NTA NEET 2021 study material: Exam syllabus, best books, practice papers and smart tips

 

NTA NEET 2021 study material: Exam syllabus, best books, practice papers and smart tips.

Find the topic-wise syllabus for NEET 2021 exam and subject-wise list of best books covering all the topics of the NEET-UG syllabus.

Every year thousands of aspirants willing to make a career in the medical field, get themselves enrolled in NEET exams intending to get admission in undergraduate (UG) medical courses of MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH courses in approved and recognized medical colleges/ institutes in India.

In this article, you will find all the latest updates regarding the syllabus for NEET exam 2021 as well as subject-wise the list of best books covering all the topics of the NEET-UG syllabus.

We will be providing you some smart tricks as well at the end of the article that will help you in preparing well for the NEET exam 2021.  

Syllabus of NEET 2021 exam

NEET Syllabus includes the core subjects of physics, chemistry, and biology which were studied by students during their senior secondary i.e., 11th and 12th class. All the questions come from the topics covered in these classes.

NTA has announced that NEET 2021 syllabus will remain the same as it was in the previous year. Therefore, aspirants need not worry about any changes or updates in the last year’s syllabus.

Here, we have discussed in detail the topic-wise syllabus for NEET 2021 exam to provide all the medical aspirants all the information about the syllabus.

You will also find the list of best books covering all the topics of the NEET-UG syllabus.

NEET 2021 syllabus for the subject

Biology

In NEET exams you will find a maximum number of questions from the subject biology which makes it one of the most important portions of the NEET syllabus to be covered by the aspirants to score more and easily get qualified in the NEET 2021 exams.

Here, we are providing you the topics of biology which also comprises botany and zoology which should be the primary focus of every student to achieve a competitive edge over the other students.

NEET 2021 Syllabus for the biology of 11th class includes

Plant physiology

Human physiology

Cell structure and functions

Diversity in a living world

Structural organisation in Animals and Plants

NEET 2021 Syllabus for the biology of 12th class includes

Ecology and Environment

Biotechnology and its Applications

Biology and Human welfare

Genetics and Evolution

Reproduction

Best books for preparation of NEET biology

Objective biology (volumes 1 and 2) by GR Bathla

Objective biology (volumes 1 and 2) by Trueman publications

Objective biology along with practice papers (volumes 1, 2, and 3) by Dinesh publications

Biology classes 11 and 12 (volumes 1 and 2) by Pradeep publications

NEET 2021 syllabus for the subject physics

Physics is considered quite a tough subject, but it is scoring too. It runs on the concept when you learn and understand the concept, you need to apply it in real terms i.e., in real life.

One must learn and try to master the basics concept of physics and you are good to go. This is that simple but I have heard from most of the students who are preparing for any competitive exam that this is one of the toughest subjects and due to this fear, a lot of students didn’t even try to learn it.

To solve and motivate all the students, follow these 2 basic rules, they will not only help you in here i.e., in your exams but in every stage of your life: 1) “if you never try you ‘ll never know”, and 2) “if you have tried the very best you can, worrying doesn’t make it any better.”

With these lines, every student should give their best shot to achieve and perform excellently in NEET 2021 exams.

NEET 2021 Physics Syllabus from 11th class includes the following:

Physical World and Measurements

Kinematics

Laws of Motion

Work, Energy, and Power

Gravitation

Properties of Bulk Matter

Thermodynamics

Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body

Behavior of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory

Oscillations and Waves

NEET 2021 Physics Syllabus from 12th class includes the following:

Electrostatics

Current Electricity

Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism

Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents

Electromagnetic Waves

Optics

Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation

Atoms and Nuclei

Electronic Devices

Best books for preparation of NEET physics

Physics MCQ by D Mukherjee

Objective physics for medical entrance examination (volume1 and 2) by DC Pandey

Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and walker

Concepts of physics (part 1 and 2) by HC Verma

NEET 2021 syllabus for the subject chemistry

The syllabus of NEET 2021 exams for the subject chemistry of class 11th includes the following important topics:

