Stipulation Regarding Outcome Measures 3 And 15: Fill & Download for Free

As one might imagine, the French were less than thrilled by the Royal Navy’s attack on the French ships moored at Mers-el-Kébir in French Algeria.French ships at Mers-el-KébirAs far as they were concerned, their government had acted honourably in its negotiations for an armistice with Germany and Italy . The German government had "solemnly and firmly declared that it had no intention of making demands regarding the French fleet during the peace negotiations". French leaders had sworn that their fleet would never be used against their former allies.By then, however, Churchill’s government had very little faith in the reliability of the French and even less in the Germans. They had been burned once too often.Though the agreement signed at Compiegne was called an ‘armistice’, the term was simply a face-saving euphemism for surrender. Although Britain and France had agreed that neither would sign a separate peace with Hitler just three months before, when Prime Minister Reynaud telephoned Mr. Churchill on May 15, 1940, it was to tell him that France’s armies were on the verge of defeat.Churchill flew to Paris to try and stiffen French resolve but returned home convinced that a French surrender was inevitable. When General Weygand, France’s ‘Supreme Commander’, asked Reynaud to explore German terms for an armistice, Reynaud at first refused, insisting that France would fight on from its colonial possessions in North Africa.In the end, outvoted by his cabinet, he had no choice. He reluctantly agreed to explore the possibility. A copy of his letter to Berlin was duly sent to London to request Britain’s agreement. In a covering note, Reynaud warned Churchill that if Britain’s War Cabinet didn’t support the proposal, he would be forced to resign.The British, of course, had been horrified at the prospect of a French surrender, not least because of the possible loss of the French navy to the Nazis. They even floated the possibility of a “Franco-British Union” if Reynaud thought that might help him stiffen the spines of the defeatists in his cabinet.The suggestion fell on deaf ears. After much debate, Churchill’s Cabinet agreed to the French proposal but on condition that French warships would sail to British ports. Admiral Darlan, commanding the French navy, found the proposal unacceptable. In his view, it would leave France defenceless. He never made clear who he thought France needed to defend itself against but it’s quite possible he feared the British more than he did the Germans.When the British telegram arrived in Paris on June 16, Reynaud had no choice but to resign leaving the way clear for Marshal Henri Pétain, the Deputy Prime Minister and a hero of WWI. As de Gaulle later wrote of him, Reynaud was "a man of great worth unjustly crushed by events beyond measure".“Provided, but only provided, that the French fleet is sailed forthwith for British harbours pending negotiations, His Majesty’s Government give their full consent to an enquiry by the French government to ascertain the terms for an armistice for France.” — Winston ChurchillThere is little to be said of Pétain that the French have not already acknowledged. The fact that he was sentenced to death by a French court after the war is the clearest indication of the way he was perceived by the people of France. The 11-page indictment charged him with “plotting against the internal security of the State” and “intelligence with the enemy”. Anywhere else in the world it would have been “high treason”.To the British, there was little to choose between the anti-Semitic, authoritarian Marshal and Hitler’s fascist regime. Some of Pétain’s cabinet wanted nothing less than a system modelled on the Third Reich.With such people at the levers of power, Churchill wasn’t about to risk Britain’s naval superiority on promises that France might not be able to keep. It was, after all, the only thing standing between Britain and a German invasion.Without an absolute guarantee that the French navy would not fall under Axis control, it couldn’t be left intact.The logic was irrefutable. France had the 4th largest navy in the world. In the event its 7 battleships, 19 cruisers and 71 destroyers fell under Axis control, the balance of power at sea would shift decisively. If it shifted in favour of the Axis, it might mean that the Royal Navy could not defend against a seaborne invasion of Britain that was covered by a combined fleet of French and German capital ships. If the French navy joined Britain’s it would help ensure Britain’s ability to fight on.In a speech to Parliament, Churchill made it clear that France had reneged on its sovereign obligations to British and Commonwealth allies. The Armistice was a total betrayal of France’s commitment not to make a separate peace with Germany. Referring to Germany’s assurance that it would make no attempt to take over the French fleet, Churchill asked :"What is the value of that? Ask half a dozen countries; what is the value of such a solemn assurance? … the armistice could be voided at any time on any pretext of non-observance..."By then, he had already ordered his naval commanders to come up with a contingency plan to eliminate the risk. It would be called “Operation Catapult”.Thanks to an Italian proposal, the armistice agreement called for 40% of French naval tonnage to remain in Algeria at its base near Oran. Another 40% would be based in Toulon, on France’s Mediterranean coast, and the final 20% had already been sailed to ports in Britain, Egypt, West Africa and the Caribbean.The squadron based in Algeria was of most immediate concern. It included the old battleships Provence and Bretagne, the newer Strasbourg and Dunkerque Force de Raid battleships, along with several destroyers and auxiliaries. They were under the command of Admiral Marcel-Bruno Gensoul.Admiral GensoulAt the end of June, a British fleet was despatched to the Mediterranean under the command of Admiral of the Fleet, Sir James Somerville. It arrived in Algerian waters on July 3, 1940.Somerville was ordered to present an ultimatum to Gensoul which offered three alternatives. He could join the British to continue the war, surrender his ships to Royal Navy prize crews, or scuttle them at their moorings. If these options were unacceptable, Somerville’s battleships would open fire.(a) Sail with us and continue the fight until victory against the Germans.(b) Sail with reduced crews under our control to a British port. The reduced crews would be repatriated at the earliest moment.If you adopt either of these courses, we will restore your ships to France after the war or pay full compensation if they are damaged meanwhile.(c ) Alternatively, if you feel bound to stipulate that your ships should not be used against the Germans lest they break the armistice , then sail them with us with reduced crews to some French port in the West Indies for instance — where they can be demilitarised to our satisfaction, or perhaps be entrusted to the United States and remain safe until the end of the war, the crews being repatriated.If you refuse these fair offers, I must, with profound regret, require you to sink your ships within 6 hours.Finally, failing the above, I have the orders from His Majesty’s Government to use whatever force may be necessary to prevent your ships from falling into German hands.Gensoul, apparently motivated by a profound hatred for Britain and his own wounded ego, scornfully rejected the proposals — claiming that the French-speaking officer sent to present them was much too junior to be taken seriously.As Gensoul blustered, Somerville recognized that the delays were simply giving the French time to mobilize its fleet at Toulon. Somerville finally ordered his ships to open fire, sinking several of the French ships and badly damaging others. By the time the smoke cleared, 1300 French seamen were dead, dying or wounded.The people of France were outraged. Marshal Pétain, only a week in office, suspended diplomatic relations with Britain. The Chamber of Deputies voted to bring an end to the Third Republic, launched a new French state, and gave Pétain full and ‘extraordinary powers’. Those powers were used to enforce press censorship, round up undesirables, and put in place the kind of draconian measures one would only expect from the SS and the Gestapo. There were even rumours that France might declare war on its former ally.As Julia Pascal put it in an article for Britain’s Guardian newspaper, “The Republic’s liberté, égalité, fraternité was replaced with Pétain’s travail, famille, patrie”. France’s parliamentary government was dissolved and the sole task of the bureaucracy left in place was to execute Pétain’s instructions.In less than three months France’s parliamentary democracy had imploded and replaced with what was in effect, a fascist dictatorship. For the Germans, it was a major propaganda coup.It wasn’t as if the British people were rubbing their hands with glee over the operation’s success. Churchill wrote of Catapult that "This was the most hateful decision, the most unnatural and painful in which I have ever been concerned".Admiral Somerville said that it was "...the biggest political blunder of modern times and will rouse the whole world against us...we all feel thoroughly ashamed..."Even the men aboard Somerville’s ships were shocked by the action. A British sailor called Robert Philpott noted that “It was shattering to see what we had just done. It was a scene of utter devastation. I don't have any pride in being part of it, only great sadness - Churchill was in control, not our Admiral. If it had been our Admiral, we'd never have done it. But he had a direct order to "do it now".'Was there really a choice?In light of French intransigence and Gensoul’s refusal even to consider interning its fleet in neutral ports, much less freeing them to stand with Britain, Churchill’s decision was entirely understandable.Distasteful as it was, Operation Catapult was a necessity of war. The decision to present the British ultimatum to Gensoul couldn’t be avoided or postponed.The Royal Navy didn’t simply show up and start firing. It presented the French Admiral — supposedly a British Ally — with several alternatives. It was Gensoul who spurned them, preferring to put his fleet at the service of a senile quasi-fascist rather than cooperate with an ally. When he reported to Darlan after the attack, he failed to mention that he had been given the option of sailing his ships to French ports in the Caribbean.French commentators point out that when the Germans did try to seize France’s navy two years later, the Vichy government kept its promise, sinking 77 of the ships berthed in Toulon before the Germans could carry out “Operation Anton”. They also point out that Hitler never had any intention of seizing French warships and, even if he did, Germany didn’t have the crews to man them.While true, Churchill couldn’t possibly predict any of these outcomes in 1940. In hindsight it’s easy for French writers to claim “we told you so”, but Churchill was elected to defend Britain, not pander to France’s amour-propre.Moreover, he needed to convince the Americans that Britain would fight on, regardless of the consequences. The attack on the French navy did just that.In due course, Churchill eventually got what he wanted. By the time the Vichy government effectively came to an end in November 1942 , 84% of France’s fleet had been destroyed, most of it scuttled by the French themselves. Its ships were never used against Britain and French vessels were part of the D-Day armada.At Mers-el-Kebir he convincingly demonstrated Britain’s intention to continue the fight. The operation gave the United States enough confidence in Britain’s determination that Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease and Destroyers-for-bases arrangements passed Congress.The French will never forgive Britain’s naval strike in Algeria but at least there’s a Britain to forgive…

