Jaipur Nov 26 PTI Educational institutions cannot pressurise parents to send their children for offline studies said the revised guidelines released by the state government in view of rising number of Covid-19 cases Online studies facility will have to be continued regularly the guidelines said According to new instructions released by Home Department on Friday students will have to get a written permission from parents before coming to institutes There will be no morning prayer and canteens at all educational institutes will remain closed It has also been made mandatory for teaching and non-teaching staff to get both the doses of vaccine 14 days prior to coming to the institutes Institutes will be closed for 10 days if a single case of Covid-19 is reported on campus according to one of the provisions Also bus and auto have been ordered to operate as per their seating capacity for transportation of students No mask No entry rule and rules for physical distancing and sanitation have to be followed they said PTI AG VN VN

New Delhi Nov 21 PTI Educational disruption due to prolonged closure of schools across the globe will not only have alarming effects on learning loss but also poses threat to gender equality a new study by UNESCO has pointed outThe global study titled When schools shut Gendered impacts of COVID-19 school closures brings to the fore that girls and boys young women and men were affected differently by school closures depending on the contextAt the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic 16 billion students in 190 countries were affected by school closures Not only did they lose access to education but also to the myriad benefits of attending school at an unparalleled scale said Stefania Giannini UNESCO Assistant Director-General for EducationEducational disruption of this extent has alarming effects on learning loss and school dropout Beyond this it poses threats to gender equality including effects on health well being and protection that are gender specific Giannini said Drawing on evidence from about 90 countries and in-depth data collected in local communities the report shows that gender norms and expectations can affect the ability to participate in and benefit from remote learning In poorer contexts girls time to learn was constrained by increased household chores Boys participation in learning was limited by income-generating activities Girls faced difficulties in engaging in digital remote learning modalities in many contexts because of limited access to internet-enabled devices a lack of digital skills and cultural norms restricting their use of technological devices the report said The study pointed out that digital gender-divide was already a concern before the COVID-19 crisis The in-depth studies on Bangladesh and Pakistan in the global report revealed its gendered effects on remote learning during school closures In the study on Pakistan only 44 per cent of girls in participating districts reported owning mobile phones for their personal use whereas 93 per cent of boys did so Girls who did not own mobile phones reported that they relied on their relatives devices typically those belonging to their fathers it said While some of the girls were able to use family members phones they were not always able to do so Their access was restricted since some parents were concerned that providing girls with access to smartphones would lead to misuse and could result into romantic relationships The longer girls were out of school the higher was the risk of learning loss From April to September 2020 the share of girls reporting that they did not study at all increased from 1 to 10 per cent it addedNoting that the pandemic is a timely reminder that schools are sites not only for learning but also lifelines for girls and boys an essential space for their health well-being and protection the report has several recommendations on how to challenge gender-based barriers for participation in remote learningTo advance equal access to gender-responsive and inclusive remote learning it is recommended to provide a range of remote learning options including low-tech and no-tech solutions spearhead and support efforts to reach the most at-risk learners design develop gender-responsive educational resources and tools besides providing appropriate teacher support and training use formative assessments to track learning outcomes it said PTI GJS RHL

New Delhi Oct 23 PTI Educational institutions private firms NGOs RWAs and general citizens can now book DDA parks for hosting art and cultural events a move the urban body on Saturday said aims at rejuvenating and enlivening Delhis green spacesA senior official said the policy has gone live a couple of days agoAbout 20 parks are available for booking as per the policy including Lake Park Pitampura Sanjay Lake Mayur Vihar Indraprastha Park Ring RoadSwarn Jayanti Park Rohini Ashta Kunj Park Nehru Palace Coronation Park Burari and Satpula Park Malviya NagarThere are about 800 parks under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development AuthorityIndian citizens and agencies belonging to various categories will be eligible to book the parks for art and culture-oriented events in some of the designated parks of the DDA The aim is to rejuvenate and enliven the green environment of the city the official saidAccording to the policy drafted last November political functions and marriage ceremonies will not be allowed for booking in parksAlso no cooking shall be allowed inside the park Only ready-to-eat food shall be permitted for consumption on the site The site will be restored to its initial state according to the policyAny Indian citizens schools colleges and universities cultural and educational societies registered under Societies Registration Act 1860 registered non-government organisations companies registered under the Companies Act 2013 and residents welfare associations duly registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 or DDA Management and Disposal of Housing Estates Regulations 1968 can make a booking officials saidThe general public is invited to hold events as per the policy wherein promotion of art and culture is envisaged This initiative is open for public with the aim of improving the quality of life of citizens and increasing the happiness index of the city the urban body saidIdentified facilities at the parks included under this policy have been classified into two categoriesThe Category A refers to open park area clearly delineated for the purpose while Category B will entail specific facilities like amphitheaters boat clubs within these parksBookings can be made for 6-12 hours durations and rates will differ as per the area of the park These details are available on the official DDA website officials saidIn case the entry ticket to the proposed event levied by the organiser is above Rs 1000 in any category the DDA would charge an additional Rs 20000 along with prescribed booking amount according to the policyAlso last October the DDA had relaxed the norms for adopting a DDA park to encourage public participation in promoting greenery in DelhiAccording to the DDAs Adoption of Park Policy 2019 only parks with area larger than three acres are made available for adoption by various agencies for maintenanceThis criteria has been amended and now Public Sector Undertakings authoritiesboards constituted under the government residents welfare association duly registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 or DDA Management and Disposal of Housing Estates Regulations 1968 can adopt parks of any size the DDA had then saidThe park would be available for adoption initially for three years following which adoption may be extended further in installments of three years with the DDAs approval up to maximum period of 12 years or till it is under the jurisdiction of DDA in case of handing over of park to local authorities whichever is earlier according to the park adoption policyHowever when the 12 years period is complete the agency may apply afresh PTI KND TDS TDS