Some basics concepts of chemistry

Structure of Atoms

Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties

Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

States of Matter: Gases and Liquids

Thermodynamics

Equilibrium

Redox reactions

Hydrogen

s- Block Element (Alkali and Alkaline earth metals)

Some p-Block Elements

Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques

Hydrocarbons

Environmental chemistry

The syllabus of NEET 2021 exams for the subject chemistry of class 12th includes the following important topics:

Solid-state

Solution

Electrochemistry

Chemical kinetics

Surface chemistry

General principles and processes of isolation of elements

p-block elements

d and f block elements

Coordination and compounds

Haloalkanes and Haloarenes

Alcohols, Phenols, and ethers

Aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids

Best books for preparation of NEET chemistry

Physical chemistry by O P Tandon

Oxford’s organic chemistry by Jonathan Clayden and Nick Greeves

Organic chemistry by Himanshu Pandey

Objective chemistry by RK Gupta

Practice books - organic chemistry by MS Chauhan, Physical chemistry by N Awasthi, Inorganic chemistry by VK Jaiswal

Some smart tips for NEET preparation

Here, we are providing all the NEET aspirants some quick preparation tips that will help you in preparing, completing and qualifying for the NEET exam.

Allocate the syllabus into three parts based on of the levels of difficulty i.e. easy, medium, and hard.

Try to allocate time- based on of levels of difficulty i.e., the easier will get less time and the harder ones get more time.

Complete all the easy topics first and later jump on the hard ones as this will help you in the completion of the major portion of the syllabus.

After completing a chapter, on the very next day, take your test and write your score somewhere and you have to repeat this test after two weeks again.

Don’t wait to solve the practice test after completing the whole syllabus, start solving them from the first month to achieve competent speed.

Analyze the test results and prepare again for the topics you are lacking in.

You can get more tips, advice and experts help around NEET on Admission Guidance cbseneet2019.co.in.

Indigenous anti-drone technology to be made available soon: Shah

HT last week reported several rounds of meetings have been held between various agencies and private players on a technology to detect, identify and mitigate the threat of rogue drones. A procurement plan for it is at an advanced stage.

Union home minister Amit ShahShah said all gaps in India’s border fencing will be filled by 2022 to completely end the infiltration and other anti-national activities. (Samir Jana/HT Photo)

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies are working on indigenous counter-drone technology, and it will be available soon, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday and added that all gaps in India’s border fencing will be covered by 2022.

The comments came over two weeks after a drone was used to target the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu with explosives on June 27. The explosives left two personnel injured. Drones have since been repeatedly spotted hovering over military installations in the region.

“Smuggling of drugs, arms, and explosives through tunnels and drones is a major challenge. Today, it is very important for us to deal with these challenges at the earliest. I am confident that we will soon increase our presence at the borders with Swadeshi (made-in-India) anti-drone technology,” Shah said at an investiture ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF).

The June 27 attack on the IAF station was the first such instance of Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital installations in India. The National Investigation Agency is investigating the case. There have been several incidents of terrorists using drones in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir to drop arms, ammunition, drugs, and money to fuel terrorism in the region. At least 300 drones have been sighted along the border there with Pakistan since 2019.

HT last week reported several rounds of meetings have been held between various agencies and private players on a technology to detect, identify and mitigate the threat of rogue drones. A procurement plan for it is at an advanced stage.

Shah told top security officers at the investiture ceremony that it is their responsibility to find new technology with help of experts to help India deal with the threat of the use of Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology by enemies and terrorists.

Intelligence Bureau chief Aravind Kumar, Research and Analysis Wing head Samant Goel, BSF director general Rakesh Asthana and heads of other central police forces attended the ceremony.

Shah said all gaps in India’s border fencing will be filled by 2022 to completely end the infiltration and other anti-national activities.