11th Five Year Plan India’s Education Plan!Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has termed the 11th five year plan as “India’s educational plan”. The 11th Plan, approved at the meeting of the National Development Council in December 2007, places the highest priority on education as a centred instrument for achieving rapid and inclusive growth. At INR 2.70 lakh crore, it constitutes 20% of the Plan, representing a credible progress towards the target of 6% of GDP. The 11th Five Year Plan presents a comprehensive strategy for strengthening the education sector covering all segments of the education pyramid. It is through universal literacy, access to education and knowledge-based industrial development that India will believably march ahead to join the front ranks of the great nations of the world overcoming the challenges of ensuring that everyone has an access to education and skill building in their activity.The wish list: The 11th Plan Approach PaperThe approach paper mentions that the 11th Plan should ensure, we move towards raising public spending in education to 6% of GDP. It must fulfill the Constitutional obligation of providing free and compulsory elementary education of good quality to all children up to the age of 14. It must ensure both access and good quality and standards in respect of curriculum, pedagogy, and infrastructure irrespective of the parents’ ability to pay.Elementary EducationUnder the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), dropout rates for both boys and girls of all social groups must be reduced sharply, if not eliminated altogether. This was around 31% in 2003-04 and was much higher in many states.With the Employment Guarantee Scheme adding to family income, the pressures are expected to somewhat reduce. Opening of crèches for children at the work site will reduce the incidence of girls dropping out to take care of younger siblings. SHGs formed by mothers should be given the task of preparing mid-day meals. A set of national testing standards will be created and a chain of institutions that test and evaluate children according to set norms will be established. Making available ICT solutions, shared management personnel, and management skills with the school committees will be crucial.Secondary EducationA major initiative for expanding secondary education up to class X, must be initiated in the 11th Plan and should include access to organised sports and games. The required expansion of secondary education calls for both public and private effort. At present, private aided and unaided schools account for 58% of the total number of secondary schools and 25% of the student population. The 11th Plan will have to find sufficient resources to evolve strategies to significantly expand the number of places in secondary schools, including expansion of intake by private schools wherever this can complement the public effort.The present trend of combining upper primary with secondary school education may need to be strengthened.Technical/Vocational EducationThe NSS data shows that only 3% of the rural youth (15-29 years) and 6 % of the urban youth have gone through any kind of vocational training. There is need to expand vocational training from the present capacity of a mere 2-3 million to at least 15 million new entrants to the labour force. While we have 5,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) (under the Ministry of Labour) and 7,000 Vocational Schools (under the Ministry of HRD), China has about 5,00,000 Secondary Vocational Schools. The 11th Plan must pay special attention to devising innovative ways of modernising the ITIs and increasing their number substantially. ITIs in India typically cater to around 40 skills compared with 4,000 in China.Vocational training for both men and women should be accorded top priority in the 11th Plan. An initiative at block level for vocational training (VET) should be taken. VET will be given priority at par with secondary education in allocating public sector financial and physical resources – land and other supportive services.Higher and Technical EducationOnly about 10% of the relevant age group in India go to universities whereas in many developing countries, the figure is between 20 and 25%. The 11th Plan must undertake a major effort to expand and improve the quality of our higher education system.The NASSCOM-McKinsey Report 2005 projections indicate that these will fall short by about 5,00,000 suitable professionals (representing an opportunity cost of USD 10 billion) by the end of the decade and in the absence of corrective action, this gap will continue to grow. However, if current trends are maintained, the IT-ITES sector will need an additional 1 million plus qualified people in the next 5 years and will generate exports of USD 86 billion in FY 2012.The 11th Plan must address these, new colleges and universities must be set up, to provide easier access to students in educationally backward districts. A specific plan for upgrading a few existing select universities with a ‘potential for excellence’ must be formulated, laying down specific parameters which are in tune with global standards. One university in each state should be made a model university through all round upgradation during the 11th Plan. Select state universities should be upgraded to the level of central universities.NKC Recommendations Translated to 11th Plan ActionMajor components of the 11th Plan relate to some of the recommendations made by National Knowledge Commission.School EducationReorient Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan bringing in a strong rights focus to make Right to Education a reality: ensure basic learning conditions, special focus on Maths, Science & English, common syllabi, curriculum and pedagogy.Gradually reduce Central Government’s funding over the Plan period rather than move immediately to 50:50.Ensure minimum standards and norms for public and private schools and address systemic issues of accountability and decentralisation of decision making, teacher recruitment, teacher training, learning outcome measurement, teacher motivation.Recognise and encourage the role of private providers.Special focus on disadvantaged groups and educationally backward areas.Scheme for universal access and quality at the secondary stage; set up 6,000 model schools one in each Block, upgrade 15,000 primary schools to secondary level, additional infrastructure and additional teachers, hundred percent trained teachers.Use ICT-based pedagogy and learning aids, provide broadband connectivity to all the Government and Government-aided secondary schools.Strengthen teacher training and professional development.Vocational Training & Skill DevelopmentLaunch a National Skill Development Mission with an outlay of INR 31,200 crore to increase capacity from 2.5 million to 10 million per annum. The National Skill Development Mission would:Modernise existing public sector infrastructure to get into PPP mode with functional and governance autonomy, establish a credible accreditation system and a guidance framework for all accrediting agencies, encourage agencies to rate institutions on standardized outcomes, and establish a National Skill Inventory and a National Database for Skill Deficiency Mapping on a national web portal.Set up a National Qualifications Frame-work, which establishes equivalence and provides horizontal mobility between various vocational, technical and academic streams at more than one career points and a Trainee Placement and Tracking System for effective evaluation and future policy planning.Enlarge the coverage of skill spectrum to 1,000 trades with relevance to our emerging needs, while making a distinction between structural, interventional and last mile unemployability, and correspondingly set up programmes for 24 months, 12 months and 6 months duration. Finishing Schools will be encouraged to take care of last mile unemployability.Create a National Skill Development Fund imposing a universal skill development obligation on industry to invest in skill development of SCs/ STs/OBCs/Minorities/others candidates from BPL families – as their contribution to affirmative action combined with matching Government contribution.Enlarge the 50,000 Skill Development Centres programme eventually into a Virtual Skill Development Resource Network for web based learning.InnovationPut in place a National Innovation Policy which encourages competition among enterprises, greater diffusion of knowledge and increased support to early stage technology development initiatives and grassroots level innovators.Foster increased collaboration among the R&D institutes, Universities and private sector enterprises and leverage upon their cumulative strengths in designing and implementing various innovation programmes.Higher and Technical EducationImprove quality: work on a detailed reforms agenda including: a) admission, curriculum and assessment; b) accreditation & ratings; c) teachers competence and motivation; and d) restructure affiliated colleges and research for policy formulation.An apex independent regulatory mechanismaccompanied by greater autonomy and internal accountability; establish a high level committee to suggest specific reforms.Reduce disparities based on gender, caste, region, etc. through differential support.Establish 30 new Central Universities, 16 in States where they do not exist and 14 as World Class Universities (all India admissions, course credits, regular syllabi revision, incentives for faculty, strong linkage with industry and research institutions, no affiliated colleges, outsource non teaching functions).Establish a National Science and Engineering Research Board for rejuvenation of research in Universities.Launch a national Mission in education through ICT coverage in all the Universities and colleges; broadband connectivity through National Knowledge Network and requisite nodes within institutions; to be implemented through an empowered committee.Revitalise and reform polytechnics through industry linkage and teacher development, establish 210 community colleges and 700 polytechnics.Strengthen open universities and reform statutory bodies, scale up Sakshat as the education portal for 50 crore people.The 11th Plan must simultaneously address the problems of varying standards, outdated syllabi and also inadequate facilities.The National Merit Scholarship Scheme needs to be expanded to cover at least the top 2% of the student population in fields of education and skill training.Initiatives for inclusive developmentThe open schooling programme should be strengthened and expanded. In case of subjects that do not require laboratory work, it will be helpful for students to access prerecorded selection of lectures, tutorials, and standardised tests available at Internet kiosks.Testing and examination centres where students can take standardised examinations in parts can reduce the pressure. The 11th plan should pay attention to creation of electronically available content and testing mechanisms so hat the pressure on infrastructure can be eased.Adult Literacy ProgrammesAim is to increase adult literacy to 85% by the end of the 11th Plan period. Of the 30 crore adult illiterates in our country, a significant proportion is not covered under any adult education programme. A programme using the new computer based self-learning system will be framed for the 35+ age group. Currently, literacy programmes cover 598 out of 600 districts in the country.A computer based functional literacy tool developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has the capacity to make an adult illiterate read a newspaper in 8-10 weeks. This seems as a potential tool, if deployed nationally as a mission, India can become 100% literatewithin 5 years.The Check List-11th PlanElementary education and basic literacyThe 11th Plan needs to be seen both in the national and internationalcontext. As an economic powerhouse in the context of a globalising economy, universalisation of elementary education with quality is a must which only can lead to universalisation of secondary education.The National Policy of Education (NPE), as revised in 1992, had indicated three thrust areas in elementary education:Universal access enrolmentUniversal retention of children up to 14 years of ageA substantial improvement in the quality of education to enable all children to achieve essential levels of learningIn respect of Elementary Education, the objective of the NPE has been addressed in 11th Five Year Plan mainly through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the two flagship programmes of the Government, and through Teacher Education schemes.Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Strategies and Fact FileThere has been a reduction in the number of out of school children, decline in gender and social gaps and a decline in drop out rates.The number of teachers and number of schools have increased substantially.Surveys show that 90% of rural population was served by primary schools in 2002-03 whereas some gaps have been noticed at upper-primary level. Infrastructure facilities have improved but backlog still exists.The existing challenges are bringing the 6-7% children under the ‘hard to reach’ category into the fold of education, issues pertaining to quality improvement, bridging social gaps and reducing inter-State, inter-district and inter-block disparities.The goal of universalisation of elementary education includes education for children with special needs (CWSN).Quality of education in terms of better educational attainment levels are a thrust area for the next phase of SSA.Special emphasis needs to be made on education of girls to launch a frontal attack on gender gap with a focus on ‘inclusion’ and ‘quality’ and keeping in view the forward as well as backward linkages. Girls education schemes could also offer opportunities for public-private partnership to augment the resources required for creating/up-gradation of girls schools at the upper-primary and secondary levels to improve infrastructure and facilities (library, lab and sports).Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan seeks to provide elementary education to all children in the 6-14 years age group by 2010 and 2% education cess has been levied on all taxes and earmarked to fund this programme. There is a need of more upper primary schools. At all India level, there was one upper primary school for 2.8 primary schools in 2004-05. In 2005-06 this ratio of number of primary to upper primary schools was 2.5:1. To bring the ratio of primary upper primary school to 2:1 (SSA norm), the additional need for upper primary schools works out to 1,40,000.98% of the rural population has been served by primary schools in 2002-03. In terms of habitations, 87% were served and only 13% were yet to be provided with primary schooling facilities within one km from these habitations. During the 11th Plan period 1,32,623 primary schools have been sanctioned and it is estimated that more than 96% of habitations now have a primary school within 1 km.Access facilities in the upper primary schooling is, however, still an issue as, only 78% of the habitations had such facilities within a radius of 3 km. in 2002-03.There has been significant growth in school infrastructure under the SSA. However, the huge infrastructure gaps and slower capacity to implement large civil works programmes in some States, has led to low completion rates. This means that allocations for civil works will need to be maintained for select districts in the 11th Plan period as well.One of the outcome indicators for reporting of SSA progress in the outcome budget is reduction of dropout rates by 5 percentage points each year. It is expected that the dropout rates of children for the elementary cycle would be reduced from 50.39% in 2004-05 to less than 20% by 2011-12, during the 11th Plan period, even in a conservative scenario.Financial Progress of SSA: GOI Releases and ExpendituresNew Thrust AreasNeed to work towards and enhancing quality of an integrated system of teacher educationLinking teacher education with institutions of research and higher educationContinued professional development of teachers and teacher educatorsEstablishing linkages between CRCs-BRCs-DIETs-SCERTs-Universities/Apex AgenciesICT in EducationInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be used in schools for a variety of purposes to improve the effectiveness of the classroomtransaction. The technologies that can be used include computers for computer-aided instruction and computer-aided learning, satellite based programmes on television, radio programmes, etc. Several attempts have been made in the past 5 years to evolve an ICT strategy for government schools, both by the Ministry of HRD and the Department of Information Technology (DIT). However, a concrete strategy for a phased coverage of schools has not yet been finalised. The latest effort is report of the Committee on Technology in Education (with representation from MHRD and DIT) finalised in 2005. This Committee made the following recommendation – out of total no. of 10,00,000 schools in the country, the programme ‘Technology in Education’ will cover 6,42,600 schools, which include 4,22,400 primary schools, 1,61,700 upper primary schools and 58,500 secondary schools. Every school will have server, five PCs, printer, Internet connectivity of 256 kbps plus other consumables, etc. The total cost for implementation of ‘Technology in Education’ in 6,42,600 schools is estimated to be 2,7631.8 crores. The entire programme is to be implemented in 3 years starting from 2006. Under SSA the focus has been on implementation of computer-aided learning (CAL) at the upper primary stage. About 10,000 schools in the country have implemented this strategy by providing 4-6 computers in an upper primary school. Various models of procurement of hardware and maintenance as well as development of multimedia content have been used by different States and UTs. Corporate foundations and several private sector organisations have been actively involved in this work. In a few States, like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttaranchal, programmes for interactive radio instruction (IRI) are being implemented with the support from some resource organisations.However there is still not adequate clarity about the objective for introduction of ICTs in schools and appropriate strategies for thispurpose. Existing provisions for CAL are restrictive. Most States are not in a position to expand the coverage of schools, since this activity is presently funded only under the innovation component that provides INR 15 lakhs each year, per district. The followingare the recommendations for this component: (a) Several technologies or applications of technologies should be encouraged. These include:Computer Aided Learning (CAL): The children (group of 4) interact with the multimedia content and teachers act as facilitator.Computer Aided Instruction (CAI): The teacher centric instructional content is displayed by using large screen TV. Instead of regular CRT monitor, the CPU can be connected with TV with the help of Video Tuner card.Satellite based education: The satellite receiving terminal, digital receiver and set top box could be placed at Audio visual classrooms. The TV used for CAI can be used for this program as well by plugging the satellite signal.Radio Programs: Radio programmes are being used in some States for literacy, orienting teachers and even for students, during or after school. IRI is being implemented in a few States.Such a diversified use of technologies is more appropriate than using only computers.(b) There is an urgent need for national and State level policies on the use of technologies in education. Such policies should address aspects like – educational objectives for introducing ICTs; nature of technologies, equipment; procedures for procurement and maintenance; phasing of implementation in schools; setting of standards for content; evaluation/cost – benefit analysis etc. Such policies should form the basis for an expansion of the use of ICTs in schools.(c) ICTs are most effective at the secondary and upper primary stages. Therefore only upper primary schools need to be included in the initial stage.(d) ICTs could be used effectively for training and capacity building of teachers, resource persons at cluster and block and DIET personnel. Once ICTs are available at school level, they can be easily used for the purpose of transfer of information for MIS.(e) Internet connectivity needs to be considered vis-à-vis the costs and the likely educational benefits.(f) The programme for introduction of ICTs should not neglect the aspect of maintenance of equipment and the payment of recurring costs of electricity, consumables and internet connectivity.(g) In all cases, cost-sharing and revenue earning models should be factored in while planning for use of ICTs in schools.It is recommended that ICTs in education should not be included under the district level innovation component, but should become a part of the State level plan. Allocations should be approved for this component only if a State/UT has developed a clear ‘technologies in education’ policy that has articulated the aspects mentioned in (b) above.The implementation of this component should cover the dimensions of appropriate identification of schools, infrastructure and equipment, teacher training, appropriate software and multimedia content that is informed by an approach to the teaching learning process, utilisation of the infrastructure for adult literacy and training of youth, research and evaluation component.It is important to develop standards, and if necessary, a clearing-house mechanism to review the content developed for use of ICTs. At present there is a wide variability as well as duplication of efforts across the country for content development.An allocation of INR 5,000 cr. may be provided for the 11th Plan period at the initial stage for supporting programmes for use of technologies in education. Decisions on state-wise allocations could be taken by an empowered resource group or task force at the national level based on appraisal of policies and implementation plans prepared by States and UTs. Statesand UTs would also need to constitute task forces or resource groups tofinalise their strategies for this component. While this allocation may not be adequate to achieve coverage of all schools, it is more than 50 times the current annual allocations under SSA.Secondary EducationThere were 1,01,777 high schools and 50,272 higher secondary schools/institutions in the country as on 30 September 2004. Out of this 41.05 % belong to government and local bodies, 29.35 % are private schools receiver government aid and 29.60 % are private unaided. There are 41 examination boards out of which only two are of All India character i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) with 8,300 (approx.) and 1,500 (approx) number of schools affiliated tothem respectively.The VisionTo move towards Universalisation of Secondary Education: the target during the 11th Five Year Plan is to provide a secondary school within 5 kilometers of any habitation and to provide a higher secondary school within a distance of 7-8 kilometers of any habitation. This will be part of the vision to ensure universal secondary education by 2017, i.e. the end of the 12th Five Year Plan, whereas the target for GER by the end of the 11th Plan could be fixed at 75% for secondary stage.To ensure 100% enrolment and retention up to Higher Secondary stage by 2020: Secondary education should be universal but not compulsory. The State has to take up the responsibility for providing access to secondary education. Not only universal enrolment, but universal retention and satisfactory quality of learning should also be a priority.StrategiesThere is a need for paradigms sift in the conceptual design of secondary education, the guiding principles in this regard are universal access, equality and social justice, relevance and development, and curricular and structural aspects.ICT @ Schools: The main objective of the scheme is to establish an enablingenvironment to promote the usage of ICT, especially, in Secondary and Higher Secondary Government and Government–aided schools in the rural areas. The present scheme has essentially four components. The first one is the partnership with the State governments and union territories for providing computer education and computer-aided education to Secondary & Higher Secondary Government and Government aided Schools. The second is the establishment of SMART schools, which shall be the technology demonstrators. Universalisation of Computer Literacy through the networking of Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas with neighboring schools is the third component. The fourth component