Vidya (विद्या) and It's Meaning {Indian Philosophy}

Vidyā or Vidhya means "correct knowledge" or "clarity" in several South Asian languages such as Sanskrit, Pali & Sinhala. 

• Vidyā is also a popular Indian unisex given name. The Indonesian transliteration of the name is Widya.
• In Hinduism, it is frequently used as an honorific implying the Puranic conception of knowledge and learning.           
• The opposite of vidyā is avidyā (ignorance or misinformation). 
• Vidya is an epithet of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, consort of Brahma (according to Hindubeliefs). She has superior spiritual feminine energy—the Param Prakriti—which purifies, empowers, and uplifts the individual. Hence, she is called the Goddess of Knowledge.
• Vidya means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi.

Śaivism (Śaiva philosophy)

1. Vidyā (विद्या):—Second of the five factors of limitation (kañcuka) that occur in the second stage during the unity of Śiva and Śakti (subject and object). Their unity is initiated upon the cosmic process of creation.
2. Vidyā (विद्या):—Third of the eight Mātṛs born from the body of Mahimā, according to the Kubjikāmata-tantra. 
• These eight sub-manifestations (mātṛ) are associated with the (element) earth. The first five from (including Vidyā) represent the five kalās. 
• All these eight mātṛs are characterized as carrying a diamond in their hand. They are presided over by the Bhairava Jhaṇṭa and his consort named Aindryā. Mahimā is the seventh of the Eight Mahāmātṛs, residing within the Mātṛcakra (third of the five cakras) and represents the earth.
3. Vidya: Normally Siva is Omniscient (Sarvajnatva). Maya has put a crimp on this all-knowing facility and rendered the individual soul with limited knowledge.

Śāktism (Śākta philosophy)

• Vidyā (विद्या, “Knowledge”):—One of the female offspring from Mahākālī (tamas-form of Mahādevī). 
• Mahākālī is one of the three primary forms of Devī, 
• Mahālakṣmī and 
• Mahāsarasvatī. 
• Not to be confused with Kālī, she is a more powerful cosmic aspect (vyaṣṭi) of Devi and represents the guṇa (universal energy) named tamas. 
• Devī Māhātmya, a Sanskrit work from the 5th century, incorporated into the Mārkaṇḍeya-Purāṇa.
• Vidyā (विद्या, “knowledge”):—One of the names attributed to Devī, as chanted by the Vedas in their hymns, who were at the time incarnated in their personified forms. See the Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa chapter 5.51-68, called “the narrative of Hayagrīva”.

Harmaśāstra (religious law)

1. The term ‘knowledge,’ ‘vidyā,’ stands for that by means of which all things are known; i.e., the reading of the text as well as the grasping of the meaning. The meaning is that he who does not bring any benefit should not be taught the text of the Veda, nor should the explanation of tho meaning of Vedic texts be expounded to him. (Manubhāṣya, II.112) Purāṇa
1. Vidyā (विद्या).—Leads to happiness: 
2. It is A śakti.
3. It includes 14 Mimāṃsa, 
4. Nyāya, Purāṇa, Dharmaśāstra,—18 in number
5. also includes Āyurveda. Dhanurveda, Gāndharva, and Arthaśāstra - 1
6. 4 - Anvīkṣikī. Trayī, Vārta and Daṇḍanīti;
7. 2 another division—Parā and Aparā.3

Dhanurveda (science of warfare)

• Vidyā (विद्या) refers to a weapon (knowledge, science, learning, scholarship). 

• Dhanurveda-saṃhitā, which contains a list of no less than 117 weapons. The Dhanurveda-saṃhitā is said to have been composed by the sage Vasiṣṭha, who in turn transmitted it trough a tradition of sages, which can eventually be traced to Śiva and Brahmā. 

Activity: Book Review (Answer)

Name of the book :    The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author Name :    Robert Louis Stevenson

Pages :                 254

Publisher :           Longmans

Edition :                Seventh

Content :

Robert Louis Stevenson's dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with 'damnable young man' Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil. The other stories in this volume also testify to Stevenson's inventiveness within the Gothic tradition: "Olalla', a tale of vampirism and tainted family blood, and 'The Body Snatcher', a gruesome fictionalisation of the exploits of the notorious Burke and Hare.

This edition contains a critical introduction by Robert Mighall, which discusses class, criminality and the significance of the story's London setting. It also includes an essay on the scientific contexts of the novel and the development of the idea of the Jekyll-and-Hyde personality.