India shares over 15,000 km land border with Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Fencing has been sanctioned over 2,069 km of the 3,323-km-long India-Pakistan border. It has been completed over 2,021 km. India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh. About 3063.24 km of it has been fenced.

The government last year approved a plan to replace the old with a new design fencing with “anti-cut, anti-rust, and anti-climb features”. Shah cited the hurdles in the fencing at certain stretches--habitations within 150 yards of the border, pending land acquisition and protests by the border populations, and bureaucratic hurdles. He added these hurdles often delay the fencing progress. He added the issues were being sorted out through discussions.

“If 97% border is fenced, then that 3% is part of the problem as it leaves an opportunity for the infiltrators. The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked towards resolving the border security issues. There is no benefit if there are gaps. So, I can assure you that there will be no gaps in fencing on the border by 2022,” said Shah. “A country cannot be secure if its borders are not secure.”

Dear Dharmendra Pradhanji, forget IITs, IIMs for a moment. Real crisis is in school education

Much of the strides in school education over the last decade or more, may have been wiped out over the last year-and-a-half.

  

So,we have a new education minister. Thankfully, no longer the Human Resource Development minister. Thankfully, no longer Ramesh Pokhriyal. Shall we also expect a new thrust on the real issues of education?

After health and economy, education is the third biggest casualty of the pandemic. Sadly, only the visible aspects of the educational crisis get any political attention. Media reports suggest that the new education minister has started attending to some of these. On the very first day, he participated in a pre-scheduled conference of the directors and vice chancellors of some of the leading higher education institutions. The calendar of JEE and NEET has received his attention. He has also made the mandatory noises about implementing the New Education Policy.

But that is not where the real crisis in the educational sector lies. It lies in the massive, though invisible, educational loss that schoolchildren have suffered over the last one year. So far, the minister or the ministry has not even acknowledged it. In one sense, the problem is not new. Ever since the days of Kapil Sibal, Union education ministers have behaved as if they are ‘higher education’ ministers. An obsession with IITs, IIMs, central universities, institutions of national importance, and on entrance tests to the coveted medical, engineering and management institutions has preoccupied the ministry for well over a decade now. This is accompanied by occasional ideological battles on secularism or Indianisation, and so on. The problem has been compounded this time. School education, increasingly on the fringe of policy attention, has slipped further from public discourse. The pandemic has accentuated the process of ‘educide’, slow but sure murder of educational opportunities, that has been happening for quite some time. This must occupy the minister’s attention.

Reading recommendation for the new minister

The new minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, could begin by reading some recent media reports. A report from Haryana recently brought out an alarming drop in the number of students that have enrolled in private schools this year. As many as 12.5 lakh students did not enroll in private schools this year, a drop of more than 40 per cent. The number dropped from 29.8 lakh last year to 17.3 lakh this year. We must not assume that all or even most of these students have dropped out from schooling altogether. In all probability, most of these students have shifted to government schools to avoid the high fee of private schools. But it is reasonable to assume that a small fraction of this number, mostly girls, may simply not go back to any school. This is also true of government schools where a sharp decline in family income is likely to force many boys to enter the labour force and many girls to take to domestic duties. Many other media reports confirm this trend.

Or, if he has more time, the minister could read up the Annual Status of Education Report 2020. This report on quality of school education in rural India focused, in 2020, on the impact of Covid, and documented the extent of educational losses due to the lockdown in the first wave. It records that while most students had textbooks, there was little educational support available to them during the year. While smartphones have spread their reach in rural India, 42 per cent families of schoolgoing children in rural India still do not have a smartphone. The proportion was 55 per cent for the poorer families. Assuming that they did have an electronic device, the problem also lies with availability of reading material. Only 35 per cent students received any reading or support material from their schools. The proportion was 40 per cent for private schools. The additional material was delivered almost entirely through WhatsApp. So, from ‘WhatsApp University’, we have now moved on to ‘WhatsApp schools’.

