Centre to set up 'PM Shri Schools' to prepare students for future: Education Minister Pradhan
New Delhi, Jun 2: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the Centre is planning to set up "PM Shri Schools" which will be aimed at preparing students for future and will be the laboratory of new National Education Policy (NEP).
Pradhan was addressing the two-day National Education Minister's Conference in Gujarat.
"School education is the foundation on which India will become a knowledge-based economy and the National Education Policy (NEP) is a knowledge document that aims to promote all-round development and make education accessible to everyone. We are in the process of establishing 'PM Shri schools' which will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future," Pradhan said in his address.
He said these state-of-the-art schools will be the "laboratory of NEP 2020".
"We cannot deprive our new generation from 21st century knowledge and skills. I also encourage and solicit suggestions and feedback from all our states and Union Territories and the entire education ecosystem for creating a futuristic benchmark model in the form of PM Shri schools," he added.
The National Education Ministers' Conference began in Gujarat's Gandhinagar on Wednesday with a focus on implementation of the new NEP.
The minister said the 5+3+3+4 approach of the NEP covering pre-school to secondary school, emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE), teacher training & adult education, integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in the mother tongue are steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century.
"The next 25 years are crucial to establish India as a knowledge economy that is committed to global welfare. We all have to collaboratively work together, learn from each other's experiences and successes to make learning more vibrant and take India to greater heights.
"I encourage Education Ministers of all states and Union Territories and also seek active participation from all stakeholders for developing our National Curriculum Framework as well as developing quality e-content for expanding the reach of digital education and for universalising education," Pradhan said.
The minister said best practices in education coming from different states and Union Territories will act as a cumulative force in transforming India's youth as 'Vishwa-Manavs' (global citizens). "The education fraternity can immensely benefit from models of Karnataka, Odisha, Delhi, Meghalaya, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana."
"Today, at a time when we are celebrating Amrit Mahotsav, the National Achievement Survey 2021 has instilled confidence and has reaffirmed the sincere efforts of all our states and Union Territories in improving learning outcomes and in further strengthening access to quality education," he added.
The conference witnessed deliberations on strengthening the education ecosystem in the country with a focus on implementation of National Education Policy 2020, skilling in schools and digital initiatives like NDEAR and NETF.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology; Ministers of State for Education Annapurna Devi and Subhash Sarkar; Education Ministers of states and Union Territories and senior officials of the Education Ministry participated in the meeting.
"Experience and knowledge sharing from all state Education Ministers and a structured and outcome-based discussion at the conference today will lead us one step further towards transforming our learning landscape, in line with the NEP 2020," Pradhan said.
He said, "As we prepare for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century, we must leverage technology to strengthen our education and skilling ecosystem".
"Yesterday during our visits, we all got a glimpse of various dimensions of 21st century futuristic education systems. From education being an exclusive responsibility of states to education becoming a part of the concurrent list, our education system has witnessed many reforms," the minister said.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan launched by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001, Samagra Shiksha and other reforms have positively impacted education, he said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel stated that the new education policy has been introduced after realizing the need to constantly redefine and redesign the teaching and learning processes.
On the sidelines of the conference, the ministers also visited Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and International Automobile Centre of Excellence (iACE).
Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani said the 'National Conference for School Education Ministers' programme will be an important step towards taking the education sector to a new high with the help of technology and effective implementation of the NEP.
"The NEP has been carefully studied by experts and with its implementation we will be able to see a new change in the society. The policy will prove to be an important document for the future of the country and the new India. Thus implementation of such policy is the responsibility of all of us.
"Education is our biggest responsibility for the society and the new education policy will be a golden step in fulfilling this responsibility with full allegiance," he said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
