhi: Nearly 50, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan feels it’s time for a face-lift. For starters, it has changed the look of its students. The solid blues and whites have been replaced by smart checks; pants have replaced s a lw a r s. The KVS unveiled the new uniform designs — changed for the first time since the school-system’s inception in 1963 — on Wednesday. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) developed the new style and the ministry of textiles was involved too.
   The development of the design took about five months and was preceded by
asurvey conducted at Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) in 10 locations across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Jammu and even Silchar in Assam. Students, parents and teachers — “stakeholders” in KVS-official-speak — shared their inputs. Parents found the white of s a lw a r s and d u p a tt a s difficult to maintain and students found the blue “s a rk a r i.” They are both out. In their place is a bright check in three colours — red, blue and grey over white — with grey pants/skirts. “Even socks are coloured as white get dirty very easily,” says Upinder Kaur, associate professor, NIFT, and one of the designers.
   A team of five from NIFT worked on the uniform for five months — a member each from fashion design, textile design, knitwear design and accessory design departments and a researcher. The designs for different grades were finalized, prototypes developed and the board of governors approved the look on May 18, 2012. Then KVS went looking for models.
   “I asked students who were a little tall and could carry the uniform well,” says a teacher. Two XII graders from the branch where she teaches were part of a batch of students handpicked from KVs to model the uniform. The shoot for the launch photos happened 10 days ago. “The students haven’t seen the new uniform, but word has got out and they are very happy about it,” she says.
   The design-launch was the first move KVS has made to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Saying the re-design was long overdue, Avinash Dikshit, commissioner, KVS, added the anniversary is an opportunity to “remodel and reshape” the KVS system in general, to “let go of whatever is outdated and not in step with time.” Salwars are out of the uniform for senior girls; pants are in.
   Kids inducted into the KV school-system this year will be the first ones to wear these uniforms. First-graders will get little checked tunics (for girls) or shorts (boys) from this session; others will have till July, 2014, to phase the current uniform out. The cost was an important factor. The old set cost about Rs 2,900; the new one — winter, summer and sport — costs between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,500. “The prices will go down as the number of students buying them increases,” says Dikshit. Kaur adds that the same pair of shoes can now be used for both general and sports use.

UNIFORM CODE FOR ALL
Uniform changing for the first time since 1963

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan runs 1,089 schools with 10.6 lakh students across the country
Students will have till July 2014 to phase out old uniforms

New uniform costs Rs3,000-3,500 per set; before it used to cost Rs 2,900


SUMMER UNIFORM

JUNIOR (Classes I and II) Girls | Short-sleeved teri-cotton tunic Boys | Shorts, short-sleeved shirt, belt
MIDDLE (Classes III—VIII) Girls | Pleated skirt, shirt, belt Boys | Full-length pants, short-sleeved shirt, belt
SENIOR (Classes IX—XII) Girls | Pants, short-sleeved kurta, waistcoat Boys | Pants, short-sleeved shirt, belt

WINTER UNIFORM
JUNIOR (Classes I and II) Girls | Worsted-yarn fabric tunic over full-sleeved shirt, full-sleeved pullover Boys | Pants, full-sleeved shirts, sleeveless and fullsleeved, zippered hoodie
MIDDLE (Classes III—VIII) Girls | Pleated skirt, fullsleeved shirt, belt and fullpants, zippered hoodie, sleeveless pullover Boys | Pants, full-sleeved shirt, sleeveless and full-sleeved hoodie SENIOR (Classes IX—II) Girls | Pants, full-sleeved kurta, button-down, sleeveless cardigan, full-sleeved hoodie Boys | Pants, full-sleeved shirt, sleeveless and full-sleeved hoodie

SPORTS

Everyone | Track pants and t-shirts in the four house colours

ACCESSORIES
Shoes Same for sport and regular use, with PU (polyurethane) sole and Velcro attachments Belt Synthetic woven webbing, powder-coated buckle with KV logo Scarf With red hemming for Muslim girls Turban Cotton turban for Sikh senior boys and patka for juniors

CHIC: The design-launch commemorates KVS’s 50th anniversary

HOW WILL YOU LOOK WITH YOUR NEW UNIFORMS

BOYS I - V CLASSES (SUMMER)

BOYS III - VIII CLASSES (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES I - V (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES IX - XII (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES I - V  (SUMMER)

GIRLS CLASSES I - V  (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES I - V (SUMMER)

GIRLS CLASSES III - VIII (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES III - VIII (SUMMER)

GIRLS CLASSES IX - XII (WINTER)

GIRLS CLASSES IX - XII (SUMMER)

HOUSE WISE SPORTS WEAR

JUNIOR BOYS I TO V (WINTER)

BOYS CLASSES VI - XII (SUMMER)

BOYS CLASSES VI - XII (WINTER)