Knowing the priority areas

Many other reports have confirmed other widespread effects of the pandemic on school education: higher dropout from schools, shift from private to government schools, increase in child labour for boys and domestic work for girls and adverse effect on children’s nutrition and health due to closure of mid-day meals. In other words, much of the strides in school education over the last one-and-a half decade or more may have been wiped out over the last year and a half. This is not just a loss in the quality of education, it is also de-skilling of our labour force, something the minister should be concerned about as he also holds the portfolio of skill development. The challenge in higher education may look different but it has similar characteristics: high dropout from college or university, very poor access to educational materials, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and lack of access to teachers.

Here, then, is my appeal to the education minister: I know you wish to sound excited about the new education policy. I understand that there might be pressure to increase saffron ideology in the syllabi. I can guess the pressure on you to manage entrance tests that children from ‘middle class’ are invested in. Attend to these by all means, as you have to. But can you please put all these on the backburner and attend, first of all, to the real and silent crisis of school education?

NEET 2021 Application Form (OUT) Live Updates: Registration begins at neet.nta.nic.in; Know how to apply

NEET UG 2021 registrations begins at neet.nta.nic.in

NEW DELHI: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, or NEET 2021 application form has been released at neet.nta.nic.in . The link to register for the medical exam has been provided below. The authorities have also released the information brochure of NEET 2021 mentioning the details on the syllabus, eligibility criteria, reservation, application fee for NEET 2021 and more. Meanwhile, students on social media platforms are requesting the education minister and the NTA to postpone the NEET UG till October.

Recommended: Aakash NEET Free Mock Test Click Here|| 

Join NEET Crash Course to Revise Your NEET Syllabus. Click Here.

To register for NEET 2021- https://neet.nta.nic.in/webinfo/Page/Page?PageId=8&LangId=P

Steps to fill NEET 2021 application form:

• NEET registration 2021
• Filling of personal and academic details, dress code, choosing exam centres
• Uploading the scanned images or documents as per the specifications
• Payment of NEET registration fee in online mode
• Printout of the confirmation page for future reference.

NEET 2021 registrations begins and infromation brochure released at neet.nta.nic.in. Check the latest updates on NEET 2021 and application form on this page.

Rating The Value Of Higher Education

“Higher education is a racket that sells you a very expensive ticket to the upper middle class,” said Bill Mahr. The comedian put a fine point on America’s growing frustration with steady price increases and the perception of a declining return on investment from postsecondary studies.  

Exacerbating the frustration has been the gradual increase in degree requirements for jobs that don’t really need them. And as degrees became more expensive and widely sought, they became a weaker proxy for a bundle of skills. 

 "Higher education is not worth the cost to students anymore." Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a New America survey agreed with this statement, up from just under half in the first such survey last August. Survey respondents think they are paying too much—even the ones that find value in higher education. 

In a recent podcast series, author Malcolm Gladwell noted that college ranking systems like US News & World Report contributed to this problem by sorting on privilege—endowment, selectivity, and spending. Rankings punish schools like Dillard that enroll a high percentage of low-income Black students and keep tuition low.

A New Way to Think About Value

There is a new way to think about the contribution of higher education—both for individuals and communities. The Postsecondary Value Commission, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, issued a report in May offering a new way to describe the value of higher education particularly for underrepresented groups. The framework gauges how specific institutions and programs create value for students and ensure equitable completion and post-college outcomes.

Rather than rewarding privilege, the new framework encourages a more equitable higher education system and just society by: 

1. Equalizing access to increase postsecondary value,
2. Removing affordability as an impediment,
3. Eliminating completion gaps and strengthening post-college outcomes,Exposing sources of inequity, and 
4. Promoting equitable postsecondary value. 

The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is developing measures and crunching the data associated with the new framework and could issue a new sort of ranking system that better reflects value contributions by postsecondary institutions. 

