Education sector facing various challenges, says Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan
Bengaluru, Sep 23: Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Dr C N Ashwath Narayan on Monday said the education sector was facing various challenges in fulfilling the needs and demands of youth in the wake of rapidly changing technologies.
"It is the need of the hour and a requirement, particularly for the education sector, to address a lot of challenges to fulfill the needs and demands of youth across the globe because they are facing various challenges, dreams and aspirations," he said at the sixth edition of Asian Summit on Education and Skills (ASES).
The three-day event, which got underway here, has been jointly organised by the India Didactics Association with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, NITI Ayog and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Ministers and ministerial delegations from over 15 countries are taking part in the event.
Stressing on empowering the youth to grab every opportunity they get, Narayan said challenges such as caste, creed, region and finances should not hurt their aspirations.
He said merely enabling youth to be successful was not enough as they should be imparted the right education to build the future of society and work in the interest of humanity.
Whatever we learn, it is ultimately for the humanity.That has to be conveyed very strongly," said Narayan.
During a session on 'What should we do with what we know?', Anju Sharma, the principal secretary for education, Government of Gujarat, stressed on thinking out the box as Artificial Intelligence would soon replace the traditional work humans have been doing so far.
"A robot may come, sit, listen and later retrieve whatever information is provided to it. It can do the job which human beings have been doing.
Hence we have to think out-of-the-box because machines will be able to do all that human beings have been doing on a routine basis," she pointed out.
On the transformation education sector may require in the wake of emerging technologies, Sharma said teachers have to be mentors rather than imparting unilateral teaching.
The education sector has to understand the dynamics of industry too and hence there should be constant interaction between the two, Sharma pointed out.
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CCTVs in police stations: SC asks amicus to convene meeting on utilisation of funds
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that a meeting be convened on May 6 to deliberate on the aspect of utilisation of funds by the states on installation of CCTVs in police stations across the country.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta asked senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae in a suo motu matter concerning lack of functional CCTVs in police stations, to hold a meeting on May 6 with the Centre, all states and Union Territories.
"We are of the view that a meeting be convened by the amicus, as done earlier, in which the home secretary of the central government or his nominee not below the rank of joint or additional secretary and the home secretary of states/Union Territories will participate," the bench said.
The issue cropped up after the amicus flagged the aspect of utilisation of funds by the states.
Dave told the bench that in UTs, the Centre gives 100 percent funds while in hilly states, the central government gives 90 percent funding.
He said in remaining states, the Centre gives 60 percent while the rest 40 percent funding is by the respective state.
"Why don't we get responses of the states only on utilisation of funds?" the bench said.
The top court suggested that the amicus can convene a meeting with the Centre, states and UTs on the issue.
It posted the matter for hearing on May 13 and said that a report be submitted before it.
On April 7, the Centre told the top court that all issues concerning installation of CCTVs in police stations would be sorted out within two weeks.
Attorney General R Venkataramani had told the bench that he was taking stock of the issue and a lot of things were happening.
On February 26, the apex court directed the Centre and others to participate in a meeting to deliberate upon the feasibility, modalities and implementation framework of the issues, including creation of a centralised dashboard and standardisation of CCTV infrastructure in police stations.
The top court had earlier directed registration of a suo motu case over the lack of functional CCTVs in police stations after taking cognisance of a media report.
The apex court had in 2018 ordered the installation of CCTV cameras across police stations to check human rights abuses.
In December 2020, the top court directed the Centre to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment at the offices of investigating agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
It said that states and UTs should ensure that CCTV cameras were installed at every police station, at all entry and exit points, main gate, lock-ups, corridors, lobby and reception, as well as in areas outside the lock-up rooms so that no part was left uncovered.
The top court said that CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision and have audio as well as video footage.
The court made it mandatory for the Centre, states and the UTs to purchase such systems which allow storage of data for at least one year.