Text Structure :

The text is organized into the happenings of present to past. Where people have witnessed to see a Monster like figure. But it wasn’t a monster but the great scientist Dr.Jekyll who has turned into Mr.Hyde after drinking his own formula.

It is using Descending sequence of chronological story. The story depicts the Cause & Effect relationship of the story. Like why Mr.Jekyll the gentle man has turned into a monster figurine Mr.Hyde, this is because after having the formula. It gave the idea of split personality.

Language of the Text :

Author :    Robert Louis Stevenson

When was it published? : January 5, 1886  

Who are the target audience?: Teenagers

Persuasive/ engaging Voice tone of the text? :    Mystery, Horror, Terror

Genre of the Text :

²  Horror fiction, Thriller, Drama, Science Fiction, Gothic fiction

²  This is narrative text.

Context of the Text :

Historically, Stevenson wrote during the Victorian period. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reflects the duality that was inherent in London life ,indeed in all England's large cities--and revealed in the religious and philosophical ideas prevalent in England at the time, which, in some regards, produced the social dualities arising from the crushing incursion of country people to the cities.

The historical conditions of life in London that affected Stevenson's story included living conditions for the upper classes and the poor classes. The upper classes were focused on cushioning life with home-comforts and with pronounced divisions between who thought and did what, for instance, who worked and who didn’t; who was educated where and who wasn’t. The lower classes had been forced from "cottage" industries in textiles and foods, and such, into cites where they focused on trying to survive the conditions in teeming "row houses."

The middle and upper classes emotionally and psychologically shut the existence of the struggling teeming thousands out from their minds and focused on extreme moral certitude, etiquette, and religious form.

Ironically, if there is no true moral conscience, there must be rigid moral rules of conduct and etiquette to impose an artificial order over the true order inspired by conscience and a philosophy of virtue. This focused on a continual self-examination to search for spiritual and moral imperfections and for the moment-by-moment condition of the spiritual soul. This again was a necessary substitute for true spirituality and moral conscience. The reflection of these dualistic historical, cultural, scientific, and ideological conditions are all evident in the thematic dualism of Jekyll and Hyde.

Cultural Diversity :

The following collection of primary sources develops the cultural contexts for these novels’ representations of double and hidden selves. Stevenson’s novel draws attention to early theories of the unconscious. The late-nineteenth-century arts movement that promoted art for the sake of its beauty alone, not for any utilitarian, moral, or political purpose. This novel also raise questions about gender and sexual identity. Jekyll/Hyde explore what it could mean for educated, Victorian men to pursue pleasure free of the inhibiting threat of social ostracism. Many of the sources that follow explore changing ideas about gender and sexual identity in England and America at the turn of the last century.

Reflection :

With this fiction novel, get to know that every individual posses two selves, one the good side like Mr.Jekyll and other the bad side like Mr.Hyde. It is us who can control our both the sides and can react in a situation accordingly.

Activity: Book Review

How To Write Book Review (An Activity)

Read a book & identity the text structure, language, genre, context, socio- cultural diversity

1)     Name of the book

2)     Author Name

3)     Pages

4)     Publisher

5)     Edition

6)     Text content

7)     Text structure

8)      Language

9)      Genre

10)    Context

11)    Socio-Cultural diversity

12)    Unity in diversity

13)    Reflection

How to write and access the textual content:

Content (point 10, 11, 12): 

Assess the Text Structure :

Text Structure How information is organized in a passage.

After reading the text, how do you think the author organized the information?

•Which framework did this author use to organize the information? Chronological? Cause/Effect? Problem/Solution? Compare/Contrast? Description? 

•Does the author use a combination of structures?

•Which text features helped you collect information from the article?

Assess the Language of the Text :

Author :

When was it published?

Who is the target audience?

Persuasive/ engaging

Voice, tone of the text?

Assess the Genre of the Text :

A text genre is a type of written or spoken discourse.

•Narrative - Tell about a sequence of events.

•Procedural- Give instructions on how to do something.

•Expository - Explain something.

Which of the above genre does your text use and how? - Refer to the figure.

Assess the Context of the Text :

Circumstances under which a document was created, including its function, purpose, use, time, the creator, and the recipient.

Time – Era –

How has the time when the text was written influenced the text/writer?