relates to the activities of State Institutes of Educational Training (SIETs) which are mandated to produce educational content in the form of films, videos, audios, etc. It is suggested that during the 11th Plan, the scope of the present scheme should be enlarged to target all the Government and Government-aided schools for providing ICT infrastructure. Further, special emphasis has to be given to incorporate teaching-learning methodologies for computer literacy.Universalisation of access and improvement of qualityIn the context of Universalisation of Secondary Education (USE), large scale inputs in terms of additional schools and teachers are to be provided to meet the challenge of numbers, credibility and quality. For assessment/provision of educational needs, physical infrastructure, human resource, academic inputs and effective monitoring of implementation of the programmes, following steps are required to be taken:Mapping of secondary schooling provisions (course mapping and curriculum)Assessment of enrolment and physical infrastructureRequirement of schooling facilities and learning resourcesTraining of in-service teachersLearning Resources (ICT, Library, EDUSAT)Investment in this regard is requiredfor improving school libraries, laboratories and workshops to promote experimental culture while reducing the importance of external examinations. There is also need to have Computer–interfaced experiments and projects utilising database from public domain. In view of the above, a science laboratory and an art and crafts laboratory need to be set up in each secondary school.In conformity with the advocacy in the National Curriculum Framework(NCF- 2005) about curriculum enrichment for overall development of children rather than remaining textbook centric and ensuring that learning isshifted from rote memorisation, the secondary schools should beequipped with a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) with following inputs:Library and Separate Room:It is suggested that ICT Resource Room and Library of the school may be housed in one big room (minimum size- 10mx7.5m), or these may be housed in two adjacent rooms. Library shall be looked by a separate teacher.Provision for ICT Support: the tentative budget estimates for providing ICT facilities in all 1,81,520 schools is INR 24,160 Crore. The items of expenditure include: ICT infrastructure and maintenance, Librarian cum ICT coordinator’s salary, Infrastructure for pre- service teacher’s training, Training of ICT coordinators, In service teacher’s training in the use of ICT in the schools, Digital content procurement/development and distribution, Establishment of resources in schools by state governments, Establishment of resources in schools by KVS/NVS, Monitoring, evaluation, research. Innovation, etc.Such facilities can also be procured on BOOT basis through private sector which can provide maintenance and other support.Link with EDUSAT: EDUSAT can be used for conventional radio and TV Broadcast, interactive radio and television, exchange of data, video/teleconferencing and web-based education.Capacity BuildingOrientation of Secondary School Teachers: An Orientation Programmes for the Teachers teaching the Secondary Classes needs to planned and operationalised through NCERT.Orientation of Educational Planners and Administrators: To cover all the Headmasters of 1,81,520 schools during the eleventh plan, National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) needs to collaborate with and make a network of institutions like IASEs, CTEs, University Departments of Education, Management Schools, Regional Institutes of Education, (NCERT), Indian Institutes of Management, etc.Public Private Partnership57.04% of high schools and 62.83% higher secondary schools are run by private sector. Out of these 28.52% of high schools and 31.79% higher secondary schools are classified as private unaided schools.Private sector can be encouraged to invest part of its profit towards philanthropic activities in the education sector by adopting Government schools for improvement of infrastructure and resources like, library, science lab., audio-visual and ICT infrastructure, art workshops, sports facilities, drinking water and toilet facilities, etcSeveral functions of the government school can be outsourced through private sector involvementFor example, entire computer education can be outsourced from private sector who can provide computer and computer teachers for a fee. Similarly transport arrangements for students particularly for girls can be outsourced.Private sector should also be involved in designing curriculum and in designing a testing and certification system so that the demand for appropriate skill by the industry can be metOpen schooling systemIt is necessary to design, create and establish alternative Educational provisions for some prospective learners who will not be able to take advantage of formal schooling during stipulated school hours. The open schooling programmes up to pre-degree level are being offered by the National institute of open schooling (nios) and 10 State open schools (soss). The States that have set up soss are West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir. The open schools network when fully developed should be able to cater to at least 15% students in secondary education. the openschooling network needs to be expanded to ensure that every state providesopen schooling facility through its regional language.Higher EducationAn exciting time has come for higher education in the country. The 11th Five Year Plan document proposes an almost 10-fold increase in outlay for higher and technical education. The planners have set ambitious targets to attract 15% students passing out of class XII (from the current 10%) into higher education by 2012 and 22% by 2017.In the new Plan, there’s more of everything – 30 new central universities are to be set up, seven IITs and IIMs, 10 National Institute of Technology, five research institutes to be called Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, 20 IIITs, two schools of architecture and 330 colleges in educationally backward districts.Infrastructure in existing universities and institutions is also in for major upgradation. Among the big beneficiaries of these special grants will be 17 yet-to-identified central universities which will get INR 3,298 crore. Besides, 39 engineering institutes will receive a whopping INR 6,749 crore, again for ramping up infrastructure. A good dose of funds has also been set aside for upgrading agriculture, management andmedical institutions. The document envisions wide-ranging reforms in the way higher education isimparted and much of the fund allocation has been tied up to the beneficiary institute carrying out structural changes.Analysis of the past Five YearPlans indicates that, there have been continuous efforts to strengthen the base by developing infrastructure, improving the quality throughseveral programs and schemes, introducing reforms in content and evaluation and encouraging generation of knowledge through research. The focus of fifth five-year plan was on infrastructure development, the sixth plan onwards the focus shifted to consolidation and quality improvement. The Seventh Plan laid emphasis on research and academic developments. It was from this plan onward that the development centers of excellence and area study programs got special attention. From the Eighth Plan onward, the need for differential funding was recognized. Under this plan, it was envisaged that the developing departments would be provided necessary funds to bring up their facilities and activities to an optimum level for their teaching and general research pregrammes. The Ninth Plan aimed at gearing the system of higher education to meet the challenges arising out of the major social, economic and technological changes. The focus of Tenth Plan was aimed at quality and relevance of higher education, research and development, management in financing and the use of the new information and communication technologies. The Tenth Plan provided the basis for higher education in the 21st century.Use of ict in Higher EducationDuring the 11th Plan period, it is proposed to spread the coverage of ICT to all the 360 Universities and 17,625 Colleges in a phased manner. The benefits yielded by the Programmes during 10th Five Year Plan would be continued and harvested for revitalising and empowering intellectual hubs (Universities and Colleges) of thesociety through network, e-Resources, online learning, access to globalresources, archiving of contents and e-Learning management techniques so that these reforms contribute immensely to enhance the access parameters ingeneral and in particular to various Social Groups, Minorities, Women, Backward and remote areas.In the first phase, it is proposed to cover 200 Universities and 5,000 Collegesacross the country for achieving the desired objectives by using Broadband,Wireless, DSL, Leased line/TDM/FTDMA VSAT/SCPC/DAMA/Radio Frequency link, for establishing connectivity depending upon the geographical location in phased manner: This will include the following provisions:Access to global resources including multimedia based educational content through networking of colleges and universities.Platform for collaboration among teachers and students using Communication Networks.Better access to e-Contents (e-Journals and e-books).Digitising of Indian intellectual Content (Ph.D. Theses/Dissertations)Development and Maintenance of Union Catalogue (Books, Serials, secondary serial, current holdings etc. and others non book materials for Universities and Colleges).Audio/Video conferencing system at Universities.Manpower Training.Total Estimated Expenditure : inr 1750 crAt nios level : inr 300 croreAt soss level : inr 1450 crore (29 soss)Open & Distance LearningEnrollment target– The ODL System, in the scenario of a growth rate of 20% in the student enrollment, is likely toaccount for about 30% of overall enrollment in higher education in thecountry. This will result in significant increase in the enrollment at the end ofthe 11th Plan, the ODL System should account for an enrollment of around 7million students.Development of New Programmes and Courses – A national qualityframework for such competency and skills would have to be a priority during the 11th Plan. The 11th Plan proposals for the ODL system require a special thrust on development of vocational programmes. As a policy measure, at least 10 % of credits being developed in each school should be devoted to vocational, employment oriented programmes targeted at enabling self-employment or increase in employability of people.Media Infrastructure-Gyan Darshan, Gyan Vani and EdusatDuring the 11th Plan, the efforts would be to develop complete audio visual curriculum based content on a course-to-course basis as well as on creating integrated media learning packages course-wise, which would be available both as CDs and as software on IGNOU’s e-Gyankosh, the national repository on open learning material and integrated with One Stop Portal Sakshat of MHRD for use nationwide.While one channel of Gyan Darshan (GD-I) was put on Direct-to-Home(DTH) access through the Doordarshan DTH platform, in the 11th Planthrust will be to provide the interactive curriculum based channel (GD-II)through the DTH platform so that a large number of learners are able tointeract through toll-free numbers directly from there own homes.Funds would also be required to develop large educational software in all regional languages for the 50 plus Gyan Vani Radio Stations that could be in existence during the 11th Plan.Over the next five years, anaugmentation of about 40 positions, including the teaching positions for theRegional Centres is proposed. 