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By admin: Nov. 16, 2021

National Achievement Survey 2021

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Why in the News?

Recently, the Union Government has conducted the National Achievement Survey (NAS) across India, assessing about 38 lakh students from 1.23 lakh schools in 733 districts in 36 States and Union Territories.

• This survey will help in assessing the learning interruptions and new learnings during covid-19 pandemic. After assessment, it will help in taking remedial measures.

Key highlights:

• The survey will cover government, government-aided and private schools that will help to assess the learning interruptions and new learnings during the pandemic and help to take remedial measures.
• The ministry of education surveys with the help of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
• The survey was last conducted in 2017 and was scheduled to take place in 2020. However, due to the Covid situation, it was postponed until this year (2021).

What is National Achievement Survey :

• National Achievement Survey was launched in 2001-02 and is a school-level survey, conducted by the ministry of education, which attempts to assess grade-level competencies of children.
•  Grade-level competencies of children are assessed through the testing instruments prepared by the NCERT for each class.
•  As per the official website, “NAS gives a system level reflection on the effectiveness of school education.
• It provides a system level reflection on the effectiveness of school education.

About NAS 2021:

• NAS 2021 is set to cover the entire spectrum of schools including Government Schools of Central Government as well as State Government, Government Aided Schools and Private schools across India.
• As per the official statement, “NAS 2021 will help in the systematic understanding of the consequences that prolonged closure of schools have had on students' learning in terms of their socio-emotional and cognitive development.”

NAS 2021 test:

• The questions in NAS 2021 will be focused on family background, involvement of parents, safety and facilities in school, learning during the pandemic, and facilities for children with special needs. 
• NAS 2021 will hold separate assessments for Classes 3,5,8 and 10. 
• Grade 3 and 5: Language, EVS, and Mathematics
• Grade 8: Language, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science
• Grade 10: Language, Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and English.
• The test will be conducted in 22 mediums of instruction covering Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Mizo, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Garo, Khasi, Konkani, Nepali, Bhutia, and Lepcha

Additional Information:

Govt. Initiatives:

National Education Policy, 2020:

• The Union Cabinet had approved the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim to introduce several changes in the Indian education system - from the school to college level.
• The two earlier education policies were brought in 1968 and 1986.
• The Cabinet has also approved the renaming of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to the Ministry of Education.

Tenures of CBI & ED Directors Extended:

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Why in the news?

The Government of India has brought two ordinances to extend the tenure of directors of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) for up to five years.

• Government promulgated 'The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 as well as Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021' 

Key highlights:

• Presently, the tenure for the chiefs of both the agencies is two years.
• As per the ordinance, directors of CBI and ED cannot be removed before the end of their tenure.
• A CBI or ED director can be appointed first for a period of two years. However, the tenure can be extended for three more years, if needed.
• No extension will be granted to an ED or CBI chief after completing a period of five years.

Amendments in CVC Act:

• Provided that the period for which the Director of Enforcement holds the office on his initial appointment may, in public interest, on the recommendation of the Committee and for the reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended up to one year at a time.

Amendments in DSPE act 2021:

• This ordinance also provides a similar amendment with respect to the director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Central Bureau of Investigation: 

• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India.
• It was set up in 1963 by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The CBI is not a statutory body. It derives its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946.
• The CBI is the main investigating agency of the Central Government.
• The CBI has jurisdiction to investigate offences pertaining to 69 Central laws, 18 State Acts and 231 offences in the IPC.
• CBI, India's first agency to investigate corruption, the Special Police Establishment, was set up in 1941, six years before independence from British rule to probe bribery and corruption in the country during World War II.
• In 1946, it was brought under the Home Department and its remit was expanded to investigate corruption in central and state governments under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.
• The special police force became the Central Bureau of Investigation after the Home Ministry, which is in charge of domestic security, decided to expand its powers and change its name in 1963.

Enforcement Directorate:

• It was established In 1956.
• Its Headquarters is situated at New Delhi. 
• The Directorate is under the administrative control of the Department of Revenue (under the Ministry of Finance) for operational purposes.
• The Directorate enforced regulations under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 but later on, FERA was replaced by FEMA.
• Enforcement Directorate has 10 Zonal offices each of which is headed by a Deputy Director and 11 sub Zonal Offices each of which is headed by an Assistant Director.
• It provides and seeks mutual legal assistance to/from respective states in respect of attachment/confiscation of proceeds of crime and handed over the transfer of accused persons under the Money Laundering Act.