Is the writer liberal in his thoughts or not?

Are the readers being challenged by the thoughts of the writer?

Assess the Socio-Cultural Diversity :

In what socio-cultural contexts did this literary work emerge?

Has the diversity had a positive or a negative impact upon you?

Find the answer in my upcoming blog :)

M-LEARNING

Concept, Characteristics and Applications of M-Learning.

M-LEARNING

Concept:

1. Mobile learning (m-learning) as a kind of learning model allowing learners to obtain learning materials anywhere and anytime using mobile technologies and the Internet.
2. M-learning or mobile learning is "learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices".
3. M-learning technologies include handheld computers, MP3 players, notebooks, mobile phones and tablets.
4. M-learning focuses on the mobility of the learner, interacting with portable technologies. Using mobile tools for creating learning aids and materials becomes an important part of informal learning.
5. M-Learning can be applied in a variety of subjects in primary, secondary, higher, lifelong, community, and professional education.
6. M-learning is convenient in that it is accessible from virtually anywhere. Sharing is almost instantaneous among everyone using the same content, which leads to the reception of instant feedback and tips. This highly active process has proven to increase exam scores from the fiftieth to the seventieth percentile and cut the dropout rate in technical fields by 22 percent.

Characteristics of M-Learning are:

• Ubiquitous and On Demand: Accessible regardless of time and location, capable of delivering the required content at any "point of need."
• Bite-Sized: The educational content of m-learning applications must be relatively short in duration as it is typically used in environments with a considerable amount of potential distractions to the user's concentration. Examples of such environments are public parks and train stations.
• Blended: m-Learning is very rarely used as the only or even as the primary platform to deliver educational content. Usually, it complements other more resourceful modes of the content delivery such as classical teaching and e-learning.
• Collaborative: m-Learning should take advantage of the mobile communication devices it uses as its basis (e.g., mobile phones and Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs) and promote collaborative learning as much as possible. The collaboration can be achieved through the use of SMS or e-mail.
• Portable size of mobile tools: Mobile learning tools are small and portable. Students can use it everywhere during their learning activities.
• Private: M-learning is private. It means that only one learner at a time usually has access to the mobile tool and that when students want to access information connects and downloads independently from other learners.
• Interactive: M-learning environments which utilizes the latest technologies to bring an interactive learning environment into learning and teaching activities. Students are not passive; the functions of mobile tools and environments allow varying levels of interactivity.
• Instant information: Using a mobile tool is all about immediacy. According to Cohen (2010) the need is for quick answers to specific questions. Learning content must reflect this requirement by providing material that enables a learner to quickly zone into information. Examples of instant information are definitions, formula, and equations, etc.
• It can get access to information and educational experience faster than other media.
• It is supported by portable devices; its mobility makes it easy to use.
• Comparing to other methods of learning, the cost of M-learning is relatively low.
• Exchange of information can be encrypted or private.
• It is easy to access all kinds of information.

Applications of M-Learning:

1. Classroom

Applications in classrooms and other learning spaces combine the use of handheld computers, PDAs, smartphones or handheld voting systems (such as clickers) with traditional resources (Tremblay 2010).

1.      Class management

a.      Mobile devices in brick-and-mortar classrooms can be used to enhance student-centered learning, group collaboration among students through communication applications, interactive displays, and video features.

b.      Existing mobile technology can replace cumbersome resources such as textbooks, visual aids, and presentation technology.

c.       Interactive and multi-mode technology allows students to engage and manipulate information.

d.      Mobile Device features with WIFI capabilities allow for on-demand access to information.

e.      Access to classroom activities and information on mobile devices provides a continuum for learning inside and outside the classroom.

f.        In a literature review conducted by FutureLab, researchers found that increased communication, collaboration, and understanding of concepts was a result of mobile technology applications.

2.      Distance Learning

a.      Mobile devices can be used in online settings to enhance learning experiences.

Ø      The mobile phone (through text SMS notices) can be used especially for distance education or with students whose courses require them to be highly mobile and to communicate information regarding availability of assignment results, venue changes and cancellations, etc.

Ø      Mobile devices facilitate online interaction between teacher and student, and student to student. Mobile devices make it possible to facilitate interaction in real time, allowing students to obtain immediate feedback. Educators can also assess student comprehension by using mobile devices, which provide real time updates on student progress, enabling teachers to adapt and personalize their teaching.