30 positions proposed for the headquartersinclude production, staff, transmission staff,staff for the Edusat relatedactivities and technical staff, at various levels.EdusatWhile an impressive setup of up to 131 Satellite Interactive Terminals (SITs)is in place, another fifty are being installed. It is proposed to enlarge thisnetwork to about 500 SITs to extend the access to the disadvantaged and those in marginalised areas. It has also been decided to mobilise 10 teaching ends in the Edusat Network in addition to the teaching hub at IGNOU Hqs.Current Quality Status of Universities in India (as in 2007)Total Number of University Level Institutions (367)Total Number of Universities under UGC Purview (317)Number of Universities actually funded by the UGC (164)Number of Universities accredited by the NAAC (128)Number of Universities accredited by the NAAC and scoring above 60% (128)Current Quality Status in Colleges of Higher Education in India(As on March 31, 2005)Total Number of Colleges 17,625Number of Colleges under UGC purview 14,000Number of Colleges recognised under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 5,589 (40%)Number of Colleges recognised under Section 12(B) of UGC Act 5,273 (38%)Number of Colleges actually funded by the UGC 4,870 (35%)Number of Colleges accredited by the NAAC 2,780 (20%)Number of Colleges accredited by the NAAC and scoring above 60% 2,506 (17.9)There’s no denying the fact that there always are and will be plans. It is hoped that this plan will factor in overlaps, intersections and converging agendas while minimising wastage without loosing out on quality education. There is also no denying the pace of change in a socio-cultural context, as well as in the technological context. Technology and the needs of society arechanging even as we plan, so to speak. While it is true that all plans arehope, this plan will have to think-on-its-feet, sustain itself and even evolve as the very scenario it is to operate within changes.The World Bank supports the GoI’s education strategy as expressed in the 11th Plan Document. It reflects a realisation that education and skills development are at the core of the country’s effort to generate inclusive growth, rather than just growth which benefits a few but eludes many. And it reflects GoI’s commitment to address human capital shortages as quickly as possible, with significant increases in funding to be made available to the states. If anything, the concern is the capacity of the States to absorb and make the best use of those funds.Based on my own limited view and experience in India, it would appear that the poor quality and limited capacity of the India educational system may already be holding India back, but this government’s commitment to address these issues must be recognised and congratulated. The 11th Plan calls for a four-fold increase in educational investment over the 10th Plan, with large allocations for all education levels.It is interesting to see that there is more focus on the higher education. The only thing I want to comment on the plan is there is no exquisite mention on rolling more faculties. Suddenly there is such a huge increase in the number of universities. And if you start forcing the faculties currently available for the purpose, that would not help much. And preparing the faculties would be a mammoth task. Training teachers would take at least 10 years. Rolling more faculties should be considered.As before the focus has been on outlays, not on outcomes, the 11th five year plan brings a larger picture in comparison to the previous plans, looking at the allocations to education as opposed to thinking about improving the delivery of education services.Today, the situation in India is not lack of finances, but lack of proper delivery of education tools, which is of more value for students. So the focus should be on the learning outcomes, which refers to the accountability to the system, and this should be seen through teacher absentees, community control over schools, decentralisation of curricula, text books, exams, and use of school vouchers as way to deliver quality education.ePals in eLearning Agreements with National Geographic, IntelePals Inc., an Internet learning community, and National Geographic Ventures, which creates and distributes digital content for the National Geographic Society, have announced a partnership that will enhance the ePals site with National Geographic content to create unique learning experiences for classrooms, students and families around the globe.As part of the agreement, National Geographic has made a strategic investment in ePals. A representative of National Geographic Ventures and ePals will join the boards of the other, and the organizations have entered into a multi-year alliance and content agreement. Designed to enhance the way the Internet is used to foster safe and effective multicultural learning exchanges across media platforms, the first focus is to thread high-quality digital content from National Geographic: Stories of Animals, Nature, and Culture throughout http://ePals.com to create unique learning experiences.Initial topic areas of focus for the new alliance include maps and geography, habitats, global warming, natural disasters, people and culture, great leaders, water and weather. In each area, classrooms and teachers will be able to choose among projects that emphasize collaboration, 21st-century skill building and the use of school-safe communication tools to seamlessly work with learners around the world or down the block.Users will be encouraged to get into the act by building and sharing their own projects for use broadly within the community. ePals will also enable users in teacher and student forums, blogs and other community areas to 'Explore More,' delivering quality information in highly contextual.After All, It Is Difficult To Teach A Teacher : Mamta Sharma, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JN V) MungeshpurNavodaya Vidyalaya Samiti is an autonomous body that was set up to establish and manage fully residential co-educational schools (one in each district in the country) known as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV). Education in JNVs is free for all enrolled students, including lodging, boarding, textbooks, uniforms, etc.One of the first to integrate technology, NVS has actual grassroots experience in the integration of technology in education. In 1999, NVS and Intel started a joint initiative launched by the Department of Education, Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Since then, Intel has three ongoing programmes running, the Intel Teach curriculum, the Intel Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) and the Intel Learn curriculum. Digital Learning spoke to Mamta Sharma, the Vice Principal of JNV, Mungeshpur, who talks above the Intel-NVS collaboration and the digital opportunities in the school.How do you view the changes in the integration of ICT in school education?Officers came, the entire vision changed, the priorities change. Every person has their own vision and mission. ICT, once meant just the procurement of computers, now changed to not just the presense of computers, but also how much you are able to use these computers – ‘usage’ model. NVS believes that ICT integration means how you can most effectively use computers, how to effectively utilise the resources that we have, and how to benefit the community around! NVS has changed the definition of ICT integration with changes in the overall scenario. Writing a speech or presentation is not an end. Delivering it is an end, reaching out to the needy ones is another end to which the presentation itself is justa ‘means.’We also have project-based learning, where we have moved out of the textbooks, towards inquiry and how to search for solutions to a problem, making connections to real life. Real life connections would really mean, design activities in such a manner that meet the learning needs of the students, connect to the world outside of the classroom, and include meaningful tasks or projects that inHow do you integrate the given curriculum with ICT?The steps to integrate technology into the curriculum starts right from the day our teachers get training on professional development curriculum of Intel. They learn to use technology into their curriculum, practice student-centric approaches. These teachers then train other colleagues on the same curriculum. The teachers then plan multi-disciplinary lesson plans that not only promote judicious use of teachnology but also engae students into meaningful and authentic real life activities.How the scope of ICT in education changed?Earlier the teachers who would go for training on ICT integration were usually Maths or Science teachers. Now the perspective has become larger with Art teachers and Language teachers. So there is a lot of scaling-up that has happened since. I’ll give you an example, earlier when it came to teaching the science curricula, topics such as ‘the universe’ and ‘pollution’ were always there. Today, there are more sensitive issues that have been included. ‘Women empowerment’ using examples of women in different careers, etc, was a nice project that was done earlier. So teachers are also looking beyond the textbook.How do you evaluate teacher training?We don’t really evaluate teachers, but it is the programme that is evaluated in terms of how far we have reached? The issues faced by teachers are usually similar, just their proficiency levels in terms of ICT varies and they usually need brushing up of their technical skills. Regarding pedagogy, most teachers are good in NVS and now thankfully, most of them are also on par with technology. The training has components to gauge teacher ability in a peer-based evaluative environment, called ‘Showcasing.’After Showcasing, teachers get time to revisit their projects and make changes and that is the necessary feedback in terms of evaluation. After all, it is difficult to teach a teacher. But we still have to evaluate the teachers, which we do through showcasing and areas of improvement are suggested. So there are two aspects to teachers’ training. Firstly, as a teacher, they plan the lesson involving project based learning and integrating technology judiciously. Secondly, as student, they make student samples that highlight the higher order thinking skills imbibed by students while doing projects.What is the community involvement of your school?The Intel Learn programme has a component called ‘Pacesetting’ of MHRD under which we provide opportunity to children of neighbouring schools that might not have computers or infrastructure. In addition to developing IT skills in the laerners, the Intel Learn Programme inculcates necessary skills for the 21st century like collaboration skills and problem solving abilities. The curriculum is especially designed to also develop presentation and communication skills, basic skills which repair students for the workplaces of tomorrow.These students come to the Vidyalaya for a 15-day programme as they learn a curriculum called Technology. Using a project based approach, the curriculum activities and projects, demonstrate to learners how technology can contribute to and help improve their communities and variety of jobs respectively.Learners not only develop new technology skills and learn about their communities and various professions, the develop critical thinking skills as they collaborate to collect information, analyse that information, and finally, present it to their fellow students, teachers and other special guest from or outside their schools.How is the ICT component built into the syllabus?About 20% of the CBSE syllabus has to be taught through ICT wherein they have to bring projects connecting to real-life scenarios, catering to problem-solving skills, developing critical thinking and how to take typical topics and explain those which are difficult to explain in class, such as photosynthesis (Biology), chemical-bonding (Chemistry), etc, these can be easily explained using computers. The students are also motivated by the audio-visual aspect of the lesson. The student can actually see things that would not be possible to be observed otherwise. Using a computer-made presentation, such abstract concepts can be easily taught.What other challenges did you face in integrating ICT?Like I mentioned earlier, 20% of the syllabus in all subjects and all classes has to be taught using ICT, except for third language. According to the demand from students and their teachers, I feel we need more periods.I also feel that we need to have computers in every classroom. Currently we do loose a little time when students move to the Smart classrooms or the computer room. We also need to increase our infrastructure in terms of addinLeaderWhat forms the