Education News

IIT Madras and BITS Pilani have partnered to allow student exchanges with tuition fee waivers and credit transfers. Students can study or research at each other's campuses. The collaboration will also explore emerging tech trends and wellness initiatives, aimed at strengthening ties between two of India's premier institutions.

The CAG has flagged financial irregularities in Odisha's 5T High School Transformation Programme under the previous BJD government. Audit of six districts revealed suspected misappropriation, fraudulent payments, ineligible fund usage, and wasteful expenditure of ₹7.39 crore on duplicate e-content procurement. Non-functional smart classrooms and labs were also found in 54 schools.

NCERT's new Class 9 Social Science textbook stated that several historical Indian kings invoked goddesses and received swords from them to resist foreign invasions. It cited traditional beliefs that Bastar ruler Annamaraja received a sword from Manikyadevi (Danteshvari). Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is also believed to have obtained a sword from Tulja Bhavani to resist the Mughals, it added.

Actress Dia Mirza has urged parents to raise boys with empathy, kindness and respect. Sharing a message on Instagram, the actress said children must learn about consent, boundaries and handling rejection. She also stressed that consent means a willing and comfortable "yes", while nobody is entitled to another person's attention, affection or intimacy amid renewed safety concerns.

A study by the Harvard researchers found students using an AI tutor scored higher on posttests (4.5 vs. 3.5), completed lessons faster, and felt more motivated. The AI provided personalised, self-paced guidance. Researchers don't suggest replacing classrooms but highlight how AI could make learning more effective and tailored to individual student needs.

A new IIT Madras study reveals that highly educated professionals, including IT workers, bankers, doctors, and even cybersecurity-certified individuals, frequently fall victim to financial cybercrime. The findings challenge the widely held belief that digital literacy and education provide adequate protection against online scams.

Bihar Public Service Commission received no applications for 218 Head of Department vacancies at government polytechnic institutes under the Science & Technology department. Even after re-advertising, applications remained zero. BPSC has returned the requisitions to the department, which said it will examine the matter before deciding the next course of action.

Preeti Aghalayam, an IIT Madras alumna, became the first woman to head an IIT when she was appointed Director-in-Charge of IIT Madras Zanzibar in 2023. The Tanzania-based campus, IIT Madras' first international campus, launched in October 2023. Aghalayam holds a PhD from UMass Amherst and previously taught at IIT Bombay and IIT Madras.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said AI could be contributing to a decline in students' basic maths skills. "Try to get a kid to do long division right now. The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten...Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter?" he asked. Huang added that this doesn't matter, as people will develop new skills.