Ø      It can also be of value to business people, e.g. sales representatives who do not wish to waste time away from their busy schedules to attend formal training events.

3.      Podcasting

a.      Podcasting consists of listening to audio recordings of lectures. It can be used to review live lectures (Clark & Westcott 2007) and to provide opportunities for students to rehearse oral presentations. Podcasts may also provide supplemental information to enhance traditional lectures.

b.      Psychological research suggests that university students who download podcast lectures achieve substantially higher exam results than those who attend the lecture in person (only in cases in which students take notes) (Callaway & Ewen 2009).

c.       Podcasts may be delivered using syndication, although this method of delivery is not always easily adopted

4.      Work

a.      M-learning in the context of work can embrace a variety of different forms of learning. It has been defined as the "processes of coming to know, and of being able to operate successfully in, and across, new and ever changing contexts, including learning for, at and through work, by means of mobile devices".

Ø      M-learning for work

Ø      M-learning at and through work

Ø      Cross-contextual m-learning

b.      Learning for work, which could be also described as 'just-in-case' learning, involves classic and formal education activities, such as training courses, that prepare learners for future work-related tasks. A typical, corporate application is the delivery of mobile compliance training, which can be seen as a viable means to reach geographically mobile employees, such as consultants or staff in logistic and transport systems. Another application is mobile simulations that prepare learners for future situations, for example real-time SMS-based simulations for disaster response training.

c.       Learning at and through work, which could be labelled as "just-in-time" mobile learning, occurs in informal education settings at the workplace.

Ø      Employees can use the mobile phone to solve problems via handheld devices in situ, for example by accessing informational resources (such as checklists and reference guides) prior to customer visits or mobile decision support systems.

Ø      Learning through work also occurs by interacting with distant peers via phone. "People tagging" is an approach whereby people assign topics they associate with co-workers. The aggregation of interests and experiences serves not only as a means to raise awareness but also to help find competent experts on demand.

d.      Cross-contextual learning that bridges the gap between work settings and formal education formats has perhaps the biggest potential for work-based mobile learning, especially with respect to tertiary education systems.

Ø      This involves approaches in which learning in the workplace is facilitated and substantiated for example through

·         formative assessments,

·         reflective questions or

·         documentation of personal achievements in multimedia learning diaries or

·         portfolios

Ø      The so-created materials are later used in more formal educational formats, for example in the classroom or in the discussion with tutors.

Ø      The value of these mobile phone-mediated learning practices lies in the integration and reconciliation of work-based learning and formal education experiences which otherwise tend to remain separated.

5.      Lifelong learning and self-learning

a.      Mobile technologies and approaches, i.e. mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), are also used to assist in language learning. For instance handheld computers, cell phones, and podcasting (Horkoff & Kayes2008) have been used to help people acquire and develop language skills.

6.      Other

a.      Improving levels of literacy, numeracy, and participation in education amongst young adults.

b.      Using the communication features of a mobile phone as part of a larger learning activity, e.g.: sending media or texts into a central portfolio, or exporting audio files from a learning platform to your phone.

c.       Developing workforce skills and readiness among youth and young adults.

Compare the system and structure of CBSE Board and SSC Board.

Compare the system and structure of CBSE Board and SSC Board.

The system and structure of CBSE and SSC Boards are enlisted below.

CBSE BOARD

Logo:
Founded	03 November 1962
Chairperson	Anita Karwal, IAS
Parent organisation	Ministry of Human Resource Development
Headquarter	New Delhi
Regional Offices	Chennai, Guwahati, Ajmer, Panchkula, Allahabad, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram, Dehradun
Official language	Hindi; English

1.      Introduction:

a.      The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by Union Government of India.

b.      CBSE affiliated schools follow NCERT curriculum only.

c.       There are approximately 20,299 schools in India and 220 schools in 28 foreign countries affiliated to the CBSE.

2.      Organisational Setup:

a.      The Board functions under the overall supervision of the Controlling Authority which is vested with the Secretary (School Education & Literacy), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

b.      The Board has various statutory committees which are advisory in nature.

c.       The Governing Body of the Board is constituted as per its rules and regulations.

3.      Structure of the board: 

a.      The Chairperson is the Chief Executive of the Board and is assisted by fourteen Heads of Departments i.e.