compelling basis on which Hey Math! solutions are based on?Every child, irrespective of whether they go to school system in any part of the world, we feel that they should get quality education. It is a well known and accepted fact that there is a fundamental teacher shortage. Because of that there is a subjective discontentment amongst the students and every one on the teaching quality of the subject teachers.This concern comes from the parents as well and they try to supplement with tutorials. They, out of desperation, send their children to the tutors. Again, tutors are also less in number; there is a fundamental shortage in the whole system. There is also no more one to one tutoring, and the students end up going from one set to another set of class rooms and end up doing additional work. The desired solid foundation of a given subject is not built up. When the students go back to the school, they find themselves in great trouble, as the teaching method in the school is very different from the tutorial teaching set up.Through our Hey Math! curriculum, we want to provide students access to the best teaching methodology by collaborating with high performing Mathematics system. We try to tap on the experts on Maths across the world to contribute to our contents. We understand the effective ways of digitising those and making available for students.Could you tell us about the adoption rate of Hey Math! programme, who needs it, where does it goIndian Government focuses on higher and technical educationTo promote the education in the country, the Union Government of India has cleared that the government will focus on higher and technical education in its 11th plan. This is the first time, the economic survey has equally devoted its attention to primary, secondary and higher education sector by highlighting initiatives in these sectors, which will further expand in the course of the 11 th Plan.However, it is also surprising that the survey is silent on the manpower crisis in higher education. Promoting and expanding higher education without making teacher's job attractive can result in a big crisis. The government has also committed to provide good quality elementary education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years. In this regard, the achievement by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya are noteworthy. According to the survey, SSA has already constructed 1.70 million schools, 7.13 additional classrooms, 1.72 million drinking water facilities, 2.18 toilets and free supply to 6.64 billion textbooks, while MDM provides free food to 9.7 billion children. In the 11th Plan, MDM will be extended to upper primary level that would result in inclusion of 1.7 billion additional children of classes VI to VIII. SSA is expecting to allocate more than INR 13000 billion and MDM will allocate approximately INR 10,000 billion. There are other two highlights; universalisation of secondary education and expansion of higher education institutes. The scheme – Universalisation of Access to Secondary Education (SUCCESS) envisages mandatory secondary education to children in the age group of 15-16 years by 2015 and universal retention by 2020. This includes work on eight new IITs, seven new IIMs, 10 new NITs, three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, 20 IIITs and two new SPAs. Then, there is the plan for 14 world class universities, 16 central universities and 370 new degree colleges.WorldUK University dropout steady at 22%An drive to reduce the number of university dropouts has had no effect, according to a report from a committee of MPs. The proportion of students who fail to complete their degree has remained at 22% for five years.Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the committee, said, “Five years from our last report on student retention the percentage of students dropping out has not budged from 22%. This is despite some £800m being paid to universities over the same period to help retain students most likely to withdraw from courses early.”Poorer students, older students, disabled students and those with families – non-traditional students the government is keen to attract – are more likely to drop out. In 2005, St George’s hospital medical school, Oxford University, the Royal Veterinary College, Warwick and Bristol universities had below 3% drop out rates.‘For universities with consistently low retention rates the funding council’s regional teams should agree specific improvement plans,’ the committee’s report says, citing personal difficulties, dissatisfaction with courses and financial pressure as reasons why students drop out.A third of teachers ‘struggle with technology’: studyA third of teachers struggle to use the technology schools are equipped with and want more support and training, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), U.K. NFER’s first Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey (TVOS), which was completed by about 1,000 teachers, including heads and newly qualified classroom teachers, shows widespread use of information technology in schools 80% said it had made a difference to the way they teach.But a ‘sizeable minority’ (33%) felt they lacked the necessary skills to exploit the technology available to them and needed more support and information to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) in lessons, NFER found.However, NFER said when compared to research conducted in 2004, the findings suggest that teacher competence in using ICT has improved overall. Two thirds (67%) said they had the ICT skills to exploit the technology available to them and 62% said ICT helps to raise pupil attainment. Teachers also said ICT leadership in schools could be improved. Just 27% of respondents felt that the leadership of ICT pedagogy in their school was inspirational and only 44% said that their school is innovative in its use of ICT.Czech science award for school studentsThe Czech company Ceska Hlava, in collaboration with the Czech Senate and the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, has launched a competition for secondary school students. Entitled ‘Innovating Minds – Czech Awards for Young Europeans’, the natural sciences and technology competition is open to all European students up to 19 years of age.The prize will be awarded in five categories: information and communication technology (ICT), health and quality of life, environment, product and technology innovations and design and architecture. Applicants must submit their project synopsis online, including an independent expert’s review provided, for instance, by a science teacher. The applications for the Innovating Minds Award 2008 have to be submitted before 10 September. The award ceremony will then be held in October 2008 in Prague. An international jury will select the winners in each category. The jury is made up of scientists, politicians and experts from industry

Being a Female Candidate makes no differences, You are a Candidate in the eye of Selection Board and Indian Armed Forces, and you will be treated as such, All the process is same as that of Male Candidates and So is the Preparation for the SSB.One can surely understand your concern, as the society has its own way to keep reminding girls about their gender. But, even the thought of joining armed forces, you have broken down those social stereotypes, and you need to keep breaking it. Be the person you want to be, and let you accomplishments define you and not gender.Of-course, it will very logical to prepare for AFCAT and CDSE parallely. If one goes by the syllabus of CDSE and AFCAT, you can analyse that syllabus of AFCAT is subset of CDSE, so if you aiming for CDSE and preparing accordingly, you can surely crack AFCAT. But, then too i would suggest, to go through sample question papers and previous year papers, as it gives lot of idea about the pattern, and can acclimatize you mind for the same.For reading more about the process, you can read further, otherwise, i hope till here, it should answer your question.ProcessSTEP 1 – RESPOND TO ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOWED BY WRITTEN TEST1. For CDSEThe advertisement for CDSE in the months of July and November by UPSC.Candidates are to apply as per the advertisement.The written tests are conducted by UPSC only. For details visitwww.upsc.gov.in2. AFCAT – Air Force Common Admission Test.For all entries other than CDSE and for all branches, candidates have to undergo the AFCAT.The test is conducted twice a year in February and August.Advertisements inviting applications for AFCAT are out in June and December. Candidates are to apply as per the advertisement.The test is conducted all across India by the Indian Air Force3. NCC entryAir Sqn NCC Senior division ‘C’ certificate holders are to apply through DG NCC/ respective NCC Air SquadronSTEP 2 - SSB (Services Selection Board) TESTINGIf you have successfully cleared Step 1, you will receive a Call letter to report to any one of the Air Force Selection Boards located at Dehradun, Varanasi, Gandhinagar, Mysore and Kancharapara. At the Air Force Selection Board (AFSB), you undergo following tests in order to ascertain your suitability and gauge your potential as an Officer in the Indian Air Force.1. Stage I TestingOfficer Intelligence rating TestPicture perception and Discussion TestStage I is a screening test. Those who qualify Stage-I are eligible to undergo Stage II testing. Stage I disqualified candidates are routed back after announcement of results2. Stage II TestingAll Stage I qualified candidates undergo following tests as part of Stage II testing during next three to four daysPsychological Tests are written tests that are conducted by a Psychologist.Group Tests are interactive indoor and outdoor activities which are a combination of mental and physical work.Interview involves a personal conversation with an Interviewing Officer.These tests will be explained to you in detail before they are conducted at the Selection Board.The following is the schedule for OLQ Tests:* Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) is a unique test. It is aimed at assessing a candidate’s aptitude to be trained as a pilot. PABT is being used as an independent selection device to induct potential officers into Flying Branch of Indian Air Force. PABT comprises three tests viz Instrument Battery Test (INSB), Sensory Motor Apparatus Test (SMA) and Control Velocity Test (CVT). Instrument Battery Test (INSB) is a paper pencil test and other two are machine tests. The Instruments Battery Test (INSB) comprises two parts. This test assesses assimilation of the briefing and the ability of an individual to read and interpret the dials of an instrument panel of an aircraft. The candidates who score the minimum laid down criteria are subjected to the machine test. The machine test includes Sensory Motor Apparatus Test (SMA) and Control Velocity Test (CVT). These tests measure the psychomotor co-ordination skill of the individual. These tests are conducted on a single day and administered only once in life time.At the Conference held on the last day, all the Assessors i.e. the Psychologist, Ground Testing Officer and the Interviewing Officer, discuss your personality and decide on whether to recommend you or not. Those recommended by the AFSBs will be required to fill up certain documents at the Boards and subsequently move to the next step.STEP 3 - CONDUCT OF MEDICAL EXAMINATIONSIf you are recommended by the Selection Board, you will be sent for the medical examination either at Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME), New Delhi or Institute of Aviation Medicine, Bengaluru.STEP 4 - PREPARING ALL INDIA MERIT LISTAn All India Merit List is compiled on the basis of your performance in the written test and AFSB interview, subject to being medically fit. Based on the vacancies available in various branches / sub branches, joining instructions are issued to join one of the Training establishments.Often SSB Aspirants, tend to ask question as What is the best book to Clear SSB, In my view You Yourself.!If you find it hard believe, let me tell you, it’s the normal response, but at the end of the day, actuality is same. It just you and yourself, who have any say to change the Results of the SSB.Crack in my view is not the correct