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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Women journalists face doubling of online abuse since 2020, AI intensifies harassment: report
New Delhi: Incidents of online violence against women journalists have doubled since 2020, with growing use of artificial intelligence intensifying the scale and impact of abuse, according to a new report released ahead of World Press Freedom Day.
The study is titled “Tipping point: Online violence impacts, manifestations and redress in the AI age.” It is published by UN Women and its partners and highlights how digital harassment has become more invasive and technologically sophisticated.
The study is based on a 2025 global survey covering 641 respondents across 119 countries. The report found that women journalists and media workers are increasingly resorting to self-censorship due to online abuse. Around 45 per cent said they avoid expressing themselves on social media, which is a sharp rise from 2020. Nearly 22 per cent reported limiting their professional work for similar reasons.
The findings also indicate that 12 per cent of respondents have experienced non-consensual sharing of personal images, including intimate content, and six per cent reported being targeted by AI-generated “deepfakes.” One in three said they had received unsolicited sexual advances online.
The report highlights the psychological toll of such harassment, noting that nearly a quarter of women journalists surveyed had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression, while about 13 per cent reported post-traumatic stress disorder.
An environmental journalist from India, quoted in the report, described how coordinated online attacks and misinformation campaigns had led to fear and withdrawal from investigative reporting, and the repercussions extending to family members.
However, as the abuse has increased, so too has the number of women journalists reporting such incidents. The percentage of women journalists approaching law enforcement agencies has doubled from 11 per cent to 22 per cent in 2025 compared with 2020. The report also shows an increase in legal action against perpetrators, technology platforms, and employers.
However, the report points to significant gaps in legal protection. It presents data that fewer than 40 per cent of countries have laws addressing cyber harassment or stalking. Kalliopi Mingerou, who leads efforts to end violence against women at UN Women, said emerging technologies are amplifying existing threats. “AI is making abuse easier and more damaging,” she said, warning that the trend risks undermining democratic participation and hard-won rights.
The report can be accessed at https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/04/tipping-point-online-violence-impacts-manifestations-and-redress-in-the-ai-age