                                                              i.      Secretary,

                                                             ii.      Controller of Examinations,

                                                           iii.      Director (Academics),

                                                           iv.      Director (Training),

                                                             v.      Director (IT),

                                                           vi.      Director (Misc. Examinations),

                                                         vii.      Director (Edusat, Research & Development),

                                                       viii.      Director (Skill Education),

                                                           ix.      four Regional Directors,

                                                             x.      Director (Registered Office, Ajmer) and

                                                           xi.      Director (Professional Examinations).

b.      The Secretary (School Education and Literacy), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India is the

                                                              i.      Controlling Authority of the Board

                                                             ii.      appoints the Chairman and other Heads of Departments.

c.       The Secretary, CBSE is the Chief Administrative Officer and responsible for the matters relating to

                                                              i.      Administration,

                                                             ii.      Audit and Accounts,

                                                           iii.      Public Relations,

                                                           iv.      Legal and

                                                             v.      grant of affiliation to schools.

d.      The Controller of Examinations is responsible for all matters concerning

                                                              i.      examinations

                                                             ii.      administration of examinations,

                                                           iii.      the major areas being pre and post examination work,

                                                           iv.      co-ordination with Regional Offices for conducting annual and compartmental Secondary and Senior School Certificate Examinations.

e.      The Director (IT) is responsible for all matters concerning

                                                              i.      pre and post examination activities of all regions,

                                                             ii.      CTET,

                                                           iii.      Publication Management System,

                                                           iv.      Scholarship,

                                                             v.      Recruitment,

                                                           vi.      Website all new IT ventures and projects.

f.        The Director (Academics) is responsible for

                                                              i.      developing the curriculum for all the subjects at the Secondary and Senior Secondary levels,

                                                             ii.      development of new courses content and innovations in the field of education, to publish textbooks for Secondary and Senior Secondary classes

                                                           iii.      monitoring the academic projects.

g.      Director (Training) organizes

                                                              i.      teacher’s training workshops,

                                                             ii.      assessing training needs capacity building programs.

h.      The Director (Skill Education) is responsible for all matters concerning designing of curriculum for Skill Education subjects.

i.        Director (Professional Examinations) is responsible for all matters concerning

                                                              i.      conduct of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (JNVST) and

                                                             ii.      Kendriya Vidyalaya Selection Test.

j.        The Director (Misc. Examinations) is responsible for conducting (CTET).

k.       The Director (Edusat, Research & Development) is responsible for all matters concerning Distance Education through Education Satellite launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (I.S.R.O.)

l.        The Director (Registered Office Ajmer) is responsible for the activities of Registered Office, Ajmer like issue of duplicate documents, verification, correction in Board’s documents etc.

m.    The Regional Directors are responsible for all matters concerning

                                                              i.      conduct of Secondary and Senior Secondary certificate

                                                             ii.      main and compartment examinations and

                                                           iii.      administration of examinations,

                                                           iv.      the major areas being pre and post examination work,

                                                             v.      declaration of its results and other related activities.

4.      Committees:

a.      Affiliation: -

                                                              i.      Granting affiliation to institutions;

                                                             ii.      laying down qualifications for teachers;

                                                           iii.      constituting inspection panels;

                                                           iv.      suggestions, additions or alternatives in Affiliation By-laws

b.      Curriculum: -

                                                              i.      Coordination of the recommendations of the Subject committees;

                                                             ii.      Revision and updating of Curriculum documents,

                                                           iii.      Policies relating to Academics,

                                                           iv.      Training and Innovation.

                                                             v.      Introduction of new subjects as Elective, preparation of textbooks and supplementary material as required.

c.       Examination: -

                                                              i.      Appointment of paper setters and moderators;

                                                             ii.      Fixation of maximum/ minimum pass criteria/marks;

                                                           iii.      Duration of examinations;

                                                           iv.      Special permission and exemption cases etc.

d.      Finance: -

                                                              i.      Revision of rates of fees;

                                                             ii.      Payments for work pertaining to examination/ affiliation

5.      History:

a.      A trail of developments mark the significant changes that took place over the years in shaping up the Board to its present status. U P Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the first Board set up in 1921. It has under its jurisdiction Rajputana, Central India and Gwalior.

b.      In response to the representation made by the Government of United Provinces, the then Government of India suggested to set up a joint Board in 1929 for all the areas which was named as the 'Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Rajputana'. This included Ajmer, Merwara, Central India and Gwalior. The Board witnessed rapid growth and expansion at the level of Secondary education resulting in improved quality and standard of education in institutions. But with the advent of State Universities and State Boards in various parts of the country the jurisdiction of the Board was confined only to Ajmer, Bhopal and Vindhya Pradesh later.

c.       As a result of this, in 1952, the constitution of the Board was amended wherein its jurisdiction was extended to part-C and Part-D territories and the Board was given its present name 'Central Board of Secondary Education'.

d.      It was in the year 1962 finally that the Board was reconstituted. The main objectives were to serve the educational institutions more effectively, to be responsive to the educational needs of those students whose parents were employed in the Central Government and had frequently transferable jobs.