word, crack is kind of word,where you find shortcuts to a destiny, or, just keep practicing without much of brain behind it. You can crack a Exam, But SSB is not a Exam and never was designed to be one. If one knows, in SSB results they never mention the word Pass or Fail, It’s Recommended or Not-Recommended for the Service. It’s a simple change of words, but holds a lot more meaning behind it.Before even i go into details of various entries and procedures, you need to first get yourself prepared till the end, so that you clear every round in One go.I believe even before setting in for above tasks and planning for them, invest good amount of time in yourself. Without Knowing yourself, one can never get through SSB, and that’s how each task is designed to get qualities out of your personality.Self Introspection of your qualities is very crucial. Knowing ones’ Strength and Weakness are the building blocks to success.Coming To Various Stages of Interviews, you can scroll down to the part which says SSB SELECTION PROCESS, if you are interested knowing more about how to Self Introspect, you can read further, otherwise i would suggest, you can stop your reading here.Now, as you have chosen to read further, well first of all congrats because You have PATIENCE my friend. Even before keeping any points in my mind for SSB, my friend you need look into you,i.e.Self Introspection is crucial aspect of SSB, and indeed Life. Unless and Until you don’t know about you Strengths and much more important your weaknesses, it will make things a lot tricky.SSB as a whole is rather very easy testing process, and why not it was designed to be like that, so that your real self can come out, its Us who make tough for us by trying the shortcuts, and this step is taken when someone is to much crazy about achieving something, well both this things don’t go well with SSB.I will what i did, for a start for self introspection, you can have your own way for it, I took a A4 sheet and started with my Strengths, an you know what i got a hell lot of strengths on the paper, but then came climax, When i started jotting down myweaknesses, i could only make 4–5 points max,if you see this in normal scenario its good that i have less weaknesses and even anyone would see it that way,and i am no different, but i took a random thought process, i thought why is it that i have so less weaknesses but then too i am not able to hit the target, answer was obvious, i was not looking in for weaknesses deeply, what my mind did while writing down weaknesses was it started categorizing them common, small or negligible weaknesses, whereas same didn’t happened in case of Strengths, there i had it, I broke down classification, and started finding weaknesses of mine, and believe and made me realize that there were many incidents which overlooked instead of learning from those mistakes.Sorry, for long explanation , but i guess you must have got my point, but don’t just stop at Strengths and Weaknesses, think of what you daily, your hobbies, you sporting activities, this will help you to confidently answer question about yourself, and believe me or not, when you don’t know yourself completely its this Questions On you which take you down.So, when you are out there in SSB, you need to make sure of this things in broader aspects,BE YOURSELF - let others response may sound how much interesting and thrilling, its your response and reaction that matters at that moment, from my experience i thing which i observed, SSB majorly focuses on how you do itordeal with a certain situation. Even if you give an interesting and impressive answers, which you have mugged up, it wont do any good, and in fact do a lot bad, Instead, you can give your answers, and think before answering so that when stressed upon, you can confidently support your point.PRESENCE OF MIND - Its very crucial, a lot go down just because they neglect this aspect. Presence Of Mind not brings in “A” Game of yours, it broadens your horizon of thinking, instead of getting excited and running just for the sake of running without any direction. This Aspect brings in Patience in you, and its no secret staying calm in stressful situation is key to go through it.BE POSITIVE & OPTIMISTIC - Putting you under stress is what SSB does to take your real out, so many times things don’t go the best way you would have hoped for, now at this point you need to have a optimistic view, analyse your mistake and move on, instead of crying and getting worried over it, as doing this just starts a chain reaction which will destroy all your tests.All the above mentioned three points together power up your CONFIDENCE, and it goes in your favor in a big way.SSB SELECTION PROCESSThe aim of five day testing is to assess personality of candidates by three pronged approach – Manasa, Vacha & Karmna, Translating into your thoughts, speech and deed/actions. These three approaches are termed as techniques and they are assessed by Psychologist, Interviewing Officer and Group testing Officer independently. The summation of three approaches in conference gives inputs for identifying a potential and a trainable Armed Forces leader.TESTING SCHEDULE AT SSBThe selection process is spread over five days testing schedule and is conducted in two stages. Stages I is conducted on the first day and the candidates having some chance of getting selected are retained for Stage II based on the performance of candidates in written test and Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP & DT) conducted on Day 1. The brief program for five days is given below and the same is elaborated in subsequent sections.STAGE -1DAY 1 - Written Test, PP & DTSTAGE – IIDAY 2- Psych Test ; InterviewDAY 3- GTO 1 Day; InterviewDAY 4- GTO 2 Day; InterviewDAY 5- ConferenceREPORTING DAYRECEPTIONYour day of reporting starts with the reception as per the details given in call letter/ SMS sent to you, a reception is organised for all candidates at the railway station. You have to report to the Movement Control Office (MCO) at the time and date given in call letter/SMS. Here a representative of the SSB manning the reception will receive you and direct you to a bus that will take you to SSB.Candidates arriving late or by road/air should proceed directly on their own and report to the SSB. On your arrival at the SSB, you will be given sufficient time to settle down.OPENING ADDRESSThe first organised event at the SSB is the opening address. The duty officer gives and introductory talk, explains matters of administration arrangements, the DOs and Don'ts at the SSB and the routine at SSB in the brief for the next five days. Listen carefully to what he says.DOCUMENTATIONAfter the opening address Documentation check is the next event. You are required to produce your original certificates for verification and fill up certain forms like the TA form on the reporting day itself. You will also be allotted chest numbers for your Stage I testing.DAY 1 – STAGE 1OIR TESTMorning of the Day 1 begins with the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) Test. The test would start early, so ensure that you have a good night sleep and wake up in time to be ready for the tests. The tests themselves include verbal and non-verbal tests which require simple and analytical reasoning.PPDTThe second test of Day 1 is Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PP&DT). During this test a picture is flashed on screen for 30 seconds and candidates have to broadly note down certain basic parameters i.e. No of characters, their age, sex, mood and thereafter write a story relating to the situation in the picture. A story that could cover, what according to the candidate’s perception led to the situation in the picture, its present and future development? The time allotted for the story to be written down is 4 minutes.GROUP DISCUSSIONIn this test the picture and your stories would be discussed in a group. For this phase the batch is divided in small groups. The strength of a group is around fifteen candidates. To start the Group Discussion, each candidate would be required to narrate his perception and individual written story. Subsequently, candidates will discuss among themselves and achieve a common consensus about the characters and the theme of the story.RESULT OF STAGE 1Once all candidates have undergone this stage the results of Stage I are declared. Successful candidates are retained for Stage II testing and the balance are asked to leave after a short brief on general shortcomings. The candidates are provided with lunch and transport to go to the railway station. Candidates will also be paid the entitled Travelling Allowance for AC 3 tier class. This travelling allowance is paid to candidates appearing for the first time in SSB on production of the original tickets.STAGE 2The candidates retained for further testing in Stage 2 will be divided into groups of eight to ten candidates. Each candidate will be allotted a new chest number. It is important to remember that you are not competing with other candidates, all of you will be assessed against the common standard of suitability and it is possible that everyone in the group is selected or rejected. You will require to fill up Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) with correct and exact details about your life. In case of a large batch some of you may find yourself facing Interviewing Officer in the evening of same day.DAY - 2PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTThe second day sees the testing in the earnest and begins with the onset of Psychological Assessment. The candidates are taken through a series of situations projected as words, pictures and narrated situations. The reaction timings are stringent to bring in natural and subconscious behavioral pattern of individual. As the Psych tests takes time and one has to be fresh and natural, the tests are started early in the morning. Before the tests are administered you will be briefed by the Psychologist about the various tests you have to undergo, also before you undergo actual tests you will be familiarises with the example tests of each type. Psych test are administered on candidates to access the psychological profile acceptable for candidates of particular age group.THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TESTThe first test among the battery of Psych tests is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). In this test a total of 12 pictures including a blank picture will be shown for 30 seconds each, one after the other. Candidates are asked to write story around the picture shown, covering issues like what led to the situation, what is going on and what would be the outcome of the situation perceived in the picture. The picture is selected in a manner to allow your creative mind to evolve a number of stories.No story is correct or wrong, what matters is it must be a story triggered in your mind by the picture. Remember that the picture is shown only for 30 seconds and then you are asked to write about the picture within four minutes. In the blank picture, you have to imagine a picture of your own choice and write a story around that. Since the timings are stringent you are advised to write the story that occurs to you first on seeing the picture, that way your response will be natural and you will be able to write the entire story within the limited time available to you.WORD ASSOCIATION TESTThe next psych test is the Word Association Test (WAT). In this test a total of 60 words are shown to the candidates. Each word is flashed on the screen for 15 seconds. The candidate is required to write down the first thought or idea that comes to his mind on seeing the word in the space provided in the 15 seconds before the next word is flashed.SITUATION REACTION TESTThe third psych test is the Situation Reaction Test (SRT). This test consists of 60 routine life situations regarding day to day activities. The situations are printed in the booklet and candidate is asked to write his reaction by completing the sentences as to how he would feel, think and act in these situations. A total of 30 minutes are given to candidates to write down reactions to all the sixty situations in the booklet.SELF DESCRIPTION TESTThe last in the battery of Psych tests is the Self Description Test (SD). Each candidate