The agenda also includes critical questions which students and families should expect institutions to answer as they determine which institutions and programs can provide them with the most value. A new ranking system from IHEP would help high school students make more informed decisions about college attendance. 

The Higher Ed Value Agenda

The Value Commission report encourages policy makers to boost need-based aid. It encourages higher ed leaders to create clear paths to certificates and degrees connected to family wage employment including improved academic mapping and advising, more targeted financial and academic support, and better use of data to identify disparities in serving students.

The report suggests learners need to be “empowered to ask fair questions about the costs and benefits of institutions and programs.” That may be aided by better consumer information from IHEP that displaces privilege-based ratings in high school guidance.

While the report states that “Institutions that keep prices low for students can deliver exceptional economic value,” it is largely silent on the cost control and affordability agenda (other than calls for more aid). 

In the Covid-19 times, states must do more to safeguard disadvantaged children’s right to education

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Even as the RTE Act has ensured 25% reservation for economically backward students, the lack of internet access has resulted in dropouts.

Over the past one-and-a-half year, the prolonged closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic has reversed the educational gains made in the last decade. This is especially relevant to socially and educationally disadvantaged children who gained access to education in private schools through the quota for them under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Section 12(1) of the Act directs private schools to reserve 25% seats for children from economically weaker sections. Children in this quota are admitted at the entry level and the cost of the next eight years of their education is borne by the government.

School closure impact

The impact of closures of schools has a direct relation with the economic status of the children – the difference between the haves and have nots. The situation is similar to the collapse of the medical infrastructure that we saw with the onset of the second wave of Covid-19, where those who could pay through private healthcare were saved and the government had left the public system to the poor through its negligence.

This is evident from the government data that shows only 54.2% of schools have electricity connections and 3.9% of schools have functional computers.

Consequently, there have been high dropouts especially for children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds due to the fact that the parents of these children lose their employment that forces the children to contribute towards the sustenance of the family. One such example is the family of Dashrath and Urmila whose two daughters study in the schools covered under the 25% reservation quota under the Right to Education Act.

Dashrath and his son, being daily wagers have lost their jobs amidst the pandemic and only possess one mobile phone that has no internet facility, thus at a time when bare survival has become impossible, the question of buying a smartphone gets thrown out of the window. As a result, their daughters have not been able to attend online classes in the last one and a half years.

Digital divide

Seen in this light, the switch to online classes was without taking cognisance of the disruption to the socially and economically disadvantaged students’ lives and the realities they face on a day to day basis and assuming that all have digital devices and uninterrupted connectivity.

This impact can be understood from the fact that the imposition of e-learning modes of education without providing supporting infrastructure has affected the various factors that are related to class pedagogy such as student’s participation, access to study material, class attendance, assessment of students along with many other related issues.

Coming to the recently adopted National Education Policy, 2020 that was passed amidst the pandemic seems to have ignored the troubles of students from these communities as it only mentions the pandemic once under the section on digital section.

In practice, the National Education Policy 2020 has ignored the relevance of the factors such as caste, religion, region or ethnicity for the children from the weaker sections who are suffering and being denied education due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns imposed throughout the country. These students who are included within the 2020 policy as well as the Right to Education Act, 2009 have become hard to reach due to the ongoing pandemic.

In this respect, a writ petition was filed by Child Rights Trust, a Bangalore-based NGO working extensively in the area of Child Rights, and Neena Nayak, a child rights advocate and activist, before the Supreme Court of India under Article 32 of the Constitution seeking enforcement of fundamental rights. Through this petition, the aim was to ensure that migrant children are provided with proper living conditions, nutrition, health care/immunisation, access to education and their protection.

Thus, in order to fulfil the commitment under the Right To Education Act, 2009, and National Education Policy, 2020, the states need to reconceptualise the mode of delivery of education by involving subsidised internet access for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The focus should also be on addressing the well-being and welfare of children by removal of livelihood insecurity and ensuring security against economic and social oppression by addressing their day to day needs like health and education.