6.      Jurisdiction

a.      The jurisdiction of the Board is extensive and stretches beyond the national geographical boundaries. As a result of the reconstitution, the erstwhile 'Delhi Board of Secondary Education' was merged with the Central Board and thus all the educational institutions recognized by the Delhi Board also became a part of the Central Board.

b.      Subsequently, all the schools located in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Andaman and Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, the state of Sikkim, and now Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh have also got affiliation with the Board.

c.       From 309 schools in 1962, the Board as on 01-05-2019 has 21271 schools in India and 228 schools in 25 foreign countries.

d.      There are 1138 Kendriya Vidyalayas, 3011 Government/Aided Schools, 16741 Independent Schools, 595 Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalayas and 14 Central Tibetan Schools.

7.      Objectives: -

a.      To define appropriate approaches of academic activities to provide stress free, child centered and holistic education to all children without compromising on quality.

b.      To analyze and monitor the quality of academic activities by collecting the feedback from different stakeholders.

c.       To develop norms for implementation of various academic activities including quality issues; to control and coordinate the implementation of various academic and training programmes of the Board; to organize academic activities and to supervise other agencies involved in the process.

d.      To adapt and innovate methods to achieve academic excellence in conformity with psychological, pedagogical and social principles.

e.      To encourage schools to document the progress of students in a teacher and student friendly way.

f.        To propose plans to achieve quality benchmarks in school education consistent with the National goals.

g.      To organize various capacity building and empowerment programmes to update the professional competency of teachers.

h.      To prescribe conditions of examinations and conduct public examination at the end of Class X and XII. To grant qualifying certificates to successful candidates of the affiliated schools.

i.        To fulfill the educational requirements of those students whose parents were employed in transferable jobs.

j.        To prescribe and update the course of instructions of examinations.

k.       To affiliate institutions for the purpose of examination and raise the academic standards of the country.

8.      Regional offices:  Presently CBSE has 10 regional offices:

1.      Delhi: Covering NCT of Delhi and Foreign Schools.

2.      Chennai: Covering Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

3.      Guwahati: Covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

4.      Ajmer: Covering Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

5.      Panchkula: Covering Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

6.      Allahabad: Covering Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

7.      Patna: Covering Bihar and Jharkhand.

8.      Bhubaneswar: Covering Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.

9.      Thiruvananthapuram: Covering Kerala and Lakshadweep.

10.  Dehradun: Covering Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

9.      The prime focus of the Board is on:

a.      Innovations in teaching-learning methodologies by devising students friendly and students centered paradigms.

b.      Reforms in examinations and evaluation practices.

c.       Skill learning by adding job-oriented and job-linked inputs.

d.      Regularly updating the pedagogical skills of the teachers and administrators by conducting in service training programmes, workshops etc.

10.  Grading System: -

a.      For the Class 10 and Class 12 exams, CBSE (along with the marks obtained) includes the positional grade obtained by the student, which is dependent on the average performance of the students in that subject.

b.      Consequently, the cutoffs vary every year.

·   Grade  Criteria

·   A1        Top 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   A2        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   B1        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   B2        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   C1        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   C2        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   D1        Next 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   D2        Last 1/8 of passed students in that subject

·   E          Failed students (in either theory, practical or overall)

c.       During CCE: During 2010-2017, when CBSE implemented a CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation) for grade 10 students, only the grades obtained by the student were mentioned in the report card in a 9-point grading scale, which translates as below:

                                                              i.      Former grading scale (CCE)

·         Grade  Criteria

·         A1        >90%

·         A2        81-90%

·         B1        71-80%

·         B2        61-70%

·         C1        51-60%

·         C2        41-50%

·         D          33-40%

·         E1        21-32%

·         E2        0-20%

SSC BOARD

Logo:
Founded	01 January 1966
Chairperson	Sarjerao Jadhav
Parent organisation	State Governmental Board of Education
Headquarter	Pune
Regional Offices	Nagpur, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Amaravati, Latur, Kolhapur, Nashik, Kokan
Official language	Marathi; English

