One Nation, one system!

With a debate raging in Maharashtra on the 90-10 quota for admission to junior colleges, the Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal came out with a series of proposals, to reform the aging education system in the country. India is a big country, with a number of states, and most of them have their own education boards. Each board has their own rules, and often, the rules are arbitrarily set, and is the source of controversies in many situations. Among some of the recent cases, the Maharashtra government has proposed a 90% reservation in junior colleges for students from state board schools, and the remaining for students from CBSE and ICSE boards. This percentage has been based on the percentile stats across the states, but has caused a stir in the Urban areas, where a greater percentage of students go to schools from these other boards. In a number of states, the local language is forced upon the students, and this can be a big problem for students, who move to that state at a stage, where it would be difficult to pick up the new language. Sibal has called for the unification of all these boards, so as to have a uniform system throughout the country. Sibal has also proposed to do away with the 10th board exams, which he considers unnecessary. Quoting Sibal, “Education is not meant to traumatise the parents and students. This is unacceptable”. He also proposes to have grades for these examinations, instead of a numerical score.

I feel that this is a wonderful move, and will be very helpful for students as well as parents, who are often more concerned than the students themselves( ask me about that aspect ).  Another area where this will help would be in the admissions for institutes of higher education, which has become a rat race of tremendous proportions. I have just come out of this rat race, and hopefully, I am one of the last few, who have to go through this stage. The situation may be bad until 10th standard, it worsens after that, because this is the stage where it really matters. All states have their own entrance examinations, with different rules for each. I know of many people who found it difficult to get admission in higher colleges, solely because they had not stayed in that state for a certain number of years( a lot of states have rules, that allow a student to take up such exams only if he/she has lived in that state for a certain period of time, usually 6-8 years minimum ). I find this very unfair and hope that it gets sorted out with the reforms. Another thing that I have observed is that in many states, the board exams in 12th don’t really matter. It is the various other entrance examinations that count. I have seen many cases where colleges have tie-ups with coaching institutes, wherein the colleges give complete attendance for the student, without him/her having to attend college, leaving him/her free to devote all of his time towards these competitive exams. I know of many people who have gone through their 11th-12th years attending college only for their practicals. The system is prevalent in Kota, Hyderabad and a few other places, from what I hear. What is more alarming is that many of these coaching classes follow a heavily examination oriented approach, which turns out bad for a number of students in the years to come.

I sincerely hope that this is only the beginning, and the reforms actually get carried out, which would certainly help students, as well as parents, and lead to the overall development of the country.

Quiz Post: Anyone has garlic?

The X is a hematophage found in the Americas, ranging from Mexico to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Their saliva contain an anti-clotting agent called Draculin. They have been held responsible for spread of rabies in the Americas. What is X?

Quiz Post: Long Visual Connect

Simple. Give one word to connect all these pics

Snake Eyes

Stag has been working on improving the line follower. Though still with a temporary body, the progress made is tremendous. Now, the bot can take sharp turns. Stag calls it “Snake Eyes”.

Quiz Post: Toxic!

The word X is derived from Cantonese and literally translates to “Big Boss”. Xs are powerful family heads in Taiwan, and usually own a lot of big businesses. X is also the name of one of the most poisonous serpents in the world, which lives in Australia.  Give X

Quiz Post: Cricket’s Most Wanted

These two gentlemen recently decided to review their creation. Put Funda

Quiz Post: White Boots?

The football team of X is known as the “All Whites”, which is in contrast with most of the county’s other sports teams. They have qualified for the World Cup only once, and are one match away from a berth in the next one in South Africa, having guarenteed themselves the top spot in the regional world cup qualifiers. The best known current players are Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen and Celtic striker Chris Killen. Who are they?

Line follower finally

After errors, and silly mistakes and bad luck, our line follower is ready finally. Btw person in video also known as Stag. All credits to him for building it. Now, we move to the next level.

Quiz Post: More food for thought

Please submit all your answers in 1 comment only.

1. X <generic>is a dish originating in South Asia which can be made with yoghurt, cream, nut and seed pastes or coconut milk; it is usually considered a type of curry has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine of modern-day Pakistan and North India. Classically, a X is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with water, stock, yoghurt or cream (the name is in fact derived from the Hindi and Urdu words for "braise". A dish called "X" is very popular in Indian restaurants in the United Kingdom. In the UK a X usually refers not to a particular cooking technique but to a curry with a thick, cream-based sauce or gravy; this bears little resemblance to a classical Indian X, as it is not braised. The X popularised in UK curry houses is invariably mild and may often feature nuts, usually almonds or cashews, and coconut. Id X
2. X is a light snack food prepared out of puffed rice mixed with some seasonings of onions, spices, pepper, etc. It is typical of southern and eastern India namely, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, etc. It is common to find it everywhere – fairs and festivals, marriage parties and other social meetings. Being an affordable food, it has become a part and parcel of the lives of Karnataka residents. It is a healthy snack often enjoyed with a cup of hot coffee or tea in Karnataka. X can have a number of toppings. The combination of finely chopped onions, chopped cilantro, grated carrots and dry roasted peanuts is one of the most popular toppings for X. Id X.
3. In Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh it is usually a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of yellow moong dal or Urad Dal (crushed and washed horse beans), besan (crushed and washed gram flour), black pepper, red chili powder, salt and other spices.
   In Gujarat, it is usually a round ball made of flour and dough filled with a stuffing of yellow moong dal, black pepper, red chili powder, and ginger paste. In Uttar Pradesh, it is a flattened ball of spiced potatoes, typically including potatoes and peas, wrapped in white flour, and deep fried.  Some of the variants popular in North India includes a version similar to the Rajasthan version accompanied with a curry made of potatoes and varied spices or even chana (chole), similar to one served in chole bhature.  What?
4. X  is a traditional Indian dish sold in the streets of Mumbai, Pune and parts of Maharastra, India. It consists of spicy curry usually made of chick peas and chilly powder gravy. The final dish is topped with Punjabi mix or sev (Indian noodles), onions, lemon and coriander (cilantro). It is usually served with bread toasted with butter. The dish is inexpensive and a poor man’s meal. Tell X
5. First,roast a cup of Gram flour.
   Then,boil two cups of sugar until it turns to sticky sugar solution.
   * Put handful of roasted Gram flour in paagu(boiled sugar).
   * Heat Ghee separately.
   * Pour small amount of ghee in the boiled sugar.
   * Again, put handful of gram flour and remaining ghee.
   * After the mixture is boiled, it turns into crispy, bubble form.
   * Now, pour it in a plate and after minutes of drying, cut it into pieces of desired shapes. Recipe for what?

Quiz Post: The Beetles

When the new Volkswagen factory was set up by Hitler in the town, which came to be known as X, Verein für Leibesübungen X-Fußball GmbH (Club for Gymnastics X Football Club in German) was founded by the Volkswagen employees. It is completely owned by Volkswagen, and its stadium is also called the Volkswagen arena. It is one of the few football clubs to have won the top 3 league divisions in German football. Id X