How education can combat prejudice

 Krishna Kumar writes: By critically engaging with the perceptual histories children have internalised, education can counter caste and religious discrimination.

The conviction and sentencing of a policeman for the murder of George Floyd signifies a major success for the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. However, the question of why racism persists in America, despite a prolonged and serious effort made in the education system to address the issue, remains. The usual response among people who work in the field of education is that education never got a real chance to succeed. Their argument is based on the premise that for education to be successful in its social goals, there must be a consensus among political, economic and cultural policies. This may be asking for the moon, but there is some truth in the contention that education cannot work in isolation. If discrimination against a certain group is rife in the economic and political spheres, schools alone cannot remedy it. Thus far, the case is well-made, but a deeper look is necessary to appreciate the kind of effort that those involved in education make to mitigate prejudice and also to recognise the limitations within which they function.

Someone without any prejudice whatsoever must be a remarkable person indeed. Does such a person represent an ideal educated society? This question promises to take us to the deeper meanings of prejudice and other such mental states that look similar, but are, in fact, quite different. Being a partisan is one such candidate. Prima facie, it looks as bad to be partisan as it is to be prejudiced. Both terms suggest that they obstruct impartial treatment and come in the way of justice. However, being partisan also suggests being wedded to a cause, while retaining the awareness that there are people who are opposed to this cause. The much respected American journal, The Partisan Review, symbolised this approach. In India, Ashok Vajpayee, a former administrator and major poet, started a magazine called Poorvagraha. It was a bold title to choose as many thought that it conveyed the editor’s prejudiced view towards certain camps in Hindi literature. For Vajpayee, however, the title indicated his commitment to a wider definition of literature and its role in society. This kind of partisanship has found appreciation in many spheres of public action, including diplomacy, economic policy and education. Basically, it means taking a stand rather than holding a bias against something.

Of late, racial and religious prejudices have dominated public attention in different countries. My main point is that the term “racism” is much too general to accommodate different kinds of prejudices, and even the term prejudice or bias does not accommodate the different kinds of dislikes people may have towards certain other groups or causes. Certain Western countries, which were believed to have overcome impulses to settle historical grievances in a dramatic fashion, have recently witnessed riotous toppling of statues. From Bristol to Charlottesville to Toronto, statues of historically significant individuals have been vandalised in various degrees of expression of violent revenge. The sudden discovery that these statues marked official recognition of people who were racists by our current standards is apparently responsible for these assaults on stone and metal. The satisfaction that such acts provide is undoubtedly greater than that which corrective commentaries on plaques or in textbooks might give. However, this kind of satisfaction has diminishing returns. This is also true when it comes to changing names of old cities, towns and railway stations. On the day it is accomplished, it seems a feat of decisive governance, but then the hunger for change shifts to other things.

Like race, religion remains an important axis of prejudice in all parts of the world. Attitudes towards religious groups other than one’s own, often reflect deep prejudice internalised in childhood. The process whereby this absorption of a prejudice prevailing in society occurs is not open to analysis, partly because it happens in extremely subtle interactions between the adults and the child inside the home space. In fact, when such processes are pointed out during teacher training, students find it difficult to believe that such a thing is possible. The attempt demonstrates the popular hope that teachers can counter prejudices prevalent among the young. A considerable effort has been made to turn this hope into reality, and by all accounts, some success has been achieved, especially in the context of gender bias. Negative attitudes based on religion and caste, however, are rather different. These categories of prejudice are rooted in collective identities formed over long periods of history. These are transferred to each new generation by means of what can best be termed perceptual history. It is a simplified version of the knowledge of the past that a community holds and transmits through religious activities and different cultural media.

Teachers do not usually acknowledge the social predispositions that children acquire from the religious and cultural life around them. It is these predispositions that turn into long-term prejudices, encouraging the stereotypes that teachers are exhorted to combat. Their task would have a better chance of success if they recognised and, critically engaged with the perceptual histories the children have internalised. This is easier said than done. Any engaged pedagogic effort creates local ripples, which can turn hostile in an environment charged with polarities and sensitivities.