International Day for Tolerance 2021:

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Why in the news?

The United Nations observes “International Day for Tolerance” on 16th November every year.

Objectives:

•  It aims to create public awareness of the dangers of intolerance. 
• It also aims to strengthen tolerance among people and cultures by fostering mutual understanding.
• In 1995, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared the United Nations Year for Tolerance. In 1996, the UN declared November 16 as the International Day for Tolerance.
• The commitment of the UN to strengthen tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples lies at the core of the UN Charter as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Tolerance is the means to recognize universal human rights and ensure the survival of mixed communities in every religion.
• Theme: “We can all practice tolerance and respect for diversity – values that bring people together and make us all stronger.”

History:

• In 1995, the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by UNESCO’s Member States was adopted.
•  In the same year, the UN created the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence to mark the UN Year for Tolerance and the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 
• The Prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance.
• This day pays tribute to the values of the Mahatma of peace, non-violence and equality.

Madanjeet singh:

• Madan Jeet Singh was an Indian diplomat. He was born in Lahore, British India in 1924.
•  He took active participation in the Quit India Movement of Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 against the Colonial rule of Britishers. 
• Madan Jeet was imprisoned for his actions against the British government. 
• He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1953 and served various countries such as Greece, Yugoslavia, lost, Sweden, Spain, USSR, Sweden and Denmark. 
• He joined as ambassador of India to UNESCO in 1982. 
• In 2000, Madan Jit became the goodwill ambassador of the United Nations.
• The UNESCO executive board created the UNESCO Madan Jeet Singh prize for promotion of tolerance and nonviolence for his lifelong devotion to the cause of peace and communal harmony.

How Can Intolerance Be Countered?

• Laws: Governments are responsible for enforcing human rights laws, for banning and punishing hate crimes and discrimination and for ensuring equal access to dispute settlement.
• Education: Laws are necessary but not sufficient for countering intolerance, greater emphasis needs to be placed on educating more and better.
• Access to information: The most efficient way to limit the influence of hatemongers is to promote press freedom and press pluralism, in order to allow the public to differentiate between facts and opinions.
• Individual awareness: “Intolerance breeds intolerance”. In order to fight intolerance individuals should become aware of the link between their behavior and the vicious cycle of mistrust and violence in society.

Local solutions: When confronted with an escalation of intolerance around us, we must not wait for governments and institutions to act alone. We are all part of the solution.

Norovirus in Kerala:

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Why in the news?

Recently, a virus has been detected in Kerala, named Norovirus.

Key highlights:

• Norovirus, which infects people across age groups, is a bug similar to the diarrhoea-inducing rotavirus.
•  Disease outbreaks typically occur aboard cruise ships, in nursing homes, dormitories, and other closed spaces.
• It is the most common pathogen implicated in outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease (inflammation of the stomach and intestines), according to the World Health Organization.
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about one out of every five cases of acute gastroenteritis worldwide is caused by Norovirus. 
• There are 685 million cases annually, of which 200 million are detected among children younger than five years. 
• Nearly 50,000 children die every year due to diarrhoea caused by the virus.
• No vaccines are available for the disease.

Transmission procedure:

• Norovirus is highly contagious, and can be transmitted through contaminated food, water, and surfaces.
• The primary route is oral-faecal.
•   One may get infected multiple times as the virus has different strains.
•   Norovirus is resistant to many disinfectants and can heat up to 60°C. Therefore, merely steaming food or chlorinating water does not kill the virus. The virus can also survive many common hand sanitisers

Symptoms:

• The initial symptoms of Norovirus are vomiting and/or diarrhoea, which show up one or two days after exposure to the virus.
• Patients also feel nauseous, and suffer from abdominal pain, fever, headaches and body aches. 
• In extreme cases, loss of fluids could lead to dehydration.

Treatment for Norovirus?

• The disease is self-limiting — the infection, even though it takes a lot out of the patient, normally lasts only two or three days, and most individuals who are not very young, very old, or malnourished can ride it out with sufficient rest and hydration.
• repeatedly washing hands with soap after using the lavatory or changing diapers. 
• It is important to wash your hands carefully before eating or preparing food. 
• During outbreaks, surfaces must be disinfected with a solution of hypochlorite at 5,000 parts per million. 
•  It is important to maintain hydration in the acute phase.
•  In extreme cases, patients have to be administered rehydration fluids intravenously.