1.      Introduction: 

a.      The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education, Pune 411004 is an Autonomous Body established under the provisions of the Maharashtra Act No. 41 of 1965.

b.      The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education, conducts the HSC and SSC Examinations in the state of Maharashtra through its Divisional Boards.

c.       The Board conducts examination twice a year and the number of students appearing for the main examination is around 14 Lacs for HSC and 17 Lac’s SSC, for the supplementary examination around 6 Lacs students are expected HSC and SSC together.

d.      There are about 21000 schools (SSC) and 7000 (HSC) Higher Sec. Schools / Jr. colleges in the entire state.

2.      HISTORY:-

a.      The Board came into existence on 1 January 1966 to regulate certain matters pertaining to secondary education in the state of Maharashtra, as "Maharashtra State Secondary Education Boards".

b.      The act was amended in 1976, and the name of the Board changed to its present name, "Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education".

3.      FUNCTIONS:-

a.     The board is responsible for formation, and implementation of the rules and regulations in accordance to the guidelines set by the state as well as central boards.

b.     It is also in charge, autonomously, of, and implementation of the syllabus/curriculum of all the grades, textbooks, exam schedule, and type.

c.      The board is also responsible for creation of textbooks, scoring of the centralised tests, and conducting examinations fairly and providing unbiased justice in the event of dispute.

d.     The Board conducts examination twice a year and the number of students appearing for the main examination is around 1,400,000 for Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and 1,700,000 for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) every year.

e.     The exams are usually held in the months of March, and October every year; and results are given out usually in June, and January respectively. March marks the end of educational year, and June marks beginning of the new educational year in the state of Maharashtra.

4.     DIVISIONAL BOARDS: -

a.    There are nine divisional boards with the state to represent the state board. Their duties include, but not limited to:

·         Decide the schools/colleges to conduct the final exams.

·         Appoint the paper setters, translators, custodians (of question papers, and blank and filled up answer papers), conductors (transportation), and examiners (paper checkers).

b.       There are nine divisional boards located at Amravati, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Konkan, Latur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, and Pune.

Divisional board	Year of foundation	Districts include in the division	Ssc no of schools	Ssc no.of candidates	Hsc no of schools	Hsc no.of candidates
Pune	1966	Pune, Ahmadnagar, Solapur	3098	270130	1038	213996
Nagpur	1966	Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Wardha, Gadchiroli, Gondia	2444	206809	1171	176550
Aurangabad	1966	Aurangabad, Beed, Parbhani, Jalana, Hingoli	2116	162978	1050	127374
Mumbai	1985	Mumbai, Thane, Raigad	3337	373313	954	312717
Amaravati	1991	Amaravati, Akola, Buldhana, Yeotmal, Washim	2378	186364	1185	146052
Kolhapur	1991	Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli	2084	158348	588	119015
Nashik	1993	Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar	2492	197833	739	152177
Latur	1997	Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad	1619	110053	586	68999
Kokan	2011	Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg	592	45386	170	29425

5.      ORGANISATIONAL SETUP OF BOARD

6.      GRADING SYSTEM

a.      Marking Scheme for Maharashtra SSC Board Exams

Total marks –                                                           650
Languages: 20 (oral) + 80 (written) =                      100
Math:  30 (internal) + 120 (written) =                      150
Sciences:   20 (Practical) + 80 (written) =                100
Social Science:   20 (internal) +80 (written) =         100

b.      Information Communication Technology (ICT) was introduced in 2014 with 40 marks written, 10 marks orals. It is a grade result.

c.       The state education board is considering setting separate passing scores for written and practical or oral examinations and a decision on this is expected to be taken soon.

d.      The matter came up in the context of reports that an abnormally large number of students scored full or close to full marks in the practical or oral exam conducted at the institutions, whereas many of them were satisfied with scoring the minimum in the written exam that was necessary to pass the 35% mark.

e.      If a student is not satisfied with the assessment of his answers after obtaining a photocopy of the answer sheet, they can request the divisional board to re-assess his paper with shell out Rs 400 for a photocopy of their answer sheet and Rs. 300 for the revaluation of each paper.