Schools do require some appreciative understanding from society if they are to pursue child-centred learning, wherein the learner does not just acquire a readiness to regurgitate but rather makes some personal sense of what is taught. There may not be total consensus between the goals of education and those of political and other social institutions, but a certain scope for freedom to function with intellectual acumen is necessary for dealing with entrenched prejudices.

Government on course to roll out tech education at IITs and NITs in Indian languages

Dedicated modules will follow up alongside to familiarise students in the English language as well so that there is no disadvantage on that front either, especially keeping in mind future employment opportunities and career growth.

Synopsis

There is clear consensus in the task force on the larger aim of creating an enabling system and process for all students from a non-English medium background. While the issue has been debatable, the government’s intent and course is quite clear.

CONTENT:

The Centre is preparing to roll out a set of technical courses and modules in Indian languages at IITs, NITs and other engineering colleges in the upcoming academic session. They are likely to be supplemented with significant handholding measures to ensure that students who have not been educated in English medium are not disadvantaged, from entrance exams till placement.

Holding engineering exams, including JEE Advanced, in regional languages besides offering core subjects in first semesters in Indian languages relevant to area and student composition, is being actively considered, ET has learnt. A special task force set up on the subject by the education ministry last year with IIT and NIT directors on board is set to submit its final report within the next few days with recommendations to the effect.

There is clear consensus in the task force on the larger aim of creating an enabling system and process for all students from a non-English medium background. While the issue has been debatable, the government’s intent and course is quite clear.

Addressing 100 technical institutes last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on the need to develop “an ecosystem of technological education in Indian languages” and to “translate global journals into regional languages”.

Among steps being considered by the education ministry are holding JEE advanced in other languages as well so that students of all languages/mediums are on parity. JEE main has already made that start: It is now offered in 11 languages, besides English and Hindi. JEE advanced which is essential to admissions at IITs is currently only offered in English and Hindi.

Another key area likely to find mention in the task force report is easing the initiation of non-English medium students into the IITs and other technical institutes. General handholding apart, it is under discussion that the first semester core subjects be also made available in regional languages so that there is no learning gap/difficulty from the start itself.

Dedicated modules will follow up alongside to familiarise students in the English language as well so that there is no disadvantage on that front either, especially keeping in mind future employment opportunities and career growth.

Initial discussions considered creating supernumerary seats for courses in Indian languages with IIT Madras offering them in Tamil, IIT Tirupati in Telugu, IIT Kharagpur in Bangla, IIT Delhi, Kanpur and BHU in Hindi. However, the issue generated considerable debate. Several academics and IIT directors expressed concern in initial meetings. There was, however, also agreement that language should not become an impediment for any student.

Online education is not the solution

Most households lack broadband; mobile internet is of prepaid connections, where data is limited. Credit: AFP Photo

School closures since March 2020 have allowed students limited opportunities for structured learning, causing learning loss, and aggravating malnutrition, child abuse, child labour, school dropout and early marriage.

Online education is seen as a solution to the education emergency. A survey conducted by Karnataka Education Department indicates 55 per cent students in the state, have “good Internet access”. However, research across India, and our teaching initiative in Bengaluru South (the district reported to have the highest Internet access of 74.64 per cent), suggest that not even 25 per cent students may be able to meaningfully connect to online education— this means having uninterrupted access to an online platform for a few hours daily.

Students need to use a device that is owned and used by a parent. Many parents share a device, which will need further sharing amongst siblings for online education. Feature phones, which do not support internet access, exceed smartphones in India. Mobile phones are relatively fragile, repair has become difficult due to intermittent lockdowns and production affected by supply-chain bottlenecks. All these affect device availability.