is given 15 minute and is asked to write 5 separate paragraphs on the opinion of his parents or guardian, friends, teachers or superiors, self opinion and qualities the candidate would like to develop/ inculcate in himself.Following is the way how you will mostly probably sited for Psych Test.DOS & DON‘TS PSYCH TESTDOsListen and adhere to the instructions properly.Clarify all your doubts before the commencement of each test.Be as imaginative and spontaneous as possible.Give your first reaction to picture/word shown to you, don’t think twice as there is no right or wrong answer to the situation, everyone is like to respond in his own unique way.Be realistic and logical in your responses and keep track of time.Don'tsDo not use coached/ tutored ideas while responding to psychological test battery.Do not create mental sets about pictures during run up to the SSB as it may restrict your spontaneity and imagination.INTERVIEWOn completion of Psych tests and subsequent refreshment break, some of the candidates have to appear before the Interviewing Officer for Personal Interview. The interviews will continue in the afternoon and evenings of Day 2, 3 and 4. You will be interviewed only once and will be informed well in advance about the time and place.The atmosphere throughout the interview is relaxed and informal. The questions are generally based on your every day experiences and relating to your work, education, family and spare time activities, hobbies and interests. Each candidate is interviewed for a duration ranging from 45 minutes to an hour. The Interviewing Officer will discuss by way of questions and answers the opportunities you had in your life and utilisation you made of them. The Interviewing Officer is fairly senior and experienced in the armed Forces while he interacts with you, he assesses whether you have the essential qualities to be trained to become an officer in the armed Forces. What you have done till date with regard to your academics, your achievements and extra curricular activities, your interest in life, interaction with your parents, friends and society at large. Candidates’ general awareness, physical and mental fortitude, form important facets to assist him in his assessment. No one is perfect and the Interviewing Officer understands and gives more than adequate benefits for the shortcomings or mistakes which you may have committed thus do not try and hide anything. The tendency of lying and making false pretences is easily found and is viewed negatively.DOS & DON'TS – INTERVIEWLook smart, cheerful and enthusiastic.Be audible but not too loud and appear keen to speak and respond to questions.Sit straight and comfortably, do not fidget, do not keep moving your hands and legs as it may distract the interviewer from your responses.If you have not understood anything politely ask for clarification or to repeat the question.You are expected to be aware so as to touch upon current events if asked.DAY 3 - GROUP TESTINGThe third day is full of exciting physical activity in the Group Testing Grounds. The candidates will be briefed by the Group Testing Officer in the morning about all out door activities. The primary concern here is to see how you will face the obstacles and the tasks allotted to you and your attitude towards other members of the group both while working with them and while directing them. Group tests do not require specialised individual skills on your part, logical thinking, coordinated team efforts, work ability to receive and give suggestion is what is looked at by assessors. You will be provided with Sketch Board, Ladders, Ropes, Planks and other such things as your tools to help you in the assigned task. You are given few minutes to form plan and thereafter execute the task within the given timeframe. The battery of GTO tests consists of nine tests/ tasks.GROUP DISCUSSIONThe first task of GTO battery of test begins with Group Discussions on a debatable topic, which is usually given on a current event/social issues. In the first group discussion the group is allowed to select one of the two topics offered.In the second group discussion the topic is of the GTO’s choice. Each discussion will last for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Each candidate is expected to participate in the discussions. Remember that the discussions involve the exchange of ideas and thoughts. It is not a traffic of words.GROUP PLANNING EXERCISEThe Group planning Exercise is the second test of the GTO test series. In this test a story on a model with a few problems is narrated. What you are required to do is to identify the problems and evolve the practical solution within the given time. You are expected to write down your own individual solution on the paper provided to you. A candidate while giving solution should think logically, write and draw neatly and also examine alternate solutions of the problem. Thereafter your group collective solution will be discussed by the group and you are expected to participate in evolving the group plan acceptable to everyone. One of you may then be asked to explain the acceptable group plan.PROGRESSIVE GROUP TASKProgressive Group Task is the next GTO test. Four obstacles are required to be collectively negotiated by your group along with a heavy load. Certain helping materials in the form of Rope, Planks etc are provided for the task to be completed within 40 minutes. Ground rules will be explained to the candidates in detail before the commencement of the tests. Make sure you and your group adheres to the rules strictly. Also remember that all of you and the load need to negotiate the obstacle together to move on during this test.GROUP OBSTACLE RACEUnlike other tasks here the entire group competes with other groups of your batch over a set of six obstacles. Each group has to carry a roll of tent/ stuffed gunny bags in the shape of snake from the start point to finish point. Therefore the task is commonly referred as Snake Race. The rules of the race will be explained to you, the winner is the group that cover all the obstacles against the challenge posed by opponents. Not to forget to include time, obstacles and load within the framework of rules of the race. After the race there is a short 20 minutes break for rest and refreshments.HALF GROUP TASK (HGT)After the break you will participate in the Half Group Task. This task is similar to the PGT except that it is conducted over one obstacle with smaller group.LECTURETTEOn completion of HGT the GTO will conduct the task called lecturette. Each member of your group will deliver a three minutes informal talk on a topic selected by candidate from the set of topics offered separately to each candidate.Approximately three minutes are given to the candidate to prepare the talk and thereafter speak for three minutes in front of group on the subject chosen by the candidate.DAY 4 - GROUP TESTINGThe balance of the Group Tests are conducted on fourth day. The test begins early in the morning with Individual Obstacle (IO) course.INDIVIDUAL OBSTACLESIn the individual Obstacle there are ten obstacles designed to test candidates individual ability in negotiating them, you are given three min to negotiate as many obstacle as possible on your own. If the course is completed within the time limit, you may repeat the obstacle of your choice. You will be given short break after all members of the group have completed their individual obstacle course.COMMAND TASKThe next task in line is the Command Task, each member of your group will be put in command of the group in turn, the objective being completion of the specified task as commander of a group. You will be first briefed by the GTO regarding the task and thereafter you will explain the task to your group as commander and give instructions to them and also monitor the completion of the task personally.FINAL GROUP TASKAs the name suggest the last GTO test is the final group task, here once again the entire group gets together to complete an assigned task within the stipulated time frame.DOS & DON'TS for GTO TESTDOsPerceive the problems posed correctly and assimilate all details.Have adequate awareness about general/ current affairs.Be quick enough to think and write solutions.Solutions should be logical and realistic.Be spontaneous and forthright in expressing yourself, participate actively.In outdoor task, be energetic, participate and contribute to the group activities.Understand the requirement of the task, plan and try to evolve/suggest workable ideas.Keep the group aim in mind.Be confident and develop perseverance in pursuing the aim/goal.Be effective in communicationDon’tDon’t limit yourself to one type of media-explore various types of media to acquire knowledge/awareness about topics of general interest.Don’t try to put pre-conceived knowledge / ideas, utilize them to generate own ideas.Don’t sit/stand back and wait for opportunity to come your way – grab the opportunity.Don’t shut out others’ ideas.DAY 5 – CONFERENCE DAYCLOSING ADDRESSThe last or the 5th day is spent in the conference. In the continuation of the process of selection, the day begins with the closing address. Closing Address is generally given by Dy President of the board before the Board Conference. During the address officer will highlight the merits of selection system, explain the qualities that we in the Armed Forces are looking for in your personality and provide clarification to any doubts or question that may arise in your mind. This is also interactive forum for you to put forward any problem complaint or any suggestion that you may have experienced during your stay at SSB.BOARD CONFERENCEThe Board Conference is the final event of the five day testing process, during the board conference which is chaired by president, Dy president and all the assessors that is the GTOs, Psychologists and Interviewing Officers, who have assessed you will be in attendance. Each candidate is discussed in detail by the three assessors, who have examined his demonstrated performance through the specific technique independently to arrive at consensus on acceptability of each candidate. Detailed process of validation and counter validation is undertaken to arrive at final decision about the candidate. Candidates will be asked to appear individually before the board. You will be asked some question during the conference. Your answers during the conference are also important. The board makes final recommendation about the suitability of the candidate as well as final marks to be awarded to each candidate.DECLARATION OF RESULTAfter all the candidates have appeared before the board and the result has been compiled, the Technical Officer of the board will announce the result. The candidates who fail to make the grade are seen off at the railway station. All those who are recommended by the board will stay on for the medical examination which may take one week.MEDICAL EXAMINATIONRecommended candidates appear before the medical board for carrying out their medical board after the SSB results. It takes 4 to 5 working days for the concerned Military Hospital to complete the medical board and after that the candidates are dispersed. NDA candidates are examined both for Army and Navy unless otherwise instructed and endorsement of fitness status will be made accordingly. President of the medical board will guide the candidates for Appeal/Review Medical Board procedures. Candidates may seek the advice of President Special Medical Board for review/appeal in case they have been declared unfit.Few Tips from my personnel experienceBE YOURSELF and I mean it, not just for the sake of saying. Trust you actions and Thoughts.Little Self Introspection such as your strengths & weaknesses will give you more clarity about your personality.If you don’t do physical exercise much, start jogging, it will help you to keep up your breath during GTO.Smiling brings positive thoughts. Make a habit to converse with others with smile on your face, but of-course don’t do it for serious moments otherwise i am not responsible for Slap…!!!!!!Don’t over do thingsStick to truth & facts, and they will be happy, go otherwise, and you will be sunken boat.and Once you get Recommended, you can tuck me in for having Party, after all it will be great mile to celebrate upon.All The Best.Thank You.!