Most households lack broadband; mobile internet is of prepaid connections, where data is limited. As online education uses audio and video, data consumption is high. Students drop out due to ‘data pack’ getting exhausted. Budget smartphones have limited storage, which is quickly exhausted given multiple users.

Poor connectivity affects online teaching. Even in Bengaluru, we see connectivity drop and become intermittent or patchy. The available connectivity does not permit all students to turn their video on, to simulate a classroom, and online teaching mostly feels like talking to a vacuum. Media stories on students’ brave attempts to access Internet from treetops to bus stops may inspire, but reveal a bleak state of affairs. Online learning is different from a videoconference; the potential for students to ‘make up’ for intermittent connectivity is vastly lower in an intense process like learning. Disconnections make it difficult to follow the class. All literature and our experience suggest that the quality of interaction and instruction is much poorer online than in a classroom. 24/7 electricity is rare; villages can suffer power cuts for hours daily, affecting the charging of devices. As devices get older, they need frequent charging.

The education department distinguishes between the availability of toilets and functional toilets in schools (a significant number of toilets do not have water supply or sanitation), similarly, we should distinguish ‘internet access’ from ‘meaningful internet access’. Statistics on mere ‘access’ to a device or internet ignoring ‘meaningful access’ can lead to dangerous conclusions about online education’s potential.

While teachers are usually better off with access to devices, connectivity and electricity, most use mobile phones rather than computers; this limits instructional effectiveness. A phone is good for conference calls but cannot effectively display visuals necessary for teaching. While a small minority of schools may conduct classes with a 4-6 hour timetable, online education is not a systemic option.

However, as the pandemic appears a long term threat, digital education, combining asynchronous sharing through apps such as WhatsApp and synchronous interaction through a video-conference platform, should not be summarily dismissed due to its current non-availability. Digital education can complement face-to-face teaching and help teachers to reach and interact with students. As students from privileged groups already use devices for self-learning and interacting, depriving others will worsen inequity.

Hence, we must establish public digital infrastructure in schools, panchayats, public libraries, for individual and community access by students. Donations of new and refurbished devices can complement public provisioning. Teachers must be encouraged to acquire computers, including through interest-free loans.

Providing free connectivity to students is technically possible through ‘zero rating’. The government can install a free and open-source (FOSS) platform like BigBlueButton (BBB) on its server and ISPs can provide free connectivity on BBB connections. Only teachers and students will find this connection valuable, hence misuse is difficult. The government can negotiate to directly compensate ISPs, minimising the connectivity hurdle to digital education.

Governments could install Matrix, a FOSS equivalent to WhatsApp, to allow more functionality in asynchronous sharing. This includes ‘threading’ discussions, ‘grouping’ groups and localizing language interface, for more intelligent and easier interactions. Moodle FOSS learning system for online courses can equip teachers to adapt to pandemic contexts. Using FOSS is essential because proprietary platforms harvest user data, harmful to our security and privacy.

Relying on online education will worsen educational inequity. The only solution available and ignored, is to carefully, gradually re-open schools, with necessary precautions. Additionally, universalising digital education must be an ongoing systemic program to improve the educational prospects of all students over the long term.

Why Education sector needs an urgent remote

 The Covid pandemic has massively disrupted education in India. But the crisis can also be an opportunity

India is a young country governed by old people. That makes India a tough country to be young in, as society’s institutions are not geared to its youth, and limited mentoring and opportunities are available to them. The high level of stress among India’s youth is reflected in the fact that suicide is the leading cause of death in the 15-29 years age group. According to NCRB data a student commits suicide every hour, on average – a stark reflection on India’s education system.

Poor quality of Indian education also shows up in global rankings of universities, where Indian institutions seldom make it into the top lists. The latest QS global rankings, for instance, feature IIT Bombay as the leading Indian institution, at 177th in the world. IIT Bombay is outranked by nine Chinese universities, starting with Tsinghua at 17th. India’s aspiration to be a rising power will be thwarted if it cannot be a leading research power